Category Archives: Film Festivals

Documentary Fortnight 2019 Overview

Festival:
The 18th Documentary Fortnight

Dates:
February 21-28

About:
MoMA’s annual nonfiction showcase has slimmed down a bit this year, with just 17 new and recent features in the lineup. Continue reading

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On TV: MINDING THE GAP

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, February 18:
MINDING THE GAP

Director:
Bing Liu

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, Sheffield, CPH:DOX, DOXA, AFI Docs, Full Frame, Biografilm, Doc 10, Big Sky Doc, San Francisco, Cleveland, Freep, BAMcinemaFest, Sun Valley, San Diego Asian, LA Asian Pacific, CAAMFest, RiverRun, Newport Beach, Docs Against Gravity, Nashville, Guanajuato, Traverse City, Dokufest

Notable Recognition:
The documentary has been nominated for the Academy Awards.

About:
Friends from volatile homes, bonded over their love of skateboarding, face the responsibilities and complexities that come with adulthood.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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On VOD: LORENA

LORENA | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Coming to Amazon Prime today, Friday, February 15:
LORENA

Director:
Joshua Rofé

Premiere:
Sundance 2019

About:
An exploration of the notorious case of Lorena and John Wayne Bobbitt

I profiled the doc series before Sundance here.

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Big Sky Documentary 2019 Overview

Festival:
The 16th Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Dates:
February 15-24

About:
Nearly 60 new or recent doc features screen as part of Montana’s largest film event. Continue reading

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On DVD & Digital Download: NARCISSISTER ORGAN PLAYER

photo by PJ Norman

New to DVD and digital download this week:
NARCISSISTER ORGAN PLAYER

Director:
Narcissister

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

Select Festivals:
SXSW, Locarno, Frameline, Outfest, Stockholm

About:
Against the backdrop of her provocative and inventive performance, Narcissister reflects on the personal impact of her mother’s illness and death.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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On TV: STUDIO 54

Coming to A&E tonight, Monday, February 11:
STUDIO 54

Director:
Matt Tyrnauer

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Tribeca, Full Frame, CPH:DOX, Reykjavik, Provincetown, Santa Barbara, Hot Springs Doc, Savannah, Vancouver, Sidewalk, Outfest, Frameline

About:
A look back at the meteoric rise and crushing fall of the legendary NYC nightclub.

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

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On TV: HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, February 11:
HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING

Director:
RaMell Ross

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, True/False, New Directors/New Films, Full Frame, Sheffield, Ambulante, Champs-Élysées, Maryland, DOK.fest Munich, Martha’s Vineyard African American, San Francisco, Montclair

Notable Recognition:
The documentary has been nominated for the Academy Awards.

About:
An impressionistic portrait of two young African American men in the American South.

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

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On TV: WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

photo by Jim Judkis

Coming to both HBO and PBS tomorrow, Saturday, February 9:
WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

Director:
Morgan Neville

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, SXSW, True/False, San Francisco, Montclair, Seattle, Cleveland, Minneapolis St Paul, Wisconsin, Boulder, Miami

Notable Recognition:
The doc was shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

About:
A moving exploration of the enduring impact of children’s television show host Fred Rogers on generations of viewers through his pioneering program, MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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Berlin 2019: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 69th Berlinale

Dates:
February 7-17

About:
Germany’s premier film festival showcases 85 new documentaries among its nearly 230 feature offerings. Continue reading

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SXSW 2019: Additional Features Announced

SXSW has announced the remainder of its feature film line-up today, for a total of 131 projects. Following is the list of documentary features just revealed, broken down by section:

Festival Favorites:

THE HOTTEST AUGUST

APOLLO 11
Director: Todd Douglas Miller
A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin.

AQUARELA
Director:Victor Kossakovsky
A deeply cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. Filmed at 96 frames per second, it’s a visceral wake-up call that humans are no match for the sheer force and will of Earth’s most precious element.

THE HOTTEST AUGUST
Director: Brett Story
A film about climate change, disguised as a portrait of collective anxiety.

THE INVENTOR: OUT FOR BLOOD IN SILICON VALLEY
Director: Alex Gibney
Elizabeth Holmes was once the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, heralded as the next Steve Jobs. Then, overnight, her $10-billion-dollar company dissolved. The rise and fall of Theranos is a window into the psychology of fraud.

KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE
Director: Rachel Lears
Four women run for Congress, overcoming personal adversity to battle powerful political machines across the country. One of their races will change the country forever.

MAIDEN
Director: Alex Holmes
In a moving portrait of resilience, Alex Holmes chronicles the unprecedented journey of 24-year-old Tracy Edwards and the first all-female sailing crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.

PAHOKEE
Directors: Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan
In a small agricultural town in the Florida Everglades, hopes for the future are concentrated on the youth. Four teens face heartbreak and celebrate in the rituals of an extraordinary senior year.

RAISE HELL: THE LIFE & TIMES OF MOLLY IVINS
Director: Janice Engel
Six-feet of Texas trouble, Molly Ivins, a legendary journalist and a warrior for the Bill of Rights, fought Good Old Boy corruption with razor-sharp wit that left both sides of the aisle laughing and craving ink in her columns. Raise Hell y’all!

Documentary Spotlight:

SALVAGE

I AM RICHARD PRYOR
Director: Jesse James Miller
The life story of the legendary performer and iconic social satirist, who transcended race and social barriers by delivering his honest irreverent and biting humor to America’s stages and living rooms until his death at 65.

SALVAGE
Director: Amy C Elliott
The Yellowknife dump, and its massive, unrestricted salvage area, has long played a central role in this remote Canadian city’s civic and social life. Can a colorful group of thrifty locals save it from city bureaucrats determined to close it down?

STATE OF PRIDE
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Fifty years after the Stonewall uprising, Oscar winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman travel to three diverse communities – Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama – for an unflinching look at LGBTQ Pride.

24 Beats Per Second:

IRIS: A SPACE OPERA BY JUSTICE

IRIS: A SPACE OPERA BY JUSTICE
Directors: Andre Chemetoff, Armand Beraud
Iris is a film adaptation of Justice’s Woman World Wide live show from 2017-2018, which is widely regarded as the greatest live electronic concert created. Recorded in an empty and invisible space, Iris focuses on the impressive production and music.

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