Exclusive: The Ford Foundation is coming through for documentary filmmakers in a big way.
Today, the nonprofit philanthropic institution announced its latest round of grants under the foundation’s JustFilms division — $4.2 million that will go to support “59 innovative film projects centered on social justice globally and in the United States.”
Among the recipients are Union, the film directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story that just held its world premiere at Sundance, and fellow Sundance premiere The Battle for Laikipia, directed by Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi. Union, about the battle to unionize an Amazon facility on Staten Island, New York, is in U.S. Documentary Competition at Sundance. The Battle for Laikipia, in World Cinema Documentary Competition at the festival, examines “a generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven.” Roger Ross Williams and Toni Kamau are among the producers of Laikipia.
Today, the nonprofit philanthropic institution announced its latest round of grants under the foundation’s JustFilms division — $4.2 million that will go to support “59 innovative film projects centered on social justice globally and in the United States.”
Among the recipients are Union, the film directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story that just held its world premiere at Sundance, and fellow Sundance premiere The Battle for Laikipia, directed by Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi. Union, about the battle to unionize an Amazon facility on Staten Island, New York, is in U.S. Documentary Competition at Sundance. The Battle for Laikipia, in World Cinema Documentary Competition at the festival, examines “a generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven.” Roger Ross Williams and Toni Kamau are among the producers of Laikipia.
- 1/25/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Gotham Film and Media Institute and HBO Documentary Films have set the cohort and mentors for the second edition of their Documentary Development Initiative. Launched in 2022, the initiative was designed for storytellers who identify as Bipoc, LGBTQ+, and/or storytellers with disabilities, the goal being to provide resources to develop thought-provoking, character-driven, contemporary ideas for documentary films and limited series.
This year’s participants are Rolake Bamgbose, Dan Chen, Elizabeth Lo, Andy Sarjahani, Krystal Tingle, and Monica Villamizar. Distinguished creatives serving as mentors will include Anthony Caronna, Zackary Drucker, David France, Dawn Porter, Fernando Villena, and Nanfu Wang.
Taking place throughout the fall of 2024, the second annual program will see selected filmmakers receive grants of $50,000 for research and creative development at an early stage. HBO and The Gotham will provide resources and mentorship to support the development of documentary projects and select grantees will have the opportunity to receive additional funding.
This year’s participants are Rolake Bamgbose, Dan Chen, Elizabeth Lo, Andy Sarjahani, Krystal Tingle, and Monica Villamizar. Distinguished creatives serving as mentors will include Anthony Caronna, Zackary Drucker, David France, Dawn Porter, Fernando Villena, and Nanfu Wang.
Taking place throughout the fall of 2024, the second annual program will see selected filmmakers receive grants of $50,000 for research and creative development at an early stage. HBO and The Gotham will provide resources and mentorship to support the development of documentary projects and select grantees will have the opportunity to receive additional funding.
- 1/9/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Distribution platform Gathr and documentary distribution agency Roco Films have teamed to create Roco Voices, a new speakers bureau.
Roco Voices, launching Nov. 14, will offer live speaking engagements with filmmakers and subject matter experts from Roco Film’s docu film catalog. The initial cohort of filmmakers to debut with Roco Voices include Academy Award winners and nominees Oliver Stone (“Nuclear Now”), Ross Kauffman (“Born Into Brothels”), Justine Shapiro (“Promises”), Sam Green (“The Weather Underground”), David France (“How to Survive a Plague”), Geralyn Dreyfous (“The Square”), and Roger Weisberg (“Sound and Fury”). (All Roco clients have the opportunity to opt-in.)
Powering Roco Voices is Gathr’s talent booking technology. (The company started beta-testing earlier this year.) The collaboration is a one-stop shop for Roco Films’ customers to search, discover, negotiate, and book filmmakers, doc talent and subject matter experts while also licensing impact-driven and educational film screenings.
“The shared experience of...
Roco Voices, launching Nov. 14, will offer live speaking engagements with filmmakers and subject matter experts from Roco Film’s docu film catalog. The initial cohort of filmmakers to debut with Roco Voices include Academy Award winners and nominees Oliver Stone (“Nuclear Now”), Ross Kauffman (“Born Into Brothels”), Justine Shapiro (“Promises”), Sam Green (“The Weather Underground”), David France (“How to Survive a Plague”), Geralyn Dreyfous (“The Square”), and Roger Weisberg (“Sound and Fury”). (All Roco clients have the opportunity to opt-in.)
Powering Roco Voices is Gathr’s talent booking technology. (The company started beta-testing earlier this year.) The collaboration is a one-stop shop for Roco Films’ customers to search, discover, negotiate, and book filmmakers, doc talent and subject matter experts while also licensing impact-driven and educational film screenings.
“The shared experience of...
- 11/14/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
While Hollywood still has a long way to go in supporting queer stories and storytellers, we’re living in a relative golden age of LGBTQ cinema compared to what has come before. Netflix has not always chosen to support the LGBTQ community in their business decisions, but the streamer has played a major role in increasing the visibility of queer characters and storylines in both film and TV, and in supporting queer creators in telling stories.
As we celebrate Pride month and beyond, let’s take a look at some of the best LGBTQ movies Netflix currently has on offer. If you’re looking for a queer film to watch—satirically funny or devastatingly earnest, heart-stoppingly romantic or casually queer—try one of the many excellent and diverse options below.
Brokeback Mountain
“Brokeback Mountain,” a neo-Western film about two male cowboys who love one another in a deeply homophobic society,...
As we celebrate Pride month and beyond, let’s take a look at some of the best LGBTQ movies Netflix currently has on offer. If you’re looking for a queer film to watch—satirically funny or devastatingly earnest, heart-stoppingly romantic or casually queer—try one of the many excellent and diverse options below.
Brokeback Mountain
“Brokeback Mountain,” a neo-Western film about two male cowboys who love one another in a deeply homophobic society,...
- 6/17/2023
- by Kayti Burt
- The Wrap
Jewish Story Partners (Jsp), a Los Angeles-based nonprofit film funding organization, has announced its new slate of grants to 19 documentary film projects.
The org, which was launched in April 2021 with support from Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation, will distribute $490,000 among these independent films, all of which explore the vast and vibrant terrain of the Jewish storytelling space. The announcement coincides with Jewish American Heritage Month and a commitment from President Joe Biden’s White House administration to develop a national strategy to counter antisemitism and “address increasing awareness and understanding of both antisemitism and Jewish American heritage.”
Since its inception, Jsp has disbursed $2 million in funding to 72 documentaries telling diverse Jewish stories.
On the heels of previous Jsp-funded films that have premiered at Sundance — including Paula Eiselt’s “Under G-d,” Luke Lorentzen’s “A Still Small Voice” and Ondi Timoner’s Oscar-shortlisted and Emmy contender “Last Flight Home...
The org, which was launched in April 2021 with support from Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation, will distribute $490,000 among these independent films, all of which explore the vast and vibrant terrain of the Jewish storytelling space. The announcement coincides with Jewish American Heritage Month and a commitment from President Joe Biden’s White House administration to develop a national strategy to counter antisemitism and “address increasing awareness and understanding of both antisemitism and Jewish American heritage.”
Since its inception, Jsp has disbursed $2 million in funding to 72 documentaries telling diverse Jewish stories.
On the heels of previous Jsp-funded films that have premiered at Sundance — including Paula Eiselt’s “Under G-d,” Luke Lorentzen’s “A Still Small Voice” and Ondi Timoner’s Oscar-shortlisted and Emmy contender “Last Flight Home...
- 5/23/2023
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
“Seven Winters in Tehran,” about a 19-year-old Iranian woman sentenced to death for killing the man who tried to rape her, will open the 34th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival on May 31 in New York City.
The festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, will feature 10 documentaries about humanitarian challenges around the world. This year’s edition spotlights themes and topics including the Ukraine conflict (“When Spring Came to Bucha”), climate gentrification and justice (“Razing Liberty Square”), women’s rights (“Draw Me Egypt”) transgender rights (“Into My Name”) freedom of the press (“The Etilaat Roz”) and access to health care in the United States (“Pay or Die”).
“From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights and bodily autonomy, to environmental gentrification and freedom of the press, these films span some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time,” says John Biaggi,...
The festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, will feature 10 documentaries about humanitarian challenges around the world. This year’s edition spotlights themes and topics including the Ukraine conflict (“When Spring Came to Bucha”), climate gentrification and justice (“Razing Liberty Square”), women’s rights (“Draw Me Egypt”) transgender rights (“Into My Name”) freedom of the press (“The Etilaat Roz”) and access to health care in the United States (“Pay or Die”).
“From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights and bodily autonomy, to environmental gentrification and freedom of the press, these films span some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time,” says John Biaggi,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Arianna Bocco, IFC Films President, is out at the distributor, Deadline has confirmed.
The shocking news to the NYC indie world comes within days after the 17-year IFC vet was feted at the New York Women in Film & Television (Nywift)’s flagship fundraising event, the annual Muse Awards gala.
Bocco will be replaced in the interim by IFC Head of Acquisitions Scott Shooman. The Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group and CBS Films vet joined last year. The search for a new long-term replacement is underway. Talk about a revolving door at IFC.
We’re still sorting through what went down here. In the meantime, Bocco posted the following statement on social media, “I have big news to share! After much thought, I have stepped down from my post as President of IFC Films to pursue other opportunities. I’m so proud of the IFC Films team I’ve worked...
The shocking news to the NYC indie world comes within days after the 17-year IFC vet was feted at the New York Women in Film & Television (Nywift)’s flagship fundraising event, the annual Muse Awards gala.
Bocco will be replaced in the interim by IFC Head of Acquisitions Scott Shooman. The Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group and CBS Films vet joined last year. The search for a new long-term replacement is underway. Talk about a revolving door at IFC.
We’re still sorting through what went down here. In the meantime, Bocco posted the following statement on social media, “I have big news to share! After much thought, I have stepped down from my post as President of IFC Films to pursue other opportunities. I’m so proud of the IFC Films team I’ve worked...
- 3/31/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The legal principle of “another body” is cited by local and state law enforcement to not pursue charges against the creators of deepfake pornography, content easily generated by online communities that mostly focuses on celebrities and political leaders. The issue is just starting to gain traction as the technology becomes cheaper and easier, and as troubled, vindictive men (both young and old) experiment and take requests on message boards.
While targets of deepfake porn include every actress in Hollywood along with frequent targets of misogyny (e.g. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg), they do enjoy one advantage that an anonymous college student does not: it would never be assumed to be real nor disqualifying for future prospects.
Another Body is a real story told, like David France’s Welcome to Chechnya, with the assistance of digital facial replacement allowing its subjects to speak anonymously rather than mask faces and voices...
While targets of deepfake porn include every actress in Hollywood along with frequent targets of misogyny (e.g. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg), they do enjoy one advantage that an anonymous college student does not: it would never be assumed to be real nor disqualifying for future prospects.
Another Body is a real story told, like David France’s Welcome to Chechnya, with the assistance of digital facial replacement allowing its subjects to speak anonymously rather than mask faces and voices...
- 3/13/2023
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
After 40 years in Hollywood, veteran lens and optical systems designer Iain Neil received a standing ovation as he accepted the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, an Oscar statuette, Friday evening at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards presentation.
This capped a celebratory gathering of the close-knit entertainment technology community, where 20 innovators were honored during a ceremony in the Geffen Theater at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. At her first SciTech Awards ceremony and the first in-person SciTech presentation since 2019, Academy president Janet Yang opened the show, noting that the Museum was “a fitting venue for our triumphant return.” She told the SciTech community, “I’m in awe of the work you do.”
Due to the stormy L.A. weather, the buffet dinner and after-party were moved from the Dolby Family Terrace to the 5th-floor tea room — and appropriately, the first honorees of the evening...
This capped a celebratory gathering of the close-knit entertainment technology community, where 20 innovators were honored during a ceremony in the Geffen Theater at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. At her first SciTech Awards ceremony and the first in-person SciTech presentation since 2019, Academy president Janet Yang opened the show, noting that the Museum was “a fitting venue for our triumphant return.” She told the SciTech community, “I’m in awe of the work you do.”
Due to the stormy L.A. weather, the buffet dinner and after-party were moved from the Dolby Family Terrace to the 5th-floor tea room — and appropriately, the first honorees of the evening...
- 2/25/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Ipcress File
Ipcress File, BBC2, 2.05pm, Sunday, October 2
Michael Caine was busy cementing himself as a household name on the big screen when he took on the role of Harry Palmer in Sidney J Furie's spy thriller, which came out the year after his breakout turn in 1964's Zulu and the year before Alfie. He brings a dash of East End grit to Len Deighton's secret-agent-with-attitude, who is embroiled in a kidnapping and brainwashing plot. Shot with off-kilter angles by cinematographer Otto Heller, we are invited to step into Palmer's disorientation, but Furie always ensures the movie stays grounded in a reality that's a world away from the glitz of James Bond.
Welcome To Chechnya: The Gay Purge, 10.30pm BBC4, Tuesday, September 27
David France's deep dive into the underground network trying to help LGBT+ people whose lives are threatened by the extreme Chechen government is a bleak but urgent watch.
Ipcress File, BBC2, 2.05pm, Sunday, October 2
Michael Caine was busy cementing himself as a household name on the big screen when he took on the role of Harry Palmer in Sidney J Furie's spy thriller, which came out the year after his breakout turn in 1964's Zulu and the year before Alfie. He brings a dash of East End grit to Len Deighton's secret-agent-with-attitude, who is embroiled in a kidnapping and brainwashing plot. Shot with off-kilter angles by cinematographer Otto Heller, we are invited to step into Palmer's disorientation, but Furie always ensures the movie stays grounded in a reality that's a world away from the glitz of James Bond.
Welcome To Chechnya: The Gay Purge, 10.30pm BBC4, Tuesday, September 27
David France's deep dive into the underground network trying to help LGBT+ people whose lives are threatened by the extreme Chechen government is a bleak but urgent watch.
- 9/26/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Click here to read the full article.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker David France has signed with CAA.
The New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist most recently directed the HBO documentary How to Survive a Pandemic, which he also wrote. The film charts the development and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, in the U.S. and abroad.
France’s directorial debut, How to Survive a Plague, about AIDS activist group Act Up, was nominated for an Oscar, two Emmys, and a Directors Guild Award. The former Newsweek senior editor went from print journalist to award-winning filmmaker with a documentary that was eventually followed by the book How to Survive a Plague.
France’s credits include The Death & Life of Marsha P. Johnson and Welcome to Chechnya, which earned a Peabody Award for best documentary as the film portrayed a courageous effort to save Chechnya’s queer community from state-sanctioned persecution.
His...
Oscar-nominated filmmaker David France has signed with CAA.
The New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist most recently directed the HBO documentary How to Survive a Pandemic, which he also wrote. The film charts the development and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, in the U.S. and abroad.
