Category Archives: Recommendations

Available free to stream in the US via Vice’s Short List:
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.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In Newark, NJ, a mortician takes two troubled teenage boys under his tutelage. Teacher and students alike learn the meaning of tradition, hard work, and forgiveness through instruction in the ways of traditional Muslim burial. Shot in stark black and white, this beautiful look at a unique craft shows the importance of a bond forged through mentorship.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, February 22:
MR SOUL!

Director:
Melissa Haizlip

Co-Director:
Sam Pollard

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, True/False, AFI Docs, New Orleans, Rotterdam, Durban, BlackStar, Urbanworld, Pan African, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, London, Indie Memphis, Woodstock, Heartland

About:
A portrait of the pioneer behind SOUL!, the acclaimed African-American public television cultural variety show.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Available free to stream in the US via Vice’s Short List:
DOPE IS DEATH

Director:
Mia Donovan

World Premiere:
True/False 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, Hot Docs, Denver

About:
The story of a pioneering acupuncture detoxification program led by the Black Panthers and the young Lords in 1970s South Bronx.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
With blight ravaging New York City in the 1970s, the Young Lords and Black Panthers fought for radical change in their communities. Through the leadership of Dr Mutulu Shakur—Tupac Shakur’s stepfather—these activists created the first acupuncture detoxification program in the United States. While the legacy of the program has long been maintained by the residents of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, the individuals responsible for its creation have suffered from decades of state-sanctioned persecution.

Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, February 19:
17 BLOCKS

Director:
Davy Rothbart

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Karlovy Vary, Traverse City, AFI Docs, Zurich, Melbourne Doc, Milwaukee, Nashville, Woods Hole, Heartland, Hot Springs Doc, Antenna Doc, Woodstock

About:
A longitudinal portrait of an African American family in Washington DC.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

New to DVD this week:
LAURA INGALLS WILDER: PRAIRIE TO PAGE

Director:
Mary McDonagh Murphy

World Premiere:
PBS broadcast (Dec 2020)

About:
An exploration of the life and writing of the popular children’s book author.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to MTV today, Tuesday, February 16:
EACH AND EVERY DAY

Director:
Alexandra Shiva

World Premiere:
MTV broadcast (February 2021)

About:
Nine young people share their experiences of suicide and depression.

With suicide rates increasing among young people – and only exacerbated by the social isolation and other pressures caused by the pandemic – filmmaker Alexandra Shiva shines a spotlight on the issue by going directly to the source: Nine young people who have struggled with depression and suicidal ideation. Shiva has assembled a group of articulate and candidly vulnerable participants, and has given them a platform to address issues both universal and specific to their backgrounds with compelling results. For example, cultural backgrounds factor into the stories of a young Indian woman, a Black man, and a Latinx man, as they relate how mental health issues are often not discussed openly or are stigmatized in their communities; while trans and lesbian subjects reflect the disproportionate rates of suicide within the LGBTQ community. Structured as a series of vignettes that profiles each of the nine participants individually, the film also brings them all together intermittently via a group Zoom chat. While all of us are likely well past the point of Zoom fatigue, these moments are actually quite important, showing the commonality and community between the disparate subjects, and reminding the viewer of the additional challenges this past year has brought to us all.

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, February 16:
MAYOR

Director:
David Osit

World Premiere:
True/False 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, CPH:DOX, IDFA, Hot Docs, Full Frame, Camden, Maryland, DokuFest

About:
A portrait of the Christian mayor of Ramallah, Palestine.

I previously wrote about the doc here.