With less than a week to go until America picks a new president, The Orchard said today that it is teaming with producer Jeff Deutchman on Election Day documentary 11/8/16, with Girls’ creator Lena Dunham among the names tapped to direct. Others attached to the project include Oscar winner Daniel Junge (Saving Face), Emmy winner Eugene Jarecki (The House I Live In), Martha Shane and Lana Wilson (After Tiller), Peter Gilbert (At the Death House Door), Peabody winner…...
- 11/3/2016
- Deadline
Chicago – The iconic film critic and renaissance man, Roger Ebert, deservedly gets a full documentary film treatment of his 2011 memoir, “Life Itself,” and who better to create it than the Chicago-based director of “Hoop Dreams,” Steve James. And who better to produce and guide it than Roger’s soulmate, his wife Chaz Ebert.
Steve James has been a conscientious filmmaker ever since his career began, and after the amazing reception for “Hoop Dreams” (1994), he has made many other notable documentaries including “Stevie” (2002), “At the Death House Door” (2008), The Interrupters” (2011) and “Head Games” (2012). James got the assignment for “Life Itself” personally from Roger and Chaz Ebert, working with Roger on the project right up to the film critic’s death.
Roger Ebert in his Element for the Documentary ‘Life Itself’
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures
Chaz Hammelsmith Ebert met Roger in 1989, and they were married three years later. She was by his...
Steve James has been a conscientious filmmaker ever since his career began, and after the amazing reception for “Hoop Dreams” (1994), he has made many other notable documentaries including “Stevie” (2002), “At the Death House Door” (2008), The Interrupters” (2011) and “Head Games” (2012). James got the assignment for “Life Itself” personally from Roger and Chaz Ebert, working with Roger on the project right up to the film critic’s death.
Roger Ebert in his Element for the Documentary ‘Life Itself’
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures
Chaz Hammelsmith Ebert met Roger in 1989, and they were married three years later. She was by his...
- 7/3/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Full Frame has announced that the festival will screen a collection of Steve James' highly regarded films over the course of the four-day event, and will welcome a variety of subjects featured in these works for Q&As. Arthur Agee, Jr. (Hoop Dreams), Ameena Matthews (The Interrupters), and Reverend Carroll Pickett (At the Death House Door) are expected to attend, along with many of James’s collaborators from Kartemquin Films. Full Frame will also feature “Hoop Dreams at 20,” a panel conversation in celebration of the landmark documentary’s 20th anniversary that will feature outtakes, insider commentary, and special guests. "I'm excited to have so many of my films...
- 3/13/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
After a while, certain documentary filmmakers start to feel like reliable friends. No matter what the topic of conversation might be, I've grown to trust the films of Ken Burns, Werner Herzog, and Steve James. It doesn't matter what the subject of the film is; I already know that these guys will show the truth, remain invisible, and keep me entertained at the same time. So while I'd probably have to admit that I have little to no interest in the topic of sports-related brain injuries, the simple fact is that when Steve James (director of Stevie, The Interrupters, and At the Death House Door) asks me for 90-some minutes, I'm more than happy to listen up. Mr. James is probably best-known for his...
- 9/19/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Steve James is the director and producer of the documentaries “Hoop Dreams,” “Stevie,” “Reel Paradise,” “At the Death House Door,” “The Interrupters” and “Head Games,” which is awaiting release. He also co-wrote and directed the narrative feature “Prefontaine.” “Generation Food” is a collaboration between myself and author/activist Raj Patel that will tell stories about efforts around the world to try to solve the food crisis — through a documentary, a book, a website and mobile apps. On July 8, we launched a crowdfunding campaign to try to raise funds for the very first research trips we need to make on the film, to locations such as Peru and Malawi. So far, we’ve raised half our goal, with a little less then half the time left. I’ve never done this kind of fundraising before. But for some time I’ve been intrigued to see that people have had success with.
- 8/7/2012
- by Steve James
- Indiewire
HollywoodNews.com: Directors Guild of America President Taylor Hackford today announced the DGA’s nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for the year 2011.
“The remarkable documentaries made by this year?s nominees take audiences on a journey, whether casting light on injustice or exploring the human condition in all of its nuance, cruelty, creativity and triumph,” said Hackford. ?Our nominees represent the best in documentary filmmaking and I congratulate each of them on a job well done.
