Exclusive: BBC Storyville has acquired U.K. rights to the Sundance prize-winning doc Bad Press.
Directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker (Muscogee Creek Nation) and Joe Peeler, Bad Press debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it picked up the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression. The film will hit BBC and iPlayer in 2024.
Billed as a “political docu-thriller,” the doc charts the fight for a free press in the native Muscogee Nation. Synopsis reads: Bad Press provides unparalleled insight into the inner workings of a modern Native American tribe. Just three years after its passage, the “Free Press Act” was repealed in 2018, placing Mvskoke Media, the Muscogee Nation’s sole news outlet, back under the control of the chief and his cabinet. Veteran reporter Angel Ellis quickly becomes the key voice of dissent at the decimated news outlet and is willing to lay it all...
Directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker (Muscogee Creek Nation) and Joe Peeler, Bad Press debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it picked up the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression. The film will hit BBC and iPlayer in 2024.
Billed as a “political docu-thriller,” the doc charts the fight for a free press in the native Muscogee Nation. Synopsis reads: Bad Press provides unparalleled insight into the inner workings of a modern Native American tribe. Just three years after its passage, the “Free Press Act” was repealed in 2018, placing Mvskoke Media, the Muscogee Nation’s sole news outlet, back under the control of the chief and his cabinet. Veteran reporter Angel Ellis quickly becomes the key voice of dissent at the decimated news outlet and is willing to lay it all...
- 1/3/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Aka Mr. Chow
(HBO Documentary Films)
This portrait directed by Nick Hooker follows the life and career of painter turned restaurateur Michael Chow, the owner of the Mr Chow restaurant chain, as he returns to the art world with his first solo show in nearly 60 years.
American Symphony
(Netflix)
Matthew Heineman switches gears from following the front lines of the Mexican drug war (the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land) and the early days of the Covid crisis in New York City (The First Wave), this time helming an intimate profile of Late Night With Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste as he balances an incredible year of professional success while aiding his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, through her battle with a rare form of cancer.
Anonymous Sister
(Long Shot Factory/Gravitas Ventures)
Emmy Award-winning director Jamie Boyle chronicles her family’s collision with the opioid epidemic. The film, currently holding a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes,...
(HBO Documentary Films)
This portrait directed by Nick Hooker follows the life and career of painter turned restaurateur Michael Chow, the owner of the Mr Chow restaurant chain, as he returns to the art world with his first solo show in nearly 60 years.
American Symphony
(Netflix)
Matthew Heineman switches gears from following the front lines of the Mexican drug war (the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land) and the early days of the Covid crisis in New York City (The First Wave), this time helming an intimate profile of Late Night With Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste as he balances an incredible year of professional success while aiding his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, through her battle with a rare form of cancer.
Anonymous Sister
(Long Shot Factory/Gravitas Ventures)
Emmy Award-winning director Jamie Boyle chronicles her family’s collision with the opioid epidemic. The film, currently holding a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Tyler Coates and Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bad Press, King Coal, Joonam and Fantastic Machine are all award-winning documentaries, yet in the race for Oscar recognition, they’re underdogs. Despite the many honors they have collected at festivals around the world, each of these exceptional films has struggled to land distribution, complicating efforts to get attention from Academy voters.
Instead of throwing up their hands and leaving things to fate, the teams behind the four documentaries have taken the remarkable step of banding together to launch a joint For Your Consideration campaign, Do It Yourself fashion. Oscar-winning King Coal producer Diane Becker, Joonam producer Keith Wilson, and Bad Press co-director Joe Peeler join the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to talk about their groundbreaking venture.
Typically, these films would consider themselves rivals, pitted against each other...
Instead of throwing up their hands and leaving things to fate, the teams behind the four documentaries have taken the remarkable step of banding together to launch a joint For Your Consideration campaign, Do It Yourself fashion. Oscar-winning King Coal producer Diane Becker, Joonam producer Keith Wilson, and Bad Press co-director Joe Peeler join the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to talk about their groundbreaking venture.
Typically, these films would consider themselves rivals, pitted against each other...
- 12/5/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction took home the top prizes in the inaugural Audience Awards at the 2023 Scad Savannah Film Festival.
The Savannah College of Art and Design (Scad) announced Tuesday the audience winners, which were selected by festival attendees, alongside the juried winners of the festival’s 26th annual iteration.
Oscar-winning Fennell’s Saltburn was the top pick, with the filmmaker appearing in-person to receive the Spotlight Director Award in front of a sold-out screening. American Fiction, the directorial debut of writer and producer Cord Jefferson, was the year’s runner-up and also appeared during the nearly two-week-long event, where he was honored with the Breakthrough Director Award.
A total of 19 awards were announced last Thursday from the 99 films chosen to compete as part of the 2023 festival. There were over 2,100 submissions across competition categories, including Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Professional Shorts, Animated Shorts, Documentary Shorts,...
The Savannah College of Art and Design (Scad) announced Tuesday the audience winners, which were selected by festival attendees, alongside the juried winners of the festival’s 26th annual iteration.
Oscar-winning Fennell’s Saltburn was the top pick, with the filmmaker appearing in-person to receive the Spotlight Director Award in front of a sold-out screening. American Fiction, the directorial debut of writer and producer Cord Jefferson, was the year’s runner-up and also appeared during the nearly two-week-long event, where he was honored with the Breakthrough Director Award.
A total of 19 awards were announced last Thursday from the 99 films chosen to compete as part of the 2023 festival. There were over 2,100 submissions across competition categories, including Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Professional Shorts, Animated Shorts, Documentary Shorts,...
- 10/31/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gkids has released the new English language trailer for Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron.” Both the original Japanese and English language versions premiere in nationwide theaters on Dec. 8, following special preview engagements in New York and Los Angeles beginning on Nov. 22.
The trailer features a first look at vocal performances from Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh. The English-language dub was made in alignment with the SAG-AFTRA Foreign Dubbing Agreement.
The animated feature from Studio Ghibli was written and directed by Miyazaki, produced by Toshio Suzuki and features a musical score from Joe Hisaishi, a longtime collaborator of Miyazaki. Kenshi Yonezu wrote and performed the film’s theme song “Spinning Globe.” Miyazaki and Suzuki were co-founders of Studio Ghibli.
“The Boy and the Heron” first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7.
See the full trailer below.
The trailer features a first look at vocal performances from Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh. The English-language dub was made in alignment with the SAG-AFTRA Foreign Dubbing Agreement.
The animated feature from Studio Ghibli was written and directed by Miyazaki, produced by Toshio Suzuki and features a musical score from Joe Hisaishi, a longtime collaborator of Miyazaki. Kenshi Yonezu wrote and performed the film’s theme song “Spinning Globe.” Miyazaki and Suzuki were co-founders of Studio Ghibli.
“The Boy and the Heron” first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7.
See the full trailer below.
- 10/30/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, Caroline Brew and Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony” leads all films with six nominations for the 8th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Association announced on Monday.
The film, a Netflix doc that follows musician Jon Batiste and his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, as Batiste prepares a composition for Carnegie Hall and Jaouad battles the return of her cancer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Music Documentary categories. Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s “Kokomo City” and Davis Guggenhein’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” received five nominations each.
Apart from “American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City” and “Still,” films nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” “The Mission” and “Stamped From the Beginning.”
All of those films received nominations in multiple categories,...
The film, a Netflix doc that follows musician Jon Batiste and his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, as Batiste prepares a composition for Carnegie Hall and Jaouad battles the return of her cancer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Music Documentary categories. Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s “Kokomo City” and Davis Guggenhein’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” received five nominations each.
Apart from “American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City” and “Still,” films nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” “The Mission” and “Stamped From the Beginning.”
All of those films received nominations in multiple categories,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
When Rolling Stone asked me to take photos of my experience at the Tribeca Film Festival, where I was releasing my directorial debut Shadow Brother Sunday, I expected to come back to them with lots of behind-the-scenes shots from the point of view of a filmmaker in the middle of the festival circus.
