Sffilm has announced the winners of the juried Golden Gate Awards competition and the Audience Awards at the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival (Sffilm Festival). The awards serve as a launching pad for internationally renowned filmmakers who are early in their careers, and they qualify films under 40 minutes for the Oscars. Past Golden Gate Award winners include Panah Panahi, Reid Davenport, Nadav Lapid, Marlon Riggs, Céline Sciamma, Jia Zhang-ke, Stanley Nelson, and Tasha Van Zandt.
This year, the 2024 Sffilm Festival ran five days from April 24 – 28 rather than its usual sprawling two weeks. The Sffilm board opted to pull back conservatively where others would have gone bigger to keep a more expansive footprint. Altogether they brought in 130 filmmakers this year, an excellent global selection of films despite the calendar disadvantage of being caught between Sundance and Cannes.
The big talk at this year’s Sffilm was the news that San...
This year, the 2024 Sffilm Festival ran five days from April 24 – 28 rather than its usual sprawling two weeks. The Sffilm board opted to pull back conservatively where others would have gone bigger to keep a more expansive footprint. Altogether they brought in 130 filmmakers this year, an excellent global selection of films despite the calendar disadvantage of being caught between Sundance and Cannes.
The big talk at this year’s Sffilm was the news that San...
- 4/30/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
PBS Intl. Delivers Squad of Sports-Themed Documentaries to MipTV Ahead of Paris Olympics (Exclusive)
U.S.-based global distributor PBS Intl. is bringing a squad of sports-themed documentaries to MipTV to tie in with the Olympic Games that’ll run this summer in Paris.
“Olympic Dreams” travels to Sierra Leone, one of the world’s poorest nations, as it struggles to recover from its 11-year civil war. It follows Sanusi Turay, a charismatic ex-Sierra Leonean Olympic sprinter, and his most talented athletes, Sarah Bona and Daddy Alie Bangura, through the trials and tribulations of training for the Games in 2004. Their battles are not just on the track — they must also fight poverty and corruption to achieve their goals.
“Olympic Dreams” was directed by Laura Ashton and Ron Orders. It was produced by Ilona Benjamin for Urban Films and Wgbh/Boston.
“The Boys of ’36” follows the journey of nine working-class boys from the University of Washington, who took the rowing world by storm when their...
“Olympic Dreams” travels to Sierra Leone, one of the world’s poorest nations, as it struggles to recover from its 11-year civil war. It follows Sanusi Turay, a charismatic ex-Sierra Leonean Olympic sprinter, and his most talented athletes, Sarah Bona and Daddy Alie Bangura, through the trials and tribulations of training for the Games in 2004. Their battles are not just on the track — they must also fight poverty and corruption to achieve their goals.
“Olympic Dreams” was directed by Laura Ashton and Ron Orders. It was produced by Ilona Benjamin for Urban Films and Wgbh/Boston.
“The Boys of ’36” follows the journey of nine working-class boys from the University of Washington, who took the rowing world by storm when their...
- 4/4/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Stanley Nelson’s Firelight Films and Hulu have set Julianna Brannum (Now I Lay Me Down), Ivan MacDonald (Breaking the Silence) and Juan Carlos Dávila Santiago (When Reggaeton Was a Crime) as the first filmmakers to benefit from their new Hulu/Firelight Kindling Fund. Through the initiative, each will be awarded $25,000 to develop their original documentary feature or limited series for a first look by the companies.
The mid-career filmmakers, who are alums of Firelight’s artist programs, will be expected to develop their project into a robust treatment, pitch deck, budget, and schedule for the aforementioned first look, and in addition to the financial prize, will receive one-on-one professional development sessions on producing for Hulu with Hulu’s documentary division. Project pitches considered for additional development or greenlight from Hulu will, if selected, be co-produced with Firelight Films, executive produced by Nelson, for streaming on Hulu.
“Firelight Films...
The mid-career filmmakers, who are alums of Firelight’s artist programs, will be expected to develop their project into a robust treatment, pitch deck, budget, and schedule for the aforementioned first look, and in addition to the financial prize, will receive one-on-one professional development sessions on producing for Hulu with Hulu’s documentary division. Project pitches considered for additional development or greenlight from Hulu will, if selected, be co-produced with Firelight Films, executive produced by Nelson, for streaming on Hulu.
“Firelight Films...
- 9/22/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with the addition of The Holly and American Symphony to the FallDocs lineup.
The Holly, Julian Rubinstein’s documentary about conflict over a gentrifying neighborhood near Denver, and Matthew Heineman’s film American Symphony, about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, have been added to the IDA’s FallDocs screening series.
American Symphony will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles, followed by a live Q&a with Heineman.
The Holly will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the Culver Theater, followed by a live Q&a with Rubinstein, main participant Terrance Roberts, and Aqeela Sherrills, anti-violence activist and co-founder of Community Based Public Safety Collective.
Earlier: Exclusive: The International Documentary Association announced the lineup for its prestigious FallDocs 2023 program, featuring a slew of Oscar contending nonfiction films as well as more than two dozen films that haven’t yet nailed down distribution.
The Holly, Julian Rubinstein’s documentary about conflict over a gentrifying neighborhood near Denver, and Matthew Heineman’s film American Symphony, about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, have been added to the IDA’s FallDocs screening series.
American Symphony will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles, followed by a live Q&a with Heineman.
The Holly will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the Culver Theater, followed by a live Q&a with Rubinstein, main participant Terrance Roberts, and Aqeela Sherrills, anti-violence activist and co-founder of Community Based Public Safety Collective.
Earlier: Exclusive: The International Documentary Association announced the lineup for its prestigious FallDocs 2023 program, featuring a slew of Oscar contending nonfiction films as well as more than two dozen films that haven’t yet nailed down distribution.
- 8/31/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Stanley Nelson and Valerie Scoon’s Sound of the Police is an exhaustive exploration of the oppositional dynamics between African Americans and law enforcement, from slavery right up to today. Through a wealth of archival imagery, interviews with academics, authors and assorted deep thinkers of various backgrounds and colors as well as an ear-catching soundtrack, the veteran filmmakers make a compelling case that any relationship built on the […]
The post “We Didn’t Want an Audience Member To Be Able To Say, ‘Oh, That Was Just One Bad Cop’”: Stanley Nelson and Valerie Scoon on Sound of the Police first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Didn’t Want an Audience Member To Be Able To Say, ‘Oh, That Was Just One Bad Cop’”: Stanley Nelson and Valerie Scoon on Sound of the Police first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/10/2023
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Stanley Nelson and Valerie Scoon’s Sound of the Police is an exhaustive exploration of the oppositional dynamics between African Americans and law enforcement, from slavery right up to today. Through a wealth of archival imagery, interviews with academics, authors and assorted deep thinkers of various backgrounds and colors as well as an ear-catching soundtrack, the veteran filmmakers make a compelling case that any relationship built on the […]
The post “We Didn’t Want an Audience Member To Be Able To Say, ‘Oh, That Was Just One Bad Cop’”: Stanley Nelson and Valerie Scoon on Sound of the Police first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Didn’t Want an Audience Member To Be Able To Say, ‘Oh, That Was Just One Bad Cop’”: Stanley Nelson and Valerie Scoon on Sound of the Police first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/10/2023
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Exclusive: Lucy J. Mukerjee has joined Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith’s media company Firelight Media, geared toward nonfiction cinema by and about communities of color, as the new director of its flagship Documentary Lab.
An 18-month fellowship that provides emerging filmmakers of color with customized mentorship from prominent leaders in the documentary world, as well as funding, professional development workshops and networking opportunities, the Documentary Lab has thus far helped to advance the careers of over 100 filmmakers, including Dawn Porter, Yoruba Richen and Peter Nicks.
Mukerjee succeeds Sabaah Folayan, who for the past year has served as the Lab’s Interim Director. She comes to Firelight Media with over 20 years of experience producing films, programming festivals, and overseeing artist development programs. Her previous roles include Senior Programmer at Tribeca Festival, Director of Programming at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Outfest Fusion Qtbipoc Festival and NewFest New York’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival,...
An 18-month fellowship that provides emerging filmmakers of color with customized mentorship from prominent leaders in the documentary world, as well as funding, professional development workshops and networking opportunities, the Documentary Lab has thus far helped to advance the careers of over 100 filmmakers, including Dawn Porter, Yoruba Richen and Peter Nicks.
Mukerjee succeeds Sabaah Folayan, who for the past year has served as the Lab’s Interim Director. She comes to Firelight Media with over 20 years of experience producing films, programming festivals, and overseeing artist development programs. Her previous roles include Senior Programmer at Tribeca Festival, Director of Programming at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Outfest Fusion Qtbipoc Festival and NewFest New York’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival,...
- 5/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Seven Winters in Tehran,” about a 19-year-old Iranian woman sentenced to death for killing the man who tried to rape her, will open the 34th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival on May 31 in New York City.
The festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, will feature 10 documentaries about humanitarian challenges around the world. This year’s edition spotlights themes and topics including the Ukraine conflict (“When Spring Came to Bucha”), climate gentrification and justice (“Razing Liberty Square”), women’s rights (“Draw Me Egypt”) transgender rights (“Into My Name”) freedom of the press (“The Etilaat Roz”) and access to health care in the United States (“Pay or Die”).
“From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights and bodily autonomy, to environmental gentrification and freedom of the press, these films span some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time,” says John Biaggi,...
The festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, will feature 10 documentaries about humanitarian challenges around the world. This year’s edition spotlights themes and topics including the Ukraine conflict (“When Spring Came to Bucha”), climate gentrification and justice (“Razing Liberty Square”), women’s rights (“Draw Me Egypt”) transgender rights (“Into My Name”) freedom of the press (“The Etilaat Roz”) and access to health care in the United States (“Pay or Die”).
“From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights and bodily autonomy, to environmental gentrification and freedom of the press, these films span some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time,” says John Biaggi,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Savanah Leaf’s feature debut “Earth Mama” is starting to look like an early awards season prospect for distributor A24. After successful premieres at both Sundance and New Directors/New Films, the drama about a young Black mother’s fight to wrest her kids from the foster care system just won the Audience Award at Sffilm, also known as the San Francisco International Film Festival. “Earth Mama” is notably a Bay Area-grown production, with former Olympian athlete turned filmmaker Leaf casting non-professional actors for the feature.
IndieWire shares the full list of Golden Gate Award winners out of Sffilm, now in its 66th year and which ran from April 12 through 23, below.
The prize winners range from narrative features to documentaries and shorts. The awards are also notable as a qualifier for films under 40 minutes for the Oscars. Previous Golden Gate Award winners include Panah Panahi, Reid Davenport, Nadav Lapid, Marlon Riggs,...
IndieWire shares the full list of Golden Gate Award winners out of Sffilm, now in its 66th year and which ran from April 12 through 23, below.
The prize winners range from narrative features to documentaries and shorts. The awards are also notable as a qualifier for films under 40 minutes for the Oscars. Previous Golden Gate Award winners include Panah Panahi, Reid Davenport, Nadav Lapid, Marlon Riggs,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Sundance documentary “Stephen Curry: Underrated” and SXSW television premiere “I’m a Virgo” will open and close Sffilm, the 66th annual San Francisco International Film Festival.
Sffilm unveiled the full lineup for the fest along with the openers and closers. The Bay Area film festival, which screens in theaters across San Francisco as well as Oakland and Berkeley, will host 50 feature film programs (includes Workshop and “mid-lengths”), 46 shorts, and one TV screening (“I’m a Virgo”). Both directors behind “I’m a Virgo” and “Underrated” — Boots Riley and Peter Nicks — grew up in the Bay Area, more specifically in Oakland. Other films from Bay Area filmmakers whose projects will screen include W. Kamau Bell’s “1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed,” Savanah Leaf’s “Earth Mama,” and Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.”
“It is Sffilm Festival season once again and I cannot wait to share this year’s program with local audiences,” Jessie Fairbanks, Sffilm’s director of programming,...
Sffilm unveiled the full lineup for the fest along with the openers and closers. The Bay Area film festival, which screens in theaters across San Francisco as well as Oakland and Berkeley, will host 50 feature film programs (includes Workshop and “mid-lengths”), 46 shorts, and one TV screening (“I’m a Virgo”). Both directors behind “I’m a Virgo” and “Underrated” — Boots Riley and Peter Nicks — grew up in the Bay Area, more specifically in Oakland. Other films from Bay Area filmmakers whose projects will screen include W. Kamau Bell’s “1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed,” Savanah Leaf’s “Earth Mama,” and Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.”
“It is Sffilm Festival season once again and I cannot wait to share this year’s program with local audiences,” Jessie Fairbanks, Sffilm’s director of programming,...
- 3/22/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Exclusive: 2x Emmy nominee Matt Walsh (Veep) has signed on to star alongside Alejandro De Hoyos (The Man from Toronto), Chelsea Rendon (Vida), Francisco Ramos (Gentefied), John Kaler (The Wrong Guy) and Jason Konopisos-Alvarez (Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay) in the action-comedy The Unexpecteds from writer-director Alejandro Montoya Marín.
Pic follows Gary (Walsh) and a group of his best friends as they seek revenge against a social media influencer who has scammed them of their life savings. De Hoyos is producing for Alta California Pictures, with Kaler, Jasmin Espada, Walsh and Pedro Pano co-producing.
Related Story Cph: Dox Sets 2023 Lineup; Rubicon TV Hires New Exec; ‘The Ark’ Inks German Distribution — Global Briefs Related Story 'Bolt From The Blue': Filming Wraps On Kate Flannery & Matt Walsh Sci-Fi Related Story Apple's Lincoln Assassination Limited Series 'Manhunt' Finds Its Dr. Mudd In Matt Walsh
Walsh is repped by UTA,...
Pic follows Gary (Walsh) and a group of his best friends as they seek revenge against a social media influencer who has scammed them of their life savings. De Hoyos is producing for Alta California Pictures, with Kaler, Jasmin Espada, Walsh and Pedro Pano co-producing.
Related Story Cph: Dox Sets 2023 Lineup; Rubicon TV Hires New Exec; ‘The Ark’ Inks German Distribution — Global Briefs Related Story 'Bolt From The Blue': Filming Wraps On Kate Flannery & Matt Walsh Sci-Fi Related Story Apple's Lincoln Assassination Limited Series 'Manhunt' Finds Its Dr. Mudd In Matt Walsh
Walsh is repped by UTA,...
- 2/24/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
BET’s new four-part documentary series Black + Iconic, which celebrates Black pioneers across fashion, music, film and dance, kicks off Saturday with the first installment, “Style Gods.” Narrated by Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor Billy Porter and executive produced by Emmy Award-winner Stanley Nelson, the two-hour film explores the impact Black creatives have historically had in the fashion industry and how current tastemakers are continuing — and expanding — that legacy.
“I was really excited to tell this story,” Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter. He explained that his father was passionate about channeling sophistication through his garments, which left a lasting impression on the producer. “He always felt that, to keep the world at bay, one of the things that he could do was dress.”
The film, directed by Lynne Robinson, is broken down into segments focusing on the impact of specific entertainers’ styles (Beyoncé and Rihanna both get the spotlight...
“I was really excited to tell this story,” Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter. He explained that his father was passionate about channeling sophistication through his garments, which left a lasting impression on the producer. “He always felt that, to keep the world at bay, one of the things that he could do was dress.”
The film, directed by Lynne Robinson, is broken down into segments focusing on the impact of specific entertainers’ styles (Beyoncé and Rihanna both get the spotlight...
- 2/18/2023
- by Evan Nicole Brown
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Entertainment companies like Disney find themselves in a challenging situation. They need to invest in new and growing platforms like Disney+ and Hulu, while continuing to keep the linear lineups of networks like National Geographic and ABC filled.
