Coming to NYC’s Cinema Village this Friday November 9: CHASING ICE
Jeff Orlowski’s timely climate change doc made its world premiere at Sundance this year, where it claimed the award for best cinematography. It’s taken home additional awards from SXSW, Full Frame, Big Sky, Boulder, and RiverRun.
I wrote about the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday November 6: BOOKER’S PLACE: A MISSISSIPPI STORY
Raymond De Felitta’s revisitation of the impact of his father’s 1966 civil rights documentary made its world premiere at Tribeca earlier this year. Its festival circuit also included Hot Docs, Tallgrass, and Little Rock, among others, and the film was released by Tribeca Films in theatres and VOD.
I wrote about the film out of Tribeca here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday November 6: SEXY BABY
Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus’ look at the impact of our hypersexualized culture on girls and women premiered at Tribeca this year. Its fest circuit has included Newport Beach, Hot Docs, Citizen Jane, and the upcoming IDFA. It picked up an award at Traverse City, and enjoyed a limited theatrical release last month. FilmBuff releases the film on VOD today.
I included the doc in my Tribeca roundup here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
DOC NYC‘s expanded panel series, Doc-A-Thon, begins this Friday! A previous post profiled the sessions on offer for Doc-A-Thon’s first day; today’s post looks at the Masterclasses which will be presented at the IFC Center on the second day. As noted before, Doc-A-Thon has a daily filmmaking theme that forms the backbone of the day’s four panels. The theme for Day 2, Monday, November 12, is “Shoot Your Doc.” Whether you’ve started filming, or are itching to get that production started, Day 2’s experts can offer invaluable information to inspire your doc, and hopefully help you make it better. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations
In recognition of Election Day, my latest curated selections for Hulu’s Documentaries page spotlight films about the political process on the local and federal level. Watch these now for free – but, of course, take a break from your computer today and go vote!
For more information about the selections, see my Indiewire article.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Indiewire @ Hulu Docs
Now screening at the IFC Center, and available on VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 6: BONES BRIGADE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Stacy Peralta’s portrait of the legendary skateboarding team made its world premiere at Sundance at the beginning of the year. Since then its fest circuit has included Santa Barbara, Sidewalk, Atlantic, Tallgrass, and Milwaukee, among others.
I wrote about the film pre-Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Montreal’s documentary film festival, RIDM (or Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal, if you parlez français), celebrates its 15th anniversary this year with over 100 films and events. Beginning this Wednesday, November 7 and running through Sunday, November 18, the festival functions as a showcase for non-fiction works from Quebec and around the world, and was founded by filmmakers to serve filmmakers and the film industry while also sharing and celebrating innovative documentary cinema with the general public.
While I’ve not yet managed to attend the festival – a shame since I love Montréal – I’m impressed by the breadth of the programming, which opens with Peter Mettler’s cinematic essay THE END OF TIME, and closes with Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougaret’s self-reflective JOURNAL DE FRANCE. If I wasn’t busy with DOC NYC and attending, the following are among the new films I’d want to check out: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
The countdown to DOC NYC continues with a look at the second of six thematic shorts collections that I programmed for the festival. Fittingly the city know internationally for its theatre, dance, and other arts serves as a host to a program that celebrates performers, their struggles, and their triumphs.
DOC NYC Program Description:
GREAT PERFORMANCES:
Saturday, November 10 at 11:00am
These shorts shine a spotlight on dance, music, and performance art. STILL MOVING: PILOBOLUS AT FORTY (38 min, Jeffrey Ruoff) reveals the surprising past and still vibrant present of the legendary Connecticut-based modern dance troupe. ROBOT MAN (15 min, Mark Scalese) offers a day in the life of a familiar street performer. A BROADWAY LULLABY (40 min, Barbara Rick) brings together Broadway luminaries like Vanessa Williams, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Stephen Schwartz, and Raul Esparza to create a benefit CD to combat breast cancer.
Why You Should Attend:
After the week New Yorkers have just had, not to mention our neighbors in New Jersey and elsewhere in Sandy’s path, audiences can definitely benefit from the uplift that these shorts provide. Artists practicing their passion, for either the love of the art itself, or to help others, will serve as either an escape, or an inspiration.
More Info:
To purchase tickets, follow the link from the program page by clicking on the program title above.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations
A filmmaker sets out to uncover the forgotten story of a Chinese-American filmmaker who was behind a lost Oscar-winning documentary, and discovers much more.
Seeking Asian-American film role models, Hawaiian filmmaker Robin Lung learned of the little-remembered author, actress, and lecturer, Li Ling-Ai, herself Hawaiian. Ling-Ai was involved in the production of KUKAN, a 1941 documentary about China’s struggle against Japan prior to WWII – a film recognized with an honorary Oscar before the Academy had a Best Documentary category, and, sadly the sole documentary Oscar winner for which there were no known existing film prints or even video copies. In the process of tracking down information about Ling-Ai, and clarifying her role on the film, which was credited to Rey Scott, a freelance photographer who had never made a film before, Lung manages to do what archivists had not been able to – find a copy of the lost KUKAN! Her documentary tells the story of that discovery, and reintroduces Scott, and, most importantly, Ling-Ai to the world. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, In the Works
As the shorts programmer for DOC NYC, I’ve organized six collections of shorts that will screen at the IFC Center. Organized thematically, each program includes three or more films demonstrating the ability of the short form to explore a versatile range of unforgettable characters and pressing topics. The first of these looks at places and the people who find unity there together.
DOC NYC Program Description:
COMMON GROUND:
Friday, November 9 at 2:15pm
These five shorts explore the power of community and common bonds. INDIAN SUMMER (17 min, Mridu Chandra) finds young Indian Americans at a Hindu summer camp. AN AMERICAN MOSQUE (19 min, David Washburn) shows the resilience of rural Californian Muslims when faced with a hate crime. SPOILS: EXTRAORDINARY HARVEST (21 min, Alex Mallis) profiles diverse New Yorkers who are united by a common nocturnal activity. WOLF MOUNTAIN (7 min, Sam Price-Waldman, Brendan Nahmias, Dan Duran) explores the spiritual link between a woman and the wolves she cares for. GREENLAND YEAR ZERO (25 min, Anders Graver, Niels Bjørn) reveals the lives of teenagers in a small Greenland town poised for great change.
Why You Should Attend:
Unfortunately, there are few opportunities for short films to find public exhibition outlets in the US – outside of film festivals. Fests provide the chance for audiences to experience this work communally – and given this program’s theme, that’s especially appropriate, as filmmakers reveal community through religion, culture, and subculture.
More Info:
To purchase tickets, follow the link from the program page by clicking on the program title above, or consider purchasing a DOC NYC Insider Pass, which grants access to all weekday films, panels, and events beginning before 5pm.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations
