Category Archives: Recommendations

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: UNTITLED AMAZING JOHNATHAN DOCUMENTARY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

UNTITLED AMAZING JOHNATHAN DOCUMENTARY
Ben Berman attempts to document the life of a terminally-ill magician.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: TIGERLAND

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Discovery/RadicalMedia

TIGERLAND
Ross Kauffman profiles efforts to reverse the decimation of Asia’s wild tiger population.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: PAHOKEE

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Patrick Bresnan

PAHOKEE
Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan follow four teenagers through their senior year of high school in the Florida Everglades.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: ONE CHILD NATION

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Nanfu Wang

ONE CHILD NATION
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang bravely expose the unseen consequences of China’s one-child policy.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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In Theatres: COMMUNION

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, January 4:
COMMUNION

Director:
Anna Zamecka

Premiere:
Locarno 2016

Select Festivals:
IDFA, Warsaw, DOK Leipzig, Göteborg, True/False, Sarasota, Docaviv, Yamagata Doc

Notable Recognition:
The doc was shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

About:
A Polish teenager is forced to assume adult responsibilities.

Zamecka’s striking debut draws the viewer into the lives of Ola, a 14-year-old girl and Nikodem, her younger brother, who has autism. Their mother abandoned the family to begin a new one with another man, while their father is an alcoholic, leaving Ola to take on the burden of running the household while also attempting to keep up with her studies. If that wasn’t enough, the overwhelmed teen finds herself leading Nikodem in the frustrating task of studying Scripture for his first communion. While there appears to be some element of hybridized filmmaking here, Zamecka doesn’t explicitly foreground any artifice, resulting instead in a compelling, humanistic observational portrait of a remarkably adaptive young girl whose childhood and innocence is slipping away far too quickly.

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2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: MOONLIGHT SONATA: DEAFNESS IN THREE MOVEMENTS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Irene Taylor Brodsky

MOONLIGHT SONATA: DEAFNESS IN THREE MOVEMENTS
Irene Taylor Brodsky presents a personal meditation on deafness through the experiences of her son, her parents, and Beethoven.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: MIKE WALLACE IS HERE

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by CBS News

MIKE WALLACE IS HERE
Avi Belkin explores the evolution of television journalism through the life and work of the legendary 60 MINUTES correspondent.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: MIDNIGHT FAMILY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Luke Lorentzen

MIDNIGHT FAMILY
Luke Lorentzen explores the tension-filled work of a Mexico City family that runs a private ambulance by night.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Rachel Lears

KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE
Rachel Lears follows the campaigns of four progressive political newcomers as they seek to unseat entrenched incumbents.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: JAWLINE

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JAWLINE
Liza Mandelup follows a hopeful young online personality and the machine which drives success in this strange new world.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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