Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to PBS as part of its WOMEN, WAR & PEACE II series tonight, Monday, March 25:
THE TRIALS OF SPRING

Director:
Gini Reticker

Premiere:
Human Rights Watch 2015

Select Festivals:
Traverse City, Athena, Sebastopol Doc

About:
An eye-opening look at the disturbing treatment of women during Egypt’s tumultuous revolution.

While the story of Egypt’s so-called Arab Spring – Tahrir Square, and what came after – has been the subject of numerous documentaries over the past eight years, few have given sufficient focus on the crucial role women played, nor on the incidents of sexual violence enacted upon female protestors and activists. Reticker profiles several women who recount their experiences, moving from the heady joy of standing up for their freedom, to disillusionment as democratic ideals fell by the wayside as factions emerged, to despair at the ill treatment they received from some male activists, including, in several horrific cases noted here, public molestation, humiliation, and physical violence. Compounding these abuses – sometimes officially sanctioned, such as so-called “virginity tests” – the women sometimes face legal charges, while their assailants manage to survive unscathed, making this provocative project a witness against such injustice.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, March 22:
ROLL RED ROLL

Director:
Nancy Schwartzman

Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, New Orleans, Hot Docs, Traverse City, Hamptons, Denver, Göteborg, Guanajuato, Globe Docs, Sidewalk, Santa Barbara, Double Exposure, Bend, Tallgrass, Hot Springs Doc, Big Sky Doc, SF Jewish, Human Rights Watch

About:
An exploration of rape and its cover-up in a small town.

I previously wrote about the film for Nantucket’s program, saying:
After a teenage girl is raped by members of the Steubenville OH high school football team, a true-crime blogger investigates the social media generated during the incident and discovers shocking details about the crime – including the identities of both perpetrators and bystanders – and her reporting brings national attention to the small town. Powerful and topical in the era of Time’s Up and #MeToo, Nancy Schwartzman’s searing film speaks to an unconscionable culture of complicity and denial about sexual assault not only in Steubenville, but in society as a whole.

New to DVD and VOD this week:
ACROCATS!

Director:
Jacob Feiring

Premiere:
Hot Springs Doc 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Big Sky Doc, SF Doc, Florida, Sidewalk

About:
A behind-the-scenes look at a traveling cat circus.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Samantha Martin has been training animals since she was a kid. Spurred by a midlife crisis to quit her day job, she creates The Amazing Acrocats, a traveling cat circus. But driving around in an undependable RV full of moody felines isn’t as glamorous – or lucrative – as it sounds. As debt mounts, and success seems elusive, how long can Samantha hold out for circus stardom?

New to DVD this week:
THE LAST RESORT

Directors:
Dennis Scholl and Kareem Tabsch

Premiere:
Miami Jewish 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Virginia, Key West, Jewish fests in Toronto, Rochester, and Cleveland

About:
A revealing revisitation of Jewish life in 1970s Miami.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, March 19:
HILLBILLY

Directors:
Sally Rubin and Ashley York

Premiere:
Nashville 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Los Angeles, Traverse City, SF DocFest, Hot Springs Doc, Heartland, Southern Circuit

About:
A personal exploration of the representation of rural America.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

CRADLE OF CHAMPIONS

Director:
Bartle Bull

Premiere:
Santa Barbara 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, St Louis, Big Sky Doc, Southern Circuit, Manchester

About:
A portrait of three boxers vying for the Golden Gloves.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC, saying:
Since the 1920s, New York City’s amateur boxers have competed for glory in the Golden Gloves. The legendary annual boxing tournament now lasts three months and attracts 500 fighters, among them Titus Williams, James Wilkins, and Nisa Rodriguez. Director Bartle Bull and his collaborators, including acclaimed cinematographers Tom Hurwitz and Kirsten Johnson, follow these scrappy young athletes as they fight for their Golden Gloves dreams and the life-changing opportunities that may follow victory.