Category Archives: Recommendations

New to DVD this week:
THE APOLOGY

Director:
Tiffany Hsiung

Premiere:
Hot Docs 2016

Select Festivals:
Human Rights Watch, Göteborg, Vilnius, Busan, Cork, Cinemalaya, DocPoint

About:
Former comfort women speak out about the abuse they suffered in WWII.

While the Imperial Japanese Army’s use of sex slaves has already been well-documented as a devastating human rights abuse during wartime, the nation of Japan has yet to officially acknowledge this barbarous practice. With former so-called “comfort women” usually shamed into silence in the decades since World War II, and their aging population dwindling, some have begun to speak out. Hsiung’s impactful film profiles three, hailing from South Korea, China, and the Philippines, to share their harrowing stories, while also following their efforts to receive the titular apology from Japan, only to face further stigmatization and scorn. Hsiung does justice to her subjects’ stories, with the film’s somewhat overlong running time and plodding score the only real missteps, making the project feel even heavier for an already difficult topic.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, September 6:
SPETTACOLO

Directors:
Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen

Premiere:
SXSW 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, Sheffield, Biografilm, AFI Docs, Provincetown, Melbourne, Cleveland, Dallas, Sarasota, Nashville, SF DocFest

About:
Italian villagers transform their lives into an annual play.

I previously wrote about the doc for Nantucket’s program, saying:
Fifty years ago, the tiny Tuscan village of Monticchiello, population 136, developed a novel way to address community concerns: it dramatized them, turning residents’ lives into a play performed in the piazza for all to watch, discuss, and debate. Whether confronting the tragedies they suffered in World War II or reckoning with a changing economy that has seen their farming culture erode, villagers young and old unite each summer to show the revelatory, transformative power of art.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, September 5:
THEY CALL US MONSTERS

Director:
Ben Lear

Premiere:
Los Angeles Film Festival 2016

Select Festivals:
AFI Docs, Austin, Human Rights Watch, Hot Springs Doc, Antenna Doc, Heartland,

About:
A consideration of juvenile offenders who are tried as adults.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, September 4:
MONSIEUR LE PRESIDENT

Director:
Victoria Campbell

Premiere:
DOC NYC 2014

Select Festivals:
Martha’s Vineyard, Hot Springs Doc

About:
A profile of a complicated figure who emerges in Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 5:
SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

Director:
Matt Schrader

Premiere:
Hamptons 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Denver, Hawaii, Santa Barbara, CPH:DOX, RiverRun, Dallas, Cleveland, Ashland, San Francisco, Nashville, deadCENTER

About:
An inside look at the art of the film score.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to CNN tonight, Monday, September 4:
THE REAGAN SHOW

Directors:
Pacho Velez and Sierra Pettengill

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Montclair, Seattle, AFI Docs

About:
In 1918, Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan took on the role of a lifetime: the 40th President of the United States.

I previously wrote about the doc here.