During a Distribution Advocates podcast recording at Hot Docs, producer/director Amy Hobby announced a new documentary $200,000 grant called The Marketing Innovations Fund, which will go to independent distributors.
Hobby co-founded Distribution Advocates in 2020 alongside Abby Sun, Avril Speaks, Carlos Gutierrez and Karin Chien. The organization “works to collectively reclaim power for independent storytellers in the current systems of distribution and exhibition.”
The Marketing Innovations Fund launches in August and will provide grants between $5,000 and $50,000. That money will go to independent distributors working with film teams to supercharge audience growth for a wide range of docus. The grants are aimed at encouraging experimentation and innovation in reaching ticket buyers. The number of releases supported each year will vary and depend on applications. This year Fund money will help between four and 15 releases.
“Our goal is to inject much needed capital and resources into an anemic marketplace and ultimately to inspire...
Hobby co-founded Distribution Advocates in 2020 alongside Abby Sun, Avril Speaks, Carlos Gutierrez and Karin Chien. The organization “works to collectively reclaim power for independent storytellers in the current systems of distribution and exhibition.”
The Marketing Innovations Fund launches in August and will provide grants between $5,000 and $50,000. That money will go to independent distributors working with film teams to supercharge audience growth for a wide range of docus. The grants are aimed at encouraging experimentation and innovation in reaching ticket buyers. The number of releases supported each year will vary and depend on applications. This year Fund money will help between four and 15 releases.
“Our goal is to inject much needed capital and resources into an anemic marketplace and ultimately to inspire...
- 5/4/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Bavc Media has named the latest group of nonfiction filmmakers to take part in its prestigious documentary film fellowship program. The octet announced today will receive $10,000 each in “unrestricted funding, mentorship, industry access, feedback sessions, and workshops during an immersive 9-month experience.”
The Bavc MediaMaker Fellowship was established in 1991 to support emerging filmmakers and diverse projects. This year’s cohort includes Ademola (Ellas Vinieron de Las Nubes / They Came From the Clouds); Chelsi Bullard (Unfiltered); Caron Creighton (Wood Street); Julia Hunter (This is Me Loving You); Patrick G. Lee (Untitled Kqt Project); Ivan MacDonald (When They Were Here); Khai Thu Nguyen (The Full Thao), and Pallavi Somusetty (Coach Emily). [Scroll for more about the filmmakers and their projects].
The fellowship provides “two intensive convenings in San Francisco, a slate of virtual workshops throughout the year, and all-access travel to the International Documentary Association’s biennial Getting Real conference in Los Angeles and the Camden International Film Festival in midcoast Maine.
The Bavc MediaMaker Fellowship was established in 1991 to support emerging filmmakers and diverse projects. This year’s cohort includes Ademola (Ellas Vinieron de Las Nubes / They Came From the Clouds); Chelsi Bullard (Unfiltered); Caron Creighton (Wood Street); Julia Hunter (This is Me Loving You); Patrick G. Lee (Untitled Kqt Project); Ivan MacDonald (When They Were Here); Khai Thu Nguyen (The Full Thao), and Pallavi Somusetty (Coach Emily). [Scroll for more about the filmmakers and their projects].
The fellowship provides “two intensive convenings in San Francisco, a slate of virtual workshops throughout the year, and all-access travel to the International Documentary Association’s biennial Getting Real conference in Los Angeles and the Camden International Film Festival in midcoast Maine.
- 4/2/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Eleven documentary projects from 11 countries have been selected for the Intl. Documentary Assn.’s annual Enterprise Documentary Fund Production Grant.
Selected from 371 applicants, the 15 directors behind the 11 docus will receive a total of $435,000 in production grants.
Established in 2017, the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund supports in-depth explorations of original, contemporary stories that integrate journalistic practice into the filmmaking process. The fund is financially supported by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, with additional support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. In its seven-year history, the fund has given over $5 million in grant money to nonfiction filmmakers.
The selected projects are currently in production in 11 countries including the U.S., Philippines, Brazil, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy and Afghanistan. Of the 15 directors behind the docs, 46% are filmmakers of color, 69% are women or gender-non-conforming filmmakers, 12% identify as members of the Lgbtqia+ community, and 8% identify as a D/deaf or disabled person or have long-term health conditions.
Selected from 371 applicants, the 15 directors behind the 11 docus will receive a total of $435,000 in production grants.
Established in 2017, the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund supports in-depth explorations of original, contemporary stories that integrate journalistic practice into the filmmaking process. The fund is financially supported by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, with additional support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. In its seven-year history, the fund has given over $5 million in grant money to nonfiction filmmakers.
The selected projects are currently in production in 11 countries including the U.S., Philippines, Brazil, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy and Afghanistan. Of the 15 directors behind the docs, 46% are filmmakers of color, 69% are women or gender-non-conforming filmmakers, 12% identify as members of the Lgbtqia+ community, and 8% identify as a D/deaf or disabled person or have long-term health conditions.
- 11/15/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Documentary veterans Natalie Bullock Brown, Kirsten Johnson, Mary Lampson and Jacqueline Olive are the inaugural documentary film fellows for the documentary film in the public interest research initiative by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center.
As the first cohort of doc film fellows, the foursome will join the center for the fall 2023 semester. There, each fellow will conduct research and do public education activities about questions facing the documentary film field and civic information.
Led by Shorenstein Center’s director Nancy Gibbs and doc filmmaker Sara Archambault, the initiative, which was established in March, will work to examine the challenges facing the documentary field and their impacts on civic life and information.
“In this challenging moment for media and our information ecosystem, we are excited that the Shorenstein Center can provide the support and infrastructure to drive renewed and creative thinking about complex issues in the documentary film space,” says Gibbs.
Archambault...
As the first cohort of doc film fellows, the foursome will join the center for the fall 2023 semester. There, each fellow will conduct research and do public education activities about questions facing the documentary film field and civic information.
Led by Shorenstein Center’s director Nancy Gibbs and doc filmmaker Sara Archambault, the initiative, which was established in March, will work to examine the challenges facing the documentary field and their impacts on civic life and information.
“In this challenging moment for media and our information ecosystem, we are excited that the Shorenstein Center can provide the support and infrastructure to drive renewed and creative thinking about complex issues in the documentary film space,” says Gibbs.
Archambault...
- 9/5/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Humanitas, the organization that annually honors film and television writers whose work best explores the human condition, has revealed its 2023 winners.
Among the prizewinners is Craig Mazin, who scripted Season 1 The Last of Us episode “Long Long Time” that starred Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett. Mazin won in the Drama Teleplay category, beating out fellow semifinalists that included Peter Gould who was up for the series-finale episode of Better Call Saul.
Other Humanitas category winners in TV included Amy Sherman-Palladino for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Comedy Teleplay), and Tony Phelan & Joan Rater for the pilot of A Small Light in Limited Series.
On the movie side, winners included Tyler Perry for his Tyler Perry: A Jazzman’s Blues in the Drama Feature Film category, over Rebecca Lenkiewicz for She Said and Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu for Till. Cooper Raiff won Comedy Feature Film for his indie Cha Cha Real Smooth,...
Among the prizewinners is Craig Mazin, who scripted Season 1 The Last of Us episode “Long Long Time” that starred Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett. Mazin won in the Drama Teleplay category, beating out fellow semifinalists that included Peter Gould who was up for the series-finale episode of Better Call Saul.
Other Humanitas category winners in TV included Amy Sherman-Palladino for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Comedy Teleplay), and Tony Phelan & Joan Rater for the pilot of A Small Light in Limited Series.
