Exclusive: First Lady Jill Biden will be the featured speaker at Monday’s A Day Of Unreasonable Conversation, a social impact event featuring entertainment industry figures and activists.
Biden will take part in a conversation with Halle Berry to talk about the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. Their talk, titled “Writing New Stories About Women’s Health,” will delve into how cultural figures and content can advance conversation’s about the topic.
The first lady is heading to Southern California today for a round of fundraising and an appearance this weekend at the Los Angeles Human Rights Campaign dinner.
Others taking part in the Getty Center event include Paris Hilton, Yvette Nicole Brown, Christine Blasey Ford, Amy Spitalnick and Sitarah Pendleton-Eaglin. The lineup includes Jane Fonda, Cord Jefferson, Yusef Salaam, Charli d’Amelio, Dorian Warren, Maurice Mitchell, Sinead Bovell, Angela Patton, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford,...
Biden will take part in a conversation with Halle Berry to talk about the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. Their talk, titled “Writing New Stories About Women’s Health,” will delve into how cultural figures and content can advance conversation’s about the topic.
The first lady is heading to Southern California today for a round of fundraising and an appearance this weekend at the Los Angeles Human Rights Campaign dinner.
Others taking part in the Getty Center event include Paris Hilton, Yvette Nicole Brown, Christine Blasey Ford, Amy Spitalnick and Sitarah Pendleton-Eaglin. The lineup includes Jane Fonda, Cord Jefferson, Yusef Salaam, Charli d’Amelio, Dorian Warren, Maurice Mitchell, Sinead Bovell, Angela Patton, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford,...
- 3/22/2024
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Filipino writer-producer-director Ramona S Diaz is unafraid of a fight.
She plans to release her politically controversial feature documentary And So It Begins in the Philippines herself later this year, galvanised by the rection to her 2003 film Imelda. The film premiered at Sundance in January and had its European premiere in the international competition of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival last week.
Imelda was about the life of former Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos. Marcos unsuccessfully took Diaz to court in an attempt to stop the documentary being shown in the Philippines.
And So It Begins looks at the 2022 elections...
She plans to release her politically controversial feature documentary And So It Begins in the Philippines herself later this year, galvanised by the rection to her 2003 film Imelda. The film premiered at Sundance in January and had its European premiere in the international competition of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival last week.
Imelda was about the life of former Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos. Marcos unsuccessfully took Diaz to court in an attempt to stop the documentary being shown in the Philippines.
And So It Begins looks at the 2022 elections...
- 3/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Essentially a sequel, or a companion one could say to the excellent “A Thousand Cuts”, “And So It Begins” follows the 2022 Philippine Presidential elections, with Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos, Jr and former Vice President Leni Lobredo being opponents. At the same time, it also reserves space for the “protagonist” of the previous movie, Maria Ressa.
And So It Begins is screening at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
In that fashion, the documentary begins with Leni Lobredo's term as Vice-President to Rodrigo Duterte (President and vice-president elections are separate in the Philippines) and the bullying she essentially received from him, with the public speaking scene where both are present, being highly indicative. Nevertheless, and one could say because of this attitude, Lobredo decides to run for President in 2022, and is actually considered one of the favorites for some time, particularly due to her promises to do things rather differently than the autocratic, intensely populist practices of Duterte.
And So It Begins is screening at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
In that fashion, the documentary begins with Leni Lobredo's term as Vice-President to Rodrigo Duterte (President and vice-president elections are separate in the Philippines) and the bullying she essentially received from him, with the public speaking scene where both are present, being highly indicative. Nevertheless, and one could say because of this attitude, Lobredo decides to run for President in 2022, and is actually considered one of the favorites for some time, particularly due to her promises to do things rather differently than the autocratic, intensely populist practices of Duterte.
- 3/15/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ramona S Diaz’s pacey, engaging doc And So It Begins builds on 2020’s A Thousand Cuts to essay the 2022 Philippine Presidential election, and the nefarious machinations behind it. Often feeling more sturdy political drama than insightful exposé, the film centres the socially liberal candidate Leni Robredo and journalist and activist Maria Ressa (the focus of A Thousand Cuts) as they try to resist the electoral favourite and all-round awful fella Bongbong Marcos, son of the despotic Ferdinand Marcos who ruled from 1965 to 1986 with nine years of particularly brutal martial law towards the end of his term. The stakes are very high indeed.
Robredo and Ressa are compelling, charismatic figures. The latter especially, as she conveys the frustration and bears the weight of a lifetime fighting the corruption and human rights abuses perpetrated in her country without ever losing her grace and charm. The scene where she is informed...
Robredo and Ressa are compelling, charismatic figures. The latter especially, as she conveys the frustration and bears the weight of a lifetime fighting the corruption and human rights abuses perpetrated in her country without ever losing her grace and charm. The scene where she is informed...
- 1/31/2024
- by Chris Fyvie
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
CNN Philippines is to close down on Wednesday, the company announced on Monday local time. The move means up to 300 jobs will be lost.
CNN Philippines was launched in 2015 under a brand licensing agreement between Turner and Nine Media Network, a Philippines company that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alc Group of Companies previously launched by the late Ambassador Antonio Cabangon-Chua.
“CNN Philippines will discontinue operations on all media platforms effective Wednesday, Jan 31, 2044,” the company said in a posting on social media. “A trusted source of news and information CNN Philippines is accessible on free-to-air TV, cable and digital platforms. To our staff, we thank you for your commitment and dedication. To our partners, including CNN Worldwide / Turner Broadcasting Corporation, we are grateful for your support. And to our viewers, our sincerest gratitude for your loyalty and trust over the past 9 years.”
On X (formerly Twitter), it added: “Turning...
CNN Philippines was launched in 2015 under a brand licensing agreement between Turner and Nine Media Network, a Philippines company that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alc Group of Companies previously launched by the late Ambassador Antonio Cabangon-Chua.
“CNN Philippines will discontinue operations on all media platforms effective Wednesday, Jan 31, 2044,” the company said in a posting on social media. “A trusted source of news and information CNN Philippines is accessible on free-to-air TV, cable and digital platforms. To our staff, we thank you for your commitment and dedication. To our partners, including CNN Worldwide / Turner Broadcasting Corporation, we are grateful for your support. And to our viewers, our sincerest gratitude for your loyalty and trust over the past 9 years.”
On X (formerly Twitter), it added: “Turning...
- 1/29/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
A companion piece to her documentary “A Thousand Cuts,” Ramona S. Diaz’s “And So It Begins” follows the 2022 Philippine election, and Vice President Leni Robredo’s run for office. The film lays out the broad strokes of the country’s contemporary politics in the wake of strongman President Rodrigo Duterte, while capturing the groundswell of support for Robredo. However, it features neither the narrative and aesthetic intensity needed for an up-to-the-minute chronicle, nor the political depth required of such vital subject matter, which Diaz’s previous work has in spades.
After a contentious vice presidency — she was elected on a separate ticket from Duterte, as is common in the Philippines — Robredo’s campaign kicks off with grassroots activism awash in pink apparel, often on a scale so large that overhead shots of her rallies barely fit within the frame. With political experience and a moving personal narrative at her back,...
After a contentious vice presidency — she was elected on a separate ticket from Duterte, as is common in the Philippines — Robredo’s campaign kicks off with grassroots activism awash in pink apparel, often on a scale so large that overhead shots of her rallies barely fit within the frame. With political experience and a moving personal narrative at her back,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
After Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte’s term comes to an end, the promise of democracy and threat of increased authoritarianism sends droves of citizens into the street to campaign for Liberal Party candidate Leni Robredo. Filmmaker Ramona S. Díaz captures the lead-up and aftermath of this critical election in her film And So It Begins, a companion to her 2020 doc A Thousand Cuts, about journalist Maria Ressa, who risks her life in order to vocally criticize Duterte’s involvement in the war on drugs. Below, editor Aaron Soffin discusses how he came onto the project only five months ago, trained under […]
The post “We Wanted To Embed the Viewer in the Energy of the Campaign”: Editor Aaron Soffin on And So It Begins first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Wanted To Embed the Viewer in the Energy of the Campaign”: Editor Aaron Soffin on And So It Begins first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/22/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
After Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte’s term comes to an end, the promise of democracy and threat of increased authoritarianism sends droves of citizens into the street to campaign for Liberal Party candidate Leni Robredo. Filmmaker Ramona S. Díaz captures the lead-up and aftermath of this critical election in her film And So It Begins, a companion to her 2020 doc A Thousand Cuts, about journalist Maria Ressa, who risks her life in order to vocally criticize Duterte’s involvement in the war on drugs. Below, editor Aaron Soffin discusses how he came onto the project only five months ago, trained under […]
The post “We Wanted To Embed the Viewer in the Energy of the Campaign”: Editor Aaron Soffin on And So It Begins first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Wanted To Embed the Viewer in the Energy of the Campaign”: Editor Aaron Soffin on And So It Begins first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/22/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Equality Now (En), a leading international women’s rights organization that uses the law to protect and promote women’s and girls’ rights, will hold its annual Make Equality Reality Gala on October 11, 2023 in New York City.
Bringing together cultural leaders, philanthropists, artists, and changemakers to celebrate progress toward a more gender-equal world, the evening will honor poet, activist, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Rupi Kaur with the 6th Annual Changemaker Award presented by Gucci Chime for Gender Equality, followed by a special performance by Rupi herself, and feature keynote remarks by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa plus a virtual comedic performance by Amy Schumer. The event will also commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child, which focuses on addressing the challenges girls face and promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
Other expected guests include: journalist, activist and 2022 honoree Gloria Steinem; actress and...
Bringing together cultural leaders, philanthropists, artists, and changemakers to celebrate progress toward a more gender-equal world, the evening will honor poet, activist, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Rupi Kaur with the 6th Annual Changemaker Award presented by Gucci Chime for Gender Equality, followed by a special performance by Rupi herself, and feature keynote remarks by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa plus a virtual comedic performance by Amy Schumer. The event will also commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child, which focuses on addressing the challenges girls face and promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
Other expected guests include: journalist, activist and 2022 honoree Gloria Steinem; actress and...
- 10/10/2023
- Look to the Stars
Iranian human rights advocate and freedom fighter Narges Mohammadi has won the Nobel Peace Prize 2023, organizers of the award said Friday.
The Norwegian Nobel committee that awards the prize lauded Mohammadi for “her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”
It highlighted: “Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes.” Mohammadi is still in prison.
The prize also “recognizes the hundreds of thousands of people who have demonstrated against the theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women,” the committee noted.
Iran has also been in focus for various Hollywood stars. For example, early this year, Cate Blanchett, Jason Momoa, Samuel L. Jackson, Jada Pinkett Smith and Bryan Cranston were among members of the entertainment industry publicly supporting calls to end Iran‘s execution of protestors,...
The Norwegian Nobel committee that awards the prize lauded Mohammadi for “her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”
It highlighted: “Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes.” Mohammadi is still in prison.
The prize also “recognizes the hundreds of thousands of people who have demonstrated against the theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women,” the committee noted.
Iran has also been in focus for various Hollywood stars. For example, early this year, Cate Blanchett, Jason Momoa, Samuel L. Jackson, Jada Pinkett Smith and Bryan Cranston were among members of the entertainment industry publicly supporting calls to end Iran‘s execution of protestors,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: On the eve of Sheffield DocFest, Raul Niño Zambrano has been appointed creative director of the U.K.’s leading all-documentary festival, a position he held for the past year on an interim basis.
Sheffield DocFest’s board of trustees confirmed the appointment Tuesday, as the 30th edition of the festival prepares to open in the historic city in South Yorkshire, England. As creative director, Zambrano sets the program agenda across the festival’s Film Programs, Alternate Realities exhibition, Marketplace & Talent activities, and Talks & Sessions. The role is a joint leadership position, working collaboratively with Annabel Grundy, Sheffield DocFest’s managing director.
“We congratulate Raul on his creative leadership and for such a strong line up for our 30th edition,” said Alex Cooke, chair of the board of trustees of Sheffield DocFest. “Raul and Annabel make a great team. We look forward to their continued collaboration and vision for the future of DocFest.
Sheffield DocFest’s board of trustees confirmed the appointment Tuesday, as the 30th edition of the festival prepares to open in the historic city in South Yorkshire, England. As creative director, Zambrano sets the program agenda across the festival’s Film Programs, Alternate Realities exhibition, Marketplace & Talent activities, and Talks & Sessions. The role is a joint leadership position, working collaboratively with Annabel Grundy, Sheffield DocFest’s managing director.
“We congratulate Raul on his creative leadership and for such a strong line up for our 30th edition,” said Alex Cooke, chair of the board of trustees of Sheffield DocFest. “Raul and Annabel make a great team. We look forward to their continued collaboration and vision for the future of DocFest.
- 6/13/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The upcoming animated TV series “Lil’ Heroes” from Exile Content Studio is one step closer to being made. The studio has tapped Emmy Award-winning writer, author Kevin Shinick, best known for his stints as writer, producer and voice-actor on Adult Swim’s irreverent “Robot Chicken” and his best-selling YA novel, “Star Wars: Force Collector.”
Shinick joins NBA star Carmelo Anthony who serves as an executive producer and voice actor on the upcoming series. Asani Swann, Anthony’s producing partner and co-founder of Creative 7, also executive produces.
Launched in January this year, the “Lil’ Heroes” franchise started off as an Nft collection created by Spanish contemporary artist Edgar Plans, in partnership with Exile Content Studio, the film, television, audio, and digital production house founded by Isaac Lee and now a part of Candle Media.
The Lil’ Heroes Nft collection generated over 60 million in trading volume and reached over 80,000 members on Discord,...
Shinick joins NBA star Carmelo Anthony who serves as an executive producer and voice actor on the upcoming series. Asani Swann, Anthony’s producing partner and co-founder of Creative 7, also executive produces.
Launched in January this year, the “Lil’ Heroes” franchise started off as an Nft collection created by Spanish contemporary artist Edgar Plans, in partnership with Exile Content Studio, the film, television, audio, and digital production house founded by Isaac Lee and now a part of Candle Media.
The Lil’ Heroes Nft collection generated over 60 million in trading volume and reached over 80,000 members on Discord,...
- 10/19/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize is going to jailed Belarus rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties, the award’s judges said Friday.
Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the judges wanted to honor ”three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence in the neighbor countries Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.”
“Through their consistent efforts in favor of human values and anti-militarism and principles of law, this year’s laureates have revitalized and honored Alfred Nobel’s vision of peace and fraternity between nations, a vision most needed in the world today,” she told reporters in Oslo.
The award follows a tradition of highlighting groups and activists trying to prevent conflicts, alleviate hardship and protect human rights.
Last year’s winners have faced a tough time since receiving the prize.
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize is going to jailed Belarus rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties, the award’s judges said Friday.
Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the judges wanted to honor ”three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence in the neighbor countries Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.”
“Through their consistent efforts in favor of human values and anti-militarism and principles of law, this year’s laureates have revitalized and honored Alfred Nobel’s vision of peace and fraternity between nations, a vision most needed in the world today,” she told reporters in Oslo.
The award follows a tradition of highlighting groups and activists trying to prevent conflicts, alleviate hardship and protect human rights.
Last year’s winners have faced a tough time since receiving the prize.
- 10/7/2022
- by Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
George and Amal Clooney spotlighted justice defenders on Thursday night at the inaugural Albie Awards in New York City.
“Growing up, my whole life, it just felt like oftentimes governments fail us,” George told reporters outside of the New York Public Library. “We need to, all of us, be diligent and fight for it — and that’s why we’re here tonight — because we have people who are risking their lives to do it, and risking their freedom willingly, which a lot of people aren’t.”
The married couple formed the Albie Awards to honor individuals who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to justice. Many celebrity guests walked the red carpet including Oscar Isaac, Dua Lipa, John Oliver, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Ethan Hawke and Meryl Streep.
Speaking on the red carpet, Alfre Woodward dismissed the idea that actors shouldn’t be vocal about humanitarian issues.
“Are...
“Growing up, my whole life, it just felt like oftentimes governments fail us,” George told reporters outside of the New York Public Library. “We need to, all of us, be diligent and fight for it — and that’s why we’re here tonight — because we have people who are risking their lives to do it, and risking their freedom willingly, which a lot of people aren’t.”
The married couple formed the Albie Awards to honor individuals who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to justice. Many celebrity guests walked the red carpet including Oscar Isaac, Dua Lipa, John Oliver, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Ethan Hawke and Meryl Streep.
Speaking on the red carpet, Alfre Woodward dismissed the idea that actors shouldn’t be vocal about humanitarian issues.
“Are...
- 9/30/2022
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
Latin-focused content powerhouse Exile Content Studio has snagged a majority stake in the Lil’ Heroes Nft Franchise which will soon spawn a toon series with NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
He will voice and exec produce the show through his company, Creative7 Productions.
The news comes in the wake of Exile’s acquisition in late May by Candle Media, the next generation media company founded by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Said Mayer and Staggs, who serve as co-CEOs: “We are excited to expand Exile’s partnership with Lil’ Heroes, a dynamic new franchise with a deeply engaged community, and a great example of how digitally-native IP can engage audiences through various platforms, products and experiences.”
Created by Spanish contemporary artist Edgar Plans, Lil’ Heroes was launched through an Nft collaboration with Exile and Nft studio, Curatible. By acquiring Curatible’s interest, Exile now holds a majority interest in the Lil...
He will voice and exec produce the show through his company, Creative7 Productions.
The news comes in the wake of Exile’s acquisition in late May by Candle Media, the next generation media company founded by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Said Mayer and Staggs, who serve as co-CEOs: “We are excited to expand Exile’s partnership with Lil’ Heroes, a dynamic new franchise with a deeply engaged community, and a great example of how digitally-native IP can engage audiences through various platforms, products and experiences.”
Created by Spanish contemporary artist Edgar Plans, Lil’ Heroes was launched through an Nft collaboration with Exile and Nft studio, Curatible. By acquiring Curatible’s interest, Exile now holds a majority interest in the Lil...
- 7/27/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
‘We Are Lady Parts,’ ‘The Wonder Years’ Among Third Round of Peabody Awards 2022 Winners (Full List)
Peacock’s “We Are Lady Parts” is among the latest entertainment series to be honored by the Peabody Awards, which announced the win on Wednesday morning.
“The rebellious spirit of the Sex Pistols meets the guiding wisdom of the Quran in ‘We Are Lady Parts,’ Nida Manzoor’s subversive British comedy about an all-female, all-Muslim punk band,” the Peabodys said in a statement. “Dressed in hijabs and ripped jeans, niqab face scarves and combat boots, the women are poised to infiltrate London’s punk patriarchy with original songs like ‘Voldemort Under My Headscarf’ and ‘Ain’t No One Gonna Honour Kill My Sister But Me.’ This irreverent, charming, and utterly fresh series, obliterates Mena and South Asian stereotypes and fearlessly tackles taboos about Islam, offering a multifaceted depiction of Muslim women rarely seen on screen.”
“We Are Lady Parts” comes from Working Title Television, a part of Universal International Studios,...
“The rebellious spirit of the Sex Pistols meets the guiding wisdom of the Quran in ‘We Are Lady Parts,’ Nida Manzoor’s subversive British comedy about an all-female, all-Muslim punk band,” the Peabodys said in a statement. “Dressed in hijabs and ripped jeans, niqab face scarves and combat boots, the women are poised to infiltrate London’s punk patriarchy with original songs like ‘Voldemort Under My Headscarf’ and ‘Ain’t No One Gonna Honour Kill My Sister But Me.’ This irreverent, charming, and utterly fresh series, obliterates Mena and South Asian stereotypes and fearlessly tackles taboos about Islam, offering a multifaceted depiction of Muslim women rarely seen on screen.”
“We Are Lady Parts” comes from Working Title Television, a part of Universal International Studios,...
- 6/8/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Peabody Awards have today announced their third round of winners, with We Are Lady Parts and The Wonder Years taking home prizes in the entertainment category.
Other notable winners include the HBO Max documentary In the Same Breath, which was presented by Lisa Ling, and ABC News’ The Appointment, presented by Jenny Slate.
Winners will be announced each day this week through Thursday, with celebrities will virtually presenting each of the winners online in short video clips. A full list of nominees is available here, and yesterday’s previously announced winners can be found here. Monday’s winners can be found here.
The Peabody Awards are organized by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
A full list of Wednesday’s winners, alongside comments from the jurors, follows.
Entertainment
“We Are Lady Parts”
The rebellious spirit...
The Peabody Awards have today announced their third round of winners, with We Are Lady Parts and The Wonder Years taking home prizes in the entertainment category.
Other notable winners include the HBO Max documentary In the Same Breath, which was presented by Lisa Ling, and ABC News’ The Appointment, presented by Jenny Slate.
Winners will be announced each day this week through Thursday, with celebrities will virtually presenting each of the winners online in short video clips. A full list of nominees is available here, and yesterday’s previously announced winners can be found here. Monday’s winners can be found here.
The Peabody Awards are organized by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
A full list of Wednesday’s winners, alongside comments from the jurors, follows.
Entertainment
“We Are Lady Parts”
The rebellious spirit...
- 6/8/2022
- by Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Husband-and-wife documentary filmmakers Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas were looking for the right subject for their first feature when they came upon a photo story about a lower-caste Dalit journalist in Uttar Pradesh. She stood out in an area where journalists are usually male and from the dominant caste. “I needed to know more,” said Thomas on a Zoom call (below). “We met them and were invited to a meeting.”
That memorable scene is included in “Writing with Fire,” a sleeper success playing at over 100 festivals that ultimately landed a North American distributor (Music Box) as well as a surprise Documentary Feature Oscar nomination. The film focuses on Meera Devi, a pioneering lower-caste woman journalist who teaches other Dalit women how to use their iPhones as a tool to interview, photograph, and post video footage online.
“We walked into a beautiful moment in time,” said Thomas. “Most of the women had never touched a smartphone.
That memorable scene is included in “Writing with Fire,” a sleeper success playing at over 100 festivals that ultimately landed a North American distributor (Music Box) as well as a surprise Documentary Feature Oscar nomination. The film focuses on Meera Devi, a pioneering lower-caste woman journalist who teaches other Dalit women how to use their iPhones as a tool to interview, photograph, and post video footage online.
“We walked into a beautiful moment in time,” said Thomas. “Most of the women had never touched a smartphone.
- 3/16/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
South by Southwest Conference and Festivals today announced a final round of Keynotes and Featured Speakers for the 36th annual Conference taking place in Austin, TX from March 11-20, with Ron Howard, Ted Lasso stars Brett Goldstein and Brendan Hunt, actor-filmmaker Gillian Jacobs, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. representative Beto O’Rourke, and musicians Brian Eno and Nathaniel Rateliff among the notable additions.
Buttigieg, More than Robots helmer Jacobs, O’Rourke and more will serve as featured speakers, with Howard, Goldstein, Hunt, Eno and Rateliff respectively taking part in featured sessions on Changing the Future of Food, Ted Lasso Season 2, Art & Climate and Music & The Movement.
Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters and EP and host of The New York Times podcast Together Apart, will serve as the conference’s Opening Speaker, with writer Nabil Ayers (My...
Buttigieg, More than Robots helmer Jacobs, O’Rourke and more will serve as featured speakers, with Howard, Goldstein, Hunt, Eno and Rateliff respectively taking part in featured sessions on Changing the Future of Food, Ted Lasso Season 2, Art & Climate and Music & The Movement.
Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters and EP and host of The New York Times podcast Together Apart, will serve as the conference’s Opening Speaker, with writer Nabil Ayers (My...
- 3/1/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“An intellectual today in Russia cannot afford to be silent,” said Vladimir Mirzoev.
The number of voices within the Russian film community actively speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is growing daily, as filmmakers Vitaly Mansky, Vladimir Mirzoev and Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and actresses Chulpan Khamatova and Ksenija Rappoport join the call to end the war
Mansky and Khamatova are signatories along with other filmmakers including Ivan Vyrypaev (Euphoria), Tofig Shahverdiev (Our Whole Life Is A Crime), and Andrey Smirnov (A Frenchman), as well as film critic Anton Dolin to an online appeal published by journalist and author Mikhail Zygar...
The number of voices within the Russian film community actively speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is growing daily, as filmmakers Vitaly Mansky, Vladimir Mirzoev and Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and actresses Chulpan Khamatova and Ksenija Rappoport join the call to end the war
Mansky and Khamatova are signatories along with other filmmakers including Ivan Vyrypaev (Euphoria), Tofig Shahverdiev (Our Whole Life Is A Crime), and Andrey Smirnov (A Frenchman), as well as film critic Anton Dolin to an online appeal published by journalist and author Mikhail Zygar...
- 2/27/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab¬Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
“An intellectual today in Russia cannot afford to be silent,” said Vladimir Mirzoev.
The number of voices within the Russian film community actively speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is growing daily, as filmmakers Vitaly Mansky, Vladimir Mirzoev and Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and actresses Chulpan Khamatova and Ksenija Rappoport join the call to end the war
Mansky and Khamatova are signatories along with other filmmakers including Ivan Vyrypaev (Euphoria), Tofig Shahverdiev (Our Whole Life Is A Crime), and Andrey Smirnov (A Frenchman), as well as film critic Anton Dolin to an online appeal published by journalist and author Mikhail Zygar...
The number of voices within the Russian film community actively speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is growing daily, as filmmakers Vitaly Mansky, Vladimir Mirzoev and Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and actresses Chulpan Khamatova and Ksenija Rappoport join the call to end the war
Mansky and Khamatova are signatories along with other filmmakers including Ivan Vyrypaev (Euphoria), Tofig Shahverdiev (Our Whole Life Is A Crime), and Andrey Smirnov (A Frenchman), as well as film critic Anton Dolin to an online appeal published by journalist and author Mikhail Zygar...
- 2/27/2022
- by Martin Blaney¬Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
“An intellectual today in Russia cannot afford to be silent,” said Vladimir Mirzoev.
The number of voices within the Russian film community actively speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is growing daily, as leading independent producer Artem Vasilyev of Moscow-based Metrafilms, filmmakers Vitaly Mansky, Vladimir Mirzoev and Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and actresses Chulpan Khamatova and Ksenija Rappoport join the call to end the war.
“This is all wrong,” Vasilyev told Screen of his opinion of the invasion. “I know many people in the Ukrainian film community and I am shocked that the situation has developed in this way.”
Additionally,...
The number of voices within the Russian film community actively speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is growing daily, as leading independent producer Artem Vasilyev of Moscow-based Metrafilms, filmmakers Vitaly Mansky, Vladimir Mirzoev and Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and actresses Chulpan Khamatova and Ksenija Rappoport join the call to end the war.
“This is all wrong,” Vasilyev told Screen of his opinion of the invasion. “I know many people in the Ukrainian film community and I am shocked that the situation has developed in this way.”
Additionally,...
- 2/27/2022
- by Martin Blaney¬Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Scrappy filmmaking can sometimes deliver superb storytelling, as is proven by Erik Matti’s initially wobbly but increasingly gripping, increasingly thoughtful, increasingly increasing three-and-a-half-hour “On the Job: The Missing 8,” the prolific Filipino director’s Venice-competing sequel to the 2013 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title “On the Job.” While the film unfolds more like the TV show it’s about to become, that’s hardly a diss these days. And in its current shape — due largely to screenwriter Michiko Yamamoto’s uncanny ability to keep multiple narrative balls in the air at once — it combines the immersive, occasionally spectacular pleasures of genre cinema with the greedy moreishness of longform TV models. It’s a sprawling, satisfying big-screen binge.
It also plays somewhat like a 209-minute dolly zoom: As the aperture widens on the intensely corrupt landscape of a society under strongman leadership, the focus also narrows onto one man’s painful ethical reawakening.
It also plays somewhat like a 209-minute dolly zoom: As the aperture widens on the intensely corrupt landscape of a society under strongman leadership, the focus also narrows onto one man’s painful ethical reawakening.
- 9/12/2021
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
After being branded as “the enemy of the people” in recent years, both here and in some other countries, journalists may be surprised to find themselves portrayed as heroes in a number of recent documentaries, including an Oscar-contending film.
Collective, the Romanian film nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Best International Film, centers in large part on reporter Catalin Tolontan, who exposed a shocking corruption scandal precipitated by a deadly fire at a Bucharest nightclub. Tolontan and his colleagues got to the bottom of why burn victims kept mysteriously dying in Romanian hospitals in the weeks and months after the blaze.
“These journalists,” notes director Alexander Nanau, “were the only ones who started to investigate all the lies and the manipulation within the health care system and the political class.”
Tolontan’s investigation uncovered a scheme by a pharmaceutical company to sell secretly diluted disinfectant to hospitals. The weakened cleaning...
Collective, the Romanian film nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Best International Film, centers in large part on reporter Catalin Tolontan, who exposed a shocking corruption scandal precipitated by a deadly fire at a Bucharest nightclub. Tolontan and his colleagues got to the bottom of why burn victims kept mysteriously dying in Romanian hospitals in the weeks and months after the blaze.
“These journalists,” notes director Alexander Nanau, “were the only ones who started to investigate all the lies and the manipulation within the health care system and the political class.”
Tolontan’s investigation uncovered a scheme by a pharmaceutical company to sell secretly diluted disinfectant to hospitals. The weakened cleaning...
- 4/9/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The vast majority of successful fiction films begin with a good script. Often in documentary the opposite is true—the creative breakthrough comes in throwing out the “script” and adjusting as reality unfolds.
That theme emerged as producers of the seven theatrical documentaries nominated for Producers Guild of America Awards convened Saturday to discuss their experiences. Ramona S. Diaz, producer-director of A Thousand Cuts, said her original idea was for a “Robert Altman-esque” ensemble story about life in the Philippines under the authoritarian rule of President Rodrigo Duterte. But then the journalist Maria Ressa, who butted heads with Duterte as Diaz filmed, emerged as the central focus.
“As a documentary filmmaker I’m really aware of the shifts in the story and how I need to pivot,” Diaz explained during the Zoom roundtable discussion. “Sometimes I get very attached to this idea of this ensemble cast but then when...
That theme emerged as producers of the seven theatrical documentaries nominated for Producers Guild of America Awards convened Saturday to discuss their experiences. Ramona S. Diaz, producer-director of A Thousand Cuts, said her original idea was for a “Robert Altman-esque” ensemble story about life in the Philippines under the authoritarian rule of President Rodrigo Duterte. But then the journalist Maria Ressa, who butted heads with Duterte as Diaz filmed, emerged as the central focus.
“As a documentary filmmaker I’m really aware of the shifts in the story and how I need to pivot,” Diaz explained during the Zoom roundtable discussion. “Sometimes I get very attached to this idea of this ensemble cast but then when...
- 3/20/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Romanian film “Collective” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2020 at the 13th annual Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based awards show devoted to all facets of documentary filmmaking.
Kirsten Johnson took the directing prize for “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” while the award for outstanding debut went to Garrett Bradley for “Time,” which also won for its editing.
