Coming to NYC’s Quad Cinema and to Los Angeles’ Noho 7 this Friday, April 12: WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON
Sebastian Junger’s affecting tribute to his fallen comrade had its world premiere at Sundance this past January. Since then, it has screened at True/False, Miami, Cleveland, and Full Frame, among others. The film’s limited theatrical release comes just before its HBO premiere next week.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, April 9: LOVE FREE OR DIE
Macky Alston picked up a special jury prize upon the debut of his portrait of gay bishop Gene Robinson at Sundance last year. The doc has had an extensive fest circuit, with stops at Cleveland, Full Frame, Seattle, New Orleans, IFF Boston, Frameline, Outfest, and NewFest, among others, while also screening at a number of churches and community centers.
I wrote about the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to VOD today, April 9: ONLY THE YOUNG
Elizabeth Mims and Jason Tippet’s refreshing portrait of adolescence made its premiere at True/False last year. It went on to screen at San Francisco, Hot Docs, and Silverdocs, where it picked up an award. It enjoyed a limited theatrical release this past Winter, and now comes to iTunes, Amazon, XBOX, Vudu, Google Play, cable on demand, and direct digital download from Oscilloscope.
I included the film in my Hot Docs coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, April 10, in Auckland, New Zealand, and running through Sunday, April 21 (before moving on to Wellington between May 8-19), the Documentary Edge holds its ninth edition. The event, originally known as DOCNZ before a rebranding to emphasize its aim to showcase cutting edge fare, annually presents scores of acclaimed international docs as well as homegrown work in a series of thematic programs. More than sixty features and shorts screen this year, bookended by opening and closing night films, THE ISLAND PRESIDENT and MUSCLE SHOALS, respectively. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, the Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente, or BAFICI, begins this Wednesday, April 10 and runs through Sunday, April 21. The event is among the largest in South America, drawing over 350,000 to its film screenings and other events. Of the more than 400 features and shorts in its lineup, more than a quarter are feature documentaries, appearing throughout the various sections of the festival. While I’ve sadly never had the opportunity to attend, I’m impressed by the range of selections and especially by the commitment the organizer have shown to champion their national cinema. If I were heading to Argentina, the following films, broken down section-by-section, are ones that I’d seek out: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, April 9: THE LAST FLIGHT OF PETR GINZ
Sandra Dickson and Churchill Roberts’ creative recounting of one boy’s experience of the Holocaust has screened at a number of Jewish film festivals over the past year, including Atlanta, Toronto, Zagreb, Cleveland, Hong Kong, Warsaw, UK, Washington, Houston, and Miami. The film has also screened at the Czech Republic’s Zlin children’s fest, and picked up a special award at last year’s Jerusalem International Film Festival.
Dickson and Roberts’ film tells the story of a young Polish Holocaust victim through his surviving diaries and imaginative drawings and stories, produced while he was held at the Terezin concentration camp before his murder at Auschwitz at the age of sixteen. His journals, and his sister’s narration, relate the harsh reality of life in Poland under the Nazi occupation, but it is in Ginz’s fictional writing and artwork that he let his imagination free him from his bonds. Inspired by Jules Verne and other science fiction writers, the young man wrote numerous novels, including a thinly-veiled indictment of the Nazis in the form of mechanical monsters trying to enslave the world, and, most remarkably, a secret underground literary journal co-produced with fellow camp prisoners. His experiences structure this film, with animated segments in different styles reflecting both his real-life and fictional flights of fancy. While some of the storytelling and journal recital sequences overstay their welcome, the filmmakers have made a concerted effort to produce a very different kind of Holocaust narrative – one that celebrates life, creativity, and defiance even in the direst of circumstances – and in that they have decidedly succeeded.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, April 9: LA SOURCE
Patrick Shen’s profile of the efforts to bring clean water to a Haitian village made its world premiere at Silverdocs last year. It went on to screen at DocuWeeks, DocuWest, Big Sky, Palm Springs, and the Arclight Doc fest, where it picked up an award. It comes to VOD on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, CinemaNow, and other platforms.
I previously wrote about the film here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Bronx Documentary Center this Saturday, April 6: THE LIST
Beth Murphy’s exploration of the fate of Iraqi US collaborators made its debut at Tribeca last year. It’s had an extensive festival run, including slots at the IFF Boston, Nantucket, Little Rock, Camden, Hot Docs, Abu Dhabi, and Woods Hole, where it picked up an Audience Award.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Tribeca here.
Note: The screening will include a Q&A with the film’s protagonist, Kirk W Johnson, as well as Saad Saaed, an Iraqi who formerly worked with the US government, moderated by New Yorker‘s George Packer.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to PBS this coming Monday, April 8: GOING BLIND
Joe Lovett’s exploration of vision loss through his personal story, as well as that of other sight-impaired individuals, had a limited theatrical release in 2010. It has screened extensively at various medical conferences, schools, and community screenings since. It will be broadcast on public TV in top markets including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, and Atlanta, among scores of others. For a full list, click here.
I wrote about the doc upon its theatrical release here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to PBS’ Independent Lens next Monday, April 8: THE HOUSE I LIVE IN
Eugene Jarecki’s searing indictment of America’s failed war on drugs premiered at Sundance last year, where it won the US documentary grand jury prize. It’s gone on to screen at Los Angeles, Vancouver, Melbourne, and Minneapolis St Paul, among others. Shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar, the film enjoyed a limited theatrical release as well as a VOD release.
I wrote about the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
