Clockwise from bottom left: The Mother Of All Lies (TIFF), Bobi Wine: The People’s President (National Geographic), The Eternal Memory (Screenshot: YouTube), and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple TV+)Graphic: The A.V. Club
In the age of the internet, the world has become smaller, more connected—and a lot messier.
In the age of the internet, the world has become smaller, more connected—and a lot messier.
- 12/27/2023
- by Brent Simon
- avclub.com
The Hulu series The 1619 Project and the Showtime feature Nothing Lasts Forever scored a leading three nominations apiece today as the Cinema Eye Honors announced its first round of contenders for the prestigious documentary-focused awards.
The 1619 Project, based on Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of slavery in North America and its impact up until the present day, earned nominations for Best Anthology Series, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Oprah Winfrey, Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams and Hannah-Jones are among the producers of the six-part series.
‘Nothing Lasts Forever’
Nothing Lasts Forever, director Jason Kohn’s glittering examination of the world of diamonds – the real kind and the emergence of undetectable “synthetic” diamonds – earned nominations for Best Broadcast Film, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Scroll for the full list of nominations announced today.
Other films and series that scored multiple nominations include Hulu’s Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields...
The 1619 Project, based on Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of slavery in North America and its impact up until the present day, earned nominations for Best Anthology Series, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Oprah Winfrey, Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams and Hannah-Jones are among the producers of the six-part series.
‘Nothing Lasts Forever’
Nothing Lasts Forever, director Jason Kohn’s glittering examination of the world of diamonds – the real kind and the emergence of undetectable “synthetic” diamonds – earned nominations for Best Broadcast Film, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Scroll for the full list of nominations announced today.
Other films and series that scored multiple nominations include Hulu’s Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields...
- 10/19/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Hulu’s “The 1619 Project” and Showtime’s “Nothing Lasts Forever” lead all broadcast documentaries in nominations for the 17th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were announced on Thursday during the Cinema Eye Fall Lunch at Redbird in downtown Los Angeles.
Each of the programs received three nominations in the five broadcast categories, with “The 1619 Project” nominated in the Anthology Series, cinematography and editing categories and “Nothing Lasts Forever” singled out in Broadcast film, cinematography and editing categories.
Other programs with multiple nominations include the broadcast movie “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the nonfiction series “Dear Mama” and “Paul T. Goldman” and the anthology series “Edge of the Unknown With Jimmy Chin” and “Our Planet II.”
Hulu led all networks and platforms with eight nominations, followed by Netflix with five and Showtime with four.
Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based organization devoted to honoring all facets of nonfiction filmmaking, also...
Each of the programs received three nominations in the five broadcast categories, with “The 1619 Project” nominated in the Anthology Series, cinematography and editing categories and “Nothing Lasts Forever” singled out in Broadcast film, cinematography and editing categories.
Other programs with multiple nominations include the broadcast movie “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the nonfiction series “Dear Mama” and “Paul T. Goldman” and the anthology series “Edge of the Unknown With Jimmy Chin” and “Our Planet II.”
Hulu led all networks and platforms with eight nominations, followed by Netflix with five and Showtime with four.
Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based organization devoted to honoring all facets of nonfiction filmmaking, also...
- 10/19/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Leah Wolchok was not as familiar with Judy Blume’s work as her “Judy Blume Forever” co-director, Davina Pardo, was. “I had read ‘Freckle Juice’ as a kid. We had a copy of ‘Otherwise Known as Sheila, the Great’ in my house. But I had never read ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,’” Wolchok tells Gold Derby during our recent Meet the Experts: TV Documentary panel (watch the exclusive video interview above). After coming on board the project and reading Blume’s books, Wolchok immediately felt that she could have used these books when she was younger. “I wish I had read it when I was a kid because I would’ve looked at myself really differently. I would’ve looked at the whole world differently had I read that book when I was in sixth grade.”
“Judy Blume Forever” chronicles the life of the bestselling author from her...
“Judy Blume Forever” chronicles the life of the bestselling author from her...
- 8/15/2023
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
When Ryan White’s phone jolted to life the morning of July 12, buzzing with texts and calls, the filmmaker wasn’t expecting it. Yes, it was Emmy nomination day, but no, he hadn’t counted on recognition for his Netflix documentary about Pamela Anderson.
Yet there it was, in black and white on the Emmys.com website: For Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, Pamela, A Love Story, about the actress and former Playboy Playmate who swept from Canada onto television screens, magazine covers and scandal sheets in the 1990s.
“I think if you went back two and a half years or three years, whenever I first met Pamela, I think we would’ve both burst into laughter if you had told us that we were going make an Emmy-nominated film,” White says. “That was not the goal at all. And I don’t think either of us thought that was a possibility.
Yet there it was, in black and white on the Emmys.com website: For Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, Pamela, A Love Story, about the actress and former Playboy Playmate who swept from Canada onto television screens, magazine covers and scandal sheets in the 1990s.
“I think if you went back two and a half years or three years, whenever I first met Pamela, I think we would’ve both burst into laughter if you had told us that we were going make an Emmy-nominated film,” White says. “That was not the goal at all. And I don’t think either of us thought that was a possibility.
- 8/13/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been a banner Emmy nomination day for Imagine Entertainment, the company notching 14 noms across a variety of categories including Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
“I think it’s a real testament to the diversity of our teams,” Imagine Entertainment President Justin Wilkes told Deadline. “When you look at just the breadth of the nominations — which range from A Black Lady Sketch Show, to Emily in Paris, to our great feature doc on Judy Blume, the Letterman-Zelenskyy interview — it really just shows off the full range of what Imagine’s doing as a company. I’m incredibly proud of it.”
Quinta Brunson (L) and Robin Thede in ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’
A Black Lady Sketch Show, from Imagine division Jax Media, nabbed three nominations, including Outstanding Scripted Variety Series, picture editing and production design. Emily in Paris, the Netflix series, also scored three noms – for makeup,...
“I think it’s a real testament to the diversity of our teams,” Imagine Entertainment President Justin Wilkes told Deadline. “When you look at just the breadth of the nominations — which range from A Black Lady Sketch Show, to Emily in Paris, to our great feature doc on Judy Blume, the Letterman-Zelenskyy interview — it really just shows off the full range of what Imagine’s doing as a company. I’m incredibly proud of it.”
Quinta Brunson (L) and Robin Thede in ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’
A Black Lady Sketch Show, from Imagine division Jax Media, nabbed three nominations, including Outstanding Scripted Variety Series, picture editing and production design. Emily in Paris, the Netflix series, also scored three noms – for makeup,...
- 7/13/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Being Mary Tyler Moore (HBO/Max)
James Adolphus’ doc out of SXSW could become the latest about a TV legend to land a nomination in this category, following Lucy and Desi in 2022, Love, Gilda in 2019 and The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling and Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like in 2018.
