Category Archives: Recommendations

2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: ALL THESE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

all these sleeplessMoving over to the World Cinema competition: From Poland, ALL THESE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, Michał Marczak’s snapshot of twentysomethings living life to the fullest.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition
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On DVD: A BRAVE HEART

brave heartComing to DVD today, Tuesday, January 5: A BRAVE HEART: THE LIZZIE VELASQUEZ STORY

Sara Hirsch Bordo’s profile of an unexpected activist bowed at SXSW last year, where it won an audience award. The film’s fest circuit has included Traverse City, Newport Beach, Rhode Island, Lower East Side, and Bentonville, among others.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: WEINER

weinerBringing this year’s Sundance US Documentary Competition preview to a close: WEINER, Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s in-the-moment chronicle of a politician’s ill-fated return.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: UNCLE HOWARD

uncle howardToday’s Sundance preview wraps with the penultimate film of the US Documentary Competition: Aaron Brookner’s UNCLE HOWARD, a nephew’s revival of his filmmaking inspiration.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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On TV: CHUCK NORRIS VS COMMUNISM

chuck norrisComing to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, January 4: CHUCK NORRIS VS COMMUNISM

Ilinca Calugareanu’s exploration of the subversive role played by VCRs in the Cold War made its debut at Sundance last year. Screenings followed at Nantucket, Hot Docs, Edinburgh, Los Angeles, Denver, Stockholm, Leeds, Hamptons, and Seattle, among other fests.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: TRAPPED

trappedContinuing my look at this year’s Sundance doc features: TRAPPED, Dawn Porter’s investigation of the war against reproductive health clinics.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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On TV: CARTEL LAND

cartel landComing to A&E tonight, Monday, January 4: CARTEL LAND

Matthew Heineman’s visceral exploration of Mexican cartel violence had its world premiere at Sundance last year, where it won two awards. It went on to screen at Nantucket, DOC NYC, True/False, Full Frame, Dallas, Sarasota, Tribeca, IFF Boston, Documenta, Docville, Seattle, Sydney, Human Rights Watch, AFI Docs, and Sheffield, among others. The film has been shortlisted for the Documentary Feature Academy Award.

My pre-Sundance doc profile may be found here.

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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: SUITED

suitedWeek two of my Sundance doc preview begins: SUITED, Jason Benjamin’s profile of custom tailors serving gender non-conforming clients.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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2015 Top Ten (+ Five) Docs

nonfics1About a week ago, Nonfics posted the results of their Best Documentary of 2015 poll. The overall results may be found here.

My list appears at the very end of that article, which I’m reproducing below as well. I’ve restricted my list to nonfiction features that have been officially released in 2015, omitting festival favorites that have not yet been made commercially available as of yet.

Before 2015 fades into memory, here are pointers to what I’ve previously written about my top fifteen docs of the year on what (not) to doc. The films are unranked and in alphabetical order:

ALMOST THERE

AMY

BEST OF ENEMIES

CARTEL LAND

DEMOCRATS

DREAMCATCHER

HEART OF A DOG

IN JACKSON HEIGHTS

LISTEN TO ME MARLON

THE LOOK OF SILENCE

MERU

THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER

WESTERN

WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?

THE WOLFPACK

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2016 Sundance Docs in Focus: NUTS!

nutsThe final 2016 Sundance doc profile for the week: NUTS!, Penny Lane’s curious animated tale of 20th century medical quackery and shameless self-promotion.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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