Category Archives: Documentary

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, May 31: THE CASE OF THE THREE SIDED DREAM

Adam Kahan’s portrait of an experimental jazz multi-instrumentalist made its bow at SXSW in 2014. Additional play included New Orleans, IDFA, Big Sky, Full Frame, Salem, ReelAbilities, Atlanta’s Pan African, LA’s Don’t Knock the Rock, Florida, Leeds, and jazz fests in New York and Burlington.

I previously wrote about the film here.

Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction tomorrow, Tuesday, May 31 and to theatres this Friday, June 3: THE WITNESS

James Solomon’s revisitation of an infamous NYC murder made its debut at the New York Film Festival last Fall. Screenings followed at Palm Springs, Big Sky, Boulder, Hong Kong, Sarasota, and Atlanta, among other events.

The 1964 rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens shocked New York City and the rest of the nation, not just for the horrific crimes perpetrated against the young woman, but because of reports that 38 eyewitnesses were aware of the attack taking place yet did nothing – either assuming someone else would call the authorities, or unwilling to become involved in a stranger’s plight. The case pointed out the dangers of urban apathy and spawned neighborhood watch groups to try to prevent future crimes. On a personal level, the inaction of the 38 witnesses inspired Genovese’s younger brother, Bill, to enlist in the military so he could make a difference in the world, resulting in the loss of both of his legs in combat in Vietnam. Four decades later, however, The New York Times, the same paper that reported the indifference of Genovese’s neighbors, discredited its original report. This rewriting of the legend provides the impetus for Bill to make sense of what happened to Kitty, what witnesses did or didn’t do, and the crime’s impact on his own life. Solomon crafts an engaging, sensitive exploration of myth and reality, in the process revealing a fuller sense of a woman until now known only as a victim.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, May 31: ABOVE AND BELOW

Nicolas Steiner’s portrait of the lives of outsiders debuted at Rotterdam last year. Its fest circuit also included DOC NYC, Hot Docs, BAFICI, Docs Against Gravity, Edinburgh, Karlovy Vary, Vancouver, CPH:DOX, DocPoint, Big Sky, and Cucalorus, among others.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed today, Monday, May 30: THE LAST SEASON

Sara Dosa’s portrait of a mushroom foraging clan debuted at San Francisco in 2014. Screenings followed at New Orleans, Hot Docs, Mountainfilm Telluride, Rooftop Films, Big Sky, Sebastopol Doc, United Nations Association, and the Seattle Asian American fest, among others. The film makes its television premiere in recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to PBS’s POV this coming Monday, May 30: OF MEN AND WAR

Laurent Bécue-Renard’s look at a PTSD treatment center for veterans made its premiere at Cannes in 2014. Its extensive fest circuit has included IDFA, Göteborg, DocPoint, Documentary Fortnight, ZagrebDox, True/False, Full Frame, Visions du Réel, Documenta Madrid, San Francisco, DOXA, Sydney, AFI Docs, Human Rights Watch, and DOK.Fest Munich, among others. POV’s screening is appropriately in conjunction with Memorial Day.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, May 24: BARGE

Ben Powell’s immersive portrait of men at sea made its premiere at SXSW last year. The film also screened at DOC NYC, New Orleans, Full Frame, RiverRun, Dallas, IFF Boston, Montclair, Ashland, and Little Rock, among other events.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Intimately capturing an under-acknowledged slice of American industry, Ben Powell’s vibrantly shot film follows the voyage of a Mississippi towboat and its precious cargo to its destination in New Orleans. The hardy crew, representing a diverse microcosm of American river culture, from ambitious newcomers to seasoned sea dogs, sign on for month-long tours of duty. Misfits on land, they find purpose – and a welcome paycheck – for their part in keeping this essential industrial economic ecosystem afloat.