Author Archives: basiltsiokos

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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.

Special Screening: BROTHER’S KEEPER

brothers-keeper

Coming to NYC’s Paris Theater on 35mm for a 30th anniversary screening this Saturday, April 30:
BROTHER’S KEEPER

Directors:
Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofksy

World Premiere:
Sundance 1992

Select Festivals:
Toronto, Chicago

About:
The lives of the aging Ward brothers are upended when one is accused of murder.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations

Hot Docs 2022 Overview

Festival:
The 29th Hot Docs

Dates:
April 28-May 8

About:
Making its return to an in-person event, along with online offerings throughout Canada, North America’s largest nonfiction event showcases approximately 145 new and recent doc features.

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

Streaming: THE MYSTERY OF MARILYN MONROE: THE UNHEARD TAPES

Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Wednesday, April 27:
THE MYSTERY OF MARILYN MONROE: THE UNHEARD TAPES

Director:
Emma Cooper

World Premiere:
Netflix (April 2022)

About:
An exploration of the mystery surrounding the death of the movie icon, focused on previously unheard interviews conducted with her inner circle.

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On DVD: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, April 26:
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY

Director:
W Kamau Bell

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

About:
Can you separate the art from the artist? Should you even try? While there are many people about whom we could ask those questions, none poses a tougher challenge than Bill Cosby.

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

On DVD: WRITING WITH FIRE

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, April 26:
WRITING WITH FIRE

Director:
Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, RIDM, BlackStar, Guadalajara, DocsMX, Double Exposure, Sydney, Yamagata Doc, Ambulante, Denver, San Diego Asian, Hawaii, Bergen, San Francisco, Krakow, Seattle, Thessaloniki Doc, One World, Shanghai

Notable Recognition:
The doc was nominated for the Academy Awards.

About:
A chronicle of the trailblazing work of India’s only news outlet run by Dalit women–once known as “untouchable.”

I previously wrote about the doc before Sundance here.

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

Special Screening: GRANDPA WAS AN EMPEROR

Coming to NYC’s Pure Nonfiction series tonight, Tuesday, April 26:
GRANDPA WAS AN EMPEROR

Director:
Constance Marks

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2021

Select Festivals:
Doclands, Los Angeles Pan African

About:
The great-granddaughter of famed Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie investigates what happened to her beloved father after the 1974 coup that landed most of her family in prison.

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Filed under Documentary, Film

On TV: RESTITUTION? AFRICA’S FIGHT FOR ITS ART

Coming to The WORLD Channel’s AfroPoP today, Monday, April 25:
RESTITUTION? AFRICA’S FIGHT FOR ITS ART

Director:
Nora Philippe

World Premiere:
French TV broadcast (Oct 2021)

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX

About:
Should Western museums return works of art and cultural artifacts to Africa?

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On TV: BIG SONIA

Coming to PBS today, Monday, April 25:
BIG SONIA

Directors:
Leah Warshawski, Todd Soliday

Premiere:
Napa Valley 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Seattle, Cleveland, Sun Valley, Big Sky Doc, Milwaukee, Durban, Jewish fests in San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Palm beach, Charlotte, Kansas City, Southampton, and Miami

About:
An intimate and at times humorous portrait of an unstoppable Holocaust survivor.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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On TV: AWARE: GLIMPSES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, April 25:
AWARE: GLIMPSES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Director:
Frauke Sandig, Eric Black

World Premiere:
Hof 2020

Select Festivals:
Docs Against Gravity, Melbourne Doc, Maui, Illuminate

About:
Six researchers take radically different approaches in their investigation of the mysteries of consciousness.

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Streaming: THEY CALL ME MAGIC

Coming to Apple TV+ today, Friday, April 22:
THEY CALL ME MAGIC

Director:
Rick Famuyiwa

World Premiere:
Apple TV+ (April 2022)

About:
A docuseries offering an intimate look at the life and legacy of sports icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases