Updated from original 12:58 p.m. story with more details and full winners list: In the Rearview, Maciek Hamela’s documentary about Ukrainians fleeing war in their homeland, won the Grand Jury Award for International Competition tonight at the 30th Sheffield DocFest. [Scroll for full list of winners].
The film premiered in May at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Festival in Poland before heading to Cannes and then to Sheffield, where it entered competition with eight other documentaries.
“This film started as volunteer work,” Hamela noted as he accepted the prize. “I wanted to say thank you for all the support that the U.K. has given to this amazing humanitarian effort in this war in Ukraine… [It’s] a country that has never been indifferent [to the war].
‘In the Rearview’: A Ukrainian girl holds a paper with vital information about her in case she is killed in the war.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Hamela,...
The film premiered in May at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Festival in Poland before heading to Cannes and then to Sheffield, where it entered competition with eight other documentaries.
“This film started as volunteer work,” Hamela noted as he accepted the prize. “I wanted to say thank you for all the support that the U.K. has given to this amazing humanitarian effort in this war in Ukraine… [It’s] a country that has never been indifferent [to the war].
‘In the Rearview’: A Ukrainian girl holds a paper with vital information about her in case she is killed in the war.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Hamela,...
- 6/18/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In The Rearview Photo: Courtesy of DocFest In The Rearview took home the Grand Jury Award for the International Competition at this year's Sheffield DocFest as the winners were announced tonight.
Maciek Hamela's film documents Ukrainians fleeing their country on a minibus and the jury said they were "stunned by the brilliant simplicity" of it.
Jing Guo's Stone Town, which charts seismic change in a Chinese fishing village, received a special mention.
The Grand Jury Award in the International First Feature Competition went to Q by Jude Chenab, which charts her family's connection to a Syrian religious order.
The Tim Hetherington Award - which recognises a film and filmmaker that best reflects the legacy of photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who died will covering the Libyan civil war - went to 20 Days In Mariupol, directed by Мstyslav Chernov.
The Grand Jury Award for the International Short Film Competition...
Maciek Hamela's film documents Ukrainians fleeing their country on a minibus and the jury said they were "stunned by the brilliant simplicity" of it.
Jing Guo's Stone Town, which charts seismic change in a Chinese fishing village, received a special mention.
The Grand Jury Award in the International First Feature Competition went to Q by Jude Chenab, which charts her family's connection to a Syrian religious order.
The Tim Hetherington Award - which recognises a film and filmmaker that best reflects the legacy of photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who died will covering the Libyan civil war - went to 20 Days In Mariupol, directed by Мstyslav Chernov.
The Grand Jury Award for the International Short Film Competition...
- 6/18/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Facebook just won its first Oscar.
“Colette,” from the social giant’s Oculus Studios and EA’s Respawn Entertainment game studio, picked up the trophy for documentary short subject Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards. It’s also the first project from the game industry to win an Oscar.
The 25-minute film follows former French Resistance member Colette Marin-Catherine as she travels to Germany for the first time in 74 years. “Colette” was created for the World War II-set VR video game “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.”
“Colette” beat out the other contenders on the category: “A Concerto Is a Conversation,” from Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers; “Do Not Split,” from Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook; “Hunger Ward,” from Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman; and “A Love Song for Latasha,” from Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan.
In “Colette,” directed by Anthony Giacchino and produced by Alice Doyard, Marin-Catherine’s...
“Colette,” from the social giant’s Oculus Studios and EA’s Respawn Entertainment game studio, picked up the trophy for documentary short subject Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards. It’s also the first project from the game industry to win an Oscar.
The 25-minute film follows former French Resistance member Colette Marin-Catherine as she travels to Germany for the first time in 74 years. “Colette” was created for the World War II-set VR video game “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.”
“Colette” beat out the other contenders on the category: “A Concerto Is a Conversation,” from Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers; “Do Not Split,” from Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook; “Hunger Ward,” from Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman; and “A Love Song for Latasha,” from Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan.
In “Colette,” directed by Anthony Giacchino and produced by Alice Doyard, Marin-Catherine’s...
- 4/26/2021
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
“Better Days” is Hong Kong’s first Oscar submission to be nominated for best international feature film since 1993, but its nod has only inflamed political tensions at home. Many members of the Hong Kong public believe that “Better Days” does not represent them.
Although it was directed by Hong Kong’s Derek Tsang, produced by Jojo Yuet-chun Hui, and counts Hong Konger Lam Wing Sum among its three main screenwriters, “Better Days” features over a hundred Chinese cast members and one Thai, but no Hong Kong actors. It also unfolds in Mandarin, not Cantonese. Adapted from an eponymous Chinese novel, it is set in China’s Chongqing. Its examination of schoolyard bullying is set against the backdrop of the “gaokao,” the mainland’s brutal college entrance examination that doesn’t exist in Hong Kong.
“Even if ‘Better Days’ wins, I won’t feel much… it’s too far removed from the people of Hong Kong.
Although it was directed by Hong Kong’s Derek Tsang, produced by Jojo Yuet-chun Hui, and counts Hong Konger Lam Wing Sum among its three main screenwriters, “Better Days” features over a hundred Chinese cast members and one Thai, but no Hong Kong actors. It also unfolds in Mandarin, not Cantonese. Adapted from an eponymous Chinese novel, it is set in China’s Chongqing. Its examination of schoolyard bullying is set against the backdrop of the “gaokao,” the mainland’s brutal college entrance examination that doesn’t exist in Hong Kong.
“Even if ‘Better Days’ wins, I won’t feel much… it’s too far removed from the people of Hong Kong.
- 4/25/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
For decades, the three Oscar shorts prizes — live action, animated and especially documentary — have confounded those who watch the awards. Shorts were all but impossible to see and subject to a different set of rules. That was until ShortsTV came along to distribute the nominees, but even then, at the qualification stage, virtually every other category had to play theatrically, whereas the shorts didn’t, causing some to question whether they even belonged in the Oscar telecast at all. And then the pandemic hit: In 2020, hardly any features opened in cinemas, whereas short films enjoyed more exposure than ever, thanks to the rapidly expanding number of streaming platforms that carried them — from Netflix to Paramount Plus to outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times. Suddenly, the doc shorts category seems more accessible and relevant than ever.
When it comes to topicality, it’s hard to beat Sophia Nahli Allison...
When it comes to topicality, it’s hard to beat Sophia Nahli Allison...
- 4/23/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
If you’re looking at our official racetrack odds, you’d see that “A Love Song for Latasha” looks to be out front for the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. The odds that are shown in our predictions center are taken from the predictions made by our Expert film journalists, Gold Derby Editors, Top 24 Users and our regular Gold Derby readers making their predictions.
But could another contender come in and take the honor on April 25th? Do any of the other nominees fit a more conventional mold of what usually wins in this category? Let’s answer these questions by taking a detailed look at the five short documentaries that make up this year’s nominees, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
“A Love Song for Latasha” (odds of winning: 17/5)
Friends of Latasha Harlins remember the person she was before her untimely shooting death at age 15 that...
But could another contender come in and take the honor on April 25th? Do any of the other nominees fit a more conventional mold of what usually wins in this category? Let’s answer these questions by taking a detailed look at the five short documentaries that make up this year’s nominees, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
“A Love Song for Latasha” (odds of winning: 17/5)
Friends of Latasha Harlins remember the person she was before her untimely shooting death at age 15 that...
- 4/23/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
In the world of Asian cinema, Hong Kong has cultivated a reputation for punching above its weight. Once producing 300 films a year, the small territory hatched global martial arts superstars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen. It nurtured the visions of auteur Wong Kar Wai and put itself on the map with compelling crime thrillers like “Infernal Affairs” — remade by Martin Scorsese as Oscar winner “The Departed” — and Johnnie To’s “Election.”
These days, however, the Hong Kong cinema scene is getting a disturbing reboot. Beijing’s increasing political control, especially the draconian National Security Law that curtails freedom of expression, passed last June, has accelerated the mounting challenges.
“The Nsl feels like the beginning of the end. Internationally, and even regionally, Hong Kong as a film hub is now in danger,” says San Diego State University professor Brian Hu, whose research has centered on...
These days, however, the Hong Kong cinema scene is getting a disturbing reboot. Beijing’s increasing political control, especially the draconian National Security Law that curtails freedom of expression, passed last June, has accelerated the mounting challenges.
“The Nsl feels like the beginning of the end. Internationally, and even regionally, Hong Kong as a film hub is now in danger,” says San Diego State University professor Brian Hu, whose research has centered on...
- 4/22/2021
- by Rebecca Davis, Vivienne Chow and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
TheWrap has continued its annual tradition of showcasing the Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Short, gathering the filmmakers behind them to discuss how they brought their stories of injustice past and present to the screen.
Joining TheWrap awards editor Steve Pond on this year’s nominee panel were producer Alice Doyard, (“Colette”) along with directors Sophia Nahli Allison (“A Love Song For Latasha”), Skye Fitzgerald (“Hunger Ward”), Anders Hammer (“Do Not Split”) and Kris Bowers (“A Concerto Is A Conversation”).
Doyard, alongside “Colette” director Anthony Giacchino, took a great deal of time gaining the trust of the film’s subject, Colette Marin-Catherine, one of the last remaining veterans of the French Resistance. The film follows the 90-year-old Colette as she travels with teenage student Lucie Fouble for the first time to the ruins of Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, where her brother was imprisoned as a Resistance member and was worked to...
Joining TheWrap awards editor Steve Pond on this year’s nominee panel were producer Alice Doyard, (“Colette”) along with directors Sophia Nahli Allison (“A Love Song For Latasha”), Skye Fitzgerald (“Hunger Ward”), Anders Hammer (“Do Not Split”) and Kris Bowers (“A Concerto Is A Conversation”).
Doyard, alongside “Colette” director Anthony Giacchino, took a great deal of time gaining the trust of the film’s subject, Colette Marin-Catherine, one of the last remaining veterans of the French Resistance. The film follows the 90-year-old Colette as she travels with teenage student Lucie Fouble for the first time to the ruins of Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, where her brother was imprisoned as a Resistance member and was worked to...
- 4/15/2021
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
China’s influential Douban review and culture online platform has wiped the 2021 Oscars from its site, the latest indication that this year’s Academy Awards have become a political flashpoint in the world’s largest film market.
Douban is a trend-setting social networking site home to a vibrant message board community and a platform for user reviews for books, music and films. It boasts an impressive catalogue of Oscar data, with homepages for each year logging winners and nominees going back all the way to the first Academy Awards in 1929. As of Friday, however, there’s no longer a page for 2021.
Individual films catalogued on Douban also all have a homepage with a comprehensive running list of nominations and awards. Now, however, none of the films nominated for the Oscars this year have that accolade on file. The page for Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” for instance, lists every prize and...
Douban is a trend-setting social networking site home to a vibrant message board community and a platform for user reviews for books, music and films. It boasts an impressive catalogue of Oscar data, with homepages for each year logging winners and nominees going back all the way to the first Academy Awards in 1929. As of Friday, however, there’s no longer a page for 2021.
Individual films catalogued on Douban also all have a homepage with a comprehensive running list of nominations and awards. Now, however, none of the films nominated for the Oscars this year have that accolade on file. The page for Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” for instance, lists every prize and...
- 4/9/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
With the growing overlap between journalism and non-fiction filmmaking, documentary shorts have become an increasingly powerful showcase for critical real-world stories. Easily accessible and shareable online, non-fiction filmmaking has a greater potential to have a far-reaching impact than ever before. More filmmakers are drawn to the genre, which has only improved the quality, subject matter, and level of artistic risk-taking.
The five contenders for Best Documentary Short tackle devastating humanitarian crises, urgent political movements, and deep-rooted social justice causes. Two of the year’s contenders hail from up-and-coming Black filmmakers, who address vastly different facets of racial inequality in ways both lyrical and profound. Another film has provoked the Chinese government to ban the Oscars broadcast from the country, proving the undeniable power of the medium. Here’s a ranking of all five contenders.
5. “Hunger Ward” (Skye Fitzgerald)
Certain tragedies cannot be ignored, even if they feel impossible to look at.
The five contenders for Best Documentary Short tackle devastating humanitarian crises, urgent political movements, and deep-rooted social justice causes. Two of the year’s contenders hail from up-and-coming Black filmmakers, who address vastly different facets of racial inequality in ways both lyrical and profound. Another film has provoked the Chinese government to ban the Oscars broadcast from the country, proving the undeniable power of the medium. Here’s a ranking of all five contenders.
5. “Hunger Ward” (Skye Fitzgerald)
Certain tragedies cannot be ignored, even if they feel impossible to look at.
- 4/9/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
After Anders Hammer received his first Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject for “Do Not Split,” he knew that the Chinese government would not be a fan of it. However, he didn’t anticipate China censoring their Oscar broadcast and not allowing the ceremony to air live in Hong Kong for the first time in 52 years. “The news of the nomination has been smaller for our team than what has happened after Beijing went out against our movie and decided to censor the whole Oscars due to this project,” Hammer tells us in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). But Beijing’s reaction to his nomination has actually had a slight upside for the objective of Hammers’s film. “Ironically, it’s bringing more attention to our theme and our documentary is becoming part of the story…to try to view the developments in Hong Kong in...
- 4/7/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
For his Oscar-nominated short documentary Do Not Split, director Anders Hammer spent a year in Hong Kong’s streets, capturing the drama and chaos as China cracked down on pro-democracy protests. The work came with inherent danger.
“The risk I was facing was basically being hit by random rubber bullets and teargas canisters flying through the air and also these firebombs that went here and there,” Hammer tells Deadline. “I was also hit by some rubber bullets…I broke my nose. That was the worst that happened to me, and that hurt, but it wasn’t a big problem.”
The Norwegian filmmaker minimizes the potential consequences he faced compared to those for demonstrators.
“All the protestors were facing life in prison, and also the risk of really being brutally handled by police, which a lot were,” he notes. “It was really sad to see this violence being played out. The...
“The risk I was facing was basically being hit by random rubber bullets and teargas canisters flying through the air and also these firebombs that went here and there,” Hammer tells Deadline. “I was also hit by some rubber bullets…I broke my nose. That was the worst that happened to me, and that hurt, but it wasn’t a big problem.”
The Norwegian filmmaker minimizes the potential consequences he faced compared to those for demonstrators.
“All the protestors were facing life in prison, and also the risk of really being brutally handled by police, which a lot were,” he notes. “It was really sad to see this violence being played out. The...
- 4/5/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Anders Hammer braved tear gas, rubber bullets, live rounds, and pepper spray to shoot “Do Not Split,” a riveting 36-minute documentary that puts viewers on the front lines of Hong Kong’s pro-Democracy protests. Given that, he’s not afraid of a little censorship.
Produced by Field of Vision, the agit-prop non-fiction film company co-founded by “Citizenfour” director Laura Poitras, “Do Not Split” captures the Hong Kong demonstrations from 2019 through the developments of 2020 with terrifying immediacy. It’s impossible to look away as protestors face beatings, surveillance, and arrests for exercising the right to assembly and free speech. It’s no wonder the film’s Oscar nomination has Beijing on high alert.
Days after the Oscar nominations were announced on March 15, reports surfaced that the Chinese Central Government had instructed local media “not to transmit live coverage and to downplay the awards coverage.” The order allegedly came from the...
Produced by Field of Vision, the agit-prop non-fiction film company co-founded by “Citizenfour” director Laura Poitras, “Do Not Split” captures the Hong Kong demonstrations from 2019 through the developments of 2020 with terrifying immediacy. It’s impossible to look away as protestors face beatings, surveillance, and arrests for exercising the right to assembly and free speech. It’s no wonder the film’s Oscar nomination has Beijing on high alert.
Days after the Oscar nominations were announced on March 15, reports surfaced that the Chinese Central Government had instructed local media “not to transmit live coverage and to downplay the awards coverage.” The order allegedly came from the...
- 4/2/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Norwegian director Anders Hammer did not set out to make another war film when he traveled to Hong Kong in 2019 to document the political protests that had brought an estimated two million people to the streets of self-proclaimed Asia’s World City.
Hammer has previously chronicled real, hot war situations in Kabul and Iraq. There, bullets and rockets were flying daily, and more lives were in imminent danger. But “Do Not Split,” his 35-minute documentary from the front lines of Hong Kong, is no less a chronicle of war.
It is packed with close-quarters action — smoke bombs, pincer movements, anger and chaos -– as well as strange moments of calm in which protestors talk to the camera and explain their motivations. Then it plunges back into action — symbols being torn down, politicians holding stage, police presence getting heavy, real moments of a civil war.
Visceral, up-close and personal, “Do Not Split” has got a reaction.
Hammer has previously chronicled real, hot war situations in Kabul and Iraq. There, bullets and rockets were flying daily, and more lives were in imminent danger. But “Do Not Split,” his 35-minute documentary from the front lines of Hong Kong, is no less a chronicle of war.
It is packed with close-quarters action — smoke bombs, pincer movements, anger and chaos -– as well as strange moments of calm in which protestors talk to the camera and explain their motivations. Then it plunges back into action — symbols being torn down, politicians holding stage, police presence getting heavy, real moments of a civil war.
Visceral, up-close and personal, “Do Not Split” has got a reaction.
- 4/1/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
In the year that Hong Kong has achieved an Academy Awards nomination for “Better Days,” the territory’s leading free-to-air TV network Television Broadcasts (Tvb) will be dropping television coverage of the Oscars ceremony.
The network Monday confirmed that it did not have rights to broadcast the show this year. “It was purely a commercial decision,” said a company spokesman. Tvb has carried the show every year since 1969 on its Pearl English-language channel.
Other television stations in the territory, including Pccw’s pay-tv channel NowTV and its free-to-air channel ViuTV told Variety that they had not picked up the rights in Tvb’s place. Cable TV and Open TV are also reported to have chosen not to.
Earlier this month Chinese government authorities are understood to have issued instructions to all media in the mainland not to broadcast the Oscars ceremony live and to play down its significance. They object...
The network Monday confirmed that it did not have rights to broadcast the show this year. “It was purely a commercial decision,” said a company spokesman. Tvb has carried the show every year since 1969 on its Pearl English-language channel.
Other television stations in the territory, including Pccw’s pay-tv channel NowTV and its free-to-air channel ViuTV told Variety that they had not picked up the rights in Tvb’s place. Cable TV and Open TV are also reported to have chosen not to.
Earlier this month Chinese government authorities are understood to have issued instructions to all media in the mainland not to broadcast the Oscars ceremony live and to play down its significance. They object...
- 3/29/2021
- by Vivienne Chow and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Since premiering at Sundance in January 2020, “Do Not Split” has won praise on the festival circuit for its intense, street-level depiction of the 2019 Hong Kong protests against a harsh extradition law. The 35-minute film (available to stream for free via Field of Vision) was nominated on March 15 for the Best Documentary Short Subject Oscar. That was when Norwegian director Anders Hammer received the best “worst review” of his career.
A March 17 article in China’s state-run Global Times stated that the short film “should not win the award as it lacks artistry and is full of biased political stances.” Citing unnamed Chinese film industry sources, the article continued, “The Oscars should not be reduced to political tools; otherwise, it will hurt Chinese audiences’ feelings and may lead to a heavy loss in the Chinese film market.”
Hammer, 43, grinned during a Zoom conversation with TheWrap from his home in Norway when the topic came up.
A March 17 article in China’s state-run Global Times stated that the short film “should not win the award as it lacks artistry and is full of biased political stances.” Citing unnamed Chinese film industry sources, the article continued, “The Oscars should not be reduced to political tools; otherwise, it will hurt Chinese audiences’ feelings and may lead to a heavy loss in the Chinese film market.”
Hammer, 43, grinned during a Zoom conversation with TheWrap from his home in Norway when the topic came up.
- 3/26/2021
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
"Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times!" The fight for democracy captured on camera. Do Not Split 不割席 is an excellent short documentary by filmmaker Anders Hammer, who was on the streets in Hong Kong filming the protests in 2019. After premiering at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the film earned a Best Documentary Short nomination at this year's Academy Awards. Congrats! In 2019 Hong Kong was rocked by the largest protests since Britain handed back the area to China in 1997. This is the story of the protests, told through a series of demonstrations by local protesters that escalate into conflict when highly armed police appear on the scene. Do Not Split takes us to the heart of the Hong Kong protests throughout that summer. It follows pro-democracy protesters in over the course of a year as they face police violence and grapple with the new, Beijing-backed National Security Law. I think all...
- 3/25/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Every year, ShortsTV brings the best in short film to the big screen, with a presentation of Oscar nominated shorts in the Animated, Live-Action and Documentary arenas. While movie theaters only recently reopened in Los Angeles and Orange County—with Covid cases, hospitalizations and fatalities on the descent—the distributor has already set theatrical and virtual premiere dates in both counties, for the Oscar Nominated Shorts of 2021.
ShortsTV’s live-action and animated short film programs will be released theatrically and virtually on Friday, April 2. Its documentary program, meanwhile, will become available virtually on April 2, with a theatrical opening scheduled for April 9.
Nominees in the category of Best Live-Action Short Film that will screen for LA audiences include Feeling Through (directed by Doug Roland), Oscar Isaac-starrer The Letter Room (Elvira Lind), The Present (Farah Nabulsi), Two Distant Strangers (Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe) and White Eye (Tomer Sushan).
Doc...
ShortsTV’s live-action and animated short film programs will be released theatrically and virtually on Friday, April 2. Its documentary program, meanwhile, will become available virtually on April 2, with a theatrical opening scheduled for April 9.
Nominees in the category of Best Live-Action Short Film that will screen for LA audiences include Feeling Through (directed by Doug Roland), Oscar Isaac-starrer The Letter Room (Elvira Lind), The Present (Farah Nabulsi), Two Distant Strangers (Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe) and White Eye (Tomer Sushan).
Doc...
- 3/24/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Never underestimate the power of a good short film prediction to give you an edge on the office Oscars pool. With the Academy nominations newly announced, the Oscar contenders for documentary short have been whittled down to a lucky 5 films for the 93rd Academy Awards. Per usual, the group includes a range of social issue films, addressing topics from gun violence to the war in Yemen to the Hong Kong protests. When it comes time to bet on the winners, always go for old people and tearjerkers.
Netflix scored a nomination with Sophia Nahli Allison’s powerful “A Love Song for Latasha,” a lyrical ode to Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl from South Central Los Angeles whose 1991 shooting death became a flashpoint in the LA uprisings. The 19-minute film, which screened as part of Ava DuVernay’s Array 360 programming, is bursting with sun-kissed sidewalks and faded basketball courts, clean line...
Netflix scored a nomination with Sophia Nahli Allison’s powerful “A Love Song for Latasha,” a lyrical ode to Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl from South Central Los Angeles whose 1991 shooting death became a flashpoint in the LA uprisings. The 19-minute film, which screened as part of Ava DuVernay’s Array 360 programming, is bursting with sun-kissed sidewalks and faded basketball courts, clean line...
- 3/20/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Anders Hammer's strong reportage documentary starts to follow protesters in Hong Kong in 2019 as they embark on a series of demonstrations over the threats to democracy increasingly faced there in the wake of the handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Predominantly, though not exclusively, driven by young people, keen not to lose the freedoms they have previously enjoyed, the protests were particularly in response to a planned law to allow the extradition of people for trial in China, although more generally the unrest had been building about the creep of Chinese power and repression in the territory for a long time.
Hammer embeds himself in the protests as the police response to them begins to escalate. He outlines the political stakes through a mixture of intertitles and interview snippets with protesters, who talk about the importance of democracy and their fear of the "purging" that is now occurring.
Hammer embeds himself in the protests as the police response to them begins to escalate. He outlines the political stakes through a mixture of intertitles and interview snippets with protesters, who talk about the importance of democracy and their fear of the "purging" that is now occurring.
- 3/18/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Updated, 10:49 Am: The filmmakers behind Oscar-nominated doc short Do Not Split, which reportedly drew the ire of the Chinese government Wednesday, have issued a response to the news that the state has instructed media outlets to downplay this year’s Oscar coverage.
“This alleged censoring of the Oscars due to our documentary being nominated is unfortunately not a big surprise after witnessing how freedom of speech and freedom of press is being drastically curtailed in Hong Kong,” said director and producer Anders Hammer. “Sadly the situation there is deteriorating right now, and we see activists and pro-democracy politicians risking many years in prison charged under the new draconian national security law.”
“It is important for the world to know about the erosion of liberties happening in Hong Kong, and any form of censorship only furthers the case for how crucial it is that this story, and the past, current...
“This alleged censoring of the Oscars due to our documentary being nominated is unfortunately not a big surprise after witnessing how freedom of speech and freedom of press is being drastically curtailed in Hong Kong,” said director and producer Anders Hammer. “Sadly the situation there is deteriorating right now, and we see activists and pro-democracy politicians risking many years in prison charged under the new draconian national security law.”
“It is important for the world to know about the erosion of liberties happening in Hong Kong, and any form of censorship only furthers the case for how crucial it is that this story, and the past, current...
- 3/17/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
According to a report from Variety, the Chinese government has allegedly “told its local media channels not to transmit live coverage of the Oscars and to downplay the awards ceremony… The order reportedly came from the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party and instructed Chinese media to only report on non-controversial awards.”
The alleged order follows this week’s Oscars nominations announcement, in which the Field of Vision-backed “Do Not Split” made it into the Best Documentary Short Subject category. The 35-minute non-fiction short film shows the pro-democracy struggles in Hong Kong.
“Do Not Split,” directed by Anders Hammer, is the third consecutive Oscar nomination Field of Vision has received following “In The Absence” (2020) and “A Night at the Garden” (2019). The movie includes footage of the 2019 Hong Kong street protests. As Variety adds: “The film follows the increase in physical violence and growing desperation by the pro-democracy camp after the extradition law was abandoned,...
The alleged order follows this week’s Oscars nominations announcement, in which the Field of Vision-backed “Do Not Split” made it into the Best Documentary Short Subject category. The 35-minute non-fiction short film shows the pro-democracy struggles in Hong Kong.
“Do Not Split,” directed by Anders Hammer, is the third consecutive Oscar nomination Field of Vision has received following “In The Absence” (2020) and “A Night at the Garden” (2019). The movie includes footage of the 2019 Hong Kong street protests. As Variety adds: “The film follows the increase in physical violence and growing desperation by the pro-democracy camp after the extradition law was abandoned,...
- 3/17/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The Chinese government has reportedly told its local media channels not to transmit live coverage of the Oscars and to downplay the awards ceremony. The move follows the nomination of “Do Not Split,” a 35-minute chronicle of the pro-democracy struggles in Hong Kong, in the documentary short subject category.
The order reportedly came from the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party and instructed Chinese media to only report on non-controversial awards.
Such instructions are not intended for publication or dissemination overseas and are difficult to verify. The matter was first reported by Hong Kong’s Apple Daily and Radio Free Asia, and subsequently also by Bloomberg.
Directed by Norway’s Anders Hammer and produced by Hammer and Charlotte Cook for Field of Vision, the 35-minute film shows footage of the 2019 street protests in Hong Kong against the city government’s planned extradition law. Two marches in June 2019 were reported...
The order reportedly came from the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party and instructed Chinese media to only report on non-controversial awards.
Such instructions are not intended for publication or dissemination overseas and are difficult to verify. The matter was first reported by Hong Kong’s Apple Daily and Radio Free Asia, and subsequently also by Bloomberg.
Directed by Norway’s Anders Hammer and produced by Hammer and Charlotte Cook for Field of Vision, the 35-minute film shows footage of the 2019 street protests in Hong Kong against the city government’s planned extradition law. Two marches in June 2019 were reported...
- 3/17/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
For Colette Catherine, the subject of the Oscar-nominated short documentary Colette, April 25 will be a very special day—for a couple of reasons.
“April 25th is Colette’s 93rd birthday, which is the 93rd Oscars…The two dates cross over,” director Anthony Giacchino tells Deadline. “It was meant to be. She turns 93 on the 93rd Academy Awards.”
By a curious coincidence, Colette is not the only subject of a nominated short documentary to be the same age as Oscar. So is Horace Bowers Sr., who along with his grandson Kris Bowers are the focus of A Concerto Is a Conversation.
“The first Oscar nominations were announced in 1928…Horace Bowers was born in 1928,” notes Ben Proudfoot, who directed A Concerto Is a Conversation with Kris Bowers. “So this is a story 93 years in the making.”
Horace Bowers Sr. was born in the Jim Crow South of Bascom, Florida and hitchhiked cross...
“April 25th is Colette’s 93rd birthday, which is the 93rd Oscars…The two dates cross over,” director Anthony Giacchino tells Deadline. “It was meant to be. She turns 93 on the 93rd Academy Awards.”
By a curious coincidence, Colette is not the only subject of a nominated short documentary to be the same age as Oscar. So is Horace Bowers Sr., who along with his grandson Kris Bowers are the focus of A Concerto Is a Conversation.
“The first Oscar nominations were announced in 1928…Horace Bowers was born in 1928,” notes Ben Proudfoot, who directed A Concerto Is a Conversation with Kris Bowers. “So this is a story 93 years in the making.”
Horace Bowers Sr. was born in the Jim Crow South of Bascom, Florida and hitchhiked cross...
- 3/15/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Could this be Norway’s year at the Oscars? An unprecedented number of Norwegian productions and co-productions are on this year’s shortlists, exciting the domestic media, industry and audiences.
“Recognition from the Oscars is a great inspiration for all of us who have an ambition to reach outside our own borders,” says Yngve Saether of Motlys, who served as executive producer of Norway’s shortlisted international feature submission “Hope.” “And it builds confidence. Even though it’s a long way to four nominations, the shortlistings are welcome reminders that our films have something to do out there.”
Likewise, Anita Larsen, producer of the documentary “Gunda,” about the life cycle of a majestic Norwegian sow, through her company Sant og Usant, says: “I believe this will create a broader interest both for Norwegian stories, filmmakers and new co-productions opportunities.”
“Hope,” an intense and well-liked personal drama from helmer Maria Sødahl,...
“Recognition from the Oscars is a great inspiration for all of us who have an ambition to reach outside our own borders,” says Yngve Saether of Motlys, who served as executive producer of Norway’s shortlisted international feature submission “Hope.” “And it builds confidence. Even though it’s a long way to four nominations, the shortlistings are welcome reminders that our films have something to do out there.”