On the movie side, winners included Tyler Perry for his Tyler Perry: A Jazzman’s Blues in the Drama Feature Film category, over Rebecca Lenkiewicz for She Said and Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu for Till. Cooper Raiff won Comedy Feature Film for his indie Cha Cha Real Smooth,...
- 8/16/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Catapult Film Fund today announced its newest group of film teams to earn prestigious research grants, a fortunate cohort who will receive mentorship from some of the brightest names in documentary, including Oscar nominee Sara Dosa.
This is the third year of the Research Grant program, an expansion of Catapult’s mission “to provide essential early-stage support to documentary filmmakers.” This year’s grant recipients are Sofian Khan; R.J. Lozada and Chris Filippone; Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn; Lauren Wimbush; and Farihah Zaman.
“The selected film teams will receive a $10,000 grant and six months of mentorship as they develop a new film concept,” Catapult said in a statement. “During the program, each film team will be paired with a dedicated advisor to provide guidance and feedback on story development.”
This year’s advisors are Dosa, who contends for an Oscar this weekend for her feature documentary Fire of Love,...
This is the third year of the Research Grant program, an expansion of Catapult’s mission “to provide essential early-stage support to documentary filmmakers.” This year’s grant recipients are Sofian Khan; R.J. Lozada and Chris Filippone; Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn; Lauren Wimbush; and Farihah Zaman.
“The selected film teams will receive a $10,000 grant and six months of mentorship as they develop a new film concept,” Catapult said in a statement. “During the program, each film team will be paired with a dedicated advisor to provide guidance and feedback on story development.”
This year’s advisors are Dosa, who contends for an Oscar this weekend for her feature documentary Fire of Love,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s time to put “values into action” in the documentary field, argued professor Patricia Aufderheide at Ji.hlava Film Festival.
Addressing ethical issues that doc filmmakers identify in their work, Aufderheide – who joined the conference online – offered concrete solutions, referencing Dawg’s [Documentary Accountability Working Group] framework “From Reflection to Release.”
“Integrate anti-oppression practices in your work. Be transparent in your relationships. Acknowledge your positionality. Respect the dignity and agency of the people in your film. Prioritize the needs, wellbeing and experience of the people associated with the film, treat potential audience members with dignity, care and concern.”
Aufderheide also discussed the possibility of “defraying necessary expenses,” with the participants offered location fees, if filming takes place in their homes, paid for post-release work or simply offered compensation for a day’s work lost.
“If your participant is a young Black kid who wants to play basketball, like in [Steve James’] ‘Hoop Dreams,’ you might think about defraying their costs,...
Addressing ethical issues that doc filmmakers identify in their work, Aufderheide – who joined the conference online – offered concrete solutions, referencing Dawg’s [Documentary Accountability Working Group] framework “From Reflection to Release.”
“Integrate anti-oppression practices in your work. Be transparent in your relationships. Acknowledge your positionality. Respect the dignity and agency of the people in your film. Prioritize the needs, wellbeing and experience of the people associated with the film, treat potential audience members with dignity, care and concern.”
Aufderheide also discussed the possibility of “defraying necessary expenses,” with the participants offered location fees, if filming takes place in their homes, paid for post-release work or simply offered compensation for a day’s work lost.
“If your participant is a young Black kid who wants to play basketball, like in [Steve James’] ‘Hoop Dreams,’ you might think about defraying their costs,...
- 10/29/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Los Angeles Media Fund has landed rights to Andrew DeYoung’s novel The Temps in a competitive situation with plans to develop it for television. Gabriel Bisset-Smith (The Last Hours of Laura K) will serve as the show’s creator.
The Temps was release by Turner Publishing on March 29th and sold out its first print run. Its synopsis is as follows:
They’re underemployed. Underpaid. And trying to survive the end of the world while trapped inside an office complex. Who knew temp work could be this dangerous?
Jacob Elliot doesn’t want a temporary job in the mailroom at Delphi Enterprises, but after two post-college years of unpaid internships and living in his parents’ basement, he needs the work. Then, on his first day, the unthinkable happens: toxic gas descends on a meeting in Delphi’s outdoor amphitheater, killing all the regular employees and leaving Jacob stranded inside the vast office complex.
The Temps was release by Turner Publishing on March 29th and sold out its first print run. Its synopsis is as follows:
They’re underemployed. Underpaid. And trying to survive the end of the world while trapped inside an office complex. Who knew temp work could be this dangerous?
Jacob Elliot doesn’t want a temporary job in the mailroom at Delphi Enterprises, but after two post-college years of unpaid internships and living in his parents’ basement, he needs the work. Then, on his first day, the unthinkable happens: toxic gas descends on a meeting in Delphi’s outdoor amphitheater, killing all the regular employees and leaving Jacob stranded inside the vast office complex.
- 6/13/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Showtime’s Attica) is teaming up with Jacqueline Olive (Lincoln’s Dilemma) to direct the feature documentary, The Color of Cola.
The film now in production is based on Stephanie Capparell’s 2008 book, The Real Pepsi Challenge: How One Pioneering Company Broke Color Barriers in 1940s American Business. It sheds light on the experience of the all-Black sales team at Pepsi, which was the first of its kind for any major corporation—following their journey through the Jim Crow South after being tasked with tapping its African American market.
The stories of Black pioneers are not unfamiliar, but oftentimes go untold. Nelson and Olive’s doc aims to elevate one such story exploring a time when corporate America did not include Black professionals, and the Black experience was stereotypically portrayed. The extraordinary efforts of the individuals on Pepsi’s sales team mirror the courage of many...
The film now in production is based on Stephanie Capparell’s 2008 book, The Real Pepsi Challenge: How One Pioneering Company Broke Color Barriers in 1940s American Business. It sheds light on the experience of the all-Black sales team at Pepsi, which was the first of its kind for any major corporation—following their journey through the Jim Crow South after being tasked with tapping its African American market.
The stories of Black pioneers are not unfamiliar, but oftentimes go untold. Nelson and Olive’s doc aims to elevate one such story exploring a time when corporate America did not include Black professionals, and the Black experience was stereotypically portrayed. The extraordinary efforts of the individuals on Pepsi’s sales team mirror the courage of many...
- 3/16/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Abraham Lincoln is widely remembered as the Great Emancipator for pushing to end slavery before his assassination. How the 16th president arrived at that decision — and the evolution in his thinking — is at the heart of Lincoln’s Dilemma, this fascinating four-part series. (Credit: Apple TV+) “He worked to change the direction of the country’s history but was also limited in his choices and his vision by that same history,” says codirector Barak Goodman. Spanning the Civil War and narrated by Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), the docuseries — based on David S. Reynolds’ 2020 biography Abe — draws on interviews with experts to offer new perspectives on the man’s “courage as well as his hesitancy to act on behalf of enslaved people,” adds codirector Jacqueline Olive. “A challenging question that Lincoln faced for years was to what degree — and how — he would push politically for emancipation.” Lincoln’s Dilemma, Docuseries Premiere, Friday,...
- 2/17/2022
- TV Insider
The new documentary series “Lincoln’s Dilemma” begins and ends outside of Abraham Lincoln’s era — opening with footage of the siege on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and concluding only weeks later, with the journalist Jelani Cobb’s observation that the military “occupied” Washington to keep Joe Biden safe at his inauguration. But the point this series makes is that, indeed, we’re hardly outside Lincoln’s moment at all — that the tenuousness and the peril of his era persist, as does the fundamentally unresolved question of race in this country.
