Sure, HBO series “The Deuce” may have piqued some interest in the history of classic porn cinema, but now the outrageous true story of Times Square staple Chelly Wilson is getting the spotlight.
Documentary “Queen of the Deuce” centers on Wilson’s personal history before building a porn theater in the notorious Times Square vicinity known as the Deuce. Wilson’s reign ranged from the late ’60s to the mid-’80s as she earned a reputation as one of the savviest and most enigmatic figures on the scene.
Greek-born Wilson escaped the Holocaust in WWII, emigrated to the U.S., and married a slew of men while being openly gay. Her legacy in the world of adult cinema is examined by filmmaker Valerie Kontakos (“Mana”), who has written, directed, and produced the documentary.
“Queen of the Deuce” is further produced by Ed Barreveld and Despina Pavlaki, who also co-wrote the...
Documentary “Queen of the Deuce” centers on Wilson’s personal history before building a porn theater in the notorious Times Square vicinity known as the Deuce. Wilson’s reign ranged from the late ’60s to the mid-’80s as she earned a reputation as one of the savviest and most enigmatic figures on the scene.
Greek-born Wilson escaped the Holocaust in WWII, emigrated to the U.S., and married a slew of men while being openly gay. Her legacy in the world of adult cinema is examined by filmmaker Valerie Kontakos (“Mana”), who has written, directed, and produced the documentary.
“Queen of the Deuce” is further produced by Ed Barreveld and Despina Pavlaki, who also co-wrote the...
- 4/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Chris Smith’s “Devo” will open the ninth edition of Chicago’s Doc10 documentary film festival on May 2.
The film, which premiered at Sundance 2024, charts the life of the art-movement-turned-band Devo from Akron, Ohio, through archival footage of the band and candid sit-down interviews with band members. Smith follows the band on their journey from Dadaist, Kent State radicals to unlikely icons of 1980s MTV. Currently celebrating their 50 years of De-Evolution Tour, Devo band members will join Doc10 in a live, virtual Q&a moderated by Wxrt’s Marty Lennartz.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 2-5, features a selection of 10 documentaries making their Chicago premieres along with a package of 10 prestigious documentary shorts. The fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that has generated more than $8.5 million in funding for documentary projects. Cmp has directly supported over 150 films including “Icarus,” “Crip Camp” and most recently “Gaucho, Gaucho,...
The film, which premiered at Sundance 2024, charts the life of the art-movement-turned-band Devo from Akron, Ohio, through archival footage of the band and candid sit-down interviews with band members. Smith follows the band on their journey from Dadaist, Kent State radicals to unlikely icons of 1980s MTV. Currently celebrating their 50 years of De-Evolution Tour, Devo band members will join Doc10 in a live, virtual Q&a moderated by Wxrt’s Marty Lennartz.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 2-5, features a selection of 10 documentaries making their Chicago premieres along with a package of 10 prestigious documentary shorts. The fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that has generated more than $8.5 million in funding for documentary projects. Cmp has directly supported over 150 films including “Icarus,” “Crip Camp” and most recently “Gaucho, Gaucho,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Tonia Davis, who has been the Head of Motion Pictures for five years at Higher Ground, is transitioning out of the role. She will remain a producer on upcoming projects at the studio.
Higher Ground Productions President Vinnie Malhotra will continue to oversee the company’s film and television divisions.
Davis tells us, “I am immensely proud of the work we have done together at Higher Ground, including winning an Academy Award and bringing important and entertaining stories to audiences around the world. Now is the right time for me to start my next chapter and I am excited to continue to produce alongside the team at Higher Ground.”
Higher Ground’s Joe Paulsen adds, “Tonia has been an integral part of Higher Ground since the beginning. We are so grateful for her work and dedication over the past five years and excited to continue producing with her during...
Higher Ground Productions President Vinnie Malhotra will continue to oversee the company’s film and television divisions.
Davis tells us, “I am immensely proud of the work we have done together at Higher Ground, including winning an Academy Award and bringing important and entertaining stories to audiences around the world. Now is the right time for me to start my next chapter and I am excited to continue to produce alongside the team at Higher Ground.”
Higher Ground’s Joe Paulsen adds, “Tonia has been an integral part of Higher Ground since the beginning. We are so grateful for her work and dedication over the past five years and excited to continue producing with her during...
- 3/23/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2021 Oscars was the first time a front-facing ramp was an integrated element of the Academy Awards’ custom-built stage. Academy member Jim LeBrecht, who uses a wheelchair, initiated the effort and executed it alongside his Crip Camp co-director Nicole Newnham and executive producer Howard Gertler after an Oscar nomination for the Obama-produced Netflix doc seemed on the horizon.
The ramp, present for years at disability-focused ceremonies like the Media Access Awards, marked a visible shift for mainstream Hollywood’s focus in the diversity, equity and inclusion space. And it would spark similar efforts — sometimes piecemeal or sweeping, other times fumbled — at other major industry events such as the Emmys and Grammys.
Since then, the Oscars have expanded their accessibility efforts. The 2024 show, which takes place this Sunday, will include confidential accessibility requests for all nominees and guests; captioning services (live captions through in-house monitors, captions for video packages and...
The ramp, present for years at disability-focused ceremonies like the Media Access Awards, marked a visible shift for mainstream Hollywood’s focus in the diversity, equity and inclusion space. And it would spark similar efforts — sometimes piecemeal or sweeping, other times fumbled — at other major industry events such as the Emmys and Grammys.
Since then, the Oscars have expanded their accessibility efforts. The 2024 show, which takes place this Sunday, will include confidential accessibility requests for all nominees and guests; captioning services (live captions through in-house monitors, captions for video packages and...
- 3/7/2024
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jim LeBrecht is the Oscar-nominated co-director of “Crip Camp,” co-directed by Nicole Newman, about a summer camp for teens with disabilities that inspires advocacy and legislative changes. LeBrecht is also a sound designer and mixer and Disability Rights Activist. Davis Guggenheim’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and has won five Critics Choice Documentary Awards (including Best Documentary Feature), was the National Board of Review’s Best Documentary, won Best Editing at the Cinema Eye Honors, and is nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary at the DGA Awards.
As someone with a disability, who works in the entertainment industry, when I hear about a documentary or narrative about someone with a disability, I immediately get suspicious. And that suspicion comes from knowing what the history of disability representation has been in the past. Many times, the stories and characters have been problematic and harmful.
As someone with a disability, who works in the entertainment industry, when I hear about a documentary or narrative about someone with a disability, I immediately get suspicious. And that suspicion comes from knowing what the history of disability representation has been in the past. Many times, the stories and characters have been problematic and harmful.
- 1/13/2024
- by Jim LeBrecht
- Indiewire
And now, we wait. The bulk of precursor nominations have poured in, and Oscar voting is newly underway. Aside from the final BAFTA roster, most of what’s left is merely a swift march to January 23, nomination day. A couple of films in particular are making well-timed streaming premieres that function as end-of-the-road campaign strategies.
The contender to stream this week: “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”
This Oscar-shortlisted documentary co-directed by spouses Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, who also made 2013’s “American Promise,” follows the eponymous poet and activist through years of civil-rights evolutions. If Black women can withstand the hardships of Earth, Giovanni posits, maybe they can survive in space, too. “Going to Mars” is more experimental than the average biography, which makes sense for such an elusive figure. The film won a jury prize at Sundance and has an Independent Spirit Award nomination. It’s newly streaming on Max.
The contender to stream this week: “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”
This Oscar-shortlisted documentary co-directed by spouses Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, who also made 2013’s “American Promise,” follows the eponymous poet and activist through years of civil-rights evolutions. If Black women can withstand the hardships of Earth, Giovanni posits, maybe they can survive in space, too. “Going to Mars” is more experimental than the average biography, which makes sense for such an elusive figure. The film won a jury prize at Sundance and has an Independent Spirit Award nomination. It’s newly streaming on Max.
- 1/12/2024
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
Ella Glendining is both the director and subject of documentary “Is There Anybody Out There?,” a global search for someone with a body that looks like hers.
The film debuted at Sundance this year and went on to achieve global acclaim, winning a slew of awards along the way. Recent accolades include winning the BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Award and being named as one of the U.K. talents in the BAFTA Breakthrough 2023 cohort.
“A big thing for me making a personal film was that I was insecure and worried that people would think that I was just the subject of a documentary, but to be recognized on this level is an incredible confidence boost in terms of me as a filmmaker, because that’s who I am. What I am first and foremost is a filmmaker and a storyteller,” Glendining, who was born with a rare leg disability, told Variety.
The film debuted at Sundance this year and went on to achieve global acclaim, winning a slew of awards along the way. Recent accolades include winning the BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Award and being named as one of the U.K. talents in the BAFTA Breakthrough 2023 cohort.
“A big thing for me making a personal film was that I was insecure and worried that people would think that I was just the subject of a documentary, but to be recognized on this level is an incredible confidence boost in terms of me as a filmmaker, because that’s who I am. What I am first and foremost is a filmmaker and a storyteller,” Glendining, who was born with a rare leg disability, told Variety.
- 12/22/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Updated 12/22/2023 with details on shortlisted A Still Small Voice. Updated with quotes, 1:37 Pm: American Symphony, the Obamas-executive produced documentary about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, scored a remarkable hat trick today as the Oscar shortlists were revealed, but a couple of documentary icons were left on the bench.
In more headlines from the announcement, a beloved documentary filmmaker who died unexpectedly in August earned a place on the nonfiction feature shortlist. And the film about cherished actor Michael J. Fox, directed by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, made the list. Two films earned double recognition – making shortlists for doc feature and International Feature Film. [See full shortlists for doc feature and doc short below].
Suleika Jouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
The most eye-popping takeaway is the recognition for American Symphony, the Netflix film directed by Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman and produced by Higher Ground, the production company of former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It made the...
In more headlines from the announcement, a beloved documentary filmmaker who died unexpectedly in August earned a place on the nonfiction feature shortlist. And the film about cherished actor Michael J. Fox, directed by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, made the list. Two films earned double recognition – making shortlists for doc feature and International Feature Film. [See full shortlists for doc feature and doc short below].
Suleika Jouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
The most eye-popping takeaway is the recognition for American Symphony, the Netflix film directed by Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman and produced by Higher Ground, the production company of former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It made the...
- 12/21/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
As we wrap up our year-end coverage, IndieWire looks back at the people, projects, and ideas that defined 2023 — and what’s coming next.
As golden ages go, this one was more of a blip.
Five years ago, the box office celebrated nonfiction films: $22 million for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” $14 million for “Rbg,” $17.5 million for “Free Solo.” Critical favorites and Oscar nominees included films from exciting American first-time directors, including RaMell Ross’s lyrical breakthrough about life in rural Alabama, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” and Bing Liu’s moving personal exposé of domestic abuse in northern Illinois, “Minding the Gap.”
2023 lacked documentary touchstones. A few faith-based documentaries succeeded by preaching to the choir, but the most successful (non-concert) documentary released in theaters this year was the Yogi Berra baseball portrait “It Ain’t Over”. You also could include Magnolia Pictures’ “Joan Baez: I Am A Noise” or — if you...
As golden ages go, this one was more of a blip.
Five years ago, the box office celebrated nonfiction films: $22 million for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” $14 million for “Rbg,” $17.5 million for “Free Solo.” Critical favorites and Oscar nominees included films from exciting American first-time directors, including RaMell Ross’s lyrical breakthrough about life in rural Alabama, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” and Bing Liu’s moving personal exposé of domestic abuse in northern Illinois, “Minding the Gap.”
2023 lacked documentary touchstones. A few faith-based documentaries succeeded by preaching to the choir, but the most successful (non-concert) documentary released in theaters this year was the Yogi Berra baseball portrait “It Ain’t Over”. You also could include Magnolia Pictures’ “Joan Baez: I Am A Noise” or — if you...
- 12/19/2023
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Indiewire
David Permut is having a good day. “Rustin,” which he executive produced (he prefers “shepherded” and is quick to name his colleagues) got two important Golden Globe nominations, Best Film Drama Actor for Colman Domingo and Best Original Song for Lenny Kravitz‘s “Road to Freedom.” His other current project is the television series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” for which David Oyelowo nabbed a nom.
When we talked he was about to go into a screening, one of 50 he says he views during festival season. He is open about his own personal life as a gay producer in Hollywood. Even teaches me some Yiddish. And he’s proud to have worked alongside two relative newcomers in the producer business, Barack and Michelle Obama. The president posthumously awarded Bayard Rustin, an openly gay African-American, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for his instrumental role in the 1963 March on Washington, and now the...
When we talked he was about to go into a screening, one of 50 he says he views during festival season. He is open about his own personal life as a gay producer in Hollywood. Even teaches me some Yiddish. And he’s proud to have worked alongside two relative newcomers in the producer business, Barack and Michelle Obama. The president posthumously awarded Bayard Rustin, an openly gay African-American, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for his instrumental role in the 1963 March on Washington, and now the...
- 12/13/2023
- by Bill McCuddy
- Gold Derby
Six directors of standout 2023 documentary features gathered at The Hollywood Reporter’s Los Angeles offices in mid-November for THR’s annual Documentary Roundtable.
Among them were two revered veterans with Oscars to their name: Davis Guggenheim (2006’s An Inconvenient Truth), who helmed Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a film about the life and struggles of the beloved actor who was stricken at a young age with Parkinson’s disease; and Roger Ross Williams (2009’s Music by Prudence), director of Stamped From the Beginning, a film about the history of anti-Black racism in America. Meanwhile, a first-time filmmaker, twice-Grammy-nominated producer D. Smith, profiled four Black transgender women who have performed sex work in Kokomo City.
Oscar nominee Nicole Newnham (2020’s Crip Camp) made a documentary portrait of a person once famous but now largely forgotten: The Disappearance of Shere Hite, about the titular sex researcher and her landmark 1976 book about female sexuality.
Among them were two revered veterans with Oscars to their name: Davis Guggenheim (2006’s An Inconvenient Truth), who helmed Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a film about the life and struggles of the beloved actor who was stricken at a young age with Parkinson’s disease; and Roger Ross Williams (2009’s Music by Prudence), director of Stamped From the Beginning, a film about the history of anti-Black racism in America. Meanwhile, a first-time filmmaker, twice-Grammy-nominated producer D. Smith, profiled four Black transgender women who have performed sex work in Kokomo City.
Oscar nominee Nicole Newnham (2020’s Crip Camp) made a documentary portrait of a person once famous but now largely forgotten: The Disappearance of Shere Hite, about the titular sex researcher and her landmark 1976 book about female sexuality.
- 12/13/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michelle Obama is giving a boost to American Symphony, the Oscar-contending documentary about musician Jon Batiste and his wife, musician Suleika Jaouad.
The former first lady introduced the Matthew Heineman film at a special screening Thursday night in New Orleans, a place of special significance for Batiste, who was born in nearby Metairie, Louisiana and raised in Kenner just outside N.O. proper. Michelle and Barack Obama are executive producing the Netflix film through their Higher Ground production company, which has a distribution deal with the streaming platform.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be here in Nawlins with all y’all!” Mrs. Obama began. “There is no better place to lift up this work than in the city where music is at the heart of everything, because music is at the heart of this film.
The former first lady introduced the Matthew Heineman film at a special screening Thursday night in New Orleans, a place of special significance for Batiste, who was born in nearby Metairie, Louisiana and raised in Kenner just outside N.O. proper. Michelle and Barack Obama are executive producing the Netflix film through their Higher Ground production company, which has a distribution deal with the streaming platform.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be here in Nawlins with all y’all!” Mrs. Obama began. “There is no better place to lift up this work than in the city where music is at the heart of everything, because music is at the heart of this film.
- 12/9/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-contending documentary The Disappearance of Shere Hite will be making an appearance in cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland within weeks, courtesy of Dogwoof.
The London-based documentary film company has announced a January 12 launch date in those territories for Nicole Newnham’s film about the famed American sex researcher who rocketed to fame in the 1970s but then faced a tremendous backlash that essentially drove her into exile.
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite remembers the feminist sex researcher, Shere Hite, whose findings rocked the establishment, presaged current conversations about gender and sexuality, and made her a target of the patriarchy,” notes a release from Dogwoof. “1976’s The Hite Report aimed to liberate women and demystify female pleasure and the orgasm by revealing private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents… Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham…...
The London-based documentary film company has announced a January 12 launch date in those territories for Nicole Newnham’s film about the famed American sex researcher who rocketed to fame in the 1970s but then faced a tremendous backlash that essentially drove her into exile.
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite remembers the feminist sex researcher, Shere Hite, whose findings rocked the establishment, presaged current conversations about gender and sexuality, and made her a target of the patriarchy,” notes a release from Dogwoof. “1976’s The Hite Report aimed to liberate women and demystify female pleasure and the orgasm by revealing private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents… Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham…...
- 12/2/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
"Well... shall we head back?" This short film is an exceptional example of minimalistic filmmaking and how much can be said without having to actually say much at all. Enjoy this in full below. Best Friends on a Summer Hike is a brisk 8-minute short film made by a Brazilian filmmaker named Mario Furloni, who is now based in Southern California working mainly as a cinematographer (on Crip Camp and The Return). He also shot this short film, in addition to writing and directing and producing and editing it. There's not much of an intro to this short - Furloni describes it as a "cautionary tale." That description should all make sense if you watch closely. It's about two old best friends who go for a hike up and down a hill overlooking the ocean. One could say it's kind of like the brilliant My Dinner with Andre but if...
- 11/22/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Between “Beckham,” “Quarterback” and the nationally captivating “The Last Dance,” we are clearly living in our peak sports docuseries era. And now four-time, NBA champion LeBron James and hall of famers Peyton Manning have combined with the Obamas’ production company to contribute their own sports series centered around the NBA, Variety has confirmed.
James’ SpringHill Company (which he started with business partner Maverick Carter) will join Manning’s production company Omaha Productions and the Obamas’ Higher Ground. The series will divide up each episode following various NBA athletes as they live their lives, similar to the Netflix docuseries “Quarterback,” which followed three NFL quarterbacks during the 2022-2023 football season.
Higher Ground’s “American Factory” won the Academy Award for best documentary in 2019 and past films “Crip Camp” and “Becoming” were both nominated. The production company currently has a first look deal with Netflix, so assumptions are being made that this...
James’ SpringHill Company (which he started with business partner Maverick Carter) will join Manning’s production company Omaha Productions and the Obamas’ Higher Ground. The series will divide up each episode following various NBA athletes as they live their lives, similar to the Netflix docuseries “Quarterback,” which followed three NFL quarterbacks during the 2022-2023 football season.
Higher Ground’s “American Factory” won the Academy Award for best documentary in 2019 and past films “Crip Camp” and “Becoming” were both nominated. The production company currently has a first look deal with Netflix, so assumptions are being made that this...
- 10/24/2023
- by Meredith Woerner
- Variety Film + TV
Returning to Sundance Film Festival earlier this after her Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp, Nicole Newnham’s latest film explores the strange tale of Shere Hite and her 1976 bestseller The Hite Report as narrated by Dakota Johnson. The book famously liberated the female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Her findings rocked the American establishment and presaged current conversations about gender, sexuality, and bodily autonomy. Then, she disappeared. Ahead of a release next month from IFC Films, the first trailer has now arrived.
“It was a bombshell when it was published,” Newnham told Deadline. “The whole American public is sitting there thinking that if women were not having an orgasm through intercourse, there was something wrong with them. And Shere Hite is the one who finally comes out and says that’s not true… It really was such a profound thing in that it...
“It was a bombshell when it was published,” Newnham told Deadline. “The whole American public is sitting there thinking that if women were not having an orgasm through intercourse, there was something wrong with them. And Shere Hite is the one who finally comes out and says that’s not true… It really was such a profound thing in that it...
- 10/18/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Thirteen-year-old Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has revealed its influential 15-film Short List. The festival will run its main lineup of 114 features and 129 short films in-person November 8-16 in New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East by Angelika and continue online until November 26 with films available to viewers across the U.S. All the films will have theatrical screenings at the festival, often with the directors in person.
Historically, most of the Doc NYC shortlist titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix’s Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” for 11 years the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “Navalny,” “Summer of Soul,” “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.” The festival has also screened 49 of the last 55 Oscar-nominated documentary features.
Historically, most of the Doc NYC shortlist titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix’s Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” for 11 years the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “Navalny,” “Summer of Soul,” “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.” The festival has also screened 49 of the last 55 Oscar-nominated documentary features.
- 10/17/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: The Republican contenders for his old job were debating up at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley last night, but today Barack Obama was in town seeking more higher ground.
The 44th President of the United States was on the westside of LA Thursday for a sit-down at CAA with the agents for his and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company.
According to a source close to the uber-agency, Obama met with his film, TV, and non-scripted team to discuss projects for Higher Ground. As casual as it can be when the ex-leader of the free world is in the house, the gathering was held in one of CAA’s large conference rooms.
Michelle Obama did not join her husband and business partner today at the meeting. However, Higher Ground president Vinnie Malhotra, plus Joe Paulson, Tonia Davis and other member of the production company...
The 44th President of the United States was on the westside of LA Thursday for a sit-down at CAA with the agents for his and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company.
According to a source close to the uber-agency, Obama met with his film, TV, and non-scripted team to discuss projects for Higher Ground. As casual as it can be when the ex-leader of the free world is in the house, the gathering was held in one of CAA’s large conference rooms.
Michelle Obama did not join her husband and business partner today at the meeting. However, Higher Ground president Vinnie Malhotra, plus Joe Paulson, Tonia Davis and other member of the production company...
- 9/29/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s best documentary feature Oscar race, which heretofore seemed unusually wide open, now has a frontrunner.
American Symphony, Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman’s moving portrait of the musician Jon Batiste as he experiences his greatest professional success (he dominated the 2022 Grammys) at the same time his wife faces her greatest personal challenge (Suleika Jaouad is battling leukemia), has been acquired by Netflix following a lengthy bidding war, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The film will be released this year and will be promoted with a major Oscar campaign in the works. Moreover, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, which has a first-look deal with Netflix, is on board for the project, just as it was for two other recent Netflix films: 2019’s American Factory, which went on to win the best documentary feature Oscar, and for 2020’s Crip Camp, which was nominated for it.
American Symphony, Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman’s moving portrait of the musician Jon Batiste as he experiences his greatest professional success (he dominated the 2022 Grammys) at the same time his wife faces her greatest personal challenge (Suleika Jaouad is battling leukemia), has been acquired by Netflix following a lengthy bidding war, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The film will be released this year and will be promoted with a major Oscar campaign in the works. Moreover, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, which has a first-look deal with Netflix, is on board for the project, just as it was for two other recent Netflix films: 2019’s American Factory, which went on to win the best documentary feature Oscar, and for 2020’s Crip Camp, which was nominated for it.
- 9/18/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Documentary veterans Natalie Bullock Brown, Kirsten Johnson, Mary Lampson and Jacqueline Olive are the inaugural documentary film fellows for the documentary film in the public interest research initiative by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center.
As the first cohort of doc film fellows, the foursome will join the center for the fall 2023 semester. There, each fellow will conduct research and do public education activities about questions facing the documentary film field and civic information.
Led by Shorenstein Center’s director Nancy Gibbs and doc filmmaker Sara Archambault, the initiative, which was established in March, will work to examine the challenges facing the documentary field and their impacts on civic life and information.
“In this challenging moment for media and our information ecosystem, we are excited that the Shorenstein Center can provide the support and infrastructure to drive renewed and creative thinking about complex issues in the documentary film space,” says Gibbs.
Archambault...
As the first cohort of doc film fellows, the foursome will join the center for the fall 2023 semester. There, each fellow will conduct research and do public education activities about questions facing the documentary film field and civic information.
Led by Shorenstein Center’s director Nancy Gibbs and doc filmmaker Sara Archambault, the initiative, which was established in March, will work to examine the challenges facing the documentary field and their impacts on civic life and information.
“In this challenging moment for media and our information ecosystem, we are excited that the Shorenstein Center can provide the support and infrastructure to drive renewed and creative thinking about complex issues in the documentary film space,” says Gibbs.
Archambault...
- 9/5/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Sundance Institute’s Documentary Fund will be supporting 23 selected independent documentary film projects this year through grants totaling over $1 million. This initiative has previously funded notable films including Oscar-nominated features “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” “Minding the Gap” and “The Edge of Democracy.”