To help fill that gap, they have increasingly turned to new, in-house documentary studios, meant to help keep lineups fresh, and to funnel original docs to streaming services.
ABC News launched its effort, ABC News Studios, last year. That initial slate included 4 films and 15 docuseries, including a spinoff of Nightline and projects from Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos, among others.
A source close to the division tells The Hollywood Reporter that it is already profitable, feeding a pipeline of feature films and docuseries to ABC, Disney+, Hulu, Nat Geo, and other platforms.
“I am so proud of the extraordinary progress and impact we’ve made in the streaming space in such a short amount of time,...
To help fill that gap, they have increasingly turned to new, in-house documentary studios, meant to help keep lineups fresh, and to funnel original docs to streaming services.
ABC News launched its effort, ABC News Studios, last year. That initial slate included 4 films and 15 docuseries, including a spinoff of Nightline and projects from Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos, among others.
A source close to the division tells The Hollywood Reporter that it is already profitable, feeding a pipeline of feature films and docuseries to ABC, Disney+, Hulu, Nat Geo, and other platforms.
“I am so proud of the extraordinary progress and impact we’ve made in the streaming space in such a short amount of time,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
BET has announced a new documentary film, “Black + Iconic: Style Gods,” starring Billy Porter and produced by Stanley Nelson and Firelight Films. The documentary is part of the new four-part “Black + Iconic” series that will showcase the legacy and cultural impact of Black icons across music, film, fashion and dance.
Porter will narrate, host and executive produce the first documentary in the series, with Lynne Robinson directing. Connie Orlando and Jason Samuels developed the series with supervising producer Steven Ramey.
“We’re thrilled to be working with BET again after the success of our first project together, ‘Through the Fire: The Legacy of Barack Obama,’” said Nelson, who is also a Firelight Films co-founder, in a statement. “I couldn’t think of a better home for this series celebrating Black icons via the numerous mediums through which Black creatives have made an indelible mark on the culture.”
The two-hour first...
Porter will narrate, host and executive produce the first documentary in the series, with Lynne Robinson directing. Connie Orlando and Jason Samuels developed the series with supervising producer Steven Ramey.
“We’re thrilled to be working with BET again after the success of our first project together, ‘Through the Fire: The Legacy of Barack Obama,’” said Nelson, who is also a Firelight Films co-founder, in a statement. “I couldn’t think of a better home for this series celebrating Black icons via the numerous mediums through which Black creatives have made an indelible mark on the culture.”
The two-hour first...
- 2/2/2023
- by Julia MacCary and Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ryan Heller has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Film & Documentary at Topic Studios, the award-winning studio from First Look Media.
In his new role, he will continue to lead the feature film group, while adding feature-length documentaries to his purview, formalizing an area in which he had already been operating. He will oversee the doc arena with Vice President, Nonfiction, Christine Connor, continuing to report to CEO Michael Bloom.
A key player in the launch and critical successes of Topic Studios, who has since 2018 built and managed its feature film slate through development, financing, production and distribution, Heller most recently served as Senior Vice President of Film and Acquisitions.
He has long been a champion for new directorial voices, in recent years shepherding such breakout projects as the psychological horror Nanny and the acclaimed buddy comedy, The Climb. The former title from rising star director Nikyatu Jusu was...
In his new role, he will continue to lead the feature film group, while adding feature-length documentaries to his purview, formalizing an area in which he had already been operating. He will oversee the doc arena with Vice President, Nonfiction, Christine Connor, continuing to report to CEO Michael Bloom.
A key player in the launch and critical successes of Topic Studios, who has since 2018 built and managed its feature film slate through development, financing, production and distribution, Heller most recently served as Senior Vice President of Film and Acquisitions.
He has long been a champion for new directorial voices, in recent years shepherding such breakout projects as the psychological horror Nanny and the acclaimed buddy comedy, The Climb. The former title from rising star director Nikyatu Jusu was...
- 1/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The Directors Guild of America has nominated Tár‘s Todd Field, Top Gun: Maverick‘s Joseph Kosinski, Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Martin McDonagh and The Fabelmans’ Steven Spielberg for the top feature film prize at its 75th annual DGA Awards.
Related: DGA Awards Sets TV, Documentary And Commercials Nominations For 75th Anniversary Edition
While women were shut out of the marquee race, the DGA nominated four for its First-Time Feature Film Prize: Alice Diop (Saint Omer), Audrey Diwan (Happening), Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic (Murina) and Charlotte Wells (Aftersun). John Patton Ford also is nominated, for Emily the Criminal.
Winners will be announced during the guild’s awards ceremony February 18 at the Beverly Hilton.
Related: 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Grammys, Guilds & More
“The work recognized this year represents the amazing power of film in the hands of...
Related: DGA Awards Sets TV, Documentary And Commercials Nominations For 75th Anniversary Edition
While women were shut out of the marquee race, the DGA nominated four for its First-Time Feature Film Prize: Alice Diop (Saint Omer), Audrey Diwan (Happening), Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic (Murina) and Charlotte Wells (Aftersun). John Patton Ford also is nominated, for Emily the Criminal.
Winners will be announced during the guild’s awards ceremony February 18 at the Beverly Hilton.
Related: 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Grammys, Guilds & More
“The work recognized this year represents the amazing power of film in the hands of...
- 1/11/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Firelight Media has today named its latest cohort of Fellows for its flagship mentoring program, the Firelight Documentary Lab, which is now in its thirteenth year.
The participants and projects set for the 18-month program, taking place from 2022-2024, are Neelu Bhuman (Chiragu (Wing)), D.A. Bullock (Mister Backlash), Silvia Castaños & Estefania Contreras (Hummingbirds), Naveen Chaubal (Pinball), Paulina Davis (The Co-op: The Kids of Dorie Miller), Athena Jones (Sisters’ Keepers), Logan Rozos (What Will I Become?), Juliana Schatz Preston (Providencia), Jiayan “Jenny” Shi (Untitled Scientist Project), Tsanavi Spoonhunter (Holder of the Sky), Lendl Tellington (…that’s why He made momma), Reveca Torres (Untitled (Art and Disability Culture)) and Raven Two Feathers (Indigenous Genders).
This year’s set of Documentary Lab projects include stories of transgender and nonbinary protagonists in search of supportive communities; profiles of politicians and activists seeking to reform racially biased policies and practices in housing and policing...
The participants and projects set for the 18-month program, taking place from 2022-2024, are Neelu Bhuman (Chiragu (Wing)), D.A. Bullock (Mister Backlash), Silvia Castaños & Estefania Contreras (Hummingbirds), Naveen Chaubal (Pinball), Paulina Davis (The Co-op: The Kids of Dorie Miller), Athena Jones (Sisters’ Keepers), Logan Rozos (What Will I Become?), Juliana Schatz Preston (Providencia), Jiayan “Jenny” Shi (Untitled Scientist Project), Tsanavi Spoonhunter (Holder of the Sky), Lendl Tellington (…that’s why He made momma), Reveca Torres (Untitled (Art and Disability Culture)) and Raven Two Feathers (Indigenous Genders).
This year’s set of Documentary Lab projects include stories of transgender and nonbinary protagonists in search of supportive communities; profiles of politicians and activists seeking to reform racially biased policies and practices in housing and policing...
- 12/7/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Topic Studios has secured the rights to Amanda Montell’s book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism for adaptation as a television docuseries.
Published by Harper Wave in June of 2021, Montell’s second book, following Wordslut, dissects how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.
The docuseries will be a powerful and timely deep dive into how cults maintain their power, per producers. According to Montell, whose own father escaped from a cult as a teenager, “we’ve been thinking about cults in completely the wrong way. While there have long been dark, dangerous cults (such as the Manson Family), fanatical groups actually fall along a spectrum, from Heaven’s Gate all the way to SoulCycle and Taylor Swift stans. Using an incisive, compelling and often funny tone, Cultish will unpack what cult influence looks,...
Published by Harper Wave in June of 2021, Montell’s second book, following Wordslut, dissects how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.
The docuseries will be a powerful and timely deep dive into how cults maintain their power, per producers. According to Montell, whose own father escaped from a cult as a teenager, “we’ve been thinking about cults in completely the wrong way. While there have long been dark, dangerous cults (such as the Manson Family), fanatical groups actually fall along a spectrum, from Heaven’s Gate all the way to SoulCycle and Taylor Swift stans. Using an incisive, compelling and often funny tone, Cultish will unpack what cult influence looks,...
- 11/15/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Mercury Studios has completed work on a documentary about the co-founder of one of the greatest rock n’ roll bands of all time.
Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd explores the enigmatic Barrett, who wrote Pink Floyd’s first two hits and even came up with the band’s name (a mashup of obscure blues players Pink Anderson and Floyd Council). In 1968, only a few years after the group’s founding, Barrett was forced out of Pink Floyd when his bandmates became alarmed about his mental stability and use of psychedelic drugs.
Barrett recorded a couple of solo albums before exiting the business.
Musician-artist Syd Barrett, co-founder of Pink Floyd
“Barrett dropped out of music, returning home to Cambridge for the last 30 years of his life and his first love of painting,” according to a release about the documentary. “Poignantly, some of...
Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd explores the enigmatic Barrett, who wrote Pink Floyd’s first two hits and even came up with the band’s name (a mashup of obscure blues players Pink Anderson and Floyd Council). In 1968, only a few years after the group’s founding, Barrett was forced out of Pink Floyd when his bandmates became alarmed about his mental stability and use of psychedelic drugs.
Barrett recorded a couple of solo albums before exiting the business.
Musician-artist Syd Barrett, co-founder of Pink Floyd
“Barrett dropped out of music, returning home to Cambridge for the last 30 years of his life and his first love of painting,” according to a release about the documentary. “Poignantly, some of...
- 10/14/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Meadowlark Media, the content studio founded by former ESPN president John Skipper and ESPN radio host Dan Le Batard, wants a sports content franchise to call its own.
And so the production company is launching its most ambitious content effort yet, a multi-platform series called Sports Explains the World.
“We are putting a stake in the ground that we are going to be a storytelling company,” Skipper tells The Hollywood Reporter. “When we launched the company, what we wanted to do overwhelmingly is to tell stories. Both in the number of podcasts we do and in our video. And one of the great ways to tell a story is to have an anthology series in which to put those.”
Sports Explains the World is Meadowlark’s “bold statement” that it is playing to win. “When we launched 30 for 30 [at ESPN], people knew it was quality,...
Meadowlark Media, the content studio founded by former ESPN president John Skipper and ESPN radio host Dan Le Batard, wants a sports content franchise to call its own.
And so the production company is launching its most ambitious content effort yet, a multi-platform series called Sports Explains the World.
“We are putting a stake in the ground that we are going to be a storytelling company,” Skipper tells The Hollywood Reporter. “When we launched the company, what we wanted to do overwhelmingly is to tell stories. Both in the number of podcasts we do and in our video. And one of the great ways to tell a story is to have an anthology series in which to put those.”
Sports Explains the World is Meadowlark’s “bold statement” that it is playing to win. “When we launched 30 for 30 [at ESPN], people knew it was quality,...
- 10/11/2022
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Manhattan’s Downtown Community Television Center celebrated the opening of the media arts center’s long-anticipated nonprofit, 67-seat movie theater, Firehouse: Dctv’s Cinema for Documentary Film, on Tuesday.
The only movie theater in New York City dedicated to screening documentaries, Firehouse is an official Academy Award-qualifying theater that will screen first-run films and curated programs.
On Sept. 23, Abigail Disney and Kathleen Hughes’ self-distributed “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales” about the growing inequalities in America and better pay for Disneyland cast members, will be the inaugural docu to play at Firehouse cinema. The week-long screening will serve as the film’s qualifying run in New York. Disney is set to appear in person for opening weekend Q&As.
Abigail Disney, Jon Alpert and Kathleen Hughes attend Firehouse Dctv’s Cinema for Documentary Film ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Disney said,...
The only movie theater in New York City dedicated to screening documentaries, Firehouse is an official Academy Award-qualifying theater that will screen first-run films and curated programs.
On Sept. 23, Abigail Disney and Kathleen Hughes’ self-distributed “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales” about the growing inequalities in America and better pay for Disneyland cast members, will be the inaugural docu to play at Firehouse cinema. The week-long screening will serve as the film’s qualifying run in New York. Disney is set to appear in person for opening weekend Q&As.
Abigail Disney, Jon Alpert and Kathleen Hughes attend Firehouse Dctv’s Cinema for Documentary Film ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Disney said,...
- 9/21/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscar race came into sharper focus at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, with actors like Brendan Fraser and Michelle Yeoh cementing their lead contender status, and big-budget studio efforts like The Fablemans and Glass Onion premiering to raves.
The fall superfecta – Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York – is the traditional launchpad for the prestige dramas that go on to vie for Best Picture. But for documentaries, it’s a different story.
Analyzing the last 10 years of Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Feature, most premiered early in the eligibility year, typically at Sundance. But a fortunate few have launched as late as the fall, arriving with such noise and momentum that they rise to the top and earn one of the five slots among the year’s most prestigious nonfiction films.
Stanley Nelson’s Attica accomplished that last year, launching at TIFF in 2021. A second Oscar nominee,...
The fall superfecta – Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York – is the traditional launchpad for the prestige dramas that go on to vie for Best Picture. But for documentaries, it’s a different story.
Analyzing the last 10 years of Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Feature, most premiered early in the eligibility year, typically at Sundance. But a fortunate few have launched as late as the fall, arriving with such noise and momentum that they rise to the top and earn one of the five slots among the year’s most prestigious nonfiction films.
Stanley Nelson’s Attica accomplished that last year, launching at TIFF in 2021. A second Oscar nominee,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Adam Benzine
- Deadline Film + TV
When PBS announced in 2017 that vaunted documentarian Ken Burns was hard at work on a four-part docuseries about Muhammad Ali, to debut in 2021, the news was greeted with much anticipation: one of the film world’s greats on the Greatest. The only hint of criticism came from some who thought Ali’s life was already well-trod territory. But four years later — in the wake of a racial reckoning in America that had the film industry, like so many others, reevaluating its commitment to diversity — the docu community had become considerably less welcoming of the project. With public chatter about a lack of representation and opportunity for people of color reaching a peak, a coalition of 140 documentary filmmakers sent an open letter to PBS in March 2021, slamming the choice of Burns to helm what was being positioned as the definitive doc on Ali.
“Your commitment to diversity at PBS is not borne out by the evidence,...
“Your commitment to diversity at PBS is not borne out by the evidence,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Dctv’s new documentary-dedicated theater, “Firehouse: Dctv’s Cinema for Documentary Film,” will open its doors Sept. 23. Located in Dctv’s historic Chinatown firehouse building in New York, the nonprofit theater will begin its opening week with an exclusive screening of Abigail Disney and Kathleen Hughes’ “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales.”
“I’m so excited that my new documentary, ‘The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,’ will kick off the opening of Dctv’s Firehouse Cinema,” Disney said in a statement. “I can’t wait to meet the first audiences who will be enjoying and shaping this vital new addition to New York City’s arthouse film scene.”
In addition to “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,” Firehouse will also run such documentaries as Reid Davenport’s “I Didn’t See You There” and Nina Menkes’ “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power,” which premiere Sept. 30 and Oct. 21 respectively.
“The documentary form...
“I’m so excited that my new documentary, ‘The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,’ will kick off the opening of Dctv’s Firehouse Cinema,” Disney said in a statement. “I can’t wait to meet the first audiences who will be enjoying and shaping this vital new addition to New York City’s arthouse film scene.”
In addition to “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,” Firehouse will also run such documentaries as Reid Davenport’s “I Didn’t See You There” and Nina Menkes’ “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power,” which premiere Sept. 30 and Oct. 21 respectively.
