The Suskind family of Life, Animated Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Last year's Doc NYC had ten films in its Short List program make the Oscar Best Documentary shortlist, including Oscar winner Amy, Asif Kapadia's Amy Winehouse doc, and nominees Matthew Heineman's Cartel Land; Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look Of Silence; Nina Simone in Liz Garbus's What Happened, Miss Simone? and Evgeny Afineevsky's Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom.
Liz Garbus, Morgan Neville and Asif Kapadia Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's Best Of Enemies; Alex Gibney's Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief; Davis Guggenheim's He Named Me Malala; Kirby Dick's The Hunting Ground, and Michael Moore's Where To Invade Next round out the list.
Barbara Kopple's Miss Sharon Jones!; Gianfranco Rosi's Fire At Sea (Fuocoammare); Life, Animated by Roger Ross Williams from the Short List,...
Last year's Doc NYC had ten films in its Short List program make the Oscar Best Documentary shortlist, including Oscar winner Amy, Asif Kapadia's Amy Winehouse doc, and nominees Matthew Heineman's Cartel Land; Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look Of Silence; Nina Simone in Liz Garbus's What Happened, Miss Simone? and Evgeny Afineevsky's Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom.
Liz Garbus, Morgan Neville and Asif Kapadia Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's Best Of Enemies; Alex Gibney's Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief; Davis Guggenheim's He Named Me Malala; Kirby Dick's The Hunting Ground, and Michael Moore's Where To Invade Next round out the list.
Barbara Kopple's Miss Sharon Jones!; Gianfranco Rosi's Fire At Sea (Fuocoammare); Life, Animated by Roger Ross Williams from the Short List,...
- 10/27/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Paul Davidson, Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Cristina Pato, Dianne Weyermann, Dennis Kooker and Yo-Yo Ma Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Morgan Neville's 20 Feet From Stardom star Darlene Love, Richard Gere and Barbara Kopple hosted an invited Cinema 1 screening of The Music Of Strangers, followed by a performance from the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma at Lotos Club. The director of Keith Richards: Under the Influence and together with Robert Gordon, the Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr Best Of Enemies documentary, gave me some insight on what Keith and Yo-Yo have in common. Yo-Yo shares a moment he loves with Cristina Pato in The Music Of Strangers and confirms his fondness of Ts Eliot.
Morgan Neville with Yo-Yo Ma: 'Yo-Yo is just trying to change the world' Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze Gaby Hoffmann, Alan Alda, Gay Talese, Heidi Ewing, producer Caitrin Rogers, Silkroad's Laura Freid, along with musicians Kojiro Umezaki,...
Morgan Neville's 20 Feet From Stardom star Darlene Love, Richard Gere and Barbara Kopple hosted an invited Cinema 1 screening of The Music Of Strangers, followed by a performance from the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma at Lotos Club. The director of Keith Richards: Under the Influence and together with Robert Gordon, the Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr Best Of Enemies documentary, gave me some insight on what Keith and Yo-Yo have in common. Yo-Yo shares a moment he loves with Cristina Pato in The Music Of Strangers and confirms his fondness of Ts Eliot.
Morgan Neville with Yo-Yo Ma: 'Yo-Yo is just trying to change the world' Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze Gaby Hoffmann, Alan Alda, Gay Talese, Heidi Ewing, producer Caitrin Rogers, Silkroad's Laura Freid, along with musicians Kojiro Umezaki,...
- 6/8/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Veltri replaces Christina Rogers at the Us sales company.
Scott Veltri has been promoted to head of worldwide sales forcand replaces Christina Rogers, who is departing to pursue other opportunities.
Veltri previously served as vice-president of international sales and worked closely with Rogers over the last three years to increase the profile of the division.
He sold titles such as Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Steve James’ documentary Life Itself, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, Albert Maysles’ Iris, and Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s Best Of Enemies.
“Scott has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the international sales team, and we’re very pleased for him to take on this new responsibility,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles.
The Magnolia sales slate features Sundance horror The Eyes Of My Mother, and a slew of Park City documentaries that includes Werner Herzog’s Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World, Tickled and [link...
Scott Veltri has been promoted to head of worldwide sales forcand replaces Christina Rogers, who is departing to pursue other opportunities.
Veltri previously served as vice-president of international sales and worked closely with Rogers over the last three years to increase the profile of the division.
He sold titles such as Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Steve James’ documentary Life Itself, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, Albert Maysles’ Iris, and Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s Best Of Enemies.
“Scott has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the international sales team, and we’re very pleased for him to take on this new responsibility,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles.
The Magnolia sales slate features Sundance horror The Eyes Of My Mother, and a slew of Park City documentaries that includes Werner Herzog’s Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World, Tickled and [link...
- 5/12/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
This is definitely the time of year when film critic types (I’m sure you know who I mean) spend an inordinate amount of time leading up to awards season—and it all leads up to awards season, don’t it?—compiling lists and trying to convince anyone who will listen that it was a shitty year at the movies for anyone who liked something other than what they saw and liked. And ‘tis the season, or at least ‘thas (?) been in the recent past, for that most beloved of academic parlor games, bemoaning the death of cinema, which, if the sackcloth-and-ashes-clad among us are to be believed, is an increasingly detached and irrelevant art form in the process of being smothered under the wet, steaming blanket of American blockbuster-it is. And it’s going all malnourished from the siphoning off of all the talent back to TV, which, as everyone knows,...
- 1/9/2016
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced the nominees for their 2015 Eda Awards recognizing the amazing work done by and about women -- both in front and behind the camera. According to their site, "the EDAs are named in honor of Awfj founder Jennifer Merin.s mother, Eda Reiss Merin, a stage, film and television actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. A dedicated foot soldier in the industry, Eda was one of the founders of AFTRA and a long-standing Member of AMPAS."
Todd Haynes' "Carol" led the pack with nine nominations, followed by "Mad Max: Fury Road" with six, "Room" and "Spotlight" with five each, and "The Martian" with four.
I wish I can vote for the Eda Awards because their Special Mention Awards are just too darn fun with categories like "Best Nudity," and "Actress Most In Need of a New Agent!"
Winners of the 2015 Eda...
Todd Haynes' "Carol" led the pack with nine nominations, followed by "Mad Max: Fury Road" with six, "Room" and "Spotlight" with five each, and "The Martian" with four.
I wish I can vote for the Eda Awards because their Special Mention Awards are just too darn fun with categories like "Best Nudity," and "Actress Most In Need of a New Agent!"
Winners of the 2015 Eda...
- 1/5/2016
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The 2015 Ida Documentary Awards took place at the Paramount Theater hosted by comedian Tig Notaro. Notaro was quick to point out this was the first year of the awards being “broadcasted…” on Periscope, and for that reason alone maybe the last.
The Best Feature Award was given to Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Look of Silence,” which made the Oscar shortlist earlier in the week and happens to be the film companion for “The Act of Killing.” “The Look of Silence” has been banned in Indonesia and screenings of the film are only available through NGOs, schools/universities, religious organizations and other limited outlets.
Read More: 12 Things Joshua Oppenheimer Wants You to Know About 'The Look of Silence
The winner for Best Short Award went to the animated short “Last Day of Freedom” directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman. The directors thanked the Ida for giving the award to an animated film.
Read More: Oscar Shortlisted Doc Short 'Last Day of Freedom' is a Gentle Animated Look at Complex Issues
Ida’s Career Achievement Award was presented to Gordon Quinn, Founder and Artistic Director of Kartemquin Films. The award was presented by Chaz Ebert, whose husband Roger Ebert was the subject of Quinn’s film “Life Itself” and by Haskell Wexler, influential cinematographer, producer, and director.
Academy Award® winning director Kathryn Bigelow presented the Courage Under Fire Award to Director Matthew Heineman for his immersive and brave work in the pursuit of truth in “Cartel Land.” Bigelow executive produced Heineman’s “Cartel Land.”
Read More: Matthew Heineman on Going Beyond the Headlines and Body Count in 'Cartel Land'
Ted Sarandos, the Chief Content Officer at Netflix, was awarded with The Pioneer Award, in recognition to the company’s game-changing and support to the production of non-fiction programming. The Pioneer Award is presented by the Ida to acknowledge extraordinary contributions to advancing the nonfiction form and providing exceptional vision and leadership to the documentary community.
Read More: 'Best of Enemies' Co-Director Morgan Neville on Intellectual Divas and the Theatricality of Politics
Actor, director and political activist Danny Glover presented Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation ( www.berthafoundation.org) with the Ida’s Amicus Award in recognition of their work supporting the essential needs of the non-fiction media landscape.
Full List of 2015 Ida Documentary Awards Honorees & Winners:
Career Achievement Award
Gordon Quinn
Pioneer Award
Ted Sarandos
Amicus Award
Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation
Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award sponsored by the Archibald Family Foundation
Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe
Courage Under Fire Award
Matthew Heineman
Best Feature Award
"The Look of Silence"
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen
Drafthouse Films and Participant Media
Best Short Award
"Last Day of Freedom"
Directors: Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
Pare Lorentz Award
"How to Change the World"
Director: Jerry Rothwell
Creative Recognition Award Winners
Best Cinematography
"The Russian Woodpecker"
Cinematography by: Artem Ryzhykov
Best Editing
"Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck"
Edited by: Joe Beshenkovsky and Brett Morgen
Best Writing
"Listen to Me Marlon"
Written by: Stevan Riley
Co-Writer: Peter Ettedgui
Best Music
"Best of Enemies"
Original Score by: Jonathan Kirkscey
ABC News VideoSource Award
"Best of Enemies"
Directors: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville
Magnolia Pictures
Best Curated Series Award
"Independent Lens"
Executive Producers: Sally Jo Fifer and Lois Vossen
Itvs, PBS
Pov
Executive Producers: Simon Kilmurry and Chris White
Pov, PBS
Best Limited Series Award
"The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst"
Executive Producer: Jason Blum
Co-Executive Producer: Zac Stuart-Pontier
Produced by: Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling
HBO
Best Episodic Series Award
"Chef’s Table"
Executive Producers: David Gelb and Andrew Fried
Netflix
Best Short Form Series Award
"Do Not Track"
Executive Producer: Hugues Sweeney
National Film Board of Canada, Upian, Arte, and Br
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
"The Archipelago"
Director: Benjamin Huguet
The National Film and Television School...
The Best Feature Award was given to Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Look of Silence,” which made the Oscar shortlist earlier in the week and happens to be the film companion for “The Act of Killing.” “The Look of Silence” has been banned in Indonesia and screenings of the film are only available through NGOs, schools/universities, religious organizations and other limited outlets.
Read More: 12 Things Joshua Oppenheimer Wants You to Know About 'The Look of Silence
The winner for Best Short Award went to the animated short “Last Day of Freedom” directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman. The directors thanked the Ida for giving the award to an animated film.
Read More: Oscar Shortlisted Doc Short 'Last Day of Freedom' is a Gentle Animated Look at Complex Issues
Ida’s Career Achievement Award was presented to Gordon Quinn, Founder and Artistic Director of Kartemquin Films. The award was presented by Chaz Ebert, whose husband Roger Ebert was the subject of Quinn’s film “Life Itself” and by Haskell Wexler, influential cinematographer, producer, and director.
Academy Award® winning director Kathryn Bigelow presented the Courage Under Fire Award to Director Matthew Heineman for his immersive and brave work in the pursuit of truth in “Cartel Land.” Bigelow executive produced Heineman’s “Cartel Land.”
Read More: Matthew Heineman on Going Beyond the Headlines and Body Count in 'Cartel Land'
Ted Sarandos, the Chief Content Officer at Netflix, was awarded with The Pioneer Award, in recognition to the company’s game-changing and support to the production of non-fiction programming. The Pioneer Award is presented by the Ida to acknowledge extraordinary contributions to advancing the nonfiction form and providing exceptional vision and leadership to the documentary community.
Read More: 'Best of Enemies' Co-Director Morgan Neville on Intellectual Divas and the Theatricality of Politics
Actor, director and political activist Danny Glover presented Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation ( www.berthafoundation.org) with the Ida’s Amicus Award in recognition of their work supporting the essential needs of the non-fiction media landscape.
Full List of 2015 Ida Documentary Awards Honorees & Winners:
Career Achievement Award
Gordon Quinn
Pioneer Award
Ted Sarandos
Amicus Award
Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation
Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award sponsored by the Archibald Family Foundation
Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe
Courage Under Fire Award
Matthew Heineman
Best Feature Award
"The Look of Silence"
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen
Drafthouse Films and Participant Media
Best Short Award
"Last Day of Freedom"
Directors: Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
Pare Lorentz Award
"How to Change the World"
Director: Jerry Rothwell
Creative Recognition Award Winners
Best Cinematography
"The Russian Woodpecker"
Cinematography by: Artem Ryzhykov
Best Editing
"Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck"
Edited by: Joe Beshenkovsky and Brett Morgen
Best Writing
"Listen to Me Marlon"
Written by: Stevan Riley
Co-Writer: Peter Ettedgui
Best Music
"Best of Enemies"
Original Score by: Jonathan Kirkscey
ABC News VideoSource Award
"Best of Enemies"
Directors: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville
Magnolia Pictures
Best Curated Series Award
"Independent Lens"
Executive Producers: Sally Jo Fifer and Lois Vossen
Itvs, PBS
Pov
Executive Producers: Simon Kilmurry and Chris White
Pov, PBS
Best Limited Series Award
"The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst"
Executive Producer: Jason Blum
Co-Executive Producer: Zac Stuart-Pontier
Produced by: Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling
HBO
Best Episodic Series Award
"Chef’s Table"
Executive Producers: David Gelb and Andrew Fried
Netflix
Best Short Form Series Award
"Do Not Track"
Executive Producer: Hugues Sweeney
National Film Board of Canada, Upian, Arte, and Br
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
"The Archipelago"
Director: Benjamin Huguet
The National Film and Television School...
- 1/3/2016
- by Alejandro Torres Rezzio
- Sydney's Buzz
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced the nominees for the 2015 Eda Awards.
Carol leads this year’s nominations with nine, followed by Mad Max: Fury Road with six, Room and Spotlight with five each, and The Martian with four.
The Awfj is an association of professional female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to supporting work by and about women – both in front of and behind the cameras.
The Eda Award winners will be announced on January 12, 2016.
Awfj Best Of Awards
These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration.
Best Film
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Room
Spotlight
Best Director
Lenny Abramson – Room
Todd Haynes – Carol
Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu – The Revenant
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight
George Miller – Mad Max Fury Road
Ridley Scott – The Martian
Best Screenplay, Original
Ex Machina – Alex Garland
Inside Out – Pete Docter,...
Carol leads this year’s nominations with nine, followed by Mad Max: Fury Road with six, Room and Spotlight with five each, and The Martian with four.
The Awfj is an association of professional female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to supporting work by and about women – both in front of and behind the cameras.
The Eda Award winners will be announced on January 12, 2016.
Awfj Best Of Awards
These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration.
Best Film
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Room
Spotlight
Best Director
Lenny Abramson – Room
Todd Haynes – Carol
Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu – The Revenant
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight
George Miller – Mad Max Fury Road
Ridley Scott – The Martian
Best Screenplay, Original
Ex Machina – Alex Garland
Inside Out – Pete Docter,...
- 12/28/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The tragic downfall of artists, behind the scenes of a genocide and the war on drugs, celebrations of music and locales, a look into the political divide from multiple angles, the history of a legendary conversation on filmmaking — these were just a few of the places and stories this year’s documentary offerings brought us. With 2015 wrapping up, we’ve selected 25 features in the field that most impressed us, so check out our list below and let us know your favorites in the comments.
Amy (Asif Kapadia)
Asif Kapadia entered cinematic radars with his BAFTA-winning Senna, a terrific documentary on the life and tragic death of Formula 1 race car driver Ayrton Senna. The subject matter of his follow-up documentary doesn’t seem, at first, to be a million miles away. Amy, which screened out of competition in Cannes, follows the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the late singer Amy Winehouse.
Amy (Asif Kapadia)
Asif Kapadia entered cinematic radars with his BAFTA-winning Senna, a terrific documentary on the life and tragic death of Formula 1 race car driver Ayrton Senna. The subject matter of his follow-up documentary doesn’t seem, at first, to be a million miles away. Amy, which screened out of competition in Cannes, follows the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the late singer Amy Winehouse.
- 12/23/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Find out what made our top 10 films of 2015 - and which films racked up the most mentions from Team Screen.Scroll down for Screen’s overall top 10
Screen’s esteemed critics have had their turn. Now, Screen staff, contributors and correspondents reveal their favourite films of 2015.
Matt Mueller (Editor)
Force Majeure (dir. Ruben Ostlund)Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller)The Look Of Silence (dir. Joshua Oppenheimer)The Revenant (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)Ex Machina (dir. Alex Garland)Amy (dir. Asif Kapadia)Sunset Song (dir. Terence Davies)Tangerine (dir. Sean Baker)The Martian (dir. Ridley Scott)Anomalisa (dirs. Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman)Michael Rosser (Managing editor)
Son Of Saul (dir. Laszlo Nemes)Star Wars: The Force Awakens (dir. Jj Abrams)Ex Machina (dir. Alex Garland)Room (dir. Lenny Abrahamson)The Martian (dir. Ridley Scott)Inside Out (dirs. Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen)Amy (dir. Asif Kapadia)45 Years (dir. Andrew Haigh)Slow West (dir. John Maclean)[link=tt...
Screen’s esteemed critics have had their turn. Now, Screen staff, contributors and correspondents reveal their favourite films of 2015.
Matt Mueller (Editor)
Force Majeure (dir. Ruben Ostlund)Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller)The Look Of Silence (dir. Joshua Oppenheimer)The Revenant (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)Ex Machina (dir. Alex Garland)Amy (dir. Asif Kapadia)Sunset Song (dir. Terence Davies)Tangerine (dir. Sean Baker)The Martian (dir. Ridley Scott)Anomalisa (dirs. Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman)Michael Rosser (Managing editor)
Son Of Saul (dir. Laszlo Nemes)Star Wars: The Force Awakens (dir. Jj Abrams)Ex Machina (dir. Alex Garland)Room (dir. Lenny Abrahamson)The Martian (dir. Ridley Scott)Inside Out (dirs. Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen)Amy (dir. Asif Kapadia)45 Years (dir. Andrew Haigh)Slow West (dir. John Maclean)[link=tt...
- 12/23/2015
- ScreenDaily
Evgeny Afineevsky (Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom), Alex Gibney (Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief), Michael Moore (Where To Invade Next), Kirby Dick (The Hunting Ground) Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
This year's Oscar Best Documentary shortlist was revealed today. Asif Kapadia's affecting portrait of Amy Winehouse, Amy; William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal battling in Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's high-spirited Best Of Enemies; Matthew Heineman's look at grassroots militia in Cartel Land; Davis Guggenheim's He Named Me Malala; Laurie Anderson's Heart Of A Dog; Stevan Riley's look at Marlon Brando in Listen To Me Marlon; Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look Of Silence, executive produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris; Hubert Sauper's We Come As Friends; Nina Simone in Liz Garbus's What Happened, Miss Simone?; Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's Meru: Marc Silver's 3½ Minutes,...
This year's Oscar Best Documentary shortlist was revealed today. Asif Kapadia's affecting portrait of Amy Winehouse, Amy; William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal battling in Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's high-spirited Best Of Enemies; Matthew Heineman's look at grassroots militia in Cartel Land; Davis Guggenheim's He Named Me Malala; Laurie Anderson's Heart Of A Dog; Stevan Riley's look at Marlon Brando in Listen To Me Marlon; Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look Of Silence, executive produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris; Hubert Sauper's We Come As Friends; Nina Simone in Liz Garbus's What Happened, Miss Simone?; Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's Meru: Marc Silver's 3½ Minutes,...
- 12/14/2015
- by Anne-Katrin Titze and Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Film takes different approach to recounting acts of the Indonesian genocide
Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville’s Best of Enemies also won big
The Look of Silence, director Joshua Oppenheimer’s harrowing follow-up to his Oscar-nominated documentary The Act of Killing, won top honors at the International Documentary Association’s 2015 awards on Saturday night.
The Act of Killing, released in 2013, profiled some perpetrators of the Indonesian genocide, by having them re-enact their appalling crimes. The Look of Silence takes a different approach to recounting the events by exploring what it’s like to be a survivor of such a brutal experience.
Continue reading...
Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville’s Best of Enemies also won big
The Look of Silence, director Joshua Oppenheimer’s harrowing follow-up to his Oscar-nominated documentary The Act of Killing, won top honors at the International Documentary Association’s 2015 awards on Saturday night.
The Act of Killing, released in 2013, profiled some perpetrators of the Indonesian genocide, by having them re-enact their appalling crimes. The Look of Silence takes a different approach to recounting the events by exploring what it’s like to be a survivor of such a brutal experience.
Continue reading...
- 12/6/2015
- by Nigel M Smith in Los Angeles
- The Guardian - Film News
By Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
A handful of the 15 films that made the Academy’s best documentary feature Oscar shortlist on Tuesday were among the big winners at Saturday night’s 31st Ida Documentary Awards, which the International Documentary Association presented on the Paramount lot.
Best feature went to The Look of Silence, the second part of Josh Oppenheimer‘s diptych about the Indonesian genocide, two years after his film, The Act of Killing, was nominated for but lost both the Ida’s and Academy’s top doc prizes. Listen to Me Marlon, Stevan Riley‘s chronicle of the life of Marlon Brando that uses the legendary actor’s own words, won best writing. And Best of Enemies, from Oscar winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) and Robert Gordon, won best music and was presented with the ABC News VideoSource Award.
Read the rest of this entry…...
The Hollywood Reporter
A handful of the 15 films that made the Academy’s best documentary feature Oscar shortlist on Tuesday were among the big winners at Saturday night’s 31st Ida Documentary Awards, which the International Documentary Association presented on the Paramount lot.
Best feature went to The Look of Silence, the second part of Josh Oppenheimer‘s diptych about the Indonesian genocide, two years after his film, The Act of Killing, was nominated for but lost both the Ida’s and Academy’s top doc prizes. Listen to Me Marlon, Stevan Riley‘s chronicle of the life of Marlon Brando that uses the legendary actor’s own words, won best writing. And Best of Enemies, from Oscar winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) and Robert Gordon, won best music and was presented with the ABC News VideoSource Award.
Read the rest of this entry…...
- 12/6/2015
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
Joshua Oppenheimer’s companion piece to The Act Of Killing earned the best feature award at the International Documentary Association’s 2015 Ida Documentary Awards on Saturday night.
The Ida’s Career Achievement Award was presented to Gordon Quinn, the Kartemquin Films founder and artistic director, while Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos collected the Pioneer Award.
The prize was presented “in recognition of the company’s game-changing and unwavering support of creating and showcasing nonfiction programming.”
Kathryn Bigelow awarded Matthew Heineman the Ida’s Courage Under Fire Award for Cartel Land.
Full list of winners:
Career Achievement Award
Gordon Quinn
Pioneer Award
Ted Sarandos
Amicus Award
Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation
Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award sponsored by the Archibald Family Foundation
Lyric R Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe
Courage Under Fire Award
Matthew Heineman
Best Feature Award
The Look Of Silence
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen
Best Short Award
Last Day Of Freedom
Directors:...
The Ida’s Career Achievement Award was presented to Gordon Quinn, the Kartemquin Films founder and artistic director, while Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos collected the Pioneer Award.
The prize was presented “in recognition of the company’s game-changing and unwavering support of creating and showcasing nonfiction programming.”
Kathryn Bigelow awarded Matthew Heineman the Ida’s Courage Under Fire Award for Cartel Land.
Full list of winners:
Career Achievement Award
Gordon Quinn
Pioneer Award
Ted Sarandos
Amicus Award
Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation
Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award sponsored by the Archibald Family Foundation
Lyric R Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe
Courage Under Fire Award
Matthew Heineman
Best Feature Award
The Look Of Silence
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen
Best Short Award
Last Day Of Freedom
Directors:...
- 12/6/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The International Documentary Association (Ida) has presented this year's Ida Documentary Awards. Best feature goes to Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence. Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville’s Best of Enemies has won awards, best editing and the ABC News VideoSource Award. Best cinematography goes to Artem Ryzhykov for The Russian Woodpecker, best editing to Joe Beshenkovsky and Brett Morgan for Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, best writing to Stevan Riley and Peter Ettedgui for Listen to Me Marlon. We've got the full list of winners. » - David Hudson...
- 12/6/2015
- Keyframe
The International Documentary Association (Ida) has presented this year's Ida Documentary Awards. Best feature goes to Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence. Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville’s Best of Enemies has won awards, best editing and the ABC News VideoSource Award. Best cinematography goes to Artem Ryzhykov for The Russian Woodpecker, best editing to Joe Beshenkovsky and Brett Morgan for Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, best writing to Stevan Riley and Peter Ettedgui for Listen to Me Marlon. We've got the full list of winners. » - David Hudson...
- 12/6/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
A Very Murray Christmas (Sofia Coppola)
Gear up for Christmas by pouring some eggnog, gathering your family, and watching the latest work from Sofia Coppola, featuring Bill Murray, George Clooney, Paul Shaffer, Amy Poehler, Julie White, Dimitri Dimitrov, Michael Cera, Chris Rock, David Johansen, Maya Rudolph, Jason Schwartzman, Jenny Lewis, Rashida Jones, Miley Cyrus, and more. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Netflix
Best of Enemies (Morgan...
A Very Murray Christmas (Sofia Coppola)
Gear up for Christmas by pouring some eggnog, gathering your family, and watching the latest work from Sofia Coppola, featuring Bill Murray, George Clooney, Paul Shaffer, Amy Poehler, Julie White, Dimitri Dimitrov, Michael Cera, Chris Rock, David Johansen, Maya Rudolph, Jason Schwartzman, Jenny Lewis, Rashida Jones, Miley Cyrus, and more. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Netflix
Best of Enemies (Morgan...
- 12/4/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Todd Haynes is in the running for best director and both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are in contention for best female lead alongside Room’s Brie Larson as Carol earned six 2016 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations in Los Angeles on Tuesday.Scroll down for full list of nominations
Close behind were Spotlight and Beasts Of No Nation on five apiece, followed by indie darling Tangerine and Anomalisa on four each.
Not even a glitch that saw the list of nominees temporarily appear on the Film Independent website prior to the official announcement could spoil what turned out by and large to be a recognition of independent film in its myriad forms.
Besides the more predictable contenders like Carol, Spotlight and Room, there was plenty of love for Tangerine, shot on an iPhone, and Beasts Of No Nation from Netflix, whose day-and-date release (and what that portends) infuriated large swathes of the exhibition sector but has clearly...
Close behind were Spotlight and Beasts Of No Nation on five apiece, followed by indie darling Tangerine and Anomalisa on four each.
Not even a glitch that saw the list of nominees temporarily appear on the Film Independent website prior to the official announcement could spoil what turned out by and large to be a recognition of independent film in its myriad forms.
Besides the more predictable contenders like Carol, Spotlight and Room, there was plenty of love for Tangerine, shot on an iPhone, and Beasts Of No Nation from Netflix, whose day-and-date release (and what that portends) infuriated large swathes of the exhibition sector but has clearly...
- 11/24/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Todd Haynes is in the running for best director and both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are in contention for best female lead alongside Room’s Brie Larson as Carol earned six 2016 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Close behind were Spotlight and Beasts Of No Nation on five apiece, followed by indie darling Tangerine and Anomalisa on four each.
Not even a glitch that saw the list of nominees temporarily appear on the Film Independent website prior to the official announcement could spoil what turned out by and large to be a recognition of independent film in its myriad forms.
Besides the more predictable contenders like Carol, Spotlight and Room, there was plenty of love for Tangerine, shot on an iPhone, and Beasts Of No Nation from Netflix, whose day-and-date release (and what that portends) infuriated large swathes of the exhibition sector but has clearly impressed critics.
Magnolia Pictures earned...
Close behind were Spotlight and Beasts Of No Nation on five apiece, followed by indie darling Tangerine and Anomalisa on four each.
Not even a glitch that saw the list of nominees temporarily appear on the Film Independent website prior to the official announcement could spoil what turned out by and large to be a recognition of independent film in its myriad forms.
Besides the more predictable contenders like Carol, Spotlight and Room, there was plenty of love for Tangerine, shot on an iPhone, and Beasts Of No Nation from Netflix, whose day-and-date release (and what that portends) infuriated large swathes of the exhibition sector but has clearly impressed critics.
Magnolia Pictures earned...
- 11/24/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the La Film Festival and Film Independent at Lacma, announced nominations for the 2016 Spirit Awards this morning. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at W Hollywood, with actors John Boyega and Elizabeth Olsen presenting the nominations.
Nominees for Best Feature included Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Carol, Spotlight and Tangerine.
“This year’s nominees are a testament to the strength, vitality and diversity of independent, artist-driven filmmaking,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “It’s an astonishingly strong group of films and performances this year and we look forward to celebrating them all at the Spirit Awards.”
Spotlight was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman...
Nominees for Best Feature included Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Carol, Spotlight and Tangerine.
“This year’s nominees are a testament to the strength, vitality and diversity of independent, artist-driven filmmaking,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “It’s an astonishingly strong group of films and performances this year and we look forward to celebrating them all at the Spirit Awards.”
Spotlight was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman...
- 11/24/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It is a truth universally acknowledged that, while streaming services make it incredibly easy to see movies and television shows, they also make it impossibly difficult to watch one. There are thousands upon thousands of titles available at your fingertips (and more being added every month), but the sheer number of things to choose from is so paralyzing that every night inevitably ends the same way: with that episode of Friends where Ross' loses his monkey.
Fortunately for you, Rolling Stone is here to help. Every month, we sift through...
Fortunately for you, Rolling Stone is here to help. Every month, we sift through...
- 10/27/2015
- Rollingstone.com
Clockwise from top left: Hitchcock/Truffaut, Women He's Undressed, Best Of Enemies, Where To Invade Next Photo: Courtesy Doc NYC Doc NYC is the place to see on the big screen costume designers Ann Roth, Colleen Atwood, Catherine Martin, Michael Wilkinson and Kym Barrett speak about Orry-Kelly - Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Arnaud Desplechin, Wes Anderson, James Gray, Olivier Assayas, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Richard Linklater, Peter Bogdanovich and Paul Schrader discuss Alfred Hitchcock and François Truffaut - Michael Moore conquering Europe and Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. trying to conquer each other.
Gillian Armstrong's Women He's Undressed, Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's Best of Enemies, Hitchcock/Truffaut directed by Kent Jones and Michael Moore's Where to Invade Next, are four of this year's early bird highlights.
Women He's Undressed
Ann Roth in Gillian Armstrong's documentary about the great, triple Best Costume Design Oscar winner, Orry-Kelly,...
Gillian Armstrong's Women He's Undressed, Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's Best of Enemies, Hitchcock/Truffaut directed by Kent Jones and Michael Moore's Where to Invade Next, are four of this year's early bird highlights.
Women He's Undressed
Ann Roth in Gillian Armstrong's documentary about the great, triple Best Costume Design Oscar winner, Orry-Kelly,...
- 10/26/2015
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Former director of international sales Veltri becomes vice-president while former manager Maylor is named director.
Veltri (pictured at top) joined the Magnolia Pictures fold in 2010 and held positions in marketing and acquisitions before moving into international sales.
He took part in multi-territory sales on Sundance grand jury winner The Wolfpack, Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Best Of Enemies from Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon and Andrew Bujalski’s Results.
Maylor joined in 2013 after completing his Mfa in the Peter Stark producing programme at USC’s school of cinematic arts.
“As foreign distribution models continue to rapidly develop, Scott and Rob have been instrumental in expanding and maximising global reach for our films and I look for forward to their contributions in the continued success of our international business,” said head of worldwide sales Christina Rogers.
Magnolia International will attend Afm with new sci-fi title Synchronicity.
Veltri (pictured at top) joined the Magnolia Pictures fold in 2010 and held positions in marketing and acquisitions before moving into international sales.
He took part in multi-territory sales on Sundance grand jury winner The Wolfpack, Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Best Of Enemies from Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon and Andrew Bujalski’s Results.
Maylor joined in 2013 after completing his Mfa in the Peter Stark producing programme at USC’s school of cinematic arts.
“As foreign distribution models continue to rapidly develop, Scott and Rob have been instrumental in expanding and maximising global reach for our films and I look for forward to their contributions in the continued success of our international business,” said head of worldwide sales Christina Rogers.
Magnolia International will attend Afm with new sci-fi title Synchronicity.
- 10/19/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
By Cate Marquis
Once upon a time, there was a news media covered that politics in a calm, pointedly-neutrally way. Then the televised debate between conservative William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal Gore Vidal happened. Nielsen numbers went through the roof and TV political coverage was never the same. Television news discovered political coverage as blood sport and traded dispassionate reporting for the entertaining fireworks of shouted confrontation and punditry.
In the highly entertaining, engrossing documentary Best Of Enemies, directors Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon make a credible case for the Buckley-Vidal debates, a political face-off between, intellectual giants with opposing views, as a turning point in how the American media covers politics. The film takes us back to 1968 and the TV broadcasts of the Republican and Democratic political conventions, when these two prominent cultural and intellectual figures debated the direction of the nation.
In 1968, before cable and the internet,...
Once upon a time, there was a news media covered that politics in a calm, pointedly-neutrally way. Then the televised debate between conservative William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal Gore Vidal happened. Nielsen numbers went through the roof and TV political coverage was never the same. Television news discovered political coverage as blood sport and traded dispassionate reporting for the entertaining fireworks of shouted confrontation and punditry.
In the highly entertaining, engrossing documentary Best Of Enemies, directors Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon make a credible case for the Buckley-Vidal debates, a political face-off between, intellectual giants with opposing views, as a turning point in how the American media covers politics. The film takes us back to 1968 and the TV broadcasts of the Republican and Democratic political conventions, when these two prominent cultural and intellectual figures debated the direction of the nation.
In 1968, before cable and the internet,...
- 8/20/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
You might see a film about William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal’s ten televised debates during the 1968 presidential conventions as an opportunity to bask in eloquent, pointed repartee. You might also enjoy the spectacle of two of the foremost intellectuals of their time coming very close to physically beating the crap out of each other. You might not expect, however, to find yourself weeping — for the state of the republic and the poisoned media landscape, for the decay of the American social contract. Yet here we are. Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville’s masterful Best of Enemies leaves you with an overwhelming sense of despair. It’s not just a great documentary, it’s a vital one. The setup is simple, and beautiful — so simple and beautiful that I’m shocked nobody’s tried to make this movie until now. In 1968, the struggling ABC network, dead last behind CBS...
- 8/1/2015
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s “Best of Enemies,” which premiered at Sundance in January and opens in Los Angeles on Friday, is a highly entertaining historical document that quietly manages to be both very funny and deeply depressing. It’s funny because its subjects, conservative firebrand William F. Buckley and liberal provocateur Gore Vidal, were wickedly witty intellectuals who hurled vicious barbs at each other during their 10 televised debates in 1968, the subject of the film. And it’s depressing because it’s impossible to watch the two patrician, formidably well-spoken gents go at each other and not bemoan the fact that in.
- 7/31/2015
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Morgan Neville won an Oscar for his 2013 crowd-pleasing documentary "20 Feet From Stardom," about back-up singers who could be stars in their own right. With "Best of Enemies," co-directed by Neville and Robert Gordon, the subject matter is seemingly more rarefied, but just as engaging. The new film chronicles the live television debates between conservative William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal Gore Vidal during the Democratic and Republican national conventions in the summer of 1968. Though a historical documentary about a television debate may sound dull, "Best of Enemies" is anything but as the directors focus on the two "leads'" oversized personalities and their intensely contentious relationship. Read More: How This Director Used 3D Technology to Bring Marlon Brando Back to Life In addition to the magnetic, larger-than-life characters at its center, "Best of Enemies" delves into the introduction of point-counterpoint type...
- 7/31/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Debate is dead.
Over the last two decades or so, the art of proper rhetorical debate has been replaced with something closer resembling that of two chickens attempting to peck one another to death as millions of people decide that their one party’s pecks are patriotic. However, that wasn’t always the case.
Entitled Best Of Enemies, director Morgan Neville’s latest film is a love letter to a moment in time when there was not only a groundbreaking debate making waves across the globe, but a world where that was about to change forever. Now in theaters, Best of Enemies is co-directed by Grammy Award winner Robert Gordon, and introduces us two legendary intellectuals and their great feud. For a brief moment in the 1960s, there were few feuds as hot as the one between William F Buckley and Gore Vidal. During the summer of 1968, ABC was tanking in the ratings,...
Over the last two decades or so, the art of proper rhetorical debate has been replaced with something closer resembling that of two chickens attempting to peck one another to death as millions of people decide that their one party’s pecks are patriotic. However, that wasn’t always the case.
Entitled Best Of Enemies, director Morgan Neville’s latest film is a love letter to a moment in time when there was not only a groundbreaking debate making waves across the globe, but a world where that was about to change forever. Now in theaters, Best of Enemies is co-directed by Grammy Award winner Robert Gordon, and introduces us two legendary intellectuals and their great feud. For a brief moment in the 1960s, there were few feuds as hot as the one between William F Buckley and Gore Vidal. During the summer of 1968, ABC was tanking in the ratings,...
- 7/31/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
'Best of Enemies' Co-Director Morgan Neville on Intellectual Divas and the Theatricality of Politics
Politics are a spectacle now more than ever, a trend encouraged by the current state of the media and content platforms that thrive on outrageous comments and destroyed reputations. In this climate, a film like Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville‘s “Best of Enemies” reminds the public that, though there’s always been an air of theatricality to political debates and expressing polarizing opinions, there used to be a certain elegance and sophistication in the way two ideological adversaries rallied behind their beliefs.
Their larger-than-life subjects are Gore Vidal, a prolific liberal writer, and William F. Buckley, a brilliant conservative debater, who were one another’s nemesis. Leading up to the 1968 presidential election the two intellectuals got a chance to make television history on ABC - then the least prominent of the broadcast networks - during 10 debates that felt like exhilarating boxing rounds in which the opponents replaced punches for a much more brutal arsenal of sharply written arguments.
We had a chance to have a lengthy conversation with co-director Morgan Neville, whose film “Twenty Feet from Stardom” earned him an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014. Neville wanted to explore a completely different aspect of American culture in “Best of Enemies,” one that is as relevant now as it was over 40 years ago: the crucial importance of the way we argue, civil discourse, and debate.
Aguilar: I honestly didn't know about these two characters prior to watching the film. How did you become aware of them? You were probably not born yet or were very young when these debates took place.
