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If you can read the stories of a whole bunch of women pioneers — such as the ones in the book I’m about to discuss — without being at least a little bit annoyed at men in general, frankly there’s something wrong with you.

And you can take “men in general” as expansively as you want, o dudes who insist “man” is always and ever a perfectly good word to mean “humanity.” There’s enough shittiness and negativity in the world for at least two genders.

But damn did every single advance for women come because a woman demanded it, fought for it, and faced down multiple men who insisted that not only shouldn’t she do that, it was physically impossible for her to do it, so she should just go back her knitting and housekeeping.

(And if I hear a single “not all men,” I’m going to smack you so hard.

Errol Morris and Wim Wenders both have new films out this year: Morris’ “The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography” examines the life and work of polaroid portrait artist Elsa Dorfman, and Wenders’ “The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez” captures a conversation between a man and woman that encompasses the totality of life. But the two acclaimed directors have also executive produced Sonia Kennebeck’s documentary feature debut “National Bird,” about drone warfare and the three whistleblowers determined to break the silence around the controversial affair. Watch the trailer for the film below.

Read More: 4 Reasons Distributors Should Buy Errol Morris Gem ‘The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography’

The film follows three members of the military: Heather, an “imagery analyst” who determines whether potential targets are real; Lisa, a surveillance expert; and Darrel, an intelligence operative. All three express deep remorse over their actions and are compelled to speak out...

Calling for a national conversation that we ought to be having on the use of lethal force, National Bird considers all sides of the program, from those pulling the trigger from remote facilities to the collateral damage on the ground. Directed by Sonia Kennebeck, National Bird tells three interconnected stories, some of which are linked by defense attorney Jesselyn Radack, famed for her work with whistleblowers including Edward Snowden.

Heather is a combat vet and drone pilot who finds herself in an uncomfortable position: unable to get the help she needs, she speaks out, finding herself branded a traitor when she makes certain unclassified information public about the drone program. Suffering from Ptsd, she finds herself in an unfortunate maze when she seeks mental health services. She can only talk to a counselor with a security clearance and she can only talk with one of those approved for services through the Va.

 

John Kiriakou is not well known to every American, but he should be. I regret that I had only a vague idea of who he was until I saw James Spione's extraordinary documentary Silenced, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2014 -- at which point Kiriakou was in jail. He was released last month, having served almost two years in a Federal prison. After seeing the film, I'll never forget him or his story.

Silenced examines the tremendous difficulties -- personal, professional, financial, legal -- faced by three government whistleblowers in the post-9/11 era: Kiriakou, an ex-cia analyst and counterterrorism officer; Thomas Drake, a former Nsa executive; and Jesselyn Radack, an attorney and former ethics adviser to the United States Department of Justice. They are treated as criminals and, in Kiriakou's case, jailed as one. But what if their "wrongs" are based in a defense of the Constitution?...

"Citizenfour" might be the hottest doc of the fall, and deservedly so, but Edward Snowden isn't the only government whistleblower in town. "Silenced," from Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker James Spione, chronicles the stories of three whistleblowers of the post 9/11 era — Thomas Drake, John Kiriakou, and Jesselyn Radack — who faced incredible trials and persecution in response to their standing up for what is both right and constitutional. The film has screened at Tribeca, Hot Docs, AFI Docs and many other film festivals, and today we've got the exclusive trailer for you to check out. The documentary promises a compelling and riveting tale about the troubling innermost, top-secret workings of the U.S. government, shedding light on the experiences of these whistleblowers — whose stories are not as well-known to the general public — who found their lives put under scrutiny as they tried to expose wrongdoing at the highest levels of the...

More than 80 documentaries to receive world premieres.

The line-up for the 27th Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) has been unveiled.

A total of 298 titles, selected from 3,200 submissions, will be screened from Nov 19-30 in Amsterdam - of which 81 will receive their world premiere.

This year, a special themed programme, titled The Female Gaze, is dedicated to the role of women in documentary.

Another strand, Of Media and Men, will focus on how opinions are shaped within a democracy through the media.

This year’s Top 10 is provided by Heddy Honigmann, and a retrospective of her work will also be screening. Her film, Around the World in 50 Concerts, opens this year’s Idfa and also plays in Competition.

Idfa and Eye, the Netherlands national museum for film, will be present a joint themed programme concentrating on hybrid film: Framing Reality.

The festival’s main locations will once again be Pathé Tuschinski, Pathé de Munt...

Despite currently serving a thirty-month prison sentence, John Kiriakou’s presence was deeply felt this weekend during Tribeca Film Festival's screening of "Silenced," a documentary by Oscar-nominated filmmaker James Spione. The film follows Kiriakou’s account of learning of and exposing the CIA’s use of torture as well as his subsequent trial and guilty verdict for disclosing classified files to a reporter. His wife was present at the post-screening panel to read, on his behalf, a statement in which he maintains his unstirred devotion to his country and its democratic ideals.In addition to providing the significant details on his case as well as those of fellow whistleblower Thomas Drake and their legal advisor Jesselyn Radack, the film gives a personal context to the process and aftermath of whistleblowing. It felt fitting, then, to have Kiriakou’s wife become emotional at the letter’s mention of their son’s...

Top brass at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff) have announced the line-up for the 2014 Tribeca Talks and Tribeca Innovation Week’s four-day Future Of Film series.

The Tribeca Talks panels and events will run during the 13th edition of Tff that runs from April 16-27.

Tff also unveiled four new documentaries that will receive their world premiere at the festival: Now – In The Wings On A World Stage, The Rise And Rise Of Bitcoin, Compared To What: The Improbable Journey Of Barney Frank and Champs, as well as Food Chains, Supermensch, and the tenth anniversary screening of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.

Each will screen as part of the Tribeca Talks: After The Movie series.

This year’s series incudes the Tribeca Talks: Directors Series featuring on-stage conversations with Ron Howard and Lee Daniels, as well as Tribeca Talks: Industry Conversations and Tribeca Talks: Pen To Paper exploring subjects related to screenwriting.

“With these talks...

Top brass at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff) have announced the line-up for the 2014 Tribeca Talks and Tribeca Innovation Week’s four-day Future Of Film series.

The Tribeca Talks panels and events will run during the 13th edition of Tff that runs from April 16-27.

Tff also unveiled four new documentaries that will receive their world premiere at the festival: Now – In The Wings On A World Stage, The Rise And Rise Of Bitcoin, Compared To What: The Improbable Journey Of Barney Frank and Champs, as well as Food Chains, Supermensch, and the tenth anniversary screening of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.

Each will screen as part of the Tribeca Talks: After The Movie series.

This year’s series incudes the Tribeca Talks: Directors Series featuring on-stage conversations with Ron Howard and Lee Daniels, as well as Tribeca Talks: Industry Conversations and Tribeca Talks: Pen To Paper exploring subjects related to screenwriting.

“With these talks...

The 13th Tribeca Film Festival has announced its complete lineup for next month’s New York celebration, which runs April 16-27. Culled from more than 6,000 submissions, Tribeca 2014 includes 55 world premieres, 37 first-time filmmakers, and 22 female directors. Half the slate had been announced on Tuesday, with Spotlight, Midnight, and Storyscapes films unveiled today, as well as special screenings. “Spotlight and special screenings are an especially dynamic aspect of this year’s program, both in range of styles and stories,” said Genna Terranova, Tribeca’s director of programming. “Many films feature real-life personalities who’ve accomplished extraordinary feats, while in other films we...