“Pov Shorts” will kick off its fifth season Nov. 7, with 11 documentaries highlighting topics including art as activism, freedom of expression, Americans with disabilities, intergenerational stories, and connectedness on the way.
Packaged into six 30-minute episodes, “Pov Shorts” will be available on PBS and will stream on Pov.org and the PBS Video app. The season will conclude on Dec. 19. Nearly two-thirds of the season’s films were directed by filmmakers of color, and over 80 were made by women.
“As the fifth season of ‘Pov Shorts’ marks a notable milestone, the series is well-represented by these outstanding stories and filmmakers,” says Opal H. Bennett, co-producer for “Pov.” “This is an eclectic group of episodes, some performance-forward, some animated, one focused on ‘Pov’s’ hometown – New York City – and all conveying the unique world view of each filmmaker.”
Season five’s first short is Titus Kaphar and Alex Malis’s 24-minute film “Shut Up and Paint.
Packaged into six 30-minute episodes, “Pov Shorts” will be available on PBS and will stream on Pov.org and the PBS Video app. The season will conclude on Dec. 19. Nearly two-thirds of the season’s films were directed by filmmakers of color, and over 80 were made by women.
“As the fifth season of ‘Pov Shorts’ marks a notable milestone, the series is well-represented by these outstanding stories and filmmakers,” says Opal H. Bennett, co-producer for “Pov.” “This is an eclectic group of episodes, some performance-forward, some animated, one focused on ‘Pov’s’ hometown – New York City – and all conveying the unique world view of each filmmaker.”
Season five’s first short is Titus Kaphar and Alex Malis’s 24-minute film “Shut Up and Paint.
- 9/27/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Throughout the history of time, social barriers and hierarchies have always been there and will likely always be there as long as we build societies, perhaps even after capitalism has come to an end. However, since the latter feels more and more unlikely, the boundaries between social classes have become so firm that it is not just impossible to cross them, but they have turned into a danger when it comes to the integrity of any system, especially one where a small minority ends up owning everything and control the lives of many. Interestingly, this reality has laid the foundation for possible one of the most hypocritical developments of our today’s world, the rise of the cult leader, wanting to teach their philosophy to others, to make them richer and give people the illusion they can be, one day, just like them. Even though its political system is insistent...
- 7/7/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
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
Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program has set its latest cohort of 20 films receiving Documentary Fund Grants, doling out a total of $600,000 in unrestricted support to projects in varying stages of production and distribution, including eight in development, eight in production, three in post-production, and one in post-production and impact.
Grantees currently at the development stage include Aída Bueno Sarduy’s Anna Borges do Sacramento, Ricardo Ruales’ The Broken R, Damon Davis’ Chain of Rocks, Khoroldorj Choijoovanchig’s Colors of White Rock, Gerardo del Valle’s The Past is Waiting Up Ahead, Set Hernandez Rongkilyo’s unseen, and Farid Ahmad’s Waiting For Winter.
Recipients at the production stage include Pascale Appora-Gnekindy and Ningyi Sun’s Eat Bitter, Chan Hau Chun and Chui Chi Yin’s Heatroom, Basel Al Adarra, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Balal, and Rachel Shor’s No Other Land, Kit Vincent’s Red Herring (working title), Weichao Xu...
Grantees currently at the development stage include Aída Bueno Sarduy’s Anna Borges do Sacramento, Ricardo Ruales’ The Broken R, Damon Davis’ Chain of Rocks, Khoroldorj Choijoovanchig’s Colors of White Rock, Gerardo del Valle’s The Past is Waiting Up Ahead, Set Hernandez Rongkilyo’s unseen, and Farid Ahmad’s Waiting For Winter.
Recipients at the production stage include Pascale Appora-Gnekindy and Ningyi Sun’s Eat Bitter, Chan Hau Chun and Chui Chi Yin’s Heatroom, Basel Al Adarra, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Balal, and Rachel Shor’s No Other Land, Kit Vincent’s Red Herring (working title), Weichao Xu...
- 10/27/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
With his breathless, soul-piercing “The First Wave,” director Matthew Heineman makes a tough cinematic proposition. He asks his audience to travel back to March 2020 and relive the early, frightening days of the Covid-19 crisis in New York City, when the Big Apple quickly became the world’s coronavirus epicenter through four deadly months.
More graphic in its approach than two similarly themed nonfiction films — Nanfu Wang’s “In the Same Breath” and Hao Wu and Weixi Chen’s “76 Days” — Heineman’s documentary is indeed a hard one to consent to at first, considering that the globally ruinous pandemic is far from over. But even when the high-adrenaline “The First Wave” gets a touch too explicit for its own good with shots of morgue truck interiors, glimpses at newly sealed body bags and close-ups of eyelids flickering on the verge of lifelessness, it is also a necessary and undeniably moving...
More graphic in its approach than two similarly themed nonfiction films — Nanfu Wang’s “In the Same Breath” and Hao Wu and Weixi Chen’s “76 Days” — Heineman’s documentary is indeed a hard one to consent to at first, considering that the globally ruinous pandemic is far from over. But even when the high-adrenaline “The First Wave” gets a touch too explicit for its own good with shots of morgue truck interiors, glimpses at newly sealed body bags and close-ups of eyelids flickering on the verge of lifelessness, it is also a necessary and undeniably moving...
- 10/8/2021
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Two years and four months after MTV launched the MTV Documentary Films division headed by Sheila Nevins, the former longtime president of HBO Documentary Films, the unit landed its first Emmy Award with 76 Days.
The film, produced by Hao Wu and Jean Tsien, on Sunday during the Creative Arts Emmys won the Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking category, which also included Dick Johnson Is Dead and Welcome to Chechnya.
76 Days, which Hao Wu also co-directed, tells the story of the Wuhan lockdown in early 2020, looking behind the frontlines of the crisis in four hospitals to explore the human stories of health care workers and patients who struggle to survive the pandemic.
Emmys Scorecard: Wins By Network & Program After Creative Arts Ceremonies
Accepting the award, Hao Wu thanked his co-directors, Anonymous and Weixi Chen, “who took enormous personal risk filming in Wuhan at the start of the outbreak.”
Nevins,...
The film, produced by Hao Wu and Jean Tsien, on Sunday during the Creative Arts Emmys won the Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking category, which also included Dick Johnson Is Dead and Welcome to Chechnya.
76 Days, which Hao Wu also co-directed, tells the story of the Wuhan lockdown in early 2020, looking behind the frontlines of the crisis in four hospitals to explore the human stories of health care workers and patients who struggle to survive the pandemic.
Emmys Scorecard: Wins By Network & Program After Creative Arts Ceremonies
Accepting the award, Hao Wu thanked his co-directors, Anonymous and Weixi Chen, “who took enormous personal risk filming in Wuhan at the start of the outbreak.”
Nevins,...
