Concordia Studio, the award-winning executive producers of this year’s Academy Award-winning Summer Of Soul, has announced four new exceptional filmmakers selected as part of the studio’s 2022 class of fellows for their signature program, The Concordia Fellowship.
The chosen recipients of the Fellowship are creators with the commitment to reshape the future of storytelling. Within the bespoke artist development program, each fellow receives a plan tailored to meet their specific creative goals, financial backing to develop a new project of their choosing, focused guidance and tools to build a sustainable career, and access to professional resources, use of the studio’s state-of-the-art facilities, and mentorship from Concordia executives.
Concordia fellows are the next generation of powerful storytellers and come from diverse racial, religious, and regional backgrounds. This year’s selected fellows who are recognized for their excellence in documentary filmmaking are Giselle Bailey,...
The chosen recipients of the Fellowship are creators with the commitment to reshape the future of storytelling. Within the bespoke artist development program, each fellow receives a plan tailored to meet their specific creative goals, financial backing to develop a new project of their choosing, focused guidance and tools to build a sustainable career, and access to professional resources, use of the studio’s state-of-the-art facilities, and mentorship from Concordia executives.
Concordia fellows are the next generation of powerful storytellers and come from diverse racial, religious, and regional backgrounds. This year’s selected fellows who are recognized for their excellence in documentary filmmaking are Giselle Bailey,...
- 3/30/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The Napa Valley Film Festival, which returns this year as a virtual event running Nov. 10-14, has announced its lineup that includes almost 60 full-length features and shorts.
Among the narrative features at Napa Valley are French period pic “Fires in the Dark” (pictured); drama “Moving in 2008,” with a post-screening Q&a with director Calogero Carucci; Jena Malone-starrer “Porcupine,” in which an adult woman puts herself up for adoption and forms a bond with the misanthropic patriarch of her adoptive family, based on a true story; “Precarious,” featuring a post-screening Q&a with director Wes Terray; Lili Taylor-starrer “The Winter House, “ which follows a novelist seeking to escape her troubles in a remote lake house in northern New Hampshire where she meets and forges a bond with Jesse, a young drifter with troubles — and secrets — of his own. Director Keith Boynton will deliver a post-screening Q&a. Director Noah Gilbert...
Among the narrative features at Napa Valley are French period pic “Fires in the Dark” (pictured); drama “Moving in 2008,” with a post-screening Q&a with director Calogero Carucci; Jena Malone-starrer “Porcupine,” in which an adult woman puts herself up for adoption and forms a bond with the misanthropic patriarch of her adoptive family, based on a true story; “Precarious,” featuring a post-screening Q&a with director Wes Terray; Lili Taylor-starrer “The Winter House, “ which follows a novelist seeking to escape her troubles in a remote lake house in northern New Hampshire where she meets and forges a bond with Jesse, a young drifter with troubles — and secrets — of his own. Director Keith Boynton will deliver a post-screening Q&a. Director Noah Gilbert...
- 10/12/2021
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
March 8 is International Women’ Day and March is Women’s History Month, and many outlets are celebrating with special events and/or programming. Here’s a roundup.
Events/Panels
On Broadway, the neon lights will shine on the fourth annual Women’s Day on Broadway. This year’s virtual event begins at 1 p.m. Et/11 a.m. Pt March 12, with participants including Marija Abney, Laura Benanti, Tanya Birl, Pearl Cleage, Cara Cooper, Maria Manuela Goyanes, Alia Jones-Harvey, Gethsemane Herron-Coward, Vanessa Javier, Tavia Jefferson, Julia Jones, Eva Price and a performance by the Broadway Sinfonietta.
The Paley Center for Media in New York is launching a new quarterly series of high-profile conversations to celebrate the ongoing achievements of women and to explore the challenges they continue to face. It launches on March 8 with Choosing to Challenge: How Women Are Leading the Way, which focuses on women’s roles as leaders in...
Events/Panels
On Broadway, the neon lights will shine on the fourth annual Women’s Day on Broadway. This year’s virtual event begins at 1 p.m. Et/11 a.m. Pt March 12, with participants including Marija Abney, Laura Benanti, Tanya Birl, Pearl Cleage, Cara Cooper, Maria Manuela Goyanes, Alia Jones-Harvey, Gethsemane Herron-Coward, Vanessa Javier, Tavia Jefferson, Julia Jones, Eva Price and a performance by the Broadway Sinfonietta.
The Paley Center for Media in New York is launching a new quarterly series of high-profile conversations to celebrate the ongoing achievements of women and to explore the challenges they continue to face. It launches on March 8 with Choosing to Challenge: How Women Are Leading the Way, which focuses on women’s roles as leaders in...
- 3/6/2021
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Ruth: Justice Ginsberg In Her Own Words’ Review: The Starz Doc Works, So Long as You Don’t Know Rbg
It’s been a little less than six months since Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87. Before her death, Ginsburg’s vocal dissents on the Supreme Court and her status as one of the longest serving female justices gave her a certain cache. Art and pop culture came to immortalize the “notorious Rbg.” In 2018, the documentary riffing off that designation, simply titled “Rbg,” secured two Oscar nominations for its look at Ginsburg’s life and career. It was then followed by Mimi Leder’s scripted biopic, “On the Basis of Sex.”
Ginsburg’s death rocked an already bleak 2020, and as the government slowly starts to come out of things, complete with a new President and a predominately conservative Supreme Court, audiences are getting a new documentary: Freida Lee Mock’s “Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words.” Premiering on Starz, the film’s premise is...
Ginsburg’s death rocked an already bleak 2020, and as the government slowly starts to come out of things, complete with a new President and a predominately conservative Supreme Court, audiences are getting a new documentary: Freida Lee Mock’s “Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words.” Premiering on Starz, the film’s premise is...
- 3/1/2021
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Few types of films are more awkward to sit through than listless and unremarkable biographical documentaries that fall short of their inspiring subjects. Touring the film festival circuit since 2019 and finally available to the general public via virtual cinemas, Freida Lee Mock’s “Ruth – Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words” unfortunately yields one such bumpy viewing experience.
On one hand, it is tough not to adore the central figure of “Ruth,” the legendary and influential Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away last September and has been a lifelong, passionate teacher and practitioner of law, fighting against various forms of unconstitutional discrimination in the U.S. On the other, it’s curiously difficult to stay engaged with Mock’s film that merely puts forth a paint-by-numbers assembly of the wealth of material it has at its disposal.
“Ruth” consists of a collection of talking-head interviews, historical photographs and,...
On one hand, it is tough not to adore the central figure of “Ruth,” the legendary and influential Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away last September and has been a lifelong, passionate teacher and practitioner of law, fighting against various forms of unconstitutional discrimination in the U.S. On the other, it’s curiously difficult to stay engaged with Mock’s film that merely puts forth a paint-by-numbers assembly of the wealth of material it has at its disposal.
“Ruth” consists of a collection of talking-head interviews, historical photographs and,...
- 2/12/2021
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Following her death less than four months ago, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy continues on.
The recently released trailer for upcoming documentary Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words offers an intimate look at Ginsburg’s rise to the Supreme Court, as she confronted various barriers.
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock, the film’s trailer opens to footage of a young boy asking Ginsburg: “Was it hard to become a Supreme Court justice because you were a woman?”
The trailer goes on to show Ginsburg at many stages throughout her life, both in and out of the courtroom.
“I ...
The recently released trailer for upcoming documentary Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words offers an intimate look at Ginsburg’s rise to the Supreme Court, as she confronted various barriers.
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock, the film’s trailer opens to footage of a young boy asking Ginsburg: “Was it hard to become a Supreme Court justice because you were a woman?”
The trailer goes on to show Ginsburg at many stages throughout her life, both in and out of the courtroom.
“I ...
- 1/11/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Following her death less than four months ago, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy continues on.
The recently released trailer for upcoming documentary Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words offers an intimate look at Ginsburg’s rise to the Supreme Court, as she confronted various barriers.
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock, the film’s trailer opens to footage of a young boy asking Ginsburg: “Was it hard to become a Supreme Court justice because you were a woman?”
The trailer goes on to show Ginsburg at many stages throughout her life, both in and out of the courtroom.
“I ...
The recently released trailer for upcoming documentary Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words offers an intimate look at Ginsburg’s rise to the Supreme Court, as she confronted various barriers.
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock, the film’s trailer opens to footage of a young boy asking Ginsburg: “Was it hard to become a Supreme Court justice because you were a woman?”
The trailer goes on to show Ginsburg at many stages throughout her life, both in and out of the courtroom.
“I ...
- 1/11/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A version of this story first appeared in the Documentaries issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
The Oscars competition in the Best Documentary Feature category has more than 200 eligible films this year for this first time ever, due largely to rule changes that made it easier for nonfiction films to qualify in the year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rules, which will likely end when theaters reopen, include routes to qualify by being booked at film festivals or by premiering online but paying to be in the online Academy Screening Room for members. They’re resulted in 215 films qualifying by late December, with an additional small group of films expected to be added to the list in early January. The previous record for entries, set in 2017, was 170.
But rule changes have long been standard in the Oscars documentary category, particularly in the last two or three decades. Often, they involve...
The Oscars competition in the Best Documentary Feature category has more than 200 eligible films this year for this first time ever, due largely to rule changes that made it easier for nonfiction films to qualify in the year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rules, which will likely end when theaters reopen, include routes to qualify by being booked at film festivals or by premiering online but paying to be in the online Academy Screening Room for members. They’re resulted in 215 films qualifying by late December, with an additional small group of films expected to be added to the list in early January. The previous record for entries, set in 2017, was 170.
But rule changes have long been standard in the Oscars documentary category, particularly in the last two or three decades. Often, they involve...
- 1/4/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Exclusive: UK sales firm Independent has sold SXSW-winning documentary The Donut King to key markets with Vice picking the film up for the world excluding North America, UK/Ireland, Japan, Australia/New Zealand and Portugal.
New deals on the film also comprise UK and Ireland (Sky), Australia (Madman), Japan (Twin), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo) and Airlines (Aardwolf). Greenwich Entertainment released the film in North America last month, screening it across virtual cinemas.
The well-received feature, which chronicles the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of Cambodian refugee-turned-‘Donut King’ Ted Ngoy, was previously due to premiere in this year’s SXSW Documentary Feature Competition lineup before the festival’s cancellation due to Covid. The film went on to receive a Special Jury Award from the SXSW jury.
Vice will include the film on The Short List with Suroosh Alvi, an upcoming series from recently-launched Vice World News. The collection of acclaimed documentaries will be curated by Vice Media co-founder Alvi.
New deals on the film also comprise UK and Ireland (Sky), Australia (Madman), Japan (Twin), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo) and Airlines (Aardwolf). Greenwich Entertainment released the film in North America last month, screening it across virtual cinemas.
The well-received feature, which chronicles the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of Cambodian refugee-turned-‘Donut King’ Ted Ngoy, was previously due to premiere in this year’s SXSW Documentary Feature Competition lineup before the festival’s cancellation due to Covid. The film went on to receive a Special Jury Award from the SXSW jury.
Vice will include the film on The Short List with Suroosh Alvi, an upcoming series from recently-launched Vice World News. The collection of acclaimed documentaries will be curated by Vice Media co-founder Alvi.
- 11/30/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
When Ruth Bader Ginsburg succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Sept. 18 no one was more surprised than the team behind Ruth, a documentary feature about the longtime U.S. Supreme Court justice which had only recently been completed and, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, is now screening virtually for potential buyers with the aim of striking a deal that would have it released prior to the U.S. presidential election in November.
The film, which comes on the heels of the 2019 Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary feature Rbg, was cowritten (with Mike Aguilar) and directed by 1995 Oscar winner Freida Lee Mock, and counts a ...
The film, which comes on the heels of the 2019 Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary feature Rbg, was cowritten (with Mike Aguilar) and directed by 1995 Oscar winner Freida Lee Mock, and counts a ...
- 9/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
When Ruth Bader Ginsburg succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Sept. 18 no one was more surprised than the team behind Ruth, a documentary feature about the longtime U.S. Supreme Court justice which had only recently been completed and, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, is now screening virtually for potential buyers with the aim of striking a deal that would have it released prior to the U.S. presidential election in November.
The film, which comes on the heels of the 2019 Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary feature Rbg, was cowritten (with Mike Aguilar) and directed by 1995 Oscar winner Freida Lee Mock, and counts a ...
The film, which comes on the heels of the 2019 Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary feature Rbg, was cowritten (with Mike Aguilar) and directed by 1995 Oscar winner Freida Lee Mock, and counts a ...
- 9/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
California Film Institute’s fundraising forum DocPitch will be held virtually at 7 p.m Aug. 13. The event was originally scheduled in tandem with documentary film festival DocLands, which was postponed from May. DocLands will now take place with Mill Valley Film Festival on Oct. 8.
DocPitch is Cfi’s annual event designed to financially support filmmakers in completing a documentaries in production. This year’s eight finalists, selected prior to the event’s postponement, will submit pre-recorded pitches, including a brief synopsis, trailer and a pre-taped verbal pitch, for an opportunity to receive a cash award totaling $125,000.
Pitches will be made available at 7 p.m. Pt on Aug. 13 and voting for the audience choice award will be open through at midnight Pt Aug. 19. The audience will select one project to receive $25,000, while a jury of industry professionals will present three major and five minor documentary filmmaking grants totaling $100,000. The awardees for...
DocPitch is Cfi’s annual event designed to financially support filmmakers in completing a documentaries in production. This year’s eight finalists, selected prior to the event’s postponement, will submit pre-recorded pitches, including a brief synopsis, trailer and a pre-taped verbal pitch, for an opportunity to receive a cash award totaling $125,000.
Pitches will be made available at 7 p.m. Pt on Aug. 13 and voting for the audience choice award will be open through at midnight Pt Aug. 19. The audience will select one project to receive $25,000, while a jury of industry professionals will present three major and five minor documentary filmmaking grants totaling $100,000. The awardees for...
- 8/12/2020
- by Janet W. Lee
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Deadline has learned that Greenwich Entertainment has picked up North American rights to Alice Gu’s documentary The Donut King which earned a Special Jury Recognition for Achievement in Documentary Storytelling at SXSW. Greenwich is planning a theatrical release for later this year.
The Donut King tells the story of Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian refugee who arrived in Los Angeles in 1975 and changed everything we know about America’s favorite pastry, the donut. While building a multi-million-dollar empire that effectively kept Dunkin’ Donuts out of Southern California for decades, Ngoy became a hero of the Cambodian community by sponsoring hundreds of visas for incoming refugees.
“As the child of immigrant parents who came to America to seek a better life for themselves, making this film about Ted Ngoy achieving the American Dream was deeply personal for me,” said Gu. “Though The Donut King’s story takes place in America,...
The Donut King tells the story of Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian refugee who arrived in Los Angeles in 1975 and changed everything we know about America’s favorite pastry, the donut. While building a multi-million-dollar empire that effectively kept Dunkin’ Donuts out of Southern California for decades, Ngoy became a hero of the Cambodian community by sponsoring hundreds of visas for incoming refugees.
“As the child of immigrant parents who came to America to seek a better life for themselves, making this film about Ted Ngoy achieving the American Dream was deeply personal for me,” said Gu. “Though The Donut King’s story takes place in America,...
- 6/25/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Well-received SXSW selection The Donut King has been boarded for international sales by UK outfit Independent. CAA reps domestic.
The Scott Free-produced documentary won a Special Jury Award at SXSW, whose physical edition was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus.
Alice Gu’s directorial debut tells the rags to riches story of Ted Ngoy, a refugee who escaped the murderous Khmer Rouge in Cambodia for America where in the 1970s he built an unlikely multi-million dollar donut empire. Ngoy sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living ‘the American dream’, but, his steep rise would ultimately lead to a remarkable fall.
Independent will introduce the project to international buyers at this year’s Cannes virtual market.
Producers are Tom Moran for Scott Free, Jose Nunez, Alice Gu, and Farhad Amid.
The Scott Free-produced documentary won a Special Jury Award at SXSW, whose physical edition was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus.
Alice Gu’s directorial debut tells the rags to riches story of Ted Ngoy, a refugee who escaped the murderous Khmer Rouge in Cambodia for America where in the 1970s he built an unlikely multi-million dollar donut empire. Ngoy sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living ‘the American dream’, but, his steep rise would ultimately lead to a remarkable fall.
Independent will introduce the project to international buyers at this year’s Cannes virtual market.
Producers are Tom Moran for Scott Free, Jose Nunez, Alice Gu, and Farhad Amid.
- 6/3/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmakers Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama” (PBS) took top honors at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at the Paramount Theatre Saturday night. The harrowing and intimate portrait of a young couple who continued to live in Aleppo with their new baby while under intense fire from government troops took home Best Feature. “It’s a dark time in the world,” said British filmmaker Watts, who helped Al-Kateab shape her extraordinary footage into a film. “When I think about documentaries right now I feel hope that things are going to get better.”
A show of enthusiastic Ida support came early in the evening with a rousing standing ovation when Al-Kateab accepted the coveted Courage Under Fire award, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth. The Channel 4 film has already notched documentary wins from the European Film Awards, the British Independent Film Awards,...
A show of enthusiastic Ida support came early in the evening with a rousing standing ovation when Al-Kateab accepted the coveted Courage Under Fire award, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth. The Channel 4 film has already notched documentary wins from the European Film Awards, the British Independent Film Awards,...
- 12/8/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Filmmakers Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama” (PBS) took top honors at the 35th Annual IDA Documentary Awards at the Paramount Theatre Saturday night. The harrowing and intimate portrait of a young couple who continued to live in Aleppo with their new baby while under intense fire from government troops took home Best Feature. a
Al-Kateab also accepted the coveted Courage Under Fire award, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth. The Channel 4 film has already notched documentary wins from the European Film Awards, the British Independent Film Awards, and Cannes, as well as a PGA nomination.
Another Syrian film, “The Cave” (NatGeo) took home Best Writing for Alisar Hasan and Feras Fayyad. Dan Reed’s searing Michael Jackson exposé “Leaving Neverland” scored Best Multi-Part Documentary; HBO did not submit the Sundance premiere for the Oscars.
Other winners include Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert,...
Al-Kateab also accepted the coveted Courage Under Fire award, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth. The Channel 4 film has already notched documentary wins from the European Film Awards, the British Independent Film Awards, and Cannes, as well as a PGA nomination.
Another Syrian film, “The Cave” (NatGeo) took home Best Writing for Alisar Hasan and Feras Fayyad. Dan Reed’s searing Michael Jackson exposé “Leaving Neverland” scored Best Multi-Part Documentary; HBO did not submit the Sundance premiere for the Oscars.
Other winners include Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert,...
- 12/8/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Syrian Civil War diary “For Sama” has won the best feature award from the International Documentary Association for Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts.
The award was presented by Frances Fisher on Saturday night at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
The first-time award for Best Director went to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for “American
Factory,” which explores a Chinese company taking over a shuttered General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio. The film was acquired by Netflix in association with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions following its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
“Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé,” directed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Ed Burke, won the Best Music Documentary. The film centers on Beyoncé’s performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Beyoncé also wrote and executive produced the film, which premiered on Netflix on April 17.
HBO’s “Leaving Neverland,...
The award was presented by Frances Fisher on Saturday night at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
The first-time award for Best Director went to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for “American
Factory,” which explores a Chinese company taking over a shuttered General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio. The film was acquired by Netflix in association with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions following its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
“Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé,” directed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Ed Burke, won the Best Music Documentary. The film centers on Beyoncé’s performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Beyoncé also wrote and executive produced the film, which premiered on Netflix on April 17.
HBO’s “Leaving Neverland,...
- 12/8/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
“For Sama,” Waad al-Kateab’s wrenching story of raising a young daughter in war-torn Syria, has been named the best nonfiction film of 2019 at the International Documentary Association’s 35th annual Ida Documentary Awards, which were handed out on Saturday night on the Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles.
Al-Kateab, who directed “For Sama” with Edward Watts, also received the Ida Awards Courage Under Fire Award at the ceremony. Last week, the film also won the top award at the British Independent Film Awards, a rarity for a documentary.
Steven Bognar and Julie Reichert received the Best Director Award, the first time the Ida has handed out that particular prize, for their look at the culture clash when a Chinese company took over an American auto glass factory in Ohio in “American Factory.”
Also Read: 'For Sama' Film Review: Syrian Documentary Finds Wrenching Personal Take on Conflict
Two...
Al-Kateab, who directed “For Sama” with Edward Watts, also received the Ida Awards Courage Under Fire Award at the ceremony. Last week, the film also won the top award at the British Independent Film Awards, a rarity for a documentary.
Steven Bognar and Julie Reichert received the Best Director Award, the first time the Ida has handed out that particular prize, for their look at the culture clash when a Chinese company took over an American auto glass factory in Ohio in “American Factory.”
Also Read: 'For Sama' Film Review: Syrian Documentary Finds Wrenching Personal Take on Conflict
Two...
- 12/8/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
In the 2010s, the use of fourth-wall breaking narration has become ubiquitous. From “House of Cards” to “Fleabag” protagonists, speaking directly to the audience has become so popular that “Robot Chicken” has riffed on it. Now, “Wolkenbruch,” a Swiss romantic comedy now on Netflix, uses it to poke fun at a Jewish teen’s act of romantic rebellion.
Director Michael Steiner joined stars Joel Basman and Inge Maux at TheWrap’s Screening Series to discuss the new film, which has been selected as Switzerland’s entry into the Best International Film Oscar race. In the film, which has the full title “Wolkenbruch’s Wonderous Journey Into the Arms of a Shiksa,” Basman plays Motti Wolkenbruch, an awkward young Jew who is getting constantly set up for dates by his mother with women who, well, are practically clones of her. As he notes in a rapid-fire intro, the life of a...
Director Michael Steiner joined stars Joel Basman and Inge Maux at TheWrap’s Screening Series to discuss the new film, which has been selected as Switzerland’s entry into the Best International Film Oscar race. In the film, which has the full title “Wolkenbruch’s Wonderous Journey Into the Arms of a Shiksa,” Basman plays Motti Wolkenbruch, an awkward young Jew who is getting constantly set up for dates by his mother with women who, well, are practically clones of her. As he notes in a rapid-fire intro, the life of a...
- 10/25/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
When “The Kingmaker” director Lauren Greenfield began making what would become her latest film, she intended to investigate what had become of the island in the Philippines, Calauit, that had become a reserve for endangered African animals in the mid-1970s.
She thought that the country’s former first lady, Imelda Marcos, would be just one interview of many in her investigation of the island. But Greenfield, the filmmaker behind “Generation Wealth” and “The Queen of Versailles,” found an eager and compelling subject ready to share her life story — or at least her version of it.
“I guess the surprise for me is I thought there might be a redemption element in it, because I filmed her between 85 and 90 and thought maybe she would change her story. But she stuck to her story,” Greenfield told the crowd in a Q&a following an International Documentary Association screening of the film.
She thought that the country’s former first lady, Imelda Marcos, would be just one interview of many in her investigation of the island. But Greenfield, the filmmaker behind “Generation Wealth” and “The Queen of Versailles,” found an eager and compelling subject ready to share her life story — or at least her version of it.
“I guess the surprise for me is I thought there might be a redemption element in it, because I filmed her between 85 and 90 and thought maybe she would change her story. But she stuck to her story,” Greenfield told the crowd in a Q&a following an International Documentary Association screening of the film.
- 10/14/2019
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
The Aretha Franklin documentary “Amazing Grace,” the moon-mission chronicle “Apollo 11” and the first film from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, “American Factory,” have made the short list for the International Documentary Association’s 2019 Ida Documentary Awards, the Ida announced on Thursday.
The announcement narrows the field to 30 feature films and 21 shorts that will move on to a second round of voting.
The IDA’s short list of 30 feature films contains 10 films that were on Doc NYC’s recent 15-film list of the year’s likeliest nonfiction awards contenders: “American Factory,” “The Apollo,” “Apollo 11,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “The Cave,” “Diego Maradona,” “The Edge of Democracy,” “For Sama,” “Honeyland” and “One Child Nation.”
Additional films on the Ida’s list include “Amazing Grace,...
The announcement narrows the field to 30 feature films and 21 shorts that will move on to a second round of voting.
The IDA’s short list of 30 feature films contains 10 films that were on Doc NYC’s recent 15-film list of the year’s likeliest nonfiction awards contenders: “American Factory,” “The Apollo,” “Apollo 11,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “The Cave,” “Diego Maradona,” “The Edge of Democracy,” “For Sama,” “Honeyland” and “One Child Nation.”
Additional films on the Ida’s list include “Amazing Grace,...
- 10/10/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
In today’s film news roundup, Freida Lee Mock gets a lifetime honor, Isabelle Fuhrman and Penn Badgley get cast, AFI is unveiling rare footage of Alfred Hitchcock, and a faith-based baseball drama and a spy comedy get release dates. Career Honor The International Documentary Association has selected Freida Lee Mock as the recipient of its career achievement award, to be presented at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards on Dec. 7 at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. Mock has been nominated for five Academy Awards, winning for “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision” in the documentary feature category. She received short subject nominations for “To Live or Let Die,” “Rose Kennedy: A Life to Remember,” “Never Give Up” and “Sing!” Mock’s television credits include the 2013 documentary “Anita” and Emmy winner “Lillian Gish: The Actor’s Life for Me.” Emmy nominated filmmaker Rachel Lears will be honored with the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.
- 10/8/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The International Documentary Association (Ida) will present awards to its honorees for the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 7. The Ida 2019 Shortlists for Best Feature and Best Short categories will be announced on Thursday, October 10.
This year, the Ida will give the Career Achievement Award to Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock; the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award to Emmy nominee Rachel Lears; and the Amicus Award to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides pro bono legal representation and other legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and the news-gathering rights of journalists.
Additionally, the Pioneer Award will go to New York’s film foundation and production company Cinereach, which since 2006 has developed, produced, co-produced, and/or financed over 15 films including “Shirkers,” “We The Animals,” “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.,” “Sorry to Bother You,” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild,...
This year, the Ida will give the Career Achievement Award to Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock; the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award to Emmy nominee Rachel Lears; and the Amicus Award to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides pro bono legal representation and other legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and the news-gathering rights of journalists.
Additionally, the Pioneer Award will go to New York’s film foundation and production company Cinereach, which since 2006 has developed, produced, co-produced, and/or financed over 15 films including “Shirkers,” “We The Animals,” “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.,” “Sorry to Bother You,” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild,...
- 10/7/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The International Documentary Association (Ida) will present awards to its honorees for the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 7. The Ida 2019 Shortlists for Best Feature and Best Short categories will be announced on Thursday, October 10.
This year, the Ida will give the Career Achievement Award to Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock; the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award to Emmy nominee Rachel Lears; and the Amicus Award to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides pro bono legal representation and other legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and the news-gathering rights of journalists.
Additionally, the Pioneer Award will go to New York’s film foundation and production company Cinereach, which since 2006 has developed, produced, co-produced, and/or financed over 15 films including “Shirkers,” “We The Animals,” “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.,” “Sorry to Bother You,” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild,...
This year, the Ida will give the Career Achievement Award to Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock; the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award to Emmy nominee Rachel Lears; and the Amicus Award to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides pro bono legal representation and other legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and the news-gathering rights of journalists.
Additionally, the Pioneer Award will go to New York’s film foundation and production company Cinereach, which since 2006 has developed, produced, co-produced, and/or financed over 15 films including “Shirkers,” “We The Animals,” “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.,” “Sorry to Bother You,” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild,...
- 10/7/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The International Documentary Association has revealed the honorees for their 35th annual Ida Documentary Awards honorees. The ceremony is set for December 7 and will take place at the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
Academy Award and Primetime Emmy winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock will receive the Career Achievement Award while Rachel Lears who will receive the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.
“We are so excited to be honoring such talented filmmakers and organizations that really make a difference in the world,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive director of the Ida. “Freida Lee Mock’s Career Achievement Award is overdue. Her films have tackled a wide range of topics with an insightful artistic vision, and her unparalleled body of work continues to inspire and impact the world. In her film Knock Down the House, Emerging Filmmaker Award...
Academy Award and Primetime Emmy winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock will receive the Career Achievement Award while Rachel Lears who will receive the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.
“We are so excited to be honoring such talented filmmakers and organizations that really make a difference in the world,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive director of the Ida. “Freida Lee Mock’s Career Achievement Award is overdue. Her films have tackled a wide range of topics with an insightful artistic vision, and her unparalleled body of work continues to inspire and impact the world. In her film Knock Down the House, Emerging Filmmaker Award...
- 10/7/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Freida Lee Mock will receive the International Documentary Association’s Career Achievement Award, and “Knock Down the House” director Rachel Lears will be given the Emerging Doc Filmmaker Award at the 2019 Ida Documentary Awards, the Ida announced on Monday.
In other honorary awards, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides pro bono legal representation for journalists, will receive the Amicus Award, an honor that goes to an individual or organization that supports nonfiction filmmakers. Cinereach, a nonprofit film foundation, production company and film funding organization based in New York, will receive the Pioneer Award.
The awards will be presented at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards, which will take place at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Also Read: 'Knock Down the House' Film Review: Rousing Documentary Follows Aoc and Three Other Women on the Road to Congress
Mock won the Academy Award...
In other honorary awards, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides pro bono legal representation for journalists, will receive the Amicus Award, an honor that goes to an individual or organization that supports nonfiction filmmakers. Cinereach, a nonprofit film foundation, production company and film funding organization based in New York, will receive the Pioneer Award.
The awards will be presented at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards, which will take place at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Also Read: 'Knock Down the House' Film Review: Rousing Documentary Follows Aoc and Three Other Women on the Road to Congress
Mock won the Academy Award...
- 10/7/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The AFI Docs Festival has selected the Steven Bognar-Julia Reichert documentary “American Factory” as its centerpiece film, screening on June 21.
The event will take place at the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
“American Factory” centers on the aftermath of the 2014 purchase of a General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio, which had closed in 2008. A Chinese billionaire reopened the facility as Fuyao Glass America, with the promise of giving work to more than 2,000 local residents, along with bringing hundreds of Chinese workers to Ohio. Tensions mount among the Americans due to low wages and concerns about safety.
The festival revealed its full slate of films Wednesday for the 2019 edition, the 17th year, with 72 films representing 17 countries. The festival runs June 19–23 in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, Md.
As previously announced, the festival will open with the world premiere of...
The event will take place at the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
“American Factory” centers on the aftermath of the 2014 purchase of a General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio, which had closed in 2008. A Chinese billionaire reopened the facility as Fuyao Glass America, with the promise of giving work to more than 2,000 local residents, along with bringing hundreds of Chinese workers to Ohio. Tensions mount among the Americans due to low wages and concerns about safety.
The festival revealed its full slate of films Wednesday for the 2019 edition, the 17th year, with 72 films representing 17 countries. The festival runs June 19–23 in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, Md.
As previously announced, the festival will open with the world premiere of...
- 5/15/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
AFI Docs has raised the curtain on its 2019 slate — 68% of which are films produced by women and nearly half that feature a female helmer. The lineup features 72 documentaries from 17 countries, including six world premieres.
The films will unspool from June 19-23 in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, MD. See the full program for the fest below.
This year’s Centerpiece film will be American Factory, directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, which examines the culture clash resulting from the takeover of a Dayton, Oh, factory by a Chinese company. It will screen on Friday, June 21.
“Each year, the AFI Docs slate includes a variety of films exploring topical issues, intriguing personalities and compelling voices,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI Festivals. “This year’s festival offers audiences a chance to discover new perspectives on familiar topics and unique stories they may be hearing for the first time — demonstrating...
The films will unspool from June 19-23 in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, MD. See the full program for the fest below.
This year’s Centerpiece film will be American Factory, directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, which examines the culture clash resulting from the takeover of a Dayton, Oh, factory by a Chinese company. It will screen on Friday, June 21.
“Each year, the AFI Docs slate includes a variety of films exploring topical issues, intriguing personalities and compelling voices,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI Festivals. “This year’s festival offers audiences a chance to discover new perspectives on familiar topics and unique stories they may be hearing for the first time — demonstrating...
- 5/15/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The 91st Annual Academy Awards were finally held on Sunday night, February 24, after months of anticipation. Heck, we were already considering this year’s Oscars when “Black Panther” was released more than a year ago. So who won, who lost, what were the biggest surprises, and what did it all mean in the context of the entire awards season? Follow along below for our live, minute-by-minute report and analysis of all the winners as they’re announced.
SEE2019 Oscars: Full list of winners (and losers) at the 91st Academy Awards [Updating Live]
This Oscar season was nothing if not turbulent, both in terms of the top contenders and the show itself. Should there be an award for Best Popular Film? Should they move some category announcements to the commercial breaks? Should anyone host the show after the controversy surrounding Kevin Hart? Who should present what categories? And how many of the nominated songs should be performed?...
SEE2019 Oscars: Full list of winners (and losers) at the 91st Academy Awards [Updating Live]
This Oscar season was nothing if not turbulent, both in terms of the top contenders and the show itself. Should there be an award for Best Popular Film? Should they move some category announcements to the commercial breaks? Should anyone host the show after the controversy surrounding Kevin Hart? Who should present what categories? And how many of the nominated songs should be performed?...
- 2/25/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Asian filmmakers made history at the Oscars this year when the nominations for Best Documentary Feature were announced. There are five directors and producers of Asian descent in the category this year representing three different films, far more than ever before. In fact, there has never been more than one film in any given year with an Asian nominee.
“Free Solo” is directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, who are both of Chinese heritage. The film follows rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts an unassisted ascent up the El Capitan vertical rock formation. The film just won Best Documentary at the BAFTAs, and it’s now the front-runner at the Oscars with leading odds of 7/2, moving just ahead of “Rbg.” Chin and Vasarhelyi would be just the second and third winners of Chinese descent, following Freida Lee Mock for “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision” (1994).
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“Free Solo” is directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, who are both of Chinese heritage. The film follows rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts an unassisted ascent up the El Capitan vertical rock formation. The film just won Best Documentary at the BAFTAs, and it’s now the front-runner at the Oscars with leading odds of 7/2, moving just ahead of “Rbg.” Chin and Vasarhelyi would be just the second and third winners of Chinese descent, following Freida Lee Mock for “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision” (1994).
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- 2/14/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Women directors and producers are consistent winners and well-represented as nominees when it comes to documentaries in awards season. Barbara Kopple is a two-time Oscar-winning documentary director; Freida Lee Mock is an Oscar winner and was the Academy’s first documentary branch governor; Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour”) and Zana Briski (“Born Into Brothels”) are the two women who’ve taken home the gold statuette as directors most recently. It’s a field in which women have made their mark in cinematography and editing, too, and are not outliers.
“Women have always been fiercely part of the documentary filmmaking movement,” says Diane Weyermann, Participant Media’s president of documentary film and TV. The barriers to entry are not as high when compared to scripted/narrative features, especially when it comes to financing. Production costs are less and crews are traditionally a fraction of the size. There’s also the longstanding tradition of...
“Women have always been fiercely part of the documentary filmmaking movement,” says Diane Weyermann, Participant Media’s president of documentary film and TV. The barriers to entry are not as high when compared to scripted/narrative features, especially when it comes to financing. Production costs are less and crews are traditionally a fraction of the size. There’s also the longstanding tradition of...
- 11/9/2018
- by Kathy A. McDonald
- Variety Film + TV
At the conclusion of Freida Lee Mock’s 2014 documentary “Anita,” gender inequality crusader and Clarence Thomas accuser Anita Hill offers a glimpse at the bright future she’s long worked toward. “We really have been building on an understanding of what equality means, whether we fight to gender equality or racial equality or equal rights based on sexual identity,” Hill says. “We have a much better understanding of what it takes to get there in 2011 or 2012 than we had in 1991.” It’s an upbeat, forward-thinking end to a film often riddled with painful memories for both Hill and its audience.
Just four years later, that optimism has been replaced by an uneasy deja vu.
Next week, it’s expected that both Supreme Court appointee Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexual assault during their high school years, will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Just four years later, that optimism has been replaced by an uneasy deja vu.
Next week, it’s expected that both Supreme Court appointee Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexual assault during their high school years, will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- 9/20/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Two of the world’s most influential women — pioneering primatologist Jane Goodall and lauded writer Joan Didion — are both on the receiving end of insightful new documentaries this year, both of which are hitting screens in the coming weeks. Brett Morgen’s “Jane” (which opened just last week to deservedly rave reviews) tracks the early years of Goodall’s work in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park, combining both new interviews with the still-trailblazing scientist and early footage lensed by her former husband Hugo van Lawick (a celebrated animal photographer) to tell a full-bodied story about Goddall’s amazing ethic and her tremendous empathy for the animals she’s made the center of her life.
This week, Griffin Dunne’s look at Didion’s life, “Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold,” will arrive on Netflix, following her own early years and her current state as a literary icon. Both...
This week, Griffin Dunne’s look at Didion’s life, “Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold,” will arrive on Netflix, following her own early years and her current state as a literary icon. Both...
- 10/24/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
California beaches and the Pacific Coast Highway are central characters in Terry Sanders’ nostalgic feature, but even so there’s no there there. Liza, Liza, Skies Are Grey — taking its title from a 1929 Gershwin song and set in the summer of 1966 — is a meandering journey, too tepid to stir up the feelings of yearning and rebellion that it aims to evoke.
Sanders, who produced the Oscar-winning Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (directed by his wife, Freida Lee Mock) and served as second unit director on The Night of the Hunter, brushed off a screenplay he wrote 45...
Sanders, who produced the Oscar-winning Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (directed by his wife, Freida Lee Mock) and served as second unit director on The Night of the Hunter, brushed off a screenplay he wrote 45...
- 8/11/2017
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Glenn here. Each Tuesday we bring you reviews and features on documentaries from theatres, festivals, and on demand. This week we're looking at three documentaries and their narrative counterparts.
In the recently aired Confirmation (reviewed right here) about Anita Hill, director Rick Famuyiwa keeps the action to a very strict window of time surrounding the appointment of Judge Clarence Thomas to the Us Supreme Court. What could have been a chance to explore the greater issues around Hill’s controversial moment in the spotlight ultimately becomes little more than a re-enactment that even so much as shrugging at committing to a belief that Thomas did or did not do what he was claimed to have done. The film only truly entertains when it goes backstage and peeks behind the Washington curtain of handshaking and decision dealing and by allowing us non Shondaland disciples the chance to watch Kerry Washington at work.
In the recently aired Confirmation (reviewed right here) about Anita Hill, director Rick Famuyiwa keeps the action to a very strict window of time surrounding the appointment of Judge Clarence Thomas to the Us Supreme Court. What could have been a chance to explore the greater issues around Hill’s controversial moment in the spotlight ultimately becomes little more than a re-enactment that even so much as shrugging at committing to a belief that Thomas did or did not do what he was claimed to have done. The film only truly entertains when it goes backstage and peeks behind the Washington curtain of handshaking and decision dealing and by allowing us non Shondaland disciples the chance to watch Kerry Washington at work.
- 4/26/2016
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Update: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has issued an apology for the two derogatory skits about Asians that aired during the Oscars. Per Variety, it reads: "The Academy appreciates the concerns stated, and regrets that any aspect of the Oscar telecast was offensive. We are committed to doing our best to ensure that material in future shows be more culturally sensitive."
Director Ang Lee, actress Sandra Oh and Star Trek star George Takei are among 25 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Asian...
Director Ang Lee, actress Sandra Oh and Star Trek star George Takei are among 25 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Asian...
- 3/15/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Twenty-five members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who are of Asian descent — among them two-time best director Oscar winner Ang Lee and former members of the board of governors Arthur Dong, Don Hall and Freida Lee Mock — have sent a letter to the organization protesting "tasteless and offensive skits" about Asians that were featured on the 88th Academy Awards on Feb. 28, the same ceremony at which the Academy's alleged bias against blacks was a primary focus of host Chris Rock. The Oscar-night references to Asians that have members of the
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- 3/15/2016
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It's been over two decades since the explosive 1991 hearings in which law professor Anita Hill discussed allegations of sexual misconduct by then U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. With the premiere of "Anita," the new feature length documentary reflecting on those events, the question that continues to come up from audiences and press alike is, "Why tell this story now?" When director Freida Lee Mock began filming in 2011, she was looking to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the hearings. But beyond the benchmark in American history, the film proves to be timely as it highlights issues surrounding sexual harassment that are very much alive today. The...
- 5/8/2015
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
The 4th annual Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff), scheduled for November 12-16, 2014, announced its Narrative and Documentary feature film competition lineups as well as Jury members. The 2014 Festival will screen 22 feature films in competition. The full film program line-up, including out-of-competition special presentations, sneak previews of awards season contenders, and narrative, documentary and animated shorts, will be announced in September.
“Our thoughts are with everyone in the Napa Valley who have suffered losses from the recent earthquake,” said Co-Founder/Artistic Director Marc Lhormer. “We are proud to be part of a community that rallies in support of each other in such a generous and big hearted way. As they say in the business, the show must go on.”
“This is an exceptionally strong year for both the Narrative and Documentary competition programs,” said Program Director Herb Stratford. “These filmmakers have created new works that provoke, inspire, educate and entertain. They are the heart of our program each year, which includes more than 100 new independent films and advance studio screenings, and we are excited to announce their participation in the festival.”
Directors of the Narrative and Documentary films in competition participate in Nvff’s unique Artists-in-Residence Program presented in partnership with the incomparable Meadowood Napa Valley. Directors stay at the luxury resort for six nights during the festival and are treated to special events and workshops with their competition group and industry mentors. Serving as faculty for a set of Master Classes at Nvff 2014 are producer Ted Hope ( Adventureland, 21 Grams); writer/director Joshua Michael Stern (Jobs, Swing Vote) writer/director Joe Carnahan (The Blacklist; The Grey, Smokin’ Aces); producer Pam Koffler (Killer Films); and producer J. Todd Harris ( The Kids are All Right; Bottle Shock); Ryan Harrington (Tribeca Film Institute); producer Jason Berman (Struck by Lightning, Luv); producer Anne Carey (Archer Gray Productions); executives Tom Quinn (RADiUS) and David Glasser (The Weinstein Company). Meadowood Napa Valley will also award $10,000 to the winning filmmakers in both the Narrative and Documentary competition categories at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 16.
Narrative Competition Section
Films in the Narrative competition section feature actors Anne Hathaway, Billie Joe Armstrong, Elizabeth Banks, Tate Donovan, Rachael Harris, Zoe Kravitz, Stephen Lang, Leighton Meester, Debra Messing, Dev Patel, Kyra Sedgwick, Chloe Sevigny and Paul Wesley, among others. The 12 films selected include:
"Thank You A Lot"- Music agent and manager Jack Hand has a bad reputation and an even worse track record. He has only two clients left: an indie band on the verge of a breakup and a part-time hip-hop artist. Jack’s future hinges on signing the one person he is barely on speaking terms with — his estranged father, a respected and reclusive country singer/songwriter. "East Side Sushi"- Juana‘s work – preparing fruit for the family’s sidewalk cart – is steady, but hardly her life’s calling. Despite the objections and concerns of her family, Juana decides to pursue her dream of becoming an expert sushi chef, to go where her heart tells her, not where she is expected to be. "Fall To Rise" - Principal dancer Lauren Drake is beautiful, talented and famous. When Lauren is released from her company after being sidelined by an injury, she quickly becomes frustrated with her new domestic lifestyle. At a performance by another dance company, she meets and teams up with Des, a former dancer who is also eager to have a second chance in the dance world. "Little Accidents" (Isa: William Morris Endeavor Entertainment) - In a small West Virginia town reeling from a recent tragic accident in the local mine, a fresh unfortunate incident in the woods leaves a young boy dead. Meanwhile Owen, an injured miner struggling to adjust to his new life aboveground, joins the search for the first boy who is presumed lost in the woods. "Like Sunday, Like Rain" - Reggie Kipper is a sweet, awkward cello prodigy, a composer and overall genius. He’s about to graduate from high school and enroll at MIT — and he’s is only twelve years old. Eleanor Fallon is a 23-year old struggling musician who meets Reggie when she is hired to be his au pair, and the unlikely duo embarks on a summer adventure that neither of them ever expected. "Sun Belt Express"- Allen King, a man living on the Arizona/Mexico border, finds out what his breaking point is when his ex-wife demands money, and his job teaching at a college south of the border evaporates. Allen then finds a unique way to supplant his income by transporting illegal aliens in the trunk of his car. "Sam & Amira" (Isa: Preferred Entertainment) - Sam is an army veteran struggling to assimilate into normal life stateside. He works a variety of odd jobs, tries his hand at stand-up comedy, and is recruited by his cousin into some shady investment dealings. Sam’s already complicated life is made more so by Amira, an Iraqi woman dealing with her own issues who is the daughter of an old army colleague. "Song One" (Isa: Lotus Entertainment) - Estranged from her family, Franny returns home when an accident leaves her brother comatose. Retracing his life as an aspiring singer-songwriter, she tracks down his favorite musician, James Forester. Against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s music scene, Franny and James develop an unexpected relationship and face the realities of their lives. "The Road Within" (Isa: Panorama Media) - Vincent has Tourette Syndrome. When his mother dies, he becomes obsessed with scattering her ashes by the ocean. Too much for his father to handle, Vincent is sent to a residential treatment center in Nevada where he befriends two other “inmates” struggling with their own personal issues. "Kinderwald" - Pennsylvania wilderness, 1885. John Linden, a hard-working German immigrant, is making a go of homesteading with his brother’s widow and her two young sons. John’s visually and spiritually idyllic world is thrown into utter chaos when the two boys go missing while off playing in the woods. "Wildlike" (Isa: Panorama Media) - Mackenzie is a fourteen-year-old girl whose father died last year. When her struggling mother checks herself into a recovery center, Mackenzie is sent from their Seattle home to live with her uncle in Alaska. At first he seems a supportive caretaker, but when his infatuation crosses a sexual line, Mackenzie runs away. With no one else to turn to, she shadows a solitary backpacker, Bartlett, a widowed man with scars of his own, into the beauty and danger of America’s last frontier.
Documentary Competition Section
"American Native" - For years, the legend of the Jackson Whites tribe has been told, passed down from generation to generation of New Jersey suburbanites. While the garish stories and tall tales have never been hard to find, the truth behind them has. Accessing the community is not easy; few outsiders have been able to penetrate the insular walls formed from centuries of discrimination. "Botso" - Dr. Botso Korisheli, 91 and still teaching music along with his unique philosophy, has a fascinating and unforgettable life story. Born in the former Soviet State of Georgia, Botso witnessed his father imprisoned under orders from Josef Stalin while his home was taken over by the Kgb. Forced to dig ditches for the Soviet army, Botso was then captured by the Germans. "Flying The Feathered Edge" - Robert A. “Bob” Hoover, age 92, is considered by many to be our greatest living aviator. Nicknamed “The Pilot’s Pilot” by his peers, Bob is largely unknown outside aviation circles despite his staggering array of accomplishments. Following a storied career during WWII as a fighter pilot, Bob continued to serve for years as one of our best test pilots. Mr. Hoover will be in attendance for screenings and Q&As. "Happy Valley" (Isa: Submarine Entertainment) - Few sports dynasties in the modern era have had a larger and longer-lasting profile than college football’s Penn State and its legendary coach Joe Paterno. State College, Pennsylvania, is in the heart of an area known as Happy Valley, ground zero of a proud football tradition for decades. When the shocking sex abuse scandal of assistant coach Jerry Sandusky rocked that town and college in 2011, the impact was unprecedented. "Havana Curveball" - At age 13 and preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, Mica takes to heart his rabbi’s injunction to help “heal the world.” Mica imagines himself a hero for other kids, and hatches a grand plan to send baseballs, bats and gloves to Cuba. Mica knows only that Cubans are poor and love baseball, and that Cuba “saved” his grandpa’s life when he was escaping from Nazi Germany. "States of Grace" - Dr. Grace Dammann’s life was forever altered when a driver crashed head-on into her car on the Golden Gate Bridge. After a seven-week coma and numerous surgeries, Grace miraculously regained consciousness, with her cognitive abilities almost entirely intact, but her body left shattered and severely disabled. "Underwater Dreams" - The epic story of four teenage boys from the Arizona desert who dare to go up against college engineering students from MIT. Inspired by two energetic high school science teachers, the boys build a robot from hardware store parts and enter an underwater robotics competition sponsored by Nasa. "An Honest Liar" - For as long as there have been magicians and illusionists, there have been doubters and debunkers making sure that the general public doesn’t get taken for a ride. One of the greatest illusionists of his era was “The Amazing Randi,” who made the shift from magic and escape acts to exposing the frauds who prey on unsuspecting victims. "Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank" (Isa: Preferred Content) - Few members of the U.S. Congress have ever been as polarizing and revolutionary as Barney Frank has been over the past 40 years. Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank examines the career, passions and legacy of our first openly gay Congressman. This rare and intimate documentary is entertaining, enlightening and thought-provoking. "#chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes On A Dictator" (Isa: Preferred Content) - In #chicagoGirl, we meet freedom fighters in the streets of Homs and Damascus along with the stateside collection of exiles working to return Syria to a stable and human rights-respecting country. Will 21st century tools of change stand up to guns and violence and terror in the streets? Narrative Features Jury
Christine Vachon , (Producer, "Boys Don’t Cry," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Far From Heaven")
Peter Baxter ( Co-founder/Director Slamdance Film Festival)
Dierk Sinderman (Hollywood Foreign Press Association)
Lisa Truitt ( Producer, James Cameron’s "Deepsea Challenge 3D,""Mysteries of Egypt")
Don Lewis (Producer; Editor Film Threat)
Documentary Features and Shorts Jury
Morgan Neville ("Twenty Feet From Stardom")
Tiffany Shlain ("The Tribe; Connected: An Autobiography About Love," "Death & Technology")
Freida Lee Mock ("Anita. G-Dog,""Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision," "Return with Honor")
Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine ("Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden,""Ballets Russes").
Narrative Shorts Jury
Joshua Michael Stern ("Jobs,""Swing Vote," "Neverwas")
Ralph Macchio (Actor, "The Karate Kid;" Director, "Across Grace Alley")
Neil Berkeley ("Beauty in Embarrassing;" Founder Brkl)
Animated Shorts
Bill Plympton (The King of Indie Animation)
Adam Glick (Amazon Web Services)
Ryan Tudhope (Atomic Fiction)
About The Napa Valley Film Festival
The Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Napa, California. The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, Nvff lights up the picturesque towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga at the most colorful time of year. Nvff features over 100 new independent films and studio sneak previews screening in 12 beautiful venues throughout four walkable villages, as 300 visiting filmmakers interact with audiences at screenings and intimate events. Attendees enjoy film panels & culinary demonstrations, wine tasting pavilions, the spectacular Festival Gala, Celebrity Tributes, Awards Ceremony, and an array of parties, VIP receptions and winemaker dinners and more. For information or to buy passes, visit NapaValleyFilmFest.org...
“Our thoughts are with everyone in the Napa Valley who have suffered losses from the recent earthquake,” said Co-Founder/Artistic Director Marc Lhormer. “We are proud to be part of a community that rallies in support of each other in such a generous and big hearted way. As they say in the business, the show must go on.”
“This is an exceptionally strong year for both the Narrative and Documentary competition programs,” said Program Director Herb Stratford. “These filmmakers have created new works that provoke, inspire, educate and entertain. They are the heart of our program each year, which includes more than 100 new independent films and advance studio screenings, and we are excited to announce their participation in the festival.”
Directors of the Narrative and Documentary films in competition participate in Nvff’s unique Artists-in-Residence Program presented in partnership with the incomparable Meadowood Napa Valley. Directors stay at the luxury resort for six nights during the festival and are treated to special events and workshops with their competition group and industry mentors. Serving as faculty for a set of Master Classes at Nvff 2014 are producer Ted Hope ( Adventureland, 21 Grams); writer/director Joshua Michael Stern (Jobs, Swing Vote) writer/director Joe Carnahan (The Blacklist; The Grey, Smokin’ Aces); producer Pam Koffler (Killer Films); and producer J. Todd Harris ( The Kids are All Right; Bottle Shock); Ryan Harrington (Tribeca Film Institute); producer Jason Berman (Struck by Lightning, Luv); producer Anne Carey (Archer Gray Productions); executives Tom Quinn (RADiUS) and David Glasser (The Weinstein Company). Meadowood Napa Valley will also award $10,000 to the winning filmmakers in both the Narrative and Documentary competition categories at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 16.
Narrative Competition Section
Films in the Narrative competition section feature actors Anne Hathaway, Billie Joe Armstrong, Elizabeth Banks, Tate Donovan, Rachael Harris, Zoe Kravitz, Stephen Lang, Leighton Meester, Debra Messing, Dev Patel, Kyra Sedgwick, Chloe Sevigny and Paul Wesley, among others. The 12 films selected include:
"Thank You A Lot"- Music agent and manager Jack Hand has a bad reputation and an even worse track record. He has only two clients left: an indie band on the verge of a breakup and a part-time hip-hop artist. Jack’s future hinges on signing the one person he is barely on speaking terms with — his estranged father, a respected and reclusive country singer/songwriter. "East Side Sushi"- Juana‘s work – preparing fruit for the family’s sidewalk cart – is steady, but hardly her life’s calling. Despite the objections and concerns of her family, Juana decides to pursue her dream of becoming an expert sushi chef, to go where her heart tells her, not where she is expected to be. "Fall To Rise" - Principal dancer Lauren Drake is beautiful, talented and famous. When Lauren is released from her company after being sidelined by an injury, she quickly becomes frustrated with her new domestic lifestyle. At a performance by another dance company, she meets and teams up with Des, a former dancer who is also eager to have a second chance in the dance world. "Little Accidents" (Isa: William Morris Endeavor Entertainment) - In a small West Virginia town reeling from a recent tragic accident in the local mine, a fresh unfortunate incident in the woods leaves a young boy dead. Meanwhile Owen, an injured miner struggling to adjust to his new life aboveground, joins the search for the first boy who is presumed lost in the woods. "Like Sunday, Like Rain" - Reggie Kipper is a sweet, awkward cello prodigy, a composer and overall genius. He’s about to graduate from high school and enroll at MIT — and he’s is only twelve years old. Eleanor Fallon is a 23-year old struggling musician who meets Reggie when she is hired to be his au pair, and the unlikely duo embarks on a summer adventure that neither of them ever expected. "Sun Belt Express"- Allen King, a man living on the Arizona/Mexico border, finds out what his breaking point is when his ex-wife demands money, and his job teaching at a college south of the border evaporates. Allen then finds a unique way to supplant his income by transporting illegal aliens in the trunk of his car. "Sam & Amira" (Isa: Preferred Entertainment) - Sam is an army veteran struggling to assimilate into normal life stateside. He works a variety of odd jobs, tries his hand at stand-up comedy, and is recruited by his cousin into some shady investment dealings. Sam’s already complicated life is made more so by Amira, an Iraqi woman dealing with her own issues who is the daughter of an old army colleague. "Song One" (Isa: Lotus Entertainment) - Estranged from her family, Franny returns home when an accident leaves her brother comatose. Retracing his life as an aspiring singer-songwriter, she tracks down his favorite musician, James Forester. Against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s music scene, Franny and James develop an unexpected relationship and face the realities of their lives. "The Road Within" (Isa: Panorama Media) - Vincent has Tourette Syndrome. When his mother dies, he becomes obsessed with scattering her ashes by the ocean. Too much for his father to handle, Vincent is sent to a residential treatment center in Nevada where he befriends two other “inmates” struggling with their own personal issues. "Kinderwald" - Pennsylvania wilderness, 1885. John Linden, a hard-working German immigrant, is making a go of homesteading with his brother’s widow and her two young sons. John’s visually and spiritually idyllic world is thrown into utter chaos when the two boys go missing while off playing in the woods. "Wildlike" (Isa: Panorama Media) - Mackenzie is a fourteen-year-old girl whose father died last year. When her struggling mother checks herself into a recovery center, Mackenzie is sent from their Seattle home to live with her uncle in Alaska. At first he seems a supportive caretaker, but when his infatuation crosses a sexual line, Mackenzie runs away. With no one else to turn to, she shadows a solitary backpacker, Bartlett, a widowed man with scars of his own, into the beauty and danger of America’s last frontier.
Documentary Competition Section
"American Native" - For years, the legend of the Jackson Whites tribe has been told, passed down from generation to generation of New Jersey suburbanites. While the garish stories and tall tales have never been hard to find, the truth behind them has. Accessing the community is not easy; few outsiders have been able to penetrate the insular walls formed from centuries of discrimination. "Botso" - Dr. Botso Korisheli, 91 and still teaching music along with his unique philosophy, has a fascinating and unforgettable life story. Born in the former Soviet State of Georgia, Botso witnessed his father imprisoned under orders from Josef Stalin while his home was taken over by the Kgb. Forced to dig ditches for the Soviet army, Botso was then captured by the Germans. "Flying The Feathered Edge" - Robert A. “Bob” Hoover, age 92, is considered by many to be our greatest living aviator. Nicknamed “The Pilot’s Pilot” by his peers, Bob is largely unknown outside aviation circles despite his staggering array of accomplishments. Following a storied career during WWII as a fighter pilot, Bob continued to serve for years as one of our best test pilots. Mr. Hoover will be in attendance for screenings and Q&As. "Happy Valley" (Isa: Submarine Entertainment) - Few sports dynasties in the modern era have had a larger and longer-lasting profile than college football’s Penn State and its legendary coach Joe Paterno. State College, Pennsylvania, is in the heart of an area known as Happy Valley, ground zero of a proud football tradition for decades. When the shocking sex abuse scandal of assistant coach Jerry Sandusky rocked that town and college in 2011, the impact was unprecedented. "Havana Curveball" - At age 13 and preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, Mica takes to heart his rabbi’s injunction to help “heal the world.” Mica imagines himself a hero for other kids, and hatches a grand plan to send baseballs, bats and gloves to Cuba. Mica knows only that Cubans are poor and love baseball, and that Cuba “saved” his grandpa’s life when he was escaping from Nazi Germany. "States of Grace" - Dr. Grace Dammann’s life was forever altered when a driver crashed head-on into her car on the Golden Gate Bridge. After a seven-week coma and numerous surgeries, Grace miraculously regained consciousness, with her cognitive abilities almost entirely intact, but her body left shattered and severely disabled. "Underwater Dreams" - The epic story of four teenage boys from the Arizona desert who dare to go up against college engineering students from MIT. Inspired by two energetic high school science teachers, the boys build a robot from hardware store parts and enter an underwater robotics competition sponsored by Nasa. "An Honest Liar" - For as long as there have been magicians and illusionists, there have been doubters and debunkers making sure that the general public doesn’t get taken for a ride. One of the greatest illusionists of his era was “The Amazing Randi,” who made the shift from magic and escape acts to exposing the frauds who prey on unsuspecting victims. "Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank" (Isa: Preferred Content) - Few members of the U.S. Congress have ever been as polarizing and revolutionary as Barney Frank has been over the past 40 years. Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank examines the career, passions and legacy of our first openly gay Congressman. This rare and intimate documentary is entertaining, enlightening and thought-provoking. "#chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes On A Dictator" (Isa: Preferred Content) - In #chicagoGirl, we meet freedom fighters in the streets of Homs and Damascus along with the stateside collection of exiles working to return Syria to a stable and human rights-respecting country. Will 21st century tools of change stand up to guns and violence and terror in the streets? Narrative Features Jury
Christine Vachon , (Producer, "Boys Don’t Cry," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Far From Heaven")
Peter Baxter ( Co-founder/Director Slamdance Film Festival)
Dierk Sinderman (Hollywood Foreign Press Association)
Lisa Truitt ( Producer, James Cameron’s "Deepsea Challenge 3D,""Mysteries of Egypt")
Don Lewis (Producer; Editor Film Threat)
Documentary Features and Shorts Jury
Morgan Neville ("Twenty Feet From Stardom")
Tiffany Shlain ("The Tribe; Connected: An Autobiography About Love," "Death & Technology")
Freida Lee Mock ("Anita. G-Dog,""Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision," "Return with Honor")
Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine ("Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden,""Ballets Russes").
Narrative Shorts Jury
Joshua Michael Stern ("Jobs,""Swing Vote," "Neverwas")
Ralph Macchio (Actor, "The Karate Kid;" Director, "Across Grace Alley")
Neil Berkeley ("Beauty in Embarrassing;" Founder Brkl)
Animated Shorts
Bill Plympton (The King of Indie Animation)
Adam Glick (Amazon Web Services)
Ryan Tudhope (Atomic Fiction)
About The Napa Valley Film Festival
The Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Napa, California. The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, Nvff lights up the picturesque towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga at the most colorful time of year. Nvff features over 100 new independent films and studio sneak previews screening in 12 beautiful venues throughout four walkable villages, as 300 visiting filmmakers interact with audiences at screenings and intimate events. Attendees enjoy film panels & culinary demonstrations, wine tasting pavilions, the spectacular Festival Gala, Celebrity Tributes, Awards Ceremony, and an array of parties, VIP receptions and winemaker dinners and more. For information or to buy passes, visit NapaValleyFilmFest.org...
- 8/28/2014
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
It's been over two decades since the explosive 1991 hearings in which law professor Anita Hill discussed allegations of sexual misconduct by then U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. With the premiere of "Anita," the new feature length documentary reflecting on those events, the question that continues to come up from audiences and press alike is, "Why tell this story now?" When director Freida Lee Mock began filming in 2011, she was looking to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the hearings. But beyond the benchmark in American history, the film proves to be timely as it highlights issues surrounding sexual harassment that are very much alive today. The...
- 7/14/2014
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
Chicago – The saga of Anita Hill, an African American law professor from Oklahoma, electrified the United States in the early 1990s. During the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Ms. Hill testified that Thomas had created a workplace atmosphere of sexual harassment.
The story is told in the new documentary, “Anita.”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This event occurred amazingly – in a sense of how time flies – over 20 years ago, in September and October of 1991. The testimony was a lighting rod moment in social evolution, as the cool and calm Ms. Hill sat in front of a group of U.S. Senators, all white and all middle aged, and was grilled about her work experience at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Eeoc), with Clarence Thomas as her boss. The Republican Senators were charged with bringing her down, to try to obscure her testimony so that the Republican-appointed Thomas could be confirmed. But the Democrats were no better,...
The story is told in the new documentary, “Anita.”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This event occurred amazingly – in a sense of how time flies – over 20 years ago, in September and October of 1991. The testimony was a lighting rod moment in social evolution, as the cool and calm Ms. Hill sat in front of a group of U.S. Senators, all white and all middle aged, and was grilled about her work experience at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Eeoc), with Clarence Thomas as her boss. The Republican Senators were charged with bringing her down, to try to obscure her testimony so that the Republican-appointed Thomas could be confirmed. But the Democrats were no better,...
- 4/8/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
It's been over two decades since the explosive 1991 hearings in which law professor Anita Hill discussed allegations of sexual misconduct by then U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. With the premiere of Anita, the new feature length documentary reflecting on those events, the question that continues to come up from audiences and press alike is, "Why tell this story now?"When director Freida Lee Mock began filming in 2011, she was looking to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the hearings. But beyond the benchmark in American history, the film proves to be timely as it highlights issues surrounding sexual harassment that are very much alive today. The documentary is less about...
