New York-based The Film Sales Company has pounced on the worldwide rights to Colombian documentary feature “Igualada” by Juan Mejía Botero ahead of its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition sidebar.
Mejía Botero, whose most recent feature documentary “Death by a Thousand Cuts” won the Audience Award at Doc NYC, chronicles politician Francia Márquez’s groundbreaking journey from her start as a rural grassroot activist to her history-making campaign to become not only the first black but also the first female president of her native Colombia.
Given exclusive access, Mejía Botero follows Márquez as she “dares to challenge the status quo by launching a presidential campaign in Colombia, a nation beset by profound racial and socio-economic disparities,” per the synopsis.
Reclaiming the derogatory term “igualada” (used to belittle individuals asserting rights deemed beyond their position in society), Márquez propels a movement into the upper spheres of influence,...
Mejía Botero, whose most recent feature documentary “Death by a Thousand Cuts” won the Audience Award at Doc NYC, chronicles politician Francia Márquez’s groundbreaking journey from her start as a rural grassroot activist to her history-making campaign to become not only the first black but also the first female president of her native Colombia.
Given exclusive access, Mejía Botero follows Márquez as she “dares to challenge the status quo by launching a presidential campaign in Colombia, a nation beset by profound racial and socio-economic disparities,” per the synopsis.
Reclaiming the derogatory term “igualada” (used to belittle individuals asserting rights deemed beyond their position in society), Márquez propels a movement into the upper spheres of influence,...
- 1/8/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker Sam Pollard, one of the most prolific and important forces in contemporary documentary, will be honored by Black Public Media at its upcoming PitchBlack Awards in New York.
Pollard — who directed or co-directed four films and docuseries this year alone, including The League and Bill Russell: Legend — will receive the Bpm Trailblazer Award in a ceremony on April 25. The event is set to take place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, capping the latest edition of Bpm’s PitchBLACK Forum, described as “the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content.”
“A multiple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer-director-editor, Pollard is known for his work on a plethora of important works including: Eyes On The Prize, Maynard, MLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, and Mr. Soul!,” a release noted.
Pollard — who directed or co-directed four films and docuseries this year alone, including The League and Bill Russell: Legend — will receive the Bpm Trailblazer Award in a ceremony on April 25. The event is set to take place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, capping the latest edition of Bpm’s PitchBLACK Forum, described as “the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content.”
“A multiple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer-director-editor, Pollard is known for his work on a plethora of important works including: Eyes On The Prize, Maynard, MLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, and Mr. Soul!,” a release noted.
- 12/23/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
PBS documentary strand “Pov” has acquired Jon-Sesrie Goff’s “After Sherman” and Marco Williams’ “Murders That Matter.” Both docus are co-productions with Itvs and will make their national broadcast premieres as part of “Pov’s” upcoming 36th season launching in summer 2023.
“After Sherman” is comprised of intimate accounts of the lives of the Black community in Goff’s South Carolina hometown, on land that has been in his family for 150 years, where they were once enslaved. The film explores how systemic racial discrimination and violence have affected generations in the South. “After Sherman,” which is Goff’s feature debut, won the best documentary award at four film festivals in 2022: The Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Tacoma Film Festival, and Fists Up! Film Festival. The docu screened at True/False and Tribeca film fests and was nominated for a 2023 Cinema Eye Honors. Additionally, the film is recipient...
“After Sherman” is comprised of intimate accounts of the lives of the Black community in Goff’s South Carolina hometown, on land that has been in his family for 150 years, where they were once enslaved. The film explores how systemic racial discrimination and violence have affected generations in the South. “After Sherman,” which is Goff’s feature debut, won the best documentary award at four film festivals in 2022: The Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Tacoma Film Festival, and Fists Up! Film Festival. The docu screened at True/False and Tribeca film fests and was nominated for a 2023 Cinema Eye Honors. Additionally, the film is recipient...
- 2/16/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The Criterion Channel’s February Lineup Includes Melvin Van Peebles, Douglas Sirk, Laura Dern & More
Another month, another Criterion Channel lineup. In accordance with Black History Month their selections are especially refreshing: seven by Melvin Van Peebles, five from Kevin Jerome Everson, and Criterion editions of The Harder They Come and The Learning Tree.
Regarding individual features I’m quite happy to see Abderrahmane Sissako’s fantastic Bamako, last year’s big Sundance winner (and Kosovo’s Oscar entry) Hive, and the remarkably beautiful Portuguese feature The Metamorphosis of Birds. Add a three-film Laura Dern collection (including the recently canonized Smooth Talk) and Pasolini’s rarely shown documentary Love Meetings to make this a fine smorgasboard.
See the full list of February titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.
Alan & Naomi, Sterling Van Wagenen, 1992
All That Heaven Allows, Douglas Sirk, 1955
The Angel Levine, Ján Kadár, 1970
Babylon, Franco Rosso, 1980
Babymother, Julian Henriques, 1998
Bamako, Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006
Beat Street, Stan Lathan, 1984
Blacks Britannica, David Koff, 1978
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,...
Regarding individual features I’m quite happy to see Abderrahmane Sissako’s fantastic Bamako, last year’s big Sundance winner (and Kosovo’s Oscar entry) Hive, and the remarkably beautiful Portuguese feature The Metamorphosis of Birds. Add a three-film Laura Dern collection (including the recently canonized Smooth Talk) and Pasolini’s rarely shown documentary Love Meetings to make this a fine smorgasboard.
See the full list of February titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.
Alan & Naomi, Sterling Van Wagenen, 1992
All That Heaven Allows, Douglas Sirk, 1955
The Angel Levine, Ján Kadár, 1970
Babylon, Franco Rosso, 1980
Babymother, Julian Henriques, 1998
Bamako, Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006
Beat Street, Stan Lathan, 1984
Blacks Britannica, David Koff, 1978
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,...
- 1/24/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: The pre-nba history of Black athletes in basketball is the subject of a documentary being developed by LA Lakers star Russell Westbrook and his Zero World Media (Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre), Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens’ Propagate Content and The Black Fives Foundation.
Known as the Black Fives Era, the period spanned from 1904, when the game was first introduced to Black schoolchildren on a wide scale organized basis, to 1950, when the NBA signed its first Black players.
Dozens of African American basketball “fives,” a reference to the five starting players on a squad, emerged and thrived, helping to popularize the sport around the country with high caliber talent and innovative styles of play on the courts of big cities and remote towns alike.
Barred from whites-only gymnasiums and athletic clubs, Black Fives Era teams played in church basements, armories, meeting halls and dance ballrooms while featuring popular all-Black ragtime,...
Known as the Black Fives Era, the period spanned from 1904, when the game was first introduced to Black schoolchildren on a wide scale organized basis, to 1950, when the NBA signed its first Black players.
Dozens of African American basketball “fives,” a reference to the five starting players on a squad, emerged and thrived, helping to popularize the sport around the country with high caliber talent and innovative styles of play on the courts of big cities and remote towns alike.
Barred from whites-only gymnasiums and athletic clubs, Black Fives Era teams played in church basements, armories, meeting halls and dance ballrooms while featuring popular all-Black ragtime,...
- 1/4/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
This week 100 years ago, Tulsa, Oklahoma experienced one of the deadliest incidents of racial violence in United States history. A white mob spent two days laying siege to the prosperous Greenwood district known as “Black Wall Street.” From May 31 to June 1, 1921, the community was destroyed, scores of Black homes and businesses razed, and hundreds of Black people massacred with impunity. Death tolls are disputed, but 300 Black people are believed to have been killed. Thousands were left homeless; decades later, families are still struggling to recover lost wealth.
If you didn’t know the scope of the event — or if you’d never heard of it at all — you’re not alone. Even some veteran Black documentarians say they didn’t grasp the full story until they started making a movie about it.
“I’ve been making historical documentaries for about 40 years now, so I’ve known about it for a while,...
If you didn’t know the scope of the event — or if you’d never heard of it at all — you’re not alone. Even some veteran Black documentarians say they didn’t grasp the full story until they started making a movie about it.
“I’ve been making historical documentaries for about 40 years now, so I’ve known about it for a while,...
- 6/1/2021
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Dramatizations of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre on TV shows such as Watchmen and Lovecraft Country helped edify audiences about the real-life death and destruction in one of the most horrific and racially violent incidents in American history.
Due to time and narrative constraints, however, these lauded series weren’t able to explain the simmering tension between the affluent Black residents of Greenwood, aka Black Wall Street, and their racist and less wealthy white neighbors in Tulsa. These shows also couldn’t explain how an innocent misunderstanding in a department store elevator between a Black teenage boy and a white teenage girl...
Due to time and narrative constraints, however, these lauded series weren’t able to explain the simmering tension between the affluent Black residents of Greenwood, aka Black Wall Street, and their racist and less wealthy white neighbors in Tulsa. These shows also couldn’t explain how an innocent misunderstanding in a department store elevator between a Black teenage boy and a white teenage girl...
- 5/28/2021
- by Mekeisha Madden Toby
- TVLine.com
Starz announced that “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” will premiere on July 18.
Set in ’90s South Jamaica, Queens and serving as a prequel to the original Power franchise, the series stars Patina Miller, Mekai Curtis, Omar Epps, London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Hailey Kilgore, Joey Bada$$, Tony Sandeman, Shanley Caswell, Lovie Simone and Quincy Brown.
