By Lee Pfeiffer
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Not for the weak-stomached or faint of heart, Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, available now on DVD from First Run Features, offers excellent insights into the highly-touted humanitarian organization and the individual doctors who keep it afloat. The documentary follows volunteer doctors in war-torn Liberia and Congo, not only detailing their “typical” work day activities (in often bloody detail), but also delving into their motivations for joining the organization, their means of coping with high-pressure situations, and their opinions of the humanitarian assistance field.
While just watching the documentary, which includes footage of crude amputations and a hernia the size of a beach ball, can make your blood pressure rise, Living in Emergency is also strangely refreshing. While most documentaries focusing on humanitarian assistance often turn into love letters to specific organizations or individuals, Living in Emergency...
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Not for the weak-stomached or faint of heart, Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, available now on DVD from First Run Features, offers excellent insights into the highly-touted humanitarian organization and the individual doctors who keep it afloat. The documentary follows volunteer doctors in war-torn Liberia and Congo, not only detailing their “typical” work day activities (in often bloody detail), but also delving into their motivations for joining the organization, their means of coping with high-pressure situations, and their opinions of the humanitarian assistance field.
While just watching the documentary, which includes footage of crude amputations and a hernia the size of a beach ball, can make your blood pressure rise, Living in Emergency is also strangely refreshing. While most documentaries focusing on humanitarian assistance often turn into love letters to specific organizations or individuals, Living in Emergency...
- 1/14/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The outstanding new documentary "Living In Emergency" follows four Doctors Without Borders volunteers as they try to heal the ailing--and themselves--in Congo and Liberia.
When Chris Brasher, a ruggedly handsome Aussie physician, lights his first cigarette, I know I will like "Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders," Mark Hopkins's compelling new documentary about one of the world's most celebrated aid groups. It's not because I think doctors should smoke, or because it's a particularly good thing for anyone to do. Rather, it suggested that this honest movie was not going to hide anything, and it does not—not the anger, not the frustration, not the tears, not the vast insecurities and the heroic flaws of these doctors.
"Living in Emergency" focuses on four doctors: Brasher, a Doctors Without Borders veteran who ends up smoking an impressively high number of cigarettes during the 93 minutes of this film; a young,...
When Chris Brasher, a ruggedly handsome Aussie physician, lights his first cigarette, I know I will like "Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders," Mark Hopkins's compelling new documentary about one of the world's most celebrated aid groups. It's not because I think doctors should smoke, or because it's a particularly good thing for anyone to do. Rather, it suggested that this honest movie was not going to hide anything, and it does not—not the anger, not the frustration, not the tears, not the vast insecurities and the heroic flaws of these doctors.
"Living in Emergency" focuses on four doctors: Brasher, a Doctors Without Borders veteran who ends up smoking an impressively high number of cigarettes during the 93 minutes of this film; a young,...
- 6/4/2010
- by Jeff Chu
- Fast Company
Living in Emergency Trailer from LivinginEmergency on Vimeo. Founded in France in 1971, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières)—the international medical and humanitarian aid organization—is one of those organizations, like the Peace Corps, that those of us stuck at office jobs tend to daydream about. If only we had the skills and the stomach, perhaps we, too, could be whisked off to some conflict zone and start saving lives. Well, the reality, of course, is much harsher and more harrowing than that. Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, directed by Mark Hopkins, goes beyond the adrenaline and drama to show what these far-flung doctors encounter daily—blood and pain and panic, certainly, but also their own doubts and wavering faith. What am I doing here? and Who am I actually saving? are some of the soul-searching questions that linger in the air as Hopkins follows four doctors...
- 6/4/2010
- Vanity Fair
Welcome back to Moment of Truth, Movieline's weekly spotlight on the best in nonfiction cinema. Today we hear from director Mark Hopkins and doctors Chiara Lepora and Arnaud Jeannin, three of the principals behind Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, which opens this week in New York, Los Angeles and five other cities (with more to come throughout June).
If you ever think you've got it rough at your job, have a look at the daily agendas handled by the team featured in the new documentary Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders. From Liberia to Congo, from war zone to hot zone, the surgeons and pathologists here battle a succession of obstacles in their pursuit to bring medical care to people who need it most. These really are their stories -- and they're riveting.
If you ever think you've got it rough at your job, have a look at the daily agendas handled by the team featured in the new documentary Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders. From Liberia to Congo, from war zone to hot zone, the surgeons and pathologists here battle a succession of obstacles in their pursuit to bring medical care to people who need it most. These really are their stories -- and they're riveting.
- 6/3/2010
- Movieline
Lately I've been focusing on a double feature-based format with this column, but this week I'm concentrating solely on Mark Hopkins' Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders. Two reasons for this: one, I'm unaware of another documentary quite like it; and two, it's such a great film that it deserves its own spotlight. I'm also breaking up the structure of Doc Talk a bit in order to engage readers a little more. Because the main reason this column exists is to get people more interested in documentary in general and to recommend films I believe Cinematical readers will appreciate and possibly even enjoy. And, of course, maybe you'll want to talk about the docs, with me and with other readers, after trying them out.
About the Film
Living in Emergency is, as I mentioned above, like nothing I've seen before. Hopkins, a former assistant to producer Scott Rudin...
About the Film
Living in Emergency is, as I mentioned above, like nothing I've seen before. Hopkins, a former assistant to producer Scott Rudin...
- 6/3/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
Note: This piece originally ran in January 2009, when Tribeca Cinemas showed six documentaries on Oscar's shortlist. Producer Naisola Grimwood discusses filming Doctors Without Borders for her documentary with director Mark Hopkins, Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders. TribecaFilm.com: Please describe the story you tell in your film. What inspired you to tell that story? Naisola Grimwood: Few environments are as extreme, exhilarating and frustrating as the human experience on the front lines of humanitarian medical relief. It is a world that few people have seen before. The idea of the film is to gradually immerse people deeper into life in the field on Msf missions and it is structured around the narratives of four different characters and how their pre-conceived perspectives change over the course of their experience. TribecaFilm.com: Making documentaries is not an easy road. What was the biggest challenge in getting your film made?...
- 6/1/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
2010 Oscar Predictions Best Documentary Feature The Beaches of Agnes, Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris) The Cove, Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society) Food, Inc., Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films) Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC) The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications) Like in the best foreign language film category, the best documentary feature Academy Award nominations are decided by a relatively small group of people. Like in the best foreign language film category, controversies have plagued the Academy’s documentary branch since its inception decades ago. Four of the five films above have been widely talked about, especially The Beaches [...]...
- 1/29/2010
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
In anticipation of this year's Oscars, Tribeca Cinemas will be showing six groundbreaking documentaries as part of the Docs on the Shortlist hosted by the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund this weekend, January 8 and 9. We asked each participating filmmaker five questions about their documentaries. Producer Naisola Grimwood discusses filming Doctors Without Borders for her documentary with director Mark Hopkins, Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders. Please describe the story you tell in your film. What inspired you to tell that story? Few environments are as extreme, exhilarating and frustrating as the human experience on the front lines of humanitarian medical relief. It is a world that few people have seen before. The idea of the film is to gradually immerse people deeper into life in the field on Msf missions and it is structured around the narratives of four different characters and how their pre-conceived perspectives change over the...
- 1/8/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
How could this be? Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" was snubbed by the Academy Awards!
Moore's new documentary was largely favored by critics, including me, but apparently, it's not good enough for the Academy. It's this year's highest-grossing documentary (it has made $10 million so far), and Overture Films even opened it on Sept. 23, in time for the Academy's Sept. 30 cutoff date.
Moore won an Oscar before in 2002 for "Bowling for Columbine." He was nominated last year for "Sicko."
But this year? He didn't even make the shortlist! But Moore is not alone, other documentaries missing from the shortlist are "The September Issue," "Tyson," "Anvil! The Story of Anvil," "It Might Get Loud," and "We Live in Public."
I love all those documentaries, what's going on?
But the Academy has chosen their shortlist There were 89 films that originally qualified but the list is now down to just 15 documentaries.
And they are:
"The Cove"
"Food,...
Moore's new documentary was largely favored by critics, including me, but apparently, it's not good enough for the Academy. It's this year's highest-grossing documentary (it has made $10 million so far), and Overture Films even opened it on Sept. 23, in time for the Academy's Sept. 30 cutoff date.
Moore won an Oscar before in 2002 for "Bowling for Columbine." He was nominated last year for "Sicko."
But this year? He didn't even make the shortlist! But Moore is not alone, other documentaries missing from the shortlist are "The September Issue," "Tyson," "Anvil! The Story of Anvil," "It Might Get Loud," and "We Live in Public."
I love all those documentaries, what's going on?
But the Academy has chosen their shortlist There were 89 films that originally qualified but the list is now down to just 15 documentaries.
And they are:
"The Cove"
"Food,...
- 11/20/2009
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Although documentaries have gained a fair bit of mainstream acceptance over the past decade, the average moviegoer is still highly unlikely to know or care about most of the films that are being released in the realm of non-fiction. And considering the kinds of docs typically recognized by the Academy Awards, it's easy to see why people might be turned off from the genre. Year after year, they seem to place higher value on "important" subjects, rather than deft storytelling and artistic merit. Once again this year, the short list of movies nominated for Best Documentary Feature seem to be lacking in not only imagination but also accessibility. Which is not to say that there aren't some great movies on this list, but to be honest, I've only seen 1 out of the 15 titles -- and that's coming from someone who actually cares about docs. So it's only natural for people...
- 11/19/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed their list of the final group of 15 films that will contend for the Best Documentary Feature award this week, and with said announcement comes a twinge of bittersweetness. On one hand, the very powerful documentary The Cove -- a Sundance premiere that takes on the brutal killing of dolphins in Japan -- did make it to the final 15, as did the sensational SXSW pic Garbage Dreams and the incredibly fascinating food industry doc Food Inc. On the other hand, fan (and critic) favorite Anvil! The Story of Anvil -- the energetic, sad story of one of the most famous rock bands that you've never heard of -- was curiously missing from the list, as was multi-Oscar nominee Michael Moore's latest film Capitalism: A Love Story, a doc about our current financial crisis. While Michael Moore has had his date with Oscar, his...
- 11/19/2009
- by Neil Miller
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
In a surprising snub, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story heads a list of high profile non-fiction features ignored in the long-list vying for a Best Documentary Academy Award Nomination.
The rotund polemicist had previously won the award for Bowling Columbine and pushed for his Palme D’Or winning follow-up Fahrenheit 9/11 to contend in the Best Picture category. The snub is quite astonishing although it may well relate to his controversial acceptance speech in 2002 where he used the Academy stage to badmouth then incumbent president George W. Bush.
Capitalism: A Love Story is joined, rather incredibly, by James Toback’s insightful Tyson biopic and one of the years best films Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Moore was also not the only former winner to fail to gain a nomination either. David Guggenheim, director of An Inconvenient Truth, and his film It Might Get Loud also constitute a notable omission.
The rotund polemicist had previously won the award for Bowling Columbine and pushed for his Palme D’Or winning follow-up Fahrenheit 9/11 to contend in the Best Picture category. The snub is quite astonishing although it may well relate to his controversial acceptance speech in 2002 where he used the Academy stage to badmouth then incumbent president George W. Bush.
Capitalism: A Love Story is joined, rather incredibly, by James Toback’s insightful Tyson biopic and one of the years best films Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Moore was also not the only former winner to fail to gain a nomination either. David Guggenheim, director of An Inconvenient Truth, and his film It Might Get Loud also constitute a notable omission.
- 11/19/2009
- by Kieron
- ReelLoop.com
I’m sure if you analyze and dissect the rules for eligibility, you’ll find some kind of loophole that kept films like Capitalism: A Love Story, Anvil!: The Story Of Anvil, and Crude off this list of finalists for Best Documentary Feature.
Maybe it’s not based on eligibility at all. Maybe those movies just didn’t make the cut, which, in my opinion, and a lot of other people’s, as well, is a shame. This isn’t even taking into account some of the festival docs that didn’t make the cut, films like Pulling John, We Live In Public, and The Yes Men Fix The World. Politics wins out once again (as if there was every going to be a question of it), and here are the list of 15 films that have moved on in the voting process:
The Beaches Of Agnes directed by Agnès Varda...
Maybe it’s not based on eligibility at all. Maybe those movies just didn’t make the cut, which, in my opinion, and a lot of other people’s, as well, is a shame. This isn’t even taking into account some of the festival docs that didn’t make the cut, films like Pulling John, We Live In Public, and The Yes Men Fix The World. Politics wins out once again (as if there was every going to be a question of it), and here are the list of 15 films that have moved on in the voting process:
The Beaches Of Agnes directed by Agnès Varda...
- 11/19/2009
- by Kirk
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the short list of features vying for “Best Documentary” at the Oscar telecast next March. The final 15 have been whittled down from 89 eligible contenders, which becomes five nominees between December 28 (when the ballots are mailed) and February 2 (when they are announced live).
The list includes a few popular titles, like dolphin activist film The Cove and healthy advocate Food, Inc., but several prominent docs were eliminated. Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story was snubbed, along with James Toback candid biopic of “Iron” Mike Tyson, music doc It Might Get Loud, and the first Academy screener, Anvil! The Story of Anvil.
