New York’s Tribeca Film Festival is turning 22 this year, and from June 5-16 will be bringing another bumper crop of American and international indies to film screens in lower Manhattan. And sure, we’d all like to eat cannolis with Robert De Niro at one of those fancy bakeries they have down there, but unfortunately not all of us are talented enough to create a Tribeca-worthy feature or short. Luckily, we have proxies available in the form of three Film Independent Fiscal Sponsorship-supported projects!
These Tribeca-bound bangers include one fiction feature, one nonfiction feature and a fiction short. So whatever programming track you find yourself on below Canal Street in July, there’s a good chance you’ll stumble upon something with our #FiSpo impreminator. You’ll also discover three distinct tales–of contentious teen romance, manslaughter as family bonding, and the 1980s New Wave music scene. And in case you forgot,...
These Tribeca-bound bangers include one fiction feature, one nonfiction feature and a fiction short. So whatever programming track you find yourself on below Canal Street in July, there’s a good chance you’ll stumble upon something with our #FiSpo impreminator. You’ll also discover three distinct tales–of contentious teen romance, manslaughter as family bonding, and the 1980s New Wave music scene. And in case you forgot,...
- 5/10/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Tyler Perry has conquered the entertainment world — the creative force between two dozen films, 17 television shows, bestselling books and 20 stage plays. He built a thriving studio complex in Atlanta, and just today Deadline reported he has signed a first-look deal with Netflix to produce faith-based films alongside DeVon Franklin.
It’s been a long and improbable journey to the top of his profession, a tale told in the Emmy-contending documentary Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story. Gelila Bekele (Perry’s former life partner) and Armani Ortiz directed the Amazon MGM Studios film, with the first footage shot a decade ago.
“I saw this man becoming busier than ever and I had the privilege of having a front-row seat and I wanted to just document it for archive,” Bekele explained during an appearance at the Deadline Studio at Prime Experience in Hollywood. “I realized there’s a huge chunk of missing history,...
It’s been a long and improbable journey to the top of his profession, a tale told in the Emmy-contending documentary Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story. Gelila Bekele (Perry’s former life partner) and Armani Ortiz directed the Amazon MGM Studios film, with the first footage shot a decade ago.
“I saw this man becoming busier than ever and I had the privilege of having a front-row seat and I wanted to just document it for archive,” Bekele explained during an appearance at the Deadline Studio at Prime Experience in Hollywood. “I realized there’s a huge chunk of missing history,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In Rory Kennedy’s four-part HBO documentary “The Synanon Fix,” the director explores Synanon, an organization formed in Santa Monica and designed to assist individuals struggling with drug addiction. Established in 1958 by Charles “Check” Dederich, a former alcoholic, Synanon was the country’s first in-patient rehabilitation center designed for people suffering from dependency issues. Dederich was among the first to try to have drug addicts help each other instead of relying on therapists or medications.
After attracting donations from people around the country who wanted to help the rehab facility, Synanon metastasized into a “nonprofit” with more than $30 million in assets including communal properties and farms in California. Members, who consisted of addicts was well as “squares” (non-drug users), were encouraged to participate in the Synanon Game, which was attack talk therapy. Children were isolated from their parents and raised by caregivers. Eventually members shaved their heads and had to...
After attracting donations from people around the country who wanted to help the rehab facility, Synanon metastasized into a “nonprofit” with more than $30 million in assets including communal properties and farms in California. Members, who consisted of addicts was well as “squares” (non-drug users), were encouraged to participate in the Synanon Game, which was attack talk therapy. Children were isolated from their parents and raised by caregivers. Eventually members shaved their heads and had to...
- 4/8/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
From books and docuseries to podcasts and big-screen thrillers, true-crime tales are everywhere. Much of it is thinly researched retreads of well-worn cases and subjects that feel exploitative in the end.
“Born in Synanon” is none of those things. The four-part documentary, directed by Geeta Gandbhir, that premiered in December on Paramount+, is a richly detailed look at the evolution of the California-based cult from the 1960s through its demise in the early 1990s. The storytelling is enhanced by a wealth of high-quality film footage of the inner workings of a group that began as a sober-living program but descended into the madness of a cult. And the perspective could not be more intimate. “Born in Synanon” follows Cassidy Arkin, whose parents were prominent members when she was born in 1974, as she tries to make sense of the community that surrounded her for the first six years of her life.
“Born in Synanon” is none of those things. The four-part documentary, directed by Geeta Gandbhir, that premiered in December on Paramount+, is a richly detailed look at the evolution of the California-based cult from the 1960s through its demise in the early 1990s. The storytelling is enhanced by a wealth of high-quality film footage of the inner workings of a group that began as a sober-living program but descended into the madness of a cult. And the perspective could not be more intimate. “Born in Synanon” follows Cassidy Arkin, whose parents were prominent members when she was born in 1974, as she tries to make sense of the community that surrounded her for the first six years of her life.
- 2/3/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Ford Foundation is coming through for documentary filmmakers in a big way.
Today, the nonprofit philanthropic institution announced its latest round of grants under the foundation’s JustFilms division — $4.2 million that will go to support “59 innovative film projects centered on social justice globally and in the United States.”
Among the recipients are Union, the film directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story that just held its world premiere at Sundance, and fellow Sundance premiere The Battle for Laikipia, directed by Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi. Union, about the battle to unionize an Amazon facility on Staten Island, New York, is in U.S. Documentary Competition at Sundance. The Battle for Laikipia, in World Cinema Documentary Competition at the festival, examines “a generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven.” Roger Ross Williams and Toni Kamau are among the producers of Laikipia.
Today, the nonprofit philanthropic institution announced its latest round of grants under the foundation’s JustFilms division — $4.2 million that will go to support “59 innovative film projects centered on social justice globally and in the United States.”
Among the recipients are Union, the film directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story that just held its world premiere at Sundance, and fellow Sundance premiere The Battle for Laikipia, directed by Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi. Union, about the battle to unionize an Amazon facility on Staten Island, New York, is in U.S. Documentary Competition at Sundance. The Battle for Laikipia, in World Cinema Documentary Competition at the festival, examines “a generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven.” Roger Ross Williams and Toni Kamau are among the producers of Laikipia.
- 1/25/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When it comes to predicting the Oscars, there are no categories that can be more difficult than the three short film categories. That goes double for trying to predict the nominees in those categories. But don’t worry Derbyites. With the recent release of the Academy’s shortlists, we’ve got descriptions of each of the pieces that made the runoff for Best Documentary Short, we got you covered on this! Below we have descriptions of each of the 15 short films that made this year’s list. We even included information and links on where you can currently view them.
Among the topics that are tackled in this year’s crop are book bans in Florida, a barber who runs a community bank, how abortion was legalized in New York in the 1970s, a group of people who fix musical instruments, and the healthcare crisis that’s affecting rural America.
Among the topics that are tackled in this year’s crop are book bans in Florida, a barber who runs a community bank, how abortion was legalized in New York in the 1970s, a group of people who fix musical instruments, and the healthcare crisis that’s affecting rural America.
- 12/25/2023
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Synanon, the self-help rehabilitation center turned notorious cult that operated from the 1960s through the 1980s, was initially pitched as a refuge for people with substance abuse disorder. Back then, people in recovery didn't have many options for getting genuine treatment. As the interviewees for the new Paramount+ documentary series Born in Synanon recall, the alternatives were either jail or an asylum.
Like many (though not all) cults, there was a germ of virtue in Synanon's origin story. The group’s rise in the 1960s coincided with a time of great upheaval in American society, and its origins as a drug treatment program pointed to an honest desire to help people. And, as director Geeta Gandbhir and former Synanon member Cassidy Arkin learn through their many interviews, many former members do credit the organization and its founder Chuck Dederich with getting them clean.
