By Vernon Nickerson Sometimes the best independent films are life-transforming. Other times watching and listening to an exceptionally well-told story makes the heart sing. From the collaborative team of Rob Herring (Writer-Director) and Ryan Wirick (Director), The Need to Grow is that film. The subtitle, “Save the SOIL, Save the WORLD,” summarizes an intimate journey…
By Mike Szymanski Luxury, had I known of them in the 1990s, would have become a favorite band of mine in my youth had I known about them. Their influences were the same as mine that I loved as a young teen, when the parents of the up-and-coming band members were giving their children albums…
By ©Kaiser Health News When a filmmaker asked medical historian Naomi Rogers to appear in a documentary, the Yale professor didn’t blink. She had done these “talking head” interviews many times before. She assumed her comments would end up in a straightforward documentary that addressed some of the most pressing concerns of the pandemic, such…
By Vernon Nickerson Full disclosure: I want the planet to watch this entire documentary from beginning to end as many times as needed so that no human being in America forgets. Specifically, we must never forget the history of our current pandemic of violence at the hands of people who, once upon a time, were…
Powerful points of view into immigration, economic inequality and racial justice—more than half directed by people of color and women, with a spotlight on Latinx cinema Season premieres on July 5 with CJ Hunt’s The Neutral Ground—all films available streaming with free educational resources POV returns to PBS in July with its 34th season, a…
By Vernon Nickerson Chelsea Christer’s reality drama-documentary “Bleeding Audio” will be a hot ticket for fans of fan favorite punk rockers “The Matches” as soon as tickets are available. If, like most feature length films in the COVID era, it is streamed, that platform had best be prepared to be shredded. Officially, “Bleeding Audio” is…
By Liisa Cohen “Through The Night”, directed and produced by Loira Limal, captured my heart and attention. Whoa! What is Love? This heart warming and deeply moving film captures the life and soul of an exceptional woman. “Through The Night” is an intimate cinema verité portrait of three working mothers whose lives all intersect at…
NEW VIDEO RELEASED OF DuVERNAY & BOWERS IN-CONVERSATION FILM TO HAVE FESTIVAL DEBUT AT SUNDANCE 2021 TOMORROWFULL FILM NOW STREAMING ON NYTIMES.COM The new short subject documentary A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION tells the story of virtuoso jazz pianist and film composer Kris Bowers as he tracks his family’s lineage through his 91-year-old grandfather from Jim…
Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker & Journalist to Lead Support of Nonfiction Field Sundance Institute has announced that Carrie Lozano will helm its Documentary Film Program, succeeding interim Director Kristin Feeley and prior Director Tabitha Jackson. As Documentary Film Program Director, Lozano will elevate and support nonfiction filmmakers worldwide at all stages of creating and distributing…
By Joanna Panayi From Emmy-nominated and award-winning filmmaker Jane Wells, Pot Luck, is a 3 Generations production narrated by Robin Quivers. This documentary takes us on an enlightening adventure across the Colorado state, exploring the normality of the legalization of cannabis. Pot luck is an insightful analysis of the legalization of cannabis’s direct, cultural, and…
By Sanyukta Thakare The Prison Within is about taking a long and hard look at yourself and separating you from your actions to gain and better perspective and take on responsibility. The documentary explores the destructive impact untreated trauma has on individuals and communities through the powerful stories of survivors of violent crimes and prisoners…
Top Prizes Go To Minari, Boys State, Epicentro, and Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness Minari, Crip Camp, The Reason I Jump, and Identifying Features (Sin Señas Particulares) Win Audience Awards After 10 days and 128 feature films, the 2020 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony took place tonight, with jurors presenting 28 prizes for feature…
By Monteque Pope-Le Beau The Amber Light Makes Its US Premiere at Santa Barbara International Film Festival Q&A With Director Adam Park To Follow Screenings “‘As might be expected, the inspiration for this film came after a rather enlightening evening spent with Dave Broom at his home.” Director Adam Park Director Adam Park’s wonderful…
Heartbroken Filmmaker Steve Markle Focuses His Camera On Women To Film A Doc And Find The Love Of His Life. The Slamdance Film Festival will host the World Premiere of the rom-com doc Shoot To Marry, the long-awaited follow-up to Canadian filmmaker Steve Markle’s cult classic Camp Hollywood. The documentary is part of…
By Vernon Nickerson “Love is beautiful and painful…what else is there?” Thankfully, there is also Shoot to Marry, a 2020 Slamdance Film Festival selection. Written, produced, and directed by documentarian Steve Markle, Shoot to Marry is a quirky video memoir of one man’s journey (Markle) in search of a life partner. From a home base…
Drawn From a Record High of 15,100 Submissions Across The Program, Including 3,853 Features, Selected Films Represent 27 Countries The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the showcase of new independent feature films selected across all categories for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at…
Virgil Films & Entertainment Will Distribute Feature Film on Infamous Case of The First American Activists Ever Convicted of Terrorism The chilling documentary feature “The Animal People,” from directors Casey Suchan (“Rock The Bells”) and Denis Henry Hennelly (“Goodbye World,” “Bold Native”) follows the harrowing journey of six young American animal rights activists prosecuted as terrorists by the United States Government for…
By Monteque Pope-Le Beau It is hard to believe that there are those that still believe climate change is a hoax with the horrendous climate disasters and events playing out each and everyday. With the wildfires raging on in California, drought in Texas, daytime flooding in Florida and lives across the country been disrupted it…
By William Engel “Virgin Blacktop: A New York Skate Odyssey” is a documentary chronicling the genesis, peak and dissolution of The Wizards, a team of nine New York teenagers united by their passion for skateboarding. The film is comprised of footage, news articles and stories spanning more than thirty years, compiled by Charlie Samuels,…
By William Engel The PBS broadcast of “The Chinese Exclusion Act”, was a daring, sobering documentary about the titular law that prevented Chinese-Americans from being recognized as citizens for more than half a century. Through multiple accounts and both primary and secondary sources, the film provides an in-depth look at the history of the Chinese…
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