When I got my rolls developed, I found that almost all my photos were of the people in my life who had come out to celebrate the film (and a few they took of me).
That is,...
When I got my rolls developed, I found that almost all my photos were of the people in my life who had come out to celebrate the film (and a few they took of me).
That is,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Alden Ehrenreich
- Rollingstone.com
The Sun Valley Film Festival announced their 2023 award winners, with National Geographic’s Documentary “Wild Life” taking home the audience award, “Fancy Dance” winning best narrative and “Nascondino” earning the documentary feature film prize. The annual Idaho Awards Bash took place from March 29 to April 2 at Whiskey Jacques.
In addition to the film awards, the festival hosted a performance by Blair Gun and Variety honored this year’s 10 Producers to Watch. Other highlights include Josh Brolin receiving the Vision award, Emilio Estevez receiving the Pioneer award, Sophie Thatcher receiving the Rising Star award and Nina Yang Bongiovi receiving the Creative Impact Honoree in Producing.
Since 2012, each spring has brought another Svff celebration of groundbreaking new films and television premieres, with opportunities for filmmakers to connect with one another and find mentorship through industry panels, coffee talks and screenwriting workshops. Svff also works year-round to bring special projects to Sun Valley.
In addition to the film awards, the festival hosted a performance by Blair Gun and Variety honored this year’s 10 Producers to Watch. Other highlights include Josh Brolin receiving the Vision award, Emilio Estevez receiving the Pioneer award, Sophie Thatcher receiving the Rising Star award and Nina Yang Bongiovi receiving the Creative Impact Honoree in Producing.
Since 2012, each spring has brought another Svff celebration of groundbreaking new films and television premieres, with opportunities for filmmakers to connect with one another and find mentorship through industry panels, coffee talks and screenwriting workshops. Svff also works year-round to bring special projects to Sun Valley.
- 4/3/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Pipelines are always a popular topic of conversation when it comes to the Sundance Film Festival, thanks to how the festival funnels and supports talent by way of grants, labs, fellowships and other Sundance Institute programs.
But not everyone has that sort of traditional path to Park City. While on the ground during this year’s installment, The Hollywood Reporter bumped into filmmaker Joe Peeler who offered up his rather unique route to becoming a Sundance Film Festival director: He once worked as a barista in the Acura Studio lounge.
What makes the story even better is, a decade after his coffee-making debut, Peeler, alongside co-director Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, received a U.S. documentary special jury award for freedom of expression for their 2023 festival selection Bad Press. The film, produced by Conrad Beilharz, Garrett F. Baker and Tyler Graim, follows a rogue reporter who, faced with the censorship of the free press in Muscogee Nation,...
But not everyone has that sort of traditional path to Park City. While on the ground during this year’s installment, The Hollywood Reporter bumped into filmmaker Joe Peeler who offered up his rather unique route to becoming a Sundance Film Festival director: He once worked as a barista in the Acura Studio lounge.
What makes the story even better is, a decade after his coffee-making debut, Peeler, alongside co-director Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, received a U.S. documentary special jury award for freedom of expression for their 2023 festival selection Bad Press. The film, produced by Conrad Beilharz, Garrett F. Baker and Tyler Graim, follows a rogue reporter who, faced with the censorship of the free press in Muscogee Nation,...
- 2/7/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When the 2015 Free Press Act is repealed, Angel Ellis and her colleagues at Mvskoke Media in Okmulgee, Oklahoma begin a long battle to offer transparent journalism for Muscogee Nation readers. Bad Press, directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler, chronicles this quest for government accountability and the right to report honest news. Editor Jean Rheem discusses cutting the project, including how “incredibly difficult and humbling” documentary editing often is. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that […]
The post “Nothing Is Wasted in the Process of Documentary Editing”: Editor Jean Rheem on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Nothing Is Wasted in the Process of Documentary Editing”: Editor Jean Rheem on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
When the 2015 Free Press Act is repealed, Angel Ellis and her colleagues at Mvskoke Media in Okmulgee, Oklahoma begin a long battle to offer transparent journalism for Muscogee Nation readers. Bad Press, directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler, chronicles this quest for government accountability and the right to report honest news. Editor Jean Rheem discusses cutting the project, including how “incredibly difficult and humbling” documentary editing often is. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that […]
The post “Nothing Is Wasted in the Process of Documentary Editing”: Editor Jean Rheem on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Nothing Is Wasted in the Process of Documentary Editing”: Editor Jean Rheem on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
When the Muscogee Nation begins censoring its free press, reporter Angel Ellis and her colleagues at Mvskoke Media engage in a dogged quest for transparency and government accountability on the behalf its readers and the community at large. This is the fight that unfolds in the documentary Bad Press, from co-directors Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler, which follows the ramifications of the 2015 Free Press Act’s repeal. Cinematographer Tyler Graim discusses how he approached shooting a documentary full of twists and turns and the influence of “slow cinema” on the film’s visual style. See all responses to our annual Sundance […]
The post “The Textures, Colors and Feeling of Muscogee Nation Permeate the Screen”: Dp Tyler Graim on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Textures, Colors and Feeling of Muscogee Nation Permeate the Screen”: Dp Tyler Graim on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/1/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
When the Muscogee Nation begins censoring its free press, reporter Angel Ellis and her colleagues at Mvskoke Media engage in a dogged quest for transparency and government accountability on the behalf its readers and the community at large. This is the fight that unfolds in the documentary Bad Press, from co-directors Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler, which follows the ramifications of the 2015 Free Press Act’s repeal. Cinematographer Tyler Graim discusses how he approached shooting a documentary full of twists and turns and the influence of “slow cinema” on the film’s visual style. See all responses to our annual Sundance […]
The post “The Textures, Colors and Feeling of Muscogee Nation Permeate the Screen”: Dp Tyler Graim on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Textures, Colors and Feeling of Muscogee Nation Permeate the Screen”: Dp Tyler Graim on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/1/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? In the fall of 2021, we were about a year into our edit and preparing to submit Bad Press to the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. We had been filming the battle for free press in the Muscogee Nation for two-and-a-half years at that point, and we felt that the story had all but wrapped up. Suddenly, about two weeks before […]
The post “It Took an Additional 14 Months of Editing” | Joe Peeler, Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “It Took an Additional 14 Months of Editing” | Joe Peeler, Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/31/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? In the fall of 2021, we were about a year into our edit and preparing to submit Bad Press to the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. We had been filming the battle for free press in the Muscogee Nation for two-and-a-half years at that point, and we felt that the story had all but wrapped up. Suddenly, about two weeks before […]
The post “It Took an Additional 14 Months of Editing” | Joe Peeler, Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “It Took an Additional 14 Months of Editing” | Joe Peeler, Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/31/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the festival’s first in-person competition since 2020, has revealed its award winners.
The big winners included Maryam Keshavarz‘s The Persian Version, which earned both the Audience Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, and A.V. Rockwell‘s A Thousand and One, which took home the Grand Jury Prize in the same category.
The Persian Version explores an Iranian-American family’s past as its patriarch gets a heart transplant while A Thousand and One centers around a mother who kidnaps her son from the foster care system in order to find a path toward redemption.
Other winners include Festival Favorite Radical directed by Christopher Zalla and Grand Jury Prize winner for U.S. Documentary, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.
The festival has highlighted 101 different features and 64 shorts. These films were selected from a total of 15,856 submissions. Most of...
The big winners included Maryam Keshavarz‘s The Persian Version, which earned both the Audience Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, and A.V. Rockwell‘s A Thousand and One, which took home the Grand Jury Prize in the same category.
The Persian Version explores an Iranian-American family’s past as its patriarch gets a heart transplant while A Thousand and One centers around a mother who kidnaps her son from the foster care system in order to find a path toward redemption.
Other winners include Festival Favorite Radical directed by Christopher Zalla and Grand Jury Prize winner for U.S. Documentary, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.
The festival has highlighted 101 different features and 64 shorts. These films were selected from a total of 15,856 submissions. Most of...
- 1/28/2023
- by Alex Nguyen
- Uinterview
A Thousand and OneU.S. – DRAMATICGrand Jury PrizeA Thousand and One (A.V. Rockwell)Directing PrizeSing J. Lee (The Accidental Getaway Driver)Audience Award The Persian Version (Maryam Keshavarz)Special Jury Award: ActingLio Mehiel (Mutt)Special Jury Award: Creative VisionMagazine Dreams (Elijah Bynum)Special Jury Award: Ensemble CastTheater Camp (Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman)Waldo Salt Screenwriting AwardMaryam Keshavarz (The Persian Version)
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project U.S. – DOCUMENTARYGrand Jury Prize Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson)Directing Prize Luke Lorentzen (A Still Small Voice) Audience Award Beyond Utopia (Madeleine Gavin)Jonathan Oppenheim Editing AwardDaniela I. Quiroz (Going Varsity in Mariachi)Special Jury Award for Freedom of ExpressionBad Press (Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler)Special Jury Award: Clarity of VisionThe Stroll (Kristen Lovell, Zackary Drucker)
ScrapperWORLD Cinema – DRAMATICGrand Jury Prize Scrapper (Charlotte Regan)Directing Prize Marija Kavtaradze (Slow)Audience AwardShayda (Noora Niasari)Special Jury...
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project U.S. – DOCUMENTARYGrand Jury Prize Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson)Directing Prize Luke Lorentzen (A Still Small Voice) Audience Award Beyond Utopia (Madeleine Gavin)Jonathan Oppenheim Editing AwardDaniela I. Quiroz (Going Varsity in Mariachi)Special Jury Award for Freedom of ExpressionBad Press (Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler)Special Jury Award: Clarity of VisionThe Stroll (Kristen Lovell, Zackary Drucker)
ScrapperWORLD Cinema – DRAMATICGrand Jury Prize Scrapper (Charlotte Regan)Directing Prize Marija Kavtaradze (Slow)Audience AwardShayda (Noora Niasari)Special Jury...
- 1/27/2023
- MUBI
As the first in-person Sundance Film Festival since 2020 draws to a close, it’s time to see which films are taking home the festival’s most coveted awards. While there are many ways to measure success at Sundance — and many filmmakers are certainly more interested in a big sale than a trophy — the awards are nevertheless an important way of measuring which films resonated with the Park City crowd.
Friday’s award ceremony is the culmination of what has already been a very eventful festival. Despite the multitude of changes that the independent film world and the streaming industry are currently undergoing, this year’s festival still featured its share of buzzy premieres and splashy acquisitions. One of the most talked about movies in Park City has been Chloe Domont’s erotic thriller “Fair Play,” which sold to Netflix for a reported price of 20 million. The festival also featured some...
Friday’s award ceremony is the culmination of what has already been a very eventful festival. Despite the multitude of changes that the independent film world and the streaming industry are currently undergoing, this year’s festival still featured its share of buzzy premieres and splashy acquisitions. One of the most talked about movies in Park City has been Chloe Domont’s erotic thriller “Fair Play,” which sold to Netflix for a reported price of 20 million. The festival also featured some...
- 1/27/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Freedom of the press — what most Americans assume to be an unalienable right guaranteed by the First Amendment ever since it was ratified back in 1791 — does not, in fact, apply to everyone living within the United States. If you did not know that (and this reviewer definitely didn’t), then what happens in the new documentary Bad Press, which premiered in competition at Sundance, will be of vital interest to you.
Set on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation in Oklahoma, where Federal rules like the First Amendment are not applicable, the film follows a handful of passionate Native American journalists who find themselves propelled into a fight with local authorities when they demand that freedom of the press be written into tribal law.
What ensues is a long battle that has all the trappings of a small-town political thriller: corrupt officials, refuted elections, reporters fighting for their rights at the risk of their own livelihoods…...
Set on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation in Oklahoma, where Federal rules like the First Amendment are not applicable, the film follows a handful of passionate Native American journalists who find themselves propelled into a fight with local authorities when they demand that freedom of the press be written into tribal law.
What ensues is a long battle that has all the trappings of a small-town political thriller: corrupt officials, refuted elections, reporters fighting for their rights at the risk of their own livelihoods…...
- 1/26/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Every year, IndieWire reaches out to the cinematographers behind the films premiering at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and asks which cameras, lenses, and formats they used, and why they chose them to create the looks and meet the production demands of their films. Here are the responses from filmmakers who brought documentaries to the festival; click here to read our survey of the year’s scripted narrative features.
Films appear in alphabetical order by title.
“Bad Press”
Dir: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler DoP: Tyler Graim
Format: 4K Canon C-Log 2.35
Camera: Canon C300 Mark II
Lens: Angénieux Optimo 16-40mm and 30-76mm, Zeiss Cz.2 70-200mm, Canon MP-e 65mm macro, Lensbaby Composer Pro
Graim: As cinematographer on “Bad Press,” my main goal was to make sure the textures, colors, and feeling of Muscogee Nation permeate the screen. The Canon image feels very true to life, but also gives me...
Films appear in alphabetical order by title.
“Bad Press”
Dir: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler DoP: Tyler Graim
Format: 4K Canon C-Log 2.35
Camera: Canon C300 Mark II
Lens: Angénieux Optimo 16-40mm and 30-76mm, Zeiss Cz.2 70-200mm, Canon MP-e 65mm macro, Lensbaby Composer Pro
Graim: As cinematographer on “Bad Press,” my main goal was to make sure the textures, colors, and feeling of Muscogee Nation permeate the screen. The Canon image feels very true to life, but also gives me...
- 1/24/2023
- by Jim Hemphill and Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
"Bad Press" is, on the surface, a documentary about a community of 89,000 First Nation people, an independent media company that covers the local news, and a whole lot of small-town politics.
Five minutes it, I was already hooked — because this film is actually about so much more.
The politics and corruption exposed in "Bad Press" are very much a microcosm of the state of journalism in a post-Trump America. This is not obvious at first; the documentary begins with a discussion about Indian country, and how Free Press is not a protected right according to the self-governing laws of most Native American communities. According to the documentary, of the 574 federally recognized tribes, only 5 have laws protecting free press — and these laws are legislative, not constitutional, meaning they can be repealed by a council at any time via a vote. This is essentially what happened to Mvskoke Media: after the paper...
Five minutes it, I was already hooked — because this film is actually about so much more.
The politics and corruption exposed in "Bad Press" are very much a microcosm of the state of journalism in a post-Trump America. This is not obvious at first; the documentary begins with a discussion about Indian country, and how Free Press is not a protected right according to the self-governing laws of most Native American communities. According to the documentary, of the 574 federally recognized tribes, only 5 have laws protecting free press — and these laws are legislative, not constitutional, meaning they can be repealed by a council at any time via a vote. This is essentially what happened to Mvskoke Media: after the paper...
- 1/23/2023
- by Sarah Milner
- Slash Film
A surprising microcosm of larger political currents surfaces in Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler’s documentary “Bad Press.” They observe the chilling effect of institutionalized corruption within the Muscogee Nation, whose tribal government leaders appear inclined not just to cover their own misdeeds, but to actively block any journalists from reporting on them. Following events over the course of several years, this cautionary tale has an impact not unlike watching the rise of similar anti-transparency policies and politicians elsewhere of late: dismaying, yet with all the lurid appeal and colorful personalities of any juicy public scandal.
The Muscogee Nation is a federally recognized tribe whose autonomous government is seated in Okmulgee, Oklahoma — the state its ancestors were forcibly relocated to via the “Trail of Tears” after the Indian Removal Act was passed nearly 200 years ago. But “Bad Press” doesn’t concern itself much with history, let alone that far back...
