Exclusive: Giant Pictures today announced it has acquired U.S. theatrical and VOD rights to the Oscar-nominated documentary feature A House Made of Splinters, a film that until very recently lacked any American distribution.
Giant plans to release Simon Lereng Wilmont’s film, which focuses on children living in a Ukrainian shelter, on digital platforms on February 21, including Apple TV and Prime Video. It will be released on the big screen at select Alamo Drafthouse theaters beginning in March. In a separate announcement last month, the PBS documentary series Pov picked up broadcast rights for the film, with plans to premiere it over the summer as part of the program’s 36th season.
Wilmont (The Distant Barking of Dogs) shot A House Made of Splinters in Eastern Ukraine before Russia’s full-scale invasion a year ago. The region for years had been roiled by a Russian-backed separatist movement, placing enormous stress on Ukrainian civilians,...
Giant plans to release Simon Lereng Wilmont’s film, which focuses on children living in a Ukrainian shelter, on digital platforms on February 21, including Apple TV and Prime Video. It will be released on the big screen at select Alamo Drafthouse theaters beginning in March. In a separate announcement last month, the PBS documentary series Pov picked up broadcast rights for the film, with plans to premiere it over the summer as part of the program’s 36th season.
Wilmont (The Distant Barking of Dogs) shot A House Made of Splinters in Eastern Ukraine before Russia’s full-scale invasion a year ago. The region for years had been roiled by a Russian-backed separatist movement, placing enormous stress on Ukrainian civilians,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Documentary filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont won a Peabody Award in 2017 for “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” which focused on a young boy living in the Ukraine with his grandmother during wartime. When Wilmont learned that she was deathly ill, he wanted to know: What might become of that boy? He began visiting orphanages near the Ukrainian frontline and quickly learned: The institutions were too big, too much the same. Except for one.
“There was such a different feeling,” the Danish director told me on Zoom. “There was a carpet on the floor, and it was worn out. The paint on the walls was old and chipped, but there were kids’ drawings hanging on the wall. And in one of the rooms nearby, I could see an elderly lady trying to teach some of the girls music. A lot of small kids were running around in chaos and laughing and chasing...
“There was such a different feeling,” the Danish director told me on Zoom. “There was a carpet on the floor, and it was worn out. The paint on the walls was old and chipped, but there were kids’ drawings hanging on the wall. And in one of the rooms nearby, I could see an elderly lady trying to teach some of the girls music. A lot of small kids were running around in chaos and laughing and chasing...
- 2/8/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
While her first feature-length doc “Outside” is having its world premiere in the main competition at the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (Cph:dox), Ukrainian director Olha Zhurba will be back home. The young filmmaker has decided to stay in her country to document the evacuation of refugees fleeing the war brought on by Vladimir Putin.
“I’m Ukrainian and I need to film this for my nation,” she told Variety over the phone. “We will need to reflect on what is happening to us in the future to cope with the trauma of this tragedy. I believe that films and art are part of this recovery that we will need on a psychological and mental level, and these films will be important in this process,” said Zhurba, who is best known for her fiction short “Dad’s Sneakers.”
She said that on February 24, when the Russian invasion started, she was...
“I’m Ukrainian and I need to film this for my nation,” she told Variety over the phone. “We will need to reflect on what is happening to us in the future to cope with the trauma of this tragedy. I believe that films and art are part of this recovery that we will need on a psychological and mental level, and these films will be important in this process,” said Zhurba, who is best known for her fiction short “Dad’s Sneakers.”
She said that on February 24, when the Russian invasion started, she was...
- 3/24/2022
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
The buzzy documentary previously received the directing award at Sundance.
Danish filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont’s A House Made Of Splinters won the Golden Alexander prize of the international competition of the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, which closed on Sunday, March 20.
With its European premiere at Thessaloniki, Wilmont’s film is gaining attention on the festival circuit, having won the directing award in the World Cinema Documentary section on debut at the online Sundance in January; and also received the Fipresci prize in Thessaloniki.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
Shot in Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion...
Danish filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont’s A House Made Of Splinters won the Golden Alexander prize of the international competition of the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, which closed on Sunday, March 20.
With its European premiere at Thessaloniki, Wilmont’s film is gaining attention on the festival circuit, having won the directing award in the World Cinema Documentary section on debut at the online Sundance in January; and also received the Fipresci prize in Thessaloniki.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
Shot in Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion...
- 3/21/2022
- by Alexis Grivas
- ScreenDaily
The buzzy documentary previously received the directing award at Sundance.
Danish filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont’s A House Made Of Splinters won the Golden Alexander main prize in the international competition of the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, which closed on Sunday, March 20.
With its European premiere at Thessaloniki, Wilmont’s film is gaining attention on the festival circuit, having won the directing award in the World Cinema Documentary section on debut at the online Sundance in January; and also received the Fipresci prize in Thessaloniki.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
Shot in Ukraine prior to the Russian...
Danish filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont’s A House Made Of Splinters won the Golden Alexander main prize in the international competition of the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, which closed on Sunday, March 20.
With its European premiere at Thessaloniki, Wilmont’s film is gaining attention on the festival circuit, having won the directing award in the World Cinema Documentary section on debut at the online Sundance in January; and also received the Fipresci prize in Thessaloniki.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
Shot in Ukraine prior to the Russian...
- 3/21/2022
- by Alexis Grivas
- ScreenDaily
Under different circumstances, the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival might have been a more celebratory affair, with coronavirus restrictions gradually loosening across Greece and the country’s second city hosting an in-person edition of a festival that was among the world’s first to go virtual at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
But with the humanitarian toll rising in Ukraine, as Russia continues its relentless assault of its Eastern European neighbor, festival director Orestis Andreadakis offered a sobering reflection on the eve of opening night on war, cinema and the need for solidarity.
“It’s shocking what is happening,” Andreadakis told Variety, likening the threat to the one faced by Europe during World War II. “After the war, we had this slogan: Never again. Never again to war. Never again to Holocaust. Never again to horror. Every time we repeated this phrase, every time we wrote it on the walls,...
But with the humanitarian toll rising in Ukraine, as Russia continues its relentless assault of its Eastern European neighbor, festival director Orestis Andreadakis offered a sobering reflection on the eve of opening night on war, cinema and the need for solidarity.
“It’s shocking what is happening,” Andreadakis told Variety, likening the threat to the one faced by Europe during World War II. “After the war, we had this slogan: Never again. Never again to war. Never again to Holocaust. Never again to horror. Every time we repeated this phrase, every time we wrote it on the walls,...
- 3/10/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
In the days before Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Danish filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont – the director of two critically acclaimed documentaries shot in the Eastern European nation – began to field messages reporting of increased hostilities in the restive eastern part of the country.
The director’s feature directorial debut, “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” was filmed in the hamlet of Hnutove, a stone’s throw from the frontline of Donbass, where war has been simmering for the better part of a decade. As fighting there intensified ahead of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Lereng Wilmont and Danish producer Monica Hellström (“Flee”) worked with their assistant director, Azad Safarov, and local production coordinator Lena Rozvadovska to evacuate the film’s two protagonists.
It was a harrowing escape. The filmmakers had arranged for the duo to take a train to the relative calm of Western Ukraine, where temporary housing awaited them. But...
The director’s feature directorial debut, “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” was filmed in the hamlet of Hnutove, a stone’s throw from the frontline of Donbass, where war has been simmering for the better part of a decade. As fighting there intensified ahead of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Lereng Wilmont and Danish producer Monica Hellström (“Flee”) worked with their assistant director, Azad Safarov, and local production coordinator Lena Rozvadovska to evacuate the film’s two protagonists.
It was a harrowing escape. The filmmakers had arranged for the duo to take a train to the relative calm of Western Ukraine, where temporary housing awaited them. But...
- 3/8/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
In the streaming age, documentary filmmakers, once the long-suffering artists working in obscurity to finish self-funded passion projects, have become rock stars. Deep-pocketed platforms such as Netflix and Hulu have dished out for costly archival clearances and biopic rights, and the strategy has invariably led to awards glory.
But just as the medium has become more elevated, so too has it grown increasingly global in scope, with a vast network of documentary gatekeepers venturing outside the traditional nonfiction markets of the U.S. and Western Europe for the next big project that can go the distance to become an awards contender.
“We’re growing closer together in a good way,” says Rick Perez, the newly installed president of the Los Angeles-based Intl. Documentary Assn. The former Sundance documentary executive recognizes the influence of the streamers, but says the nonfiction boom is mainly the result of the decades-long work of independents...
But just as the medium has become more elevated, so too has it grown increasingly global in scope, with a vast network of documentary gatekeepers venturing outside the traditional nonfiction markets of the U.S. and Western Europe for the next big project that can go the distance to become an awards contender.
“We’re growing closer together in a good way,” says Rick Perez, the newly installed president of the Los Angeles-based Intl. Documentary Assn. The former Sundance documentary executive recognizes the influence of the streamers, but says the nonfiction boom is mainly the result of the decades-long work of independents...
- 2/28/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Syrians living in cities besieged by the government of Bashar al-Assad exist in a sonic torture chamber.
The skies shriek with Russian jets. Buildings groan from the concussive force of distant bomb blasts. Explosions from mortar shells shatter the peace. Bursts of small arms fire suddenly erupt. Adults and children tremble when deadly ordinance whistles in their direction, wondering if the walls around them will soon collapse.
Syrian filmmaker Feras Fayyad wanted to capture the feeling of this aural landscape for his Oscar-contending film The Cave, about an underground hospital run by a woman, Dr. Amani Ballour.