Judy Blume Forever (Amazon)
Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s doc celebrates the titular author of children’s books, with narration by her and testimonials from her fans. It’s a sweet tribute to someone many grew up on — not unlike the two docs about Fred Rogers that were nominated in this category.
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu)
Lana Wilson’s two-parter, unveiled at Sundance, pairs old film clips and footage with new interviews to explore how the subject’s beauty has long brought her rewards and objectification. Particularly interesting: her relationships with her mother and her kids.
If These Walls Could Sing...
James Adolphus’ doc out of SXSW could become the latest about a TV legend to land a nomination in this category, following Lucy and Desi in 2022, Love, Gilda in 2019 and The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling and Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like in 2018.
Judy Blume Forever (Amazon)
Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s doc celebrates the titular author of children’s books, with narration by her and testimonials from her fans. It’s a sweet tribute to someone many grew up on — not unlike the two docs about Fred Rogers that were nominated in this category.
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu)
Lana Wilson’s two-parter, unveiled at Sundance, pairs old film clips and footage with new interviews to explore how the subject’s beauty has long brought her rewards and objectification. Particularly interesting: her relationships with her mother and her kids.
If These Walls Could Sing...
- 6/6/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok‘s documentary Judy Blume Forever, viewers get to learn more about Judy Blume‘s life and the inspiration for her books, such as Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Superfudge.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview founder Erik Meers, Wolchok revealed why they wanted to make a documentary about Blume and what she did for young American girls with her books.
“Judy was the first author to really go deep into the interior lives of girls and to what they were thinking and how they were feeling about their bodies, discovering their bodies, sort of questioning what it was going to feel like when they got their periods, growing boobs, but also their relationships to their friends and their family, their fears about divorce and anxiety,” producer Wolchok said. “And Judy’s books really dove into every topic that was on...
In an exclusive interview with uInterview founder Erik Meers, Wolchok revealed why they wanted to make a documentary about Blume and what she did for young American girls with her books.
“Judy was the first author to really go deep into the interior lives of girls and to what they were thinking and how they were feeling about their bodies, discovering their bodies, sort of questioning what it was going to feel like when they got their periods, growing boobs, but also their relationships to their friends and their family, their fears about divorce and anxiety,” producer Wolchok said. “And Judy’s books really dove into every topic that was on...
- 5/16/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
Six TV documentarians will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2023 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, May 16, at 6:00 p.m. Pt; 9:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Denton Davidson and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following Emmy contenders:
Dear Mama (FX)
Synopsis: It follows the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur and his mother, the Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur.
Bio: Allen Hughes is an Emmy nominee for “The Defiant Ones.” His career has included “Menace II Society,...
RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following Emmy contenders:
Dear Mama (FX)
Synopsis: It follows the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur and his mother, the Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur.
Bio: Allen Hughes is an Emmy nominee for “The Defiant Ones.” His career has included “Menace II Society,...
- 5/9/2023
- by Chris Beachum and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
"Judy Blume Forever" directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok didn't predict the current moment in American culture when they started the documentary. Pardo grew up a lifelong Judy Blume fan, she tells Popsugar; she describes herself as a "shy quiet kid" and "early bloomer" who found herself reflected in the pages of Blume's books, especially "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." Wolchok, however, didn't become a fan until the pair started working on the doc together. She grew up in Jacksonville, Fl, and spent more time outside playing than inside reading.
"Girls bodies were seen as something to be ashamed of," she says of her life growing up. "And women's bodily autonomy was something to be feared, and I internalized all of those pressures from my quaint southern society that I lived in, and I did not read Judy's juicy books."
Pardo and Wolchok met in film school...
"Girls bodies were seen as something to be ashamed of," she says of her life growing up. "And women's bodily autonomy was something to be feared, and I internalized all of those pressures from my quaint southern society that I lived in, and I did not read Judy's juicy books."
Pardo and Wolchok met in film school...
- 5/8/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
Few authors have established as powerful a bond with their fans as Judy Blume. That incredible connection first manifested with the publication of her debut novel for young adults, 1970’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which shattered taboos by candidly addressing subjects like menstruation and masturbation.
“It was the first time, I think, that an author had written a character that girls could relate to on an internal level, like she was speaking to their internal lives,” said filmmaker Leah Wolchok, co-director and producer of the Prime Video documentary Judy Blume Forever. “She wrote in the first person. And I think readers felt like they were reading their own diary. … Kids just flocked to the book.”
Related: Contenders Docs + Unscripted Deadline’s Complete Coverage
While young readers flocked, some adults swooped – demanding Blume’s books be yanked from shelves. During an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event,...
“It was the first time, I think, that an author had written a character that girls could relate to on an internal level, like she was speaking to their internal lives,” said filmmaker Leah Wolchok, co-director and producer of the Prime Video documentary Judy Blume Forever. “She wrote in the first person. And I think readers felt like they were reading their own diary. … Kids just flocked to the book.”
Related: Contenders Docs + Unscripted Deadline’s Complete Coverage
While young readers flocked, some adults swooped – demanding Blume’s books be yanked from shelves. During an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event,...
- 4/29/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s an oft-repeated story: if you write to author Judy Blume, she just might write back.
It was a story I heard during a small lunch held before an early New York City screening of Kelly Fremon Craig’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” in January, when a fellow writer causally mentioned that the pair had been penpals for years. I heard it again, just days later, while watching Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s documentary “Judy Blume Forever,” which includes numerous talking heads who wrote to Blume when they were kids and maintain that relationship to this day.
And, months later, I heard it one more time: when filmmaker Fremon Craig explained to me how she managed to get Blume on board with her big screen adaptation of her iconic YA novel “Margaret.” She wrote to her.
While Blume has never been shy about allowing her...
It was a story I heard during a small lunch held before an early New York City screening of Kelly Fremon Craig’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” in January, when a fellow writer causally mentioned that the pair had been penpals for years. I heard it again, just days later, while watching Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s documentary “Judy Blume Forever,” which includes numerous talking heads who wrote to Blume when they were kids and maintain that relationship to this day.
And, months later, I heard it one more time: when filmmaker Fremon Craig explained to me how she managed to get Blume on board with her big screen adaptation of her iconic YA novel “Margaret.” She wrote to her.
While Blume has never been shy about allowing her...
- 4/26/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Judy Blume is one of the most beloved, influential, and controversial American authors and she’s finally getting a documentary treatment. Filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok set their sights on the writer in the eye-opening and entertaining Amazon Studios documentary “Judy Blume Forever.” I sat down with both Pardo and Wolchok to talk about their
The post “Judy Blume Forever” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.
The post “Judy Blume Forever” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.
- 4/24/2023
- by manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Literary icon Judy Blume has been in the public eye for more than 50 years, but lately she’s been posing for even more cameras than usual.
For the past few months, Blume has been everywhere — from the red carpet premiere of the feature adaptation of her 1970 classic “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” in Los Angeles last week, to Variety’s Power of Women ceremony in New York City, where she was honored earlier this month. But on Monday night in Studio City, Calif., it was Blume’s husband George Cooper on the other side of a cell phone camera lens. As Blume was introduced to an eager (and pink-masked) crowd by 16-year-old Annabelle Chang, who owns Annabelle’s Book Club LA, Cooper sprang from his seat behind the desk to capture the moment on his cell phone.
Amid the applause from the audience, Blume made her way to...
For the past few months, Blume has been everywhere — from the red carpet premiere of the feature adaptation of her 1970 classic “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” in Los Angeles last week, to Variety’s Power of Women ceremony in New York City, where she was honored earlier this month. But on Monday night in Studio City, Calif., it was Blume’s husband George Cooper on the other side of a cell phone camera lens. As Blume was introduced to an eager (and pink-masked) crowd by 16-year-old Annabelle Chang, who owns Annabelle’s Book Club LA, Cooper sprang from his seat behind the desk to capture the moment on his cell phone.
Amid the applause from the audience, Blume made her way to...
- 4/22/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s documentary film “Judy Blume Forever” captures the popular author’s understanding of children by including her archive of letters she exchanged with fans who were growing up at the time she began writing her books.
The film, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and arrives on Amazon Prime Video, unfolds Blume’s path to writing in a similar coming-of-age format to match the genre for which she is most well-known. Access to Yale’s collection of all the letters Blume wrote to and received from fans allowed the true connection Blume had with children to shine.
“With that collection, we understood that we had something really special and that would be very different from just your average, typical biography-type documentary,” producer Sara Bernstein told TheWrap. “The project was really about her impact on her readers over the years.”
Also Read:
‘Judy Blume Forever...
The film, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and arrives on Amazon Prime Video, unfolds Blume’s path to writing in a similar coming-of-age format to match the genre for which she is most well-known. Access to Yale’s collection of all the letters Blume wrote to and received from fans allowed the true connection Blume had with children to shine.
“With that collection, we understood that we had something really special and that would be very different from just your average, typical biography-type documentary,” producer Sara Bernstein told TheWrap. “The project was really about her impact on her readers over the years.”
Also Read:
‘Judy Blume Forever...
- 4/22/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
This week’s streaming premieres bring two documentaries about cultural legends — one more complicated than the other — that bowed at Sundance and will now charm audiences at home. For something a bit more understated, there’s also a trance-inducing horror curio backed by one of the hottest indie distributors around.
The contender to watch this week: “Little Richard: I Am Everything”
Little Richard has long deserved a documentary that explores his hyper-stylized rock ‘n’ roll innovations, which inspired the likes of Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie. Lisa Cortés (“All In: The Fight for Democracy‘) was up to the task, directing a spirited tour of the “Tutti Frutti” singer’s legacy. It’s not all glitter, though: Little Richard established popular music’s Black, queer roots, only to become a born-again Christian who denounced homosexuality. After opening this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “I Am Everything” is playing in...
The contender to watch this week: “Little Richard: I Am Everything”
Little Richard has long deserved a documentary that explores his hyper-stylized rock ‘n’ roll innovations, which inspired the likes of Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie. Lisa Cortés (“All In: The Fight for Democracy‘) was up to the task, directing a spirited tour of the “Tutti Frutti” singer’s legacy. It’s not all glitter, though: Little Richard established popular music’s Black, queer roots, only to become a born-again Christian who denounced homosexuality. After opening this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “I Am Everything” is playing in...
- 4/22/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
A new documentary about Judy Blume sheds light on the profound impact that the beloved children’s book writer had on a whole generation of young girls. For many of those who grew up throughout the ’70s and ’80s, books like “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret,” whose film adaptation hits theaters Apr. 28, to “Superfudge” and “Forever,” marked the first time they were able to read about often-censored topics like sexuality and puberty.
Rather than centering on the wildly popular author’s rise to fame, the film smartly focuses on Blume’s uniquely close relationship with her fans. The documentary, directed by filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchak, features a mixture of interviews with Blume past and present, tributes from younger YA authors and celebrity admireres like Lena Dunham...
A new documentary about Judy Blume sheds light on the profound impact that the beloved children’s book writer had on a whole generation of young girls. For many of those who grew up throughout the ’70s and ’80s, books like “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret,” whose film adaptation hits theaters Apr. 28, to “Superfudge” and “Forever,” marked the first time they were able to read about often-censored topics like sexuality and puberty.
Rather than centering on the wildly popular author’s rise to fame, the film smartly focuses on Blume’s uniquely close relationship with her fans. The documentary, directed by filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchak, features a mixture of interviews with Blume past and present, tributes from younger YA authors and celebrity admireres like Lena Dunham...
- 4/20/2023
- by Anna Tingley
- Variety Film + TV
As the author’s teen novels continue to aggravate the far right, this illuminating documentary spotlights her incredible career
What’s most astonishing about Judy Blume isn’t that her books keep selling 50 years after they burst onto the kids lit scene, but that they are no less potent than they were back then. With candid depictions of topics like menstruation, bullying and teen sex that is pleasurable rather than the fulcrum of a morality tale, Blume’s books still dominate summer camp cabins and school libraries daring enough not to ban them.
Deenie, a stunning 1973 novel about a girl whose scoliosis impinges on her mother’s dreams for her daughter’s modeling career, is the current favorite among the under-12 residents of this reviewer’s household. The same title, which also addresses masturbation with striking candor, aroused members of the far right. In a fabulous scene in Judy Blume Forever,...
What’s most astonishing about Judy Blume isn’t that her books keep selling 50 years after they burst onto the kids lit scene, but that they are no less potent than they were back then. With candid depictions of topics like menstruation, bullying and teen sex that is pleasurable rather than the fulcrum of a morality tale, Blume’s books still dominate summer camp cabins and school libraries daring enough not to ban them.
Deenie, a stunning 1973 novel about a girl whose scoliosis impinges on her mother’s dreams for her daughter’s modeling career, is the current favorite among the under-12 residents of this reviewer’s household. The same title, which also addresses masturbation with striking candor, aroused members of the far right. In a fabulous scene in Judy Blume Forever,...
- 4/19/2023
- by Lauren Mechling
- The Guardian - Film News
Judy Blume has been fighting against book banning for a half a century — so what does that say about political progress in America?
