Below are the titles of 1128 feature documentaries (over 65 minutes), followed by country(s) of production, that were presented, or announced, by the following 51 film festivals in 2020, listed roughly in typical event-date order, even though there was a lot of atypical shit going on in 2020, including festival dates: Sundance, Rotterdam, Docpoint, Berlin, Doc Fortnight, Big Sky, Ambulante, Cartagena, True/False, CPH:DOX, sxsw, Cinéma du Réel, Full Frame, Visions du Réel, Tribeca, Hot Docs, Jeonju, DOK. Munich, DOXA, Doc Aviv, Cannes, Sheffield, Krakow, San Francisco Docfest, AFI Docfest, Human Rights Watch, Sydney, Karlovy-Vary, FID Marseille, Guanajuato, Dokufest, Encounters, Locarno, Venice, Telluride, TIFF, Camden, NYFF, DocsMX, Busan, Tokyo, Yamagata, BFI London, Morelia, Jihlava, Leipzig, Mar del Plata, RIDM, DOC NYC, IDFA, New Directors/New Films.
One could argue that these are the top 50ish film festivals for documentary films, though there are at least 25 festivals that are not on this list that are better, or more interesting, curatorially, than some which I've included. Maybe next year.
Approximately 326 of these productions premiered at film festivals in 2019, but had enough play this year to count as "2020" films. It's not unequivocal, this year of production thing. Really, it's more like an 18-month cycle, any "year of production." I used my judgement. This list could've easily been much longer.
This list also includes some 233 of the productions that are eligible for the 2021 Academy Award for Best Documentary. Fun fact: about 65 of the 2021 Oscar eligible films premiered at festivals in 2019, and 7 premiered at festivals in 2018. Less than 40, but more than 30, did not play at film festivals. There were a couple Oscar eligible doc titles that I could not verify in any way, so I dropped them. Please let me if you've heard of "Death Protocol," for example. Sounds like good fun.
Obviously, I'm aware that most of these festivals did not have physical events in 2020, though almost all of them had at least some form of streaming option. Interestingly, Locarno, which neither had an event, nor announced any selections, premiered some 21 of the below-listed films at their 2019 festival, which says a lot about Locarno's curatorial influence. Locarno was one of the top festivals for nonfiction films in 2020, without having a festival.
The alphabetization here includes, rather than excludes, articles. I know this is annoying. Mostly I've used English titles, except when I couldn't find the English title. It's quite likely that a few productions appear twice, under their English title and that of the primary country of production's language.
For fans of titles, there are many awesome ones here. Documentaries have the best titles.
TITLE COUNTRY
499 Mexico, USA
915 USA
1982 Argentina, Brazil
(In)visible Portraits USA
(In)Voluntary Retirements Argentina
#Blessed Canada
100 Up Netherlands, Norway, Belgium
143 Sahara Street Algeria, France, Qatar
17 Blocks the Final Cut USA
40 Years a Prisoner USA
45 Seconds of Laughter USA
5 Houses Brazil, Germany
76 Days USA, China
80, 000 Schnitzel Germany
9 Days at Raqqa France
911 Kids Canada
9to5: The Story of A Movement USA
A Ballad for Dead Children Columbia
A Black Jesus Germany
A Body Exploded into a Thousand Pieces Argentina
A Cat Dreams About the North France
A Class Story Switzerland, Italy
A Colombian Family Denmark
A Cops and Robbers Story USA
A Crime on the Bayou USA
A Dog Called Money Ireland, UK, USA
A Dramatic Film France
A Farewell to Memory Argentina
A Girl in Return Denmark
A Glitch in the Matrix USA
A House France, Switzerland
A Kid from Coney Island China, USA
A La Calle USA
A Loss of Something Ever Felt Estonia, Columbia, Sweden
A Lullaby for the Valley Israel
A Machine To Live In USA
A Most Beautiful Thing USA
A Museum Sleeps France
A New Beginning Denmark, Norway
A New Shift Czech Republic
A Pandemic: Away From the Motherland USA
A Place to Breathe USA
A Planet in the Sea Italy
A Pleasure, Comrades! Portugal
A Rifle and a Bag India
A Sacrophagus for a Queen Czech Republic
A Secret Love USA
A Shape of Things to Come USA
A Song Called Hate Iceland
A Storm Was Coming Spain
A Thousand Cuts USA, Philippines
A Tunnel Georgia, Germany
A Way Home Belgium, Morocco, France, Qatar
A Winged Man Argentina
A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem USA
A Year Full of Drama Estonia
Acasa, My Home Romania, Germany, Finland
Addicted to Ralphie USA
Adolescents France
Aether Italy, Turkey
Africa Mia France
African Apocalypse UK
After Munich Canada
After Parkland USA
After the Crossing France
After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News USA
Aftermath Germany
Aggie USA
Ahlan wa Sahlan France
Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly USA
AKA Jane Roe USA
Akicita: The Battle of Standing Rock USA, Canada, New Zealand
Alida Italy
All I Can Say USA
All In: The Fight for Democracy USA
All That I Am Norway
Always Amber Sweden
Amazon Mirror Brazil
America’s Forgotten USA
American Rapstar USA
American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself USA
Americaville USA
