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: TAMING THE GARDEN

Coming to MUBI this Wednesday, January 19:
TAMING THE GARDEN

Director:
Salomé Jashi

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

Select Festivals:
Berlin, CPH:DOX, New Directors/New Films, Shanghai, Cinéma du Réel

About:
An artful look at the unusual disruption caused by the removal and transport of several massive trees from small Georgian villages.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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

On DVD: TIME

Coming to DVD via The Criterion Collection tomorrow, Tuesday, January 18:
TIME

Director:
Garrett Bradley

World Premiere:
Sundance 2020

Select Festivals:
New York, London, Hamptons, Miami, Zurich, Camden, Mill Valley

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

About:
A longitudinal portrait of a marriage and a family separated by incarceration.

My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.

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On DVD: THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, January 18:
THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT

Director:
Julien Faraut

World Premiere:
Rotterdam 2021

Select Festivals:
Documentary Fortnight, Jeonju, Midnight Sun

About:
United by their jobs in a textile factory, a Japanese women’s volleyball team chases absolute perfection—and finds international superstardom—representing postwar Japan on the 1964 Olympic stage.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY
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.

Director:
W Kamau Bell

Producers:
Andrew Fried, Katie A King, Geraldine L Porras, Dane Lillegard, Sarina Roma, Jordan Wynn

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: TO THE END

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

To The End
Stopping the climate crisis is a question of political courage, and the clock is ticking. Over three years of turbulence and crisis, four remarkable young women of color fight for a Green New Deal, igniting a historic shift in US climate politics.

Director:
Rachel Lears

Producers:
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, Rachel Lears, Robin Blotnick

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: THE PRINCESS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Kent Gavin

The Princess
Princess Diana’s story is told exclusively through contemporaneous archive creating a bold and immersive narrative of her life and death. Turning the camera back on ourselves, it also illuminates the profound impact she had and how the public’s attitude to the monarchy was, and still is, shaped by these events.

Director:
Ed Perkins

Producers:
Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: MY OLD SCHOOL

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

MY OLD SCHOOL
The astonishing true story of Scotland’s most notorious imposter. It’s 1993 and 16-year-old Brandon is the new kid in school. Soon he’s top of the class, acing exams, and even taking the lead in the school musical. He’s the model pupil, until he’s unmasked…

Director:
Jono McLeod

Producers:
John Archer, Olivia Lichtenstein

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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

In Theatres: WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA

Coming to theatres today, Friday, January 14:
WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA

Director:
Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler

World Premiere:
SXSW 2021

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, AFI Fest, Seattle, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Woodstock

About:
ACLU lawyer Jeffery Robinson’s shattering talk on the history of US anti-Black racism is interwoven with archival footage, interviews, and Robinson’s story, exploring the legacy of white supremacy and our collective responsibility to overcome it. 

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: LUCY AND DESI

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

LUCY AND DESI
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had an immense influence on the creation of TV syndication, and rose to become true entrepreneurs and multi-faceted moguls. Through interviews and archival, a tribute to trailblazing icons in comedy and entertainment.

Director:
Amy Poehler

Producers:
Michael Rosenberg, Justin Wilkes, Nigel Sinclair, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Amy Poehler, Mark Monroe

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: LA GUERRA CIVIL

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

LA GUERRA CIVIL
The epic rivalry between iconic boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Julio César Chávez in the 1990s sparked a cultural divide between Mexican nationals and Mexican-Americans. A chronicle of a battle that was more than a boxing rivalry which examines a fascinating slice of the Latino experience in the process.

Director:
Eva Longoria Bastón

Producers:
Eva Longoria Bastón, Grant Best, Bernardo Ruiz, Ben Spector, Andrea Cordoba

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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