“Reggie” just began streaming on Prime Video. The documentary follows one of sport’s first and most influential megastars, beloved baseball icon and 5-time World Series champion Reggie Jackson as he contemplates his legacy as a trailblazing Black athlete fighting for dignity, respect, and a seat at the table in this intimate and revealing new film exploring his life and barrier-busting career. Jackson appears on screen as do several of his family members and fellow sports legends including Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter, Bill Russell and Julius Erving.
The movie from Amazon Studios was directed by Alex Stapleton and currently holds a perfect 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Odie Henderson of The Boston Globe says, “It’s an engrossing watch, even if you hate those Damn Yankees.” Read our full review round-up below.
See ‘Bill Russell: Legend’ spotlights NBA player’s achievements on and off the court: ‘Even for Lakers fans,...
The movie from Amazon Studios was directed by Alex Stapleton and currently holds a perfect 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Odie Henderson of The Boston Globe says, “It’s an engrossing watch, even if you hate those Damn Yankees.” Read our full review round-up below.
See ‘Bill Russell: Legend’ spotlights NBA player’s achievements on and off the court: ‘Even for Lakers fans,...
- 3/28/2023
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
As films like Parasite, Jojo Rabbit and Judy continue to flourish and find audiences, Shia Labeouf’s semi-autobiographical film Honey Boy looks to sweeten the pot and bring its unique vision to not only the specialty box office space but also the award season race.
Directed by visionary filmmaker Alma Har’el, whose feature documentary work Labeouf has produced, Honey Boy has been gaining traction right out of the gate when it made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The film won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Vision and Craft at the Park City fest and went on to get acquired by Amazon. The real test for the film will be its theatrical release and if it will be able to reach the masses beyond the arthouse crowd.
Also opening in theaters is the Lauren Greenfield Showtime documentary The Kingmaker which puts the...
Directed by visionary filmmaker Alma Har’el, whose feature documentary work Labeouf has produced, Honey Boy has been gaining traction right out of the gate when it made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The film won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Vision and Craft at the Park City fest and went on to get acquired by Amazon. The real test for the film will be its theatrical release and if it will be able to reach the masses beyond the arthouse crowd.
Also opening in theaters is the Lauren Greenfield Showtime documentary The Kingmaker which puts the...
- 11/8/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Roosevelt High School head football coach Javier Cid calls East Los Angeles (known locally as “East Los” or simply “East L.A.”) the “Ellis Island of the West,” as it was once home to a variety of immigrant groups — Russian, Jewish and Japanese, to name a few. However, in recent years, it’s become home to the United States’ largest Latino population, with over 96% of its residents identifying as Latino or Latin-American.
And despite the fact that over 70% of its Latino community are U.S. citizens, they are still not seen as American, a point driven home in the narration from conservative and far-right commentators during the opening sequence of writer-director-producer Billy McMillin’s feature film debut, “The All-Americans.”
McMillin offers an insight into two East L.A. High schools, Roosevelt and Garfield, and their respective football coaches and team players in the nine months leading up to the annual...
And despite the fact that over 70% of its Latino community are U.S. citizens, they are still not seen as American, a point driven home in the narration from conservative and far-right commentators during the opening sequence of writer-director-producer Billy McMillin’s feature film debut, “The All-Americans.”
McMillin offers an insight into two East L.A. High schools, Roosevelt and Garfield, and their respective football coaches and team players in the nine months leading up to the annual...
- 11/7/2019
- by Yolanda Machado
- The Wrap
Each year for over a decade, the Cinema Eye Honors selection committees, comprised of filmmakers from the documentary community, help to whittle down an increasingly overwhelming list of must-see non-fiction film and television. The 2020 nominees for Outstanding Feature Film are lead by Oscar frontrunners “American Factory” and “Apollo 11”, with five nominations each, and “For Sama”, “Honeyland”, “Midnight Family”, and “One Child Nation”, with three apiece.
Also scoring three nominations were “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics”), “The Cave” (NatGeo), and “Beyoncé’s Homecoming” (Netflix). “American Factory,” “Honeyland,” and “One Child Nation” also earned nods for Outstanding Direction, along with Feras Fayyad for “The Cave,” Mads Brügger for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” and Brett Story for “The Hottest August.”
Audience Choice nominees include “17 Blocks,” “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Knock Down the House,” and “Maiden.”
Netflix led all distributors/broadcasters with a record total of 17 nominations,...
Also scoring three nominations were “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics”), “The Cave” (NatGeo), and “Beyoncé’s Homecoming” (Netflix). “American Factory,” “Honeyland,” and “One Child Nation” also earned nods for Outstanding Direction, along with Feras Fayyad for “The Cave,” Mads Brügger for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” and Brett Story for “The Hottest August.”
Audience Choice nominees include “17 Blocks,” “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Knock Down the House,” and “Maiden.”
Netflix led all distributors/broadcasters with a record total of 17 nominations,...
- 11/7/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Each year for over a decade, the Cinema Eye Honors selection committees, comprised of filmmakers from the documentary community, help to whittle down an increasingly overwhelming list of must-see non-fiction film and television. The 2020 nominees for Outstanding Feature Film are lead by Oscar frontrunners “American Factory” and “Apollo 11”, with five nominations each, and “For Sama”, “Honeyland”, “Midnight Family”, and “One Child Nation”, with three apiece.
Also scoring three nominations were “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics”), “The Cave” (NatGeo), and “Beyoncé’s Homecoming” (Netflix). “American Factory,” “Honeyland,” and “One Child Nation” also earned nods for Outstanding Direction, along with Feras Fayyad for “The Cave,” Mads Brügger for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” and Brett Story for “The Hottest August.”
Audience Choice nominees include “17 Blocks,” “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Knock Down the House,” and “Maiden.”
Netflix led all distributors/broadcasters with a record total of 17 nominations,...
Also scoring three nominations were “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics”), “The Cave” (NatGeo), and “Beyoncé’s Homecoming” (Netflix). “American Factory,” “Honeyland,” and “One Child Nation” also earned nods for Outstanding Direction, along with Feras Fayyad for “The Cave,” Mads Brügger for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” and Brett Story for “The Hottest August.”
Audience Choice nominees include “17 Blocks,” “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Knock Down the House,” and “Maiden.”
Netflix led all distributors/broadcasters with a record total of 17 nominations,...
- 11/7/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Documentary group Cinema Eye on Thursday unveiled nominations for the 2020 Cinema Eye Honors, with Netflix’s American Factory and Neon’s Apollo 11 leading the way with five nominations each. Netflix tops all distributors with 17 noms, the most ever in a single year.
Winners will be revealed at a ceremony January 6 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
American Factory, which counts Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground among its executive producers, and Todd Douglas Miller’s deep dive into the 1969 moon mission Apollo 11 were nominated in the marquee Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. They are joined there by For Sama, the PBS/Frontline Syrian drama from Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watt; Neon’s Honeyland, the Sundance-winning Macedonian beekeeper tale from Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevsk; 1901 Media’s Mexico City ambulance industry pic Midnight Family; and Amazon Studios’ Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize-winning One Child Nation.
Last year,...
Winners will be revealed at a ceremony January 6 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
American Factory, which counts Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground among its executive producers, and Todd Douglas Miller’s deep dive into the 1969 moon mission Apollo 11 were nominated in the marquee Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. They are joined there by For Sama, the PBS/Frontline Syrian drama from Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watt; Neon’s Honeyland, the Sundance-winning Macedonian beekeeper tale from Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevsk; 1901 Media’s Mexico City ambulance industry pic Midnight Family; and Amazon Studios’ Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize-winning One Child Nation.
Last year,...
- 11/7/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
“American Factory” and “Apollo 11” led all films in nominations for the 13th annual Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based awards show created to pay tribute to all facets of nonfiction filmmaking.
The two films each received five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, from the Cinema Eye jury of festival programmers, as well as votes from this year’s eligible filmmakers.
The full slate of nominees in that category is a solid lineup of the year’s most acclaimed docs. In addition to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s “American Factory” and Todd Douglas Miller’s “Apollo 11,” it includes Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama,” Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s “Honeyland,” Luke Lorentzen’s “Midnight Family” and Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation.”
Also Read: 12 Documentaries to Check Out This Fall, Including Films by Bruce Springsteen and Agnès Varda (Photos)
“American Factory,” “Apollo 11...
The two films each received five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, from the Cinema Eye jury of festival programmers, as well as votes from this year’s eligible filmmakers.
The full slate of nominees in that category is a solid lineup of the year’s most acclaimed docs. In addition to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s “American Factory” and Todd Douglas Miller’s “Apollo 11,” it includes Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama,” Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s “Honeyland,” Luke Lorentzen’s “Midnight Family” and Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation.”
Also Read: 12 Documentaries to Check Out This Fall, Including Films by Bruce Springsteen and Agnès Varda (Photos)
“American Factory,” “Apollo 11...
- 11/7/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Three documentaries that likely will be awards-season contenders begin their theatrical rollouts Friday. Magnolia Pictures is opening Sundance Film Festival pickup Mike Wallace Is Here in New York and Los Angeles. The company is hoping to tap the timeliness of the U.S. president’s ongoing attacks on the press to drive audiences to celebrate a legend of broadcast journalism. Neon’s Honeyland won big prizes at Sundance this year, including cinematography and the top World Cinema doc award. The company is giving the film a slow, curated rollout in one theater each in New York and L.A. PBS Distribution’s For Sama took prizes on the festival circuit including in Cannes, Hot Docs and SXSW. The label is opening the title in three cities Friday. On the narrative side, Kino Lorber is heading out with period drama The Mountain in a single location on each coast.
Other limited...
Other limited...
- 7/26/2019
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Los Angeles Film Festival, better known as Laff if you’re fun, has unveiled its full slate of 2017 offerings, including new offerings from Vincent Grashaw, Leena Pendharkar, Hong Sangsoo, Lea Thompson and many more. The slate includes 48 feature films, 51 short films, 15 high school short films and 10 short episodic works representing 32 countries. The festival’s five competitions feature 37 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres and 9 North American Premieres. Across the competition categories, 42% of the films are directed by women and 40% are directed by people of color.
“Our competitions reflect who Film Independent is as an organization,” said La Film Festival Director Jennifer Cochis. “Within each section you’ll find discovery, diversity, and promising talent both in front of and behind the camera.” Programming Director Roya Rastegar added, “The films curated for the 2017 competition reflect the changing political climate’s impact on emerging independent filmmakers, who are compelled to tell stories about the power of conviction,...