Amor Fati Portugal, Switzerland, France
Amor Omnia France
An Impossible Project Germany
An Unusual Summer Germany, Palestine
And I Was There Israel
And We Go Green USA
Andrey Tarkovsky, A Cinema Prayer Italy, Russia, Sweden
Anerca, Breath of Life Finland
Animation Outlaws USA
Antigone - How Dare We! Slovenia
Antonio & Piti Brazil
Apart USA
Apocalypse ’45 USA
Areum Married South Korea
Arguments France
Arica Belgium, Norway, Chile, Sweden, UK
Art Comes from the Beak the Way It Has Grown Germany
Assassins USA
Aswang Phillipines, France, Norway
Atardi — The Life of Curaçao’s Musical Genius Rudy Plaate Curaçao
Athanor – The Alchemical Furnace Czech Republic
Athlete A USA
Atomkraft Forever Germany
Attacked - the Copenhagen Shootings Denmark
Autobahn Germany
Automotive Germany
Ayouni UK, Qatar
Aznavour By Charles France
Baato USA
Babenco: Tell Me When I Die Brazil
Baby God USA
Bangla Surf Girls Canada, USA
Banksy Most Wanted France
Be Water USA, UK
Bear-Like Switzerland
Beastie Boys Story USA
Beautiful Something Left Behind Denmark
Becoming USA
Before the Dying of the Light Morocco
Being a Human Person Sweden, UK
Being Eriko Denmark, Norway
Belly of the Beast USA
Belushi USA
Between Fire and Water Columbia
Beyond My Steps Angola
Beyond The Visible - Hilma af Klint Germany
Big Fur USA
Big vs. Small Finland
Bile Belgium
Billie UK
Birth Wars Mexico
Bitter Bread Lebanon, Iraq
Bitter Love Sweden
Black Boys USA
Bleeding Audio USA
Blood on the Wall USA
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets USA
Blow It To Bits France
Body of Truth Germany
Bor Netherlands
Bora Bora South Korea
Borealis Canada
Born to Be USA
Bosco Uruguay, Italy
Boys State USA
Breaking Barriers - the Casteless Collective India, Germany
Breaking the Silence Colombia, Bolivia
Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road USA
Bring Down the Walls USA, Germany
Bulletproof USA
Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn USA
By All Means Necessary South Africa, Algeria
Calamity Jane & Delphine Seyrig, A Story France, USA
Calendar Girl USA
Call Your Mother USA
Camagroga Spain
Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters USA
Candlelight Revolution South Korea
Cane Fire USA
Capital in the Twenty-First Century France, New Zealand
Carnival Pilgrims Finland
Carrousel Netherlands
Caught in the Net Czech Republic
Cemetery France, UK, Poland, Uzbekistan
Cenote Japan
Chaddr: A River Between Us Germany
Chained (Agora II) Greece, Germany
Charlie Chaplin: The Making of a Genius UK
Chasing Childhood USA
Chèche Lavi (Looking for Life) Mexico, USA, Haiti
Childhood 2.0 USA
Children Israel
Children of the Night Iran
Chronicle of the Stolen Land France
CHSLD, Mon Amour Canada
Chuck Berry UK
Cinema Paneer Sweden
Circus of Books USA
Citizen K UK, USA
Citizen Penn USA
City Hall USA
Clerk USA
Climate Exodus Spain
Coded Bias USA, UK, China
Collective Romania, Luxembourg
Columbia in My Arms Finland, France, Denmark, Norway
Comfort South Korea
Coming Clean USA
Communism and the Net or the End of Representative Democracy Czech Republic
Conductivity Finland
Considering the Ends Belgium, France
Console Wars USA
Constructions Latvia
Corporate Accountability Argentina
Copper Notes of a Wish Canada, Syria
Corleone: A History of La Cosa Nostra France
Corona Chronicles: 40 Days that Changed the world Germany
Coronation Germany
Coup 53 UK, Iran
Courtroom 3H Spain, USA
Cows on the Roof Switzerland
Crazy, Not Insane USA
Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words USA
Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll Magazine USA
Crestone USA
Crip Camp USA
Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan USA, UK
Crutch USA
Cunningham USA
Current Sea USA
Czech Journal: Vojna Ztohoven Czech Republic
Dads USA
Daldongne 33 Up South Korea
Danses Macabres, Skeletons, And Other Fantasies France, Portugal
Dark City Beneath the Beat USA
Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time USA
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet UK
David Byrne's American Utopia USA
Davos Austria
Days of Cannibalism France, South Africa, Netherlands
Dead Souls' Vacation Georgia
Dealing with Death Netherlands
Dear Elnaz Canada, Iran, UK
Dear Mr. Brody USA
Dear Santa USA
Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes UK
Delphine and Carol France, Switzerland
Demain est si loin France
Demain le feu France
Descent Australia
Desert One USA
Dharma Rebel - Noah Levine Netherlands
Diana Kennedy: Nothing Special USA
Dick Johnson Is Dead USA
Die Wächterin Germany
Disclosure USA
Displaced Germany
Divinations Italy, France
Divinely Evil Brazil
Don't Try to Understand: A Year in the Life of Earl 'DMX' Simmons USA
Don't Worry, The Doors Will Open Canada
Dope Is Death Canada
Dormant Argentina
Down a Dark Stairwell USA
Downstream to Kinshasa France, Congo, Belgium, The Democratic Republic Of Congo
Drag Kids Canada
Drama Girl Netherlands
Dreamlife Netherlands
During Revolution Syria, Sweden
Duty Free USA
Echo Iceland, France, Switzerland
Echoes of the Invisible USA, Poland
Ecstasy Brazil
Eddy's Kingdom Canada
Eine einsame Stadt Germany
El Father Plays Himself Venezuela, UK, Italy, USA
