Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, May 6: DARK HORSE
Louise Osmond’s chronicle of a village’s horse racing dreams made its debut at Sundance last year, where it won an audience award. The film also screened at Toronto, Sheffield, Istanbul, Vancouver, Montclair, DocAviv, and Hong Kong, among other events.
I previously profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Tomorrow, Thursday, May 5 sees the launch of DOK.fest Munich. The 31st edition of the event runs through Sunday, May 15, and screens more than 100 nonfiction features. Selections from the various competitions and other sections are noted below: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tonight, Tuesday, May 3: IN TRANSIT
Al Maysles, Lynn True, David Usui, Nelson Walker, and Ben Wu’s observational portrait of cross-country train travel debuted at Tribeca last year. Screenings followed at IDFA, Vancouver, Full Frame, Dokufest Kosovo, Camden, DMZ Docs, Docs DF, Docslisboa, RIDM, AFI Docs, Hamptons, Denver, and DocAviv, among others.
This immersive film follows the path of the Empire Builder, the most active long-distance train route in the US, from Chicago to Seattle, as it offers brief but often surprisingly poignant scenes with various passengers and other riders. As the filmmakers present these fleeting profiles – an abused woman reflects on the children she gave up for adoption, an oil field worker heads to a reunion with his girlfriend, a single mother of four kids seeks a relationship with her father, a conductor speaks of his job fulfilling long-held dreams – a multifaceted, intimate portrait of modern America emerges, one that makes for a fitting last project by the incomparable Albert Maysles.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3 and to DVD and VOD this Friday, May 6: JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE
Amy Berg’s profile of Janis Joplin debuted at Venice last year. Other festival berths included Toronto, DOC NYC, Deauville, Rio, London, Warsaw, and Poland’s American Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens this coming Monday, May 2: MY NAZI LEGACY
David Evans’ look at the generational impact of two high-ranking Nazis premiered at Tribeca last year. Other screenings included Jerusalem, Vancouver, Hamburg, London, Stockholm, and San Francisco Jewish film fests.
I previously wrote about the film here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to HBO this coming Monday, May 2: CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH
Adam Benzine’s portrait of the celebrated filmmaker debuted at Hot Docs last year. Its extensive festival run also included DOC NYC, Sheffield, San Francisco Jewish, Camden, Hot Springs Doc, Viennale, IDFA, Hamptons, and Dokufest. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary.
I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In 1973, French journalist Claude Lanzmann set out to make a documentary about the Holocaust. After twelve long years, he finally released the nearly ten-hour-long SHOAH to critical acclaim. For the first time, the 89-year-old auteur reflects on the challenges he faced to realize his vision. Adam Benzine combines fascinating unused footage from the film with candid thoughts from Lanzmann to reveal the impact of this seminal project on his life.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD this Sunday, May 1: GAYBY BABY
Maya Newell’s profile of several children of same-sex parents had its world premiere at Hot Docs last year. Other festival appearances have included DOC NYC, London, Melbourne, Sydney, Documentary Edge, Warsaw, and DOK Leipzig. Its VOD release is timed to coincide with International Family Equality Day.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Wednesday, April 27: EVA HESSE
Marcie Begleiter’s look back at the postminimalist pioneer had its world premiere at the Whitney Museum of American Art last May. The film has also screened at Denver’s Women + Film series, the Washington Jewish Film Festival, and the Wexner Center for the Arts.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Tomorrow, Thursday, April 28 sees the kick off of North America’s biggest nonfiction event, Toronto’s Hot Docs. Running through Sunday, May 8, this year’s 23rd edition will present approximately 150 new and recent feature documentaries, as well as retrospective programming, shorts, special talks, and the concurrent industry-focused Hot Docs Forum. Notably, this year is the first event under new Director of Programming Shane Smith, a well-liked veteran programmer whose past experience includes Toronto, Sundance, Inside Out, and the Worldwide Short film fests. I’m looking forward to heading north this weekend and checking out several of his selections, including the overview below: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, April 26: PACKED IN A TRUNK: THE LOST ART OF EDITH LAKE WILKINSON
Michelle Boyaner’s rediscovery of a lost artist debuted at Palm Springs last year. it went on to screen at Provincetown, Frameline, and LGBT fests in Halifax, Kansas City, and Portland, before being broadcast on HBO last Summer.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
