Photograph by Judy Teller
Director:
Sasha Waters Freyer
Premiere:
SXSW 2018
Select Festivals:
San Francisco, New Zealand, Thin Line, Vancouver, Haifa
About:
A history and appreciation of acclaimed street photographer.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21:
LOS VIEJOS (THE OLDIES)
Director:
Rosana Matecki
Premiere:
Guadalajara 2018
Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Miami, MICGénero, Boston Latino, DC Caribbean, Belize, DOK.Fest Munich, Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano
About:
A portrait of three elderly Cuban musicians.
Set in Santa Clara, Rosana Matecki’s warm film follows three aging musicians as they contend with the realities of aging on their bodies while reflecting on their past and the key role music played in their lives. As subjects Zaida, Candido, and Bringuez continue to stay active, performing their traditional Cuban music as best they can, they demonstrate a passion that defies age and that allows them to face the change that comes with each day. At the same time, the project serves as a thematic meditation on Cuba itself, where the long-standing embargo from the US has resulted in a kind of cultural time warp of sorts, and, at least for a moment, appeared to be poised for radical change before the current US presidential administration’s regressive policies.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, May 20:
WRESTLE
Director:
Suzannah Herbert
Co-Director:
Lauren Belfer
Premiere:
San Francisco 2018
About:
An intimate look at a Huntsville AL high school wrestling team.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to VOD this week:
VENUS
Directors:
Mette Carla Albrechtsen and Lea Glob
Premiere:
IDFA 2016
Select Festivals:
True/False, Sheffield, DocPoint, Thessaloniki Doc, Göteborg, DOXBIO, Docs Against Gravity, Biografilm, Sao Paulo
About:
100 women are surveyed about their sexual experiences.
Danish filmmakers Mette Carla Albrechtsen and Lea Glob set out to explore perceptions about female sexuality in their country by announcing an open casting call for women to participate as interview subjects in their project. The film features the various women who show up, walk into the frame, and are interviewed by Albrechtsen and Glob. Questions range from fairly basic to probing – even confrontational – interrogations about virginity, first or uncomfortable sexual experiences, body image issues, and the like, resulting in a kind of riff of the casting couch. The filmmakers even ask if their subjects are willing to pose naked for the camera. The result is a surprisingly engaging and vulnerable study of not only female sexuality, but of the give and take between filmmaker and subject.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to OVID this Sunday, May 19:
ROUGH AUNTIES
Director:
Kim Longinotto
Premiere:
IDFA 2008
Select Festivals:
Sundance, Hot Docs, Thessaloniki Doc, Full Frame, BAFICI, One World, Krakow, Vienna, Big Sky Doc, Durban, Salem
About:
A group of women are on a mission to help the abused and neglected children of South Africa.
I previously wrote about the doc for the Sundance program, saying:
Jackie, Mildred, Eureka, Sdudla, and Thuli are the women behind Bobbi Bear, a nonprofit organization based in Durban, South Africa, that counsels sexually abused children and works to bring their abusers to justice. Born out of a recognition of cultural stigmas that discourage reporting abuse and inadequate methods of communicating with young victims, Bobbi Bear developed a method of letting children use teddy bears to explain their abuse. Since 1992, the multiracial staff has become the fearless and powerful voice for those victims who would otherwise continue to live in fear, powerless against their oppressors and ignored by the legal system. Director Kim Longinotto adeptly and intimately follows Bobbi Bear staff in difficult direct sessions with children and consultations with family members, and on raids with authorities to arrest the perpetrators of these heinous acts. Facing tragedy daily as part of their advocacy work and, heartbreakingly for some, in their personal lives, the women draw strength from each other and find hope despite the suffering around them. Equally as compassionate to the young victims as they are steadfast in their pursuit of justice, these five exceptional women have found themselves transformed by their mission into “rough aunties,” crossing barriers of race, culture, and socioeconomic status to become formidable agents of change in their community.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to OVID this Sunday, May 19:
HOW TO LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY
Director:
Therese Shechter
Premiere:
Jihlava 2013
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Cucalorus, St John’s International Women
About:
A personal exploration of the elusive concept of purity.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, May 17:
WALKING ON WATER
Director:
Andrey Paounov
Premiere:
Locarno 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, Docudays UA
About:
A behind the scenes look at Christo’s long-gestating Floating Piers project.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
For decades Christo and Jeanne-Claude dazzled art lovers with their epic installation projects, such as The Gates in Central Park. Seven years after the death of Jeanne-Claude, the larger-than-life Christo finally realizes a long-planned project, The Floating Piers. Mounted in 2016 on Italy’s Lake Iseo, the mammoth undertaking allows visitors to walk across a great stretch of water. Once again, witnessing the realization of Christo’s vision feels like watching a real-life miracle.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Fuse this Saturday, May 18:
I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY
Director:
Jessica Leski
Premiere:
Hot Docs 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sydney, Revelation Perth, Melbourne, Fantastic Fest, Adelaide, London, Hawaii, Göteborg, Rotterdam, Miami, Santa Barbara, Cleveland, Istanbul
About:
A look at boyband superfans.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
New Kids on the Block, N*Sync, One Direction, and, of course, The Beatles: Bands with big hair, bigger personalities and the ubiquitous screaming fangirls. Jessica Leski’s entertaining film profiles these ardent fans, charming groupies who find joy in their devotion. Whimsical and lustrous, the film explores the complexity of social media relationships and the gray line between passion and obsession. At its core the story is a celebration of music as a universal language, one that unites frantic fans and provides a sense of belonging.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Festival:
The 45th Seattle International Film Festival
Dates:
May 16-June 9
About:
This popular regional event includes approximately 70 feature docs as part of its lineup of more than 400 features and shorts. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to OVID this Sunday, May 19:
THE GRACE LEE PROJECT
Director:
Grace Lee
Premiere:
SF Asian American 2005
Select Festivals:
SXSW, Los Angeles, Pusan, St Louis, Hawaii, New York Asian American, Toronto Reel Asian
About:
A personal consideration of names, culture, and identity.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
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