“Dìdi,” a coming-of-age drama that won the U.S. dramatic audience award at Sundance, has sold to Focus Features. The semi-autobiographical film was written, produced and directed by Sean Wang in his feature debut.
The film follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in the throes of an awkward adolescence, as he enjoys the last month of summer before high school begins. He experiences the pangs of first love, becomes friends with some skaters (after promising to make videos of them), fights with his older sister and gets a hard-earned understanding of his mom. It is set in 2008, when MySpace was still a thing and TikTok had yet to explode.
Wang says he hopes that audiences will be able to see a version of themselves in the film, which stars Izaac Wang as the filmmaker’s cinematic alter-ego and Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor”) as his onscreen mother.
“’Dìdi (弟弟)’ is...
The film follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in the throes of an awkward adolescence, as he enjoys the last month of summer before high school begins. He experiences the pangs of first love, becomes friends with some skaters (after promising to make videos of them), fights with his older sister and gets a hard-earned understanding of his mom. It is set in 2008, when MySpace was still a thing and TikTok had yet to explode.
Wang says he hopes that audiences will be able to see a version of themselves in the film, which stars Izaac Wang as the filmmaker’s cinematic alter-ego and Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor”) as his onscreen mother.
“’Dìdi (弟弟)’ is...
- 1/31/2024
- by Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Writer-director Sean Wang is tough on himself in “Dìdi,” a fresh and funny summer-before-freshman-year flashback that provides an Asian American angle on that Sundanciest of indie-film genres: the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age movie. In what feels like a cross between Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap” and Jonah Hill’s “mid90s” — courtesy of the young director’s teenage desire to make skate videos — Wang serves up some of his most wince-inducing adolescent memories, from an aborted first kiss to the realization that he’d been trying to downplay his Taiwanese heritage.
Hacky creative writing coaches are always insisting, “Write what you know.” And yet, when the result comes out as specific and self-effacing as Wang’s Fremont, Calif.-set time capsule, it’s hard to improve on that advice. As Wang reminds, the year 2008 (which also saw the financial crisis in precipitous fall) found thousands of teens making the transition from...
Hacky creative writing coaches are always insisting, “Write what you know.” And yet, when the result comes out as specific and self-effacing as Wang’s Fremont, Calif.-set time capsule, it’s hard to improve on that advice. As Wang reminds, the year 2008 (which also saw the financial crisis in precipitous fall) found thousands of teens making the transition from...
- 1/20/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
As we wrap up our year-end coverage, IndieWire looks back at the people, projects, and ideas that defined 2023 — and what’s coming next.
As golden ages go, this one was more of a blip.
Five years ago, the box office celebrated nonfiction films: $22 million for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” $14 million for “Rbg,” $17.5 million for “Free Solo.” Critical favorites and Oscar nominees included films from exciting American first-time directors, including RaMell Ross’s lyrical breakthrough about life in rural Alabama, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” and Bing Liu’s moving personal exposé of domestic abuse in northern Illinois, “Minding the Gap.”
2023 lacked documentary touchstones. A few faith-based documentaries succeeded by preaching to the choir, but the most successful (non-concert) documentary released in theaters this year was the Yogi Berra baseball portrait “It Ain’t Over”. You also could include Magnolia Pictures’ “Joan Baez: I Am A Noise” or — if you...
As golden ages go, this one was more of a blip.
Five years ago, the box office celebrated nonfiction films: $22 million for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” $14 million for “Rbg,” $17.5 million for “Free Solo.” Critical favorites and Oscar nominees included films from exciting American first-time directors, including RaMell Ross’s lyrical breakthrough about life in rural Alabama, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” and Bing Liu’s moving personal exposé of domestic abuse in northern Illinois, “Minding the Gap.”
2023 lacked documentary touchstones. A few faith-based documentaries succeeded by preaching to the choir, but the most successful (non-concert) documentary released in theaters this year was the Yogi Berra baseball portrait “It Ain’t Over”. You also could include Magnolia Pictures’ “Joan Baez: I Am A Noise” or — if you...
- 12/19/2023
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Indiewire
A well-told story ends when the credits roll, but not so documentaries. There, in most cases, the lives of the people depicted on-screen continue on, transformed by the fact of being filmed — and even more by whatever attention the project ignites in the culture at large. That’s why, in the hundreds of post-screening Q&As I’ve seen for docs over the years, the same questions come up virtually without fail: What’s happened since? How are the movie’s subjects doing now?
In “Subject,” co-directors Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall catch up with the people at the center of several major documentaries — from “Hoop Dreams” and “The Wolfpack” to “Capturing the Friedmans” and “The Staircase” — to see how their involvement in such projects changed their lives. That may be the hook that lures in audiences, though the film is far more than just a years-later epilogue to those high-profile docs.
In “Subject,” co-directors Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall catch up with the people at the center of several major documentaries — from “Hoop Dreams” and “The Wolfpack” to “Capturing the Friedmans” and “The Staircase” — to see how their involvement in such projects changed their lives. That may be the hook that lures in audiences, though the film is far more than just a years-later epilogue to those high-profile docs.
- 11/6/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s Apple Original film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” composed by the late Robbie Robertson, is now available everywhere, the same day as the film’s theatrical release. Robertson died in August at the age of 80.
In addition to the original score he created for the film, the soundtrack includes six additional tracks featured in the film that are true to its 1920s Oklahoma backdrop. This was the eleventh collaboration between Robertson and Scorsese, who had worked together over the span of more than 40 years.
Robertson spent much of his childhood on the Six Nations Reserve through his mother’s Mohawk community; he thus had personal ties to “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which centers on the Osage Nation of the Midwest.
Before his passing, Robertson commented on his work and relationship with Scorsese: “I feel that the score is unexpected in many ways and...
In addition to the original score he created for the film, the soundtrack includes six additional tracks featured in the film that are true to its 1920s Oklahoma backdrop. This was the eleventh collaboration between Robertson and Scorsese, who had worked together over the span of more than 40 years.
Robertson spent much of his childhood on the Six Nations Reserve through his mother’s Mohawk community; he thus had personal ties to “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which centers on the Osage Nation of the Midwest.
Before his passing, Robertson commented on his work and relationship with Scorsese: “I feel that the score is unexpected in many ways and...
- 10/20/2023
- by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Valerie Wu, Jaden Thompson and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Plan B Entertainment partners Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner play their cards close to their chests when it comes to strategy and upcoming plans.
Co-president Kleiner gave a rare insight into the company’s inner workings this week at the San Sebastian Film Festival’s Creative Investor Conference, organized in association with CAA Media Finance.
“To do this gig you have to have some underlying idealism and optimism,” he said of navigating the current volatile market as a producer.
“We’re working with a mix of established filmmakers and more emerging talent. The spectrum is really wide. Whether its Nia DaCosta, Bing Liu, David Michod, Lee Isaac Chung or RaMell Ross, Bong [Joon-Ho], or Jo Kosinski on his Formula One movie, things kind of find their place but I definitely feel like the bar seems quite high these days.”
Kleiner, who is marking his 20th year at Plan B...
Co-president Kleiner gave a rare insight into the company’s inner workings this week at the San Sebastian Film Festival’s Creative Investor Conference, organized in association with CAA Media Finance.
“To do this gig you have to have some underlying idealism and optimism,” he said of navigating the current volatile market as a producer.
“We’re working with a mix of established filmmakers and more emerging talent. The spectrum is really wide. Whether its Nia DaCosta, Bing Liu, David Michod, Lee Isaac Chung or RaMell Ross, Bong [Joon-Ho], or Jo Kosinski on his Formula One movie, things kind of find their place but I definitely feel like the bar seems quite high these days.”
Kleiner, who is marking his 20th year at Plan B...
- 9/28/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
In The Art of Documentary, host and Oscar-nominee Jim LeBrecht takes listeners — and potential documentarians — on a journey with six filmmakers, who reveal not just what drew them to the medium but how they’re helping to reshape it.
The executive producer and sound engineer, best known for co-directing the Oscar-nominated disability rights doc Crip Camp with Nicole Newnham, kicks off each of the six episodes of the Film Academy original podcast by asking his guests about the incident that lit their fuse as documentarians. In the conversations that ensue, the filmmakers — Danny Cohen (Anonymous Club), Bing Liu (All These Sons), Chase Joynt and Aisling Chin-Yee (No Ordindary Man), Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson), Garrett Bradley (Time) and Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated) —unpack how their unique perspectives and identities shape their creative narratives and careers.
The discussions yield insights into how far documentary has come from its often exploitative cinéma vérité roots.
The executive producer and sound engineer, best known for co-directing the Oscar-nominated disability rights doc Crip Camp with Nicole Newnham, kicks off each of the six episodes of the Film Academy original podcast by asking his guests about the incident that lit their fuse as documentarians. In the conversations that ensue, the filmmakers — Danny Cohen (Anonymous Club), Bing Liu (All These Sons), Chase Joynt and Aisling Chin-Yee (No Ordindary Man), Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson), Garrett Bradley (Time) and Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated) —unpack how their unique perspectives and identities shape their creative narratives and careers.
The discussions yield insights into how far documentary has come from its often exploitative cinéma vérité roots.
- 7/6/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has launched an Academy Originals podcast, “The Art of Documentary.”
The new podcast is hosted by Oscar-nominee and “Crip Camp” documentarian Jim LeBrecht. The six-episode season will include LeBrecht sitting down with documentary filmmakers, as they reveal to the host and the audience their filmmaking processes.
“The Art of Documentary,” will chronicle “how a filmmaker approaches their subject and how they engage with it,” according to the press release. The podcast will highlight how the various documentarians work to find new filmmaking approaches, all in an effort to tell their stories in innovative ways. LeBrecht and guests will discuss how they achieve special access and how far they’ll go to get their story — even if that means taking dangerous risks.
The first episode features an interview with “Anonymous Club” documentarian Danny Cohen. The remaining five episodes will include interviews with filmmakers including Bing Liu,...
The new podcast is hosted by Oscar-nominee and “Crip Camp” documentarian Jim LeBrecht. The six-episode season will include LeBrecht sitting down with documentary filmmakers, as they reveal to the host and the audience their filmmaking processes.
“The Art of Documentary,” will chronicle “how a filmmaker approaches their subject and how they engage with it,” according to the press release. The podcast will highlight how the various documentarians work to find new filmmaking approaches, all in an effort to tell their stories in innovative ways. LeBrecht and guests will discuss how they achieve special access and how far they’ll go to get their story — even if that means taking dangerous risks.
The first episode features an interview with “Anonymous Club” documentarian Danny Cohen. The remaining five episodes will include interviews with filmmakers including Bing Liu,...
- 5/17/2023
- by Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Robert Morgan’s Talaria Media has launched development on Arigato Tokyo, a new drama set in the world of women’s professional wrestling, after acquiring a feature pitch by Daytime Emmy winner Mark Blutman. Jamie Anderson is on board to direct the pic, with Morgan to exec produce.
The film will tell the story of Annie Able, an aging pro wrestler, who despite battles with addiction and mental health, returns to the land of the Rising Sun to reignite her feud with local Japanese legend Hoshi Tokao, whose series of epic and often bloody matches in the late ’90s made them rich and famous. During the build-up of their big match at the landmark Tokyo Dome, Annie falls for the son of Hoshi, a young man half her age, and while the unlikely relationship angers Hoshi, the meaningful bond they form is unbreakable.
Blutman is...
The film will tell the story of Annie Able, an aging pro wrestler, who despite battles with addiction and mental health, returns to the land of the Rising Sun to reignite her feud with local Japanese legend Hoshi Tokao, whose series of epic and often bloody matches in the late ’90s made them rich and famous. During the build-up of their big match at the landmark Tokyo Dome, Annie falls for the son of Hoshi, a young man half her age, and while the unlikely relationship angers Hoshi, the meaningful bond they form is unbreakable.
Blutman is...
- 4/28/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
He has been testing the waters for some time now in terms of fiction (with Chinks in active development) but Minding the Gap docu-helmer Bing Liu‘s fiction debut will be the book-to-film adaptation of the prize-winning novel Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish (his debut novel). Plan B’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Pastel’s Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak, MGM Studios, and Orion Pictures are all getting behind the project. Production is set for this coming fall in New York city. They are currently casting the film.
Written by Polish-born American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok, this is about a Chinese Muslim refugee who is smuggled into the country in a truck and is determined to survive whatever America throws at her.…...
Written by Polish-born American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok, this is about a Chinese Muslim refugee who is smuggled into the country in a truck and is determined to survive whatever America throws at her.…...
- 3/21/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Eight Fellows to receive year-round support.
Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and Huesera director Michelle Garza are among the eight participants selected for the Sundance Institute’s fifth annual Momentum Fellowship.
The initiative supports and provides coaching to mid-career artists from historically marginalised communities and is aimed at talent who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment like an acclaimed feature or series.
The 2023 Momentum Fellows are: Francisca Alegria (whose debut feature The Cow Who Sang A Song Into the Future premiered at Sundance 2022); Rita Baghdadi (Sirens premiered at Sundance 2022 and and won the Outfest grand jury prize); Mexico’s Michelle Garza...
Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and Huesera director Michelle Garza are among the eight participants selected for the Sundance Institute’s fifth annual Momentum Fellowship.
The initiative supports and provides coaching to mid-career artists from historically marginalised communities and is aimed at talent who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment like an acclaimed feature or series.
The 2023 Momentum Fellows are: Francisca Alegria (whose debut feature The Cow Who Sang A Song Into the Future premiered at Sundance 2022); Rita Baghdadi (Sirens premiered at Sundance 2022 and and won the Outfest grand jury prize); Mexico’s Michelle Garza...
- 3/2/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Sundance Institute announced the eight participating filmmakers selected for the fifth annual Momentum Fellowship, a program “designed to support and provided coaching to midcareer artists with a focus on career development during a pivotal moment in their creative practice.”
The program was designed to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities and filmmakers that have “recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment” (like a TV show or movie). The Momentum Fellowship provides each artist with a ”full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career.” The Momentum Fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Among the Momentum Fellows are “Aftersun” director Charlotte Wells and “Nanny” filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu.
“The most ingenious part of Momentum is its timing at this precarious point in our careers as we all consider our futures beyond the first film.
The program was designed to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities and filmmakers that have “recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment” (like a TV show or movie). The Momentum Fellowship provides each artist with a ”full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career.” The Momentum Fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Among the Momentum Fellows are “Aftersun” director Charlotte Wells and “Nanny” filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu.
“The most ingenious part of Momentum is its timing at this precarious point in our careers as we all consider our futures beyond the first film.
- 3/2/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Sundance Institute on Thursday announced the eight participants selected for the fifth annual Momentum Fellowship, a program at the nonprofit designed to support and provide coaching to mid-career artists with a focus on career development.
Created to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment, such as a regarded feature film or series, Momentum provides fellows with a full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career. The fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
The Momentum Fellowship includes an unrestricted artist grant; professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company, supported by The Harnisch Foundation; connection to Elevate, Sundance’s professional development initiative; and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff. Additionally, as part of an ongoing partnership with Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion team,...
Created to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment, such as a regarded feature film or series, Momentum provides fellows with a full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career. The fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
The Momentum Fellowship includes an unrestricted artist grant; professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company, supported by The Harnisch Foundation; connection to Elevate, Sundance’s professional development initiative; and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff. Additionally, as part of an ongoing partnership with Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion team,...
- 3/2/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The Independent Television Service president and CEO Sally Jo Fifer has announced her imminent departure, the org announced Tuesday. Fifer will remain in her role until a replacement has been onboarded.
“What a gift it has been these past 22 years to serve film artists who engage and transform our hearts and minds — make us more empathetic, more just, more wise,” Fifer said in an Itvs press release. “They give us hope for a better future.”
The nonprofit organization is an incubator for indie filmmakers that both co-produces documentary films and raises funding for production. During her tenure, Fifer tripled the organization’s operating budget from 7.7 to 23 million and executive produced over 1,000 films and docuseries, including director Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro” and Bing Liu’s feature directorial debut, “Minding the Gap.”
Fifer’s work has resulted in her association with 16 Oscar nominations, 37 Emmy wins and 35 Peabody Award recipients.
“What a gift it has been these past 22 years to serve film artists who engage and transform our hearts and minds — make us more empathetic, more just, more wise,” Fifer said in an Itvs press release. “They give us hope for a better future.”
The nonprofit organization is an incubator for indie filmmakers that both co-produces documentary films and raises funding for production. During her tenure, Fifer tripled the organization’s operating budget from 7.7 to 23 million and executive produced over 1,000 films and docuseries, including director Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro” and Bing Liu’s feature directorial debut, “Minding the Gap.”
Fifer’s work has resulted in her association with 16 Oscar nominations, 37 Emmy wins and 35 Peabody Award recipients.
- 1/17/2023
- by Katie Reul
- Variety Film + TV
Sally Jo Fifer is stepping down after 22 years as CEO of Independent Television Service, the documentary production and funding powerhouse. She will stay in her role while the Itvs board searches for a successor to Fifer, who joined the organization in 2001 after a stint as executive director of the Bay Area Video Coalition.
“What a gift it has been these past 22 years to serve film artists who engage and transform our hearts and minds — make us more empathetic, more just, more wise,” Fifer said in a statement. “They give us hope for a better future.”
Itvs said in a release, “Fifer has executive produced more than 1,000 films and docuseries in association with partners like the National Multicultural Alliance, Firelight Media, Kartemquin Films, Wnet, Weta, and Wgbh. Her credit appears on 16 Oscar nominees, 37 Primetime Emmy winners, 35 Peabody Award recipients. These critically acclaimed films and docuseries include titles such as I Am...
“What a gift it has been these past 22 years to serve film artists who engage and transform our hearts and minds — make us more empathetic, more just, more wise,” Fifer said in a statement. “They give us hope for a better future.”
Itvs said in a release, “Fifer has executive produced more than 1,000 films and docuseries in association with partners like the National Multicultural Alliance, Firelight Media, Kartemquin Films, Wnet, Weta, and Wgbh. Her credit appears on 16 Oscar nominees, 37 Primetime Emmy winners, 35 Peabody Award recipients. These critically acclaimed films and docuseries include titles such as I Am...
- 1/17/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Hard hitting social issue documentaries are getting more difficult to make and sell with each passing year. But despite the market’s fondness for true crime and celebrity-driven nonfiction content, the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program (Dfp) isn’t wavering when it comes to its support of docu filmmakers telling stories dealing with social impact topics including human rights, racial justice, gender equity, democracy, LGBTQ rights, environmental sustainability, freedom of expression, and civic empowerment.
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Dfp, which was established by the late Diane Weyermann in October 2002. In the last two decades the Dfp has supported more than 1,000 projects from all over the world via the fund and/or its Edit, Story, and Producers labs. Docus that have received financial and instructional support from the Dfp include Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Roger Ross Williams’ “God Loves Uganda,” Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson,” Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,...
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Dfp, which was established by the late Diane Weyermann in October 2002. In the last two decades the Dfp has supported more than 1,000 projects from all over the world via the fund and/or its Edit, Story, and Producers labs. Docus that have received financial and instructional support from the Dfp include Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Roger Ross Williams’ “God Loves Uganda,” Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson,” Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The relationship between documentary subject and documentarian has been fraught with conflict since the genre’s evolution beyond “actualities” and into a narrative format pioneered by Robert Flaherty. Interrogating what it means to become a “subject” in a documentary film that ultimately takes on a life and a folklore of its own, Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall have created an essential exploration of ethics with Subject.
It’s a code of ethics that some of the film’s scholars, critics, and festival programmers argue is needed more than ever in an era when nonfiction content is more in demand from all major streamers. For some, their story grows over time—like Margaret Ratliff, who as a teen agreed to participate in a documentary about the death of her mother and the murder conviction of her father, novelist Michael Peterson. She originally agreed to participate in the series to support her...
It’s a code of ethics that some of the film’s scholars, critics, and festival programmers argue is needed more than ever in an era when nonfiction content is more in demand from all major streamers. For some, their story grows over time—like Margaret Ratliff, who as a teen agreed to participate in a documentary about the death of her mother and the murder conviction of her father, novelist Michael Peterson. She originally agreed to participate in the series to support her...
- 6/27/2022
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: NBCU Academy and NBC News’ documentary division, NBC News Studios, have set Damon Davis (Chain of Rocks), Stephanie Wang-Breal (Florence from Ohio), Eric Juhola (The Queer Beat), Set Hernandez Rongkilyo (unseen), Brett Story and Stephen Maing (Untitled Labor Union Documentary), and Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler (Untitled Muscogee Nation Documentary) as the participants for their second annual Original Voices fellowship.
The program looks to support documentarians with projects in all stages of development, who identify as or—showcase stories highlighting social issues affecting—women, LGBTQ+, people with color, or people with disabilities. Each of the six filmmakers selected will receive a 60,000 grant, as well as the one-year artist development fellowship, designed to help them with the completion of their films. Fellows will also have access to archival research and production resources, as well as executives and journalists across NBC News Studios and the NBCUniversal News Group. NBCU News Group...
The program looks to support documentarians with projects in all stages of development, who identify as or—showcase stories highlighting social issues affecting—women, LGBTQ+, people with color, or people with disabilities. Each of the six filmmakers selected will receive a 60,000 grant, as well as the one-year artist development fellowship, designed to help them with the completion of their films. Fellows will also have access to archival research and production resources, as well as executives and journalists across NBC News Studios and the NBCUniversal News Group. NBCU News Group...
- 4/11/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The act of making an observational documentary is built on hope. Or at least, on the slightly reckless faith that once the cameras are rolling, patterns and arcs will duly emerge, coalescing into insightful, manageable storylines that can with luck be shaped to deliver an uptick of optimism. Joshua Altman and Bing Liu’s “All These Sons” certainly starts off in that vein, introducing us to its cast of characters — all men from Chicago’s South and West sides, involved in one of two programs addressing the scourge of gun and gang violence in the city — with the familiar energy of the urban social issues doc, promising illumination, hard-won wisdom, maybe even inspiration. Then the ambivalence of real life starts to tarnish that shiny promise, and “All These Sons” becomes a far more interesting, far less simple film.
The two programs targeting local at-risk youth are both loosely faith-based: the...
The two programs targeting local at-risk youth are both loosely faith-based: the...
- 3/29/2022
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
After highlighting the most overlooked films of 2021, today we put our spotlight on those that need a home in the first place: movies we loved on the festival circuit—from Berlinale, SXSW, Sundance, TIFF, NYFF, Rotterdam, and beyond—still seeking U.S. distribution.
For acting also as a 2021 retrospective, we hope that highlighting these titles spurs some distributor interests and a release in the next twelve months. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for the latest distribution updates. As we move into 2022, one can also track our upcoming festival coverage here.
We should note that The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet, Taming the Garden, and Liborio nearly made the cut, but they’ll get a digital premiere on Mubi this month.
Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard)
It’s so rare to find a romance between two middle-aged characters in which the main conflict is just baggage of past relationships and past hurt.
For acting also as a 2021 retrospective, we hope that highlighting these titles spurs some distributor interests and a release in the next twelve months. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for the latest distribution updates. As we move into 2022, one can also track our upcoming festival coverage here.
We should note that The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet, Taming the Garden, and Liborio nearly made the cut, but they’ll get a digital premiere on Mubi this month.
Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard)
It’s so rare to find a romance between two middle-aged characters in which the main conflict is just baggage of past relationships and past hurt.
- 1/3/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Moving Bangladesh wins $20,000 Sloan Fast Track Grant.
Projects from the UK, Bangladesh, Greece and Trinidad & Tobago were among 15 selected for Film Independent’s 19th Fast Track Film Finance Market that took place online from November 15-18, the organisation said on Friday.
The four-day programme connected participating filmmakers with financiers, production companies, agents, managers and other film industry professionals from, among others, A24, Decal, Maven Screen Media, Searchlight Pictures, Venice Film Festival, and Hollywood agencies.
Recent Fast Track projects completed include Bing Liu’s 2019 Oscar-nominated documentary Minding The Gap; Hikari’s 2019 Berlinale jury prize and audience award-winning debut 37 Seconds; Kirill Mikhanovsky...
Projects from the UK, Bangladesh, Greece and Trinidad & Tobago were among 15 selected for Film Independent’s 19th Fast Track Film Finance Market that took place online from November 15-18, the organisation said on Friday.
The four-day programme connected participating filmmakers with financiers, production companies, agents, managers and other film industry professionals from, among others, A24, Decal, Maven Screen Media, Searchlight Pictures, Venice Film Festival, and Hollywood agencies.
Recent Fast Track projects completed include Bing Liu’s 2019 Oscar-nominated documentary Minding The Gap; Hikari’s 2019 Berlinale jury prize and audience award-winning debut 37 Seconds; Kirill Mikhanovsky...
- 11/19/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
It’s a curious fact that some of the most notable documentaries of recent years have revolved, in one or another, around skateboarding.
Minding the Gap, the 2018 documentary by Bing Liu, earned an Academy Award nomination for its story of Liu and two friends who gravitate towards skateboarding as an escape from difficult upbringings. Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl), director Carol Dysinger’s 2020 film on a skateboarding school in Afghanistan that caters to girls, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject.
Skateboarding plays a central role in Joe Buffalo, a short documentary directed by Amar Chebib that’s a contender for Oscar consideration this year. The film centers on the eponymous Joe Buffalo, who was born to a family of Samson Cree heritage on the plains of Alberta, Canada. As a kid he saw a cousin pull off tricks on a board and became hooked himself.
Minding the Gap, the 2018 documentary by Bing Liu, earned an Academy Award nomination for its story of Liu and two friends who gravitate towards skateboarding as an escape from difficult upbringings. Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl), director Carol Dysinger’s 2020 film on a skateboarding school in Afghanistan that caters to girls, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject.
Skateboarding plays a central role in Joe Buffalo, a short documentary directed by Amar Chebib that’s a contender for Oscar consideration this year. The film centers on the eponymous Joe Buffalo, who was born to a family of Samson Cree heritage on the plains of Alberta, Canada. As a kid he saw a cousin pull off tricks on a board and became hooked himself.
- 10/10/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) added 65 titles to its lineup Tuesday, unveiling the non-competitive program sections Best of Fests, Masters and Paradocs. The 34th edition of IDFA takes place from Nov. 17-28 in Amsterdam.
Best of Fests honors award winners, critics’ picks and audience favorites from the year’s festivals. The 46 strong selection includes India-set story about estranged lovers “A Night of Knowing Nothing” by Payal Kapadia, documentary award winner at Cannes, wildlife film “The Velvet Queen,” by debut director Marie Amiguet, “Users,” an exploration of humanity’s future by Natalia Almada, and “Taming the Garden,” the slow-cinema feature by Salomé Jashi.
These are joined by buzzy audience films such as Alison Klayman’s Alanis Morissette biopic “Jagged,” and Bing Liu and Joshua Altman’s “All These Sons,” from the filmmaking team behind “Minding the Gap.” The section also pays tribute to the surprise gems from the festival circuit,...
Best of Fests honors award winners, critics’ picks and audience favorites from the year’s festivals. The 46 strong selection includes India-set story about estranged lovers “A Night of Knowing Nothing” by Payal Kapadia, documentary award winner at Cannes, wildlife film “The Velvet Queen,” by debut director Marie Amiguet, “Users,” an exploration of humanity’s future by Natalia Almada, and “Taming the Garden,” the slow-cinema feature by Salomé Jashi.
These are joined by buzzy audience films such as Alison Klayman’s Alanis Morissette biopic “Jagged,” and Bing Liu and Joshua Altman’s “All These Sons,” from the filmmaking team behind “Minding the Gap.” The section also pays tribute to the surprise gems from the festival circuit,...
- 10/5/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Documentaries are front and center at this year’s Telluride Film Festival, far more than usual, with 18 new releases in the main program (not classics) and a total of four from NatGeo Documentary Films. How did that happen? NatGeo is no stranger to quality nonfiction, from Oscar, BAFTA, and Emmy-winning “Free Solo” to Oscar-nominated Syria-under-siege documentary “The Cave.”
For one thing, one of the films booked for last year’s canceled festival is in the 2021 selection, as Tff co-director Julie Huntsinger welcomed rookie filmmaker Max Lowe back with “Torn,” the true story of a family hit hard by the loss of his father, legendary mountaineer Alex Lowe, killed in a Tibet avalanche in 1999.
Much like Bing Liu’s Oscar-winning “Minding the Gap,” “Torn” explores untapped emotions as Lowe seeks answers to complex and uncharted family dynamics, helped by his younger brothers, his mother, and her second husband, his father’s mountain partner,...
For one thing, one of the films booked for last year’s canceled festival is in the 2021 selection, as Tff co-director Julie Huntsinger welcomed rookie filmmaker Max Lowe back with “Torn,” the true story of a family hit hard by the loss of his father, legendary mountaineer Alex Lowe, killed in a Tibet avalanche in 1999.
Much like Bing Liu’s Oscar-winning “Minding the Gap,” “Torn” explores untapped emotions as Lowe seeks answers to complex and uncharted family dynamics, helped by his younger brothers, his mother, and her second husband, his father’s mountain partner,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Documentaries are front and center at this year’s Telluride Film Festival, far more than usual, with 18 new releases in the main program (not classics) and a total of four from NatGeo Documentary Films. How did that happen? NatGeo is no stranger to quality nonfiction, from Oscar, BAFTA, and Emmy-winning “Free Solo” to Oscar-nominated Syria-under-siege documentary “The Cave.”
For one thing, one of the films booked for last year’s canceled festival is in the 2021 selection, as Tff co-director Julie Huntsinger welcomed rookie filmmaker Max Lowe back with “Torn,” the true story of a family hit hard by the loss of his father, legendary mountaineer Alex Lowe, killed in a Tibet avalanche in 1999.
Much like Bing Liu’s Oscar-winning “Minding the Gap,” “Torn” explores untapped emotions as Lowe seeks answers to complex and uncharted family dynamics, helped by his younger brothers, his mother, and her second husband, his father’s mountain partner,...
For one thing, one of the films booked for last year’s canceled festival is in the 2021 selection, as Tff co-director Julie Huntsinger welcomed rookie filmmaker Max Lowe back with “Torn,” the true story of a family hit hard by the loss of his father, legendary mountaineer Alex Lowe, killed in a Tibet avalanche in 1999.
Much like Bing Liu’s Oscar-winning “Minding the Gap,” “Torn” explores untapped emotions as Lowe seeks answers to complex and uncharted family dynamics, helped by his younger brothers, his mother, and her second husband, his father’s mountain partner,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: The Souvenir Part II. (Courtesy of A24)NYFF has announced its full main slate, which includes Paul Verhoeven's Benedetta, Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir Part II, Julia Ducournau's Titane, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Memoria, and more. A long-gestating epistolary documentary that consists of a dialogue between Jean-Luc Godard and Iranian filmmaker and intellectual Ebrahim Golestan is set to premiere on the international festival circuit. The project consisted of Golestan sending emails with text and no visuals to Godard, who would respond with visuals and aphorisms. Mel Brooks' memoir, My Remarkable Life in Show Business, will be released November 30. The book is said to follow the "peaks and valleys" of Brooks' storied life beginning with his childhood, retold with his signature irreverent humor. Recommended VIEWINGThe official trailer for Andreas Fontana's riveting political thriller Azor,...
- 8/11/2021
- MUBI
Two documentary projects reflecting the African-American experience are recipients of the latest grants from the Hulu/Kartemquin Accelerator Program for filmmakers of color.
Freedom Hill, directed by Resita Cox, and Still Searching, directed by Latoya Flowers, will receive $20,000 each from the Accelerator program, now in its second year. The development grants go toward production, plus mentorship through the end of 2021 for both filmmakers “within the award-winning Kartemquin collaborative production model.”
“I am super excited that Kartemquin and Hulu chose two Black womyn filmmakers to invest in this year,” Cox said. “I look forward to developing this project with someone who has similar lived-experiences as a Black woman navigating a majority white film industry. I can’t wait to learn from Ktq and Hulu. Extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity to continue to uplift my home, North Carolina, and the 252 (Eastern Nc stand up!).”
Freedom Hill focuses on Princeville, Nc,...
Freedom Hill, directed by Resita Cox, and Still Searching, directed by Latoya Flowers, will receive $20,000 each from the Accelerator program, now in its second year. The development grants go toward production, plus mentorship through the end of 2021 for both filmmakers “within the award-winning Kartemquin collaborative production model.”
“I am super excited that Kartemquin and Hulu chose two Black womyn filmmakers to invest in this year,” Cox said. “I look forward to developing this project with someone who has similar lived-experiences as a Black woman navigating a majority white film industry. I can’t wait to learn from Ktq and Hulu. Extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity to continue to uplift my home, North Carolina, and the 252 (Eastern Nc stand up!).”
Freedom Hill focuses on Princeville, Nc,...
- 7/6/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s “Summer of Soul,” released nationwide in theaters July 2 and simultaneously on Hulu’s streaming service, is the latest in a series of high-profile documentaries from L.A.-based Concordia Studio since it formally launched early last year.
Concordia snagged a quarter of the 16 slots in the 2020 U.S. documentary competition at Sundance and landed a then record-breaking deal for Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine’s “Boys State” with A24 and Apple TV. Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” which like “Boys State” won an award at Sundance, was picked up by Amazon Studios and went on to become nominated for an Oscar. Ramona S. Diaz’s “A Thousand Cuts,” meanwhile, won a Gotham Award.
Not to be outdone, “Summer of Soul” scored two awards at Sundance this year, and broke “Boys State’s” record distribution deal, nabbing more than $12 million from Disney-owned Searchlight and Hulu, the most ever...
Concordia snagged a quarter of the 16 slots in the 2020 U.S. documentary competition at Sundance and landed a then record-breaking deal for Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine’s “Boys State” with A24 and Apple TV. Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” which like “Boys State” won an award at Sundance, was picked up by Amazon Studios and went on to become nominated for an Oscar. Ramona S. Diaz’s “A Thousand Cuts,” meanwhile, won a Gotham Award.
Not to be outdone, “Summer of Soul” scored two awards at Sundance this year, and broke “Boys State’s” record distribution deal, nabbing more than $12 million from Disney-owned Searchlight and Hulu, the most ever...
- 7/1/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Swerve & Protect: Liu/Altman Display Resilience at the Core
Bing Liu and Joshua Altman’s All These Sons is a rousing, hauntingly powerful tableau about the on-the-ground effort to quell gun violence in Chicago by an altruistic few. More specifically, the documentary follows two scrappy non-profit programs, both devoted to healing and educating at-risk Black men in hopes of saving them from patterns of systemic violence—in place of the police and criminal justice systems that have failed to protect them. Once again, Liu and Altman prove their knack for gaining subjects’ trust, capturing this decades-long conflict through an evocative, superbly personal lens.…...
Bing Liu and Joshua Altman’s All These Sons is a rousing, hauntingly powerful tableau about the on-the-ground effort to quell gun violence in Chicago by an altruistic few. More specifically, the documentary follows two scrappy non-profit programs, both devoted to healing and educating at-risk Black men in hopes of saving them from patterns of systemic violence—in place of the police and criminal justice systems that have failed to protect them. Once again, Liu and Altman prove their knack for gaining subjects’ trust, capturing this decades-long conflict through an evocative, superbly personal lens.…...
- 6/29/2021
- by Dylan Kai Dempsey
- IONCINEMA.com
Updated with audience award winners. The Tribeca Festival has announced its Audience Award winners: Catch the Fair One for Best Narrative Feature, Blind Ambition for Best Documentary Feature and Ferguson Rises for Best Online Feature. The winners of the narrative and documentary categories will receive a cash prize of $10,000.
Tribeca’s 20th edition wrapped up on Sunday.
Previously: Lauren Hadaway’s The Novice, about a queer college freshman who joins her university’s rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top boat, has won the Best U.S. Narrative Feature Film prize at the Tribeca Festival.
Star Isabelle Furman won the best actress prize, and Todd Martin took cinematography honors for the film, the first feature for Hadaway, a former competitive rower.
Brighton 4th, directed by Levan Koguashvili, won the fest’s Best International Narrative Feature Film prize, taking that honor as...
Tribeca’s 20th edition wrapped up on Sunday.
Previously: Lauren Hadaway’s The Novice, about a queer college freshman who joins her university’s rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top boat, has won the Best U.S. Narrative Feature Film prize at the Tribeca Festival.
Star Isabelle Furman won the best actress prize, and Todd Martin took cinematography honors for the film, the first feature for Hadaway, a former competitive rower.
Brighton 4th, directed by Levan Koguashvili, won the fest’s Best International Narrative Feature Film prize, taking that honor as...
- 6/24/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Tribeca Review: All These Sons Finds Minding the Gap Director Bing Liu Exploring Trauma with Empathy
With his first documentary Minding the Gap, Bing Liu turned the lens on himself and his friends to examine the domestic violence around them. One of the more human documentaries of the last decade, Liu’s film looked at Rockford, Illinois, and the racial and social elements that affect young men and women in this decent-sized city. With his newest effort, All These Sons, Liu and collaborator Joshua Altman focus on Chicago’s South and West Sides, following young Black men at Iman and Maafa, two community organizations aiming to keep these men away from the gun violence that surrounds them. Once again the resulting film bursts with empathy, built-in trauma, and forgiveness.