Directed by Jacqueline Olive and Barak Goodman and executive produced by, among others, former HBO chief Richard Plepler, “Lincoln’s Dilemma” uses various techniques to illustrate the life and legacy of the 16th president, and the problems he faced while in office. Among these are readings of Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’ words, narration (by Jeffrey Wright), and the introduction of various historians.
Directed by Jacqueline Olive and Barak Goodman and executive produced by, among others, former HBO chief Richard Plepler, “Lincoln’s Dilemma” uses various techniques to illustrate the life and legacy of the 16th president, and the problems he faced while in office. Among these are readings of Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’ words, narration (by Jeffrey Wright), and the introduction of various historians.
- 2/16/2022
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
Peacock has unveiled the official trailer for its new miniseries “Joe vs. Carole,” starring John Cameron Mitchell and Kate McKinnon.
Based on the Robert Moor-hosted Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic,” “Joe vs. Carole” focuses on the bitter rivalry between big cat zookeeper Joe Exotic (Mitchell) and animal sanctuary CEO Carole Baskin (McKinnon), which was immortalized in the first season of the popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King.” In addition to Mitchell and McKinnon, the miniseries also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Brian Van Holt, Sam Keeley, Nat Wolf, Marlo Kelly, William Fichtner, Dean Winters and David Wenham.
The trailer depicts McKinnon and Mitchell in character, as Baskin and her husband (MacLachlan) set out to take down Exotic for his abuse of his animals and breeding of big cats for profit.
“He has no idea what I’ve been through in my life,” Baskin says in the trailer. “Individually we are a whimper, but together,...
Based on the Robert Moor-hosted Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic,” “Joe vs. Carole” focuses on the bitter rivalry between big cat zookeeper Joe Exotic (Mitchell) and animal sanctuary CEO Carole Baskin (McKinnon), which was immortalized in the first season of the popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King.” In addition to Mitchell and McKinnon, the miniseries also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Brian Van Holt, Sam Keeley, Nat Wolf, Marlo Kelly, William Fichtner, Dean Winters and David Wenham.
The trailer depicts McKinnon and Mitchell in character, as Baskin and her husband (MacLachlan) set out to take down Exotic for his abuse of his animals and breeding of big cats for profit.
“He has no idea what I’ve been through in my life,” Baskin says in the trailer. “Individually we are a whimper, but together,...
- 2/3/2022
- by Wilson Chapman, Sasha Urban and Wyatte Grantham-Philips
- Variety Film + TV
Today marks the start of Black History Month, with the broadcast and cable networks and streamers planning a slew of TV series, movies, news programming, documentaries, specials and more to roll out over the course of February to celebrate, educate and entertain.
Deadline has compiled a list of programming highlights that touches on some of the myriad ways outlets are commemorating the occasion, from live coverage of the NAACP Image Awards on BET to the documentary series Lincoln’s Dilemma on Apple TV+ and everything in between.
Check out below for some of the content (all times Et) and keep checking back as we add to the list.
ABC News/ABC
ABC News is presenting two primetime specials February 3 from its Soul of a Nation series. Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising, explores how Black actresses, a historically overlooked and under-valued group in Hollywood,...
Deadline has compiled a list of programming highlights that touches on some of the myriad ways outlets are commemorating the occasion, from live coverage of the NAACP Image Awards on BET to the documentary series Lincoln’s Dilemma on Apple TV+ and everything in between.
Check out below for some of the content (all times Et) and keep checking back as we add to the list.
ABC News/ABC
ABC News is presenting two primetime specials February 3 from its Soul of a Nation series. Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising, explores how Black actresses, a historically overlooked and under-valued group in Hollywood,...
- 2/1/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Amazon Prime Video competition series “Lol: Last One Laughing” will launch a Canadian edition Feb. 18.
“Last One Laughing Canada” competitors include Caroline Rhea, Dave Foley, Debra Digiovanni, Jon Lajoie, Tom Green, Colin Mochrie, Mae Martin, Brandon Ash Mohammed, Andrew Phung and K. Trevor Wilson. Hosted by Jay Baruchel, the six-part series follows the 10 comedians as they try to eliminate others by making each other laugh, while not laughing themselves. The comedian who outlasts their competitors wins the grand prize of $100,000 for their charity of choice.
Executive Producers are John Brunton, Erin Brock, and Shannon Farr. The series is produced in association with Insight Productions.
“Lol: Last One Laughing Canada” is the latest adaptation of “Documental,” an Amazon Original series in Japan owned by Yoshimoto Kogyo and created by and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto — where Matsumoto leads 10 comedians who bet their own money in a “battle of laughter behind closed doors.
“Last One Laughing Canada” competitors include Caroline Rhea, Dave Foley, Debra Digiovanni, Jon Lajoie, Tom Green, Colin Mochrie, Mae Martin, Brandon Ash Mohammed, Andrew Phung and K. Trevor Wilson. Hosted by Jay Baruchel, the six-part series follows the 10 comedians as they try to eliminate others by making each other laugh, while not laughing themselves. The comedian who outlasts their competitors wins the grand prize of $100,000 for their charity of choice.
Executive Producers are John Brunton, Erin Brock, and Shannon Farr. The series is produced in association with Insight Productions.
“Lol: Last One Laughing Canada” is the latest adaptation of “Documental,” an Amazon Original series in Japan owned by Yoshimoto Kogyo and created by and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto — where Matsumoto leads 10 comedians who bet their own money in a “battle of laughter behind closed doors.
- 1/13/2022
- by Wyatte Grantham-Philips
- Variety Film + TV
Abraham Lincoln‘s complex journey to end slavery will be explored in the upcoming docuseries from Apple TV+, Lincoln’s Dilemma. The four-parter, based on David S. Reynolds’ book Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times, is set to premiere on Feb. 18.
Lincoln’s Dilemma, set against the background of the Civil War, will be narrated by Jeffrey Wright and will feature the voices of Bill Camp as the 16th President of the United States, and Leslie Odom, Jr. as Frederick Douglass.
The streamer revealed viewers will learn more about ” a complicated man and the people and events that shaped his evolving stance on slavery.”
Through archival materials and insight from journalists, educators, and Lincoln scholars, the docuseries promises give a “voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including the economy, race, and humanity.”
Lincoln’s Dilemma is produced by Eden Productions and Kunhardt Films.
Lincoln’s Dilemma, set against the background of the Civil War, will be narrated by Jeffrey Wright and will feature the voices of Bill Camp as the 16th President of the United States, and Leslie Odom, Jr. as Frederick Douglass.
The streamer revealed viewers will learn more about ” a complicated man and the people and events that shaped his evolving stance on slavery.”
Through archival materials and insight from journalists, educators, and Lincoln scholars, the docuseries promises give a “voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including the economy, race, and humanity.”
Lincoln’s Dilemma is produced by Eden Productions and Kunhardt Films.
- 1/13/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
The Sundance Institute on Friday announced this year’s Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellows, a group of 10 emerging artists chosen from a global pool of over 1,600 applicants. The fellows, who range in age from 18-25, will receive a year of mentorship and support from Sundance and Adobe.
Their year kicks off next week with the Sundance Ignite x Adobe Filmmakers Lab, which runs July 26-30 on the online Sundance Collab platform. There, they’ll focus on advancing their projects and deepening their character development skills.
“These artists are at the forefront of a rising generation of independent creatives, at a time when the world is reimagining ways to tell stories and reach audiences,” said Toby Brooks, senior manager of the program. “Such bold work is the foundation of very promising filmmakers, and I’m so excited to lift them up — and to see what comes next.”
