"The whole landscape was breathing a sigh of relief. You could hear it." MetFilm has revealed the official UK trailer for a documentary film tiled Wilding, an adaptation of the book of the same name from Isabella Tree. The film is a compelling look at a dying landscape that is healed against all odds, going on to thrive in astonishing ways. The book describes the creation of Knepp Wildland, the first large-scale rewilding project in lowland England. The 3,500 acres wildland project was created in the grounds of Knepp Castle, where they torn down all the fences and let nature take over again. This almost seems like the British doc version of The Biggest Little Farm doc about a couple creating a sustainable farm in California. Wilding directed by five-time Emmy Award-winner David Allen, with cinematography by multi-bafta & Emmy Award-winning DPs Tim Cragg and Simon de Glanville. And featuring a score...
- 4/10/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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
It was a very good night Sunday for Apple TV+’s Davis Guggenheim-directed documentary Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, about Fox’s life and battle with Parkinson’s disease. The movie won in all five categories for which it was nominated at the eighth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, taking wins for Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Editing for Michael Harte, Narration for Fox himself, and Biographical Documentary.
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards, held tonight at the Edison Hotel in New York City and livestreamed, recognizes the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified Cca members.
20 Days in Mariupol won for Best First Documentary for director Msyyslav Chernov and Best Political Documentary. Also winning twice: Netflix’s docus American Symphony and The Deepest Breath.
Jon Batiste was the subject of American Symphony,...
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards, held tonight at the Edison Hotel in New York City and livestreamed, recognizes the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified Cca members.
20 Days in Mariupol won for Best First Documentary for director Msyyslav Chernov and Best Political Documentary. Also winning twice: Netflix’s docus American Symphony and The Deepest Breath.
Jon Batiste was the subject of American Symphony,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie was the big winner at the Eighth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards held on November 12, 2023 in New York City. Still took home five awards, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Davis Guggenheim), Best Editing (Michael Harte), Best Narration (Michael J. Fox), and Best Biographical Documentary.
Critics Choice Association members recognized 20 Days in Mariupol, American Symphony, and The Deepest Breath with two awards each. Additional winners included Being Mary Tyler Moore, JFK: One Day in America, Secrets of the Elephants, Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, Telemarketers, The 1619 Project, The Last Repair Shop, and 30 for 30.
“This was another incredible night of celebrating documentaries as we reunited with familiar faces and welcomed so many new filmmakers to the event for the first time. Congratulations to all the winners, honorees, and everyone else who made our eighth show such a hit,” said Christopher Campbell, Cca’s Vice President of Documentaries.
Critics Choice Association members recognized 20 Days in Mariupol, American Symphony, and The Deepest Breath with two awards each. Additional winners included Being Mary Tyler Moore, JFK: One Day in America, Secrets of the Elephants, Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, Telemarketers, The 1619 Project, The Last Repair Shop, and 30 for 30.
“This was another incredible night of celebrating documentaries as we reunited with familiar faces and welcomed so many new filmmakers to the event for the first time. Congratulations to all the winners, honorees, and everyone else who made our eighth show such a hit,” said Christopher Campbell, Cca’s Vice President of Documentaries.
- 11/13/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie was the top winner at the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were handed out Sunday night.
Among the other prizes the film collected was the best narration award for Michael J. Fox. It also won best biographical documentary, best direction for Davis Guggenheim and best editing for Michael Harte for a total of five awards overall.
Elsewhere, Jon Batiste won best score for American Symphony on the heels of his five Grammy noms, including album of the year. American Symphony also was named best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol won two awards, for best first documentary feature and best political doc.
The eighth annual edition of the awards show, hosted by Wyatt Cenac, took place at New York’s Edison Ballroom.
Winners were announced in 18 categories spanning theatrical film, TV and digital platforms. Also this year, the Critics Choice Association honored Ross McElwee with its Pennebaker Award,...
Among the other prizes the film collected was the best narration award for Michael J. Fox. It also won best biographical documentary, best direction for Davis Guggenheim and best editing for Michael Harte for a total of five awards overall.
Elsewhere, Jon Batiste won best score for American Symphony on the heels of his five Grammy noms, including album of the year. American Symphony also was named best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol won two awards, for best first documentary feature and best political doc.
