DC Studios and Fathom Events are collaborating on the theatrical release of the acclaimed documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.” The film, which DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films and CNN Films acquired out of the Sundance Film Festival this year, will debut in cinemas across the U.S. on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
There will be an encore presentation on September 25, Reeve’s birthday. Visit Fathom Events for further information and participating theaters. The film’s international theatrical rollout will follow.
Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, stated, “On behalf of not only Warner Bros., but also my colleagues at DC, HBO and CNN, it’s an honor to be a part of bringing Christopher Reeve and his singular legacy to audiences again. It was at this very studio where he made us all believe a man could fly, and this documentary reveals what made him a true hero,...
There will be an encore presentation on September 25, Reeve’s birthday. Visit Fathom Events for further information and participating theaters. The film’s international theatrical rollout will follow.
Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, stated, “On behalf of not only Warner Bros., but also my colleagues at DC, HBO and CNN, it’s an honor to be a part of bringing Christopher Reeve and his singular legacy to audiences again. It was at this very studio where he made us all believe a man could fly, and this documentary reveals what made him a true hero,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, the documentary from Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui (McQueen), which premiered to critical acclaim out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, has been slated to hit select U.S. theaters via DC Studios and Fathom Events on September 21, with an encore presentation to follow on the late actor’s birthday, September 25.
An international theatrical rollout is also forthcoming at a date not yet disclosed.
Stated Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, “On behalf of not only Warner Bros., but also my colleagues at DC, HBO and CNN, it’s an honor to be a part of bringing Christopher Reeve and his singular legacy to audiences again. It was at this very studio where he made us all believe a man could fly, and this documentary reveals what made him a true hero, on- and off-screen. Partnering with our friends at Fathom...
An international theatrical rollout is also forthcoming at a date not yet disclosed.
Stated Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, “On behalf of not only Warner Bros., but also my colleagues at DC, HBO and CNN, it’s an honor to be a part of bringing Christopher Reeve and his singular legacy to audiences again. It was at this very studio where he made us all believe a man could fly, and this documentary reveals what made him a true hero, on- and off-screen. Partnering with our friends at Fathom...
- 5/20/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is taking a deep dive into the game of basketball, starting all the way from the beginning.
In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee, the streamer announced a new documentary series that will follow potential medal contenders and promising hopefuls in men’s basketball as teams from across the world compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and qualifying events leading up to it.
The series will also explore how basketball became so globally competitive by looking through generations of legends who have played.
The docuseries, which is expected as six, 45-minute episodes, is still untitled. It is set to premiere in early 2025.
The team behind the Chicago Bulls documentary The Last Dance — Words & Pictures, Higher Ground Productions, and the Olympic Channel — is responsible for this upcoming series.
Jake Rogal is attached as showrunner. Executive producers are Connor Schell, Libby Geist (Oj: Made in America), Aaron Cohen and Jason Hehir...
In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee, the streamer announced a new documentary series that will follow potential medal contenders and promising hopefuls in men’s basketball as teams from across the world compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and qualifying events leading up to it.
The series will also explore how basketball became so globally competitive by looking through generations of legends who have played.
The docuseries, which is expected as six, 45-minute episodes, is still untitled. It is set to premiere in early 2025.
The team behind the Chicago Bulls documentary The Last Dance — Words & Pictures, Higher Ground Productions, and the Olympic Channel — is responsible for this upcoming series.
Jake Rogal is attached as showrunner. Executive producers are Connor Schell, Libby Geist (Oj: Made in America), Aaron Cohen and Jason Hehir...
- 5/15/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is adding to its sports docuseries lineup with three new shows centered on the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics as well as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
In partnership with the International Olympic Committee, Netflix is doing docuseries on gymnastics great Simone Biles, the U.S. men’s basketball team, and Olympic track athletes, the last of which was ordered last year and is now titled “Sprint.”
The Biles series is titled “Simone Biles: Rising,” and will debut its first part in July ahead of the Summer Games. The series consists of four 45-minute episodes. The official description states:
“Simone Biles has unfinished business. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she was one of the biggest stories leading into the Games. But in sport, as in life, competitions do not always go as planned. And for Simone, the world had a front row seat as her private struggle with mental health exploded on...
In partnership with the International Olympic Committee, Netflix is doing docuseries on gymnastics great Simone Biles, the U.S. men’s basketball team, and Olympic track athletes, the last of which was ordered last year and is now titled “Sprint.”
The Biles series is titled “Simone Biles: Rising,” and will debut its first part in July ahead of the Summer Games. The series consists of four 45-minute episodes. The official description states:
“Simone Biles has unfinished business. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she was one of the biggest stories leading into the Games. But in sport, as in life, competitions do not always go as planned. And for Simone, the world had a front row seat as her private struggle with mental health exploded on...
- 5/15/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix and the International Olympic Committee are partnering on three new sports series: Simone Biles: Rising, Olympic Men’s Basketball and Sprint.
Each show offers viewers unique access behind the scenes of the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and are set to premiere this summer and fall and early 2025.
Simone Biles: Rising follows Biles and her return to the Olympic stage after withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health. Since then, she’s put in the work rebuilding her gymnastics from the ground up and she’s ready for this next stage of competition.
Part 1 will premiere in July ahead of the start of the Paris games. The four-episode series is produced by Religion of Sports in association with the Olympic Channel. Gotham Chopra, Ameeth Sankaran, Giselle Parets and Janey Miller executive produce. Kate Walsh will direct.
Olympic Men’s Basketball is a 6-episode series that...
Each show offers viewers unique access behind the scenes of the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and are set to premiere this summer and fall and early 2025.
Simone Biles: Rising follows Biles and her return to the Olympic stage after withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health. Since then, she’s put in the work rebuilding her gymnastics from the ground up and she’s ready for this next stage of competition.
Part 1 will premiere in July ahead of the start of the Paris games. The four-episode series is produced by Religion of Sports in association with the Olympic Channel. Gotham Chopra, Ameeth Sankaran, Giselle Parets and Janey Miller executive produce. Kate Walsh will direct.
Olympic Men’s Basketball is a 6-episode series that...
- 5/15/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is getting into the Olympic spirit with its newest batch of sports documentaries.
The streamer has partnered with the International Olympic Committee on three series following gymnastics superstar Simone Biles and athletes in men’s basketball and track and field. Filmmaking teams for the three shows will gain access to the athletes and venues at the summer games in Paris.
Separately, Netflix has ordered a series about the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones, with a focus on the team’s dominant years in the early and mid-1990s. The company made the announcements as part of its first-ever upfront on Wednesday — where it also announced its biggest push into live sports so far with a deal to carry NFL games on Christmas for the next three years.
Biles’ return for her third Olympics will be chronicled in Simone Biles: Rising, which will run in two parts. The first...
The streamer has partnered with the International Olympic Committee on three series following gymnastics superstar Simone Biles and athletes in men’s basketball and track and field. Filmmaking teams for the three shows will gain access to the athletes and venues at the summer games in Paris.
Separately, Netflix has ordered a series about the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones, with a focus on the team’s dominant years in the early and mid-1990s. The company made the announcements as part of its first-ever upfront on Wednesday — where it also announced its biggest push into live sports so far with a deal to carry NFL games on Christmas for the next three years.
Biles’ return for her third Olympics will be chronicled in Simone Biles: Rising, which will run in two parts. The first...
- 5/15/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The first game of basketball was played in 1891 at a Ymca in Springfield, Massachusetts. Despite its humble beginnings, the game has grown to global proportions — in 2023, the NBA boasted a record 125 international players, with at least one on each team. Now a new doc series goes behind the scenes on the journey to the top of the Olympic podium, revealing what it takes to suit up and ball at the international level.
From the team behind The Last Dance, whichincludes executive producers Connor Schell, Libby Geist (Oj: Made in America), Aaron Cohen and Jason Hehir of Words & Pictures, Barack and Michelle Obama, and Vinnie Malhotra and Ethan Lewis of Higher Ground Productions, the untitled series will follow potential medal contenders and promising hopefuls in men’s basketball as teams from across the world compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Alongside exclusive behind-the-scenes access, the story of...
From the team behind The Last Dance, whichincludes executive producers Connor Schell, Libby Geist (Oj: Made in America), Aaron Cohen and Jason Hehir of Words & Pictures, Barack and Michelle Obama, and Vinnie Malhotra and Ethan Lewis of Higher Ground Productions, the untitled series will follow potential medal contenders and promising hopefuls in men’s basketball as teams from across the world compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Alongside exclusive behind-the-scenes access, the story of...
- 5/15/2024
- by Roxanne Fequiere
- Tudum - Netflix
“I don’t play basketball for the money, the fame; I only play because I wanted to change my family’s life,” Giannis Antetokounmpo says in the trailer for his upcoming documentary, Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, released by Prime Video on Wednesday.
The feature-length doc, set for release on Feb. 19, details Giannis’s family’s story beginning with his parents, Charles and Veronica Antetokounmpo, who immigrated to Greece from Nigeria in search of a better life for their family in 1991. Giannis, born in Athens, on Dec. 6, 1994, would make a similar choice when he officially made himself eligible for the 2013 NBA draft. On July 30, 2013, he signed his rookie contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he’s played for throughout his entire professional career, leading the team to their first NBA championship since 1971 in 2021.
The Marvelous Journey goes beyond the power forward’s professional highlight reel, though, painting a picture of an athlete with unfathomable resilience,...
The feature-length doc, set for release on Feb. 19, details Giannis’s family’s story beginning with his parents, Charles and Veronica Antetokounmpo, who immigrated to Greece from Nigeria in search of a better life for their family in 1991. Giannis, born in Athens, on Dec. 6, 1994, would make a similar choice when he officially made himself eligible for the 2013 NBA draft. On July 30, 2013, he signed his rookie contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he’s played for throughout his entire professional career, leading the team to their first NBA championship since 1971 in 2021.
The Marvelous Journey goes beyond the power forward’s professional highlight reel, though, painting a picture of an athlete with unfathomable resilience,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated: “Super/Man,” a documentary about the life of Christopher Reeve, has finalized a deal to sell to Warner Bros. Discovery following its buzzy Sundance Film Festival premiere. It’s an interesting home for the documentary, because Reeve experienced his greatest commercial success playing the Man of Steel in the first four Superman movies, which Warner Bros. produced. James Gunn, the co-head of Warner-owned DC Studios, is currently reviving the character in the upcoming “Superman: Legacy,” which he wrote and will direct.
Wbd’s DC Studios. Warner Bros. Motion Pictures, HBO, CNN Films and Max will collaborate on the film’s global release across theatrical and home viewing release windows.
“Everyone at Warner Bros. Discovery is incredibly proud to come together as one company to partner with Christopher Reeve’s family and the filmmakers behind ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ and bring his personal journey to audiences the world over.
Wbd’s DC Studios. Warner Bros. Motion Pictures, HBO, CNN Films and Max will collaborate on the film’s global release across theatrical and home viewing release windows.
“Everyone at Warner Bros. Discovery is incredibly proud to come together as one company to partner with Christopher Reeve’s family and the filmmakers behind ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ and bring his personal journey to audiences the world over.
- 1/27/2024
- by Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The North Road Company’s investment drive continues.
Peter Chernin’s company has acquired Little Room Films, the production company established by Jason Hehir, the director behind the hit basketball docuseries The Last Dance.
It marks Chernin’s latest investment in the non-fiction space, having invested in Words+Pictures, the company started by former ESPN content chief Connor Schell.
Hehir has worked closely with Words+Pictures; in addition to producing and directing The Last Dance, which thanks to incredible footage and Michael Jordan’s participation became ESPN’s most-watched documentary ever, which was exec produced by Schell and Libby Geist, Hehir also directed and exec produced Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, the Netflix docuseries that was produced by Words+Pictures. He also worked closely with 30 for 30 co-creator Schell during his time at ESPN.
Jason Hehir (Little Room Films)
Little Room Films was founded by Hehir in 2021, in the wake of...
Peter Chernin’s company has acquired Little Room Films, the production company established by Jason Hehir, the director behind the hit basketball docuseries The Last Dance.
It marks Chernin’s latest investment in the non-fiction space, having invested in Words+Pictures, the company started by former ESPN content chief Connor Schell.
Hehir has worked closely with Words+Pictures; in addition to producing and directing The Last Dance, which thanks to incredible footage and Michael Jordan’s participation became ESPN’s most-watched documentary ever, which was exec produced by Schell and Libby Geist, Hehir also directed and exec produced Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, the Netflix docuseries that was produced by Words+Pictures. He also worked closely with 30 for 30 co-creator Schell during his time at ESPN.
Jason Hehir (Little Room Films)
Little Room Films was founded by Hehir in 2021, in the wake of...
- 11/15/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix’s Uswnt Doc ‘Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team’ Sets Premiere Date | Exclusive
Netflix will release a docuseries about the U.S. Women’s World Cup team, titled “Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team,” in December.
The four-episode series lands on Netflix Dec. 12 and showcases the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 2023 World Cup journey. The series is a co-production with Time Studios, Words + Pictures, and Togethxr in association with FIFA.
According to the series logline “The all-access sports series will allow audiences to intimately follow the US Women’s National Team’s players and coaches and reveal an inside look at the most decorated team in soccer history. Viewers will get a first-hand look at the pressure, the euphoria, the joy, and the hardships that these world-class athletes experience as they strive to capture their third World Cup title in a row. Issues ranging from injury, criticism and doubt, equal pay, and upholding legacies are all...
The four-episode series lands on Netflix Dec. 12 and showcases the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 2023 World Cup journey. The series is a co-production with Time Studios, Words + Pictures, and Togethxr in association with FIFA.
According to the series logline “The all-access sports series will allow audiences to intimately follow the US Women’s National Team’s players and coaches and reveal an inside look at the most decorated team in soccer history. Viewers will get a first-hand look at the pressure, the euphoria, the joy, and the hardships that these world-class athletes experience as they strive to capture their third World Cup title in a row. Issues ranging from injury, criticism and doubt, equal pay, and upholding legacies are all...
- 11/8/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Apple TV+ has released the trailer for Season 3 of “Slow Horses.” The first two episodes will premiere on Nov. 29, and the remaining four episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays through Dec. 27.
“Slow Horses” follows a dysfunctional team of British intelligence agents who serve in a department of MI5 known as “Slough House” due to their career-ending mistakes. Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb, the leader of Slough House. The third season will focus on a romantic liaison in Istanbul, which threatens to expose an MI5 secret in London.
Joining the cast for Season 3 is Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù as Sean Donovan, the former security head at the British embassy in Istanbul, and Katherine Waterston as Alison Dunn, an MI5 agent who uncovers an agency secret. The ensemble cast is also comprised of Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Freddie Fox, Chris Reilly, Samuel West, Sophie Okonedo, Aimee-Ffion Edwards,...
“Slow Horses” follows a dysfunctional team of British intelligence agents who serve in a department of MI5 known as “Slough House” due to their career-ending mistakes. Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb, the leader of Slough House. The third season will focus on a romantic liaison in Istanbul, which threatens to expose an MI5 secret in London.
Joining the cast for Season 3 is Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù as Sean Donovan, the former security head at the British embassy in Istanbul, and Katherine Waterston as Alison Dunn, an MI5 agent who uncovers an agency secret. The ensemble cast is also comprised of Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Freddie Fox, Chris Reilly, Samuel West, Sophie Okonedo, Aimee-Ffion Edwards,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Valerie Wu, Caroline Brew and Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is speeding into its latest sports docuseries.
The streamer has ordered a series that tracks the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and championship race this fall.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has won 26 races in the Cup Series and is the son of legendary motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt, is exec producing the untitled project.
The five-part series has already starting filming as the drivers battle it out to secure their spot in the NASCAR Playoffs, which begin Sept. 3 at Darlington Raceway.
It will feature exclusive access to drivers and teams both on the track and at home.
The series will premiere in early 2024.
Words + Pictures, the company launched by former ESPN exec Connor Schell that is backed by Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company, is producing alongside NASCAR Studios.
Jackie Decker and Tim Mullen, who exec produced ESPN’s Quest for the Stanley Cup, will serve as showrunners...
The streamer has ordered a series that tracks the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and championship race this fall.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has won 26 races in the Cup Series and is the son of legendary motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt, is exec producing the untitled project.
The five-part series has already starting filming as the drivers battle it out to secure their spot in the NASCAR Playoffs, which begin Sept. 3 at Darlington Raceway.
It will feature exclusive access to drivers and teams both on the track and at home.
The series will premiere in early 2024.
Words + Pictures, the company launched by former ESPN exec Connor Schell that is backed by Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company, is producing alongside NASCAR Studios.
Jackie Decker and Tim Mullen, who exec produced ESPN’s Quest for the Stanley Cup, will serve as showrunners...
- 8/21/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
A multi-episode docuseries following the United States Women’s National Team’s World Cup journey will premiere globally on Netflix this fall.
The series will highlight players and coaches of the Uswnt, giving an inside look at the most-decorated team in soccer history. Themes include the pressure athletes face, the euphoria of success, the joy, hardships and more of the sport. The doc will also cover issues like equal pay, motherhood, LGBTQ+ rights, racial diversity and family.
The narrative will trace the preparation — both individual and group — for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, paying homage to the players that came before those currently on the roster.
Also Read:
Megan Rapinoe to Retire From Professional Soccer After 2023 Women’s World Cup
Veteran champions like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapino, who recently announced her retirement from the sport at the end of the year, as well as rising stars like 18-year-old...
The series will highlight players and coaches of the Uswnt, giving an inside look at the most-decorated team in soccer history. Themes include the pressure athletes face, the euphoria of success, the joy, hardships and more of the sport. The doc will also cover issues like equal pay, motherhood, LGBTQ+ rights, racial diversity and family.
The narrative will trace the preparation — both individual and group — for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, paying homage to the players that came before those currently on the roster.
Also Read:
Megan Rapinoe to Retire From Professional Soccer After 2023 Women’s World Cup
Veteran champions like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapino, who recently announced her retirement from the sport at the end of the year, as well as rising stars like 18-year-old...
- 7/17/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
The U.S. Women’s Soccer team’s journey to a possible third World Cup title will be documented in a multi-episode docuseries set to launch globally on the streaming network this fall. The series is currently in production in New Zealand and Australia following the team as they compete for the 2023 World Cup.
A co-production with Time Studios, Words + Pictures and Togethxr, “the sports series will allow audiences to intimately follow the US Women’s National Team’s players and coaches and reveal an inside look at the most decorated team in soccer history. Viewers will get a first-hand look at the pressure, the euphoria, the joy, and the hardships that these world-class athletes experience as they strive to capture their third World Cup title in a row. Issues ranging from racial diversity, LGBTQ+ rights, equal pay, family, and motherhood are all brought to light as the narrative unfolds,...
A co-production with Time Studios, Words + Pictures and Togethxr, “the sports series will allow audiences to intimately follow the US Women’s National Team’s players and coaches and reveal an inside look at the most decorated team in soccer history. Viewers will get a first-hand look at the pressure, the euphoria, the joy, and the hardships that these world-class athletes experience as they strive to capture their third World Cup title in a row. Issues ranging from racial diversity, LGBTQ+ rights, equal pay, family, and motherhood are all brought to light as the narrative unfolds,...
- 7/17/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: HBO and Words + Pictures have launched production on a documentary about Barry Bonds, one of baseball’s greatest players – and one of the most polarizing figures in all professional sport.
The untitled Bonds film is being directed by Keith McQuirter (By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem) and executive produced by Oscar winner Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America) and Connor Schell and Libby Geist, creators of the Emmy-winning series 30 for 30 and EPs of the megahit docuseries The Last Dance.
“The untitled HBO Sports Documentary will tell the story of Barry Bonds, baseball’s single-season and all-time home run king, from his beginnings as the son of All-Star Bobby Bonds, and godson of the iconic Willie Mays, all the way up to his meteoric rise in the 1990s and 2000s,” notes a release about the project. “Using archival footage and original interviews, the film will...
The untitled Bonds film is being directed by Keith McQuirter (By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem) and executive produced by Oscar winner Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America) and Connor Schell and Libby Geist, creators of the Emmy-winning series 30 for 30 and EPs of the megahit docuseries The Last Dance.
“The untitled HBO Sports Documentary will tell the story of Barry Bonds, baseball’s single-season and all-time home run king, from his beginnings as the son of All-Star Bobby Bonds, and godson of the iconic Willie Mays, all the way up to his meteoric rise in the 1990s and 2000s,” notes a release about the project. “Using archival footage and original interviews, the film will...
- 5/31/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Apple TV+ has set a new sports documentary about last year’s attempt to set up a new European super-league that spontaneously combusted before it got off the ground.
“Super League: The War for Football” will drop on the streamer on Jan. 13. The fours-part series “documents the high stakes battle that is set off when plans for a breakaway league emerge and the past, present, and future of European football collide, leaving the game’s most powerful leaders to defend, or upend, the traditions of the sport,” according to the logline.
The doc will include access to league presidents, club owners and the individuals who came up with the idea to create a European Super League.
The story starts last April, when it was revealed that 12 of the world’s most powerful soccer clubs – including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus – were planning to form a new midweek competition called...
“Super League: The War for Football” will drop on the streamer on Jan. 13. The fours-part series “documents the high stakes battle that is set off when plans for a breakaway league emerge and the past, present, and future of European football collide, leaving the game’s most powerful leaders to defend, or upend, the traditions of the sport,” according to the logline.
The doc will include access to league presidents, club owners and the individuals who came up with the idea to create a European Super League.