The “Forever” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” author has combated censorship for decades, as her novels, often centered on adolescent sexuality, puberty, and body autonomy, have frequently come under fire from right-wing legislators. Blume’s activism and life story was captured in 2023 Sundance breakout documentary “Judy Blume Forever,” co-directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, which lovingly tracks her career and impact.
And Key West, Florida resident Blume is hardly settling down: she recently tweeted in response to Ron DeSantis’ bill to ban discussions of menstruations in schools. “Sorry, Margaret,” Blume wrote in reference to her 1970 novel, which is getting its own big screen adaptation later this month.
Celebrities like Julia Roberts, Julianna Margulies, Selma Blair, Sterling K. Brown, Chloë Grace Moretz, Connie Britton,...
The “Forever” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” author has combated censorship for decades, as her novels, often centered on adolescent sexuality, puberty, and body autonomy, have frequently come under fire from right-wing legislators. Blume’s activism and life story was captured in 2023 Sundance breakout documentary “Judy Blume Forever,” co-directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, which lovingly tracks her career and impact.
And Key West, Florida resident Blume is hardly settling down: she recently tweeted in response to Ron DeSantis’ bill to ban discussions of menstruations in schools. “Sorry, Margaret,” Blume wrote in reference to her 1970 novel, which is getting its own big screen adaptation later this month.
Celebrities like Julia Roberts, Julianna Margulies, Selma Blair, Sterling K. Brown, Chloë Grace Moretz, Connie Britton,...
- 4/18/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Judy Blume is a national treasure. She's the award-winning author of 25 novels, including "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" (1970), "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" (1972), "Deenie" (1973), "Blubber" (1974), "Forever... " (1975), and "Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself" (1977). Blume was the first widely-read author (certainly the first one I encountered as a kid) who spoke frankly about things like changing bodies, menstruation, masturbation, sex, and birth control.
Today Prime Video has released a new trailer for "Judy Blume Forever," which interviews Blume about her history and speaks to people like Molly Ringwald, Lena Dunham, Anna Konkle, Samantha Bee, Jason Reynolds, and Justin Chanda about the influence this trailblazing author gifted us with. As a girl who grew up with these books as a sort of personal schoolhouse, I admit to tearing up as I watched even this brief look at the documentary. In a time when books are under attack in America and facing banning and censorship,...
Today Prime Video has released a new trailer for "Judy Blume Forever," which interviews Blume about her history and speaks to people like Molly Ringwald, Lena Dunham, Anna Konkle, Samantha Bee, Jason Reynolds, and Justin Chanda about the influence this trailblazing author gifted us with. As a girl who grew up with these books as a sort of personal schoolhouse, I admit to tearing up as I watched even this brief look at the documentary. In a time when books are under attack in America and facing banning and censorship,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
Judy Blume Forever, the upcoming Prime Video documentary, is a dive into the creative mind who shared her fair share of adolescent experiences through her writing. In the first official trailer for the film, out April 21, Judy Blume journeys through her own coming-of-age story that inspired the influx of books she’s published over the course of over 50 years.
“I grew up as a good girl with a bad girl lurking inside,” the 85-year-old author shared in the documentary trailer. “So by the time I started to write, I really...
“I grew up as a good girl with a bad girl lurking inside,” the 85-year-old author shared in the documentary trailer. “So by the time I started to write, I really...
- 3/8/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
Amazon Prime Video has released the trailer for “Judy Blume Forever,” a documentary celebrating the trailblazing career of the young adult author and her lifelong fight against censorship.
Directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, the film examines the impact of books like “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” and “Blubber” – on current and former young people. That includes multiple generations of readers who became writers and artists, such as Lena Dunham, Molly Ringwald, Anna Konkle, and Samantha Bee, all of whom appear in the film.
The clip opens with Blume talking about her daughter’s request for her to write a book about “teenagers who fall in love and do it and nobody has to die, and I thought, ‘Yes!'”
Justin Chanda, SVP of Children’s Publishing at Simon & Schuster, shares what it felt like to discover her books: “There was this moment where,...
Directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, the film examines the impact of books like “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” and “Blubber” – on current and former young people. That includes multiple generations of readers who became writers and artists, such as Lena Dunham, Molly Ringwald, Anna Konkle, and Samantha Bee, all of whom appear in the film.
The clip opens with Blume talking about her daughter’s request for her to write a book about “teenagers who fall in love and do it and nobody has to die, and I thought, ‘Yes!'”
Justin Chanda, SVP of Children’s Publishing at Simon & Schuster, shares what it felt like to discover her books: “There was this moment where,...
- 3/8/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Prime Video dropped the trailer for the documentary “Judy Blume Forever,” which depicts the author’s childhood to her prolific career creating acclaimed books that have met controversy.
Blume is the literary juggernaut behind dozens of children, young adult and adult fiction novels, including “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Blubber.” The documentary dives into specific titles and examines their impact.
While Blume’s work has provided comfort to many readers, her candid approach to topics such as puberty, masturbation and sex has led some titles to become banned, which the author continues to fight against.
“I grew up as a good girl with a bad girl lurking inside, so by the time I started to write I really had a lot to get out,” Blume said in the trailer. “I could be fearless in my writing in a way that maybe...
Blume is the literary juggernaut behind dozens of children, young adult and adult fiction novels, including “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Blubber.” The documentary dives into specific titles and examines their impact.
While Blume’s work has provided comfort to many readers, her candid approach to topics such as puberty, masturbation and sex has led some titles to become banned, which the author continues to fight against.
“I grew up as a good girl with a bad girl lurking inside, so by the time I started to write I really had a lot to get out,” Blume said in the trailer. “I could be fearless in my writing in a way that maybe...
- 3/8/2023
- by Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Are you there, audiences? It’s her, Judy Blume.
The beloved author of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and more pioneering YA novels is at the center of documentary “Judy Blume Forever.” Emmy-winning filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok follow Blume’s life story from adolescent author to banned writer fighting censorship. Fellow acclaimed authors and artists revisit how Blume’s work impacted their own lives, and fans like Lena Dunham and Molly Ringwald share their personal letters to Blume across decades in the film.
Upcoming adaptations of Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and “Forever” are also set to debut.
Per the film’s official synopsis, for decades, Blume’s radical honesty has comforted and captivated readers — and landed her at the center of controversy for her frankness about puberty and sex. Now the beloved American author candidly shares her own coming-of-age story. With humor,...
The beloved author of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and more pioneering YA novels is at the center of documentary “Judy Blume Forever.” Emmy-winning filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok follow Blume’s life story from adolescent author to banned writer fighting censorship. Fellow acclaimed authors and artists revisit how Blume’s work impacted their own lives, and fans like Lena Dunham and Molly Ringwald share their personal letters to Blume across decades in the film.
Upcoming adaptations of Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and “Forever” are also set to debut.
Per the film’s official synopsis, for decades, Blume’s radical honesty has comforted and captivated readers — and landed her at the center of controversy for her frankness about puberty and sex. Now the beloved American author candidly shares her own coming-of-age story. With humor,...
- 3/8/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Amazon Prime Video has released the first full trailer for Judy Blume Forever, the upcoming streaming documentary that paints the story of one of publishing’s most timely and timeless authors.
Directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, the film chronicles the author’s decades-long journey to becoming one of the most beloved — and banned — writers in publishing. Beginning with her childhood roots as a “fearful, imaginative child,” the more than 90-minute documentary explores how familial inspirations and an increasing radical honesty defined the woman who has helped generations grapple with their own maturity, including experiences around puberty, sex and identity.
“My daughter said, ‘Mother, couldn’t you write a book about teenagers who fall in love and do it and nobody has to die?'” Blume recalls at the beginning of the two-minute trailer. “And I thought: Yes!”
Through a combination of archival footage and various sitdowns with Blume...
Directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, the film chronicles the author’s decades-long journey to becoming one of the most beloved — and banned — writers in publishing. Beginning with her childhood roots as a “fearful, imaginative child,” the more than 90-minute documentary explores how familial inspirations and an increasing radical honesty defined the woman who has helped generations grapple with their own maturity, including experiences around puberty, sex and identity.
“My daughter said, ‘Mother, couldn’t you write a book about teenagers who fall in love and do it and nobody has to die?'” Blume recalls at the beginning of the two-minute trailer. “And I thought: Yes!”
Through a combination of archival footage and various sitdowns with Blume...
- 3/8/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Miami Film Festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year. The festival, which runs from March 3 to March 12, includes 12 world premieres. The event will open with Ray Romano’s “Somewhere in Queens” and close with Stephen Frears’ “The Lost King.” The festival will screen a total of 140 films from more than 30 countries.
Director of programming Lauren Cohen said, “In our fourth decade of programming, we’re proud to continue bringing a diversity of top-quality films to increasingly sophisticated audiences.”
Four centerpiece presentations will take place during the festival, spotlighting key films with directors in attendance for post-screening Q&As. Included in that slate are Stephen Williams’ “Chevalier,” starring Kelvin Harrison, Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton and Minnie Driver; Benjamin Millepied’s “Carmen,” starring Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal and Rossy De Palma; Dani de la Orden and Àlex Murull’s “The Final Game (42 Segundo)”; and Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s “Judy Blume Forever.
Director of programming Lauren Cohen said, “In our fourth decade of programming, we’re proud to continue bringing a diversity of top-quality films to increasingly sophisticated audiences.”
Four centerpiece presentations will take place during the festival, spotlighting key films with directors in attendance for post-screening Q&As. Included in that slate are Stephen Williams’ “Chevalier,” starring Kelvin Harrison, Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton and Minnie Driver; Benjamin Millepied’s “Carmen,” starring Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal and Rossy De Palma; Dani de la Orden and Àlex Murull’s “The Final Game (42 Segundo)”; and Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s “Judy Blume Forever.
- 1/31/2023
- by Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival has finally concluded after a whirlwind week of highly anticipated premieres, the IndieWire Studio at Sundance sessions presented by Dropbox, and of course, lavish parties.
IndieWire editors give a VIP peek of the top afterparties and private events throughout the snow-filled annual mecca for independent film, where multi-million-dollar distribution deals were being made, complete with diary entries from IndieWire’s top editors in attendance.
Films like “Fair Play,” “The Deepest Breath,” and “Run Rabbit Run” sold to Netflix while on the ground in Park City, Utah, as breakout movies like “Past Lives” and “Earth Mama” debuted at the 2023 festival already attached to A24. The acclaimed studio also snagged horror film “Talk to Me.”
IndieWire’s 2023 Sundance bible captures our film reviews and exclusive interviews with stars like Anne Hathaway (“Eileen”), Jonathan Majors (“Magazine Dreams”), Nicholas Braun (“Cat Person”), Mia Goth (“Infinity Pool”), Stephen Curry (“Underrated”), and...
IndieWire editors give a VIP peek of the top afterparties and private events throughout the snow-filled annual mecca for independent film, where multi-million-dollar distribution deals were being made, complete with diary entries from IndieWire’s top editors in attendance.
Films like “Fair Play,” “The Deepest Breath,” and “Run Rabbit Run” sold to Netflix while on the ground in Park City, Utah, as breakout movies like “Past Lives” and “Earth Mama” debuted at the 2023 festival already attached to A24. The acclaimed studio also snagged horror film “Talk to Me.”
IndieWire’s 2023 Sundance bible captures our film reviews and exclusive interviews with stars like Anne Hathaway (“Eileen”), Jonathan Majors (“Magazine Dreams”), Nicholas Braun (“Cat Person”), Mia Goth (“Infinity Pool”), Stephen Curry (“Underrated”), and...
- 1/28/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson, Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland, Ryan Lattanzio, Christian Blauvelt, Jason Gonzalez and Vincent Perella
- Indiewire
Directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok examine a YA literary icon in their documentary Judy Blume Forever. The author of coming-of-age touchstones like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Forever and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Blume has amassed quite a legacy during a career than has spanned more than 60 years and 25 novels. Editor Tal Ben-David discusses the process of cutting Judy Blume Forever, touching on his appreciation for the author’s work and how he charted her life and career through the decades. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why […]
The post “A Joyful Film About a Complicated, Well-Lived Life”: Editor Tal Ben-David on Judy Blume Forever first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “A Joyful Film About a Complicated, Well-Lived Life”: Editor Tal Ben-David on Judy Blume Forever first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/27/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok examine a YA literary icon in their documentary Judy Blume Forever. The author of coming-of-age touchstones like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Forever and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Blume has amassed quite a legacy during a career than has spanned more than 60 years and 25 novels. Editor Tal Ben-David discusses the process of cutting Judy Blume Forever, touching on his appreciation for the author’s work and how he charted her life and career through the decades. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why […]
The post “A Joyful Film About a Complicated, Well-Lived Life”: Editor Tal Ben-David on Judy Blume Forever first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “A Joyful Film About a Complicated, Well-Lived Life”: Editor Tal Ben-David on Judy Blume Forever first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/27/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Over 50 years after Judy Blume’s classic novel Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret was published, the author’s work is back in the spotlight on many fronts
There’s a Margaret movie from Kelly Fremon Craig and Lionsgate coming this spring, and small-screen adaptation of 1975’s Forever in the works from a Mara Brock Akil and Netflix. However, leading the charge is the documentary Judy Blume Forever from Very Semi-Serious directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok.
