DocPlay: quick links
DocPlay: new in April
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found (7 April)
Film (2024). The new documentary from director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) follows Ernest Cole’s journey as the first Black freelance photographer working in apartheid South Africa.
Featuring narration from Oscar-nominee LaKeith Stanfield, Peck’s search for the soul of the overlooked artists is nestled in an international thriller, delving into the complexities of race through this timeless imagery.
I Am Here (7 April)
Film (2021). On her 98th birthday, a spirited South African Holocaust survivor reveals her astonishing life journey.
2073 (10 April)
Film (2024). In this ingenious mixture of visionary science fiction and speculative nonfiction, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia transports us to a future foreshadowed by the terrifying realities of our present moment. Director Asif Kapadia (UK) is available for interview.
Jazz (14 April)
Film (2001). This must-see, 10-part series from master documentarian Ken Burns follows the growth and development of jazz music from the gritty streets of New Orleans to the Lincoln Gardens on Chicago’s south side.
Mark Twain (14 April)
Film (2001). In his time, Mark Twain was considered the funniest man on earth. Yet he was also an unflinching critic of human nature, using his humour to attack hypocrisy, greed and racism. Ken Burns presents an illuminating portrait of the man who is also one of the greatest writers in American history.
The Pool (17 April)
Film (2024). AU only Bondi Icebergs is the most photographed pool in the world – an inviting destination for everyone from locals to tourists, beginners to competitive lap swimmers. From sunrise to sundown, rain or shine, we meet the diehard regulars recalling tales of Icebergs past and present. A must-see for all ocean-lovers, The Pool is an evocative, joyous and beautiful picture of a beloved place and its community. Watch the trailer.
From ScreenHub’s review of The Pool:
‘It’s a visually resplendent spot, then, for Paul Kelly – Stories of Me director Ian Darling to spend a year recording the daily churn of this beloved icon, interviewing those who work there as well as the many swimmers who frequent its crowded lanes, both regular and blow-ins.
‘There’s the gent who has been attending the pool for 50 years on top of his daily swim across the bay, as if he simply can’t get enough of the surf. A swim teacher talks about how regular dips helped her feel as if the ‘yuck’ of cancer was being washed away during her treatment.
‘One young man is reminded of the lanes’ directional etiquette. International tourists who obviously aren’t confident swimmers crab walk around the pool’s edge only to be tetchily schooled by attendants.
‘A Lebanese boxer once got caught in a rip in Dubai. It wasn’t until he moved to Sydney and signed up at Icebergs that he could finally knock the phobia out. ‘Making yourself do uncomfortable things is the best cure for unhealthy things in your mind,’ he says.
‘A mother swimming with her two sons recalls that she was there on each of the mornings they were born, with time for a coffee in the attendant Icebergs Lounge before. The barista notes that of the millions that filter through Icebergs for a brew, he often knows them only by their order, rather than their name. This half-joke aside, Darling’s film is centred on community, on what makes this place more than simply just another pool with a wonderful view.’ Read more …
A Hip-Hop Minute (21 April)
Film (2024). Relive the glory days of the iconic 1980s New York City rap scene in Pascal Garnier’s directorial debut, which picks up 35 years after the classic Dutch TV documentary Big Fun In The Big Town left off.