Like many (though not all) cults, there was a germ of virtue in Synanon's origin story. The group’s rise in the 1960s coincided with a time of great upheaval in American society, and its origins as a drug treatment program pointed to an honest desire to help people. And, as director Geeta Gandbhir and former Synanon member Cassidy Arkin learn through their many interviews, many former members do credit the organization and its founder Chuck Dederich with getting them clean.
- 12/12/2023
- by Joe Reid
- Primetimer
When I was a kid growing up in the Berkeley flatlands, I used to play with a couple of neighbor kids, Tony and his little brother, Mikey. One day in 1979, two men got out of a car, approached Tony and Mikey’s house, and beat another man with a club. The neighborhood buzz was that the assailants were from a group called Synanon, and they were unhappy that their victim had left the group.
I was nine at the time, and none of this made sense. But it all came...
I was nine at the time, and none of this made sense. But it all came...
- 12/11/2023
- by Chris Vognar
- Rollingstone.com
“Black Mirror” Renewed at Netflix
The future is now for “Black Mirror.” The hit Netflix sci-fi series has received a Season 7 renewal after its much-anticipated return this year.
Created by Charlie Brooker, “Black Mirror” consists of standalone drama episodes “that tap into the collective unease about the modern world,” exploring technoparanoia and the “intended and unintended consequences of new technologies and the effect they have on society and individuals.” After a four-year hiatus, it returned for a sixth season this past June and reached the Top 10 in 92 countries’ viewing records.
Watch the trailer for Season 6 of “Black Mirror” below:
Casting has yet to be announced for Season 7. The five-part Season 6 featured a host of A-listers, including Salma Hayek, Annie Murphy, Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, and Paapa Essiedu
Sign Up $6.99+ / month netflix.com Max Announces Holiday Collection
It’s the most wonderful time of the year at Max! The streamer’s...
The future is now for “Black Mirror.” The hit Netflix sci-fi series has received a Season 7 renewal after its much-anticipated return this year.
Created by Charlie Brooker, “Black Mirror” consists of standalone drama episodes “that tap into the collective unease about the modern world,” exploring technoparanoia and the “intended and unintended consequences of new technologies and the effect they have on society and individuals.” After a four-year hiatus, it returned for a sixth season this past June and reached the Top 10 in 92 countries’ viewing records.
Watch the trailer for Season 6 of “Black Mirror” below:
Casting has yet to be announced for Season 7. The five-part Season 6 featured a host of A-listers, including Salma Hayek, Annie Murphy, Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, and Paapa Essiedu
Sign Up $6.99+ / month netflix.com Max Announces Holiday Collection
It’s the most wonderful time of the year at Max! The streamer’s...
- 11/22/2023
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Paramount+ today announced that the documentary series Born In Synanon will premiere exclusively on the service, beginning Tuesday, December 12. Directed by Geeta Gandbhir (Why We Hate), the four-part series chronicles one woman’s journey to discover the truth about Synanon, the experimental community that turned into a full-blown cult. Cassidy Arkin was born into Synanon. Her earliest memories are of a happy place with extended family, a portrait that stands in stark contrast to the abusive hierarchical society into which it evolved and that her peers vividly recall. What began as a successful drug-and-alcohol treatment program would become a fully established, racially inclusive utopian ... Read more...
- 11/18/2023
- by Thomas Miller
- Seat42F
The HBO Original documentary short How We Get Free, directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha Knowles (HBO’s “Black and Missing”) and produced by the New York Times and Multitude Films, debuts Tuesday, November 14 (9:00 – 9:30 p.m. Et/Pt) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
Synopsis: How We Get Free follows community activist Elisabeth Epps as she works to abolish the cash bail system in Colorado. Inspired by a New York Times article and filmed over the course of two years, the documentary tracks Epps’ efforts as the founder and executive director of the Colorado Freedom Fund, a community bail fund working against the criminalization of poverty. For Epps, this work is personal. Having spent time in jail herself, where she bore witness to the conditions and inequities, she is passionately committed to this work.
As Epps spends her days and nights driving around Denver...
Synopsis: How We Get Free follows community activist Elisabeth Epps as she works to abolish the cash bail system in Colorado. Inspired by a New York Times article and filmed over the course of two years, the documentary tracks Epps’ efforts as the founder and executive director of the Colorado Freedom Fund, a community bail fund working against the criminalization of poverty. For Epps, this work is personal. Having spent time in jail herself, where she bore witness to the conditions and inequities, she is passionately committed to this work.
As Epps spends her days and nights driving around Denver...
- 11/12/2023
- by Travis B. Dhalia
- Martin Cid - TV
The International Documentary Association announced the 17 feature-length and 25 short documentaries included on the shortlists for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards, which will be held during the week of Dec. 11in Los Angeles.
The nominees will be announced on Nov. 21, and IDA members will vote for Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary until Dec. 5.
“The 39th IDA Documentary Awards continues the tradition of celebrating the best of international nonfiction media of the year,” said Ken Ikeda, IDA’s Interim Executive Director. “This year’s Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary shortlists reflect important work from twenty-one countries. We are excited to celebrate the work of our community and present winners this December in Los Angeles.”
The 2023 shortlists and nominees are selected by independent committees of 280 documentary makers, curators, critics and industry experts from 40 countries. IDA received 669 total submissions in all categories from 48 countries.
Best Feature Documentary Shortlist
Against the Tide...
The nominees will be announced on Nov. 21, and IDA members will vote for Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary until Dec. 5.
“The 39th IDA Documentary Awards continues the tradition of celebrating the best of international nonfiction media of the year,” said Ken Ikeda, IDA’s Interim Executive Director. “This year’s Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary shortlists reflect important work from twenty-one countries. We are excited to celebrate the work of our community and present winners this December in Los Angeles.”
The 2023 shortlists and nominees are selected by independent committees of 280 documentary makers, curators, critics and industry experts from 40 countries. IDA received 669 total submissions in all categories from 48 countries.
Best Feature Documentary Shortlist
Against the Tide...
- 10/24/2023
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
The International Documentary Association (IDA) on Tuesday announced its best feature and short shortlists for the 2023 IDA Documentary Awards.
The ceremony will be held during the week of Dec. 11 in Los Angeles — venue information is set to follow. Starting Nov. 7, IDA members will be able to view each of the shortlisted films on IDA Virtual Cinema, and up to 10 nominees from each category will be selected. The nominees will be announced on Nov. 21.
“The 39th IDA Documentary Awards continues the tradition of celebrating the best of international nonfiction media of the year,” said Ken Ikeda, IDA’s interim executive director. “This year’s best feature documentary and best short documentary shortlists reflect important work from twenty-one countries. We are excited to celebrate the work of our community and present winners this December in Los Angeles.”
280 documentary filmmakers, curators, critics and industry experts from 40 countries selected the shortlists. IDA received 669 total submissions from 48 countries.
The ceremony will be held during the week of Dec. 11 in Los Angeles — venue information is set to follow. Starting Nov. 7, IDA members will be able to view each of the shortlisted films on IDA Virtual Cinema, and up to 10 nominees from each category will be selected. The nominees will be announced on Nov. 21.
“The 39th IDA Documentary Awards continues the tradition of celebrating the best of international nonfiction media of the year,” said Ken Ikeda, IDA’s interim executive director. “This year’s best feature documentary and best short documentary shortlists reflect important work from twenty-one countries. We are excited to celebrate the work of our community and present winners this December in Los Angeles.”
280 documentary filmmakers, curators, critics and industry experts from 40 countries selected the shortlists. IDA received 669 total submissions from 48 countries.
- 10/24/2023
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Hulu series The 1619 Project and the Showtime feature Nothing Lasts Forever scored a leading three nominations apiece today as the Cinema Eye Honors announced its first round of contenders for the prestigious documentary-focused awards.
The 1619 Project, based on Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of slavery in North America and its impact up until the present day, earned nominations for Best Anthology Series, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Oprah Winfrey, Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams and Hannah-Jones are among the producers of the six-part series.
‘Nothing Lasts Forever’
Nothing Lasts Forever, director Jason Kohn’s glittering examination of the world of diamonds – the real kind and the emergence of undetectable “synthetic” diamonds – earned nominations for Best Broadcast Film, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Scroll for the full list of nominations announced today.
Other films and series that scored multiple nominations include Hulu’s Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields...
The 1619 Project, based on Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of slavery in North America and its impact up until the present day, earned nominations for Best Anthology Series, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Oprah Winfrey, Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams and Hannah-Jones are among the producers of the six-part series.
‘Nothing Lasts Forever’
Nothing Lasts Forever, director Jason Kohn’s glittering examination of the world of diamonds – the real kind and the emergence of undetectable “synthetic” diamonds – earned nominations for Best Broadcast Film, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Scroll for the full list of nominations announced today.
Other films and series that scored multiple nominations include Hulu’s Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields...
- 10/19/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Hulu’s “The 1619 Project” and Showtime’s “Nothing Lasts Forever” lead all broadcast documentaries in nominations for the 17th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were announced on Thursday during the Cinema Eye Fall Lunch at Redbird in downtown Los Angeles.
Each of the programs received three nominations in the five broadcast categories, with “The 1619 Project” nominated in the Anthology Series, cinematography and editing categories and “Nothing Lasts Forever” singled out in Broadcast film, cinematography and editing categories.
Other programs with multiple nominations include the broadcast movie “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the nonfiction series “Dear Mama” and “Paul T. Goldman” and the anthology series “Edge of the Unknown With Jimmy Chin” and “Our Planet II.”
Hulu led all networks and platforms with eight nominations, followed by Netflix with five and Showtime with four.
Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based organization devoted to honoring all facets of nonfiction filmmaking, also...
Each of the programs received three nominations in the five broadcast categories, with “The 1619 Project” nominated in the Anthology Series, cinematography and editing categories and “Nothing Lasts Forever” singled out in Broadcast film, cinematography and editing categories.
Other programs with multiple nominations include the broadcast movie “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the nonfiction series “Dear Mama” and “Paul T. Goldman” and the anthology series “Edge of the Unknown With Jimmy Chin” and “Our Planet II.”
Hulu led all networks and platforms with eight nominations, followed by Netflix with five and Showtime with four.
Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based organization devoted to honoring all facets of nonfiction filmmaking, also...
- 10/19/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
During the opening frames of Sam Pollard’s “The League,” a wistful and profound documentary about the rise and fall of the Negro Leagues, baseball hall-of-famers Hank Aaron and Monte Irvin share how they played the game as kids, even when they had nothing more than broomsticks.
As footage of Black kids playing on a sandlot rush by, what’s being discussed isn’t merely successful men reminiscing about their past hardships, they’re talking about how they overcame those obstacles through resourcefulness and guile. Pollard’s newest incisive documentary about one of the largest Black-owned businesses in America, the Negro Leagues, is filled with those gems of perseverance and adaptation.
And yet, Pollard doesn’t skirt from the deeply felt dangers that afflicted these athletes living under the cloud of systemic racism. He tells this history through his narration and chronologically. He begins by straightening a misconception: Though Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier,...
As footage of Black kids playing on a sandlot rush by, what’s being discussed isn’t merely successful men reminiscing about their past hardships, they’re talking about how they overcame those obstacles through resourcefulness and guile. Pollard’s newest incisive documentary about one of the largest Black-owned businesses in America, the Negro Leagues, is filled with those gems of perseverance and adaptation.
And yet, Pollard doesn’t skirt from the deeply felt dangers that afflicted these athletes living under the cloud of systemic racism. He tells this history through his narration and chronologically. He begins by straightening a misconception: Though Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier,...
- 7/7/2023
- by Robert Daniels
- Indiewire
Projects come from 34 different countries.
Projects from Rodrigo Reyes, Ike Nnaebue and Sean McAllister are among 48 titles that will be pitched to international and UK industry representatives and experts at this year’s Sheffield DocFest MeetMarket.
One of the world’s largest documentary and factual pitching forums, MeetMarket moved to the beginning of the festival and will take place on June 15-16 with all projects in the development or production stage.
The projects have been selected from more than 500 submissions. Rodrigo Reyes, whose doc Sanson And Me was the winner of DocFest’s 2022 international competition, is pitching Mexican-us co-pro Warrior Mothers.
Projects from Rodrigo Reyes, Ike Nnaebue and Sean McAllister are among 48 titles that will be pitched to international and UK industry representatives and experts at this year’s Sheffield DocFest MeetMarket.
One of the world’s largest documentary and factual pitching forums, MeetMarket moved to the beginning of the festival and will take place on June 15-16 with all projects in the development or production stage.
The projects have been selected from more than 500 submissions. Rodrigo Reyes, whose doc Sanson And Me was the winner of DocFest’s 2022 international competition, is pitching Mexican-us co-pro Warrior Mothers.
- 4/25/2023
- by Heather Fallon Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
Cph:forum, the financing and co-production event held during Cph:dox documentary film festival in Copenhagen, will introduce new projects by filmmakers such as Ljubomir Stefanov (“Honeyland”), Jessica Kingdon (“Ascension”), Finlay Pretsell (“Time Trial”), Ousmane Samassekou (“The Last Shelter”), Mila Turajlić (“The Other Side of Everything”), Tonislav Hristov (“The Good Postman”), Iryna Tsilyk (“The Earth Is Blue as an Orange”) and Brett Story (“The Hottest August”), among others.
Stefanov, who was nominated for an Oscar for “Honeyland,” will be pitching “House of Earth.” He teams with producer Maya E. Rudolph, who produced Emmy-nominated “The Andy Warhol Diaries,” and Sarah D’hanens. The film centers on transgender sex worker Pinky, who returns to her Roma community after 30 years, and finds two families in need of a matriarch. Torn between her biological kin and chosen queer family, Pinky attempts to build a future that feels like home.
Kingdon, who was Oscar nominated for “Ascension,” arrives with “Untitled Animal Project,...
Stefanov, who was nominated for an Oscar for “Honeyland,” will be pitching “House of Earth.” He teams with producer Maya E. Rudolph, who produced Emmy-nominated “The Andy Warhol Diaries,” and Sarah D’hanens. The film centers on transgender sex worker Pinky, who returns to her Roma community after 30 years, and finds two families in need of a matriarch. Torn between her biological kin and chosen queer family, Pinky attempts to build a future that feels like home.
Kingdon, who was Oscar nominated for “Ascension,” arrives with “Untitled Animal Project,...
- 2/10/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Cph:dox also sets work-in-progress, Change co-production selections.
New feature documentaries from Honeyland director Ljubomir Stefanov and Ascension filmmaker Jessica Kingdon are among the 33 projects selected for Cph:Forum, the financing and co-production market of Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival.
Macedonian filmmaker Stefanov is presenting House of Earth, about a transgender sex worker who returns to her Roma community after 30 years on the run, only to be torn between her biological kin and her chosen queer family. The Macedonian-us co-production is produced by Maya E. Rudolph and Sarah D’hanens, and is looking for €405,000 funding to supplement its €45,000 in place from Louverture Films and private equity.
New feature documentaries from Honeyland director Ljubomir Stefanov and Ascension filmmaker Jessica Kingdon are among the 33 projects selected for Cph:Forum, the financing and co-production market of Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival.
Macedonian filmmaker Stefanov is presenting House of Earth, about a transgender sex worker who returns to her Roma community after 30 years on the run, only to be torn between her biological kin and her chosen queer family. The Macedonian-us co-production is produced by Maya E. Rudolph and Sarah D’hanens, and is looking for €405,000 funding to supplement its €45,000 in place from Louverture Films and private equity.
- 2/10/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The Black and Missing Foundation (Bamfi) has expanded to launch a production company, Bamfi Enterprises, continuing the nonprofit organization’s mission to bring awareness to missing persons of color, provide vital resources and tools to missing person’s families and friends and to educate the minority community on personal safety.
Announced Friday, in observance of National Missing Person’s Day, the production company will create content and provide technical consultation for television, film and digital/streaming media with a focus on missing persons of color, as well as real-life challenges affecting Bipoc communities.
“In building the Black and Missing Foundation, we learned early on that awareness, exposure of an issue is key to ignite change and a call to action,” said Bamfi Enterprises (Bamfi Ent.) founders Natalie Wilson and Derrica Wilson in a statement announcing the production company.
“To accomplish that, we must create and take ownership of platforms that allow the voiceless,...
Announced Friday, in observance of National Missing Person’s Day, the production company will create content and provide technical consultation for television, film and digital/streaming media with a focus on missing persons of color, as well as real-life challenges affecting Bipoc communities.
“In building the Black and Missing Foundation, we learned early on that awareness, exposure of an issue is key to ignite change and a call to action,” said Bamfi Enterprises (Bamfi Ent.) founders Natalie Wilson and Derrica Wilson in a statement announcing the production company.
“To accomplish that, we must create and take ownership of platforms that allow the voiceless,...
- 2/3/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Updated with full winners’ list and more details, including a leading three awards for Fire of Love: All That Breathes and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed — the two frontrunners for best documentary at the Oscars — split the top awards at the 16th annual Cinema Eye Honors in New York tonight.
Filmmaker Laura Poitras won Outstanding Direction for her work on All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. But it was All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen, that earned Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, the Cinema Eye Honors’ equivalent to the Oscars’ Best Documentary Feature (see full list of winners below).
Sen’s film examines the work of Nadeem and Saud – two brothers in Delhi, India – who have devoted their energies to rehabilitating birds of prey like the black kite, which suffer in the polluted air of the metropolis.
“I was just asking Nadeem today how many birds he thinks they would have saved so far,...
Filmmaker Laura Poitras won Outstanding Direction for her work on All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. But it was All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen, that earned Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, the Cinema Eye Honors’ equivalent to the Oscars’ Best Documentary Feature (see full list of winners below).
Sen’s film examines the work of Nadeem and Saud – two brothers in Delhi, India – who have devoted their energies to rehabilitating birds of prey like the black kite, which suffer in the polluted air of the metropolis.
“I was just asking Nadeem today how many birds he thinks they would have saved so far,...
- 1/13/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
“All That Breathes,” a documentary about two brothers who run a refuge for birds that have been injured by the pollution in New Dehli, has been named the best nonfiction film of 2022 at the 16th annual Cinema Eye Honors ceremony, which took place on Thursday night at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, New York.
“All That Breathes” previously won the top award at the International Documentary Association’s IDA Documentary Awards, the other major award devoted to nonfiction film. It is also on the 15-film shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Laura Poitras won the award for directing for “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” while “Navalny” won the award for production.
Also Read:
‘All That Breathes’ Director Shaunak Sen on Breaking Nature Doc Clichés While Filming Hospitalized Birds
In the craft categories, a distinctive feature of the Cinema Eye Honors, the immersive...
“All That Breathes” previously won the top award at the International Documentary Association’s IDA Documentary Awards, the other major award devoted to nonfiction film. It is also on the 15-film shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Laura Poitras won the award for directing for “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” while “Navalny” won the award for production.
Also Read:
‘All That Breathes’ Director Shaunak Sen on Breaking Nature Doc Clichés While Filming Hospitalized Birds
In the craft categories, a distinctive feature of the Cinema Eye Honors, the immersive...
- 1/13/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
A few weeks ago, during a reflective conversation, a friend described 2020 as a fever dream. The uncertainty provoked by the pandemic and the potential of that summer’s uprisings brought many people closer to understanding the demands they could make of themselves and each other to create a safer world. It was a year of answering calls to action, of protesting and demonstrating, of helping neighbors, of corporate promises to listen and learn, of checking in emotionally and checking out of the death-making capitalist machine. An intoxicating energy coursed through those days — no wonder it felt unreal.
If 2020 was marked by promises, then 2022 was defined by their ghosts. How many of those pledges went unfulfilled? How many commitments were quietly abandoned? Lethargy settled in as we continued to live in unprecedented times: Corporate profits increased while individual pockets and sanities contracted, scientists and...
A few weeks ago, during a reflective conversation, a friend described 2020 as a fever dream. The uncertainty provoked by the pandemic and the potential of that summer’s uprisings brought many people closer to understanding the demands they could make of themselves and each other to create a safer world. It was a year of answering calls to action, of protesting and demonstrating, of helping neighbors, of corporate promises to listen and learn, of checking in emotionally and checking out of the death-making capitalist machine. An intoxicating energy coursed through those days — no wonder it felt unreal.
If 2020 was marked by promises, then 2022 was defined by their ghosts. How many of those pledges went unfulfilled? How many commitments were quietly abandoned? Lethargy settled in as we continued to live in unprecedented times: Corporate profits increased while individual pockets and sanities contracted, scientists and...
- 12/20/2022
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Film Independent Spirit Awards are unveiling their 2023 nominees for television Tuesday morning. The reveal marks a previously announced expansion of the TV categories, as well as a move to gender-neutral acting races this year in both television and film, the latter of which were revealed last month during the Spirits’ film nominations.
The organization has combined both actor and actress in TV’s Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series, and in the new category of Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
Related Story Spirit Award Noms 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Leads & Will Vie For Best Picture With ‘Bones And All’, ‘Our Father, The Devil’, ‘Tár’ & ‘Women Talking’ Related Story Spirit Awards Set 2023 Date, Go Gender-Neutral And Increase Budget Cap Related Story Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'The Lost Daughter' Takes Home Best Feature As Netflix Reigns With Six Wins
Billions star Asia Kate Dillon...
The organization has combined both actor and actress in TV’s Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series, and in the new category of Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
Related Story Spirit Award Noms 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Leads & Will Vie For Best Picture With ‘Bones And All’, ‘Our Father, The Devil’, ‘Tár’ & ‘Women Talking’ Related Story Spirit Awards Set 2023 Date, Go Gender-Neutral And Increase Budget Cap Related Story Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'The Lost Daughter' Takes Home Best Feature As Netflix Reigns With Six Wins
Billions star Asia Kate Dillon...
- 12/13/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The Civil Rights movement is composed of singular heroes: Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, and so forth. Their iconoclastic memory has come to define the entire collective effort during the 1950s, 60s, and 1970s by many organizations. They, of course, do not tell the whole history of the coordinated action that occurred during the era. Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard’s “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power,” a swift, potent documentary about a town nestled in the heart of Jim Crow Alabama, aims to rectify that misunderstanding.
Continue reading ‘Lowndes County And The Road To Black Power’: A Potent Doc About A Town In The Heart Of Jim Crow Alabama [Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Lowndes County And The Road To Black Power’: A Potent Doc About A Town In The Heart Of Jim Crow Alabama [Review] at The Playlist.
- 12/3/2022
- by Robert Daniels
- The Playlist
Click here to read the full article.
A suspicious pattern emerges when Election Day nears in the United States. Leaders of the competing political parties begin a begging campaign, urging Black voters to head to the polls and cast their ballots for candidates often largely uninterested in their needs. These officials appeal to the morality of the historically disenfranchised masses, insisting that a nation that does not normally care about them can’t save itself without their votes. The disingenuous performance drains the sincerity from efforts to get out the vote, makes it too easy to take for granted the long, winding history of the Black suffrage movement and obfuscates existing barriers to real freedom.
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, a powerful and intimate new documentary by Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI) and Geeta Gandbhir (I Am Evidence), is a timely reminder of the legacy of voting rights in the U.