The eighth annual edition of the awards show, hosted by Wyatt Cenac, took place at New York’s Edison Ballroom.
Winners were announced in 18 categories spanning theatrical film, TV and digital platforms. Also this year, the Critics Choice Association honored Ross McElwee with its Pennebaker Award,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Davis Guggenheim’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” which chronicled the actor’s life, career and battle with Parkinson’s disease, was named the best nonfiction film of 2023 at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which took place on Sunday night in New York City.
The Apple TV+ film won five awards overall, also including best director for Guggenheim, best narration for Fox, best biographical documentary and best editing.
Journalist Mstyslav Chernov Chernov won the award for Best First Documentary for “20 Days in Mariupol.”
Other winners included “Being Mary Tyler Moore” (Best Archival Documentary), “The Deepest Breath” (Best Sports Documentary), “20 Days in Mariupol” (Best Political Documentary), “American Symphony” (Best Music Documentary), “Secrets of the Elephants” (Best Science/Nature Documentary) and “JFK: One Day in America” (Best Historical Documentary).
Jon Batiste won for the music in “American Symphony,” and Tim Cragg won for the cinematography of “The Deepest Breath.
The Apple TV+ film won five awards overall, also including best director for Guggenheim, best narration for Fox, best biographical documentary and best editing.
Journalist Mstyslav Chernov Chernov won the award for Best First Documentary for “20 Days in Mariupol.”
Other winners included “Being Mary Tyler Moore” (Best Archival Documentary), “The Deepest Breath” (Best Sports Documentary), “20 Days in Mariupol” (Best Political Documentary), “American Symphony” (Best Music Documentary), “Secrets of the Elephants” (Best Science/Nature Documentary) and “JFK: One Day in America” (Best Historical Documentary).
Jon Batiste won for the music in “American Symphony,” and Tim Cragg won for the cinematography of “The Deepest Breath.
- 11/13/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’ Sweeps the Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Complete Winners List)
One of the first big nights of the 2023 award season took place tonight at Manhattan’s Edison Ballroom when the best nonfiction filmmakers competed for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. The show, which is hosted by Wyatt Cenac, honors the most acclaimed documentaries of the year in one of the biggest early contests before the Academy Awards.
Netflix’s Jon Batiste documentary “American Symphony” led the pack with six nominations, while “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City,” and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” were each honored with five nominations a piece. Other contenders for Best Documentary Feature include “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Mission,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” and “Stamped from the Beginning.”
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Story” had the strongest story of the night. In addition to taking home Best Documentary Feature, the film won Best Biographical Documentary, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Narration for Fox himself.
Netflix’s Jon Batiste documentary “American Symphony” led the pack with six nominations, while “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City,” and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” were each honored with five nominations a piece. Other contenders for Best Documentary Feature include “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Mission,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” and “Stamped from the Beginning.”
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Story” had the strongest story of the night. In addition to taking home Best Documentary Feature, the film won Best Biographical Documentary, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Narration for Fox himself.
- 11/13/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
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
Steve McQueen earns directing nod for A24’s Occupied City.
Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony exploring a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste led the Critics Choice Documentary Awards with six nominations on Monday (October 16).
Heineman also gets a nod for best director, Tony Hardmon, Heineman, and Thorsten Thielow for best cinematography, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Heineman, and Fernando Villegas for best editing, Jon Batiste for best score, and best music documentary.
Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol, D. Smth’s Kokomo City, and Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each received five nominations...
Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony exploring a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste led the Critics Choice Documentary Awards with six nominations on Monday (October 16).
Heineman also gets a nod for best director, Tony Hardmon, Heineman, and Thorsten Thielow for best cinematography, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Heineman, and Fernando Villegas for best editing, Jon Batiste for best score, and best music documentary.
Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol, D. Smth’s Kokomo City, and Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each received five nominations...
- 10/16/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
American Symphony earned six nominations, topping the list of 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda) nominees. American Symphony, which focuses on Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad, picked up nominations in categories including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Matthew Heineman), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score (Jon Batiste), and Best Music Documentary.
Three documentaries – 20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – followed with five nominations each. Documentarian Ross McElwee has been chosen to receive The Pennebaker Award (the Ccda’s lifetime achievement honor).
Winners will be announced during the Eighth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards to be held at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on Sunday, November 12, 2023. Actor and standup comedian Wyatt Cenac (Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas) will host the awards for the second consecutive year.
The Ccda will live-stream on Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter...
American Symphony earned six nominations, topping the list of 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda) nominees. American Symphony, which focuses on Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad, picked up nominations in categories including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Matthew Heineman), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score (Jon Batiste), and Best Music Documentary.
Three documentaries – 20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – followed with five nominations each. Documentarian Ross McElwee has been chosen to receive The Pennebaker Award (the Ccda’s lifetime achievement honor).
Winners will be announced during the Eighth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards to be held at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on Sunday, November 12, 2023. Actor and standup comedian Wyatt Cenac (Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas) will host the awards for the second consecutive year.
The Ccda will live-stream on Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter...
- 10/16/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Netflix’s “American Symphony,” which follows Grammy and Oscar winner Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall, leads the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations with six, including best documentary feature and directing for Matthew Heineman. PBS’ “20 Days in Mariupol,” Magnolia Pictures’ “Kokomo City” and Apple Original Films’ “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” are tied for second with five nominations apiece. Each were also were nominated in the top category.
Other nominees for documentary feature include Roadside Attraction’s “Beyond Utopia,” MTV Documentary Films’ “The Eternal Memory,” Amazon’s “Judy Blume Forever,” National Geographic’s “The Mission” and Netflix’s “The Deepest Breath” and “Stamped from the Beginning.”
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Now in its eighth year, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards have previously given the top prize to Oscar winners “O.J.: Made in America” (2016) and...
Other nominees for documentary feature include Roadside Attraction’s “Beyond Utopia,” MTV Documentary Films’ “The Eternal Memory,” Amazon’s “Judy Blume Forever,” National Geographic’s “The Mission” and Netflix’s “The Deepest Breath” and “Stamped from the Beginning.”
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Now in its eighth year, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards have previously given the top prize to Oscar winners “O.J.: Made in America” (2016) and...
- 10/16/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
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
Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony, a portrait of musician Jon Batiste as he experiences professional success amid the personal challenge of his wife Suleika Jaouad’s cancer battle, leads the nominations for the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
American Symphony is up for six awards including best documentary feature. The film is also nominated for best director (Heineman), cinematography (Heineman, Tony Hardmon and Thorsten Thielow), editing (Heineman, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession and Fernando Villegas), score (Batiste) and best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each scored five nods, with all three titles up for best doc feature and best editing.
20 Days in Mariupol is additionally nominated for best first doc, narration (Mstyslav Chernov) and political doc. Kokomo City is also up for best first doc, cinematography and score (D. Smith). Still is up for best director (Davis Guggenheim), narration (Fox) and biographical doc.
American Symphony is up for six awards including best documentary feature. The film is also nominated for best director (Heineman), cinematography (Heineman, Tony Hardmon and Thorsten Thielow), editing (Heineman, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession and Fernando Villegas), score (Batiste) and best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each scored five nods, with all three titles up for best doc feature and best editing.
20 Days in Mariupol is additionally nominated for best first doc, narration (Mstyslav Chernov) and political doc. Kokomo City is also up for best first doc, cinematography and score (D. Smith). Still is up for best director (Davis Guggenheim), narration (Fox) and biographical doc.
- 10/16/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The eighth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations are often an early bellwether for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar race, mainly because they signal to Oscar voters many of the key films they should not miss. Last year’s winner, “Good Night Oppy,” did not make it to the documentary Oscar shortlist, but the year before, “Summer of Soul” went on to win the Oscar.
This year’s nominations were led by fall festival favorite “American Symphony,” Matthew Heineman’s moving portrait of musician Jon Batiste as he juggles work demands and his wife’s recurring leukemia, with six nods. It was followed by Mstyslav Chernov’s Ukraine international Oscar submission “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s black-and-white portrait of Black trans sex workers “Kokomo City,” and Davis Guggenheim’s editing feat “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” with five each.
The gala to honor the winners, hosted by comedian Wyatt Cenac,...
This year’s nominations were led by fall festival favorite “American Symphony,” Matthew Heineman’s moving portrait of musician Jon Batiste as he juggles work demands and his wife’s recurring leukemia, with six nods. It was followed by Mstyslav Chernov’s Ukraine international Oscar submission “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s black-and-white portrait of Black trans sex workers “Kokomo City,” and Davis Guggenheim’s editing feat “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” with five each.
The gala to honor the winners, hosted by comedian Wyatt Cenac,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Matthew Heineman’s documentary profiling Grammy and Oscar winning musician Jon Batiste and the medical struggles for his wife that have marked trying times in their marriage leads the pack of nominees for the 8th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards with six. The inspiring docu from Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground was picked up by Netflix after premiering and winning acclaim at the Telluride Film Festival last month. Not far behind are a trio of docus each with 5 mentions including 20 Days In Mariupol, Kokomo City, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. And not to be ignored, this weekend’s boxoffice champ, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour which landed a nomination as Best Music Documentary. The Ccda nod marks the first awards recognition for the film (however it is not eligible for a Documentary Oscar) which only just had its first premiere screening on Wednesday of last...
- 10/16/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’re the charts and segmentations of the cameras that shot the Sundance 2023’s documentary films. It proves once again that documentary filmmakers use different tools as compared to their narrative colleagues. Not surprisingly, Canon leads the way as the most trusted camera company among documentary filmmakers. Gladly, we see here Blackmagic, Sony mirrorless, and even iPhone. Furthermore, high-end cinema cameras are located at the bottom of the chart.
Sundance 2023’s Documentaries – Camera manufacturers Chart. Credit: Y.M.Cinema Magazine Sundance Film Festival 2023: The cameras that shot the docus
Thankfully, IndieWire reached out to the documentary filmmakers that were super lucky for their docus to be screened at the prestige film festival and asked about the cameras they used. Based on that data, Y.M. Cinema Magazine has built the camera charts in order to explore tendency — an inclination toward particular cameras. That may help us understand, what is...
Sundance 2023’s Documentaries – Camera manufacturers Chart. Credit: Y.M.Cinema Magazine Sundance Film Festival 2023: The cameras that shot the docus
Thankfully, IndieWire reached out to the documentary filmmakers that were super lucky for their docus to be screened at the prestige film festival and asked about the cameras they used. Based on that data, Y.M. Cinema Magazine has built the camera charts in order to explore tendency — an inclination toward particular cameras. That may help us understand, what is...
- 2/14/2023
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini and Irish safety diver Stephen Keenan set their sights on the famous Blue Hole located 184 feet below the Red Sea in The Deepest Breath from documentary filmmaker Laura McGann. Hell-bent on breaking a new world record, Alessia trains to make the seemingly impossible oceanic descent by holding one single breath without the aid of any scuba gear. Cinematographer Tim Cragg discusses his artistic vision on the shoot, which also featured technological complications. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your […]
The post “An Escape to the Coolest Boho Pad on the Beach”: Dp Tim Cragg on The Deepest Breath first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “An Escape to the Coolest Boho Pad on the Beach”: Dp Tim Cragg on The Deepest Breath first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini and Irish safety diver Stephen Keenan set their sights on the famous Blue Hole located 184 feet below the Red Sea in The Deepest Breath from documentary filmmaker Laura McGann. Hell-bent on breaking a new world record, Alessia trains to make the seemingly impossible oceanic descent by holding one single breath without the aid of any scuba gear. Cinematographer Tim Cragg discusses his artistic vision on the shoot, which also featured technological complications. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your […]
The post “An Escape to the Coolest Boho Pad on the Beach”: Dp Tim Cragg on The Deepest Breath first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “An Escape to the Coolest Boho Pad on the Beach”: Dp Tim Cragg on The Deepest Breath first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The world can probably be divided into two camps of people: those who will watch “The Deepest Breath,” a heart-pumping documentary on the extreme sport of free-diving, and understand the dangerous pull of the big blue, and those for whom it might be the most nightmarish vicarious trip into the ocean since “Jaws.” Both factions, however, are likely to be compelled by Laura McGann’s handsomely produced crowdpleaser, which employs startling underwater photography and some canny reconstruction to make immediate on screen a potentially obscure calling. The human narrative it finds amid this spectacle, however, is a little less persuasive, marred by an ill-advised decision to play life-and-death scenarios for suspense.
That won’t deter a large audience from seeking out this A24-produced Sundance premiere when it’s released onto Netflix later this year, though it is a film that will play better theatrically — for the most literally immersive...