The story starts last April, when it was revealed that 12 of the world’s most powerful soccer clubs – including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus – were planning to form a new midweek competition called...
- 12/14/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
The controversial failed attempt by some of the world’s biggest soccer teams to form a Super League is to be charted in a documentary event series from Apple TV+, produced by All Rise Films. Trailer is below.
Premiering in January, Super League: The War For Football will document the high-stakes battle that was set off when the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona outlined plans to form their own breakaway league.
Twelve of Europe’s leading soccer clubs confirmed their agreement to establish the league in April 2021 and the seismic proposals would have involved a midweek league with the founder clubs, challenging the European Champions League and domestic offerings.
The move instantly turned to chaos, with the sport’s biggest defenders vehemently opposed, and as quickly as it had been announced, it had been retracted, leading to a great deal of introspection in the UK,...
Premiering in January, Super League: The War For Football will document the high-stakes battle that was set off when the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona outlined plans to form their own breakaway league.
Twelve of Europe’s leading soccer clubs confirmed their agreement to establish the league in April 2021 and the seismic proposals would have involved a midweek league with the founder clubs, challenging the European Champions League and domestic offerings.
The move instantly turned to chaos, with the sport’s biggest defenders vehemently opposed, and as quickly as it had been announced, it had been retracted, leading to a great deal of introspection in the UK,...
- 12/14/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2022 Tribeca Festival has named its jury totaling more than five dozen members across 18 categories with Alan Zweibel, Aidan Quinn, Anne Archer, Rose Troche and Oge Egbuonu judging the U.S. Narrative Feature Competition.
Jessica Alba, Darren Aronofsky and Daryl Hannah are among jurors for the 2022 Human/Nature Prize, a new award this year going “to the project that best illuminates the pressing environmental issues of our time.”
The Nora Ephron Award, created to honor the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer and presented for the tenth year, will be juried by Pam Grier along with Amandla Stenberg and Lisa Addario.
Rosanna Arquette, Lucy Boynton, Anthony Edwards and Nikki Karimi are the jury for International Narrative Feature.
Also set to select projects in categories including film, audio storytelling and games are Debra Winger, Andre Holland, Niecy Nash, Alex Winter, Lucy Boynton, Nanfu Wang, Sheila Nevins of MTV Documentary Films...
Jessica Alba, Darren Aronofsky and Daryl Hannah are among jurors for the 2022 Human/Nature Prize, a new award this year going “to the project that best illuminates the pressing environmental issues of our time.”
The Nora Ephron Award, created to honor the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer and presented for the tenth year, will be juried by Pam Grier along with Amandla Stenberg and Lisa Addario.
Rosanna Arquette, Lucy Boynton, Anthony Edwards and Nikki Karimi are the jury for International Narrative Feature.
Also set to select projects in categories including film, audio storytelling and games are Debra Winger, Andre Holland, Niecy Nash, Alex Winter, Lucy Boynton, Nanfu Wang, Sheila Nevins of MTV Documentary Films...
- 6/2/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Connor Schell and Chernin Entertainment’s nonfiction banner Words + Pictures is getting ready for its next red carpet moment – the Oscars preshow on Sunday — via Full Day Productions, its fledgling live entertainment and unscripted specials production arm.
Led by veteran executive producer David Chamberlin, Full Day was created in 2021. While Words + Pictures develops and produces nonfiction content focused on various topics, Full Day is focused on creating live shows, entertainment specials, and character-based unscripted series such as “The Oscars Red Carpet Show” on ABC before the Academy Awards. Last year, Full Day produced several live events and specials including the “Espy Awards” and ABC’s “A Very Boy Band Holiday” featuring members of iconic boy bands singing Christmas songs. In the first quarter of 2022, Full Day produced the “NFL Honors,” simulcast on ABC and ESPN Plus, and will produce the ESPYs this summer.
Chamberlin has a long track record...
Led by veteran executive producer David Chamberlin, Full Day was created in 2021. While Words + Pictures develops and produces nonfiction content focused on various topics, Full Day is focused on creating live shows, entertainment specials, and character-based unscripted series such as “The Oscars Red Carpet Show” on ABC before the Academy Awards. Last year, Full Day produced several live events and specials including the “Espy Awards” and ABC’s “A Very Boy Band Holiday” featuring members of iconic boy bands singing Christmas songs. In the first quarter of 2022, Full Day produced the “NFL Honors,” simulcast on ABC and ESPN Plus, and will produce the ESPYs this summer.
Chamberlin has a long track record...
- 3/26/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Former ESPN content chief Connor Schell has brought in former colleague Libby Geist to help run his new nonfiction banner Words + Pictures as it ramps up productions of documentary fare.
Libby Geist will serve as the production company’s executive VP and head of documentaries, overseeing the development of one-off docus and docuseries for the New York-based company founded in February 2021 with Chernin Entertainment as its sole investor. Geist worked alongside Schell for more than a decade at ESPN, where she served as VP and executive producer of ESPN Films and Original Content until 2020. During her tenure at ESPN Films, Geist executive produced several seminal nonfiction projects including “The Last Dance,” the “30 for 30” series, and “O.J.: Made in America,” which won an Academy Award in 2017.
As an executive producer on the “30 for 30” series, which Schell co-founded with Bill Simmons in 2007, Geist has worked alongside some of...
Libby Geist will serve as the production company’s executive VP and head of documentaries, overseeing the development of one-off docus and docuseries for the New York-based company founded in February 2021 with Chernin Entertainment as its sole investor. Geist worked alongside Schell for more than a decade at ESPN, where she served as VP and executive producer of ESPN Films and Original Content until 2020. During her tenure at ESPN Films, Geist executive produced several seminal nonfiction projects including “The Last Dance,” the “30 for 30” series, and “O.J.: Made in America,” which won an Academy Award in 2017.
As an executive producer on the “30 for 30” series, which Schell co-founded with Bill Simmons in 2007, Geist has worked alongside some of...
- 1/12/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
ESPN, which has seen some of its top executives charged with overseeing documentary and investigative work depart in recent months, said it had named news veteran Marsha Cooke as vice president and executive producer of its ESPN Films unit as well as its venerable “30 for 30” documentary unit.
Cooke, who spent 24 years at CBS News, was most recently senior vice president of global news and special projects at Vice Media Group.
“Marsha’s extensive production experience, creative mind, and global perspective make her a tremendous asset to our team,” said Brian Lockhart, senior vice president, ESPN Films and original content, in a statement. “As we prepare for a dramatic expansion of our storytelling scope, her strategic thinking and leadership will help guide this ambitious next phase of the 30 for 30 brand. We are delighted to welcome her to ESPN.”
ESPN has long burnished documentary projects, but in recent months, it has refined its focus on them,...
Cooke, who spent 24 years at CBS News, was most recently senior vice president of global news and special projects at Vice Media Group.
“Marsha’s extensive production experience, creative mind, and global perspective make her a tremendous asset to our team,” said Brian Lockhart, senior vice president, ESPN Films and original content, in a statement. “As we prepare for a dramatic expansion of our storytelling scope, her strategic thinking and leadership will help guide this ambitious next phase of the 30 for 30 brand. We are delighted to welcome her to ESPN.”
ESPN has long burnished documentary projects, but in recent months, it has refined its focus on them,...
- 11/15/2021
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
The team behind the blockbuster Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance” are now taking their jam to space. Netflix has picked up “Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space,” from producer Connor Schell and director Jason Hehir, which will chronicle this September’s SpaceX Dragon mission Inspiration4, in which four civilians will travel into space on a three-day trip.
Unlike the recent suborbital flights led by billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, Inspiration4 will reach an altitude higher than that of the International Space Station and make history as the first all-civilian mission to orbit. “Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space” will have exclusive access to the mission, and will be produced and uploaded to Netflix in five parts leading up to and following the mission. It’s the first Netflix documentary series to cover an event in near real-time.
Schell (through his Words & Pictures shingle), Hehir and their “The Last Dance” team...
Unlike the recent suborbital flights led by billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, Inspiration4 will reach an altitude higher than that of the International Space Station and make history as the first all-civilian mission to orbit. “Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space” will have exclusive access to the mission, and will be produced and uploaded to Netflix in five parts leading up to and following the mission. It’s the first Netflix documentary series to cover an event in near real-time.
Schell (through his Words & Pictures shingle), Hehir and their “The Last Dance” team...
- 8/3/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has greenlighted Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, a near real-time docuseries following the September launch and mission of the first all-civilian flight crew aboard the SpaceX capsule. The docuseries hails from Time Studios, The Last Dance director Jason Hehir, Known and Connor Schell and Chernin Entertainment’s Words & Pictures. Additionally, Netflix will premiere StoryBots Space Adventure, a hybrid live-action animation special for kids and families to watch together before the mission.
The privately chartered space flight funded, led and commanded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, is also intended to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, will be joined by Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude and pediatric cancer survivor; Christopher Sembroski, a former member of the U.S. Air Force who served in Iraq and now works as a Lockheed Martin engineer, and Sian Proctor,...
The privately chartered space flight funded, led and commanded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, is also intended to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, will be joined by Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude and pediatric cancer survivor; Christopher Sembroski, a former member of the U.S. Air Force who served in Iraq and now works as a Lockheed Martin engineer, and Sian Proctor,...
- 8/3/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has ordered a docuseries that will follow the Inspiration4 all-civilian mission to space this September in “near real-time” before and after the mission launch, the streaming service said Tuesday.
“This September, four civilians will launch into space for a three-day trip orbiting Earth and reaching an altitude higher than that of the International Space Station (Iss),” per Netflix’s description for the project. “The SpaceX Dragon mission, dubbed Inspiration4, is the most ambitious step to date in the rapidly-developing age of civilian space exploration, making history as the first all-civilian mission to orbit.”
“Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space,” which hails from “The Last Dance” director Jason Hehir, “will take viewers behind the scenes with the four crew members — from their unconventional selection and intensive months-long commercial astronaut training, through the intimate and emotional moments leading up to liftoff. The final episode, which premieres just days after the mission is completed,...
“This September, four civilians will launch into space for a three-day trip orbiting Earth and reaching an altitude higher than that of the International Space Station (Iss),” per Netflix’s description for the project. “The SpaceX Dragon mission, dubbed Inspiration4, is the most ambitious step to date in the rapidly-developing age of civilian space exploration, making history as the first all-civilian mission to orbit.”
“Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space,” which hails from “The Last Dance” director Jason Hehir, “will take viewers behind the scenes with the four crew members — from their unconventional selection and intensive months-long commercial astronaut training, through the intimate and emotional moments leading up to liftoff. The final episode, which premieres just days after the mission is completed,...
- 8/3/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
“It was a big pay cut to do essentially the same job,” Mayne tells The Athletic
Following Monday’s news that Kenny Mayne is ending his celebrated 27-year tenure at ESPN, the on-air personality said he left the company after the two could not agree on a new contract. In an interview published Wednesday, Mayne said he was asked to take a “significant” pay cut to do what he described as the same job.
“It was a significant pay cut. It was a big pay cut to do essentially the same job,” Mayne told The Athletic. “It was a 14% reduction in time worked and a 61% reduction in money earned. I thought the variance was too much.” ESPN declined to comment on the figures.
“It was still a good amount of money in the real world. I’m not trying to frame this as woe for me. Nothing like that. I...
Following Monday’s news that Kenny Mayne is ending his celebrated 27-year tenure at ESPN, the on-air personality said he left the company after the two could not agree on a new contract. In an interview published Wednesday, Mayne said he was asked to take a “significant” pay cut to do what he described as the same job.
“It was a significant pay cut. It was a big pay cut to do essentially the same job,” Mayne told The Athletic. “It was a 14% reduction in time worked and a 61% reduction in money earned. I thought the variance was too much.” ESPN declined to comment on the figures.
“It was still a good amount of money in the real world. I’m not trying to frame this as woe for me. Nothing like that. I...
- 5/12/2021
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Mayne was one of the network’s longest-serving on-air personalities
Kenny Mayne is leaving ESPN after 27 years. The former “SportsCenter” host and longtime on-air personality described his departure as a “salary cap casualty.”
“I am leaving ESPN. Salary cap casualty. Thanks for the opportunity Vince Doria & Al Jaffe & for taking my solicitations,” Mayne wrote on Twitter Monday. “I will miss the people. I will miss the vending machine set up over by the old Van Pelt joint. We had everything.”
An individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap Mayne was offered a deal to remain with the network, but declined. ESPN had no comment.
Mayne first joined ESPN in 1994 and was one of the main “SportsCenter” anchors, before moving on to doing more esoteric and offbeat features. He had returned to anchoring the 11 p.m. Et version of “SportsCenter” sporadically in recent years.
ESPN has been in cost-cutting mode...
Kenny Mayne is leaving ESPN after 27 years. The former “SportsCenter” host and longtime on-air personality described his departure as a “salary cap casualty.”
“I am leaving ESPN. Salary cap casualty. Thanks for the opportunity Vince Doria & Al Jaffe & for taking my solicitations,” Mayne wrote on Twitter Monday. “I will miss the people. I will miss the vending machine set up over by the old Van Pelt joint. We had everything.”
An individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap Mayne was offered a deal to remain with the network, but declined. ESPN had no comment.
Mayne first joined ESPN in 1994 and was one of the main “SportsCenter” anchors, before moving on to doing more esoteric and offbeat features. He had returned to anchoring the 11 p.m. Et version of “SportsCenter” sporadically in recent years.
ESPN has been in cost-cutting mode...
- 5/10/2021
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
John Skipper and Dan Le Batard no longer work at ESPN, but that won’t keep them out of the scrum to dominate the world of sports content.
Skipper, the former ESPN chief, and Le Batard, once one of the Disney-backed company’s most popular hosts, are launching Meadowlark Media, an independent content company that will initially focus on sports, with an emphasis on individual creators. Skipper will remain an an executive at Dazn Group, a company that has snapped up rights to stream boxing and mixed-martial fighting matches, among other contests.
The two join a crowded field of entrepreneurs trying to challenge traditional media giants on the sports-content field. The Ringer, a sports-and-entertainment focused outlet founded by former ESPN producer Bill Simmons, was purchased in November by Spotify. Meanwhile, other former ESPN content personnel — including top executives like Connor Schell and Libby Geist — have left the sports giant in recent weeks.
Skipper, the former ESPN chief, and Le Batard, once one of the Disney-backed company’s most popular hosts, are launching Meadowlark Media, an independent content company that will initially focus on sports, with an emphasis on individual creators. Skipper will remain an an executive at Dazn Group, a company that has snapped up rights to stream boxing and mixed-martial fighting matches, among other contests.
The two join a crowded field of entrepreneurs trying to challenge traditional media giants on the sports-content field. The Ringer, a sports-and-entertainment focused outlet founded by former ESPN producer Bill Simmons, was purchased in November by Spotify. Meanwhile, other former ESPN content personnel — including top executives like Connor Schell and Libby Geist — have left the sports giant in recent weeks.
- 1/19/2021
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Tom Rinaldi, the ESPN correspondent known for his enterprise features and video essays, has jumped to Fox Sports, a place that has in the past not been known for delivering such things.
He is expected to take up duties for Fox in 2021, “contributing across the network’s world-class portfolio of live events.”
“Tom is one of the all-time great people in this business and a generational storyteller,” said Eric Shanks. Fox Sports’ CEO and executive producer, in a statement. “The biggest events on Fox just got bigger because of Tom, and we are honored to have him as our newest teammate.” Rinaldi’s last ESPN assignment is expected to be the network’s January 1 broadcast of the Rose Bowl game.
While he has served as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s golf coverage and college-football events, Rinaldi is better known for his enterprise features and interview. It is Rinaldi who...
He is expected to take up duties for Fox in 2021, “contributing across the network’s world-class portfolio of live events.”
“Tom is one of the all-time great people in this business and a generational storyteller,” said Eric Shanks. Fox Sports’ CEO and executive producer, in a statement. “The biggest events on Fox just got bigger because of Tom, and we are honored to have him as our newest teammate.” Rinaldi’s last ESPN assignment is expected to be the network’s January 1 broadcast of the Rose Bowl game.
While he has served as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s golf coverage and college-football events, Rinaldi is better known for his enterprise features and interview. It is Rinaldi who...
- 12/17/2020
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (Ufeg) SVP of Global Communications Jenny Tartikoff will depart the studio at the end of the year to pursue other leadership opportunities in the media and entertainment space.
Tartikoff was appointed to the role in 2016 and was responsible for executive communications, managing filmmaker relationships, crisis communications, events and executive communications, and guiding day-to-day studio strategy. She played an integral role in the integration of Dreamworks Animation following the 2016 acquisitions and in harnessing the studios’ reputation in the Dei space with the launch of Gtdi and other culture-driven initiatives. She first reported to Teri Everett and then Cindy Gardner, EVP of Global Communications for Ufeg.
Previously, Tartikoff worked at the New York-based strategic communications company Rubenstein, where her clients included Paramount Pictures, HBO, the New York Post and Sony Corporation of America. Before joining Rubenstein in 2010, she spent more than six years working for NBC News Communications,...
Tartikoff was appointed to the role in 2016 and was responsible for executive communications, managing filmmaker relationships, crisis communications, events and executive communications, and guiding day-to-day studio strategy. She played an integral role in the integration of Dreamworks Animation following the 2016 acquisitions and in harnessing the studios’ reputation in the Dei space with the launch of Gtdi and other culture-driven initiatives. She first reported to Teri Everett and then Cindy Gardner, EVP of Global Communications for Ufeg.
Previously, Tartikoff worked at the New York-based strategic communications company Rubenstein, where her clients included Paramount Pictures, HBO, the New York Post and Sony Corporation of America. Before joining Rubenstein in 2010, she spent more than six years working for NBC News Communications,...
- 12/5/2020
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Dan Le Batard, the popular and opinionated ESPN talk-show host, is walking away from the sports-media giant after working there in various capacities for nearly a decade.
Le Batard, who in mid-2019 openly challenged what had been ESPN’s policy not to address straight political matters, is leaving to pursue a new opportunity that neither party described. The last broadcast of his “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” on ESPN Radio will take place January 4, and will subsequently be replaced by Mike Greenberg’s new radio program, “Greeny.” Le Batard will host his last episode of the ESPN TV program “Highly Questionable” on the same day. ESPN said that program will continue to run as part of its regular lineup.
Le Batard is the latest in a string of prominent content executives and personnel to announce their departure from ESPN in recent days and comes as the Disney unit...
Le Batard, who in mid-2019 openly challenged what had been ESPN’s policy not to address straight political matters, is leaving to pursue a new opportunity that neither party described. The last broadcast of his “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” on ESPN Radio will take place January 4, and will subsequently be replaced by Mike Greenberg’s new radio program, “Greeny.” Le Batard will host his last episode of the ESPN TV program “Highly Questionable” on the same day. ESPN said that program will continue to run as part of its regular lineup.
Le Batard is the latest in a string of prominent content executives and personnel to announce their departure from ESPN in recent days and comes as the Disney unit...
- 12/3/2020
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
One of ESPN’s longtime faces is leaving the network. Trey Wingo, who hosted “SportsCenter” and the network’s NFL Draft coverage over a two-decade tenure, is exiting the network after his contract was not renewed.
The decision not to re-up Wingo’s contract came as part of ESPN’s massive job cuts, the New York Post reported earlier this month (the NY Post also reported back in September that Wingo was being let go). The host’s departure was not confirmed until today, which is also his last day at the network.
“I can barely remember a day which didn’t involve working side by side with this guy. @wingoz has been an incredible teammate & friend for more than 2 decades. On today, his last day at ESPN, I along with many others, salute him and wish him all the best in his next chapter,” said Seth Markman, ESPN’s...
The decision not to re-up Wingo’s contract came as part of ESPN’s massive job cuts, the New York Post reported earlier this month (the NY Post also reported back in September that Wingo was being let go). The host’s departure was not confirmed until today, which is also his last day at the network.
“I can barely remember a day which didn’t involve working side by side with this guy. @wingoz has been an incredible teammate & friend for more than 2 decades. On today, his last day at ESPN, I along with many others, salute him and wish him all the best in his next chapter,” said Seth Markman, ESPN’s...
- 11/25/2020
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
“Crip Camp” leads all films in nominations for the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, the International Documentary Association announced on Tuesday.
The film by directors Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht deals with a New York summer camp in the early 1970s that became a key launching pad for the disability rights movement. It was an opening-night film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won the documentary audience award.
“Crip Camp” received five IDA doc awards nominations, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Writing. Four films received three nominations each: Sam Pollard’s “MLK/FBI,” Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” and Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed’s “My Octopus Teacher,” the only film whose three nominations did not include the Best Feature category.
Other Best Feature nominees are “Collective,” “Gunda,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Reunited,” “Softie” and “Welcome to Chechnya.
The film by directors Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht deals with a New York summer camp in the early 1970s that became a key launching pad for the disability rights movement. It was an opening-night film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won the documentary audience award.
“Crip Camp” received five IDA doc awards nominations, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Writing. Four films received three nominations each: Sam Pollard’s “MLK/FBI,” Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” and Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed’s “My Octopus Teacher,” the only film whose three nominations did not include the Best Feature category.
Other Best Feature nominees are “Collective,” “Gunda,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Reunited,” “Softie” and “Welcome to Chechnya.
- 11/24/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Leading the International Documentary Association Documentary Awards nominees with five nominations is “Crip Camp,” Netflix’s look back at an influential activist summer camp for the disabled, followed by Garrett Bradley’s poetic black-and-white “Time” (Amazon Studios) and Sam Pollard’s 60s archival dive “MLK/FBI” (IFC Films) with four noms each.
