Game, set and match for Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu and Tudor D. Popescu, who co-direct Nasty, a pleasingly hagiographic portrait of Romanian tennis icon Ilie Năstase. What fun tennis must have been in the 1970s, as it was on the turn from a knockabout sport into the sharp-footed profession it is today. Năstase and his contemporaries brought finesse and genius to the game, but tennis hadn’t yet been fully corrupted by corporate greed and mechanical elite athleticism. These players were hardworking and hard-partying in equal measure, and Năstase was a key ringleader for the frivolity, dating models, and canoodling on the mattresses at Studio 54.
He was also the sport’s chief antagonist a generation before John McEnroe took the mantle. Arguing with his fellow players and with the umpires. But he never questioned them when their calls were right, he insists, in one of the rare modern interview clips with Năstase himself.
He was also the sport’s chief antagonist a generation before John McEnroe took the mantle. Arguing with his fellow players and with the umpires. But he never questioned them when their calls were right, he insists, in one of the rare modern interview clips with Năstase himself.
- 5/24/2024
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
The former player, once a world No 1, also inspired a defining Adidas shoe and is the subject of a revealing new documentary
For sports fans of a certain age, the seasonal queues that form around shoe stores in anticipation of the latest Jordan sneakers are a painful reminder of the many young people who only know of the hoops legend as an athletic brand. But well before Nike reduced Michael to a Jumpman silhouette, Adidas was hawking Stan Smiths – the leather, low-top kicks that became such a fashion statement among rockers and rappers that perhaps more young people have no idea the mustachioed face on the tongue belongs to one of the most consequential players in tennis history. “A lot of sneaker enthusiasts want to understand the heritage and story behind it,” says the director Danny Lee. His latest film answers the essential question: Who Is Stan Smith?
Produced under...
For sports fans of a certain age, the seasonal queues that form around shoe stores in anticipation of the latest Jordan sneakers are a painful reminder of the many young people who only know of the hoops legend as an athletic brand. But well before Nike reduced Michael to a Jumpman silhouette, Adidas was hawking Stan Smiths – the leather, low-top kicks that became such a fashion statement among rockers and rappers that perhaps more young people have no idea the mustachioed face on the tongue belongs to one of the most consequential players in tennis history. “A lot of sneaker enthusiasts want to understand the heritage and story behind it,” says the director Danny Lee. His latest film answers the essential question: Who Is Stan Smith?
Produced under...
- 5/1/2024
- by Andrew Lawrence
- The Guardian - Film News
Thomas Rousseau, founder of the fascist group Patriot Front, has been arrested in Texas on a Virginia warrant for a charge of burning an object with the intent to intimidate.
The burning object in question is apparently a tiki torch. The case is connected to the 2017 Charlottesville hate rallies, known as Unite the Right, in which white nationalist demonstrators swarmed the University of Virginia campus carrying the torches and shouting Nazi slogans like “blood and soil,” as well as antisemitic chants like “Jews will not replace us.”
Rousseau was a...
The burning object in question is apparently a tiki torch. The case is connected to the 2017 Charlottesville hate rallies, known as Unite the Right, in which white nationalist demonstrators swarmed the University of Virginia campus carrying the torches and shouting Nazi slogans like “blood and soil,” as well as antisemitic chants like “Jews will not replace us.”
Rousseau was a...
- 2/26/2024
- by Tim Dickinson
- Rollingstone.com
Felix Auger-Aliassime was bestowed with a prestigious award category on Atp Awards Week thanks to his outstanding humanitarian contributions in his father's homeland.
Auger-Aliassime is the proud winner of the 2023 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award and is the first Canadian player to receive this honor since it was incepted in 1983. It is an award meant to celebrate the work of philanthropists and is not limited to tennis players.
The award extends the legacy of one of the world's most revered tennis stars, Arthur Ashe, who remains the only black tennis man to win a Grand Slam at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. He was ranked as high as World No. 2 during his distinguished career.
Until he passed on in 1993, aged 49, Ashe's achievements list encompassed off-court humanitarian work. He was eloquent and vocal in advocating for civil rights, and his unwavering dedication to social issues made him a conscious leader.
Auger-Aliassime is the proud winner of the 2023 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award and is the first Canadian player to receive this honor since it was incepted in 1983. It is an award meant to celebrate the work of philanthropists and is not limited to tennis players.
The award extends the legacy of one of the world's most revered tennis stars, Arthur Ashe, who remains the only black tennis man to win a Grand Slam at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. He was ranked as high as World No. 2 during his distinguished career.
Until he passed on in 1993, aged 49, Ashe's achievements list encompassed off-court humanitarian work. He was eloquent and vocal in advocating for civil rights, and his unwavering dedication to social issues made him a conscious leader.
- 12/13/2023
- Tennis-Infinity
There was barely a dry eye in the house at the Los Angeles premiere three decades ago of HBO’s landmark AIDS’ film “And the Band Played On.” During the end credit sequence set to Elton John’s “The Last Song” was a montage of well-known people who had died of AIDS or were HIV positive including Ryan White, Rock Hudson, Anthony Perkins, Rudolf Nureyev, Arthur Ashe, Michael Bennett, Liberace, Halston, Peter Allen, Denholm Elliott, Brad Davis, Amanda Blake and Robert Reed.
No wonder emotions were running high. Deaths were rising every year. According to Social Security Administration, some 37,000 people died of HIV Illness in 1993. And it would be three years before the introduction of Haart-highly active antiretroviral therapy-that is often called the anti-hiv “cocktail.”
Based on Randy Shilts’ 1987 best-seller, “And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic,” the acclaimed film, which premiered on HBO on Sept.
No wonder emotions were running high. Deaths were rising every year. According to Social Security Administration, some 37,000 people died of HIV Illness in 1993. And it would be three years before the introduction of Haart-highly active antiretroviral therapy-that is often called the anti-hiv “cocktail.”
Based on Randy Shilts’ 1987 best-seller, “And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic,” the acclaimed film, which premiered on HBO on Sept.
- 9/11/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Coco Gauff doesn't think that the pressure tennis players feel is the same pressure as people in the 'real world' feel.
It's obviously not the same, but it doesn't necessarily mean that one is easier to deal with than the other. Pressure in the real world is more existential in the sense that the consequences are greater, but pressure in tennis has its own consequences.
Tennis players play for money on top of trophies, so the better they do, the more financially secure they are in life, and for some players, like those ranked lower on the Atp and Wta Tours, it can be existential as well. It's not a cheap sport to play; for some, the pressures can overlap.
For Gauff, who spoke at the 2023 US Open , after her win over Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets , the pressure that came from tennis was hard to deal with initially, but...
It's obviously not the same, but it doesn't necessarily mean that one is easier to deal with than the other. Pressure in the real world is more existential in the sense that the consequences are greater, but pressure in tennis has its own consequences.
Tennis players play for money on top of trophies, so the better they do, the more financially secure they are in life, and for some players, like those ranked lower on the Atp and Wta Tours, it can be existential as well. It's not a cheap sport to play; for some, the pressures can overlap.
For Gauff, who spoke at the 2023 US Open , after her win over Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets , the pressure that came from tennis was hard to deal with initially, but...
- 9/7/2023
- Tennis-Infinity
New York, Aug 29 (Ians) Novak Djokovic made a stunning comeback to the US Open after he was denied the calendar grand slam in the 2021 final by the Russian Daniil Medvedev.
In his opening-round encounter on Monday night against Frenchman Alexandre Muller, Djokovic displayed a sheer governing performance at the Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 scoreline.
With the win, he regained his top stop at the Atp World Rankings from defending US Open Champion Carlos Alcaraz on September 11, when Djokovic will start a record-extending 390th week at the top.
He celebrated this win pleasantly and stated in his on-court interview, “The first set I started tremendously well off the box. We started quite late. Obviously, there was a ceremony between matches and I knew that we might have a late start, but nevertheless, I was excited to come out on the court.“
It’s been a couple of years,...
In his opening-round encounter on Monday night against Frenchman Alexandre Muller, Djokovic displayed a sheer governing performance at the Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 scoreline.
With the win, he regained his top stop at the Atp World Rankings from defending US Open Champion Carlos Alcaraz on September 11, when Djokovic will start a record-extending 390th week at the top.
He celebrated this win pleasantly and stated in his on-court interview, “The first set I started tremendously well off the box. We started quite late. Obviously, there was a ceremony between matches and I knew that we might have a late start, but nevertheless, I was excited to come out on the court.“
It’s been a couple of years,...
- 8/29/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
The Usta has confirmed that this year's US Open will have Video Review Technology available for use, with up to five courts getting access.
The move to incorporate video review as part and parcel of officiating is expected to help chair umpires make conclusive decisions in settling disputed calls. It is another groundbreaking move by the US Open following on from 2020.
Back then, it eliminated almost all line judges in favor of Hawk-Eye Live in order to reduce the number of on-site staff and aid in curbing the spread of coronavirus, a move that has since set the trend in subsequent editions of the New York Slam. The Australian Open has since followed suit in using electronic line calling. The Usta's statement read:
Video Review Technology will be utilized for all Main Draw matches played on Arthur Ashe, Louis Armstrong, Grandstand, Court 5, and Court 7 as an officiating aid. The Chair...
The move to incorporate video review as part and parcel of officiating is expected to help chair umpires make conclusive decisions in settling disputed calls. It is another groundbreaking move by the US Open following on from 2020.
Back then, it eliminated almost all line judges in favor of Hawk-Eye Live in order to reduce the number of on-site staff and aid in curbing the spread of coronavirus, a move that has since set the trend in subsequent editions of the New York Slam. The Australian Open has since followed suit in using electronic line calling. The Usta's statement read:
Video Review Technology will be utilized for all Main Draw matches played on Arthur Ashe, Louis Armstrong, Grandstand, Court 5, and Court 7 as an officiating aid. The Chair...
- 7/27/2023
- Tennis-Infinity
The 2023 Espy Awards have been handed out, and this year’s ESPYs honorees include people behind some of the biggest stories in sports over the last year.
Among the highlights, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and skier Mikaela Shiffrin took home top honors, winning Best Athlete in men’s and women’s sports, respectively.
Naturally, the Chiefs took home Best Team, and Mahomes took home another Espy for Best NFL player, thanks to the team’s Super Bowl Lvii win earlier this year, their second in 4 years. (Mahomes also led the Chiefs to victory at the Super Bowl in 2019.)
Angel Reese, the Lsu women’s basketball star who led the team to its 2023 NCAA championship win — and also prompted a lot of people into revealing how racist they are when she celebrated her success in a manner identical to her chief rival, Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark, but unlike Clark,...
Among the highlights, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and skier Mikaela Shiffrin took home top honors, winning Best Athlete in men’s and women’s sports, respectively.
Naturally, the Chiefs took home Best Team, and Mahomes took home another Espy for Best NFL player, thanks to the team’s Super Bowl Lvii win earlier this year, their second in 4 years. (Mahomes also led the Chiefs to victory at the Super Bowl in 2019.)
Angel Reese, the Lsu women’s basketball star who led the team to its 2023 NCAA championship win — and also prompted a lot of people into revealing how racist they are when she celebrated her success in a manner identical to her chief rival, Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark, but unlike Clark,...
- 7/13/2023
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Spike Lee and the photographs, album covers, movie posters, letters, books, costumes and film memorabilia that have inspired him will be explored through a new immersive exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.
Spike Lee: Creative Sources will offer an in-depth look at the individuals, places and influences that have shaped the Oscar winner’s work. Running Oct. 6, 2023 to Feb. 4, 2024 and organized by Kimberli Gant, a curator of modern and contemporary art, with Indira A. Abiskaroon, curatorial assistant, modern and contemporary art at the Brooklyn Museum, the installation will feature over 300 objects displayed thematically in seven sections, each of which will feature a clip from one of Lee’s films.
“By making Lee’s collection accessible to the public, this showcase celebrates his legacy while honoring his deep connection to Brooklyn, a place that has been an integral part of his storytelling,” Gant said in a statement.
The seven sections of influences span Black history and culture,...
Spike Lee: Creative Sources will offer an in-depth look at the individuals, places and influences that have shaped the Oscar winner’s work. Running Oct. 6, 2023 to Feb. 4, 2024 and organized by Kimberli Gant, a curator of modern and contemporary art, with Indira A. Abiskaroon, curatorial assistant, modern and contemporary art at the Brooklyn Museum, the installation will feature over 300 objects displayed thematically in seven sections, each of which will feature a clip from one of Lee’s films.
“By making Lee’s collection accessible to the public, this showcase celebrates his legacy while honoring his deep connection to Brooklyn, a place that has been an integral part of his storytelling,” Gant said in a statement.
The seven sections of influences span Black history and culture,...
- 7/10/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Nasty’ is about the legendary Romanian tennis player and is direted by festival president Tudor Giurgiu.
New films by Tudor Giurgiu and Marian Crisan are to be shown in Ro Days’ Closed Screenings at this week’s Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) in Cluj-Napoca.
The screenings are open to distributors, festival programmers, and sales agents.
Transilvania festival president Giurgiu’s documentary Nasty about the legendary Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase includes interviews with Rafa Nadal, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, and Billie Jean King.
At last year’s TIFF, the director had given a sneak preview of around 15 minutes...
New films by Tudor Giurgiu and Marian Crisan are to be shown in Ro Days’ Closed Screenings at this week’s Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) in Cluj-Napoca.
The screenings are open to distributors, festival programmers, and sales agents.
Transilvania festival president Giurgiu’s documentary Nasty about the legendary Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase includes interviews with Rafa Nadal, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, and Billie Jean King.
At last year’s TIFF, the director had given a sneak preview of around 15 minutes...
- 6/12/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Hyde Park has a big package here heading into the Cannes Market: The feature take of Kevin Barry’s New York Times Top 10 Book of the Year, Night Boat to Tangier starring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson and Ruth Negga. The Ashok Amritraj studio will be presenting the James Marsh-directed project to global buyers at the Cannes Marche Du Film next month, with the Oscar-winning filmmaker and Fassbender in tow. Barry is adapting the screenplay from his novel.
Set in Spain and Ireland, Night Boat to Tangier follows Maurice and Charlie, a colourful pair of gangsters from Ireland. Drug-smugglers, partners with a long history of violence and intertwined personal lives,
they’re back in southern Spain re-visiting old haunts, old flames and dangerous local criminals, searching for Maurice’s estranged daughter, Dilly…
Two-time Oscar nominee/3x Golden Golden nominee and 4x BAFTA nominee Fassbender plays Maurice Hearne and Gleeson...
Set in Spain and Ireland, Night Boat to Tangier follows Maurice and Charlie, a colourful pair of gangsters from Ireland. Drug-smugglers, partners with a long history of violence and intertwined personal lives,
they’re back in southern Spain re-visiting old haunts, old flames and dangerous local criminals, searching for Maurice’s estranged daughter, Dilly…
Two-time Oscar nominee/3x Golden Golden nominee and 4x BAFTA nominee Fassbender plays Maurice Hearne and Gleeson...
- 4/13/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Alfred A. Knopf will publish Brittney Griner’s untitled memoir next spring 2024. Deal was closed by Reagan Arthur, Knopf EVP and Publisher and world rights were sold by Kimberly Witherspoon at Inkwell Management with Jon Liebman at Brillstein Entertainment and Lindsay Kagawa Colas at Wasserman.
For the first time Griner recounts the tumultuous events of 2022 that both reshaped her life and captured the world’s attention: Griner’s arrest at the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow on February 17, followed by her detention, trial, and imprisonment in Russia, as well as the efforts in public and behind the scenes at the highest levels of government to bring her home. Griner’s memoir also documents how the global #WeAreBG movement began as well as the issue of pay equity for women athletes in the United States – the very inequity that led Griner to play basketball in Russia for seven previous seasons and to...
For the first time Griner recounts the tumultuous events of 2022 that both reshaped her life and captured the world’s attention: Griner’s arrest at the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow on February 17, followed by her detention, trial, and imprisonment in Russia, as well as the efforts in public and behind the scenes at the highest levels of government to bring her home. Griner’s memoir also documents how the global #WeAreBG movement began as well as the issue of pay equity for women athletes in the United States – the very inequity that led Griner to play basketball in Russia for seven previous seasons and to...
- 4/11/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Frances Tiafoe is one of the top entertainers on the Atp Tour and in the sport of tennis in general and he would be happy if some things changed.
Tennis is a very traditional sport. Fans are supposed to keep quite during the rallies and they should also not move during the games, only during the changeovers. Compared to some other team sports, tennis is a very quiet and restricted sport for fans.
On the other hand, there are some players that like to engage with fans on the tennis court, and one of them is Frances Tiafoe, who said that he would like to change the game already in the past. The 25-year-old American approaches his matches differently than others and fans love it. Speaking to Forbes, he explained his approach to tennis.
"I am always going to be out there competing hard with a smile on my face...
Tennis is a very traditional sport. Fans are supposed to keep quite during the rallies and they should also not move during the games, only during the changeovers. Compared to some other team sports, tennis is a very quiet and restricted sport for fans.
On the other hand, there are some players that like to engage with fans on the tennis court, and one of them is Frances Tiafoe, who said that he would like to change the game already in the past. The 25-year-old American approaches his matches differently than others and fans love it. Speaking to Forbes, he explained his approach to tennis.
"I am always going to be out there competing hard with a smile on my face...
- 3/22/2023
- Tennis-Infinity
Netflix’s latest sports docuseries, “Bill Russell: Legend,” is sandwiched between its 10-part tennis series, “Break Point,” and its eight-part golf series, “Full Swing,” in a string of non-fiction programming demonstrating the streamer’s commitment to chronicling athletic excellence. Although there have been other docs made about Russell, a Boston Celtics legend who won 11 championships during his career, Netflix is calling this latest nonfiction film about the 6-foot-10-inch center the “definitive documentary.”
In the series, Oscar-nominated documentarian Sam Pollard, who recently spotlighted tennis great Arthur Ashe in “Citizen Ashe,” traces Russell’s groundbreaking career on the court as well as his role as a civil rights pioneer and activist. The doc features interviews with Russell before his death in 2022, personal archival footage and interviews with players including Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Variety spoke with Pollard about making another doc about Russell,...
In the series, Oscar-nominated documentarian Sam Pollard, who recently spotlighted tennis great Arthur Ashe in “Citizen Ashe,” traces Russell’s groundbreaking career on the court as well as his role as a civil rights pioneer and activist. The doc features interviews with Russell before his death in 2022, personal archival footage and interviews with players including Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Variety spoke with Pollard about making another doc about Russell,...
- 2/8/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
As Black History Month runs throughout February, television will celebrate Black voices, icons and stories across entertainment, politics, sports and more.
Throughout February, audiences will be able to keep up with Hulu’s year-long initiative in spotlighting Black stories and storytellers on the platform’s “Black Stories Always” hub. In addition to new series and season premieres, from “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” to “The 1619 Project,” the platform will continue to stream new episodes of “Abbott Elementary” and “Grown-ish,” and feature classic titles from Black storytellers including “Living Single” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
BET will honor Black History Month with a programming schedule that features new unscripted series, including “Black Icons — Past, Present, Future” and “America In Black” as well as the 54th NAACP Image Awards telecast on Feb. 25.
Read a full list of programming to look out for this Black History Month below. (More titles will be added throughout the month.
Throughout February, audiences will be able to keep up with Hulu’s year-long initiative in spotlighting Black stories and storytellers on the platform’s “Black Stories Always” hub. In addition to new series and season premieres, from “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” to “The 1619 Project,” the platform will continue to stream new episodes of “Abbott Elementary” and “Grown-ish,” and feature classic titles from Black storytellers including “Living Single” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
BET will honor Black History Month with a programming schedule that features new unscripted series, including “Black Icons — Past, Present, Future” and “America In Black” as well as the 54th NAACP Image Awards telecast on Feb. 25.
Read a full list of programming to look out for this Black History Month below. (More titles will be added throughout the month.
- 2/3/2023
- by Charna Flam and Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Turin (Italy), Nov 20 (Ians) Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury produced an impressive performance to defeat Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic and clinch the men’s double title at the Atp Finals, here on Sunday.
In a high-quality final, the American-British tandem was sharp from the first to the last point, overcoming the Croatians 7-6(4), 6-4 to end their season in style in northern Italy.
Salisbury is the first Briton to win the Atp Finals doubles title, while Ram is the 18th American to clinch the crown. The pair has earned 1,500 Atp Doubles Rankings points and 930,300 dollars as undefeated champions, the biggest doubles payday in history.
“That’s probably up there with one of our best matches, one of our best matches as a team. I think we’re so proud of everything we’ve done this week. We’ve come through some tough situations, but we’ve stuck together the whole way.
In a high-quality final, the American-British tandem was sharp from the first to the last point, overcoming the Croatians 7-6(4), 6-4 to end their season in style in northern Italy.
Salisbury is the first Briton to win the Atp Finals doubles title, while Ram is the 18th American to clinch the crown. The pair has earned 1,500 Atp Doubles Rankings points and 930,300 dollars as undefeated champions, the biggest doubles payday in history.
“That’s probably up there with one of our best matches, one of our best matches as a team. I think we’re so proud of everything we’ve done this week. We’ve come through some tough situations, but we’ve stuck together the whole way.
- 11/20/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Exclusive: Nearly 30 years after The Joy Luck Club changed Asian and Asian American representation in cinema, a sequel is in development with author Amy Tan and Oscar-winning screenwriter Ron Bass continuing from the former’s bestselling novel.
Also producing are Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment Group and The Judge producer Jeff Kleeman.
Amy Tan, Getty Images
The original leading cast are in talks to return to their roles, now the mothers and grandmothers of their families. The Wayne Wang-directed movie was a breakout role for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Mandalorian actress Ming-Na Wen and also starred Tamlyn Tomita, and Lisa Lu.
Ron Bass, Getty Images
The Joy Luck Club, released in 1993, tells the multigenerational saga of Chinese and Chinese-American mothers and daughters, whose histories, stories and lives interweave as they navigate life. The original Disney Touchstone theatrical paved the way for such Asian-led movies as Crazy Rich Asians...
Also producing are Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment Group and The Judge producer Jeff Kleeman.
Amy Tan, Getty Images
The original leading cast are in talks to return to their roles, now the mothers and grandmothers of their families. The Wayne Wang-directed movie was a breakout role for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Mandalorian actress Ming-Na Wen and also starred Tamlyn Tomita, and Lisa Lu.
Ron Bass, Getty Images
The Joy Luck Club, released in 1993, tells the multigenerational saga of Chinese and Chinese-American mothers and daughters, whose histories, stories and lives interweave as they navigate life. The original Disney Touchstone theatrical paved the way for such Asian-led movies as Crazy Rich Asians...
