Stephen K. Bannon’s ascension from Breitbart News executive to President-elect Donald Trump’s chief White House strategist and senior counselor shocked the world, in no small part because the alt-right figure has no background in government management. However, it’s not the first time Bannon has attempted to lead an industry outside of his professional experience. Bannon’s new role may be an ideal platform for propagandistic ambitions, but his career in independent film — first in distribution, then production — casts doubt on how much he believes in any of it.
Ten years ago, Bannon oversaw the distribution of independent films released by Wellspring Media, a company that supported a wide range of international cinema as well as gay-themed and other “transgressive” titles. Movies acquired and released under his tenure include the experimental Lgbt documentary “Tarnation” and “Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry,” a pro-Kerry documentary that opened during the 2004 election.
Ten years ago, Bannon oversaw the distribution of independent films released by Wellspring Media, a company that supported a wide range of international cinema as well as gay-themed and other “transgressive” titles. Movies acquired and released under his tenure include the experimental Lgbt documentary “Tarnation” and “Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry,” a pro-Kerry documentary that opened during the 2004 election.
- 11/21/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Right wing conservatives finally have their answer to Michael Moore — with the box-office numbers to prove it.
After many years of conservative stumbles at the movies — i.e. “Michael Moore Hates America,” “Celsius 41.11,” “Cool It,” “Occupy Unmasked” — author-turned-filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza has blazed a trail of anti-progressive film propaganda that’s unmatched. In the last five years, D’Souza has scored the top two highest-grossing non-concert, non-Disney documentaries at the U.S. box office, 2012’s “Obama’s America” ($33.5 million) and 2014’s “America: Imagine the World Without Her” ($14.4 million). (Third place: Last year’s “Amy,” which earned $8.4 million.)
Read More: The Curious Saga of Dinesh D’Souza’s ‘America’ Continues
Put aside for a moment that D’Souza’s work has been called “fact-twisting, error-laden paranoia [and] the worst kind of smear journalism” (Columbia Journalism Review), a “laughable embarrassment” (Salon) and a “national disgrace” (The New York Times); in today’s challenging theatrical movie business,...
After many years of conservative stumbles at the movies — i.e. “Michael Moore Hates America,” “Celsius 41.11,” “Cool It,” “Occupy Unmasked” — author-turned-filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza has blazed a trail of anti-progressive film propaganda that’s unmatched. In the last five years, D’Souza has scored the top two highest-grossing non-concert, non-Disney documentaries at the U.S. box office, 2012’s “Obama’s America” ($33.5 million) and 2014’s “America: Imagine the World Without Her” ($14.4 million). (Third place: Last year’s “Amy,” which earned $8.4 million.)
Read More: The Curious Saga of Dinesh D’Souza’s ‘America’ Continues
Put aside for a moment that D’Souza’s work has been called “fact-twisting, error-laden paranoia [and] the worst kind of smear journalism” (Columbia Journalism Review), a “laughable embarrassment” (Salon) and a “national disgrace” (The New York Times); in today’s challenging theatrical movie business,...
- 6/21/2016
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Indiewire
This story first appeared in the Oct. 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Now that 2016: Obama's America has grossed $32.9 million, more than any other political documentary except Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 ($119.2 million), conservative filmmakers are lining up to try to duplicate that success before the Nov. 6 election and beyond. Photos: 15 of the Best Election-Themed Movies In limited release now is Occupy Unmasked, a critical look at the Occupy Wall Street movement from director-writer Stephen K. Bannon, who last year made the pro-Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated. Unmasked is distributed
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- 10/3/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week "The Avengers" What's It About? Iron Man. Thor. Captain America. Black Widow. Hawkeye. Nick Fury. And the Hulk. Do the math. See It Because: Since you've apparently been in a cave for the last six months, the best way for you to get re-acclimated to human civilization is to watch the biggest movie of the year. (Also Available on Amazon Instant Video | Netflix) Moviefone's Blu-ray Pick of the Week "Bond 50" What's It About? All the James Bond movies are collected in one Blu-ray box set for the first time, with over 100 hours of bonus features. See It Because: Gee, I wonder why.... New on DVD & Blu-ray "Barricade" What's It About? Will from "Will & Grace" stars in a horror film produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. See It or Skip It: You took a wrong turn, "Avengers" is up north. (Also Available on Netflix | Redbox) "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,...
- 9/25/2012
- by Eric Larnick
- Moviefone
Rightwing movies prove a big draw for audiences in Tampa, with distributors predicting bright future beyond political niche
Hollywood has Cannes. The independent movie industry has Sundance. Now, when it comes to promoting the little known world of conservative film-making, there is Tampa.
In a tented enclosure just outside the convention centre where Republicans have nominated Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate, rightwing movies are being shown off and sold to an eager audience.
At the so-called "Liberty Plaza" site, conservative production firm Citizens United has been showcasing a half dozen of its movies. On Wednesday Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann introduced a film there called Occupy Unmasked. "I am thrilled to be here," Bachmann told the crowd to a standing ovation.
The film, which profiles the "leftist" Occupy protest movement as a dangerous violent threat to America, has already struck a distribution deal with Magnolia Films and will hit theatres...
Hollywood has Cannes. The independent movie industry has Sundance. Now, when it comes to promoting the little known world of conservative film-making, there is Tampa.
In a tented enclosure just outside the convention centre where Republicans have nominated Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate, rightwing movies are being shown off and sold to an eager audience.
At the so-called "Liberty Plaza" site, conservative production firm Citizens United has been showcasing a half dozen of its movies. On Wednesday Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann introduced a film there called Occupy Unmasked. "I am thrilled to be here," Bachmann told the crowd to a standing ovation.
The film, which profiles the "leftist" Occupy protest movement as a dangerous violent threat to America, has already struck a distribution deal with Magnolia Films and will hit theatres...
- 8/30/2012
- by Paul Harris
- The Guardian - Film News
Tampa, Fla. -- Another documentary is drawing controversy at the Republican National Convention -- the filmmakers of Occupy Unmasked, starring the late Andrew Breitbart, say they've received dozens of threats of physical violence in advance of Thursday's screening of the critical look at the Occupy Wall Street movement. Some of the messages target Brandon Darby and Lee Stranahan, two former leftists who appear in the film, according to a spokesperson for Citizens United Prods, the company behind the film. Photos: 20 Biggest Political Players in Hollywood “We’ll be legitimately raping Brandon Darby and Lee Stranahan for the next several days while they
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- 8/29/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In one of the better pairings of material and distributor I’ve seen in quite a long time, THR informs us that Drafthouse Films will be releasing Quentin Dupieux‘s Rubber follow-up, Wrong. It’s fair to assume that anyone with enough excitement doesn’t actually know what they should expect here; the trailer is confounding, and our Sundance review doesn’t make it sound any less esoteric. (Basically, it’s about someone trying to find their dog.) All the more reason to pay attention, if you ask me.
It’s a little unfortunate that the film won’t be coming before the year’s end — Drafthouse are eyeing 2013 — though a secure spot is better than nothing at all.
A few other acquisitions have been announced in the past couple of days, so it’s best to break those down in a quick fashion. First, it’s been announced that...
It’s a little unfortunate that the film won’t be coming before the year’s end — Drafthouse are eyeing 2013 — though a secure spot is better than nothing at all.
A few other acquisitions have been announced in the past couple of days, so it’s best to break those down in a quick fashion. First, it’s been announced that...
- 8/8/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
In February, billionaire sports and media mogul Mark Cuban was seen hugging Barack Obama at a $30,000-a-plate fundraiser for the president's re-election bid. On Monday, Cuban announced that one of his companies, Magnet Releasing, will distribute a film that heavily questions Obama, Democrats and the Occupy Wall Street movement the president has praised. Photos: 11 Children's Movies With Political Agendas? You Betcha, Say Conservatives The film, dubbed Occupy Unmasked, is one of a few documentaries that Andrew Breitbart was involved with prior to his death five months ago. The film, from Citizens United Productions, producer David
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- 8/6/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Magnet Releasing is diving into the pre-election political mix with an all-rights deal to distribute “Occupy Unmasked,” the latest documentary from Citizens United Productions that features the late conservative firebrand Andrew Breitbart. To maximize potential exposure for the politically contentious film, Magnet plans a day-and-date theatrical and VOD release in late September, just six weeks before the presidential election. Citizens United has already had a tremendous impact on the national campaign: its controversial 2008 documentary “Hillary: The Movie” led to a Supreme Court decision that rolled back restrictions on large donations. “Occupy Unmasked” writer-director Stephen K. Bannon has also made the politically charged films “Battle for America,” “Fire From the Heartland” and “Generation Zero” for the company. In “Unmasked,” Breitbart and colleagues Brandon Darby, David Horowitz, Pam...
- 8/6/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
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