Category Archives: Releases

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, December 18:
SUPERGIRL

Director:
Jessie Auritt

Premiere:
Hamptons 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Big Sky Doc, Cucalorus, Slamdance, Doc Edge, Cleveland, Sarasota, RiverRun, Florida, Montclair, Annapolis, Milwaukee, Woods Hole, Jewish fests in Philadelphia, Palm Beach, Hartford, Seattle, Washington, San Francisco, and London

About:
A portrait of the world’s strongest girl.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Naomi seems like a typical Orthodox Jewish preteen, but she happens to be the strongest girl in the world. Since breaking a powerlifting world record at the age of nine, her fame has spread from her northern New Jersey community around the globe. Auritt’s appealing film follows Naomi over several years as she remains determined to live up to her nickname, drawing on the encouragement of her tight-knit family as she faces the myriad challenges of growing up.

Coming to Starz this coming Monday, December 18:
TICKLING GIANTS

Director:
Sara Taksler

Premiere:
Tribeca 2016

Select Festivals:
BFI London, Just for Laughs, Bergen, Vancouver, DocPoint, Glasgow, Big Sky Doc, Stockholm, Salem, Human Rights Watch London and Toronto, Movies That Matter, Cleveland

About:
A heart surgeon-turned-comedian tests the limits of free speech in post-Mubarak Egypt.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, December 15:
KILLING FOR LOVE

Directors:
Marcus Vetter and Karin Steinberger

Premiere:
Munich 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, Denver, RiverRun, Virginia, DocsDF, DMZ Docs, Docs Barcelona, Docaviv, Reykjavik, Durban, Krakow, Doc Edge, Docs Against Gravity, Turkey

About:
A brutal double homicide reveals secrets, lies, and the limits of the American justice system.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program (under its original title, THE PROMISE), saying:
On March 30, 1985, a small Virginia community was shocked by the brutal murders of wealthy residents Derek and Nancy Haysom. Suspicion soon fell on their daughter Elizabeth and her boyfriend Jens Söring, the son of a German diplomat. After a high-profile, televised trial – the first of its kind – the prosecution felt that justice had been served. But Elizabeth’s and Jens’s versions differ wildly, encompassing dark family secrets, selfless love, and broken promises – leading to an indictment of the American justice system. In their gripping investigation, Vetter and Steinberger explore what really happened on that fateful night, and why.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, December 15:
SOUFRA

Director:
Thomas Morgan

Premiere:
El Gouna 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC

About:
A diverse group of Middle Eastern women attempt to expand their unique catering company.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Assembling a diverse group of Middle Eastern women with a shared love of food, Mariam Shaar successfully launches Soufra, her own catering company. What makes her enterprise unique is that Mariam has lived her entire life in Burl El Barajneh, a refugee camp near Beirut, home to everyone on her team. This entertaining and inspirational film follows the intrepid entrepreneur as, against all odds, she attempts to expand her business with a little help from Kickstarter.

New to VOD this week:
FOR AHKEEM

Directors:
Jeremy S Levine and Landon Van Soest

Premiere:
Berlin 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, Tribeca, Sheffield, AFI Docs, Florida, Montclair, Documentary Edge, DOK.fest Munich, DMZ Docs, Message to Man, Milwaukee, Antenna

About:
An African-American teenage girl strives to graduate from high school.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD via Netflix this Friday, December 15:
WORMWOOD

Director:
Errol Morris

Premiere:
Telluride 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Venice, AFI Fest, Chicago

About:
A man spends decades trying to solve the mystery of his father’s death.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Errol Morris has been a constant innovator of nonfiction filmmaking. In his latest project, he pushes the boundaries further in a six-part investigation into the 1953 death of CIA agent Frank Olson. Did Olson, under the influence of LSD, jump from the window of a Manhattan hotel or was he thrown? Morris casts actor Peter Sarsgaard as Olson in re-enactments that punctuate documentary interviews and archival footage in this fascinating exploration of history, conspiracy, and the search for truth.

Coming to theatres today, Wednesday, December 13:
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.

The titular figure in Lataster and Lastaster-Czisch’s winning observational film is Kiet Engels, a teacher in a small Dutch village near the border with Belgium. Her charges, who call her Miss Kiet, are the children of migrants from the Middle East, largely Syria, and ranging in age from six to nine. Set almost entirely within Engels’ classroom, the film trains its attention on several young figures, including class clown Jorj, new girl little Leanne, and rebellious Haya, each coping with their traumatic past even as they try to make sense of their new surroundings and culture. Demonstrating patience, empathy, and insight, Miss Kiet helps them as she can, leading to affecting moments in this appealingly sweet, if quiet and somewhat longish, project.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, December 12:
BEHIND THE CURTAIN: TODRICK HALL

Director:
Katherine Fairfax Wright

Premiere:
SXSW 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Seattle, Martha’s Vineyard, Baltimore Black, San Diego, Calgary Underground, Frameline, Outfest, Image+Nation, Inside Out, LGBT fests in Salt Lake City, Denver, Honolulu, North Carolina, Vancouver, Austin, Memphis, and Sydney

About:
A profile of the performer and YouTube sensation.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In the years since competing on AMERICAN IDOL, Todrick Hall has amassed a staggering following on YouTube, bringing his distinct voice and aesthetic to pop culture, and serving as an inclusive, inspirational figure to LGBT fans around the world. For his latest project, chronicled in Wright’s entertaining portrait, Hall challenges himself to complete 16 elaborate videos for an autobiographical high-concept musical, STRAIGHT OUTTA OZ, in just two weeks, and then immediately take the live show on the road to his devoted fans.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, December 12:
NALEDI: A BABY ELEPHANT’S TALE

Directors:
Ben Bowie and Geoff Luck

Premiere:
Seattle 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Springs Doc, Virginia, Fairhope, Wildscreen, Ajyal Youth

About:
A baby elephant’s fight for survival underscores the need to protect the endangered species.

I previously wrote about the doc here.