Category Archives: Documentary

Oscar Contender “Hidden Letters” Sets US Release

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Oscar Contender Hidden Letters Release SetOscar contender “Hidden Letters” is set to open this Friday, December 9 in select U.S. theaters.

The film is directed by Violet Du Feng and Zhao Qin.

Spanning between past and present, Hidden Letters follows two millennial Chinese women who are connected by their fascination with a secret language of sisterhood, and their desire to protect it against a perpetually patriarchal society.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
For centuries in China, the once-secret written language of Nüshu was calligraphed on folded fans and handkerchiefs as hidden letters so women could share stories and express solidarity in a repressive era when many women were denied literacy. Confronting patriarchy, two modern women find solace in Nüshu, rediscovering connections between traditional Chinese womanhood and contemporary feminism.

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“I Didn’t See You There” Acclaimed Docu Debuts Jan. 9 On POV

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I Didn't See You There Debuts Jan 9Gotham & Independent Spirit Award nominee and Sundance winner, “I Didn’t See You There” documentary from director Reid Davenport, is set to debut on Jan. 9 on POV.

The award-winning documentary feature will have its national broadcast premiere on PBS television series POV on Monday, January 9, 2023 at 10:00 pmET (check local listings) and will be available to stream with no PBS Passport membership necessary until February 9, 2023 at pbs.org, and the PBS Video app.

Shot entirely from the filmmaker’s literal physical perspective, both from his wheelchair and his two feet, I Didn’t See You There is a groundbreaking work of documentary cinema by first-time feature director Reid Davenport.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
As a visibly disabled person, filmmaker Reid Davenport sets out to make a film about how he sees the world, from either his wheelchair or his two feet, without having to be seen himself. The unexpected arrival of a circus tent outside his apartment in Oakland, CA leads him to consider the history and legacy of P.T. Barnum’s Freak Show and its lingering presence in his daily life in the form of gawking, lack of access, and other forms of ableism. Informed by his position in space, lower to the ground, Davenport captures indelible images, often abstracted into shapes and patterns separate from their meaning. But the circus tent looms in the background, and is reverberated by tangible on-screen interruptions, from unsolicited offers of help to careless blocking of ramps. Personal and unflinching, I Didn’t See You There forces the viewer to confront the spectacle and invisibility of disability. Offering both a perspective and stylistic approach that are rarely seen, Reid brings an urgently needed storytelling eye to filmmaking with a documentary that is powerful and emotional, thoughtful and raw, intimate and political.

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Critics Choice Winner “Nuisance Bear” Released On Streaming On The New Yorker

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nuisance bearThe New Yorker recently débuted the award-winning new short documentary, “Nuisance Bear,” which presents a portrait of a Manitoba town where travellers arrive in droves every autumn to observe the migration of polar bears. On Nov.13 in New York City it received Best Documentary Short at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

The footage that filmmakers Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden captured reveals as much about the behavior of the humans—including the scrums of wilderness paparazzi that descend on Churchill, Manitoba every fall—as that of the bears.

“Nuisance Bear” received three Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations—a first for a short—for Best Cinematography, Best Short Documentary, and Best Science/Nature Documentary.

These nominations join a list of more than a dozen other honors for the film. Most recently, the film was nominated for the 38th IDA Documentary Awards for Best Short and the Cinema Eye Honors for Outstanding Nonfiction Short.

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“I Am DB Cooper” Sets Release In Theaters And On-Demand

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I Am DB CooperThe documentary “I Am DB Cooper”, directed by TJ Regan, has set its release on December 9th, 2022 in theaters and on demand.

In the documentary, two bounty hunter brothers encounter an ailing old man named Rodney Bonnifield while coordinating his bail after a violent encounter on a dairy farm involving a machete.

Close to his sentencing, he reveals to the bondsmen that he is in fact the infamous DB Cooper, the man responsible for the 1971 plane hijacking in the Pacific Northwest, and the ransom cash is still buried along the Columbia River.

Up against the clock with Rodney’s prison sentence looming, the group sets out on a modern-day treasure hunt to recover the money he buried near the river 50 years ago, uncovering bizarre truths about Rodney Bonnifield and his connection to the only unsolved plane hijacking in U.S. history.

A Slow Grind Media production, the film is co-written by Regan and Sharmila Sahni. Produced by Regan, Sahni, Corey Molina, and John Miller, and executive produced by Regan, Isaiah Thomas, Mike Rocha, and Carlos Rocha.

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IDA Announces Shortlists For 2022 IDA Documentary Awards

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The International Documentary Association (IDA) has announced the shortlists for the 38th IDA Documentary Awards that is set to be held on December 10, 2022, at the Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios Lot in Los Angeles. The nominee announcement is set on Friday, November 11, 2022.

Rick Pérez, IDA’s Executive Director, stated: “This year’s Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary shortlists reflect a growing awareness that multiple perspectives are necessary to better reflect the worldwide popularity of the form and to recognize the global community of artists working in the field.”

Among those shortlisted for Best Feature Documentary are After A Revolution, All that Breathes, Fire of Love, Delikado, Moonage Daydream, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, and Singing on the Rooftops.

This year’s shortlists and nominees are selected by independent committees of 310 documentary makers, curators, critics, and industry experts from 52 countries. A total of 806 submissions in all categories were received, 40% of which are internationally produced or co-produced projects from 86 countries.

The IDA Documentary Awards is the world’s most distinguished event dedicated exclusively to the documentary genre, celebrating and honoring the year’s best nonfiction films, series, audio documentaries, and programs. It seeks to represent excellence in the documentary field from around the world, by emerging and established docmakers.

To see the full list of shortlisted documentaries, go to documentary.org

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“Nuisance Bear” First Documentary Short Film to Receive Three Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations

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Nuisance Bear DocumentaryThe New Yorker débuted a new short documentary today, “Nuisance Bear,” which presents a portrait of a Manitoba town where travellers arrive in droves every autumn to observe the migration of polar bears. The footage that filmmakers Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden captured reveals as much about the behavior of the humans—including the scrums of wilderness paparazzi that descend on Churchill, Manitoba every fall—as that of the bears.

Earlier this week, “Nuisance Bear” received three Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations—a first for a short—for Best Cinematography, Best Short Documentary, and Best Science/Nature Documentary. These nominations join a list of more than a dozen other honors for the film.

In a genre that relies heavily on voice-overs to bridge the gap between humans and wildlife, Weisman and Osio Vanden chose ​​not to include narration or music in the film. Weisman told The New Yorker, “We were curious: Can we make it an experiment—a challenge to ourselves as artists and filmmakers—to tell this narrative and have people really feel engaged without those elements?” Another pivotal moment came during the filming, when they decided to mount a camera on their car, at the eye level of the bears. “It was important for us to maintain that animal’s perspective,” Osio Vanden said. The result is a film that pushes the conventions of the nature documentary.

“Nuisance Bear,” which was executive produced by Sigrid Dyekjær and Alex Pritz, has screened at more than ninety festivals and received numerous honors, including an Honorable Mention for Best Canadian Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as selections at the SXSW Film Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. It also won the Academy Award® -qualifying awards for Best International Short Film at the 2022 American Documentary and Animation Film Festival (AmDocs) and Best Non-Fiction Film at the 2022 Short Shorts Film Festival.

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“Young Plato” Documentary Opening Theatrically in NY and Major Cities

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Young Plato Documentary Opening Theatrically in NY and Major CitiesAward-winning documentary “Young Plato” will open theatrically next week in New York (Angelika Film Center) and Boston (Dedham Community Theater) on Friday, September 23 with a regional expansion to follow on Friday, September 30 in Washington DC (Anglelika Pop Up), Dallas (Angelika Dallas), San Diego (Angelika Carmel Mountain), Sacramento (Tower Theater), Plano, TX (Angelika Plano), Fairfax, VA (Angelika Mosaic) and more.

Directed by Neasa Ní Chianáín (School Life) and Declan McGrath and from producer David Rane, the film is a winner of nine international and Irish awards, including the Irish Film & Television Academy Award for Best Feature Doc 2022.

Here’s the film’s synopsis:
An observational documentary set in post-conflict Belfast’s Ardoyne, where a marginalized, working class community has for generations been plagued by poverty, drugs and guns. This film charts the dream of Headmaster Kevin McArevey and his dedicated, visionary team illustrating how critical thinking and pastoral care can empower and encourage children to see beyond the boundaries and limitations of their own community. We see how philosophy encourages young boys to question the mythologies of war and of violence, and sometimes challenge the narratives their parents, peers and socio-economic group would dictate.

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Documentary “Flight/Risk” Released on Amazon

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Documentary FlightRisk Released on AmazonFlight/Risk follows everyday people who find themselves in the midst of a global tragedy when two Boeing 737 Max planes crashed only five months apart in 2018 & 2019.

This powerful documentary is told through the perspective of affected family members, their legal teams, whistleblowers, and Pulitzer-winning Seattle Times journalist Dominic Gates.

The film is directed by Karim Amer and Omar Mullick, and from producer Karim Amer, Paul McGuire, Jia, Leen Karadsheh, and Mike Lerner.

Here is the film’s official synopsis:
From the Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated team behind The Square, The Great Hack, and The Vow, comes another urgent global investigation, Flight/Risk. Whistleblowers, journalists, lawyers, and everyday people from 32 different countries find themselves pitted against a corporate Goliath, whose new flagship aircraft crashed only five months apart, killing 346 people. Gumshoe journalist Dominic Gates and sterling patriot Ed Pierson are the one-two punch to Boeing that triggers the international outcry over the crashes. Following the making of a whistleblower in real time, Flight/Risk is a documentary thriller that investigates what it takes for ordinary people to hold a larger-than-life corporation to account. Pulling in family members who lost loved ones in the crash, lawyers fighting for compensation of victims, and loud public voices in the fray, here is what a portrait of heroism looks like.

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Documentary “Our American Family” Release Dates Set

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our american family“Our American Family” is set for release in the US Theatrically in New York (Cinema Village), Los Angeles (Laemmle Monica) on September 2 and on VOD in the US, Canada, UK and major territories on September 6, both timed to National Recovery Month.

Directed and produced by Hallee Adelman & Sean King O’Grady, Our American Family provides a look at a close-knit Philadelphia family dealing with generational substance abuse. Captured at a pivotal “nothing to lose” moment, for over the course of a year, five family members tired of life with addiction on center stage, each struggle to transcend their crippling histories.

Hallee Adelman is a writer, filmmaker, and co-founder of World of HA Productions. She is an executive producer on the Emmy-winning documentary “The Social Dilemma,” and the Oscar-nominated international film, “Writing with Fire.”

Sean King O’Grady is a filmmaker based in Michigan. His award-winning feature films have screened at Sundance, Tribeca, Telluride, Berlinale, Sitges, SXSW and dozens of other festivals around the world.

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“Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche” Doc Sets Release Date

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Buried The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche Doc Sets Release DateGreenwich Entertainment has acquired of U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to “Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche”. The documentary premiered at the Telluride’s Mountainfilm festival where it won the Audience Award, the first of several subsequent festival awards.

The film, which tells the gripping account of the deadliest avalanche in US ski resort history, opens in New York City, San Francisco, and Northern California theaters on September 23rd and expands to subsequent markets the following weeks during a 45 day exclusive theatrical window. TVOD/EST and DVD begin on November 8, 2022.

“Buried” was produced by Jared Drake and Steven Siig and executive produced by Academy Award-winning producer Evan Hayes (Free Solo) of Ace Content, Oscar winner Michael Sugar (Spotlight) and eight-time Emmy nominee David Hillman (The Tipping Point) of Sugar23, Mark Gogolewski and Shannon Houchins. Greenwich’s co-president Edward Arentz negotiated the acquisition with the filmmakers. Rocket Science is handling international sales.

“Essential viewing for skiers but all audiences – skiers and non-skiers alike – will find Buried a riveting account of a natural disaster, not only in the details of the avalanche itself and subsequent rescue efforts, but on how the disaster effected people in the years following and became a dividing line in time for the survivors and their community” says Greenwich’s Arentz.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
In the early 1980’s, the ski patrol at the Alpine Meadows ski resort were the undisputed gods of winter in the mountain hamlet of Lake Tahoe, California. Their esprit de corps was centered around keeping the skiing public safe, primarily through avalanche control and largely through triggering slides with explosives. For this group and the others caught up in these events, the innocent era of seemingly endless sun drenched powder and apres-ski parties would come to a sudden and harrowing close on March 31st, 1982.
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