Coming to Rooftop Films this Friday, August 16: FUCK FOR FOREST
Michał Marczak’s exploration of a ragtag group of hedonistic environmentalists made its debut at the Warsaw Film Festival last Fall, where it won the best documentary award. It has gone on to screen at Rotterdam, SXSW, Guadalajara, Cinéma du Réel, Hot Docs, and Sheffield, among others.
I previously wrote about the film out of SXSW here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, August 13: TV JUNKIE
Michael Cain and Matt Radecki’s harrowing exploration of one man’s self-documented self-destruction made its world premiere at Sundance in 2006, where it was awarded a special jury prize. It went on to screen at SXSW, Locarno, Biografa, Stockholm, Seattle, and Melbourne, among others, and also was broadcast on HBO. Sundance Artist Services now brings the doc to iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, XBOX, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, VUDU, and YouTube.
Rick Kirkham began videotaping himself at the age of 14, a precursor to today’s self-obsessed, self-broadcasting, technology-symbiotic YouTube generation, capturing a dizzying amount of footage as he pursued a career in television. Working his way from AMERICAN BANDSTAND to local TV news and eventually the tabloid news series INSIDE EDITION, Kirkham seemed to have achieved his dream, but his private footage reveals the dark side to celebrity. Enabled by Kirkham’s fanatical diaristic impulse, directors Cain and Radecki’s film, culled from more than 3000 hours of footage, as well as 5000 photos, traces the man’s descent into crack addiction, and its impact on his family and career. His raw, almost unmediated, taped confessions are revelatory and contradictory, at once a seeming cry for help and a defiant challenge, except his original audience was solely himself. There’s an immersive quality to the footage, drawing the viewer into Kirkham’s egocentric sphere, and if it’s decidedly not easy to watch, that’s entirely the point.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, August 16: CUTIE AND THE BOXER
Zachary Heinzerling’s warm exploration of the challenges of a long marriage between artists made its debut at Sundance earlier this year, where it picked up a directing award. Its fest circuit has also included True/False, San Francisco, Tribeca, and Karlovy Vary, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 13: AN AFRICAN ELECTION
Jarreth and Kevin Merz’s engrossing examination of Ghana’s presidential election made its debut at IDFA in 2010. It went on to screen at Sundance, Atlanta, and Visions Du Reel, among others. Sundance Artist Services now makes the doc available via iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, XBOX, Sony, SundanceNOW, Vudu, and YouTube.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to Pivot for its cable broadcast premiere this Sunday, August 11: TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY
Cullen Hoback’s exploration of the end of online privacy had its world premiere at Slamdance. Since then, the doc has screened at Hot Docs, Dallas, Newport Beach, SF DocFest, and Seattle, among others, and has enjoyed a limited theatrical release.
I previously wrote about the film out of Hot Docs here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s IFC Center and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, August 9: ZIPPER
Amy Nicholson’s look at the changing face of Coney Island debuted at DOC NYC last year, where it took home a special jury prize. It went to screen at Big Sky, Atlanta, and Montclair, among others. The doc comes to iTunes simultaneous with its NYC theatrical release, and expands to LA theatres at the end of the month.
I included the film in my DOC NYC coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Among the world’s oldest international film events, the Film Festival Locarno kicks off its 66th edition tonight, running through Saturday, August 17, with a lineup of over 100 features, of which more than forty are documentaries. The Swiss fest, situated just weeks before Venice, Telluride, and Toronto, often showcases an adventurous program, balancing the expected star-driven fare with more challenging discoveries that might normally be relegated to the sidelines at other festivals its size. Its non-fiction offerings appear in virtually every section, from the fest’s signature Piazza Grande massive open-air screenings to its own version of the independently curated Semaine de la critique. The following highlights docs, section-by-section, that have caught my eye: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to theatres this Friday, August 9: OFF LABEL
Michel Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s exploration of America’s addiction to prescription psychotropic drugs debuted at Tribeca last year. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, San Francisco, Sheffield, One World, Camden, and RIDM, among others.
I included the doc in my Tribeca coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres this Friday, August 9: THE MACHINE WHICH MAKES EVERYTHING DISAPPEAR
Tinatin Gurchiani’s intimate exploration of her native Georgia debuted last year at DOK Leipzig. It came stateside at Sundance, where Gurchiani won the World Cinema Documentary Competition Best Director Award. Other festival stops have included IDFA, MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, True/False, Hong Kong, Thessaloniki Doc, It’s All True, Documentary Edge, Hot Docs, and Planete+ Doc.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Thursday, August 8: 12 O’CLOCK BOYS
Lotfy Nathan’s immersive view of a Baltimore urban dirt-bike subculture had its world premiere this Spring at SXSW. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, where it claimed a jury award, as well as Full Frame, Maryland, and the upcoming Sundance Next Weekend, among others.
I included the doc in my SXSW coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
