New to DVD this week:
BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ
Director:
Pamela B Green
Premiere:
Cannes 2018
Select Festivals:
Telluride, New York, London, Deauville, Rio, Göteborg
About:
Unearthing the largely forgotten story of the world’s first female film director.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, August 20:
DONKEYOTE
Director:
Chico Pereira
World Premiere:
Rotterdam 2017
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, True/False, Full Frame, San Francisco, Edinburgh, AFI Docs, Munich, DocsMX, DocumentaMadrid
About:
A Spaniard sets off an a seemingly impossible journey with his animals by his side.
I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Director Chico Pereira’s 73-year-old Uncle Manolo dreams of walking the Trail of Tears with his beloved donkey Gorrión and his faithful dog Zafrana at his side. Transporting an aquaphobic donkey to America from Spain presents just one of a series of challenges, but Manolo won’t let that stop him from his quixotic quest. Donkeyote captures the distinct personalities of Manolo and his loyal companions in this charming portrait of unlikely adventure.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres and to Netflix tomorrow, Wednesday, August 21:
AMERICAN FACTORY
Directors:
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
World Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, CPH:DOX, Tribeca, Sheffield, Full Frame, San Francisco, Cleveland, Sarasota, RiverRun, Ashland, Seattle, Documentary Edge, Biografilm, AFI Docs, Sydney, Traverse City
About:
An observational portrait of the culture clash that results when an Ohio factory is opened by a Chinese company.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrrow, Tuesday, August 20:
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.
Filmed two Summers ago throughout New York City, director Brett Story’s film is a panoramic study of working-class anxieties. While semi-poetic narration occasionally is employed, the bulk of the film consists of everyday New Yorkers discussing things on their mind, touching on the economy, the environment, and other issues of the day, revealing a depressing amount of casual racism, cynicism, and ignorance that is meant to stand in microcosm for Trump-era America. While some of the unidentified subjects and their commentary – and the subtle links Story draws between them in the film’s edit – are compelling in their own way, their overall impact is muted by their episodic nature. As a result, the film succeeds in creating a sense of uneasiness, but not feeling particularly satisfying in the end.
Filed under Documentary, Film
Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 20:
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM
Director:
John Chester
Premiere:
Telluride 2018
Select Festivals:
Sundance, DOC NYC, Toronto, Berlin, Miami, Hamptons, Napa Valley, AFI Fest, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki Doc, CPH:DOX, Sarasota, Sun Valley, Newport Beach, Montclair
About:
For over eight years, John and Molly Chester find ways to work with nature to establish a biodynamic farm.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Stuart Cinema tomorrow, Saturday, August 17:
WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE
Director:
Emily Harrold
Premiere:
New Orleans 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Springs Doc, Cucalorus, Toronto Black, Oxford,
About:
A portrait of a young African-American politician in the South.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, August 16:
WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE WORLD’S ON FIRE?
Director:
Roberto Minervini
World Premiere:
Venice 2018
Select Festivals:
Toronto, New York, CPH:DOX, Sheffield, Busan, London, Rotterdam, Göteborg, Mar del Plata, Valdivia, Vancouver, Vilnius, DocPoint, Docs Against Gravity, Munich
About:
An exploration of race in the American South.
Following his focus on marginalized white Louisianans in THE OTHER SIDE, Italian director Roberto Minervini turns his attention to African American subjects, weaving together four separate strands and once again employing his usual hybridized storytelling, where subjects at times may be performing versions of themselves for his camera. The most impactful of the storylines centers on Judy Hill, a woman who has pushed past addiction to try to start over, opening a bar that functions as a de facto community gathering place, only to see gentrification snatch it back from her. Quieter but also effective are the scenes devoted to the protective relationship between brothers Ronaldo and Titus, as well as their mother, worried about the fate of young black men in American society. Had Minervini stopped there, and further fleshed out these characters, the project might have been more compelling as a whole. Instead, the film brings in two lesser threads that are either jarringly incorporated or feel like an afterthought – the former, a look at the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense, and its leader Krystal Muhammad; the latter, underdeveloped, almost throwaway scenes with the Mardi Gras Indians. Given that the four strands never intersect, the film already has an uneven and not wholly satisfying feel, but the incorporation of these additional strands unfortunately exacerbate the disconnect and draw the project out to an unnecessary length without providing any additional revelations.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to VOD via Amazon Prime this week:
INVENTING TOMORROW
Director:
Laura Nix
Premiere:
Sundance 2018
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, CPH:DOX, Seattle, Sydney, Melbourne, San Francisco, Full Frame, AFI Docs, Woods Hole, Greenwich, Montclair, Dokufest
About:
A profile of several international students pursuing answers to environmental issues in their science fair projects.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres and to Hulu today, Friday, August 16:
THE AMAZING JOHNATHAN DOCUMENTARY
Director:
Ben Berman
World Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, BAMcinemaFest, Sydney, New Zealand, San Francisco Jewish, Sheffield
About:
An attempt to chronicle a dying magician’s final tour grows increasingly bizarre.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to OVID.tv tomorrow, Friday, August 16:
THE GOLD SPINNERS
Directors:
Kiur Aarma and Hardi Volmer
World Premiere:
Sydney 2014
Select Festivals:
Melbourne, United Nations Association, Message to Man, Monterrey, Vilnius, Cinema Verite
About:
A look back at the only commercial advertising agency in the Soviet Union.
Established in 1967, at the height of the Cold War, the Estonian company Eesti Reklaamfilm had the distinction of being the sole advertising firm for the Soviet Union. Despite operating within a socialist economy that rejected the consumerism of capitalism, the studio was allowed to operate, creating advertisements – often for products that were unavailable or simply didn’t exist. Directors Kiur Aarma and Hardi Volmer tell the story of Eesti Reklaamfilm and its enterprising head, Peedu Ojamaa, smartly incorporating a wide range of archival clips to give the viewer a sense of just how strange and colorful their commercials were. While the storytelling is, on the whole, fairly academic beyond that, with a great deal of narration and talking heads, the subject matter is unusual and fascinating enough to elevate the project.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 