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.

In Theatres & On VOD: THE TORCH

Coming to theatres and VOD tomorrow, Friday, March 18:
THE TORCH

Director:
Jim Farrell

World Premiere:
Chicago 2019

About:
Guitar icon Buddy Guy reflects on his legacy and passes along the blues lessons he himself received from legends Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf to a phenom of the next generation.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

Streaming: EL MAR LA MAR

Coming to OVID.tv tomorrow, Thursday, March 17:
EL MAR LA MAR

Directors:
Joshua Bonnetta and JP Sniadecki

World Premiere:
Berlin 2017

Select Festivals:
New York, London, IDFA, Indielisboa, Dokfest Munich, Docaviv, Docs Against Gravity, AFI Docs, Camden, Chicago, Vienna, AFI Fest, San Francisco, Hong Kong

About:
An immersive exploration of life and death in a desert along the US/Mexico border.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

Streaming: CHINESE PORTRAIT

Coming to OVID.tv today, Wednesday, March 16:
CHINESE PORTRAIT

Director:
Xiaoshuai Wang

World Premiere:
Busan 2018

Select Festivals:
IDFA, MoMA Documentary Fortnight, CPH:DOX, True/False, Hong Kong Asian, Thessaloniki Doc

About:
A look at modern China through a series of artfully composed long shots of its people.

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Streaming: STEP UP TO THE PLATE

Coming to OVID.tv today, Tuesday, March 15:
STEP UP TO THE PLATE

Director:
Paul Lacoste

World Premiere:
Berlin 2012

Select Festivals:
Seattle, Silverdocs, San Francisco

About:
Following the slow passing of the torch of a three-Michelin-star restaurant from father to son. 

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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On DVD: RIVETED: THE HISTORY OF JEANS

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, March 15:
RIVETED: THE HISTORY OF JEANS

Director:
Anna Lee Strachan, Michael Bicks

World Premiere:
American Experience broadcast (February 2022)

About:
An exploration of the rich history of the iconic garment, the fabric on which the history of American culture and politics are writ large.

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On TV & Streaming: PHOENIX RISING

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Coming to HBO and HBO Max in two parts beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, March 15:
PHOENIX RISING

Director:
Amy Berg

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

About:
Actress and activist Evan Rachel Wood takes her experience as a survivor of domestic violence to pursue justice, heal generational trauma, and reclaim her story in a culture that instinctively blames women. The film intimately charts her journey as she moves toward naming her infamous abuser for the first time.

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

On DVD: ENEMIES OF THE STATE

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, March 15:
ENEMIES OF THE STATE

Director:
Sonia Kennebeck

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, CPH:DOX, Calgary, Glasgow

About:
Everything is not as it seems for an American family that flees to Canada to protect their hacker son from US government persecution.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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In Theatres: A SONG FOR CESAR: BEWARE A MOVEMENT THAT SINGS

Coming to theatres today, Friday, March 11:
A SONG FOR CESAR: BEWARE A MOVEMENT THAT SINGS

Director:
Abel Sanchez, Andres Alegria

World Premiere:
Mill Valley 2021

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Boulder, Sedona

About:
A unique and stimulating view of the life and legacy of American labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement he spearheaded.

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SXSW 2022: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 29th SXSW Film Festival

Dates:
March 11-20

About:
This Austin event makes its in-person return with a lineup of more than 100 new features and episodics – with docs making up more than half that number.

Continue reading

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

Streaming: LAST EXIT: SPACE

Coming to Discovery+ tomorrow, Thursday, March 10:
LAST EXIT: SPACE

Director:
Rudolph Herzog

World Premiere:
Discovery+ (March 2022)

About:
An exploration of mankind’s desire to expand beyond Earth and into space.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases