Exclusive: Wavelength’s documentary Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer is proving a hot property. The Emmy-winning film production company headed by Jenifer Westphal today announced Shout! Studios has acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, and MetFilm has acquired international rights.
Thomas von Steinaecker wrote and directed the documentary about Herzog, the legendary German filmmaker who has brought to life dozens of films including Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982), and documentaries Grizzly Man (2005), Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010), and Meeting Gorbachev (2018). Von Steinaecker’s film “presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist of our time and features interviews with Robert Pattinson, Nicole Kidman, Chloé Zhao, Christian Bale, and more,” according to a release. “With exclusive behind-the-scenes access into Herzog’s everyday life, rare and never-before-seen archival material and in-depth interviews with the man himself and celebrated collaborators, we are given an exciting glimpse into his process and personal life.
Thomas von Steinaecker wrote and directed the documentary about Herzog, the legendary German filmmaker who has brought to life dozens of films including Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982), and documentaries Grizzly Man (2005), Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010), and Meeting Gorbachev (2018). Von Steinaecker’s film “presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist of our time and features interviews with Robert Pattinson, Nicole Kidman, Chloé Zhao, Christian Bale, and more,” according to a release. “With exclusive behind-the-scenes access into Herzog’s everyday life, rare and never-before-seen archival material and in-depth interviews with the man himself and celebrated collaborators, we are given an exciting glimpse into his process and personal life.
- 7/18/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Mikhail Gorbachev, who as the last leader of the Soviet Union waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire but produced extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War, has died at 91, Russian media reported Thursday.
News organizations quoted a statement from the Central Clinical Hospital as saying he died after a long illness. No other details were given.
Though in power less than seven years, Gorbachev unleashed a breathtaking series of changes. But they quickly overtook him and resulted in the collapse of the authoritarian Soviet state, the freeing of Eastern European nations from Russian domination and the end of decades of East-West nuclear confrontation.
His decline was humiliating. His power hopelessly sapped by an attempted coup against him in August 1991, he spent his last months in office watching republic after republic declare independence until he resigned on Dec.
Mikhail Gorbachev, who as the last leader of the Soviet Union waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire but produced extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War, has died at 91, Russian media reported Thursday.
News organizations quoted a statement from the Central Clinical Hospital as saying he died after a long illness. No other details were given.
Though in power less than seven years, Gorbachev unleashed a breathtaking series of changes. But they quickly overtook him and resulted in the collapse of the authoritarian Soviet state, the freeing of Eastern European nations from Russian domination and the end of decades of East-West nuclear confrontation.
His decline was humiliating. His power hopelessly sapped by an attempted coup against him in August 1991, he spent his last months in office watching republic after republic declare independence until he resigned on Dec.
- 8/30/2022
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: First Wind Film Development has optioned TV rights to Rick Bleiweiss’ recently published debut mystery novel Pignon Scorbion and the Barbershop Detectives, with Brendan Deneen and Josh Stanton of Blackstone Publishing attached to produce the adaptation.
The book is set in 1910, in the small English municipality of Haxford, which has a new Chief Police Inspector. At first, the dapper and unflappable Pignon Scorbion, a Brit of Egyptian and Haitian descent, strikes something of an odd figure among the locals. But it isn’t long before Haxford finds itself very much in need of a detective. Investigating a trio of crimes whose origins span half a century, Scorbion interviews a parade of people with potential motives, but with every apparent clue, new surprises come to light. And just as it seems nothing can derail Scorbion, in walks Thelma Smith—dazzling, whip-smart, and newly single. Has Scorbion finally met his match?...
The book is set in 1910, in the small English municipality of Haxford, which has a new Chief Police Inspector. At first, the dapper and unflappable Pignon Scorbion, a Brit of Egyptian and Haitian descent, strikes something of an odd figure among the locals. But it isn’t long before Haxford finds itself very much in need of a detective. Investigating a trio of crimes whose origins span half a century, Scorbion interviews a parade of people with potential motives, but with every apparent clue, new surprises come to light. And just as it seems nothing can derail Scorbion, in walks Thelma Smith—dazzling, whip-smart, and newly single. Has Scorbion finally met his match?...
- 4/5/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
However much you think you know about modern Lithuanian history, you’re almost certain to leave wiser after digesting all 248 minutes of . That the film is both intricately researched and archivally rich comes as no surprise considering it’s by Sergei Loznitsa, the sharp, scholarly and impossibly prolific Ukrainian filmmaker whose gift for spinning art from raw archival material has been repeatedly proven — most recently in this year’s Cannes selection “Babi Yar. Context.” Less expected, perhaps, is that a four-hour record of dense political negotiations and standoffs, braided with one extended talking-head interview, should go by as quickly as it does.
By no means easily achieved, the film’s balance of monumental historical heft and strong narrative drive secured it the top prize at this year’s edition of IDFA — the first stop in what is sure to be a long festival tour. Beyond that circuit, the project’s prospects are less sure,...
By no means easily achieved, the film’s balance of monumental historical heft and strong narrative drive secured it the top prize at this year’s edition of IDFA — the first stop in what is sure to be a long festival tour. Beyond that circuit, the project’s prospects are less sure,...
- 11/29/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The U.K.’s Sheffield Doc/Fest has announced 55 projects for pitching forum MeetMarket and 22 projects for the Arts Talent Market.
The events run in parallel June 9-11 as part of the wider festival, which runs June 4-13. The MeetMarket will see projects presented to industry partners and consisting of a mix of emerging talent and experienced filmmakers. The emerging talents include Agustina Comedi, Cassie Quarless, Cyril Aris, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich, Tom Fassaert and Usayd Younis. There are also several seasoned players, such as Andre Singer (“Meeting Gorbachev”), Andreas Voit (“Leipzig in The Fall”), Diane Quon (“Minding the Gap”), Göran Hugo Olsson (“The Black Power Mixtape”), Kellen Quinn (“Time”), Riel Roch-Decter (“All Light”), Sean Mcallister (“A Syrian Love Story”) and Sierra Pettengill (“The Reagan Show”)
The Arts Talent Market will connect 22 creatives and teams with industry representatives. The work is an almost equal split between immersive VR/Ar, and video art or installation pieces,...
The events run in parallel June 9-11 as part of the wider festival, which runs June 4-13. The MeetMarket will see projects presented to industry partners and consisting of a mix of emerging talent and experienced filmmakers. The emerging talents include Agustina Comedi, Cassie Quarless, Cyril Aris, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich, Tom Fassaert and Usayd Younis. There are also several seasoned players, such as Andre Singer (“Meeting Gorbachev”), Andreas Voit (“Leipzig in The Fall”), Diane Quon (“Minding the Gap”), Göran Hugo Olsson (“The Black Power Mixtape”), Kellen Quinn (“Time”), Riel Roch-Decter (“All Light”), Sean Mcallister (“A Syrian Love Story”) and Sierra Pettengill (“The Reagan Show”)
The Arts Talent Market will connect 22 creatives and teams with industry representatives. The work is an almost equal split between immersive VR/Ar, and video art or installation pieces,...
- 4/27/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Even in his dotage, stooped and tissue-skinned and walker-dependent, the former (and final) Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev is an imposing, even intimidating figure — formidable enough to have stymied the venerable Werner Herzog two years ago. The German auteur’s oddly cautious 2018 doc “Meeting Gorbachev” was a missed opportunity, colored by the filmmaker’s obvious admiration for his subject but never getting under his skin in any sense. In “Gorbachev. Heaven,” Russian docmaker Vitaly Mansky has another go at cracking this particularly tough nut, with richer, more resonant results — making a virtue of Gorbachev’s enigmatic, evasive manner in what turns out to be more poetic character study than exacting political profile.
Alternating between head-on rhetorical confrontation and melancholic everyday observation, this weighty IDFA premiere should match the festival and arthouse profile of Mansky’s recent films “Under the Sun” and “Putin’s Witnesses,” sealing his reputation as one of...
Alternating between head-on rhetorical confrontation and melancholic everyday observation, this weighty IDFA premiere should match the festival and arthouse profile of Mansky’s recent films “Under the Sun” and “Putin’s Witnesses,” sealing his reputation as one of...
- 11/21/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Haydn Keenan’s Smart Street Films has optioned Geoffrey Robertson’s book which argues that treasures that were forcefully or lawlessly acquired over centuries should be returned to their rightful owners.
Keenan and British/Australian executive producer Amanda Groom are planning an international docuseries as a co-production with the UK’s Spring Films, an Oscar nominated, Emmy Award winning production company specialising in high-end feature and television documentaries.
Headed by André Singer, Spring Films’ credits include Meeting Gorbachev, co-directed by Werner Herzog and Singer; the Channel 4 trilogy Prison, set in women’s prison Foston Hall; and Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds, co-directed by Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer.
Robertson’s Who Owns History?: Elgin’s Loot and the Case for Returning Plundered Treasure makes the case for returning the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum to Athens.
Fronted by Robertson and to be shot in Australia, China, West Africa and the Middle East,...
Keenan and British/Australian executive producer Amanda Groom are planning an international docuseries as a co-production with the UK’s Spring Films, an Oscar nominated, Emmy Award winning production company specialising in high-end feature and television documentaries.
Headed by André Singer, Spring Films’ credits include Meeting Gorbachev, co-directed by Werner Herzog and Singer; the Channel 4 trilogy Prison, set in women’s prison Foston Hall; and Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds, co-directed by Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer.
Robertson’s Who Owns History?: Elgin’s Loot and the Case for Returning Plundered Treasure makes the case for returning the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum to Athens.
Fronted by Robertson and to be shot in Australia, China, West Africa and the Middle East,...
- 10/11/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Apple announced Friday that it will release a new Werner Herzog documentary, “Fireball,” on its Apple TV+ platform. The film explores how shooting stars, meteorites, and deep impacts on Earth have shaped human mythology and focused our attention on other realms and worlds.
“Fireball” will mark the third collaboration between the legendary director and geoscientist Clive Oppenheimer, who is co-directing the doc.
Oppenheimer, a professor of volcanology at the University of Cambridge, appeared in Herzog’s 2007 Antarctica-set Oscar-nominated “Encounters at the End of the World,” and again in Netflix’s 2016 doc “Into the Inferno.” That most recent film earned an Emmy nomination and followed the pair as they traveled the world to explore various volcanic sites. Much like “Fireball,” that film also drew connections between natural phenomena and its impact on humankind.
“Fireball” will also reunite Herzog with “Inferno” producers André Singer and Lucki Stipetić. Werner Herzog Film is producing alongside Spring Films,...
“Fireball” will mark the third collaboration between the legendary director and geoscientist Clive Oppenheimer, who is co-directing the doc.
Oppenheimer, a professor of volcanology at the University of Cambridge, appeared in Herzog’s 2007 Antarctica-set Oscar-nominated “Encounters at the End of the World,” and again in Netflix’s 2016 doc “Into the Inferno.” That most recent film earned an Emmy nomination and followed the pair as they traveled the world to explore various volcanic sites. Much like “Fireball,” that film also drew connections between natural phenomena and its impact on humankind.
“Fireball” will also reunite Herzog with “Inferno” producers André Singer and Lucki Stipetić. Werner Herzog Film is producing alongside Spring Films,...
- 7/24/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
The Notebook Primer introduces readers to some of the most important figures, films, genres, and movements in film history.Above: Werner Herzog in Burden of Dreams.In the perpetual pursuit for what he terms an “ecstatic truth,” Werner Herzog has, for nearly six decades and over the course of more than 70 features, shorts, and documentaries, taken audiences on an astonishingly variable journey of cinematic revelation. Born Werner Stipetić, Sept. 5, 1942, Herzog was raised in a remote Bavarian village and later traveled extensively throughout the world, studying multiple artistic and historical disciplines and eventually integrating his accumulated interests into an enduring, endlessly fascinating filmmaking career. Although his humble origins prevented him from even seeing a movie until he was almost a teenager, Herzog nevertheless became enamored with the medium and its enlightening potential. “I always, from a very young age, had the feeling I had to invent cinema,” Herzog once stated. “Even...
- 7/21/2020
- MUBI
The American Society of Cinematographers said Thursday that it will give this year’s Board of Governors Award to Werner Herzog. The prolific writer-director and occasional actor (Disney+’s The Mandalorian) will be honored January 25 at the 34th annual Asc Awards for Outstanding Achievement at Hollywood & Highland’s Ray Dolby Ballroom.
The Asc Board of Governors Award is given to industry stalwarts whose body of work has made significant and indelible contributions to cinema. It is reserved for filmmakers who have been champions for directors of photography and the visual art form.
The German-born Herzog has produced, written, and directed more than 70 feature and documentary films, with Oscar nominations for his documentary Encounters at the End of the World (2009) and an Emmy nom for Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997).
His credits at the vanguard of German cinema along with fellow filmmakers Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Volker Schlöndorff include Aguirre, the Wrath of God...
The Asc Board of Governors Award is given to industry stalwarts whose body of work has made significant and indelible contributions to cinema. It is reserved for filmmakers who have been champions for directors of photography and the visual art form.
The German-born Herzog has produced, written, and directed more than 70 feature and documentary films, with Oscar nominations for his documentary Encounters at the End of the World (2009) and an Emmy nom for Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997).
His credits at the vanguard of German cinema along with fellow filmmakers Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Volker Schlöndorff include Aguirre, the Wrath of God...
- 1/9/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Legendary director Werner Herzog, one of the founders of the German New Wave, whose films embrace obsessive quests and maddening conflicts with nature, will receive the American Society of Cinematographers’ Board of Governors Award at the 34th annual Asc Awards on January 25 (at Hollywood & Highland’s Ray Dolby Ballroom).
“Werner Herzog is truly a unique storyteller, and we are honored to recognize him for his prolific contributions to cinema,” said Asc President Kees van Oostrum.
Herzog has produced, written, and directed more than 70 feature and documentary films. His volatile, love-hate relationship with actor Klaus Kinski resulted in such powerful films as “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” “Fitzcarraldo,” “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” and “Woyzeck.” Other masterpieces include “Stroszek” and “The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser,” both starring street musician-turned actor Bruno S.
Herzog received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature for “Encounters at the End of the World,” while “Little Dieter Needs to Fly...
“Werner Herzog is truly a unique storyteller, and we are honored to recognize him for his prolific contributions to cinema,” said Asc President Kees van Oostrum.
Herzog has produced, written, and directed more than 70 feature and documentary films. His volatile, love-hate relationship with actor Klaus Kinski resulted in such powerful films as “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” “Fitzcarraldo,” “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” and “Woyzeck.” Other masterpieces include “Stroszek” and “The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser,” both starring street musician-turned actor Bruno S.
Herzog received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature for “Encounters at the End of the World,” while “Little Dieter Needs to Fly...
- 1/9/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Leah Remini will be the first recipient of the new Truth to Power Award for her A&e documentary series “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,” the International Documentary Association announced on Tuesday.
The award will be given to Remini at the 35th annual Ida Documentary Awards, which will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7 on the Paramount Studios lot.
The Truth to Power Award, Ida executive director Simon Kilmurry said in a statement, was created “to honor those who show immense bravery in holding the powerful to account regardless of the consequences. We are thrilled to honor Leah Remini who, for the past three seasons in ‘Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,’ stood strong in the face of untold backlash, harassment and personal attacks as she exposed the truth behind Scientology.”
Also Read: Leah Remini's 'Scientology and the Aftermath' to End With 2-Hour Special After 3 Seasons at A&e
The Ida...
The award will be given to Remini at the 35th annual Ida Documentary Awards, which will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7 on the Paramount Studios lot.
The Truth to Power Award, Ida executive director Simon Kilmurry said in a statement, was created “to honor those who show immense bravery in holding the powerful to account regardless of the consequences. We are thrilled to honor Leah Remini who, for the past three seasons in ‘Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,’ stood strong in the face of untold backlash, harassment and personal attacks as she exposed the truth behind Scientology.”
Also Read: Leah Remini's 'Scientology and the Aftermath' to End With 2-Hour Special After 3 Seasons at A&e
The Ida...
- 11/19/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
UK distribution and sales outfit makes two hires.
UK distribution, sales and production outfit Altitude Film Entertainment has appointed Laura Wilson of Anton Corp as head of acquisitions.
Wilson has been vice president of acquisitions at London-based financier Anton Corp, the parent company of Anton Capital Investment, since November 2016. She was previously director of development at eOne in the UK, and acquisitions co-ordinator at Momentum Pictures before that outfit was folded into eOne.
At Altitude, Wilson will head up acquisitions both for the company’s sales and UK distribution slates and will report to Altitude co-ceo Will Clarke. The appointment...
UK distribution, sales and production outfit Altitude Film Entertainment has appointed Laura Wilson of Anton Corp as head of acquisitions.
Wilson has been vice president of acquisitions at London-based financier Anton Corp, the parent company of Anton Capital Investment, since November 2016. She was previously director of development at eOne in the UK, and acquisitions co-ordinator at Momentum Pictures before that outfit was folded into eOne.
At Altitude, Wilson will head up acquisitions both for the company’s sales and UK distribution slates and will report to Altitude co-ceo Will Clarke. The appointment...
- 6/24/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
By Glenn Dunks
Two new documentaries cover politics in very different ways. One pounds the pavement on the trail of a brewing political movement from a relative newcomer, while the other examines the legacy of a presidential icon as directed by a man with nearly 40 documentary credits (and dozens more dramas) to his name.
Knock Down the House and Meeting Gorbachev are a fascinating pair; the scrappy underdog and the classic image of government. Although they have almost nothing in common beyond the surface, they offset one another, their strengths highlighting the others’ weaknesses in a particular way. One stands above the other in quality and in the sly way that they interrogate the long shadow of history...
Two new documentaries cover politics in very different ways. One pounds the pavement on the trail of a brewing political movement from a relative newcomer, while the other examines the legacy of a presidential icon as directed by a man with nearly 40 documentary credits (and dozens more dramas) to his name.
Knock Down the House and Meeting Gorbachev are a fascinating pair; the scrappy underdog and the classic image of government. Although they have almost nothing in common beyond the surface, they offset one another, their strengths highlighting the others’ weaknesses in a particular way. One stands above the other in quality and in the sly way that they interrogate the long shadow of history...
- 5/15/2019
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Company unveils plans for its summer slate including ‘Maradona’, ‘Horrible Histories’.
Altitude Film Distribution, the releasing arm of UK mini-studio Altitude Film Entertainment, has added four titles to its UK release slate.
The company has picked up rights to Andre Singer and Werner Herzog’s documentary Meeting Gorbachev. The film, which premiered at Telluride last year, sees Herzog interview the former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to get an insight into his life and career. Altitude picked up the title from History Films and will release in November.
Altitude has also bought Little Monsters, the...
Altitude Film Distribution, the releasing arm of UK mini-studio Altitude Film Entertainment, has added four titles to its UK release slate.
The company has picked up rights to Andre Singer and Werner Herzog’s documentary Meeting Gorbachev. The film, which premiered at Telluride last year, sees Herzog interview the former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to get an insight into his life and career. Altitude picked up the title from History Films and will release in November.
Altitude has also bought Little Monsters, the...
- 5/10/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Several well-received and highly anticipated new limited releases debuted this week, with Olivier Assayas’ “Non-Fiction” (IFC) opening best. The titles also included the documentaries “Meeting Gorbachev” (1091) and “Ask Dr. Ruth” (Magnolia), as well as Zhang Yimou’s epic “Shadow” (Well Go), but all continued the pattern of an underwhelming 2019 for specialized films.
This weekend also saw two top Sundance titles — “Knocking Down the House” and “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” — debut on Netflix, with each getting minimal theatrical play.
Documentaries dominate specialized releases, with “Amazing Grace” (Neon) as the top-grossing title at the moment. “Booksmart” (United Artists) and “Late Show” (Amazon) open soon and both are wide releases that will benefit many specialized theaters. However, that immediately push for crossover audiences shows how challenging it is for key art houses.
Opening
Non-Fiction (IFC) – Metacritic: 81; Festivals include: Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York 2018
$29,056 in 2 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $14,528
French...
This weekend also saw two top Sundance titles — “Knocking Down the House” and “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” — debut on Netflix, with each getting minimal theatrical play.
Documentaries dominate specialized releases, with “Amazing Grace” (Neon) as the top-grossing title at the moment. “Booksmart” (United Artists) and “Late Show” (Amazon) open soon and both are wide releases that will benefit many specialized theaters. However, that immediately push for crossover audiences shows how challenging it is for key art houses.
