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Getting Victoria Beckham to sign on for her upcoming Netflix docuseries was no easy feat — and it was her husband, David Beckham, who convinced her to seal the deal.

“It took a minute to try and get her to agree with it,” David Beckham told Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria at the Mip London event, Variety reported. “It wasn’t something that was easy. I think I’m the only one who could convince her and I did, eventually.”

The docuseries will show the former Spice Girls singer in a “different light,...

David Beckham has shared new details about his wife Victoria Beckham’s upcoming Netflix documentary, revealing that convincing her to take part wasn’t easy.

Speaking at Mip London, Beckham explained that despite the success of his own Netflix series Beckham, Victoria was hesitant about stepping into the spotlight for her own docuseries.

“It took a minute to try and get her to agree with it,” he admitted. “It wasn’t something that was easy. I think I’m the only one who could convince her, and I did, eventually.”

The documentary, which is being produced by Beckham’s Studio 99 and directed by Becoming filmmaker Nadia Hallgren, will take fans behind the scenes of Victoria’s journey from her days as a Spice Girl to her rise as a fashion designer. Beckham emphasized how hard his wife has worked to build her brand over the past two decades.

“My...

David Beckham previewed Victoria Beckham’s upcoming Netflix docuseries at Mip London on Tuesday, telling the streamer’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria that “it’s really special” — but getting the former Spice Girl to participate, even after the success of his “Beckham” doc, took some convincing.

“It took a minute to try and get her to agree with it,” the former soccer star and Emmy-winning producer said. “It wasn’t something that was easy. I think I’m the only one who could convince her and I did, eventually.”

Beckham said that viewers will see Victoria “in a different light” in the upcoming doc, which hails from his Studio 99 banner is being helmed by “Becoming” director Nadia Hallgren. The as-yet-untitled series started production in August and will follow Beckham’s journey from Spice Girls superstardom in the ‘90s to modern fashion maven with her eponymous brand.

“My wife...

Victoria Beckham’s upcoming Netflix documentary series is finally able to name its director.

Nadia Hallgren, who directed the Michelle Obama doc “Becoming,” is helming the show, Variety can reveal.

The as-yet-untitled series, which started production in August, will follow Beckham’s journey from Spice Girls superstardom in the ‘90s to modern fashion maven. As per the logline, “Her Posh Spice days may be behind her, but today Beckham is on a journey to build a fashion empire — and now, fans will be able to see the story behind it all.”

The project follows hot on the designer heels of David Beckham’s Fisher Stevens-directed Netflix docseries “Beckham,” which launched last year to critical acclaim and landed five Emmy nominations, winning outstanding documentary or nonfiction series. It also comes from David’s own Studio 99 production house (which was behind “Beckham”), which produces alongside Dorothy St. Pictures. The show is...

The late Michael K. Williams, best known for playing Omar Little on The Wire and Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire, made his final featured performance in an animated short titled The Brown Dog, and now fans can watch the film for free, Variety reports. The release comes courtesy of Idris Elba, via his 22Summers production company, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who signed on as executive producers of the film, which was commissioned by WeTransfer's arts arm WePresent and uploaded to their YouTube page on November 22, 2024, in honor of Williams's birthday.

The film centers on Nobody, voiced by Williams, a nightwatchman at an apartment complex. "Cold and alone, Nobody goes in search of a mysterious brown dog," the official synopsis reads, "taking us on a riveting tour of an unraveling mind at work." The Brown Dog also features Steve Buscemi in a supporting role, reuniting the Boardwalk Empire actors. Buscemi also executive-produced the project.

Idris Elba (via his 22Summers production company) and Chiwetel Ejiofor have signed on as executive producers for “The Brown Dog,” a short animated film commissioned by WeTransfer. The film stars the late Michael K. Williams in his last featured performance.

Williams, who memorably portrayed Omar Little in “The Wire” and Chalky White in “Boardwalk Empire,” died in 2021. He was 54. In honor of Williams’ birthday (the actor would have turned 58 on Nov. 22), “The Brown Dog” is now available to stream on WeTransfer’s YouTube channel.

“When I was approached to come on board as an executive producer for The Brown Dog, it felt like a natural, emotional connection to Michael K. Williams, my dear friend and co-star,” Elba said in a statement about his involvement.

“Michael had such a unique gift — he brought soul, depth, and honesty to every role he played, and it’s an honor to continue his legacy through this film,...

The 25th Woodstock Film Festival will feature a lineup of world, North American and U.S. premieres, joining acclaimed fiction and nonfiction films from Sean Baker, Steve McQueen, Alexis Bloom, Raoul Peck, Marielle Heller, Jesse Eisenberg, Jacques Audiard and many more.