A suspicious pattern emerges when Election Day nears in the United States. Leaders of the competing political parties begin a begging campaign, urging Black voters to head to the polls and cast their ballots for candidates often largely uninterested in their needs. These officials appeal to the morality of the historically disenfranchised masses, insisting that a nation that does not normally care about them can’t save itself without their votes. The disingenuous performance drains the sincerity from efforts to get out the vote, makes it too easy to take for granted the long, winding history of the Black suffrage movement and obfuscates existing barriers to real freedom.
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, a powerful and intimate new documentary by Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI) and Geeta Gandbhir (I Am Evidence), is a timely reminder of the legacy of voting rights in the U.
- 12/3/2022
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A platoon of titles hits the specialty circuit this weekend, getting in ahead of steamroller Avatar: Way of Water and the year-end deadline for Oscar eligibility. This is a soul-searching, what-lies-ahead moment for a market still much too inconsistent for comfort, but that can be pondered later. At the moment, indie distributors are quite busy “with all these movies, and these plans to release theatrically. We are not going anywhere,” said one executive.
The Gotham Awards earlier this were were a shot of goodwill. Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski recalled “the mandate that all of us share in the specialty film business” at the ceremony in NYC, kicking off awards season.
“To all our friends at A24, at Neon, at Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, IFC, Bleecker Street, FilmNation, Cinetic, Participant and so many other wonderful companies,” he said — accepting an industry tribute with vice chairman Jason Cassidy – “We are in there together,...
The Gotham Awards earlier this were were a shot of goodwill. Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski recalled “the mandate that all of us share in the specialty film business” at the ceremony in NYC, kicking off awards season.
“To all our friends at A24, at Neon, at Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, IFC, Bleecker Street, FilmNation, Cinetic, Participant and so many other wonderful companies,” he said — accepting an industry tribute with vice chairman Jason Cassidy – “We are in there together,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Emmy-winning documentary executive Courtney Sexton is returning to the esteemed production company Participant, CEO David Linde announced today. She will oversee all of Participant’s documentary content as Executive Vice President of Documentary Film and Television from the start of 2023, having previously spent eight years as a development executive with the company.
Sexton most recently served as SVP of CNN Films and will now report to Linde. Her oversight of Participant’s documentary department builds upon the legacy achieved by the late Diane Weyermann, who joined the company shortly after its creation in 2004 and turned its doc division into an industry leader, overseeing such titles as Academy Award winners Citizenfour, The Cove, American Factory and An Inconvenient Truth. The latter climate change documentary spurred former Vice President Al Gore to say, “It is not an exaggeration to say she really did change the world.”
“Courtney is an exceptionally talented, compassionate...
Sexton most recently served as SVP of CNN Films and will now report to Linde. Her oversight of Participant’s documentary department builds upon the legacy achieved by the late Diane Weyermann, who joined the company shortly after its creation in 2004 and turned its doc division into an industry leader, overseeing such titles as Academy Award winners Citizenfour, The Cove, American Factory and An Inconvenient Truth. The latter climate change documentary spurred former Vice President Al Gore to say, “It is not an exaggeration to say she really did change the world.”
“Courtney is an exceptionally talented, compassionate...
- 11/17/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Gotham Film and Media Institute and HBO Documentary Films have set the inaugural cohort and mentors for their Documentary Development Initiative, first announced in June.
Those selected as participants are Zeshawn Ali, Brit Fryer, Juan Pablo González, Melanie Ho, Crystal Kayiza, Jasmín Mara López, Amber Love, Khaula Malik, Habiba Nosheen and Mobolaji Olambiwonnu. Creatives serving as mentors include Cecilia Aldarondo, Geeta Gandbhir, Tj Martin, Smriti Mundhra, Matt O’Neill, Sam Pollard, Alex Stapleton, Jennifer Tiexiera, Rudy Valdez and Matt Wolf.
Related Story Disney Directing Program Unveils 2022-2023 Participants Related Story Sidney Poitier Set For Posthumous Icon Tribute At 2022 Gotham Awards Related Story Oscar Contender 'All That Breathes': When Birds Fall From The Skies Of Delhi, Two Brothers Come To Their Aid
The Documentary Development Initiative was designed to bolster storytellers who identify as Bipoc, LGBTQ+ and/or storytellers with disabilities, by providing them with the resources necessary to develop thought-provoking,...
Those selected as participants are Zeshawn Ali, Brit Fryer, Juan Pablo González, Melanie Ho, Crystal Kayiza, Jasmín Mara López, Amber Love, Khaula Malik, Habiba Nosheen and Mobolaji Olambiwonnu. Creatives serving as mentors include Cecilia Aldarondo, Geeta Gandbhir, Tj Martin, Smriti Mundhra, Matt O’Neill, Sam Pollard, Alex Stapleton, Jennifer Tiexiera, Rudy Valdez and Matt Wolf.
Related Story Disney Directing Program Unveils 2022-2023 Participants Related Story Sidney Poitier Set For Posthumous Icon Tribute At 2022 Gotham Awards Related Story Oscar Contender 'All That Breathes': When Birds Fall From The Skies Of Delhi, Two Brothers Come To Their Aid
The Documentary Development Initiative was designed to bolster storytellers who identify as Bipoc, LGBTQ+ and/or storytellers with disabilities, by providing them with the resources necessary to develop thought-provoking,...
- 11/16/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
"We wanted a movement that would survive the loss of our lives." Greenwich Entertainment has revealed an official trailer for an acclaimed documentary film called Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, made by two award-winning filmmakers: Sam Pollard and Geeta Gandbhir. This initially premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, and it also played at the BlackStar and St. Louis Film Festivals. The film tells the story of the courageous campaign of citizens and activists who faced violence and oppression in the struggle for the right to vote. The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, but this was only the start. Lowndes County, Alabama was a rural, impoverished county with a vicious history of racist terrorism. In a county that was 80 percent Black but had zero Black voters, laws were just paper without power. This isn't a story of hope but of action, about how the Sncc non-violently fought...
- 11/3/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired domestic theatrical rights to Participant’s civil rights documentary Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power.
Greenwich plans a December 2 release of the film directed by Sam Pollard and Geeta Gandbhir, which earlier this week earned a Critics Choice Documentary Awards nomination as Best Historical Documentary. As Deadline previously reported, Peacock acquired U.S. streaming rights to the film in June.
Vienna-based Autlook Filmsales will handle international film sales for the title at IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) next month and upcoming markets and festivals. Lowndes County premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June and screened last month at the Camden International Film Festival in Maine.
Lowndes County, Alabama
“The passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 represented not the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement, but the beginning of a new, crucial chapter,” a description of the film notes. “Nowhere was...
Greenwich plans a December 2 release of the film directed by Sam Pollard and Geeta Gandbhir, which earlier this week earned a Critics Choice Documentary Awards nomination as Best Historical Documentary. As Deadline previously reported, Peacock acquired U.S. streaming rights to the film in June.
Vienna-based Autlook Filmsales will handle international film sales for the title at IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) next month and upcoming markets and festivals. Lowndes County premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June and screened last month at the Camden International Film Festival in Maine.
Lowndes County, Alabama
“The passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 represented not the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement, but the beginning of a new, crucial chapter,” a description of the film notes. “Nowhere was...
- 10/21/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Cinema Eye Honors, the organization that recognizes outstanding artistic achievement in nonfiction and documentary films & series, announced the first round of their 2023 awards and nominations at its annual Cinema Eye Fall Lunch held in Los Angeles.
In the five Broadcast categories, HBO film “Four Hours at the Capitol,” an inside look at the January 6th riot, led with three nominations: Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Other projects like the Disney+ docuseries “The Beatles: Get Back” and Showtime’s “We Need to Talk About Cosby” also received more than one nomination.
Other announcements at the event include the annual Shorts List, which spotlights 10 of the year’s top documentary short films, and the recipient of the Legacy Award this year, Terry Zwigoff’s 1995 film “Crumb.”
“I’m glad to find out you don’t have to be dead to receive this award,” Zwigoff said in a written statement. “I...
