Dawn Porter’s documentary about R&b icon Luther Vandross, “Luther: Never Too Much,” has been acquired by CNN Films in partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), IndieWire can reveal exclusively.
The documentary film, which first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will debut in 2025 first on television on CNN and OWN before it lands on Max.
The acquisition is encouraging news for CNN Films, which back in 2022 under former boss Chris Licht scaled back on its original documentary films. The brand moved away from acquisitions or commissioning projects and opted instead for newsy, quick turnaround docs produced in-house.
But CNN Films also partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios on this fall’s release of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” so the two acquisitions, both from this year’s Sundance, is a positive step forward for the documentary brand.
“Luther: Never Too Much” chronicles the story of a vocal virtuoso,...
The documentary film, which first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will debut in 2025 first on television on CNN and OWN before it lands on Max.
The acquisition is encouraging news for CNN Films, which back in 2022 under former boss Chris Licht scaled back on its original documentary films. The brand moved away from acquisitions or commissioning projects and opted instead for newsy, quick turnaround docs produced in-house.
But CNN Films also partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios on this fall’s release of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” so the two acquisitions, both from this year’s Sundance, is a positive step forward for the documentary brand.
“Luther: Never Too Much” chronicles the story of a vocal virtuoso,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
As a proud Brooklynite, composer Tamar-kali will often walk around her neighborhood and see a mural of America’s first Black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Other times, she’ll take a walk around the Shirley Chisholm State Park and be reminded of an incredible legacy.
Chisholm’s story is the subject of “Shirley,” a new film produced by and starring Regina King, directed by John Ridley and coming to Netflix on March 22. It is one that Tamar-kali is proud to tell through music. Her score was a suite of themes generated around Chisholm’s relationships with underpinnings of determination, ambition and, most importantly, her love of country. “She was a disruptor,” Tamar-kali says.
The film follows Chisholm in the late ’60s into the early ‘70s when she goes on the campaign trail, seeking the presidential nomination. “I hadn’t used a wider palette compared to my previous films ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble...
Chisholm’s story is the subject of “Shirley,” a new film produced by and starring Regina King, directed by John Ridley and coming to Netflix on March 22. It is one that Tamar-kali is proud to tell through music. Her score was a suite of themes generated around Chisholm’s relationships with underpinnings of determination, ambition and, most importantly, her love of country. “She was a disruptor,” Tamar-kali says.
The film follows Chisholm in the late ’60s into the early ‘70s when she goes on the campaign trail, seeking the presidential nomination. “I hadn’t used a wider palette compared to my previous films ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble...
- 3/7/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The annual NBC TV Writers Program from NBCU Launch is welcoming its 2024-25 class selected from a pool of 2,100 applicants: Bryce Cracknell, Domonic Diaz-Smith, Bixby Elliott, Helen Fernandez, Maia Henkin, Neda Jebelli, David Loong and Sebastián Rea.
NBCU Launch is the umbrella brand that houses the comprehensive inclusion efforts across NBCUniversal’s entertainment TV portfolio. The program was created to help develop emerging episodic TV writers whose distinct points of view and lived experiences provide unique perspectives to the writers’ room. It prepares writers to be staffed on scripted series with the long-term goal of developing the next generation of showrunners.
The NBC TV Writers Program includes talent from various socio-economic backgrounds, geographic locations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community and veterans, among other communities.
The new class will develop an original pilot under the mentorship and guidance of NBCU programming executives. They will participate...
NBCU Launch is the umbrella brand that houses the comprehensive inclusion efforts across NBCUniversal’s entertainment TV portfolio. The program was created to help develop emerging episodic TV writers whose distinct points of view and lived experiences provide unique perspectives to the writers’ room. It prepares writers to be staffed on scripted series with the long-term goal of developing the next generation of showrunners.
The NBC TV Writers Program includes talent from various socio-economic backgrounds, geographic locations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community and veterans, among other communities.
The new class will develop an original pilot under the mentorship and guidance of NBCU programming executives. They will participate...
- 2/29/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
When American soul and R&b icon Luther Vandross sang, he didn’t just produce beautiful musical sounds. He caressed and coddled each note with his famously velvety tenor voice, considering where to linger, when to whisper, or to gradually crescendo with an impeccable and ever-influential technique. In other words, he didn’t only sing, but created something ethereal, something that both pushed the form and felt like it gently poured straight out of his soul.
Considering the stamp he put on the American music industry, it feels strange that there hasn’t yet been a definitive documentary about Vandross’ unsung legacy until Dawn Porter’s “Luther: Never Too Much,” which had its world premiere recently at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. But that delay is perhaps fortuitous — after experiencing Porter’s loving portrait of the virtuosic musician, producer, and songwriter, you can’t imagine Vandross’ story being told by anyone else.
Considering the stamp he put on the American music industry, it feels strange that there hasn’t yet been a definitive documentary about Vandross’ unsung legacy until Dawn Porter’s “Luther: Never Too Much,” which had its world premiere recently at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. But that delay is perhaps fortuitous — after experiencing Porter’s loving portrait of the virtuosic musician, producer, and songwriter, you can’t imagine Vandross’ story being told by anyone else.
- 1/26/2024
- by Tomris Laffly
- Indiewire
When award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter — who directed the upcoming Luther Vandross documentary Luther: Never Too Much — thinks of her favorite song by the legendary singer, she selects “So Amazing,” the timeless track he wrote and produced for Dionne Warwick and later recorded himself.
But then she pauses. “I think it’s hard for me because I’m very attached to some scenes right now,” she says. Then she speaks about “Any Love,” Vandross’ autobiographical song about wanting to find the one and the sadness behind being alone. The track topped the R&b charts in the late ’80s.
“I really wanted him to be able to tell you his story as much as possible, so how do you do that with someone who’s not with us? A lot of that was thinking about the lyrics. [On] ‘Any Love,’ he was just endlessly frustrated with the absence of a romantic partner in his life,...
But then she pauses. “I think it’s hard for me because I’m very attached to some scenes right now,” she says. Then she speaks about “Any Love,” Vandross’ autobiographical song about wanting to find the one and the sadness behind being alone. The track topped the R&b charts in the late ’80s.
“I really wanted him to be able to tell you his story as much as possible, so how do you do that with someone who’s not with us? A lot of that was thinking about the lyrics. [On] ‘Any Love,’ he was just endlessly frustrated with the absence of a romantic partner in his life,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stuart Ford’s AGC Television has boarded the series adaptation of F.G. Haghenbeck’s novel, ‘Primavera del Mal’ (‘The Spring of Evil’) alongside Mexican-American filmmaker Fernando Lebrija of Cielo Content and Irreversible Pictures.
To be retitled “Amapola,” the upcoming historical drama series is set in the early 20th century when the Chinese held sway over the drug trade along the Mexican-u.S. border.
In the world of illicit trade, adopted siblings Raul Duval and Miguel Ying have successfully grown their family’s opium enterprise. Their ambitions now extend beyond mere cultivation as they seek to broaden their reach and increase their political influence. However, their aspirations take an unexpected turn when American mobster Bugsy Siegel arrives in Mexico City, offering them a golden opportunity.
Situated strategically between Nogales, Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona, the Ying family steers their course through the treacherous waters of the drug trade bridging Mexico and the U.
To be retitled “Amapola,” the upcoming historical drama series is set in the early 20th century when the Chinese held sway over the drug trade along the Mexican-u.S. border.