- 9/12/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline 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
Since the first Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the impulse was clear: someone had to record it all. Multiple people, it turns out, wanted to helm that “someone.” Trio Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and Anonymous took TIFF by storm last year with “76 Days,” unleashing raw footage from Wuhan to the world. Nanfu Wang, on the other hand, took a more introspective approach with her Sundance-premiering documentary “In the Same Breath.” In her essay film, she meditates upon the conflicting identity politics of a Chinese-American in these polarized times. Now, seasoned Chinese Canadian director Yung Chang enters the conversation with “Wuhan Wuhan.” Like his peers, he too returns to footage directly imported from Wuhan. Unlike the others, however, the virus is not the be-all end-all; instead, he chooses the high road, pondering upon life beyond the pandemic.
“Wuhan Wuhan” is screening at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
“Wuhan Wuhan” rotates between...
“Wuhan Wuhan” is screening at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
“Wuhan Wuhan” rotates between...
- 6/30/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Even though the virus that causes Covid-19 originated from China, Hao Wu, the director of “76 Days,” explains that life in the country has very much gone back to the way things were pre-pandemic. “Based on what I learned, not just from the co-directors, but also from friends and families in China, right now the Covid situation in China is pretty stable,” Wu tells Gold Derby in our Meet the Experts: Television Documentary panel (watch the exclusive video interview above). There were occasional batches of cases that would pop up but nothing like what the United States experienced with the massive spikes in the winter months. “There were some, a few scares here and there in different cities, but every single time, if there were more than like 10 cases identified, the government pretty much shut down that entire city again.”
Produced by MTV Documentary Films, “76 Days” examines the initial...
Produced by MTV Documentary Films, “76 Days” examines the initial...
- 6/3/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Since the first Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the impulse was clear: someone had to record it all. Multiple people, it turns out, wanted to helm that “someone.” Trio Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and Anonymous took TIFF by storm last year with “76 Days,” unleashing raw footage from Wuhan to the world. Nanfu Wang, on the other hand, took a more introspective approach with her Sundance-premiering documentary “In the Same Breath.” In her essay film, she meditates upon the conflicting identity politics of a Chinese-American in these polarized times. Now, seasoned Chinese Canadian director Yung Chang enters the conversation with “Wuhan Wuhan.” Like his peers, he too returns to footage directly imported from Wuhan. Unlike the others, however, the virus is not the be-all end-all; instead, he chooses the high road, pondering upon life beyond the pandemic.
“Wuhan Wuhan” rotates between a cast of five: a factory worker-turned-volunteer cabby; a mother...
“Wuhan Wuhan” rotates between a cast of five: a factory worker-turned-volunteer cabby; a mother...
- 5/7/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Predicting the winner of the Best Documentary Feature Oscar will become a lot easier in the new year when the academy announces the 15 films that have made the shortlist. Those semi-finalists are culled from the 150 plus titles that qualify every year for consideration. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Documentary Feature.)
To winnow these down to a manageable number, the academy adds newly eligible documentary feature to a virtual screening room available to all 500 plus members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. In the new year, each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.
All of these ballots will be collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members will then be encouraged to watch those films on this list that they haven’t...
To winnow these down to a manageable number, the academy adds newly eligible documentary feature to a virtual screening room available to all 500 plus members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. In the new year, each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.
All of these ballots will be collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members will then be encouraged to watch those films on this list that they haven’t...
- 2/10/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists for nine categories for the upcoming Oscars. The categories and number of films include documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (10), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (10), live action short film (10) and visual effects (10).
The shortlist voting concluded on Feb. 5, and the remaining will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, with the show scheduled to take place on April 25.
The full lists are below with snubs and surprises:
Documentary Feature
Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category out of 238 films eligible films. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“76 Days” (MTV Documentary Films) – directed by Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, Anonymous “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios) – directed by Lisa Cortes,...
The shortlist voting concluded on Feb. 5, and the remaining will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, with the show scheduled to take place on April 25.
The full lists are below with snubs and surprises:
Documentary Feature
Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category out of 238 films eligible films. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“76 Days” (MTV Documentary Films) – directed by Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, Anonymous “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios) – directed by Lisa Cortes,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Sam Lara and Cathy Henkel’s assisted dying documentary Laura‘s Choice and Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe’s sports biopic Phil Liggett: The Voice of Cycling will form part of the Australian International Documentary Conference’s (Aidc) public access program.
The Australian films will be shown alongside international titles such as 76 Days, Kirsten Johnson’s Dick Johnson is Dead, David France’s Welcome to Chechnya, and Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott’s The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel in this year’s new non-fiction section. Johnson and France, keynote speakers at this year’s conference, will participate in conversation following the screening of their films.
Running from February 28 until March 11 at Melbourne’s Acmi the schedule also includes screenings of Days Of Cannibalism, Collective, The Painter And The Thief, MLK/FBI, Cunningham 3D, The Mystery of D.B. Cooper, Jia Zhangke’s Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns...
The Australian films will be shown alongside international titles such as 76 Days, Kirsten Johnson’s Dick Johnson is Dead, David France’s Welcome to Chechnya, and Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott’s The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel in this year’s new non-fiction section. Johnson and France, keynote speakers at this year’s conference, will participate in conversation following the screening of their films.
Running from February 28 until March 11 at Melbourne’s Acmi the schedule also includes screenings of Days Of Cannibalism, Collective, The Painter And The Thief, MLK/FBI, Cunningham 3D, The Mystery of D.B. Cooper, Jia Zhangke’s Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns...
- 2/3/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
While Hao Wu is one of the directors of the documentary “76 Days,” he was never actually in China during the entire production process. “I reached out to filmmakers who had started filming in Wuhan in early February. That’s how I found my two co-directors. Both of my co-directors are reporters,” Wu tells Gold Derby at our Meet the Experts: Documentary panel (watch above). Reporters were one of the only groups of people along with medical workers and patients who were allowed into Wuhan hospitals at the start of the outbreak. One of his co-directors, Weixi Chen, is a video reporter for Esquire China and the other, Anonymous, is a photojournalist for a local paper. The presence of the reporters was a welcome one due to overwhelmed hospitals with shortages of PPE. “Some hospitals welcomed reporters to come in and do reporting so people outside of Wuhan could know what was truly happening.
- 1/28/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
MTV Documentary Films will make “76 Days,” a look at the frontline medical professionals battling the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan, available for free on January 23.
The film is being offered gratis in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the start of the coronavirus lockdown in the Chinese city considered to be the early epicenter of a disease that has upended life.
It also helps support art house theaters at a time when many are teetering on the edge of financial catastrophe due to closures brought on by the pandemic. Consumers can access the film via “virtual cinema,” which is an online platform that screens movies in conjunction with independent art house cinemas across North America.
“After almost a year of profound challenges in the cinematic exhibition field, I am thrilled to see distributors like MTV Documentary Films stepping up to support the essential work done by community-based art houses,” said Makenzie Peecook,...
The film is being offered gratis in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the start of the coronavirus lockdown in the Chinese city considered to be the early epicenter of a disease that has upended life.
It also helps support art house theaters at a time when many are teetering on the edge of financial catastrophe due to closures brought on by the pandemic. Consumers can access the film via “virtual cinema,” which is an online platform that screens movies in conjunction with independent art house cinemas across North America.