That won’t deter a large audience from seeking out this A24-produced Sundance premiere when it’s released onto Netflix later this year, though it is a film that will play better theatrically — for the most literally immersive...
- 1/29/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
From the very beginning of The Deepest Breath, you know exactly what kind of documentary you’re in for. In the back of a car, director Laura McGann aims her camera at free-diver Alessia Zecchini and asks her a loaded question: “How do you think about death?” As you’ll later find out, Zecchini is in the midst of a global competition to swim deeper in one breath than anyone has ever done before. But the question is valid––especially when McGann cuts to the serene, crystal-blue footage of Zecchini paddling into the depths of the ocean. The camera follows her descent and subsequent sprint to the surface, where her brain loses function right before breaching; her eyes roll back while safety instructors begin performing CPR. “I’m not afraid of death,” she answers. When she regains consciousness, ready to dive again, you believe her.
It might be impossible to...
It might be impossible to...
- 1/25/2023
- by Jake Kring-Schreifels
- The Film Stage
Every year, IndieWire reaches out to the cinematographers behind the films premiering at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and asks which cameras, lenses, and formats they used, and why they chose them to create the looks and meet the production demands of their films. Here are the responses from filmmakers who brought documentaries to the festival; click here to read our survey of the year’s scripted narrative features.
Films appear in alphabetical order by title.
“Bad Press”
Dir: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler DoP: Tyler Graim
Format: 4K Canon C-Log 2.35
Camera: Canon C300 Mark II
Lens: Angénieux Optimo 16-40mm and 30-76mm, Zeiss Cz.2 70-200mm, Canon MP-e 65mm macro, Lensbaby Composer Pro
Graim: As cinematographer on “Bad Press,” my main goal was to make sure the textures, colors, and feeling of Muscogee Nation permeate the screen. The Canon image feels very true to life, but also gives me...
Films appear in alphabetical order by title.
“Bad Press”
Dir: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler DoP: Tyler Graim
Format: 4K Canon C-Log 2.35
Camera: Canon C300 Mark II
Lens: Angénieux Optimo 16-40mm and 30-76mm, Zeiss Cz.2 70-200mm, Canon MP-e 65mm macro, Lensbaby Composer Pro
Graim: As cinematographer on “Bad Press,” my main goal was to make sure the textures, colors, and feeling of Muscogee Nation permeate the screen. The Canon image feels very true to life, but also gives me...
- 1/24/2023
- by Jim Hemphill and Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
When it comes to entertainment, we’re a suggestible species. Cooking shows make us salivate. Musicals make us hum along. I’ve been known to randomly cheer (and/or cry) when watching an underdog sports story.
Be very careful when watching Laura McGann’s Netflix and A24 documentary The Deepest Breath. This chronicle of the precarious, haunting and near-mystical world of freediving will make you want to join the competitors in breath-holding as you follow their journeys to aquatic depths. You’ll want to. You may not be able to resist. But you should probably resist. The freedivers? Well, they should also probably resist, but The Deepest Breath fits into a recent tradition of documentaries about extreme athletes whose commitment to events in which death is an accepted consequence beggars common sense, if not belief.
In the most literal sense, The Deepest Breath is a breathtaking documentary, one filled with eye-popping visuals,...
Be very careful when watching Laura McGann’s Netflix and A24 documentary The Deepest Breath. This chronicle of the precarious, haunting and near-mystical world of freediving will make you want to join the competitors in breath-holding as you follow their journeys to aquatic depths. You’ll want to. You may not be able to resist. But you should probably resist. The freedivers? Well, they should also probably resist, but The Deepest Breath fits into a recent tradition of documentaries about extreme athletes whose commitment to events in which death is an accepted consequence beggars common sense, if not belief.
In the most literal sense, The Deepest Breath is a breathtaking documentary, one filled with eye-popping visuals,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
First announced in 2020, David Beckham’s awaited Netflix documentary series is now in production with “The Cove” director Fisher Stevens at the helm. The Oscar-winning documentarian is also partnering with “Searching for Sugarman” producer John Battsek as executive producer.
The series will chart the world-renowned footballer’s “humble working class beginnings in East London, and the drive and determination that led him to become one of the most recognizable and scrutinized athletes of all time,” per Netflix’s release.
