Category Archives: Documentary

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, September 21:
WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED

Director:
Mariam Ghani

World Premiere:
Berlin 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sheffield, San Francisco, Kerala, Nashville, Rhode Island, Heartland, Hot Springs Doc, Philadelphia Asian American, St Louis, WatchDocs, San Diego Asian American, Cinema Verite, Goteborg, DocPoint Talinn, Ann Arbor

About:
A meditation on incomplete films made in Afghanistan during periods of instability between 1978-1992.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 21:
BARBARA LEE: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

Director:
Abby Ginzberg

World Premiere:
San Francisco 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, San Francisco Jewish, Pan African, Cleveland

About:
A portrait of the outspoken US Congresswoman.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
An intimate, inspiring, and timely portrait of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a true pioneer of American civil rights who was the lone voice in opposition to the authorization of military force after the September 11th attacks. A unique selection of political commentators, activists, politicians, and family members add depth to the story of the highest-ranking Black woman in the US Congress. Uncompromising and conscientious to the core, she is its most steadfast voice for peace, and for economic and racial justice.  

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 21:
DOWN A DARK STAIRWELL

Director:
Ursula Liang

World Premiere:
True/False 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New Orleans, Human Rights Watch, BlackStar, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, San Diego Asian, Montclair, Hot Springs Doc, Milwaukee, Ashland,

About:
A death in a Brooklyn housing project sets off a complex fight for justice by two marginalized communities.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In 2014, Peter Liang, a Chinese-American police officer, shot and killed an innocent, unarmed Black man named Akai Gurley in the dark stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project. In the midst of high racial tension surrounding police conduct, Liang becomes the first NYPD officer to receive a guilty verdict in such a case in over a decade. The highly publicized incident polarizes New York’s Asian and African American communities in this insightful look into the complexities of police reform.

Coming to Epix this Sunday, September 19:
FIASCO

Showrunner:
John Marks

World Premiere:
Nantucket 2021

About:
Spanning continents and time zones, this docuseries, based on Leon Neyfakh’s hit podcast, dives into one of the least understood of all political scandals and reveals the true scope of Iran Contra.