“After almost a year of profound challenges in the cinematic exhibition field, I am thrilled to see distributors like MTV Documentary Films stepping up to support the essential work done by community-based art houses,” said Makenzie Peecook,...
- 1/19/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Riz Ahmed, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Michaela Coel win prizes.
Nomadland picked up its second and third awards in three days as it won best feature and the IFP Gotham Audience Award at the 30th annual Gotham Awards on Monday (January 11).
Searchlight Pictures’ drama directed by Chloé Zhao topped the National Society Of Film Critics vote at the weekend and is gathering impressive momentum during awards season and prevailed in a category where women directed every nominee.
In a strong night for British talent Riz Ahmed won best actor for Sound Of Metal, Kingsley Ben-Adir of One Night In Miami emerged victorious in the Breakthrough Actor contest,...
Nomadland picked up its second and third awards in three days as it won best feature and the IFP Gotham Audience Award at the 30th annual Gotham Awards on Monday (January 11).
Searchlight Pictures’ drama directed by Chloé Zhao topped the National Society Of Film Critics vote at the weekend and is gathering impressive momentum during awards season and prevailed in a category where women directed every nominee.
In a strong night for British talent Riz Ahmed won best actor for Sound Of Metal, Kingsley Ben-Adir of One Night In Miami emerged victorious in the Breakthrough Actor contest,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Gotham Awards for the best in independent film kicked off this unusual awards season on Monday night, January 11. Presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, these kudos are usually handed out in early December but were pushed back (as were many awards events) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So who won? Scroll down for the complete list of winners, updated live as they were announced.
SEEGotham nominee John Magaro (‘First Cow’) on how Cookie and King-Lu are ‘almost soulmates’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
These awards are limited to American films (apart from Best International Feature ) made with an economy of means, which means no budgets higher than $35 million. Nominees and winners were decided by juries of film experts and insiders. And for the first time in the awards’ history, all five of the nominees for Best Feature were directed by women: “The Assistant” by Kitty Green, “First Cow” by Kelly Reichardt, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” by Eliza Hittman,...
SEEGotham nominee John Magaro (‘First Cow’) on how Cookie and King-Lu are ‘almost soulmates’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
These awards are limited to American films (apart from Best International Feature ) made with an economy of means, which means no budgets higher than $35 million. Nominees and winners were decided by juries of film experts and insiders. And for the first time in the awards’ history, all five of the nominees for Best Feature were directed by women: “The Assistant” by Kitty Green, “First Cow” by Kelly Reichardt, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” by Eliza Hittman,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
A version of this story about “76 Days” first appeared in the Documentaries issue of TheWrap’s Oscar magazine.
“76 Days” chronicles the first seven weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic from on the ground and in the hospitals of Wuhan. It is a collaboration between Chinese-born, American-based director Hao Wu and two Chinese filmmakers, Weixi Chen and one who wishes to remain anonymous.
When you went to China at the end of January to visit your family, were you surprised at what you found?
Hao Wu: Yeah, absolutely. I was supposed to fly to Shanghai on Jan. 23 with my partner and our kids to see my parents for the Chinese holiday. That was the day it was put on lockdown, and we learned about the lockdown 24 hours before my flight. In the end, I flew to Shanghai by myself.
The whole experience was shocking to me — first of all, just...
“76 Days” chronicles the first seven weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic from on the ground and in the hospitals of Wuhan. It is a collaboration between Chinese-born, American-based director Hao Wu and two Chinese filmmakers, Weixi Chen and one who wishes to remain anonymous.
When you went to China at the end of January to visit your family, were you surprised at what you found?
Hao Wu: Yeah, absolutely. I was supposed to fly to Shanghai on Jan. 23 with my partner and our kids to see my parents for the Chinese holiday. That was the day it was put on lockdown, and we learned about the lockdown 24 hours before my flight. In the end, I flew to Shanghai by myself.
The whole experience was shocking to me — first of all, just...
- 12/23/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
A harrowing look at the epicenter of the pandemic, moving stories for the fight for justice, journies into animal worlds, unpacking the intricacies of bureaucratic systems, and a bar’s final night–these were just a few of the subjects and stories that this year’s documentary offerings brought us. With 2020 wrapping up, we’ve selected 18 features in the field that left us most impressed. If you’re looking for where to stream them, check out our handy guide here.
76 Days
76 Days, from directors Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and an anonymous filmmaker,is a heartbreaking work of documentary vérité investigating the emerging Covid-19 outbreak at a single hospital in Wuhan, China, and their response from early February to April 2020, when Wuhan lifted their initial lockdown. Eschewing contextualizing features, 76 Days places viewers alongside doctors and nurses as they struggle to control the spiraling implications of Covid-19, dealing with an influx of scared patients,...
76 Days
76 Days, from directors Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and an anonymous filmmaker,is a heartbreaking work of documentary vérité investigating the emerging Covid-19 outbreak at a single hospital in Wuhan, China, and their response from early February to April 2020, when Wuhan lifted their initial lockdown. Eschewing contextualizing features, 76 Days places viewers alongside doctors and nurses as they struggle to control the spiraling implications of Covid-19, dealing with an influx of scared patients,...
- 12/17/2020
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
“76 Days” captures the first 76 days of the lockdown right at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. Back in January, when the virus was beginning to gather traction, Weixi Chen and Anonymous picked up a camera and began filming.
As journalists, they were able to gain unprecedented access into four hospitals in Wuhan, filming patients and doctors. Director and producer Hao Wu was meant to get on a plane, but as the virus spread around the world, flights were canceled and Wu directed remotely, virtually communicating with his on-the-field directors who sent him footage over the cloud.
Wu would take the rushes and edit them in his New York home and put his film together, taking viewers into the first coronavirus hot zone.
Wu talked about directing virtually and working with two directors who put their lives and careers at risk. “76 Days” is now available in virtual cinemas.
As journalists, they were able to gain unprecedented access into four hospitals in Wuhan, filming patients and doctors. Director and producer Hao Wu was meant to get on a plane, but as the virus spread around the world, flights were canceled and Wu directed remotely, virtually communicating with his on-the-field directors who sent him footage over the cloud.
Wu would take the rushes and edit them in his New York home and put his film together, taking viewers into the first coronavirus hot zone.
Wu talked about directing virtually and working with two directors who put their lives and careers at risk. “76 Days” is now available in virtual cinemas.
- 12/5/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Cinemas — the ones that are open — are hurting for new content. With only one wide release this week — that would be Focus Features’ “Half Brothers” opening on approximately 1,200 screens — film fans will likely be staying home and sifting through new releases via streaming instead.
For example, audiences have their choice between Disney fairy-tale sendup “Godmothered” and Francis Ford Coppola’s re-edit of “The Godfather Part III.” The former (which stars Isla Fisher and Jillian Bell) is available to Disney Plus subscribers, while the latter is getting a very limited theatrical run.
Who knows how audiences will react to a story about a romance cut short by medical tragedy in the era of Covid-19, but Universal serves up a well-made version of just that kind of love story with “All My Life,” featuring Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr.
Steve McQueen’s five-film Small Axe series continues on Amazon Prime, while David Fincher’s buzzy,...
For example, audiences have their choice between Disney fairy-tale sendup “Godmothered” and Francis Ford Coppola’s re-edit of “The Godfather Part III.” The former (which stars Isla Fisher and Jillian Bell) is available to Disney Plus subscribers, while the latter is getting a very limited theatrical run.
Who knows how audiences will react to a story about a romance cut short by medical tragedy in the era of Covid-19, but Universal serves up a well-made version of just that kind of love story with “All My Life,” featuring Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr.
Steve McQueen’s five-film Small Axe series continues on Amazon Prime, while David Fincher’s buzzy,...
- 12/5/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
If the arrival of vaccines offers some hope of the year-consuming Covid-19 pandemic eventually cooling off, the attendant mini-genre of the coronavirus documentary is only getting warmed up. For years to come, we can doubtless anticipate dozen upon dozen of films probing all angles of what happened and how, what went wrong and how much. Some are sure to be hasty and opportunistic, others hopefully more penetrating in their application of hindsight. A documentary like “76 Days,” however, can’t be made too soon: It is, by necessity, an entirely in-the-moment affair, seizing its single chance to chronicle the first wave of medical crisis management in the Chinese city of Wuhan, weeks before the world followed it into a state of lockdown.
As an artefact alone, the result is remarkable, capturing all the panic and pragmatism greeting a disaster before its entire global impact had been gauged, while strategies and...
As an artefact alone, the result is remarkable, capturing all the panic and pragmatism greeting a disaster before its entire global impact had been gauged, while strategies and...
- 12/4/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
76 Days
76 Days, from directors Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and an anonymous filmmaker,is a heartbreaking work of documentary vérité investigating the emerging Covid-19 outbreak at a single hospital in Wuhan, China, and their response from early February to April 2020, when Wuhan lifted their initial lockdown. Eschewing contextualizing features, 76 Days places viewers alongside doctors and nurses as they struggle to control the spiraling implications of Covid-19, dealing with an influx of scared patients, a virus they do not fully understand, and diminishing resources. Though 76 Days proves a hard watch, it’s a profoundly visceral look into how one hospital dealt with the raging virus. – Christian G.
76 Days
76 Days, from directors Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and an anonymous filmmaker,is a heartbreaking work of documentary vérité investigating the emerging Covid-19 outbreak at a single hospital in Wuhan, China, and their response from early February to April 2020, when Wuhan lifted their initial lockdown. Eschewing contextualizing features, 76 Days places viewers alongside doctors and nurses as they struggle to control the spiraling implications of Covid-19, dealing with an influx of scared patients, a virus they do not fully understand, and diminishing resources. Though 76 Days proves a hard watch, it’s a profoundly visceral look into how one hospital dealt with the raging virus. – Christian G.
- 12/4/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
When Chinese-American director Hao Wu began making a film about the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak in February of this year, he did not know that the outbreak would become a worldwide pandemic — and he did not expect that on Dec. 4, when his film “76 Days” would launch in virtual cinemas around the country, the U.S. would still be in the throes of a virus that was only growing stronger.
“It feels both a long long, long time ago, and also present,” said Wu, whose MTV Documentary Films release documents with harrowing intimacy the first two months of the virus in its epicenter, the Chinese city of Wuhan.
“The reason it feels so long ago is that for Chinese people, it was an emotional and traumatic experience for the entire country, but now China is back to normal,” he said. “But in the rest of the world, especially in America,...
“It feels both a long long, long time ago, and also present,” said Wu, whose MTV Documentary Films release documents with harrowing intimacy the first two months of the virus in its epicenter, the Chinese city of Wuhan.
“The reason it feels so long ago is that for Chinese people, it was an emotional and traumatic experience for the entire country, but now China is back to normal,” he said. “But in the rest of the world, especially in America,...
- 12/3/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
"Rich or poor, nobody can escape. What a tragedy." MTV Documentary Films has released an official US trailer for 76 Days, a chilling fly-on-the-wall documentary capturing the first 76 days during the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak in China. Raw and intimate, this documentary captures the struggles of patients and frontline medical professionals battling the vicious Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan. It focuses primarily on the many hospital workers and the endless patients in Wuhan, where the virus originated, earlier this year before it began to spread around the world. Filmmaker Hao Wu had to setup an intricate system to collect footage - another filmmaker named Weixi Chen and an uncredited "anonymous" contributor would secretly send him their footage from Wuhan. This just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and is being released virtually by MTV (!) this month. It's a harrowing and heart-wrenching look at how devastating this virus is. Here's the official trailer (+ posters...
- 12/2/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Congratulations. You’ve almost endured the hellscape that is 2020. As we look towards the final month of the year, things are looking brighter on the cinema side. Unfortunately, not the actual cinemas themselves as Covid rates continue to rise, but the December lineup that is mostly rolling out digitally is remarkably strong.
Just a note, we’re not including films only having a one-week awards qualifying runs and will return earlier next year for proper releases and we’ve already mentioned Sound of Metal and Mank in last month’s round-up as they got theatrical premieres then, but will roll out on streaming services this Friday.
Lastly, before we get to the rundown, we imagine Christopher Nolan’s Tenet will dominate quite a bit of conversation this month as those opting to consider their health over returning to theaters can watch it at home.
15. Monster Hunter (Paul W.S. Anderson)
There...
Just a note, we’re not including films only having a one-week awards qualifying runs and will return earlier next year for proper releases and we’ve already mentioned Sound of Metal and Mank in last month’s round-up as they got theatrical premieres then, but will roll out on streaming services this Friday.
Lastly, before we get to the rundown, we imagine Christopher Nolan’s Tenet will dominate quite a bit of conversation this month as those opting to consider their health over returning to theaters can watch it at home.
15. Monster Hunter (Paul W.S. Anderson)
There...
- 12/1/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Mere months after filmmaker Hao Wu, alongside a pair of China-based journalists-turned-filmmakers, started filming the remarkable pandemic documentary “76 Days,” the film was already headed out on the festival circuit. It was only fitting for such an immediate story, which unfolded during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, chronicling a heartbreaking horror that would soon engulf the entire world.
Per the film’s official synopsis: “On January 23rd, 2020, China locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to combat the emerging Covid-19 outbreak. Set deep inside the frontlines of the crisis, ’76 Days’ tells indelible human stories at the center of this pandemic—from a woman begging in vain to bid a final farewell to her father, a grandfather with dementia searching for his way home, a couple anxious to meet their newborn, to a nurse determined to return personal items to families of the deceased. These intimate...
Per the film’s official synopsis: “On January 23rd, 2020, China locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to combat the emerging Covid-19 outbreak. Set deep inside the frontlines of the crisis, ’76 Days’ tells indelible human stories at the center of this pandemic—from a woman begging in vain to bid a final farewell to her father, a grandfather with dementia searching for his way home, a couple anxious to meet their newborn, to a nurse determined to return personal items to families of the deceased. These intimate...
- 12/1/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
76 Days MTV Documentary Films. Reviewed by Tami Smith, Film Reviewer for Shockya Grade: B+ Director: Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, Anonymous Screenwriter & Editor: Hao Wu Cast: Residents and Health workers at Wuhan’s hospitals Release Date: December 4th, 2020 A recent article in The New York Times, In Hunt for Virus Source, posed the question: […]
The post 76 Days Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post 76 Days Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 12/1/2020
- by Tami Smith
- ShockYa
As the pandemic is still raging all over the world, a documentary about its very beginning in Wuhan, China, seems timelier than ever. Featuring unprecedented access to the hospitals that first had to deal with the virus on an international level, “76 Days” is one of the most significant documentaries of the year, particularly for the bravery of its directors in their effort to present the truth.
“76 Days” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
From an interview of Hao Wu, featuring in the press notes of the film:
Where and when was the film shot?
Production started in Wuhan in February 2020, soon after the lockdown on Wuhan began, at four different hospitals. It continued through the gradual return of order and ended after the lockdown was officially lifted on April 8.
How did your co-directors get such incredible access?
My two co-directors are reporters who were sent...
“76 Days” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
From an interview of Hao Wu, featuring in the press notes of the film:
Where and when was the film shot?
Production started in Wuhan in February 2020, soon after the lockdown on Wuhan began, at four different hospitals. It continued through the gradual return of order and ended after the lockdown was officially lifted on April 8.
How did your co-directors get such incredible access?
My two co-directors are reporters who were sent...
- 11/30/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
U.K.-based documentary specialist Dogwoof has announced a string of deals for their slate, which includes a topical tale about the earliest days of the Covid-19 outbreak, three titles in the Best of Fest section at documentary festival IDFA, which runs Nov. 18-Dec. 6, and an Oscar contender.
“76 Days” (pictured), a powerful verité study of the early days of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China, sold to Sky (U.K.), Globo (Brazil), Vrt (Belgium), Channel 8 and YesDocu (Israel), Dr (Denmark), and Vgtv (Norway).
The film, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous, was recently nominated for a Gotham award. It screened at the Toronto Film Festival, and features in IDFA’s Docs for Sale section. MTV Documentary Films, a division of MTV Studios, acquired the North American rights to the documentary last month from CAA Media Finance Group. Dogwoof will release “76 Days” in the U.K. on Jan.
“76 Days” (pictured), a powerful verité study of the early days of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China, sold to Sky (U.K.), Globo (Brazil), Vrt (Belgium), Channel 8 and YesDocu (Israel), Dr (Denmark), and Vgtv (Norway).
The film, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous, was recently nominated for a Gotham award. It screened at the Toronto Film Festival, and features in IDFA’s Docs for Sale section. MTV Documentary Films, a division of MTV Studios, acquired the North American rights to the documentary last month from CAA Media Finance Group. Dogwoof will release “76 Days” in the U.K. on Jan.
- 11/24/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The documentaries “Landfall” and “Five Years North” have won the top jury prizes at the 2020 Doc NYC film festival, the largest festival in the United States devoted to nonfiction filmmaking.
“Landfall,” director Cecilia Aldarondo’s portrait of a Puerto Rican community in the wake of Hurricane Maria, won the Grand Jury Prize in the Viewfinders Competition, with a special jury prize going to “Through the Night.” In the Metropolis Competition, made up of films about New York City, the top winner was “Five Years North,” Zach Ingrasci and Chris Temple’s film about a Cuban-American Ice agent and a teenage Guatemalan immigrant. “Wojnarowicz” received a special award for its use of archival material.
Jury prizes in the Short List: Features section, which was made up of 15 films deemed by Doc NYC programmers to be likely awards contenders, were awarded to “Time” for directing, “Welcome to Chechnya” for producing, “Boys State...
“Landfall,” director Cecilia Aldarondo’s portrait of a Puerto Rican community in the wake of Hurricane Maria, won the Grand Jury Prize in the Viewfinders Competition, with a special jury prize going to “Through the Night.” In the Metropolis Competition, made up of films about New York City, the top winner was “Five Years North,” Zach Ingrasci and Chris Temple’s film about a Cuban-American Ice agent and a teenage Guatemalan immigrant. “Wojnarowicz” received a special award for its use of archival material.
Jury prizes in the Short List: Features section, which was made up of 15 films deemed by Doc NYC programmers to be likely awards contenders, were awarded to “Time” for directing, “Welcome to Chechnya” for producing, “Boys State...
- 11/18/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Ten-day Doc NYC Encore runs through November 29.
Landfall and Five Years North are among the Doc NYC juried award winners announced on Wednesday (November 18), which just announced it will take the unprecedented step of extending its programme for 10 days.
Cecilia Aldarondo’s disaster capitalism film Landfall examines the relationship between the US and Puerto Rico and prevailed over 10 other selections to take the grand jury prize in the Viewfinders Competition.
A special jury recognition went to Loira Limbal’s Ethics Of Care: Through The Night.
The Metropolis Competition grand jury prize from 10 films exploring New Yorkers and New York City...
Landfall and Five Years North are among the Doc NYC juried award winners announced on Wednesday (November 18), which just announced it will take the unprecedented step of extending its programme for 10 days.
Cecilia Aldarondo’s disaster capitalism film Landfall examines the relationship between the US and Puerto Rico and prevailed over 10 other selections to take the grand jury prize in the Viewfinders Competition.
A special jury recognition went to Loira Limbal’s Ethics Of Care: Through The Night.
The Metropolis Competition grand jury prize from 10 films exploring New Yorkers and New York City...
- 11/18/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Norway’s ‘Stay Home’ sees the 11 children and teenagers record themselves.
Of the 63 projects being showcased at IDFA Forum just one is a Covid-related title, and it hopes to offer a new angle on the pandemic.
Norwegian directors Maren Thingnæs and Marianne Mørk are pitching Stay Home, which looks at the topsy turvy pandemic year of 2020 as seen through 11 children and teenagers from across the world.
Kari Anne Moe and Gudmundur Gunnarsson produce for Fuglene; in co-production with Therese Högberg for Sweden’s Bautafilm. Aftenposten TV is also on board, and so far, financing comes from Norwegian Film Institute and Fritt Ord Foundation.
Of the 63 projects being showcased at IDFA Forum just one is a Covid-related title, and it hopes to offer a new angle on the pandemic.
Norwegian directors Maren Thingnæs and Marianne Mørk are pitching Stay Home, which looks at the topsy turvy pandemic year of 2020 as seen through 11 children and teenagers from across the world.
Kari Anne Moe and Gudmundur Gunnarsson produce for Fuglene; in co-production with Therese Högberg for Sweden’s Bautafilm. Aftenposten TV is also on board, and so far, financing comes from Norwegian Film Institute and Fritt Ord Foundation.
- 11/17/2020
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, announced the titles of its annual Short List: Features program on November 9. The selection of films offer one glimpse, as determined by the festival’s programming team, into the documentary features that are best positioned to be among the year’s top contenders in the Oscar field. Also named are the films to make their second Winner’s Circle, highlighting films that have already won major awards at Oscar-qualifying international festivals.
Among Doc NYC’s list are six films that were already nominated this year for Best Documentary Feature by the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. They are: “Crip Camp,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “The Fight,” “Gunda,” “The Social Dilemma,” and “Time.” One other Ccda nominee will be screened as part of the Winner’s Circle program: “The Painter and the Thief.”
