Coming to VOD today, Friday, October 9:
JIMMY CARTER: ROCK & ROLL PRESIDENT
Director:
Mary Wharton
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, AFI Docs, Hot Springs Doc, Vancouver, Victoria
About:
A consideration of the importance of popular music in the life and political career of the former US president.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to select theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 9:
TIME
Director:
Garrett Bradley
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
New York, London, Hamptons, Miami, Zurich, Camden, Mill Valley
About:
A longitudinal portrait of a marriage and a family separated by incarceration.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to virtual cinemas this Friday, October 9:
F11 AND BE THERE
Director:
Jethro Waters
World Premiere:
Austin 2018
Select Festivals:
Full Frame, RiverRun
About:
An exploration of photographer Burk Uzzle’s acclaimed 65-year career.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Thursday, October 8:
WINE CRUSH (VAS-Y COUPE!)
Directors:
Laura Naylor
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019
Select Festivals:
Salem, Vail
About:
A portrait of seasonal labor at a family-owned French vineyard.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Director Laura Naylor presents an observational portrait of seasonal labor during the harvest of a family-owned vineyard in France’s Champagne region. Many of the hired hands have returned year after year for decades, becoming part of the celebrated vintner’s extended family. Their closeness lends an affectionate tone to scenes of their everyday activities – work, meals, and off-hours revelry. But as the next generation begins to take over the business in a challenging economy, will these loyal workers survive the transition?
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 6:
XY CHELSEA
Director:
Tim Travers Hawkins
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Sydney, Sheffield
About:
A portrait of whistleblower and activist Chelsea Manning.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to OVID.tv this Thursday, October 8:
FARMSTEADERS
Director:
Shaena Mallett
World Premiere:
Athens International Film and Video Festival 2018
Select Festivals:
Cucalorus, Big Sky Doc, IFF Boston, Indie Grits, Hot Springs Doc, Newburyport Doc, Chagrin Doc, Southern Circuit
About:
An Ohio couple attempts to restart a family dairy farm.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6:
THE RINGMASTER
Director:
Molly Dworsky and Dave Newberg
World Premiere:
Festival of Cinema NYC 2019
Select Festivals:
Doc Edge, Chagrin Doc, Jaipur, DOC LA, Twin Cities
About:
A filmmaker gets too involved in trying to find a happy ending for his subject, a small-town cook with a secret onion ring recipe.
Zach, a recovering gambling addict who used filmmaking as a rehab tool, decides to follow his dream and become a filmmaker. With fond memories of the onion rings of his childhood home in Minnesota, he decides to make a pilot for a proposed food TV show on unsung “American food legends,” and plans to profile Larry Lang, the son of the originator of those famed onion rings. Larry is an awkward and unassuming 50 or 60-something who was never able to re-open the family restaurant after a fire, and, unfortunately for Zach, has no interest in being filmed. Undeterred, Zach refuses to end the project until he finds a happy ending, attempting to intervene in Larry’s life – which leads Zach’s increasingly unhappy crew to start filming him as the project goes off the rails. Given both the originally intended television focus and the meta nature of the project, it looks and feels messy, and, at times, the crew comes off as playing to the camera, suggesting this likely isn’t all genuine. While more or less watchable, the film’s lack of both polish and originality ultimately make it forgettable.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to virtual cinema via Film Forum this Wednesday, October 7:
AGGIE
Director:
Catherine Gund
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, MoMA Documentary Fortnight, Cleveland, San Francisco, Ashland, Salem
About:
The filmmaker profiles her mother, the influential art collector, philanthropist, and social justice advocate, Agnes Gund.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to POV this coming Monday, October 5:
THE INFILTRATORS
Directors:
Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra
World Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
SXSW, Hot Docs, Miami, NY Latino, Montclair, Calgary, Hawaii
About:
A hybrid docufiction project detailing the mission of undocumented youth to be detained by Border Patrol.
I profiled the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Friday, October 2:
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD
Director:
Kirsten Johnson
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
True/False, CPH:DOX, Doc10
About:
The filmmaker approaches her father’s mortality with inventiveness and dark humor.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 