The winners will be announced at the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012 in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles. The DGA Awards will be hosted by director/actor/producer Kelsey Grammer.
***
Documentary
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2011 are (in alphabetical order):
Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Radical Media
HBO Documentary Films...
“The remarkable documentaries made by this year?s nominees take audiences on a journey, whether casting light on injustice or exploring the human condition in all of its nuance, cruelty, creativity and triumph,” said Hackford. ?Our nominees represent the best in documentary filmmaking and I congratulate each of them on a job well done.
The winners will be announced at the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012 in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles. The DGA Awards will be hosted by director/actor/producer Kelsey Grammer.
***
Documentary
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2011 are (in alphabetical order):
Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Radical Media
HBO Documentary Films...
- 1/12/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Ifp announced today the slate for this year’s Project Forum, which will take place during the 33rd edition of Independent Film Week on Sept. 18-22 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center.
The centerpiece of Independent Film Week, Project Forum is designed specifically as a place for industry to meet with new talent, as well as discover fresh projects from emerging and veteran filmmakers.
Read the complete press release and full list of titles in this year’s Project Forum.
All 150 projects showcased in the Project Forum this year are narrative and documentary features ranging from films in development, or the early stages of production, to those nearing completion.
Some of the notable directors in this year’s Project Forum include: Bruce La Bruce (Otto: Or, Up With Dead People), Alrick Brown (Kinyrwanda), Adam Bowers (New Low), David Lowery (St. Nick), David Robert Mitchell...
The centerpiece of Independent Film Week, Project Forum is designed specifically as a place for industry to meet with new talent, as well as discover fresh projects from emerging and veteran filmmakers.
Read the complete press release and full list of titles in this year’s Project Forum.
All 150 projects showcased in the Project Forum this year are narrative and documentary features ranging from films in development, or the early stages of production, to those nearing completion.
Some of the notable directors in this year’s Project Forum include: Bruce La Bruce (Otto: Or, Up With Dead People), Alrick Brown (Kinyrwanda), Adam Bowers (New Low), David Lowery (St. Nick), David Robert Mitchell...
- 8/11/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.
Sorry, folks… there are simply too many great films streaming this week to post an image for them all, but that’s a good thing, eh? You’ve got your movie watching work cut out for you, due in great part to Miramax releasing damn near their entire catalog of films on one day!
B. Monkey (1999)
Streaming Available: 05/01/2011
Director: Michael Radford
Synopsis: Good-hearted schoolteacher Alan Furnace (Jared Harris) desperately wants some excitement in his life — and he may just get some. One lonely night at a London bar, Alan spies the raven-haired beauty Beatrice (Asia Argento) arguing with two friends, Paul (Rupert Everett) and Bruno (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). Beatrice quickly befriends Alan and...
Sorry, folks… there are simply too many great films streaming this week to post an image for them all, but that’s a good thing, eh? You’ve got your movie watching work cut out for you, due in great part to Miramax releasing damn near their entire catalog of films on one day!
B. Monkey (1999)
Streaming Available: 05/01/2011
Director: Michael Radford
Synopsis: Good-hearted schoolteacher Alan Furnace (Jared Harris) desperately wants some excitement in his life — and he may just get some. One lonely night at a London bar, Alan spies the raven-haired beauty Beatrice (Asia Argento) arguing with two friends, Paul (Rupert Everett) and Bruno (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). Beatrice quickly befriends Alan and...
- 4/29/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.
This Week’s New Instant Releases… Title: Black Heaven (2010)
Streaming Available: 04/12/2011
Cast: Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Louise Bourgoin, Melvil Poupaud, Pauline Etienne, Pierre Niney, Ali Marhyar, Patrick Descamps, Pierre Vittet, Swann Arlaud, Francesco Merenda
Director: Gilles Marchand
Synopsis: While searching for the owner of a missing mobile phone with his girlfriend, Marion (Pauline Etienne), Gaspard (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet) falls for the mysterious Sam (Louise Bourgoin), who draws him into a dangerous virtual-reality video game, where she provokes unsuspecting victims into killing themselves. Directed by Gilles Marchand, this intense French drama alternates between real-life events and those within the simulated computer world. Title: Heartless (2009)
Streaming Available: 04/12/2011
Cast: Jim Sturgess, Clémence Poésy , Noel Clarke, Luke Treadaway, Justin Salinger,...
