Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, July 30:
PRAY AWAY
Director:
Kristine Stolakis
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
Telluride, Hot Docs, Florida, Doc10, AFI Docs
About:
A powerful exposé on gay conversion programs, revealing the damage inflicted by shame and repression through intimate testimonies from current members and former leaders of the pray the gay away movement.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres and to DVD/VOD tomorrow, Friday, July 30:
FINDING KENDRICK JOHNSON
Director:
Jason Pollock
World Premiere:
DVD/VOD release (July 2021)
About:
An investigation of an apparent coverup in the death of a Black high school student in Georgia, whose body was found rolled up in a gym mattress.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, July 30:
ENEMIES OF THE STATE
Director:
Sonia Kennebeck
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, CPH:DOX, Calgary, Glasgow
About:
Everything is not as it seems for an American family that flees to Canada to protect their hacker son from US government persecution.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Director Sonia Kennebeck investigates the strange case of Anonymous hacktivist Matt DeHart and his claims of persecution by the US government. He and his parents fled the US seeking asylum in Canada after law enforcement brought charges against him for child pornography. DeHart counters that he’s being framed, targeted for his support of Wikileaks, and that he was tortured in a US prison. Unfolding like an espionage mystery, the film follows a multiyear quest for truth, with unexpected twists and turns until the very end.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films this Friday, July 30:
BRING YOUR OWN BRIGADE
Director:
Lucy Walker
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
About:
A compelling and comprehensive essay exploring the history and causes of wildfires.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to MUBI this Friday, July 30:
KRABI, 2562
Director:
Ben Rivers, Anocha Suwichakornpong
World Premiere:
Locarno 2019
Select Festivals:
Toronto, Rotterdam, BFI London, Busan, Vancouver, Hamburg, Vienna, Thessaloniki, Porto/Post/Doc, Singapore, Glasgow, Göteborg, Beijing
About:
In the popular Thai destination town of Krabi, the local folklore and histories are promoted as attractions, while the labor force is hidden from the tourists’ eyes.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to DVD this week:
KENNY SCHARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
Director:
Malia Scharf, Max Basch
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Revelation, Provincetown, Montclair, Atlantic
About:
A portrait of artist Kenny Scharf, whose work fuses popular culture and fine art.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to the Metrograph’s virtual cinema this Thursday, July 29:
MY BEST FIEND
Director:
Werner Herzog
World Premiere:
Cannes 1999
Select Festivals:
Telluride, Edinburgh, Montreal, São Paulo, Chicago, Portland, Singapore, Bergen, Jakarta, Thessaloniki Doc
About:
An exploration of the love-hate relationship between the director and the unforgettable actor of five of his best-known films, Klaus Kinski.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to MUBI today, Tuesday, July 27:
FREEDOM FIELDS
Director:
Naziha Arebi
World Premiere:
Toronto 2018
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, BFI London, Minneapolis-St Paul, Docs Against Gravity, BlackStar
About:
A profile of three women and their soccer team in post-revolution Libya, as the country descends into civil war and the utopian hopes of the Arab Spring begin to fade.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Apple TV+ today, Tuesday, July 27:
FOR MADMEN ONLY
Director:
Heather Ross
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
Chicago, Cleveland, Portland, RiverRun, Boulder, Calgary
About:
Del Close, the hidden architect of modern comedy, reveals his creative process by writing an autobiographical comic book.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Tuesday, July 27:
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
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