The festival, which runs from October 15-20 in the Hudson Valley towns of Woodstock, Rosendale, Kingston and Saugerties, will see writer-director Paul Schrader receive the Honorary Maverick Award. His latest, Oh, Canada, starring Richard Gere, Uma Thurman and Jacob Elordi, will screen at Woodstock. Filmmaker Ira Deutchman will be presented with the Honorary Trailblazer Award; Pamela Yates and Paco de Onís will receive the inaugural Art of Activism Award. [Scroll for the full lineup]

McQueen’s Blitz, starring Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan, serves as Woodstock’s centerpiece film. Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, starring the Oscar-nominated actor and Kieran Culkin, closes the silver jubilee edition of Woodstock. Sean Baker’s Anora heads to...

Pop Star Academy: Katseye. (L to R) Daniela, Naisha, Adela, Nikky, Megan, Lexie and Emily in Pop Star Academy: Katseye. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024 Mark your calendars for August 21, 2024! The much-anticipated series Pop Star Academy: Katseye is set to premiere, offering an electrifying look into the global Kpop scene. This groundbreaking series from Hybe, Interscope Films, and Boardwalk Pictures follows 20 contestants over a year-long journey as they compete to become part of the unique girl group, Katseye. Over eight episodes, each 50 minutes long, Pop Star Academy: Katseye provides a raw and authentic glimpse into the intense training and development program created by Hybe and Geffen Records. From dance rehearsals to vocal training, viewers will experience the highs and lows of the contestants’ journey to international stardom. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Nadia Hallgren, known for her work on the Netflix documentary Becoming, Pop Star Academy: Katseye promises captivating storytelling and stunning visuals.

If you're a fan of music documentaries, then you absolutely must check the new docuseries Pop Star Academy: Katseye, which is coming to Netflix on Aug. 21. We shared all the juicy deets about this upcoming Netflix original series below.

If you're chronically online and/or a K-pop fan, chances are you've heard of the new girl group Katseye. Well, Netflix decided to team up with Hybe, Interscope Films, and Boardwalk Pictures to create a docuseries showing how the group was formed.

Before we get into what this docuseries is about, it's important to mention that Katseye is not a K-pop group. Instead, they are a US-based girl group under the South Korean record label Hybe, which is the same label whose artists include K-pop groups BTS, New Jeans, Le Sserafim, etc. In addition, they're also under the major US record label Geffen Records.

Multi-award-winning director and cinematographer Nadia Hallgren, who...

In late June, the six-piece girl group Katseye debuted their first single, fittingly titled “Debut.” One month later, they followed it up with “Touch,” a pop earworm that’s beginning to make the rounds on TikTok. The group has already amassed one million monthly listeners on Spotify, but their origin story is not one of overnight success. Geffen Records and BTS label Hybe put 20 young girls through a K-pop trainee-level program to form Katseye from an intense star search and audition process — and it was all captured for the eight-part...

Michael K. Williams’ legacy is living on thanks to new animated short film, “The Brown Dog.”

Williams, who died in 2021 of a drug overdose, lent his voice to the short which was commissioned by WeTransfer’s Academy Award-winning arts platform WePresent. Williams’ “Boardwalk Empire” co-star Steve Buscemi executive produced the film and also starred in the animated work.

“The Brown Dog” follows Nobody (Williams), a night-shift security guard for an upscale apartment complex. As Nobody works his shift, his feelings of isolation spark an existential crisis, and he later goes in search of a mysterious brown dog as his own mind seems to slip from him.

In a press statement, co-directors Nadia Hallgren (“Becoming”) and Jamie-James Medina deemed the film a “celebration of Mr. Williams and the deep truth he brought to every character he inhabited — only his voice could speak so quietly but profoundly to the experiences of those...

The lineup for the 28th edition of the American Black Film Festival continues to get more star studded with the world premiere of the second season of Kerry Washington’s Hulu series “UnPrisoned.”

Washington will attend the Miami Beach-based festival to celebrate the premiere and sit for a fireside chat with fellow executive producer Tracy McMillan, who created the series based on her life.

The Special Screenings lineup also features world premieres of documentaries “Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys,” about the Wu-Tang Clan founding member, and “Down in the Valley,” inspired the world of the hit Starz series “P-Valley,” plus a screening of the classic “Devil in a Blue Dress,” as part of the Denzel Washington Retrospective.

The HBO Short Film Award Showcase will kick off the film festival program on June 12, hosted by Sirius Xm’s Bevy Smith (“Bevelations”). Five filmmakers are selected as finalists, and...

Geffen Records and Hybe, the K-Pop entertainment company that launched BTS, have selected the final six members to launch the new global girl group Katseye.

