Category Archives: Sundance

Coming to PBS’ POV next Monday, August 19: THE LAW IN THESE PARTS

Ra’Anan Alexandrowicz’s examination of Israeli military law in the occupied territories made its debut at Jerusalem in 2011, where it won best documentary. It repeated the win for its stateside bow made at Sundance, claiming the documentary world cinema grand jury prize. Its festival circuit also included Hot Docs, Full Frame, Human Rights Watch, and several Jewish film festivals, including Boston, San Francisco, and Atlanta, among others.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

Coming to VH1 as part of the music channel’s VH1 Rock Docs series this Saturday, August 17: SOUND CITY

Dave Grohl’s tribute to the titular recording studio had its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year. The film was made available immediately after the festival via direct download and special one-night theatrical engagements around North America, and later came to DVD. It further connects with music fans via VH1 Rock Docs, appearing on both VH1 and VH1 Classic.

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

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, August 13: TV JUNKIE

Michael Cain and Matt Radecki’s harrowing exploration of one man’s self-documented self-destruction made its world premiere at Sundance in 2006, where it was awarded a special jury prize. It went on to screen at SXSW, Locarno, Biografa, Stockholm, Seattle, and Melbourne, among others, and also was broadcast on HBO. Sundance Artist Services now brings the doc to iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, XBOX, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, VUDU, and YouTube.

Rick Kirkham began videotaping himself at the age of 14, a precursor to today’s self-obsessed, self-broadcasting, technology-symbiotic YouTube generation, capturing a dizzying amount of footage as he pursued a career in television. Working his way from AMERICAN BANDSTAND to local TV news and eventually the tabloid news series INSIDE EDITION, Kirkham seemed to have achieved his dream, but his private footage reveals the dark side to celebrity. Enabled by Kirkham’s fanatical diaristic impulse, directors Cain and Radecki’s film, culled from more than 3000 hours of footage, as well as 5000 photos, traces the man’s descent into crack addiction, and its impact on his family and career. His raw, almost unmediated, taped confessions are revelatory and contradictory, at once a seeming cry for help and a defiant challenge, except his original audience was solely himself. There’s an immersive quality to the footage, drawing the viewer into Kirkham’s egocentric sphere, and if it’s decidedly not easy to watch, that’s entirely the point.

Coming to theatres this Friday, August 16: CUTIE AND THE BOXER

Zachary Heinzerling’s warm exploration of the challenges of a long marriage between artists made its debut at Sundance earlier this year, where it picked up a directing award. Its fest circuit has also included True/False, San Francisco, Tribeca, and Karlovy Vary, among others.

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

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 13: AN AFRICAN ELECTION

Jarreth and Kevin Merz’s engrossing examination of Ghana’s presidential election made its debut at IDFA in 2010. It went on to screen at Sundance, Atlanta, and Visions Du Reel, among others. Sundance Artist Services now makes the doc available via iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, XBOX, Sony, SundanceNOW, Vudu, and YouTube.

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

Coming to theatres this Friday, August 9: THE MACHINE WHICH MAKES EVERYTHING DISAPPEAR

Tinatin Gurchiani’s intimate exploration of her native Georgia debuted last year at DOK Leipzig. It came stateside at Sundance, where Gurchiani won the World Cinema Documentary Competition Best Director Award. Other festival stops have included IDFA, MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, True/False, Hong Kong, Thessaloniki Doc, It’s All True, Documentary Edge, Hot Docs, and Planete+ Doc.

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

Coming to DVD this Tuesday, August 6: WEST OF MEMPHIS

Amy Berg’s investigation into the story of the West Memphis Three debuted at Sundance last year. It went on to screen at Toronto, London, and Traverse City, among others.

I wrote about the film prior to Sundance here.