If you look at our official racetrack odds, you’d see that the short film, “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl),” is thought to be far out front for this year’s prize for Best Documentary Short. The odds that are displayed there are taken from the forecasts made by our Expert film journalists, Gold Derby Editors, Top 24 Users and the thousands of regular Gold Derby readers making their predictions at home.
But could another one of this year’s nominees sneak in and pull off an upset? Are there any other shorts that is more of a traditional fit for the Oscars? Below, let’s take a closer look at all five of this year’s nominated short documentaries, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
See Oscars Upsets: 24 Potential Surprise Winners To Watch For
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You...
But could another one of this year’s nominees sneak in and pull off an upset? Are there any other shorts that is more of a traditional fit for the Oscars? Below, let’s take a closer look at all five of this year’s nominated short documentaries, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
See Oscars Upsets: 24 Potential Surprise Winners To Watch For
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You...
- 2/9/2020
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
The Oscar-nominated documentary shorts are not now, nor have they ever been, a laughing matter. But the joke that gets told most often, which has a nugget of truth in it, is that they frequently represent the grimmest category of any given year at the Academy Awards.
Recent nominees have vividly, heartbreakingly illustrated end-of-life care, the opioid crisis, the plight of refugees, systemic racism in the criminal justice system, and the Holocaust. These are not, generally speaking, films that you can idly eat popcorn to.
This year’s nominees, which occupy their own theatrical program this week via ShortsTV, also tackle heavy subjects and will also make any halfway-present audience member ponder important issues of the day. And yet, somehow, they’re a little less brain-meltingly sad than usual.
Also Read: Oscar Short Nominees Discuss Creating Fiction From Bits of Reality
Which says a little more about the nominations from...
Recent nominees have vividly, heartbreakingly illustrated end-of-life care, the opioid crisis, the plight of refugees, systemic racism in the criminal justice system, and the Holocaust. These are not, generally speaking, films that you can idly eat popcorn to.
This year’s nominees, which occupy their own theatrical program this week via ShortsTV, also tackle heavy subjects and will also make any halfway-present audience member ponder important issues of the day. And yet, somehow, they’re a little less brain-meltingly sad than usual.
Also Read: Oscar Short Nominees Discuss Creating Fiction From Bits of Reality
Which says a little more about the nominations from...
- 1/29/2020
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Filmmaker Todd Phillips' "Joker", an origin story about superhero Batman's biggest enemy Joker, led the Oscar nominations with 11 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.
Sam Mendes' World War drama "1917", Quentin Tarantino's ode to Los Angeles "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood", and Martin Scorsese's mob epic "The Irishman" followed close behind with 10 nods each.
Also Read:?Joaquin Phoenix's 'Joker' leads BAFTA 2020 nominations
Those films, along with "Ford v Ferrari", "Jojo Rabbit", "Little Women", "Marriage Story" and "Parasite" will compete for Best Picture, reports variety.com.
Female filmmakers were entirely shut out of the Best Director race. Along with Phillips, the nominees in the category include Scorsese for "The Irishman," Mendes for "1917", Tarantino for "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" and Bong Joon Ho for "Parasite".
Here is the complete list of Oscar nominations 2020:
Best Film:
* "Ford v Ferrari"
* "The Irishman...
Sam Mendes' World War drama "1917", Quentin Tarantino's ode to Los Angeles "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood", and Martin Scorsese's mob epic "The Irishman" followed close behind with 10 nods each.
Also Read:?Joaquin Phoenix's 'Joker' leads BAFTA 2020 nominations
Those films, along with "Ford v Ferrari", "Jojo Rabbit", "Little Women", "Marriage Story" and "Parasite" will compete for Best Picture, reports variety.com.
Female filmmakers were entirely shut out of the Best Director race. Along with Phillips, the nominees in the category include Scorsese for "The Irishman," Mendes for "1917", Tarantino for "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" and Bong Joon Ho for "Parasite".
Here is the complete list of Oscar nominations 2020:
Best Film:
* "Ford v Ferrari"
* "The Irishman...
