Festival:
The 74th Cannes Film Festival
Dates:
July 6-17
About:
After postponing and then cancelling its 2020 edition, the most influential cinema event in the world returns with a robust slate of nearly 100 new features, counting two dozen docs among that number – although none in either Competition or Un Certain Regard. Its parallel sidebars, meanwhile, offer just three nonfiction works among their combined 37 slots.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Expanding to theatres nationwide and coming to Hulu today, Friday, July 2:
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Director:
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, True/False, AFI Docs, Provincetown, DocLands, Minneapolis/St Paul, San Francisco Doc
About:
A joyous and thoughtful revisitation of a long overlooked part of Black music history.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to Film Forum tomorrow, Friday, July 2:
BEING A HUMAN PERSON
Director:
Fred Scott
World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2020
Select Festivals:
Helsinki
About:
Behind the scenes of Roy Andersson’s ABOUT ENDLESSNESS, meant to be the idiosyncratic Swedish auteur’s final film.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Topic today, Thursday, July 1:
PHILLY DA
Director:
Ted Passon, Yoni Brook, Nicole Salazar
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
Berlin, RiverRun, Philadelphia Jewish
About:
An outspoken district attorney attempts to reform a broken criminal justice system in this docuseries.
I profiled the series before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Festival:
The 23rd Docaviv: Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival
Dates:
July 1-10
About:
This well-respected Israeli event presents 90 new documentary features in-person and online.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 29:
MOBY DOC
Director:
Rob Gordon Bralver
World Premiere:
Theatrical/VOD release (May 2021)
About:
An idiosyncratic portrait of the musician and activist Moby.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres and to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30:
LYDIA LUNCH: THE WAR IS NEVER OVER
Director:
Beth B
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019
Select Festivals:
SXSW, Rotterdam, Jihlava, Doclisboa, Melbourne, Ashland, Revelation Perth
About:
A career-spanning exploration of the notable cultural figure.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Turning trauma into precise and angry feminist rock, American singer, writer, and actress Lydia Lunch helped birth the No Wave music scene in the late 1970s and early ’80s—and she’s still killing it today. Fellow No Wave pioneer Beth B constructs a lively portrait of this innovative performer, whose confrontational artistry resonates loudly in today’s feminist landscape. Critics, filmmakers, musicians, and friends discuss the relevance of Lydia’s brilliantly vitriolic world.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, June 25 and to Discovery+ this Sunday, June 27:
REBEL HEARTS
Director:
Pedro Kos
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
Miami, Hot Docs, AFI Docs, Milwaukee, Cleveland
About:
The story of an unlikely group of radically progressive nuns.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to Rooftop Films this Sunday, June 27:
PLAYING WITH SHARKS
Director:
Sally Aitken
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, Doc Edge, Boulder, Washington DC Environmental, EarthX, Provincetown, Martha’s Vineyard, DocLands, Mountainfilm
About:
A tribute to a pioneering shark conservationist and underwater cinematographer.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres and VOD today, Friday, June 25:
KENNY SCHARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
Director:
Malia Scharf, Max Basch
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Revelation, Provincetown, Montclair, Atlantic
About:
A portrait of artist Kenny Scharf, whose work fuses popular culture and fine art.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Along with friends Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf grew from a graffiti artist into a major force in the 1980s NYC art scene. Obsessed with garbage, cartoons, and plastic, this playful Peter Pan’s roller coaster career flourished despite the decimation of the AIDS crisis and the fickle tastes of the art world. From street art to museums, Scharf continues to create colorful, complex work that puts him at the forefront of where popular culture meets fine art.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 