In the five Broadcast categories, HBO film “Four Hours at the Capitol,” an inside look at the January 6th riot, led with three nominations: Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Other projects like the Disney+ docuseries “The Beatles: Get Back” and Showtime’s “We Need to Talk About Cosby” also received more than one nomination.
Other announcements at the event include the annual Shorts List, which spotlights 10 of the year’s top documentary short films, and the recipient of the Legacy Award this year, Terry Zwigoff’s 1995 film “Crumb.”
“I’m glad to find out you don’t have to be dead to receive this award,” Zwigoff said in a written statement. “I...
- 10/20/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Exclusive: The Cinema Eye Honors announced its first round of nominations today for artistic achievement in documentary film and series, with HBO’s Four Hours at the Capitol earning the most of any contender [full list below].
The documentary by Jamie Roberts about the January 6 insurrection scored nominations for Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Peter Jackson’s Disney+ series The Beatles: Get Back, landed two nominations — for Broadcast Series and Broadcast Editing. Get Back swept five Primetime Emmy categories last month.
‘Downfall: The Case Against Boeing’
Rory Kennedy’s Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, snubbed by the Emmys, earned a Cinema Eye Honors nomination for Broadcast Film. It will go up against Four Hours at the Capitol, and Emmy winner George Carlin’s American Dream, the two-part HBO film directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, among other contenders.
Nanfu Wang’s HBO docuseries Mind Over Murder, which premiered after the...
The documentary by Jamie Roberts about the January 6 insurrection scored nominations for Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Peter Jackson’s Disney+ series The Beatles: Get Back, landed two nominations — for Broadcast Series and Broadcast Editing. Get Back swept five Primetime Emmy categories last month.
‘Downfall: The Case Against Boeing’
Rory Kennedy’s Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, snubbed by the Emmys, earned a Cinema Eye Honors nomination for Broadcast Film. It will go up against Four Hours at the Capitol, and Emmy winner George Carlin’s American Dream, the two-part HBO film directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, among other contenders.
Nanfu Wang’s HBO docuseries Mind Over Murder, which premiered after the...
- 10/20/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
“Four Hours at the Capitol,” “The Beatles: Get Back,” “Playing With Sharks,” “We Need to Talk About Cosby,” “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” and “How To With John Wilson” are among the nonfiction television programs that have been nominated in the Cinema Eye Honors broadcast categories, Cinema Eye Honors announced at the organization’s annual fall lunch in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“Four Hours at the Capitol,” Jamie Roberts’ HBO film about the Jan. 6 insurrection, received three nominations to lead all programs. “Get Back,” “Cosby,” “Stanley Tucci,” “John Wilson” and “Playing With Sharks” each received two nominations.
Along with “Four Hours at the Capitol” and “Playing With Sharks,” broadcast film nominees were “Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes,” “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” and “George Carlin’s American Dream.” Nonfiction series nominees were “Get Back,” “Cosby,” “Black and Missing,” “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” “LuLaRich” and “Mind Over Murder.” Nominated anthology series...
“Four Hours at the Capitol,” Jamie Roberts’ HBO film about the Jan. 6 insurrection, received three nominations to lead all programs. “Get Back,” “Cosby,” “Stanley Tucci,” “John Wilson” and “Playing With Sharks” each received two nominations.
Along with “Four Hours at the Capitol” and “Playing With Sharks,” broadcast film nominees were “Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes,” “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” and “George Carlin’s American Dream.” Nonfiction series nominees were “Get Back,” “Cosby,” “Black and Missing,” “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” “LuLaRich” and “Mind Over Murder.” Nominated anthology series...
- 10/20/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Diane Weyermann’s impact continues to be felt throughout the documentary field, with her presence evident on some of the fall’s most talked about nonfiction films, including Laura Poitras’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and Steve James’s A Compassionate Spy.
Today, the Points North Institute honored the legacy of the late chief content officer of Participant by establishing the Diane Weyermann Fellowship, an artists’ program “aimed at supporting global filmmaking teams in production on feature length documentary films that highlight stories of moral and ethical urgency.”
The announcement took place at the Camden International Film Festival in Maine, itself a program of Points North.
“We are incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to recognize Diane’s tremendous impact on the world of documentary filmmaking through this new Fellowship,” said Ben Fowlie, Points North Executive and Artistic Director and Founder of Ciff. “Diane has been a...
Today, the Points North Institute honored the legacy of the late chief content officer of Participant by establishing the Diane Weyermann Fellowship, an artists’ program “aimed at supporting global filmmaking teams in production on feature length documentary films that highlight stories of moral and ethical urgency.”
The announcement took place at the Camden International Film Festival in Maine, itself a program of Points North.
“We are incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to recognize Diane’s tremendous impact on the world of documentary filmmaking through this new Fellowship,” said Ben Fowlie, Points North Executive and Artistic Director and Founder of Ciff. “Diane has been a...
- 9/16/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
On Friday, during the 18th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival, organizers unveiled a Diane Weyermann Fellowship at Points North Institute.
Weyermann, the former chief content officer at Participant and former director of the Sundance Institute’s documentary film program, died last October of cancer. She was 66. In addition to an apartment in New York City, Weyermann owned a home in coastal Maine.
Ciff, run by Points North and concluding Sept. 18, is presenting several films Weyermann recently executive produced, including Laura Poitras’ Golden Lion-winning “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Margaret Brown’s Sundance-winning “Descendant,” Steve James’ “My Compassionate Spy,” which recently premiered at Venice and TIFF, and Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard’s “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power.”
“It’s so meaningful to be in Camden screening the film we made with Diane,” Brown told Variety during a special reception held in Camden in honor of the new fellowship.
Weyermann, the former chief content officer at Participant and former director of the Sundance Institute’s documentary film program, died last October of cancer. She was 66. In addition to an apartment in New York City, Weyermann owned a home in coastal Maine.
Ciff, run by Points North and concluding Sept. 18, is presenting several films Weyermann recently executive produced, including Laura Poitras’ Golden Lion-winning “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Margaret Brown’s Sundance-winning “Descendant,” Steve James’ “My Compassionate Spy,” which recently premiered at Venice and TIFF, and Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard’s “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power.”
“It’s so meaningful to be in Camden screening the film we made with Diane,” Brown told Variety during a special reception held in Camden in honor of the new fellowship.
- 9/16/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The 18th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival, kicking off Sept. 15, will feature a handful of award-contending documentaries fresh off showings at Telluride and the Toronto film festivals. The Maine-based festival will unfold in a hybrid format, with both in-person events over a three-day period concluding Sept. 18, and online screenings available from Sept. 15 to Sept. 25 to audiences across North America.
This year’s Ciff highlights include the U.S. premiere of Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen’s Netflix release “In Her Hands,” which follows one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors during the months leading up to the Taliban takeover the country in 2021; Chris Smith’s “Sr.,” centered on the life and career of Robert Downey Sr. and his relationship to his son, Robert Downey Jr.; and Steve James’ “A Compassionate Spy,” about Manhattan Project physicist, Soviet spy and University of Chicago alum Theodore Hall. Each of the three...
This year’s Ciff highlights include the U.S. premiere of Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen’s Netflix release “In Her Hands,” which follows one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors during the months leading up to the Taliban takeover the country in 2021; Chris Smith’s “Sr.,” centered on the life and career of Robert Downey Sr. and his relationship to his son, Robert Downey Jr.; and Steve James’ “A Compassionate Spy,” about Manhattan Project physicist, Soviet spy and University of Chicago alum Theodore Hall. Each of the three...
- 8/22/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The documentary “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power,” which charts efforts to organize disenfranchised Black voters in rural Alabama in 1965 in the wake of the Selma to Montgomery marches, bears tremendous resonance today.
Many fraught topics that have made headlines within the past two years — voter suppression, election fraud, police brutality, Black Lives Matter, gun control, to name a few — all seem like manifestations of issues more than a half-century old.
