This is not the documentary renaissance we hoped for. Despite its 2023 Oscar win for “Navalny,” CNN pulled back on non-fiction production. Non-fiction programming at Showtime Networks, which produced Oscar-nominated “Attica” in 2022, is no more.
“The New York Times Presents” series, which produced titles like “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” and “Framing Britney Spears,” is being phased out in favor of integrating non-fiction video into the media brand. Hot Docs is on the ropes; Participant, which produced documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth,” “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” and “American Factory,” closed last month.
And then there’s Netflix, which is still very much in the documentary game under Adam Del Deo, Netflix VP of original documentary films and limited series — and can afford to be with nearly 270 million global subscribers. However, it’s a specific sort of gameplay: For tight, high-quality nonfiction work that’s heartwarming, or thrilling, or stars a celebrity,...
“The New York Times Presents” series, which produced titles like “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” and “Framing Britney Spears,” is being phased out in favor of integrating non-fiction video into the media brand. Hot Docs is on the ropes; Participant, which produced documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth,” “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” and “American Factory,” closed last month.
And then there’s Netflix, which is still very much in the documentary game under Adam Del Deo, Netflix VP of original documentary films and limited series — and can afford to be with nearly 270 million global subscribers. However, it’s a specific sort of gameplay: For tight, high-quality nonfiction work that’s heartwarming, or thrilling, or stars a celebrity,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Chicago – The 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival is off and running, and the third day – Sunday, May 5th – screens and the 30th Anniversary of a modern classic and a highly anticipated upcoming release. “I Saw the TV Glow” by Jane Schoenbrun and “Little Women” (the 1994 version) anchor a full day of cinema heroics. For the full schedule, info and tickets, click Ccff May 5th. For individual films, click titles below.
30th Anniversary, Little Women
Little Women
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com
Based on the classic 1868 novel about love, family and the female spirit, Louisa May Alcott tells the domestic saga of the March family in post-Civil War America with a cast that includes Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Clare Danes, Christian Bale, Kirsten Dunst, Gabriel Byrne, Samantha Mathis, Eric Stoltz and Trini Alvarado.
Capsule Review: Greta Gerwig’s 2019 re-imagining aside, the 1994 version – directed by Gillian Armstrong – of the oft-filmed classic combines the elements...
30th Anniversary, Little Women
Little Women
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com
Based on the classic 1868 novel about love, family and the female spirit, Louisa May Alcott tells the domestic saga of the March family in post-Civil War America with a cast that includes Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Clare Danes, Christian Bale, Kirsten Dunst, Gabriel Byrne, Samantha Mathis, Eric Stoltz and Trini Alvarado.
Capsule Review: Greta Gerwig’s 2019 re-imagining aside, the 1994 version – directed by Gillian Armstrong – of the oft-filmed classic combines the elements...
- 5/4/2024
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
What’s the biggest documentary festival in the world? The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam. For now.
Upstart Cph:dox in Copenhagen aims to overtake IDFA as the top showcase for nonfiction film worldwide. On the new episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we sit down with Cph:dox Artistic Director Niklas Engstrøm for a conversation about the growth of the festival in the Danish capital and how he aims to make it No. 1.
Engstrøm argues that Cph:dox has been central to the emergence of Denmark as one of the most important hubs for documentary on the planet. It’s a country of less than 6 million that has produced a remarkable number of Oscar-nominated documentary directors and producers in recent years, including Signe Byrge Sørensen, Monica Hellström, Simon Lereng Wilmont, Jonas Rasmussen, Sigrid Dyekjær and Kirstine Barfod.
In our report from the field at Cph:Dox, we also talk with filmmaker Benjamin Ree about Ibelin,...
Upstart Cph:dox in Copenhagen aims to overtake IDFA as the top showcase for nonfiction film worldwide. On the new episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we sit down with Cph:dox Artistic Director Niklas Engstrøm for a conversation about the growth of the festival in the Danish capital and how he aims to make it No. 1.
Engstrøm argues that Cph:dox has been central to the emergence of Denmark as one of the most important hubs for documentary on the planet. It’s a country of less than 6 million that has produced a remarkable number of Oscar-nominated documentary directors and producers in recent years, including Signe Byrge Sørensen, Monica Hellström, Simon Lereng Wilmont, Jonas Rasmussen, Sigrid Dyekjær and Kirstine Barfod.
In our report from the field at Cph:Dox, we also talk with filmmaker Benjamin Ree about Ibelin,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Austrian documentary sales powerhouse Autlook has been racking up sales on Ruth Beckermann’s Favoriten, which premiered in the Berlinale Encounters programme last month. It will also screen at the upcoming Cph:Dox in the Artists & Auteurs section.
Autlook has now closed deals for theatrical distribution with FilmIn (Spain), Against Gravity (Poland), Grand Film (Germany), Vertigo, Discovery (former Yugoslavia), Cinema Delicatessen (Benelux) in collaboration with Dalton, Ost For Paradis (Denmark), Lev (Israel), Ambulante (Mexico), and Filmladen in Austria.
Autlook is also reporting strong interest from Taiwan, Japan, and the USA.
The fly-on-the-wall film follows a class of kids aged seven...
Autlook has now closed deals for theatrical distribution with FilmIn (Spain), Against Gravity (Poland), Grand Film (Germany), Vertigo, Discovery (former Yugoslavia), Cinema Delicatessen (Benelux) in collaboration with Dalton, Ost For Paradis (Denmark), Lev (Israel), Ambulante (Mexico), and Filmladen in Austria.
Autlook is also reporting strong interest from Taiwan, Japan, and the USA.
The fly-on-the-wall film follows a class of kids aged seven...
- 3/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sugarcane has become the latest big documentary deal out of the Sundance Film Festival.
Nat Geo has snapped up the doc, an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school which ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
Deadline understands that the Disney-owned factual brand has struck a deal in the low seven-figures. The doc comes from filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
National Geographic Documentary Films will roll out Sugarcane at global festivals throughout the rest of the year and release it in theaters before its streaming debut on Disney+.
It is the latest deal out of Sundance for National Geographic Documentary Films; the company picked up Fire Of Love, which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, out of the festival in 2022 as well as The Territory, which came from director Alex Pritz.
There were numerous documentary deals out of...
Nat Geo has snapped up the doc, an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school which ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
Deadline understands that the Disney-owned factual brand has struck a deal in the low seven-figures. The doc comes from filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
National Geographic Documentary Films will roll out Sugarcane at global festivals throughout the rest of the year and release it in theaters before its streaming debut on Disney+.
It is the latest deal out of Sundance for National Geographic Documentary Films; the company picked up Fire Of Love, which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, out of the festival in 2022 as well as The Territory, which came from director Alex Pritz.
There were numerous documentary deals out of...
- 2/21/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
For Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who suffered from a degenerative muscular disease, his time spent playing World of Warcraft gave him a powerful way to connect with a community of like-minded people. He was able to form deep friendships across vast distances despite his physical disability because of a passion and pastime that he kept hidden from his family. Steen passed away at the age of 25, and his parents thought his disease had kept him isolated — but in reality, he’d been an integral and beloved part of a digital community that loudly mourned his passing.
Ibelin, a documentary by filmmaker Benjamin Ree, takes a posthumous deep dive into Steen’s digital life, interviewing his best friends and competitors and plumbing Steen’s own archives. The film, which recently premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, will soon be streaming on Netflix. “It’s a huge honor that Ibelin will...
Ibelin, a documentary by filmmaker Benjamin Ree, takes a posthumous deep dive into Steen’s digital life, interviewing his best friends and competitors and plumbing Steen’s own archives. The film, which recently premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, will soon be streaming on Netflix. “It’s a huge honor that Ibelin will...
- 2/6/2024
- by Roxanne Fequiere
- Tudum - Netflix
Mother, Couch, the Niclas Larsson-directed film, took the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the Göteborg Film Festival. The film was awarded Sek 400,000, which is about $38,000.
The film stars Ewan McGregor, who had also received an honorary Dragon Award during 47th edition of the festival.
Mother, Couch made its debut at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. The debut film by Larsson is based on Swedish author Jerker Virdborg’s novel Mamma i soffa, a story of three children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store.
Other winners at Göteborg included Oona Airola’s Best Acting award for The Missile, with Juan Sarmiento G. taking the award for cinematography and Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land taking the Audience Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
Full list of winners Best Nordic Film
Mother, Couch
Best Acting
Oona Airola...
The film stars Ewan McGregor, who had also received an honorary Dragon Award during 47th edition of the festival.
Mother, Couch made its debut at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. The debut film by Larsson is based on Swedish author Jerker Virdborg’s novel Mamma i soffa, a story of three children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store.
Other winners at Göteborg included Oona Airola’s Best Acting award for The Missile, with Juan Sarmiento G. taking the award for cinematography and Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land taking the Audience Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
Full list of winners Best Nordic Film
Mother, Couch
Best Acting
Oona Airola...
- 2/4/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Niclas Larsson’s “Mother, Couch” was awarded the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at Goteborg, taking home the considerable amount of Sek 400,000.
Led by Ewan McGregor – this year’s recipient of the Honorary Dragon Award – the U.S.-Swedish-Danish co-production also features Ellen Burstyn and “Bones and All” breakout Taylor Russell, making it one of the starriest Goteborg winners in recent years.
“My therapist was wrong! I pitched him this idea a few years ago and he said: ‘Don’t do it.’ I am from here and this festival has meant the world to me. Standing on this stage is a bit surreal,” said Larsson.
Jurors Lena Endre, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, William Spetz, Tonia Noyabrova and Anna Novion appreciated the way it shows “how difficult it is to let go of the past, accept loss and finally embrace the future.” They praised “original and bold storytelling, with a lot of humor,...
Led by Ewan McGregor – this year’s recipient of the Honorary Dragon Award – the U.S.-Swedish-Danish co-production also features Ellen Burstyn and “Bones and All” breakout Taylor Russell, making it one of the starriest Goteborg winners in recent years.
“My therapist was wrong! I pitched him this idea a few years ago and he said: ‘Don’t do it.’ I am from here and this festival has meant the world to me. Standing on this stage is a bit surreal,” said Larsson.
Jurors Lena Endre, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, William Spetz, Tonia Noyabrova and Anna Novion appreciated the way it shows “how difficult it is to let go of the past, accept loss and finally embrace the future.” They praised “original and bold storytelling, with a lot of humor,...
- 2/3/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch took the Dragon award for best Nordic film at Goteborg Film Festival, which held its closing ceremony this evening.
The Swedish-us drama received the 400,000 Sek prize from the five-person jury, consisting of actors Lena Endre and William Spetz, and directors Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Tonia Noyabrova and Anna Novion.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
The jury chose the film for its “original and bold storytelling with a lot of humour; with the use of creative cinematography and sharp and witty dialogue.”
Mother, Couch centres on three children who are brought together when their mother...
The Swedish-us drama received the 400,000 Sek prize from the five-person jury, consisting of actors Lena Endre and William Spetz, and directors Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Tonia Noyabrova and Anna Novion.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
The jury chose the film for its “original and bold storytelling with a lot of humour; with the use of creative cinematography and sharp and witty dialogue.”
Mother, Couch centres on three children who are brought together when their mother...
- 2/3/2024
- ScreenDaily
Rob Peace and Ibelin premiered at Sundance, showcasing stories about two exceptional individuals with tragic stories.
As far as entries at Sundance, both of these titles were impactful in their own ways.
Ibelin is an uplifting story about a person with limitations who finds his true self in an unlikely realm.
In comparison, Rob Peace is a cautionary tale about making the right decisions.
Should readers see these films?
Here are our capsule reviews of Rob Peace and Ibelin out of Sundance 2024.
Ibelin
Those who have followed this reviewer’s writing are aware of the disability perspective. It’s a minority viewpoint that most people have issues relating to until they are older.
The experience can feel very isolating, especially when a condition is degenerative. Ibelin is a wondrous documentary about an individual who found a community in one of the most unlikeliest places.
Benjamin Ree’s heartwarming documentary...
As far as entries at Sundance, both of these titles were impactful in their own ways.
Ibelin is an uplifting story about a person with limitations who finds his true self in an unlikely realm.
In comparison, Rob Peace is a cautionary tale about making the right decisions.
Should readers see these films?
Here are our capsule reviews of Rob Peace and Ibelin out of Sundance 2024.
Ibelin
Those who have followed this reviewer’s writing are aware of the disability perspective. It’s a minority viewpoint that most people have issues relating to until they are older.
The experience can feel very isolating, especially when a condition is degenerative. Ibelin is a wondrous documentary about an individual who found a community in one of the most unlikeliest places.
Benjamin Ree’s heartwarming documentary...
- 1/31/2024
- by John Dotson
- Monsters and Critics
Sundance documentaries are alive and well. And it looks like there’s some acquisition action this year, too. Which Sundance documentaries have the best shot at landing in Oscar contention this year? It helps to get bought early or to have an international footprint.
A rickety theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers meant that many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution, or met serious delays before companies came through. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.
And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. But last year, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” which was rumored to be an HBO Documentary Films pickup for months, wasn’t announced until August 29, when other Sundance grads had been campaigning all summer.
One...
A rickety theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers meant that many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution, or met serious delays before companies came through. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.
And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. But last year, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” which was rumored to be an HBO Documentary Films pickup for months, wasn’t announced until August 29, when other Sundance grads had been campaigning all summer.
One...
- 1/31/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
As a gamer for most of my life, and a computer nerd, and a big-time web geek, I've always been considerably aware of how important digital connections can be. These kind of connections have been a major part of my life already for most of my life - and will continue to be. It's rare that I ever come across a film that depicts this important truth in an earnest and accurate way that isn't cheesy or saccharine. The documentary film Ibelin breaks out of those conventions to tell an emotional story about how meaningful online relationships are. Norwegian documentary filmmaker Benjamin Ree's latest film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won an Audience Award as well as the Directing Award in the World Cinema Documentary section. There is no one who will watch this and not be emotionally affected, with tears in their eyes, at this...
- 1/30/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Benjamin Ree’s Ibelin relates a heartbreaking story in its first 10 minutes. Mats Steen, a young boy from Norway, lived a mostly happy life until being diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that prevents muscles from working correctly. He would grow up solitary and confined to a wheelchair, with his computer the only connection to the world outside his home, before eventually passing away at 25. Mats’s parents, Robert and Trude, mourn the life that their son never got to have, but it’s not until they gain access to his computer and use his blog to announce his passing that they realize their son had an online life they never knew, all stemming from his dedication to World of Warcraft.
There are people for whom what happens in the subsequent 90 minutes of the documentary will come as a surprise, and Ree plays it like it is, but...
There are people for whom what happens in the subsequent 90 minutes of the documentary will come as a surprise, and Ree plays it like it is, but...
- 1/29/2024
- by Justin Clark
- Slant Magazine
Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18-28 and, after a sluggish start, there were deals (click here for the latest), celebrity sightings, and a protest.
Christopher Nolan turned up to collect an honourary award at the festival’s opening night gala fundraiser and called the occasion a “full circle moment” 23 years after premeiring his breakout thriller Memento there back in 2001.
Kristen Stewart also attended the gala and starred in two films this year, while celebrity guests included Robert Downey Jr., Will Ferrell, and Malia Obama, who managed to attend somewhat under the radar with her short film The Heart credited to Malia Ann.
Christopher Nolan turned up to collect an honourary award at the festival’s opening night gala fundraiser and called the occasion a “full circle moment” 23 years after premeiring his breakout thriller Memento there back in 2001.
Kristen Stewart also attended the gala and starred in two films this year, while celebrity guests included Robert Downey Jr., Will Ferrell, and Malia Obama, who managed to attend somewhat under the radar with her short film The Heart credited to Malia Ann.
- 1/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
Media representation of disabled people is challenging to get right — too saccharine, and you’re veering towards inspiration porn, too maudlin, and you’re implying that a disabled life might not be a life worth living. “Ibelin,” the newest documentary from “The Painter and the Thief” filmmaker Benjamin Ree, strikes a poignant balance, acknowledging the ways that physical disability can limit a life while showing how one complex man expanded his world nonetheless.
Continue reading ‘Ibelin’ Review: Finding Freedom, Friendship And Secrecy In Online Gaming [Sundance] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Ibelin’ Review: Finding Freedom, Friendship And Secrecy In Online Gaming [Sundance] at The Playlist.
- 1/27/2024
- by Lena Wilson
- The Playlist
The Sundance Film Festival announced its 2024 winners on January 26, two days before the festival’s end date. The Awards Ceremony took place at The Ray Theater in Park City, Utah. This year marks its 40th annual festival run taking place from January 18 to January 28.
In the Summer, a film director Alessandra Lacorazza, won the top honor, U.S. Grand Jury Prize, starring Lio Mehiel.
Last year, Mehiel told uInterview exclusively about the importance of trans representation.
“Whenever there is an uptick of queer or trans representation in the media, there is an equal and perhaps greater response from the other side … that are looking to suppress trans rights, trans agency [and] queer liberation,” Mehiel told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “While in Hollywood we are seeing trans representation and this film is able to be part of that movement, this film is more important now than ever because even just in Utah,...
In the Summer, a film director Alessandra Lacorazza, won the top honor, U.S. Grand Jury Prize, starring Lio Mehiel.
Last year, Mehiel told uInterview exclusively about the importance of trans representation.
“Whenever there is an uptick of queer or trans representation in the media, there is an equal and perhaps greater response from the other side … that are looking to suppress trans rights, trans agency [and] queer liberation,” Mehiel told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “While in Hollywood we are seeing trans representation and this film is able to be part of that movement, this film is more important now than ever because even just in Utah,...
- 1/27/2024
- by Ann Hoang
- Uinterview
The 40th edition of Sundance proved that despite corporate consolidation, there is still a market for independently made documentaries. While there haven’t been many sales so far, there has been strong buyer interest in two celeb-focused docs — “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” and “Will & Harper,” featuring Will Ferrell — and healthy interest in others.
“The market didn’t have a pulse six months ago,” says Submarine Entertainment sales agent Josh Braun, who came to the festival with nine documentaries seeking distribution, including “Daughters,” “Gaucho Gaucho” and “Union.” “So there was a reason to be a little bit fearful coming into Sundance. But now we are feeling a pulse. We are heading in a good direction. The patient still needs some treatment, but we are no longer in a Doa situation.”
While Submarine has not yet closed deals for any of the titles, Braun is optimistic, given the fact a...
“The market didn’t have a pulse six months ago,” says Submarine Entertainment sales agent Josh Braun, who came to the festival with nine documentaries seeking distribution, including “Daughters,” “Gaucho Gaucho” and “Union.” “So there was a reason to be a little bit fearful coming into Sundance. But now we are feeling a pulse. We are heading in a good direction. The patient still needs some treatment, but we are no longer in a Doa situation.”
While Submarine has not yet closed deals for any of the titles, Braun is optimistic, given the fact a...
- 1/27/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
In The Summers Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute Jesse Eisenberg picks up the screenwriting award for A Real Pain Photo: Amber Wilkinson The prizes were announced for the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival this morning in Utah.
The big winne rin the US Dramatic competition was Alessandra Lacorazza's In The Summers, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and best director. She said she was "blown away" by the news. Her film tells the story of two sisters' yearly visits to see their volatile dad in New Mexico. The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize went to Sujo about a young man growing up in the shadow of cartel violence.
The Porcelain War, which focuses on artists in Ukraine and their activism in the war, won the Grand Jury Prize for US Documentary. In the World Cinema Documentary A New Wilderness, which charts a family coming to terms with loss,...
The big winne rin the US Dramatic competition was Alessandra Lacorazza's In The Summers, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and best director. She said she was "blown away" by the news. Her film tells the story of two sisters' yearly visits to see their volatile dad in New Mexico. The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize went to Sujo about a young man growing up in the shadow of cartel violence.
The Porcelain War, which focuses on artists in Ukraine and their activism in the war, won the Grand Jury Prize for US Documentary. In the World Cinema Documentary A New Wilderness, which charts a family coming to terms with loss,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Sundance announced its winners on Friday morning, with Alessandra Lacorazza’s In The Summers took the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Brendan Bellomo’s Porcelain War the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.
Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s A New Kind Of Wilderness won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, while Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez earned the corresponding world cinema dramatic prize for Sujo.
The pair collaborated as writers on the 2020 World Cinema – Dramatic prize winner Identifying Features directed by Valadez.
The Festival Favorite Award went to Daughters by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, whose film also...
Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s A New Kind Of Wilderness won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, while Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez earned the corresponding world cinema dramatic prize for Sujo.
The pair collaborated as writers on the 2020 World Cinema – Dramatic prize winner Identifying Features directed by Valadez.
The Festival Favorite Award went to Daughters by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, whose film also...
- 1/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Sundance announced its winners on Friday morning, with Alessandra Lacorazza’s In The Summers took the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Brendan Bellomo’s Porcelain War the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.
Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s A New Kind Of Wilderness won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, while Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez earned the corresponding world cinema dramatic prize for Sujo.
The pair collaborated as writers on the 2020 World Cinema – Dramatic prize winner Identifying Features directed by Valadez.
The Festival Favorite Award went to Daughters by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, whose film also...
Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s A New Kind Of Wilderness won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, while Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez earned the corresponding world cinema dramatic prize for Sujo.
The pair collaborated as writers on the 2020 World Cinema – Dramatic prize winner Identifying Features directed by Valadez.
The Festival Favorite Award went to Daughters by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, whose film also...
- 1/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival has announced its winners, with In the Summers taking the Grand Jury prize for U.S. Dramatic Competition and Porcelain War landing the award for U.S. Documentary Competition.
Sujo won the jury prize for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section, and A New Kind of Wilderness won for World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Audience awards went to Sean Wang’s Dìdi (弟弟) in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and Daughters in the U.S. Documentary Competition, with the latter also earning the Festival Favorite Award selected by audiences across all new feature films presented at the fest. Girls Will Be Girls landed the audience award for World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and Ibelin won it in the World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Elsewhere, the Next innovator award went to Little Death, with Irish rap biopic Kneecap winning the audience award for the Next section.
Sundance CEO Joana Vicente said,...
Sujo won the jury prize for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section, and A New Kind of Wilderness won for World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Audience awards went to Sean Wang’s Dìdi (弟弟) in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and Daughters in the U.S. Documentary Competition, with the latter also earning the Festival Favorite Award selected by audiences across all new feature films presented at the fest. Girls Will Be Girls landed the audience award for World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and Ibelin won it in the World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Elsewhere, the Next innovator award went to Little Death, with Irish rap biopic Kneecap winning the audience award for the Next section.
Sundance CEO Joana Vicente said,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival awards ceremony revealed winners Friday honoring the best of this year’s lineup in Park City.
The U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury prize went to Alessandra Lacorazza’s In the Summers, about two sisters who navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, Nm. Lacorazza also won a special jury prize for directing.
See the full list of winners below.
Other Grand Jury winners unveiled today in the ceremony at the Ray Theatre included Porcelain War in the U.S. Documentary competition, A New Kind of Wilderness in the World Cinema Documentary competition, and Sujo in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.
Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s documentary Daughters received the Festival Favorite Award, which Park City audiences select across all new feature films presented at the festival, as well as the Audience Award for the U.
The U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury prize went to Alessandra Lacorazza’s In the Summers, about two sisters who navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, Nm. Lacorazza also won a special jury prize for directing.
See the full list of winners below.
Other Grand Jury winners unveiled today in the ceremony at the Ray Theatre included Porcelain War in the U.S. Documentary competition, A New Kind of Wilderness in the World Cinema Documentary competition, and Sujo in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.
Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s documentary Daughters received the Festival Favorite Award, which Park City audiences select across all new feature films presented at the festival, as well as the Audience Award for the U.
- 1/26/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival awards were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah.
See the list of 2024 winners below, and congrats to all the winners.
Festival Favorite Award
Daughters (USA) – Angela Patton and Natalie Rae
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize
In the Summers (USA) – Alessandra Lacorazza
Directing Award
In the Summers (USA) – Alessandra Lacorazza
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance
Suncoast (USA) – Nico Parker
Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble
Dìdi – Sean Wang
Audience Award
Dìdi – Sean Wang
U.S. Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize
Porcelain War – Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev
Directing Award
Sugarcane – Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie
Special Jury Award for Sound
Gaucho Gaucho (USA, Argentina) – Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
Special Jury Award for The Art of Change
Union (USA) – Stephen Maing and Brett Story
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award
Frida...
See the list of 2024 winners below, and congrats to all the winners.
Festival Favorite Award
Daughters (USA) – Angela Patton and Natalie Rae
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize
In the Summers (USA) – Alessandra Lacorazza
Directing Award
In the Summers (USA) – Alessandra Lacorazza
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance
Suncoast (USA) – Nico Parker
Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble
Dìdi – Sean Wang
Audience Award
Dìdi – Sean Wang
U.S. Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize
Porcelain War – Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev
Directing Award
Sugarcane – Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie
Special Jury Award for Sound
Gaucho Gaucho (USA, Argentina) – Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
Special Jury Award for The Art of Change
Union (USA) – Stephen Maing and Brett Story
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award
Frida...
- 1/26/2024
- by Prem
- Talking Films
The Sundance Film Festival welcomed a new class of indie film stars on Friday, handing out its annual awards in Park City, Utah.
Taking the festival’s grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition was “In the Summers” from writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio. The film tells of two daughters who come of age navigating a turbulent but loving father during yearly visits to his home in New Mexico. “Porcelain War” won the U.S. Documentary competition, for its portrait of artists-turned-soldiers in the Ukraine.
Top prizes in the world cinematic category went to “A New Kind of Wilderness” for documentary, the tale of a wild-living family who must return to the modern world after an untimely death; “Sujo” won for narrative feature, about a 4-year-old orphan who may find it impossible to escape a future working for a drug cartel.
Incoming Sundance Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez began...
Taking the festival’s grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition was “In the Summers” from writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio. The film tells of two daughters who come of age navigating a turbulent but loving father during yearly visits to his home in New Mexico. “Porcelain War” won the U.S. Documentary competition, for its portrait of artists-turned-soldiers in the Ukraine.
Top prizes in the world cinematic category went to “A New Kind of Wilderness” for documentary, the tale of a wild-living family who must return to the modern world after an untimely death; “Sujo” won for narrative feature, about a 4-year-old orphan who may find it impossible to escape a future working for a drug cartel.
Incoming Sundance Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez began...
- 1/26/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Benjamin Ree’s gamer documentary Ibelin led the winners at Tromso International Film Festival (TIFF) on Saturday, January 20; after Norwegian feature Grandmonster took the Fiction Norway pitching prize last week.
Ibelin took the audience award, playing at Tromso the day after its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. The Norwegian title follows the story of Mats Steen, a gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease aged 25; after which his parents began to receive messages from online friends around the world. Netflix acquired US distribution and worldwide streaming rights on the title following its Sundance premiere.
Scroll down for the...
Ibelin took the audience award, playing at Tromso the day after its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. The Norwegian title follows the story of Mats Steen, a gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease aged 25; after which his parents began to receive messages from online friends around the world. Netflix acquired US distribution and worldwide streaming rights on the title following its Sundance premiere.
Scroll down for the...
- 1/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
Robert and Trude Steen were astonished that their 25-year-old son Mats had another life after he passed away from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Despite Mats, who used a wheelchair and had few in-person social outings, appearing lonely amidst playing World of Warcraft for about 15,000 hours in his last ten years, his parents soon discovered he was popular in this virtual world. Gamers knew him for his avatar, Lord Ibelin Redmoore, and devotedly read his blog Musings of Life. These events inspired filmmaker Benjamin Ree (The Painter and the Thief), a Steens family friend who read Mats’ journey on the BBC, to visualize this story.
Ibelin thoroughly traces Mats’ existence with talking-head interviews, family home footage, original animations of Warcraft characters, a narrator reading his posts, his handwritten video game dialogue, and a mix of animation movements and character descriptions. These techniques allow Ree to symphonically center the subject without relegating family and peers to representatives.
Ibelin thoroughly traces Mats’ existence with talking-head interviews, family home footage, original animations of Warcraft characters, a narrator reading his posts, his handwritten video game dialogue, and a mix of animation movements and character descriptions. These techniques allow Ree to symphonically center the subject without relegating family and peers to representatives.
- 1/20/2024
- by Edward Frumkin
- The Film Stage
Between fascist propaganda, harassment campaigns, AI-generated Google results, and the collapse of digital publishing, it’s hard not to think of the internet as a wasteland. “Ibelin,” however, is a defining film about the positive side of the modern web experience, and connections forged online.
Directed by “The Painter and the Thief” helmer Benjamin Ree, the documentary marries form with function in stunning fashion, bringing to life the sprawling digital identity of its subject Mats Steen — a quadriplegic gamer who died at 25 from a degenerative disease — via his personal blog and his World of Warcraft campaigns. The resultant film is a moving, multifaceted masterwork that doubles as a cinematic epitaph to a vibrant (if secretive) young man.
Using thoughtfully engineered animation, “Ibelin” explores not only Mats’ complications, but a lifetime of personal experiences that remained a secret from his parents until they began grieving him. Though they believed him to be isolated and lonely,...
Directed by “The Painter and the Thief” helmer Benjamin Ree, the documentary marries form with function in stunning fashion, bringing to life the sprawling digital identity of its subject Mats Steen — a quadriplegic gamer who died at 25 from a degenerative disease — via his personal blog and his World of Warcraft campaigns. The resultant film is a moving, multifaceted masterwork that doubles as a cinematic epitaph to a vibrant (if secretive) young man.
Using thoughtfully engineered animation, “Ibelin” explores not only Mats’ complications, but a lifetime of personal experiences that remained a secret from his parents until they began grieving him. Though they believed him to be isolated and lonely,...
- 1/20/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
Benjamin Ree’s Ibelin tells a sad and inspiring story on a level that can be summarized in two sentences.
That doesn’t make it less sad or less inspiring, and it doesn’t make its core message any less important. But if you’re already aware that the virtual spaces created by networked gaming are, indeed, valid and even valuable ways of forging social relationships, there isn’t much additional insight.
Are there still people who think that networked games are just games, and that a guild of pixelated players has no ties in real life? Of course. It’s just hard to imagine that audience wanting a documentary to teach them — much less at Sundance, where similar topics are bog standard, and especially not with the excessively straightforward, if sometimes slightly (but not hugely) visually innovative, approach that Ree takes to Mats Steen’s story.
The two sentences:...
That doesn’t make it less sad or less inspiring, and it doesn’t make its core message any less important. But if you’re already aware that the virtual spaces created by networked gaming are, indeed, valid and even valuable ways of forging social relationships, there isn’t much additional insight.
Are there still people who think that networked games are just games, and that a guild of pixelated players has no ties in real life? Of course. It’s just hard to imagine that audience wanting a documentary to teach them — much less at Sundance, where similar topics are bog standard, and especially not with the excessively straightforward, if sometimes slightly (but not hugely) visually innovative, approach that Ree takes to Mats Steen’s story.
The two sentences:...
- 1/20/2024
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update: By Saturday afternoon up to five buyers were understood to be in serious discussions for Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story.
The film caused a stir ever since it premiered on Thursday night and hails from XYZ Films’ documentary division. Sources reported streamers and at least one theatrical buyer were in pursuit.
Meanwhile interest was understood to be building rapidly following the Saturday premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s US Dramatic Competition entry A Real Pain.
Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin star as cousins on an emotional tour to see their late grandmother’s home in Poland. WME Independent...
The film caused a stir ever since it premiered on Thursday night and hails from XYZ Films’ documentary division. Sources reported streamers and at least one theatrical buyer were in pursuit.
Meanwhile interest was understood to be building rapidly following the Saturday premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s US Dramatic Competition entry A Real Pain.
Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin star as cousins on an emotional tour to see their late grandmother’s home in Poland. WME Independent...
- 1/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
Heading into the weekend Skywalkers: A Love Story is gathering momentum at Sundance with multiple buyers circling the documentary following a strong response at Thursday night’s world premiere.
The groundswell of interest comes hot on the heels of two early transactions announced on Friday, with Sony Pictures Classics closing a deal for North America and multiple territories on Rich Peppiatt’s Next entry Kneecap and Netflix taking World Cinema Documentary Competition selection Ibelin by The Painter And The Thief director Benjamin Ree.
XYZ Films executives were on Friday locked in discussions with streamers and more traditional documentary distributors on Jeff Zimbalist’s U.
The groundswell of interest comes hot on the heels of two early transactions announced on Friday, with Sony Pictures Classics closing a deal for North America and multiple territories on Rich Peppiatt’s Next entry Kneecap and Netflix taking World Cinema Documentary Competition selection Ibelin by The Painter And The Thief director Benjamin Ree.
XYZ Films executives were on Friday locked in discussions with streamers and more traditional documentary distributors on Jeff Zimbalist’s U.
- 1/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
Netflix has acquired Benjamin Ree’s Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition selection Ibelin, the streamer confirmed on Friday morning.
‘Ibelin’: Sundance Review
The Norwegian documentary premiered on Thursday opening day and tells the story of Mats Steen, a gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease at age 25.
His parents believed Mats led a solitary life without love and friendships, however after he died they learned he in fact led a rich digital life through the game World Of Warcraft which left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.
Ree (The Painter And The Thief) and his...
‘Ibelin’: Sundance Review
The Norwegian documentary premiered on Thursday opening day and tells the story of Mats Steen, a gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease at age 25.
His parents believed Mats led a solitary life without love and friendships, however after he died they learned he in fact led a rich digital life through the game World Of Warcraft which left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.
Ree (The Painter And The Thief) and his...
- 1/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Netflix has acquired “Ibelin,” a documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Benjamin Ree (“The Painter and the Thief”) directed the film, which centers on a Norwegian gamer named Mats Steen, who died of a degenerative muscle disease at the age of 25. According to the official logline, “his parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.”
“Many of my favorite documentary films and series of all time have been distributed by Netflix,” Ree said in a statement. “It’s a huge honor that Ibelin will now be on Netflix and Mats Steen’s story will be available to so many millions of people across the world. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Before the film’s premiere, Ree told Variety he hopes that “Ibelin” portrays the video game community in a positive light.
“This...
Benjamin Ree (“The Painter and the Thief”) directed the film, which centers on a Norwegian gamer named Mats Steen, who died of a degenerative muscle disease at the age of 25. According to the official logline, “his parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.”
“Many of my favorite documentary films and series of all time have been distributed by Netflix,” Ree said in a statement. “It’s a huge honor that Ibelin will now be on Netflix and Mats Steen’s story will be available to so many millions of people across the world. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Before the film’s premiere, Ree told Variety he hopes that “Ibelin” portrays the video game community in a positive light.
“This...
- 1/19/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Just a day into the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Netflix has swooped on Ibelin, a new feature doc from Norwegian filmmaker Benjamin Ree (The Painter and the Thief), in the first acquisition of the festival.
World premiering in Park City on Thursday afternoon, the title playing in World Cinema Documentary Competition tells the story of Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated existence, later discovering that Mats had long been leading a vibrant digital life that left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.
The film takes us on a journey through the breadth of Steen’s adventurous online life, introducing us to Ibelin, his charismatic World of Warcraft persona. Through reconstructed animated moments from his gameplay, narrated entries from his blog and interviews with people who knew him as Ibelin,...
World premiering in Park City on Thursday afternoon, the title playing in World Cinema Documentary Competition tells the story of Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated existence, later discovering that Mats had long been leading a vibrant digital life that left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.
The film takes us on a journey through the breadth of Steen’s adventurous online life, introducing us to Ibelin, his charismatic World of Warcraft persona. Through reconstructed animated moments from his gameplay, narrated entries from his blog and interviews with people who knew him as Ibelin,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
In “Ibelin” Norwegian filmmaker Benjamin Ree focuses on Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died in 2014 of a degenerative muscular disease at age 25. Ree, who as a child was family friends with the Steen family, conceived of the project after reading a 2019 BBC article. The piece explains that after Mats’ death his parents discovered that they were all wrong about their son’s social life. Instead of a lonely, isolated existence in a wheelchair, they found out that Mats had been leading a vibrant digital life as Lord Ibelin Redmoore, an avatar, in the popular video game “World of Warcraft.” After his death, people from all over Europe, who had never physically met Mats, sent his parents condolence letters expressing how their son had profoundly impacted their lives.
Variety spoke with Ree ahead of the Sundance world premiere of “Ibelin” on Jan. 18.
After reading the BBC article in 2019 did you...
Variety spoke with Ree ahead of the Sundance world premiere of “Ibelin” on Jan. 18.
After reading the BBC article in 2019 did you...
- 1/18/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Returning to an in-person edition, along with the continuation of virtual offerings, the Sundance Film Festival kicks off this Thursday and lasts through January 28, offering a first glimpse at the year in cinema. While the annual festival has its fair share of returning filmmakers, it is certainly most renowned as a beacon of discovery, and we look forward to providing extensive coverage that one can follow via our daily newsletter.
Before reviews arrive, we’re highlighting the premieres that should be on your radar––a few we’ve already had the opportunity to see. If you’re interested in experiencing Sundance in person or from afar, one can see available tickets here ahead of Thursday’s in-person opening and an online viewing window that kicks off January 25.
Between the Temples (Nathan Silver)
After working at a prolific pace throughout his early career, it’s been a few years since we...
Before reviews arrive, we’re highlighting the premieres that should be on your radar––a few we’ve already had the opportunity to see. If you’re interested in experiencing Sundance in person or from afar, one can see available tickets here ahead of Thursday’s in-person opening and an online viewing window that kicks off January 25.
Between the Temples (Nathan Silver)
After working at a prolific pace throughout his early career, it’s been a few years since we...
- 1/16/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Paris-based sales house Charades has acquired international sales rights to “In a Violent Nature,” the debut feature film from writer and director Chris Nash that is set to premiere in Sundance’s Midnight Section on Jan. 22.
Produced by Shudder under the streaming service’s Shudder Original banner, the film follows a vengeful undead monster as he methodically slaughters a group of campers in the wilderness after they remove a pendant from his resting grounds. Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer are also producers on “In a Violent Nature,” which is set for release in 2024.
“‘In a Violent Nature’ reminded us of ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and ‘Angst,’ but most of all, it’s the discovery of an incredibly talented director,” said Charades co-founders Pierre Mazars, Yohann Comte and Carole Baraton. “We are very grateful to be working with Shudder once again with whom we are building an incredible track record of genre films from ‘Revenge,...
Produced by Shudder under the streaming service’s Shudder Original banner, the film follows a vengeful undead monster as he methodically slaughters a group of campers in the wilderness after they remove a pendant from his resting grounds. Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer are also producers on “In a Violent Nature,” which is set for release in 2024.
“‘In a Violent Nature’ reminded us of ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and ‘Angst,’ but most of all, it’s the discovery of an incredibly talented director,” said Charades co-founders Pierre Mazars, Yohann Comte and Carole Baraton. “We are very grateful to be working with Shudder once again with whom we are building an incredible track record of genre films from ‘Revenge,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Actors Ewan McGregor, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, directors Ruben Östlund, Ernst de Geer, Ramata-Toulaye Sy and Cannes Film Festival honcho Thierry Frémaux are some of the stellar guests set to walk the red carpet at the 47th edition of Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival.
This year’s Göteborg Fest unspools from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.
For his last run as artistic director of Scandinavia’s biggest film festival, Jonas Holmberg has selected 240 films from 82 countries, and what he calls “one of the strongest lineups ever” for Göteborg’s main Nordic competition strand. Among the highly anticipated titles vying for the coveted Best Nordic Film Dragon Award worth Sek 400,000, is Norway’s “Handling the Undead” by Thea Hvistendahl, set to kickstart the festival on the heels of its Sundance world premiere.
“This will be the first time we open with a zombie horror,” notes Holmberg, who looks forward...
This year’s Göteborg Fest unspools from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.
For his last run as artistic director of Scandinavia’s biggest film festival, Jonas Holmberg has selected 240 films from 82 countries, and what he calls “one of the strongest lineups ever” for Göteborg’s main Nordic competition strand. Among the highly anticipated titles vying for the coveted Best Nordic Film Dragon Award worth Sek 400,000, is Norway’s “Handling the Undead” by Thea Hvistendahl, set to kickstart the festival on the heels of its Sundance world premiere.
“This will be the first time we open with a zombie horror,” notes Holmberg, who looks forward...
- 1/9/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
The Göteborg Film Festival has unveiled the competition titles selected for its 47th edition, which runs from January 26 to February 4. (Scroll down for the full list).
Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400,000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.
Among the Nordic highlights is Madame Luna, Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa’s return to Nordic filmmaking following a series of Hollywood titles such as Morbius and Safe House. Inspired by real-life events, the film follows an Eritrean refugee who gets stuck in Libya and becomes a notorious human trafficker known as “Mama Luna” with deep ties to the Italian Mafia. When she is forced to flee to...
Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400,000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.
Among the Nordic highlights is Madame Luna, Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa’s return to Nordic filmmaking following a series of Hollywood titles such as Morbius and Safe House. Inspired by real-life events, the film follows an Eritrean refugee who gets stuck in Libya and becomes a notorious human trafficker known as “Mama Luna” with deep ties to the Italian Mafia. When she is forced to flee to...
- 1/9/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s World Cinema Docu Competition sees The Painter and the Thief (2020) filmmaker Benjamin Ree among the pack of ten. Here is the line-up:
Agent of Happiness / Bhutan, Hungary — Amber is one of the many agents working for the Bhutanese government to measure people’s happiness levels among the remote Himalayan mountains. But will he find his own along the way? World Premiere. Available online for Public.
The Battle for Laikipia / Kenya, U.S.A. — Unresolved historical injustices and climate change raise the stakes in a generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven.…...
Agent of Happiness / Bhutan, Hungary — Amber is one of the many agents working for the Bhutanese government to measure people’s happiness levels among the remote Himalayan mountains. But will he find his own along the way? World Premiere. Available online for Public.
The Battle for Laikipia / Kenya, U.S.A. — Unresolved historical injustices and climate change raise the stakes in a generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven.…...
- 12/6/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Festival will take place January 18–28, 2024, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City.
Sundance Film Festival’s top brass have unveiled the 40th anniversary edition line-up for 2024 as Steven Soderbergh makes his return as director for the first time since his 1989 breakout sex, lies and videotape, and Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui’s Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is the opening night film.
The full slate of works announced includes 82 features representing 24 countries, and 91 selections including episodic programmes. World premieres make up 94% of the entire roster, and 40% of the filmmakers are debutants.
The festival will take place January...
Sundance Film Festival’s top brass have unveiled the 40th anniversary edition line-up for 2024 as Steven Soderbergh makes his return as director for the first time since his 1989 breakout sex, lies and videotape, and Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui’s Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is the opening night film.
The full slate of works announced includes 82 features representing 24 countries, and 91 selections including episodic programmes. World premieres make up 94% of the entire roster, and 40% of the filmmakers are debutants.
The festival will take place January...
- 12/6/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Norwegian filmmaker Benjamin Ree, whose previous film “The Painter and the Thief” picked up a host of awards including Best Storytelling at Sundance, has given Variety exclusive access to his new doc film project, “Ibelin,” at the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival.
The film is named after the “World of Warcraft” avatar of Mats Steen, a young Norwegian man who died at the age of 25 from Dmd (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), a rare genetic disorder that causes muscle degeneration.
After his death, Mats’ parents discovered that their disabled son, who for the last 10 years of his life had been wheelchair-bound and needed constant medical assistance, has led a rich and eventful life online and made friends around the world on the way.
After acquiring the rights to his story through a book published by Mats’ father and the content of Mats’ blog, Ree decided to recreate Mats’ avatar’s life in...
The film is named after the “World of Warcraft” avatar of Mats Steen, a young Norwegian man who died at the age of 25 from Dmd (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), a rare genetic disorder that causes muscle degeneration.
After his death, Mats’ parents discovered that their disabled son, who for the last 10 years of his life had been wheelchair-bound and needed constant medical assistance, has led a rich and eventful life online and made friends around the world on the way.
After acquiring the rights to his story through a book published by Mats’ father and the content of Mats’ blog, Ree decided to recreate Mats’ avatar’s life in...
- 4/1/2022
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
After a stellar year picking up awards at Berlin, South by Southwest, Edinburgh and Melbourne, “Ninjababy” continued its prize-winning streak at Norway’s top plaudits for national movies, the Amanda Awards. Their prize ceremony kicked off the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund on Saturday night.
The second feature from TV-film director Yngvild Sve Flikke (“Women in Oversized Men’s Shirts”), the ebullient comedy-drama film won out in four major categories: director, actress (Kristine Kujath Thorp), supporting actor (Nader Khademi) and screenplay.
Flikke’s sophomore feature is based on the graphic novel by Sætre, The Art of Falling,” which itself won numerous youth literature awards in 2012 for the Norwegian illustrator. The film follows aspiring artist Rakel, 23, who unexpectedly discovers she is six months pregnant and that the father is not her boyfriend, The story then pursues a series of comedic, yet grounded, twists and turns.
“I’m a restless person,...
The second feature from TV-film director Yngvild Sve Flikke (“Women in Oversized Men’s Shirts”), the ebullient comedy-drama film won out in four major categories: director, actress (Kristine Kujath Thorp), supporting actor (Nader Khademi) and screenplay.
Flikke’s sophomore feature is based on the graphic novel by Sætre, The Art of Falling,” which itself won numerous youth literature awards in 2012 for the Norwegian illustrator. The film follows aspiring artist Rakel, 23, who unexpectedly discovers she is six months pregnant and that the father is not her boyfriend, The story then pursues a series of comedic, yet grounded, twists and turns.
“I’m a restless person,...
- 8/22/2021
- by Alexander Durie
- Variety Film + TV
Alternativet Produksjon, the Norwegian film banner behind Guro Bruusgaard’s “Him,” has more thought-provoking projects in the pipeline, including Mariken Halle’s pandemic-themed film “The Outdoor School” and Katja Eyde Jacobsen’s feminist movie “The Second Sex.”
The company was launched in 2017 by four filmmakers, including Halle, Jacobsen, Bruusgaard and Magnus Mork to produce their movies collectively, with a special interest in politically or socially engaged projets. The banner’s latest film credit, “Him,” revolves around three males of different ages who experience some form of social humiliation. The buzzed-about film had its international premiere last month at the Moscow Festival, where it competed.
“The Second Sex,” which seems to be the female counterpart to “Him,” follows three generations of Norwegian women in different social settings. Weaving documentary and fictional elements, the film revolves around a grandmother, a mother and a daughter, and their relationship with one another. “The Second...
The company was launched in 2017 by four filmmakers, including Halle, Jacobsen, Bruusgaard and Magnus Mork to produce their movies collectively, with a special interest in politically or socially engaged projets. The banner’s latest film credit, “Him,” revolves around three males of different ages who experience some form of social humiliation. The buzzed-about film had its international premiere last month at the Moscow Festival, where it competed.
“The Second Sex,” which seems to be the female counterpart to “Him,” follows three generations of Norwegian women in different social settings. Weaving documentary and fictional elements, the film revolves around a grandmother, a mother and a daughter, and their relationship with one another. “The Second...
- 5/5/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The 73rd annual Directors Guild of America Awards kicked off on Saturday evening. The awards honored the best directing in film and television of the past year.
This year, nominees Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari,” Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” David Fincher for “Mank,” Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” vied for the top directorial prize for film, with Zhao winning.
On the TV side, “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Homeland,” and “The Flight Attendant” won the major prizes, shaking up the race as we head into Emmys season.
The DGA prize is often considered a bellwether for the Best Director Oscar. Recent DGA winners that went on to repeat at the Academy Awards include Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman...
This year, nominees Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari,” Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” David Fincher for “Mank,” Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” vied for the top directorial prize for film, with Zhao winning.
On the TV side, “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Homeland,” and “The Flight Attendant” won the major prizes, shaking up the race as we head into Emmys season.
The DGA prize is often considered a bellwether for the Best Director Oscar. Recent DGA winners that went on to repeat at the Academy Awards include Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman...
- 4/11/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Chloé Zhao was named the best director of 2020 at the 73rd annual Directors Guild Awards, which were presented on Saturday in a virtual ceremony.
Zhao’s win for her quiet road film “Nomadland” makes her the second woman to win the DGA Award for feature film, after Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Only 10 women have ever been nominated in the category, with this year marking the first time that two female directors were nominated in the category in one year. (The other was Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”)
The win for Zhao comes two weeks after “Nomaldland” also won the Producers Guild Award, making it the only film to win more than one prize from the four major guilds. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” won the Screen Actors Guild’s ensemble award, while “Promising Young Woman” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won Writers Guild Awards. The combination...
Zhao’s win for her quiet road film “Nomadland” makes her the second woman to win the DGA Award for feature film, after Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Only 10 women have ever been nominated in the category, with this year marking the first time that two female directors were nominated in the category in one year. (The other was Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”)
The win for Zhao comes two weeks after “Nomaldland” also won the Producers Guild Award, making it the only film to win more than one prize from the four major guilds. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” won the Screen Actors Guild’s ensemble award, while “Promising Young Woman” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won Writers Guild Awards. The combination...
- 4/10/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards took place on Saturday, April 10 in a virtual ceremony. These kudos honored the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. The all-important DGA feature film nominees were Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”). Scroll down for the full winners list in three film and eight TV categories.
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...
- 4/10/2021
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
When the 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards take place on April 10, look for some of the big winners to be Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and David France (“Welcome to Chechnya”). These kudos honor the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. Scroll down to see Gold Derby’s predictions in seven categories listed in order of their racetrack odds, with projected winners highlighted in gold.
Our 2021 DGA Awards odds are based on the combined forecasts of 1,600 Gold Derby readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s winners, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years, and the mass of Users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.
Our 2021 DGA Awards odds are based on the combined forecasts of 1,600 Gold Derby readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s winners, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years, and the mass of Users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.
- 4/8/2021
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
The Directors Guild of America has announced its nominations for the 2021 awards season, a big deal considering what a bellwether the DGA Awards are for the Best Director race at the Academy Awards. Prior to the 2020 DGA Awards ceremony, the last six DGA winners all went on to repeat at the Academy Awards: Alfonso Cuaron for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).” Sam Mendes won the 2020 DGA Award for “1917,” but it was Bong Joon Ho who prevailed at the Oscars for “Parasite.”
The Directors Guild of America started to award a prize for first-time feature filmmaking beginning in 2015 and have done so again in 2021. The five winners of the DGA’s first-time prize are Alex Garland for “Ex Machina,” Garth Davis for “Lion,” Jordan Peele for “Get Out,...
The Directors Guild of America started to award a prize for first-time feature filmmaking beginning in 2015 and have done so again in 2021. The five winners of the DGA’s first-time prize are Alex Garland for “Ex Machina,” Garth Davis for “Lion,” Jordan Peele for “Get Out,...
- 3/9/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Guild nominees include directors of Boys State, Bridgerton, WandaVision and The Undoing.
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has named the nominees for its television, commercials and documentary awards.
Included in the list are the directors of feature documentaries The Truffle Hunters, My Octopus Teacher, Welcome to Chechnya, Boys State and The Painter And The Thief.
In the TV categories, British director Julie Anne Robinson gets a nod for her work on Bridgerton in a dramatic series line-up that also includes directors of Ozark, The Mandalorian, Better Call Saul and Homeland.
The DGA’s TV movie and limited series nominations...
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has named the nominees for its television, commercials and documentary awards.
Included in the list are the directors of feature documentaries The Truffle Hunters, My Octopus Teacher, Welcome to Chechnya, Boys State and The Painter And The Thief.
In the TV categories, British director Julie Anne Robinson gets a nod for her work on Bridgerton in a dramatic series line-up that also includes directors of Ozark, The Mandalorian, Better Call Saul and Homeland.
The DGA’s TV movie and limited series nominations...
- 3/8/2021
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced the television nominations for the 2020 DGA Awards on Monday, honoring “Ted Lasso,” “WandaVision,” and “The Queen’s Gambit” as examples of some of the finest directorial work that the medium has to offer.
Both Comedy and Drama categories saw complete turnover in nominees from 2019, with none of the series honored last year airing episodes during the window of eligibility in 2020. Therefore the celebration is guaranteed to get an injection of fresh blood, a welcome development with any awards body.
Curiously, the wide open field allowed for some surprising series to garner their first ever DGA nominations, including AMC’s “Better Call Saul” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”
Also announced today were the DGA Award nominations for Documentary, including nods for “Boys State” and “The Truffle Hunters.”
The Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film nominees for this year’s DGA Awards will be announced Tuesday,...
Both Comedy and Drama categories saw complete turnover in nominees from 2019, with none of the series honored last year airing episodes during the window of eligibility in 2020. Therefore the celebration is guaranteed to get an injection of fresh blood, a welcome development with any awards body.
Curiously, the wide open field allowed for some surprising series to garner their first ever DGA nominations, including AMC’s “Better Call Saul” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”
Also announced today were the DGA Award nominations for Documentary, including nods for “Boys State” and “The Truffle Hunters.”
The Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film nominees for this year’s DGA Awards will be announced Tuesday,...
- 3/8/2021
- by Libby Hill
- Indiewire
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