My latest curation of Hulu’s Documentaries page for Indiewire recognizes Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15-October 15), presenting docs on Latino/a Americans as well as from Spanish-speaking Central and South America and the Caribbean. Watch these now for free!
For more information about the selections, see my Indiewire article.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Indiewire @ Hulu Docs
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction as its season opener this Thursday, September 27: BROOKLYN CASTLE
Katie Dellamaggiore’s profile of Brooklyn junior high school chess team premiered at SXSW earlier this year, claiming an audience award. It’s gone on to screen at Cleveland, Dallas, Hot Docs, Silverdocs, and Rooftop Films, among others.
I wrote about the film out of SXSW here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to POV this Thursday, September 27: EL VELADOR
Natalia Almada’s meditation on life and death in Mexico made its world premiere at New Directors/New Films last year. It went on to screen at Cannes, Silverdocs, FIDM, Jihlava, and IDFA, among others.
I included the film in my Silverdocs roundup here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
The eighth edition of the Camden International Film Festival takes place this Thursday through Sunday, offering up more than thirty documentaries. With the slogan “small towns, big films,” the doc fest signals its intimate appeal – while I’ve yet to make it out, I’ve heard nothing but glowing reviews from past filmmaker and industry attendees, who enjoy a getaway from city living to catch up on some of the year’s most notable recent docs and to participate in the Points North Documentary Forum that takes place alongside the festival. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews
Available on VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 25: TERRA BLIGHT
Isaac Brown’s examination of the impact of computer construction and disposal premiered at Slamdance earlier this year. Additional stops include Docutah, Maui, and the upcoming New Orleans Film Festival, among others. The doc will be available via iTunes, Amazon, and Movies on Demand thanks to FilmBuff.
Running just under an hour, Brown’s film presents a unique subject that merits greater public awareness: the environmental impact of the rapid growth of a disposable electronics culture, and, specifically, of the personal computer. Focusing on the life cycle of a computer, the film exposes the hazards posed by e-waste, from the creation through the casual disposal of our electronics, which is much more involved than most consumers think. Subjects include scavengers, anti-waste activists, and computer resellers in Ghana, where computers are disposed of by the US; big box store employees, who push for sales of electronics; electronics recyclers in the US; gamers and gaming convention employees, who demonstrate the remarkable amount of power used for computers; residents of a town polluted by IBM computer manufacturing chemical spills; and even the inventor of the UPC barcode, who reflects on the way computers have changed society. While there may be a few too many subjects packed into its slim running time, the film is decidedly successful in confronting viewers with the inconvenient truth about first world e-waste, and how poorer countries are suffering because of it.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Available on VOD and in select theatres beginning today, Friday, September 21: HEAD GAMES
Steve James’ investigation into sports-related head injuries premiered as the opening night film of the Boston Film Festival last night. It opens in select cities today and expands through November.
Based on Christopher Nowinski’s book of the same name, James explores the mounting evidence that links debilitating brain injuries to concussions suffered during game play in a wide variety of sports. Nowinski, who might be familiar to some viewers as a former WWE pro wrestler – or would-be wrestler reality TV star before that – serves as a key subject in the film. A former Harvard football player, he found his pro wrestling career cut short by physical problems he believes are linked to the countless head injuries he suffered through his sports careers, motivating the research that led to his book and current activist work around the subject. With professional sports associations parroting that studies are far from conclusive, the affable Nowinski tries to convince pro athletes to donate their brains for post-mortem scientific analysis; currently available specimens offer compelling visual evidence of damage, even if they’re from a limited sample size, but perhaps most telling is a brief and painful neurological exam with a former football player in which the man can’t quite recite the months of the year in order. Covering football, boxing, hockey, women’s soccer – to highlight the potentially worse effect of head injuries on women’s brains – and even youth football – sure to make parents think twice – Nowinski, and James’ film, signals the need for greater public awareness of the issue and steps to remedy the problem before it affects more athletes, young and old.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s IFC Center this coming Wednesday, September 26: THE WAITING ROOM
Peter Nicks’ microcosmic portrait of the US health care system premiered at Full Frame, scoring the Emerging Artist Award. Other stops on the fest circuit included True/False, Hot Docs, Silverdocs, Ashland, and San Francisco – taking home awards at the latter two. Its theatrical roll-out will continue through the end of the year.
I previously wrote about the film out of Hot Docs here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
The Film Society of Lincoln Center celebrates a half century of the New York Film Festival beginning next week. The 50th Anniversary edition of North America’s second oldest film festival runs from September 28 through October 14, and is also notable as Richard Peña’s 25th and final festival as the Film Society’s Program Director and NYFF Selection Committee Chair.
For NYC film lovers, the launch of the NYFF marks the start of the Fall, and its carefully curated programming exposes audiences to some of the world’s best cinema. Among the offerings this year, there are easily more than fifty documentary features, made up of new films, retrospective screenings, experimental essays, and doc/fiction hybrids. While I won’t be able to see the bulk of these what with hundreds of Sundance submissions to watch, the following highlights those in which I’m most interested: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD this coming Tuesday, September 25: PINK RIBBONS, INC
Léa Pool’s investigation into the breast cancer industry made its world premiere in Toronto last year. Its festival circuit included IDFA, Provincetown, Sarasota, Nashville, and Portland, among others, before a limited theatrical release.
I previously wrote about the film here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD this coming Tuesday, September 25: SPLINTERS
Adam Pesce’s Papua New Guinea surfing doc premiered at Tribeca last year. Screenings followed at IDFA, Hawaii, and Newport Beach, and it received a limited theatrical release earlier this year.
I wrote about the film out of Tribeca here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 