Things We Dare Not Do (Cosas que no hacemos), the second feature film by Mexican director and cinematographer Bruno Santamaría and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Laura Poitras and Charlotte Cook, will have its world premiere in the World Showcase section at the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
“If Melissa had had a fair trial, she would not be on death row.
– Sabrina Van Tassel, Director
The 24th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival which was cancelled amid COVID-19 public health and safety concerns still handed out jury awards to the official films selected for the festival. The top prize, Reva and David Logan Grand Jury Award was presented to Mayor directed by David Osit. This captivating portrait of life in Palestine under Israeli occupation follows Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, over the course of his second term as he navigates civic responsibilities in a volatile political climate.
ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto will celebrate its 5th Anniversary edition from May 20 – 24, 2020 – all online. ReelAbilities Film Festival will showcase Canadian and International shorts, features, and documentaries about Deaf and disability cultures and by filmmakers and actors with disabilities and/or who are Deaf.
Due to covid-19 pandemic, the 9th edition of Curaçao IFFR (CIFFR), scheduled for April 21 to 26 2020 in Willemstad, Curaçao, has been cancelled. To continue to offer visibility to filmmakers from the Caribbean region, IFFR has made six previous winners of the Yellow Robin Award available to watch online in Curaçao and the Benelux until May 12 2020.
Amazon Prime Video and SXSW announced “Prime Video presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection” will launch on April 27, 2020 with 39 films, composed of narrative and documentary features, short films and episodic titles. Filmmakers in the official 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup were invited to opt in to take part in this online film festival, which will play exclusively on Prime Video in the U.S. from April 27, 2020 thru May 6, 2020. The one-time event will be available in front of the Prime Video paywall, free to all U.S. audiences with or without an Amazon Prime membership — all that is needed is a free Amazon account.
Director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary Stateless uncovers the complex history and present-day politics of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the grassroots electoral campaign of a young attorney named Rosa Iris. The documentary will world premiere at the down-sized 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.
Due to the ongoing circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Napa Valley Film Festival which was slated to take place in November 2020, announced that the festival will now be held the following year from November 10 – 14, 2021.
Ahead of Earth Day, National Geographic Documentary Films announced a new documentary short, Akashinga: The Brave Ones. Executive produced by three-time Academy Award winner James Cameron and directed by Maria Wilhelm, executive director of the Avatar Alliance Foundation, the film tells the story of Akashinga, the all-female anti-poaching unit in Zimbabwe that is facing down poachers and saving wildlife. Akashinga: The Brave Ones will have its world premiere at the EarthxFilm Festival, which will be held virtually April 22 to 27 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The documentary short is also an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival and will broadcast on National Geographic later this year in 171 countries and 43 languages.
Cannes Film Festival is running out of options for a 2020 festival, following the French President’s statement on Monday banning any large festivals and events with large audiences before mid-July at the earliest.
EarthxFilm unveiled its lineup of virtual programming celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, including 36 features and shorts; virtual options for XR experiences; various filmmaker, youth leader live-streams, Q&A’s, panels, live music and EarthxFilmYouth programming. Kicking off with Music on April 17 at 6:00PM EST, EarthxFilm will present the bulk of its programming, including Brett Falentine’s FIRE ON THE HILL: THE COWBOYS OF SOUTH CENTRAL L.A., Alexander John Glustrom’s MOSSVILLE: WHEN GREAT TREES FALL, David Byars’ PUBLIC TRUST, and Deia Schlosberg’s THE STORY OF PLASTIC on April 22-27.
