Sandbox Films has promoted Jessica Harrop to executive director of the company. In her new role, she will lead in strategic planning, editorial decision-making and the building of new partnerships and initiatives at the nonfiction studio.
Harrop is an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer. She played a pivotal role in launching and growing Sandbox Films, joining the team before the company’s official formation. Serving for the past five years as the head of production and development, she was instrumental in growing the slate of films and played a major role in all productions including Sara Dosa’s Oscar-nominated “Fire of Love.” Before Sandbox Films, she worked as a freelance showrunner, producer and writer for science television.
“I couldn’t be more excited to take on this new role at Sandbox Films, a company that I helped build from the ground up, with a mission I care deeply about,” Harrop said in a statement.
Harrop is an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer. She played a pivotal role in launching and growing Sandbox Films, joining the team before the company’s official formation. Serving for the past five years as the head of production and development, she was instrumental in growing the slate of films and played a major role in all productions including Sara Dosa’s Oscar-nominated “Fire of Love.” Before Sandbox Films, she worked as a freelance showrunner, producer and writer for science television.
“I couldn’t be more excited to take on this new role at Sandbox Films, a company that I helped build from the ground up, with a mission I care deeply about,” Harrop said in a statement.
- 5/9/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Producer Ina Fichman, Oscar nominated for “Fire of Love,” was at the 25th edition of Hot Docs Forum on Tuesday to pitch her latest project “Ba’s Book.” Directed by Canadian filmmaker Ashley Da-Le Duong, the hybrid docu focuses on Duong’s father and his experiences living through both the Vietnam War and the Iranian Revolution.
“Let me take you somewhere for a moment,” Duong told the Forum audience and participating distributors including Arte, A24 and Al Jazeera. “It’s 1968 and a young man stands in the middle of a rice paddy field and looks up and sees a helicopter. Not unusual because his house is right beside an American army base, but this time the helicopter overhead shoots at him and he pretends to be dead. He vows to leave his village forever. Eventually he does escape. He wins a scholarship to Iran. But his escaping terror is short...
“Let me take you somewhere for a moment,” Duong told the Forum audience and participating distributors including Arte, A24 and Al Jazeera. “It’s 1968 and a young man stands in the middle of a rice paddy field and looks up and sees a helicopter. Not unusual because his house is right beside an American army base, but this time the helicopter overhead shoots at him and he pretends to be dead. He vows to leave his village forever. Eventually he does escape. He wins a scholarship to Iran. But his escaping terror is short...
- 5/1/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Rotterdam competition title Small Hours of the Night from Daniel Hui and SXSW premiere Adrianne & The Castle by Shannon Walsh have landed international reputation via non-fiction agency Indox.
Launched by former Dogwoof exec Luke Brawley, Indox provides international festival management for non-fiction projects. The company is entirely independent and run solely by Brawley, who will be on the ground at Cannes, Sheffield DocFest, and Docs Ireland, where he will present the two films to programmers and producers.
Hui’s experimental docu-fiction Small Hours of the Night premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in January, before moving on to its North American premiere at Doc Fortnight in February. Shot on 16mm in crisp black and white, and primarily confined within the walls of a claustrophobic interrogation chamber, Hui’s Small Hours of the Night is described as a captivating blend of docu-fiction and hybrid storytelling.
Launched by former Dogwoof exec Luke Brawley, Indox provides international festival management for non-fiction projects. The company is entirely independent and run solely by Brawley, who will be on the ground at Cannes, Sheffield DocFest, and Docs Ireland, where he will present the two films to programmers and producers.
Hui’s experimental docu-fiction Small Hours of the Night premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in January, before moving on to its North American premiere at Doc Fortnight in February. Shot on 16mm in crisp black and white, and primarily confined within the walls of a claustrophobic interrogation chamber, Hui’s Small Hours of the Night is described as a captivating blend of docu-fiction and hybrid storytelling.
- 4/24/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Science is one of the central themes of leading European doc film festival Cph:dox. Alongside the broad selection of films on offer in the Cph:science section, the event also opens the floor to conversations on the role of science docs with key players, ranging from filmmakers and producers to commissioners and public broadcasters.
Entitled “Widening the Scopes of Science Docs,” the afternoon conference talk on Thursday addressed the shift in contemporary science doc filmmaking away from overt didacticism.
Moderated by Kat Cizek, a Peabody- and Emmy-winning documentarian and author (“A Short History of the Highrise”), the panel brought together Jessica Harrop, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and founding member of Sandbox Films (“Fire of Love”), Alex Villard-Faure, commissioning editor at Arte, and French filmmaker Marius Léna.
In his upcoming series, “Origins: A Tale of Light” (a working title), Villard-Faure goes back in time to tell the history of the universe – from the unprecedented perspective of light,...
Entitled “Widening the Scopes of Science Docs,” the afternoon conference talk on Thursday addressed the shift in contemporary science doc filmmaking away from overt didacticism.
Moderated by Kat Cizek, a Peabody- and Emmy-winning documentarian and author (“A Short History of the Highrise”), the panel brought together Jessica Harrop, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and founding member of Sandbox Films (“Fire of Love”), Alex Villard-Faure, commissioning editor at Arte, and French filmmaker Marius Léna.
In his upcoming series, “Origins: A Tale of Light” (a working title), Villard-Faure goes back in time to tell the history of the universe – from the unprecedented perspective of light,...
- 3/22/2024
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer (below) for dinosaur bone trade documentary “The Bones,” which will have its world premiere at Cph:dox as part of the festival’s Science program. The producer is Ina Fichman, Oscar nominated for “Fire of Love.” Dogwoof is handling world sales.
“The Bones,” written and directed by Jeremy Xido (“Death Metal Angola”), is a cinematic exploration of the high-stakes world of dinosaur bone trading, where obsessive collectors compete with museums, scientists, and high-end auction houses to own a piece of the past.
“It’s a story of intrigue, an illicit caper at the collision of science, commerce and a dark colonial legacy,” according to a press statement. “Part international thriller, part meditation on the nature of existence, ‘The Bones’ reveals the hidden world of passionate, globetrotting scientists and fossil dealers battling over the meaning of ‘The Bones’ and our uncertain future.”
The film sees paleontologist Bolor Minjin,...
“The Bones,” written and directed by Jeremy Xido (“Death Metal Angola”), is a cinematic exploration of the high-stakes world of dinosaur bone trading, where obsessive collectors compete with museums, scientists, and high-end auction houses to own a piece of the past.
“It’s a story of intrigue, an illicit caper at the collision of science, commerce and a dark colonial legacy,” according to a press statement. “Part international thriller, part meditation on the nature of existence, ‘The Bones’ reveals the hidden world of passionate, globetrotting scientists and fossil dealers battling over the meaning of ‘The Bones’ and our uncertain future.”
The film sees paleontologist Bolor Minjin,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Shannon Walsh’s documentary “Adrianne & the Castle”, which will make its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 9, tells the love story of Alan St. George and his late wife, Adrianne, via fantastical musical re-enactments. Before her death, St. Georges, a mascot-maker and artist, hand-built Havencrest Castle, a medieval castle in rural Illinois that represented the love between the couple. Walsh follows St. George as he puts the finishing touches on Havencrest Castle while also grappling with his grief over the passing of his wife.
“We say it’s the greatest love story you’ve never heard of,” says Walsh, whose previous films include “The Gig Is Up.” “It’s really a story of love and grief and the risk that you take whenever you fall in love. Grief is really the central thread. But it’s also about imagination and our ability to create...
“We say it’s the greatest love story you’ve never heard of,” says Walsh, whose previous films include “The Gig Is Up.” “It’s really a story of love and grief and the risk that you take whenever you fall in love. Grief is really the central thread. But it’s also about imagination and our ability to create...
- 2/29/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Sugarcane has become the latest big documentary deal out of the Sundance Film Festival.
Nat Geo has snapped up the doc, an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school which ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
Deadline understands that the Disney-owned factual brand has struck a deal in the low seven-figures. The doc comes from filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
National Geographic Documentary Films will roll out Sugarcane at global festivals throughout the rest of the year and release it in theaters before its streaming debut on Disney+.
