Category Archives: Recommendations

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.  

Coming to Disney+ tomorrow, Friday, June 25:
WOLFGANG

Director:
David Gelb

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

About:
A mouthwatering portrait of one of the first celebrity chefs and a pioneer in the world of California cuisine, Wolfgang Puck.

Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, June 25:
CHASING CHILDHOOD

Director:
Margaret Munzer Loeb, Eden Wurmfeld

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2020

Select Festivals:
Portland, San Francisco Doc, Cleveland, Harlem, Annapolis, Sarasota

About:
Reformed helicopter parents and education professionals reveal the benefits of allowing kids to have freedom to play unencumbered by schedules and structure.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Overprotected and overdirected, American children are wilting under the weight of well-meaning parents. In the pursuit of keeping them safe and creating an impressive resumé of extracurricular activities to wow admissions boards, over-parenting smothers children across socioeconomic classes. This thoughtful film follows education professionals and reformed helicopter parents who seek and offer solutions for developing more confident, independent young people while restoring some joy and freedom to childhood. 

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Thursday, June 24:
MIRACLE FISHING: KIDNAPPED ABROAD

Director:
Miles Hargrove

Co-Director:
Christopher Birge

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, AFI Docs, Sidewalk, Dallas, Brisbane, Trinidad & Tobago

About:
A kidnapped man’s family and friends are forced to negotiate for his release.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, June 21:
TWO GODS

Director:
Zeshawn Ali

World Premiere:
Full Frame 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, BlackStar, Montclair, Hot Docs, Camden

About:
A Black Muslim casket maker mentors two boys.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, June 18:
A CRIME ON THE BAYOU

Director:
Nancy Buirski

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2020

Select Festivals:
New Orleans, San Francisco Jewish, Big Sky Doc, Atlanta Jewish, Hamptons Docs

About:
An unjustly arrested Black man and his young Jewish attorney form a lifelong friendship.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Filmmaker Nancy Buirski tells the story of a lasting bond formed between an unjustly arrested Black man, Gary Duncan, and Richard Sobol, his young Jewish attorney. In 1966, 19-year-old Duncan faces the white supremacist court system in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, for daring to touch a white boy’s arm. Standing united, the pair takes Duncan’s case all the way to the US Supreme Court to fight for the rights of all Americans to a fair trial.