Opening
Non-Fiction (IFC) – Metacritic: 81; Festivals include: Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York 2018
$29,056 in 2 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $14,528
French...
- 5/5/2019
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
1091 Media laid off roughly 25% of its workforce on Friday, resulting in nine employees in the company’s marketing and distribution division, as well as other areas, losing their jobs.
In addition to the layoffs, COO and CFO Chad Blackwell and Chief Revenue Officer Julie Dansker also announced that the indie distributor will release fewer films going forward as part of a shift in its strategic vision.
“We have a new strategic vision, which focuses on four to six traditional theatrical releases a year, continuing to build on a strong, curated slate of ancillary/non-theatrical titles,” Blackwell and Dansker wrote in a staff memo. “This realignment of our priorities will more effectively service our filmmakers and the broader content creator community in the next chapter of our growth.”
Also Read: The Orchard's Film Group Acquired by 1091 Media Investment Group
The reductions and shift in focus come just a few months...
In addition to the layoffs, COO and CFO Chad Blackwell and Chief Revenue Officer Julie Dansker also announced that the indie distributor will release fewer films going forward as part of a shift in its strategic vision.
“We have a new strategic vision, which focuses on four to six traditional theatrical releases a year, continuing to build on a strong, curated slate of ancillary/non-theatrical titles,” Blackwell and Dansker wrote in a staff memo. “This realignment of our priorities will more effectively service our filmmakers and the broader content creator community in the next chapter of our growth.”
Also Read: The Orchard's Film Group Acquired by 1091 Media Investment Group
The reductions and shift in focus come just a few months...
- 5/3/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
As one watches Werner Herzog and André Singer’s documentary “Meeting Gorbachev,” the mind floats back to the words of the late Gene Siskel, the film critic who was known for, amongst other things, a hypothetical question he posed to filmmakers: “Is my film more interesting than a documentary of the same actors having lunch together?”
“Meeting Gorbachev” is a film about Werner Herzog and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union, having a series of three conversations, including one during which they enjoy fancy chocolates. It’s a conversation so deeply fascinating that there’s nothing else the filmmakers could have done to spice it up. Herzog and Gorbachev could have joined forces to halt an alien invasion and invent time travel, and it still wouldn’t have packed the same wallop.
Herzog narrates “Meeting Gorbachev,” which intercuts his interviews with documentary footage and historical context. If...
“Meeting Gorbachev” is a film about Werner Herzog and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union, having a series of three conversations, including one during which they enjoy fancy chocolates. It’s a conversation so deeply fascinating that there’s nothing else the filmmakers could have done to spice it up. Herzog and Gorbachev could have joined forces to halt an alien invasion and invent time travel, and it still wouldn’t have packed the same wallop.
Herzog narrates “Meeting Gorbachev,” which intercuts his interviews with documentary footage and historical context. If...
- 5/3/2019
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
The Orchard Film Group has officially relaunched as 1091, a new distribution company for independent film and television content creators. The announcement was made by Daniel Stein and Joe Samberg, principals of 1091 Media. Stein will take an active role in the company as executive chairman. The name 1091 comes from the address number of Stein and Samberg’s investment firm, which was The Orchard’s original investor in 2003.
In addition to announcing the new company name, 1091 has already set its first two theatrical releases in the U.S.: Werner Herzog’s political documentary “Meeting Gorbachev,” which will open May 3, and the fashion documentary “Halston,” which will debut in theaters May 24. Both films will be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In addition to Stein, 1091’s new leadership includes Chad Blackwell, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer; Julie Dansker, Chief Revenue Officer; Danielle Digiacomo, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Strategic Partnerships; Adam Brostoff,...
In addition to announcing the new company name, 1091 has already set its first two theatrical releases in the U.S.: Werner Herzog’s political documentary “Meeting Gorbachev,” which will open May 3, and the fashion documentary “Halston,” which will debut in theaters May 24. Both films will be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In addition to Stein, 1091’s new leadership includes Chad Blackwell, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer; Julie Dansker, Chief Revenue Officer; Danielle Digiacomo, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Strategic Partnerships; Adam Brostoff,...
