Docs In Theaters: ‘The Summit,’ ‘Linsanity,’ ‘A River Changes Course,’ ‘Bridegroom’ and More

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Since Nonfics is still a new and fairly small site, we aren’t able to review every documentary and nonfiction film released in the U.S. That’s why Docs In Theaters is here to provide at least a guide to all the new releases without critical thoughts. However, when available, we will link to our own review of the film or a review at our sister site, Film School Rejects.

Bridegroom

Directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason

Official Synopsis: Tells the emotional journey of Shane and Tom, two young men in a loving and committed relationship — a relationship that was cut tragically short by a misstep off the side of a roof. The story of what happened after this accidental death — of how people without the legal protections of marriage can find themselves completely shut out and ostracized — is poignant, enraging and opens a window onto the issue of marriage equality like no speech or lecture ever will. On May 7, 2012, the anniversary of Tom’s death, after a year of documenting his own grief, Shane decided to make a video tribute to his partner entitled “It Could Happen To You.” This film, posted on YouTube, received over 3.4 million views and has been translated into over 20 different languages. The impact of Shane’s YouTube video and the raw nerve it touched, tells us this is an important story that needs to be told.

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2013 Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival

Now Playing: At the Quad in NYC

Opens October 18th in Southern California

For details on current and upcoming theatrical openings, check the See It page on the film’s website.

Dislecksia: The Movie

Directed and co-written by Harvey Hubbell V (Loop Dreams: The Making of a Low-Budget Movie)

Produced, co-written and edited by Eric Gardner (Six-time Emmy-nominated editor of Survivor)

Featuring Billy Bob Thornton, Joe Pantoliano, Stephen J. Cannell

Official Synopsis: Get on board with Emmy award-winning filmmaker Harvey Hubbell V and his crew as they explore the unique nature of how each of us learn. Join Hubbell, dyslexic superstars Billy Bob Thornton and Joe Pantoliano, world-renowned brain scientists and researchers, students and advocates as they join a movement to revolutionize education. Find out what it’s like to have your brain scanned inside an fMRI and visit with a group of dyslexic researchers in the jungles of Costa Rica, all the while following Hubbell through his days of growing up dyslexic before many had even heard of the word. Through the non-linear brain of Hubbell, his lens captures the otherwise complex issues of learning differences in a manner that allows the audience to recognize the differences and honor the gifts in all of us. This is social awareness with a heart.

Now Playing: At Cinema Village in NYC; Opens in L.A. next week; National one-night screening event on October 17.

For details on current and upcoming theatrical openings, check screenings page on the film’s website.

The Institute

Produced, directed and edited by Spencer McCall

Official Synopsis: Welcome to the Jejune Institute, a mind-bending San Francisco phenomenon where 10,000 people became “inducted” without ever quite realizing what they’d signed up for. Was it a cult? Was it an elaborate game? Told from the participants’ perspectives, the film looks over the precipice at an emergent new art form where real world and fictional narratives collide, creating unforeseen and often unsettling consequences. Fusing elements of counter-culture, new religious movements and street art, The Institute invites viewers down the rabbit hole into a secret underground world teeming just beneath the surface of everyday life.. [Argot Pictures]

Now Playing: At the New Parkway in Oakland and the Roxie in San Francisco.

Opens on October 11th in NYC and Los Angeles.

For details on current and upcoming theatrical openings, check the screenings page on the film’s website.

Let the Fire Burn

Directed by Jason Osder

Executive produced by Andrew Herwitz (War Dance; Born Into Brothels)

Official Synopsis: A found-footage film that unfurls with the tension of a great thriller. On May 13, 1985, a longtime feud between the city of Philadelphia and controversial radical urban group MOVE came to a deadly climax. By order of local authorities, police dropped military-grade explosives onto a MOVE-occupied rowhouse. TV cameras captured the conflagration that quickly escalated — and resulted in the tragic deaths of eleven people (including five children) and the destruction of 61 homes. It was only later discovered that authorities decided to “…let the fire burn.” Using only archival news coverage and interviews, first-time filmmaker Osder has brought to life one of the most tumultuous and largely forgotten clashes between government and citizens in modern American history. [Zeitgeist Films]

Winner of the Best Editing award and a Special Jury Mention for Best New Documentary Director at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival

Now Playing: At Film Forum in NYC.

