Coming to theatres in New York and Los Angeles next Friday, July 8: BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
Actor Michael Rapaport’s documentary directorial debut had its world premiere at Sundance and went on to screen at Tribeca and elsewhere. Along the way, his portrait of the influential hip hop group got picked up by Sony Pictures Classics and begins its theatrical release this summer.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film can be found
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films this Saturday, July 2: WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM
Heather Courtney premiered her film – about the impact of the war in Afghanistan on soldiers and their families back home – at SXSW this year, where she shared the Best Documentary Editing Award with Kyle Henry. It comes to Rooftop fittingly just before Independence Day.
I included the film in my wrapup of SXSW’s competition here.
Note: Director Heather Courtney will be joined by US veterans for a Q&A following the screening.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals
Coming to NYC’s IFC Center this Friday, July 1 and to Los Angeles and other cities later this summer: CRIME AFTER CRIME
Yoav Potash’s film is an indepth and emotional exploration of Deborah Peagler’s case – a battered woman who was sent to life in prison for the murder of her abuser. After its world premiere at Sundance, it’s been recognized with awards at San Francisco and Washington DC.
I covered the film in a post before its world premiere here.
Note: Filmmakers and special guests from the film are scheduled to be present for Q&As for the opening weekend at the IFC Center, and at select screenings around the country.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Releases, Sundance
Silverdocs closed out its ninth edition Sunday evening after seven days of documentary screenings, panels, and workshops in Silver Spring MD. The awards ceremony took place on Saturday afternoon, while audience award winners were announced today. Best World Feature went to FAMILY INSTINCT, with POSITION AMONG THE STARS recognized with a Special Mention; Best US Feature went to OUR SCHOOL (pictured), with Special Mentions to THE BULLY PROJECT and WHEN THE DRUM IS BEATING; the WGA Documentary Screenplay Award went to THE LOVING STORY; and the Cinematic Vision Award went to LIFE IN A DAY. The Feature Audience Award went to DONOR UNKNOWN.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, In Brief
Coming to POV next Tuesday, June 28: MY PERESTROIKA
Robin Hessman’s portrait of the last generation of Soviet era Russians had a wildly successful festival run, beginning at Sundance in 2010, and went on to a limited theatrical release this spring.
I posted about the film before its theatrical release here.
To find out more about the POV screening on PBS, click here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Releases, Sundance
Coming to HBO for its cable premiere this Monday, June 27: HOT COFFEE
Attorney Susan Saladoff made her filmmaking debut at Sundance this year, where she secured a coveted deal with HBO for HOT COFFEE, a shocking exploration of the ways ordinary citizens have been duped into supporting tort reform, thereby gravely limiting our ability to use the civil justice system to our advantage against corporate wrongdoing. Since January, her documentary has traveled the festival circuit extensively, most recently winning the Grand Jury Documentary Award at Seattle.
I profiled the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films this Saturday, June 25: THE REDEMPTION OF GENERAL BUTT NAKED
Directors Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion took home the Documentary Cinematography Award at their film’s premiere at Sundance this January. Since then, the doc has screened at more than a dozen additional festivals, including True/False, Cleveland, Hot Docs, San Francisco, BAMcinemaFEST, and Silverdocs.
I offered my thoughts on this complex portrait of a Liberian mass murderer turned born again evangelist prior to Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s IFC Center this Wednesday, June 22 (and expanding to other cities through the rest of the summer): IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT
Director Marshall Curry and Co-Director Sam Cullman premiered this potent exploration of radical environmentalism at Sundance this year, where it picked up the fest’s Documentary Editing Award. It picked up additional awards at Dallas, Nashville, and Santa Cruz.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film is here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Releases, Sundance
Brooklyn’s Northside Festival is the third of three posts on events beginning in NYC tomorrow. Now in its third year, the event, organized by The L Magazine, spotlights music, film, art, and ideas – a sort of mini-SXSW in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Running June 16-19, there’s a little bit of something for everyone.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
In this second of three postings about NYC based festivals beginning tomorrow, I’m looking at the non-fiction offerings of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. A mainstay for over twenty years, HRWIFF has separate events in NYC and London, with a selection of films from those lineups included in a traveling festival screening around the US and Canada. The NYC festival brings 18 films to the Film Society of Lincoln Center through the end of the month.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
