“Civil” takes a mythic approach when introducing Benjamin Crump — the lawyer widely known for representing Black families touched by police killings — presenting him to us in silhouette as he accepts a call from the family of George Floyd, before the movie slowly and skillfully creates a portraiture of his interior life, backed by wistful music. It’s a counter-narrative of sorts, to the many Fox News segments branding him “the most dangerous man in America” (footage that features throughout the documentary), but it’s also an excavation of the ways Crump himself is tirelessly dedicated to writing the counter-narratives of Black people slain by police.
Following Crump across twelve volatile months during 2020-2021, the film may end up on the wrong side of scattered — it takes a number of open-ended detours the longer it goes on — but its approach to the attorney himself is in step with his attempts to...
Following Crump across twelve volatile months during 2020-2021, the film may end up on the wrong side of scattered — it takes a number of open-ended detours the longer it goes on — but its approach to the attorney himself is in step with his attempts to...
- 6/12/2022
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Indiewire
“King Richard” got a big boost in its bid for Best Editing at the Oscars with a win at the Ace Golden Eddie Awards on March 6. It prevailed in the drama race at these awards bestowed by American Cinema Editors over two of its Oscar rivals –“Dune” and “The Power of the Dog” — as well as “Belfast” and “No Time to Die.”
Another of the Oscar nominees, “tick, tick…Boom!,” won the comedy/musical category over the fifth Oscar contender, “Don’t Look Up,” plus “Cruella,” “The French Dispatch” and “Licorice Pizza.”
Since 1990, the film that came up with one of the ACEs went on to take home the top prize at the Academy Awards 18 times, including the 2020 winner for best drama editing, “Parasite.” And in nine of the 13 years when the Ace barometer was wrong, at least one of the Eddie champs was a contender for Best Picture. Last year’s drama winner,...
Another of the Oscar nominees, “tick, tick…Boom!,” won the comedy/musical category over the fifth Oscar contender, “Don’t Look Up,” plus “Cruella,” “The French Dispatch” and “Licorice Pizza.”
Since 1990, the film that came up with one of the ACEs went on to take home the top prize at the Academy Awards 18 times, including the 2020 winner for best drama editing, “Parasite.” And in nine of the 13 years when the Ace barometer was wrong, at least one of the Eddie champs was a contender for Best Picture. Last year’s drama winner,...
- 3/6/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The nominations for the 2022 Ace Eddie Awards announced on Thursday (Jan. 27) include our Oscar frontrunner for Best Film Editing, “Dune,” along with three of the other four films we’re predicting to reap bids in that race: “Belfast,” “Don’t Look Up” and “The Power of the Dog.” While “West Side Story” was snubbed by the American Cinema Editors we expect it to be the fifth Academy Awards contender.
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals.
“Belfast,” “Dune” and “The Power of the Dog” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “King Richard” and“No Time to Die.”
Facing off against “Don’t Look Up” on the comedy side are “Cruella,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “tick, tick…Boom!”
In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees (matching that of the Oscars) and in 2000 it split the award in two,...
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals.
“Belfast,” “Dune” and “The Power of the Dog” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “King Richard” and“No Time to Die.”
Facing off against “Don’t Look Up” on the comedy side are “Cruella,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “tick, tick…Boom!”
In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees (matching that of the Oscars) and in 2000 it split the award in two,...
- 1/27/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The American Cinema Editors (Ace) has nominated “Belfast,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “No Time to Die” and “The Power of the Dog” in the category of feature film drama at the 72nd annual Ace Eddie Awards.
In the best edited comedic feature category, “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!” all received nominations.
Among the animated features nominated were “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Sing 2.” The TV nominees include “Succession” and “The White Lotus.”
The Eddies are considered a precursor for the best picture and best editing categories at the Oscars. Five of the past 11 winners for best edited drama feature went on to win the film editing Oscar.
Since 1961, only 10 women have won in the best edited drama feature category. This year, there are two women who made the cut: Pamela Martin (“King Richard”) and...
In the best edited comedic feature category, “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!” all received nominations.
Among the animated features nominated were “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Sing 2.” The TV nominees include “Succession” and “The White Lotus.”
The Eddies are considered a precursor for the best picture and best editing categories at the Oscars. Five of the past 11 winners for best edited drama feature went on to win the film editing Oscar.
Since 1961, only 10 women have won in the best edited drama feature category. This year, there are two women who made the cut: Pamela Martin (“King Richard”) and...
- 1/27/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The American Cinema Editors has spliced together the nominees for its 72nd annual Ace Eddie Awards.
The editors behind Belfast, Dune, King Richard, No Time to Die and The Power of the Dog will compete for Best Edited Dramatic Feature Film. Up for Comedy Feature are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, Licorice Pizza and tick, tick…Boom! The Animated Feature race will be among Encanto, Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon
and Sing 2.
Vying in the Documentary Feature competition are Flee, The Rescue, Summer of Soul, Val and The Velvet Underground. See the full list of the Eddie Award nominations below.
Trophies will be presented during the guild’s awards ceremony on March 5 at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. The half-capacity show originally was set for February 26.
A highlight on the TV side is Kevin Can F**k Himself,...
The editors behind Belfast, Dune, King Richard, No Time to Die and The Power of the Dog will compete for Best Edited Dramatic Feature Film. Up for Comedy Feature are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, Licorice Pizza and tick, tick…Boom! The Animated Feature race will be among Encanto, Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon
and Sing 2.
Vying in the Documentary Feature competition are Flee, The Rescue, Summer of Soul, Val and The Velvet Underground. See the full list of the Eddie Award nominations below.
Trophies will be presented during the guild’s awards ceremony on March 5 at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. The half-capacity show originally was set for February 26.
A highlight on the TV side is Kevin Can F**k Himself,...
- 1/27/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
“Belfast,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “No Time to Die” and “The Power of the Dog” have been nominated as the best dramatic film editing of 2021 by the American Cinema Editors, which announced the nominees for the 72nd annual Ace Eddie Awards on Thursday.
Those five films will compete in the Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) category, while the field in Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) will consist of “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “tick, tick…Boom!”
The most surprising omission was probably “West Side Story,” while Ace Eddie voters also bypassed “Nightmare Alley,” “Coda” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Nominations for the editing of animated features went to the same five animated films that have also been nominated by the Cinema Audio Society, Motion Picture Sound Editors, Visual Effects Society and Art Directors Guild: “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Sing 2.
Those five films will compete in the Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) category, while the field in Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) will consist of “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “tick, tick…Boom!”
The most surprising omission was probably “West Side Story,” while Ace Eddie voters also bypassed “Nightmare Alley,” “Coda” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Nominations for the editing of animated features went to the same five animated films that have also been nominated by the Cinema Audio Society, Motion Picture Sound Editors, Visual Effects Society and Art Directors Guild: “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Sing 2.
- 1/27/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Filmmaker R.J. Cutler’s interest in documenting Billie Eilish dates back to 2018, when he contacted director of photography Jenna Rosher about a rising star he saw interviewed in Vanity Fair. “I watched those and was completely fascinated and blown away by her from the get-go,” Rosher says of the magazine’s series, which checks in on Eilish yearly.
To chronicle the moment in which she became a worldwide phenomenon, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” available on Apple TV Plus, follows the teen singer as she writes and releases her debut album, interweaving intimate family footage with concert clips and rare behind-the-scenes moments.
Rosher, who worked with Cutler and editor Lindsay Utz, was not looking to make a celebrity vanity piece or a talking-head documentary. “We were interested in telling a story about a young woman coming of age on the world stage,” she says.
For a film that was shot verité style,...
To chronicle the moment in which she became a worldwide phenomenon, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” available on Apple TV Plus, follows the teen singer as she writes and releases her debut album, interweaving intimate family footage with concert clips and rare behind-the-scenes moments.
Rosher, who worked with Cutler and editor Lindsay Utz, was not looking to make a celebrity vanity piece or a talking-head documentary. “We were interested in telling a story about a young woman coming of age on the world stage,” she says.
For a film that was shot verité style,...
- 12/13/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Award-winning documentary editor Lindsay Utz is turning her attention to directing.
Utz, who edited 2020 Academy Award winner American Factory and this year’s Oscar contender Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, has signed a first-look deal with This Machine to direct her own documentary films. This Machine, an Industrial Media company, is headed by filmmaker R.J. Cutler, who directed the Billie Eilish doc.
Utz’s credits include cutting Miss Americana, the 2020 film about Taylor Swift, Bully (2011), and Quest, a 2017 doc that earned her the Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in Editing. She has earned a pair of Primetime Emmy nominations, for her work on American Factory and Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.
Cutler’s many credits include directing the 2020 documentary Belushi, The September Issue (2009), The World According to Dick Cheney (2013), and producing the seminal 1993 documentary The War Room, about Bill Clinton’s run for president.
Utz, who edited 2020 Academy Award winner American Factory and this year’s Oscar contender Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, has signed a first-look deal with This Machine to direct her own documentary films. This Machine, an Industrial Media company, is headed by filmmaker R.J. Cutler, who directed the Billie Eilish doc.
Utz’s credits include cutting Miss Americana, the 2020 film about Taylor Swift, Bully (2011), and Quest, a 2017 doc that earned her the Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in Editing. She has earned a pair of Primetime Emmy nominations, for her work on American Factory and Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.
Cutler’s many credits include directing the 2020 documentary Belushi, The September Issue (2009), The World According to Dick Cheney (2013), and producing the seminal 1993 documentary The War Room, about Bill Clinton’s run for president.
- 12/8/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
As music has become an increasingly integral component of the storytelling process, thanks to such series as “Pose” and “Bridgerton,” the role of the music director has changed.
“I’m seeing music being used in ways that you didn’t see before,” says Harvey Mason Jr. He landed two nominations this year for “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” earning a nod for music direction as well as original music and lyrics. Mason, who also serves as head of the Recording Academy and has collaborated with the likes of Brandy and Destiny’s Child, says the need for a music director has become more apparent.
That was especially so during the Covid pandemic. “The way things were being produced changed the role of a music director,” he says. “We were doing things remotely, using different software and apps. We really had to adapt.”
It resulted in more interaction with showrunners, directors and talent...
“I’m seeing music being used in ways that you didn’t see before,” says Harvey Mason Jr. He landed two nominations this year for “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” earning a nod for music direction as well as original music and lyrics. Mason, who also serves as head of the Recording Academy and has collaborated with the likes of Brandy and Destiny’s Child, says the need for a music director has become more apparent.
That was especially so during the Covid pandemic. “The way things were being produced changed the role of a music director,” he says. “We were doing things remotely, using different software and apps. We really had to adapt.”
It resulted in more interaction with showrunners, directors and talent...
- 8/27/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
On July 13, 2021, music director Aron Forbes woke up to his first-ever Emmy nominations for AppleTV+’s frank, in-depth music documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.” It’s probably the most revealing behind-the-scenes superstar doc since “Madonna: Truth or Dare,” except this one is about massive success filtered through the prism of someone who is barely old enough to drive (Note: you actually see Eilish score her driver’s license over the course of the movie), and told over several impactful, sometimes awkwardly raw years.
“It’s just mind-blowing, you know, the people in those categories, some of them I’ve looked up to my whole life,” says Forbes, referring to his category mates who chronicled music legends as diverse as Tina Turner, David Byrne and the Bee Gees. “It’s beyond unexpected.” But there’s one major thing that separates Forbes from his competition: he was literally arranging...
“It’s just mind-blowing, you know, the people in those categories, some of them I’ve looked up to my whole life,” says Forbes, referring to his category mates who chronicled music legends as diverse as Tina Turner, David Byrne and the Bee Gees. “It’s beyond unexpected.” But there’s one major thing that separates Forbes from his competition: he was literally arranging...
- 7/21/2021
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Just like the first page of a novel, a series’ or episode’s opening 10 minutes acts like a door. If executed successfully, it will make viewers want to run through that entrance, not just walk through it. Those 600 seconds have to not only grab hold of a viewer, but they also have to set the tone of the entire piece. This year, 18 editors are nominated in the nonfiction program editing category for six unique documentary projects. But each agrees that whether it’s a one-off or a series, those first 10 minutes are crucial.
American Factory
(Netflix)
Editor Lindsay Utz mined footage from 2008 for the opening of the documentary about Chinese company Fuyao reopening a factory in Ohio. “Of course we should open in the past to give the audience context,” she says. From there, a title sequence rolled that served to sum up what the documentary would cover, and then...
American Factory
(Netflix)
Editor Lindsay Utz mined footage from 2008 for the opening of the documentary about Chinese company Fuyao reopening a factory in Ohio. “Of course we should open in the past to give the audience context,” she says. From there, a title sequence rolled that served to sum up what the documentary would cover, and then...
- 8/20/2020
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The winners for the 2020 American Cinema Editors Awards were announced Friday, January 17 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. These are the 70th annual edition of the Ace Eddie Awards, which honor the best in feature film and television editing for the 2019 calendar year. Four Oscar nominees for Best Film Editing contend for the guild’s drama prize with the fifth recognized over on the comedy side (“Jojo Rabbit”). Scroll down to see the complete list of Ace Eddie winners, which are marked in gold.
SEE2020 Ace Eddie Awards preview: Which Oscar nominee for Best Film Editing will win here first?
The Eddies have an excellent track record for predicting the ultimate Oscar winner for Best Film Editing, with 22 of the last 29 matching up including last year’s champion “Bohemian Rhapsody.” In addition, since the guild split their top award into two prizes in 2000, eight of their 20 winners went...
SEE2020 Ace Eddie Awards preview: Which Oscar nominee for Best Film Editing will win here first?
The Eddies have an excellent track record for predicting the ultimate Oscar winner for Best Film Editing, with 22 of the last 29 matching up including last year’s champion “Bohemian Rhapsody.” In addition, since the guild split their top award into two prizes in 2000, eight of their 20 winners went...
- 1/18/2020
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
The influential Ace Eddie Awards nominees for editing include the prestige dramas “Ford v Ferrari, ” “The Irishman,” “Joker,” “Marriage Story,” and “Parasite,” Left out was Sam Mendes’ late-breaking bold, single-cut “1917” from Oscar-winner Lee Smith (“Dunkirk”), which does not bode well for an Academy Award nomination. Best Picture contender “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” made the cut as a comedy nominee along with “Dolemite Is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Jojo Rabbit,” and “Knives Out.”
This makes for a competitive Oscar race, with three-time Academy Award-winner Thelma Schoonmaker as the frontrunner for “The Irishman,” Martin Scorsese’s deeply personal, character-driven, non-linear ode to mob life, complicated by Ilm’s experimental VFX de-aging of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino’s complex love letter to Tinseltown, should earn a nomination for Fred Raskin; Todd Phillips’ bending of reality and fantasy around...
This makes for a competitive Oscar race, with three-time Academy Award-winner Thelma Schoonmaker as the frontrunner for “The Irishman,” Martin Scorsese’s deeply personal, character-driven, non-linear ode to mob life, complicated by Ilm’s experimental VFX de-aging of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino’s complex love letter to Tinseltown, should earn a nomination for Fred Raskin; Todd Phillips’ bending of reality and fantasy around...
- 12/11/2019
- by Bill Desowitz and Libby Hill
- Indiewire
The American Cinema Editors nominations for the Eddie Awards announced on Wednesday (December 11) include our Oscar frontrunner for Best Film Editing, “The Irishman,” along with three of the other four films we’re predicting to reap bids in that race: “Ford v Ferrari,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Parasite.” While the WWI epic “1917,” which is made to look like one continuous shot, was snubbed by the guild we expect it to be the fifth Academy Awards contender.
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals. “Ford v Ferrari,” “The Irishman” and “Parasite” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “Joker” and “Marriage Story.” Facing off against “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” on the comedy side are “Dolemite is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Knives Out.”
In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees...
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals. “Ford v Ferrari,” “The Irishman” and “Parasite” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “Joker” and “Marriage Story.” Facing off against “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” on the comedy side are “Dolemite is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Knives Out.”
In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees...
- 12/11/2019
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The American Cinema Editors has nominated “Ford v Ferrari,” “Joker,” “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story” and “Parasite” for its Ace Eddie top feature film drama award.
“Dolemite Is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Knives Out” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” received nominations in the feature comedy category. Nominated animated films include “Frozen 2,” “I Lost My Body” and “Toy Story 4.”
For the first time in Ace’s 70-year history, three foreign language films are among the nominees — “The Farewell,” which is partly in Mandarin, French animated film “I Lost My Body” and Korean-language “Parasite.”
On the television side, the spy thriller “Killing Eve” scored Ace nominations for Dan Crinnion for the “Desperate Times” episode and the “Smell Ya Later” episode for Al Morrow.
Winners will be revealed during Ace’s annual black-tie awards ceremony on Jan. 17 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and will be presided over by Ace president Stephen Rivkin.
“Dolemite Is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Knives Out” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” received nominations in the feature comedy category. Nominated animated films include “Frozen 2,” “I Lost My Body” and “Toy Story 4.”
For the first time in Ace’s 70-year history, three foreign language films are among the nominees — “The Farewell,” which is partly in Mandarin, French animated film “I Lost My Body” and Korean-language “Parasite.”
On the television side, the spy thriller “Killing Eve” scored Ace nominations for Dan Crinnion for the “Desperate Times” episode and the “Smell Ya Later” episode for Al Morrow.
Winners will be revealed during Ace’s annual black-tie awards ceremony on Jan. 17 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and will be presided over by Ace president Stephen Rivkin.
- 12/11/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
American Cinema Editors has spliced together its nominations for the 70th annual Ace Eddie Awards, which recognize outstanding editing in 11 categories of film, television and documentaries. The honorary society will dole out its hardware during the January 17 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton.
Final balloting opens December 16 and closes January 6. Check out the list below.
For the first time, three foreign-language films are among the Eddie Awards nominees — The Farewell, I Lost My Body and Parasite — despite there not being a specific category for films predominantly in a foreign language.
Last year’s big winner on the feature side was Bohemian Rhapsody, which went on to score the Oscar for John Ottman.
Here are the nominees for the 70th annual Ace Eddie Awards:
Best Edited Feature Film (Drama)
Ford v Ferrari
Michael McCusker, Ace & Andrew Buckland
The Irishman
Thelma Schoonmaker, Ace
Joker
Jeff Groth
Marriage Story
Jennifer Lame, Ace
Parasite
Jinmo Yang...
Final balloting opens December 16 and closes January 6. Check out the list below.
For the first time, three foreign-language films are among the Eddie Awards nominees — The Farewell, I Lost My Body and Parasite — despite there not being a specific category for films predominantly in a foreign language.
Last year’s big winner on the feature side was Bohemian Rhapsody, which went on to score the Oscar for John Ottman.
Here are the nominees for the 70th annual Ace Eddie Awards:
Best Edited Feature Film (Drama)
Ford v Ferrari
Michael McCusker, Ace & Andrew Buckland
The Irishman
Thelma Schoonmaker, Ace
Joker
Jeff Groth
Marriage Story
Jennifer Lame, Ace
Parasite
Jinmo Yang...
- 12/11/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
“Ford v Ferrari,” “The Irishman,” “Joker,” “Marriage Story” and “Parasite” have been nominated in the dramatic-film category at the American Cinema Editors’ Ace Eddie Awards, which honor the best in film editing.
In the comedy category, the nominees were “Dolemite Is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Knives Out” and “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.”
The most notable omission was “1917,” which contains dozens of cuts but was designed to look as if it was filmed in one continuous, unbroken shot.
Also Read: Golden Globes 2020: The Complete List of Nominees
In recent years, more than 90 percent of the Oscar nominees in the Best Film Editing category have first been recognized by the American Cinema Editors. The majority of Oscar nominees have come from the Ace Eddie dramatic category – though for the last two years, the Academy has taken three nominees from the Ace Eddies’ comedy category and only two from the drama category.
In the comedy category, the nominees were “Dolemite Is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Knives Out” and “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.”
The most notable omission was “1917,” which contains dozens of cuts but was designed to look as if it was filmed in one continuous, unbroken shot.
Also Read: Golden Globes 2020: The Complete List of Nominees
In recent years, more than 90 percent of the Oscar nominees in the Best Film Editing category have first been recognized by the American Cinema Editors. The majority of Oscar nominees have come from the Ace Eddie dramatic category – though for the last two years, the Academy has taken three nominees from the Ace Eddies’ comedy category and only two from the drama category.
- 12/11/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Awards ceremony takes place in Los Angeles on January 17, 2020.
Parasite, The Farewell and I Lost My Body have earned nominations from the America Cinema Editors (Ace), marking the first time three foreign-language films have garnered nods in the group’s 70-year history.
Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean dark comedy Parasite is nominated in the best edited feature film (drama) category, while Us-Chinese The Farewell is in best edited feature film (comedy), and France’s I Lost My Body is in best edited animated feature film.
The Ace awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on January 17, 2020. Final ballots...
Parasite, The Farewell and I Lost My Body have earned nominations from the America Cinema Editors (Ace), marking the first time three foreign-language films have garnered nods in the group’s 70-year history.
Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean dark comedy Parasite is nominated in the best edited feature film (drama) category, while Us-Chinese The Farewell is in best edited feature film (comedy), and France’s I Lost My Body is in best edited animated feature film.
The Ace awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on January 17, 2020. Final ballots...
- 12/11/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
As we close the decade, there is still one near-universal truth that connects those directors who defy the cineplex odds by making great cinema: Their visions are realized by some of the finest below-the-line talent the industry has ever seen. Even as the familiar infrastructure seems to be evaporating, the role that top craftspeople play has become that much more vital as the breadth and depth of their talent pool expands.
IndieWire spent months speaking with directors, producers, costumers, designers, cinematographers, cutters, composers — craftspeople across all disciplines — seeking the behind-the-scenes collaborators behind some of your favorite films. And our questions went something like this:
Who are the filmmakers whose innovative use of craft is influencing how you make movies?
Who are the artisans at the cutting edge of using new technology to advance the art form?
Who are the pioneers opening doors and expanding our visual and aural palettes?
We...
IndieWire spent months speaking with directors, producers, costumers, designers, cinematographers, cutters, composers — craftspeople across all disciplines — seeking the behind-the-scenes collaborators behind some of your favorite films. And our questions went something like this:
Who are the filmmakers whose innovative use of craft is influencing how you make movies?
Who are the artisans at the cutting edge of using new technology to advance the art form?
Who are the pioneers opening doors and expanding our visual and aural palettes?
We...
- 12/3/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
All too often a nonfiction film’s cinematic possibilities deflate in post-production, where the pressure, both internal and external, to make something formulaic becomes intense. The irony, of course, is that it is in the editing that an ambitious nonfiction film’s possibilities can be discovered, or even created. Here are two shining examples of editors steering remarkable films and filmmakers to find their full potential.
Nels Bangerter
Editing documentaries is a singular process quite distinct from its application in narrative features. Non-fiction storytelling often requires culling from hours of footage, weaving together material from disparate times and places, connecting one moment to another even if they were never planned out that way. Over the past decade, Nels Bangerter has emerged as an exemplar of that craft.
Bangerter’s credits extend far beyond the limited realm of talking heads: The 2012 Oscar-nominated short “Buzkashi Boys” assembles a coming-of-age story about two...
Nels Bangerter
Editing documentaries is a singular process quite distinct from its application in narrative features. Non-fiction storytelling often requires culling from hours of footage, weaving together material from disparate times and places, connecting one moment to another even if they were never planned out that way. Over the past decade, Nels Bangerter has emerged as an exemplar of that craft.
Bangerter’s credits extend far beyond the limited realm of talking heads: The 2012 Oscar-nominated short “Buzkashi Boys” assembles a coming-of-age story about two...
- 12/3/2019
- by Chris O'Falt and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“Apollo 11” was the big winner at the fourth annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards on Sunday in New York City.
The film took home the award for documentary feature, as well as editing for Todd Douglas Miller and score for Matt Morton. “Apollo 11” was also honored with archival documentary and science/nature documentary prizes.
There was a tie for director between Peter Jackson for “They Shall Not Grow Old,” and Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar for “American Factory.” “They Shall Not Grow Old” also brought home the award for innovative documentary. “American Factory” nabbed the prize for political documentary.
The inaugural D. A. Pennebaker Award, formerly known as the Critics’ Choice lifetime achievement award, was presented to Chris Hegedus, Pennebaker’s longtime collaborator and widow. Michael Apted received the landmark award in honor of his “Up” series.
The ceremony, hosted by “Property Brothers” star Jonathan Scott, was held at Bric in Brooklyn.
The film took home the award for documentary feature, as well as editing for Todd Douglas Miller and score for Matt Morton. “Apollo 11” was also honored with archival documentary and science/nature documentary prizes.
There was a tie for director between Peter Jackson for “They Shall Not Grow Old,” and Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar for “American Factory.” “They Shall Not Grow Old” also brought home the award for innovative documentary. “American Factory” nabbed the prize for political documentary.
The inaugural D. A. Pennebaker Award, formerly known as the Critics’ Choice lifetime achievement award, was presented to Chris Hegedus, Pennebaker’s longtime collaborator and widow. Michael Apted received the landmark award in honor of his “Up” series.
The ceremony, hosted by “Property Brothers” star Jonathan Scott, was held at Bric in Brooklyn.
