Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, June 3: BIG JOY: THE ADVENTURES OF JAMES BROUGHTON
Eric Slade and Stephen Silha’s love letter to the experimental filmmaker and writer made its world premiere at SXSW last year. It went on to screen at Tribeca, Seattle, New Orleans, DOXA, Outfest, Hong Kong, Frameline, Mill Valley, Big Sky, Woods Hole, QDoc, and Göteborg, among others.
I included the doc in my SXSW coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to LA’s ArcLight Documentary Film Series tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3: RICH HILL
Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo’s sensitive portrait of three adolescents had its world premiere earlier this year at Sundance, where it picked up the US Documentary Grand Jury Prize. It went on to screen at True/False, Dallas, Cleveland, Wisconsin, Sarasota, Ashland, and the upcoming Nantucket Film Festival.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3: MIRAGE MEN
John Lundberg’s exploration of government disinformation policies had its world premiere last year at Sheffield. It went on to screen at Seattle, Fantastic Fest, Canberra, DOXA, Stockholm, and Sebastopol Doc.
Lundberg’s intriguing film posits that the US military has been the source of much of the would-be evidence and labyrinthine theories behind UFO conspiracies for the past several decades, part of an elaborate campaign of targeted disinformation to discredit those who might chance upon classified, covert projects. Particularly compelling among its cast of talking heads – representing close encounter witnesses, UFOlogists, authors, and the like – is former US Air Force counterintelligence officer Richard Doty, who is forthright in revealing his part in a systematic program of false information that led a WWII veteran to lose his mind. In itself a perfect addition to the countless conspiracy theories around extraterrestrial visitations that have sprung up since the Cold War and its inculcation of paranoia and fears of invasion, there’s enough here to suggest that what the doc proposes is true while still casting just enough doubt to leave the viewer still wondering.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series at the IFC Center tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3: 112 WEDDINGS
Doug Block’s look at the ups and downs of married life debuted at Full Frame earlier this year. Its fest circuit includes Hot Docs and the upcoming Nantucket Film Festival and Sheffield Doc/Fest, before its broadcast debut on HBO at the end of the month.
I wrote about the doc for Nantucket’s program, saying:
Director Doug Block’s previous films, 51 BIRCH STREET and THE KIDS GROW UP, explore universal themes of love, marriage, and family as revealed through his personal experiences. For the past two decades, Block has supported his filmmaking career by documenting the relationships of other couples, filming over a hundred wedding videos. While a pivotal part of their special day, he typically lost touch with these new brides and grooms as they set off for their expected happily ever after. Curious to see if reality matched their fairy tale fantasies of wedded bliss, Block revisits nine couples for a candid, humorous, and sometimes heartbreaking exploration of the joys and challenges of matrimony.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to DVD this coming Tuesday, June 3: WHEN I WALK
Jason DaSilva’s personal experience of multiple sclerosis had its world premiere at Sundance last year. Its fest circuit also included Hot Docs, Sarasota, Milwaukee, LA’s Arclight Doc Fest, Vancouver, Hot Springs, Margaret Mead, ReelAbilities, Hawaii, and Poland’s New Horizons American Film Festival, among others.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
A look at STAR WARS from the perspectives of extras and bit players who appeared in the first film.
George Lucas’ seminal sci-fi blockbuster has worked its magic over viewers since its debut in 1977, with sequels, prequels, and subsequent re-releases, not to mention comic book, novel, toy, and cartoon tie-ins, fueling new generations of fandom. Several documentary projects have been produced, from behind-the-scenes “making-of” or appreciations that have appeared as bonus content on official releases, or independent productions often exploring the fanbase itself. Director Jon Spira’s new project takes a more microscopic approach, focusing on the original film through the experiences of several individuals who appeared in it – but not its stars, but instead bit players or extras who may have only been on-screen for seconds. Far from being what they expected to be a forgettable job they had in suburban North London in the Summer of 1976, Spira’s subjects reflect on their unanticipated, continued connection to the film. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, In the Works
Coming to PBS’s Global Voices series on the World Channel this Sunay, June 1: MISS NIKKI AND THE TIGER GIRLS
Juliet Lamont’s look at the development of an all-girl music group under a military regime had its world premiere at IDFA in 2012. It went on to screen at Margaret Mead, One World, Sydney, Melbourne, and Planete+ Doc, among other fests.
I previously wrote about the doc out of IDFA here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Exploring the theme “Formula” for its 17th edition, the Brooklyn Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, Friday, May 30, and runs through Sunday, June 8. More than 100 films will screen, including the nine documentary features noted below:
International nonfiction is represented by several titles: Nantenaina Lova’s THE MALAGASY WAY, a look at sustainable living in Madagascar; Audrey Gallet’s BOY SALOUM, an exploration of Senegal’s Y’en A Marre social movement; Mladen Kovacevic’s UNPLUGGED, exploring the lost musical art of Serbian leaf-playing; Nima Sarvestani’s NO BURQAS BEHIND BARS, about female Afghan prisoners and methods of social control; and Esy Casey’s JEEPNEY (pictured), which explores the Philippines via its iconic public transport vehicles repurposed from abandoned US military jeeps.
The remaining doc features explore American subjects: Allan Luebke’s GLENA, a portrait of the struggles of a working mom-turned-cage fighter; David Beilinson, Michael Galinsky, and Suki Hawley’s WHO TOOK JOHNNY, about a still-unsolved missing child case; Tony Shaff’s HOTLINE, a consideration of the interpersonal role hotlines continue to play in the digital age; and Catherine Gund’s BORN TO FLY (pictured), a profile of the acclaimed choreographer Elizabeth Streb and the Streb Extreme Action Company.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD and VOD this coming Tuesday, June 3: TINY: A STORY ABOUT LIVING SMALL
Merete Mueller and Christopher Smith’s personal look at compact living debuted at SXSW last year. IOther stops on the fest circuit included DOC NYC, Hot Docs, IFF Boston, Mountainfilm, Tallgrass, and Hot Springs, among others.
I previously wrote about the film out of Hot Docs here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD this coming Tuesday, June 3: VALENTINE ROAD
Marta Cunningham’s examination of a school shooting debuted at Sundance last year. Other festival screenings included Miami, Hot Docs, Seattle, Big Sky, Melbourne, Inside Out, NewFest, and Provincetown, among others.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 