In the midst of the most devastating attack in American history on US soil, President George W. Bush finds himself in a South Florida classroom with a group of elementary school children. Nearly 20 years later, filmmaker Elizabeth St. Phillip follows these now-grown students and their journey into young adulthood. With their formative years framed […]
2020 SHORT LIST: CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD Filmed in Wuhan, China by an independent crew, 76 Days covers the length of the city’s lockdown for COVID-19. The film’s suspenseful pacing and otherworldly imagery make it feel like a science-fiction thriller. The heroes are the front-line hospital workers who still manage to find humanity and humor even while […]
The outlets for original writing on nonfiction cinema are scarce. So the launch of Field of Vision’s Field Notes, its new online journal, makes me want to toss confetti. And speaking of reading materials, there’s plenty to sort through this week with Documentary Organization of Canada’s online guide for filmmakers for production during COVID-19, a new website dedicated […]
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | Gifted jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney was anointed as Miles Davis’s protege by Davis himself. A recently rediscovered orchestral jazz suite by Wayne Shorter—written in 1966 for Davis but never performed—compels the talented Roney to convene an orchestra worthy of performing this complex work. Can they rise to Roney’s commitment to excellence? Directors […]
Through his pioneering band, Mothers of Invention, as well as his solo work, Frank Zappa embraced a variety of genres, from rock and jazz to experimental and classical music, ultimately producing more than 60 albums in a career spanning four decades. An outspoken critic of the status quo and staunch defender of free expression, he […]
WORLD PREMIERE | What can history tell us about the present? Filmmakers Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker (Karl Marx City) search for answers, taking inspiration from Sebastian Haffner’s 1978 German best-selling book The Meaning of Hitler. Shot in nine countries, the film explores what Hitler means in the current waves of white supremacy, antisemitism, and the weaponization […]
2020 VIEWFINDERS SPECIAL JURY RECOGNITION FOR ETHICS OF CARE Night-shift workers and single moms in New Rochelle, NY have angels in their midst: Nunu and husband Patrick run a 24-hour childcare center for parents with no other options. The home-based center provides children with food, fun, and lots of love, but at what cost to […]
US PREMIERE | Indian singer Sona Mohapatra uses her powerful voice not only to entertain, but to speak out against Indian music industry practices that refuse to give female performers a fair shake. Director Deepti Gupta follows the unapologetically outspoken artist for three years of concerts, controversies, and conflicts with religious fundamentalists, social media trolls, and […]
An intimate portrait of the energetic and beautifully eccentric Chicago-based artists Jackie Seiden and Don Seiden, married for five decades. Director Daniel Hymanson follows the couple over time while they face their impending fragility with raw honesty and eerie elegance. Graciously shot, the documentary offers a privileged window into their art making, domesticity, frictions, and […]
The stunning island of Hispaniola is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, countries with a complicated history and tense relations. In 2013, the DR’s Supreme Court retroactively stripped the citizenship of residents of Haitian descent, leaving more than 200,000 people stateless, subject to immediate deportation, and devastating loss. In the midst of staggering intolerance, […]