- 11/11/2019
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Last month, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced their nominations, beginning to suggest which documentaries could be the Academy Award favorites this year. Tomorrow, the awards show takes place. In case you weren’t aware, The Biggest Little Farm led the field, grabbing seven nominations, while Apollo 11, One Child Nation, and They Shall Not Grow Old scored five apiece. Other potential Oscar contenders sprinkled throughout this precursors include American Factory, The Cave, Knock Down The House, Western Stars, and more. Below you can see all the nominated works, though what really will be interesting to see is what takes home the top prize. A win here for either American Factory, Apollo 11, The Biggest Little Farm, The Cave, Honeyland, The Kingmaker, Knock Down the House, Leaving Neverland, Maiden, One Child Nation, or They Shall Not Grow Old could really be a feather in its awards season cap. Time will tell,...
- 11/9/2019
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Each year for over a decade, the Cinema Eye Honors selection committees, comprised of filmmakers from the documentary community, help to whittle down an increasingly overwhelming list of must-see non-fiction film and television. The 2020 nominees for Outstanding Feature Film are lead by Oscar frontrunners “American Factory” and “Apollo 11”, with five nominations each, and “For Sama”, “Honeyland”, “Midnight Family”, and “One Child Nation”, with three apiece.
Also scoring three nominations were “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics”), “The Cave” (NatGeo), and “Beyoncé’s Homecoming” (Netflix). “American Factory,” “Honeyland,” and “One Child Nation” also earned nods for Outstanding Direction, along with Feras Fayyad for “The Cave,” Mads Brügger for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” and Brett Story for “The Hottest August.”
Audience Choice nominees include “17 Blocks,” “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Knock Down the House,” and “Maiden.”
Netflix led all distributors/broadcasters with a record total of 17 nominations,...
Also scoring three nominations were “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics”), “The Cave” (NatGeo), and “Beyoncé’s Homecoming” (Netflix). “American Factory,” “Honeyland,” and “One Child Nation” also earned nods for Outstanding Direction, along with Feras Fayyad for “The Cave,” Mads Brügger for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” and Brett Story for “The Hottest August.”
Audience Choice nominees include “17 Blocks,” “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Knock Down the House,” and “Maiden.”
Netflix led all distributors/broadcasters with a record total of 17 nominations,...
- 11/7/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Each year for over a decade, the Cinema Eye Honors selection committees, comprised of filmmakers from the documentary community, help to whittle down an increasingly overwhelming list of must-see non-fiction film and television. The 2020 nominees for Outstanding Feature Film are lead by Oscar frontrunners “American Factory” and “Apollo 11”, with five nominations each, and “For Sama”, “Honeyland”, “Midnight Family”, and “One Child Nation”, with three apiece.
Also scoring three nominations were “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics”), “The Cave” (NatGeo), and “Beyoncé’s Homecoming” (Netflix). “American Factory,” “Honeyland,” and “One Child Nation” also earned nods for Outstanding Direction, along with Feras Fayyad for “The Cave,” Mads Brügger for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” and Brett Story for “The Hottest August.”
Audience Choice nominees include “17 Blocks,” “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Knock Down the House,” and “Maiden.”
Netflix led all distributors/broadcasters with a record total of 17 nominations,...
Also scoring three nominations were “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics”), “The Cave” (NatGeo), and “Beyoncé’s Homecoming” (Netflix). “American Factory,” “Honeyland,” and “One Child Nation” also earned nods for Outstanding Direction, along with Feras Fayyad for “The Cave,” Mads Brügger for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” and Brett Story for “The Hottest August.”
Audience Choice nominees include “17 Blocks,” “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Knock Down the House,” and “Maiden.”
Netflix led all distributors/broadcasters with a record total of 17 nominations,...
- 11/7/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Documentary group Cinema Eye on Thursday unveiled nominations for the 2020 Cinema Eye Honors, with Netflix’s American Factory and Neon’s Apollo 11 leading the way with five nominations each. Netflix tops all distributors with 17 noms, the most ever in a single year.
Winners will be revealed at a ceremony January 6 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
American Factory, which counts Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground among its executive producers, and Todd Douglas Miller’s deep dive into the 1969 moon mission Apollo 11 were nominated in the marquee Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. They are joined there by For Sama, the PBS/Frontline Syrian drama from Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watt; Neon’s Honeyland, the Sundance-winning Macedonian beekeeper tale from Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevsk; 1901 Media’s Mexico City ambulance industry pic Midnight Family; and Amazon Studios’ Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize-winning One Child Nation.
Last year,...
Winners will be revealed at a ceremony January 6 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
American Factory, which counts Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground among its executive producers, and Todd Douglas Miller’s deep dive into the 1969 moon mission Apollo 11 were nominated in the marquee Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. They are joined there by For Sama, the PBS/Frontline Syrian drama from Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watt; Neon’s Honeyland, the Sundance-winning Macedonian beekeeper tale from Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevsk; 1901 Media’s Mexico City ambulance industry pic Midnight Family; and Amazon Studios’ Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize-winning One Child Nation.
Last year,...
- 11/7/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
“American Factory” and “Apollo 11” led all films in nominations for the 13th annual Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based awards show created to pay tribute to all facets of nonfiction filmmaking.
The two films each received five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, from the Cinema Eye jury of festival programmers, as well as votes from this year’s eligible filmmakers.
The full slate of nominees in that category is a solid lineup of the year’s most acclaimed docs. In addition to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s “American Factory” and Todd Douglas Miller’s “Apollo 11,” it includes Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama,” Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s “Honeyland,” Luke Lorentzen’s “Midnight Family” and Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation.”
Also Read: 12 Documentaries to Check Out This Fall, Including Films by Bruce Springsteen and Agnès Varda (Photos)
“American Factory,” “Apollo 11...
The two films each received five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, from the Cinema Eye jury of festival programmers, as well as votes from this year’s eligible filmmakers.
The full slate of nominees in that category is a solid lineup of the year’s most acclaimed docs. In addition to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s “American Factory” and Todd Douglas Miller’s “Apollo 11,” it includes Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama,” Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s “Honeyland,” Luke Lorentzen’s “Midnight Family” and Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation.”
Also Read: 12 Documentaries to Check Out This Fall, Including Films by Bruce Springsteen and Agnès Varda (Photos)
“American Factory,” “Apollo 11...
- 11/7/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
John Chester‘s “The Biggest Little Farm” leads the fourth annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards with seven nominations, including Best Documentary Feature and Best Director. Right behind it with six bids apiece are Todd Douglas Miller‘s “Apollo 11” and Peter Jackson‘s “They Shall Not Grow Old.” The other eight films nominated for the top prize are “American Factory,” “The Cave,” “Honeyland,” “The Kingmaker,” “Knock Down the House,” “Leaving Neverland,” “Maiden,” and “One Child Nation.”
Chester’s newest documentary follows his family’s journey as they develop a sustainable farm outside of Los Angeles. As the Ccda nomination leader it follows in the footsteps of last year’s eventual Academy Awards winner “Free Solo” who led this group’s field with six nominations. “Free Solo” may have won at the Oscars and three Ccda awards, but it lost the main prize here to “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
Chester’s newest documentary follows his family’s journey as they develop a sustainable farm outside of Los Angeles. As the Ccda nomination leader it follows in the footsteps of last year’s eventual Academy Awards winner “Free Solo” who led this group’s field with six nominations. “Free Solo” may have won at the Oscars and three Ccda awards, but it lost the main prize here to “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
- 10/15/2019
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
“The Biggest Little Farm” leads nominees for the fourth annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, with seven bids, followed by “Apollo 11” and “They Shall Not Grow Old.” “One Child Nation” received five nominations.
The winners will be presented their awards at a gala, hosted by Property Brothers’ Jonathan Scott, on Nov. 10 at Bric in Brooklyn.
The awards honor documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified Cca members.
A new honor, the D.A. Pennebaker Award, will be presented to Frederick Wiseman. Michael Apted will receive the landmark award for his work on the “Up” series of films, with “63 Up” opening this year.
“As the film and television industry constantly evolves, documentaries remain a vibrant creative art form that entertains as well as informs,” said Cca CEO Joey Berlin. “We are proud that our awards event has become a...
The winners will be presented their awards at a gala, hosted by Property Brothers’ Jonathan Scott, on Nov. 10 at Bric in Brooklyn.
The awards honor documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified Cca members.
A new honor, the D.A. Pennebaker Award, will be presented to Frederick Wiseman. Michael Apted will receive the landmark award for his work on the “Up” series of films, with “63 Up” opening this year.
“As the film and television industry constantly evolves, documentaries remain a vibrant creative art form that entertains as well as informs,” said Cca CEO Joey Berlin. “We are proud that our awards event has become a...