The Muscogee Nation is a federally recognized tribe whose autonomous government is seated in Okmulgee, Oklahoma — the state its ancestors were forcibly relocated to via the “Trail of Tears” after the Indian Removal Act was passed nearly 200 years ago. But “Bad Press” doesn’t concern itself much with history, let alone that far back...
- 1/23/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
While freedom of the press has certainly been a newsworthy topic these past few years, those of us in the US can at least take comfort in the fact that our First Amendment firmly protects this inalienable right. That is, unless you happen to likewise be a citizen of one of the sovereign nations sprinkled throughout this occupied land—aka Indian Country—where only a handful of tribes have seen fit to enshrine such a guarantee into their constitutions. Which is a problem not just for the average, truth-seeking Native populace at large, but especially for a dogged […]
The post “Independent Media Can Strengthen Tribal Sovereignty”: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Independent Media Can Strengthen Tribal Sovereignty”: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/22/2023
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
While freedom of the press has certainly been a newsworthy topic these past few years, those of us in the US can at least take comfort in the fact that our First Amendment firmly protects this inalienable right. That is, unless you happen to likewise be a citizen of one of the sovereign nations sprinkled throughout this occupied land—aka Indian Country—where only a handful of tribes have seen fit to enshrine such a guarantee into their constitutions. Which is a problem not just for the average, truth-seeking Native populace at large, but especially for a dogged […]
The post “Independent Media Can Strengthen Tribal Sovereignty”: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Independent Media Can Strengthen Tribal Sovereignty”: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler on Bad Press first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/22/2023
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Passages.The Sundance Institute has announced the films selected for their 2023 Festival, which will take place in-person in Park City, Utah, from January 19-29, 2023. A selection of the films will be available virtually in the US from January 24-29.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITIONThe Accidental Getaway Driver (Sing J. Lee): During a routine pickup, an elderly Vietnamese cab driver is taken hostage at gunpoint by three recently escaped Orange County convicts. Based on a true story. World Premiere.All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson): A decades-spanning exploration of a woman’s life in Mississippi and an ode to the generations of people, places, and ineffable moments that shape us. World Premiere.Fair Play (Chloe Domont): An unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a young couple’s relationship to the brink, threatening to unravel far more than their recent engagement. World Premiere.Fancy Dance (Erica Tremblay...
- 12/7/2022
- MUBI
Exclusive: NBCU Academy and NBC News’ documentary division, NBC News Studios, have set Damon Davis (Chain of Rocks), Stephanie Wang-Breal (Florence from Ohio), Eric Juhola (The Queer Beat), Set Hernandez Rongkilyo (unseen), Brett Story and Stephen Maing (Untitled Labor Union Documentary), and Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler (Untitled Muscogee Nation Documentary) as the participants for their second annual Original Voices fellowship.
The program looks to support documentarians with projects in all stages of development, who identify as or—showcase stories highlighting social issues affecting—women, LGBTQ+, people with color, or people with disabilities. Each of the six filmmakers selected will receive a 60,000 grant, as well as the one-year artist development fellowship, designed to help them with the completion of their films. Fellows will also have access to archival research and production resources, as well as executives and journalists across NBC News Studios and the NBCUniversal News Group. NBCU News Group...
The program looks to support documentarians with projects in all stages of development, who identify as or—showcase stories highlighting social issues affecting—women, LGBTQ+, people with color, or people with disabilities. Each of the six filmmakers selected will receive a 60,000 grant, as well as the one-year artist development fellowship, designed to help them with the completion of their films. Fellows will also have access to archival research and production resources, as well as executives and journalists across NBC News Studios and the NBCUniversal News Group. NBCU News Group...
- 4/11/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Institute allocates $590,000 in unrestricted grant support for projects from 20 countries and territories across five continents.
Projects from Rithy Panh and Laura Poitras are among a diverse roster of 18 Sundance Institute Documentary Fund grantees announced on Tuesday (June 8).
There is a strong focus on Bipoc and women directors as the Institute announced a total of $590,000 in unrestricted grant support for projects from 20 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
All of the US projects are directed by at least one Bipoc filmmaker. Some 72% of granted projects are directed by women, and the same proportion are working...
