Ron Nyswaner, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind films including Philadelphia and The Painted Veil and most recently the Matt Bomer-starring Showtime miniseries Fellow Travelers, is receiving this year’s Walter Bernstein Award from the Writers Guild of America East.
The honor will be bestowed April 14 at the WGA Awards’ East Coast ceremony in New York, which takes place concurrently with the WGA’s West Coast ceremony in Los Angeles.
The Bernstein award goes to writers “who have demonstrated with creativity, grace and bravery a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity.” Nyswaner becomes the second person to win the award, after Jelani Cobb won in 2017 for his Frontline documentary Policing the Police.
Nyswaner penned the original screenplay for Philadelphia, which was groundbreaking when the Jonathan Demme-directed film starring Tom Hanks debuted in 1993; it was the first major motion picture to focus on the discrimination suffered by people with AIDS,...
The honor will be bestowed April 14 at the WGA Awards’ East Coast ceremony in New York, which takes place concurrently with the WGA’s West Coast ceremony in Los Angeles.
The Bernstein award goes to writers “who have demonstrated with creativity, grace and bravery a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity.” Nyswaner becomes the second person to win the award, after Jelani Cobb won in 2017 for his Frontline documentary Policing the Police.
Nyswaner penned the original screenplay for Philadelphia, which was groundbreaking when the Jonathan Demme-directed film starring Tom Hanks debuted in 1993; it was the first major motion picture to focus on the discrimination suffered by people with AIDS,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO Max’s The Janes was among the top winners at the 44th annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards on Wednesday, with the film — centered on a pre-Roe v. Wade abortion network in Chicago — taking home best documentary as well as best social issue documentary.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) presented the Documentary category winners during a live ceremony at the Palladium Times Square in New York City and streamed live on NATAS’ viewing platform powered by Vimeo, the second of a two-night celebration. The News category winners were announced in a ceremony held at the Palladium on Wednesday.
Scheduled presenters at the Thursday night Docs ceremony included HBO Documentary & Family Programming’s Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, reporter Jelani Cobb, Nothing Compares director Kathryn Ferguson, NPR host and Is That Black Enough for You?!? writer-director Elvis Mitchell, Doc NYC co-founder Thom Powers and National Geographic correspondent Mariana van Zeller.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) presented the Documentary category winners during a live ceremony at the Palladium Times Square in New York City and streamed live on NATAS’ viewing platform powered by Vimeo, the second of a two-night celebration. The News category winners were announced in a ceremony held at the Palladium on Wednesday.
Scheduled presenters at the Thursday night Docs ceremony included HBO Documentary & Family Programming’s Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, reporter Jelani Cobb, Nothing Compares director Kathryn Ferguson, NPR host and Is That Black Enough for You?!? writer-director Elvis Mitchell, Doc NYC co-founder Thom Powers and National Geographic correspondent Mariana van Zeller.
- 9/29/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As President Joe Biden, the January 6th Committee and a number of longtime conservatives sound the alarm over the threat to American democracy, the latest Frontline, debuting on Tuesday on PBS, examines the warning signs.
The two-hour season premiere, Lies, Politics and Democracy, digs into Donald Trump’s influence and grip over the Republican party. The focus isn’t so much on the former president as it is the decisions that GOP leaders made that enabled his rise to power.
The documentary offers a timeline of acquiescence, from the 2016 primary season to the present day, as so many in the party have aligned with Trump and his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and stolen. A reminder of how much Trump shattered norms comes at the start of the film, with clips of presidential election concession speeches going back to the 1930s, the obvious exception being the last occupant of the White House.
The two-hour season premiere, Lies, Politics and Democracy, digs into Donald Trump’s influence and grip over the Republican party. The focus isn’t so much on the former president as it is the decisions that GOP leaders made that enabled his rise to power.
The documentary offers a timeline of acquiescence, from the 2016 primary season to the present day, as so many in the party have aligned with Trump and his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and stolen. A reminder of how much Trump shattered norms comes at the start of the film, with clips of presidential election concession speeches going back to the 1930s, the obvious exception being the last occupant of the White House.
- 9/5/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Melissa McCarthy, Morgan Freeman, John Legend, Kevin Bacon, Ethan Hawke, Jon Stewart, Hasan Minhaj, Riz Ahmed, LeVar Burton and H.E.R. are among the presenters who are confirmed for this year’s 82nd Annual Peabody Awards. Those stars and others will be on hand to introduce and award this year’s 30 Peabody Award winners, which will be announced across four days next week.
