
Festival:
The 49th Telluride Film Festival
Dates:
September 2-5
About:
The US film industry will be flocking to this Colorado cinephile retreat this weekend, where once again nonfiction makes up well over 60% of its new feature presentations.

Festival:
The 49th Telluride Film Festival
Dates:
September 2-5
About:
The US film industry will be flocking to this Colorado cinephile retreat this weekend, where once again nonfiction makes up well over 60% of its new feature presentations.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations

Coming to Hulu tomorrow, Thursday, September 1:
AMERICAN RAPSTAR
Director:
Justin Staple
World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2020
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, SXSW, Doc’n Roll
About:
An eye-opening exploration of the SoundCloud rap phenomenon, a scene of troubled, young, lo-fi rappers that has used social media to develop a rabid fan base.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres and VOD this Friday, September 2:
BLIND AMBITION
Director:
Robert Coe, Warwick Ross
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021
Select Festivals:
Melbourne, Thessaloniki Doc, Reykjavik, Seattle
About:
Four Zimbabwean men form their country’s first Wine Tasting Olympics team.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

Coming to theatres this Friday, September 2:
OUR AMERICAN FAMILY
Director:
Hallee Adelman, Sean King O’Grady
World Premiere:
Woodstock 2021
Select Festivals:
Philadelphia
About:
An honest, unfiltered look at a close-knit Philadelphia family dealing with generational substance abuse.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

Coming to NYC’s Anthology Film Archives this Thursday, September 1:
GHOST ARTIST
Director:
Steven Palmer, Edward Riche
Select Festivals:
FIN Atlantic, Windsor
About:
When a revolutionary film about medicine and the body is rediscovered after 50 years, it leads to its uncredited maker, Robert Cordier, still working in Paris at 82.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, August 30:
BULLETPROOF
Director:
Todd Chandler
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, IDFA, Dokufest, Camden, Philadelphia, DOK Leipzig, Jihlava, Doclisboa, Maryland, Tempo Doc, Melbourne, DMZ Docs
About:
A provocative exploration of fear and American violence that interrogates what it means to be safe in school in the United States.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

Festival:
The 79th Venice International Film Festival
Dates:
August 31-September 10
About:
Twenty documentaries appear as part of the approximately 75 feature offerings of this premier Italian event, while its autonomous sidebars present 14 docs among their 38 feature presentations, including the following.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, August 29 and to DVD via Criterion Collection tomorrow, Tuesday, August 30:
FAYA DAYI
Director:
Jessica Beshir
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, BlackStar, True/False, Full Frame, Visions du Reel, Seattle, New Directors/New Films, Rotterdam, Melbourne
Notable Recognition:
The doc was shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
About:
A poetic, sensorial journey into the highlands of Harar in eastern Ethiopia, the birthplace of khat.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance

Coming to theatres and VOD today, Friday, August 26:
THE YOUTH GOVERNOR
Director:
Matt Halmy, Jaron Halmy
World Premiere:
Cleveland 2022
About:
In the halls of California’s Capitol, 4,000 teenagers run a fully functioning government complete
with legislators, party bosses, and elections, with three candidates emerging in the
race for the 72nd Youth Governor.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, August 26:
LET THE LITTLE LIGHT SHINE
Director:
Kevin Shaw
World Premiere:
True/False 2022
Select Festivals:
Black Star, Full Frame, Doc 10, Minneapolis-St Paul, Doclands, Freep, Milwaukee, Ashland
About:
A high-achieving elementary school near downtown Chicago is a lifeline for Black children – until gentrification threatens its closure.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases