Category Archives: Recommendations

2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: SPACESHIP EARTH

SPACESHIP EARTH | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Phillipe Plailly Science Photo Library

SPACESHIP EARTH
Matt Wolf reveals the strange but true story of the ill-fated Biosphere 2 project.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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Special Screenings: 2020 Oscars Spotlight: Documentaries

Coming to NYC’s IFC Center and AMC Empire 25 (as well as 19 other cities nationwide): Oscars® Spotlight: Documentaries

Continuing the initiative begun last year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, audiences in the following cities will have the opportunity to see all 15 of the official Documentary Feature shortlisted titles in theatres: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, McLean VA, Miami, Minneapolis, NYC, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Seattle-Tacoma, St Louis, Tampa-St Pete, and Washington DC.

My previous coverage of the shortlist may be found here.

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2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: MUCHO MUCHO AMOR

MUCHO MUCHO AMOR | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Giovan Cordero

MUCHO MUCHO AMOR
Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch revisit a long-missing and once world-famous Latinx television personality.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: THE FIGHT

THE FIGHT | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Sean McGing

THE FIGHT
Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres profile several ACLU attorneys as they challenge the Trump administration’s assault on civil liberties.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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Special Screenings: CITY OF JOEL

Coming to NYC’s JCC Manhattan for several screenings beginning tomorrow, Friday, January 3:
CITY OF JOEL

Director:
Jesse Sweet

World Premiere:
Hamptons 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Palm Springs, Jewish fests in San Francisco, Atlanta, Moscow, Rutgers, Boca Raton, Washington DC, and Phoenix

About:
An expansion plan by a Hasidic community leads to a turf war in a small New York town.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Located in the town of Monroe, NY, just over 50 miles north of New York City, the village of Kiryas Joel claims one of the fastest-growing Hasidic communities in the US. When the secular residents of the larger township – already wary of their insular neighbors – learn of Kiryas Joel’s desire to annex adjacent land to address its population growth, this sets off a turf war with political, economic, and religious implications, echoing the divide within our nation as a whole.

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2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: FEELS GOOD MAN

FEELS GOOD MAN | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Kurt Keppeler and Christian Bruno

FEELS GOOD MAN
Arthur Jones traces the unpredictable development of an influential Internet meme.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD

DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by John Wakayama Carey

DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD
Kirsten Johnson approaches her father’s mortality with inventiveness and dark humor.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: CRIP CAMP

CRIP CAMP | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Steve Honigsbaum

CRIP CAMP
Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht chronicle the origins of America’s disability rights movement.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: THE COST OF SILENCE

THE COST OF SILENCE | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by John Wathan

THE COST OF SILENCE
Mark Manning exposes a nearly decade-long cover up of a public health disaster in the wake of Deepwater Horizon.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: CODED BIAS

CODED BIAS | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

CODED BIAS
Shalini Kantayya explores disturbing gender and racial bias prevalent in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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