“The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics) scored three nods. All four films landed nods for Best Feature and Director, along with Jerry Rothwell’s “The Reason I Jump.” Netflix also landed multiple nominations for “Dick Johnson Is Dead” And “My Octopus Teacher.”
The IDAs are among the most reliable bellwethers of the Oscar documentary feature race. Last year’s IDA Best Feature winner, “For Sama,” was among the final five Oscar nominees, along with three out of 10 IDA nominees, including eventual Oscar-winner “American Factory.”
Starting December 7, IDA members are invited to vote online for Best Feature and Best...
“The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics) scored three nods. All four films landed nods for Best Feature and Director, along with Jerry Rothwell’s “The Reason I Jump.” Netflix also landed multiple nominations for “Dick Johnson Is Dead” And “My Octopus Teacher.”
The IDAs are among the most reliable bellwethers of the Oscar documentary feature race. Last year’s IDA Best Feature winner, “For Sama,” was among the final five Oscar nominees, along with three out of 10 IDA nominees, including eventual Oscar-winner “American Factory.”
Starting December 7, IDA members are invited to vote online for Best Feature and Best...
- 11/24/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Leading the International Documentary Association Documentary Awards nominees with five nominations is “Crip Camp,” Netflix’s look back at an influential activist summer camp for the disabled, followed by Garrett Bradley’s poetic black-and-white “Time” (Amazon Studios) and Sam Pollard’s 60s archival dive “MLK/FBI” (IFC Films) with four noms each.
“The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics) scored three nods. All four films landed nods for Best Feature and Director, along with Jerry Rothwell’s “The Reason I Jump.” Netflix also landed multiple nominations for “Dick Johnson Is Dead” And “My Octopus Teacher.”
The IDAs are among the most reliable bellwethers of the Oscar documentary feature race. Last year’s IDA Best Feature winner, “For Sama,” was among the final five Oscar nominees, along with three out of 10 IDA nominees, including eventual Oscar-winner “American Factory.”
Starting December 7, IDA members are invited to vote online for Best Feature and Best...
“The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics) scored three nods. All four films landed nods for Best Feature and Director, along with Jerry Rothwell’s “The Reason I Jump.” Netflix also landed multiple nominations for “Dick Johnson Is Dead” And “My Octopus Teacher.”
The IDAs are among the most reliable bellwethers of the Oscar documentary feature race. Last year’s IDA Best Feature winner, “For Sama,” was among the final five Oscar nominees, along with three out of 10 IDA nominees, including eventual Oscar-winner “American Factory.”
Starting December 7, IDA members are invited to vote online for Best Feature and Best...
- 11/24/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The International Documentary Association has announced the nominees for its 36th Annual IDA Documentary Awards, and a certain streaming service dominates. Netflix scored a leading 18 noms for the 2020 IDAs, more than three times its nearest rival. PBS is second with five, followed by HBO (four).
The IDA also said today that its 2020 ceremony is going virtual on January 21.
“The nominees present an inspiring and urgent range of stories from around the globe,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive director of the IDA. “The broad range of subjects and approaches to storytelling underscores that documentary is our most exciting form of cultural expression, a vital art form and a crucial element of democratic dialogue.”
Ten films are up for the marquee Best Feature award: Collective, Crip Camp (Netflix), Gunda (Neon), MLK/FBI (IFC Films), The Reason I Jump (Kino Lorber), Reunited, Softie, Time, The Truffle Hunters (Sony Pictures Classics) and Welcome to Chechnya (HBO).
The helmers of five of those films also are up for Best Director: Garrett Bradley (Time), Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Truffle Hunters), Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht (Crip Camp), Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI) and Jerry Rothwell (The Reason I Jump).
On the TV side, five programs will vie for Best Curated Series): ESPN’s 30 for 30, PBS’ American Experience, Thirteen Productions’ American Masters, Illinois Public Media’s Reel Midwest and PBS/World Channel’s Reel South.
The nominees for Best Episodic Series are Cheer (Netflix), Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (AMC), Last Chance U (Netflix), Seven Planets, One World (BBC America) and We’re Here (HBO).
Up for Best Multi-Part Documentary are Asian Americans (PBS), Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered (HBO), City So Real (National Geographic), Hillary (Hulu) and Lenox Hill (Netflix).
“This is a year that has been one of reflection, looking inwards, and living life differently than we have always known it to be,” said James Costa, co-chair of the Feature Documentary Nominating Committee and IDA Board of Directors’ co-vice president. “Through the art of filmmaking these films gave us an opportunity to truly look and learn through the lenses of others.”
Here is the full list of nominees for the 2020 IDA Documentary Awards:
Best Feature
Collective
Director/Producer: Alexander Nanau
Producer: Bianca Oana
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer: Sara Bolder
Gunda
Director: Victor Kossakovsky
Producer: Anita Rehoff Larsen
MLK/FBI (USA / IFC Films)
Director: Sam Pollard
Producer: Benjamin Hedin
The Reason I Jump
Director: Jerry Rothwell
Producers: Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow
Reunited (Denmark)
Director: Mira Jargil
Producer: Kirstine Barfod
Softie (Kenya / Pov)
Director/Producer: Sam Soko
Producer: Toni Kamau
Time
Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley
Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn
The Truffle Hunters
Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Welcome to Chechnya (USA / HBO)
Director/Producer: David France
Producers: Alice Henty, Joy A. Tomchin and Askold Kurov
Best Director
Garrett Bradley
Time
USA / Amazon Studios, Concordia Studio, The New York Times
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
The Truffle Hunters
USA, Italy, Greece / Sony Pictures Classics
Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht
Crip Camp
USA / Netflix
Sam Pollard
MLK/FBI
USA / IFC Films
Jerry Rothwell
The Reason I Jump
USA, UK / Kino Lorber
Best Short
Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa
Directors/Producers: Barbara Attie, Mike Attie, Janet Goldwater
All That Perishes at the Edge of Land (Pakistan)
Director/Producer: Hira Nabi
Producer: Till Passow
Huntsville Station (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)
Directors/Producers: Jamie Meltzer, Chris Filippone
Hysterical Girl (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)
Director: Kate Novack
Producer: Andrew Rossi
John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (USA / Netflix)
Director/Producer: Matthew Killip
The Lost Astronaut (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Producers: Abby Lynn Kang Davis, Gabriel Berk Godoi
Mizuko
Directors/Producers: Kira Dane, Katelyn Rebelo
sống ở đây
Director/Producer: Melanie Ho
To Calm the Pig Inside (Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos) (Philippines)
Director/Producer: Joanna Vasquez Arong
Unforgivable (El Salvador)
Director/Producer: Marlén Viñayo
Producer: Carlos Martínez
Best Curated Series
30 for 30 (USA / ESPN)
Executive Producers: John Dahl, Libby Geist, Rob King, Erin Leyden, Connor Schell
American Experience (USA / PBS)
Executive Producers: Susan Bellows and Mark Samels
American Masters
Executive Producer: Michael Kantor
Reel Midwest (USA / Illinois Public Media)
Executive Producer: Moss Bresnahan
Reel South
Executive Producers: Don Godish and Rachel Raney
Best Episodic Series
Cheer (USA / Netflix)
Director/Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley
Producers: Adam Leibowitz, Arielle Kilker, Chelsea Yarnell
Executive Producers: Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jasper Thomlinson, Bert Hamelinck
Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (USA / AMC)
Executive Producers: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Shawn Gee, Alex Gibney, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Shea Serrano, Angie Day, One9, Erik Parker, Isaac Bolden
Last Chance U (USA / Netflix)
Director/Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley
Executive Producers: Joe Labracio, James D. Stern, Lucas Smith, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard
Seven Planets, One World (UK / BBC America)
Directors: Fredi Devas, Emma Napper, Giles Badger, Chadden Hunter
Executive Producer: Jonny Keeling
We’re Here (USA / HBO)
Executive Producers: Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Stephen Warren, Johnnie Ingram, Peter LoGreco, Erin Gamble
Best Multi-Part Documentary
Asian Americans (USA / PBS)
Directors: Leo Chiang, Geeta Gandbhir, Grace Lee
Producers: Renee Tajima-Peña, Mark Jonathan Harris
Executive Producers: Jeff Bieber, Sally Jo Fifer, Stephen Gong, Jean Tsien, Donald Young
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered (USA / HBO)
Directors/Executive Producers: Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, Joshua Bennett, Jeff Dupre
Executive Producers: John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorious, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
City So Real (USA / National Geographic)
Director/ Producer: Steve James.
Producer: Zak Piper.
Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jolene Pinder
Hillary (USA / Hulu)
Director: Nanette Burstein
Producers: Isabel San Vargas, Timothy Moran, Chi-Young Park, Tal Ben-David
Executive Producers: Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Nanette Burstein, Sierra Kos, Laurie Girion
Lenox Hill (USA / Netflix)
Directors/Executive Producers: Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz.
Executive Producer: Josh Braun
Best Short Form Series
Almost Famous (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)
Producers: Abby Lynn Kang Davis, Gabriel Berk Godoi and Jeremy Lambert
Executive Producer: Adam Ellick
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Guardian Documentaries
Producers: Shanida Scotland, Natasha Dack Ojumu and Nikki Parrott
Executive Producers: Charlie Phillips. Lindsay Poulton, Jess Gormley
Directors: Irene Baque, Laurence Topham, Sara Khaki, Mohammad Reza Eyni, Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, Laura Dodsworth, Dan McDougall
Last Call For The Bayou: 5 Stories from Louisiana’s Disappearing Delta (USA / Smithsonian Channel Plus)
Producer: Nadia Gill
Executive Producer: Gina Hutchinson
Director: Dominic Gill
Pov Shorts (USA / PBS)
Producer: Opal H. Bennett
Executive Producers: Justine Nagan and Chris White
Run This City (USA / Quibi)
Director: Brent Hodge
Producer: Prince Vaughn
Executive Producers: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, Brent Hodge
Best Audio Documentary
Crosses in the Desert / Cruces en el desierto
Reporter: Dennis Maxwell
Producers: Catalina May, Martín Cruz
Executive Producer: Martina Castro
Fiasco: Bush v. Gore (USA / Luminary)
Producers: Leon Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons
Girl Taken (UK / British Broadcasting Corporation)
Reporter: Sue Mitchell
Producer: Richard Hannaford
Executive Producer: Philip Sellars
Heavyweight – The Marshes (USA / Gimlet Media)
Reporter, Producer and Executive Producer: Jonathan Goldstein
Reporter and Producer: Kalila Holt.
