Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman Revisit the Making of Their 1989 Landmark AIDS Doc “Common Threads”
It’s been 30 years since the release of the Oscar-winning documentary “Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt,” but directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman remember when they decided to make the film like it was yesterday.
The two were at the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights when they saw the massive quilt displayed on the National Mall.
“We were just stunned and awed by the scale of the quilt and the intimacy of it,” Epstein tells Variety. “I’d never seen anything like that. We were with our friend [fellow filmmaker] Peter Adair and he said, ‘Somebody has to make a film about this. Jeffrey and I ran with that and ran back to San Francisco and met with the Names Project folks and started delving into all the material.”
They began reading more than 2,000 letters that were written by panel makers to find stories to highlight in the...
The two were at the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights when they saw the massive quilt displayed on the National Mall.
“We were just stunned and awed by the scale of the quilt and the intimacy of it,” Epstein tells Variety. “I’d never seen anything like that. We were with our friend [fellow filmmaker] Peter Adair and he said, ‘Somebody has to make a film about this. Jeffrey and I ran with that and ran back to San Francisco and met with the Names Project folks and started delving into all the material.”
They began reading more than 2,000 letters that were written by panel makers to find stories to highlight in the...
- 7/18/2019
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Pictured (left to right): Kiri Hart, Richard Edlund, John Dykstra, Marcia Lucas, Dennis Muren and John Knoll.
On Thursday evening The Academy’s Science and Technology Council presented “Galactic Innovations: Star Wars and Rogue One” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Oscar-winning, Oscar-nominated and Scientific and Technical Award-honored panelists included Ben Burtt ,John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Harrison Ellenshaw, Bill George, John Knoll, Marcia Lucas, Dennis Muren, Bruce Nicholson and Rachel Rose. The evening was hosted by “Rogue One” co-producer Kiri Hart.
These VFX pioneers shared the journey of creating the impossible with their breakthrough visual effects. They also shared rare images that compared the technology and visual results from both films.
Pictured (left to right): Rachel Rose, Bill George, John Knoll, Bruce Nicholson, Harrison Ellenshaw, Richard Edlund, Stormtroopers, John Bailey, Marcia Lucas, John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, Ben Burtt and Kiri Hart.
Check out some of the...
On Thursday evening The Academy’s Science and Technology Council presented “Galactic Innovations: Star Wars and Rogue One” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Oscar-winning, Oscar-nominated and Scientific and Technical Award-honored panelists included Ben Burtt ,John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Harrison Ellenshaw, Bill George, John Knoll, Marcia Lucas, Dennis Muren, Bruce Nicholson and Rachel Rose. The evening was hosted by “Rogue One” co-producer Kiri Hart.
These VFX pioneers shared the journey of creating the impossible with their breakthrough visual effects. They also shared rare images that compared the technology and visual results from both films.
Pictured (left to right): Rachel Rose, Bill George, John Knoll, Bruce Nicholson, Harrison Ellenshaw, Richard Edlund, Stormtroopers, John Bailey, Marcia Lucas, John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, Ben Burtt and Kiri Hart.
Check out some of the...
- 6/28/2019
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
According to our official racetrack odds, “Black Sheep” looks to be out front for this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film. Those odds are pulled together from the forecasts made by our Expert film journalists, Gold Derby Editors, top 24 users and the thousands of regular Gold Derby readers predicting the contest in our predictions center.
But how solid is “Black Sheep” in the front-runner position? Is there another short that is a more traditional fit for Oscar voters? Let’s take a more in depth look at all five of this year’s nominated short docs, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
SEEOscars 2019: Best Animated Short preview of all 5 contenders
“Black Sheep” (odds of winning: 7/2)
This short centers on Cornelius Walker as he reminisces about his experiences dealing with racism in England in 2000. After the publicized killing of Damilola Taylor, a 10-year-old Nigerian boy in London,...
But how solid is “Black Sheep” in the front-runner position? Is there another short that is a more traditional fit for Oscar voters? Let’s take a more in depth look at all five of this year’s nominated short docs, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
SEEOscars 2019: Best Animated Short preview of all 5 contenders
“Black Sheep” (odds of winning: 7/2)
This short centers on Cornelius Walker as he reminisces about his experiences dealing with racism in England in 2000. After the publicized killing of Damilola Taylor, a 10-year-old Nigerian boy in London,...
- 2/18/2019
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
People of a certain age (i.e. “Old”) will remember when in the early days of HBO, a weird ,wild animated film called Twice Upon a Time made the rounds. Many paid it heed because it was executive produced by George Lucas, currently in the process of imprinting our childhoods with a new mythology. But except for a laserdisc and VHS release, the film rather fell off the table, save for dedicated maniacs who remembered it fondly.
Warner Archives, print-on-demand masters of unearthing lost bits of cinema and making them available to the masses, have achieved the impossible and presented the world with a brand new release of the film, unearthing both audio tracks, and getting many of the animators together for a commentary track, including Henry Selick, who has gone on to great things like Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, and in that order.
Warner Archives, print-on-demand masters of unearthing lost bits of cinema and making them available to the masses, have achieved the impossible and presented the world with a brand new release of the film, unearthing both audio tracks, and getting many of the animators together for a commentary track, including Henry Selick, who has gone on to great things like Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, and in that order.
- 9/30/2015
- by Vinnie Bartilucci
- Comicmix.com
AFI Docs has announced the winners of their audience awards, with Yoruba Richen's Lgbt rights take "The New Black" winning best feature and Joshua Izenberg's "Slomo" winning best short. Read our take on "The New Black" here, as well as our picks for the 5 best new films from the festival. Full press release and winners below. Washington, DC, June 25, 2013 – AFI Docs presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) announced today its distinguished Audience Award winners, culminating a five day festival including the screening of 53 films representing 30 countries in iconic DC locations on the National Mall and Penn Quarter area as well as at the historic AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. The Festival hosted over 19,000 attendees, including 845 filmmakers, film subjects, journalists, industry, esteemed panelists and special guests, including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Letters To Jackie director Bill Couturié,...
- 6/25/2013
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
Couturié Rallies Stars & Stripes In Kennedy’s Name
Few former presidents remain as beloved in the eye of the world as the late John F. Kennedy. His dapper, youthful presence in the midst of the rapid social change of the 60s was a breath of fresh air and a hopeful promise for Americans young and old. But unlike his political peers, J.F.K.’s image has benefited from the idyllic stature of talent taken too soon. Like Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain, he was a presidential rock star whose early death shocked the world into permanent remembrance of every speech and every appearance. A half century later, we as a nation continue to mourn his murder by celebrating him and his glamorous, All-American family, this time taking form in the hundreds of thousands of letters sent to his wife, Jacqueline, in the wake of his passing. Using the same...
Few former presidents remain as beloved in the eye of the world as the late John F. Kennedy. His dapper, youthful presence in the midst of the rapid social change of the 60s was a breath of fresh air and a hopeful promise for Americans young and old. But unlike his political peers, J.F.K.’s image has benefited from the idyllic stature of talent taken too soon. Like Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain, he was a presidential rock star whose early death shocked the world into permanent remembrance of every speech and every appearance. A half century later, we as a nation continue to mourn his murder by celebrating him and his glamorous, All-American family, this time taking form in the hundreds of thousands of letters sent to his wife, Jacqueline, in the wake of his passing. Using the same...