Morgan Neville: I was born the year before these debates. I was one-year-old when they happened, so I wasn’t paying a lot of attention [Laughs]. I knew who Buckley and Vidal were growing up being a political junkie. I actually used to work for Gore Vidal as a fact-checker right out of college. It was one of my very first jobs. We came across a bootleg copy of these debates like five years ago from a friend of a friend. They were just transfixing and we started to think, “There is something here that’s interesting, that’s so contemporary and so foreign to what I’m used to seeing on TV.” It just seemed like something I wanted to investigate, and so here we are five years later [Laughs].
Aguilar: They are certainly bigger-than-life characters. Did you notice this right away when watching the debates?
Morgan Neville: Yes, you only find characters like this in Nöel Coward plays [Laughs]. They are unlike people you see today. You don’t see people like this on TV. You don’t see people like this anywhere today. They lived these kind of huge lives that were at the center of so many things: politics, television, media. If you look at them they were such polymaths. Vidal was a novelist, an essayist, a playwright, a screenwriter, and many other things. Buckley started a magazine, hosted a TV show, lead a political movement, and was a master debater. They were multihyphenates in a way that you rarely see anymore.
Aguilar: Regardless of what anyone thinks of their opinions we have to admit they were very passionate about their views. Do you think some of that passion for one's beliefs is gone from politics and culture in general?
Morgan Neville: Yes. They believed the stakes were incredibly high for what they were doing. They truly believed that the other person was evil and that the other’s ideas would ruin America. They weren’t just fighting about 1968, they were fighting about the empire. They were fighting about everything from the Founding Fathers till today. When you see pundits arguing on TV today, they never seem to be very sincere. You always know what they are going to say before they say it. You don’t get the sense that they feel the stakes are all that high, even though the stakes are, of course, incredibly high. They all seem to be playing at it as though it’s a game, which for them it is.
Aguilar: Tell me about the arduous labor of finding all these footage from many decades ago to piece this story together.
Morgan Neville: It was a massive hunt for footage. One of the big treasures was ABC itself. They have an amazing archive and we found some much stuff buried in cans of films that had never seen the light of day. After spending so many years working on it, we kept turning up more things, these little nuggets that would make our day. For an archive documentary like this you kind of live or die by the strength of your material.
Aguilar: Besides telling Buckley and Vidal’s story, you also tackle a piece television history and ABC. Would you you say these debates were game-changers in terms of how we relate to news and broadcast programming?
Morgan Neville: The actual ABC story was the story we didn’t know when we started making it. We knew about Vidal, Buckley, and these debates, but what we didn’t really understand was how they came to be and that is was really an act of desperation that lead to this happening. That’s fascinating. We felt like, of course, what they were doing then was so different from what we have today, but we didn’t understand the connection until we really started getting into it. I don’t want to say that if it weren’t for these debates television would be completely different today because I think in some ways it was inevitable, but this was certainly one of those crystallizing moments for how television viewed news commentary. They realized that commentary got ratings, it’s cheap, and it’s easy.
Aguilar: It seems as if these debates could have only happened out of desperation because ABC threw this two polarizing agents into a formula and they didn’t know how it would turn out. They were taking a chance.
Morgan Neville: Yes. I don’t think ABC was expecting it to get this explosive. I think they thought that there was going to be some good friction and some sparks, but I don’t think they expected it to get as out of control as it did. I think initially they were a little embarrassed about it until they realized how successful it was. News at that times was seen as a public service and news departments of networks were seen as having a higher calling. News department were not the profit centers of networks as they are now.
Aguilar: When you are making a film like this that’s so polarizing in terms of the opinions the subjects express, how do you keep it as objective as possible and avoid taking sides based on your own opinions?
Morgan Neville: I thought it was important from the beginning not to take sides because it’s very easy to get caught in the arguments Once you start doing that half the people are going to agree with you and half the people are going to disagree with you. I think you’d fall into the same trap we are in now as a country. We wanted to make a film about how we argue and say, “Can we at least have some agreement about how we should talk to each other, what civil discourse is about, and about what debate can do for us?" We should agree on a common set of facts not just all go to our own corners and to our own cable channels and tell each other what we want to hear.
Aguilar: Although the debates took place over 40 years ago, they feel so relevant. You are also sort of introducing these characters to a new audience that perhaps didn't know bout them.
Morgan Neville: I kind of feel like people under 40 don’t know who these guys are. We realized that people don’t really remember who they are. We didn’t even know until we were making it how much educating we had to do to let people know who they were. But I felt like regardless of whether or not you know who they are, there’s still a kind of drama and a theatricality to it that should draw you in even if you don’t know who they are.
Aguilar: While watching the film I couldn't help but think about Siskel and Ebert, two big and contrasting personalities that, though in a different context, were tough on each other but also respected one another. Did they ever cross your mind while working on "Best of Enemies" ?
Morgan Neville: I saw “Life Itself,” the Roger Ebert documentary, and certainly when I watched them bickering in that film I was thinking about Vidal and Buckley because I was already working on this film. Sometimes we have our perfect foils or you can call them their bête noir, the person who brings out both the best and the worst in you because you disagree with them so completely. Yet, you understand and respect them enough to give it your all. I feel like underneath that kind of hatred between Vidal and Buckley was respect, because if you didn’t respect somebody you wouldn’t take it so personally and you wouldn’t be so prepared.
Aguilar: Something that's very interesting is Vidal's work as a screenwriter. He seemed to have had a talent for discussing politics via entertainment.
Morgan Neville: It’s very interesting. He wrote a lot and even his fiction and screenwriting are all around the same themes. He was interested in power and corruption, hubris, and the close-mindedness of our society and his films play that out. “The Best Man,” which was a play made into a movie and which I loved, says so much of what Gore once said about politics and he’d done that just before these 1968 debates.
Aguilar: Both Buckley and Vidal were giving a performance during this debates. They created a persona for this appearances.
Morgan Neville: Absolutely, Vidal and Buckley both understood that television was a theatrical medium. Gore was a playwright and a screenwriter, he knew how to deliver a good line, and Buckley was a master debater. He was one of the debate champions at Yale and really understood that debate is theater and that it’s about delivering a good line. They had a very similar skill set coming from slightly different backgrounds and that’s why it was such a perfect match.
Aguilar: When the big moment in the film happens and Buckley loses his cool, it comes a cross as a really provocative occurrence for the time. Today we see worst things on any reality show or TV in general.
Morgan Neville: People didn’t do that on TV then and often if people do it on TV now, if it’s on a reality show or on the news show, you get the sense that they are just handing it out to the camera. In this case it was the opposite, the last thing Buckley wanted to do on camera was to lose his cool.
Aguilar: Do you feel like you've gotten to know these two people closely by making the film?
Morgan Neville: Absolutely, they are both very complex men, which is what makes it so rewarding to make a film like this. You don’t mind spending so much time getting into the character because both of these characters were so rich. I came to understand them much, much better. Because I was much more familiar with Vidal when we started, Buckley was a revelation for me just in terms understanding things about him that I didn’t know. In spite of his political leanings he didn’t really like to talk about politics when he was on camera. Speaking in public was mostly a trend for liberals. That I didn’t know.
Aguilar: Did the fact that you knew Vidal from working with him made a difference in your approach?
Morgan Neville: I don’t think it actually really did, bu since I knew him I came with some knowledge. We actually interviewed Gore for the film too about a year and a half before he died. We decided not to use it because Gore had already gotten the last word in a way. To have Gore speak and not Buckley, because he had already died, felt somehow unfair and would tilt the film to one side, which we didn’t want to do.
Aguilar: Do you think that under other circumstances Vidal and Buckley could have been the best of friends rather than the best of enemies?
Morgan Neville: Yeah, you wonder. Today everybody is a “frenemy” [Laughs]. I don’t know if being a “frenemy” means you are an enemy but you are kind of winking at it and you play along at the enemy side of it, which is so much of what we see in news media now. There is an alternate universe where they are good friends but God knows where that universe is.
Aguilar: It probably wouldn’t have been as interesting.
Morgan Neville: Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have made a film about it [Laughs].
Aguilar: In terms of your career as a filmmaker, do you feel like the stakes and expectations are the stakes higher after winning an Oscar? "Best of Enemies" is definitely a departure in terms of subject matter from "Twenty Feet from Stardom"
Morgan Neville: No, the stakes are always high. You always want to make the best film you can. If anything I feel more relaxed after the Oscar. I feel like I have a chance to just tell the stories I want to tell and it’s actually been really nice. I’m so happy that this is the next film I’m putting out because it’s a whole other area I’m interested in that people wouldn’t know about. But they are both films about divas [Laughs].
Aguilar: What’s your next project now that "Best of Enemies" is hitting theaters?
Morgan Neville: I’m working on a Yo-Yo Ma film, which is almost done, and I’m working on Keith Richards documentary.
"Best of Enemies" opens today in Los Angeles at The Landmark and in NYC at IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas...
Their larger-than-life subjects are Gore Vidal, a prolific liberal writer, and William F. Buckley, a brilliant conservative debater, who were one another’s nemesis. Leading up to the 1968 presidential election the two intellectuals got a chance to make television history on ABC - then the least prominent of the broadcast networks - during 10 debates that felt like exhilarating boxing rounds in which the opponents replaced punches for a much more brutal arsenal of sharply written arguments.
We had a chance to have a lengthy conversation with co-director Morgan Neville, whose film “Twenty Feet from Stardom” earned him an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014. Neville wanted to explore a completely different aspect of American culture in “Best of Enemies,” one that is as relevant now as it was over 40 years ago: the crucial importance of the way we argue, civil discourse, and debate.
Aguilar: I honestly didn't know about these two characters prior to watching the film. How did you become aware of them? You were probably not born yet or were very young when these debates took place.
