2021 documentaries of the year
Documentary. The greatest art form of all. I’ve made and watched a lot of docs over the past 12 months, so here is a list of some of the best from this year, although some of them may have come out before 2021 and I’m sure there are more I’ve forgotten to add to this list, which is in no particular order. I’ve included trailers and links for you to watch these films for yourself on the Apple TV+, Netflix, BBC iPlayer etc. Enjoy…
Graham Boyd: A Life In Colour
First up I of course have to plug a film I made for Goldmark Films on the life and work of Abstract Artist Graham Boyd.
Two years in the making, this new Goldmark film finds 93 year old veteran of abstraction Graham Boyd at work in his Hertfordshire studio. He talks about his life and inspiration; the early development of his painting into pure abstraction, the impact on his work of his time spent in Africa and America and his continuing artistic journey. Graham Boyd’s work is available here.
“Standing in front of his paintings we might feel just such variegations of mood and feeling. They are so alive, so unpredictable, so disconcerting, and, yes, so beautiful if we make them so. ”
“I am just curious about what is going to happen … what I can do with colour… I don’t want to do what I have done before … the main thing is to do what surprises me. ”
Goldmark has presented and sold the work of many classic abstract artists (from Kandinky to Miro to Caro to Hoyland) and of artists whose work deliberately incorporates alongside some kind of figuration the visual findings of abstraction (from Picasso to Matisse to Piper and Richards). It is of course the case that there are many ways in which geometric design, or artificial colour (heightened, say, or darkened, or exaggerated), or expressive brushwork and impasto, or chiaroscuro etc. − all by definition ‘abstract’ devices − are aspects of all kinds of figurative art throughout history. All art is in some sense an abstraction from observed actuality. This exhibition nonetheless, constitutes a significant moment for the gallery: for Graham Boyd is an artist utterly committed to pure abstraction, the first such artist to be ‘represented’ by Goldmark. Graham Boyd spent two years in what was then Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the early 1950s and the dramatic scale of the African landscape had a profound impact on his perception of space and its representation. In the 1960s and 70s he discovered acrylic and Boyd now works exclusively in that medium. These experiences and discoveries powered his decisive move away from his studies in illustration and early incarnations as a figurative and landscape painter, towards the use of form and colour as expressive means in their own right. In 1976 he was appointed as Head of Painting at the Hertfordshire College of Art and Design, St. Albans. As a principal Lecturer, he led the team responsible for developing a unique part-time B. A. Hons. Fine Art Degree Course specially designed to meet the needs of mature students. For the past four decades Graham Boyd has worked from his Chipperfield studio in Hertfordshire. Despite his status and global acclaim, Boyd constantly seeks to move on as an artist and attends artists' workshops and symposiums around the world, where he has worked with an international cross-section of painters, sculptors and other media artists, including the late Sir Anthony Caro and the American abstract painter Larry Poons.
The Beatles: Get Back
The Beatles write and rehearse 14 new songs as they plan their first live show in more than two years; includes their unforgettable rooftop concert at London's Savile Row. Disney+
DeLorean: Back from the Future
A psychological profile of John Z DeLorean and his doomed attempt to build the car of the future in 1980s war-torn Belfast. How a fairy tale all went horribly wrong. BBC
Storyville Whirlybird: Live above LA
A Storyville documentary that revisits how a daring husband-and-wife team became the first journalists to invest in a helicopter, changing the way the news is covered forever. BBC
Pelé
Against the backdrop of a turbulent era in Brazil, this documentary captures Pelé’s extraordinary path from breakthrough talent to national hero. Netflix
The year the earth changed
The Year Earth Changed is a 2021 documentary film about the global lockdown and its impact on nature directed by Tom Beard. The film was produced as a collaboration between Mike Gunton and Alice Keens-Soper. The documentary was narrated by David Attenborough. Apple TV+
Tiny world season 2
A look at the world through the eyes of the tiniest creatures and witness the extraordinary things they do to survive. Apple TV+
This Is a Robbery
In 1990, two men dressed as cops con their way into a Boston museum and steal a fortune in art. Take a deep dive into this daring and notorious crime. Netflix
Undercover OAP: The Mole Agent
A Storyville documentary about an 83-year-old widower hired to go undercover and investigate a case of potential abuse in a Chilean nursing home. ... The film is a stylish combination of observational documentary and spy movie, resulting in a unique observation of compassion and loneliness. BBC
My Octopus Teacher
A filmmaker begins diving in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa, and meets a female octopus who casts a spell on him. Netflix
Storyville Collective: Unravelling a Scandal
A Storyville documentary. The tragic outcome of a nightclub fire in Bucharest in 2015 triggers an investigation into corruption in Romania's healthcare system. BBC
Time
Entrepreneur Fox Rich spends the last two decades campaigning for the release of her husband, Rob G. Rich, who is serving a 60-year prison sentence for a robbery they both committed in the early 1990s in a moment of desperation. Prime Video
Storyville Orion: The Man Who Would Be King
Documentary which tells the story of a singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight as part of a crazy scheme that had him masquerade as Elvis back from the grave. BBC
Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson uncovers the stories behind music creation and the lengths producers and creators are willing to go to find the perfect sound; he explores music's intersection with artistry and technology in candid conversations with music artists. Apple TV+
McCartney 1 2 3
Paul McCartney sits down for an in-depth one-on-one with music producer Rick Rubin to discuss his groundbreaking work with The Beatles, the emblematic 1970s arena rock of Wings, and his 50-plus years as a solo artist; exploring music and creativity in a unique and revelatory manner, and giving a front-row seat to Paul and Rick in an intimate conversation about the songwriting, influences, and personal relationships that informed the iconic songs that have served as the soundtracks of our lives. Disney+
Storyville Into the Storm: Surfing to Survive
A troubled teenager from a crime-ridden neighbourhood in Peru, struggles against the odds to realise his dream of becoming a professional surfer and to raise his family out of poverty. BBC
General magic
The story of one of history's most talented technology teams. From the first smartphones to social media, e-commerce, eBay and emojis, the ideas that now dominate the tech industry were born at General Magic, a 1989 Silicon Valley start-up. Apple TV
The Price of Gold
The world couldn't keep its eyes off two athletes at the 1994 Winter Games – Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. BBC
Four Hours at the Capitol
A journey into January's storming of the US Capitol, featuring exclusive footage and interviews with the people at the heart of the action, many of whom are speaking publicly for the first time. BBC
Becoming Cousteau
Adventurer, filmmaker, inventor, author, unlikely celebrity and conservationist: For over four decades, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his explorations under the ocean became synonymous with a love of science and the natural world. As he learned to protect the environment, he brought the whole world with him, sounding alarms more than 50 years ago about the warming seas and our planet’s vulnerability. In BECOMING COUSTEAU, from National Geographic Documentary Films, two-time Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker LIZ GARBUS takes an inside look at Cousteau and his life, his iconic films and inventions, and the experiences that made him the 20th century’s most unique and renowned environmental voice — and the man who inspired generations to protect the Earth. Disney+
Colin in Black & White
An exploration of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick's high school years and experiences that led him to become an activist. Netflix