- 10/12/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
New Zealand rugby icon Jonah Lomu and former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel will be the subjects of two new documentaries from U.K.-based sales agent and distributor Dogwoof and Sylver Entertainment.
The companies previously collaborated on “McEnroe,” a documentary about the tennis great John McEnroe, which was released in U.K. cinemas in July and premiered on Showtime on Sept. 2.
As development financiers and executive producers on both projects, Dogwoof will be presenting the projects to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.
“Lomu” is centred on the late Jonah Lomu, one of the greatest rugby players of all time. Lomu was a Tongan/Kiwi warrior who could run 100 metres in under 11 seconds. He was the youngest All Black to put on the jersey and still holds the record for the most tries scored in World Cup history. The film about his life is being made...
The companies previously collaborated on “McEnroe,” a documentary about the tennis great John McEnroe, which was released in U.K. cinemas in July and premiered on Showtime on Sept. 2.
As development financiers and executive producers on both projects, Dogwoof will be presenting the projects to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.
“Lomu” is centred on the late Jonah Lomu, one of the greatest rugby players of all time. Lomu was a Tongan/Kiwi warrior who could run 100 metres in under 11 seconds. He was the youngest All Black to put on the jersey and still holds the record for the most tries scored in World Cup history. The film about his life is being made...
- 9/6/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Photo: 'Citizen Ashe' The Problem Sam Pollard’s Sports Docs Raises Its Head A truly good documentary has to try harder to be exceptional, and that’s where a film like ‘Citizen Ashe’ strikes me as disappointing. On paper, this is a fine film; it covers the life of famous Black tennis player Arthur Ashe, who grew up in the late days of the Jim Crow South, and who by the ‘70s would become one of the most famous athletes in the country. This new film, directed by Sam Pollard and Rex Miller, explores the circumstances of Ashe’s quiet relationship with the period’s civil rights movements, and how that relationship inspired his later outspoken association with HIV/AIDS awareness. Pollard is a prolific Black documentarian, with his 2020 feature ‘MLK/FBI’ being his most notable, and Arthur Ashe’s story is undoubtedly an attractive subject for the filmmaker.
- 8/4/2022
- by Brian Collins
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Philippa Kowarsky to ”pursue other ventures outside of the BBC”.
Philippa Kowarsky has stepped down as commissioning editor of BBC Storyville, the UK broadcaster’s documentary brand, after less than a year in the role.
Kowarsky, who joined from international sales and advisory firm Cinephil in October, has departed ”to pursue other ventures outside of the BBC”.
Newly-appointed BBC Film director Eva Yates becomes the interim lead for the factual strand.
In an internal note to BBC staff, Yates said: “I would like to personally thank Philippa for her contribution to the success of Storyville over the past year, during...
Philippa Kowarsky has stepped down as commissioning editor of BBC Storyville, the UK broadcaster’s documentary brand, after less than a year in the role.
Kowarsky, who joined from international sales and advisory firm Cinephil in October, has departed ”to pursue other ventures outside of the BBC”.
Newly-appointed BBC Film director Eva Yates becomes the interim lead for the factual strand.
In an internal note to BBC staff, Yates said: “I would like to personally thank Philippa for her contribution to the success of Storyville over the past year, during...
- 8/4/2022
- by Alex Farber Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
The poster for the documentary “On the Line: The Richard Williams Story” is cleverly acerbic. Against a white background stands one of the more derided — and more recently celebrated, via last year’s sports biopic, “King Richard” — figures in professional sports: Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard. He’s got a tennis racket in his hand and is clad in throwback tennis whites. It was not typically what he wore as he and wife Oracene (Price) trained their daughters on the public courts of Compton, Los Angeles. But the look was de rigueur for the white tennis establishment that Venus and Serena took on and then transformed.
In “On the Line,” Williams has his say. Unsurprisingly, he’s frank, occasionally funny, but also vulnerable, not least because he’s growing frail, having suffered from health issues. As directed by Stuart McClave, the documentary isn’t exactly a vanity project, but...
In “On the Line,” Williams has his say. Unsurprisingly, he’s frank, occasionally funny, but also vulnerable, not least because he’s growing frail, having suffered from health issues. As directed by Stuart McClave, the documentary isn’t exactly a vanity project, but...
- 7/19/2022
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety Film + TV
This review of “Citizen Ashe” was first published on Sept. 3, 2021 after the film’s premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.
There are the sports icons who inspire fans and wannabe players. Then there are the athletes who, apart from the stat sheet, change their sport for the better, use their position to help others, and generally spur us to want to be better people. Tennis has a few of those throughout its history, and two of them won singles titles at Wimbledon in 1975: women’s pioneer Billie Jean King, and men’s champion Arthur Ashe.
Long overdue as a multifaceted documentary subject for his sports achievements, influence and activism, he is finally the center of one with “Citizen Ashe,” an engaging, moving portrait co-directed by Rex Miller (“Behind These Walls”) and Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”).
The ins and outs of Ashe’s groundbreaking win in England over rival Jimmy Connors are thrillingly depicted,...
There are the sports icons who inspire fans and wannabe players. Then there are the athletes who, apart from the stat sheet, change their sport for the better, use their position to help others, and generally spur us to want to be better people. Tennis has a few of those throughout its history, and two of them won singles titles at Wimbledon in 1975: women’s pioneer Billie Jean King, and men’s champion Arthur Ashe.
Long overdue as a multifaceted documentary subject for his sports achievements, influence and activism, he is finally the center of one with “Citizen Ashe,” an engaging, moving portrait co-directed by Rex Miller (“Behind These Walls”) and Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”).
The ins and outs of Ashe’s groundbreaking win in England over rival Jimmy Connors are thrillingly depicted,...
- 7/3/2022
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
Netflix has scored a slam dunk with a feature-length documentary about NBA great and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell that will be directed by Sam Pollard.
The untitled documentary is described as the definitive bio-doc on Russell, one of American sports’ greatest champions who won 11 titles with his 13-years with the Celtics, including his last two as the first Black head coach in NBA history while still playing for the team.
Russell himself will sit for an exclusive series of interviews and provide access to his archives as part of the documentary. No release date has been set.
Larry Gordon, Ross Greenburg and Mike Richardson are producing the film for High Five Productions, LLC.
The Bill Russell documentary follows the string of successful films and series about other sports icons such as Michael Jordan in “The Last Dance” and an upcoming series about Magic Johnson, among many others.
Known for...
The untitled documentary is described as the definitive bio-doc on Russell, one of American sports’ greatest champions who won 11 titles with his 13-years with the Celtics, including his last two as the first Black head coach in NBA history while still playing for the team.
Russell himself will sit for an exclusive series of interviews and provide access to his archives as part of the documentary. No release date has been set.
Larry Gordon, Ross Greenburg and Mike Richardson are producing the film for High Five Productions, LLC.
The Bill Russell documentary follows the string of successful films and series about other sports icons such as Michael Jordan in “The Last Dance” and an upcoming series about Magic Johnson, among many others.
Known for...
- 2/17/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Lionsgate has purchased Homecoming, a screenplay that made the 2021 Black List, in a competitive situation, and is setting it up as a film.
The feature scripted by Murder Ink’s Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana and Jana Savage picks up with one of New York’s most eligible bachelors and his eccentric, globetrotting wingman 10 years after their graduation from Howard University, as they try to pull their recently divorced friend out of his rut. They do so by taking him back to Howard for its legendary homecoming, there experiencing the best weekend of their lives.
Broussard, Obayuwana and Savage will produce the adaptation with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman for Mandeville Pictures, and Mike Jackson and John Legend for Get Lifted. Mandeville’s Alex Young will exec produce alongside Get Lifted’s Ty Stiklorius. Hoberman and Carly Kleinbart are overseeing the project for Mandeville, with Jackson and Mackenzie Marlowe for Get Lifted,...