Producers: Stevie Lane, Jorge Just, BA Parker, Bobby Lord
Somebody (USA / iHeartRadio)
Reporters and Producers: Alison Flowers, Bill Healy
Reporters: Sam Stecklow, Ellen Glover, Annie Nguyen, Kahari Blackburn, Rajiv Sinclair, Henri Adams, Matilda Vojak, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Frances McDonald, Diana Akmajian, Andrew Fan and Maddie Anderson
Producers: Shapearl Wells, Sarah Geis
Executive Producers: Jamie Kalven, Maria Zuckerman, Christy Gressman, Leital Molad
Best Music Documentary
Beastie Boys Story (USA / Apple TV+)
Director/Producer: Spike Jonze
Producers: Jason Baum and Amanda Adelson
Billie (UK / Greenwich Entertainment)
Director: James Erskine
Crock of Gold (USA / Magnolia Pictures)
Director/Producer: Julien Temple
Producers: Johnny Depp, Stephen Deuters, Stephen Malit
Los Hermanos / The Brothers
Directors/Producers: Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider
Universe (USA)
Directors: Sam Osborn and Nicholas Capezzera
Producers: Esther Dere and Leah Natasha Thomas
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
Bananas (UK / National Film and Television School)
Director/Producer: Sara Montoya Sepúlveda
Isle of Us (UK / National Film and Television School)
Director: Laura Wadha
Na Luta Delas (Brazil / Uc Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism)
Directors/Producers: Orion Rose Kelly and Pedro Cota
People Like Me (USA / University of California Santa Cruz)
Director/Producer: Marrok Sedgwick
Susana (USA / Stanford University)
Director: Laura Gamse
Producer: James Davis
Trees (UK / National Film and Television School)
Director: Rosie Morris
Producer: Jesse Romain
Best Cinematography
Acasă, My Home
Cinematographers: Radu Ciorniciuc and Mircea Topoleanu
Boys State
Director of Photography: Thorsten Thielow
The Earth is Blue as an Orange
Cinematographer: Viacheslav Tsvietkov
The Truffle Hunters
Cinematographers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Time
Cinematographers: Zac Manuel, Justin Zweifach, Nisa East
Best Editing
Boys State
Editor: Jeff Gilbert
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Editors: Eileen Meyer and Andrew Gersh
Disclosure (USA / Netflix)
Editor: Stacy Goldate
Dick Johnson is Dead (USA / Netflix)
Editor: Nels Bangerter
Through the Night
Editor: Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Best Writing
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Writers: Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht
Dick Johnson is Dead
(USA / Netflix)
Writers: Nels Bangerter and Kirsten Johnson
I Am Not Alone (USA / Netflix)
Writer: Garin Hovannisian
My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)
Writers: Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed
Socks on Fire (USA)
Writers: Max Allman, Bo McGuire
Best Music Score
Dancing with the Birds (USA / Netflix)
Composer: David Mitcham
David Attenborough: Life On Our Planet
Composer: Steven Price
Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice (USA / Netflix)
Composer: Chapavich Temnitikul)
My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)
Composer: Kevin Smuts
Rising Phoenix (USA / Netflix)
Composer: Daniel Pemberton
ABC News VideoSource Award
#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump (USA / Dark Star)
Director/Producer: Dan Partland
Producer: Art Horan
Bully. Coward. Victim.: The Story of Roy Cohn (USA / HBO)
Director: Ivy Meeropol
Producers: Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer: Sara Bolder
Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections (USA / HBO)
Director: Sarah Teale
Directors/Producers: Simon Ardizzone and Russell Michaels
Producers: Michael Hirschorn and Jessica Antonini
MLK/FBI (USA / IFC Films)
Director: Sam Pollard
Producer: Benjamin Hedin
The First Rainbow Coalition
Director/Producer: Ray Santisteban
Pare Lorentz Award
Winner
My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)
Director: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed
Producer: Craig Foster
Honorable Mention
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer: Sara Bolder
Honorary Awards
Amicus Award
Regina K. Scully
Career Achievement Award
Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI)
Courage Under Fire Award
David France, David Isteev and Olga Baranova (Welcome to Chechnya)
Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award
Garrett Bradley (Time)
Pioneer Award
Firelight Media
Truth to Power Award
Maria Ressa and Rappler (A Thousand Cuts)...
The IDA also said today that its 2020 ceremony is going virtual on January 21.
“The nominees present an inspiring and urgent range of stories from around the globe,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive director of the IDA. “The broad range of subjects and approaches to storytelling underscores that documentary is our most exciting form of cultural expression, a vital art form and a crucial element of democratic dialogue.”
Ten films are up for the marquee Best Feature award: Collective, Crip Camp (Netflix), Gunda (Neon), MLK/FBI (IFC Films), The Reason I Jump (Kino Lorber), Reunited, Softie, Time, The Truffle Hunters (Sony Pictures Classics) and Welcome to Chechnya (HBO).
The helmers of five of those films also are up for Best Director: Garrett Bradley (Time), Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Truffle Hunters), Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht (Crip Camp), Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI) and Jerry Rothwell (The Reason I Jump).
On the TV side, five programs will vie for Best Curated Series): ESPN’s 30 for 30, PBS’ American Experience, Thirteen Productions’ American Masters, Illinois Public Media’s Reel Midwest and PBS/World Channel’s Reel South.
The nominees for Best Episodic Series are Cheer (Netflix), Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (AMC), Last Chance U (Netflix), Seven Planets, One World (BBC America) and We’re Here (HBO).
Up for Best Multi-Part Documentary are Asian Americans (PBS), Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered (HBO), City So Real (National Geographic), Hillary (Hulu) and Lenox Hill (Netflix).
“This is a year that has been one of reflection, looking inwards, and living life differently than we have always known it to be,” said James Costa, co-chair of the Feature Documentary Nominating Committee and IDA Board of Directors’ co-vice president. “Through the art of filmmaking these films gave us an opportunity to truly look and learn through the lenses of others.”
Here is the full list of nominees for the 2020 IDA Documentary Awards:
Best Feature
Collective
Director/Producer: Alexander Nanau
Producer: Bianca Oana
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer: Sara Bolder
Gunda
Director: Victor Kossakovsky
Producer: Anita Rehoff Larsen
MLK/FBI (USA / IFC Films)
Director: Sam Pollard
Producer: Benjamin Hedin
The Reason I Jump
Director: Jerry Rothwell
Producers: Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow
Reunited (Denmark)
Director: Mira Jargil
Producer: Kirstine Barfod
Softie (Kenya / Pov)
Director/Producer: Sam Soko
Producer: Toni Kamau
Time
Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley
Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn
The Truffle Hunters
Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Welcome to Chechnya (USA / HBO)
Director/Producer: David France
Producers: Alice Henty, Joy A. Tomchin and Askold Kurov
Best Director
Garrett Bradley
Time
USA / Amazon Studios, Concordia Studio, The New York Times
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
The Truffle Hunters
USA, Italy, Greece / Sony Pictures Classics
Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht
Crip Camp
USA / Netflix
Sam Pollard
MLK/FBI
USA / IFC Films
Jerry Rothwell
The Reason I Jump
USA, UK / Kino Lorber
Best Short
Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa
Directors/Producers: Barbara Attie, Mike Attie, Janet Goldwater
All That Perishes at the Edge of Land (Pakistan)
Director/Producer: Hira Nabi
Producer: Till Passow
Huntsville Station (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)
Directors/Producers: Jamie Meltzer, Chris Filippone
Hysterical Girl (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)
Director: Kate Novack
Producer: Andrew Rossi
John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (USA / Netflix)
Director/Producer: Matthew Killip
The Lost Astronaut (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Producers: Abby Lynn Kang Davis, Gabriel Berk Godoi
Mizuko
Directors/Producers: Kira Dane, Katelyn Rebelo
sống ở đây
Director/Producer: Melanie Ho
To Calm the Pig Inside (Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos) (Philippines)
Director/Producer: Joanna Vasquez Arong
Unforgivable (El Salvador)
Director/Producer: Marlén Viñayo
Producer: Carlos Martínez
Best Curated Series
30 for 30 (USA / ESPN)
Executive Producers: John Dahl, Libby Geist, Rob King, Erin Leyden, Connor Schell
American Experience (USA / PBS)
Executive Producers: Susan Bellows and Mark Samels
American Masters
Executive Producer: Michael Kantor
Reel Midwest (USA / Illinois Public Media)
Executive Producer: Moss Bresnahan
Reel South
Executive Producers: Don Godish and Rachel Raney
Best Episodic Series
Cheer (USA / Netflix)
Director/Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley
Producers: Adam Leibowitz, Arielle Kilker, Chelsea Yarnell
Executive Producers: Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jasper Thomlinson, Bert Hamelinck
Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (USA / AMC)
Executive Producers: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Shawn Gee, Alex Gibney, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Shea Serrano, Angie Day, One9, Erik Parker, Isaac Bolden
Last Chance U (USA / Netflix)
Director/Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley
Executive Producers: Joe Labracio, James D. Stern, Lucas Smith, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard
Seven Planets, One World (UK / BBC America)
Directors: Fredi Devas, Emma Napper, Giles Badger, Chadden Hunter
Executive Producer: Jonny Keeling
We’re Here (USA / HBO)
Executive Producers: Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Stephen Warren, Johnnie Ingram, Peter LoGreco, Erin Gamble
Best Multi-Part Documentary
Asian Americans (USA / PBS)
Directors: Leo Chiang, Geeta Gandbhir, Grace Lee
Producers: Renee Tajima-Peña, Mark Jonathan Harris
Executive Producers: Jeff Bieber, Sally Jo Fifer, Stephen Gong, Jean Tsien, Donald Young
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered (USA / HBO)
Directors/Executive Producers: Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, Joshua Bennett, Jeff Dupre
Executive Producers: John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorious, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
City So Real (USA / National Geographic)
Director/ Producer: Steve James.
Producer: Zak Piper.
Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jolene Pinder
Hillary (USA / Hulu)
Director: Nanette Burstein
Producers: Isabel San Vargas, Timothy Moran, Chi-Young Park, Tal Ben-David
Executive Producers: Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Nanette Burstein, Sierra Kos, Laurie Girion
Lenox Hill (USA / Netflix)
Directors/Executive Producers: Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz.
Executive Producer: Josh Braun
Best Short Form Series
Almost Famous (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)
Producers: Abby Lynn Kang Davis, Gabriel Berk Godoi and Jeremy Lambert
Executive Producer: Adam Ellick
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Guardian Documentaries
Producers: Shanida Scotland, Natasha Dack Ojumu and Nikki Parrott
Executive Producers: Charlie Phillips. Lindsay Poulton, Jess Gormley
Directors: Irene Baque, Laurence Topham, Sara Khaki, Mohammad Reza Eyni, Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, Laura Dodsworth, Dan McDougall
Last Call For The Bayou: 5 Stories from Louisiana’s Disappearing Delta (USA / Smithsonian Channel Plus)
Producer: Nadia Gill
Executive Producer: Gina Hutchinson
Director: Dominic Gill
Pov Shorts (USA / PBS)
Producer: Opal H. Bennett
Executive Producers: Justine Nagan and Chris White
Run This City (USA / Quibi)
Director: Brent Hodge
Producer: Prince Vaughn
Executive Producers: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, Brent Hodge
Best Audio Documentary
Crosses in the Desert / Cruces en el desierto
Reporter: Dennis Maxwell
Producers: Catalina May, Martín Cruz
Executive Producer: Martina Castro
Fiasco: Bush v. Gore (USA / Luminary)
Producers: Leon Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons
Girl Taken (UK / British Broadcasting Corporation)
Reporter: Sue Mitchell
Producer: Richard Hannaford
Executive Producer: Philip Sellars
Heavyweight – The Marshes (USA / Gimlet Media)
Reporter, Producer and Executive Producer: Jonathan Goldstein
Reporter and Producer: Kalila Holt.
Producers: Stevie Lane, Jorge Just, BA Parker, Bobby Lord
Somebody (USA / iHeartRadio)
Reporters and Producers: Alison Flowers, Bill Healy
Reporters: Sam Stecklow, Ellen Glover, Annie Nguyen, Kahari Blackburn, Rajiv Sinclair, Henri Adams, Matilda Vojak, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Frances McDonald, Diana Akmajian, Andrew Fan and Maddie Anderson
Producers: Shapearl Wells, Sarah Geis
Executive Producers: Jamie Kalven, Maria Zuckerman, Christy Gressman, Leital Molad
Best Music Documentary
Beastie Boys Story (USA / Apple TV+)
Director/Producer: Spike Jonze
Producers: Jason Baum and Amanda Adelson
Billie (UK / Greenwich Entertainment)
Director: James Erskine
Crock of Gold (USA / Magnolia Pictures)
Director/Producer: Julien Temple
Producers: Johnny Depp, Stephen Deuters, Stephen Malit
Los Hermanos / The Brothers
Directors/Producers: Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider
Universe (USA)
Directors: Sam Osborn and Nicholas Capezzera
Producers: Esther Dere and Leah Natasha Thomas
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
Bananas (UK / National Film and Television School)
Director/Producer: Sara Montoya Sepúlveda
Isle of Us (UK / National Film and Television School)
Director: Laura Wadha
Na Luta Delas (Brazil / Uc Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism)
Directors/Producers: Orion Rose Kelly and Pedro Cota
People Like Me (USA / University of California Santa Cruz)
Director/Producer: Marrok Sedgwick
Susana (USA / Stanford University)
Director: Laura Gamse
Producer: James Davis
Trees (UK / National Film and Television School)
Director: Rosie Morris
Producer: Jesse Romain
Best Cinematography
Acasă, My Home
Cinematographers: Radu Ciorniciuc and Mircea Topoleanu
Boys State
Director of Photography: Thorsten Thielow
The Earth is Blue as an Orange
Cinematographer: Viacheslav Tsvietkov
The Truffle Hunters
Cinematographers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Time
Cinematographers: Zac Manuel, Justin Zweifach, Nisa East
Best Editing
Boys State
Editor: Jeff Gilbert
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Editors: Eileen Meyer and Andrew Gersh
Disclosure (USA / Netflix)
Editor: Stacy Goldate
Dick Johnson is Dead (USA / Netflix)
Editor: Nels Bangerter
Through the Night
Editor: Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Best Writing
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Writers: Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht
Dick Johnson is Dead
(USA / Netflix)
Writers: Nels Bangerter and Kirsten Johnson
I Am Not Alone (USA / Netflix)
Writer: Garin Hovannisian
My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)
Writers: Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed
Socks on Fire (USA)
Writers: Max Allman, Bo McGuire
Best Music Score
Dancing with the Birds (USA / Netflix)
Composer: David Mitcham
David Attenborough: Life On Our Planet
Composer: Steven Price
Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice (USA / Netflix)
Composer: Chapavich Temnitikul)
My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)
Composer: Kevin Smuts
Rising Phoenix (USA / Netflix)
Composer: Daniel Pemberton
ABC News VideoSource Award
#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump (USA / Dark Star)
Director/Producer: Dan Partland
Producer: Art Horan
Bully. Coward. Victim.: The Story of Roy Cohn (USA / HBO)
Director: Ivy Meeropol
Producers: Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer: Sara Bolder
Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections (USA / HBO)
Director: Sarah Teale
Directors/Producers: Simon Ardizzone and Russell Michaels
Producers: Michael Hirschorn and Jessica Antonini
MLK/FBI (USA / IFC Films)
Director: Sam Pollard
Producer: Benjamin Hedin
The First Rainbow Coalition
Director/Producer: Ray Santisteban
Pare Lorentz Award
Winner
My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)
Director: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed
Producer: Craig Foster
Honorable Mention
Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)
Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer: Sara Bolder
Honorary Awards
Amicus Award
Regina K. Scully
Career Achievement Award
Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI)
Courage Under Fire Award
David France, David Isteev and Olga Baranova (Welcome to Chechnya)
Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award
Garrett Bradley (Time)
Pioneer Award
Firelight Media
Truth to Power Award
Maria Ressa and Rappler (A Thousand Cuts)...
- 11/24/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Libby Geist becomes the latest ESPN content executive to leave the Disney-owned sports media giant.
Geist, who served as vice president and executive producer for ESPN Films and original content, will leave at the end of the year, which was first reported by Sports Business Journal. Geist is now the second major programming executive to leave ESPN, following executive vice president of content Connor Schell’s decision last week to step away and form his own production company.
Geist had been with ESPN for 12 years and was an executive producer on two of the company’s most popular docuseries, “The Last Dance” and “Oj: Made in America.”
As with Schell, Libby Geist’s upcoming departure is unrelated to the massive job cuts that ESPN announced earlier this month. The company said it would be laying off 300 staffers and scrapping 200 open positions in an effort to shift more resources toward its direct-to-consumer business strategy,...
Geist, who served as vice president and executive producer for ESPN Films and original content, will leave at the end of the year, which was first reported by Sports Business Journal. Geist is now the second major programming executive to leave ESPN, following executive vice president of content Connor Schell’s decision last week to step away and form his own production company.
Geist had been with ESPN for 12 years and was an executive producer on two of the company’s most popular docuseries, “The Last Dance” and “Oj: Made in America.”
As with Schell, Libby Geist’s upcoming departure is unrelated to the massive job cuts that ESPN announced earlier this month. The company said it would be laying off 300 staffers and scrapping 200 open positions in an effort to shift more resources toward its direct-to-consumer business strategy,...
- 11/17/2020
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Libby Geist, a veteran ESPN executive who has been with the sports-media giant since 2008, will leave the company early next year, the latest in a series of prominent content executives to announce their departure from the Disney-owned outlet.
Geist is ESPN’s vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films and original content. She oversees most aspects of projects produced by ESPN Films, as well as original series and studio shows for ESPN Plus, the company’s growing streaming-video service. She also supervises ESPN stand-outs like the long-form news series “30 for 30,” and the ESPN Plus original “Detail with Kobe Bryant.”
Her exit, previously reported by Sports Business Journal, follows a series of structural changes at ESPN that will see its content chief, Connor Schell, leave to take up independent production duties; layoffs of 300 staffers; the departure of digital content chief Ryan Spoon; and a new executive arrangement that...
Geist is ESPN’s vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films and original content. She oversees most aspects of projects produced by ESPN Films, as well as original series and studio shows for ESPN Plus, the company’s growing streaming-video service. She also supervises ESPN stand-outs like the long-form news series “30 for 30,” and the ESPN Plus original “Detail with Kobe Bryant.”
Her exit, previously reported by Sports Business Journal, follows a series of structural changes at ESPN that will see its content chief, Connor Schell, leave to take up independent production duties; layoffs of 300 staffers; the departure of digital content chief Ryan Spoon; and a new executive arrangement that...
- 11/16/2020
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Libby Geist, one of the architects of ESPN’s growing documentary business and exec producer of The Last Dance and O.J: Made In America, is leaving the Disney-owned sports network.
Deadline understands that Geist, who is Vice President and Executive Producer, ESPN Films and Original Content, will work through to the end of 2020. It is understood that her departure is not connected to the recent layoffs introduced by the company and that she is leaving to move closer to production.
She is the latest top-level exec set to leave ESPN and comes after it emerged that content chief Connor Schell is leaving the company in the new year to set up his own production company.
Geist has been with ESPN for 12 years in a variety of roles. She has worked on more than 120 feature-length projects in various capacities and has overseen the docs department since 2016.
She has overseen development,...
Deadline understands that Geist, who is Vice President and Executive Producer, ESPN Films and Original Content, will work through to the end of 2020. It is understood that her departure is not connected to the recent layoffs introduced by the company and that she is leaving to move closer to production.
She is the latest top-level exec set to leave ESPN and comes after it emerged that content chief Connor Schell is leaving the company in the new year to set up his own production company.
Geist has been with ESPN for 12 years in a variety of roles. She has worked on more than 120 feature-length projects in various capacities and has overseen the docs department since 2016.
She has overseen development,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Coronavirus upended the business of live sports, but fans have shifted to sports-inspired films and docuseries, such as ESPN Films’ “The Last Dance” and Netflix’s “Cheer” and “Last Chance U.” On Variety’s Sports & Entertainment Breakfast, which aired Aug. 28 in the Variety Streaming Room, Green Bay Packers quarterback, two-time NFL Mvp and Super Bowl champion Aaron Rodgers, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ five-time All-Star and NBA champion Kevin Love and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert talked the state of sports entertainment.
Meanwhile, the Sports Storytelling Elite Roundtable features Libby Geist, VP and executive producer, ESPN Films and original content; Jeron Smith, CEO of Unani-mous Media; Gotham Chopra, co-founder, chief creative officer, Religion of Sports; Charlie Dixon, EVP, Content, FS1, Fox Sports; Greg Whiteley, executive producer/director, “Cheer”; and Emilie Deutsch, VP, original programming and features at CBS Sports.
Here are the top highlights from Variety’s Sports & Entertainment Breakfast:
Aaron Rodgers On...
Meanwhile, the Sports Storytelling Elite Roundtable features Libby Geist, VP and executive producer, ESPN Films and original content; Jeron Smith, CEO of Unani-mous Media; Gotham Chopra, co-founder, chief creative officer, Religion of Sports; Charlie Dixon, EVP, Content, FS1, Fox Sports; Greg Whiteley, executive producer/director, “Cheer”; and Emilie Deutsch, VP, original programming and features at CBS Sports.
Here are the top highlights from Variety’s Sports & Entertainment Breakfast:
Aaron Rodgers On...
- 8/31/2020
- by Janet W. Lee
- Variety Film + TV
Colin Kaepernick has signed an overall first-look deal with The Walt Disney Company via his Ra Vision Media.
The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and will provide a new platform to showcase the work of Black and Brown directors and producers.
Disney said the deal will extend across all Walt Disney Platforms including Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar, and ESPN’s The Undefeated. Kaepernick will work closely with The Undefeated, which is expanding its portfolio across Disney, to develop stories from the perspective of Black and Brown communities.
