Coming to NYC’s Made in New York Media Center as part of its Screen Forward series starting tomorrow, Friday, June 24: T-REX
Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari’s look at a boxer’s Olympic dreams debuted at SXSW last year. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, New Orleans, San Francisco, Traverse City, Camden, Hot Springs Doc, DOK Leipzig, Cucalorus, Athena, and Atlantic, among others.
I previously wrote about the film here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, June 24: EAT THAT QUESTION: FRANK ZAPPA IN HIS OWN WORDS
Thorsten Schütte’s subversive portrait of the maverick musician made its bow at Sundance this year. The film also appeared at Berlin, Montclair, New Zealand, and Asbury Park.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Film Forum today, Wednesday, June 22: NUTS!
Penny Lane’s unconventional chronicle of a self-made turn-of-the-century doctor debuted at Sundance this year, where it won the US Documentary Editing award. Other fest play has included Hot Docs, San Francisco, BAMcinemaFest, Rotterdam, Ashland, Durban, and the upcoming Nantucket.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to Epix tonight, Wednesday, June 22: SERENA
Ryan White’s portrait of the tennis champion debuted at Sheffield earlier this month. It will also screen at the upcoming Nantucket Film Festival this weekend.
I previously wrote about the doc for the Nantucket program, saying:
Serena Williams won her first major championship tennis title in 1999, and she hasn’t stopped winning since. Seventeen years later, she has claimed more than 20 Grand Slam titles and four Olympic gold medals. How does the international sports icon, considered by many the greatest tennis player of all time, handle the pressure? In this revealing portrait of perseverance, Ryan White follows Serena as she looks poised to complete a calendar slam by winning four Grand Slams in a single year for the first time since Steffi Graf managed that feat in 1988.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
The 14th edition of AFI Docs comes a week later this year, opening tomorrow, Wednesday, June 22 and running through the end of the weekend. The Washington DC event opens with Alex Gibney’s cyber-warfare investigation, ZERO DAYS, and closes with Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s tribute to a television pioneer, NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU, while LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD screens as part of this year’s Guggenheim Symposium with director Werner Herzog.
While the majority of this year’s approximately 50 features offer DC audiences the chance to catch films that have generated attention at major fests like Sundance, IDFA, SXSW, and Tribeca, AFI Docs also offers a number of premieres. This year’s world premieres are: Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio’s DOC & DARRYL, on baseball legends Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry; Jamie Sisley and Miguel MiG Martinez’s FAREWELL FERRIS WHEEL, a look at the lives of Mexican migrant carnival workers; and Nicole Opper’s VISITOR’S DAY (pictured), about the efforts of a street kid to better his life.
Other films making at least US debuts at the festival include: Tamar Tal Anati’s SHALOM ITALIA, which follows Jewish brothers as they search for the Tuscan cave that sheltered their family during WWII; Martin Kollar’s 5 OCTOBER, a portrait of the director’s brother before a potentially life-threatening surgery; Maciej Adamek’s TWO WORLDS, about a hearing teenage daughter of deaf parents; Paula Heredia’s TOUCAN NATION, on an abused bird that became a rallying symbol for Costa Rican animal rights; and Trisha Ziff’s THE MAN WHO SAW TOO MUCH (pictured), about a veteran crime scene photographer in Mexico City.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, June 21: ORIENTED
Jake Witzenfeld’s profile of gay Palestinians in Tel Aviv had its world premiere at Sheffield last year. Screenings have followed at Los Angeles, Cleveland, Nashville, QDoc, Seattle Jewish, Other Israel, Chicago Palestine, Seret London, and Workers Unite, among other events. It now comes to DVD as well as to VOD platforms including iTunes, Indemand, Amazon, Google Play, and Dish.
I previously wrote about the film here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 21: KING GEORGES
Erika Frankel’s exploration of a culinary legacy debuted at Full Frame last year. Other fest berths included DOC NYC, IFF Boston, Seattle, AFI Docs, Traverse City, San Diego, Philadelphia, Denver, Napa Valley, Portland, and Big Sky.
I previously wrote about the film here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, June 21: THE HAND THAT FEEDS
Rachel Lears and Robin Blotnick’s chronicle of undocumented workers organizing for better treatment debuted at Full Frame in 2014. Additional screenings followed at DOC NYC, Traverse City, AFI Docs, Woodstock, Sidewalk, Cleveland, Workers Unite, Boulder, and Latino fests in San Francisco, Chicago, and San Diego.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, June 20: SUITED
Jason Benjamin’s look at the impact of clothing on self-esteem bowed at Sundance this year. Additional screenings have included Hot Docs, BAMcinemaFest, Human Rights Watch, Sarasota, Frameline, and QDoc.
I wrote about the doc pre-Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, June 20: TRAPPED
Dawn Porter’s exploration of the bureaucratic war on abortion providers had its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, where it picked up a special jury prize. In addition to scores of community screenings, the doc has also appeared at SXSW, Miami, Athena, Martha’s Vineyard, Ashland, and Montclair, and has also been released theatrically.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 