New to DVD this week:
EVERY ACT OF LIFE
Director:
Jeff Kaufman
Premiere:
Tribeca 2018
Select Festivals:
Seattle, Tel Aviv, Nashville, Provincetown, Inside Out, Frameline, Outfest, LGBT fests in Miami, Portland, San Diego, Hartford, Vancouver, and Austin
About:
A look at the life and work of acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed tonight, Tuesday, May 14:
CIRCLE UP
Director:
Julie Mallozzi
Premiere:
Rhode Island 2017
Select Festivals:
GlobeDocs, Peace on Earth, Sedona
About:
A woman whose son was brutally killed practices restorative justice.
In 2001, Janet Connors learned that her 19-year-old son, Joel, had been stabbed to death. A low-level drug-dealer, Joel had been targeted by a rival gang. As Julie Mallozzi’s project shows, rather than allow her grief to turn to vengeance, Janet sought a more positive solution, even after one of the four young men who were charged with Joel’s murder was set free. She reached out to the perpetrators and offered not only forgiveness, but hope that they could turn their lives around. Over the past 18 years, Janet has formalized this kind of restorative justice by borrowing from Native American traditions and setting up peace circles – forums in which individuals impacted by violence can discuss their feelings and look for better ways to move forward. Mallozzi’s earnest film is best when it’s focused on Janet, stumbling when it instead expands its own circle to try to include other perspectives without providing enough space to fully explore these additional stories.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, May 14:
APOLLO 11
Director:
Todd Douglas Miller
Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
SXSW, True/False, Miami
About:
A revisitation of the historic manned space mission to the Moon through exclusive, immersive footage.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, May 13:
HARVEST SEASON
Director:
Bernardo Ruiz
Premiere:
Mill Valley 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Full Frame, Freep, San Diego Latino, Riverrun, Newport Beach, Sebastopol Doc, Cine Las Americas, Minneapolis-St Paul, Kansas City, Houston Latino, Washington DC Environmental
About:
A profile of the unheralded Latinx individuals involved in all facets of California wine production.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Lush and luxurious, California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys are known for their top-notch wine making. The unsung heroes of the industry are the Latinx vineyard workers and small producers, who lovingly oversee all aspects of the wine-making process, from vine to vintage. Unfolding over the course of one of the most dramatic harvests in history, Bernardo Ruiz’s film follows three people whose lives are rooted in wine making, immersing the audience in the challenging and unpredictable process.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Pacific Heartbeat tomorrow, Saturday, May 11:
CORRIDOR FOUR
Director:
Stephen Tringali
Premiere:
Washington West 2017
Select Festivals:
Hawai’i, LA Asian Pacific, Guam, Philadelphia Asian American
About:
A police officer struggles with PTSD following the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.
Police K9 Unit officer Isaac Ho’opi’i was on duty at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. He risked his own life to lead others to safety, and, in the chaos of the attack, many of the people he rescued only knew him as a voice. When reporters tracked down his identity, he was celebrated as a hero, with numerous media appearances and participation in the Olympic Torch run for the 2002 Winter Games. As revealed in Stephen Tringali’s portrait, privately he suffered from his experience on that horrific day. Ho’opi’i and his family relate how he was affected and how he slowly found a renewed sense of peace through music and connection. While earnest, the film unfortunately feels repetitive and, at times, like a protracted PSA about PTSD, though Ho’opi’i is unquestionably an honorable protagonist, and the issue of PTSD certainly bears continued attention.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 10:
THE SERENGETI RULES
Director:
Nicholas Brown
Premiere:
Tribeca 2018
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Hamptons, Jackson Hole, Bergen, Maui, Vancouver, Global Peace,
About:
Scientists explore the impact of keystone species on ecosystems.
In 1969, zoologist Bob Paine developed a pioneering ecological theory that posited that within different ecosystems, certain species played a critical role in maintaining the whole. If these keystone species – in Paine’s research, starfish – were removed from the habitat, there would be a drastic, and typically detrimental, domino effect on other organisms. In some cases, these keystone species are apex predators, those at the top of the food chain, with no natural predators. Nicholas Brown’s film, which is framed around interviews and narration with Paine at the end of his life, profiles several other scientists and their work with the concept of keystone species in diverse settings, from the impact of whaling on otters, kelp, and fish to wildebeest in the Serengeti. While the production is a bit over the top at times, it benefits, unlike many other traditionally doom-and-gloom environmentally-themed projects, by the hopeful message that reintroducing keystone species within downgraded ecosystems can reverse the damage.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Showtime tonight, Friday, May 10:
WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN
Director:
Sacha Jenkins
Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
Tribeca, Hot Docs
About:
An exploration of the history and cultural significance of the influential hip-hop collective.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc series may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres today, Thursday, May 9:
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM
Director:
John Chester
Premiere:
Telluride 2018
Select Festivals:
Sundance, DOC NYC, Toronto, Berlin, Miami, Hamptons, Napa Valley, AFI Fest, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki Doc, CPH:DOX, Sarasota, Sun Valley, Newport Beach, Montclair
About:
For over eight years, John and Molly Chester find ways to work with nature to establish a biodynamic farm.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
New to DVD/VOD this week:
REINVENTING ROSALEE
Director:
Lillian Glass
Premiere:
Los Angeles Jewish 2018
About:
A portrait of a 102-year-old Holocaust survivor.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to DVD this week:
BARISTAS
Director:
Rock Baijnauth
Premiere:
VOD release (April 2019)
About:
Four national champion baristas prepare for the world championship in South Korea.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
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