Category Archives: Sundance

2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: 2ND CHANCE

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

2ND CHANCE
Bankrupt pizzeria owner Richard Davis invented the modern-day bulletproof vest. To prove that it worked, he shot himself 192 times. He launched a multi-million-dollar company and became a cult figure among police. Davis’ rise and fall reveals a man of contradictions and the nature of power and impunity in America.

Director:
Ramin Bahrani

Producers:
Daniel Turcan, Johnny Galvin, Charles Dorfman, Ramin Bahrani, Jacob Grodnik

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: RIOTSVILLE, USA

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

RIOTSVILLE, USA
Welcome to Riotsville, a fictional town built by the US military. Using footage shot by the media and government, the film explores the militarization of the police and the reaction of a nation to the uprisings of the late 1960s, creating a counter-narrative to a critical moment in American history.

Director:
Sierra Pettengill

Producers:
Sara Archambault, Jamila Wignot

Festival Section:
NEXT

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: MIJA

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Isabel Castro

MIJA
Doris Muñoz is a young, ambitious music manager whose undocumented family depends on her ability to launch pop stars. When she loses her biggest client, Doris hustles to discover new talent and finds Jacks, another daughter of immigrants for whom “making it” isn’t just a dream: it’s a necessity. 

Director:
Isabel Castro

Producers:
Tabs Breese, Isabel Castro, Yesenia Tlahuel

Festival Section:
NEXT

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: FRAMING AGNES

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Ava Benjamin Shorr

FRAMING AGNES
After discovering case files from a 1950s gender clinic, a cast of transgender actors turn a talk show inside out to confront the legacy of a young trans woman forced to choose between honesty and access.

Director:
Chase Joynt

Producers:
Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, Chase Joynt

Festival Section:
NEXT

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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On TV: AILEY

Photo by Jack Mitchell

Coming to PBS’s American Masters today, Tuesday, January 11:
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.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Joe Hunting

WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY
Filmed entirely inside the world of VR, this vérité documentary captures the excitement and surprising intimacy of a burgeoning cultural movement, demonstrating the power of online connection in an isolated world.

Director/Producer:
Joe Hunting

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country of Origin:
UK

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: THE TERRITORY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

THE TERRITORY
When a network of Brazilian farmers seizes a protected area of the Amazon rainforest, a young Indigenous leader and his mentor must fight back in defense of the land and an uncontacted group living deep within the forest.

Director:
Alex Pritz

Producers:
Will N Miller, Sigrid Dyekjær, Lizzie Gillett, Anonymous

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country of Origin:
Brazil/Denmark/USA

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: TANTURA

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Yonathan Weitzman

TANTURA
In 1948, when the State of Israel was established, hundreds of Palestinian villages were destroyed, with their inhabitants killed or exiled. The film focuses on one village: Tantura, bringing to light Israel’s founding narrative and its society’s inability to come to terms with its dark past.

Director:
Alon Schwarz

Producers:
Shaul Schwarz, Maiken Baird

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country of Origin:
Israel

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: SIRENS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Rita Baghdadi

SIRENS
On the outskirts of Beirut, Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality, and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.

Director/Producer:
Rita Baghdadi

Producers:
Camilla Hall

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country of Origin:
USA/Lebanon

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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2022 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: NOTHING COMPARES

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Andrew Catlin

NOTHING COMPARES
The story of Sinéad O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and subsequent exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on her prophetic words and deeds from 1987 to 1993, the film reflects on the legacy of this fearless trailblazer through a contemporary feminist lens.

Director:
Kathryn Ferguson

Producers:
Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country of Origin:
Ireland/UK

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details by clicking on the film title above.

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