Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction tomorrow Tuesday, March 20: GIRL MODEL
Ashley Sabin and David Redmon’s accomplished look at the dark side of the international modeling industry made its world premiere at Toronto last year. It came stateside for SXSW last week, having already screened at Rome (winning a jury award), Abu Dhabi, Rio, CPH:DOX, IDFA, and others.
I included the doc in my SXSW roundup here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
The 41st edition of New Directors/New Films, a co-presentation of the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, begins next Wednesday, March 21 and runs through Sunday, April 1.
As always, ND/NF is a tightly curated showcase of international emerging talent – the series consists of 29 features and 12 shorts from 28 countries. There are only four feature docs included, but of the three that I’ve already seen (Sundance titles), they represent some of the strongest, most provocative non-fiction work of the past few months:
I haven’t yet seen the fourth film, Anca Damian’s CRULIC: THE PATH TO BEYOND, from Romania, which has already picked up awards at CPH:DOX, Locarno, and Warsaw.
While not technically a doc in its final form, a fifth film, another Sundance alumnus, Terence Nance’s AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY, has its origins in non-fiction, and utilizes documentary strategies to tell its winning story about love and desire.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to PBS’ Independent Lens next Thursday, March 22: PUSHING THE ELEPHANT
Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel premiered their portrait of humanitarian activist Rose Mapendo at New York’s 2010 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. It went on to screen at Human Rights Watch’s London festival and IDFA among others, and screened theatrically through DocuWeeks, before making its broadcast premiere on Independent Lens a year ago.
Mapendo emerged from the horrific ethnic warfare of the Democratic Republic of the Congo radically transformed. She lost her husband to murder, witnessed her daughter raped by a soldier, which resulted in a pregnancy, and herself became pregnant during the conflict. While most people might wish to forget and move forward, Rose recognized the need to come to terms with the past lest it fester and return again stronger. Having left her homeland for Arizona, she has dedicated her life to reconciliation and peace, sharing her painful story as she works with other refugees and victims of violence. This exceptional film focuses a great deal on Mapendo’s own often challenging reunion with her daughter Nangabire, who she had to leave behind for more then a decade. Indicative of the openness that Mapendo demonstrates throughout the film, this personal aspect of her life further humanizes her, moving her from an imposing activist figurehead to a relatable single mother who has to do a lot of work to balance her various responsibilities.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, March 13: THE SWELL SEASON
Nick August-Perna, Chris Dapkins, and Carlo Mirabella-Davis premiered their doc on the real relationship between the stars of the Oscar winning ONCE at Tribeca last year. It went on to play more than a dozen additional fests, including Silverdocs, Newport, Traverse City, and CPH:DOX, and enjoyed a theatrical release in the US and elsewhere.
I included the doc in my Tribeca coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
My latest Indiewire curation for Hulu documentaries loosely uses SXSW’s influential Interactive conference and its themes as its starting point, focusing on documentaries exploring technology and gaming. View all of the films now for free!
For more information about the selections, see my Indiewire article.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Indiewire @ Hulu Docs, Recommendations
This month, I’m excited to be attending the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival for the first time. I’ll be leaving SXSW after its first half to catch the second half of the Greek festival, making for a packed couple of weeks. It’s been far too many years since I’ve been to Greece – the homeland of both of my parents – and the first time I’ve attended a film event there. The tight timing unfortunately means I won’t have a chance to visit relatives in Athens, putting me in the doghouse with them, but so it goes.
Thessaloniki’s documentary fest, part of the same organization that puts together the larger non-doc specific event in the Fall, opens tomorrow, March 9 and runs through the 18th. Its 14th edition, under the theme “Images of the 21st Century, presents a staggering 185 films – features and shorts – under eight sections plus an additional six special programs. I’m covering the festival for Indiewire and looking forward to sampling as many of the offerings as possible. Following is a section-by-section overview, with some of the titles that caught my attention as I read through the lineup descriptions: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to VOD next Tuesday, March 13: BROOKLYN BOHEME
Diane Paragas and Nelson George’s personal exploration of the vibrant African American arts renaissance in Brooklyn during the 1980s and 90s made its premiere as the opening night film at Urbanworld last year. Additional fest appearances have included DOC NYC and LA’s Pan African Film Festival, while cable audiences have been able to see the film on Showtime. It now becomes more widely available through iTunes, Amazon VOD, Vudu, Cinema Now, YouTube VOD, Song Playstation, and XBox 360 via FilmBuff.
Very much a love letter to Brooklyn’s Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, this amiable doc finds George serving as both narrator and on-camera tour guide, visiting with a who’s who of the community’s most recognizable faces, including Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Branford Marsalis, Rosie Perez, and Saul Williams as they reminisce about the opportunities for creative expression, and, most significantly, the sense of collaboration that defined the area as a mecca for young African American artists. Likened by some as Brooklyn’s version of the Harlem Renaissance, the period saw a blossoming of filmmaking, writing, and performance by an interconnected group of talented new voices – plus, apparently, some pretty unforgettable parties. Though I’m predisposed to take issue with hosts in docs, George’s presence works for the most part – this is his neighborhood, and this is also his history, and the celebrity interviews would probably feel less warm and authentic without him. As much as George and Paragas take a look back at what once was, the film doesn’t wallow in the past – it moves beyond nostalgia to contextualize a time and place and consider not only its legacy, but its future, despite the changes wrought through gentrification.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s reRun Gastropub Theatre for a one-week run this Friday, March 9: CONVENTO
Jarred Alterman premiered his fascinating film about a former monastery and its eccentric inhabitants at SXSW last year. It went on to screen at Edinburgh, Camden, Rooftop Films, Maryland, and the Independent Film Festival Boston, where it won a special jury prize. It comes to NYC in a special extended cut.
I wrote about the film out of SXSW here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres this Friday, March 9: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
David Gelb premiered his portrait of an octogenarian sushi masterchef at Tribeca last year. Other stops on the fest circuit have included Berlin, Jerusalem, AFI Fest, and Stockholm. Magnolia brings the film to NYC this weekend before expanding around the country.
I included the film in my Tribeca coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD/VOD today, Tuesday, March 6: HOLY ROLLERS: THE TRUE STORY OF CARD COUNTING CHRISTIANS
Bryan Storkel’s documentary debut about a team of Christian blackjack players made its world premiere at last year’s Seattle International Film Festival. Since then it’s appeared at more than two dozen additional fests, including (fittingly) Las Vegas, Sidewalk Moving Picture, San Diego, Raindance, Denver, Oxford, and Big Sky, picking up seven awards along the way. DVD and VOD are being handled by Warner Bros Digital and Gravitas Ventures, with DVDs available via the the film’s website. and VOD through iTunes, Amazon, YouTube, Blockbuster, Vudu, Xbox, AT&T, Verizon, DirecTV, Time Warner, and other providers.
The concept seems incongruous – young Christians, including a number of pastors, working together to form the “Church Team,” a professional card counting group with the aim of winning ridiculously huge sums of money from casinos by playing high stakes blackjack. And incongruous it is – reconciling gambling for a living with the strictures of their faith is something that is addressed and readdressed throughout Storkel’s engaging, fast-paced film. While some of the affable team members have found some way to rationalize their participation – one teammate is convinced blackjack is his calling, and uses Bible verses to remind himself that God is responsible for his winnings and losses – others find themselves ultimately unable to come to grips with leading a Christian life and taking advantage of a system to win money. While initially wildly successful, the Church Team soon faces serious growing pains, and potentially bankrupting losses, leading to soul-searching, speculation about how much they trust one another, and even a startling confession before the film, and potentially the team, runs its course.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