The Peabody Awards will announce winners every day between June 6 and June 9, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Pt every morning on Peabody’s Twitter account (@PeabodyAwards), Instagram (@PeabodyAwards), Facebook page (Peabody Awards) and website (https://peabodyawards.com/). Users can also find the presentations via the hashtags #PeabodyAwards and #StoriesThatMatter.
Every morning, a celebrity presenter will announce each winner; the short videos will include those introductions and acceptance speeches.
The full list of presenters for the 82nd Annual Peabody Awards includes Riz Ahmed, Christiane Amanpour, Kevin Bacon,...
The Peabody Awards will announce winners every day between June 6 and June 9, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Pt every morning on Peabody’s Twitter account (@PeabodyAwards), Instagram (@PeabodyAwards), Facebook page (Peabody Awards) and website (https://peabodyawards.com/). Users can also find the presentations via the hashtags #PeabodyAwards and #StoriesThatMatter.
Every morning, a celebrity presenter will announce each winner; the short videos will include those introductions and acceptance speeches.
The full list of presenters for the 82nd Annual Peabody Awards includes Riz Ahmed, Christiane Amanpour, Kevin Bacon,...
- 6/1/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
The new documentary series “Lincoln’s Dilemma” begins and ends outside of Abraham Lincoln’s era — opening with footage of the siege on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and concluding only weeks later, with the journalist Jelani Cobb’s observation that the military “occupied” Washington to keep Joe Biden safe at his inauguration. But the point this series makes is that, indeed, we’re hardly outside Lincoln’s moment at all — that the tenuousness and the peril of his era persist, as does the fundamentally unresolved question of race in this country.
Directed by Jacqueline Olive and Barak Goodman and executive produced by, among others, former HBO chief Richard Plepler, “Lincoln’s Dilemma” uses various techniques to illustrate the life and legacy of the 16th president, and the problems he faced while in office. Among these are readings of Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’ words, narration (by Jeffrey Wright), and the introduction of various historians.
Directed by Jacqueline Olive and Barak Goodman and executive produced by, among others, former HBO chief Richard Plepler, “Lincoln’s Dilemma” uses various techniques to illustrate the life and legacy of the 16th president, and the problems he faced while in office. Among these are readings of Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’ words, narration (by Jeffrey Wright), and the introduction of various historians.
- 2/16/2022
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
Peacock has unveiled the official trailer for its new miniseries “Joe vs. Carole,” starring John Cameron Mitchell and Kate McKinnon.
Based on the Robert Moor-hosted Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic,” “Joe vs. Carole” focuses on the bitter rivalry between big cat zookeeper Joe Exotic (Mitchell) and animal sanctuary CEO Carole Baskin (McKinnon), which was immortalized in the first season of the popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King.” In addition to Mitchell and McKinnon, the miniseries also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Brian Van Holt, Sam Keeley, Nat Wolf, Marlo Kelly, William Fichtner, Dean Winters and David Wenham.
The trailer depicts McKinnon and Mitchell in character, as Baskin and her husband (MacLachlan) set out to take down Exotic for his abuse of his animals and breeding of big cats for profit.
“He has no idea what I’ve been through in my life,” Baskin says in the trailer. “Individually we are a whimper, but together,...
Based on the Robert Moor-hosted Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic,” “Joe vs. Carole” focuses on the bitter rivalry between big cat zookeeper Joe Exotic (Mitchell) and animal sanctuary CEO Carole Baskin (McKinnon), which was immortalized in the first season of the popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King.” In addition to Mitchell and McKinnon, the miniseries also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Brian Van Holt, Sam Keeley, Nat Wolf, Marlo Kelly, William Fichtner, Dean Winters and David Wenham.
The trailer depicts McKinnon and Mitchell in character, as Baskin and her husband (MacLachlan) set out to take down Exotic for his abuse of his animals and breeding of big cats for profit.
“He has no idea what I’ve been through in my life,” Baskin says in the trailer. “Individually we are a whimper, but together,...
- 2/3/2022
- by Wilson Chapman, Sasha Urban and Wyatte Grantham-Philips
- Variety Film + TV
Today marks the start of Black History Month, with the broadcast and cable networks and streamers planning a slew of TV series, movies, news programming, documentaries, specials and more to roll out over the course of February to celebrate, educate and entertain.
Deadline has compiled a list of programming highlights that touches on some of the myriad ways outlets are commemorating the occasion, from live coverage of the NAACP Image Awards on BET to the documentary series Lincoln’s Dilemma on Apple TV+ and everything in between.
Check out below for some of the content (all times Et) and keep checking back as we add to the list.
ABC News/ABC
ABC News is presenting two primetime specials February 3 from its Soul of a Nation series. Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising, explores how Black actresses, a historically overlooked and under-valued group in Hollywood,...
Deadline has compiled a list of programming highlights that touches on some of the myriad ways outlets are commemorating the occasion, from live coverage of the NAACP Image Awards on BET to the documentary series Lincoln’s Dilemma on Apple TV+ and everything in between.
Check out below for some of the content (all times Et) and keep checking back as we add to the list.
ABC News/ABC
ABC News is presenting two primetime specials February 3 from its Soul of a Nation series. Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising, explores how Black actresses, a historically overlooked and under-valued group in Hollywood,...
- 2/1/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Amazon Prime Video competition series “Lol: Last One Laughing” will launch a Canadian edition Feb. 18.
“Last One Laughing Canada” competitors include Caroline Rhea, Dave Foley, Debra Digiovanni, Jon Lajoie, Tom Green, Colin Mochrie, Mae Martin, Brandon Ash Mohammed, Andrew Phung and K. Trevor Wilson. Hosted by Jay Baruchel, the six-part series follows the 10 comedians as they try to eliminate others by making each other laugh, while not laughing themselves. The comedian who outlasts their competitors wins the grand prize of $100,000 for their charity of choice.
Executive Producers are John Brunton, Erin Brock, and Shannon Farr. The series is produced in association with Insight Productions.
“Lol: Last One Laughing Canada” is the latest adaptation of “Documental,” an Amazon Original series in Japan owned by Yoshimoto Kogyo and created by and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto — where Matsumoto leads 10 comedians who bet their own money in a “battle of laughter behind closed doors.
“Last One Laughing Canada” competitors include Caroline Rhea, Dave Foley, Debra Digiovanni, Jon Lajoie, Tom Green, Colin Mochrie, Mae Martin, Brandon Ash Mohammed, Andrew Phung and K. Trevor Wilson. Hosted by Jay Baruchel, the six-part series follows the 10 comedians as they try to eliminate others by making each other laugh, while not laughing themselves. The comedian who outlasts their competitors wins the grand prize of $100,000 for their charity of choice.
Executive Producers are John Brunton, Erin Brock, and Shannon Farr. The series is produced in association with Insight Productions.
“Lol: Last One Laughing Canada” is the latest adaptation of “Documental,” an Amazon Original series in Japan owned by Yoshimoto Kogyo and created by and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto — where Matsumoto leads 10 comedians who bet their own money in a “battle of laughter behind closed doors.
- 1/13/2022
- by Wyatte Grantham-Philips
- Variety Film + TV
Abraham Lincoln‘s complex journey to end slavery will be explored in the upcoming docuseries from Apple TV+, Lincoln’s Dilemma. The four-parter, based on David S. Reynolds’ book Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times, is set to premiere on Feb. 18.
Lincoln’s Dilemma, set against the background of the Civil War, will be narrated by Jeffrey Wright and will feature the voices of Bill Camp as the 16th President of the United States, and Leslie Odom, Jr. as Frederick Douglass.
The streamer revealed viewers will learn more about ” a complicated man and the people and events that shaped his evolving stance on slavery.”
Through archival materials and insight from journalists, educators, and Lincoln scholars, the docuseries promises give a “voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including the economy, race, and humanity.”
Lincoln’s Dilemma is produced by Eden Productions and Kunhardt Films.
Lincoln’s Dilemma, set against the background of the Civil War, will be narrated by Jeffrey Wright and will feature the voices of Bill Camp as the 16th President of the United States, and Leslie Odom, Jr. as Frederick Douglass.
The streamer revealed viewers will learn more about ” a complicated man and the people and events that shaped his evolving stance on slavery.”
Through archival materials and insight from journalists, educators, and Lincoln scholars, the docuseries promises give a “voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including the economy, race, and humanity.”