It is the latest deal out of Sundance for National Geographic Documentary Films; the company picked up Fire Of Love, which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, out of the festival in 2022 as well as The Territory, which came from director Alex Pritz.
There were numerous documentary deals out of...
Nat Geo has snapped up the doc, an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school which ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
Deadline understands that the Disney-owned factual brand has struck a deal in the low seven-figures. The doc comes from filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
National Geographic Documentary Films will roll out Sugarcane at global festivals throughout the rest of the year and release it in theaters before its streaming debut on Disney+.
It is the latest deal out of Sundance for National Geographic Documentary Films; the company picked up Fire Of Love, which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, out of the festival in 2022 as well as The Territory, which came from director Alex Pritz.
There were numerous documentary deals out of...
- 2/21/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
By the time Dominic Asmall Willsdon’s embattled predecessor Rick Peréz finally left the International Documentary Association (IDA) in 2022, the non-profit organization had shed more than 75 percent of its staff, formulated an employee union, and had taken a big hit in its ability to serve the documentary filmmaker community, all as a result of a fractious tenure and broken culture. Its annual awards show was held remotely this year, and much of the seasoned documentary talent that had been with the group for years walked out the door.
But more than a year since Peréz’s departure, the IDA is in the midst of bouncing back.
In the last year under interim director Ken Ikeda (who served in the role between January 2023 and early January 2024), the IDA has managed to stabilize itself, giving out over $600,000 in grant money, re-vamping Documentary Magazine, and growing membership by 25 percent since 2020.
For Willsdon, who...
But more than a year since Peréz’s departure, the IDA is in the midst of bouncing back.
In the last year under interim director Ken Ikeda (who served in the role between January 2023 and early January 2024), the IDA has managed to stabilize itself, giving out over $600,000 in grant money, re-vamping Documentary Magazine, and growing membership by 25 percent since 2020.
For Willsdon, who...
- 2/21/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
With final voting complete, the 96th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 10 and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt. We update predictions through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2024 Oscar picks.
The State of the Race
With a fragile theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers, many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.
And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. Last year, three Sundance grads — eventual Oscar nominees “Fire of Love” (Neon), “All that Breathes” (HBO), and the winner, “Navalny” (CNN) — were actively campaigning.
One Sundance World Cinema entry that built a following during the year was Pulitzer Prize winner Mstyslav Chernov...
The State of the Race
With a fragile theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers, many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.
And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. Last year, three Sundance grads — eventual Oscar nominees “Fire of Love” (Neon), “All that Breathes” (HBO), and the winner, “Navalny” (CNN) — were actively campaigning.
One Sundance World Cinema entry that built a following during the year was Pulitzer Prize winner Mstyslav Chernov...
- 1/23/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Andrew McCarthy is getting back together with his fellow Brat Pack alums Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jon Cryer, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and more for the feature documentary Brats, a revealing look at the cultural phenomenon they became in the 1980s and how that has impacted their lives ever since.
Brats, from ABC News Studios, Neon, and Network Entertainment, is set to premiere on Hulu later this year. McCarthy, author of the 2021 memoir Brat: An ‘80s Story, writes and directs the documentary, which is now in post-production. He co-starred with fellow Brat Packers in some of the biggest hits of the mid- ‘80s including St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), and Less Than Zero (1987).
From left: ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’s Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham, Judd Nelson,
Ally Sheedy and Andrew McCarthy
“McCarthy crisscrosses the country to meet up with some of the stars of those beloved films,...
Brats, from ABC News Studios, Neon, and Network Entertainment, is set to premiere on Hulu later this year. McCarthy, author of the 2021 memoir Brat: An ‘80s Story, writes and directs the documentary, which is now in post-production. He co-starred with fellow Brat Packers in some of the biggest hits of the mid- ‘80s including St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), and Less Than Zero (1987).
From left: ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’s Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham, Judd Nelson,
Ally Sheedy and Andrew McCarthy
“McCarthy crisscrosses the country to meet up with some of the stars of those beloved films,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The International Documentary Association is beginning 2024 with a new executive director, and now a new executive committee of the IDA board.
The nonprofit, which provides grants in support of documentary filmmakers, advocates for the field and mounts fall and spring screening series and the bi-annual Getting Real conference, announced the election of Ina Fichman and Michael Turner as board co-presidents. They succeed Grace Lee and Chris Perez, who remain on the board.
Fichman earned an Academy Award nomination last year for producing Fire of Love. She has also earned Emmy, BAFTA, and Cinema Eye Honors nominations for her work, and won awards from the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Gémeaux Awards in Montreal, the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association, among many others.
Turner oversees business and legal affairs for Netflix’s slate of documentary films. He previously served as SVP and head of business and legal affairs at Discovery’s production studio.
The nonprofit, which provides grants in support of documentary filmmakers, advocates for the field and mounts fall and spring screening series and the bi-annual Getting Real conference, announced the election of Ina Fichman and Michael Turner as board co-presidents. They succeed Grace Lee and Chris Perez, who remain on the board.
Fichman earned an Academy Award nomination last year for producing Fire of Love. She has also earned Emmy, BAFTA, and Cinema Eye Honors nominations for her work, and won awards from the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Gémeaux Awards in Montreal, the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association, among many others.
Turner oversees business and legal affairs for Netflix’s slate of documentary films. He previously served as SVP and head of business and legal affairs at Discovery’s production studio.
- 1/16/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
To mark the festival’s fortieth anniversary all 16 of this year’s jurors are festival alumni.
Lena Waithe, Mira Nair and Shaunak Sen are among the 16 jurors who will choose award winners in six competitive sections at this month’s Sundance Film Festival.
To mark the fortieth edition of the US festival, which runs January 18-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City, all 16 jurors are festival alumni. In addition to serving on juries they will participate in talks, panels and other events to mark the festival milestone.
Awards for feature films in five competition sections of the festival will...
Lena Waithe, Mira Nair and Shaunak Sen are among the 16 jurors who will choose award winners in six competitive sections at this month’s Sundance Film Festival.
To mark the fortieth edition of the US festival, which runs January 18-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City, all 16 jurors are festival alumni. In addition to serving on juries they will participate in talks, panels and other events to mark the festival milestone.
Awards for feature films in five competition sections of the festival will...
- 1/3/2024
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sandbox Films (Fire of Love) and Xtr (Ascension) have teamed to produce feature doc A Life Illuminated, exploring the life and legacy of pioneering marine biologist Edie Widder, in association with ocean exploration nonprofit OceanX.
Set to direct the pic is Tasha Van Zandt, the filmmaker behind such award-winning documentaries as After Antarctica, about legendary polar explorer Will Steger, and One Thousand Stories, about renowned artist Jr.
A Life Illuminated watches as Widder undertakes an extraordinary journey into the magical world of bioluminescence, through which she decodes the language of light that allows deep-sea life to communicate in complete darkness. It’s Widder’s unceasing need to understand and communicate with the most enigmatic forms of life on Earth that leads her to dive into the unknown, exploring the profound mysteries hidden beneath the ocean’s surface.
The film will draw upon Widder’s vast archive, from her earliest dives in deep sea submersibles,...
Set to direct the pic is Tasha Van Zandt, the filmmaker behind such award-winning documentaries as After Antarctica, about legendary polar explorer Will Steger, and One Thousand Stories, about renowned artist Jr.
A Life Illuminated watches as Widder undertakes an extraordinary journey into the magical world of bioluminescence, through which she decodes the language of light that allows deep-sea life to communicate in complete darkness. It’s Widder’s unceasing need to understand and communicate with the most enigmatic forms of life on Earth that leads her to dive into the unknown, exploring the profound mysteries hidden beneath the ocean’s surface.
The film will draw upon Widder’s vast archive, from her earliest dives in deep sea submersibles,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: London-based sales and production outfit Dogwoof has boarded world sales for Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan’s Nocturnes, which will get its world premiere in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Set in the Eastern Himalayas, the eco-doc sees two curious observers shine a light on a secret universe, transporting audiences to a rarely-seen place where moths help knit together an important ecosystem.
Oscar-nominated Sandbox Films (Fire of Love) is producing.