For details on current and upcoming theatrical openings, check the playdates page on the Zeitgeist Films website.

Linsanity

Directed by Evan Leong (producer and second unit director on Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee)

Produced by Christopher C. Chen (The Year of the Yao), Allen Yu and Brian Yang

Edited by Kim Roberts (Food, Inc.) and Miranda Yousef (Troubadours)

Narrated by Daniel Dae Kim

Featuring Jeremy Lin, Landry Fields, Mike D’Antoni, Pablo Torre, Eric Musselman, Daryl Morey, Tommy Amaker, Roger Montgomery, Larry Riley, Joe Lacob

Official Synopsis: In February 2012, an entire nation of basketball fans unexpectedly went ‘Linsane.’ Stuck in the mire of a disappointing season, the New York Knicks did what no other NBA team had thought about doing. They gave backup point guard Jeremy Lin an opportunity to prove himself. He took full advantage, scoring more points in his first five NBA starts than any other player in the modern era, and created a legitimate public frenzy in the process. Prior to this now-legendary run, Lin had faced adversity in his career at every turn. He wasn’t offered a scholarship by any major university, nor was he drafted by any NBA team after a standout collegiate career at Harvard. [Ketchup Entertainment]

Nonfics rating: *** [Review]

Now Playing: In NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego and Washington, D.C.

For details on current and upcoming theatrical openings, check the theatrical screenings locations page on the film’s website.

A River Changes Course

Directed by Kalyanee Mam

Official Synopsis: A River Changes Course tells the story of three families living in contemporary Cambodia as they face hard choices forced by rapid development and struggle to maintain their traditional ways of life as the modern world closes in around them. [FilmBuff]

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema — Documentary at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival
Winner of the Filmmaker Award at the 2013 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Winner of the Jury Award at the 2013 Docville International Documentary Film Festival
Winner of the Golden Gate Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2013 San Francisco International Film Festival
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at the 2013 Atlanta Film Festival
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature at the 2013 Environmental Film Festival at Yale
Winner of the Human Rights Award at the 2013 RiverRun International Film Festival
Winner of the Best Feature Film award at the 2013 Green Film Festival in Seoul
Winner of the Special Jury Awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography at the 2013 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Nonfics Rating: *** [Review]

Now Playing: IFC Center in NYC. Also screening this weekend at Yale and at L.A. Women in Film.

Opens October 11th in Los Angeles.

For details on current and upcoming theatrical openings, check the Find a Screening page on the film’s website.

Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde

Produced and directed by Suzanne Mitchell (producer of Barbara Kopple’s Gun Fight)

Executive produced by Barbara Kopple (Oscar-winning director of Harlan County USA and American Dream)

Featuring Dayton O. Hyde

Official Synopsis: The inspiring journey of a remarkable cowboy and conservationist who triumphs in his quest to protect wild horses and the American West. [Screen Media Films]

Winner of the Audience Award at the 2013 Sarasota Film Festival

Now Playing: In limited release nationwide.

For details on current and upcoming theatrical openings, check the screenings page on the film’s website.

The Summit

Directed by Nick Ryan

Written by Mark Monroe (The Cove; Chasing Ice)

Executive Produced by John Battsek (em>Searching for Sugar Man), Pat Falvey, Darrell Kavanagh, John McDonnell and Alan Maher (Dreams of a Life)

Featuring Walter Bonatti, Gerard McDonnell

Official Synopsis: In August, 2008, 18 mountain climbers reached the top of K2. 48 hours later, 11 people were dead. While memorials paid tribute to those killed, there were also condemnations about ‘the why.’ Why do these athletes risk everything to reach a place humans are simply not meant to go? With breathtaking cinematography and jaw dropping reenactments based on the testimony of those who survived the climb, this thrilling film is about the very nature of adventure in the modern world. [IFC Films]

Nonfics Rating: * [Review]

Now Playing: In NYC, L.A., Seattle, Denver and Boulder

For details on current and upcoming theatrical openings, check the showtimes page on the film’s website.

(Editor in Chief)

Christopher Campbell is the founding editor of Nonfics.