In the world of illicit trade, adopted siblings Raul Duval and Miguel Ying have successfully grown their family’s opium enterprise. Their ambitions now extend beyond mere cultivation as they seek to broaden their reach and increase their political influence. However, their aspirations take an unexpected turn when American mobster Bugsy Siegel arrives in Mexico City, offering them a golden opportunity.
Situated strategically between Nogales, Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona, the Ying family steers their course through the treacherous waters of the drug trade bridging Mexico and the U.
- 10/17/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The 123 hours of audiotapes that Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson recorded during her husband’s wholly unexpected tenure in the White House capture five of the most fraught and productive years of the American presidency from a front-row vantage point. Her observations, some held sealed until as late as 2017, were a core resource for Julia Sweig’s biography Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight. Based on that book and Sweig’s subsequent podcast, Dawn Porter’s sympathetic and involving documentary furthers the argument that Lady Bird made the most of a vaguely defined role, embarking on advocacy projects that were ahead of their time while providing crucial support and counsel to Lbj.
A director who has explored the American political landscape in stand-alone docs (Gideon’s Army, John Lewis: Good Trouble) and series (Bobby Kennedy for President), Porter casts a fresh light on a well-trod period of recent history. Beyond the first lady’s recordings,...
A director who has explored the American political landscape in stand-alone docs (Gideon’s Army, John Lewis: Good Trouble) and series (Bobby Kennedy for President), Porter casts a fresh light on a well-trod period of recent history. Beyond the first lady’s recordings,...
- 3/11/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dawn Porter is a filmmaker whose latest project “The Lady Bird Diaries,” an all-archival documentary about Lady Bird Johnson, former First Lady of the United States, will debut at the SXSW Film Festival. Her four-part docuseries “Supreme” explores the history of the United States Supreme Court and the legal battles that have shaped America. Porter’s other projects include the next installment of the civil rights series “Eyes on the Prize” for HBO.
Throughout the month of February, Variety will publish essays from prominent Black artists, artisans and entertainment figures celebrating the impact of Black entertainment and entertainers on the world at large.
During Lyndon B. Johnson’s five years as President of the United States, Lady Bird Johnson recorded 123 hours of audio recordings meant to reflect on her time as First Lady. In my latest film, “The Lady Bird Diaries,” we find an astute political observer and strategist who...
Throughout the month of February, Variety will publish essays from prominent Black artists, artisans and entertainment figures celebrating the impact of Black entertainment and entertainers on the world at large.
During Lyndon B. Johnson’s five years as President of the United States, Lady Bird Johnson recorded 123 hours of audio recordings meant to reflect on her time as First Lady. In my latest film, “The Lady Bird Diaries,” we find an astute political observer and strategist who...
- 2/27/2023
- by Dawn Porter
- Variety Film + TV
NBC Celebrates Carol Burnett’s Birthday With ‘90 Years of Laughter + Love’ Special (TV News Roundup)
NBC has announced a new special, “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love,” to pay tribute to the comedy icon on her birthday.
Taking place at the Avalon Hollywood, the two-hour special will bring together Burnett’s friends, colleagues and admirers with personal tributes and musical performances.
“I’m so excited NBC decided to throw me a birthday party and invited all of my closest friends,” Burnett said in a statement. “I can’t wait to look back at so many wonderful moments throughout my career, I feel so lucky to share this night with everyone.”
Musical guests include Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch, Katy Perry and Kristin Chenoweth, who will perform numbers such as “Old Friends,” “Only an Octave Apart,” “Sills and Burnett at the Met” and “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together,” as well as songs from “Annie.”
Other birthday party guests include Aileen Quinn,...
Taking place at the Avalon Hollywood, the two-hour special will bring together Burnett’s friends, colleagues and admirers with personal tributes and musical performances.
“I’m so excited NBC decided to throw me a birthday party and invited all of my closest friends,” Burnett said in a statement. “I can’t wait to look back at so many wonderful moments throughout my career, I feel so lucky to share this night with everyone.”
Musical guests include Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch, Katy Perry and Kristin Chenoweth, who will perform numbers such as “Old Friends,” “Only an Octave Apart,” “Sills and Burnett at the Met” and “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together,” as well as songs from “Annie.”
Other birthday party guests include Aileen Quinn,...
- 1/28/2023
- by Julia MacCary and Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s G-Unit Film & Television has optioned Christopher Priest’s DC comic Xerø for development alongside Color Farm Media as a live-action film with an eye on a franchise.
Based on Priest and ChrisCross’s DC Comics series, the film follows a Black government assassin who weaponizes invisibility by disguising himself as a white man to blend anonymously into the exotic Casino Royale haunts of the international elite. Spanning the gulf between that and the disenfranchised city streets of East St. Louis, Illinois, Trane Walker is a man living in two worlds but taking ownership of neither. Xerø tells the story of his moral awakening and the life-and-death perils it presents.
G-Unit Film & Television will produce the upcoming adaptation alongside Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon for Color Farm, and Joseph Illidge, who serves as CEO of the newly-launched production and publishing company, Illuminous.
“There’s no...
Based on Priest and ChrisCross’s DC Comics series, the film follows a Black government assassin who weaponizes invisibility by disguising himself as a white man to blend anonymously into the exotic Casino Royale haunts of the international elite. Spanning the gulf between that and the disenfranchised city streets of East St. Louis, Illinois, Trane Walker is a man living in two worlds but taking ownership of neither. Xerø tells the story of his moral awakening and the life-and-death perils it presents.
G-Unit Film & Television will produce the upcoming adaptation alongside Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon for Color Farm, and Joseph Illidge, who serves as CEO of the newly-launched production and publishing company, Illuminous.
“There’s no...
- 2/18/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Betsy West and Julie Cohen, the filmmaking team behind “Rbg” and “Julia,” have found their next project.
The duo will partner on “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down,” a look at the former congresswoman’s courage and perseverance in the aftermath of a 2021 assassination attempt the left her partially paralyzed and with the language impairment, aphasia. In total, 13 people were wounded and six were killed in the attack, including a 9-year-old girl.
The directors have been granted access to home movies that were taken at the hospital. It will also include current-day cinema verité footage documenting Gifford’s painstaking recovery from a gunshot to her head and emergence as one of America’s most passionate and powerful advocates for gun violence prevention.
The filmmakers tell a more personal story, as Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly gives up his job as a NASA astronaut to support his wife’s recovery, before launching...
The duo will partner on “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down,” a look at the former congresswoman’s courage and perseverance in the aftermath of a 2021 assassination attempt the left her partially paralyzed and with the language impairment, aphasia. In total, 13 people were wounded and six were killed in the attack, including a 9-year-old girl.
The directors have been granted access to home movies that were taken at the hospital. It will also include current-day cinema verité footage documenting Gifford’s painstaking recovery from a gunshot to her head and emergence as one of America’s most passionate and powerful advocates for gun violence prevention.
The filmmakers tell a more personal story, as Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly gives up his job as a NASA astronaut to support his wife’s recovery, before launching...
- 1/26/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-nominated Rbg directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen are to tell the extraordinary story of U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ remarkable perseverance following an assassination attempt.
West and Cohen are teaming once again on Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down from CNN Films, Time Studios, Storyville Films and Lisa Erspamer Entertainment.
Giffords was the target of an assassination attempt 10 years ago, during which 13 people were wounded and six were killed, and the attempt left her with partial paralysis and the language impairment, aphasia.
Home movies taken at the hospital, and current-day cinema verité filming, show Giffords’ painstaking and miraculous recovery from a gunshot to her head, and her path to becoming one of America’s most effective advocates for gun violence prevention. The filmmakers also capture a remarkable love story. Nine years after Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly gave up his job as a NASA astronaut to support his wife’s recovery,...
West and Cohen are teaming once again on Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down from CNN Films, Time Studios, Storyville Films and Lisa Erspamer Entertainment.
Giffords was the target of an assassination attempt 10 years ago, during which 13 people were wounded and six were killed, and the attempt left her with partial paralysis and the language impairment, aphasia.
Home movies taken at the hospital, and current-day cinema verité filming, show Giffords’ painstaking and miraculous recovery from a gunshot to her head, and her path to becoming one of America’s most effective advocates for gun violence prevention. The filmmakers also capture a remarkable love story. Nine years after Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly gave up his job as a NASA astronaut to support his wife’s recovery,...
- 1/26/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
This year at the Sundance Film Festival, three feature documentaries — Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee’s “Aftershock,” Reid Davenport’s “I Didn’t See You There” and Isabel Castro’s “Mija” — share in common a $10,000 grant provided by the Points North Institute and CNN Films’ American Stories Documentary Fund.
Launched in 2020, the fund underwritten by CNN has dispensed a total of $100,000 in grants to emerging U.S. filmmakers working on 10 documentary projects that highlight pivotal moments in America. Eiselt and Lewis Lee’s “Aftershock,” and Davenport’s “I Didn’t See You There” are two of nine films in the Sundance U.S. Documentary Competition program, while Castro’s “Mija” is featured in the festival’s Next program. “Aftershock” addresses the U.S. maternal health crisis, “I Didn’t See You There” examines the discrimination people with disabilities face throughout the country, and “Mija” explores America’s immigration issues via music manager Doris Muñoz.
Launched in 2020, the fund underwritten by CNN has dispensed a total of $100,000 in grants to emerging U.S. filmmakers working on 10 documentary projects that highlight pivotal moments in America. Eiselt and Lewis Lee’s “Aftershock,” and Davenport’s “I Didn’t See You There” are two of nine films in the Sundance U.S. Documentary Competition program, while Castro’s “Mija” is featured in the festival’s Next program. “Aftershock” addresses the U.S. maternal health crisis, “I Didn’t See You There” examines the discrimination people with disabilities face throughout the country, and “Mija” explores America’s immigration issues via music manager Doris Muñoz.
- 1/25/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has greenlighted Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, a near real-time docuseries following the September launch and mission of the first all-civilian flight crew aboard the SpaceX capsule. The docuseries hails from Time Studios, The Last Dance director Jason Hehir, Known and Connor Schell and Chernin Entertainment’s Words & Pictures. Additionally, Netflix will premiere StoryBots Space Adventure, a hybrid live-action animation special for kids and families to watch together before the mission.
The privately chartered space flight funded, led and commanded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, is also intended to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, will be joined by Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude and pediatric cancer survivor; Christopher Sembroski, a former member of the U.S. Air Force who served in Iraq and now works as a Lockheed Martin engineer, and Sian Proctor,...
The privately chartered space flight funded, led and commanded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, is also intended to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, will be joined by Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude and pediatric cancer survivor; Christopher Sembroski, a former member of the U.S. Air Force who served in Iraq and now works as a Lockheed Martin engineer, and Sian Proctor,...
- 8/3/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Mr. Soul! director/writer Melissa Haizlip on telling the story of Ellis Haizlip, co-creator and host of the groundbreaking program Soul!: “To really understand who he was as a regular person, also to understand his ambition as somewhat of an unsung hero and a queer icon and a broadcast pioneer.”
The impressive list of the 2021 NAACP Image Awards includes double winners Viola Davis (George C Wolfe’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Peter Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes’s How To Get Away With Murder) and Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods), Dawn Porter’s John Lewis: Good Trouble (Documentary), Barack Obama’s A Promised Land (Nonfiction), Walter Mosley’s The Awkward Black Man (Fiction), Eddie Murphy (Hall of Fame Award), and Melissa Haizlip’s Mr. Soul!.
Melissa Haizlip with Anne-Katrin Titze on Ellis Haizlip and Mr. Soul!: “We were always aware how big the story was,...
The impressive list of the 2021 NAACP Image Awards includes double winners Viola Davis (George C Wolfe’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Peter Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes’s How To Get Away With Murder) and Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods), Dawn Porter’s John Lewis: Good Trouble (Documentary), Barack Obama’s A Promised Land (Nonfiction), Walter Mosley’s The Awkward Black Man (Fiction), Eddie Murphy (Hall of Fame Award), and Melissa Haizlip’s Mr. Soul!.
Melissa Haizlip with Anne-Katrin Titze on Ellis Haizlip and Mr. Soul!: “We were always aware how big the story was,...
- 7/31/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
PBS led all networks in nominations for the 42nd annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, landing 52 overall — thanks to the strength of signature series “Frontline,” “Independent Lens,” “Pov,” “Nova,” “PBS News Hour” and “Nature.”
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced this year’s nominees on Tuesday morning, noting that more than 2,200 submissions were entered, from content that premiered in calendar year 2020. CNN was next with 41 nods, including five each for “AC360,” CNN Films and “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” CNN Films docs earning nominations included three for “John Lewis: Good Trouble.”
When combined with various partnerships, “Frontline” landed the most nominations overall, with 19. Next in line, with 16 each, were CBS’ “60 Minutes” and Vice’s “Vice News Tonight.”
Best documentary nominations included three for PBS: Frontline’s “Once Upon A Time In Iraq,” Independent Lens’ “Belly of the Beast” and Pov’s “Advocate.” They’re up against Netflix’s “Athlete A,...
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced this year’s nominees on Tuesday morning, noting that more than 2,200 submissions were entered, from content that premiered in calendar year 2020. CNN was next with 41 nods, including five each for “AC360,” CNN Films and “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” CNN Films docs earning nominations included three for “John Lewis: Good Trouble.”
When combined with various partnerships, “Frontline” landed the most nominations overall, with 19. Next in line, with 16 each, were CBS’ “60 Minutes” and Vice’s “Vice News Tonight.”
Best documentary nominations included three for PBS: Frontline’s “Once Upon A Time In Iraq,” Independent Lens’ “Belly of the Beast” and Pov’s “Advocate.” They’re up against Netflix’s “Athlete A,...
- 7/27/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Most studios have struggled to keep high-level productions free of Covid-19 in the past year: Blockbusters such as “Mission: Impossible 7” and “The Batman” periodically paused as a result of positive cases. But AGC Studios and Centropolis’ sci-fi thriller “Moonfall” — one of the most expensive indie pics in years, with a budget of $140 million (second only to Luc Besson’s “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”) — has been wholly shot during the pandemic without any setbacks.
Directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson, “Moonfall” follows a ragtag team’s mission into space to prevent the moon, knocked off its orbit by an unknown force, from a nasty collision course with Earth. U.S. distributor Lionsgate recently set a Feb. 4 release date, and AGC will preview early material at the Cannes virtual market in late June.
“It’s fantastic for independent distributors to have a...
Directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson, “Moonfall” follows a ragtag team’s mission into space to prevent the moon, knocked off its orbit by an unknown force, from a nasty collision course with Earth. U.S. distributor Lionsgate recently set a Feb. 4 release date, and AGC will preview early material at the Cannes virtual market in late June.
“It’s fantastic for independent distributors to have a...
- 6/23/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
“Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer” begins with workers marking off patches of green grass with orange paint. The beeps of a bulldozer sounded as excavation at the Oaklawn cemetery in Tulsa, Oklahoma, got underway last summer. Forensic anthropologist had turned up data that suggested there might be a mass grave at the site. Director Dawn Porter’s insightful, chilling, often elegant documentary about the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and the other virulent outbursts of anti-Black violence that preceded it — making 1919 one of the deadliest for Black Americans at the hands of white mobs — premieres June 18 on National Geographic and Hulu.
“Rise Again” is a hard but welcome addition to a growing collection of movies and television series — fiction and nonfiction — that insists viewers reckon with the nation’s violent, anti-Black past, a past that has carried over into our present. That it begins streaming on Juneteenth — a complicated,...
“Rise Again” is a hard but welcome addition to a growing collection of movies and television series — fiction and nonfiction — that insists viewers reckon with the nation’s violent, anti-Black past, a past that has carried over into our present. That it begins streaming on Juneteenth — a complicated,...
- 6/17/2021
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety Film + TV
There were somber remembrances, news reports and TV specials of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre in which the flourishing, affluent community of Greenwood area of the city (also known as Black Wall Street)) was looted and burned by whites. The governor called in the National Guard which ended up imprisoning some 6,000 black Tulsans who hadn’t been killed or incarcerated and put them camps at the Convention Hall and fairgrounds for up to eight days. And the dead were buried in unmarked mass graves including the Oaklawn Cemetery. But Tulsa wasn’t the only massacre of blacks that took place after World War I. The summer of 1919 was so violent that Civil Rights activist and author James Weldon Brown referred to it as the Red Summer. African Americans were killed by whites in such cities as Omaha, Chicago, Washington D.C. and even Elaine, Arkansas.
A harrowing...
A harrowing...
- 6/16/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
If you’re following the buzz out of Tribeca this year, you probably know that the 20th edition of the festival will open with “In the Heights,” screening in all five boroughs. You might know that the closing night entry, an untitled concert film featuring Dave Chappelle, will take place at Radio City Music Hall with full capacity. For 12 days, from June 9 to 20, 66 feature films will screen all over the city at outdoor venues, marking one of the first big media events since New York began to reopen. But even that sizable lineup doesn’t fully encapsulate the curation on display.
For years, one of Tribeca’s strongest suits has been its immersive programming, which includes VR, Ar, and interactive experiences. As new media creators continue to create more groundbreaking work that takes advantage of cutting-edge technology, Tribeca’s programming has been at the forefront of showcasing many of the strongest examples.
For years, one of Tribeca’s strongest suits has been its immersive programming, which includes VR, Ar, and interactive experiences. As new media creators continue to create more groundbreaking work that takes advantage of cutting-edge technology, Tribeca’s programming has been at the forefront of showcasing many of the strongest examples.
- 6/8/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Apple TV+ has debuted the first trailer for the mental health docuseries featuring Prince Harry ‘The Me You Can’t See.’
Co-created by Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, that explores mental health and emotional well-being with stories from people around the world. With storytelling at its core, this timely series gives a voice to stories that aim to seek truth, understanding and compassion. It’s about people, our experiences, and why we feel the way that we do.
Participants include Lady Gaga, Glenn Close, San Antonio Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan, Phoenix Suns’ Langston Galloway (formerly of the Detroit Pistons), mental health advocate and speaker Zak Williams, Olympic boxer Virginia “Ginny” Fuchs, celebrity chef Rashad Armstead and more
The series is directed and executive produced by Emmy Award and Spirit Award nominee Dawn Porter and Academy Award and four-time BAFTA Award-winning Asif Kapadia.
Also in trailers – Nikki and Jason step up their...
Co-created by Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, that explores mental health and emotional well-being with stories from people around the world. With storytelling at its core, this timely series gives a voice to stories that aim to seek truth, understanding and compassion. It’s about people, our experiences, and why we feel the way that we do.
Participants include Lady Gaga, Glenn Close, San Antonio Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan, Phoenix Suns’ Langston Galloway (formerly of the Detroit Pistons), mental health advocate and speaker Zak Williams, Olympic boxer Virginia “Ginny” Fuchs, celebrity chef Rashad Armstead and more
The series is directed and executive produced by Emmy Award and Spirit Award nominee Dawn Porter and Academy Award and four-time BAFTA Award-winning Asif Kapadia.
Also in trailers – Nikki and Jason step up their...
- 5/18/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Company’s Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story lined up for world premiere at Tribeca in June.
AGC Studios has hired two-time Emmy winner B.J. Levin as EVP, non-fiction, to oversee the company’s development and production of non-fiction content for film and television.
Levin has worked as a producer and creative executive for more than 15 years and was most recently showrunner of FX’s Hip Hop Uncovered.
He was showrunner on HBO’s Emmy winner Vice for four seasons and has worked at networks including A&e, Bravo, BBC of Americas, Discovery, MTV, Hulu and National Geographic.
Levin will...
AGC Studios has hired two-time Emmy winner B.J. Levin as EVP, non-fiction, to oversee the company’s development and production of non-fiction content for film and television.
Levin has worked as a producer and creative executive for more than 15 years and was most recently showrunner of FX’s Hip Hop Uncovered.
He was showrunner on HBO’s Emmy winner Vice for four seasons and has worked at networks including A&e, Bravo, BBC of Americas, Discovery, MTV, Hulu and National Geographic.
Levin will...
- 5/3/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
AGC Studios has hired industry veteran B.J. Levin as executive VP of non-fiction.
In his new role, he will oversee the indie company’s development production for film and television. Those duties include continuing to build the studio’s episodic non-fiction and unscripted output, as well as the company’s feature documentary slate. He will report to AGC Television president Lourdes Diaz and founder Stuart Ford.
“We’re excited to continue expanding our non-fiction slate under Bj’s leadership. He brings focus and exceptional taste to an already talented team,” Diaz said.
Levin joins AGC Studios from NBCUniversal, where he was recently the senior VP of development and original programming. He also served as the showrunner of the FX series “Hip Hop Uncovered.” In his 15-year career, Levin has worked at several networks, including A&e, Bravo, Food Network, FX and HBO.
“I could not be more thrilled to make it official with AGC Studios.
In his new role, he will oversee the indie company’s development production for film and television. Those duties include continuing to build the studio’s episodic non-fiction and unscripted output, as well as the company’s feature documentary slate. He will report to AGC Television president Lourdes Diaz and founder Stuart Ford.
“We’re excited to continue expanding our non-fiction slate under Bj’s leadership. He brings focus and exceptional taste to an already talented team,” Diaz said.
Levin joins AGC Studios from NBCUniversal, where he was recently the senior VP of development and original programming. He also served as the showrunner of the FX series “Hip Hop Uncovered.” In his 15-year career, Levin has worked at several networks, including A&e, Bravo, Food Network, FX and HBO.
“I could not be more thrilled to make it official with AGC Studios.
- 5/3/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Dawn Porter’s Trilogy Films, the company behind feature docs including John Lewis: Good Trouble and The Way I See It, has partnered with Industrial Media.
Porter has struck an overall deal with the Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman-run firm, which is the umbrella group behind The Intellectual Property Corporation, Sharp Entertainment, B17 Entertainment, and 19 Entertainment.
It is similar to the deal that Industrial Media did last year with R.J. Cutler’s This Machine, which is behind Apple TV+’s Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry and Showtime’s Belushi.
Porter will continue to develop and produce non-scripted projects for film and television with Industrial Media’s backing. Trilogy Film’s upcoming slate includes an untitled mental health series for Apple TV+, which is executive-produced by Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry.
