Author Archives: basiltsiokos

Coming to NYC’s Film Forum tomorrow, Wednesday, June 12: MORE THAN HONEY

Markus Imhoof’s apiarian exploration made its debut at Locarno last year. It went on to screen at Toronto, Palm Springs, Cleveland, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, Montclair, Vancouver, and Seattle, among others.

I included the doc in my Toronto roundup here.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, June 11: LONDON: THE MODERN BABYLON

Julien Temple’s city essay had its world premiere at Toronto last year. It went on to IDFA, Göteborg, and Torino, among others, and recently enjoyed a theatrical release through Cinedigm’s Docurama initiative.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 11: CARTOON COLLEGE

Josh Melrod and Tara Wray’s look at an art school devoted to sequential art had its premiere at Palm Beach last year. Other fest stops have included Woods Hole, Vancouver, Newport Beach, and San Francisco DocFest, among others. FilmBuff releases the doc on iTunes, Amazon, Movies on Demand, PlayStation, nook, Google Play, Vudu, CinemaNow, and XBOX.

Filmed over the course of three years, the film follows students at the Center for Cartoon Studies, a small two-year art college in smalltown White River Junction VT. Focused more on personal expression and storytelling along the lines of Chris Ware or Art Spiegelman rather than the familiar superhero fare of DC, Marvel, or Image Comics, the CCS is nothing if not rigorous and brutally honest about the uncertain prospects of financial stability in the life of a comic artist. For the students profiled, however, that’s no deterrent – they’re already somewhat outcasts anyway, and most are confident that they’ll find success in the not always respected career they’ve chosen, regardless of the odds. While Melrod and Wray go overboard, featuring too many subjects, a couple manage to pop, most notably Blair, a Mormon who struggles to complete the program with his missionary-inspired thesis project; and Al, the school’s oldest student, an archaeology professor on sabbatical who might have to face the prospect that his technical ability may not match his love of the comic form. Though adding to the glut of characters, notable artists like Lynda Barry, Jules Feiffer, Scott McCloud, and James Sturm, who often serve as faculty or guest lecturers, offer additional insight about the school and the challenges of the profession, valuable not only to get a fuller sense of the experiences of the students but for any aspiring artists viewing the film. While the latter, together with comic fans in general, may be the core audience for the doc, it never feels too insular to be alienating to viewers unfamiliar with comic art – instead it successfully taps into both the enthusiasm and the frustration of pursuing one’s artistic dreams, something that should be relatable to anyone.

Coming to VOD today, Friday, June 7: THE IRAN JOB

Till Schauder’s look at culture clash and Iranian basketball had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival last year. It went on to screen at Vancouver, Hawaii, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Denver, and Documentary Edge. The film has also enjoyed a theatrical run throughout the US and Europe. It now comes to cable VOD, iTunes, and Amazon Instant Video.

I previously wrote about the doc upon its theatrical release here.

Coming to WORLD Channel’s Global Voices series this Sunday, June 9: GARBAGE DREAMS

Mai Iskander’s portrait of an embattled Egyptian recycling community had its debut at SXSW in 2009. It had an extensive run on the festival circuit, including IDFA, Dubai, Lone Star, Ashland, and Nashville, among others, picking up numerous awards. It went on to win at the IDA Awards, and was nominated for a DGA Award and shortlisted for the Best Feature Documentary Oscar. After its broadcast, the doc will be available for a limited time on WORLD’s website.

Historically, Cairo has not had a conventional sanitation system. The city’s garbage instead has been tended to by the minority Zaballeen, a community of Coptic Christians subsisting on the trash they collect and recycle, creating an efficient system that has lasted for generations. In 2003, all that changes as Cairo privatizes these traditional services to a multinational sanitation service that recycles only a fraction of the garbage they collect, disposing of the rest in growing landfills, and, in the process, threatening the future of the Zaballeen and their only real income stream. Iskander follows three teenage Zaballeen over several years as they contend with the changes to their trade and deal with the transition to adulthood. Well shot, and impressively balancing multiple subjects – including the fascinating garbage village the community has constructed for themselves on the outskirts of the city – the film offers insight about a unique group of people, their ingenuity to take others’ trash and turn it into treasure, and the local consequences of modernization and globalization.

Coming to DVD next Tuesday, June 11: ¡VIVAN LAS ANTIPODAS!

Victor Kossakovsky’s breathtaking study of polar pairs had its world premiere at Venice in 2011, when it opened the festival. Its festival circuit has included a wide range of events, including IDFA, Message to Man, DOK Leipzig, Docpoint, Ambulante, Documentary Fortnight, True/False, It’s All True, San Francisco, and Hot Docs. The doc recently enjoyed a US theatrical release via Cinedigm’s Docurama festival.

I included the film in my Hot Docs coverage here.