Category Archives: Film Festivals

The Film Society of Lincoln Center presents its annual Film Comment Selects series starting tonight, Friday, February 17. The 17th edition, which runs through Thursday, February 23, presents an eclectic mix of new and retrospective work, including four documentary or hybrid features:

More recent work includes Terrence Malick’s VOYAGE OF TIME (pictured), presented in a shorter, music-focused, ultra-widescreen IMAX version; Wang Bing’s BITTER MONEY, a portrait of migrant Chinese garment workers; and Michał Marczak’s hybrid ALL THESE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, following Polish twentysomethings in their nocturnal adventures. The series also presents a screening of Louis Malle’s 1985 GOD’S COUNTRY, in which the filmmaker visits a farming community in the midst of economic crisis.

The 14th Big Sky Documentary Film Festival begins tomorrow, Friday, February 17, and runs through Sunday, February 26. Nerly 60 new and recent feature documentaries will screen, in addition to an extensive selection of retrospective programming celebrating the work of Daniel Junge and EyeSteelFilm. Films are presented in more than a dozen thematic strands, some of which noted below. Continue reading →

Tomorrow, Thursday, February 16, kicks off the 16th edition of Documentary Fortnight, MoMA’s annual showcase of nonfiction, with Rahul Jain’s Sundance award-winner MACHINES, an observational portrait of Indian factory workers. More than a dozen other recent features will screen before the event wraps on Sunday, February 26, in addition to retrospective work and shorts.

Among the world premieres are Lynne Sachs’ TIP OF MY TONGUE, which gathers a group of friends to reflect on the past fifty years; Lee Breuer’s THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, on one of the founders of the music group The Blind Boys of Alabama; Abigail Child’s ACTS & INTERMISSIONS, an experimental portrait of Emma Goldman; and Sam Wainwright Douglas’s THROUGH THE REPELLENT FENCE: A LAND ART FILM (pictured), about an art installation on the US/Mexico border.

Manuel Abramovich’s SOLAR, about the complicated story behind a messianic Argentine bestseller; and Paul Kaiser, Marc Downie, Ken Jacobs, and Flo Jacobs’ ULYSSES IN THE SUBWAY (pictured), which transforms the sounds of a NYC subway ride into a 3D rendering, both make their North American debuts. NYC premieres include Shahrbanoo Sadat’s hybrid WOLF AND SHEEP, on an Afghan shepherd community; and Jiu-liang Wang’s Sundance alum PLASTIC CHINA, a look at lives intersecting in a Chinese recycling factory.

The Berlinale kicks off its 67th edition tomorrow, Thursday, February 9. Approximately 230 new features, as well as numerous shorts and retrospective works will unspool before the festival closes on Sunday, February 19, including nearly 80 doc features, with a selection of highlights noted below: Continue reading →

Earlier today, SXSW supplemented their main features announcement from last week with a number of additional film selections, including the reveal of their Shorts and VR programming. Following is the list of newly announced nonfiction features per section:

Documentary Spotlight:
MISSION CONTROL: THE UNSUNG HEROES OF APOLLO
Director: David Fairhead
At the heart of the Apollo program was the special team in Mission Control who put a man on the moon and helped create the future.

Festival Favorites:
DAVID LYNCH – THE ART LIFE
Director: Jon Nguyen
A film that deeply explores the experiences that shaped one of cinema’s most distinctive voices: David Lynch.

TROPHY
Director: Shaul Schwarz, Co-Director: Christina Clusiau
Endangered African species like elephants, rhinos, and lions march closer to extinction each year. TROPHY investigates the powerhouse businesses of big game hunting, breeding, and wildlife conservation.

THROUGH THE REPELLENT FENCE: A LAND ART FILM
Director: Sam Wainwright Douglas
Some fences don’t divide.