The two-time Sundance film festival director (left) got her start with her feature directorial debut in 2013 with Gideon’s Army,...
Porter has struck an overall deal with the Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman-run firm, which is the umbrella group behind The Intellectual Property Corporation, Sharp Entertainment, B17 Entertainment, and 19 Entertainment.
It is similar to the deal that Industrial Media did last year with R.J. Cutler’s This Machine, which is behind Apple TV+’s Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry and Showtime’s Belushi.
Porter will continue to develop and produce non-scripted projects for film and television with Industrial Media’s backing. Trilogy Film’s upcoming slate includes an untitled mental health series for Apple TV+, which is executive-produced by Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry.
The two-time Sundance film festival director (left) got her start with her feature directorial debut in 2013 with Gideon’s Army,...
- 4/28/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Dawn Porter’s Trilogy Films has inked an exclusive overall deal with Industrial Media. Trilogy, the production company behind the critically acclaimed documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” is the sixth company to partner with the independent production group. Industrial Media’s leading unscripted content production roster includes Sharp Entertainment, Ipc, B17 Entertainment, 19 Entertainment and This Machine.
Porter, the non-fiction series filmmaker that directed “Gideon’s Army” and “The Way I See It,” among others, will continue to focus on developing and producing non-scripted projects for film and television with Industrial Media’s support.
“After years of admiring the quality and character of her work, we are honored to officially partner with Dawn Porter,” Industrial’s CEO Eli Holzman and President Aaron Saidman said in a statement on Wednesday. “She is a gifted filmmaker and a prolific producer with a passion for stories that are as engaging as they are meaningful.
Porter, the non-fiction series filmmaker that directed “Gideon’s Army” and “The Way I See It,” among others, will continue to focus on developing and producing non-scripted projects for film and television with Industrial Media’s support.
“After years of admiring the quality and character of her work, we are honored to officially partner with Dawn Porter,” Industrial’s CEO Eli Holzman and President Aaron Saidman said in a statement on Wednesday. “She is a gifted filmmaker and a prolific producer with a passion for stories that are as engaging as they are meaningful.
- 4/28/2021
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
The producer of acclaimed documentaries John Lewis: Good Trouble and The Way I See It is going into business with Industrial Media.
Trilogy Films, led by Dawn Porter, has signed an overall deal with the independent production group specializing in unscripted content, becoming the sixth company to partner with Industrial. Under the deal, Porter and Trilogy Films will continue developing documentary film and nonfiction TV projects.
“After years of admiring the quality and character of her work, we are honored to officially partner with Dawn Porter,” said Industrial Media CEO Eli Holzman and president Aaron Saidman in a statement. “She is a gifted filmmaker and a prolific producer with a passion for stories ...
Trilogy Films, led by Dawn Porter, has signed an overall deal with the independent production group specializing in unscripted content, becoming the sixth company to partner with Industrial. Under the deal, Porter and Trilogy Films will continue developing documentary film and nonfiction TV projects.
“After years of admiring the quality and character of her work, we are honored to officially partner with Dawn Porter,” said Industrial Media CEO Eli Holzman and president Aaron Saidman in a statement. “She is a gifted filmmaker and a prolific producer with a passion for stories ...
- 4/28/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The producer of acclaimed documentaries John Lewis: Good Trouble and The Way I See It is going into business with Industrial Media.
Trilogy Films, led by Dawn Porter, has signed an overall deal with Industrial Media, becoming the sixth company to partner with the independent production group specializing in unscripted content. Under the deal, Porter and Trilogy Films will continue developing documentary film and nonfiction TV projects.
“After years of admiring the quality and character of her work, we are honored to officially partner with Dawn Porter,” said Industrial Media CEO Eli Holzman and president Aaron Saidman in a statement. “She is a gifted filmmaker and a prolific producer ...
Trilogy Films, led by Dawn Porter, has signed an overall deal with Industrial Media, becoming the sixth company to partner with the independent production group specializing in unscripted content. Under the deal, Porter and Trilogy Films will continue developing documentary film and nonfiction TV projects.
“After years of admiring the quality and character of her work, we are honored to officially partner with Dawn Porter,” said Industrial Media CEO Eli Holzman and president Aaron Saidman in a statement. “She is a gifted filmmaker and a prolific producer ...
- 4/28/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Two of the five Oscar nominees for Best Sound won at the Golden Reel Awards bestowed by the Motion Picture Sound Editors (Mpse) on April 16 .”Greyhound” ran off with sound effects and foley while “Soul” took the animation prize. Two of the other Oscar contenders — “News of the World” and “Sound of Metal” — were shut out here despite a leading three nominations while the fifth nominee, “Mank,” had but one bid.
The upcoming Oscars mark the introduction of the Best Sound category, which combines Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. There can be up to six nominees from a film: one production sound mixer, two supervising sound editors and three re-recording mixers.
In 2020 the war film “1917” won Best Sound Mixing while the auto racing drama “Ford v Ferrari” claimed the Best Sound Editing honor. Over the past decade, the two categories matched a half dozen times: “Inception” (2010), “Hugo...
The upcoming Oscars mark the introduction of the Best Sound category, which combines Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. There can be up to six nominees from a film: one production sound mixer, two supervising sound editors and three re-recording mixers.
In 2020 the war film “1917” won Best Sound Mixing while the auto racing drama “Ford v Ferrari” claimed the Best Sound Editing honor. Over the past decade, the two categories matched a half dozen times: “Inception” (2010), “Hugo...
- 4/17/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Kanye West is getting his own documentary series about his life and career, and Netflix has acquired the multipart project that’s expected to debut later this year, an individual with knowledge of the project and the sale told TheWrap.
Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah, better known as music video duo Coodie & Chike, are directing the still untitled project that’s been put together from never-before-seen home movie footage spread out over 20 years about the rapper. And Billboard is additionally reporting via a source that the deal for the docuseries is for upwards of $30 million. However, an individual with knowledge of the deal described that number as inaccurate.
Coodie & Chike’s production company Creative Control is producing alongside Time Studios. The two music video directors have worked with West on several music videos, including the third iteration of “Jesus Walks.”
Time had no comment on the price reported by Billboard.
Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah, better known as music video duo Coodie & Chike, are directing the still untitled project that’s been put together from never-before-seen home movie footage spread out over 20 years about the rapper. And Billboard is additionally reporting via a source that the deal for the docuseries is for upwards of $30 million. However, an individual with knowledge of the deal described that number as inaccurate.
Coodie & Chike’s production company Creative Control is producing alongside Time Studios. The two music video directors have worked with West on several music videos, including the third iteration of “Jesus Walks.”
Time had no comment on the price reported by Billboard.
- 4/6/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
After the installation of restrictive new voting laws in Georgia, Hollywood seems fractured in response to new measures that affect marginalized voters in a state where dozens of film and TV projects are shot.
Tyler Perry, who just spent $250 million on an Atlanta-based production facility, called for a Department of Justice investigation into the laws this week. Director James Mangold and actor Mark Hamill said they would refuse to set foot in the state to make movies or shows. At the same time, numerous corporate giants, including WarnerMedia and Disney, haven’t said a word.
One filmmaker with direct proximity to the issue is Dawn Porter, the director of Magnolia Pictures’ 2020 documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” Porter was deeply embedded with civil rights icon John Lewis, a congressman who represented Atlanta for 17 terms before his death last July. He is best remembered for his involvement in the 1965 civil rights march on Selma,...
