Category Archives: Overviews

Beginning this Thursday, May 2 and running through Saturday, May 11, DocAviv: The Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary. More than eighty new documentary features, in addition to shorts and retrospective programming, spotlighting a diverse range of both Israeli and international work, will screen during the event, recognized as one of the key doc festivals in the region. It’s on my list of fests I’d love to attend at some point, but, sadly, this year’s not the year. What follows are some highlights of feature docs appearing there that I’d be most interested in viewing: Continue reading →

After a particularly challenging week, some normalcy returns to the Hub city with the start of the Independent Film Festival Boston tomorrow, Wednesday, April 24. Running through next Tuesday, April 30, this year marks the eleventh edition of what has been called the city’s premier film event, and the largest film festival in the whole of New England. Continue reading →

The longest-running film festival in both North and South America, San Francisco International Film Festival, kicks off its 56th edition this Thursday evening and runs through Thursday, May 9. This is the first festival with new Executive Director Ted Hope at the helm, bringing a welcome and familiar leadership to the organization after the tragic back-to-back deaths of his respected predecessors Graham Leggat and Bingham Ray. He’s brought with him Colin Stanfield as Managing Director, with longtime Director of Programming Rachel Rosen providing continuity and her regular keen curatorial eye. This year’s lineup includes over 150 films, including nearly thirty documentary features. I’ll be in town for the festival’s first weekend and may try to catch a few titles I haven’t already seen, time and schedule permitting. Regardless, here’s a quick look at some of the selections to consider checking out if you’re in the Bay Area: Continue reading →

In less than one week, Toronto’s Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, kicks off its twentieth edition, which will run through Sunday, May 5. An essential stop on the doc fest circuit, I’ve been fortunate to attend for the past several years, and will be covering the event for Indiewire once again. Like Amsterdam’s IDFA, what’s especially notable about Hot Docs is its ability not only to draw a huge general public audience, but to attract the participation of nonfiction industry players, especially decision makers for key international broadcasters and funds. The latter annually take meetings and hear pitches in the accompanying Hot Docs Forum, for which I was honored to serve on the selection committee this year, and which I plan to include in my coverage as I have done in the past. That said, my main focus will be on the films – as many of the 205 titles appearing in the lineup as I can see during my time there. Director of Programming Charlotte Cook and her team culled this year’s selections, representing 43 countries, from 2386 submissions, organizing them into eleven different sections. The following spotlights the feature docs I’m most looking forward to, going section-by-section: Continue reading →

This Friday kicks off the 44th edition of Nyon, Switzerland’s Visions du Réel, one of the oldest doc events in the world. Founded in 1969 as the Nyon International Documentary Film Festival, the event was originally led by Moritz de Hadeln of later Berlin, Locarno, and Venice fame, and had an expressly political motivation – beyond showcasing Swiss nonfiction, the fest’s geographical location, situated in the center of Europe, motivated de Hadeln to provide a platform for productions from Eastern Bloc nations as a means to foster societal change. In the present, the festival features an expansive lineup of more than 150 films over the course of its weeklong run, representing new Swiss and international documentaries to its growing audience. I’ve never attended, but here’s a sampling of the titles that piqued my interest, separated by programming strand: Continue reading →

The twelfth annual Tribeca Film Festival begins in one week, running Wednesday, April 17 through Sunday, April 28. This is the second year of programming overseen by Tribeca’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Gilmore, VP of Programming Genna Terranova, and Artistic Director Frederic Boyer, and they’ve pulled together a promising slate. Out of more than 6000 submissions, 89 features will screen, including 45 documentaries which appear in the festival’s various sections. As has been typical for Tribeca for several years, the nonfiction programming is strong. Going section-by-section below, I’ll highlight several selections that I can recommend from advance viewing and others that I’m looking forward to seeing during the course of the event: Continue reading →

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, April 10, in Auckland, New Zealand, and running through Sunday, April 21 (before moving on to Wellington between May 8-19), the Documentary Edge holds its ninth edition. The event, originally known as DOCNZ before a rebranding to emphasize its aim to showcase cutting edge fare, annually presents scores of acclaimed international docs as well as homegrown work in a series of thematic programs. More than sixty features and shorts screen this year, bookended by opening and closing night films, THE ISLAND PRESIDENT and MUSCLE SHOALS, respectively. Continue reading →

Celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, the Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente, or BAFICI, begins this Wednesday, April 10 and runs through Sunday, April 21. The event is among the largest in South America, drawing over 350,000 to its film screenings and other events. Of the more than 400 features and shorts in its lineup, more than a quarter are feature documentaries, appearing throughout the various sections of the festival. While I’ve sadly never had the opportunity to attend, I’m impressed by the range of selections and especially by the commitment the organizer have shown to champion their national cinema. If I were heading to Argentina, the following films, broken down section-by-section, are ones that I’d seek out: Continue reading →

Celebrating its 15th edition this year, the Sarasota Film Festival begins this Friday, April 5 and runs through Sunday, April 14. Screening over 200 films, Sarasota is one of the largest regional festivals in the US, presenting some of the year’s standout films for Florida audiences and visiting industry. I’ve never been to the festival, but industry colleagues who have attended have raved, and its Director, Tom Hall, is one of the most liked figures in the indie film community. Its feature lineup includes more than fifty documentaries, including two Sundance alums in key Gala slots – Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s BLACKFISH screens as the fest’s Closing Night film, while Barbara’s Kopple’s RUNNING FROM CRAZY is one of two Centerpieces. Other newer docs that perhaps haven’t had as big a spotlight yet include the following: Continue reading →

Starting tomorrow, Thursday, April 4, and running through Sunday, April 14, the Dallas International Film Festival will screen more than 175 films for its seventh edition. Kicking things off are five Opening Night films, including Sundance alum THE CRASH REEL. I had the pleasure of serving on the jury for the festival a couple of years back, enjoying Texan hospitality and a top-notch festival thanks to the efforts of Artistic Director James Faust and Senior Programmer Sarah Harris. While I won’t be attending the 2013 fest, I wanted to draw attention to some of the newer documentaries making their debut in Dallas, among a selection of acclaimed titles that previously screened at Sundance, SXSW, and Toronto. Continue reading →