Category Archives: Releases

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, September 25:
MCQUEEN

Director:
Ian Bonhôte

Co-Director:
Peter Ettedgui

Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Seattle, Victoria, Nashville, Dallas, Biografilm, Sydney, Melbourne, Revelation Perth, Frameline, Provincetown

About:
A portrait of late fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, September 25:
BASQUIAT: RAGE TO RICHES

Director:
David Shulman

Premiere:
BBC broadcast (October 2017)

About:
An exploration of the life and art of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to Netflix today, Friday, September 21:
QUINCY

Directors:
Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks

Premiere:
Toronto 2018

About:
An intimate portrait of legendar music producer Quincy Jones.

Quincy Jones inarguably is one of the most influential forces behind popular music over the last six decades, influencing countless careers as a producer, composer, performer, and so much more, spanning the diverse worlds of jazz and pop to hip hop and film scores. This loving tribute – made by his daughter, actress Rashida Jones, and Alan Hicks, whose previous film, KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON, also focused on a notable musician – impressively covers the breadth of Jones’ accomplishments, while also showcasing the very much still-active octogenarian’s near-indefatigable energy in the present day, though it doesn’t shy away from showing his vulnerability to health concerns. If that weren’t enough, the ingratiating film also offers a poignant exploration of the long-lasting impact of his mother’s mental health issues on his upbringing, and touching demonstrations of his mentorship and deep impact on performers through the decades and into the present day.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, September 21:
CALL HER GANDA

Director:
PJ Raval

Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Doc Edge, Frameline, Outfest, Inside Out, Cínemalayà, LA Asian Pacific, DMZ Docs, Sidewalk, New Orleans

About:
The murder of a transgender woman by a US Marine exposes the legacy of imperialism in the Philippines.

While on shore leave, PFC Joseph Scott Pemberton, a 19-year-old US Marine, met Jennifer Laude while out on the town in Olongapo City, Philippines, and took her to a hotel room. She was later found brutally murdered, and Pemberton was arrested for the crime, based on the theory that he panicked after learning that she was transgender. Immediately, family, friends, and activists are concerned that Pemberton will escape justice by invoking the Visiting Forces Agreement that exists between the US and the Philippines, allowing a great deal of latitude for American servicemen to avoid local prosecution for crimes committed, prompting a surprising public outcry about the unfairness of the VFA as well as the disregard paid to transgender lives. Raval follows several individuals invested in seeking justice for Laude, including her supportive mother and other family members, their lawyer, and a trans journalist covering the story. Despite the film’s title – Laude was called “Ganda” by her mother, Tagalog for “beauty” – Jennifer remains something of a cypher, never quite fleshed out and only seen in brief video and stills, but the film’s focus on the simmering tension between Philippine sovereignty and US military involvement in its former proves thought-provoking.