BBC Studios is gearing up for next week’s Showcase event by signing a global first-look deal with former Warner Bros. Australia TV boss Shaun Murphy.
The agreement gives the BBC’s commercial arm a first look outside Australia at Big Owl Pictures’ slate of original factual entertainment and entertainment formats. It also includes a commitment to co-develop paper formats through BBC Studios’ global production network, which spans territories including the U.S., the UK, France, Germany and Nordics.
Murphy launched Big Owl in July last year with backing from Californian billionaire Steve Luczo, as we revealed at the time. The company focused on all genres of unscripted content, and select scripted and film projects, working domestically and internationally.
The news comes soon after BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell told Deadline of plans to further expand the organisation’s international production capabilities through acquisition, talent deals and other creative partnerships.
The agreement gives the BBC’s commercial arm a first look outside Australia at Big Owl Pictures’ slate of original factual entertainment and entertainment formats. It also includes a commitment to co-develop paper formats through BBC Studios’ global production network, which spans territories including the U.S., the UK, France, Germany and Nordics.
Murphy launched Big Owl in July last year with backing from Californian billionaire Steve Luczo, as we revealed at the time. The company focused on all genres of unscripted content, and select scripted and film projects, working domestically and internationally.
The news comes soon after BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell told Deadline of plans to further expand the organisation’s international production capabilities through acquisition, talent deals and other creative partnerships.
- 2/23/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Image Source: Netflix
What lengths would you go to in order to solve the murder of a loved one? That's the question that Netflix's latest true-crime documentary, Why Did You Kill Me?, poses as it dives into the case of Crystal Theobald, a 24-year-old woman who was killed in a 2006 gang-related drive-by shooting in Riverside, CA. What differentiates this particular story from others is that Theobald's family took matters into their own hands to track down the people responsible for her murder rather than letting police handle it on their own. Crystal's mother, Belinda Lane, had her 14-year-old niece Jaimie pose as her daughter online by creating multiple fake Myspace profiles. Jaimie would then make the suspects fall in love with her so that she could retrieve as much information from them as possible. Belinda and Jaimie's efforts eventually led to the arrest of Crystal's killers, but the documentary quite...
What lengths would you go to in order to solve the murder of a loved one? That's the question that Netflix's latest true-crime documentary, Why Did You Kill Me?, poses as it dives into the case of Crystal Theobald, a 24-year-old woman who was killed in a 2006 gang-related drive-by shooting in Riverside, CA. What differentiates this particular story from others is that Theobald's family took matters into their own hands to track down the people responsible for her murder rather than letting police handle it on their own. Crystal's mother, Belinda Lane, had her 14-year-old niece Jaimie pose as her daughter online by creating multiple fake Myspace profiles. Jaimie would then make the suspects fall in love with her so that she could retrieve as much information from them as possible. Belinda and Jaimie's efforts eventually led to the arrest of Crystal's killers, but the documentary quite...
- 4/14/2021
- by Monica Sisavat
- Popsugar.com
“Domino: Battle of the Bones,” a comedy from NBA player-turned-filmmaker Baron Davis, has scored domestic distribution rights from TriCoast Entertainment.
The uplifting comedy stars Snoop Dogg and David Arquette, and tells of an elderly Black man who teams with his awkward, white step-grandson to defeat his rival in a domino tournament.
Davis was an Emmy nominee for co-producing the documentary “Crips and Bloods: Made in America” in 2008. “Domino” marks his feature directorial debut. Joining Snoop and Arquette is Lou Beatty Jr., Tasie Lawrence (“The First Wives Club”), Megan Sousa and a slew of social media influencers including Anthony “Scruncho” McKinley, Tom “Tiny” Lister Jr. and Haha Davis.
“Growing up, dominos was a way of life and a way of culture. Not only is it just a game — it’s a recipe for human connection and human communication. If you’ve sat down with a stranger to play dominos, you’ve met a friend,...
The uplifting comedy stars Snoop Dogg and David Arquette, and tells of an elderly Black man who teams with his awkward, white step-grandson to defeat his rival in a domino tournament.
Davis was an Emmy nominee for co-producing the documentary “Crips and Bloods: Made in America” in 2008. “Domino” marks his feature directorial debut. Joining Snoop and Arquette is Lou Beatty Jr., Tasie Lawrence (“The First Wives Club”), Megan Sousa and a slew of social media influencers including Anthony “Scruncho” McKinley, Tom “Tiny” Lister Jr. and Haha Davis.
“Growing up, dominos was a way of life and a way of culture. Not only is it just a game — it’s a recipe for human connection and human communication. If you’ve sat down with a stranger to play dominos, you’ve met a friend,...
- 11/9/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Los Angeles Youth Network (Layn) is proud to announce a new partnership from the Grammy Award winning artist/producer duo The Chainsmokers.
The donation will help fund Layn’s services for homeless and foster youth in Los Angeles. The donation will help in the vital services including emergency shelter, transitional housing, education and job development, health and wellness, and aftercare program.
“The issues facing the youth served by Layn are not insurmountable and we knew we could help,” said Taggart. “These homeless, runaway and foster youth are bright, intelligent and have determination to achieve their goals and Layn is there alongside them to motivate and inspire them,” Taggart added. “The issues facing these youth seem daunting, but we are happy to support this cause and Layn in its mission to create permanent solutions for these young people.”
“We are honored that Alex and Andrew chose Layn as their charity of choice,...
The donation will help fund Layn’s services for homeless and foster youth in Los Angeles. The donation will help in the vital services including emergency shelter, transitional housing, education and job development, health and wellness, and aftercare program.
“The issues facing the youth served by Layn are not insurmountable and we knew we could help,” said Taggart. “These homeless, runaway and foster youth are bright, intelligent and have determination to achieve their goals and Layn is there alongside them to motivate and inspire them,” Taggart added. “The issues facing these youth seem daunting, but we are happy to support this cause and Layn in its mission to create permanent solutions for these young people.”
“We are honored that Alex and Andrew chose Layn as their charity of choice,...
- 9/6/2017
- Look to the Stars
[[tmz:video id="0_wxgocpnr"]] Jay-z let his fans do the heavy lifting for Beyonce's birthday -- getting the crowd at his Made in America festival to to serenade her. Bey was in the audience Sunday night in Philly when Jay-z led everyone into "Happy Birthday" in honor of his wife's 36th ... which is actually on Monday. As often happens ... fans sounded torn on which version of the song to sing -- traditional or Stevie Wonder. Beyonce smiled through...
- 9/4/2017
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
From Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro to Ava DuVernay’s 13th, the factual film-makers tackling race in the era of Black Lives Matter
Related: Did #OscarsSoWhite work? Looking beyond Hollywood's diversity drought
Despite its best attempts to sabotage the occasion by almost crowning the wrong movie, this year’s Oscars will go down in history in terms of diversity, primarily thanks to Moonlight. But there was one Oscar category that had a different diversity problem. Four out of the five films competing for best documentary feature were made by African-Americans: Ezra Edelman’s winning Oj: Made in America; Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro; Ava DuVernay’s 13th; and Roger Ross Williams’s Life, Animated. The marginalised white film-making community had to make do with the Italian entry, Gianfranco Rosi’s immigration film Fire at Sea, which was still about Africans.
Continue reading...
Related: Did #OscarsSoWhite work? Looking beyond Hollywood's diversity drought
Despite its best attempts to sabotage the occasion by almost crowning the wrong movie, this year’s Oscars will go down in history in terms of diversity, primarily thanks to Moonlight. But there was one Oscar category that had a different diversity problem. Four out of the five films competing for best documentary feature were made by African-Americans: Ezra Edelman’s winning Oj: Made in America; Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro; Ava DuVernay’s 13th; and Roger Ross Williams’s Life, Animated. The marginalised white film-making community had to make do with the Italian entry, Gianfranco Rosi’s immigration film Fire at Sea, which was still about Africans.
Continue reading...
- 4/1/2017
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
A successful Oscar season is wrapping up, as multiple contenders from the specialty world continuing their long runs. Last out of the gate is Documentary Feature contender “I Am Not Your Negro” (Magnolia) which is rapidly expanding far beyond most similar nominees in an era when most documentaries do not play outside their Oscar-qualifying theatrical runs.
Among limited films, the new releases are mainly niche items without high expectations, and will add little in upcoming weeks. However, strong new Los Angeles dates on the second week of cat documentary “Kedi” (Oscilloscope) showed that its big New York opening was no fluke.
Opening
Everybody Loves Somebody (Lionsgate) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Palm Springs 2017
$1,000,000 in 333 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $3,003,000
The second 2017 release from Lionsgate’s Mexico producing partner Pantelion is a rom-com with a rare female director for this commercial general (mostly Latino) audience. Bilingual, it centers on an Los Angeles-based...
Among limited films, the new releases are mainly niche items without high expectations, and will add little in upcoming weeks. However, strong new Los Angeles dates on the second week of cat documentary “Kedi” (Oscilloscope) showed that its big New York opening was no fluke.
Opening
Everybody Loves Somebody (Lionsgate) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Palm Springs 2017
$1,000,000 in 333 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $3,003,000
The second 2017 release from Lionsgate’s Mexico producing partner Pantelion is a rom-com with a rare female director for this commercial general (mostly Latino) audience. Bilingual, it centers on an Los Angeles-based...
- 2/19/2017
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
As usual, the five nominees in the fiercely competitive Best Documentary Oscar category are comprised of high-profile hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas. However, this year’s race was marked by outside factors that included #OscarsSoWhite and the election of President Donald Trump. (Of note: Filmmakers of color directed four of the five nominated feature documentaries.)
Here’s how the documentary race shakes out:
“O.J.: Made in America” (Ezra Edelman, Espn, May 20)
Scoring great reviews at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America,” an exhaustive, eye-opening examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of the Century and beyond.
The movie swept through awards groups: it won three Cinema Eye Honors awards, took home the Ida for Best Feature, the Gotham, the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics,...
Here’s how the documentary race shakes out:
“O.J.: Made in America” (Ezra Edelman, Espn, May 20)
Scoring great reviews at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America,” an exhaustive, eye-opening examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of the Century and beyond.
The movie swept through awards groups: it won three Cinema Eye Honors awards, took home the Ida for Best Feature, the Gotham, the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics,...
- 2/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
As usual, the five nominees in the fiercely competitive Best Documentary Oscar category are comprised of high-profile hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas. However, this year’s race was marked by outside factors that included #OscarsSoWhite and the election of President Donald Trump. (Of note: Filmmakers of color directed four of the five nominated feature documentaries.)
Here’s how the documentary race shakes out:
“O.J.: Made in America” (Ezra Edelman, Espn, May 20)
Scoring great reviews at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America,” an exhaustive, eye-opening examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of the Century and beyond.
The movie swept through awards groups: it won three Cinema Eye Honors awards, took home the Ida for Best Feature, the Gotham, the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics,...
Here’s how the documentary race shakes out:
“O.J.: Made in America” (Ezra Edelman, Espn, May 20)
Scoring great reviews at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America,” an exhaustive, eye-opening examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of the Century and beyond.
The movie swept through awards groups: it won three Cinema Eye Honors awards, took home the Ida for Best Feature, the Gotham, the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics,...
- 2/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
2016 has been quite an eventful year in television.
From shocking firings and abrupt morning show departures to the rise of true-crime and president-elect Donald Trump, the past 12 months have featured a myriad of major TV headlines.
As 2017 approaches, Et relives 11 of the biggest stories on the small screen.
1. Thomas Gibson’s Criminal Minds Firing
The longtime star, who played Aaron Hotchner since the series’ 2005 debut, was fired after allegedly kicking a writer on the set of the CBS procedural, prompting the writers to scramble for an appropriate resolution to his character’s abrupt exit. Ultimately, the show opted not to kill Hotchner, leaving the door open for a possible return in the future.
Related: How 'Criminal Minds' Handled Thomas Gibson's Final Episode
2. The Year of Trump TV
You couldn’t turn away from the TV without seeing or hearing mention of Donald Trump. Whether it be through the presidential debates, the fallout...
From shocking firings and abrupt morning show departures to the rise of true-crime and president-elect Donald Trump, the past 12 months have featured a myriad of major TV headlines.
As 2017 approaches, Et relives 11 of the biggest stories on the small screen.
1. Thomas Gibson’s Criminal Minds Firing
The longtime star, who played Aaron Hotchner since the series’ 2005 debut, was fired after allegedly kicking a writer on the set of the CBS procedural, prompting the writers to scramble for an appropriate resolution to his character’s abrupt exit. Ultimately, the show opted not to kill Hotchner, leaving the door open for a possible return in the future.
Related: How 'Criminal Minds' Handled Thomas Gibson's Final Episode
2. The Year of Trump TV
You couldn’t turn away from the TV without seeing or hearing mention of Donald Trump. Whether it be through the presidential debates, the fallout...
- 12/16/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
Few recent images have shocked America as much as the shaky cell phone video of Charleston police officer Michael Slager shooting unarmed Walter Scott in the back eight times. Cable news analysis of the video painted a black-and-white picture of a corrupt cop, who after radioing in that Scott had grabbed his taser — supposedly justifying the shooting — initially tried to plant his taser next to Scott’s dead body. It’s story that culminated this week when the trial led to a hung jury.
Read More: Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast: ‘Oj: Made in America’ Director Ezra Edelman on Making an Eight Hour Oscar Contender (Episode 11)
Young Canadian cinematographer Daniel Voshart, who had developed his own technique for image stabilization, instantly started playing with the shaky footage when it hit the internet. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting he produced a small clip, that was steadier and sharper compared to what had been made publicly available.
Read More: Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast: ‘Oj: Made in America’ Director Ezra Edelman on Making an Eight Hour Oscar Contender (Episode 11)
Young Canadian cinematographer Daniel Voshart, who had developed his own technique for image stabilization, instantly started playing with the shaky footage when it hit the internet. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting he produced a small clip, that was steadier and sharper compared to what had been made publicly available.
- 12/9/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Many are called, few are chosen: The number of high-quality, awards-worthy documentaries seems to grow every year, but there’s still only 15 slots on the Oscar documentary shortlist. That will be announced December 5; the final five will be revealed on nominations morning, January 24. This year, 145 features were submitted.
This is the white-knuckle portion of the final campaign stretch, as documentary filmmakers and distributors hope their movies make it onto documentary branch voters’ viewing piles before they file their final grades. Those with the advantage are high-profile established hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of engaging accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas.
So what’s looking like a strong bet? It’s a diverse list in more ways than one. Here are my picks for the Top 15, which are not listed in order of likelihood.
See more ‘Amanda Knox’: Why It Took Five Years to Unravel the Story of...
This is the white-knuckle portion of the final campaign stretch, as documentary filmmakers and distributors hope their movies make it onto documentary branch voters’ viewing piles before they file their final grades. Those with the advantage are high-profile established hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of engaging accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas.
So what’s looking like a strong bet? It’s a diverse list in more ways than one. Here are my picks for the Top 15, which are not listed in order of likelihood.
See more ‘Amanda Knox’: Why It Took Five Years to Unravel the Story of...
- 11/21/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Many are called, few are chosen: The number of high-quality, awards-worthy documentaries seems to grow every year, but there’s still only 15 slots on the Oscar documentary shortlist. That will be announced December 5; the final five will be revealed on nominations morning, January 24. This year, 145 features were submitted.
This is the white-knuckle portion of the final campaign stretch, as documentary filmmakers and distributors hope their movies make it onto documentary branch voters’ viewing piles before they file their final grades. Those with the advantage are high-profile established hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of engaging accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas.
So what’s looking like a strong bet? It’s a diverse list in more ways than one. Here are my picks for the Top 15, which are not listed in order of likelihood.
See more ‘Amanda Knox’: Why It Took Five Years to Unravel the Story of...
This is the white-knuckle portion of the final campaign stretch, as documentary filmmakers and distributors hope their movies make it onto documentary branch voters’ viewing piles before they file their final grades. Those with the advantage are high-profile established hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of engaging accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas.
So what’s looking like a strong bet? It’s a diverse list in more ways than one. Here are my picks for the Top 15, which are not listed in order of likelihood.
See more ‘Amanda Knox’: Why It Took Five Years to Unravel the Story of...
- 11/21/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
New York City’s annual Doc NYC festival kicks off this week, including a full-to-bursting slate of some of this year’s most remarkable documentaries. If you’ve been looking to beef up on your documentary consumption, Doc NYC is the perfect chance to check out a wide variety of some of the year’s best fact-based features.
Ahead, we pick out 13 of our most anticipated films from the fest, including some awards contenders, a handful of buzzy debuts and a number of festival favorites. Take a look and start filling up your schedule now.
“Cameraperson”
Kirsten Johnson’s “visual memoir” has already completed a starry trot around the festival circuit, kicking off with a lauded debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but it still demands to be seen by a wider audience. Johnson made her bones as a cinematographer on a number of well-known (and well-loved) documentaries,...
Ahead, we pick out 13 of our most anticipated films from the fest, including some awards contenders, a handful of buzzy debuts and a number of festival favorites. Take a look and start filling up your schedule now.
“Cameraperson”
Kirsten Johnson’s “visual memoir” has already completed a starry trot around the festival circuit, kicking off with a lauded debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but it still demands to be seen by a wider audience. Johnson made her bones as a cinematographer on a number of well-known (and well-loved) documentaries,...
- 11/9/2016
- by Kate Erbland, Eric Kohn, David Ehrlich, Chris O'Falt, Steve Greene and Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
For one week in November, virtually the entire documentary film community will gather in New York City for the Doc NYC film festival, where this year’s most acclaimed non-fiction films will screen. With all that talent and experience gathered in one place, Doc NYC has decided to channel it toward a new eight-day conference focusing on the tools and skills needed to fund, create and distribute documentary films.
Read More: ‘Weiner,’ Yes; ‘The Eagle Huntress,’ No: The 15 Documentaries on the Doc NYC Short List
Doc NYC Pro is geared toward documentary professionals looking to advance their careers and filmmaking skills and will be comprised of talks, panels, masterclasses and pitch sessions featuring filmmakers and decision makers behind films like “Weiner,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amanda Knox” and “Cartel Land.”
Each day of Doc NYC Pro will begin with a “morning manifesto,” featuring speakers Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour”), Josh Kriegman and...
Read More: ‘Weiner,’ Yes; ‘The Eagle Huntress,’ No: The 15 Documentaries on the Doc NYC Short List
Doc NYC Pro is geared toward documentary professionals looking to advance their careers and filmmaking skills and will be comprised of talks, panels, masterclasses and pitch sessions featuring filmmakers and decision makers behind films like “Weiner,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amanda Knox” and “Cartel Land.”
Each day of Doc NYC Pro will begin with a “morning manifesto,” featuring speakers Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour”), Josh Kriegman and...
- 10/14/2016
- by Casey Coit
- Indiewire
Civil rights activist Harry Belafonte released a social justice short film, titled “Against the Wall,” highlighting police brutality towards African Americans. Directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, the video features stars like Michael B. Jordan, Danny Glover, Michael K. Williams, and many others, forced against a wall, as audio of police calls and shooting incidents play in the background.
“If it’s once or twice you can say it’s an accident or a coincidence, but when you have as large a population of murdered young men in the streets of America and they’re all black or of African American descent, I think someone is sending us a message,” we hear Belafonte saying in the opening credits. “And we should respond to that message.”
Read More: From Ava DuVernay’s ’13th’ to ‘Oj: Made in America’: Four Docs That Define Black Lives Matter
The chilling black-and-white video...
“If it’s once or twice you can say it’s an accident or a coincidence, but when you have as large a population of murdered young men in the streets of America and they’re all black or of African American descent, I think someone is sending us a message,” we hear Belafonte saying in the opening credits. “And we should respond to that message.”
Read More: From Ava DuVernay’s ’13th’ to ‘Oj: Made in America’: Four Docs That Define Black Lives Matter
The chilling black-and-white video...
- 10/12/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
In his Oscar-winning documentary “Bowling for Columbine” (2002), Michael Moore confronts Charlton Heston and Kmart executives, Michigan militiamen and the producer of “Cops,” but his quixotic search is for the structure itself, the undercarriage of American violence. Though his starting point is the 1999 massacre at Colorado’s Columbine High School, in which two students murdered one teacher, 12 classmates, and injured 21 others, Moore spins a dense web of historical connections and geopolitical comparisons: A montage of American imperialism from the overthrow of Mohammed Mossedegh to the rise of Osama bin Laden, set to “What a Wonderful World”; interviews with ordinary Canadians baffled by the American obsession with crime. “Bowling for Columbine” is, in short, the filmmaker’s most chilling and prescient polemic, framing the United States’ gun epidemic as the logical consequence of our “culture of fear,” and its concomitant economy of terror.
Nearly 14 years on from Moore’s Oscar acceptance speech,...
Nearly 14 years on from Moore’s Oscar acceptance speech,...
- 10/5/2016
- by Matt Brennan
- Indiewire
Kristen Stewart may seem to have turned a corner in her career by transitioning from big-budget studio movies to independent films, but Stewart insists she doesn’t prefer one over the other. During Monday’s New York Film Festival press conference for director Kelly Reichardt’s “Certain Women,” a drama in which Stewart plays a young lawyer, she told the audience she never focuses on the difference between doing an indie film or a studio movie.
Read More: Kelly Reichardt Is One of the Best Filmmakers in America, and We Don’t Appreciate Her Enough — Nyff
“You could technically draw distinctions, because you have more money to play with and then it naturally affects the dynamic a little bit,” Stewart said, “but at the end of the day, I’ve never approached anything [thinking], oh, this is bigger now, therefore I’m less entitled to something meaningful.”
In “Certain Women,” which...
Read More: Kelly Reichardt Is One of the Best Filmmakers in America, and We Don’t Appreciate Her Enough — Nyff
“You could technically draw distinctions, because you have more money to play with and then it naturally affects the dynamic a little bit,” Stewart said, “but at the end of the day, I’ve never approached anything [thinking], oh, this is bigger now, therefore I’m less entitled to something meaningful.”
In “Certain Women,” which...
- 10/4/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
There are four new documentaries that, while timed for Oscar votes, have a much bigger target audience: The American voters. These urgently topical films peel away decades of mythology, propaganda, and misinformation to reveal why so many people in this country are not only incarcerated in our thriving prison economy, but function inside prisons of misguided perception.
It’s easy to see why the New York Film Festival picked Ava DuVernay’s “13th” as its first-ever documentary opening-night film. In the year of Ferguson and Black Lives Matter, as fearful cops continue to gun down unarmed black men in the street, this must-see film will raise consciousness about how race affects the way we regard and behave toward the people around us. “13th” is a history of how white people have treated African-Americans since 1865 — when the 13th Amendment abolished slavery — and it roused the Lincoln Center crowd to multiple standing...
It’s easy to see why the New York Film Festival picked Ava DuVernay’s “13th” as its first-ever documentary opening-night film. In the year of Ferguson and Black Lives Matter, as fearful cops continue to gun down unarmed black men in the street, this must-see film will raise consciousness about how race affects the way we regard and behave toward the people around us. “13th” is a history of how white people have treated African-Americans since 1865 — when the 13th Amendment abolished slavery — and it roused the Lincoln Center crowd to multiple standing...
- 10/3/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
There are four new documentaries that, while timed for Oscar votes, have a much bigger target audience: The American voters. These urgently topical films peel away decades of mythology, propaganda, and misinformation to reveal why so many people in this country are not only incarcerated in our thriving prison economy, but function inside prisons of misguided perception.
It’s easy to see why the New York Film Festival picked Ava DuVernay’s “13th” as its first-ever documentary opening-night film. In the year of Ferguson and Black Lives Matter, as fearful cops continue to gun down unarmed black men in the street, this must-see film will raise consciousness about how race affects the way we regard and behave toward the people around us. “13th” is a history of how white people have treated African-Americans since 1865 — when the 13th Amendment abolished slavery — and it roused the Lincoln Center crowd to multiple standing...
It’s easy to see why the New York Film Festival picked Ava DuVernay’s “13th” as its first-ever documentary opening-night film. In the year of Ferguson and Black Lives Matter, as fearful cops continue to gun down unarmed black men in the street, this must-see film will raise consciousness about how race affects the way we regard and behave toward the people around us. “13th” is a history of how white people have treated African-Americans since 1865 — when the 13th Amendment abolished slavery — and it roused the Lincoln Center crowd to multiple standing...
- 10/3/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Glenn here with our weekly look at documentaries from theatres, festivals, and on demand. This week we're looking at Espn's much-buzzed five-part documentary about O.J. Simpson.
Even more coincidental than the release of Espn’s O.J.: Made in America so soon after Ryan Murphy’s star-studded FX mini-series, The People v. O.J. Simpson, is that the rise to fame of their subject coincided so precisely with the rise to prominence of the African American civil rights movement. The irony was not lost on Simpson with the handsome man who everyone thought “had it all” never being able to out-run the shadow that his own meteoric ascent cast over seemingly the United States’ entire black population. Nor is it lost on director Ezra Edelman who makes the parallels the structural spine of this exceptionally thorough, exquisitely compiled, and exhaustively compelling five-part documentary. It’s not called “Made in America” for nothing...
Even more coincidental than the release of Espn’s O.J.: Made in America so soon after Ryan Murphy’s star-studded FX mini-series, The People v. O.J. Simpson, is that the rise to fame of their subject coincided so precisely with the rise to prominence of the African American civil rights movement. The irony was not lost on Simpson with the handsome man who everyone thought “had it all” never being able to out-run the shadow that his own meteoric ascent cast over seemingly the United States’ entire black population. Nor is it lost on director Ezra Edelman who makes the parallels the structural spine of this exceptionally thorough, exquisitely compiled, and exhaustively compelling five-part documentary. It’s not called “Made in America” for nothing...
- 6/28/2016
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Former Shine Australia executive producer Shaun Murphy has joined Warner Bros. Australian production company.
Murphy takes the newly created role of head of entertainment at Warner Bros International Television Production (Wbitvp) Australia.
That.s the rebranded name of Eyeworks Australia following the Hollywood studio.s acquisition of the Eyeworks Group last year.
Murphy's executive producer credits include three seasons of The Bachelor Australia, Australia's Next Top Model for Foxtel and Crips & Bloods: Made in America for PBS.
Wbitvp is producing a seventh season of Who Do You Think You Are? for Sbs and What Really Happens in Thailand, a co-production with McAvoy Media, for the Seven Network.
Andrew Zein, senior VP of creative, format development and sales at Wbitvp, said: .Shaun joining underlines our commitment and ambition for growing our Australian production business..
Murphy takes the newly created role of head of entertainment at Warner Bros International Television Production (Wbitvp) Australia.
That.s the rebranded name of Eyeworks Australia following the Hollywood studio.s acquisition of the Eyeworks Group last year.
Murphy's executive producer credits include three seasons of The Bachelor Australia, Australia's Next Top Model for Foxtel and Crips & Bloods: Made in America for PBS.
Wbitvp is producing a seventh season of Who Do You Think You Are? for Sbs and What Really Happens in Thailand, a co-production with McAvoy Media, for the Seven Network.
Andrew Zein, senior VP of creative, format development and sales at Wbitvp, said: .Shaun joining underlines our commitment and ambition for growing our Australian production business..
- 8/3/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The lineup for one of the largest musical festivals of the year is out — and filled with huge names! From Kanye and A$AP Ferg to Elton John and Lionel Richie, Bonnaroo has the most diverse lineup ever.
Hopefully Kanye West won’t walk off stage this time! The rapper is headlining Bonnaroo, along with Elton John, and it will be his big return to the festival since he left the stage six years ago after being booed! See the full lineup below, and get the details on where and when to get your tickets!
Bonaroo Lineup Revealed
Are you ready for this? On Feb. 22, tickets for Bonnaroo go on sale at 12:00 Pm Est, and we’ve got a feeling they’re going to go fast. You can purchase general admission tickets as well as VIP packages right here. On June 12-15th, more than 125 bands and 20 comedic acts...
Hopefully Kanye West won’t walk off stage this time! The rapper is headlining Bonnaroo, along with Elton John, and it will be his big return to the festival since he left the stage six years ago after being booed! See the full lineup below, and get the details on where and when to get your tickets!
Bonaroo Lineup Revealed
Are you ready for this? On Feb. 22, tickets for Bonnaroo go on sale at 12:00 Pm Est, and we’ve got a feeling they’re going to go fast. You can purchase general admission tickets as well as VIP packages right here. On June 12-15th, more than 125 bands and 20 comedic acts...
- 2/20/2014
- by Emily Longeretta
- HollywoodLife
Nobody can question San Diego's climate. With 201 days above 70 degrees each year, America's Finest City (it's official nickname) hosts more than 32 million visitors who annually pump an estimated eight billion dollars into the regional economy. And the locals have it good, too: S.D. has recently been named America's second best city to work, its ninth best place to buy a house and, for the thirsty, the third best beer town in America. But it's not all sunshine and smiles in SoCal. Where there's wealth, there's an underbelly. And that's...
- 1/31/2014
- Rollingstone.com
Here's another great trailer for Stacy Peralta's latest documentary Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, which follows the rise of skateboarding in the 1980's. This was such an incredible documentary, and a must see for anyone that is a fan of Tony Hawk and the skateboarding scene. Hell, even if you're not, it's still an amazing documentary worth watching!
The Bones Brigade is a skateboarding team that was organized by 70's skateboarding legend and the film's director Stacy Peralta in the early 80's. He set out to start his own team of skaters, gathered together a group of no-name kids that had a deep passion for skateboarding, and mentored them to the top. This team produced some of the greatest, most legendary skateboarders of all time including Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain and Rodney Mullen, who I admired as a kid growing up in the 80's.
The Bones Brigade is a skateboarding team that was organized by 70's skateboarding legend and the film's director Stacy Peralta in the early 80's. He set out to start his own team of skaters, gathered together a group of no-name kids that had a deep passion for skateboarding, and mentored them to the top. This team produced some of the greatest, most legendary skateboarders of all time including Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain and Rodney Mullen, who I admired as a kid growing up in the 80's.
- 10/27/2012
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Bones Brigade: An Autobiography was one of the best and most entertaining documentaries that I saw up at Sundance this year, and today we bring you a great new trailer!
The Bones Brigade is a skateboarding team that was organized by 70's skateboarding legend and the film's director Stacy Peralta in the early 80's. He set out to start his own team of skaters, gathered together a group of no-name kids that had a deep passion for skateboarding, and mentored them to the top. This team produced some of the greatest, most legendary skateboarders of all time including Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain, and Rodney Mullen, who I admired as a kid growing up in the 80's. These guys took skateboarding to a whole new level of awesomeness, brought the sport into the mainstream, and turned it into a booming business that they could make a ton of money from.
The Bones Brigade is a skateboarding team that was organized by 70's skateboarding legend and the film's director Stacy Peralta in the early 80's. He set out to start his own team of skaters, gathered together a group of no-name kids that had a deep passion for skateboarding, and mentored them to the top. This team produced some of the greatest, most legendary skateboarders of all time including Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain, and Rodney Mullen, who I admired as a kid growing up in the 80's. These guys took skateboarding to a whole new level of awesomeness, brought the sport into the mainstream, and turned it into a booming business that they could make a ton of money from.
- 9/21/2012
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Believe it or not, Ron Howard is no stranger to brushing with hip-hop. The director makes an appearance in Jamie Foxx's music video for his club song Blame It along with Forest Whitaker, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson and many more. Now the filmmaker is diving deeper into music as The NY Post has learned Howard will direct a Jay-z documentary chronicling the Made in America music festival in Philadelphia. In addition to Hova taking the spotlight, the concert, which takes place September 1st and 2nd also includes Drake, Pearl Jam, Run-dmc, Skrillex, Rick Ross, Miike Snow, Odd Future and Janelle Monáe. Howard's business partner Brian Grazer says, "The festival showcases 20 pre-eminent artists that speak to the new generation. I am producing the film with Steve Stoute and Jay. Ron is directing. It is going to be born through Jay-z’s perspective, how he puts the event together.
- 8/15/2012
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
For being such a documentary hotshot, Stacy Peralta is one of the coolest directors I've ever met. His films, which include the classic skateboarding film "Dogtown and Z-Boys," "Riding Giants" about surfing, and the definitive South La gang film, "Crips and Bloods: Made in America," are just as cool. Both Peralta and his films are unpretentious, straight-to-the-point and completely affecting. Here at Toronto's Hot Docs' Doc Talks, Cinema Eye's Aj Schnack sat down with Peralta, who is in town promoting his film "Bones Brigade: An Autobiography," about the group of skateboarding legends he was a part of in the 1980's, and "No Room for Rock Stars," a film he produced about the Vans Warped Tour. Peralta's friends, it turns out, asked him six years ago to make "Bones Brigade," about the skateboarding team that included Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain, Tommy Guerrero and...
- 5/3/2012
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
Mma-fighter-turned-actor Gina Carano has landed her second action role. THR reports that the Haywire actress is set to star in In The Blood, an action thriller being directed by John Stockwell (Into the Blue, Blue Crush). It will be produced by Movie Package Co.’s Shaun Redick and Ray Mansfield (The Messenger).
Blood is described as being in the same vein as Taken. The story is "set in motion when a husband disappears while vacationing in the Caribbean with his wife, to be played by Carano. The grieving wife passionately and recklessly pursues the men whom she believes kidnapped and killed him." The script was penned by Bennett Yellin and James Robert Johnston.
Stockwell had this to say about the film: This role will showcase not only Gina’s fighting skills, but also her acting abilities as her character struggles to reign in her violent past. Verso Entertainment (Crips and Bloods: Made in America...
Blood is described as being in the same vein as Taken. The story is "set in motion when a husband disappears while vacationing in the Caribbean with his wife, to be played by Carano. The grieving wife passionately and recklessly pursues the men whom she believes kidnapped and killed him." The script was penned by Bennett Yellin and James Robert Johnston.
Stockwell had this to say about the film: This role will showcase not only Gina’s fighting skills, but also her acting abilities as her character struggles to reign in her violent past. Verso Entertainment (Crips and Bloods: Made in America...
- 2/15/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Due to my lack of research preparing for the Sundance Film Festival, Bones Brigade: An Autobiography wasn't even on my radar. When I first saw the title I wasn't even sure if it was the "Bones Brigade" skateboarding team that I grew up knowing, reading about, and watching. Then when I saw that it was directed by Stacy Peralta I knew that it was, and I was excited as hell to see it!
The Bones Brigade is a skateboarding team that was organized by 70's skateboarding legend Stacy Peralta in the early 80's. He set out to start his own team of skaters, gathered together a group of no-name kids that had a deep passion for skateboarding, and mentored them to the top. This team produced some of the greatest, most legendary skateboarders of all time including Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain, and Rodney Mullen,...
The Bones Brigade is a skateboarding team that was organized by 70's skateboarding legend Stacy Peralta in the early 80's. He set out to start his own team of skaters, gathered together a group of no-name kids that had a deep passion for skateboarding, and mentored them to the top. This team produced some of the greatest, most legendary skateboarders of all time including Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain, and Rodney Mullen,...
- 1/24/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
It's been over a decade since skateboarding pioneer Stacy Peralta brought his partially autobiographic documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys" to the Sundance Film Festival and walked away with an Audience Award and a prize for his direction. Since then, Peralta has successfully chronicled big wave surfers in "Riding Giants" and street gangs in "Crips and Bloods: Made in America," proving himself to be more than just a one-trick pony as a documentarian, but rather an astute chronicler of men who live extreme lives on the fringes of the mainstream. Peralta returned to Sundance on Saturday (January 21) night for the...
- 1/22/2012
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
Bollywood fans in the U.S. will now have access to prime Indian film fare, courtesy of Gravitas Ventures.
Gravitas has partnered in a deal with India's largest film studio, Utv Motion Pictures, to bring Utv features to the States via theaters and video on demand. The arrangement will first feature two upcoming releases -- the political thriller "Raajneeti" and the Sundance feature "Peepli Live."
"Raajneeti," directed by Prakash Jha, will open in theaters June 4, then move on to an early August VOD release through Gravitas' deal with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. Written and directed by Anusha Rizvi, "Peepli" will open in Indian theaters August 13, followed by a North American VOD rollout at the beginning of October.
It's an auspicious time for Indian material. This past weekend, Reliance Big Pictures' "Kites," which was shot entirely in the U.S., launched on 2,500 screens worldwide and grossed around $14 million, including nearly $1 million from U.
Gravitas has partnered in a deal with India's largest film studio, Utv Motion Pictures, to bring Utv features to the States via theaters and video on demand. The arrangement will first feature two upcoming releases -- the political thriller "Raajneeti" and the Sundance feature "Peepli Live."
"Raajneeti," directed by Prakash Jha, will open in theaters June 4, then move on to an early August VOD release through Gravitas' deal with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. Written and directed by Anusha Rizvi, "Peepli" will open in Indian theaters August 13, followed by a North American VOD rollout at the beginning of October.
It's an auspicious time for Indian material. This past weekend, Reliance Big Pictures' "Kites," which was shot entirely in the U.S., launched on 2,500 screens worldwide and grossed around $14 million, including nearly $1 million from U.
- 5/26/2010
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It's time, once again, for our quasi-annual semi-obligatory Oscar podcast, in which we go over our predictions for who we think will win in each of the Academy's oh-so-many categories, from best picture to best documentary short subject (the true test of any devoted Oscar prognosticator).
This year, to spice things up, we're added a challenge -- the one who gets the least right will have to drink a large bowl of queso once we head to Austin for SXSW. On camera -- for posterity, of course.
Download: MP3, 48:30 minutes, 44.6 Mb
Subscribe to the podcast: [iTunes] [Xml]
This week's Keyword Game giveaway is a collection of DVDs we, er, had lying around: "Anatomy of Hell," "Crips and Bloods: Made in America," "Purple Butterfly" and "Shahenshah."...
This year, to spice things up, we're added a challenge -- the one who gets the least right will have to drink a large bowl of queso once we head to Austin for SXSW. On camera -- for posterity, of course.
Download: MP3, 48:30 minutes, 44.6 Mb
Subscribe to the podcast: [iTunes] [Xml]
This week's Keyword Game giveaway is a collection of DVDs we, er, had lying around: "Anatomy of Hell," "Crips and Bloods: Made in America," "Purple Butterfly" and "Shahenshah."...
- 3/1/2010
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
Quickcard Review
Sweetgrass
Directed by: Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Cast: John Ahern, Pat Connolly, lots of sheep
Running Time: 1 hr 40 min
Rating: unrated
Complete Coverage – 33rd Portland International Film Festival
Country: United States
Plot: The filmmakers document the final 150 mile trek that two shepherds make, escorting a large amount of sheep through the mountains of Montana.
Who’S It For? You don’t have to love sheep, but it may help. Any documentary fans should enjoy this very entertaining film.
Overall
Sweetgrass starts with sheep, which is indicative of what it’s about. Two anthropologist/filmmakers direct this film that documents the last trail ride of two shepherds (they seem more like cowboys, maybe sheepboys?) who herd their charges across 150 miles of terrain through the Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains in Montana. The film starts with sheering and lambing, and though humans are present, they rarely speak. Barbash and Castaing-Taylor take a backseat...
Sweetgrass
Directed by: Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Cast: John Ahern, Pat Connolly, lots of sheep
Running Time: 1 hr 40 min
Rating: unrated
Complete Coverage – 33rd Portland International Film Festival
Country: United States
Plot: The filmmakers document the final 150 mile trek that two shepherds make, escorting a large amount of sheep through the mountains of Montana.
Who’S It For? You don’t have to love sheep, but it may help. Any documentary fans should enjoy this very entertaining film.
Overall
Sweetgrass starts with sheep, which is indicative of what it’s about. Two anthropologist/filmmakers direct this film that documents the last trail ride of two shepherds (they seem more like cowboys, maybe sheepboys?) who herd their charges across 150 miles of terrain through the Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains in Montana. The film starts with sheering and lambing, and though humans are present, they rarely speak. Barbash and Castaing-Taylor take a backseat...
- 2/11/2010
- by Megan Lehar
- The Scorecard Review
Six was the magic number for NAACP Image Awards nominations announced Wednesday (Jan. 6).
ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," the film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" and the TNT's telepic "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" led with six nominations apiece.
In music, however, Jay-z and Maxwell led the way with five nods each.
The nominations were announced at a press conference that featured Tay Diggs, comedian Wanda Sykes, "Brothers Star" Michael Strahan, Tatyana Ali and Kyle and Chris Massey.
The 41st NAACP Image Awards will air live beginning at 8 p.m. Et on Friday, Feb. 26 on Fox.
Check out the nominees:
Television
Outstanding Comedy Series
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"Everybody Hates Chris"(CW)
"Glee"(Fox)
"Tyler Perry's House of Payne"(TBS)
"Ugly Betty"(ABC)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Daryl "Chill" Mitchell - "Brothers"(Fox)
Donald Faison - "Scrubs"(NBC)
Dulé Hill - "Psych"(USA Network)
Lavan Davis - "Tyler Perry's House of Payne...
ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," the film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" and the TNT's telepic "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" led with six nominations apiece.
In music, however, Jay-z and Maxwell led the way with five nods each.
The nominations were announced at a press conference that featured Tay Diggs, comedian Wanda Sykes, "Brothers Star" Michael Strahan, Tatyana Ali and Kyle and Chris Massey.
The 41st NAACP Image Awards will air live beginning at 8 p.m. Et on Friday, Feb. 26 on Fox.
Check out the nominees:
Television
Outstanding Comedy Series
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"Everybody Hates Chris"(CW)
"Glee"(Fox)
"Tyler Perry's House of Payne"(TBS)
"Ugly Betty"(ABC)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Daryl "Chill" Mitchell - "Brothers"(Fox)
Donald Faison - "Scrubs"(NBC)
Dulé Hill - "Psych"(USA Network)
Lavan Davis - "Tyler Perry's House of Payne...
- 1/6/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
"Precious" leads the nominations for the 41st annual NAACP Image Awards earning eight noms including Best Director for Lee Daniels, Best Actress for Gabourey Sidibe, Supporting Actress for Mariah Carey, Monique, and Paula Patton, and Best Supporting Actor for Lenny Kravitz.
"Precious" also got nods for Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Independent Film. Other films nominated were "Invictus," "Michael Jackson's This Is It," "The Blind Side," and "The Princess and the Frog."
Winners will be announced Feb. 26 on Fox.
Here's the complete list of nominees for the 41st annual NAACP Image Awards:
Motion Picture Categories
Outstanding Motion Picture
. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
. "Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
. "Michael Jackson's: This Is It" (Columbia Pictures)
. "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
. "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
. Denzel Washington , "The Taking of Pelham 123" (Columbia Pictures...
"Precious" also got nods for Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Independent Film. Other films nominated were "Invictus," "Michael Jackson's This Is It," "The Blind Side," and "The Princess and the Frog."
Winners will be announced Feb. 26 on Fox.
Here's the complete list of nominees for the 41st annual NAACP Image Awards:
Motion Picture Categories
Outstanding Motion Picture
. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
. "Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
. "Michael Jackson's: This Is It" (Columbia Pictures)
. "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
. "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
. Denzel Washington , "The Taking of Pelham 123" (Columbia Pictures...
- 1/6/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The picture to the left has nothing to do with anything released in the last ten years, but it is from a movie.
Here in the Alamo programming office, movies are a big deal. We each watch approximately 215 movies per day, seven days a week, no holidays.
It’s a tough job…especially when it comes time to narrow down our favorites at the end of each year. It’s even more difficult to figure out what the best 20 films were in the past decade. But we do it all for you.
The lists below represent the most powerful and/or entertaining films of 2009, plus the finest we’ve seen since Y2K destroyed civilization. Take a look, disagree, get furious and attack us on the street.
Warning: We’ve got switchblades.
* * * * * *
Tim League
1) Mother -
I saw Mother at Cannes this year and it blew me out of the water.
Here in the Alamo programming office, movies are a big deal. We each watch approximately 215 movies per day, seven days a week, no holidays.
It’s a tough job…especially when it comes time to narrow down our favorites at the end of each year. It’s even more difficult to figure out what the best 20 films were in the past decade. But we do it all for you.
The lists below represent the most powerful and/or entertaining films of 2009, plus the finest we’ve seen since Y2K destroyed civilization. Take a look, disagree, get furious and attack us on the street.
Warning: We’ve got switchblades.
* * * * * *
Tim League
1) Mother -
I saw Mother at Cannes this year and it blew me out of the water.
- 1/5/2010
- by zack
- OriginalAlamo.com
Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008) Direction: Stacy Peralta Screenplay: Stacy Peralta and Sam George Narration: Forest Whitaker In the 1980s and into the first half of the 1990s, gang violence in American urban centers grabbed nightly news headlines with a distant sensationalism that appears almost quaint in the era of the 24-hour news cycle. Perhaps because threats emerging beyond the borders of the United States appear more prevalent or maybe because superficial aspects of the thug life entered the pop culture vernacular, gang warfare in cities such as Los Angeles has bled into the background of media chatter in the last fifteen years. Crips and Bloods: Made in America reintroduces the conversation into the mainstream. Director Stacy Peralta [...]...
- 10/29/2009
- by Doug Johnson
- Alt Film Guide
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will launch its 28th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" screening series with Oscar winner "Man on Wire" and "In a Dream" on Sept. 30 at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.
Directed by James Marsh, "Man on Wire" is a portrait of high-wire artist Philippe Petit. Directed by Jeremiah Zagar, "In a Dream" chronicles the work of muralist Isaiah Zagar.
Part one of this two-part series runs through December.
Titles on tap are:
Oct. 7: "The Garden" and "Crips and Bloods: Made in America"
Oct. 21: "Encounters at the End of the World" and "Flow"
Nov. 4: "David McCullough: Painting with Words" and "Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts"
Nov. 11: "Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh" and "Pray the Devil Back to Hell"
Dec. 9: "Wild Ocean" and "Hurricane on the Bayou" (at the IMAX Theater, California Science Center,...
Directed by James Marsh, "Man on Wire" is a portrait of high-wire artist Philippe Petit. Directed by Jeremiah Zagar, "In a Dream" chronicles the work of muralist Isaiah Zagar.
Part one of this two-part series runs through December.
Titles on tap are:
Oct. 7: "The Garden" and "Crips and Bloods: Made in America"
Oct. 21: "Encounters at the End of the World" and "Flow"
Nov. 4: "David McCullough: Painting with Words" and "Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts"
Nov. 11: "Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh" and "Pray the Devil Back to Hell"
Dec. 9: "Wild Ocean" and "Hurricane on the Bayou" (at the IMAX Theater, California Science Center,...
- 9/15/2009
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Given the public’s insatiable appetite for tales of gangbanging, plus the commercial pedigree of Dogtown And Z-Boys director (and subject) Stacy Peralta, it’s a little surprising that Crips And Bloods: Made In America didn’t receive a wider theatrical release. Or maybe it isn’t. While there’s always a market for lurid, sensationalistic thug-life chronicles, Crips And Bloods is so painfully earnest and unapologetic in its moral relativism that a better subtitle might have been Crips And Bloods: Unfortunate Victims Of Socioeconomic Iniquities. Even die-hard lefties might wind up wishing Peralta would hold his subjects a little ...
- 5/20/2009
- avclub.com
At a certain point in Stacy Peralta's latest effort, Crips and Bloods: Made in America, one of our interview subjects comments (roughly) that one of the chief devices of oppression is to turn the oppressed into the tools of their own oppression. It was at this point, historically-moving documentary aside, that the film became interesting for me. Sure, the whole thing is a worthy effort just based on the account of a strange and tragic set of circumstances, but I mean interesting in the sense of a well-crafted, meaningful film. The story itself, starting from the 50s (and before to a degree) and following the events that made south L.A. what it is today, was going to be interesting on some level regardless of the filmcraft. But, it wasn't necessarily going to be a gripping and powerful film.
- 5/20/2009
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren hit the premiere of 'Crips And Bloods: Made In America' last night! While they were strolling the red carpet we could not help but think how perfect their outfits were and how great their threads compliment one another. We think their look is the perfect image for an attractive couple their age and we like it so much that we are going to help you scoop the look! Jessica's blue cocktail dress is really cute and it will probably cost you an arm and a leg. During a time of recession, who needs to...
- 2/11/2009
- Hollyscoop.com
Errol Morris, on Oscar winner in 2004 for his documentary "The Fog of War," has made the cut that could lead to another Academy Award nomination for his latest film, "Standard Operating Procedure," a study of torture in Abu Ghraib in Iraq.
Morris' film, from Participant and Sony Pictures Classics, is one of 15 films that have made it through a preliminary round of voting by the Academy's documentary branch steering committee and are now eligible to compete for one of the five nominations in the feature documentary category.
Bill Maher's "Religulous," the top-grossing doc of the year with $12.6 million domestically, failed to make the list, though plenty of other hot-button topics were represented.
Joshua Tickell's "Fuel" looks at the energy crisis; Patrick Creadon's "I.O.U.S.A.," from Roadside Attractions, takes on the credit crunch; Peter Gilbert and Steve James' "At the Death House Door" examines a case of capital punishment...
