Continuing my doc-by-doc look at Sundance 2013: Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s US Documentary Competition title, BLACKFISH, an exploration of the risks of keeping killer whales in captivity – for both the orcas and their trainers.
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2013 Sundance Docs in Focus: BLACKFISH
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
2013 Sundance Docs in Focus: AMERICAN PROMISE
The third Sundance 2013 title of today: Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s US Documentary Competition entry, AMERICAN PROMISE, which follows two African-American boys from kindergarten to high school graduation.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
2013 Sundance Docs in Focus: AFTER TILLER
Next up in my overview of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival US Documentary Competition: AFTER TILLER, Martha Shane and Lana Wilson’s portrait of the only physicians in the country who perform controversial late-term abortions.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
2013 Sundance Docs in Focus: 99% – THE OCCUPY WALL STREET COLLABORATIVE FILM
My film-by-film look at the documentaries of next month’s 2013 Sundance Film Festival begins with the US Documentary Competition. Going alphabetically through the contenders, first up: 99% – THE OCCUPY WALL STREET COLLABORATIVE FILM, a history, overview, and analysis of the Occupy movement from its inception, through eviction, and to today, by Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, and Nina Krstic.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
On DVD: PUTIN’S KISS
Coming to DVD next Monday, January 31: PUTIN’S KISS
Lise Birk Pederson’s exploration of Russia through ideological politics premiered at IDFA last year. It picked up a jury prize for cinematography upon its US premiere at Sundance at the beginning of the year. Its fest circuit has included Santa Barbara, Full Frame, Nashville, and Seattle, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Special Note: Submit Your Project to w(n)td
In the Works is a regular feature of this blog on most Fridays – a brief look at a documentary currently in production or post-production, often but not always while it’s in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign. Occasionally, I’ve been contacted by filmmakers to consider writing about their own projects, while more typically I’ve chanced upon films on my own.
As an experiment, I’ve decided to make the former process more standardized by adding a simple submission form on my Contact page. Let me know about your feature-length documentary and I’ll consider writing about it. As noted on the page, however, I likely won’t be able to write about every film submitted, based on some combination of available space, time, and personal interest – but I’m very curious to hear about what w(n)td readers are working on, and drawing attention to some of them by profiling them here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, In the Works
2013 Sundance Docs in Focus
The 2013 Sundance Film Festival ushers in a new crop of filmmaking talent in less than a month. As a preamble to the festival, beginning this Wednesday and continuing daily until the start of the festival on Thursday, January 17, I’m planning to profile each of the more than forty feature length documentaries in this year’s line-up.
I’ll be using the same format I’ve employed the last couple of years (last year’s began here), providing some background on the film and filmmakers and reasons why I’m excited for audiences to see these amazing projects. These profiles are not reviews – as a Documentary Programming Associate for the festival, I hope readers get a chance to see all of the 2013 Sundance films, and especially the non-fiction on offer – whether in Park City or hopefully at other festivals, or wherever else they might go on to screen.
The series kick off on Wednesday with profiles of three films in the US Documentary Competition, and will cover each section of the festival that features docs one-by-one as we countdown to Sundance 2013.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations, Sundance
In the Works: THE LIFE AND MIND OF MARK DEFRIEST
Animation blends with traditional interviews to reveal the interior world of one of the most infamous prisoners in the US penal system.
In 1981, at 19, Mark DeFriest was sentenced to four years in the Florida prison system for a non-violent crime, despite being declared mentally incompetent prior to his trial by numerous experts. More than three decades later, DeFriest’s still in prison, his original sentence extended time and time again due to his frequent and ingenious escape attempts – many of them successful. Having experienced the worst of prison life – rape, violence, solitary confinement – his advocates feel it’s time to make a push for the mentally ill man’s freedom. Having gained direct access, director Gabriel London interviews the “Houdini of Florida” in prison, as well as the psychologist whose dissenting opinion on DeFriest’s competency helped secure his original conviction, and follows the prisoner’s latest parole attempt. Along the way, London uses creative animation to reveal DeFriest’s unique way of making sense of the alien world of the prison system that has been his home for his entire adult life. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, In the Works
In Theatres: WEST OF MEMPHIS
Coming to theatres on Christmas, next Tuesday, December 25: WEST OF MEMPHIS
Amy Berg’s quest for the exoneration of the West Memphis Three made its world premiere at Sundance at the beginning of the year. Its festival circuit has included berths at Deuville, London, Toronto, and DOC NYC, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Indiewire @ Hulu Docs: End Times & New Beginnings
My latest curated selections for Hulu’s Documentaries page are a twist on the doomsday predictions tied to this Friday. Watch these now for free… before the clock ticks down.
For more information about the selections, see my Indiewire article.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Indiewire @ Hulu Docs
