Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Friday, June 14:
EVERY ACT OF LIFE

Director:
Jeff Kaufman

Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
Seattle, Tel Aviv, Nashville, Provincetown, Inside Out, Frameline, Outfest, LGBT fests in Miami, Portland, San Diego, Hartford, Vancouver, and Austin

About:
A look at the life and work of acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Returning to DVD this week:
THE MAN WHO DROVE WITH MANDELA

Director:
Greta Schiller

World Premiere:
Edinburgh 1998

Select Festivals:
Berlin, NewFest, Outfest, Frameline, London

About:
The story of a long-overlooked figure in the struggle against apartheid.

I wrote about the doc for NewFest’s program in 1999, saying:
In 1962, Nelson Mandela traveled incognito across South Africa organizing rebellion against the apartheid regime. Driving an Austin Westminster, the man known as “The Black Pimpernel” posed as the chauffeur of a distinguished and well-dressed white man. The man who drove with Mandela was Cecil Williams – Johannesburg theatre director, committed freedom fighter, and gay man. In this engaging documentary, acclaimed filmmaker Greta Schiller recounts the life of Williams and his work in South Africa’s struggle for liberation. Williams, a gentleman and a communist, was a prominent member of Johannesburg society and known to entertain such dignitaries as Sir Lawrence Olivier. Interviews with friends and family, rare home movies of gay life in ’50s South Africa, and dramatic recreations of Williams’ own writings (performed eloquently by actor Corin Redgrave) are all used to construct a fascinating portrait of a man who shuttled between two subcultures – the hidden world of homosexuals and the secret world of anti-apartheid communists.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 11:
CONSTRUCTING ALBERT

Directors:
Laura Collado and Jim Loomis

Premiere:
San Sebastian 2017

Select Festivals:
SXSW, Hot Docs, Seattle, BAFICI, Palm Springs, Guadalajara, DocPoint, Napa Valley, Newport Beach

About:
After the legendary success of elBulli, chef Albert Adria pursues his follow-ups.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 11:
WRESTLE

Director:
Suzannah Herbert

Co-Director:
Lauren Belfer

Premiere:
San Francisco 2018

Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Traverse City, Rooftop Films, Denver, Indie Memphis, Bahamas, Woodstock, Hot Springs Doc, Milwaukee, Oxford

About:
An intimate look at a Huntsville AL high school wrestling team.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, June 7:
THE LAVENDER SCARE

Director:
Josh Howard

World Premiere:
qFLIX Philadelphia 2017

Select Festivals:
Virginia, Sun Valley, Frameline, Inside Out, LGBT fests in Sydney, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Rochester, Austin, Miami, and Palm Springs

About:
A look back at the Cold War era panic over gays in the government.

In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower declared war on homosexuals, specifically ordering their purge from the federal government. Motivated by fears over Communist espionage, the premise was that lesbians and gays, forced to break the law to indulge their desires, would be easy marks for blackmail by Russian agents seeking access to government secrets. The result was the destruction of careers, and in some cases lives, as explored through several brief profiles in Josh Howard’s serviceable if sometimes clunky project. While most individuals who were discriminated against had no choice but to go quietly, however, one man, astronomer Franklin Kameny, decided to fight back. Seeking redress for the injustice that ended his scientific career, he sought audience with any politician who might listen, and formed the Washington DC chapter of the gay rights activist organization The Mattachine Society. Howard provides viewers with a worthwhile history lesson about discrimination and resistance, particularly at a time of a present-day administration that is hostile to the victories won by LGBT people.

IF I LEAVE HERE TOMORROW: A FILM ABOUT LYNYRD SKYNYRD

Director:
Stephen Kijak

World Premiere:
SXSW 2018

Select Festivals:
Cleveland, Nashville, Macon, deadCenter

About:
A history and appreciation of the legendary Southern rock band.

In his latest music doc, director Stephen Kijak chronicles the sometimes tragic history of the iconic band behind “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird,” particularly focusing on the 1977 plane crash that claimed the lives of frontman Ronnie Van Zant and several others. Taking a largely chronological approach, the well-produced film tracks the origins and early years of the Jacksonville FL band, and details how the hardworking bandmates crossed over with their honky-tonk Americana. While Kijak addresses the band’s adoption of the controversial Confederate flag as a symbol – mandated by their record company – the warm film otherwise steers fairly clear of overt politics to relate instead the closeness of its members, the consequences of the plane crash, and the continued impact of Van Zant’s loss more than four decades ago.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, June 7:
THIS ONE’S FOR THE LADIES

Director:
Gene Graham

Premiere:
SXSW 2018

Select Festivals:
Sheffield, AFI Docs, San Francisco, Seattle, Montclair, IFF Boston

About:
An insider look at the African American exotic dancing scene of Newark NJ.

I previously wrote about the doc here.