In addition to shrinking budgets for commissioned docuseries and one-offs, there has been a dramatic decline in distribution deals for indie docs, making the Sundance Institute grant vital to the nonfiction community. Especially to those filmmakers in the docu space working on social issue documentaries.
This year, the documentaries awarded grants explore a large breadth subject matters from around the world, telling stories about Indigenous People and Native Americans, transgender youth, secrets of a family’s lineage, people with disabilities and an untitled feature about Uvalde, Texas. Of the 23 films, six are in development, 14 are in production and three are in post-production.
“The stories and themes explored...
In addition to shrinking budgets for commissioned docuseries and one-offs, there has been a dramatic decline in distribution deals for indie docs, making the Sundance Institute grant vital to the nonfiction community. Especially to those filmmakers in the docu space working on social issue documentaries.
This year, the documentaries awarded grants explore a large breadth subject matters from around the world, telling stories about Indigenous People and Native Americans, transgender youth, secrets of a family’s lineage, people with disabilities and an untitled feature about Uvalde, Texas. Of the 23 films, six are in development, 14 are in production and three are in post-production.
“The stories and themes explored...
- 8/21/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has named the 2023 grantees of its Documentary Fund, supporting the work of nonfiction filmmakers from around the globe, with 23 projects being selected for unrestricted grant funding totaling just over $1M.
Six of the selected projects are in development, with 14 in production and three currently in post. Notable filmmakers recognized as part of the group include Oscar and Emmy nominee Lourdes Portillo (with Looking at Ourselves), artist and filmmaker Amy Jenkins (with Adam’s Apple), and Anayansi Prado (with Untitled Uvalde Documentary). Also represented are such sophomore filmmakers coming off strong debuts as Reid Davenport (I Didn’t See You There) with Life After, Sky Hopinka with Powwow People, and Tali Yankelevich (My Darling Supermarket) with Girl-Tubers.
Sundance Institute’s Documentary Fund prioritizes supporting and empowering historically marginalized voices and providing a platform for integral stories to be amplified. Many of the...
Six of the selected projects are in development, with 14 in production and three currently in post. Notable filmmakers recognized as part of the group include Oscar and Emmy nominee Lourdes Portillo (with Looking at Ourselves), artist and filmmaker Amy Jenkins (with Adam’s Apple), and Anayansi Prado (with Untitled Uvalde Documentary). Also represented are such sophomore filmmakers coming off strong debuts as Reid Davenport (I Didn’t See You There) with Life After, Sky Hopinka with Powwow People, and Tali Yankelevich (My Darling Supermarket) with Girl-Tubers.
Sundance Institute’s Documentary Fund prioritizes supporting and empowering historically marginalized voices and providing a platform for integral stories to be amplified. Many of the...
- 8/21/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2023 Sundance Institute Documentary Fund has officially unveiled its grantees. The non-profit announced the 2023 recipients of over $1 million in unrestricted grant support for 23 projects from non-fiction filmmakers across the world. Six winning projects are in development, 14 in production, and three in post-production.
Per the announcement, the Documentary Fund prioritizes supporting and empowering historically marginalized voices and providing a platform for integral stories to be amplified. It is committed to elevating global voices and celebrating the rich diversity of filmmaking traditions around the world. Many of the international projects supported with this round of funding reflect a priority of supporting artists living and working in regions that lack a robust infrastructure of support for independent film, regions of conflict, and countries where freedom of expression is under threat.
Grants are made possible by the Open Society Foundations, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Gucci, and the Kendeda Fund.
Oscar-...
Per the announcement, the Documentary Fund prioritizes supporting and empowering historically marginalized voices and providing a platform for integral stories to be amplified. It is committed to elevating global voices and celebrating the rich diversity of filmmaking traditions around the world. Many of the international projects supported with this round of funding reflect a priority of supporting artists living and working in regions that lack a robust infrastructure of support for independent film, regions of conflict, and countries where freedom of expression is under threat.
Grants are made possible by the Open Society Foundations, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Gucci, and the Kendeda Fund.
Oscar-...
- 8/21/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Pop/Edm singer Lachi has probably put as much work into being an artist as she has into being an advocate for the disabled community. She has sung at the Lincoln Center and the White House, spoken at the United Nations and become a member of the Grammy Board, where she has helped make the awards ceremony more accessible for artists with disabilities. The artist has also brought in members with disabilities to the Recording Academy, including Namel Norris, Gaelynn Lea, Siedah Garrett and Ryan Nelson. Lachi has accomplished all this in addition to her work establishing the Ford Foundation-funded global network Rampd, or Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities, which has collaborated with such entertainment giants as Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The singer, who is legally blind, has penned a new song to honor the late Judy Heumann, special advisor for international disability rights under the Barack Obama administration,...
- 7/29/2023
- by Xennia Hamilton
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
HBO unveiled a trailer for “Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York,” which will premiere on HBO and stream on Max Sunday, July 9.
The four-part investigative crime docuseries, which is based on Elon Green’s award-winning investigative book “Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York,” centers on a serial killer who preyed upon gay men in New York City in the early 1990s, infiltrating queer nightlife to find his victims.
Also Read:
Warner Bros. Discovery in Talks to License HBO Content to Netflix
The show dives into the prejudices and attitudes of the times and the efforts by activists, including the NYC Anti-Violence Project, to force law enforcement to recognize and protect the queer community.
“Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” is executive produced by two-time Academy Award nominee Howard Gertler (HBO’s “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed...
The four-part investigative crime docuseries, which is based on Elon Green’s award-winning investigative book “Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York,” centers on a serial killer who preyed upon gay men in New York City in the early 1990s, infiltrating queer nightlife to find his victims.
Also Read:
Warner Bros. Discovery in Talks to License HBO Content to Netflix
The show dives into the prejudices and attitudes of the times and the efforts by activists, including the NYC Anti-Violence Project, to force law enforcement to recognize and protect the queer community.
“Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” is executive produced by two-time Academy Award nominee Howard Gertler (HBO’s “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed...
- 6/28/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
The systemic erasure of queer killings is investigated in the HBO docuseries “Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York.”
Directed by Anthony Caronna, the four-part series unpacks the homophobic lack of police effort to find Richard Rogers, a serial killer targeting gay men in the early 1990s New York City nightlife scene. The documentary is based on Elon Green’s book “Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York.”
Per the official synopsis, in the early 1990s, with homophobia and hate crimes on the rise as the AIDS crisis worsened, a serial killer preyed upon gay men in New York City, infiltrating queer nightlife to find his victims. “Last Call” dives deeply into the prejudices and attitudes of the times, when deep-rooted biases in the criminal justice system and the media’s distorted public perception of the victims undermined the investigation...
Directed by Anthony Caronna, the four-part series unpacks the homophobic lack of police effort to find Richard Rogers, a serial killer targeting gay men in the early 1990s New York City nightlife scene. The documentary is based on Elon Green’s book “Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York.”
Per the official synopsis, in the early 1990s, with homophobia and hate crimes on the rise as the AIDS crisis worsened, a serial killer preyed upon gay men in New York City, infiltrating queer nightlife to find his victims. “Last Call” dives deeply into the prejudices and attitudes of the times, when deep-rooted biases in the criminal justice system and the media’s distorted public perception of the victims undermined the investigation...
- 6/28/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has launched an Academy Originals podcast, “The Art of Documentary.”
The new podcast is hosted by Oscar-nominee and “Crip Camp” documentarian Jim LeBrecht. The six-episode season will include LeBrecht sitting down with documentary filmmakers, as they reveal to the host and the audience their filmmaking processes.
“The Art of Documentary,” will chronicle “how a filmmaker approaches their subject and how they engage with it,” according to the press release. The podcast will highlight how the various documentarians work to find new filmmaking approaches, all in an effort to tell their stories in innovative ways. LeBrecht and guests will discuss how they achieve special access and how far they’ll go to get their story — even if that means taking dangerous risks.
The first episode features an interview with “Anonymous Club” documentarian Danny Cohen. The remaining five episodes will include interviews with filmmakers including Bing Liu,...
The new podcast is hosted by Oscar-nominee and “Crip Camp” documentarian Jim LeBrecht. The six-episode season will include LeBrecht sitting down with documentary filmmakers, as they reveal to the host and the audience their filmmaking processes.
