Another big award show took place this weekend (in addition to the SAG Awards), the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which celebrates indie film and TV. One thing about this awards show is that their idea of independent sometimes makes me scratch my head a bit, with HBO’s big-budget The Last of Us nominated a whole bunch in the TV category, along with Netflix’s Beef and several other streaming shows, which I’m not sure one could call independent. For films, there’s a $30 million budget cap. For TV, I’m honestly not sure what the benchmark is because Last of Us was notoriously an expensive show to shoot, costing at least $100 million.
Indeed, The Last of Us won some key awards on the TV side, winning Best Supporting Performance (for Nick Offerman) and Best Breakthrough Performance (for Keivonn Montreal Woodard). Over on the film side, American Fiction and...
Indeed, The Last of Us won some key awards on the TV side, winning Best Supporting Performance (for Nick Offerman) and Best Breakthrough Performance (for Keivonn Montreal Woodard). Over on the film side, American Fiction and...
- 2/26/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The 2024 Independent Spirit Awards took place on Sunday at the traditional Santa Monica beach tent location, with Aidy Bryant hosting. “Past Lives” took home the coveted Best Feature award, with “Beef” being honored as Best New Scripted Series. Check out the full list of winners and nominees below.
Best Feature
“Past Lives”
Producers: David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon
“All of Us Strangers”
Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey
“American Fiction”
Producers: Cord Jefferson, Jermaine Johnson, Nikos Karamigios, Ben LeClair
“May December”
Producers: Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon
“Passages”
Producers: Michel Merkt, Saïd Ben Saïd
“We Grown Now”
Producers: Minhal Baig, Joe Pirro
Best Lead Performance
Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”
Jessica Chastain, “Memory”
Greta Lee, “Past Lives”
Trace Lysette, “Monica”
Natalie Portman, “May December”
Judy Reyes, “Birth/Rebirth”
Franz Rogowski, “Passages”
Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”
Teyana Taylor,...
Best Feature
“Past Lives”
Producers: David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon
“All of Us Strangers”
Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey
“American Fiction”
Producers: Cord Jefferson, Jermaine Johnson, Nikos Karamigios, Ben LeClair
“May December”
Producers: Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon
“Passages”
Producers: Michel Merkt, Saïd Ben Saïd
“We Grown Now”
Producers: Minhal Baig, Joe Pirro
Best Lead Performance
Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”
Jessica Chastain, “Memory”
Greta Lee, “Past Lives”
Trace Lysette, “Monica”
Natalie Portman, “May December”
Judy Reyes, “Birth/Rebirth”
Franz Rogowski, “Passages”
Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”
Teyana Taylor,...
- 2/25/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
“It goes without saying: congratulations on your work.” So said Film Independent President, at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Award nominee brunch on January 6. Held for the second consecutive year at Santa Monica’s beachfront Casa Del Mar hotel, the purpose of the annual gathering was twofold: to celebrate our current cohort of Spirit Award nominees, and to hand out the three Emerging Filmmaker Awards, each carrying with it a $25,000 unrestricted cash grant for its recipient. Welsh added, “The excellence you’ve brought this year has enlivened and inspired us at a critical time.”
The awards portion of the Saturday gathering–grand ballroom windows giving way to a spectacular beach view–was hosted by two of Hollywood’s buzziest performers and past Spirit Award nominees, Colman Domingo and Lily Gladstone. “It really feels incredible to be here and see all of you,” said Domingo, enthusiastically.
The sentiment was shared by Brenda Robinson,...
The awards portion of the Saturday gathering–grand ballroom windows giving way to a spectacular beach view–was hosted by two of Hollywood’s buzziest performers and past Spirit Award nominees, Colman Domingo and Lily Gladstone. “It really feels incredible to be here and see all of you,” said Domingo, enthusiastically.
The sentiment was shared by Brenda Robinson,...
- 1/9/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Hello, and welcome to the Scene to Seen Podcast. I am Valerie Complex Associate editor and film writer at Deadline.
Today, we’re talking to directors Jesse Short Bull, and Laura Tomaselli about their new film Lakota Nation vs. The United States. Mark Ruffalo and Marisa Tomei serve as executive producers, while Benjamin Hedin and Phil Pinto serve as producers.
It is the most sacred place on earth, the birthplace of the Lakota that has shaped thought, identity and philosophy for the Očéti Šakówiŋ since time immemorial–the life-giving land known as the Black Hills. Yet with the arrival of the first Europeans in 1492, the sacred land has been the site of conflict between the people it has nurtured, and the settler state seeking to exploit and redefine it in its own image.
This documentary is a searing testament to the strength of the Oyate and a visually stunning rejoinder...
Today, we’re talking to directors Jesse Short Bull, and Laura Tomaselli about their new film Lakota Nation vs. The United States. Mark Ruffalo and Marisa Tomei serve as executive producers, while Benjamin Hedin and Phil Pinto serve as producers.
It is the most sacred place on earth, the birthplace of the Lakota that has shaped thought, identity and philosophy for the Očéti Šakówiŋ since time immemorial–the life-giving land known as the Black Hills. Yet with the arrival of the first Europeans in 1492, the sacred land has been the site of conflict between the people it has nurtured, and the settler state seeking to exploit and redefine it in its own image.
This documentary is a searing testament to the strength of the Oyate and a visually stunning rejoinder...
- 12/15/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
In Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s nearly two-hour documentary, Lakota Nation vs. United States, the filmmaking duo captures the history, present and future hopes of the indigenous peoples of the Dakotas through a singular issue: land.
That issue, according to the film written and narrated by Layli Long Soldier, is at the core of practically every other Indigenous struggle since the beginnings of European, and then American, colonization. Facing down wave after wave of manifest destiny-fueled violence, the Lakota, other members of the Sioux Nation and various Native communities beyond the Black Hills have persisted, even when their cultural symbols have been carved up, their language stripped, their people assaulted, and the ever-shrinking land poisoned.
Respect for the land treaties that followed the Commerce Act of 1886, the film suggests, was tantamount to staving off the kind of extermination attempts that Indigenous communities — once recognized by the U.S.
