Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, October 22: THE NEW PUBLIC
Jyllian Gunther’s in-depth look at the potential and challenges of an alternative high school debuted at the Hamptons last year. It has gone on to screen at Urbanworld, African Diaspora, deadCENTER, Hot Springs, Boulder, and the San Francisco Doc fests, among others.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Note: Gunther will be present for a Q&A after the screening.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to Al Jazeera America Presents this Sunday, October 20: ALIAS RUBY BLADE
Alex Meillier’s look at love and espionage in East Timor had its world premiere at IDFA last year. It’s gone on to screen at Tribeca, Montclair, Planete+ Doc, Biografilm, and United Nations Association Film Festival, among others.
I included the doc in my IDFA coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to ESPN’s 30 for 30 series this coming Tuesday, October 22: BIG SHOT
Kevin Connolly’s revisitation of an infamous hockey scandal debuted at Tribeca this past Spring. It went on to screen at the Hamptons and Dallas’ USA Film Festival.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Tribeca here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens this coming Monday, October 21: THE WAITING ROOM
Peter Nicks’ intimate look at America’s health care system debuted at Full Frame last year, where it won an award. It has also screened at True/False, Hot Docs, Silverdocs, Ashland, and San Francisco, among others, and enjoyed a limited theatrical release.
I included the film in my Hot Docs coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
DOC NYC, NYC’s premier non-fiction event, has just announced the lineup for this year’s festival. The fourth edition of the festival is the largest yet, including 131 total films and panels over the eight days of the festival, which runs from Thursday, November 14 until Thursday, November 21, and includes a special evening of events as a preview the night before the fest’s official launch. Altogether, 72 new feature-length docs, 39 new shorts, and 20 panels will be presented, nearly all accompanied by Q&As with attending filmmakers.
As DOC NYC’s Senior Programmer, I’m excited to share this year’s selections with audiences. I’ll be profiling each section of the festival here in the weeks prior to our opening. For the time being, check out the links below for more information and to purchase tickets, which go on sale today. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
The 11th edition of Mexico’s Morelia International Film Festival / Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia begins tomorrow, Friday, October 18. The event is notable in its exclusive focus on Mexican film, including an annual section devoted to local Michoacán work. Nearly two dozen features and 66 shorts will screen before the event comes to a close on Sunday, October 27, of which ten are documentary features, noted below.
Several docs reveal fascinating lives, including: Santiago Esteinou’s THE YEARS OF FIERRO (LOS AÑOS DE FIERRO), on a Mexican man who’s been on death row in the US for over three decades; Edson Jair Caballero Trujillo’s ATEMPA, DREAMS ALONG THE RIVER (ATEMPA, SUEÑOS A ORILLAS DEL RÍO) (pictured), a portrait of a young queer Zapotec, or muxe; Gabriela Obregón’s THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK (EL HOMBRE DETRÁS DE LA MÁSCARA), a look at the legendary El Santo as his son takes to the wrestling ring for the first time; Pablo Tamez Sierra’s REMOTENESS (LEJANÍA), about family secrets in the wake of a tragedy; Roberto Fiesco’s QUEBRANTO, a profile of a trans former child performer and her relationship with her actor mother; Shula Erenberg’s ROSARY (ROSARIO), about a human rights activist whose son was disappeared nearly forty years ago; and Misael Alva Alva’s TOCHI/CONEJO, on a small family from the Sierra Negra and their fears for the future.
Finally, a number of the films are concerned with places as much as people, including: Nuria Ibáñez’s THE BARE ROOM (EL CUARTO DESNUDO), an intimate exploration of a pediatrician’s office in a Mexico City hospital; Adrián Ortiz Maciel’s ELEVATOR (ELEVADOR) (pictured), life as reflected in the microcosm of a residential building; and Alejandro Cárdenas’ OASIS, a portrait of a sanctuary for HIV+ indigenous people in the Yucatán.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to HBO for their Fall documentary series this Monday, October 21: LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM
Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine’s portrait of the effects of a rare disease on a family debuted at Sundance this year. The film has gone on to win awards at Nantucket, Mountainfilm, Woods Hole, Rhode Island, and Heartland, with additional screenings at Martha’s Vineyard, AFI Docs, and Boulder, among others.
I previously profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, October 18: BLOOD BROTHER
Steve Hoover’s profile of his best friend, a caretaker of Indian orphans with HIV, debuted earlier this year at Sundance, where it claimed both jury and audience awards for best US documentary film. It went on to screen at Thessaloniki Doc, Heartland, Milwaukee, Nantucket, Big Sky, Little Rock, and New Zealand, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, October 18: THE HUMAN SCALE
Andreas M Dalsgaard’s meditation on modern city planning debuted at CPH:DOX last year. Its festival circuit has included DocPoint, Planete+ Doc, Hot Docs, Sydney, Seattle, Al Jazeera, DOXA, Revelation, Dokufest, and Traverse City, among others.
I included the doc in my Hot Docs coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
The country’s longest-running non-fiction event, the Margaret Mead Film Festival, opens its 37th edition tomorrow, Thursday, October 17, under the theme “See for Yourself.” The festival, known for its ethnographic focus, will present more than two dozen new feature docs, as well as shorts and special events, at its home base, NYC’s American Museum of Natural History, through this Sunday, October 20. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
what (not) to doc 