Morgan Neville: I was born the year before these debates. I was one-year-old when they happened, so I wasn’t paying a lot of attention [Laughs]. I knew who Buckley and Vidal were growing up being a political junkie. I actually used to work for Gore Vidal as a fact-checker right out of college. It was one of my very first jobs. We came across a bootleg copy of these debates like five years ago from a friend of a friend. They were just transfixing and we started to think, “There is something here that’s interesting, that’s so contemporary and so foreign to what I’m used to seeing on TV.” It just seemed like something I wanted to investigate, and so here we are five years later [Laughs].
Aguilar: They are certainly bigger-than-life characters. Did you notice this right away when watching the debates?
Morgan Neville: Yes, you only find characters like this in Nöel Coward plays [Laughs]. They are unlike people you see today. You don’t see people like this on TV. You don’t see people like this anywhere today. They lived these kind of huge lives that were at the center of so many things: politics, television, media. If you look at them they were such polymaths. Vidal was a novelist, an essayist, a playwright, a screenwriter, and many other things. Buckley started a magazine, hosted a TV show, lead a political movement, and was a master debater. They were multihyphenates in a way that you rarely see anymore.
Aguilar: Regardless of what anyone thinks of their opinions we have to admit they were very passionate about their views. Do you think some of that passion for one's beliefs is gone from politics and culture in general?
Morgan Neville: Yes. They believed the stakes were incredibly high for what they were doing. They truly believed that the other person was evil and that the other’s ideas would ruin America. They weren’t just fighting about 1968, they were fighting about the empire. They were fighting about everything from the Founding Fathers till today. When you see pundits arguing on TV today, they never seem to be very sincere. You always know what they are going to say before they say it. You don’t get the sense that they feel the stakes are all that high, even though the stakes are, of course, incredibly high. They all seem to be playing at it as though it’s a game, which for them it is.
Aguilar: Tell me about the arduous labor of finding all these footage from many decades ago to piece this story together.
Morgan Neville: It was a massive hunt for footage. One of the big treasures was ABC itself. They have an amazing archive and we found some much stuff buried in cans of films that had never seen the light of day. After spending so many years working on it, we kept turning up more things, these little nuggets that would make our day. For an archive documentary like this you kind of live or die by the strength of your material.
Aguilar: Besides telling Buckley and Vidal’s story, you also tackle a piece television history and ABC. Would you you say these debates were game-changers in terms of how we relate to news and broadcast programming?
Morgan Neville: The actual ABC story was the story we didn’t know when we started making it. We knew about Vidal, Buckley, and these debates, but what we didn’t really understand was how they came to be and that is was really an act of desperation that lead to this happening. That’s fascinating. We felt like, of course, what they were doing then was so different from what we have today, but we didn’t understand the connection until we really started getting into it. I don’t want to say that if it weren’t for these debates television would be completely different today because I think in some ways it was inevitable, but this was certainly one of those crystallizing moments for how television viewed news commentary. They realized that commentary got ratings, it’s cheap, and it’s easy.
Aguilar: It seems as if these debates could have only happened out of desperation because ABC threw this two polarizing agents into a formula and they didn’t know how it would turn out. They were taking a chance.
Morgan Neville: Yes. I don’t think ABC was expecting it to get this explosive. I think they thought that there was going to be some good friction and some sparks, but I don’t think they expected it to get as out of control as it did. I think initially they were a little embarrassed about it until they realized how successful it was. News at that times was seen as a public service and news departments of networks were seen as having a higher calling. News department were not the profit centers of networks as they are now.
Aguilar: When you are making a film like this that’s so polarizing in terms of the opinions the subjects express, how do you keep it as objective as possible and avoid taking sides based on your own opinions?
Morgan Neville: I thought it was important from the beginning not to take sides because it’s very easy to get caught in the arguments Once you start doing that half the people are going to agree with you and half the people are going to disagree with you. I think you’d fall into the same trap we are in now as a country. We wanted to make a film about how we argue and say, “Can we at least have some agreement about how we should talk to each other, what civil discourse is about, and about what debate can do for us?" We should agree on a common set of facts not just all go to our own corners and to our own cable channels and tell each other what we want to hear.
Aguilar: Although the debates took place over 40 years ago, they feel so relevant. You are also sort of introducing these characters to a new audience that perhaps didn't know bout them.
Morgan Neville: I kind of feel like people under 40 don’t know who these guys are. We realized that people don’t really remember who they are. We didn’t even know until we were making it how much educating we had to do to let people know who they were. But I felt like regardless of whether or not you know who they are, there’s still a kind of drama and a theatricality to it that should draw you in even if you don’t know who they are.
Aguilar: While watching the film I couldn't help but think about Siskel and Ebert, two big and contrasting personalities that, though in a different context, were tough on each other but also respected one another. Did they ever cross your mind while working on "Best of Enemies" ?
Morgan Neville: I saw “Life Itself,” the Roger Ebert documentary, and certainly when I watched them bickering in that film I was thinking about Vidal and Buckley because I was already working on this film. Sometimes we have our perfect foils or you can call them their bête noir, the person who brings out both the best and the worst in you because you disagree with them so completely. Yet, you understand and respect them enough to give it your all. I feel like underneath that kind of hatred between Vidal and Buckley was respect, because if you didn’t respect somebody you wouldn’t take it so personally and you wouldn’t be so prepared.
Aguilar: Something that's very interesting is Vidal's work as a screenwriter. He seemed to have had a talent for discussing politics via entertainment.
Morgan Neville: It’s very interesting. He wrote a lot and even his fiction and screenwriting are all around the same themes. He was interested in power and corruption, hubris, and the close-mindedness of our society and his films play that out. “The Best Man,” which was a play made into a movie and which I loved, says so much of what Gore once said about politics and he’d done that just before these 1968 debates.
Aguilar: Both Buckley and Vidal were giving a performance during this debates. They created a persona for this appearances.
Morgan Neville: Absolutely, Vidal and Buckley both understood that television was a theatrical medium. Gore was a playwright and a screenwriter, he knew how to deliver a good line, and Buckley was a master debater. He was one of the debate champions at Yale and really understood that debate is theater and that it’s about delivering a good line. They had a very similar skill set coming from slightly different backgrounds and that’s why it was such a perfect match.
Aguilar: When the big moment in the film happens and Buckley loses his cool, it comes a cross as a really provocative occurrence for the time. Today we see worst things on any reality show or TV in general.
Morgan Neville: People didn’t do that on TV then and often if people do it on TV now, if it’s on a reality show or on the news show, you get the sense that they are just handing it out to the camera. In this case it was the opposite, the last thing Buckley wanted to do on camera was to lose his cool.
Aguilar: Do you feel like you've gotten to know these two people closely by making the film?
Morgan Neville: Absolutely, they are both very complex men, which is what makes it so rewarding to make a film like this. You don’t mind spending so much time getting into the character because both of these characters were so rich. I came to understand them much, much better. Because I was much more familiar with Vidal when we started, Buckley was a revelation for me just in terms understanding things about him that I didn’t know. In spite of his political leanings he didn’t really like to talk about politics when he was on camera. Speaking in public was mostly a trend for liberals. That I didn’t know.
Aguilar: Did the fact that you knew Vidal from working with him made a difference in your approach?
Morgan Neville: I don’t think it actually really did, bu since I knew him I came with some knowledge. We actually interviewed Gore for the film too about a year and a half before he died. We decided not to use it because Gore had already gotten the last word in a way. To have Gore speak and not Buckley, because he had already died, felt somehow unfair and would tilt the film to one side, which we didn’t want to do.
Aguilar: Do you think that under other circumstances Vidal and Buckley could have been the best of friends rather than the best of enemies?
Morgan Neville: Yeah, you wonder. Today everybody is a “frenemy” [Laughs]. I don’t know if being a “frenemy” means you are an enemy but you are kind of winking at it and you play along at the enemy side of it, which is so much of what we see in news media now. There is an alternate universe where they are good friends but God knows where that universe is.
Aguilar: It probably wouldn’t have been as interesting.
Morgan Neville: Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have made a film about it [Laughs].
Aguilar: In terms of your career as a filmmaker, do you feel like the stakes and expectations are the stakes higher after winning an Oscar? "Best of Enemies" is definitely a departure in terms of subject matter from "Twenty Feet from Stardom"
Morgan Neville: No, the stakes are always high. You always want to make the best film you can. If anything I feel more relaxed after the Oscar. I feel like I have a chance to just tell the stories I want to tell and it’s actually been really nice. I’m so happy that this is the next film I’m putting out because it’s a whole other area I’m interested in that people wouldn’t know about. But they are both films about divas [Laughs].
Aguilar: What’s your next project now that "Best of Enemies" is hitting theaters?
Morgan Neville: I’m working on a Yo-Yo Ma film, which is almost done, and I’m working on Keith Richards documentary.
"Best of Enemies" opens today in Los Angeles at The Landmark and in NYC at IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas...
- 7/31/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The lifelong feud between Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr saw some of the best comebacks anyone has ever uttered. Now as Best of Enemies, the documentary about their falling out, is released we look at the best of the rest
Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s riveting documentary Best of Enemies examines the debates conducted by William F Buckley Jr, one of the fathers of modern American conservatism; and the leftwing novelist, critic and sometime political candidate Gore Vidal, at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions of 1968. It prompts a certain nostalgia for the role of the public intellectual on television over the professional pundits and rent-a-mouths of our own time, and for the demolition of one’s ideological opponents with elegantly crafted (if poisonous) barbs and devastating put-downs over the predictable talking points assembled each morning for recital in tedious unison by political pundits and party hacks today.
Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s riveting documentary Best of Enemies examines the debates conducted by William F Buckley Jr, one of the fathers of modern American conservatism; and the leftwing novelist, critic and sometime political candidate Gore Vidal, at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions of 1968. It prompts a certain nostalgia for the role of the public intellectual on television over the professional pundits and rent-a-mouths of our own time, and for the demolition of one’s ideological opponents with elegantly crafted (if poisonous) barbs and devastating put-downs over the predictable talking points assembled each morning for recital in tedious unison by political pundits and party hacks today.
- 7/31/2015
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s not often when people are able to completely and devotedly immerse themselves in their biggest passions for both their personal enjoyment and professional gratification. But when they truly are able to indulge themselves in their strongest cultural affections, and reflect on how the views that oppose their own are impacting society, often times they’ll find fulfillment in expressing their own ideas to humanity. That personal contentment is powerfully showcased in the upcoming political documentary, ‘Best of Enemies,’ which was co-written, directed and produced by friends and occasional collaborators, Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville. The film, which is set to be released in theaters on July 31, allowed the filmmakers [ Read More ]
The post Interview: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville Talk Best of Enemies (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Interview: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville Talk Best of Enemies (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 7/27/2015
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
A brilliant, hilarious, exhilarating look at the Gore Vidal v. William F. Buckley paradigm-busting 1968 debates that changed TV journalism for the worse. I’m “biast” (pro): Gore Vidal is one of my heroes
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
This is how much the world has changed (or at least how much America has changed): In 1968, the lowest-rated TV network, ABC, decided to come up with a stunt that would boost ratings of their coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventions, in the run-up to that autumn’s Presidential election. And what they came up with was this: They gave two of the nation’s most prominent public intellectuals, Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr., ten nights of juicy evening airtime to debate the election and the state of the nation. And it worked: ABC’s ratings soared.
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
This is how much the world has changed (or at least how much America has changed): In 1968, the lowest-rated TV network, ABC, decided to come up with a stunt that would boost ratings of their coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventions, in the run-up to that autumn’s Presidential election. And what they came up with was this: They gave two of the nation’s most prominent public intellectuals, Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr., ten nights of juicy evening airtime to debate the election and the state of the nation. And it worked: ABC’s ratings soared.
- 7/24/2015
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Directors Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's "Best of Enemies," a 2015 Sundance premiere, offers a charming portrait of the legendary 1968 television debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and his more conservative nemesis William F. Buckley, Jr. These live, unscripted debates brought ABC out of a ratings slump. We see Vidal, a very-leftist novelist, polemicist and cousin to Jackie Onassis, go head-to-head with Buckley and his right-wing ideologies. Plenty of name-calling, vitriol-spewing and policy and personal insults spark in this examination of America at a crossroads. With insight from talking heads including their friends and contemporaries including Christopher Hitchens, Noam Chomsky, Dick Cavett, Kelsey Grammer and John Lithgow, "Best of Enemies" has played the festival circuit far and wide since contending for Sundance's Documentary prize. Expect more awards kudos for this film down the line. Read More: Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. Face...
- 6/10/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
2 Men. 10 Debates. Television would never be the same. Magnolia Pictures has debuted an excellent trailer for Best of Enemies, a fascinating documentary about two enemies for life - Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. Back in the late 60s, these two were recruited to debate each other on television during the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and it changed television forever. I saw this at Sundance and it was one of my favorite documentaries from the fest. "This thoroughly entertaining and effortlessly fascinating doc examines their relationship on and off the screen, similar to the love-hate battle between Ebert and Siskel shown in the doc Life Itself." It's so good, full of so much fun footage of these two fighting. Here's the trailer for Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville's Best of Enemies, direct from Magnolia: In the summer of 1968 television news changed forever. Dead last in the ratings, ABC...
- 6/9/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Read More: '20 Feet From Stardom' Director Morgan Neville Returns to Sundance with 'Best of Enemies' Morgan Neville's follow-up to his Oscar-winning documentary "20 Feet From Stardom," "Best of Enemies," has been earning praise on the festival circuit ever since its January debut at the Sundance Film Festival. With Magnolia Pictures releasing the film (co-directed by Robert Gordon) into select theaters on July 31, Indiewire exclusively presents the film's first official poster that features the film's two subjects, Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr., deep in debate. Here’s Magnolia Pictures' official synopsis for "Best of Enemies:" "In the summer of 1968, television news changed forever. Dead last in the ratings, ABC hired two towering public intellectuals to debate each other during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. William F. Buckley, Jr. was a leading light of the new conservative movement. A Democrat and cousin to...
- 6/8/2015
- by Conor Soules
- Indiewire
Read More: '20 Feet From Stardom' Director Morgan Neville Returns to Sundance with 'Best of Enemies' The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival (Hiff) has announced the official lineup for the seventh annual SummerDocs series. SummerDocs showcases the best in documentary film and focuses on features that ignite social change. The series opens on August 1 with "Best of Enemies," directed by Robert Gordon and Academy Award winner Morgan Neville ("20 Feet From Stardom"). The film focuses on how ABC influenced a new era in the political public discourse. William F. Buckley Jr., a key member of the new conservative movement, and Gore Vidal, a left winged novelist and polemicist, duked it out in a 1968 debate. The newsroom became a boxing arena as the two exchanged blows in the form of political ideologies. The live and unscripted exchange paralleled the Democratic and Republican national conventions, skyrocketing viewer ratings for ABC News.
- 6/8/2015
- by Conor Soules
- Indiewire
Top brass at AFI Docs 2015 have announced the slate at the 13th festival, set to run from June 17–21 in Washington DC and Silver Spring, Maryland.
Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s Best Of Enemies will open the event and chronicles a series of debates during the summer of 1968 between Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr.
Stanley Nelson will be the 2015 Charles Guggenheim honouree at the National Archives’ William G McGowan Theater on June 19.
Spotlight Screenings include Abigail Disney’s The Armor Of Light, David Holbrooke’s The Diplomat, the world premiere of Brad Horn’s First And 17 and Greg Whiteley’s Most Likely To Succeed.
Panel discussions or extended Q&As with special guests will follow each Spotlight Screening.
There are Special Screenings of Dawn Porter’s Rise: The Promise Of My Brother’s Keeper on June 18 and Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci’s Salam Neighbor, which coincides with World Refugee Day with a world premiere...
Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s Best Of Enemies will open the event and chronicles a series of debates during the summer of 1968 between Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr.
Stanley Nelson will be the 2015 Charles Guggenheim honouree at the National Archives’ William G McGowan Theater on June 19.
Spotlight Screenings include Abigail Disney’s The Armor Of Light, David Holbrooke’s The Diplomat, the world premiere of Brad Horn’s First And 17 and Greg Whiteley’s Most Likely To Succeed.
Panel discussions or extended Q&As with special guests will follow each Spotlight Screening.
There are Special Screenings of Dawn Porter’s Rise: The Promise Of My Brother’s Keeper on June 18 and Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci’s Salam Neighbor, which coincides with World Refugee Day with a world premiere...
- 5/20/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The American Film Institute has released the full slate of screenings for its AFI Docs 2015 Film Festival. Of the 81 films from 25 different countries, four are world premieres: Dawn Porter's "Rise: The Promise of My Brother's Keeper," Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci's "Salam Neighbor," Natalie Avital's "The Three Hikers" and Brad Horn's "First and 17." Other notable filmmakers with projects screening in the festival include the late Albert Maysles ("In Transit"), Alex Gibney ("Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine"), Abigail Disney ("The Armor of Light"), David Holbrooke ("The Diplomat") and Joshua Oppenheimer ("The Look of Silence"). Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville's "Best of Enemies" will open the festival on June 17, while "Mavis!" from Jessica Edwards will screen closing night on June 21. Read More: AFI Docs Names Ida's Michael Lumpkin as New...
- 5/20/2015
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Best Of Enemies, directed by Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville, will screen as the festival’s Opening Night Gala on June 17.
The film explores the debates between William F Buckley Jr and Gore Vidal during the 1968 Democratic and Republican Conventions.
The Closing Night Gala is Jessica Edwards’ Mavis! on June 21. The documentary explores the life of soul music legend Mavis Staples and her family group The Staple Singers.
The 13th edition of AFI Docs takes place in Washington DC.
The film explores the debates between William F Buckley Jr and Gore Vidal during the 1968 Democratic and Republican Conventions.
The Closing Night Gala is Jessica Edwards’ Mavis! on June 21. The documentary explores the life of soul music legend Mavis Staples and her family group The Staple Singers.
The 13th edition of AFI Docs takes place in Washington DC.
- 5/12/2015
- ScreenDaily
Festival organisers announced its gala screenings ahead of the Los Angeles event set to run from July 9-19.
Tig is a documentary about stand-up comedienne Tig Notaro who became an overnight sensation when she turned her cancer diagnosis into a stand-up set. François Ozon’s melodrama The New Girlfriend closes the festival.
Additional gala screenings include Sebastián Silva’s Berlin Teddy Award winner and Us Dramatic Centerpiece Nasty Baby starring Silva and Kristin Wiig as well as Alanté Kavaïté’s Sundance selection and International Centerpiece The Summer Of Sangaile.
Peter Greenaway’s Eisenstein In Guanajuato is also an International Centerpiece and the Documentary Centerpieces are Best Of Enemies by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon and Malcolm Ingram’s Out To Win.
“This year’s gala selections underline the fact that our community is empowered openly identifying as Lgbt,” said Outfest interim executive director Christopher Racster.
“The programme truly represents Outfest’s commitment to use the power of film...
Tig is a documentary about stand-up comedienne Tig Notaro who became an overnight sensation when she turned her cancer diagnosis into a stand-up set. François Ozon’s melodrama The New Girlfriend closes the festival.
Additional gala screenings include Sebastián Silva’s Berlin Teddy Award winner and Us Dramatic Centerpiece Nasty Baby starring Silva and Kristin Wiig as well as Alanté Kavaïté’s Sundance selection and International Centerpiece The Summer Of Sangaile.
