Category Archives: Recommendations

2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: BECOMING MIKE NICHOLS

becoming mikeMoving on from the competition categories, my Sundance previews continue with the first film in the Documentary Premieres section: BECOMING MIKE NICHOLS, Douglas McGrath’s appreciation of the legendary filmmaker.

Festival Section:
Documentary Premieres
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On DVD: MAKING ROUNDS

makingroundscourtesyfirstrunfeaturesComing to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, January 12: MAKING ROUNDS

Muffie Meyer’s exploration of hands on cardiac care debuted theatrically this past Fall. First Run Features now releases the doc on DVD.

I previously wrote about the film upon its theatrical release here.

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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: WHEN TWO WORLDS COLLIDE

when two worldsMy third week of Sundance previews open with the final film of the World Cinema Documentary Competition: From Peru, Heidi Brandenburg and Mathew Orzel’s WHEN TWO WORLDS COLLIDE details a contentious battle between development and conservation.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition
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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: WE ARE X

we are xMy second week of Sundance doc profiles wraps up with today’s third film, the penultimate entry in the World Doc competition: From UK/USA/Japan, WE ARE X, Stephen Kijak’s profile of the glam metal powerhouse band X Japan.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition
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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: TICKLED

tickledNext up, the second of today’s Sundance doc profiles: From New Zealand, TICKLED, David Farrier and Dylan Reeve’s most unusual journalistic investigation.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition
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In Theatres: TROUBLEMAKERS: THE STORY OF LAND ART

TROUBLEMAKERS-KEYComing to theatres today, Friday, January 8: TROUBLEMAKERS: THE STORY OF LAND ART

James Crump’s look at a radical revolution in art practice debuted at Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art last Fall. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, New York Film Festival, St Louis, Milan’s Fondazione Prada, and Art Basel Miami, among others.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In the 1960s and ‘70s, a group of NYC-based artists abandoned the constraints of gallery spaces and the demands of the marketplace, moving to the expanse of the American Southwest to engage in a radical reconceptualization of their artistic practice. Turning to nature, acclaimed artists like Michael Heizer (Double Negative) and Robert Smithson (Spiral Jetty) changed accepted notions of scale and exhibition by producing monumental creations out of the earth itself. Crump’s archive-rich film reveals their breathtaking work and their fascinating process.

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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: SONITA

sonitaThe first of today’s three Sundance world doc profiles: From Germany/Iran/Switzerland, SONITA, Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s intimate collaboration with an Iran-based Afghani teenager and her fledgling hip hop dreams.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition
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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: SKY LADDER: THE ART OF CAI GUO-QIANG

sky ladderThis year’s Day One film representing the World Doc section brings today’s profiles to a close: SKY LADDER: THE ART OF CAI GUO-QIANG, Kevin Macdonald’s look at the life and work of one of China’s most celebrated artists.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition
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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: THE SETTLERS

settlersOnto the second half of this year’s World Cinema docs: From Israel/France/Canada/Germany, THE SETTLERS, Shimon Dotan’s in-depth consideration of the ever-contentious West Bank settlements.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition
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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: PLAZA DE LA SOLEDAD

plaza de la soldedadThe first half of this year’s world docs wraps up: From Mexico, PLAZA DE LA SOLEDAD, Maya Goded’s profile of older sex workers on the streets of Mexico City.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition
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