This Week’s New Instant Releases… Title: Black Heaven (2010)
Streaming Available: 04/12/2011
Cast: Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Louise Bourgoin, Melvil Poupaud, Pauline Etienne, Pierre Niney, Ali Marhyar, Patrick Descamps, Pierre Vittet, Swann Arlaud, Francesco Merenda
Director: Gilles Marchand
Synopsis: While searching for the owner of a missing mobile phone with his girlfriend, Marion (Pauline Etienne), Gaspard (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet) falls for the mysterious Sam (Louise Bourgoin), who draws him into a dangerous virtual-reality video game, where she provokes unsuspecting victims into killing themselves. Directed by Gilles Marchand, this intense French drama alternates between real-life events and those within the simulated computer world. Title: Heartless (2009)
Streaming Available: 04/12/2011
Cast: Jim Sturgess, Clémence Poésy , Noel Clarke, Luke Treadaway, Justin Salinger,...
- 4/11/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
If it's too cold to leave the house for your local theater, there's plenty of options if you stay inside online, on demand and on DVD. What follows is your guide to all the new releases coming your way between now and April.
Online and On Demand
My French Film Festival
Thanks to bids for Oscar consideration, the winter is traditionally one of the rare times foreign films get plenty of attention in the States, particularly at West Coast festivals such as Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. However, Francophiles in particular will be excited to know you won't have to go to California or New York -- or even Paris for that matter -- to be able to catch some of the most recent cinema from France since uniFrance is unveiling My French Film Festival, which is being billed as the "first exclusively online film festival celebrating French talent" that...
Online and On Demand
My French Film Festival
Thanks to bids for Oscar consideration, the winter is traditionally one of the rare times foreign films get plenty of attention in the States, particularly at West Coast festivals such as Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. However, Francophiles in particular will be excited to know you won't have to go to California or New York -- or even Paris for that matter -- to be able to catch some of the most recent cinema from France since uniFrance is unveiling My French Film Festival, which is being billed as the "first exclusively online film festival celebrating French talent" that...
- 1/11/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Austin, Texas -- Distribution deals were never the point of the SXSW Film Festival, and that's still true at its 17th edition, which began this weekend.
But for filmmakers, actors, independent film aficionados and yes, sales executives, it's a laid-back Lone Star love-in.
"Audiences are more relaxed here," says Ron Yerxa, who with Albert Berger executive produced Jacob Hatley's "Ain't in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm," which held its world premiere Saturday afternoon. "Screenings at the Alamo Draft House have almost a party atmosphere, which is what I always thought festival screenings should be."
Wedged as it is between Sundance and Tribeca, SXSW has continued to grow and draw a wider spectrum of North American and world premieres. (The sublime mid-March Texas weather may have something to do with that.) Though this has contributed to greater attendance, the festival remains a less pressurized destination for...
But for filmmakers, actors, independent film aficionados and yes, sales executives, it's a laid-back Lone Star love-in.
"Audiences are more relaxed here," says Ron Yerxa, who with Albert Berger executive produced Jacob Hatley's "Ain't in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm," which held its world premiere Saturday afternoon. "Screenings at the Alamo Draft House have almost a party atmosphere, which is what I always thought festival screenings should be."
Wedged as it is between Sundance and Tribeca, SXSW has continued to grow and draw a wider spectrum of North American and world premieres. (The sublime mid-March Texas weather may have something to do with that.) Though this has contributed to greater attendance, the festival remains a less pressurized destination for...
- 3/14/2010
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Glenn here again. I don't leave quietly.
I know Nathaniel isn't quite as big of a documentary watcher as some others out there, so I thought I'd give the genre a bit of a spruik (apparently that's an Australian slang word so don't worry about not knowing what it means). I've made an effort this past year to see more documentaries - theatrically and otherwise - and while the number may only be hovering around the ten mark, considering I barely see more than four a year I think I have reason to be chuffed with myself.
It is, however, incredibly disappointing to realise that of the fifteen documentary titles shortlisted by the Academy only three have received a theatrical release here in Australia. How is it that even a Werner Herzog film - that'd be Encounters at the End of the World doesn't warrant a release? I can't imagine...
I know Nathaniel isn't quite as big of a documentary watcher as some others out there, so I thought I'd give the genre a bit of a spruik (apparently that's an Australian slang word so don't worry about not knowing what it means). I've made an effort this past year to see more documentaries - theatrically and otherwise - and while the number may only be hovering around the ten mark, considering I barely see more than four a year I think I have reason to be chuffed with myself.
It is, however, incredibly disappointing to realise that of the fifteen documentary titles shortlisted by the Academy only three have received a theatrical release here in Australia. How is it that even a Werner Herzog film - that'd be Encounters at the End of the World doesn't warrant a release? I can't imagine...
- 12/20/2008
- by Kamikaze Camel
- FilmExperience
Errol Morris, on Oscar winner in 2004 for his documentary "The Fog of War," has made the cut that could lead to another Academy Award nomination for his latest film, "Standard Operating Procedure," a study of torture in Abu Ghraib in Iraq.
Morris' film, from Participant and Sony Pictures Classics, is one of 15 films that have made it through a preliminary round of voting by the Academy's documentary branch steering committee and are now eligible to compete for one of the five nominations in the feature documentary category.
Bill Maher's "Religulous," the top-grossing doc of the year with $12.6 million domestically, failed to make the list, though plenty of other hot-button topics were represented.
Joshua Tickell's "Fuel" looks at the energy crisis; Patrick Creadon's "I.O.U.S.A.," from Roadside Attractions, takes on the credit crunch; Peter Gilbert and Steve James' "At the Death House Door" examines a case of capital punishment...
Morris' film, from Participant and Sony Pictures Classics, is one of 15 films that have made it through a preliminary round of voting by the Academy's documentary branch steering committee and are now eligible to compete for one of the five nominations in the feature documentary category.
Bill Maher's "Religulous," the top-grossing doc of the year with $12.6 million domestically, failed to make the list, though plenty of other hot-button topics were represented.
Joshua Tickell's "Fuel" looks at the energy crisis; Patrick Creadon's "I.O.U.S.A.," from Roadside Attractions, takes on the credit crunch; Peter Gilbert and Steve James' "At the Death House Door" examines a case of capital punishment...
- 11/17/2008
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Steve James
We're in a Golden Age of documentary filmmaking right now. Having been on the festival circuit recently with our film, "At the Death House Door," Peter Gilbert and I have been seeing firsthand the wealth and variety of accomplished documentary films being made here and abroad. And according to programmers, these festival films are being selected from hundreds and even thousands of submissions. Yet I don't see a commensurate growth in the number of "longitudinal documentaries" . ones like "Hoop Dreams" or "Stevie" or Barbara Kopple's "American Dream" (which Peter shot) that track people's lives and stories over several years. For me, longitudinal docs are the most deeply satisfying form. Spending years following a story is the ultimate act of filmmaking discovery, because you don't know where the journey is leading, no matter how perceptive you think you are. Indeed, you hope and pray you'll be surprised,...
We're in a Golden Age of documentary filmmaking right now. Having been on the festival circuit recently with our film, "At the Death House Door," Peter Gilbert and I have been seeing firsthand the wealth and variety of accomplished documentary films being made here and abroad. And according to programmers, these festival films are being selected from hundreds and even thousands of submissions. Yet I don't see a commensurate growth in the number of "longitudinal documentaries" . ones like "Hoop Dreams" or "Stevie" or Barbara Kopple's "American Dream" (which Peter shot) that track people's lives and stories over several years. For me, longitudinal docs are the most deeply satisfying form. Spending years following a story is the ultimate act of filmmaking discovery, because you don't know where the journey is leading, no matter how perceptive you think you are. Indeed, you hope and pray you'll be surprised,...
- 5/28/2008
- by Steve James
- ifc.com
South by Southwest
AUSTIN -- The documentary makers behind Hoop Dreams and Stevie turn their lens on capital punishment in At the Death House Door, an involving film with fresh perspectives that should ensure appeal on the activist and festival circuits.
Basically a conversion story, it centers on Carroll Pickett, a proud and righteous jailhouse chaplain in Huntsville, Texas, who sticks with a troubling job -- in almost 100 executions, he has sat with condemned men during their final hours -- despite a growing conviction that the death penalty should be abolished.
