This is not the documentary renaissance we hoped for. Despite its 2023 Oscar win for “Navalny,” CNN pulled back on non-fiction production. Non-fiction programming at Showtime Networks, which produced Oscar-nominated “Attica” in 2022, is no more.
“The New York Times Presents” series, which produced titles like “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” and “Framing Britney Spears,” is being phased out in favor of integrating non-fiction video into the media brand. Hot Docs is on the ropes; Participant, which produced documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth,” “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” and “American Factory,” closed last month.
And then there’s Netflix, which is still very much in the documentary game under Adam Del Deo, Netflix VP of original documentary films and limited series — and can afford to be with nearly 270 million global subscribers. However, it’s a specific sort of gameplay: For tight, high-quality nonfiction work that’s heartwarming, or thrilling, or stars a celebrity,...
“The New York Times Presents” series, which produced titles like “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” and “Framing Britney Spears,” is being phased out in favor of integrating non-fiction video into the media brand. Hot Docs is on the ropes; Participant, which produced documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth,” “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” and “American Factory,” closed last month.
And then there’s Netflix, which is still very much in the documentary game under Adam Del Deo, Netflix VP of original documentary films and limited series — and can afford to be with nearly 270 million global subscribers. However, it’s a specific sort of gameplay: For tight, high-quality nonfiction work that’s heartwarming, or thrilling, or stars a celebrity,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Chris Smith’s “Devo” will open the ninth edition of Chicago’s Doc10 documentary film festival on May 2.
The film, which premiered at Sundance 2024, charts the life of the art-movement-turned-band Devo from Akron, Ohio, through archival footage of the band and candid sit-down interviews with band members. Smith follows the band on their journey from Dadaist, Kent State radicals to unlikely icons of 1980s MTV. Currently celebrating their 50 years of De-Evolution Tour, Devo band members will join Doc10 in a live, virtual Q&a moderated by Wxrt’s Marty Lennartz.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 2-5, features a selection of 10 documentaries making their Chicago premieres along with a package of 10 prestigious documentary shorts. The fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that has generated more than $8.5 million in funding for documentary projects. Cmp has directly supported over 150 films including “Icarus,” “Crip Camp” and most recently “Gaucho, Gaucho,...
The film, which premiered at Sundance 2024, charts the life of the art-movement-turned-band Devo from Akron, Ohio, through archival footage of the band and candid sit-down interviews with band members. Smith follows the band on their journey from Dadaist, Kent State radicals to unlikely icons of 1980s MTV. Currently celebrating their 50 years of De-Evolution Tour, Devo band members will join Doc10 in a live, virtual Q&a moderated by Wxrt’s Marty Lennartz.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 2-5, features a selection of 10 documentaries making their Chicago premieres along with a package of 10 prestigious documentary shorts. The fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that has generated more than $8.5 million in funding for documentary projects. Cmp has directly supported over 150 films including “Icarus,” “Crip Camp” and most recently “Gaucho, Gaucho,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Leonid Volkov, the former chief of staff of late Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, was attacked on Tuesday outside his house in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Navalny’s former press person and assistant Kira Yarmysh reported the attack on social media.
“Leonid Volkov has just been attacked near his home. They broke the window in his car and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, after which the attacker began to beat Leonid with a hammer. Now Leonid is at home, the police and an ambulance are on their way to him,” she wrote in a post on X.
A later post on the Team Navalny X handle showed a photo of Volkov being wheeled out of an ambulance.
Сейчас Леонид Волков в больнице
Фото от Ивана Жданова (https://t.co/qaoYuCGYlg) pic.twitter.com/4d0llz0ozK
— Команда Навального (@teamnavalny) March 12, 2024
Volkov, 43, served as Navalny’s chief of staff for his 2018 presidential...
Navalny’s former press person and assistant Kira Yarmysh reported the attack on social media.
“Leonid Volkov has just been attacked near his home. They broke the window in his car and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, after which the attacker began to beat Leonid with a hammer. Now Leonid is at home, the police and an ambulance are on their way to him,” she wrote in a post on X.
A later post on the Team Navalny X handle showed a photo of Volkov being wheeled out of an ambulance.
Сейчас Леонид Волков в больнице
Фото от Ивана Жданова (https://t.co/qaoYuCGYlg) pic.twitter.com/4d0llz0ozK
— Команда Навального (@teamnavalny) March 12, 2024
Volkov, 43, served as Navalny’s chief of staff for his 2018 presidential...
- 3/12/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The In Memoriam segment of the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday night paid a moving tribute to several stars and movie industry folk who have died over the last year — but, as ever, social media was quick to point out the more glaring omissions.
During the telecast, the In Memoriam segment featured Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo performing a moving rendition of “Con te partirò” as pictures of talent who have died flashed on the stage behind them. The segment opened with a tribute to the late Russian political activist Alexei Navalny, who died last month in prison in controversial circumstances.
“You’re not allowed to give up,” Navalny says in a clip from the film Navalny, which won best documentary feature at the 2023 Academy Awards. “If they decide to kill me, it means we are incredibly strong.”
The segment also featured brief photo tributes to the likes of Matthew Perry,...
During the telecast, the In Memoriam segment featured Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo performing a moving rendition of “Con te partirò” as pictures of talent who have died flashed on the stage behind them. The segment opened with a tribute to the late Russian political activist Alexei Navalny, who died last month in prison in controversial circumstances.
“You’re not allowed to give up,” Navalny says in a clip from the film Navalny, which won best documentary feature at the 2023 Academy Awards. “If they decide to kill me, it means we are incredibly strong.”
The segment also featured brief photo tributes to the likes of Matthew Perry,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Andrea Bocelli performed a rendition of the song “Time to Say Goodbye” with his son Matteo Bocelli to accompany the Academy’s annual obituary section. Perhaps mindful of previous years, in which eagle-eyed viewers have jumped on omissions, this year’s “In Memoriam” — which began with footage of the recently deceased Russian opposition leader and subject of last year’s winning documentary Navalny — seemed comprehensive but at the same time not enough.
Related: ‘Oppenheimer’ Wins Best Picture Oscar & Six Others; Emma Stone & Cillian Murphy Take Lead Acting Prizes – Full List
Beloved actors Lance Reddick, Treat Williams, Apocalypse Now’s Frederic Forrest, Rocky’s Burt Young all relegated to a fine print reference at the end, along with such writers as Norman Lear and No Country for Old Men’s Cormac McCarthy. Also given afterthought treatment were Kenneth Anger, Terence Davies, Carl Davis, David McCallum, Sinead O’Connor and Paolo Taviani in...
Related: ‘Oppenheimer’ Wins Best Picture Oscar & Six Others; Emma Stone & Cillian Murphy Take Lead Acting Prizes – Full List
Beloved actors Lance Reddick, Treat Williams, Apocalypse Now’s Frederic Forrest, Rocky’s Burt Young all relegated to a fine print reference at the end, along with such writers as Norman Lear and No Country for Old Men’s Cormac McCarthy. Also given afterthought treatment were Kenneth Anger, Terence Davies, Carl Davis, David McCallum, Sinead O’Connor and Paolo Taviani in...
- 3/11/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
The In Memoriam section of the Academy Awards is always one of the most emotional moments of the show. This year was no exception, as the 96th Oscars celebrate the performers, filmmakers and artisan talents who died in the past year. The In Memoriam segment kicked off with a remembrance of Alexei Navalny, the political prisoner who died Feb. 16 and was profiled in last year’s documentary feature winner “Navalny.”
The names unfurled onscreen was Andrea Boccelli and his son, Matteo, sang “Time to Say Goodbye.”
Every year, the Academy leaves a few beloved names out of the montage, causing anger among some viewers. Though a much longer list is presented on the Oscars.org website, outrage over who makes it onscreen is part of the Oscar-watching tradition.
Read more: All the 2024 Oscar winners
This year several beloved late performers and filmmakers didn’t make the main segment, including Treat Williams,...
The names unfurled onscreen was Andrea Boccelli and his son, Matteo, sang “Time to Say Goodbye.”
Every year, the Academy leaves a few beloved names out of the montage, causing anger among some viewers. Though a much longer list is presented on the Oscars.org website, outrage over who makes it onscreen is part of the Oscar-watching tradition.
Read more: All the 2024 Oscar winners
This year several beloved late performers and filmmakers didn’t make the main segment, including Treat Williams,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Alexei Navalny’s sacrifice for democracy is being recognized in the place where the concept of government by the people first flourished.
Greece’s Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival programmed the documentary Navalny in honor of the Russian opposition leader and democratic reformer, who died in an Arctic prison in northern Russia on February 16. The film directed by Daniel Roher won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature almost exactly a year ago.
Navalny examines the anti-corruption crusader’s effort to investigate an incident in 2020 in which he fell grievously ill after being secretly dosed with the neurotoxin Novichok. With help from a Bulgarian investigative journalist, Navalny determined the assassination plot had been implemented by Kremlin agents. After recuperating in Germany, Navalny made the fateful decision to return to Russia in 2021, whereupon he was immediately arrested and later tried and imprisoned.
Alexei Navalny in Moscow’s City Court on May 24, 2022
The TiDF program writes,...
Greece’s Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival programmed the documentary Navalny in honor of the Russian opposition leader and democratic reformer, who died in an Arctic prison in northern Russia on February 16. The film directed by Daniel Roher won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature almost exactly a year ago.
Navalny examines the anti-corruption crusader’s effort to investigate an incident in 2020 in which he fell grievously ill after being secretly dosed with the neurotoxin Novichok. With help from a Bulgarian investigative journalist, Navalny determined the assassination plot had been implemented by Kremlin agents. After recuperating in Germany, Navalny made the fateful decision to return to Russia in 2021, whereupon he was immediately arrested and later tried and imprisoned.
Alexei Navalny in Moscow’s City Court on May 24, 2022
The TiDF program writes,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Weekly Commentary: With the Directors Guild of America and BAFTA Awards in hand, in addition to the tragic news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar-winning “Navalny” last year, “20 Days in Mariupol” is too important to ignore.
Will Win:...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Weekly Commentary: With the Directors Guild of America and BAFTA Awards in hand, in addition to the tragic news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar-winning “Navalny” last year, “20 Days in Mariupol” is too important to ignore.
Will Win:...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
If its wins at the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards did not send enough of a message that “Oppenheimer” is far and away the frontrunner for Best Picture at the 2024 Oscars, the film’s receiving the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at the Producers Guild of America Awards on Sunday, February 25 almost certainly sealed the deal.
In her acceptance speech, “Oppenheimer” executive producer Emma Thomas was quick to to first thank the guild in general for the work that they do, as earlier in the evening, PGA co-presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line announced a historic initiative to fund health insurance for full-time working producers in the guild. After that, however, she was also sure to make note of how writer/director Christopher Nolan (both her husband and business partner) also happens to be “the best producer. He’s absolutely brilliant.”
Nolan himself said that,...
In her acceptance speech, “Oppenheimer” executive producer Emma Thomas was quick to to first thank the guild in general for the work that they do, as earlier in the evening, PGA co-presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line announced a historic initiative to fund health insurance for full-time working producers in the guild. After that, however, she was also sure to make note of how writer/director Christopher Nolan (both her husband and business partner) also happens to be “the best producer. He’s absolutely brilliant.”
Nolan himself said that,...
- 2/26/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTAs) are often quite predictive of the Oscars, as there’s some overlap between BAFTA voters and the Academy. And like last year, the BAFTA winners (along with next Saturday’s SAG Awards) could impact Oscar voting, which commences February 22 and ends February 27, 2024 before the 96th Oscars telecast on Sunday, March 10 on ABC. (See all the winners here.)
While most Academy voters don’t watch the BAFTAs on Britbox, they see who wins, and winning momentum always matters. Last year, “All Quiet on the Western Front” won the Best Film BAFTA as well as Best Director for Edward Berger, who did not repeat at the Oscars, winning a total of four including Best International Feature Film and three craft awards. Eventual Best Picture Oscar winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once” took home just one BAFTA out of ten nominations, for editing,...
While most Academy voters don’t watch the BAFTAs on Britbox, they see who wins, and winning momentum always matters. Last year, “All Quiet on the Western Front” won the Best Film BAFTA as well as Best Director for Edward Berger, who did not repeat at the Oscars, winning a total of four including Best International Feature Film and three craft awards. Eventual Best Picture Oscar winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once” took home just one BAFTA out of ten nominations, for editing,...
- 2/18/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Pussy Riot called Vladimir Putin and the Russian government “murderers” at a protest Sunday in Germany following the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The group’s creator Nadya Tolokonnikova and fellow members of the protest and performance art collective staged the demonstration outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, where a makeshift memorial to Navalny was placed.
“We came with one simple word – ‘Murderers’ He did not just die. He was murdered,” Tolokonnikova said in a statement Sunday of Navalny, who reportedly died of “blood clots” at a Russian prison.
The group’s creator Nadya Tolokonnikova and fellow members of the protest and performance art collective staged the demonstration outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, where a makeshift memorial to Navalny was placed.
“We came with one simple word – ‘Murderers’ He did not just die. He was murdered,” Tolokonnikova said in a statement Sunday of Navalny, who reportedly died of “blood clots” at a Russian prison.
- 2/18/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Jaka Bizilj, the founder of the Berlin-based Cinema for Peace Foundation which organized the airlift from Russia of opposition activist Alexei Navalny after his poisoning in 2020, has responded to his sudden death in an Arctic Circle jail on Friday.
“Seeing the kind of treatment that they were giving him, I’ve been afraid for months that they were going to kill him,” Bizilj told Deadline.
He suggested the writing had been on wall for Navalny ever since the death of Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in August in the wake of his aborted coup over the summer.
“The Prigozhin case, the uprising, showed that Russia is not as stable as we all believed. After the killing of Prigozhin, Navalny was next on the list… I don’t think Putin saw him as an immediate threat but he was afraid of him in the long run,...
“Seeing the kind of treatment that they were giving him, I’ve been afraid for months that they were going to kill him,” Bizilj told Deadline.
He suggested the writing had been on wall for Navalny ever since the death of Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in August in the wake of his aborted coup over the summer.
“The Prigozhin case, the uprising, showed that Russia is not as stable as we all believed. After the killing of Prigozhin, Navalny was next on the list… I don’t think Putin saw him as an immediate threat but he was afraid of him in the long run,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The news of the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny very quickly put a focus on Tucker Carlson, the right-wing talk host who recently trekked to Moscow to interview Vladimir Putin.
Carlson told the Daily Mail today that “it’s horrifying what happened to Navalny. The whole thing is barbaric and awful. No decent person would defend it.”
In the wake of reports of Navalny’s death, Carlson faced another round of backlash after interviewing Putin last week and for subsequent social media posts. In them, Carlson trumpeted a Moscow subway station and a grocery store.
Former congresswoman Liz Cheney wrote on X/Twitter earlier today, “This is what Putin’s Russia is, Tucker Carlson. And you are Putin’s useful idiot. Same with you J.D. Vance and other Putin-wing Republicans who are working to defeat Ukraine in its struggle for freedom.”
Carlson posted his interview with Putin on X/Twitter on Feb.
Carlson told the Daily Mail today that “it’s horrifying what happened to Navalny. The whole thing is barbaric and awful. No decent person would defend it.”
In the wake of reports of Navalny’s death, Carlson faced another round of backlash after interviewing Putin last week and for subsequent social media posts. In them, Carlson trumpeted a Moscow subway station and a grocery store.
Former congresswoman Liz Cheney wrote on X/Twitter earlier today, “This is what Putin’s Russia is, Tucker Carlson. And you are Putin’s useful idiot. Same with you J.D. Vance and other Putin-wing Republicans who are working to defeat Ukraine in its struggle for freedom.”
Carlson posted his interview with Putin on X/Twitter on Feb.
- 2/17/2024
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Daniel Roher is making no secret who he blames for the death behind bars of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, focus of his 2023 Oscar-winning documentary Navalny.
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is responsible for his death. That much is clear,” he told Deadline. “The particulars of how and those sorts of questions I don’t think we know yet, but to me, it’s obvious who is responsible.”
Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service announced Friday that Navalny, 47, had died in a prison in the Arctic Circle, saying he fell ill after taking a walk in the facility. Navalny had been under lock and key at various prisons in Russia after he returned to his homeland in 2021 from Germany, where he had undergone emergency treatment after a near-fatal poisoning attack (an assassination attempt also widely blamed on the Kremlin). Just a day earlier, Navalny had made a court appearance by video from prison, appearing...
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is responsible for his death. That much is clear,” he told Deadline. “The particulars of how and those sorts of questions I don’t think we know yet, but to me, it’s obvious who is responsible.”
Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service announced Friday that Navalny, 47, had died in a prison in the Arctic Circle, saying he fell ill after taking a walk in the facility. Navalny had been under lock and key at various prisons in Russia after he returned to his homeland in 2021 from Germany, where he had undergone emergency treatment after a near-fatal poisoning attack (an assassination attempt also widely blamed on the Kremlin). Just a day earlier, Navalny had made a court appearance by video from prison, appearing...
- 2/16/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Following Alexei Navalny’s death at 47 on February 16, the filmmaking team behind the winner of the best documentary feature Oscar at 2023’s Academy Awards has released a statement. The film, simply titled “Navalny” and directed by Daniel Roher, beat top competition, including “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” and “All That Breathes,” to win the prize.
“We are all overcome with emotions today,” the statement, attributed to the entire filmmaking team collectively, begins. “Pain, sadness, and most of all anger. Alexei was a light who, along with his family, made the greatest of sacrifices to fight against Putin and his vile regime. Alexei built his organization and his movement to survive even if he did not.
“The fight against corruption, against authoritarianism, and against the war in Ukraine continues. The fight for democracy must go on. The most important thing we learned from Alexei lived in his spirit, the way...
“We are all overcome with emotions today,” the statement, attributed to the entire filmmaking team collectively, begins. “Pain, sadness, and most of all anger. Alexei was a light who, along with his family, made the greatest of sacrifices to fight against Putin and his vile regime. Alexei built his organization and his movement to survive even if he did not.
“The fight against corruption, against authoritarianism, and against the war in Ukraine continues. The fight for democracy must go on. The most important thing we learned from Alexei lived in his spirit, the way...
- 2/16/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Joe Biden said that he was “both not surprised and outraged” by the reported death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny in prison, blaming it on Vladimir Putin.
The news networks broke away from coverage of the Fani Willis hearing in Georgia — which featured her father on the witness stand today — to carry the president’s remarks.
“Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said in the Roosevelt Room.
Related: Tucker Carlson Condemns Alexei Navalny’s Death As “Barbaric” Days After Trumpeting Vladimir Putin’s Russia
He then paid tribute to Navalny, noting that he returned to Russia even after attempts to poison him.
Related: Real-Life Thriller: Top Oscar Contender ‘Navalny’ Investigates Poisoning Of Russian Opposition Leader
Biden also blasted former President Donald Trump for stating last weekend that, if he returns to the White House, he may not come to the defense of NATO allies...
The news networks broke away from coverage of the Fani Willis hearing in Georgia — which featured her father on the witness stand today — to carry the president’s remarks.
“Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said in the Roosevelt Room.
Related: Tucker Carlson Condemns Alexei Navalny’s Death As “Barbaric” Days After Trumpeting Vladimir Putin’s Russia
He then paid tribute to Navalny, noting that he returned to Russia even after attempts to poison him.
Related: Real-Life Thriller: Top Oscar Contender ‘Navalny’ Investigates Poisoning Of Russian Opposition Leader
Biden also blasted former President Donald Trump for stating last weekend that, if he returns to the White House, he may not come to the defense of NATO allies...
- 2/16/2024
- by Ted Johnson and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Alexei Navalny is dead at the age of 47, following three years of incarceration in Russia. He was the most prominent opposition leader to stand against Vladimir Putin during his 24-year dictatorship.
Navalny was also a documentary filmmaker, directing and producing videos on behalf of the organization he founded in 2011, the Anti-Corruption Foundation. His last work before being imprisoned, and arguably his magnum opus, is “Putin’s Palace,” a 112-minute takedown of the leader’s corruption, written, narrated, and directed (though uncredited) by Navalny, which has received over 129 million views on his YouTube channel.
The opposition leader was also the subject of the Oscar-winning CNN Films documentary, “Navalny,” directed by Daniel Roher. It’s a clip from that film that’s gone viral in the hours after the Russian prison where he was being held announced Navalny’s death. (Russian officials attributed his death to a blood clot.) The prison is a...
Navalny was also a documentary filmmaker, directing and producing videos on behalf of the organization he founded in 2011, the Anti-Corruption Foundation. His last work before being imprisoned, and arguably his magnum opus, is “Putin’s Palace,” a 112-minute takedown of the leader’s corruption, written, narrated, and directed (though uncredited) by Navalny, which has received over 129 million views on his YouTube channel.
The opposition leader was also the subject of the Oscar-winning CNN Films documentary, “Navalny,” directed by Daniel Roher. It’s a clip from that film that’s gone viral in the hours after the Russian prison where he was being held announced Navalny’s death. (Russian officials attributed his death to a blood clot.) The prison is a...
- 2/16/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Navalny director Daniel Roher and his partners on the Oscar- and Bafta-winning 2022 documentary have reacted to the news that Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, is reported to have died in a Russian prison camp aged 47.
Speaking to Screendaily on Friday night Roher said: “From a political perspective Navalny was steadfast in his commitment to democracy, fighting corruption, and ushering in what he called the Russia of the future. That was his dream and everything he did was focused on achieving those objectives.”
He added, “From a personal standpoint he was someone who had an extremely moral clarity. He lived by his conscience,...
Speaking to Screendaily on Friday night Roher said: “From a political perspective Navalny was steadfast in his commitment to democracy, fighting corruption, and ushering in what he called the Russia of the future. That was his dream and everything he did was focused on achieving those objectives.”
He added, “From a personal standpoint he was someone who had an extremely moral clarity. He lived by his conscience,...
- 2/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Partners on Daniel Roher’s Oscar- and Bafta-winning 2022 documentary Navalny have been reacting to the news that Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, is reported to have died in a Russian prison camp aged 47.
A statement given to Screen on Friday evening attributed to the film team on the documentary read: ”We are all overcome with emotions today. Pain, sadness, and most of all anger. Alexei was a light who, along with his family, made the greatest of sacrifices to fight against Putin and his vile regime. Alexei built his organization and his movement to survive even if he did not.
A statement given to Screen on Friday evening attributed to the film team on the documentary read: ”We are all overcome with emotions today. Pain, sadness, and most of all anger. Alexei was a light who, along with his family, made the greatest of sacrifices to fight against Putin and his vile regime. Alexei built his organization and his movement to survive even if he did not.
- 2/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader and subject of the Oscar-winning 2022 documentary “Navalny,” died in jail on Friday, according to Russia’s state prison service. He was 47.
The Associated Press reported that Russia’s Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny “felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness.” Emergency services arrived and tried to revive him, but he had died.
Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that she had not received confirmation of his death yet. “Alexey’s lawyer is currently on his way to Kharp,” she wrote. “As soon as we have some information, we will report on it.”
Considered one of Putin’s harshest critics, Navalny was moved late last year to an Arctic penal colony, one of Russia’s toughest jails. He was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism.
Navalny had been imprisoned since...
The Associated Press reported that Russia’s Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny “felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness.” Emergency services arrived and tried to revive him, but he had died.
Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that she had not received confirmation of his death yet. “Alexey’s lawyer is currently on his way to Kharp,” she wrote. “As soon as we have some information, we will report on it.”
Considered one of Putin’s harshest critics, Navalny was moved late last year to an Arctic penal colony, one of Russia’s toughest jails. He was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism.
Navalny had been imprisoned since...
- 2/16/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in prison inside the Arctic Circle, according to reports from Russian news agencies quoting the prison service.
Navalny was aged 47; the Yamalo-Nenets district prison service is establishing the cause of his death, according to Tass news agency.
A vocal critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Navalny was the subject of Daniel Roher’s US documentary Navalny, which won the Oscar and Bafta for best documentary in 2023.
Navalny premiered at Sundance, winning the audience award in the US documentary competition, and went on to play festivals including Doc NYC and Cph:dox.
The film relayed...
Navalny was aged 47; the Yamalo-Nenets district prison service is establishing the cause of his death, according to Tass news agency.
A vocal critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Navalny was the subject of Daniel Roher’s US documentary Navalny, which won the Oscar and Bafta for best documentary in 2023.
Navalny premiered at Sundance, winning the audience award in the US documentary competition, and went on to play festivals including Doc NYC and Cph:dox.
The film relayed...
- 2/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Alexei Navalny, who has led the main opposition to Vladimir Putin for years and was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, has died, according to state reports citing the Russian prison service. He was 47.
The BBC quoted the Russian prison service as saying Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday and “almost immediately lost consciousness.” The local Tass News agency reported that a cause of death is still being established.
Navalny is globally recognized as the most vocal Russian critic of Putin across the past two decades. He had spent the past few years, and many years of his adult life, in prison. Most recently, he was serving a 19-year jail term for offenses that were widely deemed to be politically motivated.
He was moved to an Arctic penal colony, considered one of the toughest jails, late last year.
Related: ‘Navalny’ Trailer: Documentary On Outspoken Putin Critic Who Dared...
The BBC quoted the Russian prison service as saying Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday and “almost immediately lost consciousness.” The local Tass News agency reported that a cause of death is still being established.
Navalny is globally recognized as the most vocal Russian critic of Putin across the past two decades. He had spent the past few years, and many years of his adult life, in prison. Most recently, he was serving a 19-year jail term for offenses that were widely deemed to be politically motivated.
He was moved to an Arctic penal colony, considered one of the toughest jails, late last year.
Related: ‘Navalny’ Trailer: Documentary On Outspoken Putin Critic Who Dared...
- 2/16/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival winners are in, with films like “In the Summers,” “Didi,” and “Daughters” dominating across the categories. “In the Summers” filmmaker Alessandra Lacorazza, whose film centers on a fractured family in New Mexico, also won the Directing prize in U.S. Dramatic.
On Friday, January 26, the winners of juried prizes were shared out of the competition sections, including the U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, and the Next lineup.
The 2024 Sundance jury consisted of 16 filmmakers and artists across all sections, with the U.S. Dramatic Competition jury made up of “Winter’s Bone” director/co-writer Debra Granik, “Shortcomings” screenwriter Adrian Tomine, and “Master of None” producer Lena Waithe.
“Navalny” producer Shane Boris, “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” director Nicole Newnham, and “The Sentence” director Rudy Valdez serve on the U.S. Documentary Competition jury, with “The Babadook” director Jennifer Kent,...
On Friday, January 26, the winners of juried prizes were shared out of the competition sections, including the U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, and the Next lineup.
The 2024 Sundance jury consisted of 16 filmmakers and artists across all sections, with the U.S. Dramatic Competition jury made up of “Winter’s Bone” director/co-writer Debra Granik, “Shortcomings” screenwriter Adrian Tomine, and “Master of None” producer Lena Waithe.
“Navalny” producer Shane Boris, “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” director Nicole Newnham, and “The Sentence” director Rudy Valdez serve on the U.S. Documentary Competition jury, with “The Babadook” director Jennifer Kent,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
With final voting complete, the 96th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 10 and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt. We update predictions through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2024 Oscar picks.
The State of the Race
With a fragile theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers, many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.
And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. Last year, three Sundance grads — eventual Oscar nominees “Fire of Love” (Neon), “All that Breathes” (HBO), and the winner, “Navalny” (CNN) — were actively campaigning.
One Sundance World Cinema entry that built a following during the year was Pulitzer Prize winner Mstyslav Chernov...
The State of the Race
With a fragile theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers, many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.
And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. Last year, three Sundance grads — eventual Oscar nominees “Fire of Love” (Neon), “All that Breathes” (HBO), and the winner, “Navalny” (CNN) — were actively campaigning.
One Sundance World Cinema entry that built a following during the year was Pulitzer Prize winner Mstyslav Chernov...
- 1/23/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The First Weekend of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Saw the Debut of a New Wave of Oscar Contenders
While “Oscars” sometimes gets treated like a dirty word that may pull focus from the hundreds of films premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the past few days on the ground in Park City, Utah have been a big reminder of the increased interconnectivity between the festival and the Academy Awards.
For example, the first night of this year’s fest saw current Best Supporting Actor frontrunner Robert Downey Jr. give his “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan the inaugural Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award at the opening night gala. That same event also saw “May December” and “Past Lives” producer Christine Vachon present the Vanguard Award for Fiction to multiple Oscar contender Celine Song, the filmmaker behind the latter film, which premiered at the festival last year.
Actors like Colman Domingo and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who have made waves this awards season with their performances in “Rustin” and “Origin,” also happen to be at Sundance with other projects,...
For example, the first night of this year’s fest saw current Best Supporting Actor frontrunner Robert Downey Jr. give his “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan the inaugural Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award at the opening night gala. That same event also saw “May December” and “Past Lives” producer Christine Vachon present the Vanguard Award for Fiction to multiple Oscar contender Celine Song, the filmmaker behind the latter film, which premiered at the festival last year.
Actors like Colman Domingo and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who have made waves this awards season with their performances in “Rustin” and “Origin,” also happen to be at Sundance with other projects,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
To mark the festival’s fortieth anniversary all 16 of this year’s jurors are festival alumni.
Lena Waithe, Mira Nair and Shaunak Sen are among the 16 jurors who will choose award winners in six competitive sections at this month’s Sundance Film Festival.
To mark the fortieth edition of the US festival, which runs January 18-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City, all 16 jurors are festival alumni. In addition to serving on juries they will participate in talks, panels and other events to mark the festival milestone.
Awards for feature films in five competition sections of the festival will...
Lena Waithe, Mira Nair and Shaunak Sen are among the 16 jurors who will choose award winners in six competitive sections at this month’s Sundance Film Festival.
To mark the fortieth edition of the US festival, which runs January 18-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City, all 16 jurors are festival alumni. In addition to serving on juries they will participate in talks, panels and other events to mark the festival milestone.
Awards for feature films in five competition sections of the festival will...
- 1/3/2024
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival jury has officially been unveiled, with 16 filmmakers and artists on the juries across sections.
Multi-hyphenate producer Lena Waithe, actor Danny Pudi, and directors Debra Granik, Nicole Newnham, Jennifer Kent, Christina Oh, and Charlotte Regan are just a sampling of filmmakers who have had projects at prior Sundance festivals. All of this year’s jury members are Sundance alums to mark the festival’s 40th anniversary.
The 2024 Festival will take place January 18 through 28 in-person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah along with a selection of films available online across the country from January 25 through 28. Many of the jurors will participate in 2024 festival programming, including announcing the awards on January 26. Awards across five categories will be honored at an intimate award ceremony held at The Ray Theatre in Park City; the short film jury winners will be announced at the Shorts Awards & Party presented by Argo...
Multi-hyphenate producer Lena Waithe, actor Danny Pudi, and directors Debra Granik, Nicole Newnham, Jennifer Kent, Christina Oh, and Charlotte Regan are just a sampling of filmmakers who have had projects at prior Sundance festivals. All of this year’s jury members are Sundance alums to mark the festival’s 40th anniversary.
The 2024 Festival will take place January 18 through 28 in-person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah along with a selection of films available online across the country from January 25 through 28. Many of the jurors will participate in 2024 festival programming, including announcing the awards on January 26. Awards across five categories will be honored at an intimate award ceremony held at The Ray Theatre in Park City; the short film jury winners will be announced at the Shorts Awards & Party presented by Argo...
- 1/3/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Clockwise from bottom left: The Mother Of All Lies (TIFF), Bobi Wine: The People’s President (National Geographic), The Eternal Memory (Screenshot: YouTube), and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple TV+)Graphic: The A.V. Club
In the age of the internet, the world has become smaller, more connected—and a lot messier.
In the age of the internet, the world has become smaller, more connected—and a lot messier.
- 12/27/2023
- by Brent Simon
- avclub.com
The Producers Guild of America has officially announced its first wave of 2024 nominees ahead of the final round of voting for the 35th annual PGA Awards.
Comprised of more than 8,400 producers, the guild first nominated seven documentaries for the Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures category at the 35th annual Producers Guild of America Awards on February 25.
“American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “The Disappearance of Shere Hite,” “Beyond Utopia,” “The Mother of All Lies,” “Squaring the Circle,” and “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” are the nominees. “20 Days in Mariupol” and “Beyond Utopia” additionally placed in IndieWire’s critics survey of the best films of the year. Last year, “Navalny” producers Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris were honored with the PGA Award and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The PGA Award nominees for Sports, Children’s and Short Form Television Programs were then announced,...
Comprised of more than 8,400 producers, the guild first nominated seven documentaries for the Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures category at the 35th annual Producers Guild of America Awards on February 25.
“American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “The Disappearance of Shere Hite,” “Beyond Utopia,” “The Mother of All Lies,” “Squaring the Circle,” and “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” are the nominees. “20 Days in Mariupol” and “Beyond Utopia” additionally placed in IndieWire’s critics survey of the best films of the year. Last year, “Navalny” producers Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris were honored with the PGA Award and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The PGA Award nominees for Sports, Children’s and Short Form Television Programs were then announced,...
- 12/15/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the seven titles nominated for its 2024 Documentary Motion Picture award on December 12. Each of the films will advance to the final round of voting for the 35th Annual Producers Guild Awards which will take place on Sunday, February 25.
The films nominated for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures are:
“20 Days in Mariupol”
“American Symphony”
“Beyond Utopia”
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite”
“The Mother of All Lies”
“Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”
“Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)”
Recognition from the PGA is not always a reliable indicator of which direction AMPAS will go in determining the Oscar winner. Though PGA and AMPAS matched on their winners over the last three years with “Navalny,” “Summer of Soul,” and “My Octopus Teacher,” they differed the three years before that when the PGA winners “Apollo 11” (2019), “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (2018), and “Jane” (2017) weren’t even nominated for the Oscar.
The films nominated for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures are:
“20 Days in Mariupol”
“American Symphony”
“Beyond Utopia”
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite”
“The Mother of All Lies”
“Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”
“Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)”
Recognition from the PGA is not always a reliable indicator of which direction AMPAS will go in determining the Oscar winner. Though PGA and AMPAS matched on their winners over the last three years with “Navalny,” “Summer of Soul,” and “My Octopus Teacher,” they differed the three years before that when the PGA winners “Apollo 11” (2019), “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (2018), and “Jane” (2017) weren’t even nominated for the Oscar.
- 12/13/2023
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
By Glenn Charlie Dunks
The Academy has announced the long list for this year’s Best Documentary Feature category. 168 titles have qualified for members of the doc branch to whittle down to a 15-wide shortlist and then a nominated five. That figure is higher than last year, which had 144 eligible titles and which culminated in a win for Daniel Roher’s Navalny.
If you were to ask me right now what titles I expect to find on this year’s shortlist, I might say the following: Against the Tide (Sarvnik Kaur), American Symphony (Matthew Heineman), Anonymous Sister (Jamie Boyle), The Eternal Memory (Maite Alberdi), Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania), Lakota Nation vs United States, Little Richard: I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés), The Mission, Occupied City (Steve McQueen), Silver Dollar Road (Raoul Peck), Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Anna Hints), A Still Small Voice (Luke Lorentzen), Still: A Michael J Fox Movie (Davis Guggenheim...
The Academy has announced the long list for this year’s Best Documentary Feature category. 168 titles have qualified for members of the doc branch to whittle down to a 15-wide shortlist and then a nominated five. That figure is higher than last year, which had 144 eligible titles and which culminated in a win for Daniel Roher’s Navalny.
If you were to ask me right now what titles I expect to find on this year’s shortlist, I might say the following: Against the Tide (Sarvnik Kaur), American Symphony (Matthew Heineman), Anonymous Sister (Jamie Boyle), The Eternal Memory (Maite Alberdi), Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania), Lakota Nation vs United States, Little Richard: I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés), The Mission, Occupied City (Steve McQueen), Silver Dollar Road (Raoul Peck), Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Anna Hints), A Still Small Voice (Luke Lorentzen), Still: A Michael J Fox Movie (Davis Guggenheim...
- 12/10/2023
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
In a sense, Central Appalachia is as threatened by climate change as much as any other place on Earth.
Since the 1970s alone, 2 billion tons of coal have been extracted from the region, providing fuel for a highly industrialized nation and jobs for thousands in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and surrounding areas. But as the single biggest contributor to rising global temperatures, the energy source is being phased out, and with it an entire way of life.
The impact of coal on Central Appalachia – the economy, the people, the culture – is explored in King Coal, directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon, a native of the region. She appears on the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss her feature documentary, winner of awards at film festivals across the country. The film is produced by McMillion Sheldon, Peggy Drexler, and Shane Boris and Diane Becker, two of the Oscar-winning producers of Navalny.
Since the 1970s alone, 2 billion tons of coal have been extracted from the region, providing fuel for a highly industrialized nation and jobs for thousands in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and surrounding areas. But as the single biggest contributor to rising global temperatures, the energy source is being phased out, and with it an entire way of life.
The impact of coal on Central Appalachia – the economy, the people, the culture – is explored in King Coal, directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon, a native of the region. She appears on the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss her feature documentary, winner of awards at film festivals across the country. The film is produced by McMillion Sheldon, Peggy Drexler, and Shane Boris and Diane Becker, two of the Oscar-winning producers of Navalny.
- 11/28/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Cinema Eye Honors, a group the recognizes excellence in the artistry and craft of nonfiction filmmaking, announced the nominees for its 17th annual awards on Thursday, November 16th. The seven films nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Feature are “20 Days in Mariupol,” “32 Sounds,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Four Daughters,” “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” “Kokomo City,” and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.” Ceh will present the winners at the annual awards ceremony to be held on January 12, 2024.
Leading the pack with six overall nominations is “Kokomo City,” a debut film from director D. Smith about the lives of four black trans sex workers. Smith was nominated for Outstanding Debut and Outstanding Direction. The film’s other three nominations were for Cinematography and Sound Design, as well as among The Unforgettables selection.
See Key dates for Best Documentary Feature contenders
Also earning nominations for their debut film was Mstyslav Chernov...
Leading the pack with six overall nominations is “Kokomo City,” a debut film from director D. Smith about the lives of four black trans sex workers. Smith was nominated for Outstanding Debut and Outstanding Direction. The film’s other three nominations were for Cinematography and Sound Design, as well as among The Unforgettables selection.
See Key dates for Best Documentary Feature contenders
Also earning nominations for their debut film was Mstyslav Chernov...
- 11/17/2023
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
It’s a sweep! The Critics Choice Association revealed the winners for its 8th annual documentary awards on Sunday, November 12, 2023, and one film claimed all five of the awards it was nominated for. Though it trailed “American Symphony” in bids going into the night, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” prevailed as the night’s biggest winner, taking home prizes in all five of its categories, including Best Documentary. The film’s other wins went to Davis Guggenheim in Best Director, Michael Harte in Best Editing, and in Best Narration and Best Biographical Documentary.
“American Symphony,” the nomination leader with six, took home two prizes: Jon Batiste won Best Score and the film was named Best Music Documentary. The other two-time winners were “20 Days in Mariupol,” Best First Documentary Feature and Best Political Documentary, and “The Deepest Breath,” Best Cinematography and Best Sports Documentary.
If, like us, you’re...
“American Symphony,” the nomination leader with six, took home two prizes: Jon Batiste won Best Score and the film was named Best Music Documentary. The other two-time winners were “20 Days in Mariupol,” Best First Documentary Feature and Best Political Documentary, and “The Deepest Breath,” Best Cinematography and Best Sports Documentary.
If, like us, you’re...
- 11/13/2023
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
For the 10th year in a row, the Scad Savannah Film Festival, the 26th edition of which ran from Oct. 21 through Oct. 28, was the place to be for documentary filmmakers and documentary lovers — specifically on Oct. 25, when The Hollywood Reporter presented and your humble correspondent hosted the fest’s Docs to Watch panel that brings together the directors of up to 10 of the year’s finest documentary features.
Over the past nine years, 45 films were nominated for the best documentary feature Oscar, 19 of which were first highlighted as Docs to Watch. And in seven of those nine years, one of the Docs to Watch went on to win the best documentary feature Oscar: 2015’s Amy, 2016’s O.J.: Made in America, 2017’s Icarus, 2018’s Free Solo, 2019’s American Factory, 2021’s Summer of Soul and 2022’s Navalny. (The other two eventual winners — 2014’s Citizenfour and 2020’s My Octopus Teacher — were not screened...
Over the past nine years, 45 films were nominated for the best documentary feature Oscar, 19 of which were first highlighted as Docs to Watch. And in seven of those nine years, one of the Docs to Watch went on to win the best documentary feature Oscar: 2015’s Amy, 2016’s O.J.: Made in America, 2017’s Icarus, 2018’s Free Solo, 2019’s American Factory, 2021’s Summer of Soul and 2022’s Navalny. (The other two eventual winners — 2014’s Citizenfour and 2020’s My Octopus Teacher — were not screened...
- 11/4/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the race to win Best Documentary Feature of the year at the Oscars, there are a slew of precursor prizes along the way. The five groups that are the best at previewing the Academy Awards contenders are: the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda), the Doc NYC film festival, Cinema Eye Honors (Ceh), International Documentary Association (IDA), and the Producers Guild Awards (PGA).
“Navalny” (2022), “Summer of Soul” (2021), and “American Factory (2019) were each recognized by all five groups before prevailing at the Oscars. Other recent champs earned prizes from a few of the groups as well: “My Octopus Teacher” (2020) began its run with a Ccda nomination and PGA win and “Free Solo” (2018) earned notices from all except Ceh.
Below are key dates for announcements from these groups:
Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards
Nominations: October 16, 2023 Winners: November 12, 2023
Doc NYC
Short List lineup: October 17, 2023
Cinema Eye Honors
Nominations: Tba Winners: Tba
International Documentary Association...
“Navalny” (2022), “Summer of Soul” (2021), and “American Factory (2019) were each recognized by all five groups before prevailing at the Oscars. Other recent champs earned prizes from a few of the groups as well: “My Octopus Teacher” (2020) began its run with a Ccda nomination and PGA win and “Free Solo” (2018) earned notices from all except Ceh.
Below are key dates for announcements from these groups:
Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards
Nominations: October 16, 2023 Winners: November 12, 2023
Doc NYC
Short List lineup: October 17, 2023
Cinema Eye Honors
Nominations: Tba Winners: Tba
International Documentary Association...
- 10/26/2023
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
The Critics Choice Association just unveiled the nominees for its 8th annual documentary awards. Topping the list is “American Symphony” with six bids, including Best Documentary, Best Director for Matthew Heineman, and notices in Cinematography, Editing, and Music Documentary. Heineman is the Oscar nominated director of “Cartel Land” from 2015. The sixth nomination for “American Symphony” is for Best Score thanks to 2022’s Grammy Award recipient for Album of the Year, Jon Batiste. You may recognize another Aoty winner in the Ccda’s lineup — Taylor Swift‘s record breaking concert movie “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is also nominated for Music Documentary.
Just behind “American Symphony” are three films that received five nominations each: “20 Days in Mariupol” from Mstyslav Chernov, “Kokomo City” from D. Smith, and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” from Davis Guggenheim, who is also nominated for Director. The other directors that were heralded for their films...
Just behind “American Symphony” are three films that received five nominations each: “20 Days in Mariupol” from Mstyslav Chernov, “Kokomo City” from D. Smith, and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” from Davis Guggenheim, who is also nominated for Director. The other directors that were heralded for their films...