Projects from Rithy Panh and Laura Poitras are among a diverse roster of 18 Sundance Institute Documentary Fund grantees announced on Tuesday (June 8).
There is a strong focus on Bipoc and women directors as the Institute announced a total of $590,000 in unrestricted grant support for projects from 20 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
All of the US projects are directed by at least one Bipoc filmmaker. Some 72% of granted projects are directed by women, and the same proportion are working...
- 6/8/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the latest recipients of grants for documentary projects spanning the globe.
The 18 projects, all in various stages of development, will split a total of $590,000 in unrestricted grant support, provided by the Open Society Foundations, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Luminate.
This year’s projects represent 20 countries and territories across five continents, with more than half the films having international roots. With all U.S. films this year helmed by at least one Black, Indigenous or person of color director, this year’s granting focused on projects by artists from underrepresented communities, ensuring that the stories be told from within the communities. Thirteen of the 18 projects are also led by women directors.
“Supporting equity in storytelling by elevating diverse cohorts is central to our mission,” documentary film fund director Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs said. “Sundance funding can play a vital role in creating a space for freedom of speech,...
The 18 projects, all in various stages of development, will split a total of $590,000 in unrestricted grant support, provided by the Open Society Foundations, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Luminate.
This year’s projects represent 20 countries and territories across five continents, with more than half the films having international roots. With all U.S. films this year helmed by at least one Black, Indigenous or person of color director, this year’s granting focused on projects by artists from underrepresented communities, ensuring that the stories be told from within the communities. Thirteen of the 18 projects are also led by women directors.
“Supporting equity in storytelling by elevating diverse cohorts is central to our mission,” documentary film fund director Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs said. “Sundance funding can play a vital role in creating a space for freedom of speech,...
- 6/8/2021
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
At Filmmaker, we like and frequently post critical video essays, and today we are happy to post the first in a series from writer, editor and director Joe Peeler. Watch his explicated take on Shogun Assassin 2 and read his critical essay below. — Editor Life is like film. The moments tick away, insistent upon their accumulation until the movie ends or you die. The thesis of comedy is: life is ahead of you. The thesis of tragedy is: life is behind you. The thesis of Misumi Kenji’s Shogun Assassin 2 is: joke’s on you, nothing fucking matters. Every joke […]...
- 4/8/2015
- by Joe Peeler
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
At Filmmaker, we like and frequently post critical video essays, and today we are happy to post the first in a series from writer, editor and director Joe Peeler. Watch his explicated take on Shogun Assassin 2 and read his critical essay below. — Editor Life is like film. The moments tick away, insistent upon their accumulation until the movie ends or you die. The thesis of comedy is: life is ahead of you. The thesis of tragedy is: life is behind you. The thesis of Misumi Kenji’s Shogun Assassin 2 is: joke’s on you, nothing fucking matters. Every joke […]...
- 4/8/2015
- by Joe Peeler
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
You know the best way to fall in love again with your city? Invite a friend to visit and see it anew through their eyes. Despite the truth of that statement, however, I can’t say that’s exactly what happens in Gooses, a lovely short film by directors Shawn Sullivan and Joe Peeler. Lucinella visits her “spirit animal” (actually, her sister Lore) in Los Angeles, and her trip is both an impressionistic journey through the sights of L.A. as well as a more nuanced tale of sibling rediscovery. Gooses, which premiered on NoBudge and stars Zena Gray and Katy Knowlton, is […]...
- 10/23/2014
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
You know the best way to fall in love again with your city? Invite a friend to visit and see it anew through their eyes. Despite the truth of that statement, however, I can’t say that’s exactly what happens in Gooses, a lovely short film by directors Shawn Sullivan and Joe Peeler. Lucinella visits her “spirit animal” (actually, her sister Lore) in Los Angeles, and her trip is both an impressionistic journey through the sights of L.A. as well as a more nuanced tale of sibling rediscovery. Gooses, which premiered on NoBudge and stars Zena Gray and Katy Knowlton, is […]...
- 10/23/2014
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
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