El Negro Chile
Elder's Corner Nigeria, USA
Ending Disease USA
Enemies of the State USA
Enlightened Mexico
Epicentro Austria, France
Erased, ____ Ascent of the Individual Lebanon
Escape From Extinction USA
Esquirlas Argentina
Eternal Jožo, or How I Met a Star Czech Republic, Slovakia
Everybody Flies UK
Everything that is forgotten in an instant Argentina
Everything Will Not Be Fine Romania, Ukraine
Eye to Eye Finland
F11 and Be There USA
Fadma: Even Ants Have Wings Morroco, Belgium
Faith Italy
Faith & Branko Serbia, UK
Fandango at the Wall USA
Fanny: The Right to Rock Canada
Far from You I Grew France, Switzerland
Farwell Paradise Netherlands
Fat Front Denmark, Sweden, Norway
Father my Brother Belgium
Father Solider Son USA
Fear(less) and Dear Hong Kong, China
Feather and Pine USA
Feels Good Man USA
Film About a Father Who USA
Filmfarsi Iran
Final Account UK
Find Your Groove USA
Finding Sally Canada
Finding Yingying USA
Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds USA
First We Eat Canada
Fish Eye Iran
Five Years North USA
Fixed barricade at Hamdalaye crossing France, Guinea
Flannery USA
Flint UK
For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close USA
For the Love of Rutland USA
For They Know Not What They Do USA
Forget Me Not South Korea
Forgotten Lands France
Fortezza Italy
Fortunata Poland
Four Mothers Israel
Francesco USA, Czech Republic
Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb USA
Freedia Got a Gun USA
Frem Czech Republic, Slovak Republic
Fries! The Movie USA
Fritsch's Flub Germany
From Here USA
From the Neighbourhood Spain
From Underground to the Corridors of Power South Africa
Ganden: A Joyful Land USA
Garage People Germany
Gather USA
Generations USA
Gevar's Land France, Qatar
Ghosts, Long Way Home Portugal
Gifts of Chance - a film about Jorgen Leth Denmark
Girls Can't Surf Australia
Girls/Museum Germany
Giving Voice USA
Glitter & Dust Germany
Golda Maria France
Good Hope South Africa
Good Light, Good Air South Korea
Good Ol Girl USA
Goodbye Mister Wong Laos, France
Gorbachev. Heaven Lativia, Czech Republic
Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind Canada
Green Blood France
Grenzland Germany
Guczo. Notes on Life Poland
Gunda Norway, USA
Gundermann River Germany
Haida Modern Canada
Hamtranck, USA USA
Happy Happy Joy Joy - The Ren & Stimpy Story USA
Harlem Rising: A Community Changing the Odds USA
Harley USA
Harley Queen Chile
Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something USA
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics USA
He Dreams of Giants UK
Healing From Hate: Battle for the Soul of a Nation USA
Heaven Beneath My Feet Lebanon, France
Heel-and-Toe Russia
Heidi en Chine Switzerland, France
Heimat is a Space in Time Germany, Austria
Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful Germany
Henshin! Japan
Her Mothers Hungary
Her Name Was Europa Germany
Her Socialist Smile USA
Here We Move Here We Groove Netherlands
Hey! Teachers! Russia
Higher Love USA
Hilary Hahn - Evolution of an Artist Germany, USA
Hillary USA
Home of One's Own Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt
Homecoming - Marina Abramovic and Her Children Serbia
Hong Kong Moments Germany
Honourable Men Israel
Hood River USA
Hope Frozen Thailand
Hopper/Welles USA
House of Cardin USA
How To Fix A Primary USA
How to Overthrow the US Government (Legally) USA
How to Steal a Country South Africa
Human Nature USA
Hunting For Hedonia Denmark
Hydration USA
I Am a Town USA
I Am Greta Sweden
I Am No Longer Afraid France
I Am Not Alone Armenia, USA
I Am Samuel Kenya, Canada, UK, USA
I diari di Angela - Noi due cineasti. Capitolo secondo Italy
I Dream of Singapore Singapore
I Love You I Miss You I Hope I See You Before I Die Denmark
I Never Climbed the Provincia Chile
I Owe You a Letter About Brazil Brazil
I Walk Denmark
I Wan You if You Dare Czech Republic
I'm Going To Make You Love Me USA
I'm in Love with Pippa Bacca Italy
Ibrahim: A Fate to Define Lebanon, Palestine, Denmark, Qatar, Slovenia,
Ice Cold USA
Iconicity USA
If It Were Love France
If We Burn Hong Kong
iHuman Norway, Denmark
Il était un petit navire Belgium
Il mio corpo Italy, Switzerland
In & of Itself USA
In a Silent Way Belgium
In a Whisper Spain, France, Switzerland, Cuba
In His Image Netherlands
In My Blood It Runs Australia
In My Own Time: A Portrait of Karen Dalton USA
In My Skin Brazil
In Silico USA
In Your Eyes, I See My Country Morroco, France
Inconvenient Indian Canada
Indian Space Dreams UK
Influence South Africa, Canada
Inland Panama
Insert Coin USA
Inside the Diamond Sweden
Inside the Red Brick Wall Hong Kong
Interregnum Spain
Into The Deep Denmark
Invisible to the Eye Turkey
Irmi USA
Irradiated Cambodia, France
Isadora's Children France, South Korea
It Takes a Family Denmark
Ivana the Terrible Serbia, Romania
IWOW: I Walk on Water USA
J’ai aimé vivre là France
Jacinta USA
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President USA
Jindo Requiem South Korea
John Lewis: Good Trouble USA
Jonathan Scott's Power Trip Canada, USA
Jose Feliciano: Behind This Guitar USA
Journey Around the Home in 60 Days Romania
Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission USA
Journey to Utopia Denmark, Norway, Sweden
Jozi Gold Sweden
Judy Versus Capitalism Canada
Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl USA
Keith Haring: Street Art Boy UK
Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide Brazil, USA
King of the Cruise Netherlands
King Rocker UK
Kingdom of Silence USA
Kings of Capitol Hill Israel
Kiss The Ground USA
Kombinat Switzerland
Krabi, 2562 Thailand, UK
Kubrick by Kubrick France
Kuxlejal (Vida) Mexico
L.A. Tea Time Canada
L'Homme qui penche France
La Fin des terres Canada
La Madrina: The Savage Life of Lorine Padilla USA
La Mami Mexico, Spain
LA Originals USA, Argentina
Lady Buds USA
Lamentations of Judas France, Netherlands, Angola
Lance USA
Land of My Father South Korea
Landfall USA
Landscape Zero Croatia
Language is a Love Story Canada
Larry Flynt for President USA
Las poetas visitan a Juana Bignozzi Argentina
Last and First Men Iceland
Last Call for Tomorrow USA
Last Knights of the Right Side Poland
Last Knights of The Right Side Poland
Latvian Coyote Latvia
Laurel Canyon USA
Le chant d’Empédocle Canada
Le Fantôme de Spandau Belgium
Le Kiosque France
Le temps perdu Argentina
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist USA
Lebanon - Borders of Blood Israel, Germany
Leftover Women Israel
Lene Und Die Geister Des Waldes Germany
Lennox Lewis: The Untold Story USA
Leoforio France, Switzerland, Greece
Leonie, actrice en spionne Netherlands
Les femmes du soleil: une chronologie du regard Iran, France
Les heures heureuses France
Lessons of Love Poland
Let It Be Law Argentina, France, Uruguay
Let the Lights Move Away Argentina, Uruguay
Let's Talk Egypt
Letter to the Editor USA
Letters from a Whistler Fan to a Conrad Fan Chile
Libelu – Down With the Dictatorship Brazil
Life Is Deadly Italy
Lift Like a Girl Egypt, Denmark, Germany
Lil' Buck: Real Swan France, USA
Lili Australia, Hungary
Linea 137 Argentina
Lisbon Beat Portugal
Listen To My Song South Africa
Little Girl France
Living Water Czech Republic
Loin de vous j'ai grandi France
Lonely Rock Argentina, Mexico, Qatar, UK
Long Live Love Denmark
Looking For Gilles Caron France
Looking For Life Mexico, United States, Haiti
Lopon Mexico
Los conductos Colombia
Los Hermanos/The Brothers USA
Los Últimos Frikis Cuba, USA
Losing Vietnam Germany, Austria
Lost Boys Northern Ireland
Lost Course Hong Kong
Lost in Face Germany
Lost Kids on the Beach Romania
Lost Lives UK, Ireland
Love & Stuff USA
Love and Fury USA
Love Child Denmark
Love Poem Hong Kong, China
Love, It was Not Israel, Austria
Lovemobil Germany
Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over USA
M For Magic USA
Madame Switzerland
Maddy the Model Sweden
Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art Canada
Maggie's Farm USA
Mai Khoi and the Dissidents USA
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound USA
Makongo Argentina, Central African Republic, Italy
Malni-Towards the Ocean, Towards the Shore USA
Man in the Arena USA
Man, that sick old animal France
Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power Canada
Martha: A Picture Story Australia
Martin Margiela: In His Own Words Belgium, Germany
Massacre River USA
Mating Denmark, Sweden
Max Richter's Sleep UK, USA
Maxima USA
Mayor USA, UK
Me and the Cult Leader Japan
Meanwhile on Earth Denmark, Sweden, Estonia
Meat the Future Canada
Medicine Man: The Stan Brock Story UK
Medium Argentina
Meet the Censors Norway
Memory Is Our Homeland Canada
Merry Christmas, Yiwu Sweden, Serbia, Germany, France, Qatar, Belgium
Midnight Family USA, Mexico
Mighty Ira USA
Mimaroğlu: The Robinson of Manhattan Island Turkey, USA
Minamata Mandala Japan
Miracle Fishing USA
Mirador Uruguay
Miri fajta Czech Republic
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Germany, China
Mishima: The Last Debate Japan
Miss Americana USA
Missing in Brooks County USA
Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway Netherlands
MLK/FBI USA
Molecole Italy
Moments Like This Never Last USA
Mon amour France
Monsieur Deligny, Vagabond Efficace France
Morgana Australia
Morning Star Madagascar
Mother Belgium
Mother to Earth: The Untold Story of Earth Bound USA
Mother, I Am Suffocating. This Is My Last Film About You Lesotho, Qatar
Motherlands Hungary, Romania
Mr. Jimmy Japan
Mr. Soul! USA
Mr. Toilet: The World's #2 Man USA
Mrs. F Netherlands, Nigeria
Mucho Mucho Amor USA
Mullah's Daughter Iran, UK
Murder at Cinema North Israel
Murghab Germany
Music Got Me Here USA
My Darling Supermarket Brazil, Denmark
My Darling Vivian USA
My Dear Spies France
My English Cousin Switzerland, Qatar,
My Mexican Bretzel Spain
My Octopus Teacher South Africa, Netherlands
My People: The Jews of Greece Greece, USA, Denmark
My Psychedelic Love Story USA
My Rembrandt Netherlands
NA China France, China, Cameroon
Nagastyle India
Nahanni River of Forgiveness Canada
Nails in My Brain Azerbaijan
Nan China, USA
Napoli Eden Italy
Narcissus Off Duty Brazil
Nardjes A. Algeria, France, Germany, Brazil
Nasrin USA
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind USA
Negra Mexico
Neither Confirm Nor Deny UK
