Coming to CNN this Sunday, January 1:
DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER
Director:
Dave Wooley, David Heilbroner
World Premiere:
Toronto 2021
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Montclair, Santa Barbara, Annapolis
About:
In this career-spanning portrait, richly illustrated with vintage musical performances, Dionne Warwick is a marvelous raconteur sharing candid stories behind her hit songs.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Amazon Prime Video this Friday, December 30:
WILDCAT
Director:
Melissa Lesh, Trevor Beck Frost
World Premiere:
Telluride 2022
Select Festivals:
IDFA, Montclair, Heartland, St Louis, Hawai’i, AFI Fest
About:
A British war vet crippled by depression and PTSD attempts to find healing by raising an orphaned baby ocelot to maturity deep in the Peruvian jungle.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced the shortlists for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short today. Congratulations to all the filmmakers – especially the Sundance Film Festival alumni represented.
The official lists are below. The final nominees will be announced on January 24.
Documentary Feature:
Documentary Short Subject:
38 at the Garden
American Justice on Trial: People v Newton
Anastasia
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison
As Far as They Can Run
The Elephant Whisperers
The Flagmakers
Happiness Is £4 Million
Haulout
Holding Moses
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Nuisance Bear
Shut Up and Paint
Stranger at the Gate
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, December 21:
WILDCAT
Director:
Melissa Lesh, Trevor Beck Frost
World Premiere:
Telluride 2022
Select Festivals:
IDFA, Montclair, Heartland, St Louis, Hawai’i, AFI Fest
About:
A British war vet crippled by depression and PTSD attempts to find healing by raising an orphaned baby ocelot to maturity deep in the Peruvian jungle.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to OVID today, Tuesday, December 20:
BALLETS RUSSES
Director:
Dan Geller, Dayna Goldfine
World Premiere:
Sundance 2005
Select Festivals:
Toronto, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Milwaukee
About:
An intimate portrait of a group of pioneering artists who gave birth to modern ballet.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, December 20:
BRAINWASHED: SEX-CAMERA-POWER
Director:
Nina Menkes
World Premiere:
Sundance 2022
Select Festivals:
Berlin, CPH:DOX, IDFA, Karlovy Vary, Thessaloniki Doc, BFI London, Jeonju, Istanbul, Beldocs, Docaviv, Frameline, Encounters, Bergen, Ambulante
About:
Based on Nina Menkes’ acclaimed talk “Sex & Power: The Visual Language of Cinema,” this is a mesmerizing journey into how shot design intersects with the twin epidemics of sexual abuse/assault and employment discrimination against women.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to OVID today, Friday, December 16:
WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED
Director:
Mariam Ghani
World Premiere:
Berlin 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sheffield, San Francisco, Kerala, Nashville, Rhode Island, Heartland, Hot Springs Doc, Philadelphia Asian American, St Louis, WatchDocs, San Diego Asian American, Cinema Verite, Goteborg, DocPoint Talinn, Ann Arbor
About:
A meditation on incomplete films made in Afghanistan during periods of instability between 1978-1992.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to OVID today, Thursday, December 15:
US KIDS
Director:
Kim A Snyder
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
Sheffield, Doc Edge, Mountainfilm, Full Frame, Miami, Martha’s Vineyard, NewportFilm, Calgary, GlobeDocs, Bergen, Hamptons, Mill Valley
About:
The young survivors of the Parkland school shooting are followed over a transformative year and a half.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to OVID today, Wednesday, December 14:
BEST KEPT SECRET
Director:
Samantha Buck
World Premiere:
Independent Film Festival Boston 2013
Select Festivals:
Montclair, AFI Docs
About:
A look at a driven teacher of special needs students.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, December 13:
RIOTSVILLE, USA
Director:
Sierra Pettengill
World Premiere:
Sundance 2022
Select Festivals:
New Directors/New Films, True/False, CPH:DOX, Seattle, Freep, San Francisco, Traverse City
About:
Footage shot by the media and government of a fictional town built by the US military explores the militarization of the police and the reaction of a nation to the uprisings of the late 1960s, creating a counter-narrative to a critical moment in American history.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 