It's Sundance Film Fest preview week around here and we kicked things off yesterday with a look at the US Dramatic, World Dramatic, and NEXT programs. Today we turn our attention to the documentary programs with a peek at a few films that caught our eyes in the US Documentary Competition, World Documentary Competition, and Documentary Premieres programs. Let us know what catches your eye from the films below.
Happy Valley
Amir Bar-Lev's (My Kid Could Paint That, The Tillman Story) latest is the uber-anticipated woeful tale of Jerry Sandusky and the recent Penn State controversy.
Documentary Premieres
Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart
Many people know the basics beats of this story of a school teacher trial that was fictionalized as the Nicole Kidman film To Die For. This documentary by John Zagar looks at the real life case, the first ever televised in America, and the people who became stars because of the courtroom cameras.
US Documentary Competition
Dinosaur 13
This third feature doc by Todd Miller tells the tale of an unearthed T-Rex skeleton discovered in 1990 South Dakota.
US Documentary Competition
E-TEAM
Celebrated documentarians Ross Kauffman (Born Into Brothels) and Katy Chevigny go behind the frontlines with Human Rights Watch legal advisors sent to document war crimes in the world's most dangerous spots.
US Documentary Competition
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz
It was only one year ago that internet free speech pioneer Aaron Swartz took his own life when faced with the prospects of a lengthy federal prison sentence. Brian Knappenberger (We Are Legion) takes us behind the headlines of this recent story.
US Documentary Competition
No No: A Dockumentary
Jeffrey Radice's feature debut is the stranger-than-urban-legend true story of the pitcher who threw a no hitter while high on LSD in 1970.
US Documentary Competition
The Overnighters
One of the docs drawing a lot of early buzz is Jesse Moss's look at the influx of job seekers at North Dakota's Bakken shale gas fields via the story of a preacher trying to help the desperate workers.
US Documentary Competition
20,000 Days On Earth
Artist Iain Forsyth's feature debut is this exploration of the life of musician Nick Cave through his staged 20,000th day on Earth. The film is co-directed by Jane Pollard.
World Documentary Competition
Happiness
Veteran documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmès takes us inside one of the last villages in the Kingdom of Bhutan to be faced with modernization.
World Documentary Competition
Mr leos caraX
Tessa Louise-Salomé's feature debut is this look at the life and oeuvre of the controversial French filmmaker Leos Carax.
World Documentary Competition
The Notorious Mr. Bout
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer director Maxim Pozdoovkin teams up with Tony Gerber for this fascinating-sounding look at notorious Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout through the man's own home videos.
World Documentary Competition
The Battered Bastards of Baseball
This hilarious-sounding feature debut for Chapman and Maclain Way tells the tale of 1970s indie-baseball non-league startup squad The Portland Mavericks and their battle with Major League Baseball.
Documentary Premieres
Finding Fela
Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, The Armstrong Lie) is back with this look at the life and music of Nigerian Afrobeat-pioneer Fela Kuti
Documentary Premieres
Last Days of Vietnam
Go inside the fall of Saigon and the fight to save US co-conspirators in Rory Kennedy's (Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Ethel) latest feature doc.
Documentary Premieres
Life Itself
Steve James first wowed Sundance audiences 20 years ago with Hoop Dreams. He returned two years back with the stunning doc The Interrupters. In his latest, James explores the life of the great film critic Roger Ebert, a subject very close to many Sundance-goers' hearts.
Documentary Premieres
To Be Takei
From Japanese internment camps to sci-fi nerd superstar to gay rights icon, it sure seems like George Takei has lived an interesting life. Jennifer Kroot shows us just how interesting in this third feature.
Documentary Premieres