Coming to Independent Lens as part of the firest PBS Indies Showcase this coming Monday, September 30: DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’: EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY
Ramona S Diaz’s story of an unlikely rockstar debuted at Tribeca last year. Its festival circuit has included San Francisco, Seattle, Silverdocs, Dubai, Traverse City, Philadelphia, and Palm Springs, among others.
I included the doc in my Tribeca coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 27: THE NETWORK
Eva Orner’s behind-the-scenes look at Afghanistan’s first independent television network made its debut at SXSW this year. It has also screened at Sheffield, Antenna, Festival do Rio, and Bermuda, among other events.
Marking Orner’s directorial debut, the producer of the Academy Award winning TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE returns to Afghanistan to witness the rebirth of culture in a society in which it brutally had been oppressed under Taliban rule. Her focus is the Mohseni family, expatriates who saw the need to bring information and entertainment to their homeland. Despite having no previous experience in broadcasting, they successfully launched a radio station, and followed up with Tolo TV, which quickly became the nation’s most popular channel. Recruiting Westerners in key creative and managerial roles, Tolo lays the groundwork to mentor and train the first modern generation of Afghan media professionals – a vital step, noted here, as coalition forces prepare to withdraw from the country. While showing the infectious pleasures of young Afghans learning the ropes, and telling their country’s own stories in diverting soap operas and the like, Orner’s film also offers an intriguing look at the promise of television to affect social change in a still-volatile region, as she highlights US government funded dramas that are intended to foster public confidence in the Afghan police and security forces, or programs that are incrementally combatting restrictive attitudes to women and their rights.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 27: A RIVER CHANGES COURSE
Kalyanee Mam’s intimate look at the cost of Cambodia’s rapid development had its world premiere at Sundance at the beginning of the year, where it claimed the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. It picked up additional awards at Full Frame, San Francisco, and Atlanta, RiverRun, and Docville, among others in its extensive festival run so far.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, September 27: MUSCLE SHOALS
Greg “Freddy” Camalier’s exploration of the influence of the Alabama sound debuted at Sundance this year. Its festival circuit has included, among others, SXSW, Martha’s Vineyard, Sidewalk, Melbourne, Seattle, and Hot Docs, where it claimed the Audience Award.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Maine’s Camden International Film Festival begins its ninth edition tomorrow, Thursday, September 26, and runs through the weekend. In addition to the event’s Points North Documentary Film Forum, connecting emerging filmmakers with industry professionals, thirty new feature documentaries, as well as four retrospective films and a number of shorts, will screen during the festival, primarily curated from the offerings of some of the best festivals taking place earlier in the year, including Sundance, SXSW, Hot Docs, Full Frame, and Tribeca.
Among some of the less familiar or newer titles screening in Camden are: Estephan Wagner’s LAST DREAMS (pictured), about three women facing imminent death; Bo Bartlett, Betsy Eby, and Glenn Holsten’s SEE, which follows two artists exploring the act of seeing; and Daniel Dencik’s MOON RIDER, a portrait of a young man striving to become a championship cycler. Other titles which I’ve not yet had the chance to see include: James N Kienitz Wilkins’ PUBLIC HEARING, a verbatim restaging of a town hall meeting; Jane Gillooly’s SUITCASE OF LOVE AND SHAME, which explores an illicit affair as revealed through found audiotapes; and David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s NIGHT LABOR, which follows a worker on his factory night shift.
Retrospective screenings at Camden this year include Peter Davis’ 1974 Vietnam film, HEARTS AND MINDS (pictured); Barbara Kopple’s 1977 miners’ strike doc, HARLAN COUNTY, USA; Nathaniel Kahn’s 2003 portrait of his father, MY ARCHITECT: A SON’S JOURNEY; and Hubert Sauper’s 2004 cautionary environmental film, DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to theatres this Friday, September 27: INEQUALITY FOR ALL
Jacob Kornbluth’s look at widening economic disparity made its world premiere at Sundance at the beginning of the year, winning a special jury prize. Its gone on to screen at Seattle, Traverse City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, AFI Docs, Zurich, and Deuville, among others.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s IFC Center today, Wednesday, September 25: SHEPARD & DARK
Treva Wurmfeld’s portrait of male friendship debuted at Toronto last year. Its festival circuit also included Cannes, DOC NYC, San Francisco, Woodstock, Cleveland, Sarasota, Big Sky, Florida, and Ashland, among others. The film expands to other cities beginning next week.
I included the doc in my Toronto coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, September 24: 1/2 REVOLUTION
Omar Shargawi and Karim El Hakim’s personal chronicle of the beginnings of the Egyptian revolution debuted at Nordisk Panorama in 2011. It made its North American debut at Sundance, then went on to screen at Dubai, Thessaloniki Doc, True/False, and the Aljazeera Doc fest, among others, before enjoying a limited theatrical release.
I profiled the doc pre-Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
This Friday, September 27, the Film Society of Lincoln Center launches the second half century of the New York Film Festival. Running through Sunday, October 13, the 51st edition continues the event’s reputation as a meticulously curated showcase for standout contemporary international cinema. With close to seventy new feature-length films, as well as dozens of shorts, retrospective screenings, and new media, NYFF remains one of the highlights on the Fall festival calendar, and a must-attend event for NYC cinephiles. Among the nearly three dozen new feature docs included in this year’s line-up are the following selections: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday September 24: DARK GIRLS
Bill Duke and D Channsin Berry’s exploration of dark skin prejudiece had its world premiere at Toronto in 2011. Additional screenings included several African American events, including Los Angeles Pan African, Miami Black, and Nashville International Black film fests, as well as cable broadcast on OWN this Summer.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Toronto here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