Lincoln’s Dilemma is produced by Eden Productions and Kunhardt Films.
- 1/13/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Greg Tate, one of the most incisive, insightful, and influential cultural critics of the past 35 years, has died. His publisher Duke University Press confirmed the author’s death to Rolling Stone, though a cause of death was not confirmed.
“Hard to explain the impact that Flyboy in the Buttermilk had on a whole generation of young writers and critics who read every page of it like scripture,” The New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb wrote on Twitter, aptly summing up the effect that Tate’s iconic 1992 essay collection had on the world.
“Hard to explain the impact that Flyboy in the Buttermilk had on a whole generation of young writers and critics who read every page of it like scripture,” The New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb wrote on Twitter, aptly summing up the effect that Tate’s iconic 1992 essay collection had on the world.
- 12/7/2021
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
By any standard, Gordon Parks (1912-2006) led an extraordinary life as a photographer, filmmaker, composer, author, eyewitness to several major events of the 20th century, and above all a storyteller. As a Black man born into poverty in an America not-so-far removed from slavery, as Jim Crow laws swept the south, his life is even more remarkable. In “A Choice of Weapons: Inspired By Gordon Parks,” the HBO documentary premiering November 15, director John Maggio attempts to capture the essence of Parks, by celebrating his motivating ideology of the artist as activist, through the reflections of the generation of artists he inspired. A welcomed effort, the film doesn’t fully commit, resulting in a rather uninspired portrait of one of America’s greatest artistic trailblazers.
“A Choice of Weapons” blends Parks’ striking photographs (spanning more than 40 years) with footage of the artist in conversation, supported by reflections from a starry cast of interviewees,...
“A Choice of Weapons” blends Parks’ striking photographs (spanning more than 40 years) with footage of the artist in conversation, supported by reflections from a starry cast of interviewees,...
- 11/15/2021
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
The new documentary Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union begins by transporting viewers back to Philadelphia’s Constitution Center in 2008, when the future 44th president of the United States confronted America’s concurrent issues with race head-on. Over the course of a 37-minute speech (to which the film’s title refers), then-candidate Barack Obama offered an explanation for controversial remarks made by his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, analyzed how race had played a role in his presidential campaign and expressed his resolve that “working together, we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and… in fact we ...
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“Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union,” a three-part HBO documentary series offering a behind-the-scenes look at President Barack Obama, arrives on HBO Max on August 4, coinciding with the former commander in chief’s 60th birthday.
Directed by Emmy-winner Peter Kunhardt, “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union” will premiere on HBO on August 3, before hitting the streaming service. HBO described the documentary as detailing the “personal and political journey of President Obama as the country grapples with its racial history.” The documentary shares a cohesive portrait of America under its first Black president, beginning with Obama’s childhood. The series takes viewers inside his perspective of being the son of...
“Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union,” a three-part HBO documentary series offering a behind-the-scenes look at President Barack Obama, arrives on HBO Max on August 4, coinciding with the former commander in chief’s 60th birthday.
Directed by Emmy-winner Peter Kunhardt, “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union” will premiere on HBO on August 3, before hitting the streaming service. HBO described the documentary as detailing the “personal and political journey of President Obama as the country grapples with its racial history.” The documentary shares a cohesive portrait of America under its first Black president, beginning with Obama’s childhood. The series takes viewers inside his perspective of being the son of...
- 8/3/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Documentary filmmaker Peter Kunhardt began working on HBO’s “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union” in 2014, while the former president was still in the White House. The director-exec producer and Jelani Cobb, a writer for the New Yorker and exec producer on this three-part docuseries, spent four years researching and discovering rare and never-before-seen archival footage of Obama before filming commenced in 2018. Kunhardt conducted 39 interviews with a wide range of people including Cobb, late Congressman John Lewis, Valerie Jarrett, David Axelrod, Rev. Al Sharpton as well as Rev. Jeremiah Wright during the course of production.
The diverse voices allowed Kunhardt, who previously directed “John McCain: From Whom the Bell Tolls” for HBO, to examine and critique the former president’s personal and political journey, as well as the United States’ fraught racial history. The goal: to look at Obama “through a critical eye, but not get bogged down...
The diverse voices allowed Kunhardt, who previously directed “John McCain: From Whom the Bell Tolls” for HBO, to examine and critique the former president’s personal and political journey, as well as the United States’ fraught racial history. The goal: to look at Obama “through a critical eye, but not get bogged down...