France’s directorial debut, How to Survive a Plague, about AIDS activist group Act Up, was nominated for an Oscar, two Emmys, and a Directors Guild Award. The former Newsweek senior editor went from print journalist to award-winning filmmaker with a documentary that was eventually followed by the book How to Survive a Plague.
France’s credits include The Death & Life of Marsha P. Johnson and Welcome to Chechnya, which earned a Peabody Award for best documentary as the film portrayed a courageous effort to save Chechnya’s queer community from state-sanctioned persecution.
His...
- 8/2/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Not that we needed a reminder, but Russia’s recent human rights violations — while flagrant — are sadly not a new phenomenon. David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” documented the horrific genocide being waged against LGBTQ people in what is now a Russian Republic, a terrifying sign of what could lay in store for LGBTQ Ukrainians. Taking an altogether different tack, the stately period drama “Firebird” tells the true story of an ill-fated military romance between two men in Soviet-occupied Estonia during the late 1970s and early ’80s.
Based on a memoir by Sergey Fetisov, the steamy Cold War drama The film’s tragic throughline won’t break any molds, but with smoldering performances by its two strapping young leads, the target audience is unlikely to care.
Despite the heat of its title, “Firebird” begins in the water as three lithe bodies splash playfully in a dark sea. The horseplay is...
Based on a memoir by Sergey Fetisov, the steamy Cold War drama The film’s tragic throughline won’t break any molds, but with smoldering performances by its two strapping young leads, the target audience is unlikely to care.
Despite the heat of its title, “Firebird” begins in the water as three lithe bodies splash playfully in a dark sea. The horseplay is...
- 4/28/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
By Glenn Dunks
Documentaries about the Covid-19 pandemic aren’t rare. Just over two years into it, and already a long list of titles exist claiming to offer us insight into some area of the response. Some have worked while others haven’t delivered where you would expect. They have been sometimes rushed, likely out of sheer determination to be completed in time for relevance, little knowing just how deep we would be without a clear exit. Because of this reason, many are dated by the time we get to see them.
How to Survive a Pandemic is unfortunately more of the latter. The film is something of a curiosity for its director David France. Curious because despite having the weight of timeliness on its side, Pandemic lacks the propulsive immediacy of his earlier films How to Survive a Plague and Welcome to Chechnya.
Documentaries about the Covid-19 pandemic aren’t rare. Just over two years into it, and already a long list of titles exist claiming to offer us insight into some area of the response. Some have worked while others haven’t delivered where you would expect. They have been sometimes rushed, likely out of sheer determination to be completed in time for relevance, little knowing just how deep we would be without a clear exit. Because of this reason, many are dated by the time we get to see them.
How to Survive a Pandemic is unfortunately more of the latter. The film is something of a curiosity for its director David France. Curious because despite having the weight of timeliness on its side, Pandemic lacks the propulsive immediacy of his earlier films How to Survive a Plague and Welcome to Chechnya.
- 4/7/2022
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Film Independent today announced that the seventh triennial Sloan Film Summit will take place from April 8-10 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
Returning after a pandemic-imposed break, the 2022 Summit will celebrate the nationwide Sloan Film Program, bringing together over 150 writers, directors and producers, as well as working scientists and representatives from leading film schools and organizations, who work to bridge the gap between science, technology and popular culture.
The Summit will kick off at 5:30 p.m. on the 8th with an opening reception, followed by a screening of Kogonada’s A24 film After Yang, which was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and is the recipient of a $50,000 distribution grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The screening will be followed by conversation moderated by producer Jennifer 8. Lee with the film’s creative team, including Kogonada, and...
Returning after a pandemic-imposed break, the 2022 Summit will celebrate the nationwide Sloan Film Program, bringing together over 150 writers, directors and producers, as well as working scientists and representatives from leading film schools and organizations, who work to bridge the gap between science, technology and popular culture.
The Summit will kick off at 5:30 p.m. on the 8th with an opening reception, followed by a screening of Kogonada’s A24 film After Yang, which was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and is the recipient of a $50,000 distribution grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The screening will be followed by conversation moderated by producer Jennifer 8. Lee with the film’s creative team, including Kogonada, and...
- 3/31/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Non-profit arts organization Film Independent, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, has announced that the Sloan Film Summit is officially returning this year after a pandemic-imposed delay. IndieWire exclusively shares the news here.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supports films and filmmakers with a science focus. Kogonada’s “After Yang” was awarded the Sloan prize 50,000 distribution grant at Sundance 2022. Past supported filmmakers include Damien Chazelle and Aneesh Chaganty.
This year’s Summit will take place April 8–10 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, and will feature screenings, workshops, and panels for artists, featuring filmmakers and scientists as they discuss the way art and science interact and can benefit each other. A special keynote address will be delivered by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Andrea Ghez.
The seventh triennial Summit will celebrate the thriving nationwide Sloan Film Program, bringing together over 150 screenwriters, directors, and producers, as well as working...
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supports films and filmmakers with a science focus. Kogonada’s “After Yang” was awarded the Sloan prize 50,000 distribution grant at Sundance 2022. Past supported filmmakers include Damien Chazelle and Aneesh Chaganty.
This year’s Summit will take place April 8–10 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, and will feature screenings, workshops, and panels for artists, featuring filmmakers and scientists as they discuss the way art and science interact and can benefit each other. A special keynote address will be delivered by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Andrea Ghez.
The seventh triennial Summit will celebrate the thriving nationwide Sloan Film Program, bringing together over 150 screenwriters, directors, and producers, as well as working...
- 3/31/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Two years on from Welcome to Chechnya, David France returns with another rip-roaring take on urgent real-world events with How To Survive A Pandemic, an on-the-ground, in-the-rooms account of the first two years of Covid-19 and the race to produce a vaccine; or what France refers to as our “route out.” With dedicated coverage (he began shooting as soon as two weeks into lockdown) and remarkable insider sources, France has constructed a film he hopes will prove definitive of its time in years to come.
It’s as rigorous as it is selective. France sets a clear plan of action: to examine the greatest global, communal, medical achievement ever. And he sticks to it. It’s not on the same level as Chechnya and all that film’s radical effects and gripping, heart-wrenching urgency, but France (who spent years in long-form reporting) has a knack for bringing real propulsion and emotion to his stories.
It’s as rigorous as it is selective. France sets a clear plan of action: to examine the greatest global, communal, medical achievement ever. And he sticks to it. It’s not on the same level as Chechnya and all that film’s radical effects and gripping, heart-wrenching urgency, but France (who spent years in long-form reporting) has a knack for bringing real propulsion and emotion to his stories.
- 3/28/2022
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
It’s another giant week of television, with many movies and TV sharing an overlapping space theme – Marvel Studios’ “Moon Knight” is about a superhero (Oscar Isaac) who transforms under the cover of darkness; Richard Linklater returns to his youth (and the initial United States space program) in “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood;” and “Moonshot” features a YA romance that plays out via a voyage to the red planet.
On with the television! To infinity and beyond!
Marvel Studios
“Moon Knight”
Wednesday, March 30, Disney+
Marvel Studios’ latest Disney+ original series (its sixth) is a relatively deep cut character – Marc Spector (played by Oscar Isaac), a man who, depending on the comic book run, is truly inhabited by a deity from ancient Egypt or just deeply unhinged mentally. We are introduced to Spector via one of his alter egos, sheepish British museum employee Steven Grant (Isaac goes full Dick-Van-Dyke-in-“Mary...
On with the television! To infinity and beyond!
Marvel Studios
“Moon Knight”
Wednesday, March 30, Disney+
Marvel Studios’ latest Disney+ original series (its sixth) is a relatively deep cut character – Marc Spector (played by Oscar Isaac), a man who, depending on the comic book run, is truly inhabited by a deity from ancient Egypt or just deeply unhinged mentally. We are introduced to Spector via one of his alter egos, sheepish British museum employee Steven Grant (Isaac goes full Dick-Van-Dyke-in-“Mary...
- 3/25/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
A decade ago, when his documentary “How to Survive a Plague” rode a wave of festival acclaim to an Oscar nomination, journalist-turned-filmmaker David France probably didn’t imagine that a similarly titled quasi-sequel was in the cards. A superb overview of the early years of HIV-aids activism in the face of political indifference and ineptitude — ultimately leading to game-changing medication and pharmaceutical policy change — that film has given France a solid grounding for another feature-length study of very different if somewhat comparable global health crisis, centered on the Covid-19 pandemic and the extraordinarily accelerated scientific race for a solution.
Researched and assembled with his characteristic intelligence and thoroughness, “How to Survive a Pandemic” serves as both a valuable potted history of the last two years of medical tumult and relief, and a critical progress report marking work yet to be done. Hardly the first high-profile documentary on the pandemic, but...
Researched and assembled with his characteristic intelligence and thoroughness, “How to Survive a Pandemic” serves as both a valuable potted history of the last two years of medical tumult and relief, and a critical progress report marking work yet to be done. Hardly the first high-profile documentary on the pandemic, but...
- 3/24/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
‘River’ is in the Highlights strand, with ‘How To Survive A Pandemic’ in Cph:Science.
UK-based sales company Dogwoof has closed deals on two documentaries playing at Denmark’s Cph:dox film festival, which begins today (March 23) in Copenhagen.
David France’s How To Survive A Pandemic has sold to Belgium (Vrt), Spain (Movistar), Denmark (Dr), Netherlands (Nl) and Israel (Yesdocu/Channel 8).
The HBO title will launch on the pay-tv network and streaming platform HBO Max in North America on March 29 and in Latin America the following day. Previously announced deals include to the UK, Germany and Italy (Sky), Norway (Nrk...
UK-based sales company Dogwoof has closed deals on two documentaries playing at Denmark’s Cph:dox film festival, which begins today (March 23) in Copenhagen.
David France’s How To Survive A Pandemic has sold to Belgium (Vrt), Spain (Movistar), Denmark (Dr), Netherlands (Nl) and Israel (Yesdocu/Channel 8).
The HBO title will launch on the pay-tv network and streaming platform HBO Max in North America on March 29 and in Latin America the following day. Previously announced deals include to the UK, Germany and Italy (Sky), Norway (Nrk...
- 3/23/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, we’ve already seen quite a large number of documentaries tackle the subject. But the upcoming HBO documentary, “How to Survive a Pandemic,” takes a fairly unique angle on the situation.
Read More: ‘Rising Phoenix’ Trailer: HBO’s Two-Part Abuse Doc Featuring Evan Rachel Wood Debuts March 15
As seen in the new trailer for “How to Survive a Pandemic,” the film focuses on the rapid response to the pandemic from the medical community, particularly the scientists who instantly began working on a vaccine.
Continue reading ‘How To Survive A Pandemic’ Trailer: David France’s HBO Doc Puts A Spotlight On Covid Vaccine Development at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Rising Phoenix’ Trailer: HBO’s Two-Part Abuse Doc Featuring Evan Rachel Wood Debuts March 15
As seen in the new trailer for “How to Survive a Pandemic,” the film focuses on the rapid response to the pandemic from the medical community, particularly the scientists who instantly began working on a vaccine.
Continue reading ‘How To Survive A Pandemic’ Trailer: David France’s HBO Doc Puts A Spotlight On Covid Vaccine Development at The Playlist.
- 3/11/2022
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
From the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker David France (“How to Survive a Plague”) could sense the scale of the threat looming on the horizon. A long-time health reporter who has spent decades documenting the battle against HIV and AIDS, he also knew that it would be up to science to lead the world from the brink of an unprecedented human catastrophe.
The race to develop and rollout a Covid-19 vaccine has been the defining story of recent memory, and it was the director’s need to document “the great unseen work” performed in laboratories across the world that led to his latest feature, “How to Survive a Pandemic.” “This is the largest scientific undertaking of our lifetimes,” France tells Variety, “and it deserved to be chronicled.”
“How to Survive a Pandemic,” which world premieres this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, is a kaleidoscopic portrait...
The race to develop and rollout a Covid-19 vaccine has been the defining story of recent memory, and it was the director’s need to document “the great unseen work” performed in laboratories across the world that led to his latest feature, “How to Survive a Pandemic.” “This is the largest scientific undertaking of our lifetimes,” France tells Variety, “and it deserved to be chronicled.”
“How to Survive a Pandemic,” which world premieres this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, is a kaleidoscopic portrait...
- 3/11/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Under different circumstances, the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival might have been a more celebratory affair, with coronavirus restrictions gradually loosening across Greece and the country’s second city hosting an in-person edition of a festival that was among the world’s first to go virtual at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
But with the humanitarian toll rising in Ukraine, as Russia continues its relentless assault of its Eastern European neighbor, festival director Orestis Andreadakis offered a sobering reflection on the eve of opening night on war, cinema and the need for solidarity.
“It’s shocking what is happening,” Andreadakis told Variety, likening the threat to the one faced by Europe during World War II. “After the war, we had this slogan: Never again. Never again to war. Never again to Holocaust. Never again to horror. Every time we repeated this phrase, every time we wrote it on the walls,...
But with the humanitarian toll rising in Ukraine, as Russia continues its relentless assault of its Eastern European neighbor, festival director Orestis Andreadakis offered a sobering reflection on the eve of opening night on war, cinema and the need for solidarity.
“It’s shocking what is happening,” Andreadakis told Variety, likening the threat to the one faced by Europe during World War II. “After the war, we had this slogan: Never again. Never again to war. Never again to Holocaust. Never again to horror. Every time we repeated this phrase, every time we wrote it on the walls,...
- 3/10/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
True/False Festival Returns In-Person With Annual Parade and Spirited Response to Docus About Russia
True/False, the preeminent non-fiction festival, returned as an in-person event Thursday, drawing documentary notables and fans of their work to a Missouri college town for the first lineup under the artistic direction of Chloe Trayner.
There were 31 features and 19 short non-fiction films at the fest, which had more of an international tilt than usual and concludes March 6. Eight features, including “Fire of Love,” “I Didn’t See You There” and “The Territory,” had previously debuted virtually at Sundance in January, but screened for the first time for public audiences at True/False.
Their respective directors — Sara Dosa (“Fire of Love”), Reid Davenport (“I Didn’t See You There”) Alex Pritz (“The Territory”) – were among the filmmakers making the trek to Columbia for the 19th edition of True/False. Fellow Sundance 2022 doc directors including Isabel Castro (“Mija”) and Joe Hunting (“We Met in Virtual Reality”) also attended.
“Sundance was amazing, but True...
There were 31 features and 19 short non-fiction films at the fest, which had more of an international tilt than usual and concludes March 6. Eight features, including “Fire of Love,” “I Didn’t See You There” and “The Territory,” had previously debuted virtually at Sundance in January, but screened for the first time for public audiences at True/False.
Their respective directors — Sara Dosa (“Fire of Love”), Reid Davenport (“I Didn’t See You There”) Alex Pritz (“The Territory”) – were among the filmmakers making the trek to Columbia for the 19th edition of True/False. Fellow Sundance 2022 doc directors including Isabel Castro (“Mija”) and Joe Hunting (“We Met in Virtual Reality”) also attended.
“Sundance was amazing, but True...
- 3/6/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (Cph:dox), which runs in-person from March 23 to April 3, has unveiled its Science sidebar, a program consisting of 15 science-related films.
Among the films are “A.I. at War,” which takes the viewer on a journey with an A.I. robot to some of the world’s conflict zones, “Pleistocene Park,” which follows a Russian geophysicist’s quest to recreate the ecosystem of the last ice age through radical rewilding, and “How to Survive a Pandemic,” a look behind the scenes of the Covid-19 vaccination rollout.
Also included are “Going Circular,” which urges us to rethink the entire economic system by respecting the planet’s limited resources, “Unseen Skies,” which suggests ways to resist state surveillance, and “Healers,” which looks at the relationship between doctors and their patients, and examines the latest trends in alternative medicine.
Niklas Engstrøm, artistic director at Cph:Dox, said: “Science and its...
Among the films are “A.I. at War,” which takes the viewer on a journey with an A.I. robot to some of the world’s conflict zones, “Pleistocene Park,” which follows a Russian geophysicist’s quest to recreate the ecosystem of the last ice age through radical rewilding, and “How to Survive a Pandemic,” a look behind the scenes of the Covid-19 vaccination rollout.
Also included are “Going Circular,” which urges us to rethink the entire economic system by respecting the planet’s limited resources, “Unseen Skies,” which suggests ways to resist state surveillance, and “Healers,” which looks at the relationship between doctors and their patients, and examines the latest trends in alternative medicine.
Niklas Engstrøm, artistic director at Cph:Dox, said: “Science and its...
- 2/22/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
NewFest, New York’s LGBTQ+ film and media organization, on Friday unveiled the spring lineup for “NewFest Presents,” its monthly screening series taking place in-person at The LGBT Community Center in NYC, and streaming virtually through NewFest’s Virtual Screening Room nationwide. The announcement was made today by NewFest’s executive director David Hatkoff and director of programming Nick McCarthy.
NewFest Presents will showcase three new feature films from February through April 2022, with talent joining for in-person screenings. The films are Michiel Thomas’ true crime documentary Gemmel & Tim, exploring the lives and untimely passing of two gay Black men and the impact this had on the LGBTQ+ community; Nicola Mai’s narrative and documentary hybrid feature Caer, exploring the epidemics of U.S. incarceration and deportation, and making room for the women at the center of the violence to tell their own...
NewFest Presents will showcase three new feature films from February through April 2022, with talent joining for in-person screenings. The films are Michiel Thomas’ true crime documentary Gemmel & Tim, exploring the lives and untimely passing of two gay Black men and the impact this had on the LGBTQ+ community; Nicola Mai’s narrative and documentary hybrid feature Caer, exploring the epidemics of U.S. incarceration and deportation, and making room for the women at the center of the violence to tell their own...
- 1/28/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Burgeoning documentary production company Sandbox Films has hired Patrick Hurley to fill the newly created position of Distribution Producer, also announcing today that it has launched construction on a new headquarters in New York City.
As Distribution Producer, Hurley will take the lead on distribution strategy, developing bespoke plans and campaigns for each production and working closely with release partners worldwide to maximize each film’s impact and audience. He comes to Sandbox with a decade of experience in connecting documentaries with release partners and audiences, having previously served as Industry Director at Sheffield DocFest and Distribution Manager at Dogwoof.
“Patrick uniquely understands the needs of independent filmmakers, as well as the nuances of a changing industry landscape,” said Sandbox’s Head of Production & Development, Jessica Harrop. “As an impact-minded company, we hope our films connect with large audiences to inspire critical thinking and expand minds. But this can...
As Distribution Producer, Hurley will take the lead on distribution strategy, developing bespoke plans and campaigns for each production and working closely with release partners worldwide to maximize each film’s impact and audience. He comes to Sandbox with a decade of experience in connecting documentaries with release partners and audiences, having previously served as Industry Director at Sheffield DocFest and Distribution Manager at Dogwoof.
“Patrick uniquely understands the needs of independent filmmakers, as well as the nuances of a changing industry landscape,” said Sandbox’s Head of Production & Development, Jessica Harrop. “As an impact-minded company, we hope our films connect with large audiences to inspire critical thinking and expand minds. But this can...
- 1/19/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
A new film about the development, regulation and roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines from “How to Survive a Plague” director David France has scored a raft of international sales.
Documentary specialists Dogwoof have sold the film — which will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2022 — into Sky in the U.K., Germany and Italy; Nrk for Norway; Dr for Denmark; Svt for Sweden; Channel 8 and YesDocu for Israel; and HBO and HBO Max in Latin America.
Filming on the documentary, which is still untitled, began in April 2020 and wrapped in October. The project is now in post-production.
“Covid-19 has proved one of the most challenging and deadly diseases for vaccine scientists,” said France in a statement. “From the first effective vaccine to the current scramble to respond to an ever-changing virus, to their politically perilous efforts reaching patients in the far corners of the earth, we have been embedded in...
Documentary specialists Dogwoof have sold the film — which will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2022 — into Sky in the U.K., Germany and Italy; Nrk for Norway; Dr for Denmark; Svt for Sweden; Channel 8 and YesDocu for Israel; and HBO and HBO Max in Latin America.
Filming on the documentary, which is still untitled, began in April 2020 and wrapped in October. The project is now in post-production.
“Covid-19 has proved one of the most challenging and deadly diseases for vaccine scientists,” said France in a statement. “From the first effective vaccine to the current scramble to respond to an ever-changing virus, to their politically perilous efforts reaching patients in the far corners of the earth, we have been embedded in...
- 10/21/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
For a film that almost didn’t get made, 76 Days has racked up an impressive number of awards.
The documentary directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and a Chinese filmmaker who remains anonymous, and produced by Wu and Jean Tsien, earned a spot on the Oscar shortlist earlier this year, claimed the Audience Award at AFI Fest, and in June won a prestigious Peabody Award. The Peabody committee praised the film for its humanistic approach, immersing viewers within hospitals in Wuhan, China as that city implemented an emergency lockdown in the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak.
“For a film that begins with a wailing nurse shouting out for her dying father,” the committee wrote, “and ends with the screeching of city air raid sirens to honor those who died in the coronavirus pandemic, 76 Days is yet a hopeful film that does more than just document the beginning...
The documentary directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and a Chinese filmmaker who remains anonymous, and produced by Wu and Jean Tsien, earned a spot on the Oscar shortlist earlier this year, claimed the Audience Award at AFI Fest, and in June won a prestigious Peabody Award. The Peabody committee praised the film for its humanistic approach, immersing viewers within hospitals in Wuhan, China as that city implemented an emergency lockdown in the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak.
“For a film that begins with a wailing nurse shouting out for her dying father,” the committee wrote, “and ends with the screeching of city air raid sirens to honor those who died in the coronavirus pandemic, 76 Days is yet a hopeful film that does more than just document the beginning...
- 8/26/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Last month, after the release of his latest documentary, “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain,” Morgan Neville disclosed that he used artificial intelligence to simulate the voice of Bourdain. Outrage ensued and writers used it as an opportunity to pen headlines that said the project served as a reminder that documentaries are journalism.
But while it’s true that documentaries have never been a part of the fourth estate — an institution whose ability to be completely objective is debatable — most documentaries set out to expose a truth via journalistic tactics including research, making sense of the facts and interviewing subjects. This year many such projects — including “City So Real,” “Allen v. Farrow,” “Framing Britney Spears,” “The Social Dilemma” and “Welcome to Chechnya” — received Emmy nominations.
