Category Archives: Documentary

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, October 22:
THE APOLOGY

Director:
Tiffany Hsiung

Premiere:
Hot Docs 2016

Select Festivals:
Human Rights Watch, Göteborg, Vilnius, Busan, Cork, Cinemalaya, DocPoint

About:
Former comfort women speak out about the abuse they suffered in WWII.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD today, Thursday, October 18:
THE JUDGE

Director:
Erika Cohn

Premiere:
Toronto 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, One World, Tempo Doc, CPH:DOX, Salem, Full Frame, San Francisco, Cleveland, Calgary Underground

About:
A portrait of a pioneering woman in the male dominated world of Islamic law.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD today, Thursday, October 18:
THE NEW FIRE

Director:
David Schumacher

Premiere:
Heartland 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Denver, Washington DC Environmental, Princeton Environmental, Cleveland, IFF Boston

About:
Can innovation of nuclear reactors be the solution to the world’s energy needs?

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Nuclear power has been vilified in popular culture as dangerous and harmful to the environment, but it may actually be the solution for the world’s future energy needs. Teams of nuclear engineers are developing next-generation reactors which can provide clean, safe energy to prevent global catastrophe due to climate change, and transform popular opinion about nuclear energy in the process. Could these audacious innovators be the agents of change the world has been waiting for? With unprecedented access, director David Schumacher has traveled the globe to show what youth and audacity can achieve in the face of impossible odds.

Coming to theatres today, Wednesday, October 17:
CHARM CITY

Director:
Marilyn Ness

Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
AFI Docs, Human Rights Watch, Maryland, Nashville, Mill Valley, GlobeDocs

About:
A multifaceted exploration of the crisis of violence in Baltimore.

Charting three years in the beleagued city, beginning soon after the killing of Freddie Gray, Marilyn Ness’ film offers a nuanced look at the impact of violence on communities, and their own efforts to mitigate the crisis. Among several subjects, a notable focal point is Mr C, a well-respected elder who runs a community center and maintains a direct line to the neighborhood in the hopes of curbing violence, training proteges like Alex to resist the lure of gangs and drugs. They represent the street level response to violence. Broadening out for a macro view, Ness also profiles various individuals working within the official system, including police officers and a city councilmember, who offer contrasting, but not wholly incompatible, perspectives of the state of the city and what can be done to fix it.