Author Archives: basiltsiokos

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About basiltsiokos

Basil Tsiokos is a Senior Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, focusing on nonfiction features. He was most recently with DOC NYC for nearly a decade, where he served as Director of Programming since 2014, and with the Nantucket Film Festival as its Film Program Director. Prior to those positions, Basil was the longtime Artistic and Executive Director of NewFest. He has been affiliated with Sundance since 2005 as a Programming Associate. Basil serves on the feature nominating committees for the International Documentary Association Awards and Cinema Eye Honors. He has written about documentaries daily since 2010 on what (not) to doc. Basil holds a Masters degree from New York University and two undergraduate degrees from Stanford University.

On VOD: BEBA

New to VOD this week:
BEBA

Director:
Rebeca Huntt

World Premiere:
Toronto 2021

Select Festivals:
Berlin, CPH:DOX, Docaviv, Miami, Tribeca, Provincetown, Minneapolis-St Paul

About:
A raw, poetic self-portrait in which a young, NYC-born Afro-Latina filmmaker stares down historical, societal, and generational trauma.

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On TV & Streaming: WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Wednesday, July 27:
WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Director:
Joe Hunting

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

Select Festivals:
True/False, CPH:DOX, Maryland

About:
Filmed entirely inside the world of VR, this vérité documentary captures the excitement and surprising intimacy of a burgeoning cultural movement, demonstrating the power of online connection in an isolated world.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance

On VOD: JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, July 26:
JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY

Director:
Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern

World Premiere:
SXSW 2021

About:
A soulful and heartfelt celebration of 50 years of the funky and fabulous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the unique culture of the southern city.

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On DVD: MARX CAN WAIT

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, July 26:
MARX CAN WAIT

Director:
Marco Bellocchio

World Premiere:
Cannes 2021

Select Festivals:
New York, Busan, BFI London, Taipei Golden Horse, Vienna, IDFA, BAFICI

About:
In his most achingly personal film to date, the legendary Italian filmmaker uses the occasion of a family reunion to excavate and discuss a traumatic event: the suicide of his twin brother Camillo.

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On TV: WINTER’S YEARNING

Coming to PBS’s POV today, Monday, July 25:
WINTER’S YEARNING

Director:
Sidse Torstholm Larsen, Sturla Pilsko

World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2019

Select Festivals:
Margaret Mead, Reykjavik, DOXA, Open City Docs, Nordisk Panorama

About:
In Maniitsoq, Greenland, the US aluminum giant Alcoa Corporation has been planning to build a smelting plant for years, and, with it, the nation’s possible first steps towards economic renewal and political sovereignty.

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In Theatres: MY OLD SCHOOL

Photo by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Coming to theatres today, Friday, July 22:
MY OLD SCHOOL

Director:
Jono McLeod

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Thessaloniki Doc, Docs Against Gravity

About:
The astonishing true story of Scotland’s most notorious imposter.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance

In Theatres: THE REVEREND

Coming to theatres today, Friday, July 22:
THE REVEREND

Director:
Nick Canfield

World Premiere:
DokuFest Kosovo 2021

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Doc’n Roll, Sound Unseen, DocuWest, Thin Line, deadCenter,

About:
A hard-rocking reverend finds faith and connection to community through his powerful revivalist style musical performances.

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Streaming: THE LAST MOVIE STARS

Courtesy of HBO Max

Coming to HBO Max today, Thursday, July 21:
THE LAST MOVIE STARS

Director:
Ethan Hawke

World Premiere:
SXSW 2022

Select Festivals:
Cannes

About:
An epic 6-chapter film chronicling Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s iconic careers and decades-long partnership.

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Special Screening: WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Thursday, July 21:
WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Director:
Joe Hunting

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

Select Festivals:
True/False, CPH:DOX, Maryland

About:
Filmed entirely inside the world of VR, this vérité documentary captures the excitement and surprising intimacy of a burgeoning cultural movement, demonstrating the power of online connection in an isolated world.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

On DVD: THE SILVER SCREEN: COLOR ME LAVENDER

Coming to DVD in re-release today, Tuesday, July 19:
THE SILVER SCREEN: COLOR ME LAVENDER

Director:
Mark Rappaport

World Premiere:
Locarno 1997

Select Festivals:
NewFest, Chicago Reeling

About:
An examination of the representation of homosexuality in Golden Age Hollywood cinema.

The film screened at NewFest, for which our program notes read:
If you thought you’d seen it all in THE CELLULOID CLOSET, think again! In this latest installment of queer film history, Mark Rappaport, the acclaimed director of ROCK HUDSON’S HOME MOVIES, enlists the talents of FRASIER co-star Dan Butler to take you on an ingenious and highly entertaining journey through the golden years of classic Hollywood cinema, highlighting the continual presence of some extremely queer characters on the silver screen. Through the skillful dissection of film clips, Rappaport offers astute and persuasive readings of particular male star personae, including Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Cary Grant, Jerry Lewis, and Clifton Webb, to demonstrate how thoroughly ambiguous Hollywood masculinity really was.

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