Author Archives: basiltsiokos

basiltsiokos's avatar

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 TV (Encore): THE CITY DARK

Returning to PBS’ POV for an encore broadcast tonight, Monday, August 12 (and available online between September 3 and October 9): THE CITY DARK

Ian Cheney’s rumination on light pollution and the disappearance of darkness debuted at
SXSW in 2011. It went on to screen at Independent Film Festival Boston, Woods Hole, Yale’s Environmental fest, and Maui among others.

I wrote about the doc out of SXSW here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film

On Cable: TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY

terms and conditionsComing to Pivot for its cable broadcast premiere this Sunday, August 11: TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY

Cullen Hoback’s exploration of the end of online privacy had its world premiere at Slamdance. Since then, the doc has screened at Hot Docs, Dallas, Newport Beach, SF DocFest, and Seattle, among others, and has enjoyed a limited theatrical release.

I previously wrote about the film out of Hot Docs here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

Special Screening: ELENA

ElenaComing to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Saturday, August 10: ELENA

Petra Costa’s meditation on her lost sister made its debut at the Festival de Brasília last year, where it swept the documentary awards. It went on to screen at IDFA, SXSW, Hot Docs, and Guadalajara, among other fests.

I included the doc in my SXSW coverage here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film

In Theatres: HERBLOCK

herblockComing to theatres tomorrow, Friday, August 9: HERBLOCK: THE BLACK & THE WHITE

Michael Stevens’ tribute to the eponymous editorial cartoonist had its world premiere at Tribeca this Spring. It went on to screen at AFI Docs and Martha’s Vineyard.

I previously wrote about the film out of AFI Docs here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On TV & Online: IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN

shadow-of-the-sun-thumb-843x403-56169Coming to WORLD Channel’s Global Voices series this Sunday, August 11: IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN

Harry Freeland’s exploration of the plight of Tanzanian albinos debuted at IDFA last year. Its festival circuit has included Hot Docs, Cleveland, Human Rights Watch, and Bermuda. After its broadcast, the doc will be available for a limited time on WORLD’s website.

I included the film in my IDFA coverage here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film

In Theatres & On VOD: ZIPPER

Zipper-Film-Still-1-Photo-by-Amy-Nichoslon-580x300Coming to NYC’s IFC Center and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, August 9: ZIPPER

Amy Nicholson’s look at the changing face of Coney Island debuted at DOC NYC last year, where it took home a special jury prize. It went to screen at Big Sky, Atlanta, and Montclair, among others. The doc comes to iTunes simultaneous with its NYC theatrical release, and expands to LA theatres at the end of the month.

I included the film in my DOC NYC coverage here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

Locarno 2013: Documentary Overview

locarno logoAmong the world’s oldest international film events, the Film Festival Locarno kicks off its 66th edition tonight, running through Saturday, August 17, with a lineup of over 100 features, of which more than forty are documentaries. The Swiss fest, situated just weeks before Venice, Telluride, and Toronto, often showcases an adventurous program, balancing the expected star-driven fare with more challenging discoveries that might normally be relegated to the sidelines at other festivals its size. Its non-fiction offerings appear in virtually every section, from the fest’s signature Piazza Grande massive open-air screenings to its own version of the independently curated Semaine de la critique. The following highlights docs, section-by-section, that have caught my eye: Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations

In Theatres: OFF LABEL

off_labelComing to theatres this Friday, August 9: OFF LABEL

Michel Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s exploration of America’s addiction to prescription psychotropic drugs debuted at Tribeca last year. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, San Francisco, Sheffield, One World, Camden, and RIDM, among others.

I included the doc in my Tribeca coverage here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

In Theatres: THE MACHINE WHICH MAKES EVERYTHING DISAPPEAR

machine which makesComing to theatres this Friday, August 9: THE MACHINE WHICH MAKES EVERYTHING DISAPPEAR

Tinatin Gurchiani’s intimate exploration of her native Georgia debuted last year at DOK Leipzig. It came stateside at Sundance, where Gurchiani won the World Cinema Documentary Competition Best Director Award. Other festival stops have included IDFA, MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, True/False, Hong Kong, Thessaloniki Doc, It’s All True, Documentary Edge, Hot Docs, and Planete+ Doc.

My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.

Leave a comment

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

Special Screening: 12 O’CLOCK BOYS

12 oclock boysComing to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Thursday, August 8: 12 O’CLOCK BOYS

Lotfy Nathan’s immersive view of a Baltimore urban dirt-bike subculture had its world premiere this Spring at SXSW. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, where it claimed a jury award, as well as Full Frame, Maryland, and the upcoming Sundance Next Weekend, among others.

I included the doc in my SXSW coverage here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations