Category Archives: Film Festivals

2015 marks the 13th anniversary of Portugal’s premier documentary event, Doclisboa. Approximately 50 new documentary features, together with a large number of retrospective presentations, will screen between today, Thursday, October 22 and the fest’s wrap on Sunday, November 1. The following offers highlights of some of these offerings: Continue reading →

The American Museum of Natural History’s Margaret Mead Film Festival celebrates its 39th year of showcasing primarily ethnographic nonfiction for NYC audiences. The event kicks off tomorrow, Thursday, October 22 with Susan Gray and Linda Matchan’s portrait of the collaboration between indigenous Canadian and Guinean circuses, CIRCUS WITHOUT BORDERS; and closes on Sunday, October 25 with Daphne McWilliams’ consideration of the impact of absent fathers, IN A PERFECT WORLD…. These join nearly 30 other features, plus shorts and other programming, that make up this year’s lineup. Additional feature highlights are noted below: Continue reading →

The 27th edition of NewFest sees NYC’s LGBT film fest once again move around the calendar from its most recent July positioning to take place instead between tomorrow, Thursday, October 22 and Tuesday October 27. This year’s event presents more than a dozen feature documentaries among its 30+ features.

Among these are two films co-presented by DOC NYC: Marq Evans’ THE GLAMOUR & THE SQUALOR, about the influential 1990s Seattle DJ, Marco Collins; and Daniel F Cardone’s DESERT MIGRATION (pictured), on the intentional community HIV+ gay men have created in Palm Springs.

Other docs include: Nneka Onuorah’s THE SAME DIFFERENCE, an exploration of the complexity of African American lesbian identity; Michael Stabile’s SEED MONEY: THE CHUCK HOLMES STORY (pictured), about the man behind 1980s gay porn leader Falcon Studios; Jake Witzenfeld’s ORIENTED, a profile of gay Palestinians; Cesar Terranova’s GAZELLE: THE LOVE ISSUE, a portrait of an HIV+ NYC nightlife figure; and Swann Dubus and Tran Phuong Thao’s FINDING PHONG, which follows a Vietnamese trans woman’s journey over a year.

The Chicago International Film Festival begins its second half century tonight, Thursday, October 15. The venerable event will screen more than 130 feature films by the time it wraps on Thursday, October 29. Among these are nearly 30 docs, of which a selection are profiled below.

Two titles will have their world premieres here before heading to DOC NYC next month: Nicole N Horanyi’s MOTLEY’S LAW, about the only American lawyer licensed to practice in Afghan courts; and Rob Hatch-Miller’s SYL JOHNSON: ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS (pictured), on the retired soul singer who found an unexpected second chance with the emergence of hip hop. Other titles include Daan Veldhuizen’s BANANA PANCAKES AND THE CHILDREN OF STICKY RICE, about the tension from development on a remote Laotian village; Patricia Natalia Bruschtein’s TIME SUSPENDED, about an aging woman’s struggles to retain the memories of Argentina’s disappeared; Ila Beka and Louise Lemoine’s THE INFINITE HAPPINESS, an exploration of a utopian communal Danish apartment complex; and Rosa von Praunheim’s TOUGH LOVE, a hybrid tale of a German pimp turned karate champion and the woman he loves.

In my role as DOC NYC‘s Director of Programming, I’ve spent the last several months putting together the just-announced lineup for our 6th edition, which runs Thursday, November 12 through Thursday, November 19 at the IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas. America’s largest documentary festival continues to expand in 2015, bringing our total number of program offerings to more than 200, including an additional screen, more shorts programs, new thematic sections, and brand-new industry and university programming. Of the 104 features included this year, 27 are world premieres, 15 are North American or US premieres, and 39 are NYC premieres.

I’m planning to profile each section here in the weeks prior to our opening, but for the time being, find out more, and purchases passes and individual tickets, at our website via the links provided. Continue reading →

DocsDF: The International Documentary Film Festival of Mexico City celebrates its 10th anniversary beginning tomorrow, Thursday, October 15. The event will showcase more than 100 films through more than 250 screenings through Saturday, October 24, with the vast majority free to the public. Continue reading →

The New Orleans Film Festival begins its 26th edition tomorrow, Wednesday, October 14, and runs through Thursday, October 22. I’m excited to be returning to the festival after several years, and am looking forward to serving on the documentary features jury. The following highlights a small fraction of this year’s nearly 40 documentary features:

Competition titles include: Shamira Raphaëla’s DEAL WITH IT, about the filmmaker’s troubled father and brother; Jack Pettibone Riccobono’s THE SEVENTH FIRE, a profile of a Native American gang leader; Jennifer Redfearn’s TOCANDO LA LUZ, which follows the experience of three blind women in Havana; Poppy Stockell’s SCRUM, a portrait of a gay Aussie rugby team; David Shapiro’s MISSING PEOPLE (pictured), about a woman obsessed by her brother’s unsolved murder and by the work of a New Orleans outsider artist; Jide Tom Akinleminu’s PORTRAIT OF A LONE FARMER, a portrait of the filmmaker’s long absent father; and Irene Gutierrez’s HOTEL NUEVA ISLA, about a man living in an abandoned Havana resort.

Other nonfiction titles include: Sara Fishko’s look back at NYC’s jazz scene of the late 1950s and ’60s, THE JAZZ LOFT ACCORDING TO W EUGENE SMITH; Gene Fredericks’ portrait of an eccentric photographer, THE PHANTASMAGORICAL CLARENCE JOHN LAUGHLIN; Ian Midgley’s look at the collaboration between innovative agricultural thinkers, REVERSING THE MISSISSIPPI; Bartek Bartos and Piotr Bartos’ look at an atist’s response to Katrina, FLOATING ON FIRE; Julie Sokolow’s ASPIE SEEKS LOVE (pictured), about a man with Asperger’s who has posted personal ads for fifteen years.