Sugarcane, co-directed by journalists Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an investigation into the abuse and missing persons cases at an indigenous residential school and the associated tumult on the nearby Reserve. It is the debut film by NoiseCat, a former policy with personal ties to the community, and the second, after A Girl Named C, for Kassie. Christopher Lamarca served as cinematographer, his second such credit, after Ry Russo-Young’s Nuclear Family. Below, he discusses some of the challenges peculiar to shooting verité films. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you […]
The post “The Biggest Challenge on a Verité Production is Time”: Dp Christopher Lamarca on Sugarcane first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Biggest Challenge on a Verité Production is Time”: Dp Christopher Lamarca on Sugarcane first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/20/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Sugarcane, co-directed by journalists Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an investigation into the abuse and missing persons cases at an indigenous residential school and the associated tumult on the nearby Reserve. It is the debut film by NoiseCat, a former policy with personal ties to the community, and the second, after A Girl Named C, for Kassie. Christopher Lamarca served as cinematographer, his second such credit, after Ry Russo-Young’s Nuclear Family. Below, he discusses some of the challenges peculiar to shooting verité films. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you […]
The post “The Biggest Challenge on a Verité Production is Time”: Dp Christopher Lamarca on Sugarcane first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Biggest Challenge on a Verité Production is Time”: Dp Christopher Lamarca on Sugarcane first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/20/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
All of Green Day’s secrets are coming out. On Thursday night, the punk-rock icons not only performed a “secret” show in downtown Las Vegas (they teased it earlier in the week), but also had another surprise up their sleeves: an upcoming U.S. stadium tour with the Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and the Linda Lindas.
“I have a big announcement. It’s really big. Get your cameras ready,” Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said before trumpeting the tour to the fans at Fremont Country Club, many of whom began...
“I have a big announcement. It’s really big. Get your cameras ready,” Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said before trumpeting the tour to the fans at Fremont Country Club, many of whom began...
- 10/20/2023
- by Mark Gray
- Rollingstone.com
Documentary producer Lauren Haber has joined Amplify Pictures as its head of documentary, a newly created role at the studio.
Amplify is an independent television studio founded back in 2018 by “Fleabag” producer Joe Lewis. The studio recently released Season 2 of HBO’s docuseries “100 Foot Wave” which follows surf legend Garrett McNamara, who broke the record for the largest wave ever surfed. The series earned six Emmy nods this season including a nomination for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series.
“I was immediately struck by the ambition, integrity and collaborative spirit that Joe, Rachel and Colin radiate and bring into everything they do at Amplify Pictures,” Haber said in a statement. “The company’s fresh perspective and focus on innovation in the documentary space is absolutely thrilling for me to step into. I’m honored and excited to build Amplify Pictures’ global documentary slate, working with visionary filmmakers to tell stories that surprise and entertain,...
Amplify is an independent television studio founded back in 2018 by “Fleabag” producer Joe Lewis. The studio recently released Season 2 of HBO’s docuseries “100 Foot Wave” which follows surf legend Garrett McNamara, who broke the record for the largest wave ever surfed. The series earned six Emmy nods this season including a nomination for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series.
“I was immediately struck by the ambition, integrity and collaborative spirit that Joe, Rachel and Colin radiate and bring into everything they do at Amplify Pictures,” Haber said in a statement. “The company’s fresh perspective and focus on innovation in the documentary space is absolutely thrilling for me to step into. I’m honored and excited to build Amplify Pictures’ global documentary slate, working with visionary filmmakers to tell stories that surprise and entertain,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Veteran documentary producer Lauren Haber has been appointed to the newly created role of Head of Documentary at Amplify Pictures, the award-winning studio announced on Wednesday.
In her new position, Haber will be responsible for overseeing the company’s current slate of documentary projects and expanding its doc portfolio of globally commercial, filmmaker-driven projects with an emphasis on ongoing series and IP creation. The hiring comes at a dynamic time for Amplify, which has continued to build out its team and slate of global content following an infusion of private equity capital.
Haber comes to the company after serving as VP of Production at Impact Partners, where she curated and supported their slate of independent documentary projects including 32 Sounds directed by Sam Green, Another Body directed by Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn, Peabody winner Aftershock directed by Paula Eiselt & Tonya Lewis Lee, Paper & Glue directed by Jr, and the three-part HBO series Nuclear Family,...
In her new position, Haber will be responsible for overseeing the company’s current slate of documentary projects and expanding its doc portfolio of globally commercial, filmmaker-driven projects with an emphasis on ongoing series and IP creation. The hiring comes at a dynamic time for Amplify, which has continued to build out its team and slate of global content following an infusion of private equity capital.
Haber comes to the company after serving as VP of Production at Impact Partners, where she curated and supported their slate of independent documentary projects including 32 Sounds directed by Sam Green, Another Body directed by Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn, Peabody winner Aftershock directed by Paula Eiselt & Tonya Lewis Lee, Paper & Glue directed by Jr, and the three-part HBO series Nuclear Family,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Executive most recently was VP of production at Impact Partners.
Amplify Pictures has appointed veteran documentary producer and recent VP of production at Impact Partners Lauren Haber to the new role of head of documentary.
Haber is based in New York and reports to Amsterdam-based Rachel Eggebeen, who announced the hire on Wednesday and is Amplify Pictures’ chief content officer overseeing the scripted and unscripted slate, including the eight-time Emmy-nominated HBO docuseries 100 Foot Wave.
In her new role Haber will oversee Amplify’s slate of documentary projects and expand the portfolio through universally appealing commercial projects with an emphasis...
Amplify Pictures has appointed veteran documentary producer and recent VP of production at Impact Partners Lauren Haber to the new role of head of documentary.
Haber is based in New York and reports to Amsterdam-based Rachel Eggebeen, who announced the hire on Wednesday and is Amplify Pictures’ chief content officer overseeing the scripted and unscripted slate, including the eight-time Emmy-nominated HBO docuseries 100 Foot Wave.
In her new role Haber will oversee Amplify’s slate of documentary projects and expand the portfolio through universally appealing commercial projects with an emphasis...
- 9/20/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Ballots have been turned in, and the TV Academy is tabulating votes. On July 12, the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced, with many surprises expected across all categories. Below are my final Emmy predictions in all 101 categories (including creative arts).
Last year’s Emmys saw Netflix’s “The Crown” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” lead the nomination tally with 24 noms each. This year, the head authority in that realm is expected to be HBO’s “Succession” with a forecasted 25 noms, which include 13 for acting. If achieved, it will tie the all-time most acting nominations record for any series, long held by the ABC limited series “Roots” (1977). In addition, it would surpass the 20-year record for most acting noms for a drama series held by “The West Wing” (NBC) in 2002. Noteworthy are a few guest acting stars that aren’t predicted, but on the bubble that could increase that number.
Last year’s Emmys saw Netflix’s “The Crown” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” lead the nomination tally with 24 noms each. This year, the head authority in that realm is expected to be HBO’s “Succession” with a forecasted 25 noms, which include 13 for acting. If achieved, it will tie the all-time most acting nominations record for any series, long held by the ABC limited series “Roots” (1977). In addition, it would surpass the 20-year record for most acting noms for a drama series held by “The West Wing” (NBC) in 2002. Noteworthy are a few guest acting stars that aren’t predicted, but on the bubble that could increase that number.
- 7/7/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The 37th Annual Independent Spirit Awards took place on Sunday, returning to an in-person format following last year’s virtual ceremony. Many of the biggest names in the independent film community made the trek out to the beach in Santa Monica with the hopes of taking home the most coveted prizes in indie film. While the Spirit Awards typically take place the week before the Oscars, this year’s unique Covid-influenced awards season calendar meant that they were held nearly a month in advance. Hollywood couple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally served as emcees of the proceedings.
This year’s class of nominees draws from films largely shut out from the Oscars, with indie hits like Oscar nominee “The Lost Daughter,” “C’mon C’mon,” and “Zola” racking up the most nominations. “The Lost Daughter” cleaned up, with three wins for Netflix including Best Feature and Best Director Maggie Gyllenhaal. Oscar no-show...
This year’s class of nominees draws from films largely shut out from the Oscars, with indie hits like Oscar nominee “The Lost Daughter,” “C’mon C’mon,” and “Zola” racking up the most nominations. “The Lost Daughter” cleaned up, with three wins for Netflix including Best Feature and Best Director Maggie Gyllenhaal. Oscar no-show...
- 3/7/2022
- by Christian Zilko and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Film Independent Spirit Awards primarily focus on films, but their Television categories highlight diversity and uniqueness in the industry.
They brought back their Television categories, introduced in 2021, for their 2022 awards.
We're here to break down the categories and discuss which nominees have the best chance of winning!
The Television Awards are eligible for any new series airing in the USA (Network or Streaming) within the eligibility window.
You can view the rest of the eligibility requirements at the bottom of this page.
Let's jump into the categories and nominees!
Best Ensemble:
Reservation Dogs (FX)
Best Ensemble is an award determined by the nominating committee.
The first season of Reservation Dogs provided a medium for under-represented indigenous teenagers to shine.
This show integrated comedy and drama seamlessly, with the lead cast of teenagers acting their roles.
Reservation Dogs is also nominated for the Best New Scripted Series.
Best New Scripted...
They brought back their Television categories, introduced in 2021, for their 2022 awards.
We're here to break down the categories and discuss which nominees have the best chance of winning!
The Television Awards are eligible for any new series airing in the USA (Network or Streaming) within the eligibility window.
You can view the rest of the eligibility requirements at the bottom of this page.
Let's jump into the categories and nominees!
Best Ensemble:
Reservation Dogs (FX)
Best Ensemble is an award determined by the nominating committee.
The first season of Reservation Dogs provided a medium for under-represented indigenous teenagers to shine.
This show integrated comedy and drama seamlessly, with the lead cast of teenagers acting their roles.
Reservation Dogs is also nominated for the Best New Scripted Series.
Best New Scripted...
- 2/17/2022
- by Michael T. Stack
- TVfanatic
Exclusive: Established post-production venue Levels Audio has expanded to New York, with noted industry vets Sue Pelino and Kassie Caffiero leading its new facility.
The company has contributed audio and post elements to Peacock original series True Story with Ed and Randall and Netflix’s Cheer. Other credits include HBO Max’s Friends reunion special, NBC’s The Voice, Disney+ feature doc Wolfgang and Oscar-winning short Two Distant Strangers. Levels Audio was founded in Los Angeles in 1999 by multiple Grammy and Emmy winner Brian Riordan.
Pelino, a winner of multiple primetime Emmys, is joining as a senior re-recording mixer with Caffiero serving as VP of business development for the East Coast. The duo have collaborated for 35 years on projects like One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on CBS, miniseries Nuclear Family for HBO and feature documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers.
The company has contributed audio and post elements to Peacock original series True Story with Ed and Randall and Netflix’s Cheer. Other credits include HBO Max’s Friends reunion special, NBC’s The Voice, Disney+ feature doc Wolfgang and Oscar-winning short Two Distant Strangers. Levels Audio was founded in Los Angeles in 1999 by multiple Grammy and Emmy winner Brian Riordan.
Pelino, a winner of multiple primetime Emmys, is joining as a senior re-recording mixer with Caffiero serving as VP of business development for the East Coast. The duo have collaborated for 35 years on projects like One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on CBS, miniseries Nuclear Family for HBO and feature documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers.
- 1/24/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
GLAAD today announced the nominees in 30 categories for its 33rd Annual Media Awards.
In a flip-flip of last year’s top leaders, the combined HBO/HBO Max scored the most nominations of any network with 19, followed by Netflix with 17. That’s a lot closer than last year, when Netflix ran away with 26 noms, while HBO was a distant second with nine.
Streaming services saw a total of 63 nominations, with cable receiving 39 and broadcast networks receiving 17. Hulu received seven nominations, while ABC, MSNBC and Peacock all saw four. In the Spanish-language categories, Univision and Telemundo both received two nominations.
The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues.
During a year when anti-transgender violence rose and lawmakers across the U.S. introduced an unprecedented number of bills attempting to stop transgender youth from participating in sports and accessing gender-affirming healthcare, many of the...
In a flip-flip of last year’s top leaders, the combined HBO/HBO Max scored the most nominations of any network with 19, followed by Netflix with 17. That’s a lot closer than last year, when Netflix ran away with 26 noms, while HBO was a distant second with nine.
Streaming services saw a total of 63 nominations, with cable receiving 39 and broadcast networks receiving 17. Hulu received seven nominations, while ABC, MSNBC and Peacock all saw four. In the Spanish-language categories, Univision and Telemundo both received two nominations.
The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues.
During a year when anti-transgender violence rose and lawmakers across the U.S. introduced an unprecedented number of bills attempting to stop transgender youth from participating in sports and accessing gender-affirming healthcare, many of the...
- 1/19/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
PoetBerlinale have announced the first 62 titles selected for the 72nd edition of their festival, set to take place physically from February 10 — 20.FORUMAfterwater (Dane Komljen)Poet (Darezhan Omirbayev)The Middle AgesEurope (Philip Scheffner)A Flower in the Mouth (Éric Baudelaire)Memoryland (Kim Quy Bui)My Two Voices (Lina Rodriguez)Nuclear Family (Erin Wilkerson, Travis Wilkerson)Super Natural (Jorge Jácome)The United States of America (James Benning)Forum EXPANDEDDragon Tooth (Rafael Castanheira Parrode)Home When You Return (Carl Elsaesser)Jail Bird in a Peacock Chair (James Gregory Atkinson)Sol in the Dark (Mawena Yehouessi)vs (Lydia Nsiah)PANORAMATalking About the Weather (Annika Pinske)The Apartment with Two Women (Kim Se-in)Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power (Nina Menkes)Swing Ride (Chiara Bellosi)Dreaming WallsKlondike (Maryna Er Gorbach)A Love Song (Max Walker-Silverman)Myanmar Diaries (The Myanmar Film Collective)Into My Name (Nicolò Bassetti)Nelly & Nadine (Magnus Gertten)We, Students! (Rafiki Fariala)Until Tomorrow (Ali Asgari...
- 12/15/2021
- MUBI
Tuesday morning saw the announcement of the second-ever batch of TV nominees for the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and while the accolades represent a truly unique set of honorees, the mechanism for deciding those nominees remains painfully flawed.
But first, the nominations.
Film Independent didn’t appear to have any favorites with regard to TV this year, spreading the love to series including HBO Max’s “It’s a Sin,” FX’s “Reservation Dogs,” Starz’s “Blindspotting,” Peacock’s “We Are Lady Parts” and “Rutherford Falls,” and Amazon Prime Video’s “The Underground Railroad” and “Them: Covenant” all of which received two nominations. Also nabbing nominations were HBO’s “Black and Missing,” “The Lady and the Dale,” “Nuclear Family,” and “White Lotus,” FX’s “The Choe Show,” Netflix’s “Squid Game,” and PBS’ “Philly D.A.”
The organization’s choice to only honor series in their first year of existence continues to...
But first, the nominations.
Film Independent didn’t appear to have any favorites with regard to TV this year, spreading the love to series including HBO Max’s “It’s a Sin,” FX’s “Reservation Dogs,” Starz’s “Blindspotting,” Peacock’s “We Are Lady Parts” and “Rutherford Falls,” and Amazon Prime Video’s “The Underground Railroad” and “Them: Covenant” all of which received two nominations. Also nabbing nominations were HBO’s “Black and Missing,” “The Lady and the Dale,” “Nuclear Family,” and “White Lotus,” FX’s “The Choe Show,” Netflix’s “Squid Game,” and PBS’ “Philly D.A.”
The organization’s choice to only honor series in their first year of existence continues to...
- 12/14/2021
- by Libby Hill
- Indiewire
When two veteran New York filmmakers — married producer-financier Dan Cogan and producer-director Liz Garbus — launched Story Syndicate in 2019, Cogan transitioned from daily management of Impact Partners (Oscar-winning “Icarus” and “The Cove”) to join forces with Garbus (Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated “What Happened Miss Simone?”) with one big idea in mind: to create a Brooklyn headquarters for multiple filmmakers to create documentary series, features, shorts, and podcasts.
In doing so, the duo anticipated a burgeoning market for non-fiction. They saw that documentaries had evolved beyond cinéma vérité to more structured and entertaining narratives as HBO, A&e, Netflix, Showtime, Apple, Amazon, CNN, MTV, and more popularized the form. But Cogan and Garbus didn’t expect to be a crucial supplier during the Commercial Age for documentaries, and they were shocked at how swiftly the landscape changed.
“It turned out that the company is growing much, much faster than we anticipated,” said Cogan...
In doing so, the duo anticipated a burgeoning market for non-fiction. They saw that documentaries had evolved beyond cinéma vérité to more structured and entertaining narratives as HBO, A&e, Netflix, Showtime, Apple, Amazon, CNN, MTV, and more popularized the form. But Cogan and Garbus didn’t expect to be a crucial supplier during the Commercial Age for documentaries, and they were shocked at how swiftly the landscape changed.
“It turned out that the company is growing much, much faster than we anticipated,” said Cogan...
- 11/23/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
When two veteran New York filmmakers — married producer-financier Dan Cogan and producer-director Liz Garbus — launched Story Syndicate in 2019, Cogan transitioned from daily management of Impact Partners (Oscar-winning “Icarus” and “The Cove”) to join forces with Garbus (Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated “What Happened Miss Simone?”) with one big idea in mind: to create a Brooklyn headquarters for multiple filmmakers to create documentary series, features, shorts, and podcasts.
In doing so, the duo anticipated a burgeoning market for non-fiction. They saw that documentaries had evolved beyond cinéma vérité to more structured and entertaining narratives as HBO, A&e, Netflix, Showtime, Apple, Amazon, CNN, MTV, and more popularized the form. But Cogan and Garbus didn’t expect to be a crucial supplier during the Commercial Age for documentaries, and they were shocked at how swiftly the landscape changed.
“It turned out that the company is growing much, much faster than we anticipated,” said Cogan...
In doing so, the duo anticipated a burgeoning market for non-fiction. They saw that documentaries had evolved beyond cinéma vérité to more structured and entertaining narratives as HBO, A&e, Netflix, Showtime, Apple, Amazon, CNN, MTV, and more popularized the form. But Cogan and Garbus didn’t expect to be a crucial supplier during the Commercial Age for documentaries, and they were shocked at how swiftly the landscape changed.
“It turned out that the company is growing much, much faster than we anticipated,” said Cogan...
- 11/23/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Topic Studios president Maria Zuckerman is a canny executive who can see over the horizon. In 2019, the New Yorker figured out that the Hollywood universe was expanding at such a rate that it was time to become a bicoastal content provider instead of a distributor-buyer. She left producing at HBO, where she had been happily ensconced for almost 20 years, and moved over to independent Topic Studios. She quickly saw a route to diversifying and expanding the company’s lineup, by backing, funding, and producing (at different levels) a wide range of independent features, building on the Oscar-winning “Spotlight” toward this past weekend’s opener, Pablo Larraín’s surreal Princess Diana drama “Spencer” (Neon), starring Oscar frontrunner Kristen Stewart.
“It’s a fiercely independent company,” Zuckerman said in an interview with IndieWire. That’s because owner First Look Media (Oscar-winning “Spotlight”) created a two-sided entity: the not-for-profit and the studio. “Our mission is to be profitable,...
“It’s a fiercely independent company,” Zuckerman said in an interview with IndieWire. That’s because owner First Look Media (Oscar-winning “Spotlight”) created a two-sided entity: the not-for-profit and the studio. “Our mission is to be profitable,...
- 11/8/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Topic Studios president Maria Zuckerman is a canny executive who can see over the horizon. In 2019, the New Yorker figured out that the Hollywood universe was expanding at such a rate that it was time to become a bicoastal content provider instead of a distributor-buyer. She left producing at HBO, where she had been happily ensconced for almost 20 years, and moved over to independent Topic Studios. She quickly saw a route to diversifying and expanding the company’s lineup, by backing, funding, and producing (at different levels) a wide range of independent features, building on the Oscar-winning “Spotlight” toward this past weekend’s opener, Pablo Larraín’s surreal Princess Diana drama “Spencer” (Neon), starring Oscar frontrunner Kristen Stewart.
“It’s a fiercely independent company,” Zuckerman said in an interview with IndieWire. That’s because owner First Look Media (Oscar-winning “Spotlight”) created a two-sided entity: the not-for-profit and the studio. “Our mission is to be profitable,...
“It’s a fiercely independent company,” Zuckerman said in an interview with IndieWire. That’s because owner First Look Media (Oscar-winning “Spotlight”) created a two-sided entity: the not-for-profit and the studio. “Our mission is to be profitable,...
- 11/8/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Martin Lawrence has been tapped to star in Topic Studios’ reimagined English-language adaptation of the Hot-produced praised Israeli series Nehama. In his first television role in seven years, Lawrence will play the title character in the soon-to-be-titled dark comedy. Lawrence also will produce the U.S. version via his RunTelDat Entertainment production company, alongside 24 Drafts Studio and Topic Studios.