“The documentary form...
- 8/26/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
ABC News has launched ABC News Studios, a premium, narrative nonfiction originals producer and commissioner of feature documentary films, series and specials. David Sloan has been tapped as senior executive producer and creative lead of the venture.
The studio already has three feature docs and 15 series in production across ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and National Geographic. Its current slate features projects from filmmakers Dawn Porter, Irene Taylor, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Stanley Nelson.
Also Read:
Roland Emmerich to Direct Gladiator-Themed Epic ‘Those About to Die’ at Peacock
In an announcement to ABC News staff, president Kim Godwin congratulated Sloan on the new role, which will include overseeing production and completion on ABC News Studios programming. He will report to Mike Kelley, ABC News Studios lead, who reports to Reena Mehta, senior vice president of streaming and digital content.
Throughout Sloan’s tenure at ABC News, the exec has received nine Emmys,...
The studio already has three feature docs and 15 series in production across ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and National Geographic. Its current slate features projects from filmmakers Dawn Porter, Irene Taylor, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Stanley Nelson.
Also Read:
Roland Emmerich to Direct Gladiator-Themed Epic ‘Those About to Die’ at Peacock
In an announcement to ABC News staff, president Kim Godwin congratulated Sloan on the new role, which will include overseeing production and completion on ABC News Studios programming. He will report to Mike Kelley, ABC News Studios lead, who reports to Reena Mehta, senior vice president of streaming and digital content.
Throughout Sloan’s tenure at ABC News, the exec has received nine Emmys,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- The Wrap
ABC News Studios unveiled a slate of narrative non-fiction projects as part of its official launch, with three feature documentaries and 15 series and specials in production.
Plans are to produce more than 100 hours of programming for ABC, Hulu, Disney+, National Geographic and other platforms in 2022. Dawn Porter; Irene Taylor, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard; and Stanley Nelson are among those attached to projects.
Reena Mehta is senior vice president of streaming and digital content, and Mike Kelley, the vice president and ABC News Studios lead, will oversee the creative and business direction of the unit.
David Sloan will serve as senior executive producer and creative lead of ABC News Studios, while Jacqueline Glover is head of documentary for Onyx Collective and oversaw the initial slate of feature documentary films for ABC News Films.
“We’ve been creating longform for quite a while, but we are really formalizing it under the ABC News umbrella,...
Plans are to produce more than 100 hours of programming for ABC, Hulu, Disney+, National Geographic and other platforms in 2022. Dawn Porter; Irene Taylor, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard; and Stanley Nelson are among those attached to projects.
Reena Mehta is senior vice president of streaming and digital content, and Mike Kelley, the vice president and ABC News Studios lead, will oversee the creative and business direction of the unit.
David Sloan will serve as senior executive producer and creative lead of ABC News Studios, while Jacqueline Glover is head of documentary for Onyx Collective and oversaw the initial slate of feature documentary films for ABC News Films.
“We’ve been creating longform for quite a while, but we are really formalizing it under the ABC News umbrella,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
ABC News is doubling down on documentaries and docuseries, launching a new non-fiction division called ABC News Studios.
The studio already has 15 series in various stages of production, as well as 3 feature-length documentaries, which will live under the ABC News Films banner.
“It really felt like there was a much bigger opportunity for ABC News to really scale the narrative non-fiction storytelling that we were doing,” ABC News Studios head Mike Kelley tells The Hollywood Reporter, noting that the studio will significantly expand ABC News’ presence in streaming. “In particular, to lean into the narrative non-fiction space that is rooted in journalism, but entertaining at its heart. Those are the stories that we want to tell.”
Kelley says the studio wants to play in the long-form documentary film space; the limited series space; the formatted anthology space; and will produce one-off specials. “From a genre perspective,...
ABC News is doubling down on documentaries and docuseries, launching a new non-fiction division called ABC News Studios.
The studio already has 15 series in various stages of production, as well as 3 feature-length documentaries, which will live under the ABC News Films banner.
“It really felt like there was a much bigger opportunity for ABC News to really scale the narrative non-fiction storytelling that we were doing,” ABC News Studios head Mike Kelley tells The Hollywood Reporter, noting that the studio will significantly expand ABC News’ presence in streaming. “In particular, to lean into the narrative non-fiction space that is rooted in journalism, but entertaining at its heart. Those are the stories that we want to tell.”
Kelley says the studio wants to play in the long-form documentary film space; the limited series space; the formatted anthology space; and will produce one-off specials. “From a genre perspective,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
George Stephanopoulos is known at ABC News for his turns co-anchoring “Good Morning America” and the Sunday public affairs program “This Week.” As Hollywood’s streaming wars intensify, however, he may soon be recognized for something else.
Stephanopoulos will be at the center of a new political documentary series slated to appear on Hulu that will examine the upcoming midterm election along with important races and key issues. The program is one among many currently in the pipeline at ABC News Studios, a new effort by the Disney-backed news organization to centralize its efforts to produce documentary programming aimed at fueling the fortunes of Disney properties.
“We want to leverage our intellectual property that is generated across the news division in service of entertaining narrative storytelling. That is an absolute priority for us,” says Mike Kelley, vice president and head of ABC News Studios, in an interview. “We know that...
Stephanopoulos will be at the center of a new political documentary series slated to appear on Hulu that will examine the upcoming midterm election along with important races and key issues. The program is one among many currently in the pipeline at ABC News Studios, a new effort by the Disney-backed news organization to centralize its efforts to produce documentary programming aimed at fueling the fortunes of Disney properties.
“We want to leverage our intellectual property that is generated across the news division in service of entertaining narrative storytelling. That is an absolute priority for us,” says Mike Kelley, vice president and head of ABC News Studios, in an interview. “We know that...
- 7/26/2022
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Emmy nominee Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale) has signed on to star alongside Peyton Kennedy, Anjali Bhimani, Jeremy Radin, Akilah Hughes and Ben Gleib in the indie Pruning.
In Lola Blanc’s psychological horror film, which is currently in production in the Los Angeles area, a far-right political commentator Sami Geller (Brewer) discovers that her rhetoric has inspired a mass shooting. She must then contend with the part of herself that has a conscience.
Blanc is directing from the script she wrote with Jeremy Radin, with Nick Paskhover and Chris Beyrooty producing. David Lawson, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead will also produce under their Rustic Films banner, with Brewer, Deric A. Hughes and Elia Petridis serving as EPs. Brewer is represented by CAA and Schreck Rose Dapello.
***
Exclusive: Leticia Peguero has been appointed as Senior Vice President at Oscar-nominated documentarian Stanley Nelson’s (Attica) Firelight Media.
Peguero comes to...
In Lola Blanc’s psychological horror film, which is currently in production in the Los Angeles area, a far-right political commentator Sami Geller (Brewer) discovers that her rhetoric has inspired a mass shooting. She must then contend with the part of herself that has a conscience.
Blanc is directing from the script she wrote with Jeremy Radin, with Nick Paskhover and Chris Beyrooty producing. David Lawson, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead will also produce under their Rustic Films banner, with Brewer, Deric A. Hughes and Elia Petridis serving as EPs. Brewer is represented by CAA and Schreck Rose Dapello.
***
Exclusive: Leticia Peguero has been appointed as Senior Vice President at Oscar-nominated documentarian Stanley Nelson’s (Attica) Firelight Media.
Peguero comes to...
- 6/24/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Los Angeles Media Fund has landed rights to Andrew DeYoung’s novel The Temps in a competitive situation with plans to develop it for television. Gabriel Bisset-Smith (The Last Hours of Laura K) will serve as the show’s creator.
The Temps was release by Turner Publishing on March 29th and sold out its first print run. Its synopsis is as follows:
They’re underemployed. Underpaid. And trying to survive the end of the world while trapped inside an office complex. Who knew temp work could be this dangerous?
Jacob Elliot doesn’t want a temporary job in the mailroom at Delphi Enterprises, but after two post-college years of unpaid internships and living in his parents’ basement, he needs the work. Then, on his first day, the unthinkable happens: toxic gas descends on a meeting in Delphi’s outdoor amphitheater, killing all the regular employees and leaving Jacob stranded inside the vast office complex.
The Temps was release by Turner Publishing on March 29th and sold out its first print run. Its synopsis is as follows:
They’re underemployed. Underpaid. And trying to survive the end of the world while trapped inside an office complex. Who knew temp work could be this dangerous?
Jacob Elliot doesn’t want a temporary job in the mailroom at Delphi Enterprises, but after two post-college years of unpaid internships and living in his parents’ basement, he needs the work. Then, on his first day, the unthinkable happens: toxic gas descends on a meeting in Delphi’s outdoor amphitheater, killing all the regular employees and leaving Jacob stranded inside the vast office complex.
- 6/13/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: UTA has signed award-winning writer, director and producer Andre Gaines (After Jackie), as well as his production company Cinemation Studios, for worldwide representation in all areas. The agency will now look to help expand his business across film, television, podcasts and gaming, also working with him on several hosted programs based on popular brands.
Most recently, Gaines directed and executive produced the feature documentary After Jackie, in partnership with LeBron James and Stanley Nelson. The film examining the second wave of Black professional baseball players who followed Jackie Robinson’s trailblazing path is set to premiere on The History Channel on June 18, as part of the network’s Juneteenth celebration programming.
Gaines previously directed and produced Showtime’s The One and Only Dick Gregory, in partnership with Kevin Hart and Lena Waith. The doc on legendary comedian and activist Dick Gregory, featuring appearances by Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart,...
Most recently, Gaines directed and executive produced the feature documentary After Jackie, in partnership with LeBron James and Stanley Nelson. The film examining the second wave of Black professional baseball players who followed Jackie Robinson’s trailblazing path is set to premiere on The History Channel on June 18, as part of the network’s Juneteenth celebration programming.
Gaines previously directed and produced Showtime’s The One and Only Dick Gregory, in partnership with Kevin Hart and Lena Waith. The doc on legendary comedian and activist Dick Gregory, featuring appearances by Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart,...
- 6/10/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Peabody Awards have today announced their fourth round of winners, which include Hulu’s Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul, Netflix’s Emmy-winning Bo Burnham: Inside and Amazon’s Emmy-nominated limited series The Underground Railroad.
Other notable winners include Netflix’s animated series City of Ghosts, HBO Max’s documentary series Exterminate All the Brutes and PBS’ documentary Mayor.
Winners were announced each day this week through Thursday, with celebrities virtually presenting each of the winners online in short video clips. A full list of nominees is available here, and previous winner announcements were posted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Peabody Awards are organized by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
A full list of Thursday’s winners, alongside comments from the jurors, follows.
Arts
Summer of Soul: (…Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised...
The Peabody Awards have today announced their fourth round of winners, which include Hulu’s Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul, Netflix’s Emmy-winning Bo Burnham: Inside and Amazon’s Emmy-nominated limited series The Underground Railroad.
Other notable winners include Netflix’s animated series City of Ghosts, HBO Max’s documentary series Exterminate All the Brutes and PBS’ documentary Mayor.
Winners were announced each day this week through Thursday, with celebrities virtually presenting each of the winners online in short video clips. A full list of nominees is available here, and previous winner announcements were posted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Peabody Awards are organized by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
A full list of Thursday’s winners, alongside comments from the jurors, follows.
Arts
Summer of Soul: (…Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised...
- 6/9/2022
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Melissa McCarthy, Morgan Freeman, John Legend, Kevin Bacon, Ethan Hawke, Jon Stewart, Hasan Minhaj, Riz Ahmed, LeVar Burton and H.E.R. are among the presenters who are confirmed for this year’s 82nd Annual Peabody Awards. Those stars and others will be on hand to introduce and award this year’s 30 Peabody Award winners, which will be announced across four days next week.
The Peabody Awards will announce winners every day between June 6 and June 9, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Pt every morning on Peabody’s Twitter account (@PeabodyAwards), Instagram (@PeabodyAwards), Facebook page (Peabody Awards) and website (https://peabodyawards.com/). Users can also find the presentations via the hashtags #PeabodyAwards and #StoriesThatMatter.
Every morning, a celebrity presenter will announce each winner; the short videos will include those introductions and acceptance speeches.
The full list of presenters for the 82nd Annual Peabody Awards includes Riz Ahmed, Christiane Amanpour, Kevin Bacon,...
The Peabody Awards will announce winners every day between June 6 and June 9, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Pt every morning on Peabody’s Twitter account (@PeabodyAwards), Instagram (@PeabodyAwards), Facebook page (Peabody Awards) and website (https://peabodyawards.com/). Users can also find the presentations via the hashtags #PeabodyAwards and #StoriesThatMatter.
Every morning, a celebrity presenter will announce each winner; the short videos will include those introductions and acceptance speeches.
The full list of presenters for the 82nd Annual Peabody Awards includes Riz Ahmed, Christiane Amanpour, Kevin Bacon,...
- 6/1/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Alexandra Chando (The Lying Game) and Ben Rappaport (Younger, For the People) are falling in love as the stars of NBC’s untitled drama pilot based on the Dutch series A’dam – E.V.A., our sister site Deadline reports.
The potential series “chronicles the love and lives of two complete strangers whose multiple run-ins begin to defy coincidence and lead both to believe in fate,” per the official synopsis. It will pair “a serialized, stand-up-and-cheer romantic comedy with the wildly diverse and often unexpected human stories of anyone who finds themselves six degrees from Adam and Eva.”
More from...
The potential series “chronicles the love and lives of two complete strangers whose multiple run-ins begin to defy coincidence and lead both to believe in fate,” per the official synopsis. It will pair “a serialized, stand-up-and-cheer romantic comedy with the wildly diverse and often unexpected human stories of anyone who finds themselves six degrees from Adam and Eva.”
More from...
- 4/15/2022
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
History Channel has set the premiere date and launch plan for its original documentary “After Jackie,” a look at the second wave of Black professional baseball players who followed the trailblazing Jackie Robinson.
History Channel will premiere the two-hour documentary from LeBron James’ Uninterrupted production imprint, director Andre Gaines (“The One and Only Dick Gregory”) and producer Stanley Nelson on Saturday, June 18 at 8 p.m. Nelson’s Firelight Films also produced in association with Major League Baseball and in consultatin with the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
History Channel disclosed the launch plan on Friday to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Robinson’s history-making move to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. On April 15, 1947, Robinson started at first base with the Brooklyn Dodgers, marking the first time a Black man played in the modern Major Leagues and breaking the color barrier in the sport.
“When the Hall of Famer...
History Channel will premiere the two-hour documentary from LeBron James’ Uninterrupted production imprint, director Andre Gaines (“The One and Only Dick Gregory”) and producer Stanley Nelson on Saturday, June 18 at 8 p.m. Nelson’s Firelight Films also produced in association with Major League Baseball and in consultatin with the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
History Channel disclosed the launch plan on Friday to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Robinson’s history-making move to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. On April 15, 1947, Robinson started at first base with the Brooklyn Dodgers, marking the first time a Black man played in the modern Major Leagues and breaking the color barrier in the sport.
“When the Hall of Famer...
- 4/15/2022
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
The History Channel has set a premiere date for its upcoming documentary about the Black Major League Baseball players who came after Jackie Robinson in honor of the 75th anniversary of the iconic athlete breaking the color line in the League.
“After Jackie” will premiere on June 18, the network announced Friday — which marked three-quarters of a century since Robinson’s historic first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Prior to that game, the sport had been segregated for more than 50 years.
The two-hour documentary is executive produced by another sports legend: LeBron James. James is producing the doc through his production company, Uninterrupted, with Maverick Carter, alongside Stanley Nelson, Andre Gaines and in association with the MLB.
“After Jackie” will tell “the often overlooked story of the second wave of talented Black baseball players after Jackie Robinson,” according to a statement from The History Channel. Those players include Bill White, Curt Flood and Bob Gibson,...