- 10/24/2023
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
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
Thirteen-year-old Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has revealed its influential 15-film Short List. The festival will run its main lineup of 114 features and 129 short films in-person November 8-16 in New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East by Angelika and continue online until November 26 with films available to viewers across the U.S. All the films will have theatrical screenings at the festival, often with the directors in person.
Historically, most of the Doc NYC shortlist titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix’s Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” for 11 years the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “Navalny,” “Summer of Soul,” “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.” The festival has also screened 49 of the last 55 Oscar-nominated documentary features.
Historically, most of the Doc NYC shortlist titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix’s Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” for 11 years the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “Navalny,” “Summer of Soul,” “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.” The festival has also screened 49 of the last 55 Oscar-nominated documentary features.
- 10/17/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony” leads all films with six nominations for the 8th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Association announced on Monday.
The film, a Netflix doc that follows musician Jon Batiste and his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, as Batiste prepares a composition for Carnegie Hall and Jaouad battles the return of her cancer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Music Documentary categories. Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s “Kokomo City” and Davis Guggenhein’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” received five nominations each.
Apart from “American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City” and “Still,” films nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” “The Mission” and “Stamped From the Beginning.”
All of those films received nominations in multiple categories,...
The film, a Netflix doc that follows musician Jon Batiste and his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, as Batiste prepares a composition for Carnegie Hall and Jaouad battles the return of her cancer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Music Documentary categories. Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s “Kokomo City” and Davis Guggenhein’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” received five nominations each.
Apart from “American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City” and “Still,” films nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” “The Mission” and “Stamped From the Beginning.”
All of those films received nominations in multiple categories,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The open beta for CNN Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s 24/7 streaming news offering, officially launched to Max subscribers on Wednesday, and largely mirrors the company’s linear TV lineup.
CNN Max features live programming from CNN US and CNN International, including:
Monday-Friday (Et)
5:00Am-6:00Am Early Start with Kasie Hunt
6:00Am-8:00Am CNN This Morning with Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly
8:00Am-10:00Am CNN Newsroom with Amara Walker, Fredricka Whitfield and Jim Acosta
10:00Am-11:00Am CNN Newsroom with Rahel Solomon
11:00Am-12:00Pm State of the Race with Kasie Hunt
12:00Pm-1:00Pm One World with Zain Asher & Bianna Golodryga
1:00Pm-2:00Pm Amanpour
2:00Pm-3:00Pm CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto
3:00Pm-4:00Pm Quest Means Business
4:00Pm-6:00Pm The Lead with Jake Tapper
6:00Pm-7:00Pm The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer...
CNN Max features live programming from CNN US and CNN International, including:
Monday-Friday (Et)
5:00Am-6:00Am Early Start with Kasie Hunt
6:00Am-8:00Am CNN This Morning with Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly
8:00Am-10:00Am CNN Newsroom with Amara Walker, Fredricka Whitfield and Jim Acosta
10:00Am-11:00Am CNN Newsroom with Rahel Solomon
11:00Am-12:00Pm State of the Race with Kasie Hunt
12:00Pm-1:00Pm One World with Zain Asher & Bianna Golodryga
1:00Pm-2:00Pm Amanpour
2:00Pm-3:00Pm CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto
3:00Pm-4:00Pm Quest Means Business
4:00Pm-6:00Pm The Lead with Jake Tapper
6:00Pm-7:00Pm The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer...
- 9/27/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Exclusive: The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival announced the lineup for the 32nd edition of North America’s longest-running all doc festival, a slate that includes several world premieres and a slew of Academy Award-contending films. In addition, Hot Springs announced Oscar-winning actress Mary Steenburgen, an Arkansas native, will serve as honorary chair of the event in the resort town located in the scenic Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas.
Filmmaker, artist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Sky Hopinka will receive the Hsdff Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award at this year’s festival; Diane Becker and Shane Boris, two of the Oscar-winning producers of Navalny, will earn the Impact Award. The festival runs from Oct. 6-14.
Musician Kishi Bashi, aka Kaoru Ishibashi
Among the world premieres happening at Hsdff are A Song Film by Kishi Bashi: Omoiyari, directed by Justin Taylor Smith...
Filmmaker, artist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Sky Hopinka will receive the Hsdff Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award at this year’s festival; Diane Becker and Shane Boris, two of the Oscar-winning producers of Navalny, will earn the Impact Award. The festival runs from Oct. 6-14.
Musician Kishi Bashi, aka Kaoru Ishibashi
Among the world premieres happening at Hsdff are A Song Film by Kishi Bashi: Omoiyari, directed by Justin Taylor Smith...
- 9/20/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
As U.S. streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime make greater inroads into the Canadian market, a stateside trend has shown up north of the border: Less local coin for feature documentaries as broadcasters chase docu-series.
The Documentary Organization of Canada, releasing its latest Get Real report on Sept. 12, said local TV networks are backing more documentary series that look very much like reality TV series. “Now, when we talk about documentary production in Canada, we are increasingly talking about series,” Doc’s executive director Sarah Spring said in a statement as the seventh Get Real report was released.
Canadian filmmakers have long burnished their image with award-winning theatrical documentaries like Daniel Roher’s Oscar-winning Navalny. But the Doc report argues that, going forward, Canadian broadcasters have less appetite for one-off feature documentaries with points-of-view and sophisticated storylines, as they increasingly push for glorified reality TV series via docu-series.
That...
The Documentary Organization of Canada, releasing its latest Get Real report on Sept. 12, said local TV networks are backing more documentary series that look very much like reality TV series. “Now, when we talk about documentary production in Canada, we are increasingly talking about series,” Doc’s executive director Sarah Spring said in a statement as the seventh Get Real report was released.
Canadian filmmakers have long burnished their image with award-winning theatrical documentaries like Daniel Roher’s Oscar-winning Navalny. But the Doc report argues that, going forward, Canadian broadcasters have less appetite for one-off feature documentaries with points-of-view and sophisticated storylines, as they increasingly push for glorified reality TV series via docu-series.
That...
- 9/12/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Karim Amer has made documentaries about seismic geopolitical events as they unfolded before. In the Oscar-nominated documentary The Square — which he produced — footage of the chaos and carnage in Cairo’s Tahrir Square helped offer an uniquely immersive account of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
But nothing he’d made previously compares to Defiant, premiering in Toronto on Sep. 9 and capturing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the unique perspective of key decision makers in Kiev — including minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba — politicians suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into a wartime government.
“The stakes are so high, because it’s the largest conflict we’ve seen since WWII and anything could happen,” says Amer, who swapped his producer hat for director, teaming up with longtime producer Mike Lerner (The Square, Hell and Back Again) and Odessa Rae, a newly-minted Oscar-winner for Navalny.
Access is absolute key for a film like Defiant,...
But nothing he’d made previously compares to Defiant, premiering in Toronto on Sep. 9 and capturing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the unique perspective of key decision makers in Kiev — including minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba — politicians suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into a wartime government.
“The stakes are so high, because it’s the largest conflict we’ve seen since WWII and anything could happen,” says Amer, who swapped his producer hat for director, teaming up with longtime producer Mike Lerner (The Square, Hell and Back Again) and Odessa Rae, a newly-minted Oscar-winner for Navalny.
Access is absolute key for a film like Defiant,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: The Oscar-winning team behind Navalny is embarking on its next project, a National Geographic documentary under the working title Blink of an Eye. It will focus on the Pelletier family, “a happy, adventurous family of six,” who decided to go on a world tour after learning three of their children would soon lose their vision.