Likewise, Anita Larsen, producer of the documentary “Gunda,” about the life cycle of a majestic Norwegian sow, through her company Sant og Usant, says: “I believe this will create a broader interest both for Norwegian stories, filmmakers and new co-productions opportunities.”
“Hope,” an intense and well-liked personal drama from helmer Maria Sødahl,...
- 3/4/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Short Film
Updated: Feb. 25, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: Netflix has three contenders, all of which have the goods to win the category. The prestige of “What Would Sophia Loren Do” will keep it in the conversation while the charms of “Speed...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Short Film
Updated: Feb. 25, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: Netflix has three contenders, all of which have the goods to win the category. The prestige of “What Would Sophia Loren Do” will keep it in the conversation while the charms of “Speed...
- 2/25/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“Crip Camp,” “Gunda” and “Time” are among the films that have made Doc NYC’s 2020 “Short List,” an annual attempt by the New York-based festival to identify the nonfiction films most likely to play a significant part in awards season.
Those three films were also included in the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations for Best Documentary Feature, and on the International Documentary Association’s shortlist from which the Ida chooses nominees for the Ida Documentary Awards. They are the only three movies to land on all three lists.
Nine additional films on the Doc NYC list were also singled out either by the Ida or Critics Choice: “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “The Fight,” “MLK/FBI,” “76 Days,” “The Social Dilemma,” “The Truffle Hunters” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
Other films on the Doc NYC list, which is made up of 15 documentaries, are “I Am Greta,” “On the Record” and “A Thousand Cuts.
Those three films were also included in the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations for Best Documentary Feature, and on the International Documentary Association’s shortlist from which the Ida chooses nominees for the Ida Documentary Awards. They are the only three movies to land on all three lists.
Nine additional films on the Doc NYC list were also singled out either by the Ida or Critics Choice: “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “The Fight,” “MLK/FBI,” “76 Days,” “The Social Dilemma,” “The Truffle Hunters” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
Other films on the Doc NYC list, which is made up of 15 documentaries, are “I Am Greta,” “On the Record” and “A Thousand Cuts.
- 11/9/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Documentary funding executives discussed issues facing filmmakers.
A leading figure from the International Documentary Association (Ida) has warned that the “fragile ecosystem” that funds non-fiction films has been spotlighted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking during the virtual Cph:Conference, Ida executive director Simon Kilmurry discussed the crucial funds provided to documentaries at the early stages of production by philanthropic and non-profit cultural institutions.
“We’re seeing what a fragile ecosystem that [non-profit funding] really is for filmmakers,” he said. “We’re in conversation with a lot of organisations to see how they’re dealing with this… and we’re trying to share information...
A leading figure from the International Documentary Association (Ida) has warned that the “fragile ecosystem” that funds non-fiction films has been spotlighted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking during the virtual Cph:Conference, Ida executive director Simon Kilmurry discussed the crucial funds provided to documentaries at the early stages of production by philanthropic and non-profit cultural institutions.
“We’re seeing what a fragile ecosystem that [non-profit funding] really is for filmmakers,” he said. “We’re in conversation with a lot of organisations to see how they’re dealing with this… and we’re trying to share information...
- 3/30/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Facebook will be on hand at Mipcom, the international TV showcase in Cannes, with two key executives – Matthew Henick, head of content, planning and strategy, and Paresh Rajwat, director of video – set to deliver keynote addresses at the event.
A Production Funding Forum will be launched to connect creators, producers and financiers around selected projects. Participants will brainstorm about current topics such as the impact of blockchain on the business.
With Issa Rae as its Personality of the Year, Mipcom will also aim at shining a light on diversity and women in the industry during its next edition.
“The big shift” will be the running theme of this Mipcom to “reflect the global movement towards equality behind and in front of the camera,” said Reed Midem, which organizes Mipcom and MipTV.
Rae, who is the creator, producer and star of HBO’s “Insecure,” will be honored during a gala dinner...
A Production Funding Forum will be launched to connect creators, producers and financiers around selected projects. Participants will brainstorm about current topics such as the impact of blockchain on the business.
With Issa Rae as its Personality of the Year, Mipcom will also aim at shining a light on diversity and women in the industry during its next edition.
“The big shift” will be the running theme of this Mipcom to “reflect the global movement towards equality behind and in front of the camera,” said Reed Midem, which organizes Mipcom and MipTV.
Rae, who is the creator, producer and star of HBO’s “Insecure,” will be honored during a gala dinner...
- 9/18/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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