“Boston is the centerpiece of the documentary film world.”
A bold statement from Lisa Viola, director of programming for the GlobeDocs Film Festival, but the city has the opportunity to show out at the 12th iteration of this festival with a remarkable lineup, showcasing the range of style and content possible in the medium.
The festival takes place across three theaters: The Coolidge in Brookline, Alamo Drafthouse in Boston’s Seaport and, notably, The Brattle in Cambridge, described by Viola as a “national treasure.”
Greater Boston offers many film festivals, but GlobeDocs stands out for its focus on documentaries.
“Many documentarians do live in Boston or work in Boston,” Viola said, “and it seems like a very good idea to create a festival where that would be celebrated and have audiences able to come and sit and watch films and have filmmakers talk about their work, and then have Boston Globe journalists host those Q&As. It’s a nice synergy between the paper and filmmaking.”
This year’s festival is a bounty of world premieres, festival darlings and events moderated by Globe journalists to deepen the conversations and our understanding of the offerings.
The festival’s opening-night film, “Tutu” – about the South African activist Desmond Tutu – is at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Academy Award-nominated director Sam Pollard will be there for a Q&A moderated by Boston Globe Media Partners chief executive Linda Pizzuti Henry.
Another Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, Sam Green, participates in a Q&A after showing his latest film, “The Oldest Person in the World.” Said Viola, “The film takes place over about 10 years where [Green] goes out all over the world, searching for the oldest person in the world at that time. Over 10 years, that evolves as this person keeps passing away and then he meets the next oldest person.” The result is a beautiful, personal celebration of life, through all of the unavoidable struggle and precious joy present over so many years.
Interested in an intimate take on a larger-than-life figure? Try the festival’s Centerpiece Film, “Jean-Michel Basquiat.” Viola said “there have been other films made involving Basquiat, but this film is the first that is made with the cooperation of his family, so the access to the footage is remarkable.” Directed by Quinn Whitney Wilson and Viridiana Lieberman, the film takes a decidedly human approach to its legendary subject.
For those looking for something more lighthearted, “Fork in the Road” or “Playing Potus” may fit your mood. The former is an examination of food sustainability featuring the actor and writer Nick Offerman with trademark humor and wit. The latter interviews comedians who have portrayed U.S. presidents, exploring how satire influences our democracy.
GlobeDocs hosts a shorts program Oct. 25 at The Brattle featuring local filmmakers, local stories and a postprogram Q&A moderated by journalist Loren King. As Viola said, it’s not every day you can “see a film and have a conversation with a filmmaker and you do that as a community, watching this film, experiencing it together, and then having the opportunity to listen to a filmmaker give the background since most documentaries take between five and seven years to make.”
“Then to have a Boston Globe journalist asking those questions is pretty special,” Viola said.
GlobeDocs Film Festival runs in-person from Oct. 21-25 at various theaters in Boston, Brookline and Cambridge. The on-demand festival runs Oct. 21-Nov. 1.