In addition to co-directing, Dutta is producing along with executive producers Boustead and Harrop. Yaël Bitton (Advocate) is editor; Satya Rai Nagpaul is director of photography; original score is by BAFTA Breakthrough composer Nainita Desai (For Sama). The movie is a production of Sandbox Films and the directors’ Delhi-based Metamorphosis Films Junction.
Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan’s latest documentary, Flickering Lights, competed in the International Competition at the 2023 edition of IDFA, where it...
Set in the Eastern Himalayas, the eco-doc sees two curious observers shine a light on a secret universe, transporting audiences to a rarely-seen place where moths help knit together an important ecosystem.
Oscar-nominated Sandbox Films (Fire of Love) is producing.
In addition to co-directing, Dutta is producing along with executive producers Boustead and Harrop. Yaël Bitton (Advocate) is editor; Satya Rai Nagpaul is director of photography; original score is by BAFTA Breakthrough composer Nainita Desai (For Sama). The movie is a production of Sandbox Films and the directors’ Delhi-based Metamorphosis Films Junction.
Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan’s latest documentary, Flickering Lights, competed in the International Competition at the 2023 edition of IDFA, where it...
- 12/7/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
At documentary festival IDFA this week, National Geographic’s exec VP of marketing and communications Chris Albert – whose slate includes IDFA entry “The Mission,” about the death of American evangelical missionary John Chau on the remote Indian island of North Sentinel – was asked during an onstage interview with the festival’s artistic director Orwa Nyrabia: “How would you market a film with a budget of $20,000?”
The executive, who has worked at National Geographic for over 20 years, was quick to respond: “Whether you’ve got $20,000 or $2 million, marketing can’t make a bad movie good. You can throw as much money as you want into a bad movie and it’s not going to make it better.”
Albert said he could spend his entire marketing budget for a low-budget film by placing it on the viewing portal for Oscar voters, but that is not the way he would proceed. “I...
The executive, who has worked at National Geographic for over 20 years, was quick to respond: “Whether you’ve got $20,000 or $2 million, marketing can’t make a bad movie good. You can throw as much money as you want into a bad movie and it’s not going to make it better.”
Albert said he could spend his entire marketing budget for a low-budget film by placing it on the viewing portal for Oscar voters, but that is not the way he would proceed. “I...
- 11/17/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
“We have seen titles doing the best they’ve ever done before in this ‘unhealthy’ marketplace.”
In a keynote address at Sunday’s (November 12) IDFA distribution panel Neon’s president of distribution Elissa Federoff gave a surprisingly upbeat assessment of prospects for the US and global independent documentary sector.
While acknowledging the market is “down” and that there are fewer titles being released that in the pre-Covid period, Federoff claimed that “in many ways, the box office is healthier than ever”.
Box office has decreased by around 20% since 2019 which the executive suggested was largely because there are 20% fewer titles being released.
In a keynote address at Sunday’s (November 12) IDFA distribution panel Neon’s president of distribution Elissa Federoff gave a surprisingly upbeat assessment of prospects for the US and global independent documentary sector.
While acknowledging the market is “down” and that there are fewer titles being released that in the pre-Covid period, Federoff claimed that “in many ways, the box office is healthier than ever”.
Box office has decreased by around 20% since 2019 which the executive suggested was largely because there are 20% fewer titles being released.
- 11/14/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
It’s a sweep! The Critics Choice Association revealed the winners for its 8th annual documentary awards on Sunday, November 12, 2023, and one film claimed all five of the awards it was nominated for. Though it trailed “American Symphony” in bids going into the night, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” prevailed as the night’s biggest winner, taking home prizes in all five of its categories, including Best Documentary. The film’s other wins went to Davis Guggenheim in Best Director, Michael Harte in Best Editing, and in Best Narration and Best Biographical Documentary.
“American Symphony,” the nomination leader with six, took home two prizes: Jon Batiste won Best Score and the film was named Best Music Documentary. The other two-time winners were “20 Days in Mariupol,” Best First Documentary Feature and Best Political Documentary, and “The Deepest Breath,” Best Cinematography and Best Sports Documentary.
If, like us, you’re...
“American Symphony,” the nomination leader with six, took home two prizes: Jon Batiste won Best Score and the film was named Best Music Documentary. The other two-time winners were “20 Days in Mariupol,” Best First Documentary Feature and Best Political Documentary, and “The Deepest Breath,” Best Cinematography and Best Sports Documentary.
If, like us, you’re...
- 11/13/2023
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
Sandbox Films — the non-fiction studio behind Oscar nominee Fire of Love — has opened new New York City offices, featuring an Atmos theater.
In addition to the 22-seat theater, the studio, located in the Flatiron District, includes two edit suites and a multimedia facility designed to support a variety of production needs.
“We put a lot of thought into the design. We want our nerdy, indie doc filmmakers to feel as loved as A-list celebrities. Because, to us, they are A-list celebrities,” founder Greg Boustead tells The Hollywood Reporter. “These doc spaces don’t traditionally get the love or polish or fanfare.”
Sandbox Films Studio screening room
Boustead, who leads Sandbox with head of production and development, Jessica Harrop, notes that the goal is to bring the teams behind Sandbox productions, which focus on science-centric storytelling, under one roof. The facilities will soon be used by Sandbox production Nocturnes, which centers...
In addition to the 22-seat theater, the studio, located in the Flatiron District, includes two edit suites and a multimedia facility designed to support a variety of production needs.
“We put a lot of thought into the design. We want our nerdy, indie doc filmmakers to feel as loved as A-list celebrities. Because, to us, they are A-list celebrities,” founder Greg Boustead tells The Hollywood Reporter. “These doc spaces don’t traditionally get the love or polish or fanfare.”
Sandbox Films Studio screening room
Boustead, who leads Sandbox with head of production and development, Jessica Harrop, notes that the goal is to bring the teams behind Sandbox productions, which focus on science-centric storytelling, under one roof. The facilities will soon be used by Sandbox production Nocturnes, which centers...
- 11/6/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Critics Choice Association just unveiled the nominees for its 8th annual documentary awards. Topping the list is “American Symphony” with six bids, including Best Documentary, Best Director for Matthew Heineman, and notices in Cinematography, Editing, and Music Documentary. Heineman is the Oscar nominated director of “Cartel Land” from 2015. The sixth nomination for “American Symphony” is for Best Score thanks to 2022’s Grammy Award recipient for Album of the Year, Jon Batiste. You may recognize another Aoty winner in the Ccda’s lineup — Taylor Swift‘s record breaking concert movie “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is also nominated for Music Documentary.
Just behind “American Symphony” are three films that received five nominations each: “20 Days in Mariupol” from Mstyslav Chernov, “Kokomo City” from D. Smith, and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” from Davis Guggenheim, who is also nominated for Director. The other directors that were heralded for their films...
Just behind “American Symphony” are three films that received five nominations each: “20 Days in Mariupol” from Mstyslav Chernov, “Kokomo City” from D. Smith, and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” from Davis Guggenheim, who is also nominated for Director. The other directors that were heralded for their films...
- 10/24/2023
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony” leads all films with six nominations for the 8th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Association announced on Monday.
The film, a Netflix doc that follows musician Jon Batiste and his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, as Batiste prepares a composition for Carnegie Hall and Jaouad battles the return of her cancer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Music Documentary categories. Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s “Kokomo City” and Davis Guggenhein’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” received five nominations each.
Apart from “American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City” and “Still,” films nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” “The Mission” and “Stamped From the Beginning.”
All of those films received nominations in multiple categories,...
The film, a Netflix doc that follows musician Jon Batiste and his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, as Batiste prepares a composition for Carnegie Hall and Jaouad battles the return of her cancer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Music Documentary categories. Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s “Kokomo City” and Davis Guggenhein’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” received five nominations each.
Apart from “American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City” and “Still,” films nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” “The Mission” and “Stamped From the Beginning.”
All of those films received nominations in multiple categories,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Exclusive: The Oscar-winning team behind Navalny is embarking on its next project, a National Geographic documentary under the working title Blink of an Eye. It will focus on the Pelletier family, “a happy, adventurous family of six,” who decided to go on a world tour after learning three of their children would soon lose their vision.
Navalny’s Daniel Roher is directing with Edmund Stenson, who will make his feature debut on the film. MRC and Fishbowl Films are producing, with Fishbowl’s Melanie Miller and Diane Becker on board to produce. They won Academy Awards for producing Navalny (along with fellow producers Shane Boris and Odessa Rae).
The Pelletier’s world “was changed forever when they found out three of the four children were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, incurable disorder that leads to permanent blindness,” noted a release about the documentary. “Edith Lemay and Sebastian Pelletier decide...
Navalny’s Daniel Roher is directing with Edmund Stenson, who will make his feature debut on the film. MRC and Fishbowl Films are producing, with Fishbowl’s Melanie Miller and Diane Becker on board to produce. They won Academy Awards for producing Navalny (along with fellow producers Shane Boris and Odessa Rae).
The Pelletier’s world “was changed forever when they found out three of the four children were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, incurable disorder that leads to permanent blindness,” noted a release about the documentary. “Edith Lemay and Sebastian Pelletier decide...
- 9/1/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
National Geographic documentary films specialize in telling stories of adventurers whose journeys put themselves at great risk, but few are more unbelievable than “The Mission.” NatGeo has released the official trailer for the upcoming documentary, set for theatrical release October 13.
The documentary focuses on the story of John Chau, an American evangelical Christian missionary. In 2018 and at the age of 26, Chau traveled to the extremely remote Andaman Islands, claimed by India but closer to Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal, on an unsanctioned missionary trip. There, he repeatedly visited North Sentinel Island, which is restricted by the Indian government to outside visitors because of the indigenous Sentinelese, a voluntarily “uncontacted people,” who live there. They’re considered so vulnerable to contamination from outside influences that the Indian government has armed marine patrols around the island to prevent landings. Chau somehow made it ashore, nonetheless. It did not go well.
The film,...
The documentary focuses on the story of John Chau, an American evangelical Christian missionary. In 2018 and at the age of 26, Chau traveled to the extremely remote Andaman Islands, claimed by India but closer to Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal, on an unsanctioned missionary trip. There, he repeatedly visited North Sentinel Island, which is restricted by the Indian government to outside visitors because of the indigenous Sentinelese, a voluntarily “uncontacted people,” who live there. They’re considered so vulnerable to contamination from outside influences that the Indian government has armed marine patrols around the island to prevent landings. Chau somehow made it ashore, nonetheless. It did not go well.
The film,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Neon said Tuesday that it has hired Sierra/Affinity veteran Kristen Figeroid as President of International Sales and Distribution. She starts this week.
Figeroid, who will also handle sales on third-party projects, is bringing with her to the indie distributor a team of foreign sales execs including Laurel Charnetsky as VP International Acquisitions & Operations and Dan Stadnicki as Manager, International Sales & Distribution.
Figeroid most recently served as Managing Director and EVP of Sales & Distribution at Sierra/Affinity, where she handled sales on Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron, the Oscar-winning Whiplash starring Miles Teller, and Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Prior to that, Figeroid was SVP International Sales & Distribution at Endeavor Content, working on features such as The Lost Daughter, Monkey Man, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Book Club and Assassination Nation. Prior to Endeavor Content, she was VP International Sales at The Film Department, where she sold a number of films including Law Abiding Citizen...
Figeroid, who will also handle sales on third-party projects, is bringing with her to the indie distributor a team of foreign sales execs including Laurel Charnetsky as VP International Acquisitions & Operations and Dan Stadnicki as Manager, International Sales & Distribution.
Figeroid most recently served as Managing Director and EVP of Sales & Distribution at Sierra/Affinity, where she handled sales on Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron, the Oscar-winning Whiplash starring Miles Teller, and Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Prior to that, Figeroid was SVP International Sales & Distribution at Endeavor Content, working on features such as The Lost Daughter, Monkey Man, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Book Club and Assassination Nation. Prior to Endeavor Content, she was VP International Sales at The Film Department, where she sold a number of films including Law Abiding Citizen...
- 8/29/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2023 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 15 to June 26, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 12. Afterward, final voting commences August 17 and ends the night of August 28. The 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will now take place Monday, January 15, live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt.
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
The State of the Race
This year, Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special has been one of those Emmy races where the writing has been on the wall from the beginning, with “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” rocketing toward the front of the line after its Sundance premiere. The subject not only is refreshingly revelatory and inspiring,...
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
The State of the Race
This year, Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special has been one of those Emmy races where the writing has been on the wall from the beginning, with “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” rocketing toward the front of the line after its Sundance premiere. The subject not only is refreshingly revelatory and inspiring,...
- 8/25/2023
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
The Sundance Institute has named the 2023 grantees of its Documentary Fund, supporting the work of nonfiction filmmakers from around the globe, with 23 projects being selected for unrestricted grant funding totaling just over $1M.
Six of the selected projects are in development, with 14 in production and three currently in post. Notable filmmakers recognized as part of the group include Oscar and Emmy nominee Lourdes Portillo (with Looking at Ourselves), artist and filmmaker Amy Jenkins (with Adam’s Apple), and Anayansi Prado (with Untitled Uvalde Documentary). Also represented are such sophomore filmmakers coming off strong debuts as Reid Davenport (I Didn’t See You There) with Life After, Sky Hopinka with Powwow People, and Tali Yankelevich (My Darling Supermarket) with Girl-Tubers.
Sundance Institute’s Documentary Fund prioritizes supporting and empowering historically marginalized voices and providing a platform for integral stories to be amplified. Many of the...
Six of the selected projects are in development, with 14 in production and three currently in post. Notable filmmakers recognized as part of the group include Oscar and Emmy nominee Lourdes Portillo (with Looking at Ourselves), artist and filmmaker Amy Jenkins (with Adam’s Apple), and Anayansi Prado (with Untitled Uvalde Documentary). Also represented are such sophomore filmmakers coming off strong debuts as Reid Davenport (I Didn’t See You There) with Life After, Sky Hopinka with Powwow People, and Tali Yankelevich (My Darling Supermarket) with Girl-Tubers.
Sundance Institute’s Documentary Fund prioritizes supporting and empowering historically marginalized voices and providing a platform for integral stories to be amplified. Many of the...
- 8/21/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Alexandra Altschuler and Don Wilcox have joined the Neon marketing team, making the move from their previous marketing roles at A24. Altschuler will serve as Neon’s VP of media while Wilcox serves as its VP of marketing. The marketing team expansion comes ahead of Neon’s release of anctipated films “Ferrari,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “La Chimera” and “Eileen.”
While at A24, Altschuler helped launch numerous award-winning projects, including the recent horror film “Talk to Me.” Before joining A24, Altchuler served as social manager at Operam, Inc. and held various roles at ABC Television, NBCUnivseral and E! Online.
Wilcox previously served as head of A24’s international marketing team, where his campaigns included Oscar-sweeping “Everything Everywhere All at Once” along with Brendan Fraser-led “The Whale,” “Past Lives” and “Pearl,” starring Mia Goth. Prior to his role at A24, Wilcox served as Amazon Prime Video’s film marketing lead.
While at A24, Altschuler helped launch numerous award-winning projects, including the recent horror film “Talk to Me.” Before joining A24, Altchuler served as social manager at Operam, Inc. and held various roles at ABC Television, NBCUnivseral and E! Online.
Wilcox previously served as head of A24’s international marketing team, where his campaigns included Oscar-sweeping “Everything Everywhere All at Once” along with Brendan Fraser-led “The Whale,” “Past Lives” and “Pearl,” starring Mia Goth. Prior to his role at A24, Wilcox served as Amazon Prime Video’s film marketing lead.
- 8/17/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
With documentary distribution in a state of disruption, most independent nonfiction filmmakers have been left on their own to find new and creative solutions to ensure that their films reach audiences.
Ian Cheney is the latest director to turn to a bespoke distribution method for his docu “The Arc of Oblivion.” Cheney wrote, edited, and directed the film, which explores people’s impulse toward preservation and how it relates to the natural world, memory and legacy. During the course of the docu, produced by Sandbox Films, a wooden ark is constructed on Cheney’s parent’s property in Maine. The structure serves as both a physical storage space for archival materials and a symbolic representation of humanity’s desire to retain meaning in an impermanent world.
During the month of August, Cheney, along with Sandbox Films’ Greg Boustead and Jessica Harrop decided to transform the ark into the Ark Light...
Ian Cheney is the latest director to turn to a bespoke distribution method for his docu “The Arc of Oblivion.” Cheney wrote, edited, and directed the film, which explores people’s impulse toward preservation and how it relates to the natural world, memory and legacy. During the course of the docu, produced by Sandbox Films, a wooden ark is constructed on Cheney’s parent’s property in Maine. The structure serves as both a physical storage space for archival materials and a symbolic representation of humanity’s desire to retain meaning in an impermanent world.
During the month of August, Cheney, along with Sandbox Films’ Greg Boustead and Jessica Harrop decided to transform the ark into the Ark Light...
- 8/8/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix released the first trailer for the upcoming documentary “The Deepest Breath” on Tuesday. The new film, out next month on the streaming service, tells the heartbreaking true story of champion freediver Alessia Zecchini and her coach and safety expert Stephen Keenan, two people “destined for one another despite the different paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the freediving world.” Told through archival footage and interviews, “The Deepest Breath” unfolds in almost real-time.
“I wanted the film to feel like going through life, not knowing anything until it happened,” director Laura McGann told Vanity Fair in an interview published Tuesday. “That way I could let viewers grow with Alessia and Steve, getting to know them organically.”
“The Deepest Breath” debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival to strong reviews.
“The world can probably be divided into two camps of people: those who will watch ‘The Deepest Breath,...
“I wanted the film to feel like going through life, not knowing anything until it happened,” director Laura McGann told Vanity Fair in an interview published Tuesday. “That way I could let viewers grow with Alessia and Steve, getting to know them organically.”
“The Deepest Breath” debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival to strong reviews.
“The world can probably be divided into two camps of people: those who will watch ‘The Deepest Breath,...
- 6/20/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
In early summer, the still-slim Oscar conversation around documentary contenders got an unexpected bump: from an Emmy contender.
When the team behind AppleTV+’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” realized that the field of Oscar contenders was thinner than usual, the Davis Guggenheim-directed doc entered the fray. Right now, the film about the hugely popular TV and film star fighting off the vicissitudes of Parkinson’s and reflecting on his past looks good not only for an Emmy nomination, but Oscar rules make it possible to double dip and also pick up an Oscar nod.
But it doesn’t work the other way. Only if a movie does not land an Oscar nomination can it then submit for the Emmy race, as Brett Morgen’s “Jane” did in 2017. But given the weak Oscar competition this year, “Still,” with superb reviews for its innovative filmmaking — which elevates it beyond...
When the team behind AppleTV+’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” realized that the field of Oscar contenders was thinner than usual, the Davis Guggenheim-directed doc entered the fray. Right now, the film about the hugely popular TV and film star fighting off the vicissitudes of Parkinson’s and reflecting on his past looks good not only for an Emmy nomination, but Oscar rules make it possible to double dip and also pick up an Oscar nod.
But it doesn’t work the other way. Only if a movie does not land an Oscar nomination can it then submit for the Emmy race, as Brett Morgen’s “Jane” did in 2017. But given the weak Oscar competition this year, “Still,” with superb reviews for its innovative filmmaking — which elevates it beyond...
- 6/14/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Memorial Day brings a smattering of high-profile TV finales — “Succession,” “Yellowjackets,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Somebody Somewhere,” “Barry,” and “Citadel” — but the long weekend leaves plenty of time to slip in a movie or two. Our top choice is an invigorating documentary with ties to the recent hits “Fire of Love” and “Free Solo,” but you can also shell out for the latest installment in one of Hollywood’s great action franchises.
This week’s contender to watch: “Wild Life”
Part love story and part conversation ode, “Wild Life” bows on Disney+ and Hulu after getting a theatrical release in April. It would make for a great double feature with last year’s “Fire of Love,” another documentary about married environmentalists whose passionate romance matched their sense of adventure. In this case, we’re talking about Doug and Kris Tompkins, former corporate executives who used their wealth to preserve the wilderness of Chile and Argentina.
This week’s contender to watch: “Wild Life”
Part love story and part conversation ode, “Wild Life” bows on Disney+ and Hulu after getting a theatrical release in April. It would make for a great double feature with last year’s “Fire of Love,” another documentary about married environmentalists whose passionate romance matched their sense of adventure. In this case, we’re talking about Doug and Kris Tompkins, former corporate executives who used their wealth to preserve the wilderness of Chile and Argentina.
- 5/27/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
The highest award for docs-in-progress at the Cannes Film Market’s sidebar dedicated to documentary, Cannes Docs, has gone to Ya-Ting Hsu’s debut feature doc “Islands of the Winds.”
Twenty years in the making, the film follows the anti-eviction struggle of the patients of Losheng Sanatorium for lepers, which became a symbol of the fight for democracy in Hsu’s native Taiwan.
The prize comes with a €10,000 cash prize and project follow-up by Iefta (the International Emerging Film Talent Assn.).
It is produced by Hsu’s Taiwan-based Argosy Films and Media Productions, Huang Yin-Yu and Baptiste Brunner.
Handing out the prize, the jury, composed of Angeliki Vergou, head of Agora at Thessaloniki Doc Fest, French producer Karim Aitouna and Brazilian Fernanda Lomba, EP at Mundi Filmes and co-founder of Nicho 54, congratulated the film “for its patience, dedication and the respectful way the filmmaker approached this grass-roots movement with an engaged and passionate camera.
Twenty years in the making, the film follows the anti-eviction struggle of the patients of Losheng Sanatorium for lepers, which became a symbol of the fight for democracy in Hsu’s native Taiwan.
The prize comes with a €10,000 cash prize and project follow-up by Iefta (the International Emerging Film Talent Assn.).
It is produced by Hsu’s Taiwan-based Argosy Films and Media Productions, Huang Yin-Yu and Baptiste Brunner.
Handing out the prize, the jury, composed of Angeliki Vergou, head of Agora at Thessaloniki Doc Fest, French producer Karim Aitouna and Brazilian Fernanda Lomba, EP at Mundi Filmes and co-founder of Nicho 54, congratulated the film “for its patience, dedication and the respectful way the filmmaker approached this grass-roots movement with an engaged and passionate camera.
- 5/23/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Neon has acquired North American rights to Robot Dreams, the first animated feature from Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger (Blancanieves), which is poised to premiere in the Special Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival this Saturday, May 20th.
The acquisition, which is the first North American deal announced for a Cannes festival movie this edition, comes on the heels of Neon’s past triumphs at Cannes with three consecutive Palme d’Or winners: Parasite, Titane and Triangle of Sadness.
Based on the award-winning graphic novel of the same name by Sara Varon, Robot Dreams follows Dog, who lives in Manhattan and one day, tired of being alone, decides to build himself a robot, a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the rhythm of ’80s NYC. One summer night, Dog, with great sadness, is forced to abandon Robot at the beach. Will they ever meet again?
Berger produced the film alongside Ibon Cormenzana,...
The acquisition, which is the first North American deal announced for a Cannes festival movie this edition, comes on the heels of Neon’s past triumphs at Cannes with three consecutive Palme d’Or winners: Parasite, Titane and Triangle of Sadness.
Based on the award-winning graphic novel of the same name by Sara Varon, Robot Dreams follows Dog, who lives in Manhattan and one day, tired of being alone, decides to build himself a robot, a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the rhythm of ’80s NYC. One summer night, Dog, with great sadness, is forced to abandon Robot at the beach. Will they ever meet again?
Berger produced the film alongside Ibon Cormenzana,...
- 5/17/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Abbott Elementary,” “Atlanta,” “Better Call Saul,” “Mo,” “Andor” and “Severance” were among the 35 winners of the 83rd Annual Peabody Awards announced this morning, representing the “most compelling and empowering stories” released in broadcasting, streaming and interactive media during 2022. They were chosen by a unanimous vote of 32 jurors from more than 1,400 entries, with PBS producing the most triumphs with six, followed by Apple TV+ and Disney+ (three apiece) and HBO Max (two).
