Category Archives: Sundance

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens and to DVD this coming Monday, May 19: GOD LOVES UGANDA

Roger Ross Williams’ exploration of the spread of homophobia through African missionary work premiered at Sundance last year. Other fest screenings included DOC NYC, Nantucket, New Orleans, San Francisco, Hot Docs, Cleveland, AFI Docs, Hamptons, BAMcinemaFest, and Outfest.

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

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, May 13: AFTER TILLER

Lana Wilson and Martha Shane’s sensitive profile of committed women’s health providers had its world premiere at Sundance last year. Other fests included Hot Docs, Seattle, Sheffield, True/False, AFI Docs, and Full Frame, among many others.

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

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, May 9: FED UP

Stephanie Soechtig’s eye-opening look at obesity in America had its world premiere earlier this year at Sundance. It went on to screen at San Francisco and Hot Docs before its theatrical release.

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

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, April 25: WHO IS DAYANI CRISTAL?

Marc Silver’s microcosmic exploration of immigration had its world premiere as a Day One film at Sundance last year, where it claimed the World Cinema Documentary Cinematography Award. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, San Sebastian, San Diego Latino, Abu Dhabi, Cork, Zurich, Rome, Miami, and the New York Film Festival, among several others.

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

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens today, Monday, April 21: MUSCLE SHOALS

Greg “Freddy” Camalier’s look back at the influence of the Alabama sound debuted last year at Sundance. It went on to screen at SXSW, Nantucket, Atlantic, Melbourne, Seattle, Maui, Nashville, and Hot Docs, where it won an Audience Award.

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

Coming to NYC’s Quad Cinema today, Friday, April 18: CESAR’S LAST FAST

Richard Ray Perez and Lorena Parlee’s tribute to Cesar Chavez’s life and mission had its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year. Additional berths have included Atlanta, Chicago Latino, San Diego Latino, Minneapolis St Paul, and the upcoming San Francisco, DOXA, and new Ambulante California fests.

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

Out on VOD this week: GOD LOVES UGANDA

Roger Ross Williams’ investigation of the evangelical influence on anti-gay African laws had its world premiere at Sundance last year. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, Nantucket, New Orleans, San Francisco, Hot Docs, Cleveland, AFI Docs, Hamptons, BAMcinemaFest, and Outfest, among many others.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

Newly re-released on DVD this week: PICTURE OF LIGHT

Peter Mettler’s meditation on the Northern Lights made its debut in 1994. Its impressive roster of festival appearances includes Sundance, Toronto, Rotterdam, Locarno, Yamagata, Hot Docs, Chicago, and San Francisco. First Run Features re-releases the DVD simultaneously with Mettler’s latest doc, THE END OF TIME.

Over the course of two trips to the Canadian Arctic, Mettler and his team attempt to capture the spectacle of the Aurora Borealis on celluloid, contending with the extreme weather conditions and meeting a number of quirky local characters along the way. The latter lend the film most of its appeal, such as the oddball hotel owner who shoots a hole in the wall of one of his rooms to encourage the formation of snow drifts inside the building. That’s not to say the footage of the Northern Lights isn’t impressive – Mettler presents them in time-lapse, a symphony of light, color, and movement – but, as signaled by its title, the film is less about the actual celestial display, and more about questions around photographing them. As with his new film, Mettler here employs a mix of nonfiction approaches, though privileges the essay form as he contemplates the impact of media and technology on our active engagement with the world and its wonders – musings which take on even greater significance in our ultra-connected, social media-focused present.

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, April 15: INTERIOR. LEATHER BAR.

James Franco and Travis Mathews’ hybrid revisitation of William Friedkin’s CRUISING premiered at Sundance last year. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, Berlin, Hot Docs, Rotterdam, Cleveland, Seattle, Frameline, NewFest, Outfest, Mix Brasil, and Russia’s Side By Side, among many others.

I profiled the film before Sundance here.