Category Archives: Film Festivals

DOC NYC 2020 Overview: Part Five

Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC

Dates:
November 11-19

About:
This final post about this year’s edition of America’s largest documentary festival – beginning tomorrow and available online nationwide – provides a rundown of our shorts programs, as selected by our Shorts Programmer Opal H Bennett and her team.

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In Virtual Release: CODED BIAS

Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Wednesday, November 11:
CODED BIAS

Director:
Shalini Kantayya

World Premiere:
Sundance 2020

Select Festivals:
Human Rights Watch, Hot Docs, Full Frame, SXSW, San Francisco, Hamptons, Provincetown, New Zealand, Melbourne, DokuFest, BlackStar, Docaviv, Warsaw, Mill Valley, Denver

About:
An exploration of the disturbing gender and racial bias prevalent in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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DOC NYC 2020 Overview: Part Four

Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC

Dates:
November 11-19

About:
This fourth post about America’s largest documentary festival – beginning Wednesday and available online across the US – covers our Short List and Winner’s Circle sections, which put the spotlight on notable films that we think will receive awards season attention. Tomorrow wraps up this overview with a look at our various short film programs.

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DOC NYC 2020 Overview: Part Three

Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC

Dates:
November 11-19

About:
This rundown on the various thematic sections of this year’s DOC NYC, which will be presented online nationwide beginning next week, continues in this third post on the festival, and includes films on activism, sports, film and television, the arts, music, and unforgettable profiles. Note: The lists below do not include titles from the first post. Our spotlight on the Winner’s Circle and Short List sections – our predictions for this year’s awards season contenders – will follow next week.

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On TV: REBUILDING PARADISE

Coming to Nat Geo this Sunday, November 8:
REBUILDING PARADISE

Director:
Ron Howard

World Premiere:
Sundance 2020

Select Festivals:
Tribeca, AFI Docs

About:
A chronicle of the fate of a town caught in the November 2018 Camp Fire.

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

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DOC NYC 2020 Overview: Part Two

Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC

Dates:
November 11-19

About:
In this second post on this year’s DOC NYC, which will be presented online nationwide beginning next week, I’m spotlighting several festival sections, including feature competitions, the latest from nonfiction auteurs, panoramas from the US and abroad, and revealing investigative nonfiction. Note: The rundown below does not include titles from yesterday’s post. Additional sections will follow tomorrow.

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DOC NYC 2020 Overview: Part One

Festival:
The 11th DOC NYC

Dates:
November 11-19

About:
This year, DOC NYC will be available online and nationwide – including US territories – allowing us to reach more nonfiction lovers than ever before. As the Director of Programming of America’s largest documentary festival, I’ll be highlighting our lineup here, over a few posts to try to cover as many titles as possible. First up, a look at the various feature premieres, appearing in different sections throughout the festival.

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New Orleans 2020: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 31st New Orleans Film Festival

Dates:
November 6-22

About:
This standout regional festival moves to a hybrid format this year, presenting films either online or in an open-air context, with more than two-thirds of the lineup represented by nonfiction features.

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In Virtual Release: US KIDS

Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, October 30:
US KIDS

Director:
Kim A Snyder

World Premiere:
Sundance 2020

Select Festivals:
Sheffield, Doc Edge, Mountainfilm, Full Frame, Miami, Martha’s Vineyard, NewportFilm, Calgary, GlobeDocs, Bergen, Hamptons, Mill Valley

About:
The young survivors of the Parkland school shooting are followed over a transformative year and a half.

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

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On TV/VOD: CITY SO REAL

Coming to NatGeo tomorrow, Thursday, October 29 and then to Hulu on Friday, October 30:
CITY SO REAL

Director:
Steve James

World Premiere:
Sundance 2020

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, AFI Docs, Denver, Chicago, St Louis, Full Frame

About:
An expansive five-part portrait of modern-day Chicago against the backdrop of a contentious mayoral race and police trial.

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

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