Oscar-Shortlisted Short Documentary Perfectly a Strangeness Sets NYC Screenings

Posted on January 4, 2026 by admin

Alison McAlpine’s short documentary Perfectly a Strangeness continues its awards-season run with two upcoming New York City screenings in January, following its inclusion on the Academy Awards’ 2026 shortlist for Best Documentary Short.

The 15-minute Canadian film, which premiered in Official Competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, unfolds in a desert landscape where three donkeys encounter an abandoned astronomical observatory. Blending documentary with elements of myth, science fiction, and philosophical inquiry, the film explores perception, curiosity, and humanity’s relationship to the cosmos through a strikingly sensory approach.

Perfectly a Strangeness has earned significant critical praise, with Deadline calling it “one of the most cinematic documentaries of the year,” and The Film Verdict describing it as “a heady blend of myth, science fiction, documentary, comedy and philosophical exploration.” The film has also screened at TIFF, IDFA, and more than 70 international festivals.

The New York screenings include a January 7 showing at Quad Cinema, followed by a Q&A with critic Jordan Hoffman, and a January 10 screening at DCTV with a post-screening conversation led by filmmaker Penny Lane.

McAlpine, whose previous work includes the acclaimed feature documentary CIELO, is a Guggenheim Fellow and is currently developing her first narrative feature alongside a new hybrid documentary project.

Award-Winning Documentary ‘Natchez’ Opens at Film Forum

Posted on December 26, 2025 by admin

Suzannah Herbert’s documentary Natchez will open its U.S. theatrical run at Film Forum on January 30, following its award-winning debut on the festival circuit. The film is executive produced by Sam Pollard.

Set in Natchez, Mississippi, the documentary examines a town long known for its antebellum tourism as it confronts growing challenges to its romanticized portrayal of the Old South. Through interviews with plantation owners, tour guides, activists, and local officials, Natchez explores conflicting narratives about history, memory, and the legacy of slavery.

Natches premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, where it won Best Documentary, along with special jury awards for cinematography and editing. The film has since earned additional honors, including audience and documentary prizes at multiple festivals, and was named one of the National Board of Review’s Top 5 Documentaries of the Year.

‘Suspicious Minds’ Season One Concludes With AI-Focused Finale

Posted on December 23, 2025 by admin

By Armando

The first season of Suspicious Minds, the documentary podcast and video series examining the psychological impact of artificial intelligence, has concluded with its finale episode, “Why Is AI Making Us Crazy?”

Created and directed by filmmaker Sean King O’Grady, the season explores how emerging technologies can influence belief systems and mental health, particularly as AI tools become increasingly personalized, emotionally responsive, and difficult for some users to distinguish from human authority.

The finale revisits ideas from Suspicious Minds: How Culture Shapes Madness, the book by psychiatrist Dr. Joel Gold and philosopher Ian Gold, focusing on how long-standing psychological mechanisms such as pattern-seeking and suspicion can be intensified in contemporary digital environments. Rather than framing AI as a singular cause, the episode situates it within a broader cultural context that can amplify existing vulnerabilities.

Produced by Wondermind and Agoric Media, Suspicious Minds premiered in October 2025 and has ranked among the year’s top podcasts, combining expert analysis with firsthand accounts to examine how technology can shape, and in some cases destabilize, individual perceptions of reality.

The series is now available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major platforms.

Documentary Glendora to World Premiere at Dances With Films NY 2026

Posted on December 21, 2025 by admin

The feature documentary Glendora will make its world premiere at Dances With Films: New York 2026. Directed by Isabelle Armand in collaboration with the Glendora community, the 74-minute film screens January 16 at Regal Union Square.

Set in the Mississippi Delta, Glendora offers an intimate portrait of a small, predominantly African American town, shaped by decades of economic hardship yet sustained by strong communal bonds and cultural traditions.

Developed over five years, the documentary is told through the voices of multiple generations and captures everyday rituals that define life in the town.

Blending personal testimony with observations of daily life, the film situates Glendora’s present-day experiences within a broader American history marked by racial injustice and structural inequality, while emphasizing the community’s resilience and collective memory.

Michael Apted’s The Long Way Home Returns in Remastered, Expanded Form at MoMA Festival

Posted on December 20, 2025 by admin

Michael Apted’s documentary The Long Way Home will receive its world premiere in a newly remastered and expanded edition at To Save and Project: The 22nd MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation in January.

The 2026 version has been restored from the only surviving 16mm print under the supervision of producer Steven Lawrence and editor Susanne Rostock. The updated edition also includes a newly created epilogue examining the later life of Soviet rock icon Boris Grebenshchikov, whose career and exile following the release of his Western album Radio Silence are revisited decades after the film’s original release.

Originally released in the late 1980s, The Long Way Home follows Grebenshchikov as he became the first Soviet underground rocker to record in the West during the early days of Glasnost. The film documents his collaborations with Western musicians including Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox, Chrissie Hynde, Ray Cooper, and members of Crosby, Stills & Nash, while also capturing tensions with his longtime band Aquarium and his Russian audience.

The remastered edition will screen at MoMA on January 28, with an in-person introduction by Lawrence and Rostock.

“One Battle After Another” Dominates National Board of Review Awards

Posted on December 6, 2025 by admin

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another continued its awards-season surge, leading the 2025 National Board of Review honors with five major wins, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor for Benicio Del Toro, and Breakthrough Performance for Chase Infiniti.

The strong showing follows the film’s recent victories at both the Gotham Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle, positioning the Warner Bros. title as one of this season’s most formidable contenders.

Rose Byrne was named Best Actress for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, continuing her streak across multiple critics groups. Other notable winners included Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value, Ryan Coogler for Sinners (Best Original Screenplay), and Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar for Train Dreams (Best Adapted Screenplay).

NBR also recognized Arco as Best Animated Feature, It Was Just an Accident as Best International Film, and Cover-Up as Best Documentary. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned the group’s stunt artistry honor, while Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw received Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.

As usual, the organization released additional top-ten lists spanning films, international selections, documentaries, and independent features, which continue to serve as an early barometer of industry consensus.

The winners will be celebrated at the NBR’s annual gala on January 13, 2026, in New York City.

Documentary “More Than Santa Baby” Honors Composer Philip Springer

Posted on December 1, 2025 by admin

The new documentary short More Than Santa Baby shines a spotlight on the remarkable life of composer Philip Springer, best known for writing the holiday classic “Santa Baby.” Directed by his daughter, Tamar Springer, the film reveals an artist whose career stretches across eight decades and far beyond his most famous song.

Running 39 minutes, the film blends archival footage, rare recordings, and interviews to trace Springer’s creative journey from 1940s Tin Pan Alley to the studio eras of New York and Hollywood. Along the way, his work connected with icons including Eartha Kitt, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Judy Garland.

The documentary has quickly become a festival favorite, premiering at Dances With Films in Los Angeles, winning the Documentary Short Audience Award, and continuing with a successful multi-city run, including the Big Apple Film Festival.

Set partly in New York City, the film serves as both a tribute to the Golden Age of American songwriting and a personal look at resilience, legacy, and lifelong creativity. Now 99, Springer continues to compose, making the film a timely portrait of enduring artistry.

Short Documentary ‘Second Winds’ Spotlights Life With CLL

Posted on November 23, 2025 by admin

Second Winds, a new short film by director Dominic Gill, has been released following its world premiere in Los Angeles on November 13, hosted by actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The documentary is now streaming on LA Times Studios Short Docs and AbbVie’s YouTube channel, with Documentary+ availability beginning November 15.

The film follows three people living with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): Christina, who now leads support groups for newly diagnosed patients; Jeff, a longtime survivor of more than twenty years; and Alejandro, an engineer and father navigating life after a 2020 diagnosis. Their stories highlight resilience, community support, and how staying active can help restore a sense of purpose.

Gill, recently shortlisted for an Oscar, describes the project as a tribute to determination and hope within the CLL community. Ferguson said the film resonated deeply due to its focus on rediscovering joy amid hardship.

Supported by AbbVie, the documentary arrives at a time when CLL remains one of the most common adult leukemias in the U.S., with more than 23,000 new cases expected in 2025. Second Winds is now available to stream.

Documentary Fantasy Hybrid ‘Adrianne & The Castle’ to Debut on VOD

Posted on November 23, 2025 by admin

A genre-blending portrait of love, grief, and artistic devotion, Adrianne & The Castle will be released on VOD beginning December 5, 2025. Directed by Shannon Walsh, the film follows Illinois artist Alan St-George as he continues work on Havencrest Castle, the elaborate, hand-built home he created with his late wife, Adrianne.

Part documentary and part musical fantasy, the film recounts the couple’s decades-long partnership, their shared creative world, and the ornate, theatrical environment they constructed together. After Adrianne’s passing in 2006, St-George continued their project, transforming the castle into both a memorial and an evolving work of art.

Walsh incorporates staged musical sequences and fantastical imagery alongside archival material and interviews, creating a tone often described as a real-life fairytale. The film explores St-George’s process, his coping with loss, and the way imagination shapes his ongoing tribute.

Adrianne & The Castle will be available on digital platforms starting December 5.

Short Documentary The Hemingway Offers an Unfiltered Look at Life With ALS

Posted on November 19, 2025 by admin

A new short documentary titled The Hemingway is drawing attention on the festival circuit for its candid, darkly humorous portrayal of life with ALS. The nine-minute film centers on Patrick Sean O’Brien, who lives with near-total paralysis but maintains an active, sharply observant internal monologue.

The film uses Patrick’s private thoughts as a narrative device, contrasting the difficult physical realities of ALS with his blunt, often funny inner commentary on daily routines, relationships, and moments of vulnerability. The result is a portrait that blends honesty and irreverence, avoiding sentimentality while highlighting the emotional complexities of the disease.

The Hemingway features O’Brien alongside J.R. Reed, Scott Murphy, Rose Julien, and Paula Mackael. It was written by O’Brien, directed by O’Brien and Evan Mathis, and edited by Doug Pray.

O’Brien, known for the autobiographical documentary TransFatty Lives, continues to create work despite living with advanced ALS, while Mathis brings a background in Emmy-winning creative direction.

The Hemingway is currently screening at festivals worldwide.