- 1/14/2020
- GlamSham
The 32nd International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) opened Wednesday with gender parity, inclusion, and young talent front and center.
Twenty-one year-old Canadian-Vietnamese director Carol Nguyen — whose short “No Crying at the Dinner Table” screens at the festival — kicked off the evening, reflecting Idfa’s commitment to young talent and women filmmakers. Nguyen said that she was optimistic about the position of women in film.
“Within the last few years alone, we have seen a rise of diverse representation in mainstream media,” Nguyen said. “Society and our audiences are more conscious than ever about the lack of gender and racial parity in film. Film festivals have even set gender parity goals for themselves. We are all demanding it.” Nguyen added that there is still a lot more work to be done, and that everyone must act together to achieve parity.
In his opening speech, Orwa Nyrabia, Idfa’s artistic director,...
Twenty-one year-old Canadian-Vietnamese director Carol Nguyen — whose short “No Crying at the Dinner Table” screens at the festival — kicked off the evening, reflecting Idfa’s commitment to young talent and women filmmakers. Nguyen said that she was optimistic about the position of women in film.
“Within the last few years alone, we have seen a rise of diverse representation in mainstream media,” Nguyen said. “Society and our audiences are more conscious than ever about the lack of gender and racial parity in film. Film festivals have even set gender parity goals for themselves. We are all demanding it.” Nguyen added that there is still a lot more work to be done, and that everyone must act together to achieve parity.
In his opening speech, Orwa Nyrabia, Idfa’s artistic director,...
- 11/20/2019
- by Damon Wise and Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Shoring up artistic director Orwa Nyrabia’s commitment to showcasing more women’s stories and platforming more women’s voices, Idfa has announced that this year’s festival features the highest percentage of female filmmakers in the event’s 31-year history: 64% of competition titles and 47% of the total program.
“Reaching a fairer representation was much easier than it seemed to be,” noted Nyrabia. “We only had to keep our goal in mind. The outstanding films that found their way to us this year was a humble reminder that we are in the presence of exceptional female filmmakers.”
The festival opens with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s “Sunless Shadows,” which depicts five young Iranian women complicit in the murders of abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law. Oskouei’s film competes in the Feature-Length Documentary Competition alongside Jørgen Leth’s “I Walk”; Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández’s “In a...
“Reaching a fairer representation was much easier than it seemed to be,” noted Nyrabia. “We only had to keep our goal in mind. The outstanding films that found their way to us this year was a humble reminder that we are in the presence of exceptional female filmmakers.”
The festival opens with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s “Sunless Shadows,” which depicts five young Iranian women complicit in the murders of abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law. Oskouei’s film competes in the Feature-Length Documentary Competition alongside Jørgen Leth’s “I Walk”; Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández’s “In a...
- 10/24/2019
- by Damon Wise
- Variety Film + TV
Doc NYC unveiled the winners for their ninth annual festival. A Little Wisdom, Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground and Short In the Absence won gran jury prizes while Out of Omaha nabbed the Audience Award. This year’s Doc NYC kicked off November 8 and concludes on the 15. The winners were announced tonight during a ceremony at the Flatiron Room in Manhattan.
This year’s event included 137 feature-length films with a late addition of the world premiere of the Aretha Franklin concert film Amazing Grace. It also featured 93 short documentaries. Three juries selected films from each of the festival’s Viewfinders, Metropolis and Shorts sections to recognize for their outstanding achievements in form and content. The audience casted their votes for the Doc NYC Audience Award from the Viewfinders and Metropolis sections, and a panel of industry professionals voted to select the winner of this year’s Doc NYC Pro Pitch Perfect Award,...
This year’s event included 137 feature-length films with a late addition of the world premiere of the Aretha Franklin concert film Amazing Grace. It also featured 93 short documentaries. Three juries selected films from each of the festival’s Viewfinders, Metropolis and Shorts sections to recognize for their outstanding achievements in form and content. The audience casted their votes for the Doc NYC Audience Award from the Viewfinders and Metropolis sections, and a panel of industry professionals voted to select the winner of this year’s Doc NYC Pro Pitch Perfect Award,...
