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.

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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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

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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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

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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Streaming: HAMADA

Coming to Film Movement Plus today, Friday, April 22:
HAMADA

Director:
Eloy Domínguez Serén

World Premiere:
IDFA 2018

Select Festivals:
Tempo Doc, Göteborg, Gijon, Doc Montevideo, Cinéma du Réel

About:
A portrait of several of the forgotten Sahrawi people, abandoned in a refugee camp in the middle of the desert ever since Morocco drove them out of Western Sahara forty years ago.

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In Theaters/Virtual Release: THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE

Coming to theatres and virtual cinema tomorrow, Friday, April 22:
THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE

Director:
Iryna Tsilyk

World Premiere:
Sundance 2020

Select Festivals:
Berlin, IDFA, Hot Docs, Doc Fortnight, Thessaloniki Doc, ZagrebDox, Docs Against Gravity, Biografilm, Docudays UA, Reykjavik, Zurich, Dokufest, Adelaide, Seattle

About:
A Ukrainian family processes life in a war zone by making films about their experience.

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

Streaming: FAR WESTERN

Coming to Film Movement Plus tomorrow, Friday, April 22:
FAR WESTERN

Director:
James Payne

World Premiere:
IDFA 2016

Select Festivals:
Full Frame, Krakow, deadCenter

About:
An exploration of how American country music was transplanted to post-World War II Japan, captivating a loyal audience to the present day.

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Streaming: CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER: THE JOHN WAYNE GACY TAPES

Coming to Netflix today, Wednesday, April 20:
CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER: THE JOHN WAYNE GACY TAPES

Director:
Joe Berlinger

World Premiere:
Netflix (April 2022)

About:
An exploration of how John Wayne Gacy – an aspiring politician, beloved local contractor, and part-time clown-for-hire who murdered 33 young men between 1972 and 1976 – operated for so long with impunity.

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Streaming: CAPTIVE AUDIENCE: A REAL AMERICAN HORROR STORY

Coming to Hulu tomorrow, Thursday, April 21:
CAPTIVE AUDIENCE: A REAL AMERICAN HORROR STORY

Director:
Jessica Dimmock

World Premiere:
Hulu release (April 2022)

About:
A docuseries following the story of Steven Stayner and his family’s 50-year journey to unravel the tale of two brothers, one deemed a villain and the other a hero.

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On DVD: FROM THE JOURNALS OF JEAN SEBERG

Newly re-released on DVD this week:
FROM THE JOURNALS OF JEAN SEBERG

Director:
Mark Rappaport

World Premiere:
Toronto 1995

Select Festivals:
Rotterdam, Thessaloniki, Karlovy Vary, Cleveland

About:
Ill-fated actress Jean Seberg – portrayed by Mary Beth Hurt – reflects on her life as illustrated through her work in this creative exploration of film history and women’s place within it.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases