A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile (2015) - News Poster

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Oscars: Academy receives 124 documentary submissions

  • ScreenDaily
Oscars: Academy receives 124 documentary submissions
Titles include Asif Kapadia’s Amy Winehouse documentary, Michael Moore’s Where To Invade Next and Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land.

Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janis: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.

Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.

A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on February 28 2016 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood .

The submitted features in alphabetical order are:

Above And Beyond

All Things Must Pass

Amy

The Armor Of Light

Ballet 422

Batkid Begins

Becoming Bulletproof

Being Evel

Beltracchi – The Art Of Forgery

Best Of Enemies

The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution

Bolshoi Babylon

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Academy receives 124 documentary submissions

  • ScreenDaily
Academy receives 124 documentary submissions
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on

Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.

Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.

A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on
See full article at ScreenDaily »

Amy, He Named Me Malala, Lambert & Stamp Among 124 Documentary Features Submitted For 88th Oscars

One hundred twenty-four features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 88th Academy Awards.

Last year’s winner was Citizenfour (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky)

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Above and Beyond

“All Things Must Pass”

Amy

The Armor of Light

Ballet 422

Batkid Begins

Becoming Bulletproof

Being Evel

“Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery”

Best of Enemies

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

“Bolshoi Babylon”

Brand: A Second Coming

A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story

Call Me Lucky

Cartel Land

Censored Voices

“Champs”

“CodeGirl”

Coming Home

Dark Horse

“Deli Man”

Dior and I

“The Diplomat”

“(Dis)Honesty – The Truth about Lies”

“Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll”

“Dreamcatcher”

“dream/killer”

“Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”

“Eating Happiness”

“Every Last Child”

“Evidence of Harm”

Farewell to Hollywood
See full article at WeAreMovieGeeks.com »

A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile Documentary Review

A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile Documentary Review
Title: A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile SundanceNow Doc Club/ Sundance Select Director: Sophie Deraspe Writer: Sophie Deraspe Running time: 85 minutes, Unrated (Nudity, Sexuality, Language) In limited release starting July 24th Amina Arraf was a Syrian blogger and lesbian living in the ultra conservative Damascus. She blogged about the violence all around her and gained a large following to her blog: A Gay Girl in Damascus. She even had a long term passionate online relationship with Canadian activist Sandra Bagaria. Then one day Amina was allegedly kidnapped and her blog went dark. Dozens of stories came about that she had been arrested, tortured in custody and possibly killed.  [ Read More ]

The post A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile Documentary Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
See full article at ShockYa »

Review: Documentary 'A Gay Girl in Damascus' Is 'Catfish' With International Implications

Sharing that the titular character in “A Gay Girl In Damascus: The Amina Profile” is a hoax seems like a giant spoiler, particularly when given without warning in a review’s first sentence. However, given that the digital scheme was covered by The New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, and more news outlets in 2011, that fact doesn’t feel unnecessarily revealing. What’s most interesting about the documentary isn’t that Amina Arraf wasn’t real, it’s who was behind her online character and the real world implications it had during the Arab Spring. Director Sophie Deraspe discovered Amina’s story before the media did, as she watched Sandra Bagaria, her friend in Montreal, fall in love with a woman she met online in 2011. The woman was Amina Arraf, a writer whose blog, “A Gay Girl in Damascus,” shared her experiences as an out lesbian during the upheaval and danger in Syria.
See full article at The Playlist »

This Week In Trailers: Vintage Tomorrows, Two Step, A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile, The Reunion, Liza, the Fox-Fairy

This Week In Trailers: Vintage Tomorrows, Two Step, A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile, The Reunion, Liza, the Fox-Fairy
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week […]

The post This Week In Trailers: Vintage Tomorrows, Two Step, A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile, The Reunion, Liza, the Fox-Fairy appeared first on /Film.
See full article at Slash Film »

Open Road shifts 'Kasbah' dates

Open Road shifts 'Kasbah' dates
Round-up: The distributor has moved the Bill Murray comedy from November 13 to October 23 this year.

Rock The Kasbah centres on a rock manager stranded in Kabul who tries to make a star out of a local young girl with an extraordinary voice.

Open Road Films in association with Venture 4th and Qed International presents a Shangri-La Entertainment production. Barry Levinson directed Rock The Kasbah from a screenplay by Mitch Glazer.

Vice Media is teaming up with Magnolia Pictures to promote the release of Sundance U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winner The Wolfpack on June 12.

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to SXSW Grand Jury and Audience Award winner Peace Officer. Submarine Deluxe manages the North American platform theatrical release planned for this autumn. PBS’s weekly documentary series Independent Lens will air the film in spring 2016.

Svod service SundanceNow Doc Club has acquired all Us rights to Sophie Deraspe’s A Gay Girl In Damascus: [link=tt
See full article at ScreenDaily »

SundanceNow Doc Club Acquires 'A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile' for U.S. Distribution

SundanceNow Doc Club Acquires 'A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile' for U.S. Distribution
Read More: Sundance Curiosities: Lgbt Life in America Gets Its Due At This Year's Festival Sophie Deraspe's Internet-age tale of deceit and betrayal, "A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile," has secured U.S. distribution. The SundanceNow Doc Club, a boutique, advertising-free service, has announced it will release the film theatrically and digitally this summer. "A Gay Girl in Damascus" premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival in the World Documentary Competition and earned strong reviews. Here is the docmentary's official synopsis: "'A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile' explores the story of Amina Arraf, a Syrian-American revolutionary whose blog A Gay Girl in Damascus acquires a huge following as the Syrian uprising gains momentum. Sandra Bagaria, a smart, young Montreal professional, is involved in an online affair with her when Amina is allegedly abducted by the Syrian secret police-sparking an international movement to...
See full article at Indiewire »

Online Hoax: Director Sophie Deraspe Discusses Her Sundance Doc Premiere, The Amina Profile

Girl meets girl online. They fall in love from afar — Sandra in Montreal, Amina in Syria. The Arab uprising occurs and soon Amina, star blogger and creator of “A Gay Girl in Damascus” gets swept up in the chaos, then kidnapped, and then disappears. Her frantic paramour goes on a global quest to find her — only to discover that the game-changing World Wide Web is also a web of intrigue and deceit. Fortunately, Sophie Deraspe’s doc The Amina Profile is more than the sum of this now infamous hoax. By smartly training her lens on the unwitting victim […]
See full article at Filmmaker Magazine »

Online Hoax: Director Sophie Deraspe Discusses Her Sundance Doc Premiere, The Amina Profile

Girl meets girl online. They fall in love from afar — Sandra in Montreal, Amina in Syria. The Arab uprising occurs and soon Amina, star blogger and creator of “A Gay Girl in Damascus” gets swept up in the chaos, then kidnapped, and then disappears. Her frantic paramour goes on a global quest to find her — only to discover that the game-changing World Wide Web is also a web of intrigue and deceit. Fortunately, Sophie Deraspe’s doc The Amina Profile is more than the sum of this now infamous hoax. By smartly training her lens on the unwitting victim […]
See full article at Filmmaker Magazine_Director Interviews »

Searchlight, Indian Paintbrush take world on Earl

  • ScreenDaily
An unusually busy first weekend of on-site deal-making in Park City continued into the week as Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush partnered on world rights to Me And Earl And The Dying Girl and The Orchard acquired The Overnight.

By the time the deal closed late on Sunday night Searchlight is understood to have invested mid-seven figures in the film.

Sales agent Wme Global and film-maker representatives Indian Paintbrush emerged with what they believe would be the best deal for all parties and resisted offers of up to $10m from a pack that included the Us majors, Lionsgate and TWC, with one studio willing to go higher than $12m in what would have resulted in a record Sundance advance.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directed Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (pictured) from Jesse Andrews’ Black List screenplay adapted from his eponymous novel.

Thomas Mann and Olivia Cooke star in the tale of a high school student who reignites
See full article at ScreenDaily »

Searchlight, Indian Paintbrush take world on Earl

  • ScreenDaily
An unusually busy first weekend of on-site deal-making in Park City continued into the week as Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush partnered on world rights to Me And Earl And The Dying Girl and The Orchard acquired The Overnight.

By the time the deal closed late on Sunday night Searchlight is understood to have invested mid-seven figures in the film.

Sales agent Wme Global and film-maker representatives Indian Paintbrush emerged with what they believe would be the best deal for all parties and resisted offers of up to $10m from a pack that included the Us majors, Lionsgate and TWC, with one studio willing to go higher than $12m in what would have resulted in a record Sundance advance.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directed Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (pictured) from Jesse Andrews’ Black List screenplay adapted from his eponymous novel.

Thomas Mann and Olivia Cooke star in the tale of a high school student who reignites
See full article at ScreenDaily »

The Orchard pounces on The Overnight

  • ScreenDaily
The Orchard pounces on The Overnight
An unusually busy first weekend of on-site deal-making continued in Park City as The Orchard announced on Monday (January 26) it had taken North American rights to The Overnight and reports continued to swirl of Fox Searchlight’s pursuit of Me And Earl And The Dying Girl.

An action-packed weekend has already seen Open Road and Sony double up on Rick Famuyiwa’s Us Dramatic Competition selection and coming-of-age comedy Dope in a deal said to be worth $7m with a $20m P&A commitment.

Open Road will release in the Us and Sony handles international territories on the story, which takes place in a gang-ridden Los Angeles neighbourhood.

Meanwhile Fox Searchight was understood to be leading a pack of bidders over Sunday night for Us Dramatic Competition selection Me And Earl And The Dying Girl from Alfonso Gomez-Rejon starring Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke and Molly Shannon.

Weekend reports also claimed Sony Pictures Classics had picked up Us rights
See full article at ScreenDaily »

Amina Profile, The | Sundance Review - Sundance Film Festival 2015

Sophie Deraspe's The Amina Profile begins with a sultry online romance between Amina Arraf and Sandra Bagaria. They met on Facebook then soon began emailing and sexting each other. Based in Syria, Arraf achieved international celebrity via her blog "Gay Girl in Damascus." Arraf bravely risked her life by attaching her real name and image to a blog which rebelliously documented her participation in the early days of the Arab Spring. Bagaria observed Arraf's revolutionary actions from the safety of her home in Canada, impressed (and turned on) by Arraf's audacious behavior, all the while concerned about Arraf's safety; because, despite living thousands of miles away apart and having never met in person -- let alone heard each other's voice -- Arraf and Bagaria considered themselves to be in a relationship.
See full article at SmellsLikeScreenSpirit »

Review: 'The Amina Profile' finds intrigue in a mystery of online identity

  • Hitfix
Review: 'The Amina Profile' finds intrigue in a mystery of online identity
The events in "The Amina Profile," playing in Sundance's World Documentary Competition, are not being revealed for the first time in Sophie Deraspe's film. If you Google Amina Arraf and her A Gay Girl in Damascus blog, the arc of the story plays out on the first search page. It was a widely reported story, but not universally reported, which makes for a complication in discussing "The Amina Profile." Do I discuss what the actual movie is, even if it means stripping aside some secrecy? Or do I play coy, pretend this documentary is like "The Sixth Sense" and I'd be violating its integrity by revealing too much while, thus, give it only half the intellectual consideration it probably deserves? I'm going with the former approach, because while obfuscation is cute and fun, "The Amina Profile" is an interesting movie that probably will have a better chance at exposure
See full article at Hitfix »

2015 Sundance Diary, Day 1: ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?,’ ‘The Bronze’ & ‘The Amina Profile’

Park City, Utah – The 2015 Sundance Film Festival is well underway in Park City, Utah, a snow-adorned mega village where everything looks like ski lodges, even the movie theaters. The festival occurs in a place that transforms for the cause of movies.

Park City’s gymnasiums, libraries, and conference rooms are modified with seats and screens to celebrate the thrill of uniting people in the same darkness ready to experience a film.

Last night was the first day of screenings (though different films were offered), and I viewed two titles of opposing worth, of which is described below. The first is a documentary that should be coming to Netflix in the near future, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Not long after scarfing down some late dinner in the festival’s Yarrow Hotel (which has turned its conference room into a movie theater essentially), I endeavored into “The Bronze,” an underdog comedy starring
See full article at HollywoodChicago.com »

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