Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, April 22 and to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, April 23:
CHARM CITY
Director:
Marilyn Ness
Premiere:
Tribeca 2018
Select Festivals:
AFI Docs, Human Rights Watch, Maryland, Nashville, Mill Valley, GlobeDocs
Notable Recognition:
The doc was shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
About:
A multifaceted exploration of the crisis of violence in Baltimore.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Doc World this Sunday, April 21:
ELEPHANT PATH/NJAIA NJOKU
Director:
Todd McGrain
Premiere:
San Francisco DocFest 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sebastopol Doc, Washington DC Environmental, Congo, Sedona, Portland, Oaxaca, Zimbabwe, Wisconsin, Princeton Environmental
About:
The elephants of the Central African Republic – and those who protect and study them – are threatened by both civil war and poaching.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In the forests of the Central African Republic, one of the last wild herds of elephants struggles for survival. While scientists study these magnificent, vital creatures, conservationists and eco-guards work to save them from poachers emboldened by political unrest and economic instability. Set against the luminous natural beauty of an ancient forest and paired with a hauntingly beautiful score, Todd McGrain’s film explores the complexity of stemming violence against people and animals alike in war-torn nations.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, April 19:
INSTANT DREAMS
Director:
Willem Baptist
Premiere:
IDFA 2017
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Thessaloniki Doc, Sofia, Docs Against Gravity, Jihlava, Slamdance, SF DocFest, Visions du Reel, IndieStreet
About:
Fans of Polaroid are determined not to let its magic vanish.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
A casualty of the digital revolution, Polaroid instant film and cameras were meant to fade quietly into oblivion when the company stopped production in 2008. Following three enthusiasts bent on keeping the instant dream alive, director Willem Baptist takes viewers on a hallucinatory quest to discover the secret chemical formula for Polaroid film. His documentary develops like prints pulled out of instant cameras, magically coming into focus as something wonderful appears before your eyes.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Photograph by Judy Teller | Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment
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
Festival:
The 6th Art of the Real
Dates:
April 18-28
About:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center includes 20 new features in this annual showcase of innovative nonfiction and hybrid filmmaking. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
New to DVD and VOD this week:
STANDING UP
Director:
Jonathan Miller
Premiere:
DOC NYC 2017
Select Festivals:
Galway, DocuWest, AmDocs, Jewish fests in Toronto, Silicon Valley, Vancouver, and Washington
About:
A profile of three aspiring stand-up comics in NYC.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
So an Egyptian lawyer, a couch-surfing custodian, and an Orthodox Jew walk into a comedy club… and end up in a documentary. This appealing film follows these three unlikely aspiring stand-up comics, willing to risk everything in pursuit of their dreams of making it in comedy. Director Jonathan Miller tells their story with warmth and humor, taking us into the heart of New York City’s downtown open-mic scene, where would-be comics put it all on the line for laughs.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Wednesday, April 17:
HAIL SATAN?
Director:
Penny Lane
Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
Rotterdam, CPH:DOX, Full Frame, San Francisco, What The Fest!?, Salem, Boston Underground, Freep, Sidewalk
About:
A provocative exploration of the separation of church and state through the unlikely rise of the Satanic Temple religious movement.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, April 16:
ANOTE’S ARK
Director:
Matthieu Rytz
Premiere:
Sundance 2018
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Vision du Reel, Docs MX, Black Nights Tallinn, Human Rights Watch, Big Sky Doc, Thin Line Doc, Washington DC Environmental, Movies That Matter, Cleveland, Minneapolis, LA Asian Pacific, DocLands, DOXA, Docs Against Gravity, Doc Edge, Mountainfilm
About:
An intimate chronicle of the consequences of climate change on a disappearing island nation.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed tonight, Tuesday, April 16:
EXIT MUSIC
Director:
Cameron Mullenneaux
Premiere:
Hot Docs 2018
Select Festivals:
Full Frame, Camden, Big Sky Doc, Bergen, Rooftop, SF Indie, GlobeDocs
About:
A portrait of a young artist facing his impending death after a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s JCC Manhattan tomorrow, Tuesday, April 16:
MOVING STORIES
Director:
Rob Fruchtman
Premiere:
MoMA Doc Fortnight 2018
Select Festivals:
Mill Valley, Berkshire, Chagrin Falls Doc, Kansas, Heartland, Milwaukee, Cinequest, Sebastopol Doc, SF Dance, Transilvania
About:
A profile of an international dance program for at-risk youth.
Recognizing the power of art to bridge divides, NYC’s Battery Dance Company has developed Dancing to Connect, a program that uses modern dance to help youth around the world express themselves while working collaboratively with others, under the direction of professional dancers. With just a week between initial dance workshop and public performance, the program can be high-stress, but also transformative for both students and teachers alike. Fruchtman’s film follows six instructors in four countries working with marginalized students: slum-dwelling girls who have experienced violence and sex trafficking in India, North Korean refugees living in South Korea, together with South Korean orphans, the perpetually stigmatized Roma in Romania, and, in a departure from the typical program’s focus, a solo Muslim hip-hop dancer in Iraq, who faces severe repercussions were he to dance in public. Working with at-risk and troubled youth, the dance teachers face their fare share of disruption and resistance, not to mention culture clash, but the overwhelming majority of the participants are shown to benefit enormously from the program. While the film takes on a bit too much in its expansive focus, lending it a too cursory, survey-like feel at times, the overall message is a welcome one of hope, interconnection, and growth through art.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
what (not) to doc 