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.
April 26, 2022 · 1:31 PM

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

April 26, 2022 · 12:01 PM

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

April 25, 2022 · 3:02 PM

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

April 25, 2022 · 1:31 PM

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

April 25, 2022 · 12:01 PM

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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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

April 22, 2022 · 1:31 PM

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

April 22, 2022 · 12:01 PM

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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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

April 21, 2022 · 1:31 PM

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

April 21, 2022 · 12:01 PM

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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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

April 20, 2022 · 3:02 PM

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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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases