Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12:
NIGHT SCHOOL
Director:
Andrew Cohn
Premiere:
Tribeca 2016
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Heartland, SXSWedu, St Louis, BendFilm
About:
A profile of three adults seeking to better their lives through education.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Frontline and to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12:
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
Director:
Steve James
Premiere:
Toronto 2016
Select Festivals::
New York, Chicago, IDFA, Palm Springs, True/False, Cleveland, Full Frame, Dallas, Hong Kong, Montclair
About:
A small Chinatown bank becomes the only institution to face criminal charges as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s POV this coming Monday, September 11:
MY LOVE, DON’T CROSS THAT RIVER
Director:
Jin Mo-young
Premiere:
DMZ Docs 2014
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Los Angeles, Tempo Doc, Visions du Reel, DocAviv, Sydney, BFI London, RIDM, DOK Leipzig, Moscow, Hamptons, New York Asian American
About:
A tender portrait of an aging couple who have been together for 76 years.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, September 8:
THE CHALLENGE
Director:
Yuri Ancarani
Premiere:
Locarno 2016
Select Festivals:
IDFA, Hot Docs, Edinburgh, SXSW, Dubai, New Directors/New Films, True/False, Thessaloniki Doc, Göteborg, Encounters, Taipei, Traverse City, Melbourne, Docs Against Gravity, Docaviv, San Francisco
About:
A privileged look at the lives of ultra-rich Qatari amateur falconers.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 8:
COMPANY TOWN
Directors:
Natalie Kottke-Masocco and Erica Sardarian
Premiere:
Los Angeles 2016
Select Festivals:
Sheffield, Mill Valley, Hot Springs Doc, Wild & Scenic
About:
Residents of a small Arkansas town fight back against the dangers of a nearby industrial plant.
Crossett AR, population 5500, is the site of Georgia-Pacific, one of the largest paper-products manufacturers in the country, and a subsidiary of Koch Industries. While many of Crossett’s residents are dependent on the company for their livelihood, it’s very presence may be costing them their lives. Cancer clusters and serious medical conditions abound, with allegations of toxic chemical dumping blamed, and a cover-up that shields Georgia-Pacific from accountability. The filmmakers delve into this small town public health emergency, profiling a local pastor and former plant employee, David Bouie, who himself suffers from health concerns, as he tries to bring attention to Crossett’s plight, aided by testimony from other afflicted citizens and a former Georgia-Pacific contractor turned whistleblower. Kottke-Masocco and Sardarian lay out the evidence against the company in a clear manner, but in the absence of a clear resolution for Crossett’s situation, their film is less a fully satisfying story and more of a small-scale call to action.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Photograph by Irene Poon Andersen.
Director:
Pamela Tom
Premiere:
Telluride 2015
Select Festivals:
Sheffield, Hawaii, Asian American fests in NYC, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, and Seattle
About:
A portrait of artist Tyrus Wong, best known for inspiring the look of Disney’s BAMBI.
Wong died at the age of 106 last year and only late in life received proper acknowledgement for his contributions to the Disney classic, as well as scores of other films during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Tom’s tribute, while conventionally constructed, benefits greatly from the artist’s participation in extensive interviews, demonstrating warmth and offering personal reflections on his long, varied career as an artist. In addition to developing inspirational artwork for BAMBI and serving as a production illustrator for Warner Bros, Wong’s oeuvre includes Hallmark greeting cards, kite-making, and ceramic design. The supercentenarian relates his background, emigrating from China to California as a child, and how his father supported his at-the-time unusual career path as an artist, as well as the economic difficulties and racial discrimination that kept his work under-appreciated and unheralded for decades.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 8:
TROPHY
Directors:
Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau
Premiere:
Sundance 2017
Select Festivals:
SXSW,CPH:DOX, Full Frame, Dallas, Encounters, Jerusalem, Melbourne, Moscow, Sun Valley, Montclair
About:
An exploration of the complex intersections between wildlife conservation and big game hunting.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
New to DVD this week:
THE APOLOGY
Director:
Tiffany Hsiung
Premiere:
Hot Docs 2016
Select Festivals:
Human Rights Watch, Göteborg, Vilnius, Busan, Cork, Cinemalaya, DocPoint
About:
Former comfort women speak out about the abuse they suffered in WWII.
While the Imperial Japanese Army’s use of sex slaves has already been well-documented as a devastating human rights abuse during wartime, the nation of Japan has yet to officially acknowledge this barbarous practice. With former so-called “comfort women” usually shamed into silence in the decades since World War II, and their aging population dwindling, some have begun to speak out. Hsiung’s impactful film profiles three, hailing from South Korea, China, and the Philippines, to share their harrowing stories, while also following their efforts to receive the titular apology from Japan, only to face further stigmatization and scorn. Hsiung does justice to her subjects’ stories, with the film’s somewhat overlong running time and plodding score the only real missteps, making the project feel even heavier for an already difficult topic.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres this Friday, September 8:
MOTHERLAND
Director:
Ramona Diaz
Premiere:
Sundance 2017
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Berlin, Docville, San Francisco, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, Montclair, Docaviv, Sheffield, Sydney, Melbourne, Moscow
About:
An immersion into the world’s busiest maternity ward.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres this Friday, September 8:
SCHOOL LIFE
Director:
Neasa Ní Chianáin
Co-Director:
David Rane
Premiere:
IDFA 2016
Select Festivals:
Sundance, Nantucket, Hot Docs, Dublin, Visions du Reel, Guth Gafa, Docville, San Francisco, Sofia
About:
A pair of teachers contemplate retirement after decades at an unforgettable Irish private boarding school.
I previously profiled the doc before Sundance, under its original title, IN LOCO PARENTIS.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 