Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Wednesday, November 11:
CODED BIAS
Director:
Shalini Kantayya
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
Human Rights Watch, Hot Docs, Full Frame, SXSW, San Francisco, Hamptons, Provincetown, New Zealand, Melbourne, DokuFest, BlackStar, Docaviv, Warsaw, Mill Valley, Denver
About:
An exploration of the disturbing gender and racial bias prevalent in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 10:
YOU’RE LOOKING AT ME LIKE I LIVE HERE AND I DON’T
Director:
Scott Kirschenbaum
World Premiere:
Camden 2011
About:
An intimate exploration of the life of a woman with Alzheimer’s.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC
Dates:
November 11-19
About:
This fourth post about America’s largest documentary festival – beginning Wednesday and available online across the US – covers our Short List and Winner’s Circle sections, which put the spotlight on notable films that we think will receive awards season attention. Tomorrow wraps up this overview with a look at our various short film programs.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD/VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10:
OUR TIME MACHINE
Directors:
S Leo Chiang and Yang Sun
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, IDFA, CAAMFest, Palm Springs, Doc Edge, Guth Gafa, LA Asian Pacific, Salem, Indie Street
About:
An artist constructs an elaborate puppet play to explore his father’s fading memories.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC
Dates:
November 11-19
About:
This rundown on the various thematic sections of this year’s DOC NYC, which will be presented online nationwide beginning next week, continues in this third post on the festival, and includes films on activism, sports, film and television, the arts, music, and unforgettable profiles. Note: The lists below do not include titles from the first post. Our spotlight on the Winner’s Circle and Short List sections – our predictions for this year’s awards season contenders – will follow next week.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to Nat Geo this Sunday, November 8:
REBUILDING PARADISE
Director:
Ron Howard
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
Tribeca, AFI Docs
About:
A chronicle of the fate of a town caught in the November 2018 Camp Fire.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC
Dates:
November 11-19
About:
In this second post on this year’s DOC NYC, which will be presented online nationwide beginning next week, I’m spotlighting several festival sections, including feature competitions, the latest from nonfiction auteurs, panoramas from the US and abroad, and revealing investigative nonfiction. Note: The rundown below does not include titles from yesterday’s post. Additional sections will follow tomorrow.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
New to DVD this week:
BOTERO
Director:
Don Millar
World Premiere:
Morelia 2018
Select Festivals:
Palm Springs, Seattle, Miami, Montevideo
About:
A tribute to the popular Colombian artist.
Known for the plus-sized figures who inhabit his paintings and sculptures, Fernando Botero is one of the most recognized and popular artists living today. Don Millar’s film provides an introductory and easily watchable survey of the octogenarian’s life and career, touching on his impoverished background and family tragedies that have informed his work, including the death of his young son. For the most part, however, the portrait features Botero’s family as they praise him and the success of his work, resulting in an overall hagiographic tone to the project. This lack of true critical engagement, combined with a relentless score and tendency toward montages, makes Millar’s profile far more suited to arts television programming than the cinema.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC
Dates:
November 11-19
About:
This year, DOC NYC will be available online and nationwide – including US territories – allowing us to reach more nonfiction lovers than ever before. As the Director of Programming of America’s largest documentary festival, I’ll be highlighting our lineup here, over a few posts to try to cover as many titles as possible. First up, a look at the various feature premieres, appearing in different sections throughout the festival.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Festival:
The 31st New Orleans Film Festival
Dates:
November 6-22
About:
This standout regional festival moves to a hybrid format this year, presenting films either online or in an open-air context, with more than two-thirds of the lineup represented by nonfiction features.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
what (not) to doc 