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Led by never-before-seen personal archive photos and video footage from the 47-year-old’s life, and paired with in-depth interviews with Beckham, his longtime wife and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, and additional family, friends and other key players in Beckham’s historic professional journey, the series will be an up-close-and-personal portrait of the famed family.
Battsek, himself...
The series will chart the world-renowned footballer’s “humble working class beginnings in East London, and the drive and determination that led him to become one of the most recognizable and scrutinized athletes of all time,” per Netflix’s release.
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David Beckham Kicks Off Media Company Studio 99, Partners With LeBron James
Led by never-before-seen personal archive photos and video footage from the 47-year-old’s life, and paired with in-depth interviews with Beckham, his longtime wife and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, and additional family, friends and other key players in Beckham’s historic professional journey, the series will be an up-close-and-personal portrait of the famed family.
Battsek, himself...
- 7/13/2022
- by Benjamin Lindsay
- The Wrap
Oscar-winners Fisher Stevens and John Battsek have boarded Netflix’s David Beckham documentary series.
Variety first reported two years ago the soccer superstar and his Spice Girl wife Victoria Beckham were set to be the subject of a 20 million Netflix documentary.
Now it’s been confirmed that “The Cove” director Fisher Stevens will helm the project. He will also exec produce alongside “Searching for Sugarman” producer John Battsek.
Beckham’s production studio Studio 99 will make the docu-series in association with Battsek’s Ventureland.
Rounding out the crew are editors Chris King[/link] (“Amy”) and Bjorn Johnson (“Don’t F**k With Cats”) and cinematographer Tim Cragg (“Billie”).
The series is currently in production and will explore Beckham’s “humble working class beginnings in East London, and the drive and determination that led him to become one of the most recognisable and scrutinised athletes of all time,” according to the log-line.
Variety first reported two years ago the soccer superstar and his Spice Girl wife Victoria Beckham were set to be the subject of a 20 million Netflix documentary.
Now it’s been confirmed that “The Cove” director Fisher Stevens will helm the project. He will also exec produce alongside “Searching for Sugarman” producer John Battsek.
Beckham’s production studio Studio 99 will make the docu-series in association with Battsek’s Ventureland.
Rounding out the crew are editors Chris King[/link] (“Amy”) and Bjorn Johnson (“Don’t F**k With Cats”) and cinematographer Tim Cragg (“Billie”).
The series is currently in production and will explore Beckham’s “humble working class beginnings in East London, and the drive and determination that led him to become one of the most recognisable and scrutinised athletes of all time,” according to the log-line.
- 7/13/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
David Beckham is getting the documentary treatment at Netflix, which is in production on a new series set to explore the retired soccer star’s working-class beginnings in London and meteoric rise to becoming one of the most recognized – and scrutinized – athletes of his generation.
The series, which was first reported on back in 2020 by British tabloid The Sun, has now been officially confirmed. It comes with a pair of Oscar winners behind the camera. Fisher Stevens (Palmer, And We Go Green, The Cove) will direct and serve as executive producer alongside John Battsek (One Day in September, Searching for Sugar Man, Winter on Fire).
According to Netflix, the series will feature a mixture of never-before-seen personal archive footage from the last 40 years and interviews with Beckham, his family and friends, as well as key figures who have been part of his journey...
David Beckham is getting the documentary treatment at Netflix, which is in production on a new series set to explore the retired soccer star’s working-class beginnings in London and meteoric rise to becoming one of the most recognized – and scrutinized – athletes of his generation.
The series, which was first reported on back in 2020 by British tabloid The Sun, has now been officially confirmed. It comes with a pair of Oscar winners behind the camera. Fisher Stevens (Palmer, And We Go Green, The Cove) will direct and serve as executive producer alongside John Battsek (One Day in September, Searching for Sugar Man, Winter on Fire).
According to Netflix, the series will feature a mixture of never-before-seen personal archive footage from the last 40 years and interviews with Beckham, his family and friends, as well as key figures who have been part of his journey...
- 7/13/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: A team of prestigious documentary makers are teaming on what should be a hotly anticipated factual project – a feature doc coming to Netflix based on serial killer Dennis Nilsen’s recent posthumously-published autobiography, in which he confessed to three more attacks.
