Category Archives: Documentary

November 6, 2020 · 1:31 PM

DOC NYC 2020 Overview: Part Three

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.

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November 6, 2020 · 12:01 PM

On TV: REBUILDING PARADISE

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.

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November 5, 2020 · 1:31 PM

DOC NYC 2020 Overview: Part Two

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.

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November 5, 2020 · 12:01 PM

On DVD: BOTERO

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.

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November 4, 2020 · 1:31 PM

DOC NYC 2020 Overview: Part One

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.

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November 4, 2020 · 12:01 PM

New Orleans 2020: Documentary Overview

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.

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