- 4/3/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
On the docket for 2019, filmmaker Werner Herzog has two projects that couldn’t be further apart. First, he has his upcoming documentary, “Meeting Gorbachev,” which made the fall film festival rounds and is finally coming to theaters soon. And if you’re more of a sci-fi/fantasy film fan, and not so much a political documentary person, he’s also going to show up in the upcoming “Star Wars” live-action series “The Mandalorian.” And recently, he spoke about both, explaining why he chose “Star Wars” and why the world needs to relax more with Russia.
Continue reading Werner Herzog Reveals He’ll Play A Villain In The ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off TV Series & Unveils A Trailer For ‘Meeting Gorbachev’ doc at The Playlist.
Continue reading Werner Herzog Reveals He’ll Play A Villain In The ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off TV Series & Unveils A Trailer For ‘Meeting Gorbachev’ doc at The Playlist.
- 3/25/2019
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
This year’s Tribeca Film Festival will once again host a robust lineup of its “Talks” series, which features in-depth one-on-one conversations with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Of particular interest is a two-fer of long-time collaborators taking to the stage to talk about their work together, including Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro (who will chat about their decade-spanning partnership and their much-anticipated Netflix mob drama “The Irishman”), along with David O. Russell and his frequent star Jennifer Lawrence. Other pairings of note include Sarah Silverman with Mike Birbiglia, Michael J. Fox with Denis Leary, and Queen Latifah with Dee Rees. Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro is also slated for a talk, along with Irwin Winkler, Rashida Jones, and Questlove.
“Our Tribeca Talks have been so successful because they bring together cultural icons to discuss and debate a wide range of topics,” said Paula Weinstein, Evp of Tribeca Enterprises,...
“Our Tribeca Talks have been so successful because they bring together cultural icons to discuss and debate a wide range of topics,” said Paula Weinstein, Evp of Tribeca Enterprises,...
- 3/19/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Festival brass also announced additional features in Movies Plus section.
On-stage conversations with Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese and longtime collaborator Robert De Niro, and Queen Latifah and Dee Rees are expected to be among the highlights of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival’s Tribeca Talks programme.
The schedule encompasses a range of encounters with big names, among them a David O Russell and Jennifer Lawrence reunion, a conversation between video game creator Hideo Kojima and actor Norman Reedus, a Master Classes session with Irwin Winkler, and Storytellers slots with Michael J. Fox and Denis Leary, Questlove, Sarah Silverman, and Rashida Jones.
On-stage conversations with Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese and longtime collaborator Robert De Niro, and Queen Latifah and Dee Rees are expected to be among the highlights of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival’s Tribeca Talks programme.
The schedule encompasses a range of encounters with big names, among them a David O Russell and Jennifer Lawrence reunion, a conversation between video game creator Hideo Kojima and actor Norman Reedus, a Master Classes session with Irwin Winkler, and Storytellers slots with Michael J. Fox and Denis Leary, Questlove, Sarah Silverman, and Rashida Jones.
- 3/19/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A&E IndieFilms and Sundance Institute have selected four recipients for their inaugural “Brave Storytellers Award,” an honor that is intended to provide financial support for documentary filmmakers. The winners are Cecilia Aldarondo, Jemka Autry, Margaret Brown, and Yoruba Richen.
Each honoree will receive $25,000 in seed funding, as well as year-round mentorship from staff of the Sundance Institute, a non-profit filmmaking organization. A&E IndieFilms will then work with Sundance Institute to support the recipients’ projects through development, production and distribution.
The projects being supported by the grants cover a range of subjects. Richen’s “American Reckoning” will grapple with the FBI’s recent series of investigations into hundreds of unsolved civil rights era murders. Autry’s “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” examines the prosecution of the jazz singer on drug charges. And Aldarondo’s “You Were My First Boyfriend” reexamines life in high school.
Brown’s project is dubbed “Africatown,...
Each honoree will receive $25,000 in seed funding, as well as year-round mentorship from staff of the Sundance Institute, a non-profit filmmaking organization. A&E IndieFilms will then work with Sundance Institute to support the recipients’ projects through development, production and distribution.
The projects being supported by the grants cover a range of subjects. Richen’s “American Reckoning” will grapple with the FBI’s recent series of investigations into hundreds of unsolved civil rights era murders. Autry’s “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” examines the prosecution of the jazz singer on drug charges. And Aldarondo’s “You Were My First Boyfriend” reexamines life in high school.