Fellows will also receive...
Their year kicks off next week with the Sundance Ignite x Adobe Filmmakers Lab, which runs July 26-30 on the online Sundance Collab platform. There, they’ll focus on advancing their projects and deepening their character development skills.
“These artists are at the forefront of a rising generation of independent creatives, at a time when the world is reimagining ways to tell stories and reach audiences,” said Toby Brooks, senior manager of the program. “Such bold work is the foundation of very promising filmmakers, and I’m so excited to lift them up — and to see what comes next.”
Fellows will also receive...
- 7/23/2021
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Exclusive: ICM Partners has signed Multitude Films, the LGBTQ-led nonfiction production company founded by Jessica Devaney and dedicated to telling nonfiction stories by and about underrepresented communities. The move comes as it has upcoming Netflix’s Pray Away in partnership with Ryan Murphy and Blumhouse, and “Apart,” an installment of the HBO Max and Sesame Workshop series Through Our Eyes.
The company, launched in 2016 by Brooklyn-based producer Devaney, has produced films including this past season’s Oscar-shortlisted documentary short Call Center Blues from Geeta Gandbhir, Sundance award winner Always in Season from Jacqueline Olive, and Peabody-nominated Roll Red Roll directed by Nancy Schwartzman which bowed at Tribeca in 2018.
Multitude has won the Cinereach Producers Award, the Sima Vital Voices Award, and Doc NYC’s 40 under 40 Award. The team is led by Deveany, VP Production Anya Rous; and Head of Finance Ameena Din.
“We’re thrilled to partner with ICM and...
The company, launched in 2016 by Brooklyn-based producer Devaney, has produced films including this past season’s Oscar-shortlisted documentary short Call Center Blues from Geeta Gandbhir, Sundance award winner Always in Season from Jacqueline Olive, and Peabody-nominated Roll Red Roll directed by Nancy Schwartzman which bowed at Tribeca in 2018.
Multitude has won the Cinereach Producers Award, the Sima Vital Voices Award, and Doc NYC’s 40 under 40 Award. The team is led by Deveany, VP Production Anya Rous; and Head of Finance Ameena Din.
“We’re thrilled to partner with ICM and...
- 6/21/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Having chronicled countless landmark moments in African-American history, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson understands the stakes at a time when both the culture at large, as well as the documentary industry, are in the midst of a wholesale reckoning. “It’s clear that the voices of [Bipoc filmmakers] are what’s needed—like a shot in the arm to the industry,” he said.
Nelson appeared at Hot Docs on Tuesday in conversation with director Jacqueline Olive (“Always in Season”), who was named as one of Variety’s 10 Documentary Filmmakers to Watch in 2019. Nelson’s documentary on the ‘80s crack epidemic, “Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy” (pictured), screens this week in Special Presentations at the festival, where he’s receiving an Outstanding Achievement Award.
During the wide-ranging conversation, which is available on-demand to Hot Docs attendees, the Emmy and Peabody Award winner reflected on the arc of his career, beginning with his first...
Nelson appeared at Hot Docs on Tuesday in conversation with director Jacqueline Olive (“Always in Season”), who was named as one of Variety’s 10 Documentary Filmmakers to Watch in 2019. Nelson’s documentary on the ‘80s crack epidemic, “Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy” (pictured), screens this week in Special Presentations at the festival, where he’s receiving an Outstanding Achievement Award.
During the wide-ranging conversation, which is available on-demand to Hot Docs attendees, the Emmy and Peabody Award winner reflected on the arc of his career, beginning with his first...
- 5/6/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Programme offers funding, coaching and support to filmmakers from under-represented groups.
The Sundance Institute has revealed the eight filmmakers who will make up the third class of the Momentum Fellowship.
The Fellowship is the Institute’s full-year programme of creative and professional support for mid-career fiction and documentary writers and directors from under-represented communities.
The fellowships will provide unrestricted grant funding, industry mentorship, professional coaching, writing workshops, industry meetings in the spring of next year and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff.
The 2021 Fellows are: Cristina Costantini, whose documentary Mucho Mucho Amor premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and...
The Sundance Institute has revealed the eight filmmakers who will make up the third class of the Momentum Fellowship.
The Fellowship is the Institute’s full-year programme of creative and professional support for mid-career fiction and documentary writers and directors from under-represented communities.
The fellowships will provide unrestricted grant funding, industry mentorship, professional coaching, writing workshops, industry meetings in the spring of next year and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff.
The 2021 Fellows are: Cristina Costantini, whose documentary Mucho Mucho Amor premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and...
- 11/24/2020
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sundance Institute has named the talented group of filmmakers that have been selected for the third class of Momentum Fellows.
The full-year program is a new collaboration with NBCUniversal that gives customized creative and professional support for mid-career writers and directors from underrepresented communities who are poised to take the next step in their careers in fiction and documentary filmmaking. This year’s fellows include Cristina Costantini, Natalie Erika James, Shalini Kantayya, Loira Limbal, Ekwa Msangi, Edson Oda, Jacqueline Olive and Angel Kristi Williams.
The fellowship includes unrestricted grant funding, industry mentorship, professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company supported by The Harnisch Foundation, writing workshops and industry meetings in Spring 2021, and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff.
Additionally, the FilmTwo Fellowship has merged into the Momentum Fellowship, and NBCUniversal will provide an opportunity for select Momentum fellows working on fiction projects to participate in the Universal Directors Initiative.
The full-year program is a new collaboration with NBCUniversal that gives customized creative and professional support for mid-career writers and directors from underrepresented communities who are poised to take the next step in their careers in fiction and documentary filmmaking. This year’s fellows include Cristina Costantini, Natalie Erika James, Shalini Kantayya, Loira Limbal, Ekwa Msangi, Edson Oda, Jacqueline Olive and Angel Kristi Williams.
The fellowship includes unrestricted grant funding, industry mentorship, professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company supported by The Harnisch Foundation, writing workshops and industry meetings in Spring 2021, and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff.
Additionally, the FilmTwo Fellowship has merged into the Momentum Fellowship, and NBCUniversal will provide an opportunity for select Momentum fellows working on fiction projects to participate in the Universal Directors Initiative.
- 11/23/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
As the term “fake news” gets thrown around recklessly and clickbait headlines spread misinformation, many people have found it hard to find facts from reliable sources. Perhaps people should turn to documentaries. In a new study from The Center for Media & Social Impact, Americans view documentary storytelling as a trustworthy information source and a touchstone for civic dialogue on social challenges such as racism and police violence
The study, “Breaking the Silence: How Documentaries Can Shape the Conversation on Racial Violence in America and Create New Communities”, was conducted in 2020 before the world saw a surge in discourse on systemic racism. The participatory research focused on the responses to the Itvs co-production Always in Season directed by Jacqueline Olive. The docu debuted at Sundance in 2019 and premiered on Independent Lens on PBS. Always in Season explores the lingering impact of more than a century of lynching African Americans and connects...
The study, “Breaking the Silence: How Documentaries Can Shape the Conversation on Racial Violence in America and Create New Communities”, was conducted in 2020 before the world saw a surge in discourse on systemic racism. The participatory research focused on the responses to the Itvs co-production Always in Season directed by Jacqueline Olive. The docu debuted at Sundance in 2019 and premiered on Independent Lens on PBS. Always in Season explores the lingering impact of more than a century of lynching African Americans and connects...
- 10/14/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The Center for Media and Social Impact (Cmsi) — based at American University’s School of Communication in Washington, D.C. — today released its new study “Breaking the Silence: How Documentaries Can Shape the Conversation on Racial Violence in America and Create New Communities.” Its aim is to show that in a time of rising public distrust of the mainstream media, Americans view documentary storytelling as a trustworthy source and a driver of communal discussion on topical social issues like racial violence.
Conducted in early 2020 (prior to recent nationwide racial justice protests), at the center of the study is the documentary “Always in Season,” an award-winning 2019 documentary which follows the tragedy of Black teenager Lennon Lacy who, in August of 2014, was found hanging from a swing set in North Carolina. His suspicious death was ruled a suicide by local law enforcement, but Lennon’s family believed Lennon was lynched.
Directed by Jacqueline Olive,...
Conducted in early 2020 (prior to recent nationwide racial justice protests), at the center of the study is the documentary “Always in Season,” an award-winning 2019 documentary which follows the tragedy of Black teenager Lennon Lacy who, in August of 2014, was found hanging from a swing set in North Carolina. His suspicious death was ruled a suicide by local law enforcement, but Lennon’s family believed Lennon was lynched.
Directed by Jacqueline Olive,...
- 10/12/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Stacey Abrams, Kenya Barris, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Gabrielle Union, Jemele Hill, Angela Rye, and Lena Waithe have been added to the lineup for the virtual edition of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), which will run from Aug 21-30. The fest, now in its 24th year also includes panels ranging from the business of Hollywood to spotlights on new films and television.
Evening programming will include Comics on Comedy hosted by newly-minted Emmy nominee Yvonne Orji (Insecure) with Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), a first look at Universal’s Candyman with director/co-writer Nia DaCosta, and a panel on the new animated series Woke from Sony.
Directors Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), Christine Swanson (The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel) and Jacqueline Olive (Always in Season) will also be present for conversations. Amazon Studios is hosting a panel featuring Jenkins, Waithe and Tracy Oliver, Starz has a...
Evening programming will include Comics on Comedy hosted by newly-minted Emmy nominee Yvonne Orji (Insecure) with Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), a first look at Universal’s Candyman with director/co-writer Nia DaCosta, and a panel on the new animated series Woke from Sony.
Directors Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), Christine Swanson (The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel) and Jacqueline Olive (Always in Season) will also be present for conversations. Amazon Studios is hosting a panel featuring Jenkins, Waithe and Tracy Oliver, Starz has a...
- 8/7/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
“When They See Us” and “This Is Us” actor Asante Blackk reminisced on the brief time he recently shared with late actress Ja’Net DuBois as they worked on the live rendition of the ’70s sitcom “Good Times.”
DuBois, who played the Evans family’s neighbor Willona Woods in the original series, died in her sleep in her Glendale, California home on Tuesday, Feb. 18. She was believed to be 74.
“I remember it was the day before we were getting ready to go live and we were all in rehearsal — dress rehearsal, in the makeup, trailer and everything. I saw her and at first, I didn’t recognize her,” Blackk told the audience at the “Black History: Inspiring Stories on Television” panel hosted by the Television Academy. “She said, ‘You were so amazing in ‘When They See Us.’ And I go, ‘Thank you so much.’ Then she goes, ‘That’s when you say,...
DuBois, who played the Evans family’s neighbor Willona Woods in the original series, died in her sleep in her Glendale, California home on Tuesday, Feb. 18. She was believed to be 74.
“I remember it was the day before we were getting ready to go live and we were all in rehearsal — dress rehearsal, in the makeup, trailer and everything. I saw her and at first, I didn’t recognize her,” Blackk told the audience at the “Black History: Inspiring Stories on Television” panel hosted by the Television Academy. “She said, ‘You were so amazing in ‘When They See Us.’ And I go, ‘Thank you so much.’ Then she goes, ‘That’s when you say,...
- 2/20/2020
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Independent Lens, the Emmy-winning PBS series, will feature a lineup of buzzy documentaries during the first three months of 2020 that will include everything from deep-dives into racial injustice and climate change to the penetrating looks at the clash between science and creationism.
“The topics are serious, but all of the films offer hope,” said “Independent Lens” executive producer Lois Vossen.
Making their broadcast debuts from January through March are Nanfu Wang’s critically acclaimed “One Child Nation,” an examination of China’s controversial attempts at population control; Jacqueline Olive’s “Always in Season,” a look at a mother’s struggle to get law enforcement to acknowledge that the death of her teenage son was a lynching and not a suicide: and “We Believe in Dinosaurs,” the story of how the construction of an $120 million Noah’s Ark-inspired theme park in Kentucky threatens the barrier between church and state.
“We’re...
“The topics are serious, but all of the films offer hope,” said “Independent Lens” executive producer Lois Vossen.
Making their broadcast debuts from January through March are Nanfu Wang’s critically acclaimed “One Child Nation,” an examination of China’s controversial attempts at population control; Jacqueline Olive’s “Always in Season,” a look at a mother’s struggle to get law enforcement to acknowledge that the death of her teenage son was a lynching and not a suicide: and “We Believe in Dinosaurs,” the story of how the construction of an $120 million Noah’s Ark-inspired theme park in Kentucky threatens the barrier between church and state.
“We’re...
- 12/23/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Documentary group Cinema Eye on Thursday unveiled nominations for the 2020 Cinema Eye Honors, with Netflix’s American Factory and Neon’s Apollo 11 leading the way with five nominations each. Netflix tops all distributors with 17 noms, the most ever in a single year.
Winners will be revealed at a ceremony January 6 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
American Factory, which counts Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground among its executive producers, and Todd Douglas Miller’s deep dive into the 1969 moon mission Apollo 11 were nominated in the marquee Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. They are joined there by For Sama, the PBS/Frontline Syrian drama from Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watt; Neon’s Honeyland, the Sundance-winning Macedonian beekeeper tale from Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevsk; 1901 Media’s Mexico City ambulance industry pic Midnight Family; and Amazon Studios’ Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize-winning One Child Nation.
Last year,...
Winners will be revealed at a ceremony January 6 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
American Factory, which counts Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground among its executive producers, and Todd Douglas Miller’s deep dive into the 1969 moon mission Apollo 11 were nominated in the marquee Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. They are joined there by For Sama, the PBS/Frontline Syrian drama from Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watt; Neon’s Honeyland, the Sundance-winning Macedonian beekeeper tale from Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevsk; 1901 Media’s Mexico City ambulance industry pic Midnight Family; and Amazon Studios’ Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize-winning One Child Nation.
Last year,...
- 11/7/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
In a devastating new documentary, a history of lynching is tied to the mysterious death of a black teen, who was found hanging from a swing in 2014
In the summer of 2014, Jacqueline Olive was preparing to wrap up her documentary film on America’s gruesome history of racial lynching, having devoted five years to chronicling its corrosive impact in the south and across the country.
Just as she was about to start editing, news reached her of a disturbing event in the small North Carolina town of Bladenboro. In the early hours of 29 August 2014, a 17-year-old African American boy named Lennon Lacy had been found hanging from a swing set in an all-white trailer park about a quarter of a mile from his home.
In the summer of 2014, Jacqueline Olive was preparing to wrap up her documentary film on America’s gruesome history of racial lynching, having devoted five years to chronicling its corrosive impact in the south and across the country.
Just as she was about to start editing, news reached her of a disturbing event in the small North Carolina town of Bladenboro. In the early hours of 29 August 2014, a 17-year-old African American boy named Lennon Lacy had been found hanging from a swing set in an all-white trailer park about a quarter of a mile from his home.
