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Five Documentaries for Remembering What Memorial Day is About

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:00:48 +0000

Memorial Day has become a multipurpose holiday.

Yes, of course, when it began long ago -- shortly after the Civil War -- he holiday was clearly intended to be a day of remembrance of the war dead. And, ever since, it has been observed with somber ceremonies staged at monuments around the nation, commemorating America's fallen heroes.

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Documentaries Watch: Opening May 21 to 24

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:03:17 +0000

Check out this week's releases:

May 21:

Wine Women & Friends - Filmmaker Fiona Cunningham-Reid follows winemakers Carole LeBlanc and Jo Befort, a lesbian couple who moved to a village in the South of France and purchased a vineyard so they could pursue their passion for creating artisanal vintages. After six years of learning the intricacies of oenology, they're living their dream, creating superb wines which they sell to vineyard visitors and share with friends. This upbeat success story goes down smoothly. On DVD.

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Review: 'Cape Spin' Has An Environmental Twist

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:42:45 +0000

In Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle, filmmakers John Kirby and Robbie Gemmel focus on the high profile, high stakes controversy swirling around the hotly contested Cape Wind Project that proposes the construction of 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, turning the scenic body of water into a wind farm.

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'Bidder 70' in Theaters Friday...

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:14:21 +0000

See how a young environmental protester becomes a hero through coincidence and the miscarriage of justice. A fascinating and timely documentary. Read my full review of this fine documentary.

(PHOTO: A still of Tim DeChristopher in 'Bidder 70.' Courtesy First Run Features)

Human Rights Watch Film Festival Comes to NYC in June

Mon, 13 May 2013 01:49:52 +0000

The 24th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival, one of the world's most important themed film festivals, lights up the screens at New York City's Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater and the IFC Center from June 13 to 23, presenting a program of eighteen documentaries and two narrative features that cover issues of justice and call for social change.

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Opening in Theaters May 15-31, 2012

Mon, 13 May 2013 01:29:32 +0000

A dozen new documentaries make their way into theaters during the two weeks from May 15 to 31, 2013. Check out my annotated list with mini-reviews and mark your calendar ...

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Kartemquin Films' 2013 Spring Showcase Happens on May 19

Wed, 08 May 2013 21:43:41 +0000

Kartemquin Films' annual Spring Showcase will preview four new and in progress documentaries, each at a different phase in the completion process, but due for release within the next eighteen months.

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DCTV Gives NYC It's First and Only Docs-Only Cinema!

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:06:47 +0000

Thanks and congrats are in order for Jon Alpert and Keiko Tsuno and their DCTV staff for taking another step -- and a huge one at that -- to advance the cause of documentary films and filmmakers in New York City.

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Games For Change Tenth Anniversary Festival

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:45:12 +0000

The Games For Change Festival, aka G4C, provides key networking opportunities for documentaries filmmakers who are interested in exploring the transmedia approach to enhancing the exposure and impact of their nonfiction films through development of interactive games based on their films and/or apps for mobile devices that allow film followers to track the evolution of the film's subject or otherwise interact with a community that's grown around the film.

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Rooftop Films Sets 2013 Summer Season

Mon, 06 May 2013 02:11:40 +0000

Rooftop Films, the nonprofit organization that screens independently produced documentaries and narrative features in unusual, outdoor venues around New York City, plans to stage even grander and more imaginative events this summer than it has in past years. With screenings scheduled on rooftops, in parks and on a barge, the series will take audiences to some out-of-the-way places for unique movie viewing experiences. It's going to be a fun summer for Rooftop Film fans! For a list of films and venues, and other details, read on...