Coming to theatres and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, September 24:
MAN IN THE FIELD: THE LIFE AND ART OF JIM DENEVAN
Director:
Patrick Trefz
World Premiere:
Santa Barbara 2020
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs
About:
A portrait of the artist and chef behind Outstanding in the Field, a radical alternative to the conventional dining experience.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to VOD this week:
BUDDY GUY: THE BLUES CHASE THE BLUES AWAY
Director:
Devin Amar, Matt Mitchener, Charles Todd
World Premiere:
American Masters PBS broadcast (July 2021)
About:
An exploration of the life and career of the legendary blues guitarist, a pioneer of Chicago’s West Side sound and major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Discovery+ this Friday, September 24:
CURSE OF THE CHIPPENDALES
Director:
Jesse Vile
World Premiere:
Discovery+ (September 2021)
About:
A docuseries about the dark side of the 1980s all-male striptease dance troupe.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to MUBI tomorrow, Thursday, September 23:
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES
Director:
Hannah Jayanti
World Premiere:
Rotterdam 2020
Select Festivals:
Camden, DOXA, Sheffield, Dok Leipzig, San Francisco DocFest, Calgary Underground, Bogota, Guth Gafa, Brooklyn, New Horizons
About:
A speculative documentary about time and how we weave the past into the present and our possible future.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, September 21:
WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED
Director:
Mariam Ghani
World Premiere:
Berlin 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sheffield, San Francisco, Kerala, Nashville, Rhode Island, Heartland, Hot Springs Doc, Philadelphia Asian American, St Louis, WatchDocs, San Diego Asian American, Cinema Verite, Goteborg, DocPoint Talinn, Ann Arbor
About:
A meditation on incomplete films made in Afghanistan during periods of instability between 1978-1992.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, September 22:
THE VILLAGE DETECTIVE: A SONG CYCLE
Director:
Bill Morrison
World Premiere:
Moscow 2021
Select Festivals:
Rotterdam, Telluride, Melbourne, New Horizonz
About:
A Soviet film from 1969 is found in an Icelandic fisherman’s net, and the filmography of its leading actor offers a portal into a history that has endured on celluloid.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, September 21:
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 DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 21:
BARBARA LEE: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER
Director:
Abby Ginzberg
World Premiere:
San Francisco 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, San Francisco Jewish, Pan African, Cleveland
About:
A portrait of the outspoken US Congresswoman.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
An intimate, inspiring, and timely portrait of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a true pioneer of American civil rights who was the lone voice in opposition to the authorization of military force after the September 11th attacks. A unique selection of political commentators, activists, politicians, and family members add depth to the story of the highest-ranking Black woman in the US Congress. Uncompromising and conscientious to the core, she is its most steadfast voice for peace, and for economic and racial justice.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 21:
THE ONE AND ONLY DICK GREGORY
Director:
Andre Gaines
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021
Select Festivals:
AFI Docs
About:
A revealing portrait of comedian/activist Dick Gregory, focusing on his many personal reinventions throughout the decades, from celebrity to civil rights hero and beyond, and how he has inspired others.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, September 21:
DOWN A DARK STAIRWELL
Director:
Ursula Liang
World Premiere:
True/False 2020
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New Orleans, Human Rights Watch, BlackStar, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, San Diego Asian, Montclair, Hot Springs Doc, Milwaukee, Ashland,
About:
A death in a Brooklyn housing project sets off a complex fight for justice by two marginalized communities.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In 2014, Peter Liang, a Chinese-American police officer, shot and killed an innocent, unarmed Black man named Akai Gurley in the dark stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project. In the midst of high racial tension surrounding police conduct, Liang becomes the first NYPD officer to receive a guilty verdict in such a case in over a decade. The highly publicized incident polarizes New York’s Asian and African American communities in this insightful look into the complexities of police reform.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 