“After Jackie” will premiere on June 18, the network announced Friday — which marked three-quarters of a century since Robinson’s historic first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Prior to that game, the sport had been segregated for more than 50 years.
The two-hour documentary is executive produced by another sports legend: LeBron James. James is producing the doc through his production company, Uninterrupted, with Maverick Carter, alongside Stanley Nelson, Andre Gaines and in association with the MLB.
“After Jackie” will tell “the often overlooked story of the second wave of talented Black baseball players after Jackie Robinson,” according to a statement from The History Channel. Those players include Bill White, Curt Flood and Bob Gibson,...
- 4/15/2022
- by Katie Campione
- The Wrap
The 2022 Oscar Winners and Nominees Winners & Nominees Actor In A Leading Role Winner Will Smith King Richard Nominees Javier Bardem Being the Ricardos Benedict Cumberbatch The Power of the Dog Andrew Garfield tick, tick…Boom! Denzel Washington The Tragedy of Macbeth Actor In A Supporting Role Winner Troy Kotsur Coda Nominees CIARÁN Hinds Belfast Jesse Plemons The Power of the Dog J.K. Simmons Being the Ricardos Kodi Smit-mcphee The Power of the Dog Actress In A Leading Role Winner Jessica Chastain The Eyes of Tammy Faye Nominees Olivia Colman The Lost Daughter PENÉLOPE Cruz Parallel Mothers Nicole Kidman Being the Ricardos Kristen Stewart Spencer Actress In A Supporting Role Winner Ariana Debose West Side Story Nominees Jessie Buckley The Lost Daughter Judi Dench Belfast Kirsten Dunst The Power of the Dog Aunjanue Ellis King Richard Animated Feature Film Winner Encanto Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer Nominees Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen,...
- 3/31/2022
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards take place at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.
Heading into Sunday’s (March 27) 94th Academy Awards, Netflix’s psychological western The Power Of The Dog leads the nominations on 12, followed by Legendary/Warner Bros’ sci-fi Dune on 10.
The Power Of The Dog directed by Jane Campion and Apple TV+’s Coda directed by Sian Heder have been the joint favourites for the best picture prize with Coda possibly edging ahead after recent wins at the PGA and WGA awards. Focus Features’ Belfast from Kenneth Branagh is just behind the two frontrunners and it remains to be...
Heading into Sunday’s (March 27) 94th Academy Awards, Netflix’s psychological western The Power Of The Dog leads the nominations on 12, followed by Legendary/Warner Bros’ sci-fi Dune on 10.
The Power Of The Dog directed by Jane Campion and Apple TV+’s Coda directed by Sian Heder have been the joint favourites for the best picture prize with Coda possibly edging ahead after recent wins at the PGA and WGA awards. Focus Features’ Belfast from Kenneth Branagh is just behind the two frontrunners and it remains to be...
- 3/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards take place at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.
Heading into Sunday’s (March 27) 94th Academy Awards, Netflix’s psychological western The Power Of The Dog leads the nominations on 12, followed by Legendary/Warner Bros’ sci-fi Dune on 10.
The Power Of The Dog directed by Jane Campion and Apple TV+’s Coda directed by Sian Heder are neck-and-neck in the best picture contest with Coda possibly edging ahead last week following its PGA and WGA triumphs. Focus Features’ Belfast from Kenneth Branagh is just behind in third place. Should Coda or The Power Of The Dog win...
Heading into Sunday’s (March 27) 94th Academy Awards, Netflix’s psychological western The Power Of The Dog leads the nominations on 12, followed by Legendary/Warner Bros’ sci-fi Dune on 10.
The Power Of The Dog directed by Jane Campion and Apple TV+’s Coda directed by Sian Heder are neck-and-neck in the best picture contest with Coda possibly edging ahead last week following its PGA and WGA triumphs. Focus Features’ Belfast from Kenneth Branagh is just behind in third place. Should Coda or The Power Of The Dog win...
- 3/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Will Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards deliver first best picture winner from a streamer?
Heading into Sunday’s (March 27) 94th Academy Awards Netflix’s psychological western The Power Of The Dog leads the nominations on 12, followed by Legendary/Warner Bros’ sci-fi Dune on 10.
The Power Of The Dog directed by Jane Campion and Apple TV+’s Coda directed by Sian Heder are neck-and-neck in the best picture contest with Coda possibly edging ahead last week following its PGA and WGA triumphs. Focus Features’ Belfast from Kenneth Branagh is just behind in third place. Should Coda or The Power Of The Dog...
Heading into Sunday’s (March 27) 94th Academy Awards Netflix’s psychological western The Power Of The Dog leads the nominations on 12, followed by Legendary/Warner Bros’ sci-fi Dune on 10.
The Power Of The Dog directed by Jane Campion and Apple TV+’s Coda directed by Sian Heder are neck-and-neck in the best picture contest with Coda possibly edging ahead last week following its PGA and WGA triumphs. Focus Features’ Belfast from Kenneth Branagh is just behind in third place. Should Coda or The Power Of The Dog...
- 3/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
It’s all come down to this. Ninety-four years of Oscar history have been digested and cross-examined to help yield the critical answer: Which films and performances will win Academy Awards on March 27?
By the sheer scope of its nomination tally, Netflix is the closest it’s ever been to taking home the statuette for the Academy’s most prestigious prize. Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” has won the most critics’ awards for best picture, and the film has walked away with the top honor at the BAFTA and DGA ceremonies, which have Oscar-voter crossover. However, in what feels like an even divide, some Academy members told Variety they were ranking it at No. 1 on their preferential ballot, while others were putting it toward the bottom of that category.
Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Predictions Hub
Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” sat as the presumptive front-runner for...
By the sheer scope of its nomination tally, Netflix is the closest it’s ever been to taking home the statuette for the Academy’s most prestigious prize. Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” has won the most critics’ awards for best picture, and the film has walked away with the top honor at the BAFTA and DGA ceremonies, which have Oscar-voter crossover. However, in what feels like an even divide, some Academy members told Variety they were ranking it at No. 1 on their preferential ballot, while others were putting it toward the bottom of that category.
Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Predictions Hub
Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” sat as the presumptive front-runner for...
- 3/24/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Updated: March 24, 2022
Awards Prediction Commentary:
The race for documentary feature has been Questlove...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Updated: March 24, 2022
Awards Prediction Commentary:
The race for documentary feature has been Questlove...
- 3/24/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Sense of place is a major theme in the Best Documentary category at this year’s Oscars. The five nominated movies span the globe from India to New York to China and Afghanistan, and the filmmakers involved with each movie joined TheWrap’s awards editor Steve Pond for an engaging conversation about making their movies.
Pond spoke with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, director of “Summer of Soul;” Jessica Kingdon, director of “Ascension;” Stanley Nelson, director of “Attica;” Monica Hellström, producer of Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee;” and Sushmit Ghosh, director (with Rintu Thomas) of “Writing with Fire.” All are first time Oscar nominees.
Questlove, a frontman of The Roots, explained that he approached directing “Summer of Soul” with a little trepidation, but was energized by the chance to document the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, an often overlooked cultural moment.
“The thought that something so precious could be discarded, like an uneaten hot dog at a carnival,...
Pond spoke with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, director of “Summer of Soul;” Jessica Kingdon, director of “Ascension;” Stanley Nelson, director of “Attica;” Monica Hellström, producer of Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee;” and Sushmit Ghosh, director (with Rintu Thomas) of “Writing with Fire.” All are first time Oscar nominees.
Questlove, a frontman of The Roots, explained that he approached directing “Summer of Soul” with a little trepidation, but was energized by the chance to document the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, an often overlooked cultural moment.
“The thought that something so precious could be discarded, like an uneaten hot dog at a carnival,...
- 3/17/2022
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Showtime’s Attica) is teaming up with Jacqueline Olive (Lincoln’s Dilemma) to direct the feature documentary, The Color of Cola.