In 1965, Lowndes County, Alabama, was one of the poorest counties in the country. It had no registered Black voters despite an overall population that was 80 Black. Sharecropping had replaced slavery as a means to maintain the caste system, and cotton pickers had little hope of getting themselves out of debt. Registering to vote was unthinkable even after passage of the Voting Rights Act, as Blacks were routinely followed, intimidated, threatened or even killed if whites perceived them to be out of line.
Many fraught topics that have made headlines within the past two years — voter suppression, election fraud, police brutality, Black Lives Matter, gun control, to name a few — all seem like manifestations of issues more than a half-century old.
In 1965, Lowndes County, Alabama, was one of the poorest counties in the country. It had no registered Black voters despite an overall population that was 80 Black. Sharecropping had replaced slavery as a means to maintain the caste system, and cotton pickers had little hope of getting themselves out of debt. Registering to vote was unthinkable even after passage of the Voting Rights Act, as Blacks were routinely followed, intimidated, threatened or even killed if whites perceived them to be out of line.
- 6/19/2022
- by Martin Tsai
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Peacock has acquired the civil rights documentary Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power ahead of its world premiere next week at the Tribeca Festival. A streaming release date will be announced soon for the pic, which is presented by Participant, a Multitude Films production, in association with The Atlantic and will bow on the streamer as a Peacock Original.
Told through first-person testimony and archival footage, the film chronicles a group of courageous, young Black activists who put their lives on the line not just to secure the right to vote, but for Black Power in Lowndes County, Al. It was inspired by Vann R. Newkirk II’s research and writing, as published in The Atlantic. He also served as consulting producer on the film, which premieres Tuesday in Tribeca’s Spotlight Documentary section.
“What stood out to us about the history of Lowndes County’s role...
Told through first-person testimony and archival footage, the film chronicles a group of courageous, young Black activists who put their lives on the line not just to secure the right to vote, but for Black Power in Lowndes County, Al. It was inspired by Vann R. Newkirk II’s research and writing, as published in The Atlantic. He also served as consulting producer on the film, which premieres Tuesday in Tribeca’s Spotlight Documentary section.
“What stood out to us about the history of Lowndes County’s role...
- 6/10/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with host, performer set: Holly Robinson Peete was tapped to host the 47th annual Gracie Awards at its in-person ceremony May 24 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Singer-songwriter Christina Perri will perform during the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation’s ceremony, which honors exemplary programming created by, for and about women in radio, TV, cable and interactive media.
Elle Fanning (The Great), Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) and Tamron Hall (Tamron Hall) are this year’s honores, with shows including Maid (Warner Bros. Television) and Pose (FX) also being recognized.
Previously, April 22: The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation today announced the winners of the 47th Annual Gracie Awards, honoring exemplary programming created by, for and about women in radio, television, cable and interactive media.
Elle Fanning (The Great), Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) and Tamron...
Elle Fanning (The Great), Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) and Tamron Hall (Tamron Hall) are this year’s honores, with shows including Maid (Warner Bros. Television) and Pose (FX) also being recognized.
Previously, April 22: The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation today announced the winners of the 47th Annual Gracie Awards, honoring exemplary programming created by, for and about women in radio, television, cable and interactive media.
Elle Fanning (The Great), Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) and Tamron...
- 5/4/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The 15th annual Television Academy Honors list is out, recognizing seven exceptional TV programs and their producers who used powerful and innovative storytelling to advance social change.
The programs representing some of the most significant and impactful television of 2021 are Black and Missing, Dopesick, Insecure, It’s a Sin, Reservation Dogs, Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition and The Year Earth Changed. Read details about each below.
“Now more than ever, television informs and galvanizes audiences around the world,” Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma said. “These seven remarkable programs have enlightened viewers and advocated for some of the most significant issues facing our global community. We are pleased to honor these extraordinary programs and producers who are committed to influencing social change.”
In addition to this year’s honorees, the Honors selection committee is giving special recognition to three other programs: Fauci (National Geographic), Maid (Netflix) and Tulsa Burning: The...
The programs representing some of the most significant and impactful television of 2021 are Black and Missing, Dopesick, Insecure, It’s a Sin, Reservation Dogs, Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition and The Year Earth Changed. Read details about each below.
“Now more than ever, television informs and galvanizes audiences around the world,” Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma said. “These seven remarkable programs have enlightened viewers and advocated for some of the most significant issues facing our global community. We are pleased to honor these extraordinary programs and producers who are committed to influencing social change.”
In addition to this year’s honorees, the Honors selection committee is giving special recognition to three other programs: Fauci (National Geographic), Maid (Netflix) and Tulsa Burning: The...
- 4/28/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2022 Tribeca Festival today announced its lineup of feature and short narrative, documentary, and animated films. This year’s festival runs June 8–19 and will open, as previously announced, with the Jennifer Lopez documentary “Halftime.”
The features program spans 10 categories and showcases 110 feature films and 16 online premieres from 151 filmmakers across 40 countries. The lineup includes 88 world premieres, two international premieres, seven North American premieres, two U.S. premieres, and 11 New York premieres. There are 32 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects, and 50 first-time directors. More than 64 percent (81) of the feature films are directed by female, Bipoc, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers: 46 percent (58) female directors, 34percent (43) Bipoc directors, and 8 percent (10) LGBTQ+ directors.
World premieres include “Corner Office,” starring Jon Hamm and Danny Pudi, and “Somewhere in Queens,” directed by Ray Romano and co-starring Laurie Metcalf, Tony Lo Bianco, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Jennifer Esposito. Additional films include “American Dreamer,” with Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Matt Dillon,...
The features program spans 10 categories and showcases 110 feature films and 16 online premieres from 151 filmmakers across 40 countries. The lineup includes 88 world premieres, two international premieres, seven North American premieres, two U.S. premieres, and 11 New York premieres. There are 32 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects, and 50 first-time directors. More than 64 percent (81) of the feature films are directed by female, Bipoc, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers: 46 percent (58) female directors, 34percent (43) Bipoc directors, and 8 percent (10) LGBTQ+ directors.
World premieres include “Corner Office,” starring Jon Hamm and Danny Pudi, and “Somewhere in Queens,” directed by Ray Romano and co-starring Laurie Metcalf, Tony Lo Bianco, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Jennifer Esposito. Additional films include “American Dreamer,” with Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Matt Dillon,...
- 4/19/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Tribeca Festival has unveiled its 2022 lineup of 109 feature films from 40 countries and 88 world premieres including Joachim Back’s Corner Office starring Jon Hamm and Somewhere in Queens, directed by Ray Romano starring Romano and Laurie Metcalf.
The fest, June 8-19, also features American Dreamer with Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Matt Dillon and Danny Glover; The Cave of Adullam, produced by Laurence Fishburne; Beauty, written by Lena Waithe; Jerry & Marge Go Large by David Frankel and starring Bryan Cranston, Annette Bening and Rainn Wilson; Aisha with Letitia Wright; Alone Together, directed, written and starring Katie Holmes alongside Jim Sturgess, Zosia Mamet and Melissa Leo; My Name Is Andrea with Ashley Judd; Space Oddity, directed by Kyra Sedgwick; Acidman with Thomas Haden Church and Dianna Agron; and The Integrity of Joseph Chambers with Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
See full lineup below.
“This 2022 feature film program leaves us...
The fest, June 8-19, also features American Dreamer with Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Matt Dillon and Danny Glover; The Cave of Adullam, produced by Laurence Fishburne; Beauty, written by Lena Waithe; Jerry & Marge Go Large by David Frankel and starring Bryan Cranston, Annette Bening and Rainn Wilson; Aisha with Letitia Wright; Alone Together, directed, written and starring Katie Holmes alongside Jim Sturgess, Zosia Mamet and Melissa Leo; My Name Is Andrea with Ashley Judd; Space Oddity, directed by Kyra Sedgwick; Acidman with Thomas Haden Church and Dianna Agron; and The Integrity of Joseph Chambers with Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
See full lineup below.
“This 2022 feature film program leaves us...
- 4/19/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation announced the winners of the 47th annual Gracie Awards, which will honor some of the most talented women in television, radio and digital media. This year’s winners include Melissa McCarthy, Tamron Hall, Kelly Clarkson, Melanie Lynskey, Elle Fanning, Kaitlyn Dever, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.
The ceremony will return in-person on May 24 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, and will also honor the best of entertainment and news programming highlighting women, including “60 Minutes,” “NBC Nightly News” and “Pose.” Local and student winners will be honored at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 22 in New York City.
“Throughout this past year we have seen a number of remarkable projects by and about inspirational women,” said Awmf president Becky Brooks. “We are honored to shine a spotlight on these women, whose stories have driven cultural awareness, offered entertainment that has made us laugh,...
The ceremony will return in-person on May 24 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, and will also honor the best of entertainment and news programming highlighting women, including “60 Minutes,” “NBC Nightly News” and “Pose.” Local and student winners will be honored at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 22 in New York City.
“Throughout this past year we have seen a number of remarkable projects by and about inspirational women,” said Awmf president Becky Brooks. “We are honored to shine a spotlight on these women, whose stories have driven cultural awareness, offered entertainment that has made us laugh,...
- 4/13/2022
- by Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
Wins also for Drive My Car, Mass, Troy Kotsur.
Netflix dominated the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards as The Lost Daughter took home the prizes for best film and director and screenplay for Maggie Gyllenhaal in an in-person ceremony on Santa Monica Beach that honoured diversity.
Sunday’s (6) triumph at Film Independent’s 37th awards show saw the Elena Ferrante adaptation starring Oscar nominated Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley convert three of its four nominations.
Buckley was also in contention for supporting actress and while many Oscar contenders were ineligible for the Spirit Awards due to the $22.5m budget limit, The Lost Daughter...
Netflix dominated the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards as The Lost Daughter took home the prizes for best film and director and screenplay for Maggie Gyllenhaal in an in-person ceremony on Santa Monica Beach that honoured diversity.
Sunday’s (6) triumph at Film Independent’s 37th awards show saw the Elena Ferrante adaptation starring Oscar nominated Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley convert three of its four nominations.
Buckley was also in contention for supporting actress and while many Oscar contenders were ineligible for the Spirit Awards due to the $22.5m budget limit, The Lost Daughter...
- 3/7/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jennifer Hudson was the big winner Saturday night at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards. The “Respect” star took home trophies for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and Entertainer of the Year.
Will Smith won for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard.” The Netflix Western “The Harder They Fall” was named Outstanding Motion Picture.
“Black-ish” star — and winner for this year’s Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series — Anthony Anderson hosted Saturday night’s mostly virtual show from Los Angeles.
HBO’s “Insecure” was named Outstanding Comedy Series, with its star Issa Rae winning for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. “This Is Us” star Sterling K. Brown and “9-1-1” star Angela Bassett won for outstanding actor and actress in a drama, respectively.
Samuel L. Jackson was honored with the Chairman Award, recognizing...
Will Smith won for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard.” The Netflix Western “The Harder They Fall” was named Outstanding Motion Picture.
“Black-ish” star — and winner for this year’s Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series — Anthony Anderson hosted Saturday night’s mostly virtual show from Los Angeles.
HBO’s “Insecure” was named Outstanding Comedy Series, with its star Issa Rae winning for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. “This Is Us” star Sterling K. Brown and “9-1-1” star Angela Bassett won for outstanding actor and actress in a drama, respectively.
Samuel L. Jackson was honored with the Chairman Award, recognizing...
- 2/27/2022
- by Rosemary Rossi
- The Wrap
The NAACP Image Awards honored Issa Rae, Barry Jenkins and others in the writing, directing and short-form categories on the second night of the ceremonies.
Rae picked up the Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series prize for the series finale of “Insecure” titled “Everything’s Gonna Be, Okay?,” which she also starred in and executive produced.
Jenkins won Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for “The Underground Railroad,” the miniseries adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel.
Among other winners Tuesday night, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” won Outstanding Short Form Series – Comedy or Drama for the series “Between the Scenes.”
Oscar-winning drama “Judas and the Black Messiah” picked up twin nods for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing (King) in a Motion Picture.
The non-televised honors known as the NAACP Image Awards Virtual Experience are hosted by actor and comedian Affion Crockett this year, and announced over five nights,...
Rae picked up the Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series prize for the series finale of “Insecure” titled “Everything’s Gonna Be, Okay?,” which she also starred in and executive produced.
Jenkins won Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for “The Underground Railroad,” the miniseries adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel.
Among other winners Tuesday night, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” won Outstanding Short Form Series – Comedy or Drama for the series “Between the Scenes.”
Oscar-winning drama “Judas and the Black Messiah” picked up twin nods for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing (King) in a Motion Picture.
The non-televised honors known as the NAACP Image Awards Virtual Experience are hosted by actor and comedian Affion Crockett this year, and announced over five nights,...
- 2/23/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
The 35 feature documentaries heading to this year’s Sundance Film Festival address a wide array of issues, including the U.S. maternal-mortality crisis (Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee’s “Aftershock”); the battle over control of women’s bodies (Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes’ “The Janes”); corporate greed (Rory Kennedy’s “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”); and climate change (Rachel Lears’ “To the End”).
But this year’s nonfiction lineup also includes several portrait documentaries: Kanye West (“jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy”), Bill Cosby (“We Need to Talk About Cosby”), Sinéad O’Connor (“Nothing Compares”) and Princess Diana (“The Princess”) are among the many famous and infamous figures being explored.
Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah’s “jeen-yuhs” is arguably the most anticipated doc heading to Park City. The three-parter boasts 21 years of never-before-seen footage from the rapper. Simmons says after meeting West 20-some years ago, he realized that “this dude was...
But this year’s nonfiction lineup also includes several portrait documentaries: Kanye West (“jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy”), Bill Cosby (“We Need to Talk About Cosby”), Sinéad O’Connor (“Nothing Compares”) and Princess Diana (“The Princess”) are among the many famous and infamous figures being explored.
Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah’s “jeen-yuhs” is arguably the most anticipated doc heading to Park City. The three-parter boasts 21 years of never-before-seen footage from the rapper. Simmons says after meeting West 20-some years ago, he realized that “this dude was...
- 1/19/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Before handing out flyers of missing 8-year-old Relisha Rudd, volunteers and family members gather in a parking lot to prepare themselves. “We’re praying right now that people will no longer be comfortable with looking the other way,” says a community advocate. “We’re praying right now that people will not just be complacent or content.”
Her words cut neatly to both the grief and the hope at the heart of Black and Missing, Soledad O’Brien and Geeta Gandbhir’s four-part docuseries about the Black and Missing Foundation. The situation it paints is grim: According to ...
Her words cut neatly to both the grief and the hope at the heart of Black and Missing, Soledad O’Brien and Geeta Gandbhir’s four-part docuseries about the Black and Missing Foundation. The situation it paints is grim: According to ...
- 11/24/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Before handing out flyers of missing 8-year-old Relisha Rudd, volunteers and family members gather in a parking lot to prepare themselves. “We’re praying right now that people will no longer be comfortable with looking the other way,” says a community advocate. “We’re praying right now that people will not just be complacent or content.”
Her words cut neatly to both the grief and the hope at the heart of Black and Missing, Soledad O’Brien and Geeta Gandbhir’s four-part docuseries about the Black and Missing Foundation. The situation it paints is grim: According to ...
Her words cut neatly to both the grief and the hope at the heart of Black and Missing, Soledad O’Brien and Geeta Gandbhir’s four-part docuseries about the Black and Missing Foundation. The situation it paints is grim: According to ...
- 11/24/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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