In a competitive situation, Topic Studios acquired the rights to develop an English-language adaptation of Nehama in 2020, with Quan Phung, Topic Studios’ SVP, Original Series, bringing the project to the studio. The original Israeli series was created by Reshef Levi (The Arbitrator) and Tomer Shani (Very Important Person), who also directed it, with Yoav Gross (The Good Cop) producing. Levi, Shani and Gross will partner with an American writer on the adaptation.
The series tells the story of a happily married father of five (Lawrence) who quits his suffocating job in...
In a competitive situation, Topic Studios acquired the rights to develop an English-language adaptation of Nehama in 2020, with Quan Phung, Topic Studios’ SVP, Original Series, bringing the project to the studio. The original Israeli series was created by Reshef Levi (The Arbitrator) and Tomer Shani (Very Important Person), who also directed it, with Yoav Gross (The Good Cop) producing. Levi, Shani and Gross will partner with an American writer on the adaptation.
The series tells the story of a happily married father of five (Lawrence) who quits his suffocating job in...
- 10/28/2021
- by Denise Petski and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
In his first series regular role since 2014, Martin Lawrence has signed on to star in the English-language adaptation of the acclaimed Israeli Hot original series “Nehama,” from Topic Studios.
The series tells the story of a happily married father of five (Lawrence) who quits his suffocating job in tech to chase his original love of stand-up comedy. When his wife suddenly dies, he must decide whether he should pursue his dream and risk losing his kids — who are lost without their mother. Described as “hilarious, intelligent, and raw,” the series examines what it means “to seek pleasure and find comfort in the face of tragedy and tackles the timeless challenge of ‘wanting to have it all’ from a uniquely male perspective, with some twists along the way.”
Lawrence takes on the lead role in the soon-to-be titled dark comedy and will produce through his production company, RunTelDat Entertainment, alongside 24 Drafts Studio and Topic Studios,...
The series tells the story of a happily married father of five (Lawrence) who quits his suffocating job in tech to chase his original love of stand-up comedy. When his wife suddenly dies, he must decide whether he should pursue his dream and risk losing his kids — who are lost without their mother. Described as “hilarious, intelligent, and raw,” the series examines what it means “to seek pleasure and find comfort in the face of tragedy and tackles the timeless challenge of ‘wanting to have it all’ from a uniquely male perspective, with some twists along the way.”
Lawrence takes on the lead role in the soon-to-be titled dark comedy and will produce through his production company, RunTelDat Entertainment, alongside 24 Drafts Studio and Topic Studios,...
- 10/28/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
It’s been just over two years since documentary power couple — director Liz Garbus and producer/financier Dan Cogan — launched Story Syndicate, and already the production company has four films contending for Academy Award consideration this awards season.
In addition to producing Garbus’ National Geographic doc “Becoming Cousteau,” opening in theaters today, Story Syndicate is also behind three additional Oscar qualified documentaries: John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” (National Geographic), Orlando von Einsiedel’s “Convergence: Courage in a Crisis” (Netflix) and Jesse Moss’ “Mayor Pete” (Amazon). The company also produced Ry Russo-Young’s “Nuclear Family,” an HBO three-part series about lesbian moms facing a paternity lawsuit, and Erin Lee Carr’s “Britney vs Spears,” a Netflix title investigating Britney Spears’ conservatorship.
Garbus and Cogan launched the Brooklyn-based production company in June 2019 with just three projects in the works – HBO’s “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” Amazon’s “All In:...
In addition to producing Garbus’ National Geographic doc “Becoming Cousteau,” opening in theaters today, Story Syndicate is also behind three additional Oscar qualified documentaries: John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” (National Geographic), Orlando von Einsiedel’s “Convergence: Courage in a Crisis” (Netflix) and Jesse Moss’ “Mayor Pete” (Amazon). The company also produced Ry Russo-Young’s “Nuclear Family,” an HBO three-part series about lesbian moms facing a paternity lawsuit, and Erin Lee Carr’s “Britney vs Spears,” a Netflix title investigating Britney Spears’ conservatorship.
Garbus and Cogan launched the Brooklyn-based production company in June 2019 with just three projects in the works – HBO’s “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” Amazon’s “All In:...
- 10/22/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
“Have your tissues ready,” warns Nuclear Family director Ry Russo-Young of tonight’s third and final episode of the docuseries about her moms, her sister and herself and the landmark battle for the parental rights of same-sex couples that defined their lives in the 1990s.
Having premiered on the premium cabler September 26, the docuseries from The Sun Is Also a Star helmer examines the legal and media battle Sandy Russo and Robin Young fought in the closing decade of the 20th century to hold on to custody of their daughter from a former friend, who donated sperm and now wanted access to Ry as his own offspring. In an America at the time where the notion of a lesbian family found almost no protection in the courts or the court of public opinion, it was a struggle not just to keep the family together, but also the very notion of their family.
Having premiered on the premium cabler September 26, the docuseries from The Sun Is Also a Star helmer examines the legal and media battle Sandy Russo and Robin Young fought in the closing decade of the 20th century to hold on to custody of their daughter from a former friend, who donated sperm and now wanted access to Ry as his own offspring. In an America at the time where the notion of a lesbian family found almost no protection in the courts or the court of public opinion, it was a struggle not just to keep the family together, but also the very notion of their family.
- 10/10/2021
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.
With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.
More from TVLineChucky Creator Don Mancini Talks Cult Connections and How His Killer Doll Is an Equal Opportunity 'Psychopath'you...
With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.
More from TVLineChucky Creator Don Mancini Talks Cult Connections and How His Killer Doll Is an Equal Opportunity 'Psychopath'you...
- 10/9/2021
- by Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
Given the many personalities in all our families and the way we often all perceive past traumatic events differently, making a probing documentary about your own family sh*t could end up either highly damaging to those relationships, exploitative of genuine pain, self-serving, or in some cases, very navel-gazing. And yet filmmaker Ry Russo-Young’s terrific new HBO documentary series, “Nuclear Family,” avoids all those familiar trappings, instead crafting something just extraordinarily intimate, personal, and deeply captivating.
Continue reading ‘Nuclear Family’: Ry Russo-Young Revisits Painful Family Traumas To Reckon With Her Past [Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Nuclear Family’: Ry Russo-Young Revisits Painful Family Traumas To Reckon With Her Past [Review] at The Playlist.
- 9/28/2021
- by The Playlist
- The Playlist
Ry Russo-Young’s three-part HBO documentary Nuclear Family was something she “resisted the idea of making” for a while because she “didn’t want to make a me-and-my-problems documentary.” But once the director of such features as The Sun Is Also a Star and Before I Fall decided to tackle it, it was a time of “total truth,” she says.
The documentary, out Sept. 26, follows Russo-Young’s mothers, Robin Young and Sandy Russo, who fought a long, emotionally fraught custody battle beginning in 1991 with sperm donor Tom Steel, a then-prominent gay lawyer. It ultimately would engulf ...
The documentary, out Sept. 26, follows Russo-Young’s mothers, Robin Young and Sandy Russo, who fought a long, emotionally fraught custody battle beginning in 1991 with sperm donor Tom Steel, a then-prominent gay lawyer. It ultimately would engulf ...
- 9/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ry Russo-Young’s three-part HBO documentary Nuclear Family was something she “resisted the idea of making” for a while because she “didn’t want to make a me-and-my-problems documentary.” But once the director of such features as The Sun Is Also a Star and Before I Fall decided to tackle it, it was a time of “total truth,” she says.
The documentary, out Sept. 26, follows Russo-Young’s mothers, Robin Young and Sandy Russo, who fought a long, emotionally fraught custody battle beginning in 1991 with sperm donor Tom Steel, a then-prominent gay lawyer. It ultimately would engulf ...
The documentary, out Sept. 26, follows Russo-Young’s mothers, Robin Young and Sandy Russo, who fought a long, emotionally fraught custody battle beginning in 1991 with sperm donor Tom Steel, a then-prominent gay lawyer. It ultimately would engulf ...
- 9/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.
With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.
More from TVLineTV Ratings: The Rookie Returns LowThe Rookie Boss Breaks Down Series Vet's 'Heartbreaking' Season 4 ExitGrey's EP Teases...
With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.
More from TVLineTV Ratings: The Rookie Returns LowThe Rookie Boss Breaks Down Series Vet's 'Heartbreaking' Season 4 ExitGrey's EP Teases...
- 9/25/2021
- by Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
"Where did he come off interfering with our family?" Debuting this week on HBO Max is the documentary mini-series titled Nuclear Family, made by filmmaker Ry Russo-Young telling her own story of her upbringing being raised by two lesbian mothers. "There are two sides to every story." Ry reexamines the landmark legal decision that changed the way gay families were perceived forever. HBO adds: "At its heart, this story of epochal conflict is also a tale about empathy, as Ry investigates the ambitions and desires of her moms, her sperm donor, and all their allies and enemies as she struggles to hear and accept their divergent perspectives. In a world of deeply polarized thinking, the docuseries proposes a way of understanding conflict that resonates with anyone who struggles with issues unresolved within their own families, their own lives, and in our broader world." I'm already a big fan of ...
- 9/24/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Filmmaker Ry Russo-Young has built a successful career in Hollywood, directing The Sun Is Also a Star (2019) and Before I Fall (2017), among other titles. Those two films were fictional tales adapted from novels, but for real-life drama she need look no further than her own childhood.
At age 9 Russo-Young became the object of a landmark custody dispute that hinged on the parental rights of same-sex couples, and the interests of a biological father who, from one point of view, was no more than a sperm donor.
Russo-Young revisits the case in Nuclear Family, a three-part HBO documentary series that begins airing on Sunday.
“At first I didn’t want to necessarily make a documentary out of this story. I was thinking, in the beginning, it should be a narrative film,” Russo-Young commented during HBO’s TCA presentation on Wednesday. “Eventually, when I realized I needed to tell it as a documentary,...
At age 9 Russo-Young became the object of a landmark custody dispute that hinged on the parental rights of same-sex couples, and the interests of a biological father who, from one point of view, was no more than a sperm donor.
Russo-Young revisits the case in Nuclear Family, a three-part HBO documentary series that begins airing on Sunday.
“At first I didn’t want to necessarily make a documentary out of this story. I was thinking, in the beginning, it should be a narrative film,” Russo-Young commented during HBO’s TCA presentation on Wednesday. “Eventually, when I realized I needed to tell it as a documentary,...
- 9/23/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Nuclear Family’ Review: An Indie Director Explodes Public Opinion of Her Family From the Inside-Out
The controversy has blown over by now (or has it?), but back when “Toy Story 4” came out, a certain contingent of the moviegoing public went nuclear when they discovered that Pixar had included a lesbian couple in the background of two scenes. Appearing briefly in Bonnie’s pre-school class, the women had no lines, but it was clear from the way one affectionately put her hand on the other’s shoulder that these were not your normal movie moms.
Then again, what is “normal” when it comes to families? That’s a question director Ry Russo-Young poses from personal experience in HBO’s “Nuclear Family.” The filmmaker — who broke out at festivals such as SXSW and Sundance with such identity-examining indies as “Orphans” and “Before I Fall” — was raised by a lesbian couple and later found herself the subject of a precedent-setting legal battle, when the sperm donor sued her moms for paternity rights.
Then again, what is “normal” when it comes to families? That’s a question director Ry Russo-Young poses from personal experience in HBO’s “Nuclear Family.” The filmmaker — who broke out at festivals such as SXSW and Sundance with such identity-examining indies as “Orphans” and “Before I Fall” — was raised by a lesbian couple and later found herself the subject of a precedent-setting legal battle, when the sperm donor sued her moms for paternity rights.
- 9/22/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
When director Ry Russo-Young was in college, she created a mixed-media performance art piece that cast herself, her two mothers and her sister as Little Red Riding Hoods, and her biological father — a sperm donor who’d spent years fighting the family in court for paternity rights — as the Big Bad Wolf. “I think playing those roles made things very clear,” she says now, nearly 20 years later, in Nuclear Family. “It was any blurriness that was hard to wrestle with.”
But wrestle she does in her docuseries for HBO, which chronicles in painful detail the ...
But wrestle she does in her docuseries for HBO, which chronicles in painful detail the ...
- 9/22/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
When director Ry Russo-Young was in college, she created a mixed-media performance art piece that cast herself, her two mothers and her sister as Little Red Riding Hoods, and her biological father — a sperm donor who’d spent years fighting the family in court for paternity rights — as the Big Bad Wolf. “I think playing those roles made things very clear,” she says now, nearly 20 years later, in Nuclear Family. “It was any blurriness that was hard to wrestle with.”
But wrestle she does in her docuseries for HBO, which chronicles in painful detail the ...
But wrestle she does in her docuseries for HBO, which chronicles in painful detail the ...
- 9/22/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Oscar winner Ben Kingsley, 2x Emmy winner Jane Curtin, Harriet Harris and Zoë Winters are starring in the Marc Turtletaub directed Big Beach production Jules, Deadline can report first. Production is already underway in New Jersey on the pic.
The pic, written by Gavin Steckler (Comedy Central’s Review), is about an unusual and unexpected visitor who brings together several people living in a small city in rural Western Pennsylvania.
Turtletaub, who is also the head of Big Beach, is known for his directorial work on the film Puzzle in addition to his producing and executive producing credits which include the Independent Spirit Award-winning film The Farewell starring Awkwafina, the Oscar nominated Tom Hanks Sony feature A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the Oscar nominated Jeff Nichols movie Loving starring Ruth Negga, and 2x Oscar winning movie Little Miss Sunshine. Big Beach next has Ry Russo Young’s docuseries...
The pic, written by Gavin Steckler (Comedy Central’s Review), is about an unusual and unexpected visitor who brings together several people living in a small city in rural Western Pennsylvania.
Turtletaub, who is also the head of Big Beach, is known for his directorial work on the film Puzzle in addition to his producing and executive producing credits which include the Independent Spirit Award-winning film The Farewell starring Awkwafina, the Oscar nominated Tom Hanks Sony feature A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the Oscar nominated Jeff Nichols movie Loving starring Ruth Negga, and 2x Oscar winning movie Little Miss Sunshine. Big Beach next has Ry Russo Young’s docuseries...
- 9/9/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Woodstock Film Festival has announced the slate for its 22nd edition, with 11 world premieres among the 43 features on the bill.
The festival will take place September 29 to October 3 in three Hudson Valley communities about two hours north of New York City. In-person screenings and events will be featured throughout the fest’s five days, but online options will also enable attendees to connect amid the ongoing challenges of Covid-19.
Panels, concerts and comedy sets along with film screenings are planned in Woodstock, Kingston and Saugerties. Neon chief Tom Quinn is slated to receive the festival’s Honorary Trailblazer Award, an honor announced in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic.
The festival will kick off with Fanny: The Right to Rock, a documentary about a pathbreaking Filipina-American garage band, with a performance by some of the band’s members following the screening. Music is an annual touchstone for Woodstock’s lineup,...
The festival will take place September 29 to October 3 in three Hudson Valley communities about two hours north of New York City. In-person screenings and events will be featured throughout the fest’s five days, but online options will also enable attendees to connect amid the ongoing challenges of Covid-19.
Panels, concerts and comedy sets along with film screenings are planned in Woodstock, Kingston and Saugerties. Neon chief Tom Quinn is slated to receive the festival’s Honorary Trailblazer Award, an honor announced in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic.
The festival will kick off with Fanny: The Right to Rock, a documentary about a pathbreaking Filipina-American garage band, with a performance by some of the band’s members following the screening. Music is an annual touchstone for Woodstock’s lineup,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Previously confirmed titles include ‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’.
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast are among the world premieres on the programme for the 48th Telluride Film Festival (September 2-6).
The festival has confirmed a line-up of 80 films across features, shorts and retrospectives. Francis Ford Coppola, who said this week he is willing to invest up to $100m of his own money to get passion project Megalopolis made, will be among filmmakers attending in person. Coppola has a new cut of The Outsiders and The Rain People playing in Special Screenings.
Barry Jenkins...
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast are among the world premieres on the programme for the 48th Telluride Film Festival (September 2-6).
The festival has confirmed a line-up of 80 films across features, shorts and retrospectives. Francis Ford Coppola, who said this week he is willing to invest up to $100m of his own money to get passion project Megalopolis made, will be among filmmakers attending in person. Coppola has a new cut of The Outsiders and The Rain People playing in Special Screenings.
Barry Jenkins...
- 9/1/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Mike Mills’ Joaquin Phoenix drama “C’mon C’mon,” Joe Wright’s adaptation of the Broadway musical “Cyrano” and Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard,” with Will Smith in the story of the tennis-titan Williams sisters and their father, Richard, are among the films that will play at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival, Telluride organizers announced on Wednesday.
The annual Colorado festival, which was canceled last year because of the Covid pandemic, has been expanded by one day this year, beginning on Thursday instead of Friday. As usual, it did not announce its relatively small and carefully curated lineup until the day before the festival begins.
Among the films that will join “C’mon C’mon,” “Cyrano” and “King Richard” as Telluride world premieres are a number of documentaries, including Liz Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau,” E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “The Rescue,” John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” and Julie Cohen & Betsy West’s “Julia.
The annual Colorado festival, which was canceled last year because of the Covid pandemic, has been expanded by one day this year, beginning on Thursday instead of Friday. As usual, it did not announce its relatively small and carefully curated lineup until the day before the festival begins.
Among the films that will join “C’mon C’mon,” “Cyrano” and “King Richard” as Telluride world premieres are a number of documentaries, including Liz Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau,” E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “The Rescue,” John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” and Julie Cohen & Betsy West’s “Julia.
- 9/1/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Boy Who Lived is changing his U.S. streaming address again.
All eight original “Harry Potter” films from Warner Bros. are returning to HBO Max next month, after spending a little less than a year on NBCUniversal’s Peacock.
Starting Sept. 1, the eight wizarding films based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novels will be available on HBO Max: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Parts 1 and 2.
When HBO Max launched in May 2020, it included the octet of “Harry Potter” movies — but that was only a three-month carve-out on streaming rights the studio had sold to NBCU. In October 2020, Peacock began streaming the “Harry Potter” movies; now WarnerMedia...
All eight original “Harry Potter” films from Warner Bros. are returning to HBO Max next month, after spending a little less than a year on NBCUniversal’s Peacock.
Starting Sept. 1, the eight wizarding films based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novels will be available on HBO Max: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Parts 1 and 2.
When HBO Max launched in May 2020, it included the octet of “Harry Potter” movies — but that was only a three-month carve-out on streaming rights the studio had sold to NBCU. In October 2020, Peacock began streaming the “Harry Potter” movies; now WarnerMedia...
- 8/26/2021
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
On September 1, all eight Harry Potter films return home to HBO Max.
September also brings Clint Eastwood’s latest film Cry Macho on the 17th and director James Wan’s Malignant on the 10th. Both Cry Macho and Malignant will be available in theaters and on HBO Max the same day. They will stream on the $14.99/month ad-Free HBO Max plan for 31 days after their debuts.
See all of the new content on HBO Max for September, 2021, below. The list is organized alphabetically by date.
September 1:
A Hijacking
The Animal
Army Of Darkness
The Benchwarmers
Bodas de Oro – aka The Anniversary
The Cell 2
Cloverfield
Dead Again
Deck the Halls
Detour
Drinking Buddies
Epic Movie
Event Horizon
The Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Flawless
The Forgotten
Fun Size
The Gallows
The Good German
The Good Heart
The Goonies
Green Lantern
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the...
September also brings Clint Eastwood’s latest film Cry Macho on the 17th and director James Wan’s Malignant on the 10th. Both Cry Macho and Malignant will be available in theaters and on HBO Max the same day. They will stream on the $14.99/month ad-Free HBO Max plan for 31 days after their debuts.
See all of the new content on HBO Max for September, 2021, below. The list is organized alphabetically by date.
September 1:
A Hijacking
The Animal
Army Of Darkness
The Benchwarmers
Bodas de Oro – aka The Anniversary
The Cell 2
Cloverfield
Dead Again
Deck the Halls
Detour
Drinking Buddies
Epic Movie
Event Horizon
The Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Flawless
The Forgotten
Fun Size
The Gallows
The Good German
The Good Heart
The Goonies
Green Lantern
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the...
- 8/26/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
More than 22 years ago, the International Space Station was launched into orbit. And with it, the first and, thus far, only long-term inhabited space mission on Earth. Over the course of time, many astronauts have stayed inside the Iss and have some incredible stories to share. Thankfully, we will be able to hear those stories in the new documentary, “The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station.”
Read More: ‘Nuclear Family’ Trailer: Ry Russo-Young Takes A Look At Her Own Unique Family In HBO’s New Docuseries
As seen in the trailer for ‘The Wonderful,’ the film documents the history of the Iss and how it became such a big symbol for humanity’s future and potential.
Continue reading ‘The Wonderful’ Trailer: New Doc Showcases The Stories Of The Men & Women Aboard The International Space Station at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Nuclear Family’ Trailer: Ry Russo-Young Takes A Look At Her Own Unique Family In HBO’s New Docuseries
As seen in the trailer for ‘The Wonderful,’ the film documents the history of the Iss and how it became such a big symbol for humanity’s future and potential.
Continue reading ‘The Wonderful’ Trailer: New Doc Showcases The Stories Of The Men & Women Aboard The International Space Station at The Playlist.
- 8/23/2021
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
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