Veteran docu filmmaker Steve James says while he is a “nonfiction storyteller,” that does not relieve him of journalistic principles when making a documentary. James...
But while it’s true that documentaries have never been a part of the fourth estate — an institution whose ability to be completely objective is debatable — most documentaries set out to expose a truth via journalistic tactics including research, making sense of the facts and interviewing subjects. This year many such projects — including “City So Real,” “Allen v. Farrow,” “Framing Britney Spears,” “The Social Dilemma” and “Welcome to Chechnya” — received Emmy nominations.
Veteran docu filmmaker Steve James says while he is a “nonfiction storyteller,” that does not relieve him of journalistic principles when making a documentary. James...
- 8/11/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Emmy nominations in the doc categories are giving films passed over by the Oscars a shot at some trophies of their own.
Dick Johnson Is Dead, directed by Kirsten Johnson, 76 Days, from director Hao Wu, and Welcome to Chechnya, directed by David France, earned nominations in the juried category of Outstanding Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Each of those films had made the Oscar Documentary Feature shortlist earlier in the year, but didn’t earn Oscar nominations.
The nod to 76 Days, a film set in hospitals in Wuhan, China during the city’s initial lockdown after the outbreak of Covid-19, marks the first Emmy nomination for MTV Documentary Films, the division headed by Sheila Nevins.
“It’s a great honor to be nominated for an Emmy,” Wu said in a statement to Deadline. “As we’re still reeling from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, we sincerely hope that...
Dick Johnson Is Dead, directed by Kirsten Johnson, 76 Days, from director Hao Wu, and Welcome to Chechnya, directed by David France, earned nominations in the juried category of Outstanding Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Each of those films had made the Oscar Documentary Feature shortlist earlier in the year, but didn’t earn Oscar nominations.
The nod to 76 Days, a film set in hospitals in Wuhan, China during the city’s initial lockdown after the outbreak of Covid-19, marks the first Emmy nomination for MTV Documentary Films, the division headed by Sheila Nevins.
“It’s a great honor to be nominated for an Emmy,” Wu said in a statement to Deadline. “As we’re still reeling from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, we sincerely hope that...
- 7/13/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with latest winners: The Peabody Awards revealed its complete list of winners for its 81st edition, recognizing the year’s most compelling and empowering stories in broadcasting and streaming media, topics that in the year 2020 included Covid-19, racial equality, immigration and social justice.
Joining the list of winners that has been rolling out since Monday is Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe, which rounded out this year’s list of Entertainment honorees that include HBO’s I May Destroy You, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Netflix’s Unorthodox, Showtime’s The Good Lord Bird and Shudder’s Guatemalan folk horror movie La Llorona.
A total of 30 awards were handed out this year for the Peabodys, presented by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. There were 60 nominees this year, with winners selected by 19 jurors who considered 1,300 entries across TV,...
Joining the list of winners that has been rolling out since Monday is Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe, which rounded out this year’s list of Entertainment honorees that include HBO’s I May Destroy You, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Netflix’s Unorthodox, Showtime’s The Good Lord Bird and Shudder’s Guatemalan folk horror movie La Llorona.
A total of 30 awards were handed out this year for the Peabodys, presented by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. There were 60 nominees this year, with winners selected by 19 jurors who considered 1,300 entries across TV,...
- 6/24/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on the Pride film “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” (2017), currently on Netflix, about the mysterious death and challenging life of the drag queen icon of New York City. Happy Pride Week!
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Born Malcolm Michaels in New Jersey, the doc’s hero left for New York City in the mid 1960s, and found her niche among the colorful street people of the era, renaming herself Marsha P. Johnson. Three years later, on the night of June 28th, 1969, Johnson found herself in the midst of the Stonewall Inn Uprising, and several witnesses described her as being a prime motivator in the riots that began gay liberation. The documentary chronicles her mysterious death in 1992, her body floating in the Hudson River off the Christopher Street pier. The police ruled in a suicide, but in the 2010s an advocate named Victoria Cruz...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Born Malcolm Michaels in New Jersey, the doc’s hero left for New York City in the mid 1960s, and found her niche among the colorful street people of the era, renaming herself Marsha P. Johnson. Three years later, on the night of June 28th, 1969, Johnson found herself in the midst of the Stonewall Inn Uprising, and several witnesses described her as being a prime motivator in the riots that began gay liberation. The documentary chronicles her mysterious death in 1992, her body floating in the Hudson River off the Christopher Street pier. The police ruled in a suicide, but in the 2010s an advocate named Victoria Cruz...
- 6/24/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
“There’s no way you can chronicle and document a genocide without knowing that you’re going to suffer,” declares David France about experience of making “Welcome to Chechnya.” The third in what the Oscar-nominated director calls a trilogy of queer activism, it documents the efforts of a group of activists as they help queer citizens of Chechnya escape a state-sanctioned purge of members of the LGBTQ community. The film premiered in 2020 at the Sundance Film Festival before airing on HBO. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
France became aware of the situation in Chechnya after reading a report by a Russian independent newspaper in 2017. Despite the clear evidence of what he calls “a liquidation campaign like the kind we haven’t seen since Hitler,” France argues that there’s a more significant reason for the lack of a worldwide response to the crisis. “I think that it failed to capture the attention,...
France became aware of the situation in Chechnya after reading a report by a Russian independent newspaper in 2017. Despite the clear evidence of what he calls “a liquidation campaign like the kind we haven’t seen since Hitler,” France argues that there’s a more significant reason for the lack of a worldwide response to the crisis. “I think that it failed to capture the attention,...
- 6/10/2021
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
The 14th annual Television Academy Honors list is out, recognizing seven exceptional TV programs and their producers who used powerful and innovative storytelling to advance social change.
The list spans three documentaries, two dramas, an anthology series and a late-night comedy news show: For Life, I Am Greta, I May Destroy You, Little America, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, The Social Dilemma and Welcome to Chechnya. Read details on each program below.
Television Academy Honors annually celebrates programs across numerous platforms and genres that elevate complex issues facing society. This year’s honorees addressed racism, criminal justice, social justice, sexual assault, LGBTQ+ persecution, immigration and climate change — energizing, educating and challenging audiences around the world.
“During one of the most challenging years in television history, these seven extraordinary programs illuminated and championed some of the most critical issues facing our communities,” said Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma.
The list spans three documentaries, two dramas, an anthology series and a late-night comedy news show: For Life, I Am Greta, I May Destroy You, Little America, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, The Social Dilemma and Welcome to Chechnya. Read details on each program below.
Television Academy Honors annually celebrates programs across numerous platforms and genres that elevate complex issues facing society. This year’s honorees addressed racism, criminal justice, social justice, sexual assault, LGBTQ+ persecution, immigration and climate change — energizing, educating and challenging audiences around the world.
“During one of the most challenging years in television history, these seven extraordinary programs illuminated and championed some of the most critical issues facing our communities,” said Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma.
- 5/3/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO’s ‘I May Destroy You,’ Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ Among TV Academy Honors 2021 Recipients
The Television Academy has unveiled recipients of its 14th Television Academy Honors, including HBO’s “I May Destroy You” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” The seven honorees also include “For Life,” “I Am Greta,” “Little America,” “The Social Dilemma” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
“During one of the most challenging years in television history, these seven extraordinary programs illuminated and championed some of the most critical issues facing our communities,” said Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma. “We are thrilled to be honoring programs and producers who are influencing social change around the globe.”