“Our competitions reflect who Film Independent is as an organization,” said La Film Festival Director Jennifer Cochis. “Within each section you’ll find discovery, diversity, and promising talent both in front of and behind the camera.” Programming Director Roya Rastegar added, “The films curated for the 2017 competition reflect the changing political climate’s impact on emerging independent filmmakers, who are compelled to tell stories about the power of conviction,...
- 5/9/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The days are getting longer and the nights are getting warmer, which means that we're edging ever closer to this year's La Film Festival. Taking place June 14th–22nd, the La Film Festival's 2017 competition lineup has been unveiled, and of particular interest for genre fans is the Nightfall section, which includes Colin Minihan's It Stains the Sands Red, Julius Ramsay's Midnighters, and Amanda Evans' Serpent.
Press Release: Los Angeles (May 9, 2017)— Today the La Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, unveiled the official U.S. Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, La Muse and Nightfall sections. The 2017 La Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of feature films, shorts and episodic series, along with programs such as Coffee Talks and Future Filmmakers Showcase. The La Film Festival takes place June 14 – June 22, 2017 headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood,...
Press Release: Los Angeles (May 9, 2017)— Today the La Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, unveiled the official U.S. Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, La Muse and Nightfall sections. The 2017 La Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of feature films, shorts and episodic series, along with programs such as Coffee Talks and Future Filmmakers Showcase. The La Film Festival takes place June 14 – June 22, 2017 headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood,...
- 5/9/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
An amazing talent gone way too soon, Janis Joplin is more than her boozy, brash public image. This bio docu has the personal background and the insights of those her knew, plus the Texas and San Francisco context in the Rock breakout of the late 1960s. Janis: Little Girl Blue DVD Filmrise / Mvd 2015 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 105 min. / Street Date May 6, 2016 / 19.95 Starring Janis Joplin, Cat Power (voice), Peter Albin, Melissa Etheridge, Clive Davis, Laura Joplin, Michael Joplin, D.A. Pennebaker, Kris Kristofferson, Country Joe McDonald, Dick Cavett.. Cinematography Francesco Carrozzini, Jenna Rosher Film Editors Mark Harrison, Maya Hawke, Billy McMillin, Garret Price, Brendan Walsh Produced by Amy J. Berg, Alex Gibney, Katherine LeBlond, Jeff Jampol Directed by Amy J. Berg
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Janis: Little Girl Blue is an entertaining and emotionally affecting bio-film about the noted singer and songwriter, whose rise to fame in the San Francisco scene of the...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Janis: Little Girl Blue is an entertaining and emotionally affecting bio-film about the noted singer and songwriter, whose rise to fame in the San Francisco scene of the...
- 4/30/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Meet the Patels
Written by Matthew Hamachek, Billy Mcmillin, Geeta Patel & Ravi Patel
Directed by Geeta Patel & Ravi Patel
U.S.A., 2014
Dating isn’t easy, and no one would agree with that statement more than Ravi Patel. In Meet the Patels, Ravi, a nearly 30-year old first generation Indian-American, agrees to let his parents help him find a wife through their traditional methods. Meet the Patels is a charming and engaging documentary, which follows the trials and tribulations of a man balancing his own wants against familial expectations.
The film picks up in the aftermath of Ravi’s break up with Audrey, his girlfriend of 2-years. Audrey’s whimsical personality, great sense of humour, and striking beauty make her the perfect woman for Ravi in every way except for one — she’s not Indian. Knowing that his parents wouldn’t approve of Audrey, Ravi kept their 2-year relationship a secret.
Written by Matthew Hamachek, Billy Mcmillin, Geeta Patel & Ravi Patel
Directed by Geeta Patel & Ravi Patel
U.S.A., 2014
Dating isn’t easy, and no one would agree with that statement more than Ravi Patel. In Meet the Patels, Ravi, a nearly 30-year old first generation Indian-American, agrees to let his parents help him find a wife through their traditional methods. Meet the Patels is a charming and engaging documentary, which follows the trials and tribulations of a man balancing his own wants against familial expectations.
The film picks up in the aftermath of Ravi’s break up with Audrey, his girlfriend of 2-years. Audrey’s whimsical personality, great sense of humour, and striking beauty make her the perfect woman for Ravi in every way except for one — she’s not Indian. Knowing that his parents wouldn’t approve of Audrey, Ravi kept their 2-year relationship a secret.
- 10/15/2015
- by Victor Stiff
- SoundOnSight
Chicago the film may not make money or win mainstream attention, it could challenge traditional filmmaking without being constrained to fatigued formulas. That many scrutinizing eyes can see something special that Hollywood suits might nix.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Straightforwardly selling you its soul as “a real-life ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding,’” the new documentary “Meet the Patels” sucks you in with self-deprecating humor. Ravi Patel’s directorial debut offers full disclosure that it’ll look low-budget. It’ll even break the fourth wall by accidentally showing an overhead mic. Although that’s shot unintentionally and then highlighted in post, unusually it never happens again after the film’s low-expectation setup.
Indeed, its cinematography does look low-budget, blurry, shaky and certainly not HD, but it’s not trying to be a found-footage film. “Meet the Patels” cares most about its story and one character who evolves it. Ravi teaches you about a culture...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Straightforwardly selling you its soul as “a real-life ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding,’” the new documentary “Meet the Patels” sucks you in with self-deprecating humor. Ravi Patel’s directorial debut offers full disclosure that it’ll look low-budget. It’ll even break the fourth wall by accidentally showing an overhead mic. Although that’s shot unintentionally and then highlighted in post, unusually it never happens again after the film’s low-expectation setup.
Indeed, its cinematography does look low-budget, blurry, shaky and certainly not HD, but it’s not trying to be a found-footage film. “Meet the Patels” cares most about its story and one character who evolves it. Ravi teaches you about a culture...
- 9/15/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Dir/scr. Amy J Berg. Us, 2015, 103 mins.
Three decades before Amy Winehouse there was Janis Joplin, another dynamic, feisty, bluesy female vocalist whose life came to a tragic end at the rock world’s unlucky age - 27. A different Amy – documentary-maker Berg – pays joyous, moving tribute in this feature-length film to the girl from Port Arthur, Texas, whose breakout performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival ushered in a short but intense three-year period of rock fame before her death from a heroin overdose in October 1970.
If there’s one thing Janis: Little Girl Blue conveys brilliantly it’s the exuberant love for life and sense of fun that emanated from every pore of this snub-nosed singer.
Co-produced by PBS’ long-running American Masters series, Janis: Little Girl Blue is a classic rock documentary, told using a conventional but well-sifted mix of present-day and archive interviews with performance and backstage footage. It’s a good...
Three decades before Amy Winehouse there was Janis Joplin, another dynamic, feisty, bluesy female vocalist whose life came to a tragic end at the rock world’s unlucky age - 27. A different Amy – documentary-maker Berg – pays joyous, moving tribute in this feature-length film to the girl from Port Arthur, Texas, whose breakout performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival ushered in a short but intense three-year period of rock fame before her death from a heroin overdose in October 1970.
If there’s one thing Janis: Little Girl Blue conveys brilliantly it’s the exuberant love for life and sense of fun that emanated from every pore of this snub-nosed singer.
Co-produced by PBS’ long-running American Masters series, Janis: Little Girl Blue is a classic rock documentary, told using a conventional but well-sifted mix of present-day and archive interviews with performance and backstage footage. It’s a good...
- 9/6/2015
- ScreenDaily
As the days get darker and the cold winds of Autumn approach, it’s time to look ahead at the upcoming movies set to hit cinemas this Fall.
The huge slate includes the return of the Jedis, the rebirth of Frankenstein and a new age of Good Dinosaurs. These movies will take audiences to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, on a voyage to Mars and to the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest.
Here’s our list of the 2015 Fall movies that we can’t wait to see!
September
The Visit (Sept 11)
Writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable) and producer Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, The Purge and Insidious series) welcome you to Universal Pictures’ The Visit. Shyamalan returns to his roots with the terrifying story of a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip.
The huge slate includes the return of the Jedis, the rebirth of Frankenstein and a new age of Good Dinosaurs. These movies will take audiences to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, on a voyage to Mars and to the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest.
Here’s our list of the 2015 Fall movies that we can’t wait to see!
September
The Visit (Sept 11)
Writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable) and producer Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, The Purge and Insidious series) welcome you to Universal Pictures’ The Visit. Shyamalan returns to his roots with the terrifying story of a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip.
- 9/3/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Meet The Patels Alchemy Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: B+ Director: Geeta V. Patel, Ravi V. Patel Screenwriter: Geeta V. Patel, Ravi V. Patel, Billy McMillin, Matt Hamachek Cast: Ravi V. Patel, Champa V. Patel, Vasant K. Patel, Audrey Allison Wauchope, Geeta V. Patel Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 6/9/15 Opens: September 2015 There’s an abundance of cultures on planet earth, so while the slogan of the Flushing, New York World’s Fair was “It’s a small world after all,” we find that people from the Indian state of Gujarat not only can’t understand the language of the folks in India’s Mysore, and people in [ Read More ]
The post Meet the Patels Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Meet the Patels Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/1/2015
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg, who received an Oscar nomination for “Deliver Us From Evil,” is in the works on a documentary focusing on the life of '60s rocker Janis Joplin. The documentary will be called “Janis: Little Girl Blue,” and will be produced by Berg along with Alex Gibney, who won an Oscar himself for “Taxi to the Dark Side.” Jeff Jampol and Billy McMillin, who worked with Berg on “West of Memphis,” will also produce. Also read: Amy Berg on Her Hollywood Sex Ring Documentary: ‘It's Bigger Than the One Case’ Content said Thursday that it will...
- 5/1/2014
- by Matthew Bramlett
- The Wrap
Content to begin sales at Cannes on Amy Berg’s Janis Joplin documentary, produced by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney.
Content Film has secured worldwide sales to Amy Berg’s upcoming Janis Joplin documentary and will introducing the film to buyers at the Cannes market this month.
Berg, who has made feature documentaries including Deliver Us From Evil and West of Memphis, will direct and produce Janis: Little Girl Blue.
Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning director of Taxi to the Dark Side and The Armstrong Lie, is producing under his Jigsaw Productions banner with Jeff Jampol from Jam, Inc. Billy McMillin is editing.
Currently in production, the documentary aims to strip away Joplin’s rock’n’roll persona to reveal the woman behind the legend through rare and never-before-seen footage.
The singer, who performed at Monterey Pop in 1967, Woodstock in 1969, and Festival Express in 1970, died aged 27. The doc will include interviews with her family, friends and rock...
Content Film has secured worldwide sales to Amy Berg’s upcoming Janis Joplin documentary and will introducing the film to buyers at the Cannes market this month.
Berg, who has made feature documentaries including Deliver Us From Evil and West of Memphis, will direct and produce Janis: Little Girl Blue.
Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning director of Taxi to the Dark Side and The Armstrong Lie, is producing under his Jigsaw Productions banner with Jeff Jampol from Jam, Inc. Billy McMillin is editing.
Currently in production, the documentary aims to strip away Joplin’s rock’n’roll persona to reveal the woman behind the legend through rare and never-before-seen footage.
The singer, who performed at Monterey Pop in 1967, Woodstock in 1969, and Festival Express in 1970, died aged 27. The doc will include interviews with her family, friends and rock...
- 5/1/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The home video announcement has come for the documentary West of Memphis, which opened way back on Christmas Day 2012 courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics; and it should provide one of the most intense, powerful movie experiences this year. Check out the art and specs!
From the Press Release
Academy Award®-winning producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh (both 2003, Best Picture & Best Adapted Screenplay, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) present West Of Memphis, available August 6th on Blu-ray™ and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Amy Berg (2007, Best Documentary - Feature, Deliver Us From Evil), this acclaimed documentary tells the powerful, untold story of the 18-year fight to free the “West Memphis 3,” three teenagers wrongfully convicted of the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boy in West Memphis, Arkansas.
The film was the Official Selection at the 2012 Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals,...
From the Press Release
Academy Award®-winning producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh (both 2003, Best Picture & Best Adapted Screenplay, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) present West Of Memphis, available August 6th on Blu-ray™ and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Amy Berg (2007, Best Documentary - Feature, Deliver Us From Evil), this acclaimed documentary tells the powerful, untold story of the 18-year fight to free the “West Memphis 3,” three teenagers wrongfully convicted of the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boy in West Memphis, Arkansas.
The film was the Official Selection at the 2012 Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals,...
- 7/15/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
We are now officially half way through the year and so I’ve asked our staff to vote for their favourite films released thus far. Hollywood blockbusters may have disappointed us, but thankfully we can always rely on independent filmmakers to create some truly inspiring films. Rounding out the special mentions is Terrence Malick’s To The Wonder, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and Cate Shortland’s Lore – all missing the cut by a couple of points.
****
#15: Iron Man 3 (24 points)
Directed by Shane Black
Written by Drew Pearce & Shane Black
USA, 2013
Fun has become a slightly forgotten commodity in the summer blockbuster, with many studios and filmmakers now inspired by the efforts of directors like Christopher Nolan to be as grim as possible. The modern superhero often has to be angst-ridden or otherwise mentally scarred to make an impact on audiences, so it’s a pleasant surprise...
****
#15: Iron Man 3 (24 points)
Directed by Shane Black
Written by Drew Pearce & Shane Black
USA, 2013
Fun has become a slightly forgotten commodity in the summer blockbuster, with many studios and filmmakers now inspired by the efforts of directors like Christopher Nolan to be as grim as possible. The modern superhero often has to be angst-ridden or otherwise mentally scarred to make an impact on audiences, so it’s a pleasant surprise...
- 7/1/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Aug 6, 2013
Price: DVD $30.99, Blu-ray $35.99
Studio: Sony
Damien Echols in West of Memphis
The 2012 documentary film West of Memphis tells the remarkable the story surrounding the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, and exposes the wrongful conviction of three teenagers—known as the West Memphis Three—who lost 18 years of their lives imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.
West of Memphis chronicles the untold story behind the extraordinary and desperate fight to re-open the case following the discovery of new forensic evidence which points to the convicted men’s innocence. A number of documentaries have been based on the case over the years, and celebrities and musicians have held fund raisers in the belief that they are innocent.
Directed and co-written by Amy Berg and Billy McMillin and co-produced by Lord of the Rings filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh...
Price: DVD $30.99, Blu-ray $35.99
Studio: Sony
Damien Echols in West of Memphis
The 2012 documentary film West of Memphis tells the remarkable the story surrounding the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, and exposes the wrongful conviction of three teenagers—known as the West Memphis Three—who lost 18 years of their lives imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.
West of Memphis chronicles the untold story behind the extraordinary and desperate fight to re-open the case following the discovery of new forensic evidence which points to the convicted men’s innocence. A number of documentaries have been based on the case over the years, and celebrities and musicians have held fund raisers in the belief that they are innocent.
Directed and co-written by Amy Berg and Billy McMillin and co-produced by Lord of the Rings filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh...
- 6/19/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
"Argo" remains the Oscar-frontrunner! The Ben Affleck film was the big winner at the recently concluded 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards honoring outstanding editing in nine categories of film, television, and documentaries. "Argo" won the Dramatic category, "Silver Linings Playbook" for Comedy/Musical, "Brave" for Animated, and "Searching for Sugar Man" for Documentary.
Here are the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):
*** Argo
William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Life of Pi
Tim Squyres, A.C.E.
Lincoln
Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Skyfall
Stuart Baird, A.C.E.
Zero Dark Thirty
Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical):
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Chris Gill
Les Misérables
Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.
Moonrise Kingdom
Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.
*** Silver Linings Playbook
Jay Cassidy,...
Here are the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):
*** Argo
William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Life of Pi
Tim Squyres, A.C.E.
Lincoln
Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Skyfall
Stuart Baird, A.C.E.
Zero Dark Thirty
Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical):
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Chris Gill
Les Misérables
Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.
Moonrise Kingdom
Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.
*** Silver Linings Playbook
Jay Cassidy,...
- 2/18/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Argo and Zero Dark Thirty have won the top movie prizes at this year's Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards.
Chris Terrio was honoured in the 'Adapted Screenplay' category for Argo and Mark Boal won the 'Original Screenplay' award for Zero Dark Thirty during simultaneous ceremonies hosted in New York and Los Angeles.
Searching for Sugar Man's Malik Bendejelloul also took home the 'Documentary' prize on Sunday night (February 17).
Girls, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and Modern Family were among the night's big winners in the TV categories.
The major winners and nominees in the movie categories at the WGA Awards are as follows:
Original Screenplay
Flight - John Gatins (Paramount Pictures)
Looper - Rian Johnson (TriStar Pictures)
The Master - Paul Thomas Anderson (The Weinstein Company)
Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Focus Features)
Zero Dark Thirty - Mark Boal (Columbia Pictures) - Winner
Adapted Screenplay
Argo...
Chris Terrio was honoured in the 'Adapted Screenplay' category for Argo and Mark Boal won the 'Original Screenplay' award for Zero Dark Thirty during simultaneous ceremonies hosted in New York and Los Angeles.
Searching for Sugar Man's Malik Bendejelloul also took home the 'Documentary' prize on Sunday night (February 17).
Girls, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and Modern Family were among the night's big winners in the TV categories.
The major winners and nominees in the movie categories at the WGA Awards are as follows:
Original Screenplay
Flight - John Gatins (Paramount Pictures)
Looper - Rian Johnson (TriStar Pictures)
The Master - Paul Thomas Anderson (The Weinstein Company)
Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Focus Features)
Zero Dark Thirty - Mark Boal (Columbia Pictures) - Winner
Adapted Screenplay
Argo...
- 2/18/2013
- Digital Spy
The Writers Guild Association (WGA) handed out the 2013 WGA Awards tonight and as tired as you may be of hearing it, Argo is once again among the winners, this time with Chris Terrio winning Adapted Screenplay, pretty much sealing the deal at the Oscars as well as far as I'm concerned. The screenplay for Argo was up against fellow Oscar nominees in Tony Kushner's screenplay for Lincoln, David Magee's screenplay for Life of Pi and David O. Russell's screenplay for Silver Linings Playbook. Before tonight I had kept Kushner's screenplay at #1 in my predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay, but no more. Oh well, Kushner was overheard at the ceremony saying he was working on another screenplay for Spielberg (source), but didn't elaborate on the content. Perhaps he'll have a shot with that one. In the original category, it was Mark Boal winning for Zero Dark Thirty, but...
- 2/18/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The American Cinema Editors (Ace) handed out the 2013 Eddie Awards last night and the race didn't change too much, that is unless you were confused as to who the two primary front-runners heading into next Sunday's Oscars were. Argo (edited by William Goldenberg, A.C.E.) and Silver Linings Playbook (edited by Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. and Crispin Struthers) won Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) and Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy/Musical) respectively. Brave won in the Animated category while presumptive Best Documentary winner, Searching for Sugar Man won in the Documentary category. Of course, just to keep things interesting and ensure "Team Lincoln" didn't go home entirely empty handed, Steven Spielberg received the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year honor presented to him by longtime collaborator and friend Kathleen Kennedy. I've already updated the Oscar Overture with the wins for Argo and Silver Linings as the path...
- 2/17/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
#1: West of Memphis
Directed by Amy Berg
Written by Billy McMillin and Amy Berg
2012, USA
Following from the original Paradise Lost film and its two sequels, West of Memphis follows the events of one of the most media-covered American crime stories of the last two decades: The West Memphis Three, a case in which three teenagers (Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin), were arrested for the murders of three eight-year old boys. The case spawned four documentaries, several books, and a campaign from high-profile celebrities such as Peter Jackson, Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder and Henry Rollins. Much like the Paradise Lost films, West of Memphis chronicles the history of the incarcerated men, all the way up to the eventual release.
Amy Berg’s film is an ambitious mixture of documentation and investigation. Along with co-writer and editor Billy McMillin, Berg selects moments from almost 20 years of stock footage...
Directed by Amy Berg
Written by Billy McMillin and Amy Berg
2012, USA
Following from the original Paradise Lost film and its two sequels, West of Memphis follows the events of one of the most media-covered American crime stories of the last two decades: The West Memphis Three, a case in which three teenagers (Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin), were arrested for the murders of three eight-year old boys. The case spawned four documentaries, several books, and a campaign from high-profile celebrities such as Peter Jackson, Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder and Henry Rollins. Much like the Paradise Lost films, West of Memphis chronicles the history of the incarcerated men, all the way up to the eventual release.
Amy Berg’s film is an ambitious mixture of documentation and investigation. Along with co-writer and editor Billy McMillin, Berg selects moments from almost 20 years of stock footage...
- 2/3/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Vol. I Issue 7
Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
The Invisible War promotes change in Us Air Force
The following is from the NY Times, January 24, 2013:
“The Invisible War, a documentary about rape and sexual assault in the military that was recently nominated for an Oscar in the documentary feature category, has been credited with both persuading more women to come forward to report abuse and with forcing the military to deal more openly with the problem. In November, General Welsh met with all of the Air Force’s wing commanders and had them watch the film with him, according to an Air Force spokesman."
Academy Announces Producer Credit for Four Documentary Features
The Documentary Branch Executive Committee has determined the individual nominees for four of the contending films in the Documentary Feature category:
The Gatekeepers
Dror Moreh, Philippa Kowarsky and Estelle Fialon
How to Survive a Plague
David France and Howard Gertler
The Invisible War
Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering
Searching for Sugar Man
Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn
The nominees for the fifth film in this category, “5 Broken Cameras,” were previously announced.
This is the result of rules made by the branch to be sure that regardless what the filmmakers claim on their application, a producer credit (and Oscar nomination or Award) can no longer go to the person who “just” comes in with the funds to make the film or the finishing funds. The Academy wants to be sure that the producers actually “produce” the film and not buy an Oscar. This reverses a long history of Oscars going to producers who provide few services other than writing a check. The branch also for the first time has nominated three people prior to the rule change this year; only two people could receive a documentary feature nomination. In a future issue we will closely look at this Academy rule and how it effects documentaries producer nominations.
5 Broken Camerasa film by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Academy Nominated Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras is a first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, the film was assembled by Burnat and Israeli co-director Guy Davidi. The film is structured around the violent destruction of each one of Burnat’s cameras, the filmmakers’ collaboration follows one family’s evolution over five years of village turmoil. Burnat watches from behind the lens as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify, and lives are lost. “I feel like the camera protects me,” he says, “but it’s an illusion.”
Of the five nominated documentary feature films this year, 5 Broken Cameras is the weakest selection. 5 Broken Cameras subject is a rehash of a familiar story, Jews and Palestinians. It lacks
the clever concept of the rediscovery of a lost rock and roller which is the warm fuzzy nominee. The other films cry out “Issue” from the bungled attempts of the government to effectively and compassionately deal with the AIDS epidemic, to the terrible inequalities in dealing with sexual harassment in the military. 5 Broken Cameras takes on an all too familiar story of West Bank non-Jewish Israelis protesting in various ways about Israel’s attempt to live peacefully with a neighbor whose leaders have promised to destroy it. So Israel is building a wall. What’s a country to do? Burnat’s neighbors collaborate with terrorists who keep trying to kill Israelis with random missiles, bombs and other weapons. The very young Israeli soldiers act like any force asked to maintain order when they are attacked or threatened. They use their weapons to protect themselves.
5 Broken Cameras could have been documenting, for example, the Civil Rights struggle in the American South during the 1960s or the protests in Chicago in 1968, during the Democratic convention. Yes, it is all terrible. Yes, people are hurt, injured and other bad things happen. The filmmakers never show any effort on the part of West Bank citizens to talk with the Israeli government or people. None of Burnat’s neighbors are trying to find ways to bring about a peaceful resolution. This film is about continuous civil unrest that has been going on for a lifetime. It is predictable, it is tragic and, at times, it is very moving. Yet the struggle continues since the parties seem unwilling to talk to each other to find a way to make peace. The filmmakers also use footage from other peoples’ cameras covering the violence, uncredited either in the official credits of the film or on screen when during sequences. This is propaganda at its best or to be nice, advocacy journalism.
Filmmakers documenting wars and struggles can get hurt, emotionally, physically. In some cases conflicts they become targets and the broken cameras are a brilliant metaphor for this struggle. It is a shame that the film is so one sided. While deeply personal and moving, it could have stronger if it would have helped the parties see the benefits of working for peace or the fruitlessness of this approach. An alternative perspective would have been helpful to include.
The Filmmakers
A lifelong inhabitant of the central West Bank village of Bil’in, Emad Burnat is a freelance cameraman and photographer with experience filming for Al-Jazeera and Palestinian television. He has contributed to several documentaries, including Bil’in My Love, Palestine Kids, Open Close, and Interrupted Streams.
Born in Jaffa, Guy Davidi is a documentary filmmaker and teacher who has been directing, editing, and shooting films since the age of 16. His short documentaries include In Working Progress, Keywords, and Women Defying Barriers; his first feature film, Interrupted Streams, premiered in 2010 at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
Credits:
Director: Guy David and Emad Burnat
Producers: Emad Burnat, Christine Camdessus, Guy David
Screenplay: Guy David and Emad Burnat
Camera: Emad Burnat
Additional Cinematography: Guy David
Sound Design:
Music: Le Trio Joubran
Editor: Guy Davidi, Veronique Lagoarde-Segot
Production Companies: Burnat Films, DVD Films, Alegría Productions
Distribution: Kino Lorber
Searching for Sugar Man directed by Malik Bendejelloul
Academy Award Nominated Documentary Feature
Searching for Sugar Man tells story of Rodriguez, a 1970s singer/songwriter who never made “star.” Discovered in a Detroit bar in the late 1960s by two celebrated producers struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics, he recorded an album which they believed would secure his reputation as the greatest recording artist of his generation. The album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, he became a phenomenon there. The film follows the story of two South African fans who set out to find out what really happened to their hero. Their investigation leads them to a story which illustrates why documentaries are far more interesting than fiction films.
This film, which I first saw projected, puzzles me. I have since watched it again on DVD. Despite its numerous awards and critical acclaim, with more “wins” or nominations than any of the other documentary features, I never was able to get emotionally engaged with Mr. Rodriguez or the individuals searching for him. In scene after scene we hear from his fans how his music inspired them, moved them and particularly how his music worked for those people in South Africa when the country was dealing with apartheid. While I did not make the connection, it is evident that the audience and the characters in the film do. They are moved by the story, the music and the lyrics.
I am baffled by Rodriguez. We almost never see him in close up. We rarely see his eyes or in to his soul. They are hidden by sunglasses. Who is this man? Why do people embrace him? Oddly, while I am watching this film for the first time, I asked a friend sitting next to me, “Is this for real?” “Is this a put on?” Like the film Exit Through the Gift Shop I had the feeling that I was part of an elaborate fictional film. After the screening, I look on the Internet to see if Rodriguez exists. I find the Rodriguez website but I am still not convinced. I did not find the 1969 album Cold Fact, but I do find references to it from the 1990s.
After the second viewing, I relented a bit. I find that it is a moving story. Nicely edited and the shooting while still distant, works. It does lend an air of mystery to the film. While the content is not earth shattering we can admire this work. The music and the lyrics have power and it is clear that audiences find the film entertaining. I continue to be torn between the five films. So my advice is to screen themand make up your own mind.
Trailer:http://www.sonyclassics.com/searchingforsugarman/
Credits:
Director, Screenwriter: Malik Bendejelloul
Producers: Malik Bendejelloul, Simon Chinn
Executive Producers: John Battsek
Camera: Camilla Skagerströn
Sound: no credit
Original Music: Rodriguez
Editor: Malik Bendejelloul
Production Companies: Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, Canfield Pictures (In association with)
Distribution (Us): Sony
________________________________________________________________________
WGA Documentary Award Nominations
Documentary Screenplay
The Central Park Five, Written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, Written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, Written by Malik Bendjelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, Written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, Written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
Documentary – Current Events
The Anthrax Files(Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS
A Perfect Terrorist(Frontline); Written by Thomas Jennings; PBS
Lost in Detention(Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS
Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode One(Frontline), Written by Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria; PBS
Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Three(Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Four(Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith; PBS
Documentary – Other Than Current Events
The Amish(American Experience), Written by David Belton; PBS
Clinton(American Experience), Written by Barak Goodman; PBS
Death and the Civil War(American Experience), Written by Ric Burns; PBS
The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time(Nova), Telescript by Randall MacLowry, Story by Joseph McMaster and Randall MacLowry; PBS
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap(Nova), Telescript by Josh Rosen and Julia Cort, Story by Joseph McMaster and Josh Rosen; PBS
Johnny Carson: King of Late Night(American Masters), Written by Peter T. Jones; PBS
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013 Ida Doc U
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.documentary.org/news/february-documentary-producing-workshops-mitchell-block
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
The Invisible War promotes change in Us Air Force
The following is from the NY Times, January 24, 2013:
“The Invisible War, a documentary about rape and sexual assault in the military that was recently nominated for an Oscar in the documentary feature category, has been credited with both persuading more women to come forward to report abuse and with forcing the military to deal more openly with the problem. In November, General Welsh met with all of the Air Force’s wing commanders and had them watch the film with him, according to an Air Force spokesman."
Academy Announces Producer Credit for Four Documentary Features
The Documentary Branch Executive Committee has determined the individual nominees for four of the contending films in the Documentary Feature category:
The Gatekeepers
Dror Moreh, Philippa Kowarsky and Estelle Fialon
How to Survive a Plague
David France and Howard Gertler
The Invisible War
Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering
Searching for Sugar Man
Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn
The nominees for the fifth film in this category, “5 Broken Cameras,” were previously announced.
This is the result of rules made by the branch to be sure that regardless what the filmmakers claim on their application, a producer credit (and Oscar nomination or Award) can no longer go to the person who “just” comes in with the funds to make the film or the finishing funds. The Academy wants to be sure that the producers actually “produce” the film and not buy an Oscar. This reverses a long history of Oscars going to producers who provide few services other than writing a check. The branch also for the first time has nominated three people prior to the rule change this year; only two people could receive a documentary feature nomination. In a future issue we will closely look at this Academy rule and how it effects documentaries producer nominations.
5 Broken Camerasa film by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Academy Nominated Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras is a first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, the film was assembled by Burnat and Israeli co-director Guy Davidi. The film is structured around the violent destruction of each one of Burnat’s cameras, the filmmakers’ collaboration follows one family’s evolution over five years of village turmoil. Burnat watches from behind the lens as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify, and lives are lost. “I feel like the camera protects me,” he says, “but it’s an illusion.”
