Oscar nominee Steve James (Hoop Dreams) has been set to direct Mind vs. Machine, a new docuseries on the lightning rod topic of artificial intelligence from Oscar winner Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Emmy-winning producers Alyssa Fedele & Zachary Fink of Collective Hunch.
Gibney comes to the project after working with Closer Media and Anonymous Content on the forthcoming documentary Musk, to be distributed by HBO/Universal. Within the last year, his Jigsaw has also teamed with the companies on the MGM+ acquired documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and the Raoul Peck-helmed Orwell on 1984 author George Orwell, to be distributed by Neon.
As artificial intelligence bursts onto the world stage – and into our lives – it may seem like a radical new life form has suddenly been created. But as Mind vs. Machine illustrates,...
Gibney comes to the project after working with Closer Media and Anonymous Content on the forthcoming documentary Musk, to be distributed by HBO/Universal. Within the last year, his Jigsaw has also teamed with the companies on the MGM+ acquired documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and the Raoul Peck-helmed Orwell on 1984 author George Orwell, to be distributed by Neon.
As artificial intelligence bursts onto the world stage – and into our lives – it may seem like a radical new life form has suddenly been created. But as Mind vs. Machine illustrates,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Making a documentary set in a high school seems like an absolute nightmare. It’s a tightly contained setting with layers of bureaucracy, and all your potential subjects require heaps of parental clearances for themselves and anybody they happen to talk to. Plus, teenagers tend to be just a wee bit changeable, defying a traditional narrative arc.
It’s important that we realize how miraculous projects like Hoop Dreams and America to Me are.
Lucha: A Wrestling Tale, director Marco Ricci’s two-year chronicle of the women’s wrestling team at Taft High School in the Bronx, is, on many levels, a mess. It wants to be a story of individual students, a team, a school and even a borough, but owing primarily to issues of access and choices of focus, it struggles to achieve many of its biggest storytelling aspirations.
But for all the places Lucha fails to craft a convincing portrait,...
It’s important that we realize how miraculous projects like Hoop Dreams and America to Me are.
Lucha: A Wrestling Tale, director Marco Ricci’s two-year chronicle of the women’s wrestling team at Taft High School in the Bronx, is, on many levels, a mess. It wants to be a story of individual students, a team, a school and even a borough, but owing primarily to issues of access and choices of focus, it struggles to achieve many of its biggest storytelling aspirations.
But for all the places Lucha fails to craft a convincing portrait,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance Institute announced the eight participating filmmakers selected for the fifth annual Momentum Fellowship, a program “designed to support and provided coaching to midcareer artists with a focus on career development during a pivotal moment in their creative practice.”
The program was designed to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities and filmmakers that have “recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment” (like a TV show or movie). The Momentum Fellowship provides each artist with a ”full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career.” The Momentum Fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Among the Momentum Fellows are “Aftersun” director Charlotte Wells and “Nanny” filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu.
“The most ingenious part of Momentum is its timing at this precarious point in our careers as we all consider our futures beyond the first film.
The program was designed to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities and filmmakers that have “recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment” (like a TV show or movie). The Momentum Fellowship provides each artist with a ”full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career.” The Momentum Fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Among the Momentum Fellows are “Aftersun” director Charlotte Wells and “Nanny” filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu.
“The most ingenious part of Momentum is its timing at this precarious point in our careers as we all consider our futures beyond the first film.
- 3/2/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Sundance Institute on Thursday announced the eight participants selected for the fifth annual Momentum Fellowship, a program at the nonprofit designed to support and provide coaching to mid-career artists with a focus on career development.
Created to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment, such as a regarded feature film or series, Momentum provides fellows with a full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career. The fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
The Momentum Fellowship includes an unrestricted artist grant; professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company, supported by The Harnisch Foundation; connection to Elevate, Sundance’s professional development initiative; and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff. Additionally, as part of an ongoing partnership with Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion team,...
Created to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment, such as a regarded feature film or series, Momentum provides fellows with a full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career. The fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
The Momentum Fellowship includes an unrestricted artist grant; professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company, supported by The Harnisch Foundation; connection to Elevate, Sundance’s professional development initiative; and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff. Additionally, as part of an ongoing partnership with Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion team,...
- 3/2/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Aside from Ken Burns or Steve James or Alex Gibney, or maybe Liz Garbus, very few documentarians get to name their formal terms. They make a feature or something longer based on what the marketplace demands or, more frequently, based on limitations of money or access.
So it isn’t like Sam Osborn and Alejandra Vasquez, directors of Going Varsity in Mariachi, necessarily looked at their available footage and said, “Sure, we know this is really best-served being a TV series, but nah.” They told the story they could tell and if Going Varsity in Mariachi is one of those movies that’s good at 104 minutes, but could have been spectacular at eight hours, that’s unfortunately just the state of the business sometimes. And Going Varsity in Mariachi is quite good as it is, an endearingly wholesome and frequently vibrant feature. But almost every one of my reservations boils down to,...
So it isn’t like Sam Osborn and Alejandra Vasquez, directors of Going Varsity in Mariachi, necessarily looked at their available footage and said, “Sure, we know this is really best-served being a TV series, but nah.” They told the story they could tell and if Going Varsity in Mariachi is one of those movies that’s good at 104 minutes, but could have been spectacular at eight hours, that’s unfortunately just the state of the business sometimes. And Going Varsity in Mariachi is quite good as it is, an endearingly wholesome and frequently vibrant feature. But almost every one of my reservations boils down to,...
- 1/23/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Given the direction of the world in recent years, it’s perhaps no surprise that Participant — Jeff Skoll’s socially conscious production powerhouse — has been as prolific as ever. But its output isn’t all about shining a torch on today’s most pressing concerns, as Academy Awards winners such as Roma, Green Book and Spotlight attest.
That said, the studio comes to Venice with two somewhat topical documentary features. In All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, Laura Poitras (an Oscar winner for her Participant film CitizenFour) follows artist and activist Nan Goldin in a deeply personal battle as she fights to hold the Sackler family to account for the opioid crisis.
Meanwhile, A Compassionate Spy from Hoop Dreams director Steve James (also behind Participant’s first TV series, America to Me) tells the story of Ted Hall, who as a physicist on...
Given the direction of the world in recent years, it’s perhaps no surprise that Participant — Jeff Skoll’s socially conscious production powerhouse — has been as prolific as ever. But its output isn’t all about shining a torch on today’s most pressing concerns, as Academy Awards winners such as Roma, Green Book and Spotlight attest.
That said, the studio comes to Venice with two somewhat topical documentary features. In All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, Laura Poitras (an Oscar winner for her Participant film CitizenFour) follows artist and activist Nan Goldin in a deeply personal battle as she fights to hold the Sackler family to account for the opioid crisis.
Meanwhile, A Compassionate Spy from Hoop Dreams director Steve James (also behind Participant’s first TV series, America to Me) tells the story of Ted Hall, who as a physicist on...
- 9/1/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chicago – The City of Chicago, like a number of American cities, has gone through incredible transformations in the last 25 years. Whole neighborhoods left for dead during the white flight of the 1950s-70s have been gentrified and re-settled with luxury housing … often to the detriment of those who remained there throughout many difficult years. One such case was the National Teachers Academy (Nta) a high performing grade school mostly attended by the South Loop neighborhood children of color. How the city wanted to repurpose it is chronicled in the documentary “Let the Little Light Shine” by filmmaker Kevin Shaw.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The South Loop neighborhood, in the last 15 years or so, has had a proliferation of wealthier “settlers” in its environs – due to its close access to downtown – and the new neighbors have petitioned for a high school. The city wanted to close the relatively new infrastructure of Nta to accommodate this request,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The South Loop neighborhood, in the last 15 years or so, has had a proliferation of wealthier “settlers” in its environs – due to its close access to downtown – and the new neighbors have petitioned for a high school. The city wanted to close the relatively new infrastructure of Nta to accommodate this request,...
- 8/15/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
On the day of the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, candidate Neal Sáles-Griffin went to a polling place first thing in the morning to cast a vote for himself, a celebratory moment he’d worked towards for months. Instead, the digital machine immediately failed. He had to wait as the harried volunteers rebooted it, called tech support, and assured him that any minute now, surely, he’d be able to successfully vote.
As portrayed in NatGeo’s new docuseries “City So Real,” from lauded “Hoop Dreams” documentarian Steve James, this is a small moment in the grand scheme of things. The series is comprised of just five episodes, but follows the entire Chicago mayoral election from the early days following Rahm Emanuel’s resignation, through the protests over a police officer shooting and killing 17 year-old Laquan McDonald, to Lori Lightfoot’s victory, and to the Black Lives Matter protests and coronavirus pandemic unfolding in the present.
As portrayed in NatGeo’s new docuseries “City So Real,” from lauded “Hoop Dreams” documentarian Steve James, this is a small moment in the grand scheme of things. The series is comprised of just five episodes, but follows the entire Chicago mayoral election from the early days following Rahm Emanuel’s resignation, through the protests over a police officer shooting and killing 17 year-old Laquan McDonald, to Lori Lightfoot’s victory, and to the Black Lives Matter protests and coronavirus pandemic unfolding in the present.
- 11/13/2020
- by Caroline Framke
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Participant has boarded Abacus, the drama that Justin Lin will direct based on a script by Kenneth Lin and James Schamus. Participant joins as financier, and producer alongside Lin’s Perfect Storm Entertainment. Lin is producing with Ernesto Foronda and Elizabeth Urwin for Perfect Storm. Also producing is Mark Mitten. Exec producing are Participant’s Jeff Skoll and Anikah McLaren, along with Steve James, who helmed the Oscar-nominated 2016 documentary on which the film is based.
Perfect Storm Entertainment acquired the rights to the James-directed docu Abacus: Small Enough to Jail in 2017, after the film had a breakout premiere at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival. James separately directed the docuseries America to Me and City So Real for Participant, so the fit is good here.
Abacus is inspired by the true-story of the Sung family, whose family-run bank was the only U.
Perfect Storm Entertainment acquired the rights to the James-directed docu Abacus: Small Enough to Jail in 2017, after the film had a breakout premiere at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival. James separately directed the docuseries America to Me and City So Real for Participant, so the fit is good here.
Abacus is inspired by the true-story of the Sung family, whose family-run bank was the only U.
- 8/11/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Steve James’ buzzy Sundance docuseries “City So Real” has landed at National Geographic.
Nat Geo has acquired the series, which takes a multifaceted look at Chicago and its history-making 2019 mayoral election, and is lining it up for a fall premiere.
The series hails from James, whose previous work includes “America to Me” and “Hoop Dreams,” and his longtime producing partner Zak Piper.
It begins in the mid-summer 2018 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel shocked the city by announcing he wouldn’t seek re-election, and ends in the spring of 2019. An unprecedented 21 candidates emerge in a diverse and crowded field as they engage in a no-holds-barred battle for a chance to shape the city’s uncertain future.
The series is produced by Participant and Kartemquin Films and originally consisted of four one-hour episodes, however, Nat Geo will exclusively premiere a fifth episode that follows the Covid-19 pandemic and social uprising following George Floyd’s death.
Nat Geo has acquired the series, which takes a multifaceted look at Chicago and its history-making 2019 mayoral election, and is lining it up for a fall premiere.
The series hails from James, whose previous work includes “America to Me” and “Hoop Dreams,” and his longtime producing partner Zak Piper.
It begins in the mid-summer 2018 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel shocked the city by announcing he wouldn’t seek re-election, and ends in the spring of 2019. An unprecedented 21 candidates emerge in a diverse and crowded field as they engage in a no-holds-barred battle for a chance to shape the city’s uncertain future.
The series is produced by Participant and Kartemquin Films and originally consisted of four one-hour episodes, however, Nat Geo will exclusively premiere a fifth episode that follows the Covid-19 pandemic and social uprising following George Floyd’s death.
- 8/3/2020
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
National Geographic has acquired the docuseries City So Real directed by two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Steve James and his longtime producing partner Zak Piper. The series paints a portrait of contemporary Chicago as it gives a multifaceted look into the soul the American city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election. The news was unveiled Monday morning by National Geographic Global Television Networks President Courteney Monroe during the network’s TCA press tour. The docuseries is slated to debut on the network later this fall.
City So Real comes from Participant and Kartemquin Films bowed at Sundance in January and initially included four one-hour episodes, but National Geographic will exclusively feature a timely fifth episode that follows the Covid-19 pandemic and social uprising following George Floyd’s death.
The docuseries starts in mid-summer 2018 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel was tangled in...
City So Real comes from Participant and Kartemquin Films bowed at Sundance in January and initially included four one-hour episodes, but National Geographic will exclusively feature a timely fifth episode that follows the Covid-19 pandemic and social uprising following George Floyd’s death.
The docuseries starts in mid-summer 2018 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel was tangled in...
- 8/3/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Imagine a world where humans lose the capacity to store long-term recollections and instead are issued a government memory chip. This is the world of In Memoriam, a new drama in development at HBO Max.
The series comes from rising British playwright Charley Miles and Mr Robot director Niels Arden Oplev.
Produced by Buccaneer Media, whose Anna Friel-fronted drama Marcella is in its third season at Netflix, and Participant, the thriller is a returnable, serialised series set in the UK.
Miles, who was the Channel 4 Playwright-in-Residence at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2017, writes and Oplev, who also helmed the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie, directs.
The story is set in the near future. Whilst humanity was busy uploading photos to the cloud and digitising every book ever written, the human brain was quietly evolving, and we lost the capacity to store long-term memory. But...
The series comes from rising British playwright Charley Miles and Mr Robot director Niels Arden Oplev.
Produced by Buccaneer Media, whose Anna Friel-fronted drama Marcella is in its third season at Netflix, and Participant, the thriller is a returnable, serialised series set in the UK.
Miles, who was the Channel 4 Playwright-in-Residence at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2017, writes and Oplev, who also helmed the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie, directs.
The story is set in the near future. Whilst humanity was busy uploading photos to the cloud and digitising every book ever written, the human brain was quietly evolving, and we lost the capacity to store long-term memory. But...
- 6/25/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Participant Media has promoted longtime executive Diane Weyermann to the newly created post of chief content officer.
In her new role, Weyermann will focus on documentary film and TV, alongside department senior VPs Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while working with CEO David Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content. She will continue reporting to Linde.
Weyerman joined Participant in 2005 and has been responsible for the company’s documentary feature film and television slate. She was promoted to president, handling film and TV documentaries, in 2017.
“Since 2005, I’ve been proud to call Participant my home and have had the great fortune to collaborate with seminal storytellers, whose powerful films have inspired audiences around the world,” Weyerman said in a statement.
“Diane has uniquely helped fulfill Participant’s mission over the last 15 years,” Participant founder Jeff Skoll said in a statement.
In her new role, Weyermann will focus on documentary film and TV, alongside department senior VPs Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while working with CEO David Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content. She will continue reporting to Linde.
Weyerman joined Participant in 2005 and has been responsible for the company’s documentary feature film and television slate. She was promoted to president, handling film and TV documentaries, in 2017.
“Since 2005, I’ve been proud to call Participant my home and have had the great fortune to collaborate with seminal storytellers, whose powerful films have inspired audiences around the world,” Weyerman said in a statement.
“Diane has uniquely helped fulfill Participant’s mission over the last 15 years,” Participant founder Jeff Skoll said in a statement.
- 9/5/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Executive joined company in 2005.
Diane Weyermann has been promoted to chief content officer at Participant Media as the company restructures its top tier following the departure of former president of narrative film and television Jonathan King.
In the newly created position, Weyermann, who joined in 2005 and previously served as president of documentary film and television, will develop Participant’s slate of film and television in close partnership with CEO David Linde.
She will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice-presidents Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s...
Diane Weyermann has been promoted to chief content officer at Participant Media as the company restructures its top tier following the departure of former president of narrative film and television Jonathan King.
In the newly created position, Weyermann, who joined in 2005 and previously served as president of documentary film and television, will develop Participant’s slate of film and television in close partnership with CEO David Linde.
She will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice-presidents Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s...
- 9/5/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Diane Weyermann, a 14-year veteran at Participant Media, has been promoted to the role of chief content officer, the company’s CEO David Linde announced Thursday at the kickoff of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Weyermann, who previously oversaw Participant’s documentary film and television slate, including executive producing films such as “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Citizenfour,” will work closely with Linde in shaping Participant’s film and TV content in the newly created position.
Weyermann will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice presidents, Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
Also Read: Participant Media's Jonathan King Will Step Down to Segue Into Independent Production
The news comes as part of a restructuring after the departure of Jonathan King, the company...
Weyermann, who previously oversaw Participant’s documentary film and television slate, including executive producing films such as “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Citizenfour,” will work closely with Linde in shaping Participant’s film and TV content in the newly created position.
Weyermann will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice presidents, Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
Also Read: Participant Media's Jonathan King Will Step Down to Segue Into Independent Production
The news comes as part of a restructuring after the departure of Jonathan King, the company...
- 9/5/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
After seeing critical success with docuseries like “America to Me” and “Warriors of Liberty City,” Starz is continuing its prestige documentary push with “Leavenworth.” Produced by Steven Soderbergh, alongside Paul Pawlowski and David Check, the upcoming five-hour doc tells a controversial true-crime story that plays out in the military justice system.
You can check out the trailer below, but here’s the official synopsis from Starz:
“Leavenworth” is centered on Clint Lorance, who’s serving a 19-year sentence for murder at The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth. While deployed in Afghanistan in July 2012, the former lieutenant ordered fire on three local men riding a motorcycle, killing two of them and outraging his platoon. In a first-hand account of a soldier navigating the U.S. Army’s legal system, Lorance seeks to overturn his conviction, provoking emotional debate between supporters and detractors that rises to the national stage. As determinations on Lorance’s fate unfold,...
You can check out the trailer below, but here’s the official synopsis from Starz:
“Leavenworth” is centered on Clint Lorance, who’s serving a 19-year sentence for murder at The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth. While deployed in Afghanistan in July 2012, the former lieutenant ordered fire on three local men riding a motorcycle, killing two of them and outraging his platoon. In a first-hand account of a soldier navigating the U.S. Army’s legal system, Lorance seeks to overturn his conviction, provoking emotional debate between supporters and detractors that rises to the national stage. As determinations on Lorance’s fate unfold,...
- 8/28/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
In today’s film news roundup, SXSW winner “Saint Frances” gets a home, Kyle Chandler gets cast, Jeannine Tang gets promoted, and the La Film School honors its graduates.
Acquisition
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to SXSW winner “Saint Frances,” written by and starring Kelly O’Sullivan.
The film premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival and won the Audience Award in the narrative feature competition as well as a special jury recognition for breakthrough voice.
Oscilloscope will release the film in theaters before a roll out to digital platforms. O’Sullivan plays a flailing 34-year-old who lands a much-needed job nannying six-year-old Frances (played by Ramona Edith-Williams), but an unwanted pregnancy introduces an unexpected complication.
The film was produced by James Choi, Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Eddie Linker, and Raphael Nash. Ryan Kampe of Visit Films negotiated the sale on behalf of the filmmakers.
Casting
Kyle Chandler will...
Acquisition
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to SXSW winner “Saint Frances,” written by and starring Kelly O’Sullivan.
The film premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival and won the Audience Award in the narrative feature competition as well as a special jury recognition for breakthrough voice.
Oscilloscope will release the film in theaters before a roll out to digital platforms. O’Sullivan plays a flailing 34-year-old who lands a much-needed job nannying six-year-old Frances (played by Ramona Edith-Williams), but an unwanted pregnancy introduces an unexpected complication.
The film was produced by James Choi, Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Eddie Linker, and Raphael Nash. Ryan Kampe of Visit Films negotiated the sale on behalf of the filmmakers.
Casting
Kyle Chandler will...
- 8/15/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s global takeover continued in earnest late Saturday, with the Brit auteur’s tragicomic Amazon series Fleabag dominating the 2019 Television Critics Association Awards with three trophies, including best comedy series, best comedic performer (for Waller-Bridge) and the coveted Program of the Year. Waller-Bridge, who in addition to being Fleabag‘s titular star also is the show’s creator/writer/EP, was on hand for the non-televised ceremony, which was hosted by Desus & Mero. (Could a Fleabag Emmy sweep be next?)
Waller-Bridge has previously stated that Fleabag‘s now-TCA award winning second season would serve as the series’ swan song.
Waller-Bridge has previously stated that Fleabag‘s now-TCA award winning second season would serve as the series’ swan song.
- 8/4/2019
- by Michael Ausiello
- TVLine.com
“Now Apocalypse,” Gregg Araki’s first television series that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, has been canceled after one season at Starz.
“‘Now Apocalypse’ [was a] great show, as we all know and saw. It was really … a good experiment,” COO Jeffrey Hirsch said Friday afternoon. “But we have made a decision not to bring it back.”
The genre-bending half-hour series averaged just over 89,000 viewers in linear viewership over Season 1, but it was meant to serve younger viewers on Starz’s streaming audience. No specific ratings were provided for the series on Friday, though Hirsch did say Araki’s show did not serve the network’s core audience of female viewers. IndieWire has reached out to Araki for comment.
Attracting the female demo was also a factor in “Counterpart” being canceled. “Counterpart, again, [it was a] great show with our partners at Mrc. Justin [Marks] is a great writer, and we really,...
“‘Now Apocalypse’ [was a] great show, as we all know and saw. It was really … a good experiment,” COO Jeffrey Hirsch said Friday afternoon. “But we have made a decision not to bring it back.”
The genre-bending half-hour series averaged just over 89,000 viewers in linear viewership over Season 1, but it was meant to serve younger viewers on Starz’s streaming audience. No specific ratings were provided for the series on Friday, though Hirsch did say Araki’s show did not serve the network’s core audience of female viewers. IndieWire has reached out to Araki for comment.
Attracting the female demo was also a factor in “Counterpart” being canceled. “Counterpart, again, [it was a] great show with our partners at Mrc. Justin [Marks] is a great writer, and we really,...
- 7/26/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Tuesday.
This week’s question: What is your favorite teen show of all time? Why?
Ben Travers (@BenTTravers), IndieWire
I presume like many others, my favorite teen show is heavily swayed by when I saw it — so while “Friday Night Lights” is inarguably a better series, my favorite is “The O.C.” While Ryan Atwood was fighting his way into Orange County’s good graces, I was wading through the awkward social structures of a small Midwestern high school, and despite the incredible disparity in wealth, each crush, dance, and trip around the ferris wheel rang all the truer. The setting made for impossibly high melodrama, as parents lost millions and teens took trips to Hollywood to do shots with Paris Hilton, but the smaller, intimate moments between friends resonated just as they were intended to: universally.
This week’s question: What is your favorite teen show of all time? Why?
Ben Travers (@BenTTravers), IndieWire
I presume like many others, my favorite teen show is heavily swayed by when I saw it — so while “Friday Night Lights” is inarguably a better series, my favorite is “The O.C.” While Ryan Atwood was fighting his way into Orange County’s good graces, I was wading through the awkward social structures of a small Midwestern high school, and despite the incredible disparity in wealth, each crush, dance, and trip around the ferris wheel rang all the truer. The setting made for impossibly high melodrama, as parents lost millions and teens took trips to Hollywood to do shots with Paris Hilton, but the smaller, intimate moments between friends resonated just as they were intended to: universally.
- 6/25/2019
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
Starz treated Emmy voters to an all-day Fyc event at the Century City Mall in Los Angeles on June 2, featuring panel discussions for their top contenders. The casts and crews of “American Gods,” “America to Me,” “Now Apocalypse,” “Outlander,” “Power,” “The Spanish Princess” and “Vida” took audience members behind the scenes to discuss their work. Following the talks, which were hosted by Page Six TV’s Bevy Smith and Elizabeth Wagmeister, attendees toured interactive displays from those shows in the shopping center’s open-air plaza. Click on the titles below to be see videos of their full Q&a discussions.
See ‘Outlander’ Emmy submissions: Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton and more vie for nominations
“American Gods”: Stars Ricky Whittle, Yetide Badaki, Mousa Kraish and Omid Abtahi; director Salli Richardson-Whitfield; and writer-producer Rodney Barnes discuss this fantasy series about mythical gods and modern deities who walk amongst humans.
“America to Me...
See ‘Outlander’ Emmy submissions: Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton and more vie for nominations
“American Gods”: Stars Ricky Whittle, Yetide Badaki, Mousa Kraish and Omid Abtahi; director Salli Richardson-Whitfield; and writer-producer Rodney Barnes discuss this fantasy series about mythical gods and modern deities who walk amongst humans.
“America to Me...
- 6/21/2019
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
The Television Critics Association has announced its nominees for the 2019 TCA Awards, with strong showings for new series, women in general – and shows not named “Game of Thrones.”
FX’s freshman drama “Pose” and Netflix’s new comedy “Russian Doll” led all nominees with four apiece, with Billy Porter earning a nod for Individual Achievement in Drama and Natasha Lyonne scoring a mention for Individual Achievement in Comedy.
Amazon’s U.K. import “Fleabag” also had a strong showing with three overall nominations, including Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, Program of the Year, and Individual Achievement in Comedy for creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
A large variety of series’ scored two nominations, including HBO representatives “Barry,” “Chernobyl,” “Sharp Objects,” “Succession,” and “Veep,” with two nominations also going to Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora,” FX’s “Fosse/Verdon,” CBS All Access’ “The Good Fight,” BBC America’s “Killing Eve,” Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek,...
FX’s freshman drama “Pose” and Netflix’s new comedy “Russian Doll” led all nominees with four apiece, with Billy Porter earning a nod for Individual Achievement in Drama and Natasha Lyonne scoring a mention for Individual Achievement in Comedy.
Amazon’s U.K. import “Fleabag” also had a strong showing with three overall nominations, including Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, Program of the Year, and Individual Achievement in Comedy for creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
A large variety of series’ scored two nominations, including HBO representatives “Barry,” “Chernobyl,” “Sharp Objects,” “Succession,” and “Veep,” with two nominations also going to Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora,” FX’s “Fosse/Verdon,” CBS All Access’ “The Good Fight,” BBC America’s “Killing Eve,” Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek,...
- 6/19/2019
- by Libby Hill
- Indiewire
Freshman seasons of “Pose” and “Russian Doll” lead the list of nominees for the 2019 TCA Awards, the Television Critics Assn. announced Wednesday.
Both series scored four nominations each. FX’s ballroom culture drama “Pose” appears on the ballot in the categories of individual achievement in drama (for lead actor Billy Porter), outstanding achievement in drama, outstanding new program and program of the year. In the latter two categories “Pose” and Netflix’s dark comedy “Russian Doll” are competing against each other. “Russian Doll” also scored nominations for individual achievement in comedy (for lead actress Natasha Lyonne) and outstanding comedy series.
These series join 46 others as the nominees for the 35th Annual TCA Awards. These awards are designed to celebrate the best series, creators and performers of the 2018-19 television season, with more than 220 professional television critics and journalists from the U.S. and Canada voting.
Despite not having a series that earned the most nominations,...
Both series scored four nominations each. FX’s ballroom culture drama “Pose” appears on the ballot in the categories of individual achievement in drama (for lead actor Billy Porter), outstanding achievement in drama, outstanding new program and program of the year. In the latter two categories “Pose” and Netflix’s dark comedy “Russian Doll” are competing against each other. “Russian Doll” also scored nominations for individual achievement in comedy (for lead actress Natasha Lyonne) and outstanding comedy series.
These series join 46 others as the nominees for the 35th Annual TCA Awards. These awards are designed to celebrate the best series, creators and performers of the 2018-19 television season, with more than 220 professional television critics and journalists from the U.S. and Canada voting.
Despite not having a series that earned the most nominations,...
- 6/19/2019
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix’s “Russian Doll” and the first season of FX’s “Pose” lead the 2019 Television Critics Association awards nominations with four nods each.
Both shows are up for in the Outstanding New Program and Program of the Year categories, as well as in their individual genre categories. “Pose” star Billy Porter will also compete for Individual Achievement in Drama, while “Russian Doll’s” Natasha Lyonne will compete in the same category for comedy.
The widely praised second season of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag” has also put up an impressive showing, with three nominations.
Also Read: Showtime Comedy Duo Desus and Mero to Host 2019 TCA Awards
The winners will be announced on Saturday, Aug. 3 at the ceremony hosted by the comedy duo Desus & Mero, whose eponymous Showtime comedy has also been recognized in the sketch/variety category.
HBO leads with 15 nominations overall, besting Netflix, which scored 14. FX ranks third with eight nods,...
Both shows are up for in the Outstanding New Program and Program of the Year categories, as well as in their individual genre categories. “Pose” star Billy Porter will also compete for Individual Achievement in Drama, while “Russian Doll’s” Natasha Lyonne will compete in the same category for comedy.
The widely praised second season of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag” has also put up an impressive showing, with three nominations.
Also Read: Showtime Comedy Duo Desus and Mero to Host 2019 TCA Awards
The winners will be announced on Saturday, Aug. 3 at the ceremony hosted by the comedy duo Desus & Mero, whose eponymous Showtime comedy has also been recognized in the sketch/variety category.
HBO leads with 15 nominations overall, besting Netflix, which scored 14. FX ranks third with eight nods,...
- 6/19/2019
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
“Pose” has struck a — no, we’re not gonna do it — chord with the Television Critics Association Awards, as has “Russian Doll.” The FX and Netflix series lead the 35th Annual TCA Awards nominations with four bids each, including Program of the Year.
The two will vie for the top prize, which also recognizes a show’s cultural impact, against “Chernobyl,” “Fleabag,” “Game of Thrones” and “When They See Us.” “Game of Thrones” previously won the award in 2012 and would join “The Sopranos” and “Breaking Bad” as the only two-time champs in the category.
“Pose,” which is currently airing its second season and was just renewed for a third, and “Russian Doll,” also recently renewed for a sophomore outing, will also face off in Outstanding New Program. The other nominees are “Dead to Me,” “The Other Two,” “Succession” and “What We Do in the Shadows.”
See Emmy spotlight: 5 reasons why...
The two will vie for the top prize, which also recognizes a show’s cultural impact, against “Chernobyl,” “Fleabag,” “Game of Thrones” and “When They See Us.” “Game of Thrones” previously won the award in 2012 and would join “The Sopranos” and “Breaking Bad” as the only two-time champs in the category.
“Pose,” which is currently airing its second season and was just renewed for a third, and “Russian Doll,” also recently renewed for a sophomore outing, will also face off in Outstanding New Program. The other nominees are “Dead to Me,” “The Other Two,” “Succession” and “What We Do in the Shadows.”
See Emmy spotlight: 5 reasons why...
- 6/19/2019
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Starz took Emmy voters back in time during its recent panel discussion for the hit fantasy series “Outlander,” hosted by Page Six TV’s Bevy Smith and Elizabeth Wagmeister. Stars Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin were in attendance, as were executive producer Maril Davis, writer/executive producer Toni Graphia and production designer Jon Gary Steele. Watch the full 36 minute Q&a above.
See ‘Outlander’ Emmy submissions: Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton and more vie for nominations
Based on a book series by Diana Gabaldon, “Outlander” centers on a combat nurse (Balfe) who’s transported from 1945 England to 18th century Scotland, where she falls in love with a handsome young warrior (Heughan). From the beginning, the series has been a big hit with the books’ die-hard fans, which managed to surprise even the stars.
“Obviously, the books that Diana Gabaldon wrote and this world that she created were incredibly popular,...
See ‘Outlander’ Emmy submissions: Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton and more vie for nominations
Based on a book series by Diana Gabaldon, “Outlander” centers on a combat nurse (Balfe) who’s transported from 1945 England to 18th century Scotland, where she falls in love with a handsome young warrior (Heughan). From the beginning, the series has been a big hit with the books’ die-hard fans, which managed to surprise even the stars.
“Obviously, the books that Diana Gabaldon wrote and this world that she created were incredibly popular,...
- 6/13/2019
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Starz made a clever move this year to attract Emmy voters shopping for contenders to list on their ballots. The network staged its lavish Fyc event for “Now Apocalypse,” “American Gods,” “Vida,” “Power,” “Outlander,” limited series “The Spanish Princess” and docuseries “America to Me” at the Westfield shopping mall in Century City on June 2.
Why hadn’t any TV network thought of this before? Why should networks continue to hide their Fyc celebrations in private event spaces inaccessible to the public when the whole point of putting on such a ambitious production is to draw as much attention as possible to your TV shows, talent and crafts? Just think of the legions of Emmy and guild voters who stroll through the Westfield on a typical day, swinging their Nordstrom, Apple and Tiffany bags while looking for diversions as they sip mocha cappuccino in a to-go cup.
SEEOverdue Emmy nomination for...
Why hadn’t any TV network thought of this before? Why should networks continue to hide their Fyc celebrations in private event spaces inaccessible to the public when the whole point of putting on such a ambitious production is to draw as much attention as possible to your TV shows, talent and crafts? Just think of the legions of Emmy and guild voters who stroll through the Westfield on a typical day, swinging their Nordstrom, Apple and Tiffany bags while looking for diversions as they sip mocha cappuccino in a to-go cup.
SEEOverdue Emmy nomination for...
- 6/10/2019
- by Tom O'Neil
- Gold Derby
Race and Chicago are not unfamiliar topics for Hoop Dreams director Steve James, but with his 2018 Starz docuseries America to Me, he tackles them in a new and perhaps unexpected way. Using a cinema verité approach, James, 64, follows students through a year at Oak Park and River Forest High School, an elite school in a Chicago suburb that, despite its progressive community, grapples with issues around race. What's revealed by seemingly mundane moments of students attending class and going to prom is that even in the most diverse neighborhoods, educators, students and families still struggle with the systematic ways ...
- 5/31/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Documentary filmmaker Steve James didn’t have far to travel to shoot his latest project, the Emmy-contending Starz docuseries America to Me.
“The location was three blocks from my house,” he tells Deadline. “I have never been closer to a subject.”
That location was Oak Park and River Forest High School [Oprf] west of Chicago, where the director spent the 2015-2016 school year “following stories of race and academics” at a place with an impressively diverse student body: majority white, but with a sizable black, Latino and multiracial population. But racially diverse didn’t necessarily equal racially harmonious, James found.
“The landscape of this high school, no space is race neutral,” observes assistant principal Chala Holland in Episode 1 of the 10-part series. “While this school has some diversity, it’s predictable who’s going into what space, and that’s a racial predictability.”
James and his camera teams captured informal segregation in the school lunchroom,...
“The location was three blocks from my house,” he tells Deadline. “I have never been closer to a subject.”
That location was Oak Park and River Forest High School [Oprf] west of Chicago, where the director spent the 2015-2016 school year “following stories of race and academics” at a place with an impressively diverse student body: majority white, but with a sizable black, Latino and multiracial population. But racially diverse didn’t necessarily equal racially harmonious, James found.
“The landscape of this high school, no space is race neutral,” observes assistant principal Chala Holland in Episode 1 of the 10-part series. “While this school has some diversity, it’s predictable who’s going into what space, and that’s a racial predictability.”
James and his camera teams captured informal segregation in the school lunchroom,...
- 5/24/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The fifth edition of SeriesFest will deliver panels and programming designed to celebrate individual talent as well as companies who are “taking creative risks and leveraging advances in technology to reimagine storytelling.” On the linup is Starz’s upcoming supernatural thriller “The Rook,” a panel with the creatives behind Shondaland, a look at Lgbtq representation on television and attendees such as Stevie Wonder and Ted Sarandos, Variety has learned exclusively.
“The ‘Year of Innovation’ speaks to the powerful narratives and groundbreaking work that our growing SeriesFest community has come to be known for,” said Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith Westbrook, founders of SeriesFest. “During this milestone year we’re thrilled to present a lineup of programming which will highlight and further inspire unique and poignant approaches to storytelling. We’re truly honored to have such an incredibly impressive roster of participants who want to be part of the conversation.”
The...
“The ‘Year of Innovation’ speaks to the powerful narratives and groundbreaking work that our growing SeriesFest community has come to be known for,” said Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith Westbrook, founders of SeriesFest. “During this milestone year we’re thrilled to present a lineup of programming which will highlight and further inspire unique and poignant approaches to storytelling. We’re truly honored to have such an incredibly impressive roster of participants who want to be part of the conversation.”
The...
- 5/22/2019
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
In a Gold Derby exclusive, we have learned the category placements of the key Emmy Awards contenders for Starz. For this season, the premium network has newcomer “Now Apocalypse” (Kelli Berglund), “Counterpart” (J.K. Simmons), “Outlander” and “Vida” and limited series “The Spanish Princess” (Charlotte Hope) as part of their 2019 campaign.
Below, the list of Starz lead, supporting and guest submissions for their comedies, dramas and limited series. More names might be added by the network on the final Emmy ballot. Also note that performers not included on this list may well be submitted by their personal reps.
SEESam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe are gorgeous in green in this first photo from ‘Outlander’ Season 5
“America To Me”
Documentary or Nonfiction Series
“American Gods”
Drama Series
Drama Actor – Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle
Drama Supporting Actress – Yetide Badaki, Emily Browning
Drama Supporting Actor – Crispin Glover, Orlando Jones, Bruce Langley, Pablo Schreiber
Drama Guest Actress – Laura Bell Bundy,...
Below, the list of Starz lead, supporting and guest submissions for their comedies, dramas and limited series. More names might be added by the network on the final Emmy ballot. Also note that performers not included on this list may well be submitted by their personal reps.
SEESam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe are gorgeous in green in this first photo from ‘Outlander’ Season 5
“America To Me”
Documentary or Nonfiction Series
“American Gods”
Drama Series
Drama Actor – Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle
Drama Supporting Actress – Yetide Badaki, Emily Browning
Drama Supporting Actor – Crispin Glover, Orlando Jones, Bruce Langley, Pablo Schreiber
Drama Guest Actress – Laura Bell Bundy,...
- 5/13/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Starz is shaking up its Emmy campaign plans, partnering with the Westfield Century City mall to create a pop-up “For Your Consideration” activation next month.
The event, dubbed “Starz Fyc: Creativity, Culture, Conversations,” will include an immersive installation showcasing some of the behind-the-scenes crafts on series such as “Power,” “American Gods,” “Vida” and “Outlander,” as well as a day of panel discussions with casts and producers.
On Saturday, June 1, the exhibit will be open to the public to explore costumes, sets, music, VFX displays and more. The next day, on June 2, only Television Academy members will be invited back to not only check out the installations, but also see a day of panels that will also include “Now Apocalypse,” “The Spanish Princess” and “America to Me.”
“For us it was trying to create a moment, to focus on our programming,” said Starz executive vice president of communications Lauren Townsend.
Experiential...
The event, dubbed “Starz Fyc: Creativity, Culture, Conversations,” will include an immersive installation showcasing some of the behind-the-scenes crafts on series such as “Power,” “American Gods,” “Vida” and “Outlander,” as well as a day of panel discussions with casts and producers.
On Saturday, June 1, the exhibit will be open to the public to explore costumes, sets, music, VFX displays and more. The next day, on June 2, only Television Academy members will be invited back to not only check out the installations, but also see a day of panels that will also include “Now Apocalypse,” “The Spanish Princess” and “America to Me.”
“For us it was trying to create a moment, to focus on our programming,” said Starz executive vice president of communications Lauren Townsend.
Experiential...
- 5/13/2019
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Directing a documentary that resonates deeply with critics and audiences comes with what might be called an enviable downside: an awards season that tests a filmmaker’s endurance.
“It never ends,” jokes Bing Liu, who’s been on an incredible run with his film Minding the Gap, beginning in January 2018 with the world premiere at Sundance. It won a Special Jury Award there for Breakthrough Filmmaking, recognizing how skillfully Liu told the story of growing up in Rockford, Illinois where he and friends Zack Mulligan and Keire Johnson gravitated toward skateboarding to escape families torn by emotional abuse.
The film claimed Best Documentary at the Ida Awards last December, and won numerous other awards en route to an Oscar nomination earlier this year. Now attention shifts to the Emmy Awards, where Minding the Gap could earn nominations in multiple categories.
“Part of what has been great about the awards campaign that has already happened,...
“It never ends,” jokes Bing Liu, who’s been on an incredible run with his film Minding the Gap, beginning in January 2018 with the world premiere at Sundance. It won a Special Jury Award there for Breakthrough Filmmaking, recognizing how skillfully Liu told the story of growing up in Rockford, Illinois where he and friends Zack Mulligan and Keire Johnson gravitated toward skateboarding to escape families torn by emotional abuse.
The film claimed Best Documentary at the Ida Awards last December, and won numerous other awards en route to an Oscar nomination earlier this year. Now attention shifts to the Emmy Awards, where Minding the Gap could earn nominations in multiple categories.
“Part of what has been great about the awards campaign that has already happened,...
- 5/2/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Amid Lionsgate’s continuing expansion of its unscripted programming business, the company has promoted Starz executive Alice Dickens-Koblin to Senior Vice President, Head of Unscripted Programming, for Lionsgate and Starz.
In her newly-expanded role, Dickens-Koblin, who joined Starz earlier this year, will head up the development and production of unscripted programming slates for both Lionsgate Television and Starz, including a solid line-up of docuseries, celebrity-driven reality series and lifestyle programming.
“We’re thrilled to promote an executive from within the Starz ranks to this key leadership position in our television business,” said Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs. “Alice is a talented executive with great programming skills and strong talent relationships who has already energized Starz’s unscripted slate, and she is ideally qualified to move our unscripted business Company-wide to the next level.”
Prior to joining Starz, Dickens-Koblin served as Vice President, Series Development at MTV as well as Vice President,...
In her newly-expanded role, Dickens-Koblin, who joined Starz earlier this year, will head up the development and production of unscripted programming slates for both Lionsgate Television and Starz, including a solid line-up of docuseries, celebrity-driven reality series and lifestyle programming.
“We’re thrilled to promote an executive from within the Starz ranks to this key leadership position in our television business,” said Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs. “Alice is a talented executive with great programming skills and strong talent relationships who has already energized Starz’s unscripted slate, and she is ideally qualified to move our unscripted business Company-wide to the next level.”
Prior to joining Starz, Dickens-Koblin served as Vice President, Series Development at MTV as well as Vice President,...
- 5/1/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Last Year’s Winner: “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Prior to the Netflix disruption, this category was a three-horse race from 2003 – 2016. During those 13 years, only HBO, History, and PBS earned victories in the category, and aside from one win each from Discovery and CBS, these were the only networks to win in the history of Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special category.
Fun Fact: One of the Big Four broadcast networks hasn’t been nominated in this category since 2011 — just two years before the TV Academy renamed Outstanding Nonfiction Series as Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Prior to the shift toward including feature-length documentaries, ABC, CBS, NBC, and/or Fox had been in the running nine of the 11 years prior.
Notable Ineligible Series: Docuseries have their own category, so don’t expect the likes of “America to Me” or “Our Planet” here.
At the bottom...
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Prior to the Netflix disruption, this category was a three-horse race from 2003 – 2016. During those 13 years, only HBO, History, and PBS earned victories in the category, and aside from one win each from Discovery and CBS, these were the only networks to win in the history of Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special category.
Fun Fact: One of the Big Four broadcast networks hasn’t been nominated in this category since 2011 — just two years before the TV Academy renamed Outstanding Nonfiction Series as Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Prior to the shift toward including feature-length documentaries, ABC, CBS, NBC, and/or Fox had been in the running nine of the 11 years prior.
Notable Ineligible Series: Docuseries have their own category, so don’t expect the likes of “America to Me” or “Our Planet” here.
At the bottom...
- 4/16/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Last Year’s Winner: “Wild Wild Country”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Since Netflix earned its first nomination (and win) in the category, only Netflix original series — or series that have benefitted from streaming on its platform — have won the category. “Making a Murderer” broke through for the digital giant in 2016, earning the initial nod and win, while “Wild Wild Country” took home the title again in 2018. In between, “Planet Earth II” won for BBC America (while “Chef’s Table” and “The Keepers” were nominated as Netflix originals). The initial “Planet Earth” and its sequel both stream on Netflix (and have for some time).
Fun Fact: In the 21 years this category has been active (it was called Outstanding Nonfiction Series before this and Outstanding Informational Series before that), PBS has won in 14 of those years and has 15 trophies, thanks to two of its programs tying in 1999. There has never been...
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Since Netflix earned its first nomination (and win) in the category, only Netflix original series — or series that have benefitted from streaming on its platform — have won the category. “Making a Murderer” broke through for the digital giant in 2016, earning the initial nod and win, while “Wild Wild Country” took home the title again in 2018. In between, “Planet Earth II” won for BBC America (while “Chef’s Table” and “The Keepers” were nominated as Netflix originals). The initial “Planet Earth” and its sequel both stream on Netflix (and have for some time).
Fun Fact: In the 21 years this category has been active (it was called Outstanding Nonfiction Series before this and Outstanding Informational Series before that), PBS has won in 14 of those years and has 15 trophies, thanks to two of its programs tying in 1999. There has never been...
- 4/9/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Chicago – All through the 2019 Oscar Week, HollywoodChicago.com will rerun significant articles from 2018 that feature the nominees associated with Sunday’s Academy Award ceremony. Today is a Podtalk with director Bing Liu, who was the filmmaker behind a Best Documentary Feature nominee, “Minding the Gap.” The film seems to be a nostalgic profile of Liu’s youth in Rockford, Illinois, as he goes back to his hometown to explore the skateboarding culture that kept him balanced while growing up in a difficult home environment. What he found out about himself was an organic reveal in the film, both shocking and cathartic.
The film, available on the online Hulu Network, will also have a free TV broadcast on Monday, February 18th, 2019, on Chicago’s PBS Station Wttw. Besides Liu featuring himself in the documentary, he also profiles fellow Rockford skateboarders Zack Mulligan and Keire Johnson, and finds commonality in their family lives.
The film, available on the online Hulu Network, will also have a free TV broadcast on Monday, February 18th, 2019, on Chicago’s PBS Station Wttw. Besides Liu featuring himself in the documentary, he also profiles fellow Rockford skateboarders Zack Mulligan and Keire Johnson, and finds commonality in their family lives.
- 2/18/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
One year ago, the Sundance Film Festival opened its doors to independent television. In the same way Robert Redford’s Park City playground built bridges between Hollywood’s longstanding studio world and the open-air, burgeoning indie film space, so too did the festival want to connect a booming television industry with the creative minds operating outside of it.
“Last year was such an experiment,” Sundance programmer Charlie Sextro told Indiewire. “It was [set up] to see what worked and what made sense.”
Like any first trial, the inaugural Indie Episodic Section had its successes and slip-ups. Sundance operated as it should: connecting fresh talent with eager buyers, but the atmosphere around television was far different from the one for film. Multiple TV projects sold to vaunted distribution platforms (like Starz and FX), while attendance issues created a conflicting in-the-room perception of the screenings’ overall impact.
This year, there are fewer indie TV pilots than before — 12 entries,...
“Last year was such an experiment,” Sundance programmer Charlie Sextro told Indiewire. “It was [set up] to see what worked and what made sense.”
Like any first trial, the inaugural Indie Episodic Section had its successes and slip-ups. Sundance operated as it should: connecting fresh talent with eager buyers, but the atmosphere around television was far different from the one for film. Multiple TV projects sold to vaunted distribution platforms (like Starz and FX), while attendance issues created a conflicting in-the-room perception of the screenings’ overall impact.
This year, there are fewer indie TV pilots than before — 12 entries,...
- 1/27/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Exclusive: After finishing a year in which it backed awards bait films Roma, Green Book, Rbg and America To Me, and starting 2019 with American Factory and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind premiering here at Sundance, Participant Media has elevated three of its key executives. Christina Kounelias has been elevated to President of Worldwide Marketing; Krista Wegener has been upped to Executive Vice President and continues to lead Sales and Distribution for Participant; and Gabriel Brakin has been elevated to Chief Operating Officer. All three executives will continue to report to Participant CEO David Linde.
Brakin previously served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Business Affairs, and in his new role will oversee company-wide business operations, deal-making, as well as corporate and legal affairs for Participant’s overall long-term strategic plan. He will also be responsible for driving the overall integration and functionality of Participant’s mandate to...
Brakin previously served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Business Affairs, and in his new role will oversee company-wide business operations, deal-making, as well as corporate and legal affairs for Participant’s overall long-term strategic plan. He will also be responsible for driving the overall integration and functionality of Participant’s mandate to...
- 1/25/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
When legendary “Hoop Dreams” filmmaker Steve James retires from making award-winning documentaries, he could almost certainly fall back on a career in stand-up, or at least hit the circuit as an awards show host. James was in rare comedic form at the 12th Annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards, held Thursday night at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, his energy livening up a somewhat sober crowd. He missed no opportunity to mention his Oscar-nominated film from last year, “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” which lost out to Bryan Fogel’s similarly titled “Icarus.”
“‘Icarus’, ‘Abacus,’ ‘Icarus,’ ‘Abacus,’ and then they gave it to ‘Icarus,'” said James. “So I missed it by a few letters. And it really dawned on me as I was sitting there that most people thought they were voting for ‘Abacus’ when they voted for ‘Icarus.'”
Dad jokes aside, it was a winning...
“‘Icarus’, ‘Abacus,’ ‘Icarus,’ ‘Abacus,’ and then they gave it to ‘Icarus,'” said James. “So I missed it by a few letters. And it really dawned on me as I was sitting there that most people thought they were voting for ‘Abacus’ when they voted for ‘Icarus.'”
Dad jokes aside, it was a winning...
- 1/11/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Rotten Tomatoes Names ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Roma’ the Best Reviewed Films of 2018 — Golden Tomato Awards
Rotten Tomatoes has announced its winners for the 2018 Golden Tomato Awards, spotlighting the movies that earned the most critical acclaim throughout last year. Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther,” which is on track to become the first superhero blockbuster to earn a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, topped the Wide Release category by earning an incredible 97% from 447 reviews. Best Picture rival “Roma,” from writer-director Alfonso Cuarón, placed first in the Limited Release category with a 96% from 312 reviews.
The winners for the Golden Tomato Awards are based not just on the score of each film but also on the amount of reviews counted. Many people will note that Debra Granik’s beloved Sundance drama “Leave No Trace” ended 2018 with a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. The reason “Leave No Trace” did not top the Limited Release category is because its score was based on 207 reviews (still a remarkable achievement), compared to “Roma...
The winners for the Golden Tomato Awards are based not just on the score of each film but also on the amount of reviews counted. Many people will note that Debra Granik’s beloved Sundance drama “Leave No Trace” ended 2018 with a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. The reason “Leave No Trace” did not top the Limited Release category is because its score was based on 207 reviews (still a remarkable achievement), compared to “Roma...
- 1/11/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
RaMell Ross’s debut feature, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” took the top prize at the Cinema Eye Honors Thursday night in New York, winning outstanding nonfiction feature.
Bing Liu’s much-lauded skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” which tied the Cinema Eye record for most noms with seven, took home three trophies, including outstanding achievement in direction, editing, and debut. “Free Solo” also won three awards, with “Shirkers” nabbing two honors.
“Hale County’s” win marks the second for producer Joslyn Barnes, who also won last year for “Strong Island.” “Free Solo’s” three wins landed Jimmy Chin the title of most awarded individual in Cinema Eye history, with five awards including his two for 2015’s “Meru.”
See the full list of winners below.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross
Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Bing Liu, “Minding the Gap”
Outstanding Achievement...
Bing Liu’s much-lauded skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” which tied the Cinema Eye record for most noms with seven, took home three trophies, including outstanding achievement in direction, editing, and debut. “Free Solo” also won three awards, with “Shirkers” nabbing two honors.
“Hale County’s” win marks the second for producer Joslyn Barnes, who also won last year for “Strong Island.” “Free Solo’s” three wins landed Jimmy Chin the title of most awarded individual in Cinema Eye history, with five awards including his two for 2015’s “Meru.”
See the full list of winners below.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross
Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Bing Liu, “Minding the Gap”
Outstanding Achievement...
- 1/11/2019
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
RaMell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2018 at the 12th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were presented on Thursday evening in New York City.