The feature scripted by Murder Ink’s Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana and Jana Savage picks up with one of New York’s most eligible bachelors and his eccentric, globetrotting wingman 10 years after their graduation from Howard University, as they try to pull their recently divorced friend out of his rut. They do so by taking him back to Howard for its legendary homecoming, there experiencing the best weekend of their lives.
Broussard, Obayuwana and Savage will produce the adaptation with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman for Mandeville Pictures, and Mike Jackson and John Legend for Get Lifted. Mandeville’s Alex Young will exec produce alongside Get Lifted’s Ty Stiklorius. Hoberman and Carly Kleinbart are overseeing the project for Mandeville, with Jackson and Mackenzie Marlowe for Get Lifted,...
- 1/7/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, continued atop the U.K. and Ireland box office in its second weekend.
The Universal release collected £1.5 million ($2 million) and now has £5.5 million at the box office, according to numbers released by Comscore.
Disney release “Encanto,” took £1.2 million in its second weekend and has a total of £3.3 million.
Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was in third place with £1.06 million and has amassed £9.1 million after three weekends.
Piece of Magic Entertainment’s seasonal release, Christmas concert film “Christmas With Andre,” featuring Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu, debuted in fourth position with £693,676.
Rounding off the top five was Disney release “Eternals” with £318,718 in its fifth weekend for a total of £14.4 million.
In its tenth weekend, James Bond film “No Time to Die” collected £270,149 in sixth position and now has £96.1 million at the box office.
There were three other new entries...
The Universal release collected £1.5 million ($2 million) and now has £5.5 million at the box office, according to numbers released by Comscore.
Disney release “Encanto,” took £1.2 million in its second weekend and has a total of £3.3 million.
Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was in third place with £1.06 million and has amassed £9.1 million after three weekends.
Piece of Magic Entertainment’s seasonal release, Christmas concert film “Christmas With Andre,” featuring Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu, debuted in fourth position with £693,676.
Rounding off the top five was Disney release “Eternals” with £318,718 in its fifth weekend for a total of £14.4 million.
In its tenth weekend, James Bond film “No Time to Die” collected £270,149 in sixth position and now has £96.1 million at the box office.
There were three other new entries...
- 12/7/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
This documentary tracks the life of African American tennis star Arthur Ashe who was a pioneering radical despite his restrained style
A clip towards the end of this respectful documentary shows Barack Obama revealing that his role-model heroes were Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe. Surely, Ashe had to be the bigger influence: the only black man ever to have won Wimbledon was a famously someone with a thoughtful, non-strident personality whom the white tennis establishment found to be highly acceptable. Ashe himself, though sympathetic to the new black radicalism of the 1960s was, in terms of style, entirely apart from it, and this film recounts his stoicism at enduring the occasional “Uncle Tom” jibe.
Perhaps this was crystallised by his decision to ignore the boycotts against apartheid South Africa and play there as a way of accelerating integration, despite the fact that he was for a long time refused a...
A clip towards the end of this respectful documentary shows Barack Obama revealing that his role-model heroes were Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe. Surely, Ashe had to be the bigger influence: the only black man ever to have won Wimbledon was a famously someone with a thoughtful, non-strident personality whom the white tennis establishment found to be highly acceptable. Ashe himself, though sympathetic to the new black radicalism of the 1960s was, in terms of style, entirely apart from it, and this film recounts his stoicism at enduring the occasional “Uncle Tom” jibe.
Perhaps this was crystallised by his decision to ignore the boycotts against apartheid South Africa and play there as a way of accelerating integration, despite the fact that he was for a long time refused a...
- 12/7/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Rex Miller was alway meant to make “Citizen Ashe,” the new documentary he co-directed with Sam Pollard about Arthur Ashe, the groundbreaking tennis legend who found his own way to becoming a leading activist. “I’d say this is part of my whole lifelong tennis journey as I grew up a tennis player, had tennis fanatic parents. And my first glimpse of Arthur Ashe — I was 6 years old and I was at the match in 1968 when he won the U.S. Open. And I used to try to play like him as well as the other greats, Stan Smith and Jimmy Connors, all those guys,” Miller tells Gold Derby (watch the exclusive video interview above).
Miller, who helmed the 2015 doc “Althea” about Althea Gibson, the first African-American tennis player to win a Grand Slam title, started work on “Citizen Ashe” five years ago after the daughter of a “Life” magazine photographer reached out to him.
Miller, who helmed the 2015 doc “Althea” about Althea Gibson, the first African-American tennis player to win a Grand Slam title, started work on “Citizen Ashe” five years ago after the daughter of a “Life” magazine photographer reached out to him.
- 12/6/2021
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Rex Miller on his and Sam Pollard’s Citizen Ashe on the times of Arthur Ashe: “Cinematically one of the challenges was, okay, how much do we show about the forces exploding in the outside world …” Photo: Roland Scherman, courtesy of Citizen Ashe for CNN Films and Dogwoof
Citizen Ashe (a highlight of the 12th edition of Doc NYC as a Centerpiece selection and the Human Rights Award recipient at the upcoming 14th Hamptons Doc Fest) features poignant on-camera interviews with Arthur Ashe’s brother Johnnie Ashe, his widow Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Donald Dell, Olympian John Carlos, Olympic Project for Human Rights founder Harry Edwards, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Art Carrington (author of Black Tennis: An Archival Collection Between 1890 and 1962), Lenny Simpson (founder of One Love Tennis), Charlie Pasarell (National Junior Tennis League) and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Congressman Andrew Young, Jr.
Rex Miller with...
Citizen Ashe (a highlight of the 12th edition of Doc NYC as a Centerpiece selection and the Human Rights Award recipient at the upcoming 14th Hamptons Doc Fest) features poignant on-camera interviews with Arthur Ashe’s brother Johnnie Ashe, his widow Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Donald Dell, Olympian John Carlos, Olympic Project for Human Rights founder Harry Edwards, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Art Carrington (author of Black Tennis: An Archival Collection Between 1890 and 1962), Lenny Simpson (founder of One Love Tennis), Charlie Pasarell (National Junior Tennis League) and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Congressman Andrew Young, Jr.
Rex Miller with...
- 12/1/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Arthur Ashe is an icon in the tennis world, breaking barriers to become the first Black male champion of three Grand Slams: the Australian Open; the U.S. Open; and, most famously, beating Jimmy Conners in 1975 to win Wimbledon. But on the other side of the net is Ashe’s work as an activist, which becomes the focus of CNN Films’ documentary Citizen Ashe.
Director-producer Rex Miller, whose previous tennis documentaries includes one on pioneer Althea Gibson, and Sam Pollard, who most recently made MLK/FBI, teamed for the feature docu, which they spoke about during a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event.
Miller said “the skeleton” of Citizen Ashe came from 47 boxes of notes and Dictaphone tapes he uncovered at Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, home to Ashe’s archives. The materials had been used as the basis for Ashe’s memoir Days of Grace,...
Director-producer Rex Miller, whose previous tennis documentaries includes one on pioneer Althea Gibson, and Sam Pollard, who most recently made MLK/FBI, teamed for the feature docu, which they spoke about during a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event.
Miller said “the skeleton” of Citizen Ashe came from 47 boxes of notes and Dictaphone tapes he uncovered at Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, home to Ashe’s archives. The materials had been used as the basis for Ashe’s memoir Days of Grace,...
- 11/21/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event, our virtual showcase of the year’s leading nonfiction, gets underway Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. Pt. This year’s lineup of 25 movies reflects the growing availability of documentary content across a variety of platforms: Showtime and HBO, streamers HBO Max, Netflix, Discovery+, Hulu, Amazon Studios, and Apple TV+, as well as theatrical distributors Neon, Focus Features, Searchlight Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics.