Tyler Perry, who just spent $250 million on an Atlanta-based production facility, called for a Department of Justice investigation into the laws this week. Director James Mangold and actor Mark Hamill said they would refuse to set foot in the state to make movies or shows. At the same time, numerous corporate giants, including WarnerMedia and Disney, haven’t said a word.
One filmmaker with direct proximity to the issue is Dawn Porter, the director of Magnolia Pictures’ 2020 documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” Porter was deeply embedded with civil rights icon John Lewis, a congressman who represented Atlanta for 17 terms before his death last July. He is best remembered for his involvement in the 1965 civil rights march on Selma,...
- 4/2/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Barack Obama’s memoir “A Promised Land,” the documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble” and the ESPN docuseries on Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan “The Last Dance” have won NAACP Image Awards for 2021, the organization announced Monday.
The NAACP is rolling out its winners for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards this week, revealing a slate of winners across various categories each night leading up until the televised awards show on Saturday, March 27.
This first crop of winners was announced in a virtual experience that is airing each night this week through the NAACP Image Awards website, and Monday recognized the best work by Black artists in literature and documentaries.
Obama’s book “A Promised Land” won Outstanding Literary Work in the Nonfiction category, and Dawn Porter’s documentary film “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” about the Georgia representative’s career-long fight for civil rights, won as the best documentary film. “The Last Dance...
The NAACP is rolling out its winners for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards this week, revealing a slate of winners across various categories each night leading up until the televised awards show on Saturday, March 27.
This first crop of winners was announced in a virtual experience that is airing each night this week through the NAACP Image Awards website, and Monday recognized the best work by Black artists in literature and documentaries.
Obama’s book “A Promised Land” won Outstanding Literary Work in the Nonfiction category, and Dawn Porter’s documentary film “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” about the Georgia representative’s career-long fight for civil rights, won as the best documentary film. “The Last Dance...
- 3/23/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The 2021 NAACP Image Awards is announcing this year’s winners across more than 60 categories in streaming presentations across five nights ahead of the awards’ live show on BET and CBS on Saturday night.
On Monday, the NAACP presented awards in a number of literary and documentary categories as well as two special awards for activist and youth activist of the year.
Among the winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for best documentary (film) and The Last Dance for best documentary (TV — series or special).
In addition, Keith McQuirter won best directing for a documentary (TV or motion picture) for ...
On Monday, the NAACP presented awards in a number of literary and documentary categories as well as two special awards for activist and youth activist of the year.
Among the winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for best documentary (film) and The Last Dance for best documentary (TV — series or special).
In addition, Keith McQuirter won best directing for a documentary (TV or motion picture) for ...
- 3/22/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2021 NAACP Image Awards is announcing this year’s winners across more than 60 categories in streaming presentations across five nights ahead of the awards’ live show on BET and CBS on Saturday night.
On Monday, the NAACP presented awards in a number of literary and documentary categories as well as two special awards for activist and youth activist of the year.
Among the winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for best documentary (film) and The Last Dance for best documentary (TV — series or special).
In addition, Keith McQuirter won best directing for a documentary (TV or motion picture) for ...
On Monday, the NAACP presented awards in a number of literary and documentary categories as well as two special awards for activist and youth activist of the year.
Among the winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for best documentary (film) and The Last Dance for best documentary (TV — series or special).
In addition, Keith McQuirter won best directing for a documentary (TV or motion picture) for ...
- 3/22/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Corporate behemoths like Netflix and Disney Plus define the streaming world, but the pandemic inspired specialized distributors to invent a VOD niche with virtual cinema. Led by companies like Kino Lorber, Magnolia Films, and Film Movement, they offer films in partnership with art house theaters and split the revenues. What initially sounded like a long shot became common practice in the space of a year, and virtual cinema could be a permanent feature that runs in parallel to theatrical releases.
Using its website and membership lists to access target audiences, Kino Lorber began selling films through its Kino Lorber Marquee platform last March, starting with “Bacurau.” It also helped acclimate older viewers into seeing movies online.
A year later, Kino Lorber has released 30 films via virtual cinema. According to its self reporting, shared with IndieWire, the platform grossed $1.2 million, with $600,000 going to some 50 arthouse theaters. That’s down from the...
Using its website and membership lists to access target audiences, Kino Lorber began selling films through its Kino Lorber Marquee platform last March, starting with “Bacurau.” It also helped acclimate older viewers into seeing movies online.
A year later, Kino Lorber has released 30 films via virtual cinema. According to its self reporting, shared with IndieWire, the platform grossed $1.2 million, with $600,000 going to some 50 arthouse theaters. That’s down from the...
- 3/10/2021
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
The Romanian film “Collective” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2020 at the 13th annual Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based awards show devoted to all facets of documentary filmmaking.
Kirsten Johnson took the directing prize for “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” while the award for outstanding debut went to Garrett Bradley for “Time,” which also won for its editing.
“Boys State” won the Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye Honor category in which the public was invited to cast ballots.
The Spotlight Award, which was designed to put attention on a film that deserves wider exposure, went to “The Earth is Blue as an Orange,” directed by Iryna Tsilyk. The Heterodox Award, given to a film that combines nonfictional and fictional techniques, was won by Bill and Turner Ross’ “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets.”
“The Truffle Hunters” won for cinematography, while “Feels Good Man” won in the graphic design or...
Kirsten Johnson took the directing prize for “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” while the award for outstanding debut went to Garrett Bradley for “Time,” which also won for its editing.
“Boys State” won the Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye Honor category in which the public was invited to cast ballots.
The Spotlight Award, which was designed to put attention on a film that deserves wider exposure, went to “The Earth is Blue as an Orange,” directed by Iryna Tsilyk. The Heterodox Award, given to a film that combines nonfictional and fictional techniques, was won by Bill and Turner Ross’ “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets.”
“The Truffle Hunters” won for cinematography, while “Feels Good Man” won in the graphic design or...
- 3/10/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
All five of our predicted Oscar nominees for Best Sound number among the contenders for the Golden Reel Awards bestowed by the Motion Picture Sound Editors (Mpse). Oscar frontrunner “Sound of Metal” reaped three bids across the seven film categories as did one of its closest Oscar rivals, “News of the World.” Two of the other expected Oscar nominees — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Tenet” are double nominees while the fifth predicted contender, “Mank,” had to make do with one nomination from the Mpse.
The upcoming Oscars mark the introduction of the Best Sound category, which combines Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. There can be up to six nominees from a film: one production sound mixer, two supervising sound editors and three re-recording mixers.
In 2020 the war film “1917” won Best Sound Mixing while the auto racing drama “Ford v Ferrari” claimed the Best Sound Editing honor. Over the past decade,...
The upcoming Oscars mark the introduction of the Best Sound category, which combines Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. There can be up to six nominees from a film: one production sound mixer, two supervising sound editors and three re-recording mixers.
In 2020 the war film “1917” won Best Sound Mixing while the auto racing drama “Ford v Ferrari” claimed the Best Sound Editing honor. Over the past decade,...
- 3/1/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Darius Marder’s innovative “Sound of Metal” and Paul Greengrass’ “News of the World” western each grabbed three sound editing nominations at the 68th annual Mpse Golden Reel Awards (which will be held virtually on April 16). “Sound of Metal,” the frontrunner, captures Riz Ahmed’s heavy-metal drummer slowly losing his hearing, while “News of the World” creates the shootouts, sandstorms, and rainstorms that assault Tom Hanks on his journey in post-Civil War Texas. The Academy has consolidated sound editing and mixing onto a single category for the first time this season.