It’s the second Peabody wins for “Atlanta” and “Saul,” which received trophies for their first seasons and now for their final ones as well.
Also emerging as Peabody winners were the dark comedy “Bad Sisters,” the Spanish-language comedy “Los Espookys.,” the Asian drama “Pachinko” and the docuseries “We’re Here.” Also earning Peabodys were the docs “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” and “Fire of Love,” the docuseries “We Need To Talk About Cosby” and the documentary film “Mariupol: The People’s Story.
It’s the second Peabody wins for “Atlanta” and “Saul,” which received trophies for their first seasons and now for their final ones as well.
Also emerging as Peabody winners were the dark comedy “Bad Sisters,” the Spanish-language comedy “Los Espookys.,” the Asian drama “Pachinko” and the docuseries “We’re Here.” Also earning Peabodys were the docs “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” and “Fire of Love,” the docuseries “We Need To Talk About Cosby” and the documentary film “Mariupol: The People’s Story.
- 5/9/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
The 2023 Peabody Awards have officially crowned their winners.
The 83rd annual awards ceremony will take place for the first time since the pandemic on Sunday, June 11 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.
The respective final seasons of “Atlanta” and “Better Call Saul” are among this year’s celebrated series. The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors today announced the 35 winners elected to represent stories released in broadcasting, streaming, and interactive media during 2022. The winners were chosen by a unanimous vote of 32 jurors from over 1,400 entries from television, podcasts/radio and the web/digital in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and interactive programming. Of the 35 total wins, PBS produced the most with six, followed by Apple TV+ and Disney+ (three each), and HBO Max (two), per the official press statement.
This year’s Peabody Awards also unveiled the first annual Visionary Award, bestowed to Shari Frilot,...
The 83rd annual awards ceremony will take place for the first time since the pandemic on Sunday, June 11 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.
The respective final seasons of “Atlanta” and “Better Call Saul” are among this year’s celebrated series. The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors today announced the 35 winners elected to represent stories released in broadcasting, streaming, and interactive media during 2022. The winners were chosen by a unanimous vote of 32 jurors from over 1,400 entries from television, podcasts/radio and the web/digital in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and interactive programming. Of the 35 total wins, PBS produced the most with six, followed by Apple TV+ and Disney+ (three each), and HBO Max (two), per the official press statement.
This year’s Peabody Awards also unveiled the first annual Visionary Award, bestowed to Shari Frilot,...
- 5/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The winners of the 2023 Peabody Awards have been announced and PBS leads the pack with a total of 6 followed by Apple TV+ and Disney+ with 3 a piece and HBO Max with 2 trophies.
“Representing a wide range of mediums, genres, and narrative approaches, this year’s winners continue to advance what it means to craft storytelling that is compelling, powerful, and prescient,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody.
“Whether capturing the lives of teachers in Philadelphia or young women in Afghanistan, these stories are powerful enough to make us laugh, cry, and learn. They are all deserving of this honor, and we are thrilled to shine a light on their amazing achievement. All citizens should seek out, watch, and engage these winners.”
This year’s winners included Atlanta, Better Call Saul, Bad Sisters, Andor and Abbott Elementary.
The winners of the 83rd annual Peabody Awards will be celebrated on Sunday,...
“Representing a wide range of mediums, genres, and narrative approaches, this year’s winners continue to advance what it means to craft storytelling that is compelling, powerful, and prescient,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody.
“Whether capturing the lives of teachers in Philadelphia or young women in Afghanistan, these stories are powerful enough to make us laugh, cry, and learn. They are all deserving of this honor, and we are thrilled to shine a light on their amazing achievement. All citizens should seek out, watch, and engage these winners.”
This year’s winners included Atlanta, Better Call Saul, Bad Sisters, Andor and Abbott Elementary.
The winners of the 83rd annual Peabody Awards will be celebrated on Sunday,...
- 5/9/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
The Peabody Awards today announced the winners in the 35 categories honoring the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting, streaming, and interactive media during 2022.
Notable winners include FX’s Atlanta and AMC’s Better Call Saul, which earned their second Peabody Awards after both series won for their first seasons.
Thematic trends among this year’s winners include projects that focused on environmental issues (Fire of Love, The Territory and The Power of Big Oil), mental health (The Gap: Failure to Treat, Failure to Protect and Life Is Strange: True Colors), reproductive rights (This American Life: The Pink House at the Center of the World and Aftershock) and transgender rights (We’re Here and Contrapoints).
Winners were chosen by a unanimous vote of 32 jurors from over 1,400 entries from television, podcasts/radio and the web/digital in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and interactive programming. Of the 35 total wins,...
Notable winners include FX’s Atlanta and AMC’s Better Call Saul, which earned their second Peabody Awards after both series won for their first seasons.
Thematic trends among this year’s winners include projects that focused on environmental issues (Fire of Love, The Territory and The Power of Big Oil), mental health (The Gap: Failure to Treat, Failure to Protect and Life Is Strange: True Colors), reproductive rights (This American Life: The Pink House at the Center of the World and Aftershock) and transgender rights (We’re Here and Contrapoints).
Winners were chosen by a unanimous vote of 32 jurors from over 1,400 entries from television, podcasts/radio and the web/digital in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and interactive programming. Of the 35 total wins,...
- 5/9/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Last year, Shane Boris received two Oscar nominations for producing National Geographic’s “Fire of Love” and CNN Films’ “Navalny.” In March he garnered an Academy Award for his work on Daniel Roher’s “Navalny,” about anti-Putin freedom fighter Alexei Navalny. During a Hot Docs Industry talk, the producer spoke about a wide variety of topics, including his latest documentary, “King Coal,” what he’s looking for in a docu, and nonfiction’s current distribution landscape.
Boris made his first documentary “You’re Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don’t” in 2010. The film, which aired on PBS’s Independent Lens, follows Lee Gorewitz as she struggles to navigate the increasingly confused and confusing landscape of Alzheimers.
“That doc began as a fiction film,” Boris said. “But we went into the Alzheimer’s unit to scout our location, and the person that took us around was starting...
Boris made his first documentary “You’re Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don’t” in 2010. The film, which aired on PBS’s Independent Lens, follows Lee Gorewitz as she struggles to navigate the increasingly confused and confusing landscape of Alzheimers.
“That doc began as a fiction film,” Boris said. “But we went into the Alzheimer’s unit to scout our location, and the person that took us around was starting...
- 5/5/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Clouds of gloom have settled over much of the documentary field, brought on by multiple factors: a sluggish acquisition market, cutbacks in the executive ranks at Netflix and Showtime, uncertainty around Hulu’s future, CNN Films taking doc production in house, sharper scrutiny of budgets and content needs, and… well, the list goes on.
But there’s at least one bright spot it the nonfiction firmament – National Geographic Documentary Films. Coming off its latest Oscar nomination – for the feature Fire of Love – the unit of the Walt Disney Company is leaning into documentary production with half a dozen films set for release or in the works.
First up: Wild Life, a film Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of global scripted content and documentary films for NatGeo, calls “a big, beautiful love story.” The couple at the heart of it – Doug and Kris Tompkins — left the corporate world for life in remote Chile.
But there’s at least one bright spot it the nonfiction firmament – National Geographic Documentary Films. Coming off its latest Oscar nomination – for the feature Fire of Love – the unit of the Walt Disney Company is leaning into documentary production with half a dozen films set for release or in the works.
First up: Wild Life, a film Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of global scripted content and documentary films for NatGeo, calls “a big, beautiful love story.” The couple at the heart of it – Doug and Kris Tompkins — left the corporate world for life in remote Chile.
- 4/17/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors this morning announced the 69 nominees in Entertainment, Arts, News, Documentary, Children’s/Youth, Podcast/Radio, Interactive & Immersive and Public Service for the 83rd Annual Peabody Awards, honoring “the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media during 2022.” Among the most prominent contenders in entertainment are the series “Abbott Elementary,” “Andor,” “Atlanta,” “Bad Sisters,” “Better Call Saul,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Documentary Now!”, “Mo,” “Reservation Dogs,” “Severance” and “The Patient.”