Click here to register and watch the livestream.
If Sunday’s Contenders event came with a soundtrack, it would be a chart topper for the ages. No fewer than four of the films in our panel lineup today throb to a musical beat: Summer of Soul recovers the long-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 that welcomed incredible artists, from a teenage Stevie Wonder to Mahalia Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Fifth Dimension.
Click here to register and watch the livestream.
If Sunday’s Contenders event came with a soundtrack, it would be a chart topper for the ages. No fewer than four of the films in our panel lineup today throb to a musical beat: Summer of Soul recovers the long-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 that welcomed incredible artists, from a teenage Stevie Wonder to Mahalia Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Fifth Dimension.
- 11/21/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Time Studios is expanding its library of documentaries and kids and family programming. The television and film production company plans to broaden its scope by hiring new creatives and increasing its overall production spend.
The news comes as Time Studios announces it has surpassed $70 million in revenue since launching in early 2020. Within the last year, it has sold more than 20 projects to Netflix, Amazon, Paramount Plus, as well as HBO, Showtime, Nickelodeon and CNN Films. Some titles include “Big Vape” on Netflix and “John Lewis: Good Trouble” on CNN Films and “Amazing Grace” at Neon.
To support the company’s growth, Time Studios has made several executive hires. Alexandra Johnes and Loren Hammonds have been tapped to lead its documentary division, while Maria Perez-Brown has been appointed to spearhead its new kids and family programming arm, dedicated to young viewers and their families. Additional hires and promotions include Rebecca Teitel as VP of documentary,...
The news comes as Time Studios announces it has surpassed $70 million in revenue since launching in early 2020. Within the last year, it has sold more than 20 projects to Netflix, Amazon, Paramount Plus, as well as HBO, Showtime, Nickelodeon and CNN Films. Some titles include “Big Vape” on Netflix and “John Lewis: Good Trouble” on CNN Films and “Amazing Grace” at Neon.
To support the company’s growth, Time Studios has made several executive hires. Alexandra Johnes and Loren Hammonds have been tapped to lead its documentary division, while Maria Perez-Brown has been appointed to spearhead its new kids and family programming arm, dedicated to young viewers and their families. Additional hires and promotions include Rebecca Teitel as VP of documentary,...
- 11/18/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Time Studios, the Emmy-winning TV and film production division of Time, which has generated more than $70M in revenue since its 2020 launch, today announced the expansion of its Documentary division, also introducing a new arm for Kids & Family programming.
Alexandra Johnes and Loren Hammonds have been tapped as Heads of Documentary, with Maria Perez-Brown coming aboard as Head of Kids & Family. Additional new hires and promotions include Rebecca Teitel as VP of Documentary, Rebecca Gitlitz as Director and Showrunner and Jeff Smith as Executive Producer and Showrunner. The Scripted division of Time Studios will be run by Kaveh Veyssi, VP of Film & TV, Time Studios, as part of a strategic alliance with Sugar23, as previously announced.
The new Kids & Family division will build on Time’s success in the space with the Daytime Emmy Award-nominated Kid of the Year television special, recognizing the contributions of extraordinary young leaders in a range of fields,...
Alexandra Johnes and Loren Hammonds have been tapped as Heads of Documentary, with Maria Perez-Brown coming aboard as Head of Kids & Family. Additional new hires and promotions include Rebecca Teitel as VP of Documentary, Rebecca Gitlitz as Director and Showrunner and Jeff Smith as Executive Producer and Showrunner. The Scripted division of Time Studios will be run by Kaveh Veyssi, VP of Film & TV, Time Studios, as part of a strategic alliance with Sugar23, as previously announced.
The new Kids & Family division will build on Time’s success in the space with the Daytime Emmy Award-nominated Kid of the Year television special, recognizing the contributions of extraordinary young leaders in a range of fields,...
- 11/18/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“King Richard,” the true saga of how Richard Williams (Will Smith) turned his athletic daughters into tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, started off as an idea from Tim White, who co-founded Star Thrower Entertainment with his filmmaker brother, Trevor. Once they decided to pursue the Williams family’s story, the Whites proceeded to do just about everything right. In Hollywood, this is rare.
Here are the ways the White brothers delivered an entertaining, authentic, and uplifting movie that Warner Bros. is pushing for the Best Picture Oscar.
1. A relatable narrative, tied to recognizable names.
Tim grew up in Annapolis, Maryland playing competitive tennis, from the junior nationals to the minor leagues. He knew the Richard Williams story, and when he was a teenager, saw him in the stadiums rooting for his kids. “I remember him holding up the signs and hearing people talking about him as this controversial guy,...
Here are the ways the White brothers delivered an entertaining, authentic, and uplifting movie that Warner Bros. is pushing for the Best Picture Oscar.
1. A relatable narrative, tied to recognizable names.
Tim grew up in Annapolis, Maryland playing competitive tennis, from the junior nationals to the minor leagues. He knew the Richard Williams story, and when he was a teenager, saw him in the stadiums rooting for his kids. “I remember him holding up the signs and hearing people talking about him as this controversial guy,...
- 11/16/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
“King Richard,” the true saga of how Richard Williams (Will Smith) turned his athletic daughters into tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, started off as an idea from Tim White, who co-founded Star Thrower Entertainment with his filmmaker brother, Trevor. Once they decided to pursue the Williams family’s story, the Whites proceeded to do just about everything right. In Hollywood, this is rare.
Here are the ways the White brothers delivered an entertaining, authentic, and uplifting movie that Warner Bros. is pushing for the Best Picture Oscar.
1. A relatable narrative, tied to recognizable names.
Tim grew up in Annapolis, Maryland playing competitive tennis, from the junior nationals to the minor leagues. He knew the Richard Williams story, and when he was a teenager, saw him in the stadiums rooting for his kids. “I remember him holding up the signs and hearing people talking about him as this controversial guy,...
Here are the ways the White brothers delivered an entertaining, authentic, and uplifting movie that Warner Bros. is pushing for the Best Picture Oscar.
1. A relatable narrative, tied to recognizable names.
Tim grew up in Annapolis, Maryland playing competitive tennis, from the junior nationals to the minor leagues. He knew the Richard Williams story, and when he was a teenager, saw him in the stadiums rooting for his kids. “I remember him holding up the signs and hearing people talking about him as this controversial guy,...
- 11/16/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Bio-docs
Citizen Ashe (CNN Films/HBO Max)
Rex Miller and Sam Pollard directed the film that centers on the life and career of tennis player Arthur Ashe, who won three Grand Slam singles titles and was the only Black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. Citizen Ashe was executive produced by Alex Gibney and John Legend.
Fauci (Nat Geo)
Directors John Hoffman and Janet Tobias take an in-depth look at how infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci led the fight against epidemics, from HIV/AIDS and Ebola to the current Covid-19 pandemic, in the U.S....
Citizen Ashe (CNN Films/HBO Max)
Rex Miller and Sam Pollard directed the film that centers on the life and career of tennis player Arthur Ashe, who won three Grand Slam singles titles and was the only Black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. Citizen Ashe was executive produced by Alex Gibney and John Legend.
Fauci (Nat Geo)
Directors John Hoffman and Janet Tobias take an in-depth look at how infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci led the fight against epidemics, from HIV/AIDS and Ebola to the current Covid-19 pandemic, in the U.S....
- 11/15/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Bio-docs
Citizen Ashe (CNN Films/HBO Max)
Rex Miller and Sam Pollard directed the film that centers on the life and career of tennis player Arthur Ashe, who won three Grand Slam singles titles and was the only Black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. Citizen Ashe was executive produced by Alex Gibney and John Legend.
