BE WATER | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Bao Nguyen details the brief but impactful career of legendary actor Bruce Lee.
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US Documentary Competition
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2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: BE WATER
Bao Nguyen details the brief but impactful career of legendary actor Bruce Lee.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
2020 Sundance Docs in Focus
The 36th Sundance Film Festival takes place next month, running January 23-February 2, with a lineup consisting of 130 features, 74 shorts, 12 episodics, and 28 exhibitions, performances, and VR experiences.
Once again, as I’ve done since 2011’s festival, I’ll profile each of the nearly 60 feature and long-form episodic documentaries in advance of the festival, beginning tomorrow.
Please note: These are not reviews. As a Documentary Programming Associate for Sundance, I recommend every film in the 2020 lineup. These profiles instead provide background about the teams behind this year’s docs in anticipation of the festival and the films’ later release. For a sample, check out last year’s series, which began here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
On TV: MIDNIGHT TRAVELER
Coming to PBS’s POV this coming Monday, December 30:
MIDNIGHT TRAVELER
Director:
Hassan Fazili
World Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
Berlin, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, Docaviv, DocumentaMadrid, DOXA, Sheffield, Thessaloniki, True/False, Doc Edge, RiverRun, Seattle, Montclair, Biografilm, San Francisco, Salem, Sydney
About:
The filmmaker, his wife, and their two daughters face an uncertain road to asylum when they are forced to flee Afghanistan.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
In Theatres: WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL
Coming to theatres this Wednesday, December 25:
WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL
Director:
Rob Garver
World Premiere:
Telluride 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Berlin, Edinburgh, Karlovy Vary, Thessaloniki Doc, Miami, Cleveland, Montclair, Seattle, Docs Against Gravity, Transilvania, New Zealand, Vancouver, Mumbai, Rio, Docaviv
About:
A portrait of controversial and influential film critic Pauline Kael.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Pauline Kael is among the most famous and divisive film critics of all time. Her praise helped uplift the careers of Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and others, while her putdowns left lasting wounds. She was a pioneering woman in a male chauvinistic world. This nuanced portrait captures her complexity while revisiting late-twentieth-century cinema through her lens, using ample film clips, never-before-seen archival, wide-ranging interviews, and her writings voiced by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
On DVD: ON THE PRESIDENT’S ORDERS
New to DVD this week:
ON THE PRESIDENT’S ORDERS
Directors:
James Jones and Olivier Sarbil
World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2019
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Sheffield, Melbourne, Human Rights Watch, Bergen, Raindance, Zurich, DokuFest,
About:
An inside look at Filipino president Duterte’s corrupt war on drugs.
I previously wrote about the doc hereS.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
On DVD: THE SERENGETI RULES
New to DVD this week:
THE SERENGETI RULES
Director:
Nicholas Brown
Premiere:
Tribeca 2018
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Hamptons, Jackson Hole, Bergen, Maui, Vancouver, Global Peace,
About:
Scientists explore the impact of keystone species on ecosystems.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
On VOD: TO KID OR NOT TO KID
New to VOD this week:
TO KID OR NOT TO KID
Director:
Maxine Trump
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018
Select Festivals:
Cleveland, BechdelFest, Woods Hole
About:
A personal look at women’s decision not to have kids.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Sundance 2020: Additional Feature Programming Announced
This post is a pointer to the fourth lineup announcement for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Additional selections in the Documentary Premieres and From the Collection sections have just been announced and may be found here.
Previous lineup announcements include the US and World Cinema Documentary and Dramatic Competitions, NEXT, Documentary Premieres, Premieres, Midnight, Spotlight, and Kids sections, as well as the Indie Episodic, Special Events, and Shorts lineups, and New Frontier.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations, Sundance
On DVD: BARBARA RUBIN & THE EXPLODING NY UNDERGROUND
New to DVD this week:
BARBARA RUBIN & THE EXPLODING NY UNDERGROUND
Director:
Chuck Smith
Premiere:
Hot Docs 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Rotterdam, Thessaloniki Doc, Seattle, Jeonju
About:
A forgotten 1960s film pioneer receives her due.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
On DVD: WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?
photo by Ap/REX/Shutterstock
WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?
Director:
Matt Tyrnauer
World Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
Zurich, Atlantic, New Zealand
About:
An exploration of the dark influence of Machiavellian attorney Roy Cohn on today’s polarized political landscape.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
