what (not) to doc

In Donaciano Ojeda, the local indigenous community, recognizing the dangerous impact of logging on their forest, have collectively agreed to serve as stewards of the land, protecting it for generations to come. The traditional home to the monarch butterfly as it migrates south, saving the forest is essential to their survival, helping to curtail the dramatic population reduction the species has seen in the past twenty years. In their well-constructed film, Crosbie and Moran reveal the conflicting forces at play as the community, made up of former loggers, attempts to balance sustainable conservation with economic reality.

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October 26, 2018 · 1:31 PM

2018 DOC NYC in Focus: Photography on Film

LAST STOP CONEY ISLAND: THE LIFE AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF HAROLD FEINSTEIN

Festival:
DOC NYC

Dates:
November 8-15

Section:
Photography on Film, putting the spotlight on photographers and their work: Continue reading →

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October 26, 2018 · 12:01 PM

In Theatres: TRUST MACHINE: THE STORY OF BLOCKCHAIN

Coming to theatres today, Friday, October 26:
TRUST MACHINE: THE STORY OF BLOCKCHAIN

Director:
Alex Winter

Premiere:
NYC theatrical (October 2018)

Select Festivals:
Tallinn Black Nights

About:
An exploration of the technology behind not only cryptocurrency, but decentralization of information as a whole.

Though theorized in its basic form a decade ago, blockchain has come into popular consciousness only in the last couple of years, tied to the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Winter’s comprehensive film addresses cryptocurrency speculation, its proponents and skeptics, but goes far beyond this singular application to unpack the radical potential of the often-misunderstood technology. At its core, the story of blockchain is about decentralization, operating from the premise that centralization of information and access to it is an inherently problematic, if not outright dangerous, thing. Winter does a solid job of demystifying what exactly blockchain is, and explaining why some entities – including the US government and the financial industry – might be threatened. This latter idea is personified in the case of Lauri Love, a British hacktivist on the autism spectrum who is being threatened with extradition to the US, where he may face up to 99 years in prison. Love’s plight is directly connected to the tragic story of Aaron Swartz, who was hounded by persecution to eventually take his own life. Where the film is a bit less successful is in its too-sketchy look at blockchain’s current and hoped for applications beyond cryptocurrency. The survey provided here offers a libertarian utopian promise, but without digging deeply enough into its reality.

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October 25, 2018 · 3:02 PM

2018 DOC NYC in Focus: Series Showcase

LADY PARTS JUSTICE IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER

Festival:
DOC NYC

Dates:
November 8-15

Section:
Series Showcase, a new focus on episodic content: Continue reading →

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October 25, 2018 · 2:12 PM

In Theatres: MONROVIA, INDIANA

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 26:
MONROVIA, INDIANA

Directors:
Frederick Wiseman

Premiere:
Venice 2018

Select Festivals:
Toronto, New York, Hamptons, London

About:
A wide-ranging portrait of a small midwestern town.

Wiseman’s latest focuses on the titular community, with a population less than 2000, roving around various activities and locations, from a local diner to a farm, an auction to a far-too-long funeral. The master filmmaker isn’t concerned with establishing characters, but in providing an impressionistic look at the daily life of rural America. It’s a largely apolitical portrait, with the most contentious issue debated by a planning board being a vague reference to concerns of a demographic change to the town. Otherwise, an impassioned discussion about whether the Lion’s Club should donate one or two benches to the local library is more the film’s speed. Though not one of Wiseman’s more notable efforts, the film nevertheless retains interest on the whole.

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October 25, 2018 · 1:31 PM

2018 DOC NYC in Focus: International Perspectives

BRAVE GIRLS

Festival:
DOC NYC

Dates:
November 8-15

Section:
International Perspectives, a look at stories from around the globe: Continue reading →

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October 25, 2018 · 12:01 PM

Ji.hlava 2018 Overview

Festival:
The 22nd Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival

Dates:
October 25-30

About:
More than 100 new and recent nonfiction features are presented in this Czech event.

UNTIL PORN DO US PART

Among the world premieres in the main competition, Opus Bonum, are: Alexandra Kandy Longuet’s VACANY, an observational study of an American motel; Jorge Pelicano’s UNTIL PORN DO US PART, about a religious woman trying to come to terms with her son’s gay porn career; Sanaz Azari’s BACKSTAGE ACTION, which focuses on film extras; NSD Mike Hoolboom’s AFTERMATH, an experimental portrait of four artists.

CONNATURAL

Filmmakers making their feature debut are spotlighted in the First Lights competition, with world premieres including: Dulce Ferreira Sanchez’s THE PARADISE, exploring Venezuela’s recent history through 15 years of the filmmaker’s home movies; Joaquín Maito’s OWNER’S PORTRAIT, an essay about animals, humans, and capitalism; Javier Bellido Valdivia’s CONNATURAL, profiling three generations of women and their connection to mortality; and Cyprien Clément-Delmas and Igor Kosenko’s BOY OF WAR, about a naive teen eager to join the war in Ukraine.

BIRTHDAY

Works from Central and Eastern European are the focus of the Between the Seas competition, with several world premieres, including: Hilal Baydarov’s BIRTHDAY, a portrait of the filmmaker’s lonely mother; Alexander Mihalkovich’s MY GRANNY FROM MARS, about an old Ukrainian woman living in Russian-occupied Crimea; Simon Mozgovyi’s THE WINTER GARDEN’S TALE, on a crumbling conservatory that has just lost its longtime gardener; and Eugene Golovanevsky’s HEAVY METAL, which follows construction workers as they tear down a high-rise.

FERAL

National cinema making its debut in the Czech Joy competition includes: Pavel Jurda’s GOOD MR BENDA, a portrait of an athletics-minded grandfather; Martin Páv’s VOTE FOR KIBERA, a hopeful profile of the people of Nairobi’s biggest slum; Jana Boršková’s PASSENGERS, a longitudinal portrait of former residents of a children’s home; and Jiří Holba’s FERAL, about a Czech man living as a hermit in the Australian outback since the 1980s.