Katji
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Some good stuff here.
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-20-best-documentaries-of-2021/ [with trailers on Youtube]
FAR OUT | The 20 best documentaries of 2021
Thu 16th Dec 2021 15.00 GMT
In a year where the ‘fake news’ epidemic continues to seep into the very pores of western society, the documentary film medium couldn’t be more important, telling stories that contain an inherent truth that exists in the factuality of its images. From the likes of UK distribution company, Dogwoof to the American company, Neon, the genre has brought some of the finest films of 2021 to the fold.
The slate of the top 20 best documentaries of 2021 includes music documentaries that take audiences into the creative process of some of the mediums finest minds, politically charged investigations and socially pertinent conversation-starters. Where documentaries are more easily consumed by modern audiences, thanks to the true-crime stories on Netflix, the genre has become a more compelling way to start a debate in the contemporary landscape of cinema.
Such was seen in the likes of Seaspiracy, Tiger King and Procession, each released on Netflix to introduce viewers to a brand new way of telling stories and consuming information. Covering real lives from all across the world, the landscape of documentaries in 2021 has taken us to multiple countries including Syria, Denmark, France, Florida, Germany on its noble quest to enrich the soul and collapse the structures of borders, religions and creeds.
Tracking the movements of the group as they look to extract the women in the darkness of night, Sabaya is an intense watch but a truly rewarding one too. Saving 206 young girls from the camp, with 2000 still missing, Hirori’s film documents a fascinating human effort of selflessness, as the work of the Yazidi Home Center reunite families and seek justice no matter the personal risk.
In a society that has a pervasive obsession with security and surveillance, All Light, Everywhere presents several thought-provoking questions as to the objectivity of such technologies. It’s a chilling, profound investigation that will make you think differently about the epidemic of surveillance that follows you everywhere, whether you’re walking the streets or surfing the web online.
Announcing that his young star was “the most beautiful boy in the world”, the filmmaker forced Björn Andresen into a world of hardship and turmoil where his image was seized and taken advantage of. An often harrowing film, Kristian Petri and Kristina Lindström’s documentary is a personal journey of realisation for Björn Andresen, with the audience along for the ride as he uncovers the raw, perplexing concepts of beauty, desire and sacrifice that circled around his young identity.
If anything, Little Girl is a look at how the pernicious machinations of conservative ideology can restrict a child’s ability to express themselves fully and inhibit their emotional and social development. Thankfully, the eight-year-old in the film has accepting parents.
Casting light on The Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 [...]
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-20-best-documentaries-of-2021/ [with trailers on Youtube]
FAR OUT | The 20 best documentaries of 2021
Thu 16th Dec 2021 15.00 GMT
In a year where the ‘fake news’ epidemic continues to seep into the very pores of western society, the documentary film medium couldn’t be more important, telling stories that contain an inherent truth that exists in the factuality of its images. From the likes of UK distribution company, Dogwoof to the American company, Neon, the genre has brought some of the finest films of 2021 to the fold.
The slate of the top 20 best documentaries of 2021 includes music documentaries that take audiences into the creative process of some of the mediums finest minds, politically charged investigations and socially pertinent conversation-starters. Where documentaries are more easily consumed by modern audiences, thanks to the true-crime stories on Netflix, the genre has become a more compelling way to start a debate in the contemporary landscape of cinema.
Such was seen in the likes of Seaspiracy, Tiger King and Procession, each released on Netflix to introduce viewers to a brand new way of telling stories and consuming information. Covering real lives from all across the world, the landscape of documentaries in 2021 has taken us to multiple countries including Syria, Denmark, France, Florida, Germany on its noble quest to enrich the soul and collapse the structures of borders, religions and creeds.
20. Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry (R. J. Cutler)
19. The Lost Leonardo (Andreas Koefoed)
18. Sabaya (Hogir Hirori)
Documenting an extraordinary human effort that would otherwise go unnoticed, Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya follows the work of a group who trek into Syria’s Al-Hol camp in the Middle East, risking their lives to save women being held by ISIS as sex slaves.Tracking the movements of the group as they look to extract the women in the darkness of night, Sabaya is an intense watch but a truly rewarding one too. Saving 206 young girls from the camp, with 2000 still missing, Hirori’s film documents a fascinating human effort of selflessness, as the work of the Yazidi Home Center reunite families and seek justice no matter the personal risk.
17. The Reason I Jump (Jerry Rothwell)
An extension of the extremely popular book about Naoki Higashida who managed to find a way to articulate his experiences even though he suffered from nonverbal autism, a feat that has been questioned and dismissed by scientists.16. All Light, Everywhere (Theo Anthony)
A fascinating insight into the act of seeing and perceiving, Theo Anthony’s pertinent documentary is a pivotal film for contemporary society, looking onto the bias of how we see the world around us, whilst focusing on the use of police body cameras.In a society that has a pervasive obsession with security and surveillance, All Light, Everywhere presents several thought-provoking questions as to the objectivity of such technologies. It’s a chilling, profound investigation that will make you think differently about the epidemic of surveillance that follows you everywhere, whether you’re walking the streets or surfing the web online.
15. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (Kristian Petri, Kristina Lindström)
Shining a disturbing light on the practices of an archaic entertainment industry, The Most Beautiful Boy in the World details the casting of Björn Andresen in Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice.Announcing that his young star was “the most beautiful boy in the world”, the filmmaker forced Björn Andresen into a world of hardship and turmoil where his image was seized and taken advantage of. An often harrowing film, Kristian Petri and Kristina Lindström’s documentary is a personal journey of realisation for Björn Andresen, with the audience along for the ride as he uncovers the raw, perplexing concepts of beauty, desire and sacrifice that circled around his young identity.
14. The Alpinist (Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen)
13. Our Defeats (Jean-Gabriel Périot)
12. Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue (Jia Zhangke)
Jia Zhangke is one of the most prominent Chinese filmmakers, responsible for producing modern masterpieces such as Still Life and Pickpocket among many others. Apart from his incredible features, Jia Zhangke also has a fantastic corpus of documentary works.11. In The Same Breath (Nanfu Wang)
A timely documentary about the governmental response to the Covid-19 outbreak in the US and China, In The Same Breath documents how hyper-nationalism shaped the media narratives of the pandemic and influenced the political sensibilities of unwitting subjects.10. Procession (Robert Greene)
Robert Greene’s striking documentary is undoubtedly one of the greatest Netflix projects of the year, following the lives of six men searching for some sort of justice after being subjected to horrible abuse by [...]9. Some Kind of Heaven (Lance Oppenheim)
8. Gunda (Viktor Kossakovsky)
Called a “jaw-dropping” piece of “pure cinema” by Licorice Pizza filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, Gunda is truly a documentary like no other, tracking the lives of a pack of farmyard animals [...]7. State Funeral (Sergei Loznitsa)
6. The American Sector (Courtney Stephens, Pacho Velez)
5. Little Girl (Sébastien Lifshitz)
This emotionally riveting work picked up a lot of accolades in the "foreign" film festival circuit and rightly so. Little Girl is an important documentary that revolves around an eight-year-old who learns about the heteronormative prejudices of society after raising questions about gender.If anything, Little Girl is a look at how the pernicious machinations of conservative ideology can restrict a child’s ability to express themselves fully and inhibit their emotional and social development. Thankfully, the eight-year-old in the film has accepting parents.
4. Velvet Underground (Todd Haynes)
This expansive insight into the career of one of music most influential bands is an utter triumph [...]3. Summer of Soul (Questlove)
Detailing one of the most iconic music moments of the 20th century, which was unfortunately overshadowed by the iconic Woodstock that took place in the same year, American musician and filmmaker, Questlove, creates a celebratory musical wonder.Casting light on The Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 [...]