All These Sons follows the leaders and participants in these two programs as they strive to stay out of harm’s way, looking at the trauma of their past experiences, learning valuable and tangible skills, and sometimes...
All These Sons follows the leaders and participants in these two programs as they strive to stay out of harm’s way, looking at the trauma of their past experiences, learning valuable and tangible skills, and sometimes...
- 6/23/2021
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
In 2018, Bing Liu emerged as an exciting new filmmaker with his soul-searching skater documentary Minding the Gap, a deeply personal treatise on domestic violence and toxic masculinity in which his own family life heavily featured. But with All These Sons, Liu takes a step back and takes himself out of the frame to focus […]
The post ‘All These Sons’ Review: Bing Liu’s ‘Minding the Gap’ Follow-Up is a Compassionate Portrait of the Battle Against Gun Violence [Tribeca] appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘All These Sons’ Review: Bing Liu’s ‘Minding the Gap’ Follow-Up is a Compassionate Portrait of the Battle Against Gun Violence [Tribeca] appeared first on /Film.
- 6/22/2021
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Chicago – Going both ways … in-person screenings in New York City and virtual/online for at-home enjoyment proved a success for the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. The 20th Fest announced their Jury Competition Award Winners on June 17th, with honorees that included Games and Podcasts for the first time.
The top prizes went to “The Novice,” directed by Lauren Hadaway (Best U.S. Narrative), “Brighton 4th,” directed by Levan Koguashivili (Best International Narrative) and “Ascension,” Directed by Jessica Kingdon (Best Documentary).
Best U.S. Narrative Feature for 2021 is ‘The Novice,’ directed by Lauren Hadaway
Photo credit: Tribeca Film Festival
Awards were distributed in the following feature film competition categories – U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, New Narrative Director, and the Nora Ephron Prize, honoring a woman writer or director. Awards were also given in the short film categories – Narrative, Documentary, Student Visionary and Animation. New Directors were also honored with Narrative Awards,...
The top prizes went to “The Novice,” directed by Lauren Hadaway (Best U.S. Narrative), “Brighton 4th,” directed by Levan Koguashivili (Best International Narrative) and “Ascension,” Directed by Jessica Kingdon (Best Documentary).
Best U.S. Narrative Feature for 2021 is ‘The Novice,’ directed by Lauren Hadaway
Photo credit: Tribeca Film Festival
Awards were distributed in the following feature film competition categories – U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, New Narrative Director, and the Nora Ephron Prize, honoring a woman writer or director. Awards were also given in the short film categories – Narrative, Documentary, Student Visionary and Animation. New Directors were also honored with Narrative Awards,...
- 6/20/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Tribeca Festival 2021 has announced the full list of winners for each of its competition categories. Lauren Hadaway’s “The Novice” won for narrative feature, Levan Koguashvili’s “Brighton 4th” won for international feature and Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” won for documentary feature.
Awards were given out for the following competition categories: U.S. narrative, international narrative, documentary, short films, immersive, the Nora Ephron award and the first-ever podcast and games categories.
“It’s been a challenging time for filmmakers, storytellers, and actors, and we’re so proud to honor the perseverance and dedication many of them displayed while working through the many obstacles that arose as a result of Covid-19,” Cara Cusumano, festival director and vice president of programming, said in a statement. “Each of these recipients truly embody the spirit of our creative community.”
The winners of the audience awards, which are determined by audience votes throughout the festival,...
Awards were given out for the following competition categories: U.S. narrative, international narrative, documentary, short films, immersive, the Nora Ephron award and the first-ever podcast and games categories.
“It’s been a challenging time for filmmakers, storytellers, and actors, and we’re so proud to honor the perseverance and dedication many of them displayed while working through the many obstacles that arose as a result of Covid-19,” Cara Cusumano, festival director and vice president of programming, said in a statement. “Each of these recipients truly embody the spirit of our creative community.”
The winners of the audience awards, which are determined by audience votes throughout the festival,...
- 6/17/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago –The City of Chicago’s influence as a Film Town is one of its greatest strengths. Doc10, a ten documentary film fest mostly at the Northside’s Davis Theater, opens Thursday, June 17th, 2021. For information on the line-up and tickets, click here.
The opening film will be at the ChiTown drive-in, and will be the Sundance Festival sensation “The Summer of Soul” (capsule review below). Click on any title, either in the capsules or in this paragraph, for ticket and description information. The line up includes ”In the Same Breath”, ”Ailey”, ”My Name is Pauli Murray”, ”Pray Away”, ”Sabaya” and the Closing Night film, ”Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain”.
Summer of Soul
Photo credit: Doc10.org
The Doc10 Film Festival launched in 2016 to bring premieres of ten highly curated documentary films to Chicago in a neighborhood setting, as an extension of the work of Chicago Media Project (Cmp...
The opening film will be at the ChiTown drive-in, and will be the Sundance Festival sensation “The Summer of Soul” (capsule review below). Click on any title, either in the capsules or in this paragraph, for ticket and description information. The line up includes ”In the Same Breath”, ”Ailey”, ”My Name is Pauli Murray”, ”Pray Away”, ”Sabaya” and the Closing Night film, ”Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain”.
Summer of Soul
Photo credit: Doc10.org
The Doc10 Film Festival launched in 2016 to bring premieres of ten highly curated documentary films to Chicago in a neighborhood setting, as an extension of the work of Chicago Media Project (Cmp...
- 6/17/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival continues as a hybrid mix of New York City in-person events and online access, which includes the finest documentaries of 2021. The festival takes place through June 20th. For information on joining in via passes or tickets, click TribecaFilm.com.
The 2021 Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. This year’s celebration of storytelling can be enjoyed virtually through the “Tribeca At Home” program. Many of the most anticipated features and short films will be made available only as part of our Tribeca Online Premieres lineup … a diverse range of dramas, comedies and documentaries.
All These Sons
Photo credit: TribecaFilm.com
Documentaries Of Tribeca Fest: Capsule Reviews
Click the title...
The 2021 Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. This year’s celebration of storytelling can be enjoyed virtually through the “Tribeca At Home” program. Many of the most anticipated features and short films will be made available only as part of our Tribeca Online Premieres lineup … a diverse range of dramas, comedies and documentaries.
All These Sons
Photo credit: TribecaFilm.com
Documentaries Of Tribeca Fest: Capsule Reviews
Click the title...
- 6/16/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
"People look at these young people as being the problem but, man, they're actually the solution if you give them the chance."
Strong words, near the beginning of this documentary co-directed by Mind The Gap's Bing Liu and the Oscar-nominee's editor Joshua Altman, who pull up a chair to watch what is going on in two Chicago community programmes. The Maafa Redemption Project is a Baptist Church-driven initiative on Chicago's West Side aiming to give young men who are at risk of becoming perpetrators or victims of gun violence a suite of opportunities to help them redefine themselves. Meanwhile, across on the city's South Side, the Inner City Muslim Action network (Iman) also runs wellbeing, arts and educational programmes that aim to achieve a similar result.
The problems with gun violence in Chicago are well documented, so the directors don't have to do much to set the scene here,...
Strong words, near the beginning of this documentary co-directed by Mind The Gap's Bing Liu and the Oscar-nominee's editor Joshua Altman, who pull up a chair to watch what is going on in two Chicago community programmes. The Maafa Redemption Project is a Baptist Church-driven initiative on Chicago's West Side aiming to give young men who are at risk of becoming perpetrators or victims of gun violence a suite of opportunities to help them redefine themselves. Meanwhile, across on the city's South Side, the Inner City Muslim Action network (Iman) also runs wellbeing, arts and educational programmes that aim to achieve a similar result.
