Category Archives: Releases

Coming to PBS tonight, Monday, November 25, and tomorrow, Tuesday, November 26:
COLLEGE BEHIND BARS

Director:
Lynn Novick

World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 2019

Select Festivals:
Harlem Doc Fest

About:
A four-part chronicle of incarcerated individuals seeking higher eduction degrees while serving time.

In New York State, a number of correctional facilities have partnered with Bard College to offer a college education to inmates. The Bard Prisoner Initiative is a competitive program using the same educational standards employed at the Annandale-on-Hudson campus, and offers associate and bachelor’s degrees. Director Lynn Novick profiles several inmates enrolled in the program, both male and female, as they study everything from calculus and classical literature to Mandarin and debate, culminating in sizeable senior thesis projects. Over several years, the series explores the impact of BPI on these individuals, how they succeed and fail at navigating their dual existence as students and prisoners, and the freedom and opportunity for not only advancement but in some cases redemption afforded by their participation. The multi-hour format serves the project well, allowing Novick to explore the complexity of her subjects, including the crimes they have committed and in some cases the heartbreaking setbacks they face due to the vagaries and harshness of the prison environment. The series is also able to address – to a limited extent – the controversies around prison education programs, including the shortsighted elimination of federal funding under the Clinton administration due to complaints that felons should be punished rather than given a free education – a sentiment that persists and is even voiced by the mother of one of the participants – despite the clear linkage between rehabilitative programs like BPI and lower recidivism rates. As a whole, Novick’s series is an affecting, humanistic exploration of the power of hope and second chances to turn lives around.

Coming to Showtime tonight, Friday, November 22:
READY FOR WAR

Director:
Andrew Renzi

World Premiere:
Toronto 2019

Select Festivals:
Camden, Chicago, AFI Fest

About:
A profile of immigrants facing deportation despite having served in the US military.

Since the beginning of the republic, service in the US armed forces has provided a path towards citizenship for immigrants. In more recent years, however, rules have changed, and veterans have found themselves imprisoned and deported for committing non-violent offenses. Director Andrew Renzi focuses on three such men, providing a unique take on the immigration debate. Further complicating the situation, Renzi has uncovered the disturbing news that US vets deported to Mexico have been systematically targeted for coercive recruitment by drug cartels in order to exploit their military training. This is demonstrated by the experience of one of the subjects, identified here only as El Vet. While each subject admittedly has committed a crime, the question remains as to whether their punishment adequately takes into account the service they have provided to America, or if they are being scapegoated because of xenophobia and political opportunism. While there is support growing for their plight, and in some cases cause for hope, their situation remains dire on the whole, making Rezi’s film a useful tool to help draw attention to and humanize the larger polarizing debate around immigration.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 22:
MR TOILET: THE WORLD’S #2 MAN

Director:
Lily Zepeda

World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Denver, One World, BendFilm, Calgary Underground

About:
A Singaporean millionaire uses irreverent humor to bring attention to the global sanitation crisis.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Jack Sim wants to talk to you about your toilet. When the charismatic Singaporean millionaire learned that nearly a third of the world doesn’t have access to proper sanitation, he set out to make a difference through his World Toilet Foundation. Cleverly using humor to get attention for his cause, Sim highlights the need for investment in this basic public health issue. Now he’s ready to plunge into his biggest challenge – securing six million toilets as part of India’s sanitation initiative.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, November 22:
VARDA BY AGNÈS

Director:
Agnès Varda

World Premiere:
Berlin 2019

Select Festivals:
Toronto, New York, Telluride, Karlovy Vary, IDFA, Edinburgh, CPH:DOX, Hong Kong, Hamptons, Chicago

About:
The auteur looks back on her career.

Celebrated French New Wave pioneer Agnès Varda, who passed away this March at the age of 90, caps off her long career with what can best be described as a filmed masterclass. Sitting on a stage in a director’s chair, Varda addresses a theatre full of admirers, recounting her work, illustrated with copious clips. Though a fairly slight project compared to some of her more recent work, it’s nevertheless enjoyable. Far from a dry lecture, her idiosyncratic personality shines bright throughout, resulting in playful tangents and musings on the personal and the universal. Varda is not content only to discuss her greatest hits, but also ruminates on her misses, providing new and old fans a fairly comprehensive overview, while doubling as a warm and funny goodbye through a lifetime of filmmaking.

New to OVID.tv this week:
12 O’CLOCK BOYS

Director:
Lotfy Nathan

World Premiere:
SXSW 2013

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Full Frame, Maryland, Sundance Next, Philadelphia, CPH:DOX

About:
A portrait of an African-American youth dirt-biking subculture.

I previously wrote about the doc here.