Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 4: BLOOD BROTHER
Steve Hoover’s profile of an American man devoted to HIV+ Indian orphans debuted at Sundance last year, winning the best doc jury and audience awards. It went on to screen at Nantucket, Thessaloniki Doc, Heartland, Milwaukee, Big Sky, Little Rock, and New Zealand, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s POV this coming Monday, February 3: AMERICAN PROMISE
Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s thirteen-year look at black male academic achievement debuted at Sundance last year, where it won a special jury award. It went on to screen at the New York Film Festival, Full Frame, and Hot Springs, among others, before its theatrical release.
I profiled the doc pre-Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
SXSW has released their initial list of features, with the Midnighters and Shorts sections to be announced next Wednesday, February 5, and panels to follow the next week. About 50 of the 115 features announced so far are documentaries, appearing in nearly every section of the festival, aside from the narrative exclusive sections. Following is the list of documentary features, broken down by section. For descriptions, check out the link above: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations
Mexico’s traveling documentary festival, Ambulante, kicks off today in Mexico City. The event, founded in 2005 by Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz, will run through February 13, then move on to nearly a dozen other Mexican cities for consecutive week runs between February 13 and May 4. Recently, the organization announced the establishment of Ambulante California, an inclusive, pop-up exhibition intended to reach underserved communities in the greater Los Angeles area. Before that event kicks off in the Fall, the Mexico-based tour will present approximately 100 films, bringing nonfiction and film culture to audiences that otherwise have limited exposure to theatrical exhibition. Feature-length and short documentaries – most already well-traveled on the fest circuit – screen in a number of thematic sections, with some highlights noted below: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations
With Sundance 2014 concluding yesterday, w(n)td has resumed regular posting today, but there’s one last bit of Park City business to attend to: the awards. I live-tweeted Saturday’s awards announcements already, but for those who missed it, here’s the recap: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Film Forum this Wednesday, January 29: CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO
Robert Berger and Karlyn Michelson’s experimental black box-based airline emergency film debuted at Sundance last year. It also went on to screen at the New York Film Festival, DocPoint, AFI Fest, CPH:DOX, and Hamptons.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
With the 2014 Sundance Film Festival beginning tonight, Thursday, January 16, and running through Sunday, January 26, my responsibilities as Programming Associate for the festival will keep me from posting here, so w(n)td will be on hiatus for the duration. Normal, daily posting will resume on Monday, January 27.
To keep up with goings on in Park City, follow me on Twitter, or follow my Sundance filmmaker class of 2014 Twitter list.
Finally, before I sign off, here are links to each of my 2014 Sundance documentary profiles, divided by section:
US Documentary Competition
ALIVE INSIDE: A STORY OF MUSIC & MEMORY
CAPTIVATED: THE TRIALS OF PAMELA SMART
THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ
RICH HILL (pictured)
World Cinema Documentary Competition
20,000 DAYS ON EARTH
CONCERNING VIOLENCE (pictured)
SEPIDEH – REACHING FOR THE STARS
Documentary Premieres
THE BATTERED BASTARDS OF BASEBALL
LIFE ITSELF (pictured)
WHITEY: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V JAMES J BULGER
Premieres
NICK OFFERMAN: AMERICAN HAM
Park City at Midnight
UNDER THE ELECTRIC SKY (EDC 2013)
New Frontier
LIVING STARS (pictured)
THROUGH A LENS DARKLY: BLACK PHOTOGRAPHERS AND THE EMERGENCE OF A PEOPLE
From the Collection
HOOP DREAMS
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
The final doc profile for this year’s Sundance looks at the nonfiction offering in From the Collection: Steve James’ classic HOOP DREAMS.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
The final New Frontier film* featured in my 2014 Sundance Doc Profiles: THROUGH A LENS DARKLY: BLACK PHOTOGRAPHERS AND THE EMERGENCE OF A PEOPLE, Thomas Allen Harris’ long-in-the-works excavation of black photographic self-representation.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Shifting over to the festival’s innovative New Frontier section for this last day of 2014 Sundance doc profiles: Sam Green’s latest live documentary, THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS, a meditation on mankind’s sense of self.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
what (not) to doc 