documentaries Archives – Page 40 of 40

August 9, 2018

Quincy Jones in "Quincy" — Quincy Jones in “Quincy” (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

The following is a press release from the Toronto International Film Festival:

The Toronto International Film Festival’s ® 2018 documentary programme presents its lineup of 27 feature-length non-ﬁction ﬁlms, representing 19 countries. The TIFF Docs selection will open with the World Premiere of Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9,” a radical and humorous look at the United States under Donald Trump. Other World Premieres include Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks’ “Quincy,” proﬁling musical icon Quincy Jones; Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble’s “The Elephant Queen,” narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, tracing the epic journey of an elephant herd; Billy Corben’s “Screwball,” a true-crime comedy on doping in Major League Baseball; and Maxim Pozdorovkin’s “The Truth About Killer Robots,” investigating the lethal consequences of automation. The TIFF Docs programme is made possible through the generous sponsorship of A&E IndieFilms.

“TIFF Docs contains multiple titles poised to become the next non-ﬁction hits after a summer of box-oﬃce breakouts,” said TIFF Docs Programmer Thom Powers. “Beyond the well-known directors in the lineup, look out for newer talents that will take audiences by surprise.”

One-third of this year’s doc features are directed or co-directed by female ﬁlmmakers including TIFF Docs closing ﬁlm, Margarethe von Trotta’s Searching for Ingmar Bergman , which offers a multi-faceted look at the Swedish auteur’s life 100 years after his birth. Women creators, trailblazers, and the #MeToo movement are also examined within the lineup: Naziha Arebi’s “Freedom Fields,” about a Libyan women’s football team; Alex Holmes’ “Maiden” recounts the story of the ﬁrst all-women sailing crew in the “Whitbread Round the World Race” (now the Volvo Ocean Race), skippered by Tracy Edwards; and Tom Volf’s “Maria by Callas,” narrated by Joyce DiDonato, proﬁles one of the major icons of the 20th century.

Grand adventures are at the heart of several docs in the selection. E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “Free Solo” captures Alex Honnold’s unprecedented climb of El Capitan without safety ropes; Andrey Paounov’s “Walking on Water” documents the artist Christo’s project The Floating Piers ; John Chester’s “The Biggest Little Farm” chronicles an eight-year struggle to run a family farm; and Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldron’s “Ghost Fleet” captures a nail-biting rescue of ﬁshermen enslaved at sea.

After directing last year’s Festival opener “Borg vs McEnroe,” Janus Metz teams with Sine Plambech for the World Premiere of “Heartbound,” a longitudinal study 10 years in the making about the trend of Thai women marrying Danish men. And several documentaries represent eclectic perspectives told from around the world, including: Rithy Panh’s “Graves Without a Name,” on the legacy of Cambodia’s genocide; Jawad Rhalib’s “When Arabs Danced,” on Muslim performers pushing boundaries; James Longley’s “Angels Are Made of Light,” about a group of Afghan children and their teachers; and Frederick Wiseman’s “Monrovia, Indiana,” about a small town in America’s Midwest.

The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.

Films screening as part of the TIFF Docs programme include:

American Dharma
Errol Morris | USA/United Kingdom
North American Premiere

Angels Are Made of Light
James Longley | USA/Denmark/Norway
Canadian Premiere

The Biggest Little Farm
John Chester | USA
International Premiere

Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes
Alexis Bloom | USA
World Premiere

The Elephant Queen
Victoria Stone, Mark Deeble | United Kingdom/Kenya
World Premiere

* TIFF Docs Opening Film *
Fahrenheit 11/9
Michael Moore | USA
World Premiere

Free Solo
E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | USA
International Premiere

April 13, 2017

by Carla Hay

PBS is launching “Chefs Flight”as part of the network’s “American Masters” series that will include new documentaries on culinary icons James Beard and Jacques Pépin.

“James Beard: America’s First Foodie” premieres in most market on May 19, 2017, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. (Check local listings.) The program chronicles a century of food through the story of Beard (1903-1985), who was a pioneer celebrity chef and author. Immediately after the Beard documentary, PBS will televise a rebroadcast of “American Masters – Julia! America’s Favorite Chef” at 10 p.m. ET.

Meanwhile, “Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft” (narrated by Stanley Tucci) premieres in most markets on May 26 at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. (Check local listings.) Immediately after the Pépin documentary, PBS will have an encore presentation of “American Masters – Alice Waters and her Delicious Revolution” at 10 p.m. ET.

According to a PBS press release: Among the many highlights in the Beard documentary are Daniel Boulud and restaurant critic Gael Greene telling how Beard helped start Citymeals on Wheels; Jacques Pépin reminiscing about cooking with Beard; Martha Stewart sharing how Beard’s cookbooks influenced her; Ted Allen disclosing Beard’s challenges being an “out” gay man at a time when same-sex sexual activity was illegal; chefs Jonathan Waxman and Larry Forgione reflecting on Beard’s mentorship and its impact on their career; Wolfgang Puck recounting how he helped found the James Beard Foundation; Alice Waters explaining how Beard discovered Chez Panisee; chef Jeremiah Tower offering insight into Beard’s relationship with Marion Cunningham; chef Naomi Pomery demonstrating how to make the famous “James Beard’s Onion Sandwich”; and next generation chefs such as Marc Forgione, Greg Higgins, and Pomeroy discussing how Beard’s influence is still felt today. James Beard Award Foundation president Susan Ungaro and executive vice president Mitchell Davis also appear in the documentary.

Dubbed the “Dean of American Cookery” by The New York Times, Beard … spoke of the importance of localism and sustainability long before those terms had entered the culinary vernacular. He was a forerunner of the farm-to-table movement and helped create the iconic Four Seasons concept and menu. He was the first chef to host his own television show, “I Love to Eat,” which debuted on NBC in 1946, and taught not only women but men how to cook. He also had a cooking school that he operated out of his New York apartment.

Beard authored 22 cookbooks, penned a syndicated newspaper column and wrote countless magazine articles. He is credited with introducing Julia Child to the New York culinary scene, and he later becoming a best friend to her.

The James Beard Awards Gala and Reception are considered the “Oscars” of the food-service industry. The 2017 ceremony will take place May 1 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is hosting the show. The complete list of nominations are here.

Tag: documentaries

2018 Toronto International Film Festival: documentaries announced

PBS ‘Chefs Flight’ spotlight in ‘American Masters’ includes documentaries on James Beard and Jacques Pépin