Category Archives: Documentary

Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Wednesday, December 16:
THE ART OF POLITICAL MURDER

Director:
Paul Taylor

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
Double Exposure

About:
An investigation into the murder of Guatemalan human rights advocate Bishop Juan Gerardi.

During Guatemala’s long civil war, the indigenous Mayan population was subject to a campaign of genocide, and civilians suffered atrocities and murder. In the aftermath of the conflict, Roman Catholic Bishop Juan Gerardi, a longtime supporter of the Mayan people and an outspoken human rights activist, prepared a report on the role of the Guatemalan military in civilian deaths during the war. Two days after the report’s publication, Gerardi was found beaten to death at the Church of San Sebastián. Paul Taylor’s film explores his assassination, the role the government played in its attempted cover-up, and the quest for justice, not only for Gerardi, but for those he sought to defend. While the project would have benefited from providing more historical background for the uninitiated, and should have dispensed with its overly sensationalistic re-enactments, it still makes for compelling viewing.

Coming to ESPN and ESPN+ today, Tuesday, December 15:
THE INFINITE RACE

Director:
Bernardo Ruiz

World Premiere:
Full Frame 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DocsMX, DocLands, SF DocFest

About:
A Mexican ultramarathon serves as a backdrop for a consideration of indigenous cultural appropriation.

The cultural practice of the indigenous Rarámuri of Chihuahua – also known as the Tarahumara through Spanish pidginization – has long included endurance running. In 2003, an American athlete organized the first edition of the Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco, a 50-mile ultramarathon, as a way to honor the Rarámuri, promote crosscultural understanding and running for health, and provide Rarámuri participants with food vouchers to help feed their families. The Rarámuri and the ultramarathon came to international prominence following the publication of Christopher McDougall’s book, BORN TO RUN, a bestseller that encouraged runners to travel to the host site of Urique. Bernardo Ruiz explores the history of the race, but digs beneath the surface to provide the perspectives not only of the organizers, but of several of the Rarámuri themselves, in the process expertly revealing the complex intersection of culture, economics, philanthropy, appropriation, and exploitation.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, December 15:
WE ARE NOT PRINCESSES

Director:
Bridgette Auger, Itab Azzam

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018

Select Festivals:
Vancouver, IFF Boston, SF DocFest, St Louis

About:
In a Lebanese refugee camp, Syrian women participate in a theater workshop.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
This refreshing film offers a unique peek into the private lives of women who have survived unspeakable sorrow, yet blossom through the healing power of art. During a theater workshop in a Lebanese refugee camp, four Syrian women discover they have a lot in common with the ancient Greek heroine, Antigone, and experience freedoms forbidden in their homeland. Told with humor and heart, Bridgette Auger and Itab Azzam’s film elicits intimacy and honesty from its unlikely group of thespians.

Coming to Turner Classic Movies tonight, Friday, December 11:
WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL

Director:
Rob Garver

World Premiere:
Telluride 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Berlin, Edinburgh, Karlovy Vary, Thessaloniki Doc, Miami, Cleveland, Montclair, Seattle, Docs Against Gravity, Transilvania, New Zealand, Vancouver, Mumbai, Rio, Docaviv

About:
A portrait of controversial and influential film critic Pauline Kael.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, December 11:
THROUGH THE NIGHT

Director:
Loira Limbal

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New Orleans, Nantucket, AFI Docs, Double Exposure, Philadelphia Latino, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, Hawai’i, Hot Springs Doc

About:
A 24-hour childcare center proves indispensable for night-shift workers and single parents in this exploration of the personal cost of our modern economy.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Night-shift workers and single moms in New Rochelle, NY have angels in their midst: Nunu and husband Patrick run a 24-hour childcare center for parents with no other options. The home-based center provides children with food, fun, and lots of love, but at what cost to the providers? Director Loira Limbal takes us inside Dee’s Tots Daycare for an intimate and compelling look at two unsung heroes in selfless service to their community.  

Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, December 11:
GUNDA

Director:
Victor Kossakovsky

World Premiere:
Berlin 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New York, IDFA, Zurich, Hamburg, Camden, Hamptons, Bergen, Montclair, Virginia, Denver, Philadelphia, Hawai’i, Stockholm

About:
An immersion into the experiences of several animals on a farm, focused on a sow and her new litter of piglets.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In this masterful, immersive cinema vérité, executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix, filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky invites the audience to share the experiences of several animals on a farm, including a pair of cows, a magnificent one-legged chicken, and its titular star, a sow who has just given birth to an inquisitive litter of piglets. Shot in sharp black and white, with no dialogue, narration, or music, the film eschews anthropomorphism while still encouraging a deep, compassionate connection to its subjects—and an awareness of our role in their fates.

Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, December 11:
FINDING YINGYING

Director:
Jiayan “Jenny” Shi

World Premiere:
SXSW 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Chicago, Nashville, St Louis, Double Exposure, DocUtah, BendFilm, Los Angeles Asian Pacific

About:
An unassuming Chinese student vanishes from her American college campus.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In June 2017, Chinese student Yingying Zhang’s dream of earning her PhD in America morphed into a nightmare when she disappeared from her college campus, sparking a desperate search for her whereabouts. Characteristically cautious, Yingying would not typically put herself in harm’s way—but what if trouble came looking for her? Fellow student and filmmaker Jiayan “Jenny” Shi joins forces with Yingying’s family on their quest for answers, sharing the hope and pain of finding their beloved daughter.