Coming to CNN this Saturday, August 29:
AFTER TRUTH: DISINFORMATION AND THE COST OF FAKE NEWS
Director:
Andrew Rossi
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020
About:
An investigation into the development, dissemination, and impact of conspiracy theories and fake news.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to select theatres and to virtual cinemas this Friday, August 28:
MR SOUL!
Director:
Melissa Haizlip
Co-Director:
Sam Pollard
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2018
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, True/False, AFI Docs, New Orleans, Rotterdam, Durban, BlackStar, Urbanworld, Pan African, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, London, Indie Memphis, Woodstock, Heartland
About:
A portrait of the pioneer behind SOUL!, the acclaimed African-American public television cultural variety show.
Between 1968-1973, NYC’s public television station produced SOUL!, a weekly performance-oriented variety program made by and primarily for African-American audiences. The show quickly grew in popularity, drawing regular viewership by more than half of African-American households across the nation. At the heart of SOUL! was its creator and host, Ellis Haizlip, whose forward thinking approach to shining the spotlight on Black culture introduced audiences to a wide range of artists and thinkers, from popular singers and avant-garde jazz performers to outspoken poets and controversial political activists. Haizlip emerges as an intriguing, singular figure, an openly gay man who rejected the showboating of the traditional host role but whose insightful interviewing skills and curatorial acumen gave the program its revolutionary edge. Here, his niece, Melissa Haizlip, crafts an illuminating and fascinating portrait not only of her uncle, but of his landmark program, fondly remembered by a generation influenced by its positive representation and message of uplift and excellence – but largely unknown to viewers who came of age after 1973, when political pressures from the Nixon administration forced its cancellation. This portrait, with its extensive footage from the show, helps re-establish SOUL!’s vital position in cultural history.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to virtual cinemas this Friday, August 28:
EPICENTRO
Director:
Hubert Sauper
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Docaviv, Dokufest, Vienna
About:
A meditation on postcolonial Cuba.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26:
NOMAD: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BRUCE CHATWIN
Director:
Werner Herzog
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Telluride, Sheffield, Vancouver, Rome, Doclisboa, Rio, Palm Springs
About:
A personal reflection on the master filmmaker’s friendship with the late English travel writer and adventurer.
Though Bruce Chatwin passed away in 1989, his friendship has clearly left an indelible mark on Werner Herzog. In this homage, the German filmmaker sets out on a quest of sorts, revisiting locations notable to Chatwin, or in some way linking their kindred spirits. In separate chapters, titled after Chatwin’s books, Herzog travels from Patagonia, the site of a family legend that inspired Chatwin’s adventurous career; to the Australian outback, where Chatwin studied Aboriginal songlines; while also featuring him in conversation with Chatwin’s widow and biographer. While not amongst Herzog’s most accomplished projects, this tribute maintains his signature style and has its own smaller-scale appeal.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, August 25:
ON PUTIN’S BLACKLIST
Director:
Boris Ivanov
Premiere:
Vancouver 2017
About:
An investigation of Russia’s foreign adoption ban and what it reveals about the nation’s broader international politics.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Photo by Robert M Nielsen
Directors:
Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Montclair, Maryland, Calgary, Vancouver, Nashville, Cork, St Louis, Sound Unseen, Cleveland
About:
A love letter to the now-shuttered NYC record store institution.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 25:
THE HOTTEST AUGUST
Director:
Brett Story
World Premiere:
True/False 2019
Select Festivals:
SXSW, Hot Docs, CPH:DOX, BAMcinemaFest, Sheffield, DOXA, Montclair, DokuFest, Open City Doc, Sarasota, Maryland
About:
An exploration of climate change and late-stage capitalism.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to VOD this week:
PARIAH DOG
Director:
Jesse Alk
World Premiere:
Big Sky Doc 2019
Select Festivals:
Krakow, Ashland, Cucalorus, DocPoint Helsinki, SF DocFest, DocPoint Tallinn, DocUtah, Docuwest, Woodstock, Kolkata, Mumbai
About:
An immersion into the lives of the street dogs of Kolkata, and those who care for them.
Shot on the streets of Kolkata, Jesse Alk’s experiential film focuses almost as much on his human subjects as on the canine ones. Both live on the margins of society in their own way, functioning as mirrors for one another. The dogs have had a long presence on India’s streets, and lead difficult lives. Attempting to provide some support are a handful of self-appointed caretakers – some more fleshed out by Alk than others – who themselves struggle to survive. While overall a downbeat project that may prove challenging for casual viewers, the film demonstrates a distinctive visual style and approach to storytelling.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to DVD this week:
A TASTE OF SKY
Director:
Michael Lei
World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2019
Select Festivals:
Tribeca, Washington DC Environmental, Haifa, Napa Valley
About:
A top European chef opens a fine-dining restaurant and cooking school in Bolivia.
Danish chef Claus Meyer, one of the leaders in New Nordic Cuisine and a co-founder of Noma, often recognized as the best restaurant in the world, opened Gustu in La Paz, in 2012, with the intention of making Bolivia the next hot spot for culinary travel. A foundational aspect of Gustu is a cooking school to create opportunities for local Bolivians to enter the industry. Filmmaker Michael Lei profiles two culinary students, Kenzo and Maria Claudia, as they learn their trade, confront the challenges of the high-pressure work, and try to forge a better future for themselves. While Meyer acknowledges and dismisses that his project might be dismissed as colonialist thinking, and that he himself might be positioned as a white savior, filmmaker Michael Lei’s unnecessary focus on the chef – and the risible decision to have Meyer’s own daughter interview him on camera – unfortunately lends the film a forced, promotional feel that ultimately undercuts whatever altruistic message it’s meant to impart.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to select theatres and to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, August 21:
DESERT ONE
Director:
Barbara Kopple
World Premiere:
Toronto 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, AFI Fest, Double Exposure, Palm Springs, Full Frame, Big Sky Doc
About:
An up-close look at the mission to free American hostages during the 1979 Iranian revolution
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 