New to DVD this week:
THE WORK
Directors:
Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous
Premiere:
SXSW 2017
Select Festivals:
Seattle, Sheffield, BAMcinemaFest, Sarajevo, Melbourne
About:
Folsom State Prison hosts an intensive men’s group therapy workshop.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to VOD this week:
10 BILLION: WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE?
Director:
Valentin Thurn
Premiere:
German theatrical release (2015)
Select Festivals:
IDFA, CPH:DOX, Santa Barbara, Minneapolis-St Paul, EBS Doc, Docs Against Gravity, Vilnius, One World, Docville
About:
An exploration of the demands made on modern agriculture to feed an expanding population.
The film’s titular number is the expected population of the planet by the year 2050, an increase that seems likely to lead to food shortages and conflict over resources. In an attempt to make sense of what can be done to mitigate this potential global catastrophe, filmmaker Valentin Thurn – who also awkwardly narrates this project – conducts a survey of present day food production around the world, from the promises or pitfalls of GMOs, artificial fertilizers, and faux meat development to organic farming and community supported agriculture. Taking a methodical and informative approach, if not a particularly revelatory one, the well-meaning film addresses the familiar issues that come into play, including the need for sustainability, the importance of local farming, the harsh realities of land use conflict, and the dangers of corporate control of resources.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to VOD this week:
AUGIE
Director:
James Keach
Premiere:
Nashville 2017
Select Festivals:
Austin, Greenwich, Boston, Hot Springs, Newport Beach, Heartland
About:
A portrait of life with ALS for fitness mogul Augie Nieto and his wife.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, March 20:
11/8/16
Curator:
Jeff Deutchman
Directors:
Duane Andersen, Don Argott, Yung Chang, Garth Donovan, Petra Epperlein, Vikram Gandhi, Raul Gasteazoro, Jamie Gonçalves, Andrew Beck Grace, Alma Har’el, Sheena M. Joyce, Daniel Junge, Alison Klayman, Ciara Lacy, Martha Shane, Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Bassam Tariq, and Michael Tucker
Premiere:
Hamptons 2017
About:
Election Day 2016, around the country.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed series on The WORLD Channel tonight, Tuesday, March 20:
THE INVISIBLE PATIENTS
Director:
Patrick O’Connor
Premiere:
Indy Film Fest 2016
Select Festivals:
Cucalorus, Heartland
About:
A profile of a nurse practitioner who cares for homebound patients.
O’Connor’s simple but effective film focuses on Jessica Macleod, PhD, who makes house calls to individuals in Indiana and Kentucky who otherwise would likely be without home care because of mobility issues and/or limited income. Over nearly a year, the straight-talking nurse practitioner is followed as she provides primary care services to four of her patients. These include elderly couple Wink and Patty, who have few options for care after being suspected of selling their pain pills; Ron, an artist confined to a wheelchair following a traumatic brain injury, who Jessica also worries might be being maltreated by his roommate brother; and Roger, a young man with Duchenne muscle dystrophy nearing the end of his life. In between providing compassionate care for these individuals, Jessica reflects on the state of health care in America, the need for more in-home providers, the personal sacrifices made for her job, and the lack of respect she often encounters because she is not a doctor. While not the most artful portrait, O’Connor’s film provides an empathetic look at the lives of isolated and often neglected patients and the efforts of professionals like Jessica to address their needs.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, March 20:
MISS KIET’S CHILDREN
Directors:
Peter Lataster and Petra Lataster-Czisch
Premiere:
IDFA 2016
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, True/False, DOXA, Munich Dok.Fest, Thessaloniki Doc, Melbourne Doc, Goteborg, St Louis
About:
A portrait of a Dutch grade school class made up of refugee children.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, March 20:
THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR
Director:
Nancy Buirski
Premiere:
Venice 2017
Select Festivals:
New York Film Festival, Chicago, Film Columbia, Woodstock, Double Exposure,
About:
An exploration of a 1944 case of sexual assault against an African-American woman in Alabama.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, March 19:
ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER
Director:
Rebecca Miller
Premiere:
Telluride 2017
Select Festivals:
New York Film Festival, Woodstock
About:
An intimate portrait of the filmmaker’s famed playwright father.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Doc World on the WORLD Channel this Sunday, March 18:
ARMED WITH FAITH
Directors:
Geeta Gandbhir and Asad Faruqi
Premiere:
Sheffield 2017
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Atlanta, Vancouver, Salem
About:
A profile of members of a bomb squad on the Afghan-Pakistani border.
I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
After 9/11, Pakistan, an American ally in the global war on terror, is plagued by both homegrown and international terrorism. The small yet heroic Pakistani Bomb Disposal Unit is on the frontline of defense, defusing bombs, navigating land mines, and grappling with suicide bombers, all while dealing with financial hardship and familial pressure. Harrowing and suspenseful, Geeta Gandbhir and Asad Faruqi’s compelling film takes us on the ground with this dedicated squad of men who risk their own lives every day for their country.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, March 16:
RAMEN HEADS
Director:
Koki Shigeno
Premiere:
Hot Docs 2017
Select Festivals:
IDFA, Freep, Salem, SF Indie, San Sebastian, Denver, Goteborg, Hawaii, Thessaloniki Doc
About:
An ode to the Japanese comfort food.
Shigeno’s film pays tribute to the wonders of ramen, chiefly by profiling Osamu Tomita, a master ramen chef uninterested in keeping any secrets about how he builds the distinctive flavors of his broths and noodles. When focused on Tomita, the project proves to be a mildly diverting exercise in food porn and culinary culture, but, unfortunately, Shigeno doesn’t stop there. Instead, the filmmaker conducts an unnecessary survey of other ramen chefs which lends a cheap, television quality to the production, one only exacerbated by the distractingly overblown narration and music which dominates the proceedings.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
