Coming to OVID.tv this Friday, August 21:
MARINA ABRAMOVIC THE ARTIST IS PRESENT
Director:
Matthew Akers
World Premiere:
Sundance 2012
Select Festivals:
Berlin, Nantucket, CPH:DOX, BAFICI, DOXA, San Francisco, Silverdocs, Provincetown, New Horizons, Athens, Reykjavik, Valladolid
About:
An intimate look at the acclaimed performance artist’s famed MoMA show.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18:
CREATING A CHARACTER: THE MONI YAKIM LEGACY
Director:
Rauzar Alexander
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019
About:
A legendary Juilliard acting teacher gets his time in the spotlight.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18:
CARE TO LAUGH
Director:
Julie Getz
World Premiere:
Heartland 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Austin, Salem, RiverRun, Bentonville
About:
A stand-up comic balances the demands of his career with caregiving for his parents.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
From his humble beginnings parking cars at the Comedy Store, Jesus Trejo is relentless in his pursuit of stand-up stardom. For Jesus, who drives hours for a three-minute open mic stint, comedy is both a dream and an escape from the heavy demands of caring for his aging parents. Undeterred, Trejo funnels his experiences as a caregiver into disarmingly funny material for his stand-up routine. With tenderness and lots of humor, this heartwarming film sheds light on the increasingly common reality many adults face as their parents grow older.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD via Criterion in a new digital restoration tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18:
TOWN BLOODY HALL
Directors:
Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker
World Premiere:
Whitney Museum (April 1979)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA
About:
Feminists face off with author Norman Mailer in 1971 New York City.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In 1971, DA Pennebaker filmed an event at New York’s Town Hall exemplifying the crosscurrents of feminism. On stage, Norman Mailer engaged in a debate with THE FEMALE EUNUCH author Germaine Greer, lesbian journalist Jill Johnston, critic Diana Trilling, and others. It took several years for the film to be completed with Chris Hegedus, and today it still crackles with vitality.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, August 14:
MARTIN MARGIELA: IN HIS OWN WORDS
Director:
Reiner Holzemer
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, New Zealand
About:
The elusive fashion designer reflects on his career.
I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In 2008, after a show celebrating the 20th anniversary of his fashion house, Maison Margiela, visionary designer Martin Margiela left the fashion world for good. Throughout his career, the Belgian designer remained anonymous, refusing interviews and never being photographed, leading some to call him the fashion world’s answer to Banksy. Now, more than a decade after his departure, Margiela digs into his meticulous and idiosyncratic personal archives to reflect on his revolutionary career and legacy.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, August 14:
REPRESENT
Director:
Hillary Bachelder
World Premiere:
Cleveland 2020
Select Festivals:
Freep, Woods Hole, Maine
About:
Three female political candidates are followed in local elections in Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois.
Filmmaker Hillary Bachelder’s timely film follows three appealing protagonists – Myya, an ambitious African-American college graduate who sets her sights high, running for mayor of Detroit as a write-in candidate, hoping to defeat the white male incumbent; Bryn, a white farmer, wife, and mother of two young daughters, who runs for a trustee position in smalltown Granville OH, where mostly older men have traditionally held power; and Julie, a Korean immigrant, who runs as a Republican candidate for state representative in Evanston IL, just outside of Chicago. As they go up against entrenched local politics in an effort to effect real change, they face ageist and sexist condescension, as well as subtle (and not so subtle) racism as the countdown to elections loom.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, August 14:
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY: THE REN & STIMPY STORY
Directors:
Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
Big Sky Doc, San Francisco, Cleveland
About:
An exploration of the groundbreaking animated series and its controversial creator.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
New to VOD this week:
BIG FUR
Director:
Dan Wayne
World Premiere:
Virginia 2019
Select Festivals:
Slamdance, Mountainfilm, Big Sky Doc
About:
An acclaimed taxidermist sets out to create a life-size replica of Bigfoot.
Unassuming Canadian Ken Walker has already been recognized among his peers as the world champion in taxidermy, inspiring others to take up and hone the often-misunderstood craft. For the next championship competition, he decides to take on a controversial subject, and one that will challenge the limits of his talent: Bigfoot. Convinced that the legends are true, so much so that he has sought out and discovered what he considers to be conclusive proof – Bigfoot spoor – Walker sets out to construct a female sasquatch, based on the infamous 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film. Filmmaker Dan Wayne traces his progress, providing viewers with an informative look at the taxidermic process, interspersed with Walker’s beliefs about cryptozoology, and, far less interesting, a subplot involving the dissolution of Walker’s marriage and the beginnings of a romantic relationship with a younger taxidermist mentee. While cheapened by cheesy music and some iffy editorial choices, Wayne’s slight film has just enough quirkiness to keep it entertaining.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Now available on Kanopy:
HEALING FROM HATE: BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF A NATION
Director:
Peter Hutchison
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019
Select Festivals:
Martha’s Vineyard, Big Sky Doc
About:
Former hate group members help others attempting to leave behind radicalism.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
This timely film profiles Life After Hate, an organization founded by former skinheads and neo-Nazis that supports white nationalists seeking to break away from these radical movements. Given exclusive access, director Peter Hutchison follows group counselors as they attempt both to reform individuals and offer support to communities impacted by the recent rise of hate activity, exploring the root causes of radicalization, and what it will take to return us to a more tolerant world.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Apple TV+ this Friday, August 14:
BOYS STATE
Directors:
Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
SXSW, New Directors/New Films, AFI Docs, Nantucket, Full Frame, San Francisco
About:
A group of high school boys create a mock government at an annual civics program hosted by the American Legion in Austin.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