“The Art of Documentary,” will chronicle “how a filmmaker approaches their subject and how they engage with it,” according to the press release. The podcast will highlight how the various documentarians work to find new filmmaking approaches, all in an effort to tell their stories in innovative ways. LeBrecht and guests will discuss how they achieve special access and how far they’ll go to get their story — even if that means taking dangerous risks.
The first episode features an interview with “Anonymous Club” documentarian Danny Cohen. The remaining five episodes will include interviews with filmmakers including Bing Liu,...
- 5/17/2023
- by Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar nominated director Nicole Newnham (“Crip Camp”) was at Hot Docs with her latest film “The Disappearance of Shere Hite,” a portrait of a feminist pioneer. The helmer was also in Toronto to participate in a Hot Docs Industry storytelling masterclass. During the hour-long talk Newnham revealed how she tackles three of the trickiest aspects of documentary filmmaking.
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite”
How to make a subject feel comfortable:
“Geeky curiosity is my authentic M.O. and that also is disarming to people. It puts them at ease. If you genuinely are fascinated by (a subject) and you aren’t after a soundbite, but just exploring, people realize that about you. I will say that in terms of embarking on complicated, long, multi-year documentaries with people, that’s a little different. In that case, I will usually try to get to know the person pretty well before filming or interviewing starts.
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite”
How to make a subject feel comfortable:
“Geeky curiosity is my authentic M.O. and that also is disarming to people. It puts them at ease. If you genuinely are fascinated by (a subject) and you aren’t after a soundbite, but just exploring, people realize that about you. I will say that in terms of embarking on complicated, long, multi-year documentaries with people, that’s a little different. In that case, I will usually try to get to know the person pretty well before filming or interviewing starts.
- 5/7/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
To celebrate its century-long run as one of Hollywood's biggest movie studios, Warner Bros. is releasing 20-minute-long remakes of six of its most classic films. The company, which is now called Warner Bros. Discovery after a merger with Discovery, Inc., plans on developing the short film series through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team and stated that the series will reimagine these stories through "representative casting, storytelling, and narrative."
The six films on the slate are the recently remade "A Star is Born," the swashbuckling "The Adventures of Robin Hood," the Western "Calamity Jane," the Abbott and Costello comedy "Jack and the Beanstalk," the much-adapted "The Prince and the Pauper," and the James Dean drama "Rebel Without a Cause." Production is slated to begin this summer, with Ali Afshar ("American Wrestler: The Wizard" and a whole slew of Christmas-related material) serving as consulting producer. "We can't think of a better...
The six films on the slate are the recently remade "A Star is Born," the swashbuckling "The Adventures of Robin Hood," the Western "Calamity Jane," the Abbott and Costello comedy "Jack and the Beanstalk," the much-adapted "The Prince and the Pauper," and the James Dean drama "Rebel Without a Cause." Production is slated to begin this summer, with Ali Afshar ("American Wrestler: The Wizard" and a whole slew of Christmas-related material) serving as consulting producer. "We can't think of a better...
- 4/19/2023
- by Andrew Housman
- Slash Film
Netflix shocked the industry last week with the news that two respected film executives, Lisa Nishimura and Ian Bricke, were leaving the company in an apparent nod toward austerity. But the move left many questioning just what Netflix’s strategy is for its cinematic future, and whether it will lead to a power struggle between co-ceo Ted Sarandos, who is adamant that Netflix is a streaming-first company, and film chairman Scott Stuber, who has stated that he would like Netflix to become a true cinematic force to be reckoned with, an aspiration that may require a far more substantial theatrical investment.
“There are concerns being whispered around the industry that this move from Netflix could be signaling an end to the high-quality content we’ve seen them get behind in recent years, and — potentially — a return to the more formulaic ‘sure thing’ kind of content that is lower cost but more certain financially,...
“There are concerns being whispered around the industry that this move from Netflix could be signaling an end to the high-quality content we’ve seen them get behind in recent years, and — potentially — a return to the more formulaic ‘sure thing’ kind of content that is lower cost but more certain financially,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Netflix executive Lisa Nishimura backed some of the streamer’s biggest successes – Tiger King, The Tinder Swindler, The Power of the Dog, Making a Murderer, and American Factory – but in an era of corporate cost-cutting, it wasn’t enough to save her job.
Related Story Netflix Vets Lisa Nishimura & Ian Bricke Depart In Film Group Reorg Related Story Omar Epps Boards Netflix's Limited Series 'The Perfect Couple' Related Story IFC Center's John Vanco Joins Netflix To Oversee Programming For Streamer's Theaters
Her imminent departure as VP of independent film and documentary features, after a 16-year stint at Netflix, has come as a particular shock to the nonfiction film community, which saw her build Netflix into a dominant force in documentary and become, in the process, one of Netflix’s most visible execs.
(L-r) Lisa Nishimura, Taylor Swift and Ted Sarandos attend the Netflix 2019 Golden Globes After Party
“Lisa...
Related Story Netflix Vets Lisa Nishimura & Ian Bricke Depart In Film Group Reorg Related Story Omar Epps Boards Netflix's Limited Series 'The Perfect Couple' Related Story IFC Center's John Vanco Joins Netflix To Oversee Programming For Streamer's Theaters
Her imminent departure as VP of independent film and documentary features, after a 16-year stint at Netflix, has come as a particular shock to the nonfiction film community, which saw her build Netflix into a dominant force in documentary and become, in the process, one of Netflix’s most visible execs.
(L-r) Lisa Nishimura, Taylor Swift and Ted Sarandos attend the Netflix 2019 Golden Globes After Party
“Lisa...
- 3/31/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In a surprising move, Netflix has parted ways with two longtime film executives, with Lisa Nishimura and Ian Bricke departing the streaming service.
Nishimura, who served as vp independent film and documentary features, handled an array of projects budgeted at $40 million or below, including the Oscar-nominated doc Crip Camp and the western Power of the Dog, which earned Jane Campion a best director Oscar.
The move comes amid a restructuring, with projects under Scott Stuber’s film division now folding all live-action films under Kira Goldberg, Ori Marmur and Niija Kuykendall. Dan Silver oversees documentary, which previously was partially overseen by Nishimura.
“Lisa Nishimura joined Netflix in the DVD days, and as the company moved into streaming, she built our original documentary and stand-up comedy divisions from the ground up, and established Netflix as a powerhouse in both spaces,” said Stuber in a statement. “Her documentary work includes American Factory,...
Nishimura, who served as vp independent film and documentary features, handled an array of projects budgeted at $40 million or below, including the Oscar-nominated doc Crip Camp and the western Power of the Dog, which earned Jane Campion a best director Oscar.
The move comes amid a restructuring, with projects under Scott Stuber’s film division now folding all live-action films under Kira Goldberg, Ori Marmur and Niija Kuykendall. Dan Silver oversees documentary, which previously was partially overseen by Nishimura.
“Lisa Nishimura joined Netflix in the DVD days, and as the company moved into streaming, she built our original documentary and stand-up comedy divisions from the ground up, and established Netflix as a powerhouse in both spaces,” said Stuber in a statement. “Her documentary work includes American Factory,...
- 3/31/2023
- by Aaron Couch and Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Davis Guggenheim’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” will open the eighth edition of Chicago’s Doc10 documentary film festival on May 4.
About Fox’s life, career and work as a public advocate for Parkinson’s research, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” debuted at Sundance in January. Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “An Inconvenient Truth” will be at Doc10 to participate in a post-screening conversation.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 4-7, features a selection of 10 of this year’s most acclaimed documentaries and a package of prestigious doc shorts. Dedicated to supporting social-impact documentary films, the fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that raises funds for and produces docus including “Crip Camp” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In addition to “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” Doc10 will screen: Penny Lane’s “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” Nicole Newnham’s “The Disappearance of the Shere Hite,...
About Fox’s life, career and work as a public advocate for Parkinson’s research, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” debuted at Sundance in January. Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “An Inconvenient Truth” will be at Doc10 to participate in a post-screening conversation.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 4-7, features a selection of 10 of this year’s most acclaimed documentaries and a package of prestigious doc shorts. Dedicated to supporting social-impact documentary films, the fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that raises funds for and produces docus including “Crip Camp” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In addition to “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” Doc10 will screen: Penny Lane’s “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” Nicole Newnham’s “The Disappearance of the Shere Hite,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Judy Heumann, a renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75.