- 9/21/2019
- by Ed Pilkington
- The Guardian - Film News
"If you knew in your heart & your mind that someone took your child's life, how far would you go to get to the truth?" PBS has debuted an official trailer for an indie documentary titled Always in Season, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. After winning a Special Jury Award at Sundance, the acclaimed film went on to play at the Omaha, Cleveland, Full Frame, Atlanta, Sarasota, San Francisco, and Provincetown Film Festivals throughout the year. When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother's search for justice and reconciliation begins while the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present. It goes beyond the story of Lennon, examining lynching throughout history. Another powerful doc about America's sordid past. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Jacqueline Olive's doc Always in Season,...
- 9/10/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Combining observational footage with first-person testimonies and expert insights, Jacqueline Olive’s “Always in Season” is the first feature documentary to spotlight recent grassroots efforts to acknowledge the victims of lynching, repair the damage, and reconcile. The film explores the lingering impact of the lynchings of African Americans from over a century, and connects this form of historic racial terrorism to racial violence today.
Surrounded by the trailer homes of a predominantly white neighborhood in Bladenboro, North Carolina, Lennon Lacy was found hanging from a swing set on August 29, 2014. Questions about the scene, including the fact that Lennon was wearing someone else’s shoes, convinced his family and others that, rather than committing suicide, the 17-year-old was lynched. The film puts his mother, Claudia Lacy’s pursuit for justice into a wider historical context, inspiring a powerful discussion about lynching, across racial lines.
As the story unfolds, Lennon’s case,...
Surrounded by the trailer homes of a predominantly white neighborhood in Bladenboro, North Carolina, Lennon Lacy was found hanging from a swing set on August 29, 2014. Questions about the scene, including the fact that Lennon was wearing someone else’s shoes, convinced his family and others that, rather than committing suicide, the 17-year-old was lynched. The film puts his mother, Claudia Lacy’s pursuit for justice into a wider historical context, inspiring a powerful discussion about lynching, across racial lines.
As the story unfolds, Lennon’s case,...
- 9/10/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Director Jacqueline Olive’s film, “Always in Season,” about the history of lynching, told through the lens of a contemporary incident, will open in New York City on Friday, September 20 at The Metrograph, followed by runs in Los Angeles and select AMC theaters across the country. It will then receive its broadcast premiere during the winter 2020 season of PBS’ Independent Lens.
The announcement today comes with the news the film was this year’s sole recipient of the Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship, which supports filmmakers choosing to self-distribute their films through a $33,333 grant and industry resources, in exchange for transparency in the form of data-driven case studies. Previous fellowship films include “Columbus,” “Unrest,” and “Thunder Road.”
“Always in Season” premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival where it received mostly positive reviews and won a Special Jury Prize for Moral Urgency. The film centers around a mother’s search...
The announcement today comes with the news the film was this year’s sole recipient of the Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship, which supports filmmakers choosing to self-distribute their films through a $33,333 grant and industry resources, in exchange for transparency in the form of data-driven case studies. Previous fellowship films include “Columbus,” “Unrest,” and “Thunder Road.”
“Always in Season” premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival where it received mostly positive reviews and won a Special Jury Prize for Moral Urgency. The film centers around a mother’s search...
- 8/15/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
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
Toronto–Who is telling whose stories in the world of documentary filmmaking today? Why are they telling those stories, and to what audience? And why do those questions matter?
Those are some of the issues on the mind of Emmy Award-winning producer Lisa Valencia-Svensson, who delivered a keynote speech on diversity, inclusion and representation at Hot Docs Tuesday.
She appeared on the heels of the international premiere of “Always in Season,” Jacqueline Olive’s startling documentary about modern-day lynchings in the U.S., which Valencia-Svensson co-produced. The film received the Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency at Sundance this year.
The producer drew on her own celebrated career, as well as her experiences as a queer woman of color, to frame a conversation about the importance of diversity and inclusion in documentary filmmaking, at a time when a greater range of voices – and a growing number of distribution platforms – have...
Those are some of the issues on the mind of Emmy Award-winning producer Lisa Valencia-Svensson, who delivered a keynote speech on diversity, inclusion and representation at Hot Docs Tuesday.
She appeared on the heels of the international premiere of “Always in Season,” Jacqueline Olive’s startling documentary about modern-day lynchings in the U.S., which Valencia-Svensson co-produced. The film received the Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency at Sundance this year.
The producer drew on her own celebrated career, as well as her experiences as a queer woman of color, to frame a conversation about the importance of diversity and inclusion in documentary filmmaking, at a time when a greater range of voices – and a growing number of distribution platforms – have...
- 5/1/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is announcing the line-up for its 22nd edition today, which will take place in Durham, North Carolina from April 4-7. The festival will kick things off with “American Factory,” the Sundance critical smash that was picked up by Netflix. The festival’s 2019 tribute will be given to the films’ co-directors, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, which includes a curated retrospective of the two collaborators’ body of work.
25 features will screen in competition in the New Docs category, along with 21 short films. Included in its competition line-up is the world premiere feature “The Watson’s Hotel.” There are also multiple North American premieres, including Iain Cunningham’s “Irene’s Ghost” and “Where We Belong” by Jacqueline Zünd. Plus, U.S. premieres include Tania Hernández Velasco’s “Titixe” and Alexander John Glustrom’s “Mossville: When Great Trees Fall.”
Competition films are eligible for juried awards offering...
25 features will screen in competition in the New Docs category, along with 21 short films. Included in its competition line-up is the world premiere feature “The Watson’s Hotel.” There are also multiple North American premieres, including Iain Cunningham’s “Irene’s Ghost” and “Where We Belong” by Jacqueline Zünd. Plus, U.S. premieres include Tania Hernández Velasco’s “Titixe” and Alexander John Glustrom’s “Mossville: When Great Trees Fall.”
Competition films are eligible for juried awards offering...
- 3/11/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Rachel Lears’ Knock Down the House, the Sundance audience award winner about four progressive women running for the U.S. Congress in 2018, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is set for an international premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Festival before landing on Netflix, organizers said Tuesday.
And Jacqueline Olive's lynching doc Always in Season, which nabbed a special jury award for moral urgency at Sundance, will also get an international premiere in Toronto. Hot Docs unveiled in all 15 titles for its Special Presentations sidebar.
Trump-era politics will also feature with Fred Peabody's The Corporate Coup D'Etat, which looks ...
And Jacqueline Olive's lynching doc Always in Season, which nabbed a special jury award for moral urgency at Sundance, will also get an international premiere in Toronto. Hot Docs unveiled in all 15 titles for its Special Presentations sidebar.
Trump-era politics will also feature with Fred Peabody's The Corporate Coup D'Etat, which looks ...
Rachel Lears’ Knock Down the House, the Sundance audience award winner about four progressive women running for the U.S. Congress in 2018, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is set for an international premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Festival before landing on Netflix, organizers said Tuesday.
And Jacqueline Olive's lynching doc Always in Season, which nabbed a special jury award for moral urgency at Sundance, will also get an international premiere in Toronto. Hot Docs unveiled in all 15 titles for its Special Presentations sidebar.
Trump-era politics will also feature with Fred Peabody's The Corporate Coup D'Etat, which looks ...
And Jacqueline Olive's lynching doc Always in Season, which nabbed a special jury award for moral urgency at Sundance, will also get an international premiere in Toronto. Hot Docs unveiled in all 15 titles for its Special Presentations sidebar.
