Courtesy of the filmmakers
Director:
Lee Aronsohn
Premiere:
Woodstock 2017
Select Festivals:
Napa Valley, Biografilm, Florida, Newport Beach, Boulder
About:
The filmmaker sets out to find his favorite band from his college years.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Festival:
The 43rd annual Toronto International Film Festival
Dates:
September 6-16
About:
This premier North American event once again presents just shy of 40 documentaries among its 240+ feature offerings, keeping in line with the slimming down put into effect last year. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
New to VOD this week:
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRÉ
Director:
Kate Novack
Premiere:
Toronto 2017
Select Festivals:
IDFA, Tribeca, Palm Springs, CPH:DOX, RiverRun, Montclair, IFF Boston, Seattle, Melbourne Queer,
About:
A portrait of influential fashion editor André Leon Talley.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to the JCC Manhattan tomorrow, Wednesday, September 5:
306 HOLLYWOOD
Directors:
Elan Bogarín and Jonathan Bogarín
Premiere:
Sundance 2018
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, Full Frame, Cleveland, Sarasota, Montclair, Aspen Ideas, Atlanta, Berkshire, Woods Hole, San Francisco Jewish
About:
A magical realist archaeological exploration of the filmmakers’ late grandmother’s home and possessions.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
photo by Jim Judkis
Director:
Morgan Neville
Premiere:
Sundance 2018
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, SXSW, True/False, San Francisco, Montclair, Seattle, Cleveland, Minneapolis St Paul, Wisconsin, Boulder, Miami
About:
A moving exploration of the enduring impact of children’s television show host Fred Rogers on generations of viewers through his pioneering program, MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, September 5:
BISBEE ’17
Director:
Robert Greene
Premiere:
Sundance 2018
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, True/False, CPH:DOX, Visions du Reel, Hot Docs, AFI Docs, BAMcinemaFest, Sydney, Jeonju, Minneapolis/St Paul, Cleveland
About:
An old town on the Arizona-Mexico border collectively confronts the darkest episode in its history.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS tomorrow, Tuesday, September 4:
EX LIBRIS: THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Director:
Frederick Wiseman
Premiere:
Venice 2017
Select Festivals:
Toronto, IDFA, CPH:DOX, London, Busan, Zurich, Hamburg, Rio, Vienna, Camerimage
About:
An immersive look at the titular institution.
Wiseman, the master of institutional portraits, here introduces the viewer to the various roles and functions of the New York Public Library. Far from being only a storehouse for books, the NYPL – as represented by several of its 92 branches citywide – instead underscores its essential role in serving the citizenry. Less about the literature it offers and more about the people who make use of it, Wiseman’s film drops the audience into a seemingly endless buzz of activity, from job recruitment fairs to book club meetings, children’s literacy programs and conversations with the likes of Patti Smith and Ta-Nehisi Coates, music concerts and accessibility programs for the blind and deaf. As in several of his other works, the director also offers intriguing behind the scenes moments, revealing library staff addressing how they are staying current and relevant to the needs of their users, such as offering expanded Internet access and a greater selection of eBooks. While its arguable that Wiseman could have accomplished as vibrant a profile in less than the film’s 3 hour plus run time, it remains an illuminating project.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, September 4:
GENTLEMEN OF VISION
Directors:
Frank Popper and Jim Kirchherr
Premiere:
St Louis PBS broadcast (September 2016)
Select Festivals:
AFI Docs, Cinema St Louis, Cinema on the Bayou
About:
A profile of a competitive high school step team.
Popper and Kirchherr’s film follows the Riverview Gardens, St Louis-based Gentlemen of Vision team, better known as GOV – the reigning national step champions. Composed of both older teens and a junior group – conceived in part as an early intervention program for at-risk youth, GOV affords its primarily African American members an alternative to the dangerous draw of gang life. As the likeable if familiar film demonstrates, the glue that holds GOV together is coach Marlon Wharton, a surrogate father figure who demands much of his young charges – not just excellence in GOV, but in their studies as well, encouraging concrete plans for bettering their lives after high school through education.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to CNN tonight, Monday, September 3:
RBG
Directors:
Betsy West and Julie Cohen
Premiere:
Sundance 2018
Select Festivals:
Miami, Cleveland, San Francisco, Montclair
About:
A portrait of legendary, outspoken US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to VOD today, Friday, August 31:
THIS IS CONGO
Director:
Daniel McCabe
Premiere:
Venice 2017
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, Camden, DocPoint, Big Sky Doc, Palm Springs, Woodstock, Stockholm, Human Rights Watch, Glasgow, Docville
About:
An inside look at the complex forces behind the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ongoing conflicts.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
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