Croatia’s ZagrebDox celebrates its first decade beginning this Sunday, February 23, with the documentary fest wrapping up its tenth edition the following Sunday, March 2. Nearly a hundred features screen over the course of the event, representing new and recent docs, as well as a significant number of retrospective works. Amongst its lineup are several titles familiar from the international documentary circuit, already covered here elsewhere, and, more intriguingly, a healthy sampling of national and regional work, much of it spotlighted below: Continue reading
Category Archives: Documentary
ZagrebDox 2014 Overview
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
On TV: DRIVERS WANTED
Coming to the WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed series next Tuesday, February 25: DRIVERS WANTED
Joshua Z Weinstein’s portrait of taxi drivers debuted at Silverdocs in 2012. Its fest circuit has included DOK.Leipzig, the Southern Circuit Tour, DOC NYC, Big Sky, and Sebastopol Doc fests, among others, as well as a limited theatrical engagement.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
On DVD: MUSCLE SHOALS
Coming to DVD next Tuesday, February 25: MUSCLE SHOALS
Greg “Freddy” Camalier’s tribute to the influential Alabama recording studios had its world premiere at Sundance last year. It went on to screen at SXSW, Nantucket, Atlantic, Melbourne, Seattle, Maui, Nashville, and Hot Docs, where it won an Audience Award.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Special Screening: THE STUART HALL PROJECT
Coming to NYC’s BAM as part of the BAMcinématek series on the Black Audio Film Collective next Monday, February 24: THE STUART HALL PROJECT
John Akomfrah’s profile of the recently departed influential British cultural theorist made its debut at Sundance last year. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, DOXA, Leeds, Torino, CPH:DOX, and African Diaspora, among other events.
My pre-Sundance profile on the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
In Theatres: ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME
Coming to theatres this Friday, February 21: ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME
Chiemi Karasawa’s portrait of the noted actress had its world premiere at Tribeca last year. It went on to screen at Traverse City, Mill Valley, London, DMZ Docs, Chicago, Philadelphia, Bergen, and Palm Springs, among other fests.
I included the doc in my Tribeca coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
On VOD: THE MOO MAN
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 18: THE MOO MAN
Andy Heathcote and Heike Bachelier’s day in the life of a British dairy farm made its world premiere at Sundance last year. It went on to screen at Berlin, Sheffield, True/False, and Los Angeles, and was nominated for a British Independent Film Award. The doc now becomes available on iTunes.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
On VOD: HOMEGOINGS
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 18: HOMEGOINGS
Christine Turner’s exploration of African American funeral practices premiered last year at MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight. It went on to screen at Full Frame, Blackstar, Sebastopol Doc, the American Black Film Festival, and BAMcinematek, and was broadcast on POV. The doc now becomes available on Vimeo on Demand, accessible across desktop, mobile, web-enabled TVs.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
In the Works: ART AND CRAFT
The story of a notorious art forger who feels compelled to donate his work to museums across the country.
Over thirty years, Mark Landis has honed his painting skills to enable him to make remarkable copies of a wide range of artwork. Unusually, rather than profit financially from his forgeries, Landis instead began contacting small museums and other institutions under assumed identities to donate his work, passing them off as rare originals. When Matthew Leininger, a museum registrar, grew suspicious of one instance of Landis’ “philanthropy,” his investigation uncovered Landis’ deception, involving more than 45 museums in nearly twenty cities, and ultimately resulted in a museum exhibition of the forgeries. Filmmakers Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman, and Mark Becker began telling Landis’ tale when he was exposed, and have followed him for the past several years, learning of the mental illness that drives his unorthodox behavior. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, In the Works
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2014 Overview
Montana’s largest film festival, Missoula’s Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, kicks off its 11th edition tomorrow, Saturday, February 15, and running through Sunday, February 23. Presenting a mix of new films, recent festival favorites, and a healthy dose of retrospective selections, the event has carved a distinctive space for nonfiction in the American West. This year, in addition to its annual Made in Montana sidebar, showcasing local productions like Daniel T Skaggs’ FREELOAD, about modern-day train hoppers; music doc section Sights and Sounds; indigenous showcase; and past fest participants, Encore; the event offers sidebars on comedy docs, wilderness films, and a retrospective on Robert B Weide. Other selections are highlighted below. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
On DVD: 1964
Coming to DVD next Tuesday, February 18: 1964
Stephen Ives and Callie T Wiser’s sprawling look at a pivotal year in American history debuted on American Experience last month.
I previously wrote about the doc upon its broadcast here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
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