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.

Streaming: SINCE I BEEN DOWN

Coming to SundanceNOW today, Monday, March 28:
SINCE I BEEN DOWN

Director:
Gilda Sheppard

World Premiere:
Cleveland 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Big Sky, Freep, Sebastopol Doc, Portland, Thin Line, Montreal Black

About:
Despite serving life without parole, a man works to improve others’ lives. 

The doc previously screened at DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Kimonti Carter is serving life without parole in a Washington state prison based on a harsh 1990s three-strikes law, but rather than accept this condemnation, he has worked to transform inmates’ lives through education. His experience brilliantly elucidates the dehumanization and trauma that accompany incarceration, but also demonstrates the possibility of redemption even among those society has called irredeemable. Gilda Sheppard’s profound and revealing film represents a 12-year journey to investigate the circumstances and inequities that have landed a whole generation of African-American youth in prison.

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On TV & Streaming: HOW TO SURVIVE A PANDEMIC

Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Tuesday, March 29:
HOW TO SURVIVE A PANDEMIC

Director:
David France

World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2022

About:
The incredible story of the world’s biggest health science project: the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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On TV: WRITING WITH FIRE

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens this coming Monday, March 28:
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 has been 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

On DVD: THE MONOPOLY OF VIOLENCE

New to DVD this week:
THE MONOPOLY OF VIOLENCE

Director:
David Dufresne

World Premiere:
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
New York, Sheffield, Brussels, Toronto, Melbourne

About:
This exploration of police violence in contemporary France examines the ways in which a government justifies brutal acts against its own citizens, enacting totalitarian methods to keep the populace under its control.

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CPH:DOX 2022 Overview

Festival:
The 19th CPH:DOX

Dates:
March 23-April 3

About:
More than 160 new and recent features are included in this first-class Danish nonfiction event.

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On DVD: ROCK HUDSON’S HOME MOVIES

Coming to DVD in re-release tomorrow, Tuesday, March 22:
ROCK HUDSON’S HOME MOVIES

Director:
Mark Rappaport

World Premiere:
NYC theatrical release (June 1992)

Select Festivals:
Toronto, Thessaloniki, Busan

About:
A subversive essay film exploring the queer subtext in the oeuvre of the publicly closeted Hollywood icon.

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Streaming: MORE THAN ROBOTS

Coming to Disney+ today, Friday, March 18:
MORE THAN ROBOTS

Director:
Gillian Jacobs

World Premiere:
SXSW 2022

About:
Four teams of teenagers from around the world prepare for the 2020 First Robotics Competition, but in a year like no other, the kids learn that there is more to the competition than just robots.

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On VOD: MAU

Coming to VOD today, Friday, March 18:
MAU

Director:
Benji Bergmann, Jono Bergmann

World Premiere:
SXSW 2021

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, Tallinn Black Nights

About:
The unlikely story of design visionary Bruce Mau and his ever-optimistic push for massive change.

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In Theatres: JANE BY CHARLOTTE

Coming to theatres today, Friday, March 18:
JANE BY CHARLOTTE

Director:
Charlotte Gainsbourg

World Premiere:
Cannes 2021

Select Festivals:
New York, Deauville, Jerusalem, San Sebastian, Doclisboa, São Paulo, Warsaw, Jihlava, Tallinn Black Nights, Torino, Taipei Golden Horse, Stockholm

About:
The filmmaker makes a portrait of her famed mother Jane Birkin.

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On VOD: THE LAST TOURIST

New to VOD this week:
THE LAST TOURIST

Director:
Tyson Sadler

World Premiere:
Vancouver 2021

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Santa Barbara, Edmonton

About:
On the downsides of tourism on local communities, animals, and the environment, and what can be done to make it more ethical and sustainable.

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