- 10/14/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
‘Biggest Little Farm’, Peter Jackson, ‘Apollo 11′ Top Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Nominations
Farm animals, the historic moon landing and World War I veterans back to vivid life top the nominations for the fourth annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.
The Biggest Little Farm leads this year with seven nominations, including Best Documentary Feature, John Chester for Best Director and noms for Best Cinematography, Editing, Score, Narration and Science/Nature Documentary.
Recognized with six nominations each are Apollo 11 and They Shall Not Grow Old. The nominations for Apollo 11 are Best Documentary Feature, Todd Douglas Miller for Best Director, plus Editing, Score, Archival Documentary and Science/Nature Documentary, The nominations for They Shall Not Grow Old are Best Documentary Feature, Peter Jackson for Best Director, Editing, Score, Archival Documentary and Most Innovative Documentary.
One Child Nation received five nominations: Best Documentary Feature, Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang for Best Director, along with Editing, Narration, and Political Documentary.
The Cave, Honeyland, American Factor, Aquarela...
The Biggest Little Farm leads this year with seven nominations, including Best Documentary Feature, John Chester for Best Director and noms for Best Cinematography, Editing, Score, Narration and Science/Nature Documentary.
Recognized with six nominations each are Apollo 11 and They Shall Not Grow Old. The nominations for Apollo 11 are Best Documentary Feature, Todd Douglas Miller for Best Director, plus Editing, Score, Archival Documentary and Science/Nature Documentary, The nominations for They Shall Not Grow Old are Best Documentary Feature, Peter Jackson for Best Director, Editing, Score, Archival Documentary and Most Innovative Documentary.
One Child Nation received five nominations: Best Documentary Feature, Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang for Best Director, along with Editing, Narration, and Political Documentary.
The Cave, Honeyland, American Factor, Aquarela...
- 10/14/2019
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The festival selects feature documentaries including American Factory and Diego Maradona
The Doc NYC festival has selected Knock Down The House, Honeyland, Diego Maradona, American Factory and 11 other documentaries for its Short List: Features section, designed to spotlight what the event’s programmers think are the year’s strongest awards contenders.
The festival, which runs from November 6 to 15 in New York, is also launching Winner’s Circle, a new section highlighting international festival prize-winners that may have been overlooked by Us audiences.
The Short List: Features titles will for the first time compete for juried awards in directing, producing, cinematography...
The Doc NYC festival has selected Knock Down The House, Honeyland, Diego Maradona, American Factory and 11 other documentaries for its Short List: Features section, designed to spotlight what the event’s programmers think are the year’s strongest awards contenders.
The festival, which runs from November 6 to 15 in New York, is also launching Winner’s Circle, a new section highlighting international festival prize-winners that may have been overlooked by Us audiences.
The Short List: Features titles will for the first time compete for juried awards in directing, producing, cinematography...
- 9/26/2019
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Yance Ford’s documentary film Strong Island, which recounts the murder of the director’s brother and the effect it had on his family, claimed three prizes at the 11th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were announced Thursday in New York. It not only won the award for Outstanding Nonfiction Feature Film, but was also cited for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Debut.
Brett Morgen’s Jane, a portrait of primatologist, activist and scientist Dr. Jane Goodall, won two awards: the Audience Choice Prize as well as Outstanding Score for composer Philip Glass.
The prize for Outstanding Editing went to Lindsay Utz for her...
Brett Morgen’s Jane, a portrait of primatologist, activist and scientist Dr. Jane Goodall, won two awards: the Audience Choice Prize as well as Outstanding Score for composer Philip Glass.
The prize for Outstanding Editing went to Lindsay Utz for her...
- 1/14/2018
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When host — and living documentary legend — Steve James took the stage on Thursday night to kick off the start of the 11th Annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards at Queens’ own Museum of the Moving Image, he might have enjoyed the benefit of being tipped off as to who would dominate the ceremony. For James, the night was all about a “new generation” of filmmakers, and bringing them further into a tight-knit community that could support them for the rest of their lives.
No surprise then that Yance Ford and his debut feature, the deeply personal and long-gestating “Strong Island,” emerged as the night’s biggest winner, pulling in wins for Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Debut, and Outstanding Nonfiction Feature Film. Ford’s win for Outstanding Direction was also a history-maker: the filmmaker is the first to ever win the award for a debut film.
Read More:Cinema Eye Honors Announces Nominees; ‘Strong Island,...
No surprise then that Yance Ford and his debut feature, the deeply personal and long-gestating “Strong Island,” emerged as the night’s biggest winner, pulling in wins for Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Debut, and Outstanding Nonfiction Feature Film. Ford’s win for Outstanding Direction was also a history-maker: the filmmaker is the first to ever win the award for a debut film.
Read More:Cinema Eye Honors Announces Nominees; ‘Strong Island,...
- 1/12/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
A full list of Cinema Eye winners follows. Strong Island is absolutely brilliant, by the way. Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking Strong Island Directed by Yance Ford Produced by...
- 1/11/2018
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
Vol. I Issue 5
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Two Short Listed Documentary Features
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman
Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and whose actions blur the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait of Weiwei’s life and work allows us to follow Weiwei’s journey and his transformation of his life and works are perceived. Few artists have been able to use their public stature to help cause political change. Clearly this is the story of a giant killer. Regrettably the story continues and China continues to repress its people.
What’s special about Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is that the filmmaker was able to follow Ai Weiwei over several years. We are able to see a Chinese dissident whose home is watched by 1984-like cameras hung from telephone and power poles. We can only assume his home is bugged, his cell phone is bugged and all of his computers are bugged. The power of this work is seeing an artist functioning in this environment. Shocking. His spirit is best shown in his defiant art, his raised middle finger in the foreground of many still images of iconic monuments to the Chinese peoples’ struggles. He dares to challenge America’s biggest trading partner, debt holder and, by the end of the film, he is shown silenced, unable to comment because he was released from detention. The irony of this powerful work is that we and the world are shown to be complicit.
While the film lacks the slickness of many of the Academy’s short listed docs, its power flows from the subject. Clearly an artist whose work reflects his life experiences and struggle is a difficult subject. Weiwei constantly tweaks the authorities who clearly fear its citizens being free to express themselves and their feelings about their government globally. Yet the world is silent about this repressive government that spies on, beats up and terrorizes its citizens. This is another film that should be nominated. Its construction, score, shooting suggests that Ms. Klayman can, with some more experience, become an extraordinary filmmaker.
The Filmmakers
Alison Klayman, Director, Producer, Cinematographer
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorryis Alison Klayman's debut feature documentary, which she directed, produced, filmed and co-edited. She is a 2011 Sundance Documentary Fellow and one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film". She has been a guest on The Colbert Report, as well as CNN and NPR. Klayman lived in China from 2006 to 2010, working as a freelance journalist. She speaks Mandarin and Hebrew, and graduated from Brown University in 2006.
Adam Schlesinger, Producer
Adam Schlesinger is an award-winning independent film producer based in New York. He produced the Sundance Film Festival selections: Smash His Camera, which won for Best Director; Page One- Inside the New York Times; and God Grew Tired of Us, winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.
Credits:
Director/Producer/Writer/Camera: Alison Klayman
Producer: Adam Schlesinger
Contributing Producer: Colin
Executive Producers: Andrew Cohen, Julie Goldman, Karl
Music: Ilan Isakov
Editor: Jen Fineran
Production Companies: Expressions United Media, Muse Film and Television, Never Sorry
Distribution: Sundance Selects, Artificial Eye
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch
A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully is a character-driven documentary that looks at how bullying has touched five children and their families. The five stories each represent a different facet of bullying. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, Bully opens a window onto the lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.
Bully is a case study of how The Weinstein Company can take what would be a traditional non-theatrical documentary feature and turn it into both a cause and a theatrical event and, because of the rule changes at the Academy, have it come to be short listed for an Oscar.
Bully is an excellent film, it is well made, directed, edited and scored. Its characters and stories are well done. It’s just not in the same league as many of the documentary films short listed for this year’s Academy Award nomination.
When the film was released with an “R” rating, appropriate and consistent with the MPAA guidelines because of language and violence, the Weinsteins used the R rating to create a controversy which enabled the film to become a box office success and was the basis of a brilliant Academy campaign for a documentary nomination. This is one of the best examples (since Michael Moore and Roger and Menot being nominated for an Oscar) of creating a box-office success with a documentary. (Roger and Mewas distributed by Warners.) As of December 30, 2012 Bully had grossed over $3.5 million. (Box Office Mojo)
The MPAA gives an automatic “R” rating to films that use the “F” word. It has done this since its inception. This makes sense. The “F” word is inappropriate for children. But wait, Bullyis for middle and high school students! These schools can’t (or should not) show “R” rated films.
