Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 25: FINDERS KEEPERS
Bryan Carberry and Clay Tweel’s stranger-than-fiction story about two men, a grill, and a leg debuted at Sundance this year. Screenings followed at SXSW, Hot Docs, RiverRun, Sarasota, Traverse City, IFF Boston, New Zealand, Melbourne, and Sundance NextFest, among others.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres and VOD this Friday, September 25: DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON
Douglas Tirola’s exploration of the history of the irreverent satire magazine had its world premiere at Sundance this year. Its extensive festival run has also included Nantucket, Tribeca, Hot Docs, Full Frame, AFI Docs, Traverse City, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Sarasota, Montclair, and Sydney.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
This Friday, September 25, sees the kick-off of the 53rd annual New York Film Festival. Long geared toward art house audiences but in recent years opening up programming to include some mainstream offerings, the festival has also embraced nonfiction far more than it ever did in the past. Documentaries or hybrid projects have a presence in virtually every section of the event, with over 20 feature projects claiming coveted spots in the well-respected Fall event, which runs through Sunday, October 11. The following offers a selected overview: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Returning for its 19th edition beginning this Wednesday, September 23 and continuing through Sunday, September 27, NYC’s Urbanworld Film Festival will once again provide a platform for the films of African American and multicultural filmmakers. This year’s edition shows an uptick in the number of documentaries among its offerings – nearly half at twelve of 28 features, including both its opening and closing night slots: Respectively, Clarence “Coodie” Simmons & Chike Ozah’s MUHAMMAD ALI: THE PEOPLE’S CHAMP, which highlight’s the boxing legend’s legacy; and Nelson George’s A BALLERINA’S TALE, about African Americans in ballet, as revealed through the story of Misty Copeland.
Among the other nonfiction presentations this year are: Nick Quested’s DRAMATIC ESCAPE, about a prison’s theatrical production/rehabilitation program; Dean Hargrove’s TAP WORLD (pictured), a survey of the American dance form; Flora Pérez-Garay’s ANATOMY OF A DRESS, a look at Puetro Rican fashion designers; Mathew Ramirez Warren’s WE LIKE IT LIKE THAT, which explores the NYC roots of Latin boogaloo; and Bobbito Garcia’s STRETCH AND BOBBITO: RADIO THAT CHANGED LIVES, about the legendary hip hop radio program.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 18: RACING EXTINCTION
Louie Psihoyos’ exploration of potential global catastrophe debuted at Sundance this year. Screenings followed at Nantucket, Telluride Mountainfilm, DC’s Environmental fest, Seattle, Maui, SF Green, and Boulder, among others.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s POV tomorrow, Friday, September 18: CUTIE AND THE BOXER
Zachary Heinzerling’s portrait of a pair of married artists had its world premiere at Sundance in 2013, where he won the doc directing award. Screenings followed at True/False, San Francisco, Tribeca, Sarasota, BFI London, and Karlovy Vary, among others. The film was nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar.
I profiled the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, September 18: PROPHET’S PREY
Amy Berg’s investigation into a polygamous cult had its world premiere at Sundance this year. It has gone on to screen at Sarasota, AFI Docs, Edinburgh, BAMcinemaFest, New Zealand, and Melbourne, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD next Tuesday, September 15: THE JINX: THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF ROBERT DURST
Andrew Jarecki’s riveting investigation of the infamous murder suspect received a preview screening of its first episode at Sundance. The series was broadcast by HBO this past Winter, to a jaw-dropping conclusion.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc series may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Turning 40 this year, the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, Thursday, September 10, screening well over 275 new feature films in addition to retrospectives, shorts, and industry programming before it wraps on Sunday, September 20. This year sees a notable increase in nonfiction programming, with just over 50 new docs or hybrid projects by my count compared to approximately 35 last year. I’ll be in attendance for the first half of the festival, especially hoping to have a chance to catch up with the following highlights: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to theatres across the US tonight, Wednesday, September 9: HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Jerry Rothwell’s rousing history of Greenpeace made its world premiere at Sundance, where it picked up the World Cinema Documentary Editing Award. It has since screened at Nantucket, Hot Docs, True/False, DOXA, San Francisco Green, Sebastopol Doc, Sydney, and Telluride Mountainfilm, among others. More information on tonight’s screening may be found at Fathom Events.
I previously profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
