Film-Forward

Documentary

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope

Directed by Morgan Spurlock Produced by Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin, Spurlock & Thomas Tull Written by Jeremy Chilnik, Whedon & Spurlock Released by Wrekin Hill Entertainment USA. 88 min. Rated PG-13 With Joss Whedon, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Eli Roth, Robert Kirkman, Stan Lee, Harry Knowles, Seth Green and Seth Rogen For the first time […]

Surviving Progress

Written & Directed by Mathieu Roy & Harold Crooks, based on the book A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright Produced by Daniel Louis & Denise Robert Released by First Run Features Canada. 86 min. Not rated Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks’ film beautifully pieces together bits of history into an overarching discussion about […]

Bully

Directed by Lee Hirsch Written & Produced by Hirsch & Cynthia Lowen Released by the Weinstein Company USA. 98 min. Not Rated Bully goes to the frontlines of the war on middle and high school kids who don’t fit in. The embedded filmmakers expose the battles they and their families face, survive, or, even worse, […]

The Island President

Directed by Jon Shenk Produced by Richard Berge & Bonni Cohen Released by Samuel Goldwyn Films English & Dhievi with English subtitles USA. 101 min. Rated PG The Island President makes climate change dramatic, political, personal, and the right stuff of leadership. The imminent future of the 400,000 people who live on the beautiful islands […]

Art Is… the Permanent Revolution

Produced & Directed by Manfred Kirchheimer Released by First Run Features USA. 82 min. Not rated Veteran documentarian Manfred Kirchheimer (most recently 2007’s Spraymasters) employs the folk anthem “Which Side Are You On” in his newest film, assuming you’re already sympathetic to the causes that will be championed. The octogenarian German-born and NYC-trained cameraman/director has […]

Last Days Here

Directed by Don Argott & Demian Fenton Produced by Sheena M. Joyce Released by Sundance Selects USA. 90 min. Not rated Can a doom metal cult hero get out of his parents’ basement and off drugs to finally capitalize on decades of fan fervor? And will anyone else care? Last Days Here follows the life […]

This Is Not a Film

Directed by Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb Produced by Panahi Released by Palisades Tartan Iran. 75 min. Not Rated Farsi with English subtitles There have been movies heralding musicians, painters, photographers, and poets who persevered against oppression and restrictions, but this very unusual, deceptively simple documentary passionately reveals the essence of a filmmaker. This soulful […]

How to Start a Revolution

Directed by Ruaridh Arrow Produced by Arrow & Richard Shaw Released by Seventh Art Releasing UK/Egypt/Serbia and Montenegro. USA.  87 min. Not rated Gene Sharp holds a PhD from Oxford, has held research appointments at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs, and is the founder and senior scholar at the Albert Einstein Institution. Where most […]

The Miners’ Hymns

Directed by Bill Morrison Produced by Forma Written by Morrison, Johann Johannsson & David Metcalfe Released by Icarus Films USA/UK. 52 min. Not Rated With Hugo and The Artist reminding audiences of the impact, and neglect, of silent films, comes the timely work of an avant-garde artist who imaginatively re-purposes archival footage in collaborations with […]