The first project in development under the deal is an exclusive docuseries produced by ESPN Films chronicling Kaepernick’s life. Using extensive new interviews and never-seen-before archival material that documents his last five years, Kaepernick will tell his story from his perspective. Libby Geist, Kevin Merida and...
The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and will provide a new platform to showcase the work of Black and Brown directors and producers.
Disney said the deal will extend across all Walt Disney Platforms including Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar, and ESPN’s The Undefeated. Kaepernick will work closely with The Undefeated, which is expanding its portfolio across Disney, to develop stories from the perspective of Black and Brown communities.
The first project in development under the deal is an exclusive docuseries produced by ESPN Films chronicling Kaepernick’s life. Using extensive new interviews and never-seen-before archival material that documents his last five years, Kaepernick will tell his story from his perspective. Libby Geist, Kevin Merida and...
- 7/6/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The Walt Disney Company has signed a first-look deal with Colin Kaepernick and his production arm, Ra Vision Media.
The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and per ESPN “provide a new platform to showcase the work of Black and Brown directors and producers.” The deal encompasses multiple Disney platforms including ESPN, Hulu, Pixar and The Undefeated, the company’s website focused on sports and culture.
The first project in development as part of this deal is an ESPN-produced docuseries chronicling Kaepernick’s journey. Using extensive new interviews and a never-before-seen archive that documents his last five years, Kaepernick will tell his story from his perspective. Libby Geist, Kevin Merida and Connor Schell will executive produce for ESPN. Former ESPN staffer Jemele Hill will also be a producer.
Also Read: Ava DuVernay to Executive Produce Scripted Series...
The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and per ESPN “provide a new platform to showcase the work of Black and Brown directors and producers.” The deal encompasses multiple Disney platforms including ESPN, Hulu, Pixar and The Undefeated, the company’s website focused on sports and culture.
The first project in development as part of this deal is an ESPN-produced docuseries chronicling Kaepernick’s journey. Using extensive new interviews and a never-before-seen archive that documents his last five years, Kaepernick will tell his story from his perspective. Libby Geist, Kevin Merida and Connor Schell will executive produce for ESPN. Former ESPN staffer Jemele Hill will also be a producer.
Also Read: Ava DuVernay to Executive Produce Scripted Series...
- 7/6/2020
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Colin Kaepernick’s journey from San Francisco 49ers quarterback to civil-rights activist will be chronicled in a documentary series developed by ESPN Films as part of a first-look deal between Walt Disney and Kapernick’s Ra Vision Media production company.
Under terms of the pact, announced Monday, Disney and Ra Vision will emphasize scripted and unscripted stories that deal with race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and work to showcase directors and producers of color. Disney said the agreement would extend across its units, including Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar and The Undefeated, an ESPN venue that focuses on matters of race in sports. Kaepernick is slated to work closely with The Undefeated, which Disney said would expand its portfolio across the company.
“I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to elevate Black and Brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers,...
Under terms of the pact, announced Monday, Disney and Ra Vision will emphasize scripted and unscripted stories that deal with race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and work to showcase directors and producers of color. Disney said the agreement would extend across its units, including Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar and The Undefeated, an ESPN venue that focuses on matters of race in sports. Kaepernick is slated to work closely with The Undefeated, which Disney said would expand its portfolio across the company.
“I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to elevate Black and Brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers,...
- 7/6/2020
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Rarely in recent memory has a TV show been so propitiously timed as “The Last Dance.” The 10-episode documentary series about the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls premiered in May, weeks after the coronavirus pandemic caused the shutdown of all major live sports events, leaving fans bereft.
Into that void slipped “The Last Dance,” turning five straight Sunday nights into must-see events for large swathes of audiences quarantined at home. Over the course of its run, “The Last Dance” averaged 5.6 million viewers. And in seizing the moment, it’s becoming emblematic of a wave in sports documentary programming that has been building for years.
“It’s a funny time to celebrate any project and pat yourselves on the back, but I will say, I think it was the perfect project at a really specific point in time in our history,” says Libby Geist, vice president & executive producer, ESPN Films and Original Content.
Into that void slipped “The Last Dance,” turning five straight Sunday nights into must-see events for large swathes of audiences quarantined at home. Over the course of its run, “The Last Dance” averaged 5.6 million viewers. And in seizing the moment, it’s becoming emblematic of a wave in sports documentary programming that has been building for years.
“It’s a funny time to celebrate any project and pat yourselves on the back, but I will say, I think it was the perfect project at a really specific point in time in our history,” says Libby Geist, vice president & executive producer, ESPN Films and Original Content.
- 7/1/2020
- by Daniel Holloway
- Variety Film + TV
ESPN will continue its Sunday night programming to fill the void left by the absence of live sports by airing three films in its documentary series “30 for 30” after the conclusion of the Chicago Bulls docu-series “The Last Dance,” including stories on Lance Armstrong, Bruce Lee and the steroid scandal that surrounded Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.
The films “Lance,” “Be Water” and “Long Gone Summer” will air on ESPN on Sunday nights after “The Last Dance” ends and will be available on ESPN+ immediately after their premieres. Both “Lance” and “Be Water” made their premieres at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
First up is “Lance” on Sunday, May 24, a two-part film directed by Marina Zenovich (“Robin Williams: Come Inside my Mind) that grants new access to the disgraced cycling champion, and the second part of the film will air the following Sunday on May 31.
Also Read:...
The films “Lance,” “Be Water” and “Long Gone Summer” will air on ESPN on Sunday nights after “The Last Dance” ends and will be available on ESPN+ immediately after their premieres. Both “Lance” and “Be Water” made their premieres at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
First up is “Lance” on Sunday, May 24, a two-part film directed by Marina Zenovich (“Robin Williams: Come Inside my Mind) that grants new access to the disgraced cycling champion, and the second part of the film will air the following Sunday on May 31.
Also Read:...
- 5/6/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Turns out, The Last Dance is not the end, but the beginning.
After ESPN found a ratings bonanza with the Michael Jordan/Bulls doc “The Last Dance” on Sunday nights, ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series will pick up the Sunday night baton when Dance ends.
Just as The Last Dance was moved up to give sports-hungry fans something to watch during the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN has bumped the three new documentaries into May and June.
Leading off the slate on Sunday, May 24 will be part one of the two-part film Lance, which features unprecedented access to Lance Armstrong who delivers personal perspective on his towering rise and dramatic fall from grace. Lance is directed by Marina Zenovich. Part two will premiere the following Sunday, May 31.
Be Water, an intimate look at the life and motivations of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, will debut on Sunday,...
After ESPN found a ratings bonanza with the Michael Jordan/Bulls doc “The Last Dance” on Sunday nights, ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series will pick up the Sunday night baton when Dance ends.
Just as The Last Dance was moved up to give sports-hungry fans something to watch during the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN has bumped the three new documentaries into May and June.
Leading off the slate on Sunday, May 24 will be part one of the two-part film Lance, which features unprecedented access to Lance Armstrong who delivers personal perspective on his towering rise and dramatic fall from grace. Lance is directed by Marina Zenovich. Part two will premiere the following Sunday, May 31.
Be Water, an intimate look at the life and motivations of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, will debut on Sunday,...
- 5/5/2020
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
In 2017, director Marina Zenovich had just finished the HBO doc Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind when she received an unexpected call from ESPN’s Libby Geist, who wanted to gauge the filmmaker’s interest in disgraced pro cyclist Lance Armstrong. “Libby was like, ‘I think he's willing to tell his story.’ So, I went and I met him, and I was intrigued,” Zenovich recalls. After that brief meeting, she signed on and spent the next 18 months shooting interviews for the project, unraveling the man behind the heroic rise — to one of the ...
- 1/31/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
In 2017, director Marina Zenovich had just finished the HBO doc Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind when she received an unexpected call from ESPN’s Libby Geist, who wanted to gauge the filmmaker’s interest in disgraced pro cyclist Lance Armstrong. “Libby was like, ‘I think he's willing to tell his story.’ So, I went and I met him, and I was intrigued,” Zenovich recalls. After that brief meeting, she signed on and spent the next 18 months shooting interviews for the project, unraveling the man behind the heroic rise — to one of the ...
- 1/31/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated, 2:38 Pm: ESPN said today that Vick, the two-part 30 for 30 documentary about former NFL star Michael Vick, will premiere at 9 p.m. Thursday, January 30. The second installment will bow a week later, at 9 p.m. February 6.
Previously, October 28: The past decade for ESPN has been an eventful one, to put it mildly.
The Disney-owned sports powerhouse has broadcast some of the highest-rated games in its history, re-upped with the NBA and NFL, launched new networks and entered the streaming race. But it has also coped with industrywide pay-tv subscriber declines, management changes and intense scrutiny of its relationships with league partners and the political views of its talent.
Over that stretch, arguably ESPN’s biggest creative triumph has been its 30 for 30 franchise, which is marking its 10th anniversary this month. Crowned by the Oscar-winning breakthrough of O.J.: Made in America in 2016, the banner has been attached to more than 100 feature films,...
Previously, October 28: The past decade for ESPN has been an eventful one, to put it mildly.
The Disney-owned sports powerhouse has broadcast some of the highest-rated games in its history, re-upped with the NBA and NFL, launched new networks and entered the streaming race. But it has also coped with industrywide pay-tv subscriber declines, management changes and intense scrutiny of its relationships with league partners and the political views of its talent.
Over that stretch, arguably ESPN’s biggest creative triumph has been its 30 for 30 franchise, which is marking its 10th anniversary this month. Crowned by the Oscar-winning breakthrough of O.J.: Made in America in 2016, the banner has been attached to more than 100 feature films,...
- 1/9/2020
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
“O.J.: Made in America” was an unusual Oscar winner: A nearly eight-hour documentary that became appointment TV on ESPN the summer of 2017 and was seen by well over 60 million people. The Academy has since altered its rules so that a project like “O.J.” could never win again, but the profound mark the epic documentary, recently named one of the best films of the decade by IndieWire, has left on our culture stretches beyond the reactionary awards world.
By taking the well-trodden tabloid story of the white Bronco, murder, and acquittal of the former football star, director Ezra Edelman brought viewers into a complex story of African-Americans and the Lapd. The backdrop and archival b-roll of the Simpson story shifted to the foreground, as Edelman weaved an enthralling and nuanced history lesson that gave us a different lens to understand America’s unhealed racial wounds.
IndieWire recently caught...
By taking the well-trodden tabloid story of the white Bronco, murder, and acquittal of the former football star, director Ezra Edelman brought viewers into a complex story of African-Americans and the Lapd. The backdrop and archival b-roll of the Simpson story shifted to the foreground, as Edelman weaved an enthralling and nuanced history lesson that gave us a different lens to understand America’s unhealed racial wounds.
IndieWire recently caught...
- 7/25/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
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