Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to virtual theatrical via Alamo Drafthouse tomorrow, Friday, May 22:
KATE NASH: UNDERESTIMATE THE GIRL

Director:
Amy Goldstein

World Premiere:
Los Angeles 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, DOK.Fest Munich, Sheffield, Cleveland, St Louis, Hot Springs Doc, ZagrebDox, Krakow, Doc Edge, Minneapolis-St Paul, Salem, Bentonville

About:
A portrait of the musician and actress.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Director Amy Goldstein crafts an intimate and inspiring portrait of British darling and powerhouse musician Kate Nash, whose meteoric rise to fame is quickly followed by a soul-crushing release from her major record label and devastating financial developments. Determined to make music on her own terms, Nash self-funds her third album, pursues acting opportunities, and produces her own world tour. Unfiltered and unfettered, Nash’s resilience will make you laugh, cry, and sing.

Coming to virtual theatrical tomorrow, Friday, May 22:
DIANA KENNEDY: NOTHING FANCY

Director:
Elizabeth Carroll

World Premiere:
SXSW 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, San Francisco, Hawaii, Vermont, Tallinn Black Nights, Sedona

About:
A portrait of the nonagenarian British author, an expert in regional Mexican cuisine.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Diana Kennedy fell in love with Mexican food over 60 years ago, and has made it her mission to document and celebrate the regional varieties of Mexico’s cuisine ever since, becoming the world’s leading authority. Now in her 90s, the celebrated British-born chef and cookbook author is still as feisty and no-nonsense as ever, leading teaching workshops, advocating for environmental sustainability, and planning to turn her home into a foundation for culinary education in Mexico.

New to VOD this week:
GRIT

Directors:
Cynthia Wade and Sasha Friedlander

World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Full Frame, Hamptons, Big Sky Doc, Bergen, One World, Mill Valley, GlobeDocs, Hawaii, Movies That Matter, Ashland, Doc Edge, Salem, Atlanta, Environmental fests in Washington DC, Princeton, and Yale

About:
In East Java, Indonesia, a mother and daughter battle a corporation over a man-made catastrophe.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD this Friday, May 22:
ANBESSA

Director:
Mo Scarpelli

World Premiere:
Berlin 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, Hot Docs, Thessaloniki Doc, Durban, Mountainfilm, RiverRun, Maryland, Woods Hole, Cleveland, Cucalorus, Washington DC Enviro, San Francisco DocFest

About:
A young Ethiopian boy turns to his imagination to reckon with the urbanization of his home.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to virtual theatrical this Friday, May 22:
THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS

Director:
Peter Medak

World Premiere:
Venice 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Telluride, Raindance, Oldenburg, Gent, Sao Paulo

About:
A revisitation of the director’s experience making an ill-fated 1970s Peter Sellers comedy.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In 1973, director-on-the-rise Peter Medak nabbed notoriously difficult comic genius and box-office star Peter Sellers for his new pirate comedy, GHOST IN THE NOONDAY SUN. Outrageously, Sellers immediately began sabotaging the film. While the actual behind-the-scenes shenanigans were often funnier and more bizarre than the film itself, the filmmaking was an excruciating experience that threatened the sanity and career of its director. Medak revisits the ill-fated production to exorcise his demons in this tragicomic documentary.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, May 19:
THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY

Directors:
Chris Durrance and Jack Youngelson

World Premiere:
PBS broadcast (April 2020)

About:
A far-ranging history of the discovery and research into the human genome.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19:
THE COMPETITION (LE CONCOURS)

Director:
Claire Simon

Premiere:
Venice 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, True/False, CPH:DOX, Docaviv, Docs Against Gravity, London, Göteborg, Taipei

About:
An inside look at a French film school and its next generation of hopeful filmmakers.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19:
THE RAFT

Director:
Marcus Lindeen

World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2018

Select Festivals:
IDFA, London, Melbourne, Chicago, Doclisboa, Sao Paulo, Bergen, Antenna Doc, Dokufest, Haifa, Zurich, Athens, RiverRun

About:
A look back at an unusual social experiment from 1973.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

New to VOD:
REPEAT ATTENDERS

Director:
Mark Dooley

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2017

Select Festivals:
DocEdge

About:
A look at the lives and obsessions of musical superfans.

The film previously screened at DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In London, Sally has spent £40,000 watching LES MISERABLES every two weeks for much of her life. German Gudrun regularly cosplays as her favorite STARLIGHT EXPRESS character. In California, Christine has assembled the largest collection of CATS memorabilia in the world. For these superfans, musical theater is an obsession, a refuge, and a place where they belong. They’ve spent years in the audience, and now Mark Dooley’s affectionate profile finally puts them in the spotlight.