Nilsen, who killed at least 12 young men and boys between 1978 and 1983 and died in prison in 2018, was recently played by David Tennant in the well-received drama Des last year. An edited version of his autobiography, The History Of A Drowning Boy, which was written in prison and stretched to 6,000 pages, was published last week. The book drew criticism from the families of Nilsen’s victims but it was defended by its editors as valuable insight into the mind of a killer.
Michael Harte, whose credits as an editor include the Emmy-winning Netflix series Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer and the BAFTA-nominated Three Identical Strangers, is helming the project,...
Nilsen, who killed at least 12 young men and boys between 1978 and 1983 and died in prison in 2018, was recently played by David Tennant in the well-received drama Des last year. An edited version of his autobiography, The History Of A Drowning Boy, which was written in prison and stretched to 6,000 pages, was published last week. The book drew criticism from the families of Nilsen’s victims but it was defended by its editors as valuable insight into the mind of a killer.
Michael Harte, whose credits as an editor include the Emmy-winning Netflix series Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer and the BAFTA-nominated Three Identical Strangers, is helming the project,...
- 1/27/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Giorgos Georgopoulos’s Not To Be Unpleasant But We Need To Have A Serious Talk won the top prize.
Greek director Giorgos Georgopoulos’s Not To Be Unpleasant But We Need To Have A Serious Talk won the ’film of the festival’ prize at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival, held online this year from October 28 to November 7.
A dark comedy about a womaniser who contracts a sexually-transmited disease that could be fatal to his many partners, Greece’s Not To Be Unpleasant previously picked up the J.F.Costopoulos Foundation award at the 2019 Thessaloniki film festival.
The other winners...
Greek director Giorgos Georgopoulos’s Not To Be Unpleasant But We Need To Have A Serious Talk won the ’film of the festival’ prize at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival, held online this year from October 28 to November 7.
A dark comedy about a womaniser who contracts a sexually-transmited disease that could be fatal to his many partners, Greece’s Not To Be Unpleasant previously picked up the J.F.Costopoulos Foundation award at the 2019 Thessaloniki film festival.
The other winners...
- 11/6/2020
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
“Buena Vista Social Club” meets “The Year of Living Dangerously” is how director Jared P. Scott pitches “The Great Green Wall,” an eco-documentary that shines a light on one of the world’s most ambitious but unsung initiatives to tackle climate change. The film premieres on Saturday in Venice Days, an independent section running alongside the Venice Film Festival. The film will be shown to 150 heads of state at the U.N. Climate Action Summit in New York on Sept. 23.
Executive produced by Fernando Meirelles, the Oscar-nominated director of “City of God” and “The Constant Gardener,” “The Great Green Wall” focuses on the plan, agreed by 11 African nations in 2007, to plant 8,000 kilometers of trees and vegetation across the Sahel, the semi-arid area that stretches the entire width of the continent, just below the Sahara desert.
The 90 minute doc tells its story through the eyes of Malian musician and activist Inna Modja,...
Executive produced by Fernando Meirelles, the Oscar-nominated director of “City of God” and “The Constant Gardener,” “The Great Green Wall” focuses on the plan, agreed by 11 African nations in 2007, to plant 8,000 kilometers of trees and vegetation across the Sahel, the semi-arid area that stretches the entire width of the continent, just below the Sahara desert.
The 90 minute doc tells its story through the eyes of Malian musician and activist Inna Modja,...
- 8/30/2019
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
A new documentary film about Neil Armstrong will use home videos shot by the man himself and unseen footage from Nasa to tell the celebrated U.S. astronaut’s life story. “Armstrong” is in production and will launch in 2019 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first moon landings.
The producers of “Armstrong,” Tin Goose Films, are well-versed in the subject of space exploration, having made feature documentaries “The Last Man on the Moon” and “Mission Control: The Unseen Heroes of Apollo,” which Variety called “an engrossing behind-the-scenes look at the flight controllers and support crews that helped America win the space race.”
“Armstrong” will deliver next spring. The documentary is one of a number of projects dealing with the 1969 lunar landing. Damien Chazelle’s “First Man,” which also centered on Armstrong, was released this year, and drama series “One Giant Leap,” produced by Mike Medavoy, is expected to...
