Coming to NYC’s Film Forum next Wednesday, November 14: THE LAW IN THESE PARTS
Ra’Anan Alexandrowicz’s exploration of law under occupation premiered at Jerusalem last year before coming stateside to win Sundance’s World Cinema jury prize this past January. It took home additional awards at Full Frame and Hot Docs.
I profiled the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
DOC NYC, NYC’s documentary festival, begins tonight, while its panel series, Doc-A-Thon, begins tomorrow with four panels exploring how filmmakers can “Get the Money.” Doc-A-Thon continues on Monday (“Shoot Your Doc”) and through the close of the festival on Thursday, November 15. Today’s post focuses on the Masterclasses presented at the IFC Center on Doc-A-Thon’s third day, Tuesday, November 13, under the theme “Finish Your Doc.” These sessions are for those filmmakers who can see the light at the end of the filmmaking tunnel. Don’t walk into post-production blind – learn from Day 3’s post gurus. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations
Coming to DVD and VOD next Tuesday, November 13: THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES
Lauren Greenfield’s look at the Recession’s impact on a wealthy family premiered at Sundance, where it won the US Documentary Directing Award this year. Its fest circuit has included, among others, San Francisco, Los Angeles, RiverRun, Provincetown, Karlovy Vary, and Traverse City.
I wrote about the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
This year’s DOC NYC launches tomorrow! As the shorts programmer for the festival, I’m sharing my thoughts on our six thematic shorts collections. This third program explores the universal bonds between family members.
DOC NYC Program Description:
FAMILY TIES:
Monday, November 12 at 7:00pm
The complex relationship between parents and their children is at the heart of this program. THE CAREGIVER (10 min, John Paul Su) profiles a woman who tends to sick children at work and at home. NOBODY’S OFF THE HOOK (28 min, Remy Weber) traces a difficult history of dysfunction and ambivalent reconciliation between a father and his children. CAPTIVE RADIO (23 min, Lauren Rosenfeld) gives hope to Colombian hostages by broadcasting messages from their families. THE CHILDREN NEXT DOOR (36 min, Doug Block) examines the deep psychological scars inflicted on children by a horrific case of domestic violence.
Why You Should Attend:
Everyone can relate to the fundamental connection between mothers and fathers and their kids, even if the situations these films’ subjects are in are at times extreme. Of particular note here: Lauren Rosenfeld is in the running for an IDA Award for her film, while Doug Block is known for his personal films 51 BIRCH STREET and THE KIDS GROW UP.
More Info:
To purchase tickets, follow the link from the program page by clicking on the program title above.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations
Coming to NYC’s Cinema Village this Friday November 9: CHASING ICE
Jeff Orlowski’s timely climate change doc made its world premiere at Sundance this year, where it claimed the award for best cinematography. It’s taken home additional awards from SXSW, Full Frame, Big Sky, Boulder, and RiverRun.
I wrote about the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday November 6: BOOKER’S PLACE: A MISSISSIPPI STORY
Raymond De Felitta’s revisitation of the impact of his father’s 1966 civil rights documentary made its world premiere at Tribeca earlier this year. Its festival circuit also included Hot Docs, Tallgrass, and Little Rock, among others, and the film was released by Tribeca Films in theatres and VOD.
I wrote about the film out of Tribeca here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday November 6: SEXY BABY
Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus’ look at the impact of our hypersexualized culture on girls and women premiered at Tribeca this year. Its fest circuit has included Newport Beach, Hot Docs, Citizen Jane, and the upcoming IDFA. It picked up an award at Traverse City, and enjoyed a limited theatrical release last month. FilmBuff releases the film on VOD today.
I included the doc in my Tribeca roundup here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
DOC NYC‘s expanded panel series, Doc-A-Thon, begins this Friday! A previous post profiled the sessions on offer for Doc-A-Thon’s first day; today’s post looks at the Masterclasses which will be presented at the IFC Center on the second day. As noted before, Doc-A-Thon has a daily filmmaking theme that forms the backbone of the day’s four panels. The theme for Day 2, Monday, November 12, is “Shoot Your Doc.” Whether you’ve started filming, or are itching to get that production started, Day 2’s experts can offer invaluable information to inspire your doc, and hopefully help you make it better. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations
In recognition of Election Day, my latest curated selections for Hulu’s Documentaries page spotlight films about the political process on the local and federal level. Watch these now for free – but, of course, take a break from your computer today and go vote!
For more information about the selections, see my Indiewire article.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Indiewire @ Hulu Docs
Now screening at the IFC Center, and available on VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 6: BONES BRIGADE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Stacy Peralta’s portrait of the legendary skateboarding team made its world premiere at Sundance at the beginning of the year. Since then its fest circuit has included Santa Barbara, Sidewalk, Atlantic, Tallgrass, and Milwaukee, among others.
I wrote about the film pre-Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 