Select Festivals: DOC NYC, Big Sky Doc, St Louis, River’s Edge
About: Residents of a post-industrial town work to restore their community.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read: Youngstown, Ohio, once a booming steel and mining town, is now the epitome of post-industrial decline. Plunging population, derelict housing, and crime plague the city, but a new crop of industrious entrepreneurs and community activists refuse to accept defeat, nor will they abandon their beloved hometown. Together they rise up to restore homes, generate business, and ignite their community. Director Karla Murthy’s film is a powerful testament of their resiliency and ingenuity.
Coming to HBO and to HBO Max tomorrow, Saturday, March 27: TINA
Director: Dan Lindsay, TJ Martin
World Premiere: Berlin 2021
Select Festivals: Glasgow
About: On the life and career of iconic performer Tina Turner.
In 1981, Tina Turner first went public in the pages of People about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her partner, Ike Turner. In her view, she wanted to address the issue and then move on. Instead, the story in many ways grew to define her. She expanded on the tale in her 1986 autobiography – the basis for the Oscar-nominated WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT – again, with the hopes that, with her story out there, she would not have to revisit it again. As before, however, its importance only became greater, in many ways opening up a public dialogue about domestic violence on the largest possible stage. At the same time, even as Turner had persevered against all obstacles to become one of the most successful music acts in the world, she was constantly asked about this traumatic period in her past. It’s unavoidable, then, that her history with Ike takes up a significant portion of Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin’s expert portrait of the artist. Notably, however, the filmmakers move beyond the sensationalist interest of press junket interviewers to dig deeper, explicitly acknowledging and exploring the power of the story and its impact, positive and negative, on Tina Turner herself. It’s an essential part of the larger transformation of the artist from the Ike and Tina Turner Revue to the queen of rock ‘n’ roll, fulfilling her dream to be the first Black female rockstar to play to sold-out stadiums. From her home in Zurich at the age of 79, Turner speaks with refreshing candor, having retired from public life and in a fulfilling marriage – a rare happy ending that serves as a healing counterpoint to the suffering she experienced earlier in her life.
Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, March 26 and to Discovery+ this Sunday, March 28: FRANCESCO
Director: Evgeny Afineevsky
World Premiere: Rome 2020
Select Festivals: DOC NYC, Savannah, Mar del Plata
About: Pope Francis explores the challenges of the modern world.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky looks at the pressing challenges of the 21st century through the eyes of Pope Francis. Born in Argentina, Francis is the first leader of the Catholic Church to come from the Americas and the Jesuit order. His teachings bring a progressive take on issues like the climate crisis, immigration, LGBTQ support, economic equality, and religious tolerance. Afineevsky’s film showcases a voice of morality that serves as a powerful counterbalance to the rise of reactionary politics around the world.
About: A kidnapped man’s family and friends are forced to negotiate for his release.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read: On September 23, 1994, a group of Colombian separatist guerillas went “miracle fishing,” abducting American journalist Tom Hargrove to hold for ransom. Finding no support from either the US government or the local corrupt authorities, Hargrove’s family were forced to negotiate directly for his release, working with a tight circle of friends—with Hargrove’s 20-year-old son Miles filming everything on Video8. Returning to this footage 25 years later, he constructs a riveting, immersive chronicle of this ordinary family’s extraordinary experience.
Select Festivals: Human Rights Watch, Hot Docs, Full Frame, SXSW, San Francisco, Hamptons, Provincetown, New Zealand, Melbourne, DokuFest, BlackStar, Docaviv, Warsaw, Mill Valley, Denver
About: An exploration of the disturbing gender and racial bias prevalent in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, March 19: WOJNAROWICZ
Director: Chris McKim
World Premiere: Tribeca 2020 (unscreened) / DOC NYC 2020
About: A powerful elegy to the late New York artist, writer, and filmmaker.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read: Emerging as a distinctive voice in the East Village art scene of the 1980s, David Wojnarowicz combined a variety of disciplines, from painting and photography to music and writing, in his artistic practice. Fiercely and unapologetically embracing his queer identity, he rebelled against the growing conservatism of the times, epitomized by the establishment’s callous indifference to the AIDS epidemic, which would claim him in 1992 at the age of 37. Filmmaker Chris McKim has constructed a powerful elegy that recaptures the urgency and passion of Wojnarowicz’s life and art.
Select Festivals: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Vancouver, Tallinn Black Nights, New Zealand, Savannah, Napa Valley
About: A profile of Martha Cooper, who documented the emergence of graffiti and influenced its spread globally.
Martha Cooper pushed back against sexist attitudes to pursue work as a newspaper photographer in 1970s New York, developing an eye for atmospheric portraits of everyday people. This led to an interest in street culture, and led to her documentation of graffiti as artistic expression during a time of economic and cultural depression in the city. Eventually partnering with a fellow chronicler of street art, Henry Chalfant, they tried to publish a book on the subject but were unable to attract interest in the US, and finally released SUBWAY ART in 1984 via a German publisher. While not a commercial success, the book would end up highly influential, unbeknownst to Cooper, spreading around the world and helping to introduce others to street art and hip hop culture. When she learned of her work’s impact, Cooper jumped back into the scene and began to travel the world to continue its documentation. Filmmaker Selina Miles crafts an enjoyable project offering a unique perspective on the early days of graffiti and, by extension, hip hop culture, and, almost more importantly, the underground history of its dissemination.
what (not) to doc 