Coming to theatres and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, September 27: MUSCLE SHOALS
Greg “Freddy” Camalier’s exploration of the influence of the Alabama sound debuted at Sundance this year. Its festival circuit has included, among others, SXSW, Martha’s Vineyard, Sidewalk, Melbourne, Seattle, and Hot Docs, where it claimed the Audience Award.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Maine’s Camden International Film Festival begins its ninth edition tomorrow, Thursday, September 26, and runs through the weekend. In addition to the event’s Points North Documentary Film Forum, connecting emerging filmmakers with industry professionals, thirty new feature documentaries, as well as four retrospective films and a number of shorts, will screen during the festival, primarily curated from the offerings of some of the best festivals taking place earlier in the year, including Sundance, SXSW, Hot Docs, Full Frame, and Tribeca.
Among some of the less familiar or newer titles screening in Camden are: Estephan Wagner’s LAST DREAMS (pictured), about three women facing imminent death; Bo Bartlett, Betsy Eby, and Glenn Holsten’s SEE, which follows two artists exploring the act of seeing; and Daniel Dencik’s MOON RIDER, a portrait of a young man striving to become a championship cycler. Other titles which I’ve not yet had the chance to see include: James N Kienitz Wilkins’ PUBLIC HEARING, a verbatim restaging of a town hall meeting; Jane Gillooly’s SUITCASE OF LOVE AND SHAME, which explores an illicit affair as revealed through found audiotapes; and David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s NIGHT LABOR, which follows a worker on his factory night shift.
Retrospective screenings at Camden this year include Peter Davis’ 1974 Vietnam film, HEARTS AND MINDS (pictured); Barbara Kopple’s 1977 miners’ strike doc, HARLAN COUNTY, USA; Nathaniel Kahn’s 2003 portrait of his father, MY ARCHITECT: A SON’S JOURNEY; and Hubert Sauper’s 2004 cautionary environmental film, DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to theatres this Friday, September 27: INEQUALITY FOR ALL
Jacob Kornbluth’s look at widening economic disparity made its world premiere at Sundance at the beginning of the year, winning a special jury prize. Its gone on to screen at Seattle, Traverse City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, AFI Docs, Zurich, and Deuville, among others.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s IFC Center today, Wednesday, September 25: SHEPARD & DARK
Treva Wurmfeld’s portrait of male friendship debuted at Toronto last year. Its festival circuit also included Cannes, DOC NYC, San Francisco, Woodstock, Cleveland, Sarasota, Big Sky, Florida, and Ashland, among others. The film expands to other cities beginning next week.
I included the doc in my Toronto coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, September 24: 1/2 REVOLUTION
Omar Shargawi and Karim El Hakim’s personal chronicle of the beginnings of the Egyptian revolution debuted at Nordisk Panorama in 2011. It made its North American debut at Sundance, then went on to screen at Dubai, Thessaloniki Doc, True/False, and the Aljazeera Doc fest, among others, before enjoying a limited theatrical release.
I profiled the doc pre-Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
This Friday, September 27, the Film Society of Lincoln Center launches the second half century of the New York Film Festival. Running through Sunday, October 13, the 51st edition continues the event’s reputation as a meticulously curated showcase for standout contemporary international cinema. With close to seventy new feature-length films, as well as dozens of shorts, retrospective screenings, and new media, NYFF remains one of the highlights on the Fall festival calendar, and a must-attend event for NYC cinephiles. Among the nearly three dozen new feature docs included in this year’s line-up are the following selections: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday September 24: DARK GIRLS
Bill Duke and D Channsin Berry’s exploration of dark skin prejudiece had its world premiere at Toronto in 2011. Additional screenings included several African American events, including Los Angeles Pan African, Miami Black, and Nashville International Black film fests, as well as cable broadcast on OWN this Summer.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Toronto here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction screening series as its season opener tonight, Tuesday, September 24: LINSANITY
Evan Jackson Leong’s portrait of the basketball player debuted at Sundance earlier this year. It went on to screen at SXSW, Hawaii, Hong Kong, NY’s Asian American, LA Asian Pacific, and Pacific Rim, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Note: A Q&A will follow the screening with Leong and producer Brian Yang.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 24: CALL ME KUCHU
Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall’s revealing look homophobia in Uganda had its world premiere in Berlin last year. Its fest circuit has included berths at Hot Docs, Silverdocs, Frameline, Sheffield, Los Angeles, Reykjavik, Side by Side, CPH:DOX, and New Orleans, among others, and it enjoyed a limited theatrical release this Summer.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Hot Docs here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 24: DEAR MOM, LOVE CHER
P David Ebersole’s intimate portrait of Georgia Holt made its debut on Lifetime and Australia’s Bio Channel this past May for Mother’s Day. It now comes to VOD worldwide.
For Holt’s 85th birthday, her daughter Cher filmed a video celebrating her mother’s life. Inspired by this, the superstar turned to Ebersole and partner Todd Hughes to expand its scope and develop it into a standalone doc for Lifetime. The remarkably vibrant Holt, flanked by her daughters, Cher and Georganne LaPiere, candidly reveals stories both sobering and humorous, from her penniless origins as the daughter of a 13-year-old mother in rural Arkansas to her spotty track record of seven marriages. While Cher understandably takes some of the spotlight, the film explores the three women’s public careers – Holt and Georganne both had bit parts on several TV shows – and culminates in the story of Holt’s would-be singing career. More than thirty years ago, basking in the unlikely interest of being a vivacious sixtysomething celebrity mom with a young lover, Holt appeared on TV talk shows and seemed poised to have her own big break as a singer, finally realizing an old dream that started when she was a child earning pennies for her father by singing during the Great Depression. Though she recorded a country album with Elvis’ former band, her refusal of the record label’s unfair deal meant it went unreleased. Discovering tapes from those recording sessions, remastering them, and joining her on one track, Cher helped Holt release the album this year. Ebersole’s charming doc captures this, as well as the genuine affection Holt’s family has for her.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 