Coming to DVD tomorrow Tuesday, June 24 and already available on iTunes: ANITA
Freida Mock’s exploration of the lasting impact of Anita Hill debuted at Sundance last year. Screenings followed at Nantucket, Seattle, Human Rights Watch, Pan African, Cleveland, Hot Docs, Napa Valley, and AFI Docs, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to HBO today, Monday, June 23: THE CASE AGAINST 8
Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s in-depth look at the Supreme Court fight for marriage equality had its world premiere at the beginning of the year at Sundance, where they won the US Documentary Competition Directing Award. The film went on to win an audience award at SXSW, and to screen at Cleveland, RiverRun, DOXA, Hot Docs, Sarasota, Dallas, Ashland, Vail and the upcoming Nantucket Film Festival, among several others, and to screen in limited theatrical release earlier this month.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Saturday, June 21: LIVING STARS
Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat’s glee-inducing look at Argentines dancing debuted at Sundance earlier this year. The film also screened at Hot Docs, Little Rock, and BAFICI.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s American Experience and to DVD this coming Tuesday, June 24: FREEDOM SUMMER
Stanley Nelson’s latest Civil Rights era chronicle debuted at Sundance earlier this year. It’s gone on to screen at Mountainfilm, Chicago’s African Diaspora fest, Maryland, Montclair, IFF Boston, Full Frame, Nashville, and the Pan African fest, among several other special screenings.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s POV this coming Monday, June 23: WHEN I WALK
Jason DaSilva’s account of the onset of his multiple sclerosis made its debut at Sundance last year. Other fest appearances have included Hot Docs, Sarasota, LA’s Arclight Doc Fest, Vancouver, Hot Springs, Margaret Mead, ReelAbilities, San Diego Asian, Heartland, Hot Springs, and Poland’s New Horizons American Film Festival, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 17: A RIVER CHANGES COURSE
Kalyanee Mam’s portrain of the downsides of Cambodia’s development had its world premiere at Sundance last year, winning the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. Its fest circuit has included Full Frame, San Francisco, Atlanta, RiverRun, Yale’s Environmental fest, LA’s Asian Pacific, and Docville. The doc now becomes available on VOD platforms including iTunes, XBOX, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, and VHX.
I profiled the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series at the IFC Center tomorrow, Tuesday, June 17: ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED
Marina Zenovich’s investigation into an infamous celebrity rape case made its debut at Sundance in 2008, where it won the Documentary Film Editing Award. It went on to screen at Cannes, Seattle, Zurich, Melbourne, Sydney, and Torino, among several others, and to win two Emmy Awards.
Well-known by US audiences for ROSEMARY’S BABY and for the tragic death of his wife Sharon Tate, a victim of the Manson Family, director Roman Polanski came under scrutiny when he was arrested in 1977 for the sexual assault of a thirteen year old during a photo shoot. Though originally claiming innocence, he accepted a plea bargain to lessen the charges, and plead guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. However, rather than re-appearing in court for final sentencing, he left America for good, and, as a French citizen, was protected from extradition for over thirty years. Popular opinion viewed his flight from the US as a further admission of guilt and a move to avoid prison, leaving the once-celebrated filmmaker persona non grata. In the first of her two films about Polanski, Zenovich re-opens the case, crafting a persuasive argument and offering provocative new information – particularly about the ambitious judge’s behavior – that calls into question what everyone has taken as fact. While made without Polanski’s participation, Zenovich secures remarkable access to other major players in the drama, including, most affectingly, Samantha Geimer, the victim at is core. The film had real consequences, as detailed in Zenovich’s follow-up, ROMAN POLANSKI: ODD MAN OUT, with re-ignited interest in the controversial case leading to Polanski’s 2009 arrest while in Switzerland, though he was ultimately not extradited.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, June 13: IVORY TOWER
Andrew Rossi’s investigation of the current economics of higher education debuted earlier this year at Sundance. It has also screened at Sarasota, Miami, Seattle, Ashland, Full Frame, Cleveland, and Montclair, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, June 6: CITIZEN KOCH
Carl Deal and Tia Lessin’s investigation into the selling of democracy premiered at Sundance last year. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, Full Frame, Sarasota, Traverse City, Wisconsin, Big Sky, and Citizen Jane, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, June 6: THE CASE AGAINST 8
Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s marriage equality chronicle debuted at Sundance this year, where they picked up the US Documentary Directing Award. The doc went on to win an audience award at SXSW, best doc at Vail, and to screen at Cleveland, RiverRun, DOXA, Hot Docs, Sarasota, Dallas, Ashland, and the upcoming Nantucket Film Festival, among several others. It begins a theatrical run now, expanding next week, before its broadcast debut on HBO later this month.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 