- 6/24/2013
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Normally TV productions are outside of our wheelhouse, but when Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Entertainment banner round up some A-list talent to bring to life letters from around the world sent to Jackie Kennedy in the wake of the assassination of her husband and President of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy, we're inclined to pay attention. Letters to Jackie is a new TV documentary based on Ellen Fitzpatrick's book of the same name which looks at more than 800,000 letters, read by Jessica Chastain, Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, Zooey Deschanel, Anne Hathaway and more. Now a trailer for the TV doc airing on TLC this fall has arrived, and it's really very touching. Here's the first trailer for Bill Couturié's Letters to Jackie, via The Playlist: Bill Couturié directs Letters to Jackie based on Ellen Fitzpatrick's book of the same. Bérénice Bejo, Demián Bichir, Jessica Chastain,...
- 6/17/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
This fall will mark fifty years since November 22, 1963 -- a date that continues to haunt American history. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, it seemed to mark an undeniable shift in the country, away from the positivity and hope that followed War War II, into a more fraught and frightened era with more wars overseas, social and political upheaval and much more. To mark the anniversary, there will undoubtedly be a ton of programming and films to choose from, and this is one of them. Produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, "Letters To Jackie" jumps off the book of the same name by Ellen Fitzpatrick, and focuses on the more than 800,000 letters from around the world that offered support Jackie and her family in the wake of her husband's death. Directed by Bill Couturié (the monkey movie "Ed," "Last Letters Home: Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq...
- 6/17/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
AFI Docs has announced its slate of films for the 2013 festival, and it certainly won't be lacking for big names. Opening with the star-studded Bill Couturie documentary "Letters to Jackie" and closing with Aj Schnack's behind-the-scenes look at the 2012 Gop leadership race "Caucus," the 2013 edition of AFI Docs is set to shine a light on many a famous face. "Letters to Jackie" focuses on the thousands of letters sent to Jacqueline Kennedy after her husband's assassination in 1963. Oscar-winning director Bill Couturie incorporates archival footage as well as letter readings from actors including Jessica Chastain, Zooey Deschanel, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, and Channing Tatum. The opening night selection will also be the film's theatrical premiere before its fall release on TLC. Couturie and other select talent from the film are expected to attend the premiere. Set to run from June 19-23 in Washington, DC, the festival formerly known as Silverdocs has a new name,...
- 5/22/2013
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Now in its eleventh year in Washington DC, AFI Docs presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) kicks off of on June 19th and runs until the 23rd. The documentary festival has just announced that their opening gala on the 19th will be a presentation of Bill Couturie's "Letters to Jackie" at the Newseum. The film, presented by TLC and co-produced by Amblin TV and The Couturie Co., features letters from American citizens written to Jackie Kennedy after the assassination of her husband. The titular letters are read by an impressive array of voice talent including Jessica Chastain, Chris Cooper, Frances McDormand, Melissa Leo, and Mark Ruffalo. TLC will premiere the film on television in November. Also having its premiere at the festival is "Documented," the feature doc by Pulitzer winner Jose Antonio Vargas and and Ann Lupo. The film is a personal story of immigration in America, a topic will...
- 4/22/2013
- by Mark Lukenbill
- Indiewire
TLC has commissioned a 2-hour film that reveals the moving and powerful letters received by Jackie Kennedy in the months following the assassination of the President. Voiced by 20 top celebrities, the film is from Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Bill Couturié.s The Couturie Company in partnership with Amblin Television. From TLC TLC today announces that it has commissioned the two-hour film Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy, executive produced by Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Bill Couturié.s The Couturie Company in partnership with Amblin Television. The film revisits the months following the assassination of President Kennedy, when the First Lady became the heart of the nation, leading its citizens . and her own children . through a...
- 4/4/2013
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
TLC has commissioned the two-hour film Letters To Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy, co-produced by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Bill Couturié’s The Couturie Co. and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. Based on the book Letters To Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation by Ellen Fitzpatrick, the film revisits the months following Kennedy’s assassination, when more than 800,000 U.S. citizens and mourners around the world reached out to the First Lady in support. Letters To Jackie spotlights the strength and unity that emerged during one of the most difficult times in American history. It will premiere in the fall to mark the 50th anniversary of the President’s death. Bringing the letters to life are 20 celebrities including Bérénice Bejo, Demián Bichir, Jessica Chastain, Chris Cooper, Viola Davis, Zooey Deschanel, Kirsten Dunst, Anne Hathaway, Allison Janney, John Krasinski, Melissa Leo, Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mark Ruffalo, Octavia Spencer,...