Fauci (Nat Geo)
Directors John Hoffman and Janet Tobias take an in-depth look at how infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci led the fight against epidemics, from HIV/AIDS and Ebola to the current Covid-19 pandemic, in the U.S....
Citizen Ashe (CNN Films/HBO Max)
Rex Miller and Sam Pollard directed the film that centers on the life and career of tennis player Arthur Ashe, who won three Grand Slam singles titles and was the only Black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. Citizen Ashe was executive produced by Alex Gibney and John Legend.
Fauci (Nat Geo)
Directors John Hoffman and Janet Tobias take an in-depth look at how infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci led the fight against epidemics, from HIV/AIDS and Ebola to the current Covid-19 pandemic, in the U.S....
- 11/15/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"He started becoming a citizen of the world." CNN Films + HBO Max + Magnolia Pictures have unveiled an official trailer for a triumphant biopic documentary called Citizen Ashe, which originally premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival this year. One of the next documentaries from filmmaker Sam Pollard following his exquisite MLK/FBI doc that opened earlier this year. Citizen Ashe explores the enduring legacy of tennis great and humanitarian Arthur Ashe, tracing his personal evolution from a sports legend to becoming a global activist - against a tumultuous backdrop of history that included the civil rights movement, South African apartheid, and the AIDS epidemic. His own words, and those closest to him, reveal in this film his quiet determination to "use what he had to do what he could." This is playing at the Doc NYC Film Festival next, and will debut in theaters in December. It looks like another must...
- 11/3/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
With “King Richard” on the release horizon later this month, tennis fans already have one movie to look forward to this Fall. However, there’s a film about another American tennis great who broke through racial barriers a generation before Venus and Serena out soon, too.
Read More: ‘Citizen Ashe’ Examines Arthur Ashe’s Legacy Beyond Just Tennis [Telluride Review]
“Citizen Ashe” follows the life and career of Arthur Ashe, from his on-court success to his activism off of it and his death from AIDS-related complications in 1993.
Continue reading ‘Citizen Ashe’ Trailer: New Doc Follows The Life & Career Of Tennis Pioneer Arthur Ashe at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Citizen Ashe’ Examines Arthur Ashe’s Legacy Beyond Just Tennis [Telluride Review]
“Citizen Ashe” follows the life and career of Arthur Ashe, from his on-court success to his activism off of it and his death from AIDS-related complications in 1993.
Continue reading ‘Citizen Ashe’ Trailer: New Doc Follows The Life & Career Of Tennis Pioneer Arthur Ashe at The Playlist.
- 11/3/2021
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Chicago – Day Nine of the 57th Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff) honors actor Kenneth Branagh in presenting “Belfast,” the nostalgic homage to his hometown Irish city during the 1960s. This is Branagh’s 23rd film as director. (click Belfast for details).
The 57th Chicago International Film Festival Day Nine features screenings in theater, at the drive-in and virtual/online. Click here for a complete how-to guide on navigating the 57th Ciff. And click Day Nine for the complete line up of films.
Kenneth Branagh
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
Event Of The Day: the 57th Ciff honors actor/director Kenneth Branagh with its Lifetime Achievement Award for his longtime and expressive career. Since his stirring 1989 adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” he has starred in and directed numerous films based on the Bard’s work including “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Hamlet” and “As You Like It.” He has also...
The 57th Chicago International Film Festival Day Nine features screenings in theater, at the drive-in and virtual/online. Click here for a complete how-to guide on navigating the 57th Ciff. And click Day Nine for the complete line up of films.
Kenneth Branagh
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
Event Of The Day: the 57th Ciff honors actor/director Kenneth Branagh with its Lifetime Achievement Award for his longtime and expressive career. Since his stirring 1989 adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” he has starred in and directed numerous films based on the Bard’s work including “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Hamlet” and “As You Like It.” He has also...
- 10/21/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
With the grand in-person return of the New York Film Festival in the rearview mirror, New York’s fall festival season barrels on with Doc NYC, the largest documentary festival in the country. This year’s festival will return to in-person theatrical screenings, with virtual options and passes available as well. The 2021 lineup includes more than 120 feature-length documentaries, including 32 world premieres and 34 U.S. premieres. World premieres include films on figures such as NBA legend Kevin Garnett, recently passed rapper Dmx, rat pack crooner Dean Martin, and the late literary icon Kurt Vonnegut. They join previously announced titles on Kenny G and Dionne Warwick, as well as Matthew Heineman’s “The First Wave,” a penetrating look at the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City.
Doc NYC is also launching three new competitive sections this year: A U.S. Competition for new American nonfiction films, an International...
Doc NYC is also launching three new competitive sections this year: A U.S. Competition for new American nonfiction films, an International...
- 10/19/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Arthur Ashe film received world premiere at Telluride and will receive Oscar campaign.
Heading into its international premiere at BFI London Film Festival on Sunday (October 10) Magnolia Pictures has acquired US theatrical rights to Citizen Ashe, the documentary about pioneering tennis champion Arthur Ashe.
Rex Miller and Sam Pollard directed the feature produced by Dogwoof for CNN Films and HBO Max. The film premiered at Telluride last month and will open in cinemas in New York on December 3 and in Los Angeles on December 10 accompanied by an Oscar campaign.
Citizen Ashe reveals the private person behind the historic Grand Slam...
Heading into its international premiere at BFI London Film Festival on Sunday (October 10) Magnolia Pictures has acquired US theatrical rights to Citizen Ashe, the documentary about pioneering tennis champion Arthur Ashe.
Rex Miller and Sam Pollard directed the feature produced by Dogwoof for CNN Films and HBO Max. The film premiered at Telluride last month and will open in cinemas in New York on December 3 and in Los Angeles on December 10 accompanied by an Oscar campaign.
Citizen Ashe reveals the private person behind the historic Grand Slam...
- 10/8/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Releases 2021 Lineup
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (Hsdff) has released the lineup of films and honorees for its 30th edition, which will take place Oct. 8-16.
The opening night presentation will be a screening of Samuel D. Pollard and Rex Miller’s “Citizen Ashe,” a biographical piece about the tennis player Arthur Ashe. The centerpiece films will be “The Rescue” directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, which follows Tham Luang cave rescue, and “Neutral Ground,” C.J. Hunt’s film about the 2015 removal of four Confederate monuments from New Orleans. The festival will close with “Julia,” Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s film about Julia Child.
Pollard will be honored with the Hdsff career achievement award. The impact award will go to Garrett Bradley, director of the 2020 documentary “Time.” This year’s honorary festival chair will be Dawn Hudson, CEO of the Academy...
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (Hsdff) has released the lineup of films and honorees for its 30th edition, which will take place Oct. 8-16.
The opening night presentation will be a screening of Samuel D. Pollard and Rex Miller’s “Citizen Ashe,” a biographical piece about the tennis player Arthur Ashe. The centerpiece films will be “The Rescue” directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, which follows Tham Luang cave rescue, and “Neutral Ground,” C.J. Hunt’s film about the 2015 removal of four Confederate monuments from New Orleans. The festival will close with “Julia,” Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s film about Julia Child.
Pollard will be honored with the Hdsff career achievement award. The impact award will go to Garrett Bradley, director of the 2020 documentary “Time.” This year’s honorary festival chair will be Dawn Hudson, CEO of the Academy...
- 9/22/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
“Citizen Ashe,” a new documentary about tennis star Arthur Ashe, is as interested in its subject’s political evolution as it is in his heroics on the court.
Ashe was one of the top tennis players in the world for much of the 1960s and ’70s, winning the U.S. Open and the Australian Open and becoming the first and, so far only Black man to win a singles title at Wimbledon. But he also helped transform the sport and the idea of professional athlete as political advocate in important ways.
