Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to Turner Classic Movies tonight, Friday, December 11:
WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL

Director:
Rob Garver

World Premiere:
Telluride 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Berlin, Edinburgh, Karlovy Vary, Thessaloniki Doc, Miami, Cleveland, Montclair, Seattle, Docs Against Gravity, Transilvania, New Zealand, Vancouver, Mumbai, Rio, Docaviv

About:
A portrait of controversial and influential film critic Pauline Kael.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, December 11:
THROUGH THE NIGHT

Director:
Loira Limbal

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New Orleans, Nantucket, AFI Docs, Double Exposure, Philadelphia Latino, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, Hawai’i, Hot Springs Doc

About:
A 24-hour childcare center proves indispensable for night-shift workers and single parents in this exploration of the personal cost of our modern economy.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Night-shift workers and single moms in New Rochelle, NY have angels in their midst: Nunu and husband Patrick run a 24-hour childcare center for parents with no other options. The home-based center provides children with food, fun, and lots of love, but at what cost to the providers? Director Loira Limbal takes us inside Dee’s Tots Daycare for an intimate and compelling look at two unsung heroes in selfless service to their community.  

Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, December 11:
GUNDA

Director:
Victor Kossakovsky

World Premiere:
Berlin 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New York, IDFA, Zurich, Hamburg, Camden, Hamptons, Bergen, Montclair, Virginia, Denver, Philadelphia, Hawai’i, Stockholm

About:
An immersion into the experiences of several animals on a farm, focused on a sow and her new litter of piglets.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In this masterful, immersive cinema vérité, executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix, filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky invites the audience to share the experiences of several animals on a farm, including a pair of cows, a magnificent one-legged chicken, and its titular star, a sow who has just given birth to an inquisitive litter of piglets. Shot in sharp black and white, with no dialogue, narration, or music, the film eschews anthropomorphism while still encouraging a deep, compassionate connection to its subjects—and an awareness of our role in their fates.

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.