While “My Next Guest With David Letterman” executive producers had previously pulled off intimate sit-downs with culture-makers like Barack Obama, Malala Yousafzai and Cardi B, producing an in-depth conversation in a Ukrainian war zone was certainly not in their repertoire before pursuing an interview with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The idea to interview Zelenskyy started with producer Tommy Alter, and scored Letterman’s immediate enthusiasm as the host told EP Tom Keaney, “this is the only thing I want to do.”
“I think Dave’s immediate reaction was probably generated by the fact that this is a world event that’s happening in real time,” EP and Imagine president Justin Wilkes told TheWrap, adding that it was “still fairly early days in the war.” “He’s one of the most interesting people on the planet right now, and wouldn’t it be interesting to go talk to him and see...
The idea to interview Zelenskyy started with producer Tommy Alter, and scored Letterman’s immediate enthusiasm as the host told EP Tom Keaney, “this is the only thing I want to do.”
“I think Dave’s immediate reaction was probably generated by the fact that this is a world event that’s happening in real time,” EP and Imagine president Justin Wilkes told TheWrap, adding that it was “still fairly early days in the war.” “He’s one of the most interesting people on the planet right now, and wouldn’t it be interesting to go talk to him and see...
- 8/26/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
When Rolling Stone asked me to take photos of my experience at the Tribeca Film Festival, where I was releasing my directorial debut Shadow Brother Sunday, I expected to come back to them with lots of behind-the-scenes shots from the point of view of a filmmaker in the middle of the festival circus.
When I got my rolls developed, I found that almost all my photos were of the people in my life who had come out to celebrate the film (and a few they took of me).
That is,...
When I got my rolls developed, I found that almost all my photos were of the people in my life who had come out to celebrate the film (and a few they took of me).
That is,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Alden Ehrenreich
- Rollingstone.com
Stacey Offman, Jigsaw Production’s exec VP of development and production, is exiting the company to work as an independent producer, Variety has confirmed. Longtime Jigsaw producer Erin Edeiken to serve as head of production for Alex Gibney’s shingle going forward.
Offman, who is exiting on May 19, joined Jigsaw Productions in 2012. In her 11-year tenure at the documentary production company, Offman was part of the team that launched Jigsaw’s television branch as well as the creation of a vertical of non-fiction series and documentaries for an array of studios and broadcast partners.
Offman’s recent projects include Jigsaw’s “Dirty Money,” a six-part investigative series which exposed corruption and financial malfeasance in some of the most influential companies and industries. The series began streaming on Netflix in January 2018. In addition, Offman developed “Salt, Fat, Acid Heat,” a 2018 four-part Netflix culinary travel series based on Samin Nosrat’s book by the same name,...
Offman, who is exiting on May 19, joined Jigsaw Productions in 2012. In her 11-year tenure at the documentary production company, Offman was part of the team that launched Jigsaw’s television branch as well as the creation of a vertical of non-fiction series and documentaries for an array of studios and broadcast partners.
Offman’s recent projects include Jigsaw’s “Dirty Money,” a six-part investigative series which exposed corruption and financial malfeasance in some of the most influential companies and industries. The series began streaming on Netflix in January 2018. In addition, Offman developed “Salt, Fat, Acid Heat,” a 2018 four-part Netflix culinary travel series based on Samin Nosrat’s book by the same name,...
- 5/17/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Emmy nominee Razan Ghalayini has joined Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions as vice president of non-fiction development.
The executive will be responsible for managing Jigsaw’s non-fiction slate of projects and will drive sales efforts alongside scripted and audio divisions.
“I am thrilled to welcome Razan to Jigsaw. I have long been an admirer of her work. And I am in awe of her infectious enthusiasm and her ability to find, develop and produce stories that are powerful, vitally relevant to our present moment and hugely entertaining,” said Gibney, president of Jigsaw.
Prior to joining the team, Ghalayini served as a co-executive producer of “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” where she directed and produced over 70 segments across 10 countries. Before late night, she co-produced feature documentaries including the HBO film “Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma” and “We Are the Giant,” about the activists leading the Arab Spring. Additionally, she directed “Entrapped,” a...
The executive will be responsible for managing Jigsaw’s non-fiction slate of projects and will drive sales efforts alongside scripted and audio divisions.
“I am thrilled to welcome Razan to Jigsaw. I have long been an admirer of her work. And I am in awe of her infectious enthusiasm and her ability to find, develop and produce stories that are powerful, vitally relevant to our present moment and hugely entertaining,” said Gibney, president of Jigsaw.
Prior to joining the team, Ghalayini served as a co-executive producer of “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” where she directed and produced over 70 segments across 10 countries. Before late night, she co-produced feature documentaries including the HBO film “Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma” and “We Are the Giant,” about the activists leading the Arab Spring. Additionally, she directed “Entrapped,” a...
- 2/28/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Film Independent has selected six women from underrepresented communities for its fifth annual Episodic Lab, also naming the recipient of this year’s grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The writers selected, who will hone their original pilots during their time in the Lab, are Carmen Brie, Marissa Díaz, Razan Ghalayini, Steph Ouaknine, Lisa Sanaye Dring and Anna Vecellio.
Vecellio is also the recipient of the $10,000 Alfred P. Sloan Episodic Grant, and will use these funds to support the development of her pilot, Mary Mallon, uncovering the true story of the Irish-born cook otherwise known as Typhoid Mary.
This year’s Episodic Lab will be a two-week virtual program helping to further the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to industry veterans, including showrunners, creative producers and executives, who can offer guidance on both the craft and business of writing episodic content. A final networking and pitch event...
The writers selected, who will hone their original pilots during their time in the Lab, are Carmen Brie, Marissa Díaz, Razan Ghalayini, Steph Ouaknine, Lisa Sanaye Dring and Anna Vecellio.
Vecellio is also the recipient of the $10,000 Alfred P. Sloan Episodic Grant, and will use these funds to support the development of her pilot, Mary Mallon, uncovering the true story of the Irish-born cook otherwise known as Typhoid Mary.
This year’s Episodic Lab will be a two-week virtual program helping to further the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to industry veterans, including showrunners, creative producers and executives, who can offer guidance on both the craft and business of writing episodic content. A final networking and pitch event...
- 8/26/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
As the United States inches closer to a pivotal presidential election, protests concerning racial injustice are rampant across the country. While thousands are using their social media platforms and physical voices and selves to demand systemic change now, the work will have to continue in November, when ballots are cast for the next president of the United States.
In order to shine a light on the importance of voting — as well as bring more attention to concerns around voter suppression — Atx Television Festival partnered with the ACLU for a virtual conversation Saturday.
Through her work on documentary “And She Could Be Next,” Marjan Safinia has witnessed firsthand that voter suppression is rampant in the U.S.
“It’s a whole series of small things. Each one of them in and of themselves may not be that egregious, but when they’re tied together as a system by design, then it...
In order to shine a light on the importance of voting — as well as bring more attention to concerns around voter suppression — Atx Television Festival partnered with the ACLU for a virtual conversation Saturday.
Through her work on documentary “And She Could Be Next,” Marjan Safinia has witnessed firsthand that voter suppression is rampant in the U.S.
“It’s a whole series of small things. Each one of them in and of themselves may not be that egregious, but when they’re tied together as a system by design, then it...
- 6/6/2020
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
While the Atx Television Festival has always made sure its programming focused on political and social issues, its Aclu-sponsored panel about voter suppression and election year issues was especially relevant during a weekend where millions of people around the globe have been protesting against racial injustice. Although the annual Austin event cancelled its in-person programming due to the coronavirus pandemic, it presented a deep slate of virtual programming instead.
In a conversation moderated by Dale Ho, director of the Aclu Voting Rights Project, the panelists — Full Frontal with Samantha Bee senior field producer and director Razan Ghalayini; One Day ...
In a conversation moderated by Dale Ho, director of the Aclu Voting Rights Project, the panelists — Full Frontal with Samantha Bee senior field producer and director Razan Ghalayini; One Day ...
Elizabeth Warren broke down her characteristically comprehensive plans to stem the spread of the coronavirus, as well as protect the health and democratic rights of Americans, in an interview with Samantha Bee that will air on Full Frontal tonight.
The segment opened with Bee acknowledging that Warren was her preferred candidate in the Democratic primary, and asking the Massachusetts senator what she would say to the American people if she were currently president. As Warren replied, Bee let her personal fantasy run wild a bit, super-imposing a presidential podium beneath Warren’s head,...
The segment opened with Bee acknowledging that Warren was her preferred candidate in the Democratic primary, and asking the Massachusetts senator what she would say to the American people if she were currently president. As Warren replied, Bee let her personal fantasy run wild a bit, super-imposing a presidential podium beneath Warren’s head,...
- 4/15/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
South Park and the NBA may have gotten there first – figuratively if not literally – but Samantha Bee is heading to China. And she has some questions.
In a special episode of TBS’ Full Frontal With Samantha Bee taped earlier this month and set to air next Wednesday, Bee travels to Hong Kong to ask, as TBS says, “What the F@$% is going on there and what the H#%& is the solution?”
For the episode, Bee interviewed pro-democracy university students, pro-Trump “Maga-wearing protesters,” Vr developers, and a historian from the Tai O village. The interviews include both formal sit-downs and on-the-street reporting.
The typical Full Frontal episode includes only one field piece, but the Honk Kong episode will include two, due to the subject’s complexity.
“I think everyone there was as excited as I am that we’re covering the protests,” Bee said. “There was a huge march the day...
In a special episode of TBS’ Full Frontal With Samantha Bee taped earlier this month and set to air next Wednesday, Bee travels to Hong Kong to ask, as TBS says, “What the F@$% is going on there and what the H#%& is the solution?”
For the episode, Bee interviewed pro-democracy university students, pro-Trump “Maga-wearing protesters,” Vr developers, and a historian from the Tai O village. The interviews include both formal sit-downs and on-the-street reporting.
The typical Full Frontal episode includes only one field piece, but the Honk Kong episode will include two, due to the subject’s complexity.
“I think everyone there was as excited as I am that we’re covering the protests,” Bee said. “There was a huge march the day...
- 12/13/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Samantha Bee has established Full Frontal as a place where hilarious jokes and hard-hitting journalism go hand in hand, and on Wednesday night's episode, Bee proved that to be true with her latest field piece from Djibouti.
Bee and producer Razan Ghalayini traveled to East Africa, where they spoke with human rights lawyer Diala Shamas about the waiver process for visas under President Trump’s travel ban. The team also spoke with four Yemeni families who are stuck in the country, waiting for waivers, which seem to be given out arbitrarily.
Shamas and a local fixer helped the team ...
Bee and producer Razan Ghalayini traveled to East Africa, where they spoke with human rights lawyer Diala Shamas about the waiver process for visas under President Trump’s travel ban. The team also spoke with four Yemeni families who are stuck in the country, waiting for waivers, which seem to be given out arbitrarily.
Shamas and a local fixer helped the team ...
- 4/11/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Over the course of three seasons, TBS’ weekly late night talk show “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” has capitalized on both its host’s comedic chops and her desire to make her platform count for good. The result: a snappy half-hour series that easily mixes jokes about the current political climate with deeply reported field pieces that dig into such topics as America’s relationship with Puerto Rico, voter suppression, Brexit, and the wide range of issues facing immigrants around the world.
Despite the heavy subject matter, Bee always looks for humor. During an April 10 taping of the weekly show which also functioned as an Fyc event for Emmy voters — Bee’s thrilling ability to spout off information and jokes in just one take was a hit with the industry types in attendance — that blend of quipping and reportage was on full display.
