Dogwoof have been our favourite documentary film distributors in recent years and now they are set to celebrate their 10-year anniversary with a tremendous looking line-up of new films at London’s ICA from Friday 26th September to Sunday 28th September.
Their three-day Dogwoof Weekender birthday bash is showcasing six hot new releases, with the opening gala on Friday 26th being the highly anticipated LIFE ITSELF, the biography of American critic and commentator Roger Ebert from acclaimed director Steve James – Watch a clip here! The Saturday and Sunday screenings will include four exclusive previews of Dogwoof’s Autumn slate, so come to one, come to all, this isn’t just a birthday party but a platform of the best in documentary filmmaking.
After kicking off on Friday, we then move to Saturday to see a trio of heavy-weight previews: THE CASE AGAINST 8 directed by Ben Cotner and Ryan White examines the legal battle to overturn California’s controversial ban on same-sex marriage – Check out our review from the Sheffield Doc Fest. Then there’s CONCERNING VIOLENCE directed by Goran Olson, featuring narration by Ms. Lauryn Hill, based on Frantz Fanon’s influential book The Wretched of The Earth, examines the African struggle for independence from colonial rule. THE OVERNIGHTERS by Jesse Moss, winner of the Sundance Special Jury prize for Intuitive Filmmaking, tells the story of a local Pastor in North Dakota who risks everything to help the desperate men who have travelled across the USA in search of work only to be faced with homelessness.
All critically acclaimed festival favourites, the three Saturday previews cover the breadth of the human experience from LGBT rights to colonialism and the struggle for independence; to economic crisis and homelessness. THE CASE AGAINST 8 will be released in cinemas 10th October; THE OVERNIGHTERS opens 31st October; and CONCERNING VIOLENCE opens 28th November.
Sunday’s sessions couldn’t be more different. MANAKAMANA by Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez is a dreamy art-doc from the producers of SWEETGRASS and LEVIATHAN, when an unmoving camera captures Nepalese pilgrims on their cable car to worship at the Manakamana temple. THE LAST IMPRESARIO, the feature debut from Gracie Otto, is a rip-roaring account of the life and times of theatre impresario Michael White who produced The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Oh Calcutta! and championed the likes of John Cleese, Yoko Ono and Merce Cunningham, featuring interviews with Kate Moss, Naomi Watts and Richard O’Brien. MANAKAMANA opens 12 December and THE LAST IMPRESARIO plays as part of its opening weekend.
In 2004, Dogwoof was born; over the past 10 years the company has released over 120 films theatrically in the UK including: BAFTA winning THE ACT OF KILLING, Oscar® nominated RESTREPO, Oscar winning UNDEFEATED, smash hit BLACKFISH, the stirring BLACK GOLD, revolutionary THE AGE OF STUPID, and Sheffield Doc/Fest winner (One of my favourites from last year) MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT, to name but a few. With this heritage and the six new films in the Weekender, Dogwoof will always strive to release the finest documentary films in the world.
Tickets are now on sale to all the screenings at www.ica.org.uk/whats-on/seasons/dogwoof-weekender
For more information on the films, and to take a look at Dogwoof even closer, then head to their website: www.dogwoof.com