- 3/21/2014
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
Applications are now being accepted through June 6 for the Women In Film Foundation’s 2014 Film Finishing Fund grants. Women In Film will give up to $15,000 in cash, in-kind and consultation grants for the selected entries. Since its inception 29 years ago, the Film Finishing Fund has awarded more than $2 million worth of grants to over 170 films from all over the world. The Film Finishing Fund has an impressive track record selecting films for completion that went on to win major awards, distribution and network deals, including:-Cynthia Wade’s Freeheld, the 2008 Academy Award-winner for Best Documentary Short Subject-Freida Lee Mock’s Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision, the 1994 Academy Award-winner for Best Documentary-Esther Robinson’s A Walk Into The Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory, 2007 Teddy Award Winner at the Berlin Film Festival-Maryam Keshavarz’s Circumstance, the 2011 Sundance Audience Award winnerWinners will be announced in October 2014. More info on.
- 3/17/2014
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
It's been over two decades since the explosive 1991 hearings in which law professor Anita Hill discussed allegations of sexual misconduct by then U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. With the premiere of Anita, the new feature length documentary reflecting on those events, the question that continues to come up from audiences and press alike is, "Why tell this story now?"When director Freida Lee Mock began filming in 2011, she was looking to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the hearings. But beyond the benchmark in American history, the film proves to be timely as it highlights issues surrounding sexual harassment that are very much alive today. The documentary is less about...
- 2/13/2014
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
‘Stories We Tell,’ ‘Blackfish’ out of the Oscar 2014 race: Academy’s Documentary Branch ‘anti-female’? (Photo: Sarah Polley [with camera] directing ‘Stories We Tell’) Besides Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, among the other glaring Oscar 2014 absentees were Robert Redford and Golden Globe-winning composer Alex Ebert for All Is Lost; Joel and Ethan Coen’s well-received Inside Llewyn Davis from the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay shortlists; Daniel Brühl and his movie, Ron Howard’s Rush, which was completely shut out; two Weinstein Company releases that were also completely shut out, Lee Daniels’ The Butler and Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, and their respective stars Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, and Michael B. Jordan; Guillermo del Toro-Charlie Hunnam’s Pacific Rim and Marc Forster-Brad Pitt’s World War Z from any of the technical categories; and finally, Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell and Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s...
- 1/22/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is gearing up to celebrate the Academy Awards® in a very special way next year. As part of TCM’s annual 31 Days of Oscar® showcase in February 2014, the network will present the world premiere of Oscar, a brand-new documentary tracing the history of the Academy Awards. Produced by Telling Pictures, Inc., in association with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Academy) and Hollywood Newsreel, this fascinating special will take movie lovers on a journey through Hollywood history as it tells its story of the little statuette that became the industry’s most coveted prize.
Oscar is set to have its world television premiere on TCM Saturday, Feb. 1, the opening night of the 2014 edition of 31 Days of Oscar. With the new documentary as its centerpiece, 31 Days of Oscar will be themed around the history of the Academy Awards.
Featuring more than 300 Oscar-winning and nominated films,...
Oscar is set to have its world television premiere on TCM Saturday, Feb. 1, the opening night of the 2014 edition of 31 Days of Oscar. With the new documentary as its centerpiece, 31 Days of Oscar will be themed around the history of the Academy Awards.
Featuring more than 300 Oscar-winning and nominated films,...
- 9/30/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 13th edition of the Open Frame festival organised by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (Psbt) will be held from September 11 – 21, 2013. The event focuses on the documentaries made by women, on women. The festival aims to inspire, encourage and bring about awareness on women’s issues through discussions and conversations between the audiences and the filmmakers. The festival will be held at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
For more details see here.
The festival is divided in two parts: a) Film screening and discussions, b) Workshops
Workshops:
Film Appreciation Workshops: Film Appreciation by Prof. Suresh and Documentary Film Appreciation by Prof. Ajit Duara
Intensive Filmmaking Workshops: Aesthetics For Non-Fiction Filmmaking by Prof. Ajit Duara, Essentials Of Documentary Filmmaking by Rajiv Mehrotra and Aspects Of Documentary – Facts And Fictions by Sameera Jain
List of films:
13 September, Friday
10:00 Am – Beyond Women’s Stereotypes
Director: Bindu Nair / India / 2004
10:45 Am – The Grey Area...
For more details see here.
The festival is divided in two parts: a) Film screening and discussions, b) Workshops
Workshops:
Film Appreciation Workshops: Film Appreciation by Prof. Suresh and Documentary Film Appreciation by Prof. Ajit Duara
Intensive Filmmaking Workshops: Aesthetics For Non-Fiction Filmmaking by Prof. Ajit Duara, Essentials Of Documentary Filmmaking by Rajiv Mehrotra and Aspects Of Documentary – Facts And Fictions by Sameera Jain
List of films:
13 September, Friday
10:00 Am – Beyond Women’s Stereotypes
Director: Bindu Nair / India / 2004
10:45 Am – The Grey Area...
- 9/7/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (Awfj), a membership organization of leading women film journalists and critics from across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, announced seven nominees for a special Eda award, created to celebrate Pov’s 25th anniversary. The winner will be announced at Pov’s 26th-season launch party at its headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Thursday, June 6, 2013.
With this Eda award, the Awfj will honor the best female-directed film from the curated program MoMA Selects: Pov, a 25th Anniversary Retrospective, presented at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in February and March of 2013. A jury of five Awfj members selected the nominees.
The nominees are Better This World (directors: Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway), Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter(director: Deborah Hoffmann), Dark Circle (directors: Judy Irving, Christopher Beaver), The Education of Shelby Knox (directors:Marion Lipschutz, Rose Rosenblatt), Granito:...
With this Eda award, the Awfj will honor the best female-directed film from the curated program MoMA Selects: Pov, a 25th Anniversary Retrospective, presented at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in February and March of 2013. A jury of five Awfj members selected the nominees.
The nominees are Better This World (directors: Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway), Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter(director: Deborah Hoffmann), Dark Circle (directors: Judy Irving, Christopher Beaver), The Education of Shelby Knox (directors:Marion Lipschutz, Rose Rosenblatt), Granito:...
- 5/30/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Father Greg Boyle, a white Jesuit priest, is affectionately known as 'G-Dog' by the homies he has come to know during the 25 years he has spent in East L.A. He founded 'Homeboy Industries', an organization that serves former gang members and convicts with a continuum of services such as job training, tattoo removal, counseling, legal services, and substance abuse classes to ensure that the ex-bangers don’t return to their high-risk former lives. Homeboy Industries also offers job placement in its Homeboy businesses which includes cafes, catering, and retail stores to learn skills they can take with them to start their careers and new lives.
In G-Dog, a documentary directed by Academy Award winner Freida Lee Mock (Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision), we follow Boyle during a tumultuous year for Homeboy Industries. In 2010, the organization faced adversity in the form of crippling financial difficulties and two murders that served as a reminder that the streets are never too far away. Father Boyle's idea that, “nothing stops a bullet like a job” suddenly seemed like just that: an idea. Despite these arduous times, a sense of unconditional love permeates the air between everyone that steps foot into Homeboy Industries and a sense of community rather than self is paramount to these individuals. A loyalty that perhaps lingers in their DNA from their days of gang activity. Laced with humor and sweetness that betray the neighborhoods these men and women come from, G-Dog is a heartfelt, feel good movie about the difference one man has made to thousands just because he made an effort to try.
Out now at Cinema Village, NYC, 'G-Dog' is part of Docudrama, a slate of seven films that includes newly acquired titles fresh off the festival circuit.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
In G-Dog, a documentary directed by Academy Award winner Freida Lee Mock (Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision), we follow Boyle during a tumultuous year for Homeboy Industries. In 2010, the organization faced adversity in the form of crippling financial difficulties and two murders that served as a reminder that the streets are never too far away. Father Boyle's idea that, “nothing stops a bullet like a job” suddenly seemed like just that: an idea. Despite these arduous times, a sense of unconditional love permeates the air between everyone that steps foot into Homeboy Industries and a sense of community rather than self is paramount to these individuals. A loyalty that perhaps lingers in their DNA from their days of gang activity. Laced with humor and sweetness that betray the neighborhoods these men and women come from, G-Dog is a heartfelt, feel good movie about the difference one man has made to thousands just because he made an effort to try.
Out now at Cinema Village, NYC, 'G-Dog' is part of Docudrama, a slate of seven films that includes newly acquired titles fresh off the festival circuit.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 4/24/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Freida Lee Mock’s G-Dog belongs to a long line of feel-good documentaries that win audience awards at film festivals and make you feel like a jerk for not liking them. (See also Being Elmo, Searching for Sugar Man, and the upcoming Twenty Feet from Stardom.) This particular spirit-raiser is about Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest who started the gang-intervention program Homeboy Industries in 1988 and is, by all accounts, something of a saint. That the documentary taking its title from Boyle’s affectionate nickname often verges on hagiography should thus come as little surprise, nor should Mock’s tendency to maintain a breezy mood even when touching on such thorny subject matter as gang life and recidivism. Composed largely of testimonials from me...
- 4/24/2013
- Village Voice
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