The Television Academy Honors are meant to single out “programs across numerous platforms and genres that elevate complex issues facing society,” the org said, Topics addressed in this year’s crop of programs include issues of racism, criminal justice, social justice, sexual assault, LGBTQ+ persecution, immigration and climate change.
Howard Meltzer,...
“During one of the most challenging years in television history, these seven extraordinary programs illuminated and championed some of the most critical issues facing our communities,” said Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma. “We are thrilled to be honoring programs and producers who are influencing social change around the globe.”
The Television Academy Honors are meant to single out “programs across numerous platforms and genres that elevate complex issues facing society,” the org said, Topics addressed in this year’s crop of programs include issues of racism, criminal justice, social justice, sexual assault, LGBTQ+ persecution, immigration and climate change.
Howard Meltzer,...
- 5/3/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
In 2017, Russia’s Chechen Republic declared open season on LGBTQ people, launching what Human Rights Watch has called a “vicious large-scale anti-gay purge.” David France, director of the HBO documentary Welcome to Chechnya, says there’s another word for it.
“It’s an absolute genocide,” France said during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted awards-season event. “It’s the first time since Hitler that a government leader has declared a campaign to round up and eliminate the LGBTQ community. …That’s what’s going on in Chechnya, that’s what’s being permitted by the Russian government, and that’s what we wanted to show in this film.”
The documentary unfolds like a thriller as activists with the Russian LGBT Network enter Chechnya to exfiltrate gay people in danger of being tortured or killed by Chechen authorities. The filmmakers, including director of photography and producer Askold Kurov,...
“It’s an absolute genocide,” France said during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted awards-season event. “It’s the first time since Hitler that a government leader has declared a campaign to round up and eliminate the LGBTQ community. …That’s what’s going on in Chechnya, that’s what’s being permitted by the Russian government, and that’s what we wanted to show in this film.”
The documentary unfolds like a thriller as activists with the Russian LGBT Network enter Chechnya to exfiltrate gay people in danger of being tortured or killed by Chechen authorities. The filmmakers, including director of photography and producer Askold Kurov,...
- 5/1/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s a couple more months until summer officially starts, but Saturday is shining bright with the new season of Deadline’s Contenders Television franchise. Padma Lakshmi, Demi Lovato, Stephen Colbert, Jameela Jamil, Amy Schumer and the Queer Eye guys are among the panelists in the lineup as we launch our newest TV award-season event.
Deadline’s first-ever Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted starts at 8 a.m. Pt with a full day spotlighting the most vital shows and top talent in the genres, packed with virtual presentations from almost 40 shows from 19 outlets.
To watch the livestream of today’s event, click here.
Starting with Starz’s rollicking Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam and Graham, today’s lineup features Hulu’s Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, YouTube Originals’ Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil and Netflix’s Queer Eye, as well as Fox’s The Masked Singer and FX...
Deadline’s first-ever Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted starts at 8 a.m. Pt with a full day spotlighting the most vital shows and top talent in the genres, packed with virtual presentations from almost 40 shows from 19 outlets.
To watch the livestream of today’s event, click here.
Starting with Starz’s rollicking Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam and Graham, today’s lineup features Hulu’s Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, YouTube Originals’ Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil and Netflix’s Queer Eye, as well as Fox’s The Masked Singer and FX...
- 5/1/2021
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Steve McQueen’s anthology series leads the pack with 15 nominations.
Small Axe leads the nominations for this year’s Bafta Television and Bafta Craft awards, which take place on June 6 and May 24, respectively.
The BBC mini-series, created and directed by Steve McQueen, is up for 15 awards (six television and three craft), including best mini-series, John Boyega and Shaun Parkes for leading actor, Letitia Wright for leading actress, and Malachi Kirby and Michael Ward for supporting actor.
Small Axe was produced by Turbine Studios and Lammas Park alongside the BBC and Amazon Studios. Two episodes – Mangrove and Lovers Rock – were picked...
Small Axe leads the nominations for this year’s Bafta Television and Bafta Craft awards, which take place on June 6 and May 24, respectively.
The BBC mini-series, created and directed by Steve McQueen, is up for 15 awards (six television and three craft), including best mini-series, John Boyega and Shaun Parkes for leading actor, Letitia Wright for leading actress, and Malachi Kirby and Michael Ward for supporting actor.
Small Axe was produced by Turbine Studios and Lammas Park alongside the BBC and Amazon Studios. Two episodes – Mangrove and Lovers Rock – were picked...
- 4/28/2021
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Chloé Zhao’s Oscar frontrunner “Nomadland” won best film and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was named best LGBTQ Film at the Dorian Awards (Galeca: The Society Of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics) during a virtual ceremony.
“Nomadland” was also named most visually striking film, and Zhao took home the award for best director.
The three-hour Dorians Film Toast was broadcast on LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry. Karel served as the ceremony’s host.
The late Chadwick Boseman continued with his posthumous honors, winning best actor for his role as Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Co-star Colman Domingo accepted on his behalf, saying: “[He was] such an incredible human, scholar, humanitarian and a really wonderful actor. Creating complex roles about the African American experience, and about people who are marginalized in society and trying to stand up and have a strong voice, fighting for representation—that is Chadwick Boseman’s legacy.”
Carey Mulligan won best actress.
“Nomadland” was also named most visually striking film, and Zhao took home the award for best director.
The three-hour Dorians Film Toast was broadcast on LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry. Karel served as the ceremony’s host.
The late Chadwick Boseman continued with his posthumous honors, winning best actor for his role as Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Co-star Colman Domingo accepted on his behalf, saying: “[He was] such an incredible human, scholar, humanitarian and a really wonderful actor. Creating complex roles about the African American experience, and about people who are marginalized in society and trying to stand up and have a strong voice, fighting for representation—that is Chadwick Boseman’s legacy.”
Carey Mulligan won best actress.
- 4/19/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The 73rd annual Directors Guild of America Awards kicked off on Saturday evening. The awards honored the best directing in film and television of the past year.
This year, nominees Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari,” Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” David Fincher for “Mank,” Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” vied for the top directorial prize for film, with Zhao winning.
On the TV side, “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Homeland,” and “The Flight Attendant” won the major prizes, shaking up the race as we head into Emmys season.
The DGA prize is often considered a bellwether for the Best Director Oscar. Recent DGA winners that went on to repeat at the Academy Awards include Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman...
This year, nominees Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari,” Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” David Fincher for “Mank,” Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” vied for the top directorial prize for film, with Zhao winning.
On the TV side, “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Homeland,” and “The Flight Attendant” won the major prizes, shaking up the race as we head into Emmys season.
The DGA prize is often considered a bellwether for the Best Director Oscar. Recent DGA winners that went on to repeat at the Academy Awards include Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman...
- 4/11/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Chloé Zhao was named the best director of 2020 at the 73rd annual Directors Guild Awards, which were presented on Saturday in a virtual ceremony.
Zhao’s win for her quiet road film “Nomadland” makes her the second woman to win the DGA Award for feature film, after Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Only 10 women have ever been nominated in the category, with this year marking the first time that two female directors were nominated in the category in one year. (The other was Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”)
The win for Zhao comes two weeks after “Nomaldland” also won the Producers Guild Award, making it the only film to win more than one prize from the four major guilds. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” won the Screen Actors Guild’s ensemble award, while “Promising Young Woman” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won Writers Guild Awards. The combination...