News of her death Saturday in Washington, D.C., was posted on her website and social media accounts and confirmed by the American Association of People with Disabilities.
Heumann’s exact cause of death wasn’t immediately known. She had been in the hospital about a week but had expected to go home, said Maria Town, the association’s president and CEO.
“Beyond all of the policy-making and legal battles that she helped win and fight, she really helped make it possible for disability to not be a bad thing, to make it Ok to be disabled in the world and not be regarded as a person who needs to be in a separate, special place,” Town said.
Heumann, who began using a wheelchair after contracting polio at the age 2, has...
News of her death Saturday in Washington, D.C., was posted on her website and social media accounts and confirmed by the American Association of People with Disabilities.
Heumann’s exact cause of death wasn’t immediately known. She had been in the hospital about a week but had expected to go home, said Maria Town, the association’s president and CEO.
“Beyond all of the policy-making and legal battles that she helped win and fight, she really helped make it possible for disability to not be a bad thing, to make it Ok to be disabled in the world and not be regarded as a person who needs to be in a separate, special place,” Town said.
Heumann, who began using a wheelchair after contracting polio at the age 2, has...
- 3/5/2023
- by Brian P. D. Hannon and Heather Hollingsworth, Associated Press and THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Judy Heumann, who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people and whose life’s story was being adapted to film, has died at age 75. She died Saturday in Washington, D.C., as confirmed by the American Assn. of People with Disabilities. No cause was given.
Heumann lost her ability to walk at age 2 after contracting polio, but fought for disabled people’s rights throughout her life via protests and legal action.
She lobbied for legislation that eventually led to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. She served as the assistant secretary of the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, beginning in 1993 in the Clinton administration, until 2001.
Her story was being adapted by Apple Original Films, which landed rights to a package based on Heumann’s best-selling memoir, Being Heumann. Siân Heder, whom Apple signed to a...
Heumann lost her ability to walk at age 2 after contracting polio, but fought for disabled people’s rights throughout her life via protests and legal action.
She lobbied for legislation that eventually led to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. She served as the assistant secretary of the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, beginning in 1993 in the Clinton administration, until 2001.
Her story was being adapted by Apple Original Films, which landed rights to a package based on Heumann’s best-selling memoir, Being Heumann. Siân Heder, whom Apple signed to a...
- 3/5/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” seemed like a lock to win Best Documentary. The political exposé on artist Nan Goldin and the fall of a pharmaceutical empire was cleaning up among critics’ groups throughout awards season – including New York, Los Angeles, and Florida – as well as being named one of the top-five docs of the year by the National Board of Review.
But as we head toward the Oscars ceremony on March 12, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” feels more vulnerable than ever despite a comfortable lead in the Gold Derby combined odds. After missing a nomination at the Producers Guild Awards, director Laura Poitras lost to “Fire of Love” filmmaker Sara Dosa at the Directors Guild Awards. Then on Sunday at the BAFTA Awards, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” lost Best Documentary to “Navalny.”
Let’s start with the PGA Awards, which take place this weekend. The...
But as we head toward the Oscars ceremony on March 12, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” feels more vulnerable than ever despite a comfortable lead in the Gold Derby combined odds. After missing a nomination at the Producers Guild Awards, director Laura Poitras lost to “Fire of Love” filmmaker Sara Dosa at the Directors Guild Awards. Then on Sunday at the BAFTA Awards, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” lost Best Documentary to “Navalny.”
Let’s start with the PGA Awards, which take place this weekend. The...
- 2/27/2023
- by Sebastian Ochoa Mendoza
- Gold Derby
Sundance 2023: ‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’ Directed by Nicole Newnham
U.S. Documentary Competition
The Hite Report, a groundbreaking study of female sexuality, remains one of the bestselling books of all time since its publication in 1976. The Hite Report brought the female orgasm out of unspoken shadows into the light of day by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Shere Hite’s findings rocked the American establishment and presaged current conversations about gender and sex.
Drawn from anonymous survey responses, the book challenged restrictive conceptions of sex and opened a dialogue in popular culture around women’s pleasure. Its charismatic author, Shere Hite, a feminist sex researcher and former model, became the public messenger of women’s secret confessions. With each subsequent bestseller, she engaged television titans in unforgettably explicit debates about sexuality while suffering the backlash her controversial findings provoked. But who remembers Shere Hite today? What led to her erasure?
The takeaway of The Hite Report was that female expression of sexuality should not be defined by patriarchal power. This idea deeply offended the male establishment and consequently, the media made as much of their wounded ideas of themselves as of the book itself whose authentic and anonymous findings were treated with intense controversy.
The astonishing beauty of Shere Hite herself lies outside of the cliche perameters of the “scholarly” (i.e., “homely) woman. And so her methodical research was called “unscientific” and was called into question (and answered smartly by her). Her background as a working-class, bisexual, former nude model with photographs appearing in Playboy did not sit well with the offended and offensive men who interviewed her on top TV shows after the book became a runaway success. All of her many identities are displayed in the movie.
Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham transports viewers back to the 70s, a time of great societal transformation around sexuality (See Fairyland, about queer life in San Francisco, also playing here in Sundance,for another take on the 70s and Food and Country about the coming of age of California cuisine in the 70s under the guiding hands of Ruth Reichl and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse). Newnham’s revelatory portrait brings us to reconsider a pioneer who broke the ground for our current conversations about gender, sexuality, and autonomy. Her story also is a timely, cautionary tale of what too often happens to women who dare speak out.
Nicole Newnham is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning documentary director and producer and four-time Sundance alum. She co-directed Crip Camp (2020) with Jim LeBrecht. Crip Camp was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Sundance U.S. Documentary Audience Award. Newnham’s other documentary directing credits include the Emmy-nominated films The Revolutionary Optimists, Sentenced Home, and The Rape of Europa.
U.S. Sales and Distribution: Josh Braun, Submarine Entertainment
There is no international sales agent. Maggie Pisacane at WME is the producers rep along with Josh Braun.
Directed and Produced By: Nicole Newnham (Crip Camp)
Produced By: Molly O’Brien, R.J. Cutler, Elise Pearlstein, Kimberley Ferdinando, Trevor Smith
Co-Produced By: Erica Fink, Eleanor West
Executive Produced By: Elizabeth Fischer, Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim, Andy Berg, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman
116 minutes
Film FestivalsWomenDocumentaryGenderSundance...
U.S. Documentary Competition
The Hite Report, a groundbreaking study of female sexuality, remains one of the bestselling books of all time since its publication in 1976. The Hite Report brought the female orgasm out of unspoken shadows into the light of day by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Shere Hite’s findings rocked the American establishment and presaged current conversations about gender and sex.
Drawn from anonymous survey responses, the book challenged restrictive conceptions of sex and opened a dialogue in popular culture around women’s pleasure. Its charismatic author, Shere Hite, a feminist sex researcher and former model, became the public messenger of women’s secret confessions. With each subsequent bestseller, she engaged television titans in unforgettably explicit debates about sexuality while suffering the backlash her controversial findings provoked. But who remembers Shere Hite today? What led to her erasure?
The takeaway of The Hite Report was that female expression of sexuality should not be defined by patriarchal power. This idea deeply offended the male establishment and consequently, the media made as much of their wounded ideas of themselves as of the book itself whose authentic and anonymous findings were treated with intense controversy.
The astonishing beauty of Shere Hite herself lies outside of the cliche perameters of the “scholarly” (i.e., “homely) woman. And so her methodical research was called “unscientific” and was called into question (and answered smartly by her). Her background as a working-class, bisexual, former nude model with photographs appearing in Playboy did not sit well with the offended and offensive men who interviewed her on top TV shows after the book became a runaway success. All of her many identities are displayed in the movie.
Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham transports viewers back to the 70s, a time of great societal transformation around sexuality (See Fairyland, about queer life in San Francisco, also playing here in Sundance,for another take on the 70s and Food and Country about the coming of age of California cuisine in the 70s under the guiding hands of Ruth Reichl and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse). Newnham’s revelatory portrait brings us to reconsider a pioneer who broke the ground for our current conversations about gender, sexuality, and autonomy. Her story also is a timely, cautionary tale of what too often happens to women who dare speak out.