- 8/3/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The key to Barack Obama’s electoral success — and to the ways his post-presidency will continue to evolve — could be his talent as a writer.
It’s not simply his eloquence, his ability to convey his beliefs to a sprawling and fractious electorate. It’s also his gift at packaging his experiences and image of himself. Before he was a politician, Obama was a memoirist, and, fittingly, he has made a career of using accessibly plain English to convert life’s complications into a forward-moving narrative.
What Obama has lately lacked, though, is a meaningful mission onto which to pin his talents: His first presidential memoir was blandly written and rote, suggesting he’d rather be looking ahead than back. And Obama’s multimedia projects, like his frequent book and music recommendations and the podcast he co-hosted with Bruce Springsteen, suggest an eagerness to stay in the conversation without a...
It’s not simply his eloquence, his ability to convey his beliefs to a sprawling and fractious electorate. It’s also his gift at packaging his experiences and image of himself. Before he was a politician, Obama was a memoirist, and, fittingly, he has made a career of using accessibly plain English to convert life’s complications into a forward-moving narrative.
What Obama has lately lacked, though, is a meaningful mission onto which to pin his talents: His first presidential memoir was blandly written and rote, suggesting he’d rather be looking ahead than back. And Obama’s multimedia projects, like his frequent book and music recommendations and the podcast he co-hosted with Bruce Springsteen, suggest an eagerness to stay in the conversation without a...
- 7/27/2021
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
Barack Obama Charts a Historic Course in New Trailer for ‘Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union’
HBO has released a new trailer for its upcoming three-part docuseries on Barack Obama, Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union. It will premiere August 3rd, with additional episodes airing on the 4th and 5th.
Directed by Peter Kunhardt, the series will chronicle Obama’s personal and political journey, particularly through the lens of race. The trailer touches on Obama’s childhood, where he was one of just a handful of black kids in his school class, his early political efforts and how he built the unique coalition that...
Directed by Peter Kunhardt, the series will chronicle Obama’s personal and political journey, particularly through the lens of race. The trailer touches on Obama’s childhood, where he was one of just a handful of black kids in his school class, his early political efforts and how he built the unique coalition that...
- 7/21/2021
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
HBO’s three-part documentary Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union is set to premiere over three consecutive nights beginning Tuesday, August 3 at 9 Pm Et/Pt. Parts 2 and 3 will air at the same time Wednesday, August 4 and Thursday, August 5. The three-part documentary also will be available for streaming on HBO Max.
Directed by Emmy winner Peter Kunhardt (HBO’s True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight For Equality) the docu chronicles the personal and political journey of President Barack Obama, as the country grapples with its racial history.
Weaving together conversations with colleagues, friends and critics, and interspersed with his own speeches and news interviews, the series begins with Obama’s childhood and takes us through his perspective as the son of a white mother from Kansas and an African father, his spiritual formation by a generation of Black leaders, and his hopes for a more inclusive America.
HBO Documentary...
Directed by Emmy winner Peter Kunhardt (HBO’s True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight For Equality) the docu chronicles the personal and political journey of President Barack Obama, as the country grapples with its racial history.
Weaving together conversations with colleagues, friends and critics, and interspersed with his own speeches and news interviews, the series begins with Obama’s childhood and takes us through his perspective as the son of a white mother from Kansas and an African father, his spiritual formation by a generation of Black leaders, and his hopes for a more inclusive America.
HBO Documentary...
- 7/21/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Good Lord Bird” and “Unorthodox” are two of the latest Peabody Award winners, announced Tuesday.
This year the 81st annual Peabody Awards are being virtually presented over the course of four days. The first batch of eight were announced Monday, June 21, with another seven following suit the following day.
Showtime’s limited series adaptation of James McBride’s novel of the same name, “The Good Lord Bird,” and Netflix’s four-part limited series inspired by Deborah Feldman’s memoir of the same name, “Unorthodox,” are the two latest award recipients from the entertainment category.
Other newly crowned winners are MTV Documentary Films’ “76 Days” (in the documentary category), The Washington Post’s “Post Reports: The Life of George Floyd” (in the podcast/radio category) and, in news, PBS/GBH’s “Whose Vote Counts,” Showtime’s “Losing Ground” installment of “Vice on Showtime” and ITV’s “Muslim in Trump’s...
This year the 81st annual Peabody Awards are being virtually presented over the course of four days. The first batch of eight were announced Monday, June 21, with another seven following suit the following day.
Showtime’s limited series adaptation of James McBride’s novel of the same name, “The Good Lord Bird,” and Netflix’s four-part limited series inspired by Deborah Feldman’s memoir of the same name, “Unorthodox,” are the two latest award recipients from the entertainment category.
Other newly crowned winners are MTV Documentary Films’ “76 Days” (in the documentary category), The Washington Post’s “Post Reports: The Life of George Floyd” (in the podcast/radio category) and, in news, PBS/GBH’s “Whose Vote Counts,” Showtime’s “Losing Ground” installment of “Vice on Showtime” and ITV’s “Muslim in Trump’s...
- 6/22/2021
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
Stacey Abrams has been tapped to receive the inaugural Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice award as part of the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.
The new award named for Belafonte — the Emmy-winning actor, activist and civil rights leader — is intended to recognize individuals who have used storytelling and the arts to enact change in their communities.
Abrams, in addition to her work as a politician and voting rights activist, also produced last year’s gripping documentary “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” which illuminated America’s history of voter suppression. As such, Tribeca announced that Abrams will be honored for her “outstanding leadership, service and commitment to fighting against injustices through her work as a political leader, voting rights activist and novelist.”
“We are proud to salute the brilliant and inspiring actor, activist and friend, Harry Belafonte with this award created in his honor,’” said Tribeca Chief Content Officer, Paula Weinstein.
The new award named for Belafonte — the Emmy-winning actor, activist and civil rights leader — is intended to recognize individuals who have used storytelling and the arts to enact change in their communities.
Abrams, in addition to her work as a politician and voting rights activist, also produced last year’s gripping documentary “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” which illuminated America’s history of voter suppression. As such, Tribeca announced that Abrams will be honored for her “outstanding leadership, service and commitment to fighting against injustices through her work as a political leader, voting rights activist and novelist.”
“We are proud to salute the brilliant and inspiring actor, activist and friend, Harry Belafonte with this award created in his honor,’” said Tribeca Chief Content Officer, Paula Weinstein.
- 5/13/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
This year’s Writers Guild Awards were an efficient pre-taped affair (with the two coasts united in one show) perfunctorily hosted by new member Kal Penn. A smattering of Oscar contenders such as Riz Ahmed, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Odom Jr., and Andra Day joined other celebrities from Daveed Diggs to Jimmy Fallon to present this year’s film and television winners. (You can read the full list of winners here.)
Every year, because the WGA always leaves out non-wga signatories in its award nominations — among them Oscar-contending screenplays — it’s not always as Oscar-predictive as the other Guilds. Last year’s WGA award winners, Taika Waititi and Bong Joon Ho did go on to repeat at the Oscars. Bong won in a category for which Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” wasn’t eligible. (He never joined the WGA.)
This year, there were three ineligible movies...
Every year, because the WGA always leaves out non-wga signatories in its award nominations — among them Oscar-contending screenplays — it’s not always as Oscar-predictive as the other Guilds. Last year’s WGA award winners, Taika Waititi and Bong Joon Ho did go on to repeat at the Oscars. Bong won in a category for which Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” wasn’t eligible. (He never joined the WGA.)
This year, there were three ineligible movies...
- 3/22/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
This year’s Writers Guild Awards were an efficient pre-taped affair (with the two coasts united in one show) perfunctorily hosted by new member Kal Penn. A smattering of Oscar contenders such as Riz Ahmed, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Odom Jr., and Andra Day joined other celebrities from Daveed Diggs to Jimmy Fallon to present this year’s film and television winners. (You can read the full list of winners here.)
Every year, because the WGA always leaves out non-wga signatories in its award nominations — among them Oscar-contending screenplays — it’s not always as Oscar-predictive as the other Guilds. Last year’s WGA award winners, Taika Waititi and Bong Joon Ho did go on to repeat at the Oscars. Bong won in a category for which Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” wasn’t eligible. (He never joined the WGA.)
This year, there were three ineligible movies...
