Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, June 15:
RECORDER: THE MARION STOKES PROJECT
Director:
Matt Wolf
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, AFI Docs, London, New Orleans, Melbourne, Montclair, Maryland, SF DocFest, Sidewalk, Heartland, Antenna
About:
The story of a woman who recorded television news around the clock for thirty years.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS this Sunday, June 14:
PRINCE ALBERT: A VICTORIAN HERO REVEALED
Director:
Marion Milne
World Premiere:
Channel 4 UK broadcast (August 2019)
About:
A reconsideration of the importance and influence of Prince Albert on Victorian Britain.
In 1840, Albert left his homeland of Germany to marry his cousin, Victoria, the Queen of England. Viewed as an outsider by both the public and Parliament, and not given any direct responsibilities or power, he struggled to find his place. Arguing that Albert played a pivotal role that may have been obscured by history, Professor Saul David uses rare access to a trove of private documents to state his case in this conventional but informative biography. Though Albert was warned to stay out of public affairs, he soon developed a keen interest in social causes, turning public opinion to his side, culminating in his oversight of The Great Exhibition of 1851. Behind the scenes, his influence extended to advising Victoria on matters of governance, and to pushing forward a policy of the education of the masses as a means to fend off potential populist unrest that cost other European monarchies their power. While Marion Milne’s doc is limited by its short running time, it succeeds in presenting an intriguing glimpse of Albert’s accomplishments and lasting legacy.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Showtime tonight, Friday, June 12:
RINGSIDE
Director:
André Hörmann
World Premiere:
Berlin 2019
Select Festival:
DOC NYC, New Orleans, Sydney, Hot Springs, Chicago
About:
A longitudinal portrait of two young boxers in Chicago.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Two young men strive to define their destiny in Chicago’s South Side in this poignant chronicle. Kenny and Destyne dream of boxing greatness, charting very different paths towards their shared goal. Kenny quickly moves into the pressure cooker of semi-pro competitions, while Destyne is imprisoned for a petty crime. Filmed over the course of eight years with incredible access and stirring intimacy, Ringside is a complex, emotional portrait of two youths on the brink.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to virtual theatrical today, Friday, June 12:
IN MY BLOOD IT RUNS
Director:
Maya Newell
World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sydney, AFI Docs, Durban, New Zealand, Melbourne, Brisbane, DocsMX, Warsaw
About:
A portrait of a young Aboriginal Australian boy.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Dujuan Hoosan, a 10-year-old Australian boy, lives in two worlds. During the day he must speak English at school and conform to the modern world. Elsewhere, he is a vital member of the Arrernte tribe as a respected healer and advocate for Aboriginal rights. The confluence of these two realities overwhelms Dujuan, leading to trouble with the police and child services. Maya Newell’s evocative and shrewd profile of this singular child bursts with hope and imagination.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to DVD this week:
BECOMING LESLIE
Director:
Tracy Frazier
World Premiere:
SXSW 2019
About:
An affectionate portrait of a beloved crossdressing Austin legend.
A mainstay in Austin TX for the last 15 years of his life, Leslie Cochran was an attention-grabbing, crossdressing figure who waived his freak flag proudly until his death at the age of 60 in 2012. He ran for city office unsuccessfully several times, was often homeless (though friends sometimes would let him stay with them), and was usually drunk, subsisting through the kindness of friends and “tips” from fans. Tracy Frazier’s homegrown profile, which appears to be long in the making, attempts to go beyond the surface, delving into Leslie’s life before Austin and provide a sense of what shaped the noncomformist. To some extent, she succeeds, revealing a sad childhood of sexual and emotional abuse, as well as the deleterious impact of a traumatic brain injury, and an interesting earlier attempt at reinvention, when Leslie was known as “Trapper Al” in a small Colorado community. Ultimately, however, her project never manages to transcend its very local, very Austin perspective, limiting its appeal and reach.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to VOD this week:
BORN IN EVIN
Director:
Maryam Zaree
World Premiere:
Berlin 2019
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, IDFA, Sarajevo, Morelia, Biografilm, Human Rights Watch NYC, Cologne, Heartland
About:
A personal film investigating the filmmaker’s birth in an Iranian prison for dissidents.
Actress Maryam Zaree was born in Iran, but has lived in Germany for most of her life. Both of her parents were dissidents critical of the Shah of Iran, but found no more freedom under the Ayatollah’s rule. Instead, they were both persecuted, leading to Maryam being born in Evin, a notorious prison. While Maryam’s mother has thrived since she found asylum in Germany, she has never wanted to discuss her experiences. Still seeking answers about her own past, Maryam sets out on a journey to find other victims of the regime, including others like her, who were born to dissidents in prison. Unapologetically a personal film – and one that doubles as a form of therapy, for good and bad – Zaree’s project finds power in providing a platform for Maryam and others to confront generational trauma.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 9:
THE WINDERMERE CHILDREN: IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Directors:
Guy Arthur and Francis Welch
World Premiere:
British TV broadcast (January 2020)
About:
Child survivors of the Holocaust reflect on a rehabilitation program in which they took part in the UK.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, June 9:
SEADRIFT
Director:
Tim Tsai
World Premiere:
Slamdance 2019
Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, CAAMFest, Dallas, Hot Springs Doc, Indie Grits
About:
An investigation into the hostility experienced by Vietnamese refugees along the US Gulf Coast.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 9:
ADVOCATE
Directors:
Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaïche
World Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Docaviv, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, Sheffield, Thessaloniki Doc, Krakow, Human Rights Watch, Doc Edge, Philadelphia, Other Israel, United Nations Association, Antenna, UK Jewish, San Francisco Jewish
Notable Recognition:
The doc was shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
About:
An exploration of the Israeli justice system through a passionate Israeli attorney working for Palestinian defendants.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 9:
THE BOOKSELLERS
Director:
DW Young
World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 2019
Select Festivals:
St Louis, Miami Jewish, RiverRun, Sebastopol Doc, Victoria
About:
An affectionate portrait of NYC’s community of rare book dealers and collectors.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 