Coming to NYC’s Film Forum for a one week run beginning next Wednesday, December 28: EL SICARIO, ROOM 164
Gianfranco Rosi’s unconventional yet remarkably gripping profile of an ex-hitman premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, where it won three awards. It has screened at numerous fests since, including Hot Docs, DocLisboa, DocAviv, and Thessaloniki Documentary, picking up additional accolades along the way.
I included the film in my Hot Docs round up here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’ Independent Lens tomorrow, Thursday, December 22: THE WOODMANS
C Scott Willis premiered his captivating portrait of a family of artists at Tribeca last year, and walked away with the award for Best New York Documentary. After screening at additional festivals including Silverdocs and Cleveland, the doc had a limited theatrical release earlier this year.
While the spectre of Francesca Woodman seems to always lurk in the periphery of every frame of Willis’ film, true to the doc’s title, the focus is not exclusively on the celebrated youngest member of the family, who committed suicide in 1981 at the age of 22. Instead, a portrait emerges of the entire nuclear family, made up of artists in their own right. Francesca’s story serves as a structuring device, with her work and her diaries offering insight into the provocative body of photography she left behind. At the same time, intriguingly, she (or her success) serves as something of a standard against which the other members of her family inevitably measure themselves against. Parents George and Betty Woodman, speaking openly about harboring a certain level of jealousy that their own work may not be as lauded as that of their prematurely deceased daughter, may seem offputting to some viewers – parental love in some way eclipsed by professional envy. But their professional response to the personal trauma of losing their troubled daughter – the creative wellspring it seems to have brought them both – speaks to the power and uncompromising centrality of art mediating their experience of life and death.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to theatres this Friday, December 23: PINA
Wim Wenders’ 3D celebration of the legendary German choreographer and her legacy premiered at the beginning of the year at the Berlin Film Festival, and came to North America this Fall with much-talked-about screenings at Telluride, Toronto, and the New York Film Festival. The film has already won Best Documentary at the European Film Awards and opens nationwide next month after its initial theatrical release in NYC.
While the master director had discussed collaborating with Bausch long ago, an uncertainty about how to capture dance on film stalled the project for years. With developments in 3D film technology allowing Wenders’ camera to approximate the immersive experience of watching a live performance, the project moved forward. When Bausch died in 2009, Wenders was ready to abandon the project, but credits her dancers’ dedication to her work as spurring him on to complete the film, creating an elegy for her that also serves as a catharsis. Utilizing 3D in a jaw-dropping way, Wenders brings the audience a privileged vantage point to witness Bausch’s creativity and her dancers’ remarkable virtuosity and beauty. Blending these 3D performance with the personal perspectives of various members of Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal ensemble, some of whom worked with Pina for decades, results in a dance film rather unlike any other – one which seems poised to draw even the most hardened non-dance fans into its world.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Returning to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction as a pre-Winter season special screening tonight, Monday, December 19: BUCK
Cindy Meehl’s portrait of horse whisperer Buck Brannaman won the Audience Award at Sundance and has been one of the most popular docs on both the festival circuit and in theatrical release this year. Unsurprisingly, the film has made the Best Documentary Oscar shortlist.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Note: Director Cindy Meehl will be present for a post-screening Q&A.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, December 16: CORMAN’S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL
Alex Stapleton’s appreciation of the prolific indie film producer premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and has gone on to notable festival berths at Cannes, Karlovy Vary, Deauville, Pusan, and the New York Film Festival.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Queens Museum of Art as part of their regular Cinemarosa series this Sunday, December 18: BOY CHEERLEADERS
James Newton’s winning look at an all-male cheerleading team made its premiere on UK television last year. It has played the festival circuit, screening at Hot Docs, Outfest, and IDFA among others.
I previously wrote about the film out of Hot Docs here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction as a pre-Winter season special screening this Thursday, December 15: IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT
Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman’s look at radical environmentalism picked up the Best Documentary Editing jury prize at its premiere at Sundance. The doc was recognized with additional awards on the fest circuit prior to its limited theatrical run. It is on the shortlist for the Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.
I profiled the film before Sundance here.
Note: Directors Curry and Cullman will be present for a post-screening Q&A.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films’ “Films for the Occupation” series this Thursday, December 15: THE FLAW
David Sington’s in-depth analysis of the financial crisis premiered at Sheffield last year. It has its North American premiere in competition at Sundance earlier this year.
I profiled the film before Sundance here.
Note: University professor/author Louis Hyman, featured in the film, will be present for post-screening Q&A. The Rooftop Occupation screening series is free to the general public.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, December 13: SENNA
Asif Kapadia’s doc on the legendary racer Ayrton Senna made its premiere stateside at the beginning of the year at Sundance, where it took home the World Cinema Audience Award. It enjoyed a theatrical release this past summer, and now comes to iTunes, Amazon VOD, CinemaNow, Sony Playstation, XBox & Zune Marketplace.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD next Tuesday, December 13: THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967-1975
Göran Hugo Olsson’s look at the Black Power movement premiered at Sundance at the beginning of the year. The film had a limited theatrical and VOD release following additional festival screenings.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
