Category Archives: Film Festivals

February 1, 2022 · 1:31 PM

On VOD: WRITING WITH FIRE

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, February 1:
WRITING WITH FIRE

Director:
Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, RIDM, BlackStar, Guadalajara, DocsMX, Double Exposure, Sydney, Yamagata Doc, Ambulante, Denver, San Diego Asian, Hawaii, Bergen, San Francisco, Krakow, Seattle, Thessaloniki Doc, One World, Shanghai

Notable Recognition:
The doc has been shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

About:
A chronicle of the trailblazing work of India’s only news outlet run by Dalit women–once known as “untouchable.”

I previously wrote about the doc before Sundance here.

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January 31, 2022 · 1:31 PM

On DVD: AILEY

Photo by Jack Mitchell

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 1:
AILEY

Director:
Jamila Wignot

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Tribeca, Frameline, Provincetown, Thessaloniki Doc

About:
A revealing, moving portrait of pioneering choreographer Alvin Ailey.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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January 28, 2022 · 4:00 PM

2022 Sundance Awards

The winners of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival were announced earlier today. A list of the feature awards follows:

US Documentary Competition Awards:

Grand Jury Prize: THE EXILES | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Audience Award: NAVALNY | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Directing Award: I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Reid Davenport
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: FIRE OF LOVE | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Special Jury Award: Impact for Change: AFTERSHOCK | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Kerwin Devonish
Special Jury Award: Creative Vision: DESCENDANT | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

World Cinema Documentary Competition Awards:

Grand Jury Prize: ALL THAT BREATHES | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Audience Award: THE TERRITORY | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Directing Award: A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Special Jury Award: Documentary Craft: THE TERRITORY | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Special Jury Award: Excellence in Vérité Filmmaking: MIDWIVES | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

US Dramatic Competition Awards:

Grand Jury Prize: NANNY | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Audience Award: CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Directing Award: PALM TREES AND POWER LINES | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: EMERGENCY | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Special Jury Award: Uncompromising Artistic Vision: BLOOD | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast: 892 | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

World Cinema Dramatic Competition Awards:

Grand Jury Prize: UTAMA | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Audience Award: GIRL PICTURE | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Ilkka Saastamoinen
Directing Award: KLONDIKE | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit: LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Carlos Mauricio
Special Jury Award: Acting: DOS ESTACIONES | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Gerardo Guerra

NEXT Awards:

NEXT Innovator Prize: FRAMING AGNES | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Ava Benjamin Shorr
Audience Award: FRAMING AGNES | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Ava Benjamin Shorr

Festival Favorite:

Festival Favorite Award: NAVALNY | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

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January 24, 2022 · 2:02 PM

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: NAVALNY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

NAVALNY
In August 2020 while on a plane traveling from Siberia to Moscow, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent implicated in attacks on other opponents of the Russian government. Navalny partnered with journalists and international news organizations to investigate his attempted assassination and find proof of the Kremlin’s involvement. 

Director:
Daniel Roher

Producers:
Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Shane Boris

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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January 19, 2022 · 3:02 PM

Special Note: w(n)td & 2022 Sundance

The 2022 Sundance Film Festival begins tomorrow, Thursday, January 20, and runs through Sunday, January 30. w(n)td will be on hiatus for the duration while I’m busy with my responsibilities as a Senior Programmer for the festival. Regular daily weekday posting will resume on Monday, January 31.

Sundance is available online across the US — and in-person at seven Satellite Screens — so I encourage everyone who is able to catch as much of our amazing lineup as possible. Full program and ticketing info is available at the link above.

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January 19, 2022 · 2:12 PM

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: GONDWANA

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Gondwana
A durational VR experience that runs over 24 hours, and a constantly-evolving virtual ecosystem chronicling the possible futures of the world’s oldest tropical rainforest, the Daintree. Powered by climate data, each showing is unrepeatable and speculative, a meditation on time, change, and loss in an irreplaceable landscape.

Lead Artists:
Ben Joseph Andrews, Emma Roberts

Key Collaborators:
Lachlan Sleight, Michelle Brown, The Convoy

Producer:
Emma Roberts

Festival Section:
New Frontier

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the project title above.

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January 19, 2022 · 1:31 PM

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: 32 SOUNDS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

32 Sounds
An immersive documentary and sensory film experience that explores the elemental phenomenon of sound and its power to bend time, cross borders, and profoundly shape our perception of the world around us. The film will be presented in its “live cinema” form, featuring live music and live narration.

Lead Artist:
Sam Green

Producers:
Josh Penn, Tommy Kriegsmann

Festival Section:
New Frontier

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the project title above.

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January 19, 2022 · 12:46 PM

On TV: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Coming to Showtime Sunday, January 30:
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY

Director:
W Kamau Bell

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

About:
Can you separate the art from the artist? Should you even try? While there are many people about whom we could ask those questions, none poses a tougher challenge than Bill Cosby.

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January 19, 2022 · 12:01 PM

Streaming: FEELS GOOD MAN

Coming to MUBI Friday, January 28:
FEELS GOOD MAN

Director:
Arthur Jones

World Premiere:
Sundance 2020

Select Festivals:
True/False, SXSW, Big Sky Doc, Taipei, Fantasia, Sidewalk, Kyiv

About:
An exploration of the unpredictable development of an influential Internet meme.

My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.

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January 18, 2022 · 3:02 PM

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: PHOENIX RISING

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

PHOENIX RISING
Actress and activist Evan Rachel Wood takes her experience as a survivor of domestic violence to pursue justice, heal generational trauma, and reclaim her story in a culture that instinctively blames women. The film intimately charts her journey as she moves toward naming her infamous abuser for the first time.

Director:
Amy Berg

Producers:
Kirsten Sheridan, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller

Festival Section:
Special Screenings

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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