Nemesis Switzerland
Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story USA
Night Shot Chile
Niña mamá Argentina
Ninosca Sweden
nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up Canada
No Gold for Kalsaka Burkina Faso, Germany
No Hard Feelings Israel
No Kings Brazil
No Ordinary Man Canada
No son horas de olvidar Mexico
Nocturne South Korea
Nofinofy France, Madagascar
Non Western UK, USA, Mexico
Norie Japan
Norma Aleandro, el vuelo de la mariposa Spain
Northern Range France
Not Going Quietlly USA
Notes from the Underworld Austria
Nothing but the Sun Switzerland, Paraguay
Notre-Dame-des-Landes, la reconquête France
Notturno Italy, France, Germany
Objector Israel, Palestine
Oceano de amor Germany, Cuba
Odoriko Japan, USA, France
Oeconomia Germany
Of Land and Bread Israel, Palestine
Off the Road Mexico, USA
Oh Les Filles! France
Okavango: River of Dreams Austria, South Africa
Oliver Sacks: His Own Life USA
Olympia USA
On a Clear Day You Can See the Revolution From Here UK, Kazakhstan
On a le temps pour nous Belgium
On Endings Italy, Philippines
On The Record USA
Once Upon a Time in Poland Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia
Once Upon a Time in Uganda USA, Uganda
Once Upon A Time in Venezuela Venezuela, UK, Brazil, Austria
Once Upon a Youth Croatia
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Canada
Once You Know France
One Life USA
One Man and His Shoes UK
One More Jump Italy
One More Jump Italy, Lebanon, Switzerland
Only the Devil Lives Without Hope Sweden, Norway
Option Zero Cuba, Brazil, Colombia
Origins of the Species USA
Oroslan Slovenia, Czech Republic
Osmosis China
Other, Like Me UK, USA
Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles USA
Our Land, Our Altar Portugal
Our Motherland Netherlands
Our Road Italy
Our Time Machine China, USA
Out of Place Germany
Outcry and Whisper Hong Kong, China
Ouvertures UK
Overland USA
Overseas Belgium, France
Own the Room Canada
P.S. Burn This Letter Please USA
Pahokee France, USA
Pajeú Brazil
Panquiaco Panama
Paolo Conte, via con me Italy
Para Onde Voam as Feiticeiras Brazil
Paradise Without People USA
Paris - No Day Without You Germany
Paris Calligrammes Germany, France
Paris Stalingrad France
Passage Canada
Passages UK
Passion - Between Revolt and Revolution Switzerland
Pavarotti UK, USA
Pearl of the Desert India, South Korea
Perro Germany
Personhood USA
Petit Samedi Belgium
Phases of Matter Turkey
Picture a Scientist USA
Picture Character Canada
Pieces of Rebecca Denmark
Pier Kids USA
Pilgrimage to the Mountains Czech Republic
Pilgrims of Divine Mercy Poland
Planet of the Humans USA
Please Hold the Line Austria
Pollywood Poland
Pray Away USA
Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton USA
Prayer for a Lost Mitten Canada
Prelle - In My Own Voice Denmark
Prison Circle Japan
Private Fiction Argentina
Privé Switzerland
Progress in the Valley of the People Who Don't Know Germany
Public Trust USA
Punks Netherlands
Punta Sacra Italy
Purple Sea Germany
Push Sweden
Qiang's Journey China
Queen Lear Turkey
Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack USA
Radio Silence Switzerland, Mexico
Radiograph of a Family Norway, Iran, Switzerland
Rapsodia Negra Columbia
Raymonde El Bidaoia Israel
Rebel Dread UK
Rebel Objects Costa Rica, Colombia
Rebuilding Paradise USA
Red Card France, Reunion, Comoros, South Africa
Red Heaven USA
Red Penguins USA, Germany
Red, White & Wasted USA
Refugees Are Welcome Here Slovakia
Reiwa Uprising Japan
Remnants of a Revolution Philippines
Res Creata Italy
Resisterhood USA
Restaurant Hustle 2020: All on the Line USA
Retiro Mexico
Retour à Višegrad Switzerland
Retrospective France
Return to Epipo Hungary
Reunited Denmark, Sweden
Rewind USA
Ricky Powell: The Individualist USA
Ridge Sweden
Rift Finfinnee Germany
Ringside USA
Riplist USA
Rising Phoenix UK
River City Drumbeat USA
River Tales Luxembourg
Robin's Hood Austria
Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm UK, USA
Rockfour: The Time Machine Israel
Ronnie's UK
Rosemary's Way Australia
Rules of the Assembly Line, at High Speed Germany
Rumba Rules, New Genealogies Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada, Belgium
Runner USA
Running on Empty Austria
Safety 123 Austria
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams Italy
San Mao: the desert bride Spain
Sanctuary Spain
Sankara n'est pas mort France
Santikhiri Sonata Thailand, Germany
Sapelo Switzerland
Sasang: The Town on Sand South Korea
Saudi Runaway Switzerland
Saul & Ruby's Holocaust Survivor Band USA
Scheme Birds Sweden, UK
Schlingensief – A Voice that Shook the Silence Germany
Schocken, On the Verge of Consensus Israel, Germany
School Town King Thailand
Searching for Mr. Rugoff USA
Seeing Red Argentina
Seekers France
Self-portrait 2020 South Korea
Selfie France, Italy
Sentimental Education Spain
Sewing Sisters South Korea
Shade Grown Coffee Denmark
Shadow Flowers South Korea
Shady River Argentina
Shalom Allah Switzerland
Shawn Mendes: In Wonder USA
She Had a Dream France
Sheltered Netherlands
Shooting The Mafia UK
Show Dancer Denmark
Showgirls of Pakiston Pakistsan, USA
Shut up Sona India