Of the five nominated documentary feature films this year, 5 Broken Cameras is the weakest selection. 5 Broken Cameras subject is a rehash of a familiar story, Jews and Palestinians. It lacks
the clever concept of the rediscovery of a lost rock and roller which is the warm fuzzy nominee. The other films cry out “Issue” from the bungled attempts of the government to effectively and compassionately deal with the AIDS epidemic, to the terrible inequalities in dealing with sexual harassment in the military. 5 Broken Cameras takes on an all too familiar story of West Bank non-Jewish Israelis protesting in various ways about Israel’s attempt to live peacefully with a neighbor whose leaders have promised to destroy it. So Israel is building a wall. What’s a country to do? Burnat’s neighbors collaborate with terrorists who keep trying to kill Israelis with random missiles, bombs and other weapons. The very young Israeli soldiers act like any force asked to maintain order when they are attacked or threatened. They use their weapons to protect themselves.
5 Broken Cameras could have been documenting, for example, the Civil Rights struggle in the American South during the 1960s or the protests in Chicago in 1968, during the Democratic convention. Yes, it is all terrible. Yes, people are hurt, injured and other bad things happen. The filmmakers never show any effort on the part of West Bank citizens to talk with the Israeli government or people. None of Burnat’s neighbors are trying to find ways to bring about a peaceful resolution. This film is about continuous civil unrest that has been going on for a lifetime. It is predictable, it is tragic and, at times, it is very moving. Yet the struggle continues since the parties seem unwilling to talk to each other to find a way to make peace. The filmmakers also use footage from other peoples’ cameras covering the violence, uncredited either in the official credits of the film or on screen when during sequences. This is propaganda at its best or to be nice, advocacy journalism.
Filmmakers documenting wars and struggles can get hurt, emotionally, physically. In some cases conflicts they become targets and the broken cameras are a brilliant metaphor for this struggle. It is a shame that the film is so one sided. While deeply personal and moving, it could have stronger if it would have helped the parties see the benefits of working for peace or the fruitlessness of this approach. An alternative perspective would have been helpful to include.
The Filmmakers
A lifelong inhabitant of the central West Bank village of Bil’in, Emad Burnat is a freelance cameraman and photographer with experience filming for Al-Jazeera and Palestinian television. He has contributed to several documentaries, including Bil’in My Love, Palestine Kids, Open Close, and Interrupted Streams.
Born in Jaffa, Guy Davidi is a documentary filmmaker and teacher who has been directing, editing, and shooting films since the age of 16. His short documentaries include In Working Progress, Keywords, and Women Defying Barriers; his first feature film, Interrupted Streams, premiered in 2010 at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
Credits:
Director: Guy David and Emad Burnat
Producers: Emad Burnat, Christine Camdessus, Guy David
Screenplay: Guy David and Emad Burnat
Camera: Emad Burnat
Additional Cinematography: Guy David
Sound Design:
Music: Le Trio Joubran
Editor: Guy Davidi, Veronique Lagoarde-Segot
Production Companies: Burnat Films, DVD Films, Alegría Productions
Distribution: Kino Lorber
Searching for Sugar Man directed by Malik Bendejelloul
Academy Award Nominated Documentary Feature
Searching for Sugar Man tells story of Rodriguez, a 1970s singer/songwriter who never made “star.” Discovered in a Detroit bar in the late 1960s by two celebrated producers struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics, he recorded an album which they believed would secure his reputation as the greatest recording artist of his generation. The album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, he became a phenomenon there. The film follows the story of two South African fans who set out to find out what really happened to their hero. Their investigation leads them to a story which illustrates why documentaries are far more interesting than fiction films.
This film, which I first saw projected, puzzles me. I have since watched it again on DVD. Despite its numerous awards and critical acclaim, with more “wins” or nominations than any of the other documentary features, I never was able to get emotionally engaged with Mr. Rodriguez or the individuals searching for him. In scene after scene we hear from his fans how his music inspired them, moved them and particularly how his music worked for those people in South Africa when the country was dealing with apartheid. While I did not make the connection, it is evident that the audience and the characters in the film do. They are moved by the story, the music and the lyrics.
I am baffled by Rodriguez. We almost never see him in close up. We rarely see his eyes or in to his soul. They are hidden by sunglasses. Who is this man? Why do people embrace him? Oddly, while I am watching this film for the first time, I asked a friend sitting next to me, “Is this for real?” “Is this a put on?” Like the film Exit Through the Gift Shop I had the feeling that I was part of an elaborate fictional film. After the screening, I look on the Internet to see if Rodriguez exists. I find the Rodriguez website but I am still not convinced. I did not find the 1969 album Cold Fact, but I do find references to it from the 1990s.
After the second viewing, I relented a bit. I find that it is a moving story. Nicely edited and the shooting while still distant, works. It does lend an air of mystery to the film. While the content is not earth shattering we can admire this work. The music and the lyrics have power and it is clear that audiences find the film entertaining. I continue to be torn between the five films. So my advice is to screen themand make up your own mind.
Trailer:http://www.sonyclassics.com/searchingforsugarman/
Credits:
Director, Screenwriter: Malik Bendejelloul
Producers: Malik Bendejelloul, Simon Chinn
Executive Producers: John Battsek
Camera: Camilla Skagerströn
Sound: no credit
Original Music: Rodriguez
Editor: Malik Bendejelloul
Production Companies: Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, Canfield Pictures (In association with)
Distribution (Us): Sony
________________________________________________________________________
WGA Documentary Award Nominations
Documentary Screenplay
The Central Park Five, Written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, Written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, Written by Malik Bendjelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, Written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, Written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
Documentary – Current Events
The Anthrax Files(Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS
A Perfect Terrorist(Frontline); Written by Thomas Jennings; PBS
Lost in Detention(Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS
Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode One(Frontline), Written by Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria; PBS
Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Three(Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Four(Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith; PBS
Documentary – Other Than Current Events
The Amish(American Experience), Written by David Belton; PBS
Clinton(American Experience), Written by Barak Goodman; PBS
Death and the Civil War(American Experience), Written by Ric Burns; PBS
The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time(Nova), Telescript by Randall MacLowry, Story by Joseph McMaster and Randall MacLowry; PBS
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap(Nova), Telescript by Josh Rosen and Julia Cort, Story by Joseph McMaster and Josh Rosen; PBS
Johnny Carson: King of Late Night(American Masters), Written by Peter T. Jones; PBS
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013 Ida Doc U
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.documentary.org/news/february-documentary-producing-workshops-mitchell-block
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
- 1/31/2013
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
West of Memphis
Directed by Amy J. Berg
Written by Amy J. Berg and Billy McMillin
U.S.A., 2012
How many movies surround a character who has been wrongfully accused of any sort of heinous crime? Much like with the revenge thriller, there appears to be a definite interest with this type of plot, perhaps because most people, at several points in their lives, are declared or suspected of being the culprits of actions for which they are innocent. Their personal experiences do not necessarily compare with accusations treason, or theft or murder, yet the fact remains that nearly everyone has, at least once, felt the frustration off receiving the brunt of the blame for something someone else in fact did. Alfred Hitchcock made a career out of the idea, with terrific films such as The 39 Steps and North by Northwest. As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction,...
Directed by Amy J. Berg
Written by Amy J. Berg and Billy McMillin
U.S.A., 2012
How many movies surround a character who has been wrongfully accused of any sort of heinous crime? Much like with the revenge thriller, there appears to be a definite interest with this type of plot, perhaps because most people, at several points in their lives, are declared or suspected of being the culprits of actions for which they are innocent. Their personal experiences do not necessarily compare with accusations treason, or theft or murder, yet the fact remains that nearly everyone has, at least once, felt the frustration off receiving the brunt of the blame for something someone else in fact did. Alfred Hitchcock made a career out of the idea, with terrific films such as The 39 Steps and North by Northwest. As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction,...
- 1/22/2013
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
The American Cinema Editors (Ace) has announced the nominees of the 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards honoring outstanding editing in nine categories of film, television, and documentaries. We'll find out the winners on Saturday, February 16th.
Here are the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):
Argo
William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Life of Pi
Tim Squyres, A.C.E.
Lincoln
Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Skyfall
Stuart Baird, A.C.E.
Zero Dark Thirty
Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical):
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Chris Gill
Les Misérables
Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.
Moonrise Kingdom
Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.
Silver Linings Playbook
Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. & Crispin Struthers
Ted
Jeff Freeman, A.C.E.
Best Edited Animated Feature Film:
Brave -- Nicolas C.
Here are the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):
Argo
William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Life of Pi
Tim Squyres, A.C.E.
Lincoln
Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Skyfall
Stuart Baird, A.C.E.
Zero Dark Thirty
Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical):
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Chris Gill
Les Misérables
Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.
Moonrise Kingdom
Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.
Silver Linings Playbook
Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. & Crispin Struthers
Ted
Jeff Freeman, A.C.E.
Best Edited Animated Feature Film:
Brave -- Nicolas C.
- 1/12/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The American Cinema Editors (Ace) announced the nominees for the 2013 Ace Eddie Awards today and among them are all five Oscar nominees, four of them -- Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty -- in the Dramatic category and the fifth, Silver Linings Playbook, in the Comedy/Musical category. There isn't really too much else to say about the noms considering in previous years these nominations came out before the Oscar nominations were announced giving reason to speculate on which of the several films would end up nominated for Oscars. Considering that's not the case this year, this will all become a little more interesting when they announce their winners on Saturday, February 16. For now, the nominees are listed below in the Dramatic, Musical or Comedy, Animated and Documentary categories. Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic): Argo - William Goldenberg, A.C.E. Life of Pi - Tim Squyres,...
- 1/11/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The nominees for the 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards was announced today. Ace, the American Cinema Editors, is an honorary society of motion picture editors founded in 1950. Film editors are voted into membership on the basis of their professional achievements, their dedication to the education of others and their commitment to the craft of editing. Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic): Argo William Goldenberg, A.C.E Life of Pi Tim Squyres, A.C.E. Lincoln Michael Kahn, A.C.E. Skyfall Stuart Baird, A.C.E. Zero Dark Thirty Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. & William Goldenberg, A.C.E. Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical): The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Chris Gill Les Misérables Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E. Moonrise Kingdom Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E. Silver Linings Playbook Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. & Crispin Struthers Ted Jeff Freeman, A.C.E. Best Edited...