Nicole Newnham is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning documentary director and producer and four-time Sundance alum. She co-directed Crip Camp (2020) with Jim LeBrecht. Crip Camp was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Sundance U.S. Documentary Audience Award. Newnham’s other documentary directing credits include the Emmy-nominated films The Revolutionary Optimists, Sentenced Home, and The Rape of Europa.
U.S. Sales and Distribution: Josh Braun, Submarine Entertainment
There is no international sales agent. Maggie Pisacane at WME is the producers rep along with Josh Braun.
Directed and Produced By: Nicole Newnham (Crip Camp)
Produced By: Molly O’Brien, R.J. Cutler, Elise Pearlstein, Kimberley Ferdinando, Trevor Smith
Co-Produced By: Erica Fink, Eleanor West
Executive Produced By: Elizabeth Fischer, Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim, Andy Berg, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman
116 minutes
Film FestivalsWomenDocumentaryGenderSundance...
- 2/11/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
The Sundance Film Festival has often been called one of the world’s most important documentary marketplaces, with 39 of the past 65 Best Documentary Feature contenders (60) either beginning or continuing their road to the Oscars in Park City. Examples include “Summer of Soul,” “Flee,” “Writing With Fire,” “Honeyland,” “The Edge of Democracy,” “American Factory,” “Time,” “The Mole Agent,” “Crip Camp,” “Rbg,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “Minding the Gap,” and “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.”
See 2023 Sundance Film Festival concludes: Highlights and studio acquisitions include ‘Past Lives,’ ‘A Little Prayer,’ ‘Flora and Son’
Two of those–Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” and Netflix’s joint venture with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, “American Factory”–won the award. Four of this season’s honorees —“All That Breathes,” “Fire of Love,” “Navalny,” and “A House Made of Splinters”—played the festival in 2022. Climate change, human rights violations, competitive mariachi, and...
See 2023 Sundance Film Festival concludes: Highlights and studio acquisitions include ‘Past Lives,’ ‘A Little Prayer,’ ‘Flora and Son’
Two of those–Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” and Netflix’s joint venture with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, “American Factory”–won the award. Four of this season’s honorees —“All That Breathes,” “Fire of Love,” “Navalny,” and “A House Made of Splinters”—played the festival in 2022. Climate change, human rights violations, competitive mariachi, and...
- 1/31/2023
- by Ronald Meyer and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The Sundance Film Festival has often been called one of the world’s most important documentary marketplaces, with 39 of the past 65 Best Documentary Feature contenders (60) either beginning or continuing their road to the Oscars in Park City, Utah. Examples include “Summer of Soul,” “Flee,” “Writing With Fire,” “Honeyland,” “The Edge of Democracy,” “American Factory,” “Time,” “The Mole Agent,” “Crip Camp,” “Rbg,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “Minding the Gap,” and “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.”
Two of those–Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” and Netflix’s joint venture with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, “American Factory”–won the award. Four of this season’s nominees —“All That Breathes,” “Fire of Love,” “Navalny,” and “A House Made of Splinters”—played the festival in 2022. Climate change, human rights violations, competitive mariachi, and manned flight to Mars are only a few of the subjects addressed by this year’s eclectic non-fiction slate.
Two of those–Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” and Netflix’s joint venture with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, “American Factory”–won the award. Four of this season’s nominees —“All That Breathes,” “Fire of Love,” “Navalny,” and “A House Made of Splinters”—played the festival in 2022. Climate change, human rights violations, competitive mariachi, and manned flight to Mars are only a few of the subjects addressed by this year’s eclectic non-fiction slate.
- 1/31/2023
- by Ronald Meyer and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
On September 11, 2020 the New York Times published an obituary for Shere Hite, the renowned sex researcher and author, noting that her work “helped awaken women to their sexual power and advance the Second Wave of feminism.”
One of the readers of that obituary was filmmaker Nicole Newnham, and it became the spark that set her on a journey to document a woman who sold almost 50 million books worldwide but who faced such a backlash over her research that it drove her into exile. The result of that cinematic quest is the film The Disappearance of Shere Hite, which just premiered in U.S. Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
Director Nicole Newnham and editor Eileen Meyer attend the premiere of ‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’ at Sundance on January 20, 2023 in Park City, Utah.
For Newnham, the Oscar-nominated director of Crip Camp (co-directed with Jim LeBrecht), the new film amounted to a rediscovery of Hite.
One of the readers of that obituary was filmmaker Nicole Newnham, and it became the spark that set her on a journey to document a woman who sold almost 50 million books worldwide but who faced such a backlash over her research that it drove her into exile. The result of that cinematic quest is the film The Disappearance of Shere Hite, which just premiered in U.S. Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
Director Nicole Newnham and editor Eileen Meyer attend the premiere of ‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’ at Sundance on January 20, 2023 in Park City, Utah.
For Newnham, the Oscar-nominated director of Crip Camp (co-directed with Jim LeBrecht), the new film amounted to a rediscovery of Hite.
- 1/27/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
If, partway through Nicole Newnham’s extraordinary new documentary, you find yourself fighting the urge to do a bit of Googling — just to make sure that Shere Hite was a real person and you are not the victim of some wildly elaborate deepfake prank — don’t be alarmed. Be a little ashamed, perhaps, but not alarmed: You are not alone if you simply can’t stop asking yourself, “How on earth did I not know about this woman before?” “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” is an astonishing, beautifully made corrective to the cultural amnesia that has for decades surrounded Hite, the author of “The Hite Report,” a landmark 1976 survey on female sexuality, that is apparently still ranked the 30th best-selling book in history.
Aside from a few blips, like a 2006 “Colbert Report” appearance and the obituaries that ran after Hite’s 2020 death, it’s been a silence so deafening — in...
Aside from a few blips, like a 2006 “Colbert Report” appearance and the obituaries that ran after Hite’s 2020 death, it’s been a silence so deafening — in...
- 1/27/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Barack & Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground media company has signed with CAA for film and television deals.
CAA will not represent either of the Obamas as individuals, nor in any of their other endeavors. The move signals further growth for their company, whose projects in production include Rustin, directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo; the Will Forte-starrer Bodkin; and Leave the World Behind, written and directed by Mr. Robot‘s Sam Esmail and starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold.
In the can is Descendant, which launches on Netflix on October 21, and Waffles + Mochi’s Restaurant, which launches on Netflix on October 17.
The company got started with the Oscar-winning American Factory, Oscar-nominated Crip Camp, the Emmy-winning Our Great National Parks as well as Fatherhood, Becoming, Worth, We the People and the hit kids and family shows Waffles + Mochi and Ada Twist, Scientist.
CAA will not represent either of the Obamas as individuals, nor in any of their other endeavors. The move signals further growth for their company, whose projects in production include Rustin, directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo; the Will Forte-starrer Bodkin; and Leave the World Behind, written and directed by Mr. Robot‘s Sam Esmail and starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold.
In the can is Descendant, which launches on Netflix on October 21, and Waffles + Mochi’s Restaurant, which launches on Netflix on October 17.
The company got started with the Oscar-winning American Factory, Oscar-nominated Crip Camp, the Emmy-winning Our Great National Parks as well as Fatherhood, Becoming, Worth, We the People and the hit kids and family shows Waffles + Mochi and Ada Twist, Scientist.
- 9/21/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras sharply criticized the Toronto and Venice film festivals Tuesday for programming documentaries connected with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, suggesting the decision bordered on a “whitewashing” of history.
Her remarks came at the Toronto Film Festival’s Doc Conference, a day after Poitras’s new documentary, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, made its North American premiere in Toronto. The film about artist Nan Goldin and her crusade against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, won the Golden Lion at Venice.
Poitras attended Venice, as did Clinton, the latter in support of her Apple TV+ docuseries Gutsy. Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton then headed to TIFF, where they unveiled In Her Hands, a documentary executive produced by the Clintons that focuses on one of Afghanistan’s few female mayors.
“It’s alarming to see some of the most powerful people in the world,...
Her remarks came at the Toronto Film Festival’s Doc Conference, a day after Poitras’s new documentary, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, made its North American premiere in Toronto. The film about artist Nan Goldin and her crusade against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, won the Golden Lion at Venice.
Poitras attended Venice, as did Clinton, the latter in support of her Apple TV+ docuseries Gutsy. Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton then headed to TIFF, where they unveiled In Her Hands, a documentary executive produced by the Clintons that focuses on one of Afghanistan’s few female mayors.