- 4/4/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
TLC is commemorating the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination with a poignant documentary called Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy. The two-hour TV movie hails from Oscar-winning documentarian Bill Couturie and will feature 20 A-list celebrities reading poignant letters sent to the then-first lady in the two months following JFK's November 1963 assassination. During that period, the White House received more than 800,000 condolence letters from everyday Americans, including a polio-stricken 13-year-old offering words of strength for the first lady, a Peace Corps volunteer who mourns the loss while stationed in
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- 4/3/2013
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the Olympics in full swing I was in the mood for a bad sports movie. Some faithful Awfully Good readers gave me more than I bargained for. Ed (1996) Director: Bill Couturié Stars: Matt LeBlanc, Jack Warden, Jim Caviezel Joey from "Friends" plays baseball with a monkey. You may or may not remember Ed. It was one of many movies during Hollywood's mid-90s simian preoccupation that gave us stuff like Dunston Checks In, Born To Be Wild and the Thora...
- 8/8/2012
- by Jason Adams
- JoBlo.com
Texting has become more than a fad for some tweens and teens; it's become a lifestyle. MTV's new documentary "Thumbs" goes below the surface on the trend to try to crack into the secret world of texting.
The movie follows a group of six teens who entered LG's U.S. National Texting Championship to try to earn the title of fastest texter in the United States, and a whopping $50,000 prize. Academy Award-winning director Bill Couturié was intrigued by the texting phenomenon and, after being approached by producer Michael Tollin, decided to create the first documentary showcasing the trend. MTV News got on the phone with Couturié to find out more about the film and what he learned about texting in the process.
"I didn't know what I would find. And what I found is these kids are straight A students," he said. He added that parenting plays a major part...
The movie follows a group of six teens who entered LG's U.S. National Texting Championship to try to earn the title of fastest texter in the United States, and a whopping $50,000 prize. Academy Award-winning director Bill Couturié was intrigued by the texting phenomenon and, after being approached by producer Michael Tollin, decided to create the first documentary showcasing the trend. MTV News got on the phone with Couturié to find out more about the film and what he learned about texting in the process.
"I didn't know what I would find. And what I found is these kids are straight A students," he said. He added that parenting plays a major part...
- 8/17/2011
- by Terri Schwartz
- MTV Movies Blog
New York -- Espn Films continues to pile up the names for its "30 for 30" program.
The network on Thursday announced 10 new directors who will be making hourlong docs that will air on the net in the coming two years.
Among the more notable names, "The Kid Stays in the Picture" helmer Brett Morgen will direct "June 17, 1994," a film about the day just before the O.J. Simpson chase when the Rangers had won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, the Knicks were on the brink of a title and other seminal sports events had collided.
"Hancock" and "The Kingdom" helmer Peter Berg, meanwhile, will direct "#99," the story of Wayne Gretzky's trade to the Los Angeles Kings at the peak of his career. "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James has also been added to the roster; he'll direct a pic about Allen Iverson's legal troubles as a high school star --...
The network on Thursday announced 10 new directors who will be making hourlong docs that will air on the net in the coming two years.
Among the more notable names, "The Kid Stays in the Picture" helmer Brett Morgen will direct "June 17, 1994," a film about the day just before the O.J. Simpson chase when the Rangers had won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, the Knicks were on the brink of a title and other seminal sports events had collided.
"Hancock" and "The Kingdom" helmer Peter Berg, meanwhile, will direct "#99," the story of Wayne Gretzky's trade to the Los Angeles Kings at the peak of his career. "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James has also been added to the roster; he'll direct a pic about Allen Iverson's legal troubles as a high school star --...
- 4/28/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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