Category Archives: Documentary

February 19, 2018 · 12:01 PM

Special Screening: THIS IS CONGO

Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, February 20:
THIS IS CONGO

Director:
Daniel McCabe

Premiere:
Venice 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, Camden, DocPoint, Big Sky Doc, Palm Springs, Woodstock, Stockholm

About:
An inside look at the complex forces behind the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ongoing conflicts.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Filmmaker Daniel McCabe examines multiple sides of the fractious war in the Democratic Republic of Congo – including soldiers, rebels, and a diamond merchant known as Mama Romance – who allow us to make human connections in a chaotic conflict. In the process, his stunningly shot film demonstrates the connections between instability and violence in the region and the market in illegally mined natural resources.

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February 16, 2018 · 1:31 PM

On TV/DVD: TELL THEM WE ARE RISING: THE STORY OF BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens this coming Monday, February 19 and to DVD on Tuesday, February 20:
TELL THEM WE ARE RISING: THE STORY OF BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Director:
Stanley Nelson

Premiere:
Sundance 2017

Select Festivals:
Documentary Fortnight, Full Frame, Hot Springs Doc, Pan African, Toronto Black, American Black, Blackstar, African Diaspora, Rio, Milwaukee, Heartland, Freep, RiverRun, Bentonville, Montclair, Maryland

About:
An exploration of the pivotal role played by historically Black institutions of higher learning in American society.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance

February 16, 2018 · 12:01 PM

In Theatres & On VOD: POOP TALK

Coming to theatres and to VOD today, Friday, February 16:
POOP TALK

Director:
Aaron Feldman

Premiere:
LES Film Festival 2017

About:
Comedians riff on the universal but taboo topic.

Feldman gathers a gaggle of comedians, plus a few medical professionals and academics, to talk about poop and the stigma attached to it. Aside from some occasional comments that aim to explain some of the evolutionary reasons why humans have developed an aversion to the stuff, and a few bits of animation, the bulk of the film consists of funny people telling generally amusing and often gross jokes or anecdotes about pooping, toilets, bidets, gendered differences around bodily functions, and the like, some with more discomfort than others. While not unengaging, the project feels largely formless and surface-level, an uncinematic parade of talking heads that could have as easily been a 10 minute short as its current just over an hour long current form.

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February 15, 2018 · 1:31 PM

Big Sky Documentary 2018 Overview

Festival:
The 15th Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Dates:
February 16-25

About:
Montana’s largest film event includes more than 50 features as well as shorts and extensive retrospective programming. Continue reading →

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February 15, 2018 · 12:01 PM

On VOD: HUMAN FLOW

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, February 16:
HUMAN FLOW

Director:
Ai Weiwei

Premiere:
Venice 2017

Select Festivals:
Telluride, Hamptons, Mill Valley, Haifa, Atlantic

About:
An overarching view of the global refugee crisis.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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February 14, 2018 · 1:31 PM

Documentary Fortnight 2018 Overview

Festival:
The 17th Documentary Fortnight

Dates:
February 15-26

About:
Nearly two dozen new or recent features, in addition to retrospective programming, make up MoMA’s annual nonfiction showcase. Continue reading →

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February 14, 2018 · 12:01 PM

On DVD/VOD: REBELS ON POINTE

New to DVD and VOD this week:
REBELS ON POINTE

Director:
Bobbi Jo Hart

Premiere:
Santa Barbara 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, DocEdge, Raindance, Calgary, Vancouver, Ashland, Hot Springs Doc, Cuculorus, Napa Valley, AmDocs, Frameline, Outfest, Inside Out, QDocs, LGBT fests in Amsterdam, Miami, Denver, Austin, Atlanta, and Rochester

About:
An intimate look at a long-running all-male drag ballet troupe.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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February 13, 2018 · 3:02 PM

On DVD: THE GUYS NEXT DOOR

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, February 13:
THE GUYS NEXT DOOR

Directors:
Amy Geller and Allie Humenuk

Premiere:
Sarasota 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IFFBoston, Maryland, Provincetown, Woods Hole, Rhode Island, Big Sky Doc, RiverRun, MIX Milano, SF Jewish, Washington Jewish

About:
A profile of a gay couple and the woman who helped them have their own family.

I previously wrote about the doc for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Rachel is a married woman in her 40s, with a husband and three children. She is also the surrogate mother for her married gay friends Erik and Sandro. With refreshing candor and humor, Geller and Humenuk’s film explores the unique challenges of this unusual extended family through the course of three years. Erik and Sandro move away from New York City and adjust to small-town life; Sandro travels to his Italian homeland; and Rachel delivers the couple’s second daughter.