The winners of this year’s recipients of the Walter Cronkite Awards had a common theme: Combating misinformation.
So when award sponsor USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center held a National Press Club luncheon for the honorees last week, there was a bit of reminder of the stakes: During the ceremony news unfolded of the unsealing of former President Donald Trump’s federal indictment.
Many of the winners reported on Trump and his false claims of a stolen 2020 election, something that he has repeated during his current election campaign. He’s also called the indictment itself the “boxes hoax.”
Martin Kaplan, director of The Norman Lear Center, said, “Disinformation is an apt focus in particular for the Cronkite award, not only because it feels like disinformation is everywhere all at once, but because the namesake of this award is Walter Cronkite” who was known as “the most trusted man in America.
So when award sponsor USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center held a National Press Club luncheon for the honorees last week, there was a bit of reminder of the stakes: During the ceremony news unfolded of the unsealing of former President Donald Trump’s federal indictment.
Many of the winners reported on Trump and his false claims of a stolen 2020 election, something that he has repeated during his current election campaign. He’s also called the indictment itself the “boxes hoax.”
Martin Kaplan, director of The Norman Lear Center, said, “Disinformation is an apt focus in particular for the Cronkite award, not only because it feels like disinformation is everywhere all at once, but because the namesake of this award is Walter Cronkite” who was known as “the most trusted man in America.
- 6/12/2023
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Documentary film editors are like crash test dummies, according to Alexis Johnson. You keep letting yourself crash, assuming the seatbelts will work, over and over again just to see what impact a scene is having on you.
“If I am going to harness a feeling, I have to feel it myself,” she said, recalling working on director Alex Gibney’s powerful 2021 documentary “The Forever Prisoner,” about the CIA’s interrogation treatment of prisoner Abu Zubaydah. In addition to the countless hours reworking scenes of waterboarding and other harsh treatments, Johnson edited a sequence that depicts the technique of playing high-decibel music to terrorize a prisoner. It was particularly grueling, as Johnson repeatedly subjected herself to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ cacophonous “Give It Away” for hours while shaping the depiction of Zubaydah being tortured by the same song.
By the end of working on “The Forever Prisoner,” Johnson said, she...
“If I am going to harness a feeling, I have to feel it myself,” she said, recalling working on director Alex Gibney’s powerful 2021 documentary “The Forever Prisoner,” about the CIA’s interrogation treatment of prisoner Abu Zubaydah. In addition to the countless hours reworking scenes of waterboarding and other harsh treatments, Johnson edited a sequence that depicts the technique of playing high-decibel music to terrorize a prisoner. It was particularly grueling, as Johnson repeatedly subjected herself to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ cacophonous “Give It Away” for hours while shaping the depiction of Zubaydah being tortured by the same song.
By the end of working on “The Forever Prisoner,” Johnson said, she...
- 6/12/2023
- by Tom Roston
- Indiewire
Netflix’s upcoming documentary “Money Shot” tells the story of one of the world’s most-visited websites — Pornhub.
Featuring interviews with sex workers, activists and ex-employees of the porn giant, the film, premiering March 15, “offers a deep dive into the successes and scandals of Pornhub,” per Netflix.
More specifically, “Money Shot” chronicles how Pornhub fundamentally changed adult entertainment, allowing erotic content to reach a massive audience and turning pornography into a multi-billion dollar industry. The doc explores the allegations of non-consensual material and trafficking on the site, and Pornhub’s subsequent crackdown on its own content.
“Knowingly profiting from sex trafficking is what we believe they are liable for,” says one interview subject in the trailer. Adds another subject: “The more I explored, the more aghast I became. I found too many cases of kids whose worst moments were preserved in amber.”
As activist organizations fought against Pornhub to protect victims of sex trafficking,...
Featuring interviews with sex workers, activists and ex-employees of the porn giant, the film, premiering March 15, “offers a deep dive into the successes and scandals of Pornhub,” per Netflix.
More specifically, “Money Shot” chronicles how Pornhub fundamentally changed adult entertainment, allowing erotic content to reach a massive audience and turning pornography into a multi-billion dollar industry. The doc explores the allegations of non-consensual material and trafficking on the site, and Pornhub’s subsequent crackdown on its own content.
“Knowingly profiting from sex trafficking is what we believe they are liable for,” says one interview subject in the trailer. Adds another subject: “The more I explored, the more aghast I became. I found too many cases of kids whose worst moments were preserved in amber.”
As activist organizations fought against Pornhub to protect victims of sex trafficking,...
- 3/1/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is gearing up to release a documentary film about Pornhub, the controversial sex video platform that features user-uploaded content.
“Money Shot: The Pornhub Story” will debut on Netflix worldwide on March 15, 2023. The documentary, from Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, looks at the history of the internet’s most famous adult entertainment platform and the recent backlash against the site.
Pornhub changed how pornography is produced and distributed, enabling adult content creators to reach “a massive audience while the company made billions of dollars — but it also became embroiled in allegations including non-consensual material and trafficking on the site,” according to Netflix’s description of the film. “As anti-trafficking organizations seek justice for victims, can the online giant protect those from whom they profit, or is this a new wave of censorship for adult performers making consensual porn?”
Launched in 2007, Pornhub’s accounts on YouTube and Instagram have been shut...
“Money Shot: The Pornhub Story” will debut on Netflix worldwide on March 15, 2023. The documentary, from Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, looks at the history of the internet’s most famous adult entertainment platform and the recent backlash against the site.
Pornhub changed how pornography is produced and distributed, enabling adult content creators to reach “a massive audience while the company made billions of dollars — but it also became embroiled in allegations including non-consensual material and trafficking on the site,” according to Netflix’s description of the film. “As anti-trafficking organizations seek justice for victims, can the online giant protect those from whom they profit, or is this a new wave of censorship for adult performers making consensual porn?”
Launched in 2007, Pornhub’s accounts on YouTube and Instagram have been shut...
- 2/15/2023
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
A super-crowded documentary field means that many are called and few are chosen. And critics carry more sway than ever in this pandemic year, helping to cull the long list of would-be awards contenders. Every win from whatever source helps to turn a movie into a must-see.
Thus Monday’s fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Award winners — which recognize the year’s achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on digital platforms, for which I voted in several categories — push Best Documentary Feature “Dick Johnson Is Dead” (Netflix) and its Best Director Kirsten Johnson into the lead for the Oscar shortlist of 15, which the Academy will announce on February 9, 2021.
Netflix dominated the field with six wins, including “Dick Johnson is Dead,” popular hit “My Octopus Teacher,” which took home Best Cinematography and Best Science/Nature Documentary, Best Narration winner “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet,” and, with “Athlete A,...
Thus Monday’s fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Award winners — which recognize the year’s achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on digital platforms, for which I voted in several categories — push Best Documentary Feature “Dick Johnson Is Dead” (Netflix) and its Best Director Kirsten Johnson into the lead for the Oscar shortlist of 15, which the Academy will announce on February 9, 2021.
Netflix dominated the field with six wins, including “Dick Johnson is Dead,” popular hit “My Octopus Teacher,” which took home Best Cinematography and Best Science/Nature Documentary, Best Narration winner “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet,” and, with “Athlete A,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Dick Johnson Is Dead, Netflix’s personal documentary exploring a daughter’s look into the decline of her aging father, took top honors from the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards for Best Documentary Feature as well as Best Director for Kirsten Johnson.
The awards, which were spread out among several winners, saw no single docu dominate, and in fact another Netflix film, My Octopus Teacher, was the only other film to win more than one trophy, taking Best Science/Nature Docu and Best Cinematography.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and Gunda had led nominations with five each but were shut out. Mr. Soul! which also had five noms, did take Best First Documentary Feature. Among other significant winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for Best Historical/Biographical docu, and Apple TV+’s Boys State as Best Political Documentary.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a...
The awards, which were spread out among several winners, saw no single docu dominate, and in fact another Netflix film, My Octopus Teacher, was the only other film to win more than one trophy, taking Best Science/Nature Docu and Best Cinematography.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and Gunda had led nominations with five each but were shut out. Mr. Soul! which also had five noms, did take Best First Documentary Feature. Among other significant winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for Best Historical/Biographical docu, and Apple TV+’s Boys State as Best Political Documentary.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a...
- 11/16/2020
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced the 2020 winners Monday morning, honoring “Dick Johnson Is Dead” for best documentary feature as well as the film’s Kirsten Johnson for best director.
The film focuses on Richard Johnson, the director’s father, who suffers from dementia and imagines different ways in which he could die with a darkly comedic tone. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won the special jury award for innovation in non-fiction storytelling.
“My Octopus Teacher” took home two awards for best cinematography and best science/nature documentary.
Like most award shows this year, the Critics Choice Doc Awards had to go virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a diverse group of films and filmmakers and subjects this year of all years, on the fifth occasion of the CCDAs, and with 2020 being what it is,...
The film focuses on Richard Johnson, the director’s father, who suffers from dementia and imagines different ways in which he could die with a darkly comedic tone. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won the special jury award for innovation in non-fiction storytelling.
“My Octopus Teacher” took home two awards for best cinematography and best science/nature documentary.
Like most award shows this year, the Critics Choice Doc Awards had to go virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a diverse group of films and filmmakers and subjects this year of all years, on the fifth occasion of the CCDAs, and with 2020 being what it is,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Kirsten Johnson’s playful “Dick Johnson Is Dead” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2020 at the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were announced on Monday morning.
Johnson also won the Best Director award for her Netflix film, in which she deals with the impending death of her father by staging his death in a variety of ways.
Melissa Haizlip won the Best First Documentary Feature award for “Mr. Soul!,” while other awards went to “My Octopus Teacher” for cinematography, “Totally Under Control” for editing, “The Way I See It” for music and “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” for narration.
“MLK/FBI” was named Best Archival Documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble” Best Historical/Biographical Documentary, “Boys State” Best Political Documentary” and “My Octopus Teacher” Best Science/Nature Documentary.
There were two ties: “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes” and “Athlete A” tied in the Best Sports Documentary category,...
Johnson also won the Best Director award for her Netflix film, in which she deals with the impending death of her father by staging his death in a variety of ways.
Melissa Haizlip won the Best First Documentary Feature award for “Mr. Soul!,” while other awards went to “My Octopus Teacher” for cinematography, “Totally Under Control” for editing, “The Way I See It” for music and “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” for narration.
“MLK/FBI” was named Best Archival Documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble” Best Historical/Biographical Documentary, “Boys State” Best Political Documentary” and “My Octopus Teacher” Best Science/Nature Documentary.
There were two ties: “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes” and “Athlete A” tied in the Best Sports Documentary category,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
HBO Documentary Films and Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney will team up to investigate the bizarre tale of Theranos, the once multibillion-dollar healthcare company that made young founder Elizabeth Holmes a billionaire and an accused fraud in short order.
Gibney directed HBO’s Emmy-winning Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, and the Academy Award-winning Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
The documentary is in production now and comes as The Shape of Water co-scribe Vanessa Taylor was tapped this month to adapt the story into a feature film, Bad Blood, to be directed by Adam McKay and star Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes. The project is set up at Legendary.
Holmes was a Stanford drop-out in 2004 when she started the company she touted as a revolutionary approach to healthcare. Ten years later, with her Theranos valued at $9 billion, Holmes was the youngest “self-made female billionaire in the world,...
Gibney directed HBO’s Emmy-winning Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, and the Academy Award-winning Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
The documentary is in production now and comes as The Shape of Water co-scribe Vanessa Taylor was tapped this month to adapt the story into a feature film, Bad Blood, to be directed by Adam McKay and star Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes. The project is set up at Legendary.
Holmes was a Stanford drop-out in 2004 when she started the company she touted as a revolutionary approach to healthcare. Ten years later, with her Theranos valued at $9 billion, Holmes was the youngest “self-made female billionaire in the world,...
- 5/30/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
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