A companion piece to A Private War, Under the Wire tells the incredible true story of Marie Colvin and Paul Conroy in their own words. Marie Colvin’s story may have physically come to an end in Homs but her legacy extends far beyond the reaches of Syria. Her colleagues at the Sunday Times make sure of this. More importantly, photojournalist Paul Conroy has written their story in the book of the same name. Marie and…
"DOC NYC 2018: Under the Wire"Category: Film Festival
City of Joel takes a both-sides approach while documenting the Village of Kiryas Joel and the Chasdic enclave’s plans to annex land. The discussion surrounding Kiryas Joel is an interesting one. This is a Chasidic community that grew too large for South Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Thus, members of the community were forced to move to a different town in order to grow their community. If you’re unfamiliar with Chasidic Jews, these are very large families. …
"DOC NYC 2018: City of Joel"
Family in Transition profiles the Tzuk family’s experience in northern Israel as Amit Tzuk undergoes a gender transition. Transitioning is not a decision that is made lightly. Some of us transition at a young age while others hold out for as long as possible. Transitioning isn’t without risks. There’s the people we care about and transitioning means possibly losing them. Losing her wife is a risk that Amit makes by coming out as a woman. …
"DOC NYC 2018: Family in Transition"
Little Miss Westie profiles the McCarthy family during one of the most troubling times for families with transgender children. Chris and Shelley McCarthy are parents to not one but two transgender children, Ren and Luca. The film takes its title from the Little Miss Westie pageant, where Ren hopes to compete as the first transgender girl. Besides this, the film focuses on the family at a time when they are dealing with so many changes. …
"DOC NYC 2018: Little Miss Westie profiles Trans Siblings"
The Ghost of Peter Sellers takes director Peter Medak back in time to heal from the wounds of the disastrous production of Ghost in the Noonday Sun in 1973. Even though it’s been some 40+ years since Peter Medak directed the film, there’s still some hurt. Nobody could blame him with the way that Peter Sellers treated those involved with the film. Sellers is a legendary name in the world of comedy. This was the guy…
"DOC NYC 2018: The Ghost of Peter Sellers"
Inside Lehman Brothers examines the events that led to the collapse of the banking firm during the 2008 financial crisis. Ten years ago, the United States was undergoing the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. The impact would be felt for many years even when people claimed the recession was over. What happened to everyone who enabled the collapse of the banks? Banks were too big to fail. This is what everyone was saying…
"DOC NYC 2018: Inside Lehman Brothers"
Filmmaker Alyssa Bolsey takes us Beyond the Bolex to share the story of her great-grandfather, Jacques Bolsey. When Emil Bolsey died in 2004, he left behind a vast archive belonging to his late father, Jacques Bolsey. Until this point, filmmaker Alyssa Bolsey thought she was the only one in her family. As fate would have it, her great-grandfather was one of the early Swiss pioneers in filmmaking. This is because he was the creator of the Bolex…
"DOC NYC 2018: Beyond the Bolex"
Flammable Children, while released as Swinging Safari in its native Australia, takes us back to the 1970s for a nostalgic comedy. The nostalgia starts the moment that “Spirit in the Sky” starts to play during the opening credits. It’s from this point where writer-director Stephan Elliott wisely introduces us to the people in the neighborhood along the beach. We’re introduced through Jeff Marsh (Atticus Robb), who serves as the narrator. We soon meet the Halls, Jones,…
"Chicago Film Festival 2018: Flammable Children"
A coming-of-age dramedy set in Chicago, Olympia is headlined by a delightful performance from writer-actress McKenzie Chinn. Olympia Wells (McKenzie Chinn) is approaching the crossroads of her life with tough decisions to make. These decisions come as the Chicago artist is approaching her 30th birthday. Some of these decisions aren’t so much because of her but because of her relationships. Her boyfriend, Felix (Charles Gardner), is moving to California in a few weeks with his…
"Chicago Film Festival 2018: Olympia"
The Israeli film, Echo, shows the lengths that a husband will go when he starts to suspect that his wife is cheating on him. Perhaps it may not be the best idea to turn to spying in your own home. Whatever the case, this is what Avner (Yoram Toledano) does when he starts to get the idea that his wife, Ella (Yaël Abecassis), is cheating on him. This takes Avner to the extremes by recording…
"Chicago Film Festival 2018: Echo"