Navalny’s Daniel Roher is directing with Edmund Stenson, who will make his feature debut on the film. MRC and Fishbowl Films are producing, with Fishbowl’s Melanie Miller and Diane Becker on board to produce. They won Academy Awards for producing Navalny (along with fellow producers Shane Boris and Odessa Rae).
The Pelletier’s world “was changed forever when they found out three of the four children were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, incurable disorder that leads to permanent blindness,” noted a release about the documentary. “Edith Lemay and Sebastian Pelletier decide...
Navalny’s Daniel Roher is directing with Edmund Stenson, who will make his feature debut on the film. MRC and Fishbowl Films are producing, with Fishbowl’s Melanie Miller and Diane Becker on board to produce. They won Academy Awards for producing Navalny (along with fellow producers Shane Boris and Odessa Rae).
The Pelletier’s world “was changed forever when they found out three of the four children were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, incurable disorder that leads to permanent blindness,” noted a release about the documentary. “Edith Lemay and Sebastian Pelletier decide...
- 9/1/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When the last American transport plane left the tarmac at Kabul’s international airport in August 2021, ending a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and marking an unceremonious conclusion to what had been known as the “forever war,” the U.S. left more than unfulfilled promises and unanswered questions in its wake: Also left behind was more than $7 billion in military equipment, now in the hands of an Islamist government that rose to power not at the ballot box, but at the barrel of a gun.
What would become of all that sophisticated weaponry is a question that hung over the heads of the war-weary Afghan people, who after two decades of American occupation and brutal Taliban insurgency saw their dwindling hopes of democracy fade to black. It is a question, too, that hangs over “Hollywoodgate,” an arresting, verité portrait of the Taliban’s transition from a fundamentalist militia to a military...
What would become of all that sophisticated weaponry is a question that hung over the heads of the war-weary Afghan people, who after two decades of American occupation and brutal Taliban insurgency saw their dwindling hopes of democracy fade to black. It is a question, too, that hangs over “Hollywoodgate,” an arresting, verité portrait of the Taliban’s transition from a fundamentalist militia to a military...
- 8/31/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
A year and a half after the demise of erstwhile streaming service CNN+, Warner Bros. Discovery is getting back into the news-streaming business in a big way as it was announced on Thursday that the company’s flagship streamer, Max, would begin hosting a 24-hour stream of CNN programming on Sept. 27. The newly named CNN Max will be available in the United States and will “leverage CNN’s reporting excellence, global newsgathering, and live programming from CNN US, CNN International, and feature original programming built specifically for Max.”
7-Day Free Trial $9.99+ / month Max via amazon.com
Get 20% Off Your Next Year of Max When Pre-Paid Annually
While this offering will not be an exact live stream of CNN’s cable broadcast, it will feature new shows created specifically for streaming, “CNN Newsroom” featuring CNN anchors Jim Acosta, Jim Sciutto, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker, and Fredricka Whitfield. Sciutto will also lead breaking...
7-Day Free Trial $9.99+ / month Max via amazon.com
Get 20% Off Your Next Year of Max When Pre-Paid Annually
While this offering will not be an exact live stream of CNN’s cable broadcast, it will feature new shows created specifically for streaming, “CNN Newsroom” featuring CNN anchors Jim Acosta, Jim Sciutto, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker, and Fredricka Whitfield. Sciutto will also lead breaking...
- 8/24/2023
- by Matt Tamanini
- The Streamable
The Venice Film Festival is rolling out a juried impact award that will mark the first time a major film festival has awarded a prize focused solely on impact.
Impact campaigns are crafted around documentaries and some narrative films that have strong social or political messages that can inspire action among audiences and the industry at large. While the field has been around for the last decade, Venice’s Collateral Impact Award, which was created in partnership with ThinkFilm Impact Production, is the first time an impact-specific award is being presented at an A-list festival.
“This is an industry first — it’s not been seen anywhere,” ThinkFilm Impact Production founder and CEO Danielle Turkov Wilson told Variety. “I’ve been working at Cannes at the industry level for years, but to see something like this at the competition level is wonderful.”
Venice organizers said the award will honor a film...
Impact campaigns are crafted around documentaries and some narrative films that have strong social or political messages that can inspire action among audiences and the industry at large. While the field has been around for the last decade, Venice’s Collateral Impact Award, which was created in partnership with ThinkFilm Impact Production, is the first time an impact-specific award is being presented at an A-list festival.
“This is an industry first — it’s not been seen anywhere,” ThinkFilm Impact Production founder and CEO Danielle Turkov Wilson told Variety. “I’ve been working at Cannes at the industry level for years, but to see something like this at the competition level is wonderful.”
Venice organizers said the award will honor a film...
- 8/11/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to an additional 19 years in a maximum security penal colony for what the U.S. State Department called “unfounded charges of so-called ‘extremism.'”
Navalny responded to the news himself via Twitter, writing, “The number of years does not matter. I perfectly understand that, like many political prisoners, I am sitting on a life sentence.”
The political prisoner, who survived a 2020 assassination attempt that was believed to have been ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was previously sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.
19 years in a maximum security penal colony. The number of years does not matter. I perfectly understand that, like many political prisoners, I am sitting on a life sentence. Where life is measured by the term of my life or the term of life of this regime.
The sentencing figure…
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) August 4, 2023
In a statement to Deadline on Friday,...
Navalny responded to the news himself via Twitter, writing, “The number of years does not matter. I perfectly understand that, like many political prisoners, I am sitting on a life sentence.”
The political prisoner, who survived a 2020 assassination attempt that was believed to have been ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was previously sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.
19 years in a maximum security penal colony. The number of years does not matter. I perfectly understand that, like many political prisoners, I am sitting on a life sentence. Where life is measured by the term of my life or the term of life of this regime.
The sentencing figure…
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) August 4, 2023
In a statement to Deadline on Friday,...
- 8/4/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose attempted assassination was captured in the Oscar-winning documentary “Navalny,” has received a sentence for an additional 19 years in prison.
The updated prison term is due to charges of “extremism,” per Russian media (via Deadline). Navalny is currently serving a nine-year term after accusing Russian president Vladimir Putin of corruption. Navalny shared a statement to a Telegram social media account following the sentencing.
“The term will be long, what is called ‘Stalinist,'” he wrote. “The formula for calculating it is simple: what the prosecutor asked for, minus 10-15%. They asked for 20, they give 18 or something like that.”
Navalny added that he anticipates an additional 10-year sentence for a pending charge of terrorism.
The eponymous documentary “Navalny,” directed by Daniel Roher, charted Navalny’s political movement against the Kremlin and the alleged attempt to poison him with nerve agent Novichok. Navalny became ill in August...
The updated prison term is due to charges of “extremism,” per Russian media (via Deadline). Navalny is currently serving a nine-year term after accusing Russian president Vladimir Putin of corruption. Navalny shared a statement to a Telegram social media account following the sentencing.
“The term will be long, what is called ‘Stalinist,'” he wrote. “The formula for calculating it is simple: what the prosecutor asked for, minus 10-15%. They asked for 20, they give 18 or something like that.”
Navalny added that he anticipates an additional 10-year sentence for a pending charge of terrorism.
The eponymous documentary “Navalny,” directed by Daniel Roher, charted Navalny’s political movement against the Kremlin and the alleged attempt to poison him with nerve agent Novichok. Navalny became ill in August...
- 8/4/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
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