Every year, because the WGA always leaves out non-wga signatories in its award nominations — among them Oscar-contending screenplays — it’s not always as Oscar-predictive as the other Guilds. Last year’s WGA award winners, Taika Waititi and Bong Joon Ho did go on to repeat at the Oscars. Bong won in a category for which Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” wasn’t eligible. (He never joined the WGA.)
This year, there were three ineligible movies...
- 3/22/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Riz Ahmed, Sacha Baron Cohen, Andra Day and More Named as Writers Guild Presenters
The Writers Guild of America West and East today unveiled a line-up of presenters scheduled to appear at the 2021 Writers Guild Awards joint virtual ceremony on Sunday, March 21.
Among the presenters are Oscar contenders Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Sacha Baron Cohen ( “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) and Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”)
Also presenting are Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), WGA and Emmy-nominated writer and educator Jelani Cobb, Adweek and Streamy Award-winning author and comedian Sarah Cooper (“How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings”), Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”), and Emmy-nominated writer-producer Ava DuVernay (“When They See Us”.)
Late night host Jimmy Fallon (“The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”), Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), WGA and SAG Award-nominated actor-writer Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”), Ryan O’Connell (“Special”),”One Night in Miami” actor Leslie Odom Jr.,...
The Writers Guild of America West and East today unveiled a line-up of presenters scheduled to appear at the 2021 Writers Guild Awards joint virtual ceremony on Sunday, March 21.
Among the presenters are Oscar contenders Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Sacha Baron Cohen ( “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) and Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”)
Also presenting are Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), WGA and Emmy-nominated writer and educator Jelani Cobb, Adweek and Streamy Award-winning author and comedian Sarah Cooper (“How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings”), Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”), and Emmy-nominated writer-producer Ava DuVernay (“When They See Us”.)
Late night host Jimmy Fallon (“The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”), Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), WGA and SAG Award-nominated actor-writer Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”), Ryan O’Connell (“Special”),”One Night in Miami” actor Leslie Odom Jr.,...
- 3/9/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
PBS won four prizes in the 2021 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Awards, an annual recognition of some of the best work in the reaml of audio and video journalism. Radiolab won two of the contest’s coveted silver batons, and other winners included NBC News, Vice and and Netflix.
Fifteen honorees were named Tuesday evening in a ceremony that was made available via PBS’ digital venues. The event was hosted by Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor, and Michele Norris, the Washington Post opinion columnist, in an hour-long presentation. Special guest presenters included Dr. Anthony Fauci, Professor Jelani Cobb and 2019 duPont winner Mariska Hargitay
For the first time, the duPont jury selected 30 finalists, who were announced in November 2020.
“Courageously documenting the turbulent events of 2020, journalists performed a critical public service by reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic, social justice, the role of the internet in our
politics, and much more,” said Cheryl Gould, duPont...
Fifteen honorees were named Tuesday evening in a ceremony that was made available via PBS’ digital venues. The event was hosted by Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor, and Michele Norris, the Washington Post opinion columnist, in an hour-long presentation. Special guest presenters included Dr. Anthony Fauci, Professor Jelani Cobb and 2019 duPont winner Mariska Hargitay
For the first time, the duPont jury selected 30 finalists, who were announced in November 2020.
“Courageously documenting the turbulent events of 2020, journalists performed a critical public service by reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic, social justice, the role of the internet in our
politics, and much more,” said Cheryl Gould, duPont...
- 2/10/2021
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was obsessed with the Reverend Martin Luther King. And while the Civil Rights activist was putting his life on the line with his message of non-violence as he struggled and protested to bring civil liberties, freedoms and unalienable rights to African Americans, Hoover doggedly surveilled and harassed Dr. King. By the time of his “I Had a Dream” galvanizing speech on Aug. 26, 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King was described by the head of FBI domestic intelligence William C. Sullivan in a memo that the activist as “the most dangerous Negro in the future of this nation.”
The new award-winning documentary ‘MLK/FBI” is a vividly and frighteningly look at the extent of Hoover’s obsession with the Nobel Prize-winner. Directed by veteran documentarian/producer/editor Sam Pollard, “MLK/FBI” is the first film to utilize recently discovered and declassified material that was...
The new award-winning documentary ‘MLK/FBI” is a vividly and frighteningly look at the extent of Hoover’s obsession with the Nobel Prize-winner. Directed by veteran documentarian/producer/editor Sam Pollard, “MLK/FBI” is the first film to utilize recently discovered and declassified material that was...
- 1/19/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
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