Act one coming to theatres today, Thursday, February 10:
JEEN-YUHS: A KANYE TRILOGY
Director:
Clarence “Coodie” Simmons, Chike Ozah
World Premiere:
Sundance 2022
About:
Kanye West in three acts. The story beyond the iconic music, and an intimate and empathetic chronicle featuring never-before-seen footage from 21 years in the life of a captivating figure.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Oscar nominations were announced this morning, including the documentaries listed below. Congratulations to all the nominees – particular Sundance winner FLEE, nominated in three categories – and good luck on Sunday, March 27.
Documentary Feature:
Documentary Short Subject:
Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies
International Feature Film:
Japan, DRIVE MY CAR
Denmark, FLEE (the sole documentary)
Italy, THE HAND OF GOD
Bhutan, LUNANA, A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM
Norway, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
Animated Feature Film:
ENCANTO
FLEE (the sole documentary)
LUCA
THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINE
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, February 1:
WRITING WITH FIRE
Director:
Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, RIDM, BlackStar, Guadalajara, DocsMX, Double Exposure, Sydney, Yamagata Doc, Ambulante, Denver, San Diego Asian, Hawaii, Bergen, San Francisco, Krakow, Seattle, Thessaloniki Doc, One World, Shanghai
Notable Recognition:
The doc has been shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
About:
A chronicle of the trailblazing work of India’s only news outlet run by Dalit women–once known as “untouchable.”
I previously wrote about the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 1:
AILEY
Director:
Jamila Wignot
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Tribeca, Frameline, Provincetown, Thessaloniki Doc
About:
A revealing, moving portrait of pioneering choreographer Alvin Ailey.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
The winners of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival were announced earlier today. A list of the feature awards follows:
US Documentary Competition Awards:
World Cinema Documentary Competition Awards:
US Dramatic Competition Awards:
World Cinema Dramatic Competition Awards:
NEXT Awards:
Festival Favorite:
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
NAVALNY
In August 2020 while on a plane traveling from Siberia to Moscow, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent implicated in attacks on other opponents of the Russian government. Navalny partnered with journalists and international news organizations to investigate his attempted assassination and find proof of the Kremlin’s involvement.
Director:
Daniel Roher
Producers:
Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Shane Boris
Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival begins tomorrow, Thursday, January 20, and runs through Sunday, January 30. w(n)td will be on hiatus for the duration while I’m busy with my responsibilities as a Senior Programmer for the festival. Regular daily weekday posting will resume on Monday, January 31.
Sundance is available online across the US — and in-person at seven Satellite Screens — so I encourage everyone who is able to catch as much of our amazing lineup as possible. Full program and ticketing info is available at the link above.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Gondwana
A durational VR experience that runs over 24 hours, and a constantly-evolving virtual ecosystem chronicling the possible futures of the world’s oldest tropical rainforest, the Daintree. Powered by climate data, each showing is unrepeatable and speculative, a meditation on time, change, and loss in an irreplaceable landscape.
Lead Artists:
Ben Joseph Andrews, Emma Roberts
Key Collaborators:
Lachlan Sleight, Michelle Brown, The Convoy
Producer:
Emma Roberts
Festival Section:
New Frontier
More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the project title above.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
32 Sounds
An immersive documentary and sensory film experience that explores the elemental phenomenon of sound and its power to bend time, cross borders, and profoundly shape our perception of the world around us. The film will be presented in its “live cinema” form, featuring live music and live narration.
Lead Artist:
Sam Green
Producers:
Josh Penn, Tommy Kriegsmann
Festival Section:
New Frontier
More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the project title above.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to Showtime Sunday, January 30:
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY
Director:
W Kamau Bell
World Premiere:
Sundance 2022
About:
Can you separate the art from the artist? Should you even try? While there are many people about whom we could ask those questions, none poses a tougher challenge than Bill Cosby.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 