The MPAA rating system has never been particularly clear to Americans. Developed by the Motion Picture Association to prevent local and/or regional ratings it has always been “advisory”; however, some media outlets will not accept advertising or promote films with some of the harder ratings. The Weinsteins knew that this film would get an “R” rating because of the “F” word. No surprise. Yet how could this “important” film for school children to see be blocked from its audience?
“Bully's R ratingsparks a nationwide protest. ...stars, theater owners, and Members of Congress have joined forces to protest the film's R rating as a result of the film having six swear words.” This is in the industry press. (Deadline)
The Weinsteins, of course with great fanfare, appealed the rating decision which got the film more press. They decided to release the film in just two markets to qualify for the documentary Academy award, without a rating, but continue the press-push to have the rating changed.
On April 5, The Weinstein Company announced that their doc, Bully, was to receive a PG-13 from the MPAA, with some minor cuts. After removing three uses of the F-word it was re-released in the new PG-13 version on April 13 and shortly after the run was expanded to 55 theatrical markets.
Deadline reported, “The big victory, even though they had to remove three F-words, was that they could keep the controversial school bus bullying scene unedited and uncut, which (the director) Hirsch continuously refused to edit, "since it is too important to the truth and integrity behind the film." Hirsch states: "I feel completely vindicated with this resolution. While I retain my belief that PG-13 has always been the appropriate rating for this film, as reinforced by Canada's rating of a PG, we have today scored a victory from the MPAA. The support and guidance we have received throughout this process has been incredible."
Let’s note that the MPAA is an industry trade association. The Weinsteins are members. It’s not exactly a group that battles. The ratings are advisory only.
The Weinstein press release continued the illusion, This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year. The new rating, which came about with the great support from MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd, grants the schools, organizations and cities all around the country who are lined up and ready to screen Bully, including the National Education Association and the Cincinnati School District, the opportunity to share this educational tool with their children.”
It needs to be pointed out that this controversy was a set up. When The Weinstein Company released Bully "unrated" in theaters in New York and Los Angeles it barely earned $150,000. The film might be seen by a few hundred thousand people in theaters which is a theatrical success but not the millions of kids the filmmakers are on record to reach. (A $3.5 mil gross suggests at a $6 admission fee perhaps a half-million tickets were sold.) Millions of people don’t usually go to theaters to see docs. So a $3.5 mil theatrical gross makes this film a major theatrical success. It puts this film in the top 50 or so theatrical documentaries of all time.
But all along, the Weinsteins knew that the film can easily be provided in DVD and in video-on-demand to schools, teachers, students and families in an “Educational” version without the R rated language being included. The use of an educational version would totally serve the school market. This version could be provided for “free” or even for a modest fee if the Weinsteins were really interested in this aspect of marketing the film. The Bullybook is available now for sale and soon the Blu Ray and DVD. Seeing the film in a classroom and then talking about it is what educators do with films. There are over 100,000 school, church and other groups (like Girls Scouts) that can show this film to groups of kids.
Note: Full disclosure, I started a Move-on Campaign and petitioned the Weinsteins to offer
Bully for a Buck! after I saw the film. More than 480 people have signed the petition to date. No match for the hundreds of thousands who signed the rating controversy petition but I did not do any publicity. As a parent of two teens, I felt this was a far more logical thing to do to get the film out to children without the strong language. This petition continues on Change.org.
Bully Short Listed for an Academy Award
With the rule change at the Academy this year, the documentary branch is working as a committee of the whole to do both the short listing and the nomination. The committee members were sent 125 documentary features, mostly arriving at the tail end of the deadline, to review. The committee was made up of both documentary branch members and Academy members who have been nominated or won documentary Oscars. Obviously, few members saw all 125 documentaries. The short list of 15 films was made from tallying the results of each member’s list of their 15 top docs. I think the publicity for Bully insured it would make this list.
The Weinsteins also had it screened at the Academy as part of the Academy members screening program, one of the handful of documentaries that were screened as part of the weekend program. This also will likely help the film get on members’ radar. Smart. Last year, The Weinsteins’ film The Undefeatedwon the Documentary Oscar. They do a great job getting their films out.
Credits:
Directed by: Lee Hirsch
Produced by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Written by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Executive Producer: Cindy Waitt
Cinematography: Lee Hirsch
Edited by: Lindsay Utz, Jenny Golden
Original Score by: Ion Furjanic, Justin Rice/Christian Rudder
Consulting Editors: Enat Sidi, Cynthia Lowen
Music Supervisor: Brooke Wentz
Running Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language
Short Notes and Update:
WGA Announces Nominees for Documentary Screenplay Award
The WGA announced six nominees for its documentary screenplay award: War, Mea Culpa and Sugar Man also are on the Academy shortlist of feature docs hoping to score an Oscar nomination.
Winners will be honored by the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Feb. 17 during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
Documentary Screenplay
The Central Park Five, written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
Sundance Announces 2013 Documentary Competition:
U.S. Documentary Competition
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film/ U.S.A. (Directors: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Krstic) The Occupy movement erupted in September 2011, propelling economic inequality into the spotlight. In an unprecedented collaboration, filmmakers across America tell its story, digging into big picture issues as organizers, analysts, participants and critics reveal how it happened and why.
After Tiller/ U.S.A. (Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson) — Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, only four doctors in the country provide late-term abortions. With unprecedented access, After Tiller goes inside the lives of these physicians working at the center of the storm.
American Promise/ U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
Blackfish/ U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) — Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Blood Brother/ U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
Citizen Koch / U.S.A. (Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) — Wisconsin – birthplace of the Republican Party, government unions, “cheeseheads” and Paul Ryan – becomes a test market in the campaign to buy Democracy, and ground zero in the battle for the future of the Gop.
Cutie and the Boxer/ U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
Dirty Wars/ U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars.
Gideon's Army/ U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
God Loves Uganda/ U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.
Inequality for All/ U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
Life According to Sam/ U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) — Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from a rare and fatal aging disease for which there is no cure. Their work may one day unlock the key to aging in all of us.
Manhunt / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Greg Barker) — This espionage tale goes inside the CIA’s long conflict against Al Qaeda, as revealed by the remarkable women and men whose secret war against Osama bin Laden started nearly a decade before most of us even knew his name.
Narco Cultura/ U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.
Twenty Feet From Stardom/ U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. Day One Film
Valentine Road/ U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.eventbrite.com/org/169037034
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. ______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
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Two Short Listed Documentary Features
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman
Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and whose actions blur the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait of Weiwei’s life and work allows us to follow Weiwei’s journey and his transformation of his life and works are perceived. Few artists have been able to use their public stature to help cause political change. Clearly this is the story of a giant killer. Regrettably the story continues and China continues to repress its people.
What’s special about Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is that the filmmaker was able to follow Ai Weiwei over several years. We are able to see a Chinese dissident whose home is watched by 1984-like cameras hung from telephone and power poles. We can only assume his home is bugged, his cell phone is bugged and all of his computers are bugged. The power of this work is seeing an artist functioning in this environment. Shocking. His spirit is best shown in his defiant art, his raised middle finger in the foreground of many still images of iconic monuments to the Chinese peoples’ struggles. He dares to challenge America’s biggest trading partner, debt holder and, by the end of the film, he is shown silenced, unable to comment because he was released from detention. The irony of this powerful work is that we and the world are shown to be complicit.
While the film lacks the slickness of many of the Academy’s short listed docs, its power flows from the subject. Clearly an artist whose work reflects his life experiences and struggle is a difficult subject. Weiwei constantly tweaks the authorities who clearly fear its citizens being free to express themselves and their feelings about their government globally. Yet the world is silent about this repressive government that spies on, beats up and terrorizes its citizens. This is another film that should be nominated. Its construction, score, shooting suggests that Ms. Klayman can, with some more experience, become an extraordinary filmmaker.
The Filmmakers
Alison Klayman, Director, Producer, Cinematographer
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorryis Alison Klayman's debut feature documentary, which she directed, produced, filmed and co-edited. She is a 2011 Sundance Documentary Fellow and one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film". She has been a guest on The Colbert Report, as well as CNN and NPR. Klayman lived in China from 2006 to 2010, working as a freelance journalist. She speaks Mandarin and Hebrew, and graduated from Brown University in 2006.
Adam Schlesinger, Producer
Adam Schlesinger is an award-winning independent film producer based in New York. He produced the Sundance Film Festival selections: Smash His Camera, which won for Best Director; Page One- Inside the New York Times; and God Grew Tired of Us, winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.
