Category Archives: Film Festivals

Festival:
The 41st annual Cleveland International Film Festival

Dates:
March 29-April 9

About:
Approximately 200 features, including more than 80 documentaries:

This year the fest refocuses its long running nonfiction prize, the Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Competition, specifically on portraiture, featuring such projects as Kevin Burke’s exploration of film promotion, 24X36: A MOVIE ABOUT MOVIE POSTERS; and Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen’s look at an Italian village that holds an annual play about themselves, SPETTACOLO.

Social justice docs take the spotlight in the George Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition, including Andrew Michael Ellis’ FIGHT HATE WITH LOVE, about a former prisoner turned criminal justice reform activist; Apo W Bazidi’s RESISTANCE IS LIFE (pictured), a Kurdish youth’s perspective on refugee life; and Brad Riley’s BE RELENTLESS, following a human sex trafficking victims attempts to raise awareness.

A third nonfiction-focused competition explores Global Health, through such films as: John Gomez’s WHEN I STUTTER, a corrective to misperceptions around stuttering; Robin Berghaus’ STUMPED, which follows a man facing unexpected, catastrophic health problems through humor; Melissa Dowler’s LETTING GO OF ADELE (pictured), about a cardiac service dog; and Brian Storm’s THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, charting a road trip between twin brothers, one of whom lives with cerebral palsy.

Documentaries figures in several remaining sections, including the Local Heroes Competition which celebrates Ohio through work like: Catherine Gund’s DISPATCHES FROM CLEVELAND, which explores pressing issues facing the city; Geoff Yaw’s A MORE CIVIL WAR (pictured), a look at the city during the 2016 Republican National Convention; Danielle Miller and Julia Thorndike’s BURN THE SHIPS, on an Akron women’s pro softball team; and Tony Shaff’s 44 PAGES, a behind-the-scenes look at Highlights magazine.

The 39th edition of Cinéma du Réel, the documentary festival of Paris, begins tomorrow, Friday, March 24 and runs through Sunday, April 2. The event will showcase approximately 50 new and recent documentary features, along with shorts, panels, and retrospectives. Feature highlights follow: Continue reading →

CPH:DOX, the popular, eclectic Danish documentary festival, returns tomorrow, Thursday, March 16 for its 14th edition, having skipped its 2016 event as it shifted its dates from November to its new berth in March. More than 170 documentary features will screen at this year’s event, which will wrap on Sunday, March 26, including the highlights below: Continue reading →

New Directors/New Films, a program jointly curated by the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, returns for its 46th edition starting tomorrow, Wednesday, March 15. Running through Sunday, March 26, the event showcases the work of first and second time directors. Of the 30 feature and mid-length film line-up, however, there are only three documentaries and two hybrids:

Two make their NYC premiere after impressive debuts at Sundance: Yance Ford’s STRONG ISLAND (pictured), on the filmmaker’s search for answers into his brother’s murder, winner of a special jury award at Sundance; and Jonathan Olshefski’s QUEST, which follows an African-American family over a decade of change.

Also screening at ND/NF are Yuri Ancarani’s look at the lives of ultra-rich Qatari amateur falconers, THE CHALLENGE (pictured), a special jury prize winner at Locarno last year; Kaori Kinoshita and Alain Della Negra’s hybrid exploration of a New Age church’s retreat, HAPPINESS UNIVERSITY; and Alessandro Comodin’s hybrid inspired by Italian folklore, HAPPY TIMES WILL COME SOON.