Morris' film, from Participant and Sony Pictures Classics, is one of 15 films that have made it through a preliminary round of voting by the Academy's documentary branch steering committee and are now eligible to compete for one of the five nominations in the feature documentary category.
Bill Maher's "Religulous," the top-grossing doc of the year with $12.6 million domestically, failed to make the list, though plenty of other hot-button topics were represented.
Joshua Tickell's "Fuel" looks at the energy crisis; Patrick Creadon's "I.O.U.S.A.," from Roadside Attractions, takes on the credit crunch; Peter Gilbert and Steve James' "At the Death House Door" examines a case of capital punishment...
- 11/17/2008
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY -- Following "Riding Giants'" big-wave surfing excursion, feature documentary director Stacy Peralta returns to Southern California with Made in America, albeit the mean streets of south Los Angeles rather than the Santa Monica hardtop of Dogtown and Z-Boys.
In its examination of the origins of the notorious African-American street gangs, the Bloods and Crips, Made in America adopts a far more serious tone than either of Peralta's previous docs, which may make it most suitable for cable broadcast and DVD.
In a typical pubcaster-style setup, Peralta chronicles African-Americans' post-WW II westward migration and the establishment of black working class enclaves in Los Angeles during the '50s. Longtime south L.A. residents, many of them former gang members, relate how blacks were shut out of predominantly white organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and subsequently formed their own clubs, some of which became the precursors to street gangs.
The rival groups of the Crips and Bloods emerged in the neighborhood following the 1965 Watts riots and erosion of the black power movement's favorable influence. Defined by color-coded clothing, gestural signs and block-specific neighborhood boundaries, they've been engaged in ongoing internecine conflict for decades, as the death toll and incarceration rate among African-American men has soared throughout the area.
According to Peralta, himself an L.A. native, the statistics are staggering: Over the past 30 years, 100,000 people have been shot and 15,000 murdered as a result of gang violence in South Los Angeles -- more than even the long-running Northern Ireland conflict.
Combining archival photos, TV and film footage and first-person interviews with current and former gang members, as well as academics and community leaders, Peralta initially creates a persuasive account of the oppression and economic marginalization that have affected Los Angeles' inner-city black neighborhoods.
While Peralta's predominantly African American primary sources provide a unique and sympathetic outlook on gang rivalry and violence, much of the information about institutional discrimination against blacks, particularly the well-documented animosity demonstrated by the Los Angeles Police Department, feels conspicuously dated. The absence of supportive voices from the mainstream black political and Civil Rights communities further compromises the film's impact.
As Made in America unspools without introducing sufficient countervailing viewpoints, tucking information about the gangs' wide-ranging illegal activities deep into the running time, the film shifts from a reportorial documentary style to more of an advocacy approach. Although the film's strength is clearly its definitive point of view, this perspective sometimes comes at the expense of a more rigorously objective treatment.
Technical aspects are impressive with T.J. Mahar's energetic editing giving particular attention to the incorporation of distinctive archival images.
MADE IN AMERICA
Verso Entertainment and Balance Vector Productions present a Form Production
Credits:
Director: Stacy Peralta
Writers: Stacy Peralta, Sam George
Producers Baron Davis, Dan Halsted, Stacy Peralta, Jesse Dylan
Executive producers: Steve Luczo, Quincy "QD3" Jones III
Director of photography: Tony Hardmon
Music: Kamasi Washington, Matter
Editor: T.J. Mahar
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
PARK CITY -- Following "Riding Giants'" big-wave surfing excursion, feature documentary director Stacy Peralta returns to Southern California with Made in America, albeit the mean streets of south Los Angeles rather than the Santa Monica hardtop of Dogtown and Z-Boys.
In its examination of the origins of the notorious African-American street gangs, the Bloods and Crips, Made in America adopts a far more serious tone than either of Peralta's previous docs, which may make it most suitable for cable broadcast and DVD.
In a typical pubcaster-style setup, Peralta chronicles African-Americans' post-WW II westward migration and the establishment of black working class enclaves in Los Angeles during the '50s. Longtime south L.A. residents, many of them former gang members, relate how blacks were shut out of predominantly white organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and subsequently formed their own clubs, some of which became the precursors to street gangs.
The rival groups of the Crips and Bloods emerged in the neighborhood following the 1965 Watts riots and erosion of the black power movement's favorable influence. Defined by color-coded clothing, gestural signs and block-specific neighborhood boundaries, they've been engaged in ongoing internecine conflict for decades, as the death toll and incarceration rate among African-American men has soared throughout the area.
According to Peralta, himself an L.A. native, the statistics are staggering: Over the past 30 years, 100,000 people have been shot and 15,000 murdered as a result of gang violence in South Los Angeles -- more than even the long-running Northern Ireland conflict.
Combining archival photos, TV and film footage and first-person interviews with current and former gang members, as well as academics and community leaders, Peralta initially creates a persuasive account of the oppression and economic marginalization that have affected Los Angeles' inner-city black neighborhoods.
While Peralta's predominantly African American primary sources provide a unique and sympathetic outlook on gang rivalry and violence, much of the information about institutional discrimination against blacks, particularly the well-documented animosity demonstrated by the Los Angeles Police Department, feels conspicuously dated. The absence of supportive voices from the mainstream black political and Civil Rights communities further compromises the film's impact.
As Made in America unspools without introducing sufficient countervailing viewpoints, tucking information about the gangs' wide-ranging illegal activities deep into the running time, the film shifts from a reportorial documentary style to more of an advocacy approach. Although the film's strength is clearly its definitive point of view, this perspective sometimes comes at the expense of a more rigorously objective treatment.
Technical aspects are impressive with T.J. Mahar's energetic editing giving particular attention to the incorporation of distinctive archival images.
MADE IN AMERICA
Verso Entertainment and Balance Vector Productions present a Form Production
Credits:
Director: Stacy Peralta
Writers: Stacy Peralta, Sam George
Producers Baron Davis, Dan Halsted, Stacy Peralta, Jesse Dylan
Executive producers: Steve Luczo, Quincy "QD3" Jones III
Director of photography: Tony Hardmon
Music: Kamasi Washington, Matter
Editor: T.J. Mahar
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
At the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, the gala Premieres, which used to take place in the chilly nighttime, will begin as early as 3 p.m. And there will be more Premieres than ever.
As the Sundance Institute announced the lineup of films screening out of competition at its 2008 edition, organizers said that the Premieres section has significantly expanded. This year, 24 films will play as galas, occupying the 3, 6 and 9:30 p.m. slots at the Eccles Theater in Park City, the festival's largest venue. By contrast, there were 17 Premieres at this year's Sundance.
Although he admitted he was tempted, festival director Geoffrey Gilmore said the size of Sundance has not expanded. The festival will again screen 121 feature films, which includes 81 world premieres. What organizers have done, director of programming John Cooper said, is to reposition films in the Spectrum category, which previously played in the 3 p.m. slot, into the Premiere section.
"These are films that deserve that (Premiere) position inside the Eccles," Cooper said.
The announcement rounds out the rest of the 2008 program, which includes Premieres, Spectrum, New Frontier and Park City at Midnight sections. The 2008 Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 17-27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
The Premieres section showcases highly anticipated films from the American indie world and from international filmmakers. Perhaps the two most highly anticipated films are music related.
Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington's 3-D film of U2's Vertigo world tour -- snippets of which were shown in May at the Festival de Cannes -- will be presented in its entirety. The only question is: What 3-D glasses will be used?
Gilmore said the festival must decide between two different kinds of glasses or goggles. "Either way, there will be a single projector putting a split film image on the screen that are read by the (3-D) goggles," he said.
This year's closing-night film will be the world premiere of Bernard Shakey's CSNY Deja Vu, which looks at the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reunion tour and the musicians' connection to its audience in political and musical terms. Young is credited as a co-writer on the project.
Pellington performs a twofer this year as his Henry Poole Is Here also is in the Premieres section. After discovering he has a mere six weeks to live, Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) retreats from his everyday life for the comfort of booze, junk food and solitude until a "miracle" and his oddball neighbors intervene.
Another person who will be doing Q&As more than once will be actress-director Amy Redford, daughter of Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford. As an actress, she stars in Sunshine Cleaning, an irreverent comedy that will play in Dramatic Competition. As a first-time director, she will present The Guitar, which like Henry Poole, centers on a person diagnosed with a terminal illness. Amos Poe's Guitar screenplay is about a woman (Saffron Burrows) without long to live who blows her savings to pursue her dreams.
Michel Gondry came to Sundance two years ago with his mind-blowing The Science of Sleep. He now returns with his Be Kind Rewind, in which Jack Black plays a man whose brain has become magnetized, leading to the unintentional destruction of all the movies in a friend's video store. In order to keep the store's one loyal customer, the pair re-create a long line of films including The Lion King, Rush Hour and Ghostbusters.
" 'Be Kind Rewind' will tax people's patience but has a wonderful payoff," Gilmore said.
As previously announced, the festival opens Jan. 17 in Park City with the world premiere of In Bruges, written and directed by first-time filmmaker and award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh. The film, which stars Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, revolves around two hitmen ordered to take a forced holiday in Bruges, Belgium.
Two films about filmmaking should amuse the in-crowd. In Barry Levinson's What Just Happened? Robert De Niro plays a desperate producer struggling with a desperate film shoot. In Steven Schachter's The Deal, William H. Macy co-writes and stars in a tale about another similarly desperate producer who cons a studio into financing a film that actually has no script.
The tongue-in-cheek latter film "brings back Meg Ryan to the kind of romantic roles she plays so well," Gilmore said.
Premieres also is the section containing several films seen at earlier festivals such as writer-director Tom McCarthy's The Visitor and Alan Ball's Nothing Is Private -- movies that deal with immigrants in America -- which debuted at Toronto, and Tom Kalin's Savage Grace, which rocked Cannes with its themes of dynastic decline, incest, madness and death.
Sundance 2008 will throw an even brighter spotlight on documentaries by creating a sidebar within the Spectrum category for seven docus.
"The professional career of documentarians has changed dramatically," Gilmore said. "Documentaries were once a small world. Now it's a much broader spectrum of professionals and of people who move back and forth between features and documentaries, making films on subjects they are passionate about."
The Spectrum section also is where returning Sundance alums are to be found. To wit, Made in America by Stacy Peralta, who enjoyed a hit at the 2001 festival with Dogtown and Z-Boys; Blind Date from Stanley Tucci, who has come to Sundance with such interesting films as Big Night (1996) and Joe Gould's Secret (2000); August from Austin Chick, who made 2002's "XX/XY"; Baghead by writer-directors Mark and Jay Duplass, who brought Scrapple in 2004; and Bottle Shock, a retelling of the famous 1976 blind wine tasting in Paris that rocketed California wines to fame and glory, from Randall Miller, whose Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School played in 2005.
Park City at Midnight usually is the repository of the strange and the bloody. This year, though, Gilmore insisted, "the genre films are very fresh with a strong quality of execution."
Quentin Tarantino, absent from Park City for a few years, returns to "present" Larry Bishop's modern-day take on 1960s biker flicks, Hell Ride. A German-Canadian Midnight entry, Otto (Up With Dead People), is described by Gilmore as "an incredibly odd but interesting mix of gay zombies and a European setting."
The British Donkey Punch, named after a risky sexual practice, is a thriller that takes place aboard a luxury yacht. And Michael Haneke will bring Funny Games, an almost shot-by-shot remake of his 1997 Austrian chiller, only this time in English and in a Long Island setting.
As the Sundance Institute announced the lineup of films screening out of competition at its 2008 edition, organizers said that the Premieres section has significantly expanded. This year, 24 films will play as galas, occupying the 3, 6 and 9:30 p.m. slots at the Eccles Theater in Park City, the festival's largest venue. By contrast, there were 17 Premieres at this year's Sundance.
Although he admitted he was tempted, festival director Geoffrey Gilmore said the size of Sundance has not expanded. The festival will again screen 121 feature films, which includes 81 world premieres. What organizers have done, director of programming John Cooper said, is to reposition films in the Spectrum category, which previously played in the 3 p.m. slot, into the Premiere section.
"These are films that deserve that (Premiere) position inside the Eccles," Cooper said.
The announcement rounds out the rest of the 2008 program, which includes Premieres, Spectrum, New Frontier and Park City at Midnight sections. The 2008 Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 17-27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
The Premieres section showcases highly anticipated films from the American indie world and from international filmmakers. Perhaps the two most highly anticipated films are music related.
Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington's 3-D film of U2's Vertigo world tour -- snippets of which were shown in May at the Festival de Cannes -- will be presented in its entirety. The only question is: What 3-D glasses will be used?
Gilmore said the festival must decide between two different kinds of glasses or goggles. "Either way, there will be a single projector putting a split film image on the screen that are read by the (3-D) goggles," he said.
This year's closing-night film will be the world premiere of Bernard Shakey's CSNY Deja Vu, which looks at the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reunion tour and the musicians' connection to its audience in political and musical terms. Young is credited as a co-writer on the project.
Pellington performs a twofer this year as his Henry Poole Is Here also is in the Premieres section. After discovering he has a mere six weeks to live, Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) retreats from his everyday life for the comfort of booze, junk food and solitude until a "miracle" and his oddball neighbors intervene.
Another person who will be doing Q&As more than once will be actress-director Amy Redford, daughter of Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford. As an actress, she stars in Sunshine Cleaning, an irreverent comedy that will play in Dramatic Competition. As a first-time director, she will present The Guitar, which like Henry Poole, centers on a person diagnosed with a terminal illness. Amos Poe's Guitar screenplay is about a woman (Saffron Burrows) without long to live who blows her savings to pursue her dreams.
Michel Gondry came to Sundance two years ago with his mind-blowing The Science of Sleep. He now returns with his Be Kind Rewind, in which Jack Black plays a man whose brain has become magnetized, leading to the unintentional destruction of all the movies in a friend's video store. In order to keep the store's one loyal customer, the pair re-create a long line of films including The Lion King, Rush Hour and Ghostbusters.
" 'Be Kind Rewind' will tax people's patience but has a wonderful payoff," Gilmore said.
As previously announced, the festival opens Jan. 17 in Park City with the world premiere of In Bruges, written and directed by first-time filmmaker and award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh. The film, which stars Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, revolves around two hitmen ordered to take a forced holiday in Bruges, Belgium.
Two films about filmmaking should amuse the in-crowd. In Barry Levinson's What Just Happened? Robert De Niro plays a desperate producer struggling with a desperate film shoot. In Steven Schachter's The Deal, William H. Macy co-writes and stars in a tale about another similarly desperate producer who cons a studio into financing a film that actually has no script.
The tongue-in-cheek latter film "brings back Meg Ryan to the kind of romantic roles she plays so well," Gilmore said.
Premieres also is the section containing several films seen at earlier festivals such as writer-director Tom McCarthy's The Visitor and Alan Ball's Nothing Is Private -- movies that deal with immigrants in America -- which debuted at Toronto, and Tom Kalin's Savage Grace, which rocked Cannes with its themes of dynastic decline, incest, madness and death.
Sundance 2008 will throw an even brighter spotlight on documentaries by creating a sidebar within the Spectrum category for seven docus.
"The professional career of documentarians has changed dramatically," Gilmore said. "Documentaries were once a small world. Now it's a much broader spectrum of professionals and of people who move back and forth between features and documentaries, making films on subjects they are passionate about."
The Spectrum section also is where returning Sundance alums are to be found. To wit, Made in America by Stacy Peralta, who enjoyed a hit at the 2001 festival with Dogtown and Z-Boys; Blind Date from Stanley Tucci, who has come to Sundance with such interesting films as Big Night (1996) and Joe Gould's Secret (2000); August from Austin Chick, who made 2002's "XX/XY"; Baghead by writer-directors Mark and Jay Duplass, who brought Scrapple in 2004; and Bottle Shock, a retelling of the famous 1976 blind wine tasting in Paris that rocketed California wines to fame and glory, from Randall Miller, whose Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School played in 2005.
Park City at Midnight usually is the repository of the strange and the bloody. This year, though, Gilmore insisted, "the genre films are very fresh with a strong quality of execution."
Quentin Tarantino, absent from Park City for a few years, returns to "present" Larry Bishop's modern-day take on 1960s biker flicks, Hell Ride. A German-Canadian Midnight entry, Otto (Up With Dead People), is described by Gilmore as "an incredibly odd but interesting mix of gay zombies and a European setting."
The British Donkey Punch, named after a risky sexual practice, is a thriller that takes place aboard a luxury yacht. And Michael Haneke will bring Funny Games, an almost shot-by-shot remake of his 1997 Austrian chiller, only this time in English and in a Long Island setting.
- 11/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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