For this week’s field piece, Bee and her crew,...
Despite the heavy subject matter, Bee always looks for humor. During an April 10 taping of the weekly show which also functioned as an Fyc event for Emmy voters — Bee’s thrilling ability to spout off information and jokes in just one take was a hit with the industry types in attendance — that blend of quipping and reportage was on full display.
For this week’s field piece, Bee and her crew,...
- 4/11/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
With the mid-term elections just two months away, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee has rolled out This is Not a Game: The Game, the TBS show’s live mobile app that rewards political knowledge with cash prizes.
As Bee explained during the Turner upfronts last May, the goal of the game is to drive voter turnout for the mid-terms elections, which are being billed as the most important election in generations. But don’t assume that Full Frontal viewers are leading the charge in terms of turning up at the polls. Amazingly, Bee said during a New York launch event for the app, only 52% of the show’s viewers are registered to vote.
That fact helped galvanize the effort to find an amusing way to drive turnout. “We have no idea if this will be impactful or not, but we just wanted to try something,” Bee said. “It felt like somebody needed to try something.
As Bee explained during the Turner upfronts last May, the goal of the game is to drive voter turnout for the mid-terms elections, which are being billed as the most important election in generations. But don’t assume that Full Frontal viewers are leading the charge in terms of turning up at the polls. Amazingly, Bee said during a New York launch event for the app, only 52% of the show’s viewers are registered to vote.
That fact helped galvanize the effort to find an amusing way to drive turnout. “We have no idea if this will be impactful or not, but we just wanted to try something,” Bee said. “It felt like somebody needed to try something.
- 9/6/2018
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Fresh off an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Talk Series, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee -- the first female-led series to be recognized in the category -- is taking audiences behind the frontlines of the Iraq war against Isis in Kurdistan.
Although Bee has taken the show on the road during the 2016 presidential campaign, filmed an alternative White House Correspondents’ Dinner in D.C. and reported from the Syrian border, it’s the first time the host has gone to Iraq -- a trip she completed in just four days during Ramadan in June.
On Wednesday, the TBS show will run the first of two episodes dedicated to their field coverage produced by Razan Ghalayini, a documentary filmmaker-turned-field producer on the show who is also responsible for Full Frontal’s visit to a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan during the first season.
“In watching the news, you realize that all the Isis coverage is on the frontline...
Although Bee has taken the show on the road during the 2016 presidential campaign, filmed an alternative White House Correspondents’ Dinner in D.C. and reported from the Syrian border, it’s the first time the host has gone to Iraq -- a trip she completed in just four days during Ramadan in June.
On Wednesday, the TBS show will run the first of two episodes dedicated to their field coverage produced by Razan Ghalayini, a documentary filmmaker-turned-field producer on the show who is also responsible for Full Frontal’s visit to a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan during the first season.
“In watching the news, you realize that all the Isis coverage is on the frontline...
- 8/2/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Camden International Film Festival Announces 2015 Winners, Including Oscar Hopeful 'Best of Enemies'
Read More: 5 Reasons the Camden Film Festival Matters for Documentaries The 2015 Camden International Film Festival (Ciff) came to an end Sunday evening with the U.S. premiere of the documentary "This Changes Everything." Shortly before the screening, Ciff hosted their annual Awards Ceremony, presenting four awards for documentary features and one for a documentary short, in addition to its Points North Pitch Award and three grants awarded through a partnership with the Conservation Media Group. Ciff partnered this year with the Conservation Media Group on the Cmg Action Grant Pitch, open to projects from filmmakers and organizations alike that used video to create measurable action in ocean conservation or sustainable energy. The winners included Shalina Kantayya's "Suncatcher" ($10,000 grant), Razan Ghalayini's "Pick It Up!" ($6,000 grant) and Tierney Thys' "A Tale of Plastic" ($10,000 grant). The festival and longtime...
- 9/22/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
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
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