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A Spectacular Trio of Documentaries for Mardi Gras

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:49:38 +0000

Mardi Gras comes but once a year, but it's a grand celebration with a long history and a huge collection of stories.

Three beautiful documentaries that present the history and stories behind the spectacle are must-see additions to any Mardi Gras celebration.

In alphabetical order, they are:

Order of Myths - Margaret Brown's documentary traces the history of Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama, the filmmaker's hometown, where 'mystic' parading began 13 years before the city of New Orleans was founded, and where the celebration just recently became racially integrated.
The Sons of Tennessee Williams - Tim Wolfe's documentary shows how gay Mardi Gras krewes presented gloriously elaborate drag parades and balls that became the hottest tickets in town, challenging local laws against homosexually long before the issue of equal rights for gays and lesbians was officially out in New Orleans.
Tootie's Last Suit - Filmmaker Lisa Katzman follows African-American Mardi Gras 'Indians' in their battle to determine whose costume is 'prettiest.' The film, one of my personal favorites, reveals the history of a specific Mardi Gras tradition, and focuses on the heated rivalry that it calls out between father and son.

Raising Renee Premieres on HBO, February 22

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:08:52 +0000

Raising Renee, the intensely personal documentary about renown African-American painter Beverly McIver and her relationship with her mentally disabled sister, Renee, raises some profoundly moving issues regarding family ties, and about the relationship between art and life.

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Marshall Curry's Films Are On Track

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:37:00 +0000

As Marshall Curry gears up for the 2012 Oscars' Best Documentary race results on Sunday, February 27, hoping to win the golden trophy for his incendiary If a Tree Falls: A Story From the Earth Liberation Front, the documentary maker's last feature, the high octane Racing Dreams, is on track for it's broadcast premiere on PBS' POV.

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Milestone Films: Documenting Another Great Documentary

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:52:50 +0000

Thanks to Milestone Films and Video, and to the company's devoted and ever-conscientious owner/curators Dennis Doros and Amy Heller, for making another here-to-fore hard-to-find milestone of a documentary accessible to all who wish to see it.

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WestDoc Offers Early Bird Discounts!

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:01:02 +0000

Scheduled for September 9 to 12, 2012, WestDoc will feature more than 30 panel discussions covering financing, conceiving and selling documentary or reality TV projects, as well as exploring the ...

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The straight 8 Challenge is On!

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:44:27 +0000

Attention filmmakers of any and all levels of experience, ages and obsessions: Here's an opportunity for you to delve into that documentary subject that most concerns you and make a film that might wind up screening at Sheffield Doc/Fest, or even at the Cannes Film Festival.

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New on DVD for Valentine's Day, Feb 14, 2012

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:43:31 +0000

Share your love of documentaries with these two Valentine's Day releases:

For high-minded and joyful inspiration, see The Interrupters, in which acclaimed filmmaker Steve James follows a group of Chicago volunteers in their labor of love to quell inner city violence by finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts between neighbors. The award-winning film is also airing tonight on PBS.
For love of a good game and appreciation of people who are impassioned hobbiests, watch Under The Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story, a documentary trip to the world championship Monopoly tournament in Las Vegas, profile of the players and overview of the game that has taught children around the world the principals of Capitalism.

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MoMA's 2012 Documentaries Fortnight - February 16 to 28

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:38:23 +0000

Always on the cutting edge of nonfiction filmmaking and media, MoMA's 2012 Documentaries Fortnight presents a roster of films from around the world, each presenting a unique and fascinating perpective on the connectivity of nonfiction storytelling and contemporary art.

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BAFTA is Back On Track With Documentaries

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:25:38 +0000

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, aka BAFTA, presented its annual Orange Film Awards for outstanding achievements in cinema on Sunday, February 12, and -- glory be! -- documentaries were back on the roster of categories.

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The Miners' Hymns @ Film Forum

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:32:17 +0000

This is a film you must see, and best to see it in a theater.

New York filmmaker Bill Morrison's poetic and haunting The Miners' Hymns, a mesmerizing about coal mining in England's County Durham, is a masterful compilation of found footage, which Morrison mined from the archives of the British Film Instutite.

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