By Mabel Pais

THE NEUTRAL GROUND – DIR: CJ Hunt l USA l 2021 l 1h 23m l NR

NOMINEE – 2021 Critics Choice Real TV Awards

BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES

The 34th Season of acclaimed PBS Television Series ‘POV’ debuted on July 5. The series began with writer and comedian CJ Hunt’s directorial debut in “THE NEUTRAL GROUND” which is now streaming on pbs.org/pov until August 2, 2021.

“The Neutral Ground” documents the fight over monuments in New Orleans and America’s troubled romance with the Lost Cause. In 2015, director CJ Hunt began filming the New Orleans City Council’s vote to remove four Confederate monuments. But when that removal is halted by death threats, Hunt sets out to understand why a losing army from 1865 still holds so much power in America.

LANDFALL – DIR: Cecilia Aldarondo l USA l 2021 l 1h 23m l NR

Official Selection: Tribeca Film Festival

WINNER: Viewfinders Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary

(DOC NYC Film Festival)

Through shard-like glimpses of everyday life in post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico, “LANDFALL” is a cautionary tale for our times. Set against the backdrop of the protests that toppled the governor in 2019, the film offers a prismatic portrait of collective trauma and resistance as Puerto Ricans navigate dismantled social services and  newcomers eager to profit. “Landfall” is now streaming on pbs.org/pov until August 9, 2021.

STATELESS – DIR: Michèle Stephenson l USA l 2021 l 1h 23m l NR

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: Hot Docs Film Festival

Official Selection: Tribeca Film Festival

In “STATELESS,” veteran filmmaker Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary follows families of those affected by the 2013 legislation stripping citizenship of Haitians of Dominican descent uncovering the complex history and present-day politics of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the grassroots electoral campaign of a young attorney named Rosa Iris. Now streaming on pbs.org/pov until October 18, 2021.

MAYOR – DIR: David Osit l USA l 2021 l 1h 30m l NR

WINNER: Grand Jury Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Musa Hadid is the Christian mayor of Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinian Authority. As he tries to keep his city running while paving sidewalks, planning holidays and building a new fountain, his job is made increasingly difficult by the Israeli occupation of his home. ”MAYOR” asks with humor and outrage: how do you run a city if you don’t have a country? Airing on July 26. To learn more, visit pbs.org/pov

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‘ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT’

DIR: Jeremy Elkin l USA l 2021 l 1h 29m l

Release Date (Limited): July 23, 2021

In the late 80s and early 90s, the streets of downtown Manhattan were the site of a collision between two vibrant subcultures: skateboarding and hip hop. Narrated by Zoo York co-founder Eli Gesner with an original score by legendary hip-hop producer Large Professor (“Nas,” “A Tribe Called Quest”), “ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT” brings to life the magic of the time period and the convergence that created a style and visual language that would have an outsized and enduring cultural effect. From the DJ booths and dance floors of the Mars nightclub to the founding of brands like Supreme, this convergence would lay the foundation for modern street style. “All the Streets Are Silent” is a love letter to New York—examining race, society, fashion, and street culture.

To learn more, visit greenwichentertainment.com/film/all-the-streets-are-silent

“BROKEN DIAMONDS”

DIR: Peter Sattler l USA l 2021 l 1h 30m l PG-13

Release Date: On Demand & in Theaters, July 23, 2021

Scott Weaver (Ben Platt, “Dear Evan Hansen”) drives in his car practicing French to an audiotape. He celebrates his going away party at work. He discusses his plans of moving to Paris to be a writer. His stepmother Cookie calls, informing him that his dad has passed away in his sleep, and Scott needs to pick up his sister and come see the body before the crematorium van arrives. Scott takes his sister Cindy (Lola Kirke, “Mistress America”) to their dad’s house. During the drive Cindy changes her mind and wants to go home, but there’s no turning back. Cindy refuses to see the body and asks Cookie if she killed her father. On the car ride home, Scott tells Cindy that he’s leaving town and Cindy complains about her neighbors. When Scott takes Cindy home, we discover she lives in a halfway house for the Mentally Ill and he must temporarily take her in. To learn more, visit filmrise.com/film/broken-diamonds

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness.)