Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to The WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16:
LITTLE MISS WESTIE

Directors:
Joy E Reed and Dan Hunt

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018

Select Festival:
Southern Circuit, BendFilm, LGBT fests in Palm Springs, London, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Ft Lauderdale, and Melbourne

About:
A young trans girl is coached through her first pageant by her trans brother.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
If Ren could go back in time before she was four, she would tell her parents that she wasn’t happy living as a boy. Now, Ren is about to take part in a rite of passage for their community in West Haven, CT as the first out transgirl to compete in the Little Miss Westie Pageant. Coaching her through the competition: Her older brother Luca, who previously took part in the pageant when he lived as a girl. Gender dynamics evolve in front of the viewer’s eyes while two transgender siblings explore who they are in this intimate portrait.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, June 15:
RECORDER: THE MARION STOKES PROJECT

Director:
Matt Wolf

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, AFI Docs, London, New Orleans, Melbourne, Montclair, Maryland, SF DocFest, Sidewalk, Heartland, Antenna

About:
The story of a woman who recorded television news around the clock for thirty years.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to Showtime tonight, Friday, June 12:
RINGSIDE

Director:
André Hörmann

World Premiere:
Berlin 2019

Select Festival:
DOC NYC, New Orleans, Sydney, Hot Springs, Chicago

About:
A longitudinal portrait of two young boxers in Chicago.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Two young men strive to define their destiny in Chicago’s South Side in this poignant chronicle. Kenny and Destyne dream of boxing greatness, charting very different paths towards their shared goal. Kenny quickly moves into the pressure cooker of semi-pro competitions, while Destyne is imprisoned for a petty crime. Filmed over the course of eight years with incredible access and stirring intimacy, Ringside is a complex, emotional portrait of two youths on the brink.

Coming to virtual theatrical today, Friday, June 12:
IN MY BLOOD IT RUNS

Director:
Maya Newell

World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sydney, AFI Docs, Durban, New Zealand, Melbourne, Brisbane, DocsMX, Warsaw

About:
A portrait of a young Aboriginal Australian boy.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Dujuan Hoosan, a 10-year-old Australian boy, lives in two worlds. During the day he must speak English at school and conform to the modern world. Elsewhere, he is a vital member of the Arrernte tribe as a respected healer and advocate for Aboriginal rights. The confluence of these two realities overwhelms Dujuan, leading to trouble with the police and child services. Maya Newell’s evocative and shrewd profile of this singular child bursts with hope and imagination.

New to VOD this week:
BORN IN EVIN

Director:
Maryam Zaree

World Premiere:
Berlin 2019

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, IDFA, Sarajevo, Morelia, Biografilm, Human Rights Watch NYC, Cologne, Heartland

About:
A personal film investigating the filmmaker’s birth in an Iranian prison for dissidents.

Actress Maryam Zaree was born in Iran, but has lived in Germany for most of her life. Both of her parents were dissidents critical of the Shah of Iran, but found no more freedom under the Ayatollah’s rule. Instead, they were both persecuted, leading to Maryam being born in Evin, a notorious prison. While Maryam’s mother has thrived since she found asylum in Germany, she has never wanted to discuss her experiences. Still seeking answers about her own past, Maryam sets out on a journey to find other victims of the regime, including others like her, who were born to dissidents in prison. Unapologetically a personal film – and one that doubles as a form of therapy, for good and bad – Zaree’s project finds power in providing a platform for Maryam and others to confront generational trauma.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 9:
THE WINDERMERE CHILDREN: IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Directors:
Guy Arthur and Francis Welch

World Premiere:
British TV broadcast (January 2020)

About:
Child survivors of the Holocaust reflect on a rehabilitation program in which they took part in the UK.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 9:
THE BOOKSELLERS

Director:
DW Young

World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 2019

Select Festivals:
St Louis, Miami Jewish, RiverRun, Sebastopol Doc, Victoria

About:
An affectionate portrait of NYC’s community of rare book dealers and collectors.

I previously wrote about the doc here.