The producers of “Armstrong,” Tin Goose Films, are well-versed in the subject of space exploration, having made feature documentaries “The Last Man on the Moon” and “Mission Control: The Unseen Heroes of Apollo,” which Variety called “an engrossing behind-the-scenes look at the flight controllers and support crews that helped America win the space race.”
“Armstrong” will deliver next spring. The documentary is one of a number of projects dealing with the 1969 lunar landing. Damien Chazelle’s “First Man,” which also centered on Armstrong, was released this year, and drama series “One Giant Leap,” produced by Mike Medavoy, is expected to...
- 12/5/2018
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Three men make a remarkable discovery in Three Identical Strangers, a new documentary premiering at Sundance from Tim Wardle. The men, all strangers, learn that they are in fact identical triplets separated at birth. Wardle chronicles this real-life saga through dramatizations from the ’70s and ’80s, present-day documentary footage and studio interviews. To shoot the film, Wardle hired Tim Cragg, a Dp with more than 40 credits as a documentary cinematographer. Cragg spoke with Filmmaker ahead of the film’s six screenings at Sundance about the challenges of filming Three Identical Strangers. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]...
- 1/19/2018
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Digital Spy presents a list of winners and nominees at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards 2013, hosted by Stephen Mangan from The Brewery in London on Sunday, April 28, 2013:
Breakthrough Talent
Mike Bartlett - The Town
Julie Gearey - Prisoners' Wives
Rhys Thomas - Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Director's Cut)
Tim Whitnall - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story - Winner
Costume Design
Amy Roberts - Mrs Biggs
Sheena Napier - Parade's End - Winner
Odile Dicks-Mireaux - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)
Lorna Marie Mugan - Ripper Street
Digital Creativity
Steve Boulton, James Rutherford - Channel 4 Paralympics - Winner
Production Team - Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic
Production Team - Foxes Live: Wild in the City
Production Team - The Great British Property Scandal
Director (Factual)
Katharine English - Our War
Ben Chanan - The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes - Winner
John Dower...
Breakthrough Talent
Mike Bartlett - The Town
Julie Gearey - Prisoners' Wives
Rhys Thomas - Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Director's Cut)
Tim Whitnall - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story - Winner
Costume Design
Amy Roberts - Mrs Biggs
Sheena Napier - Parade's End - Winner
Odile Dicks-Mireaux - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)
Lorna Marie Mugan - Ripper Street
Digital Creativity
Steve Boulton, James Rutherford - Channel 4 Paralympics - Winner
Production Team - Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic
Production Team - Foxes Live: Wild in the City
Production Team - The Great British Property Scandal
Director (Factual)
Katharine English - Our War
Ben Chanan - The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes - Winner
John Dower...
- 4/28/2013
- Digital Spy
Digital Spy presents a list of nominees for the BAFTA TV Craft Awards 2013, to be hosted by Stephen Mangan from The Brewery in London on Sunday, April 28, 2012:
Breakthrough Talent
Mike Bartlett - The Town
Julie Gearey - Prisoners' Wives
Rhys Thomas - Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Director's Cut)
Tim Whitnall - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story
Costume Design
Amy Roberts - Mrs Biggs
Sheena Napier - Parade's End
Odile Dicks-Mireaux - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)
Lorna Marie Mugan - Ripper Street
Digital Creativity
Steve Boulton, James Rutherford - Channel 4 Paralympics
Production Team - Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic
Production Team - Foxes Live: Wild in the City
Production Team - The Great British Property Scandal
Director (Factual)
Katharine English - Our War
Ben Chanan - The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes
John Dower - Bradley Wiggins: A Year in Yellow
Ben Anthony...
Breakthrough Talent
Mike Bartlett - The Town
Julie Gearey - Prisoners' Wives
Rhys Thomas - Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Director's Cut)
Tim Whitnall - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story
Costume Design
Amy Roberts - Mrs Biggs
Sheena Napier - Parade's End
Odile Dicks-Mireaux - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)
Lorna Marie Mugan - Ripper Street
Digital Creativity
Steve Boulton, James Rutherford - Channel 4 Paralympics
Production Team - Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic
Production Team - Foxes Live: Wild in the City
Production Team - The Great British Property Scandal
Director (Factual)
Katharine English - Our War
Ben Chanan - The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes
John Dower - Bradley Wiggins: A Year in Yellow
Ben Anthony...
- 3/25/2013
- Digital Spy
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