“It’s alarming to see some of the most powerful people in the world,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In the last few years, possibly aided by the rise of reality television, it’s not weird to see those best known for their work on Capitol Hill cross platforms to become involved in the motion picture or television industry.
Of course, plenty have traded DC for CNN. And former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama took it a step further when they created Higher Ground Productions, which has produced documentaries like “Crip Camp” and Netflix comedies like “Fatherhood.” But getting into the content game in front of the cameras involves the creation of a persona that strikes a balance between the political and personal. People may be divided on politics, but everyone can come together for a heartwarming film or television show (theoretically). That’s the hope, at least, behind Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s “Gutsy.”
The Apple TV+ project, an offshoot of the Clintons’ book series of the same name,...
Of course, plenty have traded DC for CNN. And former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama took it a step further when they created Higher Ground Productions, which has produced documentaries like “Crip Camp” and Netflix comedies like “Fatherhood.” But getting into the content game in front of the cameras involves the creation of a persona that strikes a balance between the political and personal. People may be divided on politics, but everyone can come together for a heartwarming film or television show (theoretically). That’s the hope, at least, behind Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s “Gutsy.”
The Apple TV+ project, an offshoot of the Clintons’ book series of the same name,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
A bill to extend California’s film and TV tax incentive program through 2030 has been placed on hold, as lawmakers continue to work on elements of the bill, including a new diversity mandate.
The state’s 330 million tax credit for Hollywood is currently set to expire in 2025. Sen. Anthony Portantino has worked on a bill, Sb 485, that would add another five years to the program.
Last week, a new provision was added requiring that productions that receive a tax credit adopt hiring goals that are “broadly reflective” of the state’s demographics. Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, led the effort to include that provision, which also adds an extra 4 subsidy for projects that meet their diversity targets.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his support for the tax credit extension earlier this month, and the bill was expected to be approved by the Legislature before the end of the session on Aug.
The state’s 330 million tax credit for Hollywood is currently set to expire in 2025. Sen. Anthony Portantino has worked on a bill, Sb 485, that would add another five years to the program.
Last week, a new provision was added requiring that productions that receive a tax credit adopt hiring goals that are “broadly reflective” of the state’s demographics. Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, led the effort to include that provision, which also adds an extra 4 subsidy for projects that meet their diversity targets.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his support for the tax credit extension earlier this month, and the bill was expected to be approved by the Legislature before the end of the session on Aug.
- 8/25/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
A version of this story about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Barack Obama first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Drama issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar knows all about tough competition, but the basketball legend may be facing a fiercer foe than even Wilt Chamberlain or Julius Erving in this year’s Emmy race. And for that, he can thank the Outstanding Narrator category, which in its nine-year history has found an array of formidable voices going head-to-head: Sterling K. Brown over Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep over Laurence Fishburne and Ewan McGregor, Jeremy Irons over Daniel Craig and Whoopi Goldberg, David Attenborough over Chiwetel Ejiofor one year and over Morgan Freeman and Carl Reiner the next …
This year, Abdul-Jabbar is nominated for the second time for the History series “Black Patriots,” the first coming two years ago when he lost to Attenborough. His nomination this year comes during...
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar knows all about tough competition, but the basketball legend may be facing a fiercer foe than even Wilt Chamberlain or Julius Erving in this year’s Emmy race. And for that, he can thank the Outstanding Narrator category, which in its nine-year history has found an array of formidable voices going head-to-head: Sterling K. Brown over Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep over Laurence Fishburne and Ewan McGregor, Jeremy Irons over Daniel Craig and Whoopi Goldberg, David Attenborough over Chiwetel Ejiofor one year and over Morgan Freeman and Carl Reiner the next …
This year, Abdul-Jabbar is nominated for the second time for the History series “Black Patriots,” the first coming two years ago when he lost to Attenborough. His nomination this year comes during...
- 8/17/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The annual Southern California Journalism Awards released their nominations today, and IndieWire was nominated for five awards honoring the site’s film and TV criticism, commentary, and overall news content.
The awards seek to “support, promote, and defend quality journalism in Southern California” and are presented by the Los Angeles Press Club each year. The tradition has continued for 59 years, and while the media landscape has changed significantly during that time, the organization “continues to call attention to LA’s fine journalists while promoting excellence in new and emerging media.”
IndieWire’s staff was honored with a nomination in the Website, Traditional News Organization category, with four writers were nominated for individual accolades.
IndieWire’s Chief Film Critic David Ehrlich was nominated for Best Criticism of Film, an award that encompasses all of his film reviews from 2021. Associate Editor Jude Dry also scored a nomination for Best Personality Profile, Film...
The awards seek to “support, promote, and defend quality journalism in Southern California” and are presented by the Los Angeles Press Club each year. The tradition has continued for 59 years, and while the media landscape has changed significantly during that time, the organization “continues to call attention to LA’s fine journalists while promoting excellence in new and emerging media.”
IndieWire’s staff was honored with a nomination in the Website, Traditional News Organization category, with four writers were nominated for individual accolades.
IndieWire’s Chief Film Critic David Ehrlich was nominated for Best Criticism of Film, an award that encompasses all of his film reviews from 2021. Associate Editor Jude Dry also scored a nomination for Best Personality Profile, Film...
- 5/23/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The race for this year’s Emmy for Best Narrator just got its highest-profile potential nominee. Former President Barack Obama could very well win this category for his voice-over work in Netflix’s five-part docuseries “Our Great National Parks,” which premiered on April 13.
Obama’s narration helps the series explore the ecosystems that exist in the national parks of the United States, as well as in reserves all over the world. The show also looks at the role that humans play in threatening those ecosystems while also showing our ability to create these monuments to preservation.
SEEEmmy spotlight: Give ‘Better Things’ and creator/star Pamela Adlon their flowers now
The series was produced by Higher Ground Productions, which was founded in 2018 by Barack and Michelle Obama. While the company, which has an exclusive deal with Netflix, has only been around for four years, it has already proved to be a major player in awards races.
Obama’s narration helps the series explore the ecosystems that exist in the national parks of the United States, as well as in reserves all over the world. The show also looks at the role that humans play in threatening those ecosystems while also showing our ability to create these monuments to preservation.
SEEEmmy spotlight: Give ‘Better Things’ and creator/star Pamela Adlon their flowers now
The series was produced by Higher Ground Productions, which was founded in 2018 by Barack and Michelle Obama. While the company, which has an exclusive deal with Netflix, has only been around for four years, it has already proved to be a major player in awards races.
- 4/18/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, has joined Netflix’s “Leave the World Behind,” the film adaptation to the novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, the company announced on Thursday.
Sam Esmail, the creator of “Mr. Robot,” will both write the adaptation and direct.
The film stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold.
The logline for the film is as follows: A family vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.
Producing are Sam Esmail and Chad Hamilton via their Esmail Corp, along with Julia Roberts, Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill producing through Red Om Films banner. Executive producers are Higher Ground’s Tonia Davis,...
Sam Esmail, the creator of “Mr. Robot,” will both write the adaptation and direct.
The film stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold.
The logline for the film is as follows: A family vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.
Producing are Sam Esmail and Chad Hamilton via their Esmail Corp, along with Julia Roberts, Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill producing through Red Om Films banner. Executive producers are Higher Ground’s Tonia Davis,...
- 4/14/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground has come aboard Sam Esmail’s upcoming film Leave the World Behind for Netflix.
The film starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold adapts Rumaan Alam’s acclaimed third novel about a family vacation on Long Island that is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.
Upon its publication in October 2020, Leave the World Behind was listed as one of Barack Obama’s Summer Favorites, also being named a Read with Jenna Today Show Pick; a finalist for the 2020 National Book Awards; and Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, NPR, Time, Esquire and Elle, among other outlets. Esmail handled the screenplay adaptation...
The film starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold adapts Rumaan Alam’s acclaimed third novel about a family vacation on Long Island that is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.
Upon its publication in October 2020, Leave the World Behind was listed as one of Barack Obama’s Summer Favorites, also being named a Read with Jenna Today Show Pick; a finalist for the 2020 National Book Awards; and Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, NPR, Time, Esquire and Elle, among other outlets. Esmail handled the screenplay adaptation...
- 4/14/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
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