Coming to NYC’s Pivot TV tomorrow, Wednesday, December 4: AMERICAN TEACHER
Vanessa Roth and Brian McGinn’s teacher-focused look at the US education system debuted at San Francisco in 2011. It went on to screen at Austin, Denver, United Nations, Napa Valley, and at various community screenings across the country.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
The Best Documentary Feature Oscar shortlist was just announced, narrowing the nearly 150 qualifiers to just fifteen contenders. Congratulations go to all the filmmakers for making it on to this list, especially the eleven Sundance alums and the nine DOC NYC Short List alums!
It’s now a waiting game until the five final nominees are revealed on Thursday, January 16. In the meantime, here is the official shortlist, with links to my previous coverage for each of the films:
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Available on DVD today, Tuesday, December 3: THE STONE ROSES: MADE OF STONE
Shane Meadows’ love letter to the eponymous band debuted in their hometown of Manchester this past Spring. It went on to screen theatrically in the UK, Ireland, the US, and Canada, and to screen at fests in Sydney, Athens, Karlovy Vary, and Tokyo.
I previously wrote about the doc upon its theatrical release here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Available on DVD today, Tuesday, December 3: BUYING SEX
Kent Nason and Teresa MacInnes’ expansive consideration of sex work had its debut at Hot Docs this past Spring. It went on to screen at additional Canadian fests, including Atlantic, Victoria, and the St John’s International Women’s Film Festival.
I previously wrote about the film out of Hot Docs here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3: SMASH & GRAB: THE STORY OF THE PINK PANTHERS
Havana Marking’s investigation into an infamous gang of jewel thieves had its world premiere at IDFA last year. Its fest circuit has also included Sheffield, East End, Ireland’s Stranger Than Fiction, Zagreb, and Dubai, and the film was released theatrically this Summer.
I included the doc in my IDFA coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3: MR ANGEL
Dan Hunt’s portrait of FTM porn star and activist Buck Angel had its world premiere at SXSW earlier this year. It’s gone on to screen at Brooklyn, Rio, and at LGBT fests in Paris, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Atlanta, among others.
I included the doc in my SXSW coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Now available on VOD: LA CAMIONETA
Mark Kendall’s look at the journey of one school bus from the US to Guatemala had its debut at SXSW last year. Other fest berths included DOC NYC, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Denver, DocsDF, Big Sky, Nashville, Guadalajara, Cleveland, and It’s All True, among others. It’s now available on iTunes.
I previously wrote about the doc out of SXSW here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
The director of HOOP DREAMS and THE INTERRUPTERS profiles the man who popularized film criticism in the United States.
Steve James’ latest project tells the story of Roger Ebert, who, with fellow Chicago critic Gene Siskel, became unlikely celebrities through their weekly television show reviewing movie releases. While their rating system, “Two Thumbs Up,” quickly became familiar to even the most casual filmgoer, the pair’s reviews on air and in print demonstrated a deep love of cinema. After Siskel’s untimely death in 1999, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Ebert continued their show, becoming the most recognizable and influential film critic in the country. A familiar face at film festivals, often in the company of his beloved wife Chaz, and an active presence online, he struggled with various cancer diagnoses for more than a decade before passing away earlier this year. Based on Ebert’s titular memoir, James details the critic’s life and work, drawing on an impressive range of interview subjects, from the film’s executive producer Martin Scorsese to other directors Ebert championed, from Errol Morris to Ava DuVernay. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, In the Works
Coming to NYC’s Mayles Cinema as part of the Doc Watchers series this coming Monday, December 2: THE CONTRADICTIONS OF FAIR HOPE
S Epatha Merkerson and Rockell Metcalf’s thought-provoking exploration of a Southern African American mutual aid association and its eyebrow-raising present-day activities had its world premiere at the San Diego Black Film Festival last year. Its fest circuit has included Chicago’s Black Harvest, Annapolis, BronzeLens, Langston Hughes, Pan African, and the San Francisco, Montreal, Newark, Texas, and American Black Film Festivals, among others.
Merkerson and Metcalf’s directorial debut reveals the largely forgotten history and crucial role of benevolent societies in African American communities after the Civil War – community organizations that worked together to provide financial and social services for one another in times of need, typically formed as a response to the absence of governmental support. Mutual aid associations like Alabama’s Fair Hope Benevolent Society, the focus of the film, promoted black self-reliance and community cooperation for decades, feeding their hungry, caring for their sick, and burying their dead. But even as the filmmakers delved into the rich traditions and untold stories of the group, they learned about how one of their signature events, the Foot Wash, had changed in disturbing ways over time. For the past half-century, what began as a low-key Benevolent Society reunion has morphed into a raucous three-day carnival that profits on decadence and debauchery, with prostitution and drugs rampant. Unflinchingly chronicling its present-day state, Merkerson and Metcalf question how this change came to pass, and what the cultural, sociological, and even psychological impact is of a community ignoring its history and traditions.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to NYC’s Cinema Village today, Friday, November 29: SHORED UP
Ben Kalina’s look at coastal communities in the face of climate change debuted earlier this year at Montclair. It’s gone on to screen at DOXA, SF Green, Provincetown, and Sidewalk, among several other engagements, as well as to cable on DirecTV.
Kalina’s focus is on beach replenishment – where massive quantities of sand are re-introduced to coastlines that have suffered erosion – and its efficacy, or lack thereof, exploring how the US Army Corps of Engineers are fighting a seemingly neverending (and futile) battle, in part, to allow people to live on steadily vanishing beaches. Despite maps from decades ago providing stark evidence of the vanishing barrier islands along the Jersey Shore, (over)development continues, driven by real estate profit. In North Carolina, politicians are more than willing to bury their heads in the (vanishing) sands, banning the discussion of sea level rise so they can overturn environmental protections that have slowed development. The film was nearing completion when Superstorm Sandy made landfall, destroying communities and costing lives just over a year ago. In response, Kalina was able to integrate footage about its devastating aftermath, making it one of the first feature docs to cogently address the disaster and call for solutions to help prevent similar future recurrences.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 