“Boys State” won the Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye Honor category in which the public was invited to cast ballots.
The Spotlight Award, which was designed to put attention on a film that deserves wider exposure, went to “The Earth is Blue as an Orange,” directed by Iryna Tsilyk. The Heterodox Award, given to a film that combines nonfictional and fictional techniques, was won by Bill and Turner Ross’ “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets.”
“The Truffle Hunters” won for cinematography, while “Feels Good Man” won in the graphic design or...
Kirsten Johnson took the directing prize for “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” while the award for outstanding debut went to Garrett Bradley for “Time,” which also won for its editing.
“Boys State” won the Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye Honor category in which the public was invited to cast ballots.
The Spotlight Award, which was designed to put attention on a film that deserves wider exposure, went to “The Earth is Blue as an Orange,” directed by Iryna Tsilyk. The Heterodox Award, given to a film that combines nonfictional and fictional techniques, was won by Bill and Turner Ross’ “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets.”
“The Truffle Hunters” won for cinematography, while “Feels Good Man” won in the graphic design or...
- 3/10/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Netflix has dominated the Oscar documentary race the last few years, winning Documentary Feature in 2020 and 2018, but the release of the Academy shortlists Tuesday confirms it faces a battle this time around, from a rival streamer.
Amazon Studios landed two films on the feature shortlist—Time, directed by Garrett Bradley, and All In: The Fight for Democracy, directed by Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés. Time, which touches on mass incarceration through the experience of one Black family in Louisiana, must be considered a solid favorite in the Oscar race, having tied for the Gotham Award and amassing multiple critics’ prizes.
Netflix made the Oscar shortlist, as expected, with its top two contenders—Crip Camp, directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, and Dick Johnson Is Dead, from director Kirsten Johnson. It also muscled in with mollusk-themed My Octopus Teacher, ensnaring in its tentacles a fifth of the 15 shortlist slots. But...
Amazon Studios landed two films on the feature shortlist—Time, directed by Garrett Bradley, and All In: The Fight for Democracy, directed by Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés. Time, which touches on mass incarceration through the experience of one Black family in Louisiana, must be considered a solid favorite in the Oscar race, having tied for the Gotham Award and amassing multiple critics’ prizes.
Netflix made the Oscar shortlist, as expected, with its top two contenders—Crip Camp, directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, and Dick Johnson Is Dead, from director Kirsten Johnson. It also muscled in with mollusk-themed My Octopus Teacher, ensnaring in its tentacles a fifth of the 15 shortlist slots. But...
- 2/10/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In any crowded awards field, being seen is the first order of business. Last year, several box office hits led the Producers Guild of America’s nominated documentary features, and moon-landing documentary “Apollo 11” eventually took home the award. The 2020 nominees for Documentary Motion Picture included one Netflix movie, “American Factory,” which did not win the PGA prize, but did take home the Oscar.
Box-office buzz is not a factor in this pandemic year, which gives Netflix an advantage. It has a long list of strong, widely seen contenders that yielded three of the seven PGA nominations: “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet;” Kirsten Johnson’s imaginative ode to her father, “Dick Johnson Is Dead;” and heart-tugging audience favorite “My Octopus Teacher.”
The nominees for the Documentary category are selected by the Documentary Nomination Jury, made up of at least fifty documentary producers who select between three and seven non-fiction motion-picture nominees.
Box-office buzz is not a factor in this pandemic year, which gives Netflix an advantage. It has a long list of strong, widely seen contenders that yielded three of the seven PGA nominations: “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet;” Kirsten Johnson’s imaginative ode to her father, “Dick Johnson Is Dead;” and heart-tugging audience favorite “My Octopus Teacher.”
The nominees for the Documentary category are selected by the Documentary Nomination Jury, made up of at least fifty documentary producers who select between three and seven non-fiction motion-picture nominees.
- 2/2/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
In any crowded awards field, being seen is the first order of business. Last year, several box office hits led the Producers Guild of America’s nominated documentary features, and moon-landing documentary “Apollo 11” eventually took home the award. The 2020 nominees for Documentary Motion Picture included one Netflix movie, “American Factory,” which did not win the PGA prize, but did take home the Oscar.
Box-office buzz is not a factor in this pandemic year, which gives Netflix an advantage. It has a long list of strong, widely seen contenders that yielded three of the seven PGA nominations: “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet;” Kirsten Johnson’s imaginative ode to her father, “Dick Johnson Is Dead;” and heart-tugging audience favorite “My Octopus Teacher.”
The nominees for the Documentary category are selected by the Documentary Nomination Jury, made up of at least fifty documentary producers who select between three and seven non-fiction motion-picture nominees.
Box-office buzz is not a factor in this pandemic year, which gives Netflix an advantage. It has a long list of strong, widely seen contenders that yielded three of the seven PGA nominations: “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet;” Kirsten Johnson’s imaginative ode to her father, “Dick Johnson Is Dead;” and heart-tugging audience favorite “My Octopus Teacher.”
The nominees for the Documentary category are selected by the Documentary Nomination Jury, made up of at least fifty documentary producers who select between three and seven non-fiction motion-picture nominees.
- 2/2/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Vice is launching its own online documentary film festival with 11 feature-docs curated by the company’s co-founder Suroosh Alvi.
The youth-skewing media company is launching a site to house the films, which includes a number of Oscar contenders, with each film featuring a Q&a with Alvi and the filmmakers and subjects.
The films are The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima, Showgirls of Pakistan, We Hold the Line, Sakawa, Another Kind of Paradise, Dope Is Death, Mayor, The Donut King, Yung Lean – In My Head, Two Gods and The Prophet and the Space Aliens (full details below).
The collection will be preceded by a linear airing of The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima, which will air today, January 31 at 6:30am Pt, on Vice TV, with the site going live at 8am Pt.
The Short List With Suroosh Alvi is produced by Vice World News and distributed worldwide by Vice Distribution. Executive...
The youth-skewing media company is launching a site to house the films, which includes a number of Oscar contenders, with each film featuring a Q&a with Alvi and the filmmakers and subjects.
The films are The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima, Showgirls of Pakistan, We Hold the Line, Sakawa, Another Kind of Paradise, Dope Is Death, Mayor, The Donut King, Yung Lean – In My Head, Two Gods and The Prophet and the Space Aliens (full details below).
The collection will be preceded by a linear airing of The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima, which will air today, January 31 at 6:30am Pt, on Vice TV, with the site going live at 8am Pt.
The Short List With Suroosh Alvi is produced by Vice World News and distributed worldwide by Vice Distribution. Executive...
- 1/31/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has dominated the Oscar documentary race in recent years, winning best feature in both 2020 and 2018. But this year it could be Amazon Studios’ Time to shine.
Time, directed by Garrett Bradley and produced by Amazon in partnership with Concordia Studio, enters Oscar season as a favorite, having won prizes from the New York and LA film critics organizations, and nominations from early awards shows, including the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.
Bradley’s film tells the story of Fox Rich, a mother of six who fought tirelessly for the release of her husband who was sentenced to 60 years in prison for armed robbery. It’s a case study in the pernicious effect of mass incarceration, and particularly timely, given a societal reckoning with systemic racial injustice.
“Fox said to me and Robert [Fox’s husband] said to me, ‘Our story is the story of 2.3 million other American families and we feel that our story can offer hope,...
Time, directed by Garrett Bradley and produced by Amazon in partnership with Concordia Studio, enters Oscar season as a favorite, having won prizes from the New York and LA film critics organizations, and nominations from early awards shows, including the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.
Bradley’s film tells the story of Fox Rich, a mother of six who fought tirelessly for the release of her husband who was sentenced to 60 years in prison for armed robbery. It’s a case study in the pernicious effect of mass incarceration, and particularly timely, given a societal reckoning with systemic racial injustice.
“Fox said to me and Robert [Fox’s husband] said to me, ‘Our story is the story of 2.3 million other American families and we feel that our story can offer hope,...