Several features scored two nominations: “Tenet,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and “Greyhound.” Also making the cut were “Mank,” “The Midnight Sky,” “The Invisible Woman,” “Nomadland,””Wonder Woman 1984,” “Emperor,” and “Cherry.”
Feature musical nominees included “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” The Prom,” “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga,” “The High Note,...
Several features scored two nominations: “Tenet,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and “Greyhound.” Also making the cut were “Mank,” “The Midnight Sky,” “The Invisible Woman,” “Nomadland,””Wonder Woman 1984,” “Emperor,” and “Cherry.”
Feature musical nominees included “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” The Prom,” “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga,” “The High Note,...
- 3/1/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“News of the World” and “Sound of Metal” led all films in nominations for the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards, the Mpse announced on Monday. The two films each received three nominations in the seven Golden Reel film categories, including in the Feature Effects/Foley category, the Mpse category that most closely corresponded to the Oscars’ Best Sound Editing category.
(This year, the Academy has merged what were two sound categories, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, into a single Best Sound category.)
Other nominees in the effect/foley category were “Cherry,” “Greyhound,” “The Midnight Sky,” “Tenet” and “Wonder Woman 84.” Films with two nominations include “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “The Midnight Sky,” “Tenet,” “Wonder Woman 84” and “Greyhound.”
In the television categories, “Snowpiercer,” “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark” and “The Queen’s Gambit” led all programs with three nominations each, while “The Umbrella Academy,...
(This year, the Academy has merged what were two sound categories, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, into a single Best Sound category.)
Other nominees in the effect/foley category were “Cherry,” “Greyhound,” “The Midnight Sky,” “Tenet” and “Wonder Woman 84.” Films with two nominations include “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “The Midnight Sky,” “Tenet,” “Wonder Woman 84” and “Greyhound.”
In the television categories, “Snowpiercer,” “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark” and “The Queen’s Gambit” led all programs with three nominations each, while “The Umbrella Academy,...
- 3/1/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Motion Picture Sound Editors (Mpse) have announced the nominations for the 68th Annual Mpse Golden Reel Awards.
“Sound of Metal,” “News of the World” and “Wonder Woman 1984” are among the nominees. “Sound of Metal,” a frontrunner in the Oscar race for best sound, leads the way with three nominations for outstanding achievement in sound editing including feature effects/foley, feature dialogue/Adr and feature underscore.
Elsewhere, Netflix’s “Better Call Saul” landed three nominations, and freshman shows “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Ted Lasso” also scored nominations.
“We’re very excited about this year’s Mpse Golden Reel Awards. It will feature a dynamic, virtual format that will be great fun and allow people from around the world to participate,” said Mpse president Mark Lanza. “We will have presenters from every part of the globe along with many other surprises. Most importantly, this will be an opportunity to celebrate...
“Sound of Metal,” “News of the World” and “Wonder Woman 1984” are among the nominees. “Sound of Metal,” a frontrunner in the Oscar race for best sound, leads the way with three nominations for outstanding achievement in sound editing including feature effects/foley, feature dialogue/Adr and feature underscore.
Elsewhere, Netflix’s “Better Call Saul” landed three nominations, and freshman shows “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Ted Lasso” also scored nominations.
“We’re very excited about this year’s Mpse Golden Reel Awards. It will feature a dynamic, virtual format that will be great fun and allow people from around the world to participate,” said Mpse president Mark Lanza. “We will have presenters from every part of the globe along with many other surprises. Most importantly, this will be an opportunity to celebrate...
- 3/1/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Stone Canyon Entertainment has announced the start of production on “Who Are the Marcuses,” a feature documentary about a mysterious couple who donated half a billion dollars to Israel, the largest single gift in the history of the state.
Matthew Mishory is directing, with Stone Canyon’s Bradford Schlei and Alvaro Fernandez producing, and executive producers Marc Bennett and Rhino Films’ Stephen Nemeth. Filming is set to begin in Israel and in Austin, Texas in the first quarter of the year for a 2022 release. The film pieces together the lives of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus (pictured), who lived in a modest San Diego apartment and bequeathed half a billion dollars to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to study water management.
The couple hoped their gift would help bring about regional conflict resolution in Israel and peace through water. The film will explore how they invested their nest egg...
Matthew Mishory is directing, with Stone Canyon’s Bradford Schlei and Alvaro Fernandez producing, and executive producers Marc Bennett and Rhino Films’ Stephen Nemeth. Filming is set to begin in Israel and in Austin, Texas in the first quarter of the year for a 2022 release. The film pieces together the lives of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus (pictured), who lived in a modest San Diego apartment and bequeathed half a billion dollars to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to study water management.
The couple hoped their gift would help bring about regional conflict resolution in Israel and peace through water. The film will explore how they invested their nest egg...
- 2/18/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Black Reel Awards (BRAs), an annual event that recognizes the excellence of African-Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora in the global film industry, has unveiled the nominees for its 21st annual awards ceremony. The event, hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (Faaaf), will take place on April 11 virtually across several media platforms.
Leading the pack with 15 nominations is Amazon’s One Night in Miami, the directorial debut from Oscar and past Black Reel Award winner, Regina King, who also received a nom for Outstanding Director. The pic also picked up nominations for Outstanding Picture, Outstanding Actor (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Outstanding Supporting Actor, and Outstanding Screenplay (Kemp Powers).
Warner Bros’ Judas and the Messiah is not too far behind with 12 nominations including Outstanding Picture, Outstanding Actor (Lakeith Stanfield), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Daniel Kaluuya), Outstanding...
Leading the pack with 15 nominations is Amazon’s One Night in Miami, the directorial debut from Oscar and past Black Reel Award winner, Regina King, who also received a nom for Outstanding Director. The pic also picked up nominations for Outstanding Picture, Outstanding Actor (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Outstanding Supporting Actor, and Outstanding Screenplay (Kemp Powers).
Warner Bros’ Judas and the Messiah is not too far behind with 12 nominations including Outstanding Picture, Outstanding Actor (Lakeith Stanfield), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Daniel Kaluuya), Outstanding...
- 2/18/2021
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
The largest field of documentaries in Oscar history has been narrowed down to 15 semifinalists, with almost all of the films that were expected to advance to the shortlist doing so.
Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Alexander Nanau’s “Collective,” Viktor Kosakovskiy’s “Gunda,” James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham’s “Crip Camp” and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya,” which led all of the year’s nonfiction films in previous nominations and wins, were among the films that advanced from the record field of 238 qualifying docs. That number shattered the previous record of 170 eligible documentaries, which was set in 2017.
Other films that made the shortlist included “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” “Boys State,” “MLK/FBI,” “My Octopus Teacher,” “The Painter and the Thief,” “76 Days” and “The Truffle Hunters.” Two documentaries that were also entered in the Oscars’ international race, Chile’s “The Mole Agent” and Italy’s “Notturno,...
Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Alexander Nanau’s “Collective,” Viktor Kosakovskiy’s “Gunda,” James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham’s “Crip Camp” and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya,” which led all of the year’s nonfiction films in previous nominations and wins, were among the films that advanced from the record field of 238 qualifying docs. That number shattered the previous record of 170 eligible documentaries, which was set in 2017.