- 1/11/2013
- by hnblog@hollywoodnews.com (Hollywood News Team)
- Hollywoodnews.com
Universal City, CA, Jan. 11 –American Cinema Editors (Ace) today announced nominations for the 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards recognizing outstanding editing in nine categories of film, television and documentaries. Winners will be revealed during Ace’s annual black-tie awards ceremony on Saturday, February 16, 2013 in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Actor / Comedian David Cross (“Arrested Development”) will serve as the Master of Ceremonies that evening. Next week Ace will announce the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year honoree and two Career Achievement honorees. The Ace Eddie Award nominees in nine categories are listed below. A tie in the Best Animated Feature Film category resulted in four nominees this year instead of three. Nominees For 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) Argo William Goldenberg, A.C.E. Life of Pi Tim Squyres, A.C.E. Lincoln Michael Kahn, A.C.E. Skyfall Stuart Baird, A.
- 1/11/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Vol. I Issue 5
Join us twice weekly. Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
Two Short Listed Documentary Features
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman
Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and whose actions blur the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait of Weiwei’s life and work allows us to follow Weiwei’s journey and his transformation of his life and works are perceived. Few artists have been able to use their public stature to help cause political change. Clearly this is the story of a giant killer. Regrettably the story continues and China continues to repress its people.
What’s special about Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is that the filmmaker was able to follow Ai Weiwei over several years. We are able to see a Chinese dissident whose home is watched by 1984-like cameras hung from telephone and power poles. We can only assume his home is bugged, his cell phone is bugged and all of his computers are bugged. The power of this work is seeing an artist functioning in this environment. Shocking. His spirit is best shown in his defiant art, his raised middle finger in the foreground of many still images of iconic monuments to the Chinese peoples’ struggles. He dares to challenge America’s biggest trading partner, debt holder and, by the end of the film, he is shown silenced, unable to comment because he was released from detention. The irony of this powerful work is that we and the world are shown to be complicit.
While the film lacks the slickness of many of the Academy’s short listed docs, its power flows from the subject. Clearly an artist whose work reflects his life experiences and struggle is a difficult subject. Weiwei constantly tweaks the authorities who clearly fear its citizens being free to express themselves and their feelings about their government globally. Yet the world is silent about this repressive government that spies on, beats up and terrorizes its citizens. This is another film that should be nominated. Its construction, score, shooting suggests that Ms. Klayman can, with some more experience, become an extraordinary filmmaker.
The Filmmakers
Alison Klayman, Director, Producer, Cinematographer
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorryis Alison Klayman's debut feature documentary, which she directed, produced, filmed and co-edited. She is a 2011 Sundance Documentary Fellow and one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film". She has been a guest on The Colbert Report, as well as CNN and NPR. Klayman lived in China from 2006 to 2010, working as a freelance journalist. She speaks Mandarin and Hebrew, and graduated from Brown University in 2006.
Adam Schlesinger, Producer
Adam Schlesinger is an award-winning independent film producer based in New York. He produced the Sundance Film Festival selections: Smash His Camera, which won for Best Director; Page One- Inside the New York Times; and God Grew Tired of Us, winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.
Credits:
Director/Producer/Writer/Camera: Alison Klayman
Producer: Adam Schlesinger
Contributing Producer: Colin
Executive Producers: Andrew Cohen, Julie Goldman, Karl
Music: Ilan Isakov
Editor: Jen Fineran
Production Companies: Expressions United Media, Muse Film and Television, Never Sorry
Distribution: Sundance Selects, Artificial Eye
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch
A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully is a character-driven documentary that looks at how bullying has touched five children and their families. The five stories each represent a different facet of bullying. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, Bully opens a window onto the lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.
Bully is a case study of how The Weinstein Company can take what would be a traditional non-theatrical documentary feature and turn it into both a cause and a theatrical event and, because of the rule changes at the Academy, have it come to be short listed for an Oscar.
Bully is an excellent film, it is well made, directed, edited and scored. Its characters and stories are well done. It’s just not in the same league as many of the documentary films short listed for this year’s Academy Award nomination.
When the film was released with an “R” rating, appropriate and consistent with the MPAA guidelines because of language and violence, the Weinsteins used the R rating to create a controversy which enabled the film to become a box office success and was the basis of a brilliant Academy campaign for a documentary nomination. This is one of the best examples (since Michael Moore and Roger and Menot being nominated for an Oscar) of creating a box-office success with a documentary. (Roger and Mewas distributed by Warners.) As of December 30, 2012 Bully had grossed over $3.5 million. (Box Office Mojo)
The MPAA gives an automatic “R” rating to films that use the “F” word. It has done this since its inception. This makes sense. The “F” word is inappropriate for children. But wait, Bullyis for middle and high school students! These schools can’t (or should not) show “R” rated films.
The MPAA rating system has never been particularly clear to Americans. Developed by the Motion Picture Association to prevent local and/or regional ratings it has always been “advisory”; however, some media outlets will not accept advertising or promote films with some of the harder ratings. The Weinsteins knew that this film would get an “R” rating because of the “F” word. No surprise. Yet how could this “important” film for school children to see be blocked from its audience?
“Bully's R ratingsparks a nationwide protest. ...stars, theater owners, and Members of Congress have joined forces to protest the film's R rating as a result of the film having six swear words.” This is in the industry press. (Deadline)
The Weinsteins, of course with great fanfare, appealed the rating decision which got the film more press. They decided to release the film in just two markets to qualify for the documentary Academy award, without a rating, but continue the press-push to have the rating changed.
On April 5, The Weinstein Company announced that their doc, Bully, was to receive a PG-13 from the MPAA, with some minor cuts. After removing three uses of the F-word it was re-released in the new PG-13 version on April 13 and shortly after the run was expanded to 55 theatrical markets.
Deadline reported, “The big victory, even though they had to remove three F-words, was that they could keep the controversial school bus bullying scene unedited and uncut, which (the director) Hirsch continuously refused to edit, "since it is too important to the truth and integrity behind the film." Hirsch states: "I feel completely vindicated with this resolution. While I retain my belief that PG-13 has always been the appropriate rating for this film, as reinforced by Canada's rating of a PG, we have today scored a victory from the MPAA. The support and guidance we have received throughout this process has been incredible."
Let’s note that the MPAA is an industry trade association. The Weinsteins are members. It’s not exactly a group that battles. The ratings are advisory only.
The Weinstein press release continued the illusion, This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year. The new rating, which came about with the great support from MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd, grants the schools, organizations and cities all around the country who are lined up and ready to screen Bully, including the National Education Association and the Cincinnati School District, the opportunity to share this educational tool with their children.”
It needs to be pointed out that this controversy was a set up. When The Weinstein Company released Bully "unrated" in theaters in New York and Los Angeles it barely earned $150,000. The film might be seen by a few hundred thousand people in theaters which is a theatrical success but not the millions of kids the filmmakers are on record to reach. (A $3.5 mil gross suggests at a $6 admission fee perhaps a half-million tickets were sold.) Millions of people don’t usually go to theaters to see docs. So a $3.5 mil theatrical gross makes this film a major theatrical success. It puts this film in the top 50 or so theatrical documentaries of all time.
But all along, the Weinsteins knew that the film can easily be provided in DVD and in video-on-demand to schools, teachers, students and families in an “Educational” version without the R rated language being included. The use of an educational version would totally serve the school market. This version could be provided for “free” or even for a modest fee if the Weinsteins were really interested in this aspect of marketing the film. The Bullybook is available now for sale and soon the Blu Ray and DVD. Seeing the film in a classroom and then talking about it is what educators do with films. There are over 100,000 school, church and other groups (like Girls Scouts) that can show this film to groups of kids.
Note: Full disclosure, I started a Move-on Campaign and petitioned the Weinsteins to offer
Bully for a Buck! after I saw the film. More than 480 people have signed the petition to date. No match for the hundreds of thousands who signed the rating controversy petition but I did not do any publicity. As a parent of two teens, I felt this was a far more logical thing to do to get the film out to children without the strong language. This petition continues on Change.org.
Bully Short Listed for an Academy Award
With the rule change at the Academy this year, the documentary branch is working as a committee of the whole to do both the short listing and the nomination. The committee members were sent 125 documentary features, mostly arriving at the tail end of the deadline, to review. The committee was made up of both documentary branch members and Academy members who have been nominated or won documentary Oscars. Obviously, few members saw all 125 documentaries. The short list of 15 films was made from tallying the results of each member’s list of their 15 top docs. I think the publicity for Bully insured it would make this list.
The Weinsteins also had it screened at the Academy as part of the Academy members screening program, one of the handful of documentaries that were screened as part of the weekend program. This also will likely help the film get on members’ radar. Smart. Last year, The Weinsteins’ film The Undefeatedwon the Documentary Oscar. They do a great job getting their films out.
Credits:
Directed by: Lee Hirsch
Produced by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Written by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Executive Producer: Cindy Waitt
Cinematography: Lee Hirsch
Edited by: Lindsay Utz, Jenny Golden
Original Score by: Ion Furjanic, Justin Rice/Christian Rudder
Consulting Editors: Enat Sidi, Cynthia Lowen
Music Supervisor: Brooke Wentz
Running Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language
Short Notes and Update:
WGA Announces Nominees for Documentary Screenplay Award
The WGA announced six nominees for its documentary screenplay award: War, Mea Culpa and Sugar Man also are on the Academy shortlist of feature docs hoping to score an Oscar nomination.
Winners will be honored by the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Feb. 17 during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
Documentary Screenplay
The Central Park Five, written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
Sundance Announces 2013 Documentary Competition:
U.S. Documentary Competition
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film/ U.S.A. (Directors: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Krstic) The Occupy movement erupted in September 2011, propelling economic inequality into the spotlight. In an unprecedented collaboration, filmmakers across America tell its story, digging into big picture issues as organizers, analysts, participants and critics reveal how it happened and why.
After Tiller/ U.S.A. (Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson) — Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, only four doctors in the country provide late-term abortions. With unprecedented access, After Tiller goes inside the lives of these physicians working at the center of the storm.
American Promise/ U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
Blackfish/ U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) — Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Blood Brother/ U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
Citizen Koch / U.S.A. (Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) — Wisconsin – birthplace of the Republican Party, government unions, “cheeseheads” and Paul Ryan – becomes a test market in the campaign to buy Democracy, and ground zero in the battle for the future of the Gop.
Cutie and the Boxer/ U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
Dirty Wars/ U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars.
Gideon's Army/ U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
God Loves Uganda/ U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.