The film, an examination of a small town in the deep South that also delves into how African Americans are depicted in the media, won in the Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking category over a slate of nominees that also included the Oscar-shortlisted documentaries “Minding the Gap,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “Three Identical Strangers” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” as well as “Bisbee ’17,” which did not make the Oscar short list.
The Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye category voted on by the public, went to “Free Solo.”
The Spotlight Award, designed to single out a film that has not yet received the attention it deserves, went to Simon Lereng Wilmont’s “The Distant Barking of Dogs,...
The film, an examination of a small town in the deep South that also delves into how African Americans are depicted in the media, won in the Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking category over a slate of nominees that also included the Oscar-shortlisted documentaries “Minding the Gap,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “Three Identical Strangers” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” as well as “Bisbee ’17,” which did not make the Oscar short list.
The Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye category voted on by the public, went to “Free Solo.”
The Spotlight Award, designed to single out a film that has not yet received the attention it deserves, went to Simon Lereng Wilmont’s “The Distant Barking of Dogs,...
- 1/11/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
By now, you've hopefully seen my TV Top 10 for 2018, a list that culminates with the remarkable Starz documentary series America to Me, an achievement people are still frequently telling me they’ve never heard of. It's the holidays, folks! Get on that!
But in an era of 495 scripted shows, a Top 10 just isn't enough, so every year I expand my superlatives list out to a Top 20. This year, being able to salute an additional 10 shows lets me finally add a broadcast network entry, as well as two more contributions apiece from Netflix and FX....
But in an era of 495 scripted shows, a Top 10 just isn't enough, so every year I expand my superlatives list out to a Top 20. This year, being able to salute an additional 10 shows lets me finally add a broadcast network entry, as well as two more contributions apiece from Netflix and FX....
- 12/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
In only its second year of bringing independent television to Park City as part of its Indie Episodics section, Sundance has picked a dozen series that could include the next big TV hit. Among the announced independent shows include works by Nick Hornby, Richie Mehta, and Kyra Sedgwick, which range from comedies about start-ups to dating comedies about trans relationships to dramas about race. Sundance is also bringing in some other TV projects under its Special Events banner, including the newest season of IFC’s ongoing doc parody series “Documentary Now!” and Gregg Araki’s upcoming Starz series “Now Apocalypse,” executive produced by Steven Soderbergh.
The Special Events section will also play home to a brand new (and as yet untitled) documentary from Sundance regular Amy Berg, which tracks the creation of the Women’s March and what followed.
In an announcement, Sundance director of programming Kim Yutani said that...
The Special Events section will also play home to a brand new (and as yet untitled) documentary from Sundance regular Amy Berg, which tracks the creation of the Women’s March and what followed.
In an announcement, Sundance director of programming Kim Yutani said that...
- 12/3/2018
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
What is happening in Oak Park?
In the weeks since the Oct. 28 finale of Steve James' 10-part Starz docuseries America to Me, the Chicago-area school where it was filmed — Oak Park and River Forest High School — has seen a rash of racist incidents, including graffiti targeting one of the teachers featured.
On Friday, Nov. 2, the words "Fuck that dancing n—er Anthony Clark. White power," were found scrawled on campus alongside two swastikas. Clark, a special education teacher at the school, appeared in the series, which followed 12 racially diverse students through the 2015-16 academic ...
In the weeks since the Oct. 28 finale of Steve James' 10-part Starz docuseries America to Me, the Chicago-area school where it was filmed — Oak Park and River Forest High School — has seen a rash of racist incidents, including graffiti targeting one of the teachers featured.
On Friday, Nov. 2, the words "Fuck that dancing n—er Anthony Clark. White power," were found scrawled on campus alongside two swastikas. Clark, a special education teacher at the school, appeared in the series, which followed 12 racially diverse students through the 2015-16 academic ...
- 11/13/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Since the finale of Steve James' America to Me aired Oct. 28, the Chicago-area high school where the Starz docuseries was set has experienced a rash of incidents including racist graffiti and — during a Friday assembly to honor alumni — an image of a swastika sent to attendees' phones.
The first incident happened on Friday, Nov. 2, when a message was found scrawled on a shed on the Oak Park and River Forest High School campus reading "Fuck that dancing n—er Anthony Clark. White power," alongside two swastikas.
Clark, a special education teacher at the school,...
The first incident happened on Friday, Nov. 2, when a message was found scrawled on a shed on the Oak Park and River Forest High School campus reading "Fuck that dancing n—er Anthony Clark. White power," alongside two swastikas.
Clark, a special education teacher at the school,...
- 11/9/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,” an look at small-town American life through the lens of a group of skateboarder friends, led the 2018 Cinema Eye Honors nominations for nonfiction filmmaking Thursday.
The film, a Hulu original documentary, landed seven bids, for direction, editing, cinematography, original score, debut feature and the audience award, in addition to outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking, the organization’s top prize. It was also mentioned in the “Unforgettables” sidebar honoring the subjects of many of this year’s documentaries.
The seven-nomination haul was enough to match Cinema Eye’s record, held by Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s “Last Train Home” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir.”
The other nominees for outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking were “Bisbee ’17” (five nominations), “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (five nominations), “Of Fathers and Sons” (three nominations), “Three Identical Strangers” (three nominations) and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
The film, a Hulu original documentary, landed seven bids, for direction, editing, cinematography, original score, debut feature and the audience award, in addition to outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking, the organization’s top prize. It was also mentioned in the “Unforgettables” sidebar honoring the subjects of many of this year’s documentaries.
The seven-nomination haul was enough to match Cinema Eye’s record, held by Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s “Last Train Home” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir.”
The other nominees for outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking were “Bisbee ’17” (five nominations), “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (five nominations), “Of Fathers and Sons” (three nominations), “Three Identical Strangers” (three nominations) and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
- 11/8/2018
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
In early 2015, before the Oak Park and River Forest High School board was scheduled to vote on allowing Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters) to film America to Me — his docuseries examining the gap in academic achievement between black and white students that has persisted for decades at the diverse, affluent school in Chicago's west suburbs — the assistant superintendent of curriculum read a statement from the administration laying out all the reasons why they were against it.
According to Nate Rouse, now in his 11th year as principal at Oprf, the reasons ranged from the pragmatic — Would ...
According to Nate Rouse, now in his 11th year as principal at Oprf, the reasons ranged from the pragmatic — Would ...
- 10/29/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
In 2003, Steve James’ first docuseries debuted on PBS. “The New Americans” was a seven-hour “verité style” film following a diverse group of immigrants and refugees who left their homes to move to America. The expansive, six-and-a-half-year project covered the subjects in their native countries as well as in the states, and all 411 minutes aired over three nights as one big event.
“It didn’t play theatrically because it was seven hours long,” James said. “It played at Idfa, SXSW, and one other film festival, and then it was on public television, and then it was gone.”
As James distinctly remembers, this was a time before streaming and DVRs, before Netflix and HBO sparked national news with buzzy docuseries, and before an era of peak TV led to massive libraries of endlessly accessible content.
“I remember thinking, ‘Jeez. All that work, it’s on television, and then it’s done,'” James said.
“It didn’t play theatrically because it was seven hours long,” James said. “It played at Idfa, SXSW, and one other film festival, and then it was on public television, and then it was gone.”
As James distinctly remembers, this was a time before streaming and DVRs, before Netflix and HBO sparked national news with buzzy docuseries, and before an era of peak TV led to massive libraries of endlessly accessible content.
“I remember thinking, ‘Jeez. All that work, it’s on television, and then it’s done,'” James said.
- 10/28/2018
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
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