Coming to Netflix today, Wednesday, April 20:
CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER: THE JOHN WAYNE GACY TAPES
Director:
Joe Berlinger
World Premiere:
Netflix (April 2022)
About:
An exploration of how John Wayne Gacy – an aspiring politician, beloved local contractor, and part-time clown-for-hire who murdered 33 young men between 1972 and 1976 – operated for so long with impunity.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Hulu tomorrow, Thursday, April 21:
CAPTIVE AUDIENCE: A REAL AMERICAN HORROR STORY
Director:
Jessica Dimmock
World Premiere:
Hulu release (April 2022)
About:
A docuseries following the story of Steven Stayner and his family’s 50-year journey to unravel the tale of two brothers, one deemed a villain and the other a hero.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Newly re-released on DVD this week:
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 Netflix today, Tuesday, April 19:
WHITE HOT: THE RISE & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH
Director:
Alison Klayman
World Premiere:
Netflix release (April 2022)
About:
The story of Abercrombie & Fitch’s emergence as one of the most successful teen lifestyle brands in American history — and the dark inner workings of exclusionary practices and systematic racism that led to the company’s decline.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to VOD this week:
SYL JOHNSON: ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS
Director:
Rob Hatch-Miller
World Premiere:
Chicago 2015
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Big Sky Doc, Montclair, BlackStar, Nashville, Florida, Newport Beach, Sidewalk, Indie Memphis, Sound Unseen, Cork, Doc ‘n Roll
About:
A retired, overlooked soul singer finds new opportunities when his song is embraced by a new generation of musicians.
The film screened at DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Despite a couple of minor hits, soul singer Syl Johnson retired from the music industry in the 1980s, never quite having achieved the success for which he longed. But with the dawn of hip hop came the unexpected, widespread embrace of his 1967 song “Different Strokes” – sampled by artists as diverse as Run-DMC, Michael Jackson, the Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, A$AP Rocky, Kid Rock, En Vogue, Usher, and Kanye West, among many others – and new opportunities for the savvy performer emerged, as detailed in Rob Hatch-Miller’s lively chronicle of the ups and downs of Johnson’s career.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to The WORLD Channel’s AfroPoP series tomorrow, Tuesday, April 19:
DOWNSTREAM TO KINSHASA
Director:
Dieudo Hamadi
World Premiere:
Cannes 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
Toronto, IDFA, DOK Leipzig, RIDM, Singapore, Seattle, Doclisboa, Leeds, Cleveland, AFI Fest
About:
Survivors of Congo’s Six-Day War seek long-delayed compensation from their government.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Pure Nonfiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, April 19, and to CNN and CNN+ this Sunday, April 24:
NAVALNY
Director:
Daniel Roher
World Premiere:
Sundance 2022
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Docville, Cleveland, Hot Docs, San Francisco, Seattle, Sun Valley, Full Frame
About:
After Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent implicated in attacks on other opponents of the Russian government, he partners with journalists and international news organizations to investigate his attempted assassination and find proof of the Kremlin’s involvement.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to POV today, Monday, April 18:
ON THE DIVIDE
Director:
Leah Galant, Maya Cueva
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021
Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Human Rights Watch, Watch Docs, St Louis, Tallgrass, Hot Springs Doc, Heartland, SF Latino, Boston Latino, Woods Hole
About:
A look at the lives of three Latinx people in McAllen TX, whose different beliefs come to a head at the last abortion clinic on the US/Mexico border.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Showtime today, Friday, April 5:
LA MADRINA: THE SAVAGE LIFE OF LORINE PADILLA
Director:
Raquel Cepeda
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2020
Select Festivals:
Tribeca, Philadelphia Latino, Hot Docs
About:
The “first lady” of the Savage Skulls reflects on the pivotal role of women in the 1970s New York City gang and her later shift to community activism.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Film Movement Plus today, Friday, April 15:
BOTERO
Director:
Don Millar
World Premiere:
Morelia 2018
Select Festivals:
Palm Springs, Seattle, Miami, Montevideo
About:
A tribute to the popular Colombian artist.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
what (not) to doc 