Related Story ‘Judy Blume Forever’ Directors Davina Pardo & Leah Wolchok Document Cherished And Controversial YA Author: “Her Books Are Radically Honest” – Sundance Studio Related Story Searchlight Lands 'Theater Camp' In 8M Range In WW Sundance Deal; Pic Will Get Theatrical Release Related Story 'Bad Behaviour' Sundance Review: Jennifer Connelly & Ben Whishaw In Alice Englert's Feature Debut
Set to launch on Amazon Prime Video on April 21, the 97-minute film...
There’s a Margaret movie from Kelly Fremon Craig and Lionsgate coming this spring, and small-screen adaptation of 1975’s Forever in the works from a Mara Brock Akil and Netflix. However, leading the charge is the documentary Judy Blume Forever from Very Semi-Serious directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok.
Related Story ‘Judy Blume Forever’ Directors Davina Pardo & Leah Wolchok Document Cherished And Controversial YA Author: “Her Books Are Radically Honest” – Sundance Studio Related Story Searchlight Lands 'Theater Camp' In 8M Range In WW Sundance Deal; Pic Will Get Theatrical Release Related Story 'Bad Behaviour' Sundance Review: Jennifer Connelly & Ben Whishaw In Alice Englert's Feature Debut
Set to launch on Amazon Prime Video on April 21, the 97-minute film...
- 1/23/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Every kid that’s been to a school book fair in the last 50 years knows her name. Her books such as Forever, Blubber, Superfudge, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret are literary staples, and have littered the bookshelves of young readers for generations. Her work has helped influence and challenge societal views on children, women and sexuality, ushering in a wave of empowered art whose ripples in our culture are still felt to this very day. That author is none other than Judy Blume, and after years of fiction writing, the time has come for her to tell the one story she knows best of all, the story of her life.
Judy Blume Forever takes us on an eight decade long journey through Blume’s life, covering everything from her childhood days in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to her recently newfound career as the owner of her own bookshop in Key West.
Judy Blume Forever takes us on an eight decade long journey through Blume’s life, covering everything from her childhood days in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to her recently newfound career as the owner of her own bookshop in Key West.
- 1/23/2023
- by Ty Cooper
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
There’s much talk in popular culture these days of “feeling seen”: finding our inner lives and specific identities reflected in art created by strangers who nonetheless, it seems, know us all too well. It’s a disorienting kind of thrill — a recognition that our private selves, so precious and particular to us, are also keyed into universal truths — and for many young readers in the last 50-odd years, it has first come to them via a Judy Blume book. In “Judy Blume Forever,” a lively, affectionate documentary tribute by filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, nostalgia for that sense of formative discovery is balanced by a present-tense exploration of Blume’s enduring popularity, resonance and controversy, assisted by the game storytelling presence of the author herself, sparky as ever in her mid-eighties.
For any viewers who have either forgotten their relationship to Blume’s books or missed the boat in the first place,...
For any viewers who have either forgotten their relationship to Blume’s books or missed the boat in the first place,...
- 1/22/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Fifty years after Judy Blume took the young adult literary scene by storm, the author is having a renaissance year. As the first-ever adaptation of “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” heads to theaters, fans will get a glimpse at the writer herself in the documentary “Judy Blume Forever.”
On the eve of the film’s Sundance premiere, co-directors and producers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok checked in with TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge.
Pardo was on a road trip, listening to Blume’s audiobook reading of “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” when the idea began to take shape.
Also Read:
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“This amazing magical effervescent voice fills the car, and I started thinking about Judy Blume as a person, who was the woman behind these characters...
On the eve of the film’s Sundance premiere, co-directors and producers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok checked in with TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge.
Pardo was on a road trip, listening to Blume’s audiobook reading of “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” when the idea began to take shape.
Also Read:
‘20 Days in Mariupol’ Filmmakers on the Necessity of Documenting the ‘Unbearable Human Pain’ of Ukraine War (Video)
“This amazing magical effervescent voice fills the car, and I started thinking about Judy Blume as a person, who was the woman behind these characters...
- 1/21/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
As Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s warm-hearted documentary “Judy Blume Forever” approaches its final minutes, even the most stone-faced of audiences are likely to shed a few tears. Throughout the Judy Blume-centric feature, the beloved American author is joined by a number of talking heads — a classy assortment, from Blume’s own kids and childhood pals to fellow authors like Mary H.K. Choi and Jacqueline Woodson, plus famous devotees like Lena Dunham and Molly Ringwald — but none are as meaningful as Lorrie Kim and Karen Chilstrom, two long-time fans who have corresponded with Blume for decades.
It should come as little surprise that the best-selling author gets (even to this day!) tons of fan mail, but that Blume delights in saving much of it, often responding to it, and truly cherishing it is just one of the delights to be found in the doc.
But back to Kim and Chilstrom,...
It should come as little surprise that the best-selling author gets (even to this day!) tons of fan mail, but that Blume delights in saving much of it, often responding to it, and truly cherishing it is just one of the delights to be found in the doc.
But back to Kim and Chilstrom,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? We first started talking to Judy Blume about the idea of this documentary in June 2018, but it wasn’t until the end of February 2020 that we received an email from her saying, “Yes, let’s do it.” That “yes” was a dream come true, but we all know what happens next: just a few short weeks later, we were in […]
The post “Judy’s Books Allowed Us to Travel Back to Our Own Childhoods” | Leah Wolchok and Davina Pardo, Judy Blume Forever first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Judy’s Books Allowed Us to Travel Back to Our Own Childhoods” | Leah Wolchok and Davina Pardo, Judy Blume Forever first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/21/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? We first started talking to Judy Blume about the idea of this documentary in June 2018, but it wasn’t until the end of February 2020 that we received an email from her saying, “Yes, let’s do it.” That “yes” was a dream come true, but we all know what happens next: just a few short weeks later, we were in […]
The post “Judy’s Books Allowed Us to Travel Back to Our Own Childhoods” | Leah Wolchok and Davina Pardo, Judy Blume Forever first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Judy’s Books Allowed Us to Travel Back to Our Own Childhoods” | Leah Wolchok and Davina Pardo, Judy Blume Forever first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/21/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
It’s tough to capture the splash that Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” made upon its publication in 1970. The young adult novel was considered radical for its time: brutally honest about female development, menstruation, masturbation, and all the uncomfortable and wonderful humor that comes with adolescent development.
The book still courts controversy, appearing on the occasional banned book list, much to the author’s mischievous delight and dismay. Blume sits at the center of a new documentary premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, “Judy Blume Forever,” reflecting on her legacy then, now, and hurtling into the future.
Directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok frame the latter half of the 20th-century as something of a Blume-verse: so many writers and artists and publishers were touched by the novelist’s realism and touching sensitivity towards the uncomfortable subjects in life. They’ve gathered a host of...