The problems with gun violence in Chicago are well documented, so the directors don't have to do much to set the scene here,...
- 6/15/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
All These Sons, a new documentary from Bing Liu and Joshua Altman, is likely to remind you of documentaries you’ve seen before, which is part of its simultaneously tragic and hopeful point.
Documentaries about gun violence in Chicago — the human toll and the people committed to trying to find solutions — are almost a cottage industry, and All These Sons plays as a follow-up to Steve James’ The Interrupters and as a parallel project to James’ recent City So Real, with the 2018 Jason Van Dyke trial featuring in each. It’s basically a sequel to Coodie and Chike’s Benji, one of the ...
Documentaries about gun violence in Chicago — the human toll and the people committed to trying to find solutions — are almost a cottage industry, and All These Sons plays as a follow-up to Steve James’ The Interrupters and as a parallel project to James’ recent City So Real, with the 2018 Jason Van Dyke trial featuring in each. It’s basically a sequel to Coodie and Chike’s Benji, one of the ...
- 6/12/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
All These Sons, a new documentary from Bing Liu and Joshua Altman, is likely to remind you of documentaries you’ve seen before, which is part of its simultaneously tragic and hopeful point.
Documentaries about gun violence in Chicago — the human toll and the people committed to trying to find solutions — are almost a cottage industry, and All These Sons plays as a follow-up to Steve James’ The Interrupters and as a parallel project to James’ recent City So Real, with the 2018 Jason Van Dyke trial featuring in each. It’s basically a sequel to Coodie and Chike’s Benji, one of the ...
Documentaries about gun violence in Chicago — the human toll and the people committed to trying to find solutions — are almost a cottage industry, and All These Sons plays as a follow-up to Steve James’ The Interrupters and as a parallel project to James’ recent City So Real, with the 2018 Jason Van Dyke trial featuring in each. It’s basically a sequel to Coodie and Chike’s Benji, one of the ...
- 6/12/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Consider it a celebration with something of an asterisk: in-person film festivals are back! But so are virtual components, making some of the year’s biggest cinematic events both safe and accessible for an even wider audience to enjoy them. After a cancelled 2020 edition and a delayed 2021 event, the Tribeca Festival is bellying up for a hybrid event with a major in-person edge, with lots to watch, no matter in which manner you choose to consume it.
In March, the festival announced that it would “transform prominent locations into an expansive 12-day multi-screen outdoor celebration” held this month, and is believed to be first major North American film festival to mount such an in-person event.
Director Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited “In the Heights,” adapted from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, will open the 20th anniversary edition of Tribeca on June 9. The festival will also celebrate the world...
In March, the festival announced that it would “transform prominent locations into an expansive 12-day multi-screen outdoor celebration” held this month, and is believed to be first major North American film festival to mount such an in-person event.
Director Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited “In the Heights,” adapted from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, will open the 20th anniversary edition of Tribeca on June 9. The festival will also celebrate the world...
- 6/7/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Pov, PBS’ showcase of independent nonfiction films, has acquired Nicholas Bruckman’s Not Going Quietly and added the documentary to its season 34 lineup.
Centered on disabled activist Ady Barkan, Not Going Quietly debuted at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival and won its Audience Award for Documentary Feature and the Special Jury Recognition for Humanity in Social Action.
The film follows Barkan, a lawyer and rising star in the world of progressive activism who’s diagnosed with Als at age 32. After a chance encounter with a senator on an airplane, Ady assembles a motley crew of activists to travel across the country and campaign for a once-in-a-generation movement for universal healthcare access for all Americans.
Amanda Roddy produced the film for People’s Television, and Jay and Mark Duplass, Bradley Whitford, Mel Eslyn, Sam Bisbee, Jackie Bisbee, Wendy Neu, Nina Tassler, Joan Boorstein, Denise DeNovi, Ryder Haske, and Bruckman serve as executive producers.
Centered on disabled activist Ady Barkan, Not Going Quietly debuted at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival and won its Audience Award for Documentary Feature and the Special Jury Recognition for Humanity in Social Action.
The film follows Barkan, a lawyer and rising star in the world of progressive activism who’s diagnosed with Als at age 32. After a chance encounter with a senator on an airplane, Ady assembles a motley crew of activists to travel across the country and campaign for a once-in-a-generation movement for universal healthcare access for all Americans.
Amanda Roddy produced the film for People’s Television, and Jay and Mark Duplass, Bradley Whitford, Mel Eslyn, Sam Bisbee, Jackie Bisbee, Wendy Neu, Nina Tassler, Joan Boorstein, Denise DeNovi, Ryder Haske, and Bruckman serve as executive producers.
- 6/7/2021
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a question looming above the entirety of Death on the Streets, European Johan Carlsen’s film about a self-destroyed American man: Is Kurt a failure? To anyone who sees his life with wife Sarah (Katie Folger), two young sons, and an expansive (albeit intrusive) support system, the answer is a resounding “No.” To Kurt, however, there’s zero wiggle room for believing the opposite. He’s allowed that belief. He’s allowed the depression, anger, and anxiety created by unemployment as he further distances himself from the people who love him. There’s an interesting story within those emotions—especially today. Unfortunately, Carlsen and Micah Magee’s script comes up short.
Some of that truth is a product of the budget. This is a shoestring production utilizing non-actors who often arrive onscreen, hit their mark, and deliver their lines before abruptly leaving. A large portion of the runtime...
Some of that truth is a product of the budget. This is a shoestring production utilizing non-actors who often arrive onscreen, hit their mark, and deliver their lines before abruptly leaving. A large portion of the runtime...
- 6/7/2021
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and to celebrate we’re honoring the incredible work of Aapi filmmakers. The recent Oscar dominance from Aapi filmmakers is long overdue, as auteurs like Bong Joon-ho and Chloe Zhao are among those finally being recognized for exquisite work.
Many of the best recent films from Aapi directors are streaming on platforms such as Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. In fact, the last two Best Picture winners, “Parasite” and “Nomadland,” are both available on Hulu. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up for as little as $5.99 a month. Disney+ is $7.99 a month, or you can try a bundle deal with Hulu and ESPN+ for $13.99 a month.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and to celebrate we’re honoring the incredible work of Aapi filmmakers. The recent Oscar dominance from Aapi filmmakers is long overdue, as auteurs like Bong Joon-ho and Chloe Zhao are among those finally being recognized for exquisite work.
Many of the best recent films from Aapi directors are streaming on platforms such as Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. In fact, the last two Best Picture winners, “Parasite” and “Nomadland,” are both available on Hulu. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up for as little as $5.99 a month. Disney+ is $7.99 a month, or you can try a bundle deal with Hulu and ESPN+ for $13.99 a month.
- 5/16/2021
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Pushed back from its usual April slot, the Tribeca Film Festival will take place in June this year (specifically 9th through 20th) at venues across all five New York City boroughs and virtually. Ahead of the festival, the full feature film lineup has now been unveiling following the news that Jon M. Chu’s In the Heights will kick off the festivities.
Notable selections in the lineup include All These Sons, the new documentary from Minding the Gap director Bing Liu, co-directed with Joshua Altman; the Vanessa Kirby-led Italian Studies from Tramps director Adam Leon; False Positive, co-written, produced, and led by Ilana Glazer; the Elijah Wood-led No Man of God; and Scare Me director Josh Ruben’s Werewolves Within, the first trailer for which has now been unveiled; and the North American premiere of Jim Cummings and Pj McCabe’s The Beta Test.
Check out the lineup below.