As an indicator of Oscar success, Doc NYC boasts that in the...
Among Doc NYC’s list are six films that were already nominated this year for Best Documentary Feature by the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. They are: “Crip Camp,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “The Fight,” “Gunda,” “The Social Dilemma,” and “Time.” One other Ccda nominee will be screened as part of the Winner’s Circle program: “The Painter and the Thief.”
As an indicator of Oscar success, Doc NYC boasts that in the...
- 11/16/2020
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
‘Nomadland’ and ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ secure two nominations each.
Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow leads the nominations for the 30th IFP Gotham Awards, in which the nods for best feature are all directed by women.
Period drama First Cow, first seen at Telluride 2019 and released by A24, secured four nominations for best feature, screenplay and actor, for John Magaro, as well as breakthrough actor, for Orion Lee.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Titles that scored two nominations included Chloe Zhao’s Venice Golden Lion winner Nomadland, for best feature and actress Frances McDormand; and Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always,...
Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow leads the nominations for the 30th IFP Gotham Awards, in which the nods for best feature are all directed by women.
Period drama First Cow, first seen at Telluride 2019 and released by A24, secured four nominations for best feature, screenplay and actor, for John Magaro, as well as breakthrough actor, for Orion Lee.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Titles that scored two nominations included Chloe Zhao’s Venice Golden Lion winner Nomadland, for best feature and actress Frances McDormand; and Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always,...
- 11/12/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
This year’s awards season, delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, finally got underway with the announcement of the 2021 Gotham Awards nominations on November 12 (last year’s big reveal was on Oct. 24). These awards are presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and honor the best of the year as determined by small committees of film journalists and festival programmers. The five Best Feature nominees, which were all directed by women, are: “The Assistant,” “First Cow,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Nomadland” and “Relic.” Scroll down to see the complete list of contenders.
Will these awards preview the Oscars? Perhaps. Last year’s Best Feature award went to “Marriage Story,” which did go on to reap a Best Picture bid. However, that was the exception rather than the rule. Indeed, its rival Gotham Awards nominees — “The Farewell,” “Hustlers,” “Uncut Gems” and “Waves” — were all snubbed by the Academy Awards.
Why is this?...
Will these awards preview the Oscars? Perhaps. Last year’s Best Feature award went to “Marriage Story,” which did go on to reap a Best Picture bid. However, that was the exception rather than the rule. Indeed, its rival Gotham Awards nominees — “The Farewell,” “Hustlers,” “Uncut Gems” and “Waves” — were all snubbed by the Academy Awards.
Why is this?...
- 11/12/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The starting pistol of awards season has been officially fired with the 30th annual IFP Gotham Awards announcing its nominations and making history. For the first time, women direct all the nominees for best feature. Among them are “The Assistant” from Kitty Green, “First Cow” from Kelly Reichardt, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” from Eliza Hittman, “Nomadland” from Chloé Zhao and “Relic” from Natalie Erika James.
In the best actor category, Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous nomination for his work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” a performance likely to be shortlisted by many awards bodies over the next few months. The other nominees included Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Jude Law (“The Nest”), John Magaro (“First Cow”) and Jesse Plemons (“I’m Thinking of Ending Things”).
For the actresses, the group gave a very diverse field of cultures and experience. Nicole Beharie’s turn in “Miss Juneteenth” is a riveting portrait, and...
In the best actor category, Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous nomination for his work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” a performance likely to be shortlisted by many awards bodies over the next few months. The other nominees included Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Jude Law (“The Nest”), John Magaro (“First Cow”) and Jesse Plemons (“I’m Thinking of Ending Things”).
For the actresses, the group gave a very diverse field of cultures and experience. Nicole Beharie’s turn in “Miss Juneteenth” is a riveting portrait, and...
- 11/12/2020
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Kitty Green’s “The Assistant,” Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow,” Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” and Natalie Erika James’ “Relic” have been nominated as the best independent films of 2020 at the 30th annual IFP Gotham Awards, the Independent Filmmaker Project announced on Thursday.
All five nominees in the Best Feature category were directed by women, a first for the Gothams.
With four nominations in the eight film categories, the period drama “First Cow” led all films in nominations. “Nomadland” and “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” each received two nominations, as did six other films that were not nominated in the Best Feature category: “The Forty-Year-Old Version,” “Miss Juneteenth,” “Saint Frances,” “The Vast of Night,” “The Nest” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.”
Nominees in the new Best International Feature category included Maimouna Doucoure’s “Cuties,” which led to protests by conservative critics when it aired on Netflix.
All five nominees in the Best Feature category were directed by women, a first for the Gothams.
With four nominations in the eight film categories, the period drama “First Cow” led all films in nominations. “Nomadland” and “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” each received two nominations, as did six other films that were not nominated in the Best Feature category: “The Forty-Year-Old Version,” “Miss Juneteenth,” “Saint Frances,” “The Vast of Night,” “The Nest” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.”
Nominees in the new Best International Feature category included Maimouna Doucoure’s “Cuties,” which led to protests by conservative critics when it aired on Netflix.
- 11/12/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
There's no doubting which news story has dominated the news coverage virtually everywhere around the globe in 2020 - the Covid-19 pandemic. There will, no doubt, be a clutch of documentaries in due course about the various elements of the disease from a raft of countries, but this fly-on-the-wall documentary which charts the first 76 days of the epidemic in Wuhan, China, is as good a place to start as any - particularly if you're looking for an insight into the sheer dedication of health service professionals around the world.
Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, and a third, anonymous, co-director waste no time in thrusting us into the intensity of the hospital following the city's lockdown on January 23. Death has already come knocking and the first heart-rending moments of the film show staff trying to calm an inconsolable woman rocked by the death of her father. The cruelties of the disease are...
Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, and a third, anonymous, co-director waste no time in thrusting us into the intensity of the hospital following the city's lockdown on January 23. Death has already come knocking and the first heart-rending moments of the film show staff trying to calm an inconsolable woman rocked by the death of her father. The cruelties of the disease are...
- 11/3/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: MTV Documentary Films is set to release the Covid-19 documentary 76 Days in more than 50 virtual cinemas nationwide including the Film Forum in New York and Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles beginning December 4.
Directed by Hao Wu (People’s Republic of Desire) and two China-based journalists, Weixi Chen and “Anonymous,” 76 Days is an ultra-timely docu that gives a raw and emotional look at the struggles of the people of Wuhan, China, in the earliest days of the coronavirus outbreak.
On January 23, 2020, China locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to combat the emerging Covid-19 outbreak. Set deep inside the front lines of the crisis, 76 Days chronicles the human stories at the center of the pandemic — from a woman begging in vain to bid a final farewell to her father and a grandfather with dementia searching for his way home to a couple eager to meet their newborn...
Directed by Hao Wu (People’s Republic of Desire) and two China-based journalists, Weixi Chen and “Anonymous,” 76 Days is an ultra-timely docu that gives a raw and emotional look at the struggles of the people of Wuhan, China, in the earliest days of the coronavirus outbreak.