Trump-era politics will also feature with Fred Peabody's The Corporate Coup D'Etat, which looks ...
Clemency (Chinonye Chukwo)U.S. – DRAMATICGrand Jury PrizeClemency (Chinonye Chukwo)Directing AwardThe Last Black Man in San Francisco (Joe Talbot)Special Jury Award for Vision and CraftHoneyboy (Alma Har’el)Special Jury Award for Creative CollaborationThe Last Black Man in San Francisco (Joe Talbot)Special Jury Award for Breakthrough PerformanceRhianne Barreto (Share)Waldo Salt Screenwriting AwardShare (Pippa Bianco)Audience AwardBrittany Runs a Marathon (Paul Downs Colaizzo)
Next Next Audience AwardThe Infiltrators (Cristina Ibarra, Alex Rivera)Next Innovator AwardThe Infiltrators (Cristina Ibarra, Alex Rivera)
U.S. – DOCUMENTARYGrand Jury PrizeOne Child NationDirecting AwardAmerican Factory (Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert)Special Jury Award for an Emerging FilmmakerJawline (Liza Mandelup)Special Jury Award for Moral UrgencyAlways in Season (Jacqueline Olive)Special Jury Award for EditingApollo 11 (Todd Douglas Miller)Special Jury Award for CinematographyMidnight Family (Luke Lorentzen)Audience AwardKnock Down the House (Rachel Lears)
World Cinema – DRAMATICGrand Jury PrizeThe Souvenir (Joanna Hogg)Directing AwardThe Sharks (Lucia...
Next Next Audience AwardThe Infiltrators (Cristina Ibarra, Alex Rivera)Next Innovator AwardThe Infiltrators (Cristina Ibarra, Alex Rivera)
U.S. – DOCUMENTARYGrand Jury PrizeOne Child NationDirecting AwardAmerican Factory (Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert)Special Jury Award for an Emerging FilmmakerJawline (Liza Mandelup)Special Jury Award for Moral UrgencyAlways in Season (Jacqueline Olive)Special Jury Award for EditingApollo 11 (Todd Douglas Miller)Special Jury Award for CinematographyMidnight Family (Luke Lorentzen)Audience AwardKnock Down the House (Rachel Lears)
World Cinema – DRAMATICGrand Jury PrizeThe Souvenir (Joanna Hogg)Directing AwardThe Sharks (Lucia...
- 2/3/2019
- MUBI
Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” a drama starring Alfre Woodard as a prison warden agonizing over capital punishment, has won the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic films at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, which handed out its awards at a ceremony in Park City on Saturday evening.
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation” won the Grand Jury Prize for documentaries.
The directing awards in the U.S. dramatic and documentary competitions went to Joe Talbot for “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for “American Factory,” respectively.
Also Read: Sundance's Haves and Have Nots: Can Traditional Indie Distributors Still Compete?
The Grand Jury Prizes in the World Cinema Dramatic competition went to Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir,” while in the World Cinema Documentary competition it went to “Honeyland” by Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska.
Audience awards went to “Paul Downs Colaizzo’s “Brittany Runs a Marathon...
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation” won the Grand Jury Prize for documentaries.
The directing awards in the U.S. dramatic and documentary competitions went to Joe Talbot for “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for “American Factory,” respectively.
Also Read: Sundance's Haves and Have Nots: Can Traditional Indie Distributors Still Compete?
The Grand Jury Prizes in the World Cinema Dramatic competition went to Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir,” while in the World Cinema Documentary competition it went to “Honeyland” by Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska.
Audience awards went to “Paul Downs Colaizzo’s “Brittany Runs a Marathon...
- 2/3/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival drew to a close this evening with the annual awards ceremony, which was hosted by filmmaker and actress Marianna Palka at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse in Park City, Utah.
Of the four Grand Jury Prizes given to competition films — the festival’s highest honors — each was directed or co-directed by a female filmmaker, reflecting last year’s Directing winners, who were all women. This year’s Grand Jury Prize winners include Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency” (U.S. Dramatic), Nanfu Wang’s “One Child Nation” (U.S. Documentary), Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” (World Dramatic), and Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s “Honeyland” (World Documentary).
Both of the U.S. winners are still without U.S. distribution, so here’s hoping a big win at tonight’s show might loosen up some purse strings for these essential — and now award-winning — features.
At this year’s festival, women...
Of the four Grand Jury Prizes given to competition films — the festival’s highest honors — each was directed or co-directed by a female filmmaker, reflecting last year’s Directing winners, who were all women. This year’s Grand Jury Prize winners include Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency” (U.S. Dramatic), Nanfu Wang’s “One Child Nation” (U.S. Documentary), Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” (World Dramatic), and Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s “Honeyland” (World Documentary).
Both of the U.S. winners are still without U.S. distribution, so here’s hoping a big win at tonight’s show might loosen up some purse strings for these essential — and now award-winning — features.
At this year’s festival, women...
- 2/3/2019
- by Kate Erbland and Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
The Sundance Film Festival concluded with five female directors — and one man — sharing the grand jury prizes in the four main competition categories.
In U.S. dramatic competition, African-American writer-director Chinonye Chukwu won for “Clemency,” in which Alfre Woodard plays a prison warden who connects with a death-row inmate. Meanwhile, in the world dramatic category, Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” specifically looks at the challenges and setbacks facing a young female filmmaker, who puts her directing ambitions on hold in order to deal with the drug-addicted man who monopolizes her attention.
Top U.S. documentary honors went to Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation,” a personal exploration of the suffering and aftermath of China’s infamous population-control policy through co-director Wang’s family. In the world documentary competition, “Honeyland” — an artful portrait of a Macedonian beekeeper struggling to protect her livelihood — was a clear favorite with the jury,...
In U.S. dramatic competition, African-American writer-director Chinonye Chukwu won for “Clemency,” in which Alfre Woodard plays a prison warden who connects with a death-row inmate. Meanwhile, in the world dramatic category, Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” specifically looks at the challenges and setbacks facing a young female filmmaker, who puts her directing ambitions on hold in order to deal with the drug-addicted man who monopolizes her attention.
Top U.S. documentary honors went to Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation,” a personal exploration of the suffering and aftermath of China’s infamous population-control policy through co-director Wang’s family. In the world documentary competition, “Honeyland” — an artful portrait of a Macedonian beekeeper struggling to protect her livelihood — was a clear favorite with the jury,...
- 2/3/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
For her feature debut, Jacqueline Olive examines the death of Lennon Lacy, a black 17-year-old who was found hanging from a swing set in his North Carolina home town. Though his death was quickly ruled a suicide by the authorities, his mother, Claudia, was understandably suspicious, given America’s long, far from resolved history of racialized violence. Editor and co-writer Don Bernier (whose recent credits include Charm City) spoke via email about how he worked on the project, which he first learned of in 2014 but didn’t officially join until last year. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor […]...
- 2/1/2019
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
For her feature debut, Jacqueline Olive examines the death of Lennon Lacy, a black 17-year-old who was found hanging from a swing set in his North Carolina home town. Though his death was quickly ruled a suicide by the authorities, his mother, Claudia, was understandably suspicious, given America’s long, far from resolved history of racialized violence. Editor and co-writer Don Bernier (whose recent credits include Charm City) spoke via email about how he worked on the project, which he first learned of in 2014 but didn’t officially join until last year. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor […]...
- 2/1/2019
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
When choosing cameras and lenses, nonfiction filmmakers are not only guided by the “look” they are trying to create, but what their production demands and what their resources allow. Which is why in answering the question of why they picked the gear they did, this year’s crop of Sundance documentary directors also tells us how they shot their movies — the challenges, and the choices, as well as their cinematic styles.
