Category Archives: Overviews

This Wednesday, June 18, sees the opening of the 12th edition of AFI Docs, in its sophomore year in Washington DC with Scott Teems’ HOLBROOK/TWAIN: AN AMERICAN ODYSSEY. Another year has seen continued changes for the event, with longtime festival director Sky Sitney having left her post this past February. Once again running a trimmer five days vs its seven-day incarnation as Silverdocs, the festival will screen approximately fifty features through Sunday, June 22, when the festival closes with Steve James’ LIFE ITSELF. Continue reading →

Brooklyn’s Northside Festival kicks off today, Thursday, June 12, and runs through next Thursday, June 19, with film programming starting on Monday evening. As it has for the past several years, this mini-SXSW joins the worlds of music, cinema, and innovation together, and presents a healthy number of docs in its line-up – both new and recent work and an eclectic selection of retrospective classics or unseen gems. The following offers notable selections from this year’s film programming: Continue reading →

Beginning tomorrow, Thursday, June 12, the New York edition of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival celebrates a quarter century of showcasing films addressing vital global concerns. With screenings through Sunday, June 22, the event will screen nearly two dozen programs to bear witness to and bring greater awareness of continuing human rights abuses around the world. Among the thematic offerings this year are: Continue reading →

This Wednesday, June 11, marks the start of the 20th anniversary edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival, which will continue through Thursday, June 19. Nearly 200 films total will screen, though this year sees slightly fewer feature documentaries represented, with only 21 by my count, representing a cross-section of debuts as well as LA premieres of several festival favorites. The following offers brief highlights: Continue reading →

The 2014 edition of Encounters: South African International Documentary Festival celebrates its sweet sixteen beginning tomorrow, Thursday, June 5, screening in Cape Town and Johannesburg through Sunday, June 15. Its line-up of more than 30 feature docs includes a selection of well-traveled recent international films as well as a large number of recent local and greater African productions, as noted below: Continue reading →

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.

The 13th edition of Ecuador’s Encuentros del Otro Cine, better known as EDOC, begins tomorrow, Thursday May 22 in Quito, where it runs through Sunday, June 1, with screenings also held in Guayaquil between May 24 and June 3. Focused on championing free speech and building up national nonfiction, the event annually promotes cross-cultural awareness, showcasing not only Ecuadorian and Latin American documentary, but works from all over the world in the approximately 120-strong line-up. Non-competitive, the event features thematic programming and retrospectives, with some highlights indicated below. Continue reading →

One of the highlights of American regional film festivals, the Seattle International Film Festival turns 40 tomorrow. Running Thursday, May 15 through Sunday, June 8, and presenting a lineup that includes nearly 200 features, the festival lays claim to being the largest and most attended film events in the US. Among its offerings are 60 documentary features, including several in its Gala section: FINDING FELA, which made its debut at Sundance, and DIOR AND I and KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON, both recent well-received Tribeca premieres. The festival balances a smart curation of other recent festival favorites with an impressive number of new titles. The following focuses primarily on the latter: Continue reading →

The grande dame of film festivals, Cannes, kicks off its 67th edition tomorrow, Wednesday, May 14, while its official side events, the independently organized Directors’ Fortnight and International Critics’ Week, begin Thursday. Altogether, more than 100 features screen, but the non-fiction offerings remain frustratingly slim – this year, thirteen vs 2013’s twelve – once again confirming the Croisette’s view of documentary as an afterthought at best. The following presents a rundown of each film: Continue reading →