Zhao’s win for her quiet road film “Nomadland” makes her the second woman to win the DGA Award for feature film, after Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Only 10 women have ever been nominated in the category, with this year marking the first time that two female directors were nominated in the category in one year. (The other was Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”)
The win for Zhao comes two weeks after “Nomaldland” also won the Producers Guild Award, making it the only film to win more than one prize from the four major guilds. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” won the Screen Actors Guild’s ensemble award, while “Promising Young Woman” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won Writers Guild Awards. The combination...
- 4/10/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards took place on Saturday, April 10 in a virtual ceremony. These kudos honored the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. The all-important DGA feature film nominees were Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”). Scroll down for the full winners list in three film and eight TV categories.
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...
- 4/10/2021
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
When the 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards take place on April 10, look for some of the big winners to be Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and David France (“Welcome to Chechnya”). These kudos honor the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. Scroll down to see Gold Derby’s predictions in seven categories listed in order of their racetrack odds, with projected winners highlighted in gold.
Our 2021 DGA Awards odds are based on the combined forecasts of 1,600 Gold Derby readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s winners, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years, and the mass of Users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.
Our 2021 DGA Awards odds are based on the combined forecasts of 1,600 Gold Derby readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s winners, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years, and the mass of Users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.
- 4/8/2021
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Almost inevitably, Hollywood will help shape the cultural memory of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But how?
Several quarantine films have already come out, but they haven’t quite hit the mark. They emphasize social isolation, while foregrounding their production constraints, or delve into disaster tropes, like the much-panned “Songbird.”
It will take some time — and the pandemic will have to recede — before anyone can see it clearly.
Joshua Loomis, author of “Epidemics: The Impact of Germs and Their Power over Humanity,” argues the pandemic will be memorialized much the way the polio outbreaks of the 1930s through the 1950s are remembered.
“If you look at artistic production, it was really centered around the heroes of the story,” Loomis says. “It focused on how we moved on and overcame. There were books and movies about Jonas Salk and Fdr. Celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra supported the March of Dimes.
But how?
Several quarantine films have already come out, but they haven’t quite hit the mark. They emphasize social isolation, while foregrounding their production constraints, or delve into disaster tropes, like the much-panned “Songbird.”
It will take some time — and the pandemic will have to recede — before anyone can see it clearly.
Joshua Loomis, author of “Epidemics: The Impact of Germs and Their Power over Humanity,” argues the pandemic will be memorialized much the way the polio outbreaks of the 1930s through the 1950s are remembered.
“If you look at artistic production, it was really centered around the heroes of the story,” Loomis says. “It focused on how we moved on and overcame. There were books and movies about Jonas Salk and Fdr. Celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra supported the March of Dimes.
- 3/18/2021
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
The documentary film community gathered virtually on Facebook Tuesday night to chat and cheer each other on at the annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards. Oscar ballots are due Wednesday at 5pm Pt, and many documentary branch voters were on the livestream.
At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.
She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”
Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...
At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.
She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”
Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...
- 3/10/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The documentary film community gathered virtually on Facebook Tuesday night to chat and cheer each other on at the annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards. Oscar ballots are due Wednesday at 5pm Pt, and many documentary branch voters were on the livestream.
At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.
She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”
Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...
At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.
She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”
Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...
- 3/10/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Romanian film “Collective” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2020 at the 13th annual Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based awards show devoted to all facets of documentary filmmaking.
Kirsten Johnson took the directing prize for “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” while the award for outstanding debut went to Garrett Bradley for “Time,” which also won for its editing.
“Boys State” won the Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye Honor category in which the public was invited to cast ballots.
The Spotlight Award, which was designed to put attention on a film that deserves wider exposure, went to “The Earth is Blue as an Orange,” directed by Iryna Tsilyk. The Heterodox Award, given to a film that combines nonfictional and fictional techniques, was won by Bill and Turner Ross’ “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets.”
“The Truffle Hunters” won for cinematography, while “Feels Good Man” won in the graphic design or...
Kirsten Johnson took the directing prize for “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” while the award for outstanding debut went to Garrett Bradley for “Time,” which also won for its editing.
“Boys State” won the Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye Honor category in which the public was invited to cast ballots.
The Spotlight Award, which was designed to put attention on a film that deserves wider exposure, went to “The Earth is Blue as an Orange,” directed by Iryna Tsilyk. The Heterodox Award, given to a film that combines nonfictional and fictional techniques, was won by Bill and Turner Ross’ “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets.”
“The Truffle Hunters” won for cinematography, while “Feels Good Man” won in the graphic design or...
- 3/10/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Directors Guild of America has announced its nominations for the 2021 awards season, a big deal considering what a bellwether the DGA Awards are for the Best Director race at the Academy Awards. Prior to the 2020 DGA Awards ceremony, the last six DGA winners all went on to repeat at the Academy Awards: Alfonso Cuaron for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).” Sam Mendes won the 2020 DGA Award for “1917,” but it was Bong Joon Ho who prevailed at the Oscars for “Parasite.”
The Directors Guild of America started to award a prize for first-time feature filmmaking beginning in 2015 and have done so again in 2021. The five winners of the DGA’s first-time prize are Alex Garland for “Ex Machina,” Garth Davis for “Lion,” Jordan Peele for “Get Out,...
The Directors Guild of America started to award a prize for first-time feature filmmaking beginning in 2015 and have done so again in 2021. The five winners of the DGA’s first-time prize are Alex Garland for “Ex Machina,” Garth Davis for “Lion,” Jordan Peele for “Get Out,...
- 3/9/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” could very well make Oscar history as the first documentary to be nominated for Best Visual Effects.
The documentary details the brutality the LGBTQ community faces in Chechnya at the hands of the government. France goes inside the shocking and horrific genocide that Chechnyan leader Ramzan Kadyrov is unleashing on people who live in danger because of their sexual orientation.
Grisha is one of the many brave subjects who go on the record to talk to France about being tortured and beaten at the hands of this regime. But his identity is protected, so that is where Ryan Laney stepped in as visual effects supervisor, using digital face replacement technology.
France reached out after reading an article in The New Yorker about a safe house network in Chechnya and was compelled to tell the story. He contacted the people at the safe house over...
The documentary details the brutality the LGBTQ community faces in Chechnya at the hands of the government. France goes inside the shocking and horrific genocide that Chechnyan leader Ramzan Kadyrov is unleashing on people who live in danger because of their sexual orientation.
Grisha is one of the many brave subjects who go on the record to talk to France about being tortured and beaten at the hands of this regime. But his identity is protected, so that is where Ryan Laney stepped in as visual effects supervisor, using digital face replacement technology.
France reached out after reading an article in The New Yorker about a safe house network in Chechnya and was compelled to tell the story. He contacted the people at the safe house over...
- 3/8/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Guild nominees include directors of Boys State, Bridgerton, WandaVision and The Undoing.
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has named the nominees for its television, commercials and documentary awards.
Included in the list are the directors of feature documentaries The Truffle Hunters, My Octopus Teacher, Welcome to Chechnya, Boys State and The Painter And The Thief.
In the TV categories, British director Julie Anne Robinson gets a nod for her work on Bridgerton in a dramatic series line-up that also includes directors of Ozark, The Mandalorian, Better Call Saul and Homeland.
The DGA’s TV movie and limited series nominations...
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has named the nominees for its television, commercials and documentary awards.
Included in the list are the directors of feature documentaries The Truffle Hunters, My Octopus Teacher, Welcome to Chechnya, Boys State and The Painter And The Thief.
In the TV categories, British director Julie Anne Robinson gets a nod for her work on Bridgerton in a dramatic series line-up that also includes directors of Ozark, The Mandalorian, Better Call Saul and Homeland.
The DGA’s TV movie and limited series nominations...
- 3/8/2021
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
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