The nominees were chosen by a vote of 17 jurors from more than 1,200 submitted entries. Peabody winners will be announced on May 9 and then celebrated on June 11 at a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, the first Peabody in-person ceremony since 2019 and the first time in its 83-year history that the Peabodys will be handed out in Los Angeles.
Scroll down for the complete nominees list.
See‘Abbott Elementary’ trio look to...
The nominees were chosen by a vote of 17 jurors from more than 1,200 submitted entries. Peabody winners will be announced on May 9 and then celebrated on June 11 at a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, the first Peabody in-person ceremony since 2019 and the first time in its 83-year history that the Peabodys will be handed out in Los Angeles.
Scroll down for the complete nominees list.
See‘Abbott Elementary’ trio look to...
- 4/13/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors have announced the nominees for its 83rd annual ceremony. Among the combined list of 69 nominees from the previously announced Documentary and News categories — and now categories like Entertainment, Arts, and Podcast/Radio — are everything from past winners like “Atlanta” and “Reservation Dogs,” to newcomers like “Abbott Elementary” and “Andor,” plus the Emmy-winning HBO documentary “George Carlin’s American Dream,” and 2023 Oscar nominee “Fire of Love.”
The nominees are meant to represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in 2022 across broadcasting and streaming media, and were chosen by a unanimous vote of 17 jurors from over 1,200 entries from television, podcasts/radio, and the web in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and multimedia programming.
In addition to sharing what this year’s nominees are, the Peabody Awards announced the winner of its first annual Visionary Award, Shari Frilot, Senior Programmer of the Sundance...
The nominees are meant to represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in 2022 across broadcasting and streaming media, and were chosen by a unanimous vote of 17 jurors from over 1,200 entries from television, podcasts/radio, and the web in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and multimedia programming.
In addition to sharing what this year’s nominees are, the Peabody Awards announced the winner of its first annual Visionary Award, Shari Frilot, Senior Programmer of the Sundance...
- 4/13/2023
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Updated: The full list of nominations for the 83rd annual Peabody Awards were revealed Thursday, with a list that includes ABC’s Emmy-nominated Abbott Elementary, Disney+’s Andor, AMC’s Better Call Saul, Apple TV+’s Pachinko, FX’s Reservation Dogs and Nat Geo’s Oscar-nominated Fire of Love.
The Peabodys, which announced its Documentary and News nominees earlier in the week, are honoring 2022’s most compelling and empowering stories across broadcasting and streaming media. The group this year nominated a total of 69 TV, podcast/radio and web/digital programs in the categories of entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and interactive programming.
Winners will be announced May 9, with a ceremony to take place June 11 at the Beverly Wilshire, the Peabodys’ first in Los Angeles.
See the full list of this year’s noms below.
Also today, the Peabodys said Shari Frilot, the Sundance Film Festival’s...
The Peabodys, which announced its Documentary and News nominees earlier in the week, are honoring 2022’s most compelling and empowering stories across broadcasting and streaming media. The group this year nominated a total of 69 TV, podcast/radio and web/digital programs in the categories of entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and interactive programming.
Winners will be announced May 9, with a ceremony to take place June 11 at the Beverly Wilshire, the Peabodys’ first in Los Angeles.
See the full list of this year’s noms below.
Also today, the Peabodys said Shari Frilot, the Sundance Film Festival’s...
- 4/13/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Retrenchment by many distribution platforms has made for “highly turbulent times” in the documentary industry, the Sundance Institute acknowledges, but with help from a major foundation it is injecting some much-needed positive news into a field beset by anxiety.
The nonprofit institute announced today that under a three-year partnership with the John Templeton Foundation the size of the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund will swell by $500,000 a year, allowing it to double the size of grants “across the board, from development to post-production.” The current open call for applications – which closes Monday, April 17 – will “award selected projects at the development stage grants of up to $40,000 and Production and Post-Production grants of up to $100,000.”
“Given what is happening in the field, it just seems incredibly urgent to me and to many others that the nonprofit ecosystem kick in,” Carrie Lozano, the Sundance Institute’s director of documentary film program and artist programs,...
The nonprofit institute announced today that under a three-year partnership with the John Templeton Foundation the size of the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund will swell by $500,000 a year, allowing it to double the size of grants “across the board, from development to post-production.” The current open call for applications – which closes Monday, April 17 – will “award selected projects at the development stage grants of up to $40,000 and Production and Post-Production grants of up to $100,000.”
“Given what is happening in the field, it just seems incredibly urgent to me and to many others that the nonprofit ecosystem kick in,” Carrie Lozano, the Sundance Institute’s director of documentary film program and artist programs,...
- 4/12/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Anonymous Content is elevating longtime literary managers and producers Ryan Cunningham, David Kanter and Nicole Romano to partner.
Cunningham joined Anonymous Content in 2019 from Madhouse Entertainment where he had been a manager and producer for a decade. On the management side, his clients include filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (65), Derek Tsang (The Three Body Problem), Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei (How to Blow Up a Pipeline); showrunners and writers Steven DeKnight (Spartacus), Jewel Coronel (The Chi), Seamus Fahey (Walker: Independence) and Sonya Winton & Jonathan Kidd (Lovecraft Country), Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Neil Uliano and Bryan Schulz (The Peanuts Movie), and Ben Queen (The Addams Family 2). Cunningham most recently produced the Sky/Relativity feature The Independent, and executive-produced Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman, which will be released in June by 20th Century Studios and Disney.
Kanter is a producer and manager at Anonymous...
Cunningham joined Anonymous Content in 2019 from Madhouse Entertainment where he had been a manager and producer for a decade. On the management side, his clients include filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (65), Derek Tsang (The Three Body Problem), Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei (How to Blow Up a Pipeline); showrunners and writers Steven DeKnight (Spartacus), Jewel Coronel (The Chi), Seamus Fahey (Walker: Independence) and Sonya Winton & Jonathan Kidd (Lovecraft Country), Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Neil Uliano and Bryan Schulz (The Peanuts Movie), and Ben Queen (The Addams Family 2). Cunningham most recently produced the Sky/Relativity feature The Independent, and executive-produced Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman, which will be released in June by 20th Century Studios and Disney.
Kanter is a producer and manager at Anonymous...
- 4/12/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
When “Summer of Soul” sold for $15 million out of the 2021 pandemic-virtual Sundance Film Festival, we saw the peak of the documentary boom. Questlove’s feature debut was a Sundance record, but it wasn’t alone; other Sundance docs like “Fire of Love” and “Flee” sold for high-seven figures.
Today, Sundance 2023 premiere “It’s Only Life After All,” which included its subjects the Indigo Girls performing at the festival’s Opening Night fundraiser, has yet to find a buyer. Ditto “Going Varsity in Mariachi,” “The Disappearance of Shere Hite,” or Doug Liman’s Brett Kavanaugh doc “Justice.”
Sundance also had documentaries that came with distribution, like Hulu’s “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” Amazon’s “Judy Blume Forever,” and Apple’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.” However, if you’re looking for documentaries that aren’t based on high-recognition IP, or concepts that can’t be parceled into irresistible, cliff-hanging episodes — well,...
Today, Sundance 2023 premiere “It’s Only Life After All,” which included its subjects the Indigo Girls performing at the festival’s Opening Night fundraiser, has yet to find a buyer. Ditto “Going Varsity in Mariachi,” “The Disappearance of Shere Hite,” or Doug Liman’s Brett Kavanaugh doc “Justice.”
Sundance also had documentaries that came with distribution, like Hulu’s “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” Amazon’s “Judy Blume Forever,” and Apple’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.” However, if you’re looking for documentaries that aren’t based on high-recognition IP, or concepts that can’t be parceled into irresistible, cliff-hanging episodes — well,...
- 4/11/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
André Holland (Passing) and Gemma Chan (Don’t Worry Darling) will top Neon‘s The Actor, the second feature (and first in live-action) from Oscar-nominated Anomalisa helmer Duke Johnson, which has wrapped production. Holland takes over the male lead from Ryan Gosling, who was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts but remains aboard the project as an executive producer.