Geffen and Hybe kicked off the process on Sept. 1, starting with the top 20 contestants selected from 120,000 submissions. The international group, created based on the K-pop training and development system, took part in the audition program called The Debut: Dream Academy, which streamed on YouTube and Japanese streaming channel Abema.

The Katseye finalists were announced Friday night at an event in Los Angeles, and the group includes members from around the world. Daniela Avanzini, Lara Rajagopalan and Megan Skiendiel are from America; Yoonchae Jeong is from South Korea; Sophia Laforteza is from the Philippines; and Manon Bannerman is from Switzerland. The final lineup was determined by a combination of early votes and real-time votes during the live finale, as well as evaluators’ scores.

Katseye will release...

Three more contestants have been eliminated from The Debut: Dream Academy!

Hybe x Geffen Records announced the next three contestants eliminated from the global girl group audition program on Sunday (November 5).

The elimination comes after the show’s third mission, where the focus was to demonstrate artistry while executing various musical concepts.

The remaining 13 contestants were split into three groups. one group performed Demi Lovato’s “Confident”, one performed The Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons”, and one group performed Spice Girls’ “Wannabe.”

The third elimination followed the Mission #3 performance videos, resulting in the top 10 contestants who will participate in the November 17 live finale event.

The show began with 20 contestants from around the world competing for a spot in the first-ever Hybe x Geffen Records global girl group, marking the first time a major U.S. record label and a K-pop entertainment leader have combined their powers to form a group.

This one-of-a-kind...

There are a few documentarians who dabble in feature filmmaking: R.J. Cutler (“If I Stay”), Matt Heineman (“A Private War”), even Werner Herzog (there are many). To their ranks we can now add Oscar-winner Roger Ross Williams (“Music By Prudence”), and he’s all in on making it work.

At Telluride, Williams screened his well-reviewed Sundance feature “Cassandro”; saw the world premiere of “Stamped from the Beginning” at the Toronto International Film Festival; and Apple TV+ will air his four-part docuseries “The Super Models” September 20.

It’s an eclectic and vibrant collection of work and none of it was straightforward or easy. “Cassandro” is based on the true story of Luchador Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal in a career-best performance) who finds his true identity as the cross-dressing El Exotico on the Mexico wrestling circuit. Williams met his subject on the Amazon documentary short “The Man Without a Mask” (2016).

“I knew that story inside out,...

Miss Scarlet and The Duke will be back on the case in the new year: Season 4 of the British drama is slated to premiere Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at 8/7c on Masterpiece on PBS. It will be followed by the Season 4 opener of All Creatures Great and Small at 9 pm.

In the upcoming run of Miss Scarlet and The Duke, “Eliza (Kate Phillips) has taken over the business of Nash & Sons (not that he has any sons) and things are not going entirely smoothly, although help comes from some familiar sources,” reads the official synopsis. “Outside of work, her relationship with William (‘the Duke,...

K-pop and BTS label Hybe and Geffen Records are searching for the next girl group — and it’s all being documented in a new Netflix series coming in 2024.

The music docuseries, which is currently set to premiere next year, will follow 20 contestants around the world as they compete for a spot in a girl group from Hybe and Geffen Records.

The official logline is as follows: “A years-long process of creating a one-of-a-kind girl group will be the subject of an upcoming Netflix untitled documentary series. With unprecedented access, the series will be a compelling portrayal of the journey to global stardom, including insight into the unique training and development program from Hybe and Geffen Records.”

The 20 contestants, who were revealed by Hybe and Geffen Records on Monday, represent young women across the globe who were selected from over 120,000 submissions sent in by hopeful applicants since the companies announced...

Hybe Corp., the K-Pop powerhouse behind BTS, and the U.S.’s Geffen Records are to bring their global girl group audition efforts to Netflix as a docuseries that will launch next year.

The two music companies announced the 2024 series and a companion-piece online show that kicks off on Thursday as their “The Debut: Dream Academy” moves up a gear. Having begun the selection process in November 2021 and screened some 120,000 submissions from young women hopefuls from around the world, they have now narrowed the field to just 20 candidates.

They hail from Thailand, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, the U.S., Sweden, Japan, Belarus, Switzerland, Slovakia, the Philippines and Korea.

Next, fans can follow the contestants as they embark on the final stages of the audition program. The content will begin to premiere on Sept. 1st at 8a.m. U.S. Pdt on YouTube (global), and on Japanese broadcast channel Abema,...

Nearly two years after first announcing a partnership to develop a new girl group made up of performers from around the world, Universal Music Group’s Geffen Records and Hybe — the influential Korean label behind K-Pop superstars like BTS — revealed the contestants for the project on Monday. The 20 girls were introduced as part of a streamed audition process set to air online starting later this week.

The girls who made the audition program, called The Debut: Dream Academy, were selected from 120,000 others who sent in submissions for the group. The...

Hybe, the K-pop giant behind bands such as BTS, are looking to manufacture a new girl group and that process will be turned into a Netflix music docuseries.

Hybe teamed with Universal Music’s Geffen Records, the label behind artists such as Nirvana and Sonic Youth, in 2021 to create a new U.S. girl group using its K-pop training and development system.

That initiative – Hybe x Geffen Global Girl Group Audition – saw more than 120,000 submissions from young women around the world and has now been whittled down to 20 contestants competing for a spot in the group.

Netflix is now turning this years-long process into an untitled documentary series to launch in 2024.

The series will be directed by Nadia Hallgren, who directed Netflix’s Michelle Obama documentary Becoming.

It is produced by Hybe, whose U.S. arm is run by Justin Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun, Interscope Films, the Universal Music...

Abbott Elementary, Atlanta and Better Call Saul are among the winners from the fourth night of the NAACP Image Awards‘ non-televised ceremonies.

Winners during Thursday’s night virtual ceremony encompassed the TV writing, TV directing and podcasting categories.

Brittani Nichols won best writing in a comedy series for Abbott Elementary, while Marissa Jo Cerar took the drama series writing award for Women of the Movement.

Angela Barnes won directing honors for the comedy series Atlanta, while Giancarlo Esposito won an NAACP Image Award for directing Better Call Saul.

Winners in the the podcasting categories included The Daily Show and LeVar Burton.

NAACP recognized winners in non-televised categories in virtual ceremonies over multiple nights. Beyoncé and Rihanna were among the winners from night one; Jennifer Hudson, Trevor Noah and Viola Davis were among those winning during night two; and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Quinta Brunson and Keke Palmer were among the night three winners.

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CNN Films and Points North Institute have revealed the five recipients of the 2022 American Stories Documentary Fellowship.

The artist development program fellowship supports independent documentary filmmakers who, from diverse points of view, are exploring themes unique to American experiences. The five filmmaking teams named as this year’s fellowship recipients include Ameha Molla and Rajal Pitroda; Gabriela Díaz Arp and Karla Claudio Betancourt; Paige Bethmann and Jessica Epstein; Jordan Lord and Abby Sun; and Julie Wyman, Lindsey Dryden and Jonna McKone.

The fellows will each receive a 10,000 production grant and have costs covered to attend an immersive week-long working retreat that runs concomitantly with the annual Camden International Film Festival (Ciff) in Maine. The retreat includes feedback sessions, workshops and individual as well as group discussions with veteran filmmakers and industry professionals.

Each of the 2022 filmmaking teams were chosen from 200 applicants from across the U.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Bitterbrush (Emelie Mahdavian)

Watch an exclusive clip above.

While they don’t know it yet, this is, for friends Colie Moline and Hollyn Patterson, the end of five years range riding together in the American Pacific Northwest. It’s also their most comfortable after trading the usual camper for an old cabin this summer. With only themselves and a crew of herd dogs for assistance, they take to the Idahoan plains in search of the beef cattle and calves they’ve been contracted to reclaim. The work is tiring and tenuous in consistency, but also spiritually and physically rewarding—if not financially. Colie and Hollyn have grown close: an easy rapport and trust that allows director Emelie Mahdavian (and us) a glimpse into their personal lives,...

A simple list of Ben Crump’s clients tells us how important his work as a civil rights attorney is: Between 2020-2021 alone, he represented the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Daunte Wright.

“Civil” began as a collaboration between Crump and Kenya Barris (“black-ish”), who considered working on a scripted series together. But as Crump puts it, Barris felt people would want to see “this real life superhero,” so they asked director Nadia Hallgren (“Becoming”) to make a documentary about Crump himself.

The result leaves us with the feeling that a combination of approaches might have worked best: a non-scripted series could have given Hallgren valuable opportunities to broaden the story, while still introducing viewers to her primary subject.

Also Read:

‘My Name Is Pauli Murray’ Filmmakers Explain How They Portrayed a ‘Legendary But Little Known American’ (Video)

As a straightforward portrait, “Civil” can feel a...

Father’s Day and Juneteenth overlap this year, and there is no shortage of programming on television for the latter holiday, which celebrates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, and delivered the news that all enslaved people were free. The Emancipation Proclamation arrived two years later on Jan. 1, 1863.

Juneteenth has gained more awareness in recent years, finally becoming recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.

Programming celebrating Black music, culture and more will run all weekend, culminating in the holiday itself on Sunday, June 19.

Below, check out our Juneteenth viewing guide to watch to watch on TV and streaming this weekend.

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Country singer Jimmie Allen will host an hourlong segment recognizing the influence of Black artists in music. The special will run on ABC on Friday, June 18 starting at 8pm Eastern and Pacific time. The “Sound of Freedom:...

Mubi Go, which has helped buoy NYC’s arthouse market by offering members a free movie ticket a week at participating theaters, expands to LA today where the biz could really use a boost. The films are curated and the first is Apple’s Cha Cha Real Smooth.

Mubi, a global streaming service, production company and film distributor, launched Mubi Go in New York last fall and will continue expanding to major markets through 2022 with Chicago next. “We’re being very careful and methodical about the rollout,” said distribution chief Chris Wells.

Mubi members get Mubi Go as a perk. The company doesn’t release subscriber numbers but Wells said its NYC base jumped by 30 after it added Mubi Go.

Movie picks include its own releases, like Lingui, The Sacred Bonds, but mostly from other distributors from Drive My Car, The Power of the Dog and Passing to We’re...

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump commanded the attention of the audience inside the New World Center Performance Hall in Miami Beach for the kickoff to the 2022 American Black Film Festival on Wed. June 15, where he took the stage to introduce “Civil,” the upcoming Netflix documentary about his life and work.

“I keep getting asked, ‘Why did I do this?’ Crump recounted. “I said, I understand, we always have to fight in two courts when we’re fighting for the lives and the dignity and the humanity of Black people: the court of law and the court of public opinion.”

Speaking before crowd of filmmakers, film fans and some personal friends, Crump declared how the documentary wouldn’t be possible without Kenya Barris, who knows how to portray the Black experience on film.

“Kenya created ‘Black-ish’ and wrote ‘Girls Trip’ and [created] ‘America’s Next Top Model’ … We present those experiences in Black America,...

The Netflix documentary Civil: Ben Crump follows civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who often represents marginalized clients in wrongful death, injury, police brutality and discrimination lawsuits. Director Nadia Hallgren follows Crump and his various cases, including his most high-profile one against the city of Minneapolis for the death of George Floyd. The documentary is filmed against the backdrop of this historical case while showing how Crump handles these tragic events that captured the full attention of Americans and the international community.

The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival and opened the American Black Film Festival on Wednesday, begins with Crump in the shadows. He’s on a call from one of Floyd’s family members, who is begging for his help. This is the lawyer’s life daily, on the phone, traveling, organizing and talking to families while maintaining his personal life. From his hero Thurgood Marshall, Crump learned...

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Benjamin Crump occupies a peculiar position in American society. The attorney has famously represented families whose loved ones have been killed by the police: Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd are just a few of his highest-profile cases. But Crump is a civil lawyer, not a prosecutor. He can’t charge the officers involved in these cases, nor can he guarantee that they end up being held accountable for their actions. What he can, and does, do is help aggrieved families get some financial restitution.

But Crump is also an outsize public figure, known for his immediate presence at the sight of nearly every tragedy. He has been accused of peddling in the grief of Black families and of exploiting these incidents for personal gain. Nadia Hallgren’s Civil, a new Netflix documentary about the litigator, is an attempt to correct this...

“Civil” takes a mythic approach when introducing Benjamin Crump — the lawyer widely known for representing Black families touched by police killings — presenting him to us in silhouette as he accepts a call from the family of George Floyd, before the movie slowly and skillfully creates a portraiture of his interior life, backed by wistful music. It’s a counter-narrative of sorts, to the many Fox News segments branding him “the most dangerous man in America” (footage that features throughout the documentary), but it’s also an excavation of the ways Crump himself is tirelessly dedicated to writing the counter-narratives of Black people slain by police.

Following Crump across twelve volatile months during 2020-2021, the film may end up on the wrong side of scattered — it takes a number of open-ended detours the longer it goes on — but its approach to the attorney himself is in step with his attempts to...

In its 26th year, the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is more star-studded than ever, with a robust lineup of Black film and television stars and creators.

After two years of Covid-related pivots, the festival returns to South Beach in Miami for a five-day engagement full of special screenings, panel discussions and events celebrating the Black film and television community. Among the talent joining ABFF festival ambassador Issa Rae, who will debut her new HBO Max series “Rap Sh!t” at the festival, are Chanté Adams, Yahya Abdul- Mateen II, Kenya Barris, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ben Crump, Michael Ealy, DeVon Franklin, Kasi Lemmons, Judge Greg Mathis, LisaRaye McCoy, Kyla Pratt, Trevante Rhodes, Kendrick Sampson, Robin Thede, Judge Lynn Toler, Susan Kelechi Watson and Salli Richardson Whitfield, among many others.

“We are thrilled to have the support of the industry with so much content targeted towards Black audiences,” said Nicole Friday, ABFF...