- 1/18/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
“Crip Camp” has been named the best documentary of 2020 at the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, the International Documentary Association announced on Saturday at a virtual ceremony.
The film, about an upstate New York summer camp for disabled teens that helped launch the disability rights movement, also won the ABC News VideoSource Award for its use of archival footage and finished as runner-up to “My Octopus Teacher” for the Pare Lorentz Award.
“Crip Camp,” a Netflix film that premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, won in a category whose other nominees were “Collective,” “Gunda,” “MLK/FBI,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Reunited,” “Softie,” “Time,” “The Truffle Hunters” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
Garrett Bradley won the best director award for “Time” and also won the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award for that film.
In the television categories, awards went to “American Experience” for curated series, “Last Chance U” for episodic series and...
The film, about an upstate New York summer camp for disabled teens that helped launch the disability rights movement, also won the ABC News VideoSource Award for its use of archival footage and finished as runner-up to “My Octopus Teacher” for the Pare Lorentz Award.
“Crip Camp,” a Netflix film that premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, won in a category whose other nominees were “Collective,” “Gunda,” “MLK/FBI,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Reunited,” “Softie,” “Time,” “The Truffle Hunters” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
Garrett Bradley won the best director award for “Time” and also won the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award for that film.
In the television categories, awards went to “American Experience” for curated series, “Last Chance U” for episodic series and...
- 1/17/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The International Documentary Association has announced the winners of the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, with “Crip Camp” taking home the top prize.
The ceremony was hosted by actor Willie Garson, with musical entertainment from Ruby Ibarra, who performed the theme from “A Thousand Cuts.”
Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, “Crip Camp” received the best feature award as well as the ABC News VideoSource award. Garrett Bradley won best director for his film “Time,” while “John Was Trying to Contact Aliens” from Matthew Killip received the best short award. “Dick Johnson Is Dead” took home the awards for best writing and best editing.
Besides “Crip Camp,” the nominees for best feature included “Collective,” “Gunda,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Softie,” “The Truffle Hunters,” “MLK/FBI,” “Reunited,” “Time” and “Welcome to Chechnya.” Nominees for best director besides Bradley included Newnham and LeBrecht for “Crip Camp,” Jerry Rothwell for “The Reason I Jump,...
The ceremony was hosted by actor Willie Garson, with musical entertainment from Ruby Ibarra, who performed the theme from “A Thousand Cuts.”
Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, “Crip Camp” received the best feature award as well as the ABC News VideoSource award. Garrett Bradley won best director for his film “Time,” while “John Was Trying to Contact Aliens” from Matthew Killip received the best short award. “Dick Johnson Is Dead” took home the awards for best writing and best editing.
Besides “Crip Camp,” the nominees for best feature included “Collective,” “Gunda,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Softie,” “The Truffle Hunters,” “MLK/FBI,” “Reunited,” “Time” and “Welcome to Chechnya.” Nominees for best director besides Bradley included Newnham and LeBrecht for “Crip Camp,” Jerry Rothwell for “The Reason I Jump,...
- 1/17/2021
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
The International Documentary Association’s annual awards is usually a bustling get-together for the film and television non-fiction community. The 36th iteration was the usual pandemic-era virtual version, sans networking, but with returning host Willie Garson. “This past year has not been normal in any way,” said outgoing IDA executive director Simon Kilmurry. “If 2020/2021 has shown us anything, it’s that even with all the challenges we face and the grief we’ve had, the work of storytellers is essential.”
At the end of the streamlined affair, Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht’s “Crip Camp” (Netflix) took home both the Best Feature Award and ABC News VideoSource Award. “It’s one of the major civil rights stories of American history that had been forgotten,” said Newnham.
LeBrecht thanked Sundance for its support, as well as Camp Jened, he said: “My life set a course when I went there. You are all responsible,...
At the end of the streamlined affair, Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht’s “Crip Camp” (Netflix) took home both the Best Feature Award and ABC News VideoSource Award. “It’s one of the major civil rights stories of American history that had been forgotten,” said Newnham.
LeBrecht thanked Sundance for its support, as well as Camp Jened, he said: “My life set a course when I went there. You are all responsible,...
- 1/17/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The International Documentary Association’s annual awards is usually a bustling get-together for the film and television non-fiction community. The 36th iteration was the usual pandemic-era virtual version, sans networking, but with returning host Willie Garson. “This past year has not been normal in any way,” said outgoing IDA executive director Simon Kilmurry. “If 2020/2021 has shown us anything, it’s that even with all the challenges we face and the grief we’ve had, the work of storytellers is essential.”
At the end of the streamlined affair, Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht’s “Crip Camp” (Netflix) took home both the Best Feature Award and ABC News VideoSource Award. “It’s one of the major civil rights stories of American history that had been forgotten,” said Newnham.
LeBrecht thanked Sundance for its support, as well as Camp Jened, he said: “My life set a course when I went there. You are all responsible,...
At the end of the streamlined affair, Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht’s “Crip Camp” (Netflix) took home both the Best Feature Award and ABC News VideoSource Award. “It’s one of the major civil rights stories of American history that had been forgotten,” said Newnham.
LeBrecht thanked Sundance for its support, as well as Camp Jened, he said: “My life set a course when I went there. You are all responsible,...
- 1/17/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Garrett Bradley named best director for Time.
Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht’s Crip Camp was named best feature by the International Documentary Association (IDA) on Saturday (January 16).
Other notable winners at the virtual 36th Annual IDA Documentary Awards were Garrett Bradley for best director for Time, and two for Dick Johnson Is Dead for writing (Nels Bangerter and Kirsten Johnson) and editing (Nels Bangerter).
Matthew Killip’s John Was Trying To Contact Aliens received the award for best short.
Honourary Awards were presented prior to the ceremony. Firelight Media received the Pioneer Award for its support of Bipoc filmmakers,...
Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht’s Crip Camp was named best feature by the International Documentary Association (IDA) on Saturday (January 16).
Other notable winners at the virtual 36th Annual IDA Documentary Awards were Garrett Bradley for best director for Time, and two for Dick Johnson Is Dead for writing (Nels Bangerter and Kirsten Johnson) and editing (Nels Bangerter).
Matthew Killip’s John Was Trying To Contact Aliens received the award for best short.
Honourary Awards were presented prior to the ceremony. Firelight Media received the Pioneer Award for its support of Bipoc filmmakers,...
- 1/16/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Gotham Awards have long functioned as a bare-bones fundraiser (for the freshly rebranded Gotham Film & Media Institute) followed by a vibrant afterparty, but Monday night’s live Facebook event was especially scruffy. Live winners didn’t know what was going on as they and their fellow nominees stared into the void.
The show isn’t watched by many, but the winners do contribute momentum that steers various voting groups toward which movies matter most. This year, voters need all the help they can get.
A new arrival on the awards radar is Gotham Best Actress winner Nicole Beharie, star of Sundance 2020 debut “Miss Juneteenth” (Vertical Entertainment). More may want to check it out.
Already racking up wins is Searchlight Oscar frontrunner “Nomadland.” In addition to Gotham jury prizes for Best Feature and Best Director for Chloé Zhao, the film received four awards from the National Society of Film Critics...
The show isn’t watched by many, but the winners do contribute momentum that steers various voting groups toward which movies matter most. This year, voters need all the help they can get.
A new arrival on the awards radar is Gotham Best Actress winner Nicole Beharie, star of Sundance 2020 debut “Miss Juneteenth” (Vertical Entertainment). More may want to check it out.
Already racking up wins is Searchlight Oscar frontrunner “Nomadland.” In addition to Gotham jury prizes for Best Feature and Best Director for Chloé Zhao, the film received four awards from the National Society of Film Critics...
- 1/12/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Gotham Awards have long functioned as a bare-bones fundraiser (for the freshly rebranded Gotham Film & Media Institute) followed by a vibrant afterparty, but Monday night’s live Facebook event was especially scruffy. Live winners didn’t know what was going on as they and their fellow nominees stared into the void.
The show isn’t watched by many, but the winners do contribute momentum that steers various voting groups toward which movies matter most. This year, voters need all the help they can get.
A new arrival on the awards radar is Gotham Best Actress winner Nicole Beharie, star of Sundance 2020 debut “Miss Juneteenth” (Vertical Entertainment). More may want to check it out.
Already racking up wins is Searchlight Oscar frontrunner “Nomadland.” In addition to Gotham jury prizes for Best Feature and Best Director for Chloé Zhao, the film received four awards from the National Society of Film Critics...
The show isn’t watched by many, but the winners do contribute momentum that steers various voting groups toward which movies matter most. This year, voters need all the help they can get.
A new arrival on the awards radar is Gotham Best Actress winner Nicole Beharie, star of Sundance 2020 debut “Miss Juneteenth” (Vertical Entertainment). More may want to check it out.
Already racking up wins is Searchlight Oscar frontrunner “Nomadland.” In addition to Gotham jury prizes for Best Feature and Best Director for Chloé Zhao, the film received four awards from the National Society of Film Critics...
- 1/12/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Virtual ceremony set for January 16, 2021.
The Reason I Jump, Gunda, and Crip Camp are among nominees for the best feature award at the upcoming 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards.
International Documentary Association (IDA) members will vote for the 10 best feature and short nominees from December 7-January 8, 2021. The virtual awards are set to take place on January 16, 2021.
The IDA received 1,056 submissions comprising 365 documentary features, 153 documentary shorts, 153 documentary series, 52 student films, 39 music documentaries, and 33 audio documentaries and podcasts. A record 40% of submissions were international productions or co-productions.
“The nominees present an inspiring and urgent range of stories from around the globe,” said Simon Kilmurry,...
The Reason I Jump, Gunda, and Crip Camp are among nominees for the best feature award at the upcoming 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards.
International Documentary Association (IDA) members will vote for the 10 best feature and short nominees from December 7-January 8, 2021. The virtual awards are set to take place on January 16, 2021.
The IDA received 1,056 submissions comprising 365 documentary features, 153 documentary shorts, 153 documentary series, 52 student films, 39 music documentaries, and 33 audio documentaries and podcasts. A record 40% of submissions were international productions or co-productions.
“The nominees present an inspiring and urgent range of stories from around the globe,” said Simon Kilmurry,...
- 11/24/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Ramona S. Diaz is a Filipino-American documentary filmmaker best known for creating “character-driven documentaries”.[Her notable works include the 2012 film “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey”, featuring the band Journey and its new lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, which won the Audience Award for the 2013–2014 season of PBS’s Independent Lens and the 2003 film “Imelda”, about the life of Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines.
Three of Diaz’s films have screened at The Sundance Film Festival: Imelda, Motherland and most recently A Thousand Cuts in 2020. Motherland received a Special Jury Award at Sundance in 2017 and premiered the same year at the Berlin International Film Festival.
On the occasion of “A Thousand Cuts” screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival, we speak with her about Maria Ressa, Duterte and other key members of his administration, the War on Drugs, journalism and activism, fighting against all odds, and many other topics.
How would you describe the government’s handling of the pandemic?
Basically, there is no response to Covid. The President...
Three of Diaz’s films have screened at The Sundance Film Festival: Imelda, Motherland and most recently A Thousand Cuts in 2020. Motherland received a Special Jury Award at Sundance in 2017 and premiered the same year at the Berlin International Film Festival.
On the occasion of “A Thousand Cuts” screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival, we speak with her about Maria Ressa, Duterte and other key members of his administration, the War on Drugs, journalism and activism, fighting against all odds, and many other topics.
How would you describe the government’s handling of the pandemic?
Basically, there is no response to Covid. The President...
- 11/22/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, announced the titles of its annual Short List: Features program on November 9. The selection of films offer one glimpse, as determined by the festival’s programming team, into the documentary features that are best positioned to be among the year’s top contenders in the Oscar field. Also named are the films to make their second Winner’s Circle, highlighting films that have already won major awards at Oscar-qualifying international festivals.
Among Doc NYC’s list are six films that were already nominated this year for Best Documentary Feature by the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. They are: “Crip Camp,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “The Fight,” “Gunda,” “The Social Dilemma,” and “Time.” One other Ccda nominee will be screened as part of the Winner’s Circle program: “The Painter and the Thief.”
As an indicator of Oscar success, Doc NYC boasts that in the...
Among Doc NYC’s list are six films that were already nominated this year for Best Documentary Feature by the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. They are: “Crip Camp,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “The Fight,” “Gunda,” “The Social Dilemma,” and “Time.” One other Ccda nominee will be screened as part of the Winner’s Circle program: “The Painter and the Thief.”
As an indicator of Oscar success, Doc NYC boasts that in the...
- 11/16/2020
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
Other winners with the documentary group include Time director Garrett Bradley.
The International Documentary Association (Ida) has named the winners of its annual honourary awards, with veteran documentarian Sam Pollard getting the career achievement nod.
Documentary producer/director and feature and TV editor Pollard most recently made MLK/FBI, which premiered at the this year’s Toronto festival. Over his career, Pollard has edited a number of Spike Lee’s films including Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever and Bamboozled. His other documentaries include the Oscar-nominated Four Little Girls and Emmy-winner When The Levees Broke.
The Ida’s Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award goes to Garrett Bradley,...
The International Documentary Association (Ida) has named the winners of its annual honourary awards, with veteran documentarian Sam Pollard getting the career achievement nod.
Documentary producer/director and feature and TV editor Pollard most recently made MLK/FBI, which premiered at the this year’s Toronto festival. Over his career, Pollard has edited a number of Spike Lee’s films including Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever and Bamboozled. His other documentaries include the Oscar-nominated Four Little Girls and Emmy-winner When The Levees Broke.
The Ida’s Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award goes to Garrett Bradley,...
- 11/10/2020
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Three-time Emmy winner Sam Pollard has been selected for the career achievement award by the International Documentary Association.
He will be honored at the 36th annual Ida Documentary Awards’ digital ceremony in January. The nominees for all categories will be revealed on Nov. 24.
Pollard won two Emmys for “When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts” and another for “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama.” He received an Oscar nomination in the documentary category for “4 Little Girls.” His most recent film “MLK/FBI” premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Pollard has also edited Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Jungle Fever” and “Bamboozled.”
His credits include “Slavery by Another Name,” “August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand,” “Two Trains Runnin,’” and “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me.” Pollard co-directed the six-part series “Why We Hate” and 2020 HBO series “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children.
He will be honored at the 36th annual Ida Documentary Awards’ digital ceremony in January. The nominees for all categories will be revealed on Nov. 24.
Pollard won two Emmys for “When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts” and another for “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama.” He received an Oscar nomination in the documentary category for “4 Little Girls.” His most recent film “MLK/FBI” premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Pollard has also edited Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Jungle Fever” and “Bamboozled.”
His credits include “Slavery by Another Name,” “August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand,” “Two Trains Runnin,’” and “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me.” Pollard co-directed the six-part series “Why We Hate” and 2020 HBO series “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children.
- 11/10/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The International Documentary Association (Ida) has today announced the recipients of its 36th Annual Ida Documentary Awards honorary awards. The shortlists for Best Feature and Best Short categories were released in late October, and the nominees for all categories will be revealed on Tuesday, November 24. The 2020 Awards will be presented in a digital ceremony in January 2021.
There is some crossover in today’s listing of honorees, including “Time” filmmaker Garrett Bradley (features shortlist) and “Welcome to Chechnya” filmmaker David France (features shortlist), though the newly minted honorees also include films and filmmakers that didn’t make the initial cut, including lauded documentarian and newly minted Career Achievement Award winner Sam Pollard (who made 2020’s “MLK/FBI”) and films like Ramona S. Diaz’s “A Thousand Cuts,” which didn’t land on the shortlist but did notch a win for its subject Maria Ressa.