Peter Greenaway’s Eisenstein In Guanajuato is also an International Centerpiece and the Documentary Centerpieces are Best Of Enemies by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon and Malcolm Ingram’s Out To Win.
“This year’s gala selections underline the fact that our community is empowered openly identifying as Lgbt,” said Outfest interim executive director Christopher Racster.
“The programme truly represents Outfest’s commitment to use the power of film...
- 5/7/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,' 'The End of the Tour' and More Make Nantucket Film Festival Lineup
Read More: Watch: Sundance Champ 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Drops Heartfelt Debut Trailer A slew of festival darlings have been selected to screen at the upcoming Nantucket Film Festival (Nff), which just announced its full lineup. Set to kick things off is James Ponsoldt's acclaimed Sundance premiere "The End of the Tour," in which Jason Segel stars as David Foster Wallace. That screening will be preceded by "Inside Out," which continues the Nff tradition of opening the festivities with a Pixar film. Sundance champ "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" and the star-studded "Sleeping with Other People" will screen as a part of the Spotlight series, before Nff closes out with "Best of Enemies," Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville's documentary about the 1968 presidential election. Read on for the full program. (Synopses courtesy of Nff) Opening Night Film "The End of the Tour" (Dir.
- 4/29/2015
- by David Canfield
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Sundance documentary, co-directed by the filmmaker behind Oscar-winner Twenty Feet From Stardom, centres on an explosive series of televised political debates.
Dogwoof has acquired political documentary Best of Enemies for UK theatrical release. The deal was agreed between Oli Harbottle, head of distribution at Dogwoof, with Christina Rogers of Magnolia Pictures.
The film received its world premiere in the Us documentary competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and Dogwoof plan to release in July 2015 with a Us release slated for the same month.
Best of Enemies was co-directed by Morgan Neville, who won an Oscar for backing singer documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom, and Robert Gordon.
The film is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., during the 1968 Democratic and Republican national conventions. Live and unscripted, they kept viewers riveted with their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex...
Dogwoof has acquired political documentary Best of Enemies for UK theatrical release. The deal was agreed between Oli Harbottle, head of distribution at Dogwoof, with Christina Rogers of Magnolia Pictures.
The film received its world premiere in the Us documentary competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and Dogwoof plan to release in July 2015 with a Us release slated for the same month.
Best of Enemies was co-directed by Morgan Neville, who won an Oscar for backing singer documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom, and Robert Gordon.
The film is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., during the 1968 Democratic and Republican national conventions. Live and unscripted, they kept viewers riveted with their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex...
- 4/28/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The 58th San Francisco International Film Festival opens tonight with Alex Gibney's Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine. There'll be awards for and special evenings with Richard Gere, Guillermo del Toro, Douglas Trumbull, Paul Schrader and Kim Longinotto. Rachel Kushner will introduce a screening of Barbara Loden's 1970 classic Wanda. Cibo Matto will perform their new score for Yoko Ono's Fly. Plus: Jean-Gabriel Périot's A German Youth, Stanley Nelson's The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's Best of Enemies and more picks and previews. » - David Hudson...
- 4/23/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
The 58th San Francisco International Film Festival opens tonight with Alex Gibney's Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine. There'll be awards for and special evenings with Richard Gere, Guillermo del Toro, Douglas Trumbull, Paul Schrader and Kim Longinotto. Rachel Kushner will introduce a screening of Barbara Loden's 1970 classic Wanda. Cibo Matto will perform their new score for Yoko Ono's Fly. Plus: Jean-Gabriel Périot's A German Youth, Stanley Nelson's The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's Best of Enemies and more picks and previews. » - David Hudson...
- 4/23/2015
- Keyframe
"The Independent Film Festival of Boston has made it to the age of 13, and it’s looking stronger than ever," write Ty Burr and Peter Keough in the Boston Globe. Among the titles they preview: Andrew Bujalski's Results, Mia Hansen-Løve's Eden, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s The Tribe, Patrick Brice's The Overnight, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville’s documentary on the rivalry between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal, Best of Enemies and the closing night film, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Wbur's Tom Meek previews the opener, James Ponsoldt's The End of the Tour with Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg. » - David Hudson...
- 4/22/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
"The Independent Film Festival of Boston has made it to the age of 13, and it’s looking stronger than ever," write Ty Burr and Peter Keough in the Boston Globe. Among the titles they preview: Andrew Bujalski's Results, Mia Hansen-Løve's Eden, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s The Tribe, Patrick Brice's The Overnight, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville’s documentary on the rivalry between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal, Best of Enemies and the closing night film, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Wbur's Tom Meek previews the opener, James Ponsoldt's The End of the Tour with Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg. » - David Hudson...
- 4/22/2015
- Keyframe
The middle of Spring actually means a new selection of summer blockbusters to look forward to, and with a ton of big-budget films slated to come out within the next few months and beyond, the summer of 2015 looks like one to remember.
From the new Mad Max (which is already on our end-of -year top ten list event though we haven’t yet seen it) to Avengers, Poltergeists, male strippers, talking teddy bears, and a reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise, this summer’s trips to the theaters will be jam-packed with sequels and new tales. From May 1st right through to the end of August, some of the movies on our list could wind up on year-end “best of” lists or even receive some Oscar talk by December.
Grab your calendar, because Wamg has a rundown of this summer’s films we’re most excited about, so check them out below!
From the new Mad Max (which is already on our end-of -year top ten list event though we haven’t yet seen it) to Avengers, Poltergeists, male strippers, talking teddy bears, and a reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise, this summer’s trips to the theaters will be jam-packed with sequels and new tales. From May 1st right through to the end of August, some of the movies on our list could wind up on year-end “best of” lists or even receive some Oscar talk by December.
Grab your calendar, because Wamg has a rundown of this summer’s films we’re most excited about, so check them out below!
- 4/13/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal in Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville's Best of Enemies: "They got into each other's craw. It's like a hook that sunk into the other person."
Two determined men all set to do battle, William F. Buckley Jr., the conservative trailblazer, and Gore Vidal, renowned author and iconoclast of the left, clash in Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's high-spirited and illuminating Best Of Enemies. "One must have a mind of winter", to take the cue from Wallace Stevens' poem, The Snow Man, to not be irresistibly drawn in by their bigger-than-life personalities. Dick Cavett, Noam Chomsky, Christopher Hitchens, Matt Tyrnauer, Brooke Gladstone, Ginia Bellafante, Reid Buckley and Sam Tanenhaus give their take on this polarised pair in Best Of Enemies.
At Le Cirque in New York following a dinner honoring the filmmakers, I spoke with Robert Gordon, who is also...
Two determined men all set to do battle, William F. Buckley Jr., the conservative trailblazer, and Gore Vidal, renowned author and iconoclast of the left, clash in Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's high-spirited and illuminating Best Of Enemies. "One must have a mind of winter", to take the cue from Wallace Stevens' poem, The Snow Man, to not be irresistibly drawn in by their bigger-than-life personalities. Dick Cavett, Noam Chomsky, Christopher Hitchens, Matt Tyrnauer, Brooke Gladstone, Ginia Bellafante, Reid Buckley and Sam Tanenhaus give their take on this polarised pair in Best Of Enemies.
At Le Cirque in New York following a dinner honoring the filmmakers, I spoke with Robert Gordon, who is also...
- 4/9/2015
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Best Of Enemies dinner at Le Cirque celebrating directors Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
An invited screening of Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's Best Of Enemies on William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal, hosted by Participant Media and Magnolia Pictures was followed by a dinner organised beautifully by Peggy Siegal at Le Cirque. I caught up with the Oscar winning director of 20 Feet From Stardom over wild mushroom risotto for a conversation on his latest documentary, Christopher Hitchens, Myra Breckinridge, Caligula, waltzes, and fact checking. Best Of Enemies features the off-camera voices of John Lithgow as Vidal and Kelsey Grammer as Buckley, with interviews of Dick Cavett, Noam Chomsky, Matt Tyrnauer, Brooke Gladstone, Sam Tanenhaus and Ginia Bellafante.
Morgan, when he heard the news on Albert Maysles, sent a tribute from the True/False Documentary Film Festival where he was presenting Best Of Enemies last month.
An invited screening of Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's Best Of Enemies on William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal, hosted by Participant Media and Magnolia Pictures was followed by a dinner organised beautifully by Peggy Siegal at Le Cirque. I caught up with the Oscar winning director of 20 Feet From Stardom over wild mushroom risotto for a conversation on his latest documentary, Christopher Hitchens, Myra Breckinridge, Caligula, waltzes, and fact checking. Best Of Enemies features the off-camera voices of John Lithgow as Vidal and Kelsey Grammer as Buckley, with interviews of Dick Cavett, Noam Chomsky, Matt Tyrnauer, Brooke Gladstone, Sam Tanenhaus and Ginia Bellafante.
Morgan, when he heard the news on Albert Maysles, sent a tribute from the True/False Documentary Film Festival where he was presenting Best Of Enemies last month.
- 4/3/2015
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
South by Southwest starts tomorrow, Friday, March 13, and my pores are beaming with excitement, though that could just be a medical condition. I am looking at a very packed schedule of films over the nine day festival, with a total of 38 in all (36 reviews to write). So, I basically will be drowning in movies. But, then again, I can't complain too much, as I wouldn't have it any other way. You can take a look at what I hope my schedule ends up being below. Obviously, things could change as the festival progresses, with some titles getting more buzz than others and overtaking current films and so forth. But, I think, this is how I will be spending my SXSW. I will be updating this post throughout the festival with schedule changes and links to my reviews, so maybe bookmark this page if you're interested. I hope you enjoy my coverage,...
- 3/12/2015
- by Mike Shutt
- Rope of Silicon
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