On January 23, 2020, China locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to combat the emerging Covid-19 outbreak. Set deep inside the front lines of the crisis, 76 Days chronicles the human stories at the center of the pandemic — from a woman begging in vain to bid a final farewell to her father and a grandfather with dementia searching for his way home to a couple eager to meet their newborn...
- 11/3/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The International Documentary Association has announced a shortlist of 30 films from which it will choose its nominations for the 2020 Ida Documentary Awards, with a list that includes “76 Days,” “Boys State,” “Crip Camp,” “MLK/FBI,” “The Reason I Jump,” “The Truffle Hunters,” “Time” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
The list also included a generous helping of foreign-made docs, including “Notturno,” “Acasa, My Home,” “Collective,” “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange,” “Gunda,” “Me and the Cult Leader,” “A Metamorfose dos Passaros,” “Once Upon a Time in Venezuela” and “Softie.”
The rest of the list: “City Hall,” “Disclosure,” “The Forbidden Reel,” “I Walk on Water,” “The Mole Agent,” “Reunited,” “Self Portrait,” “Stray,” “‘Til Kingdom Come,” “To See You Again,” “Unapologetic,” “The Viewing Booth” and “Wintopia.”
The shortlisted films present a dramatically different view of the year in nonfiction filmmaking than the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were announced on Monday. Only three films — “Crip Camp,...
The list also included a generous helping of foreign-made docs, including “Notturno,” “Acasa, My Home,” “Collective,” “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange,” “Gunda,” “Me and the Cult Leader,” “A Metamorfose dos Passaros,” “Once Upon a Time in Venezuela” and “Softie.”
The rest of the list: “City Hall,” “Disclosure,” “The Forbidden Reel,” “I Walk on Water,” “The Mole Agent,” “Reunited,” “Self Portrait,” “Stray,” “‘Til Kingdom Come,” “To See You Again,” “Unapologetic,” “The Viewing Booth” and “Wintopia.”
The shortlisted films present a dramatically different view of the year in nonfiction filmmaking than the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were announced on Monday. Only three films — “Crip Camp,...
- 10/28/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 2021 International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards has announced the shortlists for the Best Feature and Best Short categories. In a year crowded with top-notch documentaries (see the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations here), with more debuts unspooling at Doc NYC (November 11-19), every reputable non-fiction awards group helps to curate the sprawling list of eventual Oscar contenders, and the IDA is no exception. (Read IndieWire’s current list of documentary feature predictions here.)
The IDA will bestow 16 awards this year, for Best Feature, Best Short, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best Short Form Series, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, Best Music Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, ABC News VideoSource Award, and the Pare Lorentz Award.
Honorees will be announced on Tuesday, November 10. Nominees will be announced on Tuesday, November 24, along with the other awards recipients.
The IDA will bestow 16 awards this year, for Best Feature, Best Short, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best Short Form Series, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, Best Music Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, ABC News VideoSource Award, and the Pare Lorentz Award.
Honorees will be announced on Tuesday, November 10. Nominees will be announced on Tuesday, November 24, along with the other awards recipients.
- 10/28/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The 2021 International Documentary Association (Ida) Awards has announced the shortlists for the Best Feature and Best Short categories. In a year crowded with top-notch documentaries (see the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations here), with more debuts unspooling at Doc NYC (November 11-19), every reputable non-fiction awards group helps to curate the sprawling list of eventual Oscar contenders, and the Ida is no exception. (Read IndieWire’s current list of documentary feature predictions here.)
The Ida will bestow 16 awards this year, for Best Feature, Best Short, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best Short Form Series, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, Best Music Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, ABC News VideoSource Award, and the Pare Lorentz Award.
Honorees will be announced on Tuesday, November 10. Nominees will be announced on Tuesday, November 24, along with the other awards recipients.
The Ida will bestow 16 awards this year, for Best Feature, Best Short, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best Short Form Series, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, Best Music Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, ABC News VideoSource Award, and the Pare Lorentz Award.
Honorees will be announced on Tuesday, November 10. Nominees will be announced on Tuesday, November 24, along with the other awards recipients.
- 10/28/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
2020 certainly presents a year of firsts, –including the first mostly online presentation (save for select drive-in screenings!) for the world’s largest showcase of Asian American film, Caamfest Forward. This has also been our first time visiting the festival, albeit virtually. After seeing the festival wrap up in the last week, we have listed below the awards alongside their jury statements.
Narrative Award
Jury Members: Hanna Huang, Melanie Elvena, Valerie Soe
Winner: Defnition Please, Dir. Sujata Day
Jury Statement: Sujata Day’s Definition Please is a captivating story of family, friendship, vocabulary, expectations, and not allowing oneself to be defined by a singular moment. With standout performances by Day, Lalaine, Ritesh Rajan, Anna Khaja, and Maya Kapoor, each brings depth and humor to their well-written, fully unfolding characters.
Jury Mention: Chosen Fam, Dirs. Natalie Tsui and Lindsay Sunada
Jury Statement: Lindsay Sunada Natalie Tsui’s web series Chosen Fam is a kicky,...
Narrative Award
Jury Members: Hanna Huang, Melanie Elvena, Valerie Soe
Winner: Defnition Please, Dir. Sujata Day
Jury Statement: Sujata Day’s Definition Please is a captivating story of family, friendship, vocabulary, expectations, and not allowing oneself to be defined by a singular moment. With standout performances by Day, Lalaine, Ritesh Rajan, Anna Khaja, and Maya Kapoor, each brings depth and humor to their well-written, fully unfolding characters.
Jury Mention: Chosen Fam, Dirs. Natalie Tsui and Lindsay Sunada
Jury Statement: Lindsay Sunada Natalie Tsui’s web series Chosen Fam is a kicky,...
- 10/27/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
By Abe Friedtanzer
This was my first year covering AFI Fest, and also my first time covering a virtual festival during the festival itself. It was a positive experience on both fronts, and the viewing platform I used – the AFI Fest app for Roku – worked pretty well and including plenty of interesting conversations with talent.
AFI announced the following winners:
Audience Award - Narrative Feature Wolfwalkers
Audience Award - Documentary Feature 76 Days
Audience Award - Short Film Lonely Blue Night (Dir Johnson Cheng)
Grand Jury Prize – Animation Tiger And Ox (호랑이와 소) (Dir Seunghee Kim)
Grand Jury Prize – Live Action Pillars (Dir Haley Elizabeth Anderson)
Special Mention - Black Goat (Dir Yi Tang)
Special Mention Maalbeek (Dir Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis)
Special Mention Umbilical (Dir Danski Tang)
I personally had the chance to screen 17 films, which represent a third of the features shown. I also saw 6 of the other films at Sundance,...
This was my first year covering AFI Fest, and also my first time covering a virtual festival during the festival itself. It was a positive experience on both fronts, and the viewing platform I used – the AFI Fest app for Roku – worked pretty well and including plenty of interesting conversations with talent.
AFI announced the following winners:
Audience Award - Narrative Feature Wolfwalkers
Audience Award - Documentary Feature 76 Days
Audience Award - Short Film Lonely Blue Night (Dir Johnson Cheng)
Grand Jury Prize – Animation Tiger And Ox (호랑이와 소) (Dir Seunghee Kim)
Grand Jury Prize – Live Action Pillars (Dir Haley Elizabeth Anderson)
Special Mention - Black Goat (Dir Yi Tang)
Special Mention Maalbeek (Dir Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis)
Special Mention Umbilical (Dir Danski Tang)
I personally had the chance to screen 17 films, which represent a third of the features shown. I also saw 6 of the other films at Sundance,...
- 10/23/2020
- by Abe Friedtanzer
- FilmExperience
The Irish animated film “Wolfwalkers” and the Covid-19 documentary “76 Days” won the top awards at the AFI Fest 2020, a largely virtual film festival that ran from Oct. 15-22.
“Wolfwalkers,” which deals with Irish fables and was directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart from the Cartoon Saloon animation house, won the audience award as the festival’s best narrative feature, a prize that typically goes to a live-action film.
“76 Days,” which was filmed, sometimes surreptitiously, in hospitals in Wuhan, China, in the early days of the pandemic, won the audience prize for documentary.
Jury prizes went to the live-action film “Pillars” and the animated feature “Tiger and Ox.”
Because its screenings took place for the most part on a virtual platform, this year’s AFI Fest attracted the largest audience in the festival’s 34-year history. The festival showed 55 features, 33 shorts and three episodic programs.
The complete list of winners,...
“Wolfwalkers,” which deals with Irish fables and was directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart from the Cartoon Saloon animation house, won the audience award as the festival’s best narrative feature, a prize that typically goes to a live-action film.
“76 Days,” which was filmed, sometimes surreptitiously, in hospitals in Wuhan, China, in the early days of the pandemic, won the audience prize for documentary.
Jury prizes went to the live-action film “Pillars” and the animated feature “Tiger and Ox.”
Because its screenings took place for the most part on a virtual platform, this year’s AFI Fest attracted the largest audience in the festival’s 34-year history. The festival showed 55 features, 33 shorts and three episodic programs.
The complete list of winners,...
- 10/23/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s Pillars among short film winners.
Claiming a record national audience in its 34-year history, AFI Fest 2020 announced its award winners on Friday (October 23).
Wolfwalkers by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart won the audience award narrative feature, and 76 Days by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and Anonymous earned the corresponding documentary feature award.
Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s Pillars won the grand jury prize for live-action shorts. Visit the official website to view all the winners.
The grand jury award winners for live action and animated short will be eligible for the 2021 best live-action short and best animated short Oscars.
Claiming a record national audience in its 34-year history, AFI Fest 2020 announced its award winners on Friday (October 23).
Wolfwalkers by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart won the audience award narrative feature, and 76 Days by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and Anonymous earned the corresponding documentary feature award.
Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s Pillars won the grand jury prize for live-action shorts. Visit the official website to view all the winners.
The grand jury award winners for live action and animated short will be eligible for the 2021 best live-action short and best animated short Oscars.
- 10/23/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Irish fantasy “Wolfwalkers” and coming-of-age story “Pillars” have been awarded the top prizes audience and grand jury prize, respectively, in the narrative categories at the AFI Fest 2020.
Chinese Covid-19 documentary “76 Days” won the audience documentary award.
The festival, which went virtual except for its Centerpiece drive-in screening of “One Night in Miami” at the Rose Bowl, announced this winners Friday. The program included 125 titles of which 53% were directed by women, 39% were directed by Bipoc and 17% were directed by LGBTQ+.
“With an audience of more than double from last year, we welcomed over 200 filmmakers and guests from around the world for Q&As and panels,” said Michael Lumpkin, director AFI Festivals. “This year’s festival was truly a celebration of film across the country with festival goers joining us online from all 50 states.”
“Wolfwalkers,” directed by “The Secret of the Kells” creators Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, won the audience award for narrative features.
Chinese Covid-19 documentary “76 Days” won the audience documentary award.
The festival, which went virtual except for its Centerpiece drive-in screening of “One Night in Miami” at the Rose Bowl, announced this winners Friday. The program included 125 titles of which 53% were directed by women, 39% were directed by Bipoc and 17% were directed by LGBTQ+.
“With an audience of more than double from last year, we welcomed over 200 filmmakers and guests from around the world for Q&As and panels,” said Michael Lumpkin, director AFI Festivals. “This year’s festival was truly a celebration of film across the country with festival goers joining us online from all 50 states.”
“Wolfwalkers,” directed by “The Secret of the Kells” creators Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, won the audience award for narrative features.
- 10/23/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
AFI Fest on Friday announced the winners of its 2020 audience award and jury prizes. The winners include “76 Days,” a documentary about Wuhan, China’s response to the pandemic, and “Pillars,” a short that explores Black girlhood in today’s America.
The festival, now in its 34th year, attracted its largest audience ever with a mostly virtual program, which opened up the festival to an audience of residents of all 50 states. It screened 125 titles, over half of which were directed by women, 39 percent directed by people of color, and 17 percent directed by members of the LGBTQ community.
“With an audience of more than double from last year, we welcomed over 200 filmmakers and guests from around the world for Q&As and panels,” said Michael Lumpkin, director AFI Festivals. “This year’s festival was truly a celebration of film across the country with festival goers joining us online from all 50 states.
The festival, now in its 34th year, attracted its largest audience ever with a mostly virtual program, which opened up the festival to an audience of residents of all 50 states. It screened 125 titles, over half of which were directed by women, 39 percent directed by people of color, and 17 percent directed by members of the LGBTQ community.
“With an audience of more than double from last year, we welcomed over 200 filmmakers and guests from around the world for Q&As and panels,” said Michael Lumpkin, director AFI Festivals. “This year’s festival was truly a celebration of film across the country with festival goers joining us online from all 50 states.
- 10/23/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival and staple of the New York film community, announced the lineup for its 11th edition, running online November 11-19 and available to viewers across the US. The program includes new films about John Belushi, Pope Francis, Bill T. Jones, Jamal Khashoggi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Frank Zappa, and many more. The 2020 festival lineup includes 107 feature-length documentaries among over 200 films and dozens of events. Included are 23 World Premieres, 12 international or North American premieres, and 7 US premieres. Fifty-seven features (53% of the lineup) are directed or co-directed by women and 36 by Bipoc directors (34% of the feature program).
World Premieres at the festival include Nelson G. Navarrete and Maxx Caicedo’s “A La Calle,” Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s “The Meaning of Hitler,” Gong Cheng and Yung Chang’s “Wuhan Wuhan,” Sian-Pierre Regis’s “Duty Free,” Noah Hutton’s “In Silico,” Nancy Buirski’s “A Crime on the Bayou,...
World Premieres at the festival include Nelson G. Navarrete and Maxx Caicedo’s “A La Calle,” Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s “The Meaning of Hitler,” Gong Cheng and Yung Chang’s “Wuhan Wuhan,” Sian-Pierre Regis’s “Duty Free,” Noah Hutton’s “In Silico,” Nancy Buirski’s “A Crime on the Bayou,...
- 10/15/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
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