Coming to OVID.tv tomorrow, Wednesday, February 3:
TAHRIR: LIBERATION SQUARE
Director:
Stefano Savona
World Premiere:
Locarno 2011
Select Festivals:
New York, Santa Barbara, Docpoint, Dubai, DocLisboa, DOXA
About:
An immersion into the Egyptian uprising.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, February 2:
THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER
Director:
Taylor Morden
World Premiere:
BendFilm 2020
Select Festivals:
SF DocFest
About:
A nostalgic look at the rise and fall of Blockbuster Video.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, February 1:
9TO5: THE STORY OF A MOVEMENT
Director:
Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, AFI Docs, IDFA, Full Frame, Hot Springs Doc, Philadelphia, RiverRun
About:
A look back at the 1970s movement by secretaries and female office workers to demand better working conditions.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
The latest film from Oscar-winners Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar explores a pivotal but little remembered intersection of women’s rights and labor rights. In the early 1970s, secretaries and other female office workers were underpaid, undervalued, unable to advance, and often subject to sexual harassment. In the wake of the Women’s Liberation Movement, a group of women in Boston finally had enough, joining together to begin 9to5, a movement that would sweep the nation with irreverent, attention-getting actions to demand meaningful change—and later inspire the eponymous hit film and song.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to ESPN+ this week:
LANCE
Director:
Marina Zenovich
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
About:
The rise and fall of Lance Armstrong.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to OVID.tv today, Friday, January 29:
SOFTIE
Director:
Sam Soko
Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, CPH:DOX, BlackStar, Durban, Encounters, Salem, Galway, DOXA, Thin Line
About:
A chronicle of the personal and professional challenges facing an idealistic Kenyan political activist as he decides to run for office.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, January 29:
THE REUNITED STATES
Director:
Ben Rekhi
World Premiere:
Woods Hole 2020
Select Festivals:
Nashville, Cinequest, United Nations Association, Milwaukee
About:
A profile of individuals attempting to bridge divides in an increasingly polarized America.
Inspired by Mark Gerzon’s similarly titled THE REUNITED STATES OF AMERICA, filmmaker Ben Rekhi follows five Americans in their missions to find common ground between seemingly intractable sides. David, a former Republican strategist, and his wife Erin sells their Texas home to travel with their kids to all 50 states to listen to the stories of strangers, primarily confronting the idea of white privilege in the process. Similarly, Susan, who became an activist after the murder of her daughter, Heather Heyer, in Charlottesville in 2017, seeks to prevent other violence while also acknowledging the role Heather’s race played in garnering media attention in contrast to countless deaths of people of color each year. More explicitly taking on the limitations of a two-party system are Greg Orman, an independent gubernatorial candidate in Kansas; and Steven Olikara, the founder of the Millennial Action Project, a coalition to strengthen bipartisan communication and cooperation among younger politicians. The film is a well-intentioned project, and one meant to inspire hope that our nation can work past division, but with so many subjects and concerns to juggle, it struggles to find a clear and sustained focus and ends up feeling too episodic as a result.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Hulu and VOD tomorrow, Friday, January 29:
NOTTURNO
Director:
Gianfranco Rosi
World Premiere:
Venice 2020
Select Festivals:
Toronto, IDFA, New York, London, Reykjavik, AFI Fest, Chicago, El Gouna, Busan
About:
An atmospheric immersion into life in the shadow of ISIS.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival begins today, Thursday, January 28, and runs through Sunday, February 3, screening online and at select in-person satellite venues throughout the US.
To catch up with the festival’s doc programming, here are links to my series of 2021 Sundance documentary profiles, divided by festival section:
US Documentary Competition
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Premieres
NEXT
Midnight
Special Screenings
Indie Series Program
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
New to DVD this week:
THE CHANGIN’ TIMES OF IKE WHITE
Director:
Daniel Vernon
World Premiere:
Camden 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Glasgow, Valladolid
About:
The unexpected story of a long-vanished jailhouse musician.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
SEEDS OF DECEIT
Miriam Guttmann investigates a disturbing pattern of abuse of power by a leading Dutch fertility doctor in this docuseries.
Festival Section:
Indie Series Program
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
what (not) to doc 