André Holland behind the scenes of The Actor
The film scripted by Johnson and Stephen Cooney is based on the bestselling novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake and tells the story of actor Paul Cole (Holland), who finds himself stranded in 1950s Ohio, suffering from severe memory loss after a brutal attack, struggling to find his way back to his life in New York and reclaim what he has lost.
Additional cast set for the film includes Tracey Ullman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Toby Jones (Empire of Light), Simon McBurney (Wolfwalkers...
André Holland behind the scenes of The Actor
The film scripted by Johnson and Stephen Cooney is based on the bestselling novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake and tells the story of actor Paul Cole (Holland), who finds himself stranded in 1950s Ohio, suffering from severe memory loss after a brutal attack, struggling to find his way back to his life in New York and reclaim what he has lost.
Additional cast set for the film includes Tracey Ullman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Toby Jones (Empire of Light), Simon McBurney (Wolfwalkers...
- 4/4/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: For NASA’s pioneering Black astronauts, gravity wasn’t the only barrier impeding them from reaching the highest heights. They also faced another implacable force, in the form of racial bias.
National Geographic Documentary Films today announced filmmakers Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza will direct and produce The Space Race, a feature documentary “that will uncover the little-known stories of the first Black pilots, engineers and scientists to become astronauts” and the obstacles that impacted their trajectory. Frank Marshall and Tony Rosenthal of The Kennedy/Marshall Company will executive produce the film, along with Carolyn Bernstein of National Geographic Documentary Films and Leland Melvin. The project will be produced by Kennedy/Marshall’s Alexandra Bowen and Aly Parker, Diamond Docs’ Mark Monroe and independent producer Keero Birla. Monroe will also serve as the film’s writer.
Astronaut Ed Dwight is interviewed for ‘The Space Race.
National Geographic Documentary Films today announced filmmakers Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza will direct and produce The Space Race, a feature documentary “that will uncover the little-known stories of the first Black pilots, engineers and scientists to become astronauts” and the obstacles that impacted their trajectory. Frank Marshall and Tony Rosenthal of The Kennedy/Marshall Company will executive produce the film, along with Carolyn Bernstein of National Geographic Documentary Films and Leland Melvin. The project will be produced by Kennedy/Marshall’s Alexandra Bowen and Aly Parker, Diamond Docs’ Mark Monroe and independent producer Keero Birla. Monroe will also serve as the film’s writer.
Astronaut Ed Dwight is interviewed for ‘The Space Race.
- 3/31/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Legendary astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan, who expanded scientific understanding of the universe and helped millions appreciate the wonders of the cosmos, will be the subject of an upcoming documentary feature from National Geographic Documentary Films.
The Untitled Carl Sagan Film will be produced by Fuzzy Door’s Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins, Emmy and Peabody winner Ann Druyan – Sagan’s life partner – and Academy Award nominee Nanette Burstein, with Burstein directing. Also producing is production company Hungry Man.
Dr. Carl Sagan during an interview with ‘The Tonight Show’ host Johnny Carson on September 16, 1976.
Sagan’s contributions to planetary science were equaled only by his capacity to spread an infectious joy of the marvel and immensity of space. His 1980 book Cosmos became the best-selling science book ever published in English, and he appeared frequently on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (amusing the host and the viewing public with...
The Untitled Carl Sagan Film will be produced by Fuzzy Door’s Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins, Emmy and Peabody winner Ann Druyan – Sagan’s life partner – and Academy Award nominee Nanette Burstein, with Burstein directing. Also producing is production company Hungry Man.
Dr. Carl Sagan during an interview with ‘The Tonight Show’ host Johnny Carson on September 16, 1976.
Sagan’s contributions to planetary science were equaled only by his capacity to spread an infectious joy of the marvel and immensity of space. His 1980 book Cosmos became the best-selling science book ever published in English, and he appeared frequently on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (amusing the host and the viewing public with...
- 3/30/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Davis Guggenheim’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” will open the eighth edition of Chicago’s Doc10 documentary film festival on May 4.
About Fox’s life, career and work as a public advocate for Parkinson’s research, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” debuted at Sundance in January. Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “An Inconvenient Truth” will be at Doc10 to participate in a post-screening conversation.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 4-7, features a selection of 10 of this year’s most acclaimed documentaries and a package of prestigious doc shorts. Dedicated to supporting social-impact documentary films, the fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that raises funds for and produces docus including “Crip Camp” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In addition to “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” Doc10 will screen: Penny Lane’s “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” Nicole Newnham’s “The Disappearance of the Shere Hite,...
About Fox’s life, career and work as a public advocate for Parkinson’s research, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” debuted at Sundance in January. Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “An Inconvenient Truth” will be at Doc10 to participate in a post-screening conversation.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 4-7, features a selection of 10 of this year’s most acclaimed documentaries and a package of prestigious doc shorts. Dedicated to supporting social-impact documentary films, the fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that raises funds for and produces docus including “Crip Camp” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In addition to “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” Doc10 will screen: Penny Lane’s “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” Nicole Newnham’s “The Disappearance of the Shere Hite,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
This story is part of The Hollywood Reporter’s 2023 Sustainability Issue (click here to read more).
We’re currently living in a golden age of panic-inducing eco-documentaries gushing facts and statistics at us about how humans are killing the planet. These didactic films are vital for grounding us in the sobering truths of climate change and spurring activism across generations. But it’s easy to feel wrung out from the constant finger-wagging, too. Unquestionably, it’s more challenging for filmmakers to transmit environmentalist messages via tone, mood or imagery alone — but for viewers, the rewards can be spectacular.
The documentaries in this list showcase the grand scale of Earth, but they’re also able to demonstrate the refinement of our microcosmic communities. Some focus on explorers who either conflict or harmonize with their subjects; others are dialogue-free meditations on life itself. We’re witnesses to tragedy and celebration, spirituality and terror.
We’re currently living in a golden age of panic-inducing eco-documentaries gushing facts and statistics at us about how humans are killing the planet. These didactic films are vital for grounding us in the sobering truths of climate change and spurring activism across generations. But it’s easy to feel wrung out from the constant finger-wagging, too. Unquestionably, it’s more challenging for filmmakers to transmit environmentalist messages via tone, mood or imagery alone — but for viewers, the rewards can be spectacular.
The documentaries in this list showcase the grand scale of Earth, but they’re also able to demonstrate the refinement of our microcosmic communities. Some focus on explorers who either conflict or harmonize with their subjects; others are dialogue-free meditations on life itself. We’re witnesses to tragedy and celebration, spirituality and terror.
- 3/22/2023
- by Robyn Bahr
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Australian International Documentary Conference celebrated a record-breaking edition after holding its first expanded in-person event after two previous hybrid and virtual outings.
Held at Melbourne’s Australia Centre for the Moving Image on March 5- 8, the lively four-day conference of industry panels, screenings and networking events was followed by a three-day online international marketplace (March 9 – 11) that drew 820 documentary and factual industry delegates. The numbers were the highest in 20 years and the most attendees since the event relocated to Melbourne in 2016.
The third annual awards were also announced on March 8 with the top prize for best documentary feature going to “Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow,” director Philippa Bateman’s portrait of musician and activists Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter.
The award for best documentary/factual series was won by Blackfella Films’ “The Australian Wars,” a three-part series, commissioned by Sbs, that illuminates and questions Australia’s dark colonial past.
Held at Melbourne’s Australia Centre for the Moving Image on March 5- 8, the lively four-day conference of industry panels, screenings and networking events was followed by a three-day online international marketplace (March 9 – 11) that drew 820 documentary and factual industry delegates. The numbers were the highest in 20 years and the most attendees since the event relocated to Melbourne in 2016.
The third annual awards were also announced on March 8 with the top prize for best documentary feature going to “Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow,” director Philippa Bateman’s portrait of musician and activists Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter.
The award for best documentary/factual series was won by Blackfella Films’ “The Australian Wars,” a three-part series, commissioned by Sbs, that illuminates and questions Australia’s dark colonial past.
- 3/20/2023
- by Katherine Tulich
- Variety Film + TV
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