Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, December 11:
FINDING YINGYING

Director:
Jiayan “Jenny” Shi

World Premiere:
SXSW 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Chicago, Nashville, St Louis, Double Exposure, DocUtah, BendFilm, Los Angeles Asian Pacific

About:
An unassuming Chinese student vanishes from her American college campus.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In June 2017, Chinese student Yingying Zhang’s dream of earning her PhD in America morphed into a nightmare when she disappeared from her college campus, sparking a desperate search for her whereabouts. Characteristically cautious, Yingying would not typically put herself in harm’s way—but what if trouble came looking for her? Fellow student and filmmaker Jiayan “Jenny” Shi joins forces with Yingying’s family on their quest for answers, sharing the hope and pain of finding their beloved daughter.

Coming to DVD today, December 8:
KEITH HARING: STREET ART BOY

Director:
Ben Anthony

World Premiere:
Sheffield 2020

Select Festivals:
NewFest, Side by Side

About:
A portrait of the influential pop artist, who came to fame through his distinctive subway art in 1980s NYC.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to virtual cinemas this Wednesday, December 9:
SING ME A SONG

Director:
Thomas Balmès

World Premiere:
Toronto 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Docs Against Gravity, IDFA, AFI Docs, One World, Docville

About:
A follow up to the director’s Bhutan-set film, HAPPINESS.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Ten years ago, director Thomas Balmès filmed in Bhutan with a seven-year-old Buddhist monk named Peyangki awaiting the arrival of electricity to his village. Now a decade later, Balmès returns to find Peyangki and the whole monastery obsessed with cell phones. With beautiful cinematography, the film captures nuance, humor, and humanity. Witnessing the effects of technology in Bhutan’s pristine landscape gives us a fresh lens to see what it means to our own lives. 

Coming to DVD/VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, December 8:
MY DARLING VIVIAN

Director:
Matt Riddlehoover

World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (online)

About:
A portrait of Johnny Cash’s first wife, long misrepresented in the performer’s mythology.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to HBO and to HBO Max tomorrow, Tuesday, December 8:
40 YEARS A PRISONER

Director:
Tommy Oliver

World Premiere:
Toronto 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Chicago, Philadelphia, AFI Fest

About:
A man dedicates his life to exonerate his parents, members of the Black revolutionary group MOVE.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In 1978, Philadelphia’s police department conducted a violent siege on the communal home of the Black revolutionary group MOVE. Nine members of MOVE went to prison over the resultant death of a police officer, despite forensic mysteries in the case. Two of the prisoners were the parents of Mike Africa, Jr., who dedicated his life to fighting for their release. Filmmaker Tommy Oliver interweaves the past and the present in this vital examination of the legacy of aggressive policing and the fight for justice.

Coming to PBS’s American Masters tonight, Friday, December 4:
KEITH HARING: STREET ART BOY

Director:
Ben Anthony

World Premiere:
Sheffield 2020

Select Festivals:
NewFest, Side by Side

About:
A portrait of the influential pop artist, who came to fame through his distinctive subway art in 1980s NYC.

Keith Haring outgrew his small Pennsylvania hometown to travel to NYC for art school in the 1970s. Seeking an outlet for his art, and wishing to make it accessible to as wide an audience as possible, he began to make chalk drawings on unused advertising spaces in the subway, creating a singular vocabulary of images of babies and dogs which would become iconic. Embraced by the downtown art scene, Haring emerged as a popular figure, gaining an international audience, and finding creative ways to promote his work, including opening his Pop Shop. At the same time, he was an activist, using art to create awareness of gay rights issues and the AIDS epidemic that would claim his life at the age of 31. While filmmaker Ben Anthony is somewhat limited by his project’s truncated run time, his use of Haring’s own recordings is particularly effective and affecting.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, December 4:
CROCK OF GOLD: A FEW ROUNDS WITH SHANE MACGOWAN

Director:
Julien Temple

World Premiere:
San Sebastian 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Zurich, Cologne

About:
A profile of the lead singer and songwriter of The Pogues.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
As the lead singer and songwriter of The Pogues, Shane MacGowan fused punk rock with Irish folk music to create timeless songs such as “Streams of Whiskey” and “Fairytale of New York,” while championing an unabashedly Irish identity. Filmmaker Julien Temple, who began his career making films with the Sex Pistols, is a perfect match to let MacGowan tell his own story, in revealing conversations with the likes of Gerry Adams and Johnny Depp. For any MacGowan fan, this is an essential portrait for understanding his complexity.