Festival:
The 30th anniversary IDFA
Dates:
November 15-26
About:
The world’s largest nonfiction event bids farewell to founder and longtime director Ally Derks with its 30th edition, which showcases over 180 new and recent documentary features. Because of the size of the event, this overview is split in two, with today’s post covering the competition sections and tomorrow’s the non-competitive strands. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 14:
KEDI
Director:
Ceyda Torun
Premiere:
!f Istanbul 2016
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Full Frame, Sheffield, Seattle, Melbourne, Vancouver, DocPoint, Goteborg, Salem, Palm Springs
About:
Istanbul through the eyes of its colorful street cats.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
DOC NYC‘s industry programming series, DOC NYC PRO, comes to a close on Thursday, November 16 with a crash course in legal matters of vital interest to documentarians. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
SHORTS: MOTHER EARTH
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
New to DVD this week:
GUN RUNNERS
Director:
Anjali Nayar
Premiere:
Hot Docs 2016
Select Festivals:
Palm Springs, Aspen, Atlantic
About:
Two Kenyan men turn in their guns as part of a government disarmament program to pursue running instead.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
KEDI
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Festival:
The 20th anniversary RIDM
Dates:
November 9-19
About:
Montreal’s well-regarded documentary event showcases more than 70 new documentary features in addition to shorts and retrospective programming. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
The penultimate day of DOC NYC‘s industry programming series, DOC NYC PRO, takes place on Wednesday, November 15. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to VOD this Friday, November 10:
MANSFIELD 66/67
Directors:
P David Ebersole and Todd Hughes
Premiere:
Rotterdam 2017
Select Festivals:
BAFICI, Docs Against Gravity, Provincetown, Sitges, Gent, Am Docs, Frameline, Inside Out
About:
A campy exploration of the life, death, and legend of Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield.
In her heyday in the late 1950s, Jayne Mansfield was a popular Hollywood sex symbol who accepted publicity at any cost, a polyglot who happily took on a dumb blonde persona for fame. Arguably known more for her personal life than notable screen roles, she became infamous after a gruesome 1967 car accident took her life at the age of 34. Ebersole and Hughes focus on her public persona and its legacy in this playful investigation into the wild rumors that have colored her life and death, particularly Mansfield’s connections to fellow publicity hound Anton LaVey, founder of the infamous Church of Satan. Rather than seek out family participation, the filmmakers deliberately instead interview celebrities and cultural commentators like John Waters, Kenneth Anger, and Mary Woronov, as well as academics for their take on the fascination engendered by the ill-fated actress. Upping the inherent camp value are several dance sequences featuring male and female models in Mansfield-like wigs, as well as a near-ever-present score – while both should have been pared down, the project as a whole is entertaining and unique.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to DVD this week:
IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE
Director:
Patrick Shen
Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2015
Select Festivals:
SXSW, Atlanta, Cleveland, Ashland, Full Frame, Dallas, Docville, DOXA, Sheffield, San Francisco Green
About:
A meditation on silence in the cacophony of modern life.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 