Coming to theatres this Friday, February 21: ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME
Chiemi Karasawa’s portrait of the noted actress had its world premiere at Tribeca last year. It went on to screen at Traverse City, Mill Valley, London, DMZ Docs, Chicago, Philadelphia, Bergen, and Palm Springs, among other fests.
I included the doc in my Tribeca coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 18: THE MOO MAN
Andy Heathcote and Heike Bachelier’s day in the life of a British dairy farm made its world premiere at Sundance last year. It went on to screen at Berlin, Sheffield, True/False, and Los Angeles, and was nominated for a British Independent Film Award. The doc now becomes available on iTunes.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 18: HOMEGOINGS
Christine Turner’s exploration of African American funeral practices premiered last year at MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight. It went on to screen at Full Frame, Blackstar, Sebastopol Doc, the American Black Film Festival, and BAMcinematek, and was broadcast on POV. The doc now becomes available on Vimeo on Demand, accessible across desktop, mobile, web-enabled TVs.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD next Tuesday, February 18: 1964
Stephen Ives and Callie T Wiser’s sprawling look at a pivotal year in American history debuted on American Experience last month.
I previously wrote about the doc upon its broadcast here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Now available on VOD and coming to DVD next Tuesday, February 18: SICK BIRDS DIE EASY
Nik Fackler’s hopeless – and partly fictional – journey into the heart of darkness made its debut at Hot Docs last year. It went on to screen at Lone Star, Woodstock, and Poland’s New Horizon fests. It’s now available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, and PlayStation.
I included the film in my Hot Docs coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, February 14: FUREVER
Amy Finkel’s survey of the lasting bond between people and their animals made its debut at Cleveland last year. It went on to screen at New Orleans, Seattle, Hot Docs, St Louis, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Napa Valley, Warsaw, and Brooklyn, among others. FilmBuff now releases the doc on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Sony PlayStation, and Vudu.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Hot Docs here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Film Forum today, Wednesday, February 12: THE NEW BLACK
Yoruba Richen’s exploration of African American communities’ responses to LGBT equality made its debut at the Los Angeles Film Festival last year. Its extensive fest run has included Human Rights Watch, AFI Docs, Frameline, Urbanworld, Citizen Jane, Hot Springs, Polari, and New Orleans, among others.
I covered the doc out of AFI Docs in Indiewire this past Summer, noting:
Yoruba Richen’s new film is a candid, and often eye-opening, look at the complex truth behind the idea that “Gay is the New Black” when it comes to equal rights. The doc uses the 2012 marriage equality fight in Maryland to explore the contributing influence of religion on homophobia in the African-American community, at the same time examining the rhetorical linking of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s with the struggle for LGBT equality. Richen and her team have had a busy few weeks, debuting the doc at LAFF, bringing it home to NYC for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, and on to AFI Docs, close to the film’s Maryland setting. With the winds shifting on same-sex marriage, this topical film will be making the fest rounds for the next several months.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, February 11: BALLROOM CONFIDENTIAL
Brian Lilla’s look at ballroom dancing amongst a group of Florida retirees has held screenings in San Francisco and Ormond Beach, Florida, where it was shot. It now comes to DVD as well as to VOD via Amazon and Vimeo, expanding later to iTunes and Hulu.
Inspired by his mother’s experiences taking up ballroom dancing – earning her first-time producer credit here – filmmaker Lilla trained his camera on Caleb Young’s dance studio, and on several of the senior women who have found renewed vitality by working with the significantly junior instructor. Young, a NYC transplant to Florida, offers a safe space for his charges to let loose, maybe harmlessly flirt a little, cope in an active way with aging, and gain a sense of efficacy in mastering dance moves. Structured around an impending spy-themed one-night-only dance performance, Lilla’s film is fairly conventional but often entertaining. While it tries to juggle a character or two too many, sacrificing more indepth focus as a result, the film ultimately is able to convey the quiet but affecting impact the subjects’ involvement in Young’s studio has had on their lives.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, February 11: THE HUMAN SCALE
Andreas M Dalsgaard’s exploration of urban design and planning had its world premiere at CPH:DOX in 2012. Other festival berths included DocPoint, Planete+ Doc, Hot Docs, Sydney, Seattle, Al Jazeera, DOXA, Revelation, Dokufest, and Traverse City, and the film enjoyed a limited theatrical release last Fall.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Hot Docs here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to the WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed series tonight, Tuesday, February 11: THE PREP SCHOOL NEGRO
André Robert Lee’s personal reflection on race, class, and educational opportunity made its debut at the Montclair Film Festival in 2012. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, Outfest, St Louis, and at scores of public and private school and community events across the country.
I previously wrote about the film out of DOC NYC here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