Credits:
Director/Producer/Writer/Camera: Alison Klayman
Producer: Adam Schlesinger
Contributing Producer: Colin
Executive Producers: Andrew Cohen, Julie Goldman, Karl
Music: Ilan Isakov
Editor: Jen Fineran
Production Companies: Expressions United Media, Muse Film and Television, Never Sorry
Distribution: Sundance Selects, Artificial Eye
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch
A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully is a character-driven documentary that looks at how bullying has touched five children and their families. The five stories each represent a different facet of bullying. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, Bully opens a window onto the lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.
Bully is a case study of how The Weinstein Company can take what would be a traditional non-theatrical documentary feature and turn it into both a cause and a theatrical event and, because of the rule changes at the Academy, have it come to be short listed for an Oscar.
Bully is an excellent film, it is well made, directed, edited and scored. Its characters and stories are well done. It’s just not in the same league as many of the documentary films short listed for this year’s Academy Award nomination.
When the film was released with an “R” rating, appropriate and consistent with the MPAA guidelines because of language and violence, the Weinsteins used the R rating to create a controversy which enabled the film to become a box office success and was the basis of a brilliant Academy campaign for a documentary nomination. This is one of the best examples (since Michael Moore and Roger and Menot being nominated for an Oscar) of creating a box-office success with a documentary. (Roger and Mewas distributed by Warners.) As of December 30, 2012 Bully had grossed over $3.5 million. (Box Office Mojo)
The MPAA gives an automatic “R” rating to films that use the “F” word. It has done this since its inception. This makes sense. The “F” word is inappropriate for children. But wait, Bullyis for middle and high school students! These schools can’t (or should not) show “R” rated films.
The MPAA rating system has never been particularly clear to Americans. Developed by the Motion Picture Association to prevent local and/or regional ratings it has always been “advisory”; however, some media outlets will not accept advertising or promote films with some of the harder ratings. The Weinsteins knew that this film would get an “R” rating because of the “F” word. No surprise. Yet how could this “important” film for school children to see be blocked from its audience?
“Bully's R ratingsparks a nationwide protest. ...stars, theater owners, and Members of Congress have joined forces to protest the film's R rating as a result of the film having six swear words.” This is in the industry press. (Deadline)
The Weinsteins, of course with great fanfare, appealed the rating decision which got the film more press. They decided to release the film in just two markets to qualify for the documentary Academy award, without a rating, but continue the press-push to have the rating changed.
On April 5, The Weinstein Company announced that their doc, Bully, was to receive a PG-13 from the MPAA, with some minor cuts. After removing three uses of the F-word it was re-released in the new PG-13 version on April 13 and shortly after the run was expanded to 55 theatrical markets.
Deadline reported, “The big victory, even though they had to remove three F-words, was that they could keep the controversial school bus bullying scene unedited and uncut, which (the director) Hirsch continuously refused to edit, "since it is too important to the truth and integrity behind the film." Hirsch states: "I feel completely vindicated with this resolution. While I retain my belief that PG-13 has always been the appropriate rating for this film, as reinforced by Canada's rating of a PG, we have today scored a victory from the MPAA. The support and guidance we have received throughout this process has been incredible."
Let’s note that the MPAA is an industry trade association. The Weinsteins are members. It’s not exactly a group that battles. The ratings are advisory only.
The Weinstein press release continued the illusion, This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year. The new rating, which came about with the great support from MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd, grants the schools, organizations and cities all around the country who are lined up and ready to screen Bully, including the National Education Association and the Cincinnati School District, the opportunity to share this educational tool with their children.”
It needs to be pointed out that this controversy was a set up. When The Weinstein Company released Bully "unrated" in theaters in New York and Los Angeles it barely earned $150,000. The film might be seen by a few hundred thousand people in theaters which is a theatrical success but not the millions of kids the filmmakers are on record to reach. (A $3.5 mil gross suggests at a $6 admission fee perhaps a half-million tickets were sold.) Millions of people don’t usually go to theaters to see docs. So a $3.5 mil theatrical gross makes this film a major theatrical success. It puts this film in the top 50 or so theatrical documentaries of all time.
But all along, the Weinsteins knew that the film can easily be provided in DVD and in video-on-demand to schools, teachers, students and families in an “Educational” version without the R rated language being included. The use of an educational version would totally serve the school market. This version could be provided for “free” or even for a modest fee if the Weinsteins were really interested in this aspect of marketing the film. The Bullybook is available now for sale and soon the Blu Ray and DVD. Seeing the film in a classroom and then talking about it is what educators do with films. There are over 100,000 school, church and other groups (like Girls Scouts) that can show this film to groups of kids.
Note: Full disclosure, I started a Move-on Campaign and petitioned the Weinsteins to offer
Bully for a Buck! after I saw the film. More than 480 people have signed the petition to date. No match for the hundreds of thousands who signed the rating controversy petition but I did not do any publicity. As a parent of two teens, I felt this was a far more logical thing to do to get the film out to children without the strong language. This petition continues on Change.org.
Bully Short Listed for an Academy Award
With the rule change at the Academy this year, the documentary branch is working as a committee of the whole to do both the short listing and the nomination. The committee members were sent 125 documentary features, mostly arriving at the tail end of the deadline, to review. The committee was made up of both documentary branch members and Academy members who have been nominated or won documentary Oscars. Obviously, few members saw all 125 documentaries. The short list of 15 films was made from tallying the results of each member’s list of their 15 top docs. I think the publicity for Bully insured it would make this list.
The Weinsteins also had it screened at the Academy as part of the Academy members screening program, one of the handful of documentaries that were screened as part of the weekend program. This also will likely help the film get on members’ radar. Smart. Last year, The Weinsteins’ film The Undefeatedwon the Documentary Oscar. They do a great job getting their films out.
Credits:
Directed by: Lee Hirsch
Produced by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Written by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Executive Producer: Cindy Waitt
Cinematography: Lee Hirsch
Edited by: Lindsay Utz, Jenny Golden
Original Score by: Ion Furjanic, Justin Rice/Christian Rudder
Consulting Editors: Enat Sidi, Cynthia Lowen
Music Supervisor: Brooke Wentz
Running Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language
Short Notes and Update:
WGA Announces Nominees for Documentary Screenplay Award
The WGA announced six nominees for its documentary screenplay award: War, Mea Culpa and Sugar Man also are on the Academy shortlist of feature docs hoping to score an Oscar nomination.
Winners will be honored by the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Feb. 17 during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
Documentary Screenplay
The Central Park Five, written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
Sundance Announces 2013 Documentary Competition:
U.S. Documentary Competition
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film/ U.S.A. (Directors: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Krstic) The Occupy movement erupted in September 2011, propelling economic inequality into the spotlight. In an unprecedented collaboration, filmmakers across America tell its story, digging into big picture issues as organizers, analysts, participants and critics reveal how it happened and why.
After Tiller/ U.S.A. (Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson) — Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, only four doctors in the country provide late-term abortions. With unprecedented access, After Tiller goes inside the lives of these physicians working at the center of the storm.
American Promise/ U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
Blackfish/ U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) — Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Blood Brother/ U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
Citizen Koch / U.S.A. (Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) — Wisconsin – birthplace of the Republican Party, government unions, “cheeseheads” and Paul Ryan – becomes a test market in the campaign to buy Democracy, and ground zero in the battle for the future of the Gop.
Cutie and the Boxer/ U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
Dirty Wars/ U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars.
Gideon's Army/ U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
God Loves Uganda/ U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.
Inequality for All/ U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
Life According to Sam/ U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) — Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from a rare and fatal aging disease for which there is no cure. Their work may one day unlock the key to aging in all of us.
Manhunt / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Greg Barker) — This espionage tale goes inside the CIA’s long conflict against Al Qaeda, as revealed by the remarkable women and men whose secret war against Osama bin Laden started nearly a decade before most of us even knew his name.
Narco Cultura/ U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.
Twenty Feet From Stardom/ U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. Day One Film
Valentine Road/ U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.eventbrite.com/org/169037034
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. ______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
- 1/8/2013
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
The Open Call for the 2013 Karen Schmeer Editing Fellowship has been announced. The fellowship, which comes with a cash prize as well as various mentorship activities, is currently accepting applications and has a deadline of September 28, 2012.
From the website:
The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship assists emerging documentary editors by supporting and developing their talent, expanding their creative community, and furthering their career aspirations. In conjunction with American Cinema Editors (Ace) and other partners, the Fellowship, in its third year, offers a wide array of opportunities. The Fellowship is targeted at documentary editors; fiction experience is welcome, though not required.
