The film EVAPORATING BORDERS from director Iva Radivojevic was set to screen at SXSW this year.
This week saw the launch of the film portion of SXSW. At his What (Not) to Doc blog, Basil Tsiokos provided an overview of the docs screening in Austin as part of the festival. Writing for Realscreen, Adam Benzine interviewed director Beth Harrington about her new doc WINDING STREAM, which screens in Austin. At Nonfics.com, Christopher Campbell reviewed THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ.
Coverage of the True/False Fest continued to make its way out of Columbia, Missouri this week. In a piece for Indiewire, Paul Dallas made the case for why True/False is one of the most vital festivals in the U.S. At Cinema Scope, Adam Nayman provided his own recap of the festival, while Noel Murray did the same at The Dissolve. Vadim Rizov turned in his second post on True/False for Filmmaker Magazine, and Ben Godar also produced a recap of the fest at Nonfics.com.
Daniel Walber wrote a post naming his eight favorite films of True/False at Nonfics.com. In his weekly Docutopia post, Anthony Kaufman considered the presentations of reality in the True/False films ACTRESS and APPROACHING THE ELEPHANT. At the KBIA Missouri public radio station blog, Katarina Sostaric interviewed True/False educational outreach coordinator Polina Malikin. Back at Nonfics.com, Daniel Walber reviewed RICH HILL and also penned a review of CAIRO DRIVE.
This week Stranger Than Fiction is hosting a screening of HARLEM STREET SINGER from directors Trevor Laurence and Simeon Hutner on Tuesday, March 11 at 8pm at the IFC Center in Manhattan. The film tells the story of the blues guitarist the Reverend Gary Davis. Following the screening, directors Laurence and Hutner will be in attendance for a Q&A. For more information or to purchase tickets please go here.
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Morgan Neville's film 20 FEET FROM STARDOM won the Oscar for the best documentary this year.
Morgan Neville’s film 20 FEET FROM STARDOM emerged the winner of the Oscar doc contest this year, beating out the more politically oriented films – DIRTY WARS (STF alum), THE SQUARE, among other films. Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times reported on the win for 20 FEET FROM STARDOM, which also screened at DOC NYC last year. Also writing for the Los Angeles Times, Tracy Brown reported on the win by Malcolm Clark for his short doc THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE. Also, at Indiewire Paula Bernstein reported on how Edgar Barens shot his Oscar-nominated short PRISON TERMINAL: THE LAST DAYS OF PRIVATE JACK HALL in a maximum security prison.
The True/False FIlm Fest seems to keep burnishing its reputation as the documentary filmmaker’s festival, and this year was no different. At Filmmaker Magazine, Vadim Rizov issued a dispatch covering his first day at the festival, while the festival’s own blog did the same. Basil Tsiokos provided an overview of the festival at his What (Not) to Doc blog. Also writing for Filmmaker Magazine, director Robert Greene considered the benefits of premiering at True/False. At Nonfics.com, Daniel Walber wrote up the festival’s five most anticipated films. Public radio station KBAI had a handful of interviews with True/False directors: Ryan Famuliner interviewed Ryan Murdock, director of BRONX OBAMA; Kellie Moore spoke with THE JOYCEAN SOCIETY director Dora Garcia; and Katie Hiler chatted up THE NOTORIOUS MR. BOUT directors Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin.
At the True/False blog, Dan Steffan spoke with director Robert Greene about his film ACTRESS and APPROACHING THE ELEPHANT, which was directed by Amanda Rose and produced and edited by Greene. Writing for the POV blog, Tom Roston issued a list of five True/False films to keep an eye out for. Writing for Nonfics.com, Daniel Walber gave Jessica Oreck’s new film THE VANQUISHING OF THE WITCH BABA YAGA a four-star review. Indiewire critic Eric Kohn reviewed Robert Greene’s ACTRESS, giving it a grade of A-.
This week Stranger Than Fiction hosts a screening of THE ROAD TO FAME from director Hao Wu on Tuesday, March 4 at 8 p.m. at the IFC Center in Manhattan. The film follows the collaboration between China’s top drama academy and Broadway. Director Hao Wu and editor Jean Tsien will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screening. For more information or to purchase tickets, please go here.
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The film TIME IS ILLMATIC was named as the opening film for this year's Tribeca FIlm Festival.
