How do you remember a life? OBIT takes us into the world of the legendary obituaries desk at The New York Times where the writers and editors ask themselves this question daily. The film eloquently reveals the art and craft of writing obituaries and shares the journeys of extraordinary individuals to show us why writing obits is not about death, but about celebrating lives. — Silvina Fernandez-Duque
Obit is screening on Saturday, June 25th, 2016 at 6:00 P.M. at the Landmark 6 in Washington, D.C. as part of the 2016 AFI DOCS. For more details visit Obit.
How do you manage weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them? It’s the great dilemma the world has faced since the dawn of the nuclear age. From the director of the groundbreaking film Food, Inc., and the executive producer of the Oscar-nominated film Last Days in Vietnam, comes Command and Control, the long-hidden story of a deadly accident at a Titan II missile complex in Damascus, Arkansas in 1980. The chilling documentary features the minute-by-minute accounts of Air Force personnel, weapon designers, and first responders who were on the scene that night, and recounts the feverish efforts to prevent the explosion of a ballistic missile carrying the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States. (http://www.commandandcontrolfilm.com/)
Director Robert Kenner ratchets up the tension in a film that is both a thrilling disaster movie and a probing documentary about the threat posed by aging nuclear warheads in our midst. The action centers on a true account of a nuclear accident in 1980 and the workers who raced to repair a damaged missile before it exploded. Suspenseful and thought-provoking, COMMAND AND CONTROL is a compelling cautionary tale. — Mark Page
COMMAND AND CONTROL is screening at AFI DOCS on Saturday, June 25th, 2016 at 3:00 P.M. at Landmark 1. For more details visit: Command and Control
From June 22–26, the 14th edition of AFI DOCS showcases 94 films representing 30 countries. Screenings will take place in Washington, DC, at the Newseum and the Landmark E Street Cinema, and in Silver Spring, MD, at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.
Newly announced films from notable documentarians include COMMAND AND CONTROL (DIR Robert Kenner), the world premiere of DOC & DARRYL (DIRS Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio) and MISS SHARON JONES! (DIR Barbara Kopple) — and many more titles.
As previously announced, the Newseum will host the Opening Night Gala and North American premiere of ZERO DAYS (DIR Alex Gibney) and the Closing Night Gala screening of NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU (DIRS Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady). Also previously announced, AFI will recognize Werner Herzog at AFI DOCS as the Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree on June 24. The Symposium will include a conversation, moderated by Ramin Bahrani, followed by the East Coast premiere of Herzog’s latest film LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD.
AFI DOCS will offer additional programs for festival filmmakers as a way to connect with film industry and policy leaders. The festival will also include a Filmmaker Forum open to the documentary filmmaking community.
Tickets to AFI DOCS 2016, including Galas and Spotlight Screenings, will be available to AFI members exclusively from May 9–17, and to the public on May 18. Passes for AFI DOCS 2016 are now on sale.