“The sound is [the] power of cinema and story and reality,” Fayyad wrote on Facebook earlier this week. His goal was to reveal “what does [it] mean to live in an underground hospital in Syria bombed every two seconds by Russian/Assad warplanes. I have the responsibility with my team to take you there.”
A...
The skies shriek with Russian jets. Buildings groan from the concussive force of distant bomb blasts. Explosions from mortar shells shatter the peace. Bursts of small arms fire suddenly erupt. Adults and children tremble when deadly ordinance whistles in their direction, wondering if the walls around them will soon collapse.
Syrian filmmaker Feras Fayyad wanted to capture the feeling of this aural landscape for his Oscar-contending film The Cave, about an underground hospital run by a woman, Dr. Amani Ballour.
“The sound is [the] power of cinema and story and reality,” Fayyad wrote on Facebook earlier this week. His goal was to reveal “what does [it] mean to live in an underground hospital in Syria bombed every two seconds by Russian/Assad warplanes. I have the responsibility with my team to take you there.”
A...
- 11/15/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – One of the exciting weekend film festivals in Chicago is Doc 10, a celebration of non-fiction filmmaking at its highest level. And no one knows that more than Steve Cohen, the co-founder – with Paula Froehle – of the festival. Cohen and Froehle not only help facilitate and curate Doc 10, but also produce documentaries through their Chicago Media Project. The Closing Night Film of Doc 10, on April 14th, 2019, is “Biggest Little Farm.” For more information and tickets, click here.
’The Infiltrators’ at Chicago’s Doc 10 on April 14th, 2019
Photo credit: DOC10.org
“Biggest Little Farm,” is a testament to the immense complexity of nature. Two dreamers, John and Molly Chester, leave the city to build a diverse and sustainable farm. The building of their utopia involved eight years of ups and downs, with a lesson of good intentions in harsh practical challenges. Watch for the release of the nine other documentaries in...
’The Infiltrators’ at Chicago’s Doc 10 on April 14th, 2019
Photo credit: DOC10.org
“Biggest Little Farm,” is a testament to the immense complexity of nature. Two dreamers, John and Molly Chester, leave the city to build a diverse and sustainable farm. The building of their utopia involved eight years of ups and downs, with a lesson of good intentions in harsh practical challenges. Watch for the release of the nine other documentaries in...
- 4/14/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – One of the great predictors of Oscar worthy films is Chicago’s Doc 10 festival. The Chicago Media Project presents its fourth annual documentary fest, a weekend of 10 prominent documentaries that end up either making a national statement or nominated for awards (last year’s fest included Oscar nominees “Minding the Gap” and “Rbg”). It all takes place at the Davis Theatre in the Lincoln Square neighborhood from April 11th-14th, 2019, and opens with “Knock Down the House.” For more information and tickets, click here.
’Knock Down the House’ Opens Doc 10
Photo credit: DOC10.org
The Opening Night film is the emotionally charged “Knock Down the House,” which profiles the insurgent campaigns of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and other women candidates who defined the 2018 midterm elections. The nine other documentaries, playing at various times over the weekend are ... “Mike Wallace is Here,” “Midnight Family,” “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch,” “One Child Nation,” “American Factory,...
’Knock Down the House’ Opens Doc 10
Photo credit: DOC10.org
The Opening Night film is the emotionally charged “Knock Down the House,” which profiles the insurgent campaigns of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and other women candidates who defined the 2018 midterm elections. The nine other documentaries, playing at various times over the weekend are ... “Mike Wallace is Here,” “Midnight Family,” “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch,” “One Child Nation,” “American Factory,...
- 4/11/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Danish documaker Simon Lereng Wilmont’s Oscar-shortlisted “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” which observes the impact of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the life of a 10-year-old Ukrainian boy, encapsulates why, just as with fictional features, Danish docs are thriving.
This fly-on-the-wall portrait that unfolds from the boy’s perspective without a word of narration “deftly weaves a precise coming-of-age narrative into its morally urgent anti-war tableau,” wrote Variety critic Guy Lodge. Besides stemming from a special sensitivity for the children’s universe that Danish cinema is known for, the pluriprized doc is also emblematic of how local documakers are honing their craft, pushing boundaries, and taking their works to new heights.
“In Denmark they are really experimenting with various forms of documentary storytelling in terms of making the narratives dramaturgically like feature films,” says Petri Kemppinen, head of the Oslo-based Nordisk Film & TV Fund.
The thriller-like...
This fly-on-the-wall portrait that unfolds from the boy’s perspective without a word of narration “deftly weaves a precise coming-of-age narrative into its morally urgent anti-war tableau,” wrote Variety critic Guy Lodge. Besides stemming from a special sensitivity for the children’s universe that Danish cinema is known for, the pluriprized doc is also emblematic of how local documakers are honing their craft, pushing boundaries, and taking their works to new heights.
“In Denmark they are really experimenting with various forms of documentary storytelling in terms of making the narratives dramaturgically like feature films,” says Petri Kemppinen, head of the Oslo-based Nordisk Film & TV Fund.