This year’s Ida Documentary Awards honorees are:...
There is some crossover in today’s listing of honorees, including “Time” filmmaker Garrett Bradley (features shortlist) and “Welcome to Chechnya” filmmaker David France (features shortlist), though the newly minted honorees also include films and filmmakers that didn’t make the initial cut, including lauded documentarian and newly minted Career Achievement Award winner Sam Pollard (who made 2020’s “MLK/FBI”) and films like Ramona S. Diaz’s “A Thousand Cuts,” which didn’t land on the shortlist but did notch a win for its subject Maria Ressa.
This year’s Ida Documentary Awards honorees are:...
- 11/10/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya,” a documentary about LGBTQ+ activists who risk their lives to smuggle gay men and women out of a country that is known to torture and kill homosexuals, will receive the Courage Under Fire Award at the International Documentary Associations’s 2020 Ida Documentary Awards, the Ida announced on Tuesday.
The award will go to France, the film team responsible for his movie, and activists David Isteev from the Russian LGBT Network and Olga Baranova from the Moscow Community Center for LGBT+ Initiatives, along with all those who work in those organizations.
Other honorees will include “MLK/FBI” director Sam Pollard, who will receive the Career Achievement Award for directing such films as “Slavery by Another Name,” “Sammy Davis Jr., I’ve Gotta Be Me,” “Two Trains Runnin'” and “August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand,” and for editing several of Spike Lee’s films...
The award will go to France, the film team responsible for his movie, and activists David Isteev from the Russian LGBT Network and Olga Baranova from the Moscow Community Center for LGBT+ Initiatives, along with all those who work in those organizations.
Other honorees will include “MLK/FBI” director Sam Pollard, who will receive the Career Achievement Award for directing such films as “Slavery by Another Name,” “Sammy Davis Jr., I’ve Gotta Be Me,” “Two Trains Runnin'” and “August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand,” and for editing several of Spike Lee’s films...
- 11/10/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Duterte‘s despicable practices and particularly his “War on Drugs” campaign have been the theme of a number of documentaries recently, with “On the President’s Orders” being included in our Best Documentaries of 2019 list. Ramona S. Diaz also deals with the same subject through the presentation of the life and work of Maria Ressa, co-founder and executive of Rappler, and an individual who has been persecuted by the current regime in every way possible.
“A Thousand Cuts” is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
The documentary unfolds in five axes, all of which are presented through Ressa’s life, with the approach highlighting the view of the insider in the best fashion. The first axis revolves around the practices of Duterte since he was a mayor, including both the war on drugs and the spreading of fake news and his overall media campaign, which brings us to the...
“A Thousand Cuts” is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
The documentary unfolds in five axes, all of which are presented through Ressa’s life, with the approach highlighting the view of the insider in the best fashion. The first axis revolves around the practices of Duterte since he was a mayor, including both the war on drugs and the spreading of fake news and his overall media campaign, which brings us to the...
- 10/31/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Parts of Thailand aren’t necessarily responding well to the Imelda Marcos documentary The Kingmaker directed by Lauren Greenfield. The country has banned the pic in the South.
Thida Polpalitkarnpim, the founder of the Documentary Club in Thailand, posted on Facebook that they would be showing the docu, but has since pushed the screening. According to the Bangkok Post, authorities deemed the title and the posters for the docu “inappropriate” and were not comfortable with the film. However, the film has been playing in Bangkok for the past six weeks as well as other parts of the country with no pushback.
The Kingmaker debuted at the Venice Film Festival and went on to play at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Showtime Documentary was distributed by Greenwich Entertainment and opened theatrically last November when theater-going was actually a thing to do. The docu takes a timely look at former Philippine...
Thida Polpalitkarnpim, the founder of the Documentary Club in Thailand, posted on Facebook that they would be showing the docu, but has since pushed the screening. According to the Bangkok Post, authorities deemed the title and the posters for the docu “inappropriate” and were not comfortable with the film. However, the film has been playing in Bangkok for the past six weeks as well as other parts of the country with no pushback.
The Kingmaker debuted at the Venice Film Festival and went on to play at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Showtime Documentary was distributed by Greenwich Entertainment and opened theatrically last November when theater-going was actually a thing to do. The docu takes a timely look at former Philippine...
- 8/16/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
When Filipino American documentary filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz saw reports of people being killed in the streets as part of newly elected Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, she knew what she wanted her next project to focus on. But when she arrived in the country, she discovered so many journalists covering the story that she figured she needed a different focus. The work of former CNN reporter and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa caught her eye.
“She was speaking out about Duterte and his disinformation campaign and how this was a bigger problem,” Diaz says. Ressa was soon arrested, and Diaz latched on to the journalist’s fight for freedom of the press against a populist dictatorial leader. That movie, “A Thousand Cuts,” bows Aug. 7 on virtual cinema, a VOD platform that supports local art-house theaters.
To help fashion the story, Diaz called on editor Leah Marino, with...
“She was speaking out about Duterte and his disinformation campaign and how this was a bigger problem,” Diaz says. Ressa was soon arrested, and Diaz latched on to the journalist’s fight for freedom of the press against a populist dictatorial leader. That movie, “A Thousand Cuts,” bows Aug. 7 on virtual cinema, a VOD platform that supports local art-house theaters.
To help fashion the story, Diaz called on editor Leah Marino, with...
- 8/7/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Since 2016, Maria Ressa and her team of journalists at the Philippines-based news site Rappler — which she co-founded and serves as executive editor — have been squarely in the cross-hairs of the country’s president Rodrigo Duterte. It’s part of an ongoing battle between the president and Pinoy journalists, Ressa included, who have covered his violent “drug war,” a campaign that has resulted in thousands of deaths, many suspected as unlawful — and called into question the viability of the fourth estate in the Philippines.
Ressa, Rappler and the increasingly tenuous state of free press and democracy in the Southeast Asian nation are the subjects of the documentary “A Thousand Cuts,” directed by Ramona S. Diaz, with Ressa’s plight taking center stage. Currently, she faces two cyber libel cases, one for which she was convicted in June and carries a sentence of up to six years in jail. In July, she...
Ressa, Rappler and the increasingly tenuous state of free press and democracy in the Southeast Asian nation are the subjects of the documentary “A Thousand Cuts,” directed by Ramona S. Diaz, with Ressa’s plight taking center stage. Currently, she faces two cyber libel cases, one for which she was convicted in June and carries a sentence of up to six years in jail. In July, she...
- 8/7/2020
- by Audrey Cleo Yap
- Variety Film + TV
The fight for freedom of the press and against the oppressive political regime in the Philippines takes center stage in Ramona S. Diaz’s A Thousand Cuts, which opens in theaters and in virtual theaters nationwide.
As journalists around the world face threats and the term “fake news” is thrown around recklessly by world leaders, A Thousand Cuts puts Filipino journalist Maria Ressa in the spotlight. The founder of the news site Rappler and Time Magazine’s Person of The Year has been on the frontlines holding Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte accountable for his controversial and violent war on drugs in the country as well as his regime’s bolstering of misinformation. Ressa has always been in Duterte’s crosshairs and in June, she was found guilty of cyber libel by a court in the Philippines. Diaz’s docu follows Ressa’s journey and how its impact may have global consequences.
As journalists around the world face threats and the term “fake news” is thrown around recklessly by world leaders, A Thousand Cuts puts Filipino journalist Maria Ressa in the spotlight. The founder of the news site Rappler and Time Magazine’s Person of The Year has been on the frontlines holding Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte accountable for his controversial and violent war on drugs in the country as well as his regime’s bolstering of misinformation. Ressa has always been in Duterte’s crosshairs and in June, she was found guilty of cyber libel by a court in the Philippines. Diaz’s docu follows Ressa’s journey and how its impact may have global consequences.
- 8/7/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
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