Creator and showrunner Sascha Penn executive produces alongside Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Courtney A. Kemp, Mark Canton, Chris Selak, Danielle De Jesus, Shana Stein and Bart Wenrich.
Also in today’s TV news roundup:
Dates
ABC announced that the special tribute episode of “General Hospital,” which will celebrate actor John Reilly, will air on May 21. The episode features “General Hospital” fan-favorites Kristina Wagner, John J. York, Finola Hughes, Genie Francis and Jon Lindstrom reprising their respective roles as Felicia Scorpio, Malcolm “Mac” Scorpio, Anna Devane, Laura Collins and Kevin Collins. While mourning the death of World Security...
Set in ’90s South Jamaica, Queens and serving as a prequel to the original Power franchise, the series stars Patina Miller, Mekai Curtis, Omar Epps, London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Hailey Kilgore, Joey Bada$$, Tony Sandeman, Shanley Caswell, Lovie Simone and Quincy Brown.
Creator and showrunner Sascha Penn executive produces alongside Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Courtney A. Kemp, Mark Canton, Chris Selak, Danielle De Jesus, Shana Stein and Bart Wenrich.
Also in today’s TV news roundup:
Dates
ABC announced that the special tribute episode of “General Hospital,” which will celebrate actor John Reilly, will air on May 21. The episode features “General Hospital” fan-favorites Kristina Wagner, John J. York, Finola Hughes, Genie Francis and Jon Lindstrom reprising their respective roles as Felicia Scorpio, Malcolm “Mac” Scorpio, Anna Devane, Laura Collins and Kevin Collins. While mourning the death of World Security...
- 4/26/2021
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
The History Channel has ordered a two-hour documentary film called ‘Tulsa Burning” about the 1921 Greenwood massacre in Tulsa, one of the worst acts of racist violence in American history.
The documentary will be directed by “Freedom Riders” filmmaker Stanley Nelson along with duPont Award winner Marco Williams, and NBA superstar Russell Westbrook will executive produce the documentary along with Donnell Beverly, president of Russell Westbrook Enterprises.
“Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre” (working title) will debut later this summer to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the massacre, in which a mob of white residents, many of them even deputized by city officials, attacked Black residents and burned local businesses and houses to the ground, destroying what was the wealthiest Black neighborhood in the country at the time known as “Black Wall Street.” Initial reports from the time recorded 36 people dead and thousands of Black residents interned in hospitals and large facilities.
The documentary will be directed by “Freedom Riders” filmmaker Stanley Nelson along with duPont Award winner Marco Williams, and NBA superstar Russell Westbrook will executive produce the documentary along with Donnell Beverly, president of Russell Westbrook Enterprises.
“Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre” (working title) will debut later this summer to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the massacre, in which a mob of white residents, many of them even deputized by city officials, attacked Black residents and burned local businesses and houses to the ground, destroying what was the wealthiest Black neighborhood in the country at the time known as “Black Wall Street.” Initial reports from the time recorded 36 people dead and thousands of Black residents interned in hospitals and large facilities.
- 2/18/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The History Channel has picked up Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre (working title) from Peabody and Emmy-Award winner Stanley Nelson and Peabody and duPont-Award winner Marco Williams. The documentary also comes from NBA superstar Russell Westbrook, Donnell Beverly (President of Russell Westbrook Enterprises), Blackfin (an eOne company) and Firelight Films.
Directed by Nelson (Freedom Riders) and Williams (Two Towns of Jasper) and executive produced by Westbrook, the two-hour docu was initially titled Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre and was announced in June 2020, days after the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, one of worst acts of racial violence in American history, in which mobs of white residents attacked and ultimately destroyed the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Ok, at that time the wealthiest black community in the United States, known as “Black Wall Street”. The project is slated to air in the spring on The History Channel timed with the...
Directed by Nelson (Freedom Riders) and Williams (Two Towns of Jasper) and executive produced by Westbrook, the two-hour docu was initially titled Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre and was announced in June 2020, days after the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, one of worst acts of racial violence in American history, in which mobs of white residents attacked and ultimately destroyed the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Ok, at that time the wealthiest black community in the United States, known as “Black Wall Street”. The project is slated to air in the spring on The History Channel timed with the...
- 2/18/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The International Documentary Association (IDA) has announced grants for seven films through its Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund, totalling $115,000.
Seven documentary projects will receive grants of up to $20,000 each through the fund, which received more than 180 applications in 2020. Created in 2011 with support from The New York Community Trust, the initiative honors the legacy of legendary American documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz.
Each year, the fund focuses on select issue areas that were hallmarks of Lorentz’s films.
