Category Archives: Film Festivals

In Theatres: MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN

Coming to theatres today, Friday, October 4:
MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN

Director:
Alexandre O Philippe

World Premiere:
Sundance 2019

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, Karlovy Vary, BAFICI, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Melbourne, Seattle, Munich, Hawaii, Istanbul, Sitges, Taipei Golden Horse

About:
An expansive film essay on the origins of ALIEN.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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Woodstock 2019: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 20th Woodstock Film Festival

Dates:
October 2-6

About:
This Hudson Valley NY event caps off its second decade with just over 50 features, half of them nonfiction. Continue reading

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London 2019: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 63rd BFI London Film Festival

Dates:
October 2-13

About:
Nonfiction makes up about a fifth of this notable UK event’s 200+ lineup. Continue reading

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On DVD/VOD: MAIDEN

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, October 1:
MAIDEN

Director:
Alex Holmes

World Premiere:
Toronto 2018

Select Festivals:
Sundance, Nantucket, SXSW, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Tribeca, Seattle, Biografilm, DocPoint, Glasgow, Dublin, Sydney

About:
The immersive, against-all-odds story of sailor Tracy Edwards, who skippered the first all-female international crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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New York Film Festival 2019: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 57th New York Film Festival

Dates:
September 27-October 13

About:
Film at Lincoln Center’s beloved Fall fest showcases 19 works of nonfiction in its slate of 50 features. Continue reading

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In Theatres: ANTHROPOCENE: THE HUMAN EPOCH

photo by Edward Burtynsky

Coming to theatres for a one-night only nationwide special release tomorrow, Wednesday, September 25:
ANTHROPOCENE: THE HUMAN EPOCH

Directors:
Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky

World Premiere:
Toronto 2018

Select Festivals:
Sundance, Berlin, Cleveland, Washington DC Enviro, Calgary, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Doc10, Docs Against Gravity, Sydney, Sheffield, Revelation Perth, Melbourne Doc, DokuFest

About:
A striking visual chronicle of human impact on the planet.

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

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In Theatres: ALWAYS IN SEASON

photo by Washington Post

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 20:
ALWAYS IN SEASON

Director:
Jacqueline Olive

World Premiere:
Sundance 2019

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Full Frame, RiverRun, Dallas, Salem, Minneapolis-St Paul, Oxford, Sun Valley, Cleveland, Indie Grits, Atlanta, Freep, Florida, Thin Line, San Francisco, Bentonville, Provincetown, AFI Docs, BlackStar

About:
An interrogation of the disturbing, lasting legacy of lynching in America.

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

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Urbanworld 2019: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 19th Urbanworld Film Festival

Dates:
September 18-22

About:
Five documentary or hybrid features screen at this NYC spotlighting films by African American and multicultural filmmakers.

BAKOSO: AFROBEATS OF CUBA

Screening as a Spotlight is Roger Ross Williams’ THE APOLLO, on the history and legacy of the legendary Harlem theatre; while other nonfiction offerings include: Lisa Cortés and Farah X’s THE REMIX: HIP HOP X FASHION, on the intersection of fashion and hip hop in the late 1980s and 90s; Daniel Effiong’s SKIN, which explores perceptions of skin color and beauty in Nigeria; Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi’s BAKOSO: AFROBEATS OF CUBA, a look at the roots of the musical genre; and Bénédicte Liénard and Mary Jiménez’s hybrid BY THE NAME OF TANIA, the story of a Peruvian villager forced into prostitution.

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On DVD/VOD: TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM

photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, September 17:
TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM

Director:
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Premiere:
Sundance 2019

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Miami, Cleveland, Montclair, Wisconsin

About:
An intimate profile of the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning literary icon.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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Special Screening & In Theatres: WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?

photo by Ap/REX/Shutterstock

Coming to NYC’s JCC Manhattan tomorrow, Tuesday, September 17 and to theatres this Wednesday, September 18:
WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?

Director:
Matt Tyrnauer

World Premiere:
Sundance 2019

Select Festivals:
Zurich, Atlantic, New Zealand

About:
An exploration of the dark influence of Machiavellian attorney Roy Cohn on today’s polarized political landscape.

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

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance