Coming to theatres and to Netflix today, Friday, October 21:
DESCENDANT
Director:
Margaret Brown
World Premiere:
Sundance 2022
Select Festivals:
New York, SXSW, CPH:DOX, Camden, IFF Boston, Sidewalk, Mill Valley,
About:
After a century shrouded in secrecy and speculation, descendants of the Clotilda – the last known ship carrying enslaved Africans to the United States – reclaim their story.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to VOD today, Friday, October 21:
THE PEZ OUTLAW
Director:
Amy Bandlien Storkel, Bryan Storkel
World Premiere:
SXSW 2022
Select Festivals:
Cleveland, Freep, Calgary, Hot Springs Doc, Bergen, Seattle, IFF Boston
About:
Steve Glew spent the 1990s smuggling rare pez dispensers into the USA from Eastern Europe, making millions of dollars – until his arch-nemesis, The Pezident, decided to destroy him.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 21:
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 theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 21:
ALL THAT BREATHES
Director:
Shaunak Sen
World Premiere:
Sundance 2022
Select Festivals:
Cannes, New York, Docaviv, IDFA, BFI London, Busan, Krakow, Sydney, Dokufest, Hong Kong, Camden, Zurich, Athens, Vancouver, Hamptons, Hot Springs Doc, Bergen, Rome, Taipei Golden Horse, Stockholm, Montclair
About:
Against the darkening backdrop of Delhi’s apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protect one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the Black Kite.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Thursday, October 20:
THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER
Director:
Kathlyn Horan
World Premiere:
SXSW 2022
Select Festivals:
Telluride, Toronto, Nashville, Wodstock, Hot Springs Doc, Montclair, Chicago
About:
Rising star Brandi Carlile writes an album for her hero, trailblazing country music legend Tanya Tucker, spurring the greatest comeback in country music history.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to OVID tomorrow, Thursday, October 13:
HIGH ON CRACK STREET: LOST LIVES IN LOWELL
Director:
Jon Alpert, Maryann DeLeo, Richard Farrell
Select Festivals:
IDFA, DOC NYC
About:
A harrowing chronicle of addiction in an economically depressed blue-collar Massachusetts town.
The film screened at DOC NYC for its 20th anniversary, for which our program notes read:
Jon Alpert and Maryann De Leo teamed with former drug addict Rich Farrell, a resident of Lowell, Massachusetts, for this harrowing chronicle of addiction in the economically depressed blue-collar town. Filmed over a year and a half, Brenda, Dicky, and Boo-Boo are followed in and out of crackhouses, rehab, and jail, seeking an escape from the despair of their surroundings. Their lives later served as the inspiration for THE FIGHTER, for which Christian Bale, portraying Dicky, won an Oscar.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, October 11:
AMERICAN RAPSTAR
Director:
Justin Staple
World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2020
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, SXSW, Doc’n Roll
About:
An eye-opening exploration of the SoundCloud rap phenomenon, a scene of troubled, young, lo-fi rappers that has used social media to develop a rabid fan base.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 11:
HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG
Director:
Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine
World Premiere:
Telluride 2021
Select Festivals:
Venice, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Vienna, Gent, Tribeca
About:
The definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, Hallelujah.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Monday, October 10:
TAMING THE GARDEN
Director:
Salomé Jashi
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
Berlin, CPH:DOX, New Directors/New Films, Shanghai, Cinéma du Réel
About:
An artful look at the unusual disruption caused by the removal and transport of several massive trees from small Georgian villages.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres today, Friday, October 7:
LAST FLIGHT HOME
Director:
Ondi Timoner
World Premiere:
Sundance 2022
Select Festivals:
Telluride, BFI London, Woodstock
About:
An examination of Eli Timoner’s life and intentional death and his family’s emotional turmoil as they grapple with his decision to end his own life.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 