Inequality for All/ U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
Life According to Sam/ U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) — Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from a rare and fatal aging disease for which there is no cure. Their work may one day unlock the key to aging in all of us.
Manhunt / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Greg Barker) — This espionage tale goes inside the CIA’s long conflict against Al Qaeda, as revealed by the remarkable women and men whose secret war against Osama bin Laden started nearly a decade before most of us even knew his name.
Narco Cultura/ U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.
Twenty Feet From Stardom/ U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. Day One Film
Valentine Road/ U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.eventbrite.com/org/169037034
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. ______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
Join us twice weekly. Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
Two Short Listed Documentary Features
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman
Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and whose actions blur the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait of Weiwei’s life and work allows us to follow Weiwei’s journey and his transformation of his life and works are perceived. Few artists have been able to use their public stature to help cause political change. Clearly this is the story of a giant killer. Regrettably the story continues and China continues to repress its people.
What’s special about Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is that the filmmaker was able to follow Ai Weiwei over several years. We are able to see a Chinese dissident whose home is watched by 1984-like cameras hung from telephone and power poles. We can only assume his home is bugged, his cell phone is bugged and all of his computers are bugged. The power of this work is seeing an artist functioning in this environment. Shocking. His spirit is best shown in his defiant art, his raised middle finger in the foreground of many still images of iconic monuments to the Chinese peoples’ struggles. He dares to challenge America’s biggest trading partner, debt holder and, by the end of the film, he is shown silenced, unable to comment because he was released from detention. The irony of this powerful work is that we and the world are shown to be complicit.
While the film lacks the slickness of many of the Academy’s short listed docs, its power flows from the subject. Clearly an artist whose work reflects his life experiences and struggle is a difficult subject. Weiwei constantly tweaks the authorities who clearly fear its citizens being free to express themselves and their feelings about their government globally. Yet the world is silent about this repressive government that spies on, beats up and terrorizes its citizens. This is another film that should be nominated. Its construction, score, shooting suggests that Ms. Klayman can, with some more experience, become an extraordinary filmmaker.
The Filmmakers
Alison Klayman, Director, Producer, Cinematographer
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorryis Alison Klayman's debut feature documentary, which she directed, produced, filmed and co-edited. She is a 2011 Sundance Documentary Fellow and one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film". She has been a guest on The Colbert Report, as well as CNN and NPR. Klayman lived in China from 2006 to 2010, working as a freelance journalist. She speaks Mandarin and Hebrew, and graduated from Brown University in 2006.
Adam Schlesinger, Producer
Adam Schlesinger is an award-winning independent film producer based in New York. He produced the Sundance Film Festival selections: Smash His Camera, which won for Best Director; Page One- Inside the New York Times; and God Grew Tired of Us, winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.
Credits:
Director/Producer/Writer/Camera: Alison Klayman
Producer: Adam Schlesinger
Contributing Producer: Colin
Executive Producers: Andrew Cohen, Julie Goldman, Karl
Music: Ilan Isakov
Editor: Jen Fineran
Production Companies: Expressions United Media, Muse Film and Television, Never Sorry
Distribution: Sundance Selects, Artificial Eye
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch
A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully is a character-driven documentary that looks at how bullying has touched five children and their families. The five stories each represent a different facet of bullying. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, Bully opens a window onto the lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.
Bully is a case study of how The Weinstein Company can take what would be a traditional non-theatrical documentary feature and turn it into both a cause and a theatrical event and, because of the rule changes at the Academy, have it come to be short listed for an Oscar.
Bully is an excellent film, it is well made, directed, edited and scored. Its characters and stories are well done. It’s just not in the same league as many of the documentary films short listed for this year’s Academy Award nomination.
When the film was released with an “R” rating, appropriate and consistent with the MPAA guidelines because of language and violence, the Weinsteins used the R rating to create a controversy which enabled the film to become a box office success and was the basis of a brilliant Academy campaign for a documentary nomination. This is one of the best examples (since Michael Moore and Roger and Menot being nominated for an Oscar) of creating a box-office success with a documentary. (Roger and Mewas distributed by Warners.) As of December 30, 2012 Bully had grossed over $3.5 million. (Box Office Mojo)
The MPAA gives an automatic “R” rating to films that use the “F” word. It has done this since its inception. This makes sense. The “F” word is inappropriate for children. But wait, Bullyis for middle and high school students! These schools can’t (or should not) show “R” rated films.
The MPAA rating system has never been particularly clear to Americans. Developed by the Motion Picture Association to prevent local and/or regional ratings it has always been “advisory”; however, some media outlets will not accept advertising or promote films with some of the harder ratings. The Weinsteins knew that this film would get an “R” rating because of the “F” word. No surprise. Yet how could this “important” film for school children to see be blocked from its audience?
“Bully's R ratingsparks a nationwide protest. ...stars, theater owners, and Members of Congress have joined forces to protest the film's R rating as a result of the film having six swear words.” This is in the industry press. (Deadline)
The Weinsteins, of course with great fanfare, appealed the rating decision which got the film more press. They decided to release the film in just two markets to qualify for the documentary Academy award, without a rating, but continue the press-push to have the rating changed.
On April 5, The Weinstein Company announced that their doc, Bully, was to receive a PG-13 from the MPAA, with some minor cuts. After removing three uses of the F-word it was re-released in the new PG-13 version on April 13 and shortly after the run was expanded to 55 theatrical markets.
Deadline reported, “The big victory, even though they had to remove three F-words, was that they could keep the controversial school bus bullying scene unedited and uncut, which (the director) Hirsch continuously refused to edit, "since it is too important to the truth and integrity behind the film." Hirsch states: "I feel completely vindicated with this resolution. While I retain my belief that PG-13 has always been the appropriate rating for this film, as reinforced by Canada's rating of a PG, we have today scored a victory from the MPAA. The support and guidance we have received throughout this process has been incredible."
Let’s note that the MPAA is an industry trade association. The Weinsteins are members. It’s not exactly a group that battles. The ratings are advisory only.
The Weinstein press release continued the illusion, This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year. The new rating, which came about with the great support from MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd, grants the schools, organizations and cities all around the country who are lined up and ready to screen Bully, including the National Education Association and the Cincinnati School District, the opportunity to share this educational tool with their children.”
It needs to be pointed out that this controversy was a set up. When The Weinstein Company released Bully "unrated" in theaters in New York and Los Angeles it barely earned $150,000. The film might be seen by a few hundred thousand people in theaters which is a theatrical success but not the millions of kids the filmmakers are on record to reach. (A $3.5 mil gross suggests at a $6 admission fee perhaps a half-million tickets were sold.) Millions of people don’t usually go to theaters to see docs. So a $3.5 mil theatrical gross makes this film a major theatrical success. It puts this film in the top 50 or so theatrical documentaries of all time.
But all along, the Weinsteins knew that the film can easily be provided in DVD and in video-on-demand to schools, teachers, students and families in an “Educational” version without the R rated language being included. The use of an educational version would totally serve the school market. This version could be provided for “free” or even for a modest fee if the Weinsteins were really interested in this aspect of marketing the film. The Bullybook is available now for sale and soon the Blu Ray and DVD. Seeing the film in a classroom and then talking about it is what educators do with films. There are over 100,000 school, church and other groups (like Girls Scouts) that can show this film to groups of kids.
Note: Full disclosure, I started a Move-on Campaign and petitioned the Weinsteins to offer
Bully for a Buck! after I saw the film. More than 480 people have signed the petition to date. No match for the hundreds of thousands who signed the rating controversy petition but I did not do any publicity. As a parent of two teens, I felt this was a far more logical thing to do to get the film out to children without the strong language. This petition continues on Change.org.
Bully Short Listed for an Academy Award
With the rule change at the Academy this year, the documentary branch is working as a committee of the whole to do both the short listing and the nomination. The committee members were sent 125 documentary features, mostly arriving at the tail end of the deadline, to review. The committee was made up of both documentary branch members and Academy members who have been nominated or won documentary Oscars. Obviously, few members saw all 125 documentaries. The short list of 15 films was made from tallying the results of each member’s list of their 15 top docs. I think the publicity for Bully insured it would make this list.
The Weinsteins also had it screened at the Academy as part of the Academy members screening program, one of the handful of documentaries that were screened as part of the weekend program. This also will likely help the film get on members’ radar. Smart. Last year, The Weinsteins’ film The Undefeatedwon the Documentary Oscar. They do a great job getting their films out.
Credits:
Directed by: Lee Hirsch
Produced by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Written by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Executive Producer: Cindy Waitt
Cinematography: Lee Hirsch
Edited by: Lindsay Utz, Jenny Golden
Original Score by: Ion Furjanic, Justin Rice/Christian Rudder
Consulting Editors: Enat Sidi, Cynthia Lowen
Music Supervisor: Brooke Wentz
Running Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language
Short Notes and Update:
WGA Announces Nominees for Documentary Screenplay Award
The WGA announced six nominees for its documentary screenplay award: War, Mea Culpa and Sugar Man also are on the Academy shortlist of feature docs hoping to score an Oscar nomination.
Winners will be honored by the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Feb. 17 during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
Documentary Screenplay
The Central Park Five, written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
Sundance Announces 2013 Documentary Competition:
U.S. Documentary Competition
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film/ U.S.A. (Directors: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Krstic) The Occupy movement erupted in September 2011, propelling economic inequality into the spotlight. In an unprecedented collaboration, filmmakers across America tell its story, digging into big picture issues as organizers, analysts, participants and critics reveal how it happened and why.
After Tiller/ U.S.A. (Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson) — Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, only four doctors in the country provide late-term abortions. With unprecedented access, After Tiller goes inside the lives of these physicians working at the center of the storm.
American Promise/ U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
Blackfish/ U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) — Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Blood Brother/ U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
Citizen Koch / U.S.A. (Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) — Wisconsin – birthplace of the Republican Party, government unions, “cheeseheads” and Paul Ryan – becomes a test market in the campaign to buy Democracy, and ground zero in the battle for the future of the Gop.
Cutie and the Boxer/ U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
Dirty Wars/ U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars.
Gideon's Army/ U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
God Loves Uganda/ U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.
Inequality for All/ U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
Life According to Sam/ U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) — Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from a rare and fatal aging disease for which there is no cure. Their work may one day unlock the key to aging in all of us.