The Tribeca Film Festival this week named the documentary TIME IS ILLMATIC about the seminal hip-hop album Illmatic by Nas as its opening film. Manori Ravindran of Realscreen had a report, as did Mekado Murphy of the New York Times and Nigel M. Smith of Indiewire.
The team of Joshua Oppenheimer, Errol Morris and Werner Herzog on Sunday hosted a Reddit AMA intended to focus on Oppenheimer’s film THE ACT OF KILLING. Nick Fraser of BBC Storyville sparked some controversy with a piece in the Guardian advocating that the film not win an Oscar. At Variety, Tim Gray spoke with Morris about the film, while the BBC’s Tim Masters spoke with Oppenheimer, who told him he feared returning to Indonesia, in advance of the Oscars.
At the New York Times, Lauren Sandler wrote about the ties between True/False and a local church in Columbia, Missouri. Tom Roston of the POV blog interviewed filmmaker Robert Greene about his new film ACTRESS, as well as the True/False Film Festival, where the film will screen. Aarik Danielson of the Columbia Daily Tribune also spoke with Greene about his film. Over at KBIA, Abbie Fentress Swanson interviewed director Jessica Oreck about her film THE VANQUISHING OF THE WITCH BABA YAGA, also a True/False selection.
This week Stranger Than Fiction is hosting A GREAT DAY IN HARLEM, a film about a photo taken of a collection of some of the greatest jazz musicians in history, on Tuesday, February 25 at 8 p.m. at the IFC Center in Manhattan. Following the screening there will be a Q&A with the film’s producer Matthew Sieg and editor Susan Peehl. For more information or to buy tickets please go here.
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The film PINE RIDGE from director Anna Eborn was among the films selected to play at the Documentary Fortnight program this year.
The Museum of Modern Art’s Documentary Fortnight program began on Friday. Writing at his What (Not) to Doc blog, Basil Tsiokos provided an overview of the program. At Twitch, Christopher Bourne wrote up some capsule reviews for some Doc Fortnight films.
Ben Beaumont-Thomas of the Guardian reported on THE ACT OF KILLING’s win at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for best documentary. Writing for Filmmaker Magazine, Scott Macaulay reported that director Joshua Oppenheimer’s speech appeared to have been edited to eliminate criticism of the British and U.S. governments in a video posted by the BAFTAs.
In an open letter posted on Facebook, filmmaker Dawn Porter criticized the decision by Washington, D.C., PBS station WETA not to air her film SPIES OF MISSISSIPPI on Monday, Feb. 10 at 10 p.m. Peter Hart of the Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) blog had additional reporting on the incident.
This week Stranger Than Fiction is hosting a screening of the classic D.A. Pennebaker film MONTEREY POP at the IFC Center in Manhattan on Tuesday, February 18 at 8 p.m. The film immortalized the now-famous Monterey International Pop Festival held in the summer of 1967. Following the screening D.A. Pennebaker will be in attendance, along with a number of crew members on the film, including Albert Maysles. For more information or to buy tickets please go here.
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DOC NYC presents encore presentations of two of 2013′s most acclaimed nonfiction films, both nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary. Filmmakers in person at each show.
CUTIE AND THE BOXER
TOMORROW! Thurs. Feb. 13, 7pm, IFC Center
In person: Director Zachary Heinzerling
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Once a rising star in the ’70′s New York art scene, 80-year-old “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara is prepping for his latest show, hoping to reinvigorate his career. His wife and de facto assistant, Noriko, seeks her own recognition through her “Cutie” illustrations, which depict their chaotic 40-year marriage. CUTIE AND THE BOXER captures two lives united by a dedication to art-making for a touching meditation on the eternal themes of love and sacrifice. (R, 82 min)
DIRTY WARS
Mon. Feb. 17, 7pm, IFC Center
In person: subject Jeremy Scahill
Buy tickets here
This eye-opening documentary lays bare the dirty little secret of America’s War on Terror: all bets are off, and almost anything goes. Drone strikes, night raids and government–condoned torture occur in hidden corners across the globe, generating unprecedented civilian casualties. Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill traces the rise of the Joint Special Operations Command, the most secret and elite fighting force in U.S. history, exposing covert ops, unidentifiable fighters who act with impunity and “kill lists” where no target is off-limits. (NR, 85 min)
