Last week, I pointed w(n)td readers to my Indiewire coverage of IDFA, including buzz titles and highlights from the Forum. With the festival now wrapped, having announced the winners of its 25th edition this weekend, its time to take a more indepth look at the titles in this year’s lineup I’ve had a chance to see. This post covers films from the various competitions, while the next will address non-competitive programming. Continue reading
Category Archives: Film
IDFA 2012: Docs in Brief, Part Two
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, In Brief, Recommendations
IDFA 2012 Awards
The world’s largest documentary festival announced the award-winners this past weekend, wrapping up its 25th anniversary edition. For a full list of IDFA winners, check out my Indiewire writeup here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals
In the Works: THE DARK MATTER OF LOVE
The director of the child-focused THE SOUND OF MUMBAI trains her camera on a young Russian orphan struggling to fit into her new adoptive American family.
When the Wisconsinite Diaz family adopts Masha, an eleven-year-old raised in a Russian orphanage, they find a young girl much different from their own fourteen-year-old Cami. Faced with the challenge of establishing a bond with Masha – who has never encountered parental love before – as well as with their adopted five-year-old twins, they seek help in the form of a scientific program of therapy devised by one of the leaders in child attachment, developmental psychologist, Professor Robert Marvin, PhD. Filmmaker Sarah McCarthy follows them over a year as the family tries to learn to come together, supplementing this real-life application of Marvin’s principles with archival footage of past animal and human research around concepts of attachment and love, like Harry Harlow’s infamous soft mother/wire mother monkey experiments, to show, as the film’s tagline says, how “science can change the way you love.” Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, In the Works
In Theatres: MAN AT WAR
Coming to NYC’s Quad Cinemas today, Friday, November 23: MAN AT WAR
Jacek Blawut’s look at men around the world obsessed with virtual war re-enactment premiered at Krakow earlier this year.
This slick and surprisingly enjoyable HBO Central Europe production focuses on American, Polish, Russian, and German men, young and older, who spend an inordinate amount of their time participating in real-time simulations of key WWII aerial battles from the comfort of their computer desks. Blawut cuts quickly between the pilots at their monitors and their virtual world, represented through elaborate animated sequences, occasionally exploring their offline reality and the somewhat bemused or resigned reactions of their wives, girlfriends, or other family members. Politics and nationalism come into play, with rivalries between some of the combatants, and particular concern about sympathizers among the Polish players with their historical enemies, but there are so many players featured that it’s frankly pretty impossible to keep track of most of them as individuals. While gamers might be most enthralled by Blawut’s film, it does offer general viewers the experience of a spectacle – the chaotic nature of the dogfights is especially conveyed thrillingly and appropriately – as well as an intriguing look at a modern, technological form of historical re-enactment.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
IDFA 2012: The Forum in Brief
My Indiewire article on IDFA’s international co-production financing market, the Forum, is now up here, spotlighting several promising projects in development.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, In Brief, In the Works
In Theatres: BEWARE OF MR BAKER
Coming to NYC’s Film Forum next Wednesday, November 28: BEWARE OF MR BAKER
Jay Bulger’s portrait of a rock drumming legend premiered at SXSW earlier this year, claiming the Best Documentary Award. Its fest circuit has included Hot Docs, IFF Boston, Seattle, Silverdocs, and London.
I included the film in my SXSW coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
IDFA 2012: Docs in Brief, Part One
Straight off of a hectic DOC NYC schedule, I’m in Amsterdam. My first dispatch for Indiewire was published on Monday, highlighting ten films that have been generating buzz in the first few days of the festival. The full article may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, In Brief, Recommendations
In Theatres: THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE
Coming to theatres this Friday, November 23: THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE
Sarah Burns, David McMahon, and Ken Burns’ exploration of the infamous 1989 jogger rape case made its world premiere at Cannes. It went on to screen at Telluride, Toronto, London, Mill Valley, AFI Fest, and Chicago, and closed out DOC NYC last week. IFC opens the film at the IFC Center, Maysles Cinema, and Lincoln Plaza Cinema, expanding it next week to Los Angeles, Chicago, and Montclair before going wider in mid-December.
I included the film in my Toronto coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Special Screening: WALK AWAY RENEE
Coming to Stranger Than Fiction tomorrow, Tuesday, November 20: WALK AWAY RENEE
Jonathan Caouette’s sequel-of-sorts to his acclaimed TARNATION premiered at Cannes in 2011. its festival run, in both its original cut and a reworked version, has included Moscow, New Horizons, BAMcinemaFest, and Outfest.
I previously wrote about the film here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
2012 DOC NYC Awards
The 3rd annual DOC NYC came to a close last night with enthusiastically received screenings of THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE, preceded by an awards ceremony. Despite some not-so-minor setbacks – chiefly Superstorm Sandy shutting down half of Manhattan, including DOC NYC’s ability to sell tickets, for a week – this year continued the young event’s growth, with an increase in audiences, filmmaker attendance, and sold out shows. I was happy to come on board as the festival’s Shorts Programmer and Panel Producer, though my Twitter followers will probably be relieved that with DOC NYC’s wrap up, my daily panel live-tweeting marathon has come to an end. To put a pin in it, here is the list of films honored last evening:
Viewfinders Competition:
Grand Jury Prize:
INFORMANT by Jamie Meltzer (pictured)
Special Jury Prize:
RAFEA: SOLAR MAMA by Jehane Noujaim and Mona Eldaief
Metropolis Competition:
Grand Jury Prize:
RADIOMAN by Mary Kerr (pictured)
Special Jury Prize:
ZIPPER by Amy Nicholson
SundanceNOW Audience Award:
RAFEA: SOLAR MAMA by Jehane Noujaim and Mona Eldaief (pictured)
Shorts Competition:
Grand Jury Prize:
FLO by Riley Hooper (pictured)
Special Jury Prizes:
THE CHILDREN NEXT DOOR by Doug Block
JULIAN by Bao Nguyen
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals
what (not) to doc 