Since 2017, IDA has provided more than $4.5 million in grants through its documentary funds.
Documentaries receiving Pare Lorentz funding this year, with descriptions provided by the IDA, are:
All We’ve Lost
(Preston Randolph, director/producer)
In the small town of Laurel, Montana, a mother refuses to give up fighting for her wrongfully imprisoned son’s release, culminating in a spectacular bipartisan collective effort spanning local and national exoneration and innocence activist movements.
Black Mothers
(Débora Souza Silva,...
Seven documentary projects will receive grants of up to $20,000 each through the fund, which received more than 180 applications in 2020. Created in 2011 with support from The New York Community Trust, the initiative honors the legacy of legendary American documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz.
Each year, the fund focuses on select issue areas that were hallmarks of Lorentz’s films.
Since 2017, IDA has provided more than $4.5 million in grants through its documentary funds.
Documentaries receiving Pare Lorentz funding this year, with descriptions provided by the IDA, are:
All We’ve Lost
(Preston Randolph, director/producer)
In the small town of Laurel, Montana, a mother refuses to give up fighting for her wrongfully imprisoned son’s release, culminating in a spectacular bipartisan collective effort spanning local and national exoneration and innocence activist movements.
Black Mothers
(Débora Souza Silva,...
- 1/26/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Documentarians from Ecuador, Argentina, Kenya, Vietnam and France are among projects from 19 countries to receive support totalling $520,000 from Sundance Institute.
Documentarians from Ecuador, Argentina, Kenya, Vietnam and France are among projects from 19 countries to receive support totalling $520,000 from Sundance Institute.
Documentary Fund recipients encompass projects in development, production, and post-production stages and their work spans subject matter from a deeply personal family project in Ecuador, to a mission to save libraries in Kenya, to a musical involving female and trans prisoners in Buenos Aires.
Frederick Wiseman’s Boston City Hall project, City Hall, is among post-production grant recipients.
A little...
Documentarians from Ecuador, Argentina, Kenya, Vietnam and France are among projects from 19 countries to receive support totalling $520,000 from Sundance Institute.
Documentary Fund recipients encompass projects in development, production, and post-production stages and their work spans subject matter from a deeply personal family project in Ecuador, to a mission to save libraries in Kenya, to a musical involving female and trans prisoners in Buenos Aires.
Frederick Wiseman’s Boston City Hall project, City Hall, is among post-production grant recipients.
A little...
- 5/20/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
The Urban Chestnut Beer poured freely (because it was free) at the Urban Chestnut Microbrewery in the Grove neighborhood inSt. Louis last night. It was the closing-night party for the 26th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival where the slate of audience-choice and juried-competition winners were announced to an attentive crowd. Sliff presented four major filmmaking awards during the course of the 2017 festival: Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Award to Dan Mirvish; Women in Film Award to Pam Grier; Lifetime Achievement Awards to Sam Pollard; and the Contemporary Cinema Award to Marco Williams.
Tribeca Film Institute’s If/Then Short Documentary Pitch Competition
Tribeca Film Institute, in partnership with Sliff, sought short documentary projects by filmmakers living and working in the Midwest for its new If/Then Short Documentary Program, made possible with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Five projects were invited to enter...
Tribeca Film Institute’s If/Then Short Documentary Pitch Competition
Tribeca Film Institute, in partnership with Sliff, sought short documentary projects by filmmakers living and working in the Midwest for its new If/Then Short Documentary Program, made possible with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Five projects were invited to enter...
- 11/14/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Cinema St. Louis has unveiled the narrative and documentary features that comprise the 26th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival, to be held Nov. 2-12, Among the highlights are such St. Louis-related works as “Atomic Homefront,” opening-night film “Bad Grandmas,” and “For Ahkeem” and such festival buzz films as “Call Me by Your Name,” “Dahmer,” “Darkest Hour,” “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” “Last Flag Flying,” “The Leisure Seeker,” “Thoroughbreds,” and “Walking Out.”
For a complete list of the films, go Here
http://www.cinemastlouis.org/films-preview
The fest will honor Pam Grier (“Bad Grandmas” and “Jackie Brown”) with a Women in Film Award; Sam Pollard (“Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me” and “Acorn and the Firestorm”) with a Lifetime Achievement Award; Marco Williams (“Tell Them We Are Rising”) with a Contemporary Cinema Award; and Washington U. grad Dan Mirvish (the Jules Feiffer-written “Bernard...