Sidik and the Panther Netherlands
Silence and Swords Denmark
Silence of the Tides Netherlands
Simple as Water USA, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Germany
Since I've Been Down USA
Sing Me A Song France, Germany, Switzerland
Singing in the Wilderness China, USA
Sister J South Korea
Sisters with Transistors France
Själö - Island of Souls Finland
Sky Blossom USA
Slay the Dragon USA
Smog Town China
So Late So Soon USA
Socks on Fire USA
Softie Canada, Kenya
Soldier's Woman Peru
Solo Argentina, Czech Republic
Some Kind of Heaven USA
Somebody Up There Likes Me UK
Sòne Switzerland
Song Hae 1927 South Korea
Songs of Entoko -The Power of Feebleness Japan
Songs of Repression Denmark
Soros USA
Southern Journey (Revisited) USA, UK
Space Dogs Austria, Germany
Spaceship Earth USA
Speak So I Can See You Serbia, Croatia, Qatar
Speed of Happiness South Korea
Speer Goes to Hollywood Israel
Sportin' Life France
Stars and Strife USA
State Funeral Netherlands, Lithuania
Stateless Canada, USA
Stockton on My Mind USA
Stray USA
Street of Darkness Denmark
Strike or Die France
Strip Down, Rise Up USA
Summerwar Germany
Sunless Shadows Iran, Norway
Super Frenchie USA
Suspension Columbia
Suzanne Daveau Portugal
Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue China
System K France
Tacheles: The Heart of the Matter Germany
Taiwan Equals Love Taiwan
Taking the Horse to Eat Jalebis India, South Korea
Tales from the Prison Cell Hungary, Croatia, UK
Talking About Trees France, Sudan, Germany, Chad, Qatar
Teach Romania
Television Event USA
Television Without Frontiers Sweden
TFW NO GF USA
That Cloud Never Left India
That Which Does Not Kill Belgium, France
The 8th USA
The Accused: Damned or Devoted? Pakistan, UK, USA
The Alpinist USA
The American Sector USA
The Antidote USA
The Apollo USA
The Ark China
The Art of Being Human South Africa
The Art of Falllism Norway, South Africa
The Art of Living in Danger Germany, Iran
The Art of Political Murder UK
The Beautiful Game Sweden
The Beloved Daughter Finland, Norway
The Big Scary "S" Word USA
The Blunder of Love Germany
The Booksellers USA
The Boy from Medellín USA
The Boy Who Sold The World Australia, USA
The Butterfly’s Dream Poland
The Calm After the Storm Colombia
The Case You Germany
The Champion of the World Uruguay
The Changin' TImes of Ika White United Kingdom
The Choice China
The Circle Estonia
The Cost Of Silence USA
The Dakota Entrapment Tapes UK
The Dawnsayer Canada
The Devil Takes You Columbia
The Dilemma of Desire USA
The Disqualified Tunisia, France, Qatar, United Arab Emirates
The Disrupted USA
The Dissident USA
The Dog Doc USA
The Donut King USA
The Earth Is Blue as an Orange Ukraine, Lithuania
The End and the Means France, India, USA
The End From Here Canada
The Euphoria of Being Hungary
The Exit of the Trains Romania
The Faculties Argentina
The Fifth Story Qatar, Iraq
The Fight USA
The Fight for Greenland Denmark, Greenland, Norway
The Filmmaker's House UK
The First Woman Spain
The Forbidden Reel Canada
The Forum Germany, Switzerland
The Foundation Pit Russia
The Free Ones Canada
The Frogs Argentina
The Ghost of Peter Sellers Cyrpus
The Go-Go's USA
The Golden Age France
The Grocer's Son, the Mayor, the Village and the World France, Belgium
The Guardian of Memory Mexico
The Happiest Man on Earth Finland
The Harvest Georgia
The Heart is a Drum Sweden
The Hidden Fountain Israel
The Homecoming Germany
The House of Love Italy
The House of Wannsee Street Argentina
The Human Factor UK, Israel
The Infiltrators USA
The Infinite Race USA
The Jump Lithuania, Latvia, France
The Kingmaker USA
The Last Archer Spain
The Last Autumn Iceland
The Last Blockbuster USA
The Last Hillbilly USA
The Last Ice USA
The Last Image Austria
The Last Out USA
The Leadershlp Australia
The Letter Kenya
The Long Coast USA
The Lost Paradise
The Magic Mountain Belgium
The Magnitude of All Things Canada
The Makavejev Case or Trial in a Movie Theater Serbia
The Marriage Project Iran, France
The Meaning of Hitler USA
The Metamorphosis of Birds Portugal
The Missing One France
The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon USA
The Mole Agent Chile, USA, Germany, Netherlands, Spain
The Monopoly of Violence France
The Monster Inside Me USA
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper USA
The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo Spain, USA
The Nailhouse: One says No China
The New Bauhaus USA
The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel Canada
The New Gospel Germany, Switzerland, Italy
The Night Flowers Mexico
The Notes of Anna Azzori / A Mirror that Travels through Time Austria, Germany, France
The Oil War USA
The Other One Chile
The Pageant France, Turkey, Israel, Germany
The Painter and the Thief Norway
The Painting Spain
The Palindromists USA
The People who Suspend USA
The Perimeter of Kamsé Switzerland, France, Burkino Faso
The Phenomenon USA
The pink indian against the invisible beast: Noel Nutels' battle Brazil
The Place That Makes Us USA
The Plastic House Australia
The Plot Against the President USA
The Poets Visit Juana Bignozzi Argentina
The Pollinators USA
The Postcard Morocco
The Power of Movement USA