Brown’s project is dubbed “Africatown,...
- 1/25/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Orchard has acquired the North American rights to Meeting Gorbachev from directors Werner Herzog and Andre Singer.
History Films, the A&E network's independent film label, has retained all television rights. Meeting Gorbachev is The Orchard's third collaboration with History, after Oscar-nominated films Cartel Land and Life, Animated.
The feature is a behind-the-scenes memoir from the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. Having been General Secretary of the governing Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 199, Gorbachev became one of the world’s most established politicians of the 20th century....
History Films, the A&E network's independent film label, has retained all television rights. Meeting Gorbachev is The Orchard's third collaboration with History, after Oscar-nominated films Cartel Land and Life, Animated.
The feature is a behind-the-scenes memoir from the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. Having been General Secretary of the governing Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 199, Gorbachev became one of the world’s most established politicians of the 20th century....
- 12/7/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Werner Herzog never really stops working. The German auteur has been making the festival rounds with “Meeting Gorbachev,” his feature-length sit-down with the former Soviet politician that the filmmaker co-directed with André Singer. But by the time the movie premiered at Telluride over Labor Day weekend ahead of its screenings in Toronto, Herzog had already wrapped production on two new projects, and he has a big acting gig on the horizon.
At Tiff, the director told IndieWire that he would soon act in “a big franchise film, about which I’m not supposed to say anything,” he said. “I can only say the title. The code name is ‘Huckleberry.’” He chuckled. “For god’s sake, that’s only a cover,” he said.
Herzog declined to offer further details, but the role would mark the first time he has appeared in a studio production since 2012’s Tom Cruise action vehicle “Jack Reacher,...
At Tiff, the director told IndieWire that he would soon act in “a big franchise film, about which I’m not supposed to say anything,” he said. “I can only say the title. The code name is ‘Huckleberry.’” He chuckled. “For god’s sake, that’s only a cover,” he said.
Herzog declined to offer further details, but the role would mark the first time he has appeared in a studio production since 2012’s Tom Cruise action vehicle “Jack Reacher,...
- 9/11/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy is that of being the eighth and final President of the Soviet Union, but this often misunderstood leader had a much more significant role in the world stage. Prolific director Werner Herzog‘s powerful documentary “Meeting Gorbachev” tries to paint a picture of a leader haunted by a never fully completed vision of a utopian, capitalist-driven Ussr, one which, the director shows, had incredible similarities to today’s European Union.
Continue reading ‘Meeting Gorbachev’: Werner Herzog Interviews The Soviet Leader In One Of The Year’s Best Docs [Tiff Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Meeting Gorbachev’: Werner Herzog Interviews The Soviet Leader In One Of The Year’s Best Docs [Tiff Review] at The Playlist.
- 9/10/2018
- by Jordan Ruimy
- The Playlist
Oscar season just had a delicious appetizer. Now comes the all-you-can-eat buffet.
That’s the role that the Toronto International Film Festival plays in awards season: It’s an abundance of riches, an 11-day blowout in which just about every Oscar contender that isn’t still in the editing room will unveil itself in front of the international press and a bunch of movie fans.
As always, Toronto opens on the Thursday after Labor Day, just a few days after the conclusion of the Telluride Film Festival and a week after the opening of the Venice Film Festival. Those two fests have already showcased a good number of awards movies — and this year, they’ve given fans of quality cinema an unexpectedly rich array of films, to judge from the reactions coming from the canals of Italy and the hills of Colorado.
Also Read: 'First Man' Film Review:...
That’s the role that the Toronto International Film Festival plays in awards season: It’s an abundance of riches, an 11-day blowout in which just about every Oscar contender that isn’t still in the editing room will unveil itself in front of the international press and a bunch of movie fans.
As always, Toronto opens on the Thursday after Labor Day, just a few days after the conclusion of the Telluride Film Festival and a week after the opening of the Venice Film Festival. Those two fests have already showcased a good number of awards movies — and this year, they’ve given fans of quality cinema an unexpectedly rich array of films, to judge from the reactions coming from the canals of Italy and the hills of Colorado.
Also Read: 'First Man' Film Review:...
- 9/5/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
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