Awarded once a year, the Fellowship honors the memory of gifted editor Karen Schmeer (“Fog of War”; “Fast, Cheap & Out of Control”; “Bobby Fischer Against the World”), who was killed in a hit-and-run car accident at age 39, on January 29, 2010.
Past recipients were Erin Casper (“Our School”) and Lindsay Utz (“Bully”).
For more information,...
From the website:
The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship assists emerging documentary editors by supporting and developing their talent, expanding their creative community, and furthering their career aspirations. In conjunction with American Cinema Editors (Ace) and other partners, the Fellowship, in its third year, offers a wide array of opportunities. The Fellowship is targeted at documentary editors; fiction experience is welcome, though not required.
Awarded once a year, the Fellowship honors the memory of gifted editor Karen Schmeer (“Fog of War”; “Fast, Cheap & Out of Control”; “Bobby Fischer Against the World”), who was killed in a hit-and-run car accident at age 39, on January 29, 2010.
Past recipients were Erin Casper (“Our School”) and Lindsay Utz (“Bully”).
For more information,...
- 8/13/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
As SXSW Film winds down, the juries have handed the victors of this year's best of the fest. Here are the winners of the 2012 SXSW Film Festival:
Documentary Feature
Grand Jury Winner: "Beware of Mr. Baker"
Director: Jay Bulger
Narrative Feature
Grand Jury Winner: "Gimme the Loot"
Director: Adam Leon
Feature Film Audience Awards
Documentary Feature
Winner: "Bay of All Saints"
Director: Annie Eastman
Narrative Feature
Winner: "Eden"
Director: Megan Griffiths
Short Film Jury Awards
Narrative Short
Winner: "The Chair"
Director: Grainger David
Documentary Shorts
Winner: "CatCam"
Director: Seth Keal
Animated Shorts
Winner: "(Notes On) Biology"
Director: Danny Madden
Sxglobal Shorts
Winner: "The Perfect Fit"
Director: Tali Yankelevich
Midnight Shorts
Winner: "Don't Hug Me I'm Scared"
Directors: Rebecca Sloan and Joseph Pelling
Music Videos
Winner: Battles, "My Machines"
Director: Daniels Casey
Texas Shorts
Winner: "Spark"
Time Warner Cable & Ovation Young Filmmaker Scholarship for Texas High School Shorts
Winner: "Boom"
Jury...
Documentary Feature
Grand Jury Winner: "Beware of Mr. Baker"
Director: Jay Bulger
Narrative Feature
Grand Jury Winner: "Gimme the Loot"
Director: Adam Leon
Feature Film Audience Awards
Documentary Feature
Winner: "Bay of All Saints"
Director: Annie Eastman
Narrative Feature
Winner: "Eden"
Director: Megan Griffiths
Short Film Jury Awards
Narrative Short
Winner: "The Chair"
Director: Grainger David
Documentary Shorts
Winner: "CatCam"
Director: Seth Keal
Animated Shorts
Winner: "(Notes On) Biology"
Director: Danny Madden
Sxglobal Shorts
Winner: "The Perfect Fit"
Director: Tali Yankelevich
Midnight Shorts
Winner: "Don't Hug Me I'm Scared"
Directors: Rebecca Sloan and Joseph Pelling
Music Videos
Winner: Battles, "My Machines"
Director: Daniels Casey
Texas Shorts
Winner: "Spark"
Time Warner Cable & Ovation Young Filmmaker Scholarship for Texas High School Shorts
Winner: "Boom"
Jury...
- 3/14/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
...and just like that, the SXSW Film Festival is winding down a close. There are only a few days left at the fest, and folks are beginning to have BBQ regret as they pack their bags to leave Austin. But before they do, the juries have weighed in and handed out the statues for the best of the fest.
In the Narrative Feature department, "Gimme The Loot" has taken the Grand Jury prize. Directed by Adam Leon, making his feature film debut, the movie tells the story of Malcolm and Sofia, two determined teens from the Bronx who hatch a plan for revenge against a rival gang of graffitti artists by tagging a NYC landmark. Word out of Austin has been very strong on this one, and we're eager to see it ourselves.
Meanwhile, in the Documentary category, "Beware Of Mr. Baker" scored the win. Another debut here, this time from Jay Bulger,...
In the Narrative Feature department, "Gimme The Loot" has taken the Grand Jury prize. Directed by Adam Leon, making his feature film debut, the movie tells the story of Malcolm and Sofia, two determined teens from the Bronx who hatch a plan for revenge against a rival gang of graffitti artists by tagging a NYC landmark. Word out of Austin has been very strong on this one, and we're eager to see it ourselves.
Meanwhile, in the Documentary category, "Beware Of Mr. Baker" scored the win. Another debut here, this time from Jay Bulger,...
- 3/14/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
With the film portion of the South By Southwest Film Festival slowly winding down -- and with those crazy music-only people seemingly turning Austin into a deleted scene from "Southland Tales" -- what better time to give out some festival awards! SXSW did just that on Tuesday night, honoring the graffiti drama "Gimme the Loot" and the rock documentary "Beware of Mr. Baker," about Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Fun! Other winners included Richard Linklater's "Bernie" and even "X-Men: First Class"? Sure thing.
Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal and Festival Favorites Audience Awards will be announced separately Saturday, but for now, check out these SXSW winners.
Feature Film Jury Awards
Documentary Feature Competition
Grand Jury Winner: "Beware of Mr. Baker"
Director: Jay Bulger
Narrative Feature Competition
Grand Jury Winner: "Gimme The Loot"
Director: Adam Leon
Special Jury Recognition for Performance:
Jamie Chung - "Eden...
Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal and Festival Favorites Audience Awards will be announced separately Saturday, but for now, check out these SXSW winners.
Feature Film Jury Awards
Documentary Feature Competition
Grand Jury Winner: "Beware of Mr. Baker"
Director: Jay Bulger
Narrative Feature Competition
Grand Jury Winner: "Gimme The Loot"
Director: Adam Leon
Special Jury Recognition for Performance:
Jamie Chung - "Eden...
- 3/14/2012
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
With the film portion of the South By Southwest Film Festival slowly winding down -- and with those crazy music-only people seemingly turning Austin into a deleted scene from "Southland Tales" -- what better time to give out some festival awards! SXSW did just that on Tuesday night, honoring the graffiti drama "Gimme the Loot" and the rock documentary "Beware of Mr. Baker," about Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Fun! Other winners included Richard Linklater's "Bernie" and even "X-Men: First Class"? Sure thing. Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal and Festival Favorites Audience Awards will be announced separately Saturday, but for now, check out these SXSW winners. Feature Film Jury Awards Documentary Feature Competition Grand Jury Winner: "Beware of Mr. Baker" Director: Jay Bulger Narrative Feature Competition Grand Jury Winner: "Gimme The Loot" Director: Adam Leon Special Jury Recognition for Performance: Jamie Chung - "Eden...
- 3/14/2012
- by Christopher Rosen
- Moviefone
With the film portion of SXSW festival half-over, they’ve announced their top jury winners. Taking home highest honors in narrative competition was Gimme the Loot, a film that used Kickstarter to help raise funds. The synopsis is as reads: “As Malcolm and Sofia’s latest graffiti masterpiece is buffed by a rival gang, these two determined Bronx teens must hustle, steal, and scheme to get spectacular revenge and become the biggest writers in the City.” It sounds like an interesting concept and will be looking forward to a chance to check it out after its big win.
On the documentary side, Jay Bulger‘s Beware of Mr. Baker took home top honors. The documentary explores the life of Ginger Baker, drummer for Cream and Blind Faith, who now lives in South Africa. Also featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Carlos Santana and more. Check out the trailer and more info...
On the documentary side, Jay Bulger‘s Beware of Mr. Baker took home top honors. The documentary explores the life of Ginger Baker, drummer for Cream and Blind Faith, who now lives in South Africa. Also featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Carlos Santana and more. Check out the trailer and more info...
- 3/14/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, a fund set up to celebrate the legacy of the late film editor, has awarded its 2012 fellowship to Lindsay Utz, the editor of Lee Hirsch's "Bully." The fellowship was established in memory of Schmeer, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2010. The award will be given out at SXSW on Tuesday. The Schmeer fellowship is a year-long fellowship meant to foster the career of a winning editor's burgeoning career. It comes with mentorship opportunities, film festival passes, a $1000 cash award and a $500 gift certificate to Schmeer's favorite bookstore, Powell's, in Portland. Utz is also the former online video producer for Good magazine. She has worked as a consulting editor on the documentary "First Postiion," edited the experimental feature "Buoy," and cut two episodes of the Hulu documentary series "The Fashion Fund."...
- 3/8/2012
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
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