Coming to OVID this Thursday, January 19:
THE WOBBLIES
Director:
Stewart Bird, Deborah Shaffer
World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 1979
About:
The story of radical labor union the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), better known as the Wobblies, which championed the formation of “one big union” for all unskilled laborers, regardless of their race and gender.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD today,Tuesday, January 17:
LOUDMOUTH
Director:
Josh Alexander
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022
About:
A disruptive spotlight on Reverend Al Sharpton – the pastoral prodigy turned political firebrand turned media establishment figure.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS’s American Experience tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17:
ZORA NEALE HURSTON: CLAIMING A SPACE
Director:
Tracy Heather Strain
World Premiere:
American Experience (January 2023)
About:
An in-depth biography of the influential author, whose groundbreaking anthropological work would challenge assumptions about race, gender, and cultural superiority that had long defined the field in the 19th century.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens today, Monday, January 16:
THE BIG PAYBACK
Director:
Erika Alexander, Whitney Dow
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022
About:
Evanston IL Alderwoman Simmons leads her constituents through a historic campaign for reparations for the Black community.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to MGM+ this Sunday, January 15:
MURF THE SURF: JEWELS, JESUS AND MAYHEM IN THE USA
Director:
RJ Cutler
World Premiere:
MGM+ (January 2023)
About:
A docuseries on one of the most complicated and notorious American crime figures ever, Jack Roland Murphy, who became America’s very first true crime television superstar in 1964.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Friday, January 13:
LOUDMOUTH
Director:
Josh Alexander
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022
About:
A disruptive spotlight on Reverend Al Sharpton – the pastoral prodigy turned political firebrand turned media establishment figure.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to OVID tomorrow, Friday, January 13:
FROM THE JOURNALS OF JEAN SEBERG
Director:
Mark Rappaport
World Premiere:
Toronto 1995
Select Festivals:
Rotterdam, Thessaloniki, Karlovy Vary, Cleveland
About:
Ill-fated actress Jean Seberg – portrayed by Mary Beth Hurt – reflects on her life as illustrated through her work in this creative exploration of film history and women’s place within it.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to OVID tomorrow, Friday, January 13:
ROCK HUDSON’S HOME MOVIES
Director:
Mark Rappaport
World Premiere:
NYC theatrical release (June 1992)
Select Festivals:
Toronto, Thessaloniki, Busan
About:
A subversive essay film exploring the queer subtext in the oeuvre of the publicly closeted Hollywood icon.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to OVID today, Wednesday, January 11:
GAY USA
Director:
Arthur J Bressan Jr
World Premiere:
San Francisco theatrical release (1977)
About:
The first American feature-length documentary by and about LGBTQ+ people mobilized camera crews across the country to document the national Gay Freedom Day marches in June of 1977, conveying the passion, anger, and defiant optimism of a community under attack.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to OVID this week:
BORN IN EVIN
Director:
Maryam Zaree
World Premiere:
Berlin 2019
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, IDFA, Sarajevo, Morelia, Biografilm, Human Rights Watch NYC, Cologne, Heartland
About:
A personal film investigating the filmmaker’s birth in an Iranian prison for dissidents.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 