For a complete list of the films, go Here
http://www.cinemastlouis.org/films-preview
The fest will honor Pam Grier (“Bad Grandmas” and “Jackie Brown”) with a Women in Film Award; Sam Pollard (“Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me” and “Acorn and the Firestorm”) with a Lifetime Achievement Award; Marco Williams (“Tell Them We Are Rising”) with a Contemporary Cinema Award; and Washington U. grad Dan Mirvish (the Jules Feiffer-written “Bernard...
- 10/3/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The inaugural Dan Ireland Award, a juried cash prize of $3,000 for the director of the best film in the Louisiana International Film Festival’s New Visions / New Voices Category is sponsored by Winifred and Kevin Reilly, Jr., Renee Zellweger, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dennis Yares and Greg Kachel.
In addition to his long career as a director, teacher and co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival, Dan Ireland served as the Artistic Director of Liff until his untimely death on April 14, 2016. The Dan Ireland Award was created in order to commemorate his dedication to new talent, storytellers and visionaries.Speaking at the Dan Ireland Award Ceremony, Chesley Heymsfield, Executive Director of Liff, said about Dan, “It was very hard for our entire team because when you work at an organization like this which is a grassroots community built organization to support local people, you become like family and it was very...
In addition to his long career as a director, teacher and co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival, Dan Ireland served as the Artistic Director of Liff until his untimely death on April 14, 2016. The Dan Ireland Award was created in order to commemorate his dedication to new talent, storytellers and visionaries.Speaking at the Dan Ireland Award Ceremony, Chesley Heymsfield, Executive Director of Liff, said about Dan, “It was very hard for our entire team because when you work at an organization like this which is a grassroots community built organization to support local people, you become like family and it was very...
- 5/16/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
“Where is the hope?”
That was the question was posed last week at one of the world’s most prominent launch pads for nonfiction films in development — Hot Docs Pitch Forum — and it reflected the general mood in the room.
As 20 filmmaking teams pitched their projects to dozens of top decision-makers, funders, and broadcasters sitting around the long wooden table in the Gothic-designed Hart House at the University of Toronto, there was a particular excitement for new documentaries that were “fresh,” “optimistic” and “fun”—to use some of the words spoken publically over the two-day pitch-a-thon.
See MoreHow Hot Docs, North America’s Smartest Festival, Could Anoint an Oscar Winner
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you could see those same powerbrokers struggling over what to do with still essential, but tough issue-driven films having to do with post-revolutionary countries in the Middle East or the global refugee crisis.
That was the question was posed last week at one of the world’s most prominent launch pads for nonfiction films in development — Hot Docs Pitch Forum — and it reflected the general mood in the room.
As 20 filmmaking teams pitched their projects to dozens of top decision-makers, funders, and broadcasters sitting around the long wooden table in the Gothic-designed Hart House at the University of Toronto, there was a particular excitement for new documentaries that were “fresh,” “optimistic” and “fun”—to use some of the words spoken publically over the two-day pitch-a-thon.
See MoreHow Hot Docs, North America’s Smartest Festival, Could Anoint an Oscar Winner
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you could see those same powerbrokers struggling over what to do with still essential, but tough issue-driven films having to do with post-revolutionary countries in the Middle East or the global refugee crisis.
- 5/10/2017
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Indiewire
by Peter BelsitoTwo years after his documentary on the Black Panthers, filmmaker Stanley Nelson chronicles the evolution of the United States’ historically black colleges and universities.Group of graduated students, men and women at Atlanta University 1900s (Credit: Atlanta University Center)
The story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (aka HBCUs) began before the Civil War and influenced the course of our nation yet remains one of America’s most important untold stories. Until now.
Veteran documentarian Stanley Nelson’s latest work traces the century-and-a-half story of HBCUs in the documentary film “Tell Them We Are Rising” revealing the crucial role of HBCUs not only in the identity of black Americans but in the nation as a whole.
A haven for Black intellectuals, artists and revolutionaries — and path of promise toward the American dream — Black colleges and universities have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field.
The story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (aka HBCUs) began before the Civil War and influenced the course of our nation yet remains one of America’s most important untold stories. Until now.
Veteran documentarian Stanley Nelson’s latest work traces the century-and-a-half story of HBCUs in the documentary film “Tell Them We Are Rising” revealing the crucial role of HBCUs not only in the identity of black Americans but in the nation as a whole.
A haven for Black intellectuals, artists and revolutionaries — and path of promise toward the American dream — Black colleges and universities have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field.
