Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, April 29: THESE BIRDS WALK
Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq’s exploration of Pakistan’s street children premiered at True/False last year. Its festival circuit also included SXSW, Dallas, BAMcinemaFest, Nashville, Hot Docs, Seattle, and Melbourne, among others.
I previously wrote about the doc out of True/False here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed on the WORLD Channel tomorrow, Tuesday, April 29: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER: THE BATTLE FOR TURKEY CREEK
Leah Mahan’s chronicle of an imperiled community and heritage made its debut at the New Orleans Film Festival last year, where it won the documentary audience award. Other stops have included Washington DC’s Environmental fest and the upcoming SF Green fest.
Filming over a decade, Mahan focuses on Derrick Evans, a Boston-based teacher who is a sixth generation descendant of the freed slaves who formed the coastal Mississippi community of Turkey Creek in the 1860s. When development threatens his old home, including the bulldozing of ancestral graves to accommodate the ever-expanding neighboring city of Gulfport, Evans returns to the South to take a stand and protect not only his roots, but the vibrant wetlands that are threatened. Though initially planning a short-term stay, Hurricane Katrina and Rita, and, later, the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, add to the challenges Evans and his neighbors face. While Evans is an appealing protagonist, there’s a bit too much focus placed on him at the expense of the far more intriguing setting and history of Turkey Creek, which begs for further expansion than is provided here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS’s WNET-Thirteen tonight, Monday, April 28: ZIPPER
Amy Nicholson’s exploration of the transformation of Coney Island debuted at DOC NYC in 2012, where it won a special jury prize. Its fest circuit also included Big Sky, Atlanta, and Montclair before a limited theatrical and VOD release last year.
I previously included the film in my DOC NYC coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, April 28: ALL ABOUT ANN: GOVERNOR RICHARDS OF THE LONE STAR STATE
Keith Patterson and Phillip Schopper’s tribute to the famed Texan politician premiered in an earlier version at Silverdocs in 2012. After being acquired by HBO, the project was remade, premiering earlier this month at Tribeca.
Patterson and Schopper’s film opens with the fiery silver-haired governor’s unforgettable speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention which rightly made her a national figure, before it travels further back in time to reveal Richards’ unlikely path to politics as a progressive Democrat in a traditionally Republican state. While interviews with admirers and colleagues provide occasional context, the late Richards’ herself often tells her own story throughout, via archival press interviews and a copious assortment of media appearances and often hilarious political speeches demonstrating her vision of the “New Texas.” The filmmakers construct a thoroughly engaging play-by-play of three pivotal elections – her election to State Treasurer (the first woman elected to statewide office in decades), her hard-fought gubernatorial run, and her Karl Rove-orchestrated re-election loss to George W Bush. New in this version is the addition of information about Richards’ life after elected office, campaigning for women politicians and working as a lobbyist – though the latter is given only cursory treatment – before her death due to esophageal cancer in 2006.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Pivot TV this Sunday, April 27: URANIUM DRIVE-IN
Suzan Beraza’s nuanced look at the future risks an embattled community is willing to take had its world premiere at Telluride’s Mountainfilm last year. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, Denver, Washington DC’s Environmental fest, Big Sky, St Louis, and the United Nations Association fest.
I previously wrote about the film for the DOC NYC program, saying:
The residents of a dying Colorado mining town pin their hopes for economic resurgence on the promise of a new uranium mill—the first to be built in three decades—even as they continue to feel the dangerous effects of the last uranium boom. In the face of legal injunctions by environmental activists from a nearby resort town and the Fukushima disaster, how long can the community survive, and at what cost? Beraza presents a balanced view of the debate, focusing on the vibrant yet struggling residents who must weigh the survival of their town against an uncertain future.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Nyon, Switzerland’s Visions du Réel launches its 45th edition today, Friday, April 25, and runs through Saturday, May 3. One of the longest-running nonfiction events in the world, the fest presents over 100 new and retrospective features, in addition to shorts, masterclasses, and other special events. The following offers highlights from each programming strand: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Kicking off today, Thursday, April 24, the San Francisco International Film Festival holds the distinction of being the longest-running film festival of the Americas. The 57th edition runs through Thursday, May 8, bringing more than 100 features, plus shorts, panels, and other signature programming to the Bay Area. Among these are nearly 30 feature docs, representing a smartly curated mix of festival favorites, as well as several titles making their premieres. The following offers brief highlights: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Hot Docs opens its 21st edition tonight, Thursday, April 24, and runs through Sunday, May 4. With nearly 150 new feature-length docs, plus more than a dozen retrospective selections, the festival is the largest nonfiction event in North America, drawing filmmakers, industry, and an impassioned audience to Toronto each year. I’ll be attending again, though my Nantucket duties have meant that I’ll only be at the festival for its final weekend, unfortunately missing the event’s corresponding Forum earlier in the week. While this means I’ll only manage to see a fraction of the fest’s offerings, the following provides a section-by-section run-down of the new titles that have most intrigued me: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, April 25: FOR NO GOOD REASON
Charlie Paul’s profile of Gonzo British artist Ralph Steadman premiered at Toronto last year. Its fest circuit has included BFI London, Biografilm, Palm Springs, Florida, Brisbane, CPH:DOX, Minneapolis St Paul, and Dallas, among others.
I included the doc in my Toronto coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
what (not) to doc 