Festival:
The 70th Locarno Film Festival
Dates:
August 2-12
About:
This Swiss event, a favorite of cinephiles and critics, and one of the world’s oldest film festivals, this year offers 100 features, among which are just over 40 documentaries or hybrids. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, August 1:
ROMEO IS BLEEDING
Director:
Jason Zeldes
Premiere:
San Francisco 2015
Select Festivals:
Seattle, Berkshire, Newport Beach, Cleveland, St Louis, Aspen, St Louis, Hot Springs Doc, Napa Valley, Honolulu, Sarasota, Florida, RiverRun, Urbanworld
About:
A young African-American man turns to Shakespeare to address the violence in his community.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Tuesday, August 1:
THE CHALLENGE
Director:
Yuri Ancarani
Premiere:
Locarno 2016
Select Festivals:
IDFA, Hot Docs, Edinburgh, SXSW, Dubai, New Directors/New Films, True/False, Thessaloniki Doc, Göteborg, Encounters, Taipei, Traverse City, Melbourne, Docs Against Gravity, Docaviv, San Francisco
About:
A privileged look at the lives of ultra-rich Qatari amateur falconers.
Told largely without dialogue and absent explanatory cards, Ancarani presents a series of artfully framed tableaux and curious sequences, loosely focused on falconry in the Persian Gulf. Rich men race SUVs in the dunes, train their falcons, let wild cats ride shotgun in Lamborghinis, fly rows of hooded falcons in a private jet, and bid on falcons by phone. These and other indelible, almost surreal, images offer a fascinating glimpse of a world of conspicuous wealth and leisure.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, August 1:
OBIT.
Director:
Vanessa Gould
Premiere:
Tribeca 2016
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, AFI Docs, GlobeDocs, Philadelphia, Provincetown, New Zealand, Traverse City, Hot Springs Doc, Denver, Palm Springs
About:
An inside look at The New York Times obituaries department.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Tuesday, August 1:
THE ROAD MOVIE
Director:
Dmitrii Kalashnikov
Premiere:
IDFA 2016
Select Festivals:
True/False, Sheffield, Hot Docs, Sarajevo, Docs Against Gravity, Nashville,
About:
A dashboard camera view of modern Russia.
Kalashnikov’s project is deceptively and deviously simple, consisting entirely of found footage shot from scores of ordinary civilian dashboard cameras, a ubiquitous feature of Russian vehicles. Edited together like a YouTube supercut, these clips offer a seductive, compulsively watchable series of disconnected mini-episodes in the lives of Russian motorists, from the harrowing to the sublime. Positioned in the driver’s seat, the viewer witnesses road rage, narrowly avoids collisions – or doesn’t!, watches as some of the strangest human dramas briefly flash on screen, drive through a forest on fire, and are confronted with impending violence at seemingly every turn. At the same time, part of the pleasure of this refined clip show is experiencing the reactions of the drivers, often darkly comedic or blasé, suggesting that Russians have pretty much seen it all.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 1:
HIRED GUN
Director:
Fran Stine
Premiere:
SXSW 2016
Select Festivals:
Noise Pop, Calgary, Melbourne
About:
20 FEET FROM STARDOM for unsung session musicians.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, July 31:
MEMORIES OF A PENITENT HEART
Director:
Cecilia Aldarondo
Premiere:
Tribeca 2016
Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Florida, QDoc, Inside/Out, Guanajuato, Hot Springs Doc, Indie Memphis, Sydney Mardi Gras, BFI Flare, One World, Cleveland
About:
An investigation into the buried secrets around the life and death of the filmmaker’s uncle.
Aldarondo’s Uncle Miguel died long ago, in the 1980s, part of the lost generation of gay men claimed by AIDS. Having moved from Puerto Rico to NYC to pursue dreams of a career in theatre, he embraced a newfound sexual freedom and had a serious relationship with a man named Robert – much to the disapproval of his very religious family. When he is stricken down by disease, his mother Carmen pressures him to renounce his sexuality and beg forgiveness, clearing the way for the family amnesia that follows about Miguel’s life and death and the utter removal of Robert from his narrative. More than two decades later, Aldarondo forces the closet door open in hopes of learning more about her long gone uncle, both from her family, and, perhaps more importantly, from Robert, who has transformed his life in unexpected ways. What emerges is a compelling and affecting personal exploration of selective memory, as well as a broader reminder of the competing histories written at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, July 28:
AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL
Directors:
Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk
Premiere:
Sundance 2017
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Cannes, AFI Docs, Biografilm
About:
The follow-up to the Academy Award-winning AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres today, Friday, July 28:
TURN IT AROUND: THE STORY OF EAST BAY PUNK
Director:
Corbett Redford
Premiere:
SF DocFest 2017
About:
An exhaustive chronicle of three decades of punk in California’s Bay Area.
Redford’s film is clearly both a love letter to and an attempt to cement the importance of the Northern California scene to the larger world of punk rock. Running at nearly three hours, however, it tests the patience of anyone who wasn’t already part of or at least aware of that scene. The filmmakers seem unwilling to leave anything out, making the whole film feel ultimately insider and leaving little room for the casual viewer to gain entry. In addition to telling the story of the undeniable breakout success from this world – Green Day, who executive produce here – Redford profiles seemingly every single super-obscure band that ever played at the scene’s hub, 924 Gilman. While this DIY, volunteer-run performance space is an intriguing subject, it gets drowned out in a parade of anecdotes about and appreciation for musicians very few people have ever heard of, yet which are spoken about here with a sense of universal familiarity. While there’s a selective audience who will still seek out this sprawling, punk tribute to the East Bay, some judicious trimming might open up the story to a broader curious viewership.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, July 28:
THE LAST DALAI LAMA?
Director:
Mickey Lemle
Premiere:
Maui 2016
Select Festivals:
Mill Valley, Illuminate, Brisbane, Cleveland, Woodstock
About:
An intimate portrait of the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.
Despite its somewhat hokey punctuated title, Lemle’s film only addresses the question of whether there will be a 15th Dalai Lama relatively late in its running time, a response to the Chinese government’s announcement that it intends to play a major role in locating and raising his new incarnation. Lemle, who previously profiled the spiritual leader in 1992, instead takes a (perhaps too) broad look at both his history and present day concerns as he enters his 80s, from work with neuroscientists to map emotions like compassion to visits to classrooms that have adopted mindfulness techniques. Family members and religious and political leaders – including a surprisingly genuine George W Bush, who shows off a portrait of His Holiness he painted – sing the Dalai Lama’s praises, celebrating his influence and wisdom. While the film lacks a sense of focus, the viewer is still likely to be charmed by its beatific subject.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
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