- 1/27/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
On the heels of the 39th edition of the Toronto Int. Film Festival (Sept 4-14), Ifp’s Independent Film Week is where a plethora of fiction, non-fiction and new this year, web-based series from the likes of Desiree Akhavan and Calvin Reeder find future coin. Sectioned off as projects at the very beginning of financing to those that are nearing completion, there happens to be tons of Sundance alumni in the names below. Among those that caught our attention we have Medicine for Melancholy‘s Barry Jenkins’ sophomore feature, produced by Bad Milo!‘s Adele Romanski, Moonlight is about “two Miami boys navigate the temptations of the drug trade and their burgeoning sexuality in this triptych drama about black queer youth”. Concussion‘s Stacie Passon digs into the thriller genre with Strange Things Started Happening. Produced by vet Mary Jane Skalski (Mysterious Skin), this is about “a woman who has...
- 7/24/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
This was very quietly announced a few days ago, but it is excellent news nevertheless that both filmmakers Terence Nance (pictured above) and Marco Williams were named, along 177 other recipients, this year’s John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships.Both Williams and Nance received their fellowships in the Creative Arts category in Film and Video.The fellowship, which was first established in 1925 to "assist and further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions and irrespective of race, color, or creed," is awarded on the basis of impressive achievement in the...
- 4/12/2014
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
“Special Flight” took two top awards at the 2012 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, which screened 102 films in its run April 12-15 in Durham, Nc. Directed by Fernand Melgar, "Special Flight" won the Anne Dellinger Grand Jury Award and the Center for Documentary Studies Filmmaker Award. The film focuses on a Swiss detention center where tensions build as rejected asylum seekers await their forced removal from the country. The awards are sponsored by Chuck Pell, Cso Physcient, Inc. and Alpha Cine Labs, Seattle, and by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Representatives from the Center for Documentary Studies jurors were Randy Benson, Katie Hyde, Marc Maximov, Lynn McKnight, Dan Partridge, Tom Rankin, Elena Rue, Teka Selman and April Walton. The grand jury, comprised of Judith Ehrlich, Eric Metzgar, and Marco Williams, said, “Director Fernand Melgar takes us deep inside the world of detained immigrants in...
- 4/15/2012
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
New York – The Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) today announced several program award winners and grantees at the Tfi Awards Luncheon at Riverpark NYC during the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Two winners of the Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards presented by Time Warner; seven new Taa alumni grants and fellowships; four winners of the Latin America Media Arts Fund; and four grantees supported by Insurgent Media for the inaugural Tfi Documentary Fund were all presented today, totaling $125,000 in funds.
“This year’s winners and grantees are true examples of the incredible strength of films and talent resulting from the support of the Tribeca Film Institute,” said Beth Janson, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute. “Our main hope is that these films go on to completion and build strong relationships with audiences.”
During the Tfi Awards Ceremony at Riverpark NYC in Manhattan, the following Tribeca All Access Creative Promise winners...
“This year’s winners and grantees are true examples of the incredible strength of films and talent resulting from the support of the Tribeca Film Institute,” said Beth Janson, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute. “Our main hope is that these films go on to completion and build strong relationships with audiences.”
During the Tfi Awards Ceremony at Riverpark NYC in Manhattan, the following Tribeca All Access Creative Promise winners...
- 4/29/2011
- by The Moving Arts
- The Moving Arts Journal
The Tribeca Film Institute has announced today award winners and grants totaling $1,000,000. Winners included two of the Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards, seven new Taa alumni grants, four for the Tfi Documentary Fund, as well as four winners of the Latin America Media Arts Fund. For more details, please read the press release below or visit Tribeca Film.
[New York, NY – April 28, 2011] – The Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) today announced several program award winners and grantees at the Tfi Awards Luncheon at Riverpark NYC during the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Two winners of the Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards presented by Time Warner; seven new Taa alumni grants and fellowships; four winners of the Latin America Media Arts Fund; and four grantees supported by Insurgent Media for the inaugural Tfi Documentary Fund were all presented today, totaling $125,000 in funds.
“This year’s winners and grantees are true examples of the incredible strength of...
[New York, NY – April 28, 2011] – The Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) today announced several program award winners and grantees at the Tfi Awards Luncheon at Riverpark NYC during the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Two winners of the Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards presented by Time Warner; seven new Taa alumni grants and fellowships; four winners of the Latin America Media Arts Fund; and four grantees supported by Insurgent Media for the inaugural Tfi Documentary Fund were all presented today, totaling $125,000 in funds.
“This year’s winners and grantees are true examples of the incredible strength of...
- 4/29/2011
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
New York -- The fifth annual Miami International Film Festival has announced a tribute for director Luc Besson, participants in the Miami Encuentros program for emerging Latino directors, the Reel Education Seminar Series and 16 features in its World & Ibero-American Cinema documentary competition.
Besson, the French helmer of "La Femme Nikita" and "The Fifth Element," will appear at the Career Achievement Tribute and present the East Coast premiere of his tenth film, the black-and-white fable "Angel-a."