Notable selections in the lineup include All These Sons, the new documentary from Minding the Gap director Bing Liu, co-directed with Joshua Altman; the Vanessa Kirby-led Italian Studies from Tramps director Adam Leon; False Positive, co-written, produced, and led by Ilana Glazer; the Elijah Wood-led No Man of God; and Scare Me director Josh Ruben’s Werewolves Within, the first trailer for which has now been unveiled; and the North American premiere of Jim Cummings and Pj McCabe’s The Beta Test.
Check out the lineup below.
- 4/21/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Selection presents 56 world premieres, focuses on comedic, music-centered, socially-conscious films.
Tribeca Festival 2021 has announced 66 films in the line-up of the upcoming outdoor 20th anniversary edition that runs June 9-20, including documentaries on the late food and travel broadcaster Anthony Bourdain and Norwegian pop icons A-ha.
The selection will present 56 world premieres and focuses on comedic, music-centered, and socially-conscious films. Many of the films will also be available for US audiences to view online the day after they premiere in person through the Tribeca at Home virtual hub.
Curated Juneteenth programming throughout the festival will celebrate voices from the African Diaspora,...
Tribeca Festival 2021 has announced 66 films in the line-up of the upcoming outdoor 20th anniversary edition that runs June 9-20, including documentaries on the late food and travel broadcaster Anthony Bourdain and Norwegian pop icons A-ha.
The selection will present 56 world premieres and focuses on comedic, music-centered, and socially-conscious films. Many of the films will also be available for US audiences to view online the day after they premiere in person through the Tribeca at Home virtual hub.
Curated Juneteenth programming throughout the festival will celebrate voices from the African Diaspora,...
- 4/20/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Tribeca Film Festival on Tuesday revealed its 2021 lineup, with 66 films spanning three competition sections as well as the annual event’s Viewpoints, Spotlight, Midnight, Movies Plus, and Tribeca Critics’ Week sections.
The festival will run June 9-20 with a mix of live in-person events at outdoor venues across all New York City boroughs. It kicks off with the world premiere of Warner Bros’ In the Heights, the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway play set in the city’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
Other pics in the lineup that includes 56 world premieres are a selection of films that saw their 2020 Tribeca slots scrapped by the pandemic. There is also a series of Juneteenth programming throughout the sections that will celebrate voices from the African Diaspora, with special emphasis on African-American artists, performers, filmmakers, and interdisciplinary creators. The curation comes as this year’s dates had to be shifted to June...
The festival will run June 9-20 with a mix of live in-person events at outdoor venues across all New York City boroughs. It kicks off with the world premiere of Warner Bros’ In the Heights, the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway play set in the city’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
Other pics in the lineup that includes 56 world premieres are a selection of films that saw their 2020 Tribeca slots scrapped by the pandemic. There is also a series of Juneteenth programming throughout the sections that will celebrate voices from the African Diaspora, with special emphasis on African-American artists, performers, filmmakers, and interdisciplinary creators. The curation comes as this year’s dates had to be shifted to June...
- 4/20/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2021 Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, has today unveiled its feature film lineup, including new films from Bing Liu, Ilana Glazer, Jim Cummings, Hannah Marks, Zoe Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein, Morgan Neville, Sacha Jenkins, and many more. In addition to the new selections, 53 feature films from the cancelled 2020 festival program will also be screened as part of the June event.
As the festival announced late last month, this year’s event will “transform prominent locations into an expansive 12-day multi-screen outdoor celebration” held June 9 to 20, and is believed to be first major North American film festival to mount such an in-person event. Director Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited “In the Heights,” adapted from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, will open the 20th anniversary edition of Tribeca on June 9.
The features program includes 66 films from 81 filmmakers from across 23 different countries. They include two long-awaited follow-ups: “Roadrunner,” Nevillle’s long-gestating...
As the festival announced late last month, this year’s event will “transform prominent locations into an expansive 12-day multi-screen outdoor celebration” held June 9 to 20, and is believed to be first major North American film festival to mount such an in-person event. Director Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited “In the Heights,” adapted from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, will open the 20th anniversary edition of Tribeca on June 9.
The features program includes 66 films from 81 filmmakers from across 23 different countries. They include two long-awaited follow-ups: “Roadrunner,” Nevillle’s long-gestating...
- 4/20/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
When the documentary Summer of Soul sold for a record $12 million+ out of Sundance, it was just the latest piece of good news in a breakthrough year for production house Concordia Studio.
The company, founded in 2017 by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim and Laurene Powell Jobs of Emerson Collective, launched two other docs at Sundance 2021: Peter Nicks’ Homeroom and At the Ready, directed by Maisie Crow. But it’s Concordia Studio films that premiered at last year’s Sundance that have lifted the firm to greater prominence. Time, directed by Garrett Bradley, and Boys State, from directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, are in the thick of contention as Oscar nomination voting proceeds.
“We couldn’t be prouder of Time and Boys State,” Nicole Stott, Concordia’s EVP Nonfiction, tells Deadline. “I mean, we couldn’t be more thrilled by the response.
The company, founded in 2017 by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim and Laurene Powell Jobs of Emerson Collective, launched two other docs at Sundance 2021: Peter Nicks’ Homeroom and At the Ready, directed by Maisie Crow. But it’s Concordia Studio films that premiered at last year’s Sundance that have lifted the firm to greater prominence. Time, directed by Garrett Bradley, and Boys State, from directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, are in the thick of contention as Oscar nomination voting proceeds.
“We couldn’t be prouder of Time and Boys State,” Nicole Stott, Concordia’s EVP Nonfiction, tells Deadline. “I mean, we couldn’t be more thrilled by the response.
- 3/8/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe poster for Hong Sang-soo's latest, Introduction, which will compete at this year's Berlinale. The competition slate for the 71st Berlin International Film Festival features a wide range of heavy hitters, from Hong and Radu Jude to Aleksandre Koberidze and Céline Sciamma. The competing titles, as well as the rest of the lineup, can be found here.The lineup for this year's SXSW Film Festival has been announced. The roster includes the directorial debut of House of Psychotic Women author Kier-La Janisse, a documentary on musician William Basinski's The Disintegration Loops, and a restoration of Les Blank's I Went to the Dance. Recommended VIEWINGFrom February 17 to February 23, the National Gallery of Art is screening the series "The Voice and Vision of Billy Woodberry." The series includes Woodberry's Bless Their Little Hearts, a landmark work of the L.
- 2/19/2021
- MUBI
The Criterion Collection will be heralding in 2021 with a mix of new and old. First up, Bing Liu’s stellar documentary Minding the Gap will be joining the collection, as will another documentary, Martin Scorsese’s playful Rolling Thunder Revue. Also arriving is a three-film Luis Buñuel box set focusing on his late career, featuring The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Phantom of Liberty, and That Obscure Object of Desire. Larisa Shepitko’s final, harrowing feature The Ascent will also be getting a release.
Check out the cover art and special features below, and see more on Criterion’s website.
New high-definition digital master, approved by director Bing Liu, with 5.1 surround DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-rayNew audio commentary featuring Liu and documentary subjects Keire Johnson and Zack MulliganNew follow-up conversation between Liu and documentary subject Nina BowgrenNew programs featuring interviews with professional skateboarder Tony Hawk and with Liu,...
Check out the cover art and special features below, and see more on Criterion’s website.
New high-definition digital master, approved by director Bing Liu, with 5.1 surround DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-rayNew audio commentary featuring Liu and documentary subjects Keire Johnson and Zack MulliganNew follow-up conversation between Liu and documentary subject Nina BowgrenNew programs featuring interviews with professional skateboarder Tony Hawk and with Liu,...
- 10/16/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
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