Category Archives: Recommendations

Special Screening: MAKALA

Coming to Maysles Cinema’s Uptown Flicks series tomorrow, Thursday, April 12:
MAKALA

Director:
Emmanuel Gras

Premiere:
Cannes 2017

Select Festivals:
Karlovy Vary, Toronto, London, Busan, IDFA, CPH:DOX, True/False, Thessaloniki Doc, New Directors/New Films, Poland’s New Horizons, Palm Springs, Goteborg, Tokyo, Hamburg, Vienna

About:
A young Congolese man embarks on a Sisyphean trek to sell charcoal.

Gras’ Cannes-winning observational portrait follows Kabwita Kasongo, a 28-year-old man, as he faces the arduous task of not only making charcoal, but transporting it to market over 30 miles away by balancing it precariously on an old bicycle, pushing it most of the way during the three-day journey. Forced to confront Kasongo’s back-breaking tasks without much of a sense of his personality or background, the viewer gains an almost palpable, immersive sense of the level of poverty and economic exploitation of which he’s just one small part.

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It’s All True 2018 Overview

Festival:
The 23rd É Tudo Verdade/It’s All True

Dates:
April 12-22

About:
This documentary event showcases approximately 30 new and recent features to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro audiences. Continue reading →

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In Theatres: GOOD LUCK

Coming to theatres today, Friday, April 6:
GOOD LUCK

Director:
Ben Russell

Premiere:
Locarno 2017

Select Festivals:
Toronto, New York, Rotterdam, Vancouver, CPH:DOX, Mar del Plata

About:
An immersion into the worlds of miners in Serbia and Suriname.

Explicitly structured in two mirrored halves, Russell’s visually striking 16mm-shot project begins and ends with an alchemical symbol of the Earth, a bisected sphere representing above and below. In between, the first half follows Serbian miners as they descend into a government-owned copper mine, while the second explores the illicit operations of an above-ground gold mine in the jungles of Suriname. Russell creates an enveloping, almost hypnotic effect as he plunges viewers within these realms for over two hours, a durational, experiential immersion that allows the audience to bear witness to the conditions of toil and to the camaraderie and commonalities between the workers despite their geographical and cultural separation.

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In Theatres: THIS IS HOME: A REFUGEE STORY

photo by Gidalya Pictures

Coming to theatres today, Friday, April 6:
THIS IS HOME: A REFUGEE STORY

Director:
Alexandra Shiva

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

Select Festivals:
Cleveland, Full Frame, Florida, Salem

About:
A look at the experiences of newly arrived Syrian refugees in Baltimore.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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Full Frame 2018 Overview

Festival:
The 21st Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Dates:
April 5-8

About:
This respected Durham NC nonfiction event showcases more than 50 new documentary features. Continue reading →

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San Francisco 2018: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 61st San Francisco International Film Festival

Dates:
April 4-17

About:
The long-running Bay Area event includes approximately 100 features, among them 40 documentaries. Continue reading →

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On DVD: WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, LOU DIMAGGIO?

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, April 3:
WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, LOU DIMAGGIO?

Director:
Brad Kuhlman

Premiere:
Santa Barbara 2017

Select Festivals:
Nashville, Beverly Hills, Woodstock Comedy

About:
A former stand-up comedian attempts a comeback.

I previously wrote about the doc <a href="https://whatnottodoc.com/2018/03/15/on-vod-where-have-you-gone-lou-dimaggio/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener"here

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Cleveland 2018: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 42nd Cleveland International Film Festival

Dates:
April 4-15

About:
This popular regional event presents more than 200 features, including nearly 80 documentaries. Continue reading →

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In Theatres & On TV: KING IN THE WILDERNESS

photo by Flip Schulke Archives/Getty Images

Coming to theatres today, Friday, March 30 and to HBO this coming Monday, April 2:
KING IN THE WILDERNESS

Director:
Peter Kunhardt

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

About:
An exploration of the final years of Martin Luther King Jr, set against a backdrop of America’s social and political turmoil.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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On VOD: SWIM TEAM

Coming to VOD via Netflix this Sunday, April 1:
SWIM TEAM

Director:
Lara Stolman

Premiere:
Hot Springs Doc 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Napa Valley, Oxford, Glasgow, Big Sky Doc, Boulder, Reel Abilities, SXSWedu, San Diego Latino, Sarasota, RiverRun, Nashville, Montclair, Berkshire, Greenwich, SF Docfest

About:
A portrait of three teenage swimmers, all on the autism spectrum.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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