The Encuentros program, presented by Eastman Kodak and Entertainment Partners, will give filmmakers from nine Latino projects the chance to present new work to producers, agents, TV stations and distributors. The features set to be screened include Andre Ristum's Brazilian "Square Man," Carlos Moreno's Colombian "Dog Eat Dog," Gonzalo Justiniano's Chilean "Lokas" and Adrian Biniez's Argentinian "Giant." Paramount Vantage's Matt Brodlie, Warner Independent Pictures' Paul Federbush, Kodak's Anne Hubbell, Cinetic Media's Sarah Lash and Wma's Eric Rovner and Jerome Duboz are among the 22 delegates participating as filmmaker advisors.
This year's World & Ibero-American Cinema documentary feature contenders include Tali Shemesh's Holocaust survivor portrait "The Cemetery Club," Marco Williams' tale of post-Civil War discrimination, "Banished," John Fiege's immigration study "Mississippi Chicken" and Jennifer Baichwal's Toronto International Film Festival prizewinner "Manufactured Landscapes."
The winner will receive a $25,000 award sponsored by the John S. and James L. Night Foundation. Two other competitions for dramatic features, World Cinema and Ibero-American Cinema, will also award each winning film a $25,000 prize.
The 2007 World Cinema dramatic features jury includes writer/director Raoul Peck and producers Christine Vachon and Bernardo Zupnik. Sarajevo Film Festival programmer Howard Feinstein and producers Bertha Navarro and Jim Stark will judge the Ibero-American Cinema dramatic competition. American Documentary vp Cynthia Lopez, Film Forum programmer Mike Maggiore and acquisitions exec Rob Williams will judge the World & Ibero-American docu competition.
The fest's Reel Education Seminars Series will feature a hefty 26 panels. including "Agents, Packaging & Financing -- At What Stage Do I Look for Representation?" with The Collective's Shaun Redick, CAA's Roeg Sutherland, Endeavor Independent's Graham Taylor and UTA's Keya Khayatian. Other discussions include "Pitch to the Pros --? Writing Treatments That Sell" with Silverwood Films' Lynette Howell and UTA's Jon Huddle, "Documentaries --? Why Have They Become So Popular Recently?" with Submarine's Josh Braun and ThinkFilm's Daniel Katz, and "Us Distribution" with Brodlie, Federbush, Focus Features' Jason Resnick and IFC Films' Arianna Bocco.
The festival, presented by Miami Dade College, runs March 2-11.
Besson, the French helmer of "La Femme Nikita" and "The Fifth Element," will appear at the Career Achievement Tribute and present the East Coast premiere of his tenth film, the black-and-white fable "Angel-a."
The Encuentros program, presented by Eastman Kodak and Entertainment Partners, will give filmmakers from nine Latino projects the chance to present new work to producers, agents, TV stations and distributors. The features set to be screened include Andre Ristum's Brazilian "Square Man," Carlos Moreno's Colombian "Dog Eat Dog," Gonzalo Justiniano's Chilean "Lokas" and Adrian Biniez's Argentinian "Giant." Paramount Vantage's Matt Brodlie, Warner Independent Pictures' Paul Federbush, Kodak's Anne Hubbell, Cinetic Media's Sarah Lash and Wma's Eric Rovner and Jerome Duboz are among the 22 delegates participating as filmmaker advisors.
This year's World & Ibero-American Cinema documentary feature contenders include Tali Shemesh's Holocaust survivor portrait "The Cemetery Club," Marco Williams' tale of post-Civil War discrimination, "Banished," John Fiege's immigration study "Mississippi Chicken" and Jennifer Baichwal's Toronto International Film Festival prizewinner "Manufactured Landscapes."
The winner will receive a $25,000 award sponsored by the John S. and James L. Night Foundation. Two other competitions for dramatic features, World Cinema and Ibero-American Cinema, will also award each winning film a $25,000 prize.
The 2007 World Cinema dramatic features jury includes writer/director Raoul Peck and producers Christine Vachon and Bernardo Zupnik. Sarajevo Film Festival programmer Howard Feinstein and producers Bertha Navarro and Jim Stark will judge the Ibero-American Cinema dramatic competition. American Documentary vp Cynthia Lopez, Film Forum programmer Mike Maggiore and acquisitions exec Rob Williams will judge the World & Ibero-American docu competition.
The fest's Reel Education Seminars Series will feature a hefty 26 panels. including "Agents, Packaging & Financing -- At What Stage Do I Look for Representation?" with The Collective's Shaun Redick, CAA's Roeg Sutherland, Endeavor Independent's Graham Taylor and UTA's Keya Khayatian. Other discussions include "Pitch to the Pros --? Writing Treatments That Sell" with Silverwood Films' Lynette Howell and UTA's Jon Huddle, "Documentaries --? Why Have They Become So Popular Recently?" with Submarine's Josh Braun and ThinkFilm's Daniel Katz, and "Us Distribution" with Brodlie, Federbush, Focus Features' Jason Resnick and IFC Films' Arianna Bocco.
