Category Archives: Documentary

On VOD: BATTLEGROUND

Coming to VOD this Friday, October 14:
BATTLEGROUND

Director:
Cynthia Lowen

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

About:
Heading distinctly different anti-choice organizations, three women lead the charge in their single-minded quest to overturn Roe v Wade.

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Streaming: A RADICAL LIFE

Coming to Discovery+ tomorrow, Thursday, October 13:
A RADICAL LIFE

Director:
Ricki Stern

World Premiere:
Hamptons 2022

About:
An unfiltered look inside the mind of Tania Joya, the former First Lady of ISIS, who spent twelve years married to the highest ranking American in ISIS.

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Streaming: HIGH ON CRACK STREET: LOST LIVES IN LOWELL

Coming to OVID tomorrow, Thursday, October 13:
HIGH ON CRACK STREET: LOST LIVES IN LOWELL

Director:
Jon Alpert, Maryann DeLeo, Richard Farrell

Select Festivals:
IDFA, DOC NYC

About:
A harrowing chronicle of addiction in an economically depressed blue-collar Massachusetts town.

The film screened at DOC NYC for its 20th anniversary, for which our program notes read:
Jon Alpert and Maryann De Leo teamed with former drug addict Rich Farrell, a resident of Lowell, Massachusetts, for this harrowing chronicle of addiction in the economically depressed blue-collar town. Filmed over a year and a half, Brenda, Dicky, and Boo-Boo are followed in and out of crackhouses, rehab, and jail, seeking an escape from the despair of their surroundings. Their lives later served as the inspiration for THE FIGHTER, for which Christian Bale, portraying Dicky, won an Oscar.

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Streaming: I LOVE YOU, YOU HATE ME

Coming to Peacock today, Wednesday, October 12:
I LOVE YOU, YOU HATE ME

Director:
Tommy Avallone

World Premiere:
Peacock (October 2022)

About:
A docuseries chronicling the backlash against Barney the Dinosaur in the 1990s.

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On VOD: AMERICAN RAPSTAR

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, October 11:
AMERICAN RAPSTAR

Director:
Justin Staple 

World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, SXSW, Doc’n Roll

About:
An eye-opening exploration of the SoundCloud rap phenomenon, a scene of troubled, young, lo-fi rappers that has used social media to develop a rabid fan base.

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Streaming: CALIFORNIA DREAMS

Coming to OVID today, Tuesday, October 11:
CALIFORNIA DREAMS

Director:
Mike Ott

Premiere:
Berlin Critics Week 2017

Select Festivals:
SXSW, Docville, Sarasota, San Francisco, Champs Élysées

About:
Five people pursue unlikely aspirations of Hollywood fame in this hybrid.

I previously wrote about the film here.

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On DVD: HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 11:
HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG

Director:
Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine

World Premiere:
Telluride 2021

Select Festivals:
Venice, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Vienna, Gent, Tribeca

About:
The definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, Hallelujah.

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On TV & Streaming: 38 AT THE GARDEN

Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11:
38 AT THE GARDEN

Director:
Frank Chi

World Premiere:
HBO (October 2022)

About:
A chronicle of the extraordinary ascendance of point guard Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks.

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On TV: BECOMING FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Courtesy PBS

Coming to PBS tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11:
BECOMING FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Director:
Stanley Nelson

World Premiere:
PBS broadcast (October 2022)

About:
A profile of one of the most influential voices for democracy in American history, exploring how Frederick Douglass, born into slavery, played a role in securing the right to freedom for African Americans.

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In Theatres: TAMING THE GARDEN

Coming to theatres today, Monday, October 10:
TAMING THE GARDEN

Director:
Salomé Jashi

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

Select Festivals:
Berlin, CPH:DOX, New Directors/New Films, Shanghai, Cinéma du Réel

About:
An artful look at the unusual disruption caused by the removal and transport of several massive trees from small Georgian villages.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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