Feature films in the U.S. Documentary Competition are below, Documentary Premieres Page 2, World Cinema Documentary Competition Page 3. Films appear in alphabetical order by title.
Section: U.S. Documentary Competition
“Always in Season”
Format: 1920×1080 24p
Camera: Canon C300 (primary camera) and Sony FS7 (for stylized footage)
Lens: anamorphic lenses: canon L-series and Zeiss primes
Director Jacqueline Olive: Life in the South is complex, so my goal has been to give viewers a sense, in every scene, of how...
Feature films in the U.S. Documentary Competition are below, Documentary Premieres Page 2, World Cinema Documentary Competition Page 3. Films appear in alphabetical order by title.
Section: U.S. Documentary Competition
“Always in Season”
Format: 1920×1080 24p
Camera: Canon C300 (primary camera) and Sony FS7 (for stylized footage)
Lens: anamorphic lenses: canon L-series and Zeiss primes
Director Jacqueline Olive: Life in the South is complex, so my goal has been to give viewers a sense, in every scene, of how...
- 2/1/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
“Always in Season” asks a startling question: Could it be that lynching, one thing we think can be safely relegated to the pre-Civil Rights Movement era, is actually still practiced as a form of racial terrorism today? Jacqueline Olive’s documentary doesn’t provide a conclusive answer but certainly raises enough suspicion to trouble the mind. Focusing on a recent instance — and not a unique one — in which a young African-American man’s death was hastily pronounced a suicide, despite family doubts and questionable circumstances, this film offers an engrossing mix of history, investigation and activism.
One morning last August, Lennon Lee Lacy, an 18-year-old high school student in Bladenboro, N.C., was found hanging from a swing set. His friends and family were incredulous, believing he had plenty to live for and had shown no signs of suicidal despair. Older brother Pierre said the way the body was found...
One morning last August, Lennon Lee Lacy, an 18-year-old high school student in Bladenboro, N.C., was found hanging from a swing set. His friends and family were incredulous, believing he had plenty to live for and had shown no signs of suicidal despair. Older brother Pierre said the way the body was found...
- 1/26/2019
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker Jacqueline Olive knows a good story when she sees it, and the documentarian always knows the right people to tell it, outfitting her feature directorial debut “Always in Season” with essential interview subjects who breathe emotion and insight into a tough subject. And yet Olive’s eye for a good story is clouded by her seeming desire to tell too many stories at once, as “Always in Season” clumsily moves between her central story — a horrifying death surrounded by strange circumstances — and a pair of related stories that never get the full treatment they deserve. Despite a strong start, one that puts the focus on the contentious hanging death of teenager Lennon Lacy, Olive’s choice to expand her narrative to include other stories about the historical horror of lynching in America never finds complete connections, a disjointed amalgam of important stories that upsets as much as it confuses.
- 1/26/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
We like to think things get better, though history (far-past and recent) frequently suggests otherwise. In the case of Jacqueline Olive's upsetting documentary, Always in Season, the moral, very much in keeping with its gut-wrenching title, might be "same as it ever was."
The film looks into the case of Lennon Lacy, a 17-year-old African-American from Bladenboro, North Carolina, who was found hanging from a swing set in August 2014. After a very negligent investigation, Lennon's death was ruled a suicide, though the teen's mother, Claudia, and many others besides, believed it was really racist ...
The film looks into the case of Lennon Lacy, a 17-year-old African-American from Bladenboro, North Carolina, who was found hanging from a swing set in August 2014. After a very negligent investigation, Lennon's death was ruled a suicide, though the teen's mother, Claudia, and many others besides, believed it was really racist ...
- 1/26/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
We like to think things get better, though history (far-past and recent) frequently suggests otherwise. In the case of Jacqueline Olive's upsetting documentary, Always in Season, the moral, very much in keeping with its gut-wrenching title, might be "same as it ever was."
The film looks into the case of Lennon Lacy, a 17-year-old African-American from Bladenboro, North Carolina, who was found hanging from a swing set in August 2014. After a very negligent investigation, Lennon's death was ruled a suicide, though the teen's mother, Claudia, and many others besides, believed it was really racist ...
The film looks into the case of Lennon Lacy, a 17-year-old African-American from Bladenboro, North Carolina, who was found hanging from a swing set in August 2014. After a very negligent investigation, Lennon's death was ruled a suicide, though the teen's mother, Claudia, and many others besides, believed it was really racist ...
- 1/26/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For her feature debut, Jacqueline Olive examines the death of Lennon Lacy, a black 17-year-old who was found hanging from a swing set in his North Carolina home town. Though his death was quickly ruled a suicide by the authorities, his mother, Claudia, was understandably suspicious, given America’s long, far from resolved history of racialized violence. Nashville-based Dp Patrick Sheehan was brought onto the project after shooting had began, staying until the end of production. Via email, Sheehan discussed matching the look of his footage with what already existed, taking visual inspiration from Errol Morris and lighting B-roll despite generally […]...
- 1/26/2019
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
For her feature debut, Jacqueline Olive examines the death of Lennon Lacy, a black 17-year-old who was found hanging from a swing set in his North Carolina home town. Though his death was quickly ruled a suicide by the authorities, his mother, Claudia, was understandably suspicious, given America’s long, far from resolved history of racialized violence. Nashville-based Dp Patrick Sheehan was brought onto the project after shooting had began, staying until the end of production. Via email, Sheehan discussed matching the look of his footage with what already existed, taking visual inspiration from Errol Morris and lighting B-roll despite generally […]...
- 1/26/2019
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Last year’s U.S. Documentary Competition gave us offerings such as mind blowing films such as Bisbee ’17, Minding the Gap, Three Identical Strangers and Hale County This Morning, This Evening. This year we have Penny Lane’s Hail Satan, Nanfu Wang & Jialing Zhang’s One Child Nation andMatt Tyrnauer’s Where’s My Roy Cohn? Here are the sixteen competing titles.
Always in Season / U.S.A. (Director: Jacqueline Olive) — When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother’s search for justice and reconciliation begins as the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present.…...
Always in Season / U.S.A. (Director: Jacqueline Olive) — When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother’s search for justice and reconciliation begins as the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present.…...
- 11/28/2018
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The Sundance Film Festival has gone through many changes in its 35 years, evolving from Robert Redford’s experimental incubator for independent filmmaking to the most influential festival event in the country. The 2019 edition is no exception: With Kim Yutani taking over as director of programming following the departure of longtime programming head Trevor Groth, much of the independent film community expects a lineup that reflects the shift in vision. Of course, Yutani still reports to Sundance veteran John Cooper, the festival’s director, and some Sundance movies will always be safe bets.
IndieWire’s annual Sundance wish list reflects much of the intel making the rounds, as well as some educated guesswork, based on various projects that have been submitted or seem likely to submit ahead of the festival’s deadlines. Last year’s hefty wish list included many films that make the cut, so take this overview seriously — but...
IndieWire’s annual Sundance wish list reflects much of the intel making the rounds, as well as some educated guesswork, based on various projects that have been submitted or seem likely to submit ahead of the festival’s deadlines. Last year’s hefty wish list included many films that make the cut, so take this overview seriously — but...
- 11/16/2018
- by Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Zack Sharf, Christian Blauvelt, Chris O'Falt, Tambay Obenson, Michael Nordine, Steve Greene and Jude Dry
- Indiewire
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