The Prophet and the Space Aliens Israel, Austria
The Pushback USA
The Race to Alaska USA
The Reason I Jump UK
The Republics UK
The Right Girls USA
The Rise of the Synths Spain
The Scheme USA
The School of Housewives Iceland
The Sea Between Us Canada
The Second Life Belgium, Germany, Italy
The Secret of Doctor Grinberg Spain, Mexico
The Seer and the Unseen USA, Iceland
The Self Portrait Norway
The Shadow of the Desert (or Paradise Lost) Brazil
The Silence that Remains Spain
The Silhouettes Iran
The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte hosts the Tonight Show USA
The Skin of Others Australia
The Sky Is Red Chile
The Social Dilemma USA
The song of the butterflies Peru
The State of Texas vs. Melissa France
The Story of Plastic USA
The Three Yossi Israel
The Times of Bill Cunningham USA
The Tree House Vietnam, Singapore, China, France, Germany
The Truffle Hunters Italy, Greece, USA
The Truth About La Dolce Vita Italy
The Two Sights Canada, UK
The Unseen Iran
The Vallley France, Italy
The Vasulka Effect Iceland
The Viewing Booth Israel
The Wall of Shadows Poland, Germany, Switzerland
The Walrus and the Whistleblower Canada
The War of Raya Sinitsina Israel
The Way I See It USA
The Weather Diaries Australia
The White Cube Netherlands, Belgium, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Wind: A Documentary Thriller Poland, Slovakia
The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) USA, Sweden, Japan, United Kingdom
The World is Bright Canada
The Year of Discovery Spain, Switzerland
The Young Observant Italy
Their Algeria France, Algeria, Switzerland, Qatar
There Will Be No More Night France
There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace Canada
They Call Me Babu Netherlands
They Call Me Dr. Miami Canada
Things We Dare Not Do Mexico
This Is Not a Movie Canada
This Is Paris USA
This Rain Will Never Stop Ukraine, Latvia, Germany, Qatar
This Train I Ride Finland, France
Those That, at a Distance, Resemble Another UK, Argentina, Spain
Through the Night USA
Til Kingdom Come UK, Israel, Norway
Time USA
Tin Soldiers South Africa
Tinnitus Russia
Tiny Souls Qatar, France
Tiny Tim: King for a Day Croatia, Norway, Sweden, USA
To See You Again Mexico
To the Moon Ireland
Tokyo Ride France
Tomboy USA
Tomorrow's Gone Israel
Toni Morrison: The Pieces That I Am USA
Tony Driver Italy, Mexico
Totally Under Control USA
Tote_Abuelo Mexico
Traces Germany
Traces of a Landscape Czech Republic, Italy
Transhood USA
Trouble UK
True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight for Equality USA
Trust Me USA
Truth or Consequences USA
Truth to Power USA
Two Gods USA
Two Roads Czech Republic
UFO Sketch South Korea
Ugoku Tokai — Moving City Germany
Ultraviolence UK
Unapologetic USA
Uncivilized USA
Uncle Tom USA
Under Blue Skys Switzerland
Under The Same Sun Canada
Underplayed Canada
Une femme, ma mère Canada
Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump USA
Universe USA
Unseen Slovakia
Unskinned Portugal
Us Against Us Romania
Us Kids USA
UTA Germany
Vicenta Argentina
Victoria Belgium
Video Blues Spain
Vitalina Varela Portugal
Vivos Germany
Vulnerable Beauty Italy
Wagenknecht Germany
Wake Up on Mars France, Switzerland
Walchensee Forever Germany
Wandering, a Rohingya Story Canada
War and Peace Italy, Switzerland
War Photographer Denmark
Was Tun Germany
Watson USA
WBCN and the American Revolution USA
We Are As Gods USA
We Are from There Lebanon, France
We Are Here Now Norway
We Are the Radical Monarchs USA
We Are the Thousand Italy
We Don't Deserve Dogs USA
We Have Boots Hong Kong
We Hold the Line Germany
We Intend to Cause Havoc Czech Republic
We're Still Here UK
Weed & Wine France
Weiyena - The Long March Home Austria
Welcome to Chechnya USA
What Remains? Germany
When a Hen Crows South Korea
When We Walk USA
Where's Edson? Brazil
Whirlybird USA
White Noise USA
White on White Slovakia, Czech Republic
White Riot UK
Who Is Gatsby Randolph? USA
Who Made You? Finland
Wild Daze USA
Wilderness Mexico
Wim Wenders: Desperado Germany
Wings of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgzstan
Winter Journey Denmark, Germany
Wintopia Canada
Wir wollten alle Fiesen killen Germany
Wired for Music- Inside the Wiener Symphoniker Austria
With Drawn Arms USA
Without Getting Killed or Caught USA
Wojnarowicz USA
Wolves at the Borders Czech Republic
Woman France
Women According to Men Iran
Women in Blue USA
Wonder Boy France
Wood Austria, Germany, Romania
Work or To Whom Does the World Belong Spain
Workhorse Canada
xABo: Father Boniecki Poland
XY Chelsea UK
Yãmīyhex: The Women-Spirit Brazil
Yesterday There Were Strange Things in the Sky Brazil
You are the Days to Come Sweden
You Cannot Kill David Arquette USA
You Don't Nomi USA
You Gave Me A Song: The Life and Music of Alice Gerrard USA
You Think the Earth is a Dead Thing France
Your Face South Korea
Your Mother's Comfort USA, Brazil
Youth v Gov USA
Yung Lean: In My Head Sweden
Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn USA
Zaho Zay Austria, France, Madagascar
Zappa USA
Zero Japan
Ziyara France, Morocco
Zlota Poland
Zumiriki Spain
"Now everybody smile and say CINEMA!"
