Category Archives: Releases

Coming to theatres this Friday, October 13:
THY FATHER’S CHAIR

Directors:
Antonio Tibaldi and Alex Lora

Premiere:
IDFA 2015

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, True/False, Thessaloniki Doc, Documenta Madrid, Docaviv, Dokufest, Flahertiana, Docs Against Gravity, Biografilm, Antenna

About:
Threatened with the loss of their home, two brothers must face some difficult truths.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Sixty-something Orthodox Jewish identical twins Abraham and Shraga live together in their childhood home in Brooklyn. Since the death of their parents, they have lost control of their surroundings, allowing trash to pile up and stray cats and vermin to move in. Forced into action by their neighbor, the brothers agree to let a professional cleaning crew invade their unclean sanctuary. Led by Hanan, a sympathetic Jewish man, the cleaners gently cajole and negotiate with the brothers to confront their demons and finally let things go.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, October 10:
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB: ADIOS

Director:
Lucy Walker

Premiere:
May 2017

About:
The Grammy Award-winning musicians who engendered worldwide interest in Cuban music take a final tour.

I previously profiled the doc when it was originally scheduled to debut at Sundance this past January here. It was unexpectedly withdrawn from the festival before its premiere, reportedly due to post-production delays.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, October 10:
CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER

Director:
Doug Nichol

Premiere:
Telluride 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Denver, Cleveland, Nashville, Big Sky Doc, Mill Valley, Documentary Edge, Woods Hole, SF DocFest

About:
An appreciation of a bygone but once ubiquitous technology.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, October 6:
FACES PLACES

Directors:
Agnès Varda and JR

Premiere:
Cannes 2017

Select Festivals:
Toronto, DOC NYC, New York, Telluride, Vancouver, New Zealand, Reykjavik, Melbourne, London, Chicago

About:
The odd couple director duo travel around French villages and photograph the people they meet.

Bonding over a mutual love of images, French New Wave legend Varda and celebrated photographer/street artist JR decide to collaborate on a fanciful project, beautiful in its simplicity. Visiting several small French hamlets, they meet local residents, then take their large scale portraits and exhibit them within the village – sometimes on the sides of barns, sometimes outside factory walls. Along the way, they playfully banter. It’s a charming, sweet portrait of both everyday people and of two extraordinary individuals who celebrate them.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, October 6:
TAKE MY NOSE… PLEASE!

Director:
Joan Kron

Premiere:
Miami 2017

Select Festivals:
Martha’s Vineyard, Berkshire, SF DocFest, Newport Beach

About:
Two comediennes contemplate the impact of having plastic surgery.

Notable as director Kron’s debut film at the age of 89, this engaging and entertaining project uses the lens of comedy to explore societal conceptions of female beauty and the pressures many women feel to conform, often through plastic surgery. While some women try to keep their nips and tucks a secret, female comedians have long used their experiences in this area as more material for their routines. Drawing from the experiences of several comics who have had work done, or thought about it, the film primarily focuses on two appealing, funny women, Jackie Hoffman and Emily Askin, as they wrestle with the idea of getting nose jobs, or more, and how changing their appearance may affect their careers.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, October 6 and to PBS’s POV this coming Monday, October 9:
THE ISLANDS AND THE WHALES

Director:
Mike Day

Premiere:
Hot Docs 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, San Francisco, Edinburgh, Wild & Scenic, Big Sky Doc, Leeds, St Louis, Princeton Environmental, Zurich

About:
An island community reckons with the upending of long-held traditions.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In the remote Faroe Islands, an archipelago located halfway between Norway and Iceland, inhabitants have been in tune with their environment for millennia. With a rugged landscape not suited for farming, they have relied on the sea for their survival, enjoying a traditional diet of seabirds, pilot whales, and fish. When they are faced with rising mercury levels in their food, as well as the clamor of international animal-rights activists, the Faroese may be forced to change their ancient ways.