- 11/14/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The falling leaves are a sure sign it’s now the beginning of awards season, with Oscar short lists starting to leak out, Ida Awards prepping their program and the Emmy’s already handing out golden statues. Also, on the festival circuit this month we have a whole host of big lineup announcements coming from a hefty set of acronym loving non-fiction fests the world over, from Cph:dox and Doc NYC, to Idfa and Ridm. Best of Fests Docs is a monthly snapshot of the films and filmmakers that are the make-up of the docu film festival and awards circuit. Check out the full rundown below:
Cph:dox - Denmark – November 6th-16th
The festival, also known as Copenhagen International Documentary Festival , has announced its 2014 lineup, which was guest curated this year by Citizenfour director Laura Poitras. Over 200 films (with the likes of Robert Greene’s Actress, Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence,...
Cph:dox - Denmark – November 6th-16th
The festival, also known as Copenhagen International Documentary Festival , has announced its 2014 lineup, which was guest curated this year by Citizenfour director Laura Poitras. Over 200 films (with the likes of Robert Greene’s Actress, Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence,...
- 10/28/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
More than 80 documentaries to receive world premieres.
The line-up for the 27th Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) has been unveiled.
A total of 298 titles, selected from 3,200 submissions, will be screened from Nov 19-30 in Amsterdam - of which 81 will receive their world premiere.
This year, a special themed programme, titled The Female Gaze, is dedicated to the role of women in documentary.
Another strand, Of Media and Men, will focus on how opinions are shaped within a democracy through the media.
This year’s Top 10 is provided by Heddy Honigmann, and a retrospective of her work will also be screening. Her film, Around the World in 50 Concerts, opens this year’s Idfa and also plays in Competition.
Idfa and Eye, the Netherlands national museum for film, will be present a joint themed programme concentrating on hybrid film: Framing Reality.
The festival’s main locations will once again be Pathé Tuschinski, Pathé de Munt...
The line-up for the 27th Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) has been unveiled.
A total of 298 titles, selected from 3,200 submissions, will be screened from Nov 19-30 in Amsterdam - of which 81 will receive their world premiere.
This year, a special themed programme, titled The Female Gaze, is dedicated to the role of women in documentary.
Another strand, Of Media and Men, will focus on how opinions are shaped within a democracy through the media.
This year’s Top 10 is provided by Heddy Honigmann, and a retrospective of her work will also be screening. Her film, Around the World in 50 Concerts, opens this year’s Idfa and also plays in Competition.
Idfa and Eye, the Netherlands national museum for film, will be present a joint themed programme concentrating on hybrid film: Framing Reality.
The festival’s main locations will once again be Pathé Tuschinski, Pathé de Munt...
- 10/10/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Communication Studies: Seung-Jun Offers Space Tourism of a Different Kind
We take our senses for granted. Trapped in the silent darkness of his own existence, deaf-blind Korean poet Young-Chan experiences the world mostly through touch. His wife, Soon-Ho, also has a disability. Her back issues have stopped her vertical growth, stunting her just above the height of her husband’s waist. Though their disabilities have brought them together, as a team they overcome their hardships in beautiful, and surprising ways. After detailing the conditions of the suppressed Nepalese people in Children of God, docu-helmer Yi Seung-jun returns with yet another subtle story of human triumph in the face of extreme adversity with the sublime, Idfa Award-winning, Planet of Snail.
Exploring the experience of a man who can’t hear or see, in a medium he physically can’t perceive, is an intrepid undertaking, but Seung-jun has conveyed the feeling quite gracefully.
We take our senses for granted. Trapped in the silent darkness of his own existence, deaf-blind Korean poet Young-Chan experiences the world mostly through touch. His wife, Soon-Ho, also has a disability. Her back issues have stopped her vertical growth, stunting her just above the height of her husband’s waist. Though their disabilities have brought them together, as a team they overcome their hardships in beautiful, and surprising ways. After detailing the conditions of the suppressed Nepalese people in Children of God, docu-helmer Yi Seung-jun returns with yet another subtle story of human triumph in the face of extreme adversity with the sublime, Idfa Award-winning, Planet of Snail.