Manhunt / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Greg Barker) — This espionage tale goes inside the CIA’s long conflict against Al Qaeda, as revealed by the remarkable women and men whose secret war against Osama bin Laden started nearly a decade before most of us even knew his name.
Narco Cultura/ U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.
Twenty Feet From Stardom/ U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. Day One Film
Valentine Road/ U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.eventbrite.com/org/169037034
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. ______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
- 1/8/2013
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
The Oscar Nominations are going to be coming in a few days, and to prime the pump for that the Writers Guild of America has unveiled its list of nominees for their top screenplay awards. It comes as no surprise that Zero Dark Thirty, Moonrise Kingdom, The Master and Lincoln ended up getting nominated, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Looper and The Perks of Being a Wallflower also got nominated! These were both incredibly well scripted films, and I'm so happy to see they got nominated. I hope they end up getting nominated for an Oscar as well!
The reason you don't see films like Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, William Nicholson’s Les Misérables, Michael Haneke’s Amour, and Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild on the list is because they weren't produced under the Guild's jurisdiction.
Here's the full list of nominations,...
The reason you don't see films like Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, William Nicholson’s Les Misérables, Michael Haneke’s Amour, and Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild on the list is because they weren't produced under the Guild's jurisdiction.
Here's the full list of nominations,...
- 1/5/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2012.
Original Screenplay
Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures
Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures
The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company
Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features
Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article .The Great Escape. by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures
Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox
Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin; DreamWorks Pictures
The Perks of Being a Wallflower,...
Original Screenplay
Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures
Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures
The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company
Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features
Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article .The Great Escape. by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures
Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox
Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin; DreamWorks Pictures
The Perks of Being a Wallflower,...
- 1/4/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Before approaching the Writers Guild Nominations with Oscary enthusiasmbe forewarned: only guild members are eligible for these prizes which discounts a good chunk of the movies one might otherwise expect to see honored each year. Hollywood isn't nearly as averse to working with non-guild writers as they are about non-unionized actors (Beasts of the Southern Wild was the only significant "ineligible" situation when the SAG nominees were announced a month ago). One of the reasons for this is surely the prevalence of writer/directors who are often members of the DGA without being members of the WGA.
The benefit of this is that by their script eligibility rules they are forced to award films that have been largely ignored in the grand scheme of year end hoopla. The curse is that when you are nominated from a smaller field of potentials it might not feel as notable.
Original Screenplay Flight,...
The benefit of this is that by their script eligibility rules they are forced to award films that have been largely ignored in the grand scheme of year end hoopla. The curse is that when you are nominated from a smaller field of potentials it might not feel as notable.
Original Screenplay Flight,...
- 1/4/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The Writers Guild of America has announced nominations for the 2013 Writers Guild Awards honoring outstanding achievement in writing for the screen. And I'm sooo happy that Stephen Chbosky, who also wrote the book and directed "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," is nominated for the Adapted Screenplay category.
Some of the usual suspects this awards season made the cut such as "Moonrise Kingdom" (another yay!), "The Master," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Argo," "Lincoln," and "Silver Linings Playbook." Missing are "Django Unchained," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," and "Les Miserables."
We'll find out who will win the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 17th.
Here's the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Original Screenplay
Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures
Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures
The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company
Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola...
Some of the usual suspects this awards season made the cut such as "Moonrise Kingdom" (another yay!), "The Master," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Argo," "Lincoln," and "Silver Linings Playbook." Missing are "Django Unchained," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," and "Les Miserables."
We'll find out who will win the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 17th.
Here's the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Original Screenplay
Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures
Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures
The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company
Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola...
- 1/4/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Nominations are out for the 2013 Writers Guild of America, which highlights the best in screenwriting for feature films of the past year in three categories -- Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay and Documentary Screenplay. The winners will be announced Sunday, Feb. 17 in New York City.
Original Screenplay
"Flight," Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures
"Looper," Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures
"The Master," Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company
"Moonrise Kingdom," Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features
"Zero Dark Thirty," Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
"Argo," Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article "The Great Escape" by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures
"Life of Pi," Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox
"Lincoln," Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the...
Original Screenplay
"Flight," Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures
"Looper," Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures
"The Master," Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company
"Moonrise Kingdom," Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features
"Zero Dark Thirty," Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
"Argo," Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article "The Great Escape" by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures
"Life of Pi," Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox
"Lincoln," Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the...
- 1/4/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
The tricky thing about the Writers Guild Awards is that some of the major contenders for the Oscar aren’t eligible.
So the absence of Django Unchained and Amour in the original screenplay category has more to do with the work not being covered by the guild than an actual snub of the writing. The same goes for the adapted screenplays Les Miserables and Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Still, the work nominated today by the writers union could each still be major Oscar players.
Among the surprises — which will be welcome to many — Rian Johnson’s time-travel saga Looper scored an original screenplay mention,...
So the absence of Django Unchained and Amour in the original screenplay category has more to do with the work not being covered by the guild than an actual snub of the writing. The same goes for the adapted screenplays Les Miserables and Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Still, the work nominated today by the writers union could each still be major Oscar players.
Among the surprises — which will be welcome to many — Rian Johnson’s time-travel saga Looper scored an original screenplay mention,...
- 1/4/2013
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
Los Angeles and New York – The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2012. Winners will be honored at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 17, 2013, during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. Original Screenplay: Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures; Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures; The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company; Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features; Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures. Adapted Screenplay: Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures; Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox; Lincoln,...
- 1/4/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Writers Guild of America announced their nominations for the 2013 Writers Guild Awards this morning and while several screenplays were not eligible for a variety of reasons, the nominations do offer a bit of a boost for some fringe contenders looking to find their way into the Oscar conversation. As far as the screenplays that were ineligible, in the Original Screenplay category, Oscar contenders such as Amour, Django Unchained, The Impossible and The Intouchables were not eligible. In the Adapted category, Anna Karenina, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables and Rust and Bone were among the ineligible contenders opening the door for some films that may not have otherwise had a chance. Among the films that benefit in the Original category, Rian Johnson's screenplay for Looper gets another boost after winning with the National Board of Review and Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom continues its great week with...
- 1/4/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2012. Winners will be honored at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 17, 2013, during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. Original Screenplay Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures Adapted Screenplay Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based...
- 1/4/2013
- by vmblog@hollywoodnews.com (Vitale Morum)
- Hollywoodnews.com
Ioncinema.com’s Ioncinephile of the Month feature focuses on an emerging filmmaker from the world of cinema. This month’s featured docu filmmaker needs little introduction – her debut (2006) Deliver Us from Evil was nominated for Best Documentary Oscar and her sophomore film, the Sundance and Tiff selected doc West of Memphis (four star review here) was released via Sony Pictures Classics on December 25th in NY and Los Angeles). Before Amy Berg pursues further docu projects (Untitled Women’s Boxing Documentary and This Is America) and moves into narrative debut (Every Secret Thing or Mystery White Boy) we found out more how she landed and more importantly, how she went about the project. Amy didn’t submit her top ten, but here’s a sampling of the films that are among her first film loves.
Eric Lavallee: During your childhood… what films were important to you?
Amy Berg:...
Eric Lavallee: During your childhood… what films were important to you?
Amy Berg:...
- 12/28/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
After making the film festival rounds throughout the year, Amy Berg's documentary West of Memphis will finally arrive in select theaters next month. The new trailer features footage from the trial that led to the conviction of three teenage boys found guilty for the murder of three children. As the trailer puts it, "It took 11 hours to find them guilty. It took 18 years to expose the truth." Written and directed by Amy Berg, co-written by Billy McMillin and produced by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Damien Echols, West of Memphis is one of the more recent documentaries to explore the story of the West Memphis Three, a reference to the three teens (Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley) who were convicted of murdering 8-year-old boys Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993 and the untold story behind the fight to bring the truth...
- 11/2/2012
- cinemablend.com
Title: West Of Memphis Sony Pictures Classics Director: Amy Berg Screenwriter: Amy Berg, Billy McMillin Cast: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley Jr., Lorri Davis, Eddie Vedder, David Burnett, Blake Sisk, Cody Gott Screened at: Sony, NYC, 10/23/12 Opens: December 25, 2012 Justice delayed is justice denied, an aphorism quite applicable to America’s judicial system considering how many innocent people have been incarcerated and later freed based on new evidence such as DNA testing. Some folks have spent virtually a lifetime in jail, deserving the large, albeit inadequate monetary settlements they have received from the states. The three young men who have lost eighteen years of their lives holed up [ Read More ]
The post West of Memphis Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post West of Memphis Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/24/2012
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
West of Memphis
Written by Billy McMillin and Amy Berg
Directed by Amy Berg
USA, 2012
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s Paradise Lost is frequently, and rightfully, cited as one of the most powerful and influential documentaries ever made, both for the real-life repercussions of its advocacy, and for its use of the documentary format to immerse us in a toxic political and social culture that was willing to sacrifice justice if an easier resolution seemed viable. Nearly two full decades since Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were found guilty of murdering three young boys in cold blood, filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) offers her own take on the case, one which adopts a radically different formal approach from Berlinger’s landmark film, while acknowledging how instrumental that film was in galvanizing the movement that ultimately freed the men in question after 18 years of unjust incarceration.
Written by Billy McMillin and Amy Berg
Directed by Amy Berg
USA, 2012
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s Paradise Lost is frequently, and rightfully, cited as one of the most powerful and influential documentaries ever made, both for the real-life repercussions of its advocacy, and for its use of the documentary format to immerse us in a toxic political and social culture that was willing to sacrifice justice if an easier resolution seemed viable. Nearly two full decades since Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were found guilty of murdering three young boys in cold blood, filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) offers her own take on the case, one which adopts a radically different formal approach from Berlinger’s landmark film, while acknowledging how instrumental that film was in galvanizing the movement that ultimately freed the men in question after 18 years of unjust incarceration.
- 9/6/2012
- by Simon Howell
- SoundOnSight
Sundance Institute has chosen four projects with eight filmmakers for the annual Documentary Film Editing and Story Laboratory. Helmer Maria Teresa Larrain and editor Ricardo Acosta's The Trial of Pascual Pichun, directors Senain Kheshgi and Geeta Patel and editor Billy McMillin's Project Kashmir, editor/director Aaron Matthews' The Paper and directors Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini's My American Dream have been chosen. The lab, which emphasizes story and character development, will be held from June 23-30 in Park City, Utah.
- 6/11/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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.