That issue, according to the film written and narrated by Layli Long Soldier, is at the core of practically every other Indigenous struggle since the beginnings of European, and then American, colonization. Facing down wave after wave of manifest destiny-fueled violence, the Lakota, other members of the Sioux Nation and various Native communities beyond the Black Hills have persisted, even when their cultural symbols have been carved up, their language stripped, their people assaulted, and the ever-shrinking land poisoned.
Respect for the land treaties that followed the Commerce Act of 1886, the film suggests, was tantamount to staving off the kind of extermination attempts that Indigenous communities — once recognized by the U.S.
- 12/13/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Any year in which an unlikely summer double bill became a global moviegoing event — with one film soaring toward $1.5 billion in worldwide grosses and the other closing in on $1 billion — can’t be considered bad news for Hollywood. But the Barbenheimer phenomenon aside, bad news plagued the film industry for much of 2023.
The strikes of the writers and actors guilds shut down production for five long months, causing major titles like Dune 2 to push back to 2024, leaving fall festival red carpets sparsely populated and disrupting a release pipeline in ways that are sure to have a ripple effect for the next year or two.
Theatrical grosses remained inconsistent, struggling to regain pre-pandemic momentum for most genres except horror (all hail, new scream queen M3GAN; a big hand for Talk to Me), and even the once-reliable cash cow of the superhero blockbuster sputtered more often than not.
The Marvels...
The strikes of the writers and actors guilds shut down production for five long months, causing major titles like Dune 2 to push back to 2024, leaving fall festival red carpets sparsely populated and disrupting a release pipeline in ways that are sure to have a ripple effect for the next year or two.
Theatrical grosses remained inconsistent, struggling to regain pre-pandemic momentum for most genres except horror (all hail, new scream queen M3GAN; a big hand for Talk to Me), and even the once-reliable cash cow of the superhero blockbuster sputtered more often than not.
The Marvels...
- 12/13/2023
- by David Rooney, Jon Frosch, Lovia Gyarkye and Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Glenn Charlie Dunks
The Academy has announced the long list for this year’s Best Documentary Feature category. 168 titles have qualified for members of the doc branch to whittle down to a 15-wide shortlist and then a nominated five. That figure is higher than last year, which had 144 eligible titles and which culminated in a win for Daniel Roher’s Navalny.
If you were to ask me right now what titles I expect to find on this year’s shortlist, I might say the following: Against the Tide (Sarvnik Kaur), American Symphony (Matthew Heineman), Anonymous Sister (Jamie Boyle), The Eternal Memory (Maite Alberdi), Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania), Lakota Nation vs United States, Little Richard: I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés), The Mission, Occupied City (Steve McQueen), Silver Dollar Road (Raoul Peck), Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Anna Hints), A Still Small Voice (Luke Lorentzen), Still: A Michael J Fox Movie (Davis Guggenheim...
The Academy has announced the long list for this year’s Best Documentary Feature category. 168 titles have qualified for members of the doc branch to whittle down to a 15-wide shortlist and then a nominated five. That figure is higher than last year, which had 144 eligible titles and which culminated in a win for Daniel Roher’s Navalny.
If you were to ask me right now what titles I expect to find on this year’s shortlist, I might say the following: Against the Tide (Sarvnik Kaur), American Symphony (Matthew Heineman), Anonymous Sister (Jamie Boyle), The Eternal Memory (Maite Alberdi), Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania), Lakota Nation vs United States, Little Richard: I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés), The Mission, Occupied City (Steve McQueen), Silver Dollar Road (Raoul Peck), Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Anna Hints), A Still Small Voice (Luke Lorentzen), Still: A Michael J Fox Movie (Davis Guggenheim...
- 12/10/2023
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
The 2024 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations — see the full list below — were unveiled on Tuesday, December 5, crowning the past year’s achievements in indie film. The actual awards ceremony, taking place on February 24, 2024 in the usual tent on the beach in Santa Monica, is a little less than three months away, but the films nominated today will carry new momentum into the rest of awards season, including the Oscar race. Joel Kim Booster (“Fire Island”) and Natalie Morales (“No Hard Feelings”) were the presenters of the nominees.
“American Fiction,” “May December,” and “Past Lives” led the Indie Spirits noms with five each, including each of them getting a nod for Best Feature. Todd Haynes for “May December” and Celine Song for “Past Lives” also received Best Director nods. Natalie Portman for “May December,” Greta Lee for “Past Lives,” and Jeffrey Wright for “American Fiction” also received Best Lead Performance nods.
“American Fiction,” “May December,” and “Past Lives” led the Indie Spirits noms with five each, including each of them getting a nod for Best Feature. Todd Haynes for “May December” and Celine Song for “Past Lives” also received Best Director nods. Natalie Portman for “May December,” Greta Lee for “Past Lives,” and Jeffrey Wright for “American Fiction” also received Best Lead Performance nods.
- 12/5/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Film Independent announced the 2024 Spirit Award nominees in all the film and TV categories on Tuesday, Dec 5. Only American productions with budgets of less than $30 million were eligible for consideration in the film races. Winners will be revealed on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, at a ceremony hosted by Aidy Bryant.
Last year, these kudos eliminated the four gendered acting awards and replaced them with just two prizes: lead and supporting performances (each has 10 nominees). It also added a new category, Best Breakthrough Performance, which has five contenders.
See the full list of 2024 Spirit Awards nominations for film and TV below.
Film
Best Picture
“All of Us Strangers”
“American Fiction”
“May December”
“Passages”
“Past Lives”
“We Grown Now”
Best Director
Andrew Haigh, “All of Us Strangers”
Todd Haynes, “May December”
William Oldroyd, “Eileen”
Ira Sachs, “Passages”
Celine Song, “Past Lives”
Best Lead Performance
Jessica Chastain, “Memory”
Greta Lee, “Past Lives”
Trace Lysette, “Monica”
Natalie Portman,...
Last year, these kudos eliminated the four gendered acting awards and replaced them with just two prizes: lead and supporting performances (each has 10 nominees). It also added a new category, Best Breakthrough Performance, which has five contenders.
See the full list of 2024 Spirit Awards nominations for film and TV below.
Film
Best Picture
“All of Us Strangers”
“American Fiction”
“May December”
“Passages”
“Past Lives”
“We Grown Now”
Best Director
Andrew Haigh, “All of Us Strangers”
Todd Haynes, “May December”
William Oldroyd, “Eileen”
Ira Sachs, “Passages”
Celine Song, “Past Lives”
Best Lead Performance
Jessica Chastain, “Memory”
Greta Lee, “Past Lives”
Trace Lysette, “Monica”
Natalie Portman,...
- 12/5/2023
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Iranian drama film “Empty Nets” was Monday named winner of the Aff Feature Fiction Award at the Adelaide Film Festival. Directed by Behrooz Karamizade, it collected an A$10,000 cash prize.
The festival’s competition section is one of the oldest in Australia and seeks to reward bold filmmaking. This year’s competition mostly comprised films by directors making their feature debuts. They included “Blaga’s Lessons,” from Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev; “Embryo Larva Butterfly,” by Greek-Cypriot writer-director Kyros Papavassiliou; “On The Go,” from directors Julia de Castro and Maria Gisele Royo; “Sahela,” directed by Australia’s Raghuvir Joshi; and “You’ll Never Find Me,” from Adelaide-based duo Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell.
“’Empty Nets’ is a searing portrait of the bleak socioeconomic reality for young people without family money in contemporary Iran, distinguished by atmospheric visuals, an evocative sense of place, stirring lead performances and a powerful grasp of the sea as...
The festival’s competition section is one of the oldest in Australia and seeks to reward bold filmmaking. This year’s competition mostly comprised films by directors making their feature debuts. They included “Blaga’s Lessons,” from Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev; “Embryo Larva Butterfly,” by Greek-Cypriot writer-director Kyros Papavassiliou; “On The Go,” from directors Julia de Castro and Maria Gisele Royo; “Sahela,” directed by Australia’s Raghuvir Joshi; and “You’ll Never Find Me,” from Adelaide-based duo Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell.
“’Empty Nets’ is a searing portrait of the bleak socioeconomic reality for young people without family money in contemporary Iran, distinguished by atmospheric visuals, an evocative sense of place, stirring lead performances and a powerful grasp of the sea as...
- 10/23/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The jury included ‘The Royal Hotel’ director Kitty Green.
Behrooz Karamizade’s Empty Nets and Ibrahim Nash’at’s documentary Hollywoodgate have scooped the top prizes at Adelaide Film Festival (Aff)
Empty Nets received the Aff Feature Fiction Award, with Iranian-born German filmmaker Karamizade winning a cash prize of $6,300.
The Germany-Iran co-production centres on a young couple fighting for the survival of their relationship in the forbidding world of contemporary Iran. The film previously won the special jury prize at Karlovy Vary and premiered at Filmfest München.
The five-strong jury, which included filmmakers Kitty Green and Goran Stolevski, described the film...
Behrooz Karamizade’s Empty Nets and Ibrahim Nash’at’s documentary Hollywoodgate have scooped the top prizes at Adelaide Film Festival (Aff)
Empty Nets received the Aff Feature Fiction Award, with Iranian-born German filmmaker Karamizade winning a cash prize of $6,300.
The Germany-Iran co-production centres on a young couple fighting for the survival of their relationship in the forbidding world of contemporary Iran. The film previously won the special jury prize at Karlovy Vary and premiered at Filmfest München.
The five-strong jury, which included filmmakers Kitty Green and Goran Stolevski, described the film...
- 10/23/2023
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
The documentary festival Doc NYC has unveiled the full lineup for its 14th edition. It will be a total of 114 features and 129 short films. The festival runs in-person November 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East by Angelika and continues online through November 26 with films available to viewers across the U.S.
The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival’s programming team considers to be among the year’s strongest contenders for Oscars and other awards. The Winner’s Circle are films already feted at major international film events while Come As You Are section highlights films about people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities.
Short List: Features
20 Days In Mariupol
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden
An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the...
The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival’s programming team considers to be among the year’s strongest contenders for Oscars and other awards. The Winner’s Circle are films already feted at major international film events while Come As You Are section highlights films about people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities.
Short List: Features
20 Days In Mariupol
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden
An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the...
- 10/18/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
PBS’ “20 Days in Mariupol,” IFC’s “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” and MTV’s “The Eternal Memory” are among Doc NYC’s 14th edition featuring 114 features and 129 short films.
The shortlist for Doc NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., was launched in 2012 and has become a key indicator and predictor for the Academy Awards’ best documentary feature category. Ten out of the last 11 winners for documentary feature were screened at the festival. In addition, 12 of the 15 shortlisted docs from 2022 were among its lineup.
Some other notable inclusions are Julie Cohen’s moving “Every Body” about the generation of intersex people living among us, Lisa Cortés’ “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” an intimate look at the queer rock ‘n’ roll legend, and Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony,” an emotional look into the life of singer Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall.
The festival runs from Nov.
The shortlist for Doc NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., was launched in 2012 and has become a key indicator and predictor for the Academy Awards’ best documentary feature category. Ten out of the last 11 winners for documentary feature were screened at the festival. In addition, 12 of the 15 shortlisted docs from 2022 were among its lineup.
Some other notable inclusions are Julie Cohen’s moving “Every Body” about the generation of intersex people living among us, Lisa Cortés’ “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” an intimate look at the queer rock ‘n’ roll legend, and Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony,” an emotional look into the life of singer Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall.
The festival runs from Nov.
- 10/17/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, on Tuesday announced its lineup in the short and feature categories, as well as for its Winner’s Circle category and its new section for 2023 titled Come As You Are.
All shortlisted films will have theatrical screenings at the festival. With Tuesday’s announcement, Doc NYC will present a total of 114 features and 129 short films in its 14th year, including 33 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.
The festival will run this year Nov. 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East Angelika in New York, and will run online through Nov. 26.
The festival’s new Come As You Are section features films about “people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities,” according to the festival. The Doc NYC Short List for documentary features was launched in 2012. For 10 of the last 11 years, the festival has screened doc features...
All shortlisted films will have theatrical screenings at the festival. With Tuesday’s announcement, Doc NYC will present a total of 114 features and 129 short films in its 14th year, including 33 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.
The festival will run this year Nov. 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East Angelika in New York, and will run online through Nov. 26.
The festival’s new Come As You Are section features films about “people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities,” according to the festival. The Doc NYC Short List for documentary features was launched in 2012. For 10 of the last 11 years, the festival has screened doc features...
- 10/17/2023
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The South Australian festival iis now an annual event.
Films from Europe, the Middle East and Australia dominate the fiction and documentary competitions at the Adelaide Film Festival (Aff), the first since an injection of government funding enabled the event to step up from being biennial to annual.
The festival will take place in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, from October 18-29.
The opening film will be the Australian premiere of Kitty Green’s Toronto premiere and awards hopeful The Royal Hotel, produced by UK-Australian outfit See-Saw Films. The world premiere of Scott Hicks’ music documentary My Name’s Ben Folds – I Play Piano,...
Films from Europe, the Middle East and Australia dominate the fiction and documentary competitions at the Adelaide Film Festival (Aff), the first since an injection of government funding enabled the event to step up from being biennial to annual.
The festival will take place in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, from October 18-29.
The opening film will be the Australian premiere of Kitty Green’s Toronto premiere and awards hopeful The Royal Hotel, produced by UK-Australian outfit See-Saw Films. The world premiere of Scott Hicks’ music documentary My Name’s Ben Folds – I Play Piano,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Updated with the addition of The Holly and American Symphony to the FallDocs lineup.
The Holly, Julian Rubinstein’s documentary about conflict over a gentrifying neighborhood near Denver, and Matthew Heineman’s film American Symphony, about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, have been added to the IDA’s FallDocs screening series.
American Symphony will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles, followed by a live Q&a with Heineman.
The Holly will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the Culver Theater, followed by a live Q&a with Rubinstein, main participant Terrance Roberts, and Aqeela Sherrills, anti-violence activist and co-founder of Community Based Public Safety Collective.
Earlier: Exclusive: The International Documentary Association announced the lineup for its prestigious FallDocs 2023 program, featuring a slew of Oscar contending nonfiction films as well as more than two dozen films that haven’t yet nailed down distribution.
The Holly, Julian Rubinstein’s documentary about conflict over a gentrifying neighborhood near Denver, and Matthew Heineman’s film American Symphony, about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, have been added to the IDA’s FallDocs screening series.
American Symphony will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles, followed by a live Q&a with Heineman.
The Holly will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the Culver Theater, followed by a live Q&a with Rubinstein, main participant Terrance Roberts, and Aqeela Sherrills, anti-violence activist and co-founder of Community Based Public Safety Collective.
Earlier: Exclusive: The International Documentary Association announced the lineup for its prestigious FallDocs 2023 program, featuring a slew of Oscar contending nonfiction films as well as more than two dozen films that haven’t yet nailed down distribution.
- 8/31/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Audiences who’ve attended film festivals or cultural events in the past few years have no doubt heard their share of land acknowledgements, in which the hosts make a point of recognizing the Indigenous tribes who served as the traditional custodians of the space on which they’ve gathered. Though intended to convey respect and awareness, these messages appear to have a kind of triggering effect on some people, who react as if witnessing the first step on a slippery slope to the more controversial idea of reparations.
In “Lakota Nation vs. United States,” land acknowledgements are the main attraction, and reparations may well be the end goal. Co-directed by Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli, this essential and largely unprecedented Native-issues essay film takes a head-on approach, citing “white fragility” and America’s general unwillingness to confront its treatment of Indigenous peoples as obstacles to resolving decades of unfair treatment.
In “Lakota Nation vs. United States,” land acknowledgements are the main attraction, and reparations may well be the end goal. Co-directed by Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli, this essential and largely unprecedented Native-issues essay film takes a head-on approach, citing “white fragility” and America’s general unwillingness to confront its treatment of Indigenous peoples as obstacles to resolving decades of unfair treatment.
- 7/22/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
On July 14, 2023, IFC Films released “Lakota Nation vs. United States” from directors Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli. The documentary has received rave reviews from critics, resulting in a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Featuring interviews with Indigenous citizens, the film chronicles how the Lakota Indians fight to reclaim control of the Black Hills, and investigates how the sacred land was stolen in violation of treaty agreements. Read our full review round-up below.
See Uninterrupted Film Festival: ‘Black Ice’ executive producer Maverick Carter on empowering athletes to tell their stories [Complete Interview Transcript]
David Ehrlich of IndieWire writes, “A furious yet resiliently hopeful documentary about white America’s long and ongoing history of colonizing the Očeti Šakówin (along with the rest of this land’s indigenous people), Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s vital ‘Lakota Nation vs. United States’ doesn’t waste any of its 121 minutes, but it also boasts a...
See Uninterrupted Film Festival: ‘Black Ice’ executive producer Maverick Carter on empowering athletes to tell their stories [Complete Interview Transcript]
David Ehrlich of IndieWire writes, “A furious yet resiliently hopeful documentary about white America’s long and ongoing history of colonizing the Očeti Šakówin (along with the rest of this land’s indigenous people), Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s vital ‘Lakota Nation vs. United States’ doesn’t waste any of its 121 minutes, but it also boasts a...
- 7/15/2023
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s documentary “Lakota Nation vs. United States” chronicles the Lakota Indians’ enduring quest to reclaim South Dakota’s Black Hills, sacred land stolen by the American government beginning in 1876.
Divided into three sections: extermination, assimilation and reparations, the two-hour docu is told from the point of the Lakota people and recounts how the Black Hills were taken in violation of various treaty agreements while the Indigenous community who lived there was simultaneously exploited and displaced. In addition to covering the ongoing fight to reclaim control of the Black Hills, the docu investigates the many ways that the U.S. has ignored, overlooked and failed to grapple with the historical wrongs done to Indigenous communities across the country.
“This is a story about enduring Lakota resistance and existence, but it’s also a conversation with the present,” says Tomaselli, who co-wrote “MLK/FBI.” “History repeats...
Divided into three sections: extermination, assimilation and reparations, the two-hour docu is told from the point of the Lakota people and recounts how the Black Hills were taken in violation of various treaty agreements while the Indigenous community who lived there was simultaneously exploited and displaced. In addition to covering the ongoing fight to reclaim control of the Black Hills, the docu investigates the many ways that the U.S. has ignored, overlooked and failed to grapple with the historical wrongs done to Indigenous communities across the country.
“This is a story about enduring Lakota resistance and existence, but it’s also a conversation with the present,” says Tomaselli, who co-wrote “MLK/FBI.” “History repeats...
- 7/14/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
A furious yet resiliently hopeful documentary about white America’s long and ongoing history of colonizing the Očeti Šakówin (along with the rest of this land’s indigenous people), Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s vital “Lakota Nation vs. United States” doesn’t waste any of its 121 minutes, but it also boasts a number of moments that effectively squeeze the film’s entire perspective into a single unforgettable image.
Chief among them: The shot of some Maga jackass at the foot of Mt. Rushmore as they greet anti-Trump protestors at the ex-president’s 2020 Independence Day event while dressed in an American flag t-shirt and holding a sign that simply reads “Fuck You.” After all, that succinct little phrase has essentially been the entire platform since America was first christened as such. At this rate, the Republican party will probably adopt it as its official slogan by 2028.
“Fuck You” was...
Chief among them: The shot of some Maga jackass at the foot of Mt. Rushmore as they greet anti-Trump protestors at the ex-president’s 2020 Independence Day event while dressed in an American flag t-shirt and holding a sign that simply reads “Fuck You.” After all, that succinct little phrase has essentially been the entire platform since America was first christened as such. At this rate, the Republican party will probably adopt it as its official slogan by 2028.
“Fuck You” was...
- 7/12/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
It's not very often that people get to see indigenous representation on the screen but Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli pull it off with this fresh documentary, Lakota Nation vs. United States. In this tale of justice and reparations, the Lakota people struggle to take back their land, the Black Hills in South Dakota. As the story unfolds, they uncover treaty violations that have taken place in the past. Investigating such history takes an insurmountable amount of time and effort on the side of the filmmakers. The film seems to be an oddity unto itself, as it is so very rare to see an indigenous person's point of view in a documentary or any other form of media. Looking at this space with a...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/11/2023
- Screen Anarchy
The new documentary Lakota Nation vs. United States chronicles the Lakota people’s struggle to reclaim the Black Hills, the Native American tribe’s sacred land that was stolen away from them by the U.S. government, who violated a series of treaty agreements with them — including the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, which was supposed to ban white settlement on the Black Hills. Then gold was discovered there, and all hell broke loose.
Directed by Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli, and produced by Sarah Eagle Heart, Mark Ruffalo, and Marisa Tomei,...
Directed by Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli, and produced by Sarah Eagle Heart, Mark Ruffalo, and Marisa Tomei,...
- 6/9/2023
- by Marlow Stern
- Rollingstone.com
Chicago – The 10th Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) continues on May 6th, with a local filmmaker and her feature debut. “Waiting for the Light to Change,” directed by Lihn Tran, is Sunday’s featured film. Click on Waiting for tickets and more information.
Waiting for the Light to Change
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Best friends since high school, Kim and Amy haven’t seen each other since Amy moved to the west coast for grad school. Now the two are reunited as they join a group of friends for a trip to a lake house with Kim’s boyfriend, Jay. When Amy had left for the west coast, she was in love with Jay, though she never pursued it due to her insecurities thinking she was too fat and ugly. While she has changed physically, her feelings for Jay haven’t, and the reunion has brought them back to the surface.
Waiting for the Light to Change
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Best friends since high school, Kim and Amy haven’t seen each other since Amy moved to the west coast for grad school. Now the two are reunited as they join a group of friends for a trip to a lake house with Kim’s boyfriend, Jay. When Amy had left for the west coast, she was in love with Jay, though she never pursued it due to her insecurities thinking she was too fat and ugly. While she has changed physically, her feelings for Jay haven’t, and the reunion has brought them back to the surface.
- 5/5/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Subject Matter, a recently-launched nonprofit organization that supports social issue documentary films and other nonprofits that work on its featured topics, announced their inaugural grantees, awarding a total of 120,000 to four feature-length documentaries and four of the films’ coinciding nonprofits. Subject Matter launched in July, spearheaded by former Tribeca Film Institute leaders Amy Hobby, David Earls, and Colleen Hammond.
The inaugural grantees were determined by a selection committee that included Subject Matter board members actor Jeffrey Wright, entrepreneur Lily Band, Picture Motion and Kinema founder Christie Marchese, documentary director and producer Ferne Pearlstein and social justice and public health grant maker Julia Greenberg, along with guest jurors filmmaker Shola Lynch and film programmer José Rodriguez.
“All of the films the jury considered were formidable,” Wright said. “But we were especially moved by the handling of the stories in the four selected projects and felt that they are intimate, powerful and...
The inaugural grantees were determined by a selection committee that included Subject Matter board members actor Jeffrey Wright, entrepreneur Lily Band, Picture Motion and Kinema founder Christie Marchese, documentary director and producer Ferne Pearlstein and social justice and public health grant maker Julia Greenberg, along with guest jurors filmmaker Shola Lynch and film programmer José Rodriguez.
“All of the films the jury considered were formidable,” Wright said. “But we were especially moved by the handling of the stories in the four selected projects and felt that they are intimate, powerful and...
- 11/28/2022
- by EJ Panaligan
- Variety Film + TV
IFC Films is acquiring North American rights to “Lakota Nation vs. United States,” a documentary about the Lakota Indians’ quest to reclaim the Black Hills. That sacred land was stolen in violation of treaty agreements, and the film, from directors Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli, looks at the many ways that the U.S. has ignored, overlooked and failed to grapple with the historical wrongs done to Indigenous communities.
“Lakota Nation vs. United States” is narrated by and features the poetry of acclaimed Ogala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier, winner of the National Books Critics Circle award and finalist for the National Book Award. The score is composed by Raven Chacon, recipient of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for “Voiceless Mass,” and director of photography is Kevin Phillips (“Super Dark Times”). The Lakota activists featured in the film include Nick Tilsen and Krystal Two Bulls, two organizers of today’s Landback movement,...
“Lakota Nation vs. United States” is narrated by and features the poetry of acclaimed Ogala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier, winner of the National Books Critics Circle award and finalist for the National Book Award. The score is composed by Raven Chacon, recipient of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for “Voiceless Mass,” and director of photography is Kevin Phillips (“Super Dark Times”). The Lakota activists featured in the film include Nick Tilsen and Krystal Two Bulls, two organizers of today’s Landback movement,...
- 11/1/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The San Francisco Film Festival will kick off its upcoming Doc Stories showcase with a world premiere of director Marina Zenovich’s Jerry Brown: The Disrupter, about California Governor Jerry Brown’s political career.
Sffilm’s documentary film showcase has also booked director Chris Smith’s Sr., a doc about filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. as its closing night film.
The filmmaker’s son, Robert Downey Jr., co-produced the film.
The Doc Stories programmers also booked Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, the Venice Golden Lion Winner and a film about artist Nan Goldin, as its Centerpiece screening.
And there’s Doc Stories slots for directors Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s Lakota Nation vs. United States, which is executive produced by Mark Ruffalo and Marisa Tomei; Sacha Jenkins’ Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues; Jeff Malmberg’s Mickey: The Story of a Mouse,...
The San Francisco Film Festival will kick off its upcoming Doc Stories showcase with a world premiere of director Marina Zenovich’s Jerry Brown: The Disrupter, about California Governor Jerry Brown’s political career.
Sffilm’s documentary film showcase has also booked director Chris Smith’s Sr., a doc about filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. as its closing night film.
The filmmaker’s son, Robert Downey Jr., co-produced the film.
The Doc Stories programmers also booked Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, the Venice Golden Lion Winner and a film about artist Nan Goldin, as its Centerpiece screening.
And there’s Doc Stories slots for directors Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s Lakota Nation vs. United States, which is executive produced by Mark Ruffalo and Marisa Tomei; Sacha Jenkins’ Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues; Jeff Malmberg’s Mickey: The Story of a Mouse,...
- 10/13/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Sundance Institute has announced this year’s grantees for the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, with a total of 1,396,500 in unrestricted grant support bestowed upon 35 projects.
“As we celebrate the Dfp’s 20th anniversary, it’s an exceptional achievement that Sundance has been able to provide documentary filmmakers robust and sustained financial support, from development through post-production, for two decades,” said Carrie Lozano, director of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program. “Thanks to our incredible funders, supporters, staff, and external reviewers, the Documentary Fund has been able to realize its top priorities during a tumultuous time: supporting underrepresented stories, directors and producers; providing much needed resources to urgent international projects; and elevating human rights and social, civic and environmental justice, all while foregrounding bold and artistic approaches. I am constantly amazed by the breadth and depth of our grantees.”
This year’s grant recipients have roots in 31 countries, with...
“As we celebrate the Dfp’s 20th anniversary, it’s an exceptional achievement that Sundance has been able to provide documentary filmmakers robust and sustained financial support, from development through post-production, for two decades,” said Carrie Lozano, director of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program. “Thanks to our incredible funders, supporters, staff, and external reviewers, the Documentary Fund has been able to realize its top priorities during a tumultuous time: supporting underrepresented stories, directors and producers; providing much needed resources to urgent international projects; and elevating human rights and social, civic and environmental justice, all while foregrounding bold and artistic approaches. I am constantly amazed by the breadth and depth of our grantees.”
This year’s grant recipients have roots in 31 countries, with...
- 10/6/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Previously supported projects have included American Factory, Collective, Fire Of Love, The Mole Agent.
Projects from Armenia, Chile, Uganda and Palestine are among grantees of the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, which in the 20th anniversary year of the Documentary Film Program (Dfp) has made 1.4m available in unrestricted grant support to 35 projects.
Of the recipients, five are in development, 15 in production, 10 in post, and the filmmakers behind five are actively pursuing support for audience engagement and social impact campaigns.
Some 57 of the current cycle’s submissions hail from outside the US. Among the 14 US films receiving support, all are directed...
Projects from Armenia, Chile, Uganda and Palestine are among grantees of the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, which in the 20th anniversary year of the Documentary Film Program (Dfp) has made 1.4m available in unrestricted grant support to 35 projects.
Of the recipients, five are in development, 15 in production, 10 in post, and the filmmakers behind five are actively pursuing support for audience engagement and social impact campaigns.
Some 57 of the current cycle’s submissions hail from outside the US. Among the 14 US films receiving support, all are directed...
- 10/4/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The International Documentary Association (IDA) has announced the full program for its annual screening series, including the 10 films that have been chosen for its Awards Campaign Access Initiative (Acai).
The program will open with Netflix’s “Descendant,” a film produced by the Obamas’ company Higher Ground Productions. The documentary sees director Margaret Brown return to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to document the search for The Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive in the United States, illegally carrying enslaved Africans, and the ramifications its discovery has on the community.
What will follow is a showcase of 43 feature-length documentary films that are eligible for consideration for the upcoming Academy Awards; 20 films will be screened both in-person and online, and 35 will be available for virtual viewing only.
The films selected for the Acai, a program meant to support independent filmmakers from historically excluded communities currently pursuing a film awards campaign, are:
Beba | Dir.
The program will open with Netflix’s “Descendant,” a film produced by the Obamas’ company Higher Ground Productions. The documentary sees director Margaret Brown return to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to document the search for The Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive in the United States, illegally carrying enslaved Africans, and the ramifications its discovery has on the community.
What will follow is a showcase of 43 feature-length documentary films that are eligible for consideration for the upcoming Academy Awards; 20 films will be screened both in-person and online, and 35 will be available for virtual viewing only.
The films selected for the Acai, a program meant to support independent filmmakers from historically excluded communities currently pursuing a film awards campaign, are:
Beba | Dir.
- 8/30/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
Lakota Nation vs. United States is a visually dynamic documentary, and it’s also one that delves into the power of language and how we use it. There are the voices of interview subjects — sensitive, piercing, anguished, hopeful — relating a generations-long fight for justice that goes to the core of American history and yet is barely discussed in classrooms. (Have you ever heard of the Dakota 38?) There’s the legalese of treaties the U.S. government signed with the tribes of the Great Plains and violated before the ink was dry — or as soon as gold was discovered in designated Indian territory.
The filmmakers’ interest in language pervades Lakota Nation, most exquisitely in its use of poetry as narration, with an extraordinary poet, Layli Long Soldier, reading excerpts from her work onscreen and in voiceover. She and a strong chorus of interviewees explore the...
Lakota Nation vs. United States is a visually dynamic documentary, and it’s also one that delves into the power of language and how we use it. There are the voices of interview subjects — sensitive, piercing, anguished, hopeful — relating a generations-long fight for justice that goes to the core of American history and yet is barely discussed in classrooms. (Have you ever heard of the Dakota 38?) There’s the legalese of treaties the U.S. government signed with the tribes of the Great Plains and violated before the ink was dry — or as soon as gold was discovered in designated Indian territory.
The filmmakers’ interest in language pervades Lakota Nation, most exquisitely in its use of poetry as narration, with an extraordinary poet, Layli Long Soldier, reading excerpts from her work onscreen and in voiceover. She and a strong chorus of interviewees explore the...
- 6/22/2022
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marvel star Mark Ruffalo is to exec produce a feature-length documentary about Lakota Indians’ quest to reclaim the Black Hills, sacred land that was stolen in violation of treaty agreements.
The I Know This Much Is True actor has teamed up with director Jesse Short Bull, co-director Laura Tomaselli and producer Benjamin Hedin, who both worked on MLK/FBI and exec producer Sarah Eagle Heart on Lakota Nation vs. the United States.
The doc, which is currently in production with Xtr with Kathryn Everett and Bryn Mooser also exec producing, is the first film to amplify the tragic history of the land claim. It features interviews with a number of Indigenous citizens, many central to the effort to regain control of the Black Hills land that stretches across South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.
It features the likes of Nick Tilsen and Krystal Two Bulls, activists and founders of the #landback movement in South Dakota.
The I Know This Much Is True actor has teamed up with director Jesse Short Bull, co-director Laura Tomaselli and producer Benjamin Hedin, who both worked on MLK/FBI and exec producer Sarah Eagle Heart on Lakota Nation vs. the United States.
The doc, which is currently in production with Xtr with Kathryn Everett and Bryn Mooser also exec producing, is the first film to amplify the tragic history of the land claim. It features interviews with a number of Indigenous citizens, many central to the effort to regain control of the Black Hills land that stretches across South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.
It features the likes of Nick Tilsen and Krystal Two Bulls, activists and founders of the #landback movement in South Dakota.
- 9/21/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Documentary studio Xtr is in production on “Lakota Nation vs. United States,” the first film to chronicle the Lakota Indians’ fight to reclaim control of the Black Hills. Oglala Sioux Jesse Short Bull and “MLK/FBI” editor Laura Tomaselli direct the feature documentary, with Benjamin Hedin producing.
“Lakota Nation vs. United States” will investigate how the sacred land was stolen in violation of treaty agreements and feature interviews with Indigenous citizens.
The film is executive produced by Mark Ruffalo, author and activist Sarah Eagle Heart, Kathryn Everett and Bryn Mooser from Xtr. Sales will be handled by Cinetic Media, who are also working on the film’s financing.
Short Bull is a 2016 Sundance Institute Native American and Indigenous Program Development Grant recipient and a board member of the Black Hills Film Festival. Interview subjects include Nick Tilsen and Krystal Two Bulls, activists who founded South Dakota’s #landback movement.
“It...
“Lakota Nation vs. United States” will investigate how the sacred land was stolen in violation of treaty agreements and feature interviews with Indigenous citizens.
The film is executive produced by Mark Ruffalo, author and activist Sarah Eagle Heart, Kathryn Everett and Bryn Mooser from Xtr. Sales will be handled by Cinetic Media, who are also working on the film’s financing.
Short Bull is a 2016 Sundance Institute Native American and Indigenous Program Development Grant recipient and a board member of the Black Hills Film Festival. Interview subjects include Nick Tilsen and Krystal Two Bulls, activists who founded South Dakota’s #landback movement.
“It...
- 9/21/2021
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Lakota Nation vs. the United States, a feature-length documentary chronicling the Lakota Indians’ quest to reclaim the Black Hills, is in the works from non-fiction studio Xtr with Mark Ruffalo attached as an executive producer.
The film is currently in production, with Oglala Sioux Jesse Short Bull directing, with MLK/FBI editor Laura Tomaselli acting as a co-director. The doc features the work of Nick Tilsen and Krystal Two Bulls, activists and founders of the #landback movement in South Dakota.
“Lakota Nation vs. the United States isn’t an isolated event in history books — we’re all still paying for it. Our work through this ...
The film is currently in production, with Oglala Sioux Jesse Short Bull directing, with MLK/FBI editor Laura Tomaselli acting as a co-director. The doc features the work of Nick Tilsen and Krystal Two Bulls, activists and founders of the #landback movement in South Dakota.
“Lakota Nation vs. the United States isn’t an isolated event in history books — we’re all still paying for it. Our work through this ...
- 9/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
While there isn’t necessarily a lot of new information in “MLK/FBI” about the U.S. government’s campaign of harassment and spying on civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Sam Pollard’s documentary hits hard nonetheless.
Pollard (“Mr. Soul!”) weaves together the many facets of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover’s efforts to discredit King, and as we learn the timeline of these efforts, the film examines them in the context of the bureau’s constant selling of itself to the American public as unassailable good guys. Ultimately, the documentary tells a larger story of how dissent is punished in the United States, and how white power structures perpetually prop themselves up. (Welcome to 2021.)
Pollard and his interview subjects, which include King confidants Andrew Young and Clarence Jones as well as controversial former FBI chief James Comey, walk us through the reams and reams of recently declassified bureau files detailing wiretaps,...
Pollard (“Mr. Soul!”) weaves together the many facets of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover’s efforts to discredit King, and as we learn the timeline of these efforts, the film examines them in the context of the bureau’s constant selling of itself to the American public as unassailable good guys. Ultimately, the documentary tells a larger story of how dissent is punished in the United States, and how white power structures perpetually prop themselves up. (Welcome to 2021.)
Pollard and his interview subjects, which include King confidants Andrew Young and Clarence Jones as well as controversial former FBI chief James Comey, walk us through the reams and reams of recently declassified bureau files detailing wiretaps,...
- 1/15/2021
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Last month the documentary feature Dear Santa proved to be the perfect film to coincide with the upcoming holiday. And though this week’s doc is only a couple of days away from its holiday, it couldn’t be more timely and relevant to today’s headlines. This coming Monday our nation once again celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.. Of course, he wasn’t as revered then, during his own lifetime, as he is now. Some groups openly despised him. At the top of that list, white supremacists like the Ku Klux Klan may have been the most vocal (and violent). But Dr. King had a more powerful enemy, very close to the President, none other than “G-man number one” J. Edgar Hoover, who put considerable effort into spying on and discrediting him. How did Hoover’s obsession over King begin? And just how far did it go?...
- 1/15/2021
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The influential Cinema Eye Honors nominations, voted on by documentary filmmakers, help to narrow the wide field for documentary awards contenders. Amazon Studios release “Time,” Garrett Bradley’s poetic black-and-white portrait of one family’s struggle through years of incarceration, leads the field with six nominations, including Outstanding Feature, Direction, Editing, Score and Debut.
Garnering four nominations: Alexander Nanau’s Romanian health system exposé “Collective” (Magnolia), Victor Kossakovsky’s story of a mother pig, “Gunda” (Neon), and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” (HBO) with four.
With three nominations each: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ “Boys State” (Apple), Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson is Dead” (Netflix), Liz Garbus’ series “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO), Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian Oscar submission “Notturno” (Super Ltd), and Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics).
Per usual, prolific Netflix leads all distributors/broadcasters with thirteen nominations, while HBO Documentary Films grabbed ten,...
Garnering four nominations: Alexander Nanau’s Romanian health system exposé “Collective” (Magnolia), Victor Kossakovsky’s story of a mother pig, “Gunda” (Neon), and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” (HBO) with four.
With three nominations each: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ “Boys State” (Apple), Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson is Dead” (Netflix), Liz Garbus’ series “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO), Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian Oscar submission “Notturno” (Super Ltd), and Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics).
Per usual, prolific Netflix leads all distributors/broadcasters with thirteen nominations, while HBO Documentary Films grabbed ten,...
- 12/10/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The influential Cinema Eye Honors nominations, voted on by documentary filmmakers, help to narrow the wide field for documentary awards contenders. Amazon Studios release “Time,” Garrett Bradley’s poetic black-and-white portrait of one family’s struggle through years of incarceration, leads the field with six nominations, including Outstanding Feature, Direction, Editing, Score and Debut.
Garnering four nominations: Alexander Nanau’s Romanian health system exposé “Collective” (Magnolia), Victor Kossakovsky’s story of a mother pig, “Gunda” (Neon), and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” (HBO) with four.
With three nominations each: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ “Boys State” (Apple), Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson is Dead” (Netflix), Liz Garbus’ series “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO), Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian Oscar submission “Notturno” (Super Ltd), and Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics).
Per usual, prolific Netflix leads all distributors/broadcasters with thirteen nominations, while HBO Documentary Films grabbed ten,...
Garnering four nominations: Alexander Nanau’s Romanian health system exposé “Collective” (Magnolia), Victor Kossakovsky’s story of a mother pig, “Gunda” (Neon), and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” (HBO) with four.
With three nominations each: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ “Boys State” (Apple), Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson is Dead” (Netflix), Liz Garbus’ series “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO), Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian Oscar submission “Notturno” (Super Ltd), and Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics).
Per usual, prolific Netflix leads all distributors/broadcasters with thirteen nominations, while HBO Documentary Films grabbed ten,...
- 12/10/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” which follows a family through decades of the father’s incarceration, leads all films in nominations for the 14th annual Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based award established to honor all facets of nonfiction filmmaking.
“Time” received six nominations, including one in the Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. There, it will compete with “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead” and “Gunda.”
“Collective,” “Gunda” and “Welcome to Chechnya” each received four nominations, while “Boys State,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” “Notturno” and “The Truffle Hunters” landed three each.
“Time” is now the only film to be nominated in the top category by the Cinema Eye Honors, the IDA Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and the Gotham Awards, and also receive a spot on Doc NYC’s “Short List” of awards contenders. “Gunda” was honored by four of the five groups,...
“Time” received six nominations, including one in the Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. There, it will compete with “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead” and “Gunda.”
“Collective,” “Gunda” and “Welcome to Chechnya” each received four nominations, while “Boys State,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” “Notturno” and “The Truffle Hunters” landed three each.
“Time” is now the only film to be nominated in the top category by the Cinema Eye Honors, the IDA Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and the Gotham Awards, and also receive a spot on Doc NYC’s “Short List” of awards contenders. “Gunda” was honored by four of the five groups,...
- 12/10/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to the Martin Luther King Jr. documentary “MLK/FBI,” the company announced on Tuesday. The film, directed by Emmy Award-winner and Oscar nominee Sam Pollard, examines the civil rights leader’s treatment by the federal agency in the 1960s.
IFC Films will release the film on January 15, 2021 ahead of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. “MLK/FBI” was part of the Official Selection for the 2020 edition of the Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival.
A description of the film reads:
“MLK/FBI” is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government...
IFC Films will release the film on January 15, 2021 ahead of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. “MLK/FBI” was part of the Official Selection for the 2020 edition of the Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival.
A description of the film reads:
“MLK/FBI” is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government...
- 9/15/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
IFC Films said Tuesday that it acquired North American rights to MLK/FBI, the Sam Pollard-directed documentary that premiered today at the Toronto Film Festival and will play at the New York Film Festival too. IFC Films will release the film on January 15, 2021, ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday and the hope is to factor in the Oscar race.
MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government’s history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures including former FBI director James Comey, MLK...
MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government’s history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures including former FBI director James Comey, MLK...
- 9/15/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
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