Here are the films that made it to the top 15:
The Beaches of Agnes
Burma VJ
The Cove
Every Little Step
Facing Ali
Food, Inc.
Garbage Dreams
Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders
The Most Dangerous...
The list includes a few popular titles, like dolphin activist film The Cove and healthy advocate Food, Inc., but several prominent docs were eliminated. Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story was snubbed, along with James Toback candid biopic of “Iron” Mike Tyson, music doc It Might Get Loud, and the first Academy screener, Anvil! The Story of Anvil.
Here are the films that made it to the top 15:
The Beaches of Agnes
Burma VJ
The Cove
Every Little Step
Facing Ali
Food, Inc.
Garbage Dreams
Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders
The Most Dangerous...
- 11/19/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the 15 films in the Documentary Feature category that will advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards. Eighty-nine pictures had originally qualified in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: The Beaches of Agnes, Agnes Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris) Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films) The Cove, Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society) Every Little Step, James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment) Facing Ali, Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.) Food, Inc., Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films) Garbage Dreams, Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.) Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC) The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications) Mugabe and the White African,...
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: The Beaches of Agnes, Agnes Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris) Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films) The Cove, Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society) Every Little Step, James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment) Facing Ali, Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.) Food, Inc., Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films) Garbage Dreams, Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.) Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC) The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications) Mugabe and the White African,...
- 11/19/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 15 semi-finalists in the 2010 Academy Awards’ Documentary Feature category. Eighty-nine films had been in the running. The 15 documentary feature semi-finalists are: The Beaches of Agnes, Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris) Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films) The Cove, Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society) Every Little Step, James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment) Facing Ali, Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.) Food, Inc., Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films) Garbage Dreams, Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.) Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC) The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Judith Ehrlich [...]...
- 11/19/2009
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Oscar organizers joined the MTV generation on Wednesday, naming Hamish Hamilton as director of March's movie awards ceremony, and they also unveiled their shortlist of films vying for a best documentary nomination.British-born Hamilton, 43, is a first-time Oscar director, but he is a veteran of numerous live-event programs including this year's MTV Video Music Awards, and the MTV Europe Music Awards and Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2008."His approach definitely won't feel like 'business as usual,' said one of the show's co-producers, Bill Mechanic.The Oscars, given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are the second most-watched U.S. television show after professional football's Super Bowl. The ceremony also is seen in some 200 countries worldwide.But viewership has been in a general decline for many years due to the growing number of honors programs, among other reasons. As a result, Oscar organizers have tried to liven up their show,...
- 11/18/2009
- Filmicafe
Of the 89 documentary films eligible for Oscar consideration this year, 15 were selected for a short list of potential nominees, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.Some of the year's most popular documentary features were overlooked, including Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story." The R-rated film was praised by critics and earned more than $14 million at the box office.Also omitted from Oscar consideration was the well-reviewed Mike Tyson documentary "Tyson," the rock-doc "It Might Get Loud," and the story of Vogue magazine and its editor-in-chief, "The September Issue."The short list of films is determined by a committee of members of the academy's documentary branch. They watch all eligible contenders and vote for their favorites by secret ballot. The top vote-getters make the short list of potential nominees.The selections this year are "The Beaches of...
- 11/18/2009
- Filmicafe
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has shortlisted 15 films that will advance in the race for the documentary feature category, culled down from 89 films that originally qualified.
The titles include the work of veteran French director Agnes Varda, "The Beaches of Agnes"; "Every Little Step," James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo's doc about the making of a revival of "A Chorus Line"; Robert Kenner's expose of the food industry, "Food Inc."; and Matt Tyrnauer's fashion doc "Valentino, the Last Emperor."
Not listed were such prominent titles as Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" and James Toback's "Tyson."
The 15 films are:
-- "The Beaches of Agnes," Agnes Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
-- "Burma VJ," Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
-- "The Cove," Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
-- "Every Little Step," James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment)
-- "Facing Ali,...
The titles include the work of veteran French director Agnes Varda, "The Beaches of Agnes"; "Every Little Step," James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo's doc about the making of a revival of "A Chorus Line"; Robert Kenner's expose of the food industry, "Food Inc."; and Matt Tyrnauer's fashion doc "Valentino, the Last Emperor."
Not listed were such prominent titles as Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" and James Toback's "Tyson."
The 15 films are:
-- "The Beaches of Agnes," Agnes Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
-- "Burma VJ," Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
-- "The Cove," Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
-- "Every Little Step," James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment)
-- "Facing Ali,...
- 11/18/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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