"You gotta try to not just be a spectator on the sidelines - get into the arena, and do something." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film titled Civil, a remarkably inspiring look at the work of civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The film is premiering at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival soon before it's streaming on Netflix, along with a theatrical debut for anyone who wants to watch. From Emmy-nominated Director Nadia Hallgren and producers Kenya Barris & Roger Ross Williams. Crump's mission is to raise the value of Black life. He has worked as the civil lawyer for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Black farmers, and "Banking while Black" victims, in doing so challenging America to come to terms with what it owes his clients. "Hallgren gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his upbringing and his balance of work and family life." I'm always looking...

In 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement was sparked to life, and since then, we’ve seen a lot of positive protests advocating necessary change. The cause is crucial, and the fight for people still rages on in 2022. The movement has only gained more and more traction over the years with the tragic deaths of many innocent people.

Read More: John Boyega Says He’s “Fixated” On Making Sure The Industry Has Work Environments “As Good As Possible For Everyone”

From Emmy nominated director Nadia Hallgren, “Civil” tells the story of Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney whose mission is to raise the value of Black life in America.

Continue reading ‘Civil’ Trailer: Nadia Hallgren’s Empowering Documentary “Speaks To What Justice Can Be” at The Playlist.

Updated with host, performer set: Holly Robinson Peete was tapped to host the 47th annual Gracie Awards at its in-person ceremony May 24 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Singer-songwriter Christina Perri will perform during the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation’s ceremony, which honors exemplary programming created by, for and about women in radio, TV, cable and interactive media.

Elle Fanning (The Great), Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) and Tamron Hall (Tamron Hall) are this year’s honores, with shows including Maid (Warner Bros. Television) and Pose (FX) also being recognized.

Previously, April 22: The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation today announced the winners of the 47th Annual Gracie Awards, honoring exemplary programming created by, for and about women in radio, television, cable and interactive media.

Elle Fanning (The Great), Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) and Tamron...

As studios meet in Las Vegas to present footage of their upcoming slates to exhibitors, Netflix is showcasing their own slate of future feature films as it has unveiled its upcoming summer slate of original movies. Some of the films receiving new release dates include the Vampire thriller Day Shift starring Jamie Foxx, which is set to bow on August 12, the Kevin Hart-Mark Wahlberg comedy Me Time, bowing on Aug. 26 and the Dakota Johnson drama Persuasion, bowing July 15. The streamer also confirmed dates of some highly-anticipated films that had previously been announced like the Adam Sandler sports pic Hustle, which bows on June 8, the Chris Hemsworth-Miles Teller Thriller Spiderhead, which bows on June 17 and most recently the The Russo Brothers next film The Gray Man, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, which will premiere on July 22.

You can find the remaining schedule for the entire summer...

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground has come aboard Sam Esmail’s upcoming film Leave the World Behind for Netflix.

The film starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold adapts Rumaan Alam’s acclaimed third novel about a family vacation on Long Island that is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.

Upon its publication in October 2020, Leave the World Behind was listed as one of Barack Obama’s Summer Favorites, also being named a Read with Jenna Today Show Pick; a finalist for the 2020 National Book Awards; and Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, NPR, Time, Esquire and Elle, among other outlets. Esmail handled the screenplay adaptation...

The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation announced the winners of the 47th annual Gracie Awards, which will honor some of the most talented women in television, radio and digital media. This year’s winners include Melissa McCarthy, Tamron Hall, Kelly Clarkson, Melanie Lynskey, Elle Fanning, Kaitlyn Dever, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.

The ceremony will return in-person on May 24 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, and will also honor the best of entertainment and news programming highlighting women, including “60 Minutes,” “NBC Nightly News” and “Pose.” Local and student winners will be honored at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 22 in New York City.

“Throughout this past year we have seen a number of remarkable projects by and about inspirational women,” said Awmf president Becky Brooks. “We are honored to shine a spotlight on these women, whose stories have driven cultural awareness, offered entertainment that has made us laugh,...

Updated Exclusive: The winning projects from Netflix and Adobe’s short-film contest The Great Untold were made public Wednesday, with the three films now available on Netflix’s YouTube channel (here).

The shorts, from winners Jonathan Morales-Moreno, Keara Anderson and Samba Diop, were shot in their hometown settings after the filmmakers worked with mentors over three weeks to learn everything from video production to script writing, storytelling and editing. Adobe and Netflix also provided equipment, tools and crew.

The trio were selected in August among more than 16,000 submissions to TikTok, securing a $10,000 grant to make their films.

Previous Exclusive, August 12: Netflix and Adobe have named the winners of their first-ever short film contest, The Great Untold, who will get to bring their pitched shorts to life and receive grants of $10,000, along with access to Adobe experts and tools, and continued mentorship on their projects.

Wilmington, Nc’s Jonathan Morales-Moreno will be producing The Refugee,...

Exclusive: Matthew Carnahan (House of Lies), Emmy nominee Nadia Hallgren (Becoming), and Ben Crump are developing the legal series Stokes, based on Crump’s life and work as a civil rights attorney. The series will also follow Crump and his team as they travel the country fighting to change the problems within the justice system.

Carnahan, creator and showrunner of Stokes, developed the script with Hallgren. Crump and Carnahan’s producing partner, Joel Ehninger, will executive produce.

“Working with Ben Crump is a stark rebuttal of the old saying about never meeting your heroes. Three years in, through a documentary and this wonderful scripted series, Stokes, Ben is more my hero than ever, and his work has undoubtedly changed the culture,” said Carnahan in a statement to Deadline.

Added Hallgren, “Ben Crump is one of the most nuanced, complex, and interesting characters I’ve ever met. The last two years...

Exclusive: Comedian Aida Rodriguez has signed with Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment.

Rodriguez most recently executive produced and starred in the HBO Max comedy special Fighting Words, directed by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Nadia Hallgren (Becoming) and Kristian Mercado (Pa’Lante). The project was a hybrid stand-up performance and travel diary, injected with her no-holds-barred commentary on topics of the day while also tackling her deeply personal family history.

She made her TV debut in NBC’s No Comic Standing in 2014 where she departed among the top 10 finalists for Season 8.

Rodriguez was a featured comic in Netflix’s Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready—a comedy anthology series from longtime friend Haddish—HBO Max’s Entre Nos: Part 1, and Showtime’s Shaquille O’Neal Presents: All-Star Comedy Jam, among other specials.

On the feature side, she was handpicked to appear in the 2016 film The Comedy starring Robert DeNiro by director Taylor Hackford.

Rodriguez is also represented by Buchwald,...

Jennifer Hudson was the big winner Saturday night at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards. The “Respect” star took home trophies for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and Entertainer of the Year.

Will Smith won for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard.” The Netflix Western “The Harder They Fall” was named Outstanding Motion Picture.

“Black-ish” star — and winner for this year’s Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series — Anthony Anderson hosted Saturday night’s mostly virtual show from Los Angeles.

HBO’s “Insecure” was named Outstanding Comedy Series, with its star Issa Rae winning for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. “This Is Us” star Sterling K. Brown and “9-1-1” star Angela Bassett won for outstanding actor and actress in a drama, respectively.

Samuel L. Jackson was honored with the Chairman Award, recognizing...

The NAACP Image Awards honored Issa Rae, Barry Jenkins and others in the writing, directing and short-form categories on the second night of the ceremonies.

Rae picked up the Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series prize for the series finale of “Insecure” titled “Everything’s Gonna Be, Okay?,” which she also starred in and executive produced.

Jenkins won Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for “The Underground Railroad,” the miniseries adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel.

Among other winners Tuesday night, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” won Outstanding Short Form Series – Comedy or Drama for the series “Between the Scenes.”

Oscar-winning drama “Judas and the Black Messiah” picked up twin nods for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing (King) in a Motion Picture.

The non-televised honors known as the NAACP Image Awards Virtual Experience are hosted by actor and comedian Affion Crockett this year, and announced over five nights,...

"Latinos like to flex on other Latinos. Nobody holds us down like how we hold each other down," Puerto Rican and Dominican comedian Aida Rodriguez says in her new one-hour HBO Max comedy special Fighting Words, that premieres on Nov. 4. Ain't that the truth! While there is something beautiful about the way Latinx communities unite and take pride in our cultures, there's no denying the discrimination and the harm that also tends to stem from Latinidad. Aida keeps it 100 when it comes to that reality. In her new show, she breaks down some of the hardships she's experienced from homelessness, growing up without her Dominican father present as a result of deportation, sexual abuse, and the issues that very much plague Latinx communities from colorism to misogyny and the divisions that exist within various Latinx communities – like the long-lived beef between Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. She highlights the shame that...

Exclusive: HBO announced the upcoming documentary Black And Missing from Emmy Award winners Geeta Gandbhir and Soledad O’Brien that will focus on Black missing persons cases. Black And Missing will premiere on HBO with two back-to-back episodes on Nov. 23 followed by the release of the remaining pair of episodes on Nov. 24. All episodes will be available to stream after airing on HBO Max.

The four-parter, which was three years in the making, follows Black and Missing Foundation founders Derrica and Natalie Wilson as they dive into specific cases and break down how systemic behaviors and attitudes stem from centuries of deeply rooted racism. The docuseries also exposes the stark disparity in the media coverage of white and black missing persons. By keeping these stories and the missing in the news media, Derrica and Natalie put increased pressure on police departments to keep cases open and active.

The docuseries will feature...

Doc NYC gave a boost to 15 Oscar-contending documentaries Tuesday, naming them to its prestigious shortlist of the year’s best nonfiction films.

Early favorites Flee, Summer of Soul, The Rescue, Ascension, and Becoming Cousteau made the Doc NYC shortlist, as did Introducing, Selma Blair, the intimate documentary about actress Selma Blair’s battle with Ms, and The Velvet Underground, Todd Haynes’ film on the influential avant-garde rock band fronted by Lou Reed.

Doc NYC has earned a reputation as an accurate predictor of Oscar success. Last year, the festival gave shortlist recognition to three of the docs that went on to claim Oscar nominations: Time, Collective, and Crip Camp.

“For eight of the last nine years, Doc NYC has screened the documentary feature that went on to win the Academy Award,” the festival noted. “The festival has also screened 39 of the last 45 Oscar-nominated documentary features.

Netflix debuted a first look at “Inventing Anna,” Shonda Rhimes’ new limited series set to premiere in 2022.

Inspired by Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People,” the series follows Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), a journalist investigating the case of Anna Delvey (Julia Garner), the German heiress and Instagram celebrity who broke into New York’s social scene to make friends and then steal their money. As Vivian questions whether Anna is anything more than a con woman, the two begin to develop a love-hate bond. Arian Moayed, Katie Lowes, Alexis Floyd, Anders Holm , Anna Deavere Smith, Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney and Laverne Cox also star.

The first look photos show Anna at both high and low points — enjoying herself while dressed in designer fashion and being visited by Vivian in jail.

Rhimes serves as creator and showrunner. Writers include Matt Byrne,...

If you’d like to see what a challenge it was to stage an elaborate Super Bowl Halftime Show during a pandemic, look no further than the forthcoming Showtime documentary on the Weeknd’s dazzling performance during the 2021 game.

The brief clip below shows just how much planning went into the performance, which was seen by an estimated 100 million viewers worldwide.

Variety wrote in its review of the performance, “The Super Bowl Halftime show is the biggest stage on Earth for a musician, and the Weeknd made the most of his 12-odd minutes on Sunday night, delivering a tightly choreographed, technologically dazzling set that not only lived up to some of the most iconic performances of the past, it also touched on songs and images from all across his decade-long career — and he did it under strict pandemic restrictions.”

The doc, called “The Show,” was first announced in February, and...

This past spring Beyonce became the most awarded woman in the history of the Grammys, adding four more trophies to her collection which brought her to a grand total of 28. But she has quietly been amassing a pretty strong Emmy track record too. This year she could win multiple times for her Disney+ music film “Black is King.”

Beyonce voiced Nala in the photo-realistic 2019 remake of “The Lion King”; “Black is King” was inspired by that film and features songs from Beyonce’s “Lion King” companion album, “The Gift.” It was already nominated for Best Music Film at the Grammys earlier this year, and it was awarded by the Art Directors Guild. Judging from Beyonce’s track record, it has a good chance at Emmy nominations too.

SEEBeyonce is now the most awarded woman in Grammy history, and she’s closer to being the biggest winner Ever

To date she...

The International Documentary Association (IDA) and Xrm Media have launched a new international fund to support short verité documentaries with an emphasis on emerging filmmakers.

The IDA+Xrm Media Incubator will provide three filmmakers with $25,000 each. In addition, Academy Award-nominated directors Skye Fitzgerald (“Hunger Ward”) and Smriti Mundhra (“St. Louis Superman”), and Emmy-nominated director Nadia Hallgren (“Becoming”) will be paired with the grantees as mentors.

Applications will open July 5 and close Aug. 2.

Simon Kilmurry, IDA’s executive director, said: “Xrm Media’s commitment to filmmakers aligns very well with IDA’s mission, and by joining forces we can ensure that filmmakers receive all the resources they need to make high-impact films.”

Michael Y. Chow, chief instigator at Xrm Media, added: “Xrm Media has long respected and valued what Simon Kilmurry and the entire IDA team have brought to the documentary filmmaking community and are thrilled to announce our partnership and...

Updated with full list of winners: The 52nd annual NAACP Image Awards wrapped up a week of honors Saturday with a primetime ceremony in which it named the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence reteam Bad Boys for Life its Outstanding Motion Picture of the Year. D-Nice won the organization’s marquee Entertainer of the Year award, beating a field that also included Regina King, Viola Davis, Trevor Noah and Tyler Perry.

Other top winners in the two-hour show hosted by Anthony Anthony Anderson and airing live on BET and CBS and across the suite of ViacomCBS networks included two victories for Viola Davis, who took best actress in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and drama series actress for her final season of How to Get Away With Murder. Chadwick Boseman, who won a supporting actor prize earlier this week, won again, taking the best actor prize for Ma Rainey,...