The film now in production is based on Stephanie Capparell’s 2008 book, The Real Pepsi Challenge: How One Pioneering Company Broke Color Barriers in 1940s American Business. It sheds light on the experience of the all-Black sales team at Pepsi, which was the first of its kind for any major corporation—following their journey through the Jim Crow South after being tasked with tapping its African American market.
The stories of Black pioneers are not unfamiliar, but oftentimes go untold. Nelson and Olive’s doc aims to elevate one such story exploring a time when corporate America did not include Black professionals, and the Black experience was stereotypically portrayed. The extraordinary efforts of the individuals on Pepsi’s sales team mirror the courage of many...
The film now in production is based on Stephanie Capparell’s 2008 book, The Real Pepsi Challenge: How One Pioneering Company Broke Color Barriers in 1940s American Business. It sheds light on the experience of the all-Black sales team at Pepsi, which was the first of its kind for any major corporation—following their journey through the Jim Crow South after being tasked with tapping its African American market.
The stories of Black pioneers are not unfamiliar, but oftentimes go untold. Nelson and Olive’s doc aims to elevate one such story exploring a time when corporate America did not include Black professionals, and the Black experience was stereotypically portrayed. The extraordinary efforts of the individuals on Pepsi’s sales team mirror the courage of many...
- 3/16/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
This weekend, the winners of the 74th Annual DGA Awards were announced in Los Angeles. We're in the last few weeks of the awards season this year, with only a few big ones left to go. This year, the New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion won the top prize for Best Film for The Power of the Dog, along with Maggie Gyllenhaal winning Best First Film for The Lost Daughter. Loved both of these films and I'm very happy for both of them to win. This is the first time ever in DGA history that two women have won both of these awards together. In addition, Stanley Nelson won the Documentary prize for his superb film Attica (watch the trailer); and filmmaker Barry Jenkins won the Series prize for his show The Underground Railroad. The Directors Guild Awards are one of the premiere prizes in Hollywood, honoring "Outstanding Directorial Achievement" in many different categories.
- 3/13/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Power of the Dog helmer Jane Campion won the marquee Theatrical Feature Film prize at the 74th annual DGA Awards, which were handed tonight at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Check out the winners list below.
The win solidifies her as the front-runner for Best Director at the Academy Awards on March 27. Campion won an Original Screenplay Oscar for 1993’s The Piano and was up for Best Director that year.
DGA Awards 2022: Deadline’s Full Coverage
The DGAs are an important bellwether in the Oscar race: Only seven times since the marquee Theatrical Feature Film award’s inception in 1949 has the winner differed from the eventual Oscar winner for Directing. Last year was no exception as Nomadland‘s Chloé Zhao took the DGA’s top film prize en route to her historic Oscar win for Best Director. But in 2020, Sam Mendes won the DGA Award before the Oscar went to Bong Joon-ho.
The win solidifies her as the front-runner for Best Director at the Academy Awards on March 27. Campion won an Original Screenplay Oscar for 1993’s The Piano and was up for Best Director that year.
DGA Awards 2022: Deadline’s Full Coverage
The DGAs are an important bellwether in the Oscar race: Only seven times since the marquee Theatrical Feature Film award’s inception in 1949 has the winner differed from the eventual Oscar winner for Directing. Last year was no exception as Nomadland‘s Chloé Zhao took the DGA’s top film prize en route to her historic Oscar win for Best Director. But in 2020, Sam Mendes won the DGA Award before the Oscar went to Bong Joon-ho.
- 3/13/2022
- by Erik Pedersen, Antonia Blyth and Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
This weekend is a big one for Oscar watchers, with two awards ceremonies that often predict key categories. Sunday marks the biggest night of the year in British film, with the BAFTAs, whose winners often mirror those of the Oscars, taking place. But first, the biggest names in directing came out for the Directors Guild of America Awards. Judd Apatow returned to host the DGAs, which honor outstanding achievement in directing film, television, and commercials.
The feature film nominees at the DGAs were almost identical to the Best Director nominees at the Oscars, with winner Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) competing against Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”), Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”), and Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”. The only difference is that the DGAs swapped in Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”) for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”).
On the television side, “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” have absolutely dominated the nominations. “Ted Lasso...
The feature film nominees at the DGAs were almost identical to the Best Director nominees at the Oscars, with winner Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) competing against Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”), Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”), and Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”. The only difference is that the DGAs swapped in Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”) for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”).
On the television side, “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” have absolutely dominated the nominations. “Ted Lasso...
- 3/13/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Jane Campion has been named the best feature-film director of 2021 by the Directors Guild of America for “The Power of the Dog.” She is the second consecutive female director to win after Chloe Zhao’s victory last year for “Nomadland,” and the third overall after Zhao and Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”), who won in 2010 and was also on hand for the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
“I’m here because I care about women having voices,” Campion said in her acceptance speech. She had been the prohibitive favorite going into the DGA Awards, just as she is in the Best Director category at the Academy Awards — and the fact that she won even at the end of a marathon DGA ceremony during which one person after another had paid homage to her fellow nominee Steven Spielberg suggests that the rest of awards season will be smooth sailing for her.
“I’m here because I care about women having voices,” Campion said in her acceptance speech. She had been the prohibitive favorite going into the DGA Awards, just as she is in the Best Director category at the Academy Awards — and the fact that she won even at the end of a marathon DGA ceremony during which one person after another had paid homage to her fellow nominee Steven Spielberg suggests that the rest of awards season will be smooth sailing for her.
- 3/13/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Campion’s win follows 2021 triumph by Nomadland’s Chloe Zhao.
Jane Campion cemented her Oscar prospects as she collected the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for The Power Of The Dog in Beverly Hills on Saturday night (12).
The New Zealand filmmaker’s DGA success follows that of Chloe Zhao last year and the Nomadland director presented Campion with her honour at the non-televised 74th awards ceremony at Beverly Hilton. It was a first DGA win for Campion after she earned a nomination for The Piano in 1994.
Campion prevailed over a male-dominated field that featured Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza,...
Jane Campion cemented her Oscar prospects as she collected the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for The Power Of The Dog in Beverly Hills on Saturday night (12).
The New Zealand filmmaker’s DGA success follows that of Chloe Zhao last year and the Nomadland director presented Campion with her honour at the non-televised 74th awards ceremony at Beverly Hilton. It was a first DGA win for Campion after she earned a nomination for The Piano in 1994.
Campion prevailed over a male-dominated field that featured Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza,...
- 3/12/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
[Editor’s note: This article was originally published in September 2021 and has been updated. “Attica” is now nominated for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s Oscars.]
On September 9, 1971, over 1,200 inmates at the Attica correctional facility in upstate New York seized control of the maximum-security prison, took over three dozen hostages, and demanded humane treatment and better conditions. Negotiations stalled, and law enforcement was ordered by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller to retake Attica, resulting in a massacre that left 29 inmates and 10 hostages dead. On its 50th anniversary, the new documentary “Attica,” directed by Stanley Nelson with co-director Traci A. Curry, examines one of the most shocking incidents in the nation’s history, one that echoes in the present day in a country with a mass incarceration problem that continues to disproportionately affect Black and brown people.
“Attica is a story that’s evergreen,” Nelson said in an interview with IndieWire. “We could have made the film at any time and the conversations would be the same,...
On September 9, 1971, over 1,200 inmates at the Attica correctional facility in upstate New York seized control of the maximum-security prison, took over three dozen hostages, and demanded humane treatment and better conditions. Negotiations stalled, and law enforcement was ordered by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller to retake Attica, resulting in a massacre that left 29 inmates and 10 hostages dead. On its 50th anniversary, the new documentary “Attica,” directed by Stanley Nelson with co-director Traci A. Curry, examines one of the most shocking incidents in the nation’s history, one that echoes in the present day in a country with a mass incarceration problem that continues to disproportionately affect Black and brown people.
“Attica is a story that’s evergreen,” Nelson said in an interview with IndieWire. “We could have made the film at any time and the conversations would be the same,...
- 3/10/2022
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
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