New to DVD this week:
THE CHANGIN’ TIMES OF IKE WHITE
Director:
Daniel Vernon
World Premiere:
Camden 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Glasgow, Valladolid
About:
The unexpected story of a long-vanished jailhouse musician.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
SEEDS OF DECEIT
Miriam Guttmann investigates a disturbing pattern of abuse of power by a leading Dutch fertility doctor in this docuseries.
Festival Section:
Indie Series Program
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to DVD/VOD today, Tuesday, January 26:
NASRIN
Director:
Jeff Kaufman
World Premiere:
GlobeDocs 2020
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Denver, Global Health, Human Rights Film Festival Berlin
About:
A portrait of human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
LIFE IN A DAY 2020
Kevin Macdonald presents a crowdsourced look at life around the world on a single day during the pandemic.
Festival Section:
Special Screenings
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX
Rodney Ascher goes down the rabbit hole of simulation theory.
Festival Section:
Midnight
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, January 25:
THE MOLE AGENT
Director:
Maite Alberdi
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, Hot Docs, Full Frame, True/False, San Sebastian, New Directors/NewFilms, Miami, Karlovy Vary, Cleveland
About:
An 83-year-old man becomes an undercover spy in a Chilean retirement home.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
SEARCHERS
Pacho Velez explores online dating apps and the need for human connection during a time of enforced isolation.
Festival Section:
NEXT
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET
Marilyn Agrelo revisits the origins of the pioneering children’s television powerhouse.
Festival Section:
Premieres
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to Hulu today, Friday, January 22:
DEREK DELGAUDIO’S IN & OF ITSELF
Director:
Frank Oz
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Montclair, Philadelphia
About:
The illusionist’s acclaimed one-man show.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
For more than 500 performances, Derek DelGaudio left New York City audiences moved and astonished by his one-man show combining the art of illusion and storytelling. Filmmaker Frank Oz turns DelGaudio’s intimate live performances into an unforgettable film about redemption and identity that builds with both emotion and wonder to a jaw-dropping final act. Now that live performance has been drastically curtailed by the pandemic, the chance to be immersed in this one-of-a-kind experience feels all the more precious.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, January 22:
NOTTURNO
Director:
Gianfranco Rosi
World Premiere:
Venice 2020
Select Festivals:
Toronto, IDFA, New York, London, Reykjavik, AFI Fest, Chicago, El Gouna, Busan
About:
An atmospheric immersion into life in the shadow of ISIS.
Filming for several years in the fringes of Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria, and Lebanon, acclaimed Italian filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi crafts a meditation on everyday existence despite the trauma and legacy of unrest and devastation wrought by ISIS and other forces. As in his other recent films, Rosi is not particularly concerned with identifying or developing individual subjects; instead, he provides viewers with more panoramic glimpses of various Everymen, traversing borders without identifying exact locations. Scenes follow in quick succession of military troops on the march, bereaved mothers, boys fishing and hunting, a couple enjoying a relatively quiet moment on a rooftop, children in therapy sessions, psychiatric patients rehearsing a play. Some figures recur, others are seen only once. Conflict is always present, whether immediate or hovering in the periphery. While the film is unquestionably artfully composed, presenting striking, and occasionally indelible, images, its meditative, associative collage approach ultimately tempers its impact.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
what (not) to doc 