The festival, presented by Miami Dade College, runs March 2-11.
- 8/18/2008
- by By Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
WASHINGTON -- Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival announced its full slate of films Thursday.
Silverdocs 2007, which runs June 12-17 in suburban Silver Spring, Md., will present 100 films representing 42 countries selected from 1,735 submissions with nine World, six North American, four U.S. and 11 East Coast premieres.
"Silverdocs celebrates the passion and creativity of independent filmmakers and their ability to unite people across cultures and continents," festival director Patricia Finneran said.
"This year we explore the environment, the war and its impact, powerful personal perspectives on contemporary history and the future of real; we invite new audiences -- and the next generation of media makers -- to share in the discovery of these diverse stories, and engage in a global dialogue," she added.
Notable filmmakers presenting their work this year include Jonathan Demme (The Agronomist, Stop Making Sense), Silverdocs' Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree, who will present the theatrical World Premiere of his film on the aftermath of Katrina, New Home Movies From the Lower Ninth Ward. Others include three-time Emmy-winning director Jim Brown (Pete Seeger: The Power of Song); Al Maysles (The Gates); Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side); Annie Sundberg and Rick Stern (The Devil Came on Horseback); Marco Williams (Banished); Doug Prey (Big Rig), Mike Mills ("Does Your Soul Have a Cold?") and Liz Garbus (Coma).
Silverdocs 2007, which runs June 12-17 in suburban Silver Spring, Md., will present 100 films representing 42 countries selected from 1,735 submissions with nine World, six North American, four U.S. and 11 East Coast premieres.
"Silverdocs celebrates the passion and creativity of independent filmmakers and their ability to unite people across cultures and continents," festival director Patricia Finneran said.
"This year we explore the environment, the war and its impact, powerful personal perspectives on contemporary history and the future of real; we invite new audiences -- and the next generation of media makers -- to share in the discovery of these diverse stories, and engage in a global dialogue," she added.
Notable filmmakers presenting their work this year include Jonathan Demme (The Agronomist, Stop Making Sense), Silverdocs' Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree, who will present the theatrical World Premiere of his film on the aftermath of Katrina, New Home Movies From the Lower Ninth Ward. Others include three-time Emmy-winning director Jim Brown (Pete Seeger: The Power of Song); Al Maysles (The Gates); Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side); Annie Sundberg and Rick Stern (The Devil Came on Horseback); Marco Williams (Banished); Doug Prey (Big Rig), Mike Mills ("Does Your Soul Have a Cold?") and Liz Garbus (Coma).
- 5/18/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Quick Links Complete Film Listing: Premieres Dramatic Comp World Dramatic Comp World Doc Comp Spectrum: Park City at Midnight: New Frontier Short Film Programs January 18 to 28, 2007 Counting Down: updateCountdownClock('January 18, 2007'); Another eclectic docu section this year ranging in subject matters such as U.S Foreign policies, internal American struggles, global issues and human portraits of the young, old and stupid. On the war front we have Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, where Rory Kennedy looks at the abuses at the Iraqi prison, No End in Sight by Charles Ferguson looks at the chain of decisions that led to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq and in hindsight. White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki directed by Steven Okazaki looks at the human cost of atomic warfare.On the global scale, Judith Helfand and Daniel B. Gold’s Everything's Cool looks at alternative energy
- 1/18/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
- Here is the complete listing for this year's Sundance film festival which kicks off tomorrow!January 18 to 28, 2007 Counting Down: updateCountdownClock('January 18, 2007'); Premiere's section lineup:An American Crime - Tommy O'Haver Away From Her - Sarah Polley Black Snake Moan - Craig BrewerChapter 27 - Jarrett Schaefer Chicago 10 - Brett Morgen Clubland - Cherie Nowlan The Good Night - Jake Paltrow King of California - Mike Cahill Life Support - Nelson George Longford - Tom Hooper The Nines - John August Resurrecting the Champ - Rod Lurie The Savages - Tamara Jenkins Son of Rambow - Garth Jennings Summer Rain - Antonio Banderas Trade - Marco Kreuzpaintner Year of the Dog - Mike White Dramatic Competition:Adrift in Manhattan - Alfredo de Villa Broken English - Zoe CassavetesFour Sheets to the Wind - Sterlin HarjoThe Good Life - Steve BerraGrace Is Gone - James C. StrouseHounddog - Deborah Kampmeier Joshua
- 1/17/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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