It's unfortunate that The Earth Is Blue as an Orange is a "documentary," but that's what everybody is calling this sparkling debut feature film. It premiered in the "World Cinema Documentary" competition at Sundance 2020, as opposed to the "World Cinema Dramatic" programme. How about just "World Cinema," folks?
At Berlinale, the film was slotted in "Generation 14plus," I suppose because the director, Iryna Tysilyk, is young and there are young people featured in her film. I doubt there were many more compelling cinema productions competing, with the "grown-ups," for the Golden Bear. Subsequently, The Earth Is Blue as an Orange has been presented mostly by documentary festivals, including this week within Camden International Film Festival's finely curated (I'm finding) online programme.
When a work such as The Earth Is Blue as an Orange revels in cinema's borderless capacity to open up our vision and view of the world, not to mention our hearts and minds, why the impulse to wall it in, restrict and confine it? Offering another way to consider the art of the real, the title is drawn from the first line of Paul Éluard's poem "La terre est bleue." The earth is blue like an orange, the poem insists, and the words don't lie. ("Jamais une erreur les mots ne mentent pas"). We're being poked to reject categories, the literal, to see and feel anew:
Tu as toutes les joies solaires
Tout le soleil sur la terre
Sur les chemins de ta beauté.
Éluard was a surrealist and Krasnohorivka, Ukraine, is this film's surreal setting. Since early 2014, the town has been on the frontline of Russia's proxy war with Ukraine. Shells are flying over their home, but emerging cinematographer Myroslava Trofymchuk and her family are occupied making a short film. Everybody's pitching in. Hanna, Mira's mom, has an idea:
"You have to show in which city the action is set. Do you understand? You have a normal, civilized house, in a normal, civilized setting. How will you show that you've been living in the war for five years? How will you show the destroyed city?"
Good note Hanna: Show, but don't tell. While the layers of filmmaking at play here offer significant intra-referentiality, Tsilyk is tastefully restrained with the meta bling. She met Mira and her sister, Anastasiia, at a youth film workshop (The Yellow Bus) in Donbas. Tsilyk followed them home, was captivated by the family, and set about making The Earth Is Blue as an Orange as a "making-of" piece. There is an interview with the filmmaker offering more context on YouTube.
Tsilyk's film, a coming-of-age story (if one insists on a genre), is exquisitely crafted, nary a boring frame nor baggy scene, start to finish. I was in joyful tears thirty minutes in and again during the sublime closing scene, in which the family's short film, "2014," is screened for a local audience.
It's cinema. Everybody smile.
Pa'lante: "In Latin American and especially Puerto Rican slang, it's a contraction of "para adelante" or 'forward.' " (Urban Dictionary)
The post-disaster doc is a common genre in nonfiction filmmaking. Given that Landfall surveys Puerto Rico two-years following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, my assumption was that Cecilia Aldarondo's film would follow the usual tropes of the genre, focusing on the material and psychic destruction wrought by the hurricane. Assumptions are dangerous.
Hurricane Maria appears as an apparition in Landfall, haunting though not manifest. Rather, the film serenely swirls around the island, the world's oldest colony, gathering its power and intensity by accumulation. Not that there isn't some spooky shit, past and present, happening in Puerto Rico. We get a glimpse of the late-disaster capitalists sweeping in, here creepy crypto-evangelists promising tax-free prosperity to young Puerto Ricans. Let's "unite and work together as a 'We' ", one suggests, to which a young woman retorts: "The last time there was a 'we', my people died...the best way to help is sometimes just getting out of the way." It's a terrific scene in a film with many.
However, anger and confrontation is not the dominant emotion in Landfall. While framed with the uprising that led to the resignation of Puerto Rico's Governor, Ricardo Rosselló, Landfall oscillates between sadness, intimacy, love, fatigue, grace, beauty and resolve. And never resignation. As crafted by Aldarondo, with collaborators Lale Namerrow Pastor, Pablo Álvarez-Mesa (Cinematographer) and Terra Jean Long (Editor), Landfall is at once lyrical essay cinema and, if I may indulge, what literary critic and political theorist Frederic Jameson might see as an elegant realization of his concept of "cognitive mapping":
"An aesthetic of cognitive mapping - a pedagogical political culture which seeks to endow the individual subject with some new heightened sense of its place in the global system - will necessarily have to respect this now enormously complex representational dialectic [neoliberalism, basically] and invent radically new forms in order to do it justice." - Frederic Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, p. 54
Yes, more radical new forms, please. And justice.
Like most of this year's film slate, Landfall's launch was disrupted by the pandemic. Aldarondo, with Robert Greene, discussed the personal and professional ramifications for independent docmakers, precisely and poignantly, in a conversation on Hyperallergic. In the spirit of the Puerto Rican contraction "pa'lante", I believe Landfall will resolutely make its way forward. Good work does that, most of the time. I watched the film via the Camden International Film Festival's online festival and see that the production is doing many such streaming presentations.
It will be broadcast on POV next summer when, I hope, we'll all be largely post-pandemic and post-Trump. Landfall has much to offer those seeking reflection and striving for recovery following a disaster, which will be all of us.