The book still courts controversy, appearing on the occasional banned book list, much to the author’s mischievous delight and dismay. Blume sits at the center of a new documentary premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, “Judy Blume Forever,” reflecting on her legacy then, now, and hurtling into the future.
Directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok frame the latter half of the 20th-century as something of a Blume-verse: so many writers and artists and publishers were touched by the novelist’s realism and touching sensitivity towards the uncomfortable subjects in life. They’ve gathered a host of...
- 1/21/2023
- by Fran Hoepfner
- The Wrap
It took “Judy Blume Forever” directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok close to two years to convince Judy Blume to be the subject of a documentary. Blume, the 84-year-old children’s and young adult literary juggernaut, lives a quiet life in Florida’s Key West, where she owns a bookstore. “I think she was unsure about entering this thing that she knew was going to be a huge time commitment where she would be opening herself up,” says Pardo. Eventually, the directing duo convinced Blume to sit in front of their cameras, where she discussed not only her career, but also the people and places who influenced her writing. Segments of those interviews, along with contemporary scenes from Blume’s life and interviews with writers and celebrities influenced by the author’s unfiltered portraits of childhood and adolescence, make up “Judy Blume Forever.” The 97-minute documentary doesn’t delve into...
- 1/21/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
On a long road trip from New York to Nova Scotia a few years ago, documentarian Davina Pardo played an audiobook of Judy Blume’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to help pass the time for her kids, then 5 and 8.
Blume’s effervescent voice, reading the same 1972 novel of grade school angst that had engrossed Pardo as a child, enchanted the filmmaker’s kids as well. “It took me right back,” Pardo says. “Seeing the way my kids reacted to it, but also being an adult and wanting to know the adult behind these books. Kids used to write to [Blume] and say, ‘How do you know our secrets?’ It felt like a film could be an opportunity to get to know her in a way that we hadn’t had the chance to do yet.”
Judy Blume Forever, Pardo and co-director Leah Wolchok’s new film about the 84-year-old young adult fiction pioneer,...
Blume’s effervescent voice, reading the same 1972 novel of grade school angst that had engrossed Pardo as a child, enchanted the filmmaker’s kids as well. “It took me right back,” Pardo says. “Seeing the way my kids reacted to it, but also being an adult and wanting to know the adult behind these books. Kids used to write to [Blume] and say, ‘How do you know our secrets?’ It felt like a film could be an opportunity to get to know her in a way that we hadn’t had the chance to do yet.”
Judy Blume Forever, Pardo and co-director Leah Wolchok’s new film about the 84-year-old young adult fiction pioneer,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Children’s and young adult literary juggernaut Judy Blume will be the subject of an untitled feature documentary from Amazon Prime Video and Imagine Documentaries, Variety has learned exclusively.
Framed as a coming-of-age tale of Blume and the generations of readers who have sparked to her work, the film will cover 50 years and many of her bestselling titles including, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Blubber,” “Superfudge,” “Tiger Eyes,” “Wifey,” “Forever…,” “Summer Sisters” and more. It will also examine her impact on pop culture at large, and the occasional controversies over Blume’s frankness about puberty and sex. In total, her 29 books have sold more than 90 million copies and have been printed in 32 languages.
Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, the team behind the Emmy-winning doc “Semi Serious,” will direct and produce the project with Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes and Marcella Steingart of Imagine’s documentary unit. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will executive produce.
Framed as a coming-of-age tale of Blume and the generations of readers who have sparked to her work, the film will cover 50 years and many of her bestselling titles including, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Blubber,” “Superfudge,” “Tiger Eyes,” “Wifey,” “Forever…,” “Summer Sisters” and more. It will also examine her impact on pop culture at large, and the occasional controversies over Blume’s frankness about puberty and sex. In total, her 29 books have sold more than 90 million copies and have been printed in 32 languages.
Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, the team behind the Emmy-winning doc “Semi Serious,” will direct and produce the project with Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes and Marcella Steingart of Imagine’s documentary unit. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will executive produce.
- 3/16/2022
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Random Media has acquired worldwide rights to The Kybalion, a faith-based documentary featuring appearances by Paula Roberts, Daniel Ryan, Bryan Contnoir, and Raymond Moody.
The film directed by Ronni Thomas (AMC’s The Broken and the Bad) and hosted by occult historian Mitch Horowitz is set in 1908, examining an occult manuscript that would mystify those interested in metaphysics and the unseen world.
The Kybalion, penned by a mysterious author known as Three Initiates, presented seven principles of ancient Hermetic philosophy. The film explores each in detail, via dramatic live-action sequences and animation, with psychics, mediums, alchemists, and parapsychologists giving their perspective on the principles, how they relate to their work and search, and what they reveal for all of us.
Eric Doctorow negotiated the acquisition deal for Random Media with Sebastian Twardosz of Savant Artists on behalf of the filmmakers.
***
Women In Animation has set industry partners for its 2022 Scholarship Program,...
The film directed by Ronni Thomas (AMC’s The Broken and the Bad) and hosted by occult historian Mitch Horowitz is set in 1908, examining an occult manuscript that would mystify those interested in metaphysics and the unseen world.
The Kybalion, penned by a mysterious author known as Three Initiates, presented seven principles of ancient Hermetic philosophy. The film explores each in detail, via dramatic live-action sequences and animation, with psychics, mediums, alchemists, and parapsychologists giving their perspective on the principles, how they relate to their work and search, and what they reveal for all of us.
Eric Doctorow negotiated the acquisition deal for Random Media with Sebastian Twardosz of Savant Artists on behalf of the filmmakers.
***
Women In Animation has set industry partners for its 2022 Scholarship Program,...
- 10/22/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Our fourth and final day hosting the Deadline Studio at the Tribeca Film Festival got off to a quick start when the cast and crew of the documentary Very Semi-Serious came by for pics: cartoonists Mort Gerberg and Liana Finck (with masks in tow) were joined by New Yorker Cartoon Editor Bob Mankoff and the film's director-producer Leah Wolchok and producer Davina Pardo. Photographer Drew Wiedemann switched gears a bit when approaching the team behind the very serious doc A…...
- 4/20/2015
- Deadline
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
Top brass at the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) have announced (12) 10 ten documentaries selected for the 2014 Independent Filmmaker Labs for first-time feature directors.
The creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a national pool of more than 200 submissions, are currently attending the first week’s sessions – The Time Warner Foundation Completion Labs – that run from May 12-16 in New York.
The Narrative Lab selections will be announced in June.
“With the ability to support filmmakers and their projects over the long-term, the Labs remain one of Ifp’s most rewarding and successful programmes,” said Ifp executive director Joana Vicente.
“With 80% of previous Lab projects debuted in festivals and released worldwide, the impact of the programme continues to be significant.”
The 2014 labs mark the 10th anniversary edition of the mentorship programme conceived by producer and Filmmaker Magazine editor Scott Macaulay.
The Labs were launched in 2005 as a three-day initiative for eight narrative projects and have evolved into a...
The creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a national pool of more than 200 submissions, are currently attending the first week’s sessions – The Time Warner Foundation Completion Labs – that run from May 12-16 in New York.
The Narrative Lab selections will be announced in June.
“With the ability to support filmmakers and their projects over the long-term, the Labs remain one of Ifp’s most rewarding and successful programmes,” said Ifp executive director Joana Vicente.
“With 80% of previous Lab projects debuted in festivals and released worldwide, the impact of the programme continues to be significant.”
The 2014 labs mark the 10th anniversary edition of the mentorship programme conceived by producer and Filmmaker Magazine editor Scott Macaulay.
The Labs were launched in 2005 as a three-day initiative for eight narrative projects and have evolved into a...
- 5/12/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "Very Semi-Serious" Tweetable logline: An offbeat documentary about New Yorker cartoons. Elevator Pitch: "Very Semi-Serious" goes behind the scenes of the New Yorker and introduces the past, present and future generations of cartoonists who create the iconic cartoons that have inspired, baffled—and occasionally pissed off—all of us for decades. Isn't it about time a documentary made you laugh? Production Team: Director/Producer: Leah Wolchok Producer: Davina Pardo Executive Producers: Bruce Sinofsky and Deborah Shaffer Cinematographer: Kirsten Johnson Associate Producer: Joanna Sokolowski About the Production: "Very Semi-Serious" began as a dream idea while obsessing over the New Yorker’s back page, the cartoon caption contest. I...
- 6/24/2013
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
The Cinema Eye Honors revealed the nominees for the 5th Annual Awards honoring Non-Fiction Filmmaking. Winners will be announced on January 11. Here's the list of the 2012 Cinema Eye Honors:
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking:
"The Arbor," Directed by Clio Barnard, Produced by Tracy O.Riordan
"Senna," Directed by Asif Kapadia; Produced by James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner
"Project Nim," Directed by James Marsh, Produced by Simon Chinn
"Position Among the Stars," Directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich, Produced by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich
"Nostalgia for the Light," Directed by Patricio Guzmán, Produced by Renate Sachse
"The Interrupters," Directed by Steve James, Produced by Alex Kotlowitz and Steve James
Outstanding Achievement in Direction:
Clio Barnard for "The Arbor"
Leonard Retel Helmrich for "Position Among the Stars"
Patricio Guzmán for "Nostalgia for the Light"
Steve James for "The Interrupters"
Danfung Dennis for "Hell and Back Again"
Outstanding Achievement in Production:
Erik Nelson...
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking:
"The Arbor," Directed by Clio Barnard, Produced by Tracy O.Riordan
"Senna," Directed by Asif Kapadia; Produced by James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner
"Project Nim," Directed by James Marsh, Produced by Simon Chinn
"Position Among the Stars," Directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich, Produced by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich
"Nostalgia for the Light," Directed by Patricio Guzmán, Produced by Renate Sachse
"The Interrupters," Directed by Steve James, Produced by Alex Kotlowitz and Steve James
Outstanding Achievement in Direction:
Clio Barnard for "The Arbor"
Leonard Retel Helmrich for "Position Among the Stars"
Patricio Guzmán for "Nostalgia for the Light"
Steve James for "The Interrupters"
Danfung Dennis for "Hell and Back Again"
Outstanding Achievement in Production:
Erik Nelson...
- 12/11/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Better This World, The Tiniest Place and the other nominations for the 2011 Ida Awards have been announced. The 27th Annual Ida Awards (documentary awards) are presented by the International Documentary Association (Ida) “a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the documentary…the Ida has approximately 2,800 members in 53 countries, providing a forum for supporters and suppliers of documentary film making.”
This years presentation will see “the 2011 Career Achievement Award [awarded] to legendary documentary filmmaker Les Blank. He will be presented his award by Werner Herzog. Director Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again) will receive the 2011 Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.”
The full listing of the 2011 Ida Awards nominations is below.
Best Feature Award
Better This World
Directors/Producers/Writers: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega...
This years presentation will see “the 2011 Career Achievement Award [awarded] to legendary documentary filmmaker Les Blank. He will be presented his award by Werner Herzog. Director Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again) will receive the 2011 Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.”
The full listing of the 2011 Ida Awards nominations is below.
Best Feature Award
Better This World
Directors/Producers/Writers: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega...
- 10/28/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway's Better This World From Pinochet and Reagan to General Butt Naked and Terrorism Paranoia: International Documentary Association Nominations Best Feature Award Better This World Directors/Producers/Writers: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega Producer: Mike Nicholson Executive Producers: Julie Goldman, John Battsek, Nicole Stott, Chana Ben-Dov, Sally Jo Fifer (Itvs), Simon Kilmurry (American Documentary|Pov) Loteria Films, Bullfrog Films, Cat & Docs How To Die In Oregon Director/Producer: Peter D. Richardson Executive Producers: Melody Korenbrot, Sheila Nevins (HBO) Supervising Producer: Jacqueline Glover (HBO) Associate Producers: Sophie Harris, Jordan Curnes Clearcut Productions in association with HBO Documentary Films Nostalgia For The Light Director/Writer: Patricio Guzmán Producer: Renate Sachse Atacama Productions (France), Blinker Filmproduction GmbH and Wdr (Germany), and Cronomedia Ltda. (Chile), Icarus Films The Redemption Of General Butt Naked Directors/Producers: Eric Strauss & Daniele Anastasion Executive Producers: Gregory Henry, David Shadrack Smith...
- 10/27/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Patricio Guzmán's Nostalgia for the Light From the the remains of political prisoners buried in Chile's Atacama desert to Muslim-Christian relationships within a (very large) family in Indonesia: Clio Barnard’s The Arbor, Steve James’ The Interrupters, Patricio Guzmán’s Nostalgia for the Light, Leonard Retel Helmrich’s Position Among the Stars, James Marsh’s Project Nim and Asif Kapadia’s Senna are all in the running for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking at the 2012 Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. It's the first time that six films are competing for the top Cinema Eye award. Seven documentaries received four nominations each, the highest number this year: Tristan Patterson’s Dragonslayer, Danfung Dennis’ Hell and Back Again, The Arbor, The Interrupters, Nostalgia for the Light, Position Among the Stars and Senna. In all, 33 films from 12 countries are vying for Cinema Eye awards in 11 categories. The five nominees for...
- 10/27/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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