Category Archives: Recommendations

New to VOD via Sundance Now this week:
NEW HOMELAND

Director:
Barbara Kopple

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, IDFA, Sarasota, Cleveland

About:
Refugee boys attend a summer camp to help with their adjustment to a new country.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple chronicles the experiences of five refugee children from war-torn Syria and Iraq whose families have resettled in Toronto. In this sweetly observed group portrait, Kopple follows the boys over several weeks as they attend a summer camp in the wilderness, a Canadian rite of passage. We watch as some boys thrive while others struggle, putting the best intentions of the camp counselors to the test.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, July 21:
THE GRAND UNIFIED THEORY OF HOWARD BLOOM

Director:
Charlie Hoxie

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019

Select Festivals:
Santa Barbara, Design Science

About:
A portrait of a music publicist turned eccentric scientific philosopher.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Howard Bloom spent much of the 1970s and ’80s as the publicist for iconic musicians including Michael Jackson, Prince, Joan Jett, Run DMC, and Aerosmith. When a rare disease left him housebound for 15 years, Bloom reinvented himself as an author, publishing several books on evolutionary psychology and humanity’s role in the universe. Now, in his 70s, the eccentric philosopher readies an unfathomably long masterwork that will unify all of his unorthodox theories, and makes plans for his legacy.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, July 21:
GEORGE W BUSH

Director:
Barak Goodman

World Premiere:
American Experience (May 2020)

About:
A two-part biography on the life and career of the 43rd president of the United States.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, July 20:
WE ARE THE RADICAL MONARCHS

Director:
Linda Goldstein Knowlton

World Premiere:
SXSW 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, San Francisco, Seattle, Traverse City, AFI Docs, Frameline, Inside Out, Outfest Fusion, IFF Boston, Bentonville, March on Washington, Cine Latino, Virginia, Milwaukee, Hawaii, Palm Springs, Rocky Mountain Women’s, Athena

About:
A portrait of a group of young girls of color on the front lines of social justice.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Finding that traditional youth organizations aren’t directly focusing on the issues facing young girls of color, two moms, Anyavette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest, begin their own troop, the Radical Monarchs. Based in Oakland, a city with a long history of social justice movements, this progressive group is more likely to participate in protest marches than in bake sales. This inspiring film follows the founders as they try to expand the organization while contending with the country’s growing political divides.

New to DVD this week:
SACRED WATER

Director:
Olivier Jourdain

World Premiere:
DOK Leipzig

Select Festivals:
IDFA, Thessaloniki Doc, Docs Against Gravity, Docpoint, Docville, Margaret Mead, BelDocs, DOXA, Moscow Doc, Ischia, Zanzibar

About:
An exploration of female sexual pleasure in Rwanda.

As recounted in Olivier Jourdain’s light but enjoyable film, there is a well-known legend that explains the apparent widespread phenomenon of female ejaculation in Rwandan society. While her husband was at war, an ancient queen found unexpected sexual release with a servant, producing enough sacred water to fill Lake Kivu, one of the African Great Lakes. Since then, the story goes, Rwandan women have been encouraged to find their own water, for both their own sexual pleasure and to keep their men happy – not surprisingly, the focus here is exclusively on heterosexual couplings. Providing an insider’s perspective is popular radio host and sexual health educator Vestine Dusabe, who discusses in frank terms the importance of female sexual pleasure and awareness of their own bodies, both through her regular broadcasts and visits to schools and communities, but she is but one of several figures who populate the film, from doctors providing remedies for “dried up” water to ordinary Rwandans speaking openly about sex while swimming. The result is a look at a refreshingly open approach to sex education that foregrounds the pleasure for both women and men, unconnected to reproduction, religion, or shame.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, July 17:
BLESSED CHILD

Director:
Cara Jones

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019

About:
An inside look at life in a controversial religious movement.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
This intimate film revisits director Cara Jones’ upbringing within the Unification Church of Reverend Sun Myung Moon – commonly known as the Moonies – where her parents are high-ranking members. Home videos reveal never-before-seen footage of the inner workings of the controversial movement, considered a cult by some. After Jones separates from the church, she must come to terms with the shift in her relationship with her parents and with the impact of this unusual background on her family.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, July 14:
IN BRIGHT AXIOM

Director:
Spencer McCall

World Premiere:
San Francisco DocFest 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Covellite, Rhode Island

About:
An exploration of the work of a secretive group of artists who design transformative experiences.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Welcome to the House of Latitude, where absolute discretion is demanded in exchange for entry into a mysterious social experiment in the form of an elaborate immersive experience. Drawing a community of curiosity seekers, this secret society becomes a way of life for some, putting increasing pressure on the organizers to maintain this sophisticated and fantastical parallel world. Filmmaker Spencer McCall weaves an intriguing cautionary tale about the unforeseen consequences of embracing the unknown.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, July 14:
DON’T BE NICE

Director:
Max Powers

World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2018

Select Festivals:
AFI Docs, Palm Springs, Urbanworld, Bushwick, Black Harvest, Brisbane, Guelph, Vail

About:
The Bowery Slam Poetry Team prepares for the national championships.

I previously wrote about the doc here.