Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 24: THE SQUARE (AL MIDAN)
Jehane Noujaim’s immersive look at the Egyptian revolution premiered at Sundance in 2013, where it won an audience award. A revised version made its way to Toronto, winning another audience award win, before screening at the New York Film Festival, DOC NYC, and Dubai, among others, before it was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 24: 1971
Johanna Hamilton’s exploration of a revealing FBI break-in premiered at Tribeca last year. Its fest circuit also included IDFA, Sheffield, AFI Docs, Traverse City, and CPH:DOX, among others.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 24: THE NEW RIJKSMUSEUM
Oeke Hoogendijk’s behind-the-scenes look at the decade-long renovation of Amsterdam’s most notable art attraction had its world premiere on Dutch television in 2013, with a substantially shortened theatrical version making its debut at NYC’s Film Forum earlier this year. Other fest screenings have included IDFA, Biografilm, Jerusalem, and Hong Kong.
In 2004, the Rijksmuseum was closed to the public in anticipation of a four-year renovation to update the institution for the 21st century and solidify its importance for the Netherlands’ international cultural tourism. As Hoogendijk’s primarily observational epic demonstrates, things didn’t go exactly to plan. Instead, four years ballooned to nearly ten, and the museum didn’t reopen until April 2013. During this fallow period, the Rijksmuseum lost its director, shown halfway through this chronicle; struggled with a surprisingly strong pro-bicyclist lobby that necessitated major architectural redesigns; tried to develop its 20th century collection with some questionable acquisitions; and ran up its budget far beyond projected estimates. While the film at times seems to revel in a schadenfreude of sorts as the renovation faces all manner of absurd bureaucratic hurdles, it’s clear that the director’s focus on numerous dedicated employees – most notably curators and restorers – demonstrates a deep and abiding respect and love for what the institution is meant to celebrate. Even if the final scene fails properly to showcase the completed museum in enough detail, there remains a distinct sense of satisfaction that its staff – and the audience – have finally seen the project to its end.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 24: RED LINES
Andrea Kalin and Oliver Lukacs’ on-the-ground look at the conflict in Syria debuted at Hot Docs last year. It has gone on to screen at events in Oslo, Washington DC, London, Haifa, and Little Rock, as well as at fests such as Budapest, Woodstock, United Nations Association, Docs DF, Cucalorus, DocAviv, DocuWest, and One World, among others.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 24: THE STORM MAKERS
Guillaume Suon’s investigation into human trafficking in Cambodia premiered at Busan last year. The film went on to screen at IDFA, Thessaloniki Doc, Movies That Matter, Full Frame, DOK.fest Munich, Docs Against Gravity, Sheffield, and AFI Docs, among others.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, November 24: DANNY SAYS
Brendan Toller’s portrait of a man behind legendary music acts debuted at SXSW earlier this year. It has also screened at BFI London, San Francisco Jewish, Provincetown, Sound + Vision, Big Sky, Montclair, Melbourne, CPH:DOX, and Athens, among other events.
Already immortalized by the Ramones’ song that lends this film its title, Danny Fields (born Feinberg) is the latest in a string of most famous background people the general public has never heard of, much like Shep Gordon, the subject of SUPERMENSCH. Like that music world impresario, Fields had a hand in the careers of an unexpectedly diverse range of superstar performers in the 1960s-1970s, from the Beatles to Lou Reed, the Doors to Iggy Pop, and, of course, the Ramones. Taking on roles such as music magazine editor, press agent, Elektra executive, and band manager, the brash New Yorker – openly gay before it was socially acceptable – always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, at least for a time, but never long enough to make out financially for his prescient tastes. Toller tells a likeable, energetic tale rife with anecdotes, though limited in its scope to the decades noted above.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, November 23: MIMI AND DONA
Sophie Sartain’s portrait of a mother and daughter debuted at the Dallas VideoFest last year. It also screened at Thin Line, Sebastopol Doc, ReelAbilities, and several community screenings around the country.
Sartain’s film explores the relationship between her maternal grandmother Mimi, 92, and her intellectually-disabled aunt Dona, 64, as they reckon with the latter’s difficult transition out of the home she’s known her entire life into an assisted care facility. Exploring not only the complex bonds between these two women, but also her mother’s own complicated history with her mother and sister, the director creates a portrait of interdependence that also ends up being informed by other family members’ experiences with autism – including the filmmaker’s own concerns about her young son. While on the whole technically rough, Sartain manages to capture a poignant sense of the impact of separation on both mother and daughter.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to HBO today, Monday, November 23: 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS
Marc Silver’s look at a notorious case of race-fueled gun violence debuted at Sundance earlier year, where it picked up a special jury award. Screenings followed at Full Frame, Seattle, Sheffield, Ashland, RiverRun, and Human Rights Watch, among others.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
This morning, the first lineup announcement for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was made, revealing the feature selections in the Midnight section. The nine titles may be found here.
The festival will take place January 21-31. Remaining lineup announcements will be announced in the coming weeks.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to theatres and to VOD today, Friday, November 20: I AM THOR
Ryan Wise’s portrait of a would-be music legend made its debut at Slamdance. Other fest appearances have included Florida, Brooklyn, San Francisco Doc, Fantasia, New Zealand, and Calgary Underground. In addition to select theatrical engagements, the doc also comes to VOD via Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Vimeo, Google Play and other platforms.
Now in his 60s, Jon Mikl Thor has still not given up on his rockstar dreams. The Canadian-born performer managed to make something of a splash in the 1970s and early ’80s with his eponymous band, owing to his focus on showmanship – bare chested and adorned with spiky leather gauntlets, the body-builder performed eye-catching feats of strength as part of his over-the-top music act, which morphed from glam to heavy metal over time. Never becoming a household name, he has quit and mounted comebacks ever since, as noted in Wise’s affectionate, if bemused, look at perseverance despite the odds. The film may have benefited from expanding on Thor’s colorful history – which included stints as a nude waiter and B-movie actor – rather than being so focused on the last decade or so of pursuing his career, but it remains a warm profile of a surprisingly likeable protagonist.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
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