Exploring the experience of a man who can’t hear or see, in a medium he physically can’t perceive, is an intrepid undertaking, but Seung-jun has conveyed the feeling quite gracefully.
- 7/24/2012
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Silent Souls (15)
(Aleksei Fedorchenko, 2010, Rus) Igor Sergeev, Yuriy Tsurilo, Yuliya Aug. 78 mins
Even by Russian standards, this lyrical road movie is a strange world of its own. It's a journey back in time, as much as across a remote landscape, with a friend helping his boss to give his deceased wife her last rites, according to their ancient tribal ways. Along the drive, we're steeped in strange folklore involving vodka, rivers, small birds and ornamental pubic hair. Is it for real? Or an elaborate joke told with a very straight face? Does it matter?
The Five Year Engagement (15)
(Nicholas Stoller, 2012, Us) Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Chris Pratt. 124 mins
The obstacle to true love is built into the title of this romcom, but it's at least smartly handled, as high-flyer Blunt keeps her fiance in perpetual limbo.
Where Do We Go Now? (12A)
(Nadine Labaki, 2011, Fra/Leb/Egy/Ita) Claude Baz Moussawbaa,...
(Aleksei Fedorchenko, 2010, Rus) Igor Sergeev, Yuriy Tsurilo, Yuliya Aug. 78 mins
Even by Russian standards, this lyrical road movie is a strange world of its own. It's a journey back in time, as much as across a remote landscape, with a friend helping his boss to give his deceased wife her last rites, according to their ancient tribal ways. Along the drive, we're steeped in strange folklore involving vodka, rivers, small birds and ornamental pubic hair. Is it for real? Or an elaborate joke told with a very straight face? Does it matter?
The Five Year Engagement (15)
(Nicholas Stoller, 2012, Us) Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Chris Pratt. 124 mins
The obstacle to true love is built into the title of this romcom, but it's at least smartly handled, as high-flyer Blunt keeps her fiance in perpetual limbo.
Where Do We Go Now? (12A)
(Nadine Labaki, 2011, Fra/Leb/Egy/Ita) Claude Baz Moussawbaa,...
- 6/22/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
While a documentary about a deaf-blind man coping with life could very easily come from the miserabilist school of filmmaking, Yi Seung-jun’s Planet of Snail is very much the converse. The first image, of afflicted Young-Chan flying a kite, is telling, for despite his tragic condition, the joy on his face is unmistakable, and something many of us blessed with a full set of senses can aspire to.
The lack of narration makes his situation a little mystifying at first, and you might not even immediately realise that he is deaf, as his wife’s communication method – of tapping on his fingers like a keyboard – is so alien to anyone not in that position. She herself is beset by a painful spine condition, such that the two must make do, using their strengths and weaknesses in tandem to get through the day.
While the little-and-large...
While a documentary about a deaf-blind man coping with life could very easily come from the miserabilist school of filmmaking, Yi Seung-jun’s Planet of Snail is very much the converse. The first image, of afflicted Young-Chan flying a kite, is telling, for despite his tragic condition, the joy on his face is unmistakable, and something many of us blessed with a full set of senses can aspire to.
The lack of narration makes his situation a little mystifying at first, and you might not even immediately realise that he is deaf, as his wife’s communication method – of tapping on his fingers like a keyboard – is so alien to anyone not in that position. She herself is beset by a painful spine condition, such that the two must make do, using their strengths and weaknesses in tandem to get through the day.
While the little-and-large...
- 6/19/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
★★★★☆ South Korean director Yi Seung-jun's heartfelt documentary Planet of Snail (2011) presents the moving tale of Young-Chan, a soulful individual who lost both his sight and hearing as a child and since then has only been able to communicate through his sense of touch. Fortunately for Young-Chan, he met his wife Soon-Ho, also disabled but with perfect sight and hearing, who aids him daily.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 6/19/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
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