Pickett's self-administered therapy through the years has been an audio diary: cases full of audiocassettes that he makes after each execution. As he picks through the tapes, Pickett recalls details that stirringly drive home his unique perspective.
The filmmakers alternate Pickett's tale with that of a man executed on his watch: Carlos De Luna, who seems now almost certainly innocent of the crime for which he was condemned.
The investigation into his wrongful conviction (conducted by Chicago Tribune reporters) has blood-boiling dramatic potential, but the filmmakers play this angle down, using it mainly to bolster Pickett's recent anti-death-penalty activism.
The result is a picture whose appeal might not be as broad as some of the team's earlier work (or of Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line) but is strong enough in its content that it could sway fence-sitters on the issue.
AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR
Independent Film Channel
Kartemquin Films
Credits:
Director-producers: Steve James, Peter Gilbert
Executive producers: Gordon Quinn, Christine Lubrano, Debbie Demontreux, Evan Shapiro, Alison Bourke
Director of photography: Peter Gilbert
Music: Leo Sidran
Co-producer: Zak Piper
Editors: Steve James, Aaron Wickenden
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
AUSTIN -- The documentary makers behind Hoop Dreams and Stevie turn their lens on capital punishment in At the Death House Door, an involving film with fresh perspectives that should ensure appeal on the activist and festival circuits.
Basically a conversion story, it centers on Carroll Pickett, a proud and righteous jailhouse chaplain in Huntsville, Texas, who sticks with a troubling job -- in almost 100 executions, he has sat with condemned men during their final hours -- despite a growing conviction that the death penalty should be abolished.
Pickett's self-administered therapy through the years has been an audio diary: cases full of audiocassettes that he makes after each execution. As he picks through the tapes, Pickett recalls details that stirringly drive home his unique perspective.
The filmmakers alternate Pickett's tale with that of a man executed on his watch: Carlos De Luna, who seems now almost certainly innocent of the crime for which he was condemned.
The investigation into his wrongful conviction (conducted by Chicago Tribune reporters) has blood-boiling dramatic potential, but the filmmakers play this angle down, using it mainly to bolster Pickett's recent anti-death-penalty activism.
The result is a picture whose appeal might not be as broad as some of the team's earlier work (or of Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line) but is strong enough in its content that it could sway fence-sitters on the issue.
AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR
Independent Film Channel
Kartemquin Films
Credits:
Director-producers: Steve James, Peter Gilbert
Executive producers: Gordon Quinn, Christine Lubrano, Debbie Demontreux, Evan Shapiro, Alison Bourke
Director of photography: Peter Gilbert
Music: Leo Sidran
Co-producer: Zak Piper
Editors: Steve James, Aaron Wickenden
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 3/10/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Columbia Pictures' fact-based gambling drama "21" starring Kate Bosworth, Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne will open the 15th annual South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival.
Robert Luketic's feature, tentatively slated to make its debut at the fest, revolves around a group of students who studied card counting and won a small fortune playing blackjack. It's based on Ben Mezrich's 2002 nonfiction book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions."
The fest also will unveil two docu world premieres: Steve James and Peter Gilbert's wrongful execution study "At the Death House Door" and "Dreams With Sharp Teeth", Erik Nelson's profile of sci-fi author Harlan Ellison. "Wild Blue Yonder", Celia Maysles' docu portrait of her late documentarian father, David Maysles, will have its North American premiere.
David Schwimmer's Picturehouse comedy "Run, Fatboy, Run" starring Simon Pegg and Michael Radford's period heist film "Flawless" starring Michael Caine and Demi Moore will have their regional premieres at the fest.
Robert Luketic's feature, tentatively slated to make its debut at the fest, revolves around a group of students who studied card counting and won a small fortune playing blackjack. It's based on Ben Mezrich's 2002 nonfiction book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions."
The fest also will unveil two docu world premieres: Steve James and Peter Gilbert's wrongful execution study "At the Death House Door" and "Dreams With Sharp Teeth", Erik Nelson's profile of sci-fi author Harlan Ellison. "Wild Blue Yonder", Celia Maysles' docu portrait of her late documentarian father, David Maysles, will have its North American premiere.
David Schwimmer's Picturehouse comedy "Run, Fatboy, Run" starring Simon Pegg and Michael Radford's period heist film "Flawless" starring Michael Caine and Demi Moore will have their regional premieres at the fest.
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