Category Archives: Documentary

Coming to NYC’s IFC Center next Friday, January 24: AATSINKI: THE STORY OF ARCTIC COWBOYS

Jessica Oreck’s chronicle of a year in the life of reindeer herders had its world premiere at Tribeca last year. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, Vancouver, BFI London, New Orleans, and Abu Dhabi, among other events.

I previously wrote about the doc out of Tribeca here.

Coming to NYC’s Cinema Village next Friday, January 24: MERCEDES SOSA: THE VOICE OF LATIN AMERICA

Rodrigo H Vila’s portrait of the iconic performer made its debut at the IFF Panama last year. It also screened at DOC NYC, IDFA, Havana’s International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, and Sydney Latin American, among others.

A legend in Latin America, where her career spanned nearly half a century, Argentine Sosa reached beyond the confines of the region to build a fan base around the world, performing at thousands of concerts from Carnegie Hall to the Roman Colosseum. Recording forty albums that sold in the millions, the Grammy award winning performer popularized folk music from her native Argentina, as well as sounds from Brazil, Cuba, and elsewhere, simultaneously drawing attention to the political struggles in the region. Vila’s intimate portrait of the late singer explores her music and legacy through archival performances, interviews, and tributes from collaborators and admirers.

Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Friday, January 17: THE SQUARE (AL MIDAN)

Jehane Noujaim’s riveting look at Egypt’s 2011 Revolution and what followed made its debut at Sundance last year, picking up an audience award. A retooled version of the film made its bow at Toronto, and repeated the audience award win, and went on to screen at the New York Film Festival, DOC NYC, and Dubai, among others. After its theatrical run this past Fall, the film was nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar, and now comes to Netflix as one of first original doc acquisitions.

I wrote about the film out of Toronto here.

Coming to Al Jazeera America Presents this Sunday, January 19: I LEARN AMERICA

Gitte Peng and Jean-Michel Dissard’s portrait of youthful new Americans had its world premiere at AFI Docs last year. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, Nantucket, Denver, and St Louis, as well as several community screenings around the country.

I previously wrote about the doc out of AFI Docs for Indiewire, saying:
Another title debuting here also addressing immigration is Gitte Peng and Jean-Michel Dissard’s appealing look at Brooklyn’s International High School at Lafayette, which provides a safe and nurturing space for new immigrants. Focusing on five teenagers hailing from Poland, Pakistan, Guatemala, Myanmar, and the Dominican Republic who contend with learning new languages, traditional parental expectations, and immigration status, the film shows the importance of programs like this in shaping the next generation of Americans. Perhaps most significantly, Peng and Dissard demonstrate commonalities across cultural differences, as their subjects face familiar high school rituals like prom and graduation, or schoolwork-affecting distractions in the form of sports and girls.

Coming to WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed series next Tuesday, January 21: DOWNEAST

David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s look at an economically depressed rural Maine town debuted at Tribeca in 2012. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, Silverdocs, Provincetown, Sidewalk, Camden, RIDM, DOK.Leipzig, CPH:DOX, and Big Sky, among others, and enjoyed a limited theatrical campaign through Maine.

I previously included the film in my Tribeca roundup here.