“Everything he did on the tennis court was classy, and that carried over off the court,” says Sam Pollard, who co-directed the film.
Ashe, who had been raised in the segregated South, initially preferred to keep a low profile when it came to civil rights issues. But his presence on the court was in some ways a radical statement,...
Ashe was one of the top tennis players in the world for much of the 1960s and ’70s, winning the U.S. Open and the Australian Open and becoming the first and, so far only Black man to win a singles title at Wimbledon. But he also helped transform the sport and the idea of professional athlete as political advocate in important ways.
“Everything he did on the tennis court was classy, and that carried over off the court,” says Sam Pollard, who co-directed the film.
Ashe, who had been raised in the segregated South, initially preferred to keep a low profile when it came to civil rights issues. But his presence on the court was in some ways a radical statement,...
- 9/12/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Telluride always showcases a large number of top-flight documentaries, but perhaps this year, with a smaller number of narrative films able to be completed during the pandemic, the percentage of docs was even higher. One of the strong entries, Citizen Ashe, turned out to be an unexpected companion piece to King Richard, one of the few major studio films shown at the festival. Both movies highlight the contributions of Black athletes to the once all-white sport of tennis. Arthur Ashe, who made his mark before the Williams sisters were born, was a true pioneer, and the film by Rex Miller and Sam Pollard ...
- 9/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Telluride always showcases a large number of top-flight documentaries, but perhaps this year, with a smaller number of narrative films able to be completed during the pandemic, the percentage of docs was even higher. One of the strong entries, Citizen Ashe, turned out to be an unexpected companion piece to King Richard, one of the few major studio films shown at the festival. Both movies highlight the contributions of Black athletes to the once all-white sport of tennis. Arthur Ashe, who made his mark before the Williams sisters were born, was a true pioneer, and the film by Rex Miller and Sam Pollard ...
- 9/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
‘Citizen Ashe’ Review: Doc Follows How the Tumultuous ’60s Helped Define the Trailblazing Tennis Pro
Arthur Ashe was a trailblazer in tennis, a sport with a long history of white elitism. In “Citizen Ashe,” co-directed by Rex Miller and Sam Pollard, captures key moments in Ashe’s life but race looms large throughout. For the African-American tennis champion, it was an albatross that eventually motivated a thrust into the civil rights struggle. Wavering on a number of issues related to racial justice, and the civic responsibilities of Black athletes, was a tension that defined his life.
Confused by what being an athlete meant in the African-American context, Ashe, a Southerner who grew up in Richmond, Virginia in the 1950s, wanted to break the mold. Instead of taking up sports like track, baseball, and basketball, he chose tennis, because he wanted to be “the Jackie Robinson” of the sport, as his brother, Johnnie Ashe, recalls in the film, It’s a compelling life story of a...
Confused by what being an athlete meant in the African-American context, Ashe, a Southerner who grew up in Richmond, Virginia in the 1950s, wanted to break the mold. Instead of taking up sports like track, baseball, and basketball, he chose tennis, because he wanted to be “the Jackie Robinson” of the sport, as his brother, Johnnie Ashe, recalls in the film, It’s a compelling life story of a...
- 9/3/2021
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
“The Show,” as the Telluride Film Festival programmers refer to its annual feature program, is back this year with a wide array of documentary award season contenders.
Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, Jacques Cousteau, Anthony Fauci, Francisco Fellove and the Velvet Underground are the subjects of various docus in this year’s lineup. The nonfiction lineup also includes films about cows, rivers, caves, and family dynamics.
The secretive Telluride team unveiled the 2021 program just 24 hours before the festival begins. “The festival directors are always dedicated to programming what they believe to be the best films of the year,” a fest spokesperson said. “And our documentary lineup reflects that.”
Liz Garbus and Sam Pollard were supposed to attend last year’s fest with “All In: The Fight for Democracy” and “MLK/FBI,” respectively. This year, both of the Oscar-nominated helmers will be in the small Colorado community for the premieres of their latest...
Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, Jacques Cousteau, Anthony Fauci, Francisco Fellove and the Velvet Underground are the subjects of various docus in this year’s lineup. The nonfiction lineup also includes films about cows, rivers, caves, and family dynamics.
The secretive Telluride team unveiled the 2021 program just 24 hours before the festival begins. “The festival directors are always dedicated to programming what they believe to be the best films of the year,” a fest spokesperson said. “And our documentary lineup reflects that.”
Liz Garbus and Sam Pollard were supposed to attend last year’s fest with “All In: The Fight for Democracy” and “MLK/FBI,” respectively. This year, both of the Oscar-nominated helmers will be in the small Colorado community for the premieres of their latest...
- 9/1/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Independent streaming company Cinedigm has named Ashok Amritraj to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
Amritraj is Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Inc. and brings an exceptionally diverse resume that has seen him wearing the whites of Wimbledon, excelling as an award-winning producer and serving as a United Nations India Goodwill Ambassador. The former professional tennis player turned Hollywood producer has a feature career that has spanned more than 100 movies in a 35-year-plus career including such titles as Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Bringing Down the House, Walking Tall and the SAG and Golden Globe nominated drama 99 Homes. Amritraj has worked with some of the biggest stars in the business including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bruce Willis, Sandra Bullock, Idris Elba, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield and Jennifer Aniston. He also established Hyde Park Entertainment Asia to produce films and television series from Asian and Indian creators.
Amritraj is Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Inc. and brings an exceptionally diverse resume that has seen him wearing the whites of Wimbledon, excelling as an award-winning producer and serving as a United Nations India Goodwill Ambassador. The former professional tennis player turned Hollywood producer has a feature career that has spanned more than 100 movies in a 35-year-plus career including such titles as Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Bringing Down the House, Walking Tall and the SAG and Golden Globe nominated drama 99 Homes. Amritraj has worked with some of the biggest stars in the business including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bruce Willis, Sandra Bullock, Idris Elba, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield and Jennifer Aniston. He also established Hyde Park Entertainment Asia to produce films and television series from Asian and Indian creators.
- 8/10/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Arthur Ashe Doc
CNN Films and HBO Max have partnered with Dogwoof on a documentary – Citizen Ashe – that will explore the impact Arthur Ashe had on tennis and HIV activism. During his momentous tennis career, Ashe won three Grand Slam singles titles and became the first-ever Black player to join the United States Davis Cup team. He retired in 1980 and died of AIDS-related complications in 1993. Rex Miller and Sam Pollard are co-directors on the film, which is aiming to release in 2022. Beth Hubbard and Dogwoof CEO Anna Godas are producers. “He created a unique blueprint for advancing civil rights for disenfranchised and oppressed people throughout the world, amid a tumultuous time of demonstrations and assassinations,” Miller said. “Citizen Ashe shows a true champion’s defining moments.”
Ireland Eyeing Record Production Spend
Screen Ireland has released estimated production figures for 2021, with the org forecasting spend in the country to reach record...
CNN Films and HBO Max have partnered with Dogwoof on a documentary – Citizen Ashe – that will explore the impact Arthur Ashe had on tennis and HIV activism. During his momentous tennis career, Ashe won three Grand Slam singles titles and became the first-ever Black player to join the United States Davis Cup team. He retired in 1980 and died of AIDS-related complications in 1993. Rex Miller and Sam Pollard are co-directors on the film, which is aiming to release in 2022. Beth Hubbard and Dogwoof CEO Anna Godas are producers. “He created a unique blueprint for advancing civil rights for disenfranchised and oppressed people throughout the world, amid a tumultuous time of demonstrations and assassinations,” Miller said. “Citizen Ashe shows a true champion’s defining moments.”
Ireland Eyeing Record Production Spend
Screen Ireland has released estimated production figures for 2021, with the org forecasting spend in the country to reach record...
- 7/15/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman and Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.