Other films that made the shortlist included “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” “Boys State,” “MLK/FBI,” “My Octopus Teacher,” “The Painter and the Thief,” “76 Days” and “The Truffle Hunters.” Two documentaries that were also entered in the Oscars’ international race, Chile’s “The Mole Agent” and Italy’s “Notturno,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
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
283 films were submitted for the Academy Award’s Documentary Feature Oscar and now just 15 remain. AMPAS revealed the shortlist for both the Documentary Feature and Documentary Short with the former category featuring few upsets. Acclaimed titles such as “Boys State,” “Time,” “Dick Johnson is Dead,” “Collective” and “Time” are still in the running for the eventual five Oscar nominations.
Read More: “Minari” and “The Crown” rule 2021 SAG Awards nominations
Snubbed contenders in a very competitive field include “The Dissident,” “A Thousand Cuts,” “The Way I See It,” “Totally Under Control” and “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” among others.
Continue reading ‘Time,’ ‘Collective’ Make 2021 Best Documentary Oscars Shortlist at The Playlist.
Read More: “Minari” and “The Crown” rule 2021 SAG Awards nominations
Snubbed contenders in a very competitive field include “The Dissident,” “A Thousand Cuts,” “The Way I See It,” “Totally Under Control” and “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” among others.
Continue reading ‘Time,’ ‘Collective’ Make 2021 Best Documentary Oscars Shortlist at The Playlist.
- 2/9/2021
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
National Geographic will mark the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre with a feature documentary.
The film, Red Summer, comes from acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble, Gideon’s Army). It aims to shed light on the historical forces that led to the killing of as many as 300 Black residents and the razing of a thriving business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and also track present-day efforts to bring some justice to victims.
It’s scheduled to premiere in June, marking both Juneteenth and the 100th anniversary of the massacre.
The film features Washington Post journalist and Tulsa ...
The film, Red Summer, comes from acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble, Gideon’s Army). It aims to shed light on the historical forces that led to the killing of as many as 300 Black residents and the razing of a thriving business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and also track present-day efforts to bring some justice to victims.
It’s scheduled to premiere in June, marking both Juneteenth and the 100th anniversary of the massacre.
The film features Washington Post journalist and Tulsa ...
National Geographic will mark the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre with a feature documentary.
The film, Red Summer, comes from acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble, Gideon’s Army). It aims to shed light on the historical forces that led to the killing of as many as 300 Black residents and the razing of a thriving business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and also track present-day efforts to bring some justice to victims.
It’s scheduled to premiere in June, marking both Juneteenth and the 100th anniversary of the massacre.
The film features Washington Post journalist and Tulsa ...
The film, Red Summer, comes from acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble, Gideon’s Army). It aims to shed light on the historical forces that led to the killing of as many as 300 Black residents and the razing of a thriving business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and also track present-day efforts to bring some justice to victims.
It’s scheduled to premiere in June, marking both Juneteenth and the 100th anniversary of the massacre.
The film features Washington Post journalist and Tulsa ...
HBO is celebrating Black History Month by making many of its most popular black-driven TV shows and movies available to stream for free online. It’s part of the network’s “Black History Is Our History” spotlight page, which aims to highlight HBO’s “diverse and expansive slate of content” and “rich history of amplifying Black stories and talent.”
Among the HBO shows and films available to stream online free: select episodes of Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, the critically-acclaimed Lovecraft Country, the Serena Williams documentary Being Serena,...
Among the HBO shows and films available to stream online free: select episodes of Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, the critically-acclaimed Lovecraft Country, the Serena Williams documentary Being Serena,...
- 2/4/2021
- by Tim Chan
- Rollingstone.com
D-Nice, Viola Davis, Regina King, Trevor Noah and Tyler Perry are nominated for entertainer of the year at the 2021 NAACP Image Awards.
The nominations were virtually announced Tuesday on the NAACP Image Awards’ Instagram by Anika Noni-Rose (“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”), Chloe Bailey (“Grown-ish”), Erika Alexander (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”), Nicco Annan (“P-Valley”), and Tc Carson (“Living Single”).
This is King’s third consecutive nomination for the top award and Perry’s second since 2014. Davis was previously nominated consecutively from 2015-2017. All of them have never won the top category. This is the first nominations for D-Nice and Noah in the category.
Davis also picked up nominations for best actress in a drama series for “How to Get Away with Murder” and best actress in a motion picture for her work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” while King was among the nominees for directing her debut feature “One Night in Miami.
The nominations were virtually announced Tuesday on the NAACP Image Awards’ Instagram by Anika Noni-Rose (“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”), Chloe Bailey (“Grown-ish”), Erika Alexander (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”), Nicco Annan (“P-Valley”), and Tc Carson (“Living Single”).
This is King’s third consecutive nomination for the top award and Perry’s second since 2014. Davis was previously nominated consecutively from 2015-2017. All of them have never won the top category. This is the first nominations for D-Nice and Noah in the category.
Davis also picked up nominations for best actress in a drama series for “How to Get Away with Murder” and best actress in a motion picture for her work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” while King was among the nominees for directing her debut feature “One Night in Miami.
- 2/2/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
NBC News announced that its NBCU Academy and NBC News Studios would launch a fellowship program to award six filmmakers $270,000 in grants each year to create feature length documentaries.
The program, Original Voices, will allocate $45,000 each to fund the documentary projects, in all stages of production, that will highlight social issues and identities. The fellows will get access to NBC News Studios and expertise in areas like story and editing, marketing and festival distribution. They also will be able to consult and partner with journalists and executives at NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo.
NBC News Studios said that it identified 50 filmmakers to apply for the fellowships, with an emphasis on diversity, including Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous and tribal populations, LGBTQ+, women or people with disabilities. No distribution rights are attached for NBC.
Winners will be announced at the end of February 2021. Three documentary filmmakers will...
The program, Original Voices, will allocate $45,000 each to fund the documentary projects, in all stages of production, that will highlight social issues and identities. The fellows will get access to NBC News Studios and expertise in areas like story and editing, marketing and festival distribution. They also will be able to consult and partner with journalists and executives at NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo.
NBC News Studios said that it identified 50 filmmakers to apply for the fellowships, with an emphasis on diversity, including Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous and tribal populations, LGBTQ+, women or people with disabilities. No distribution rights are attached for NBC.
Winners will be announced at the end of February 2021. Three documentary filmmakers will...
- 2/2/2021
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Monday is the start of five days of voting to determine shortlists in the nine Oscar categories that narrow down the field before the start of nomination balloting. In the Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature Film categories, 238 and 93 films, respectively, will be reduced to 15 semifinalists.
In each of those categories, voters must see a minimum number of entries, drawn from a “required viewing” list sent to each member, in order to vote. Documentary voters must see more than 30 films, international voters must see 12. Shortlists in all categories will be announced on Feb. 9.
Here are our thoughts on these contests; on Tuesday, we’ll look at the below-the-line categories that also use shortlists.
‘Time’ / Amazon Studios
Best Documentary Feature
Ever since the Documentary Branch rules were changed to do away with the small committees that previously viewed films in the preliminary round of voting, the documentary shortlists have invariably...
In each of those categories, voters must see a minimum number of entries, drawn from a “required viewing” list sent to each member, in order to vote. Documentary voters must see more than 30 films, international voters must see 12. Shortlists in all categories will be announced on Feb. 9.
Here are our thoughts on these contests; on Tuesday, we’ll look at the below-the-line categories that also use shortlists.
‘Time’ / Amazon Studios
Best Documentary Feature
Ever since the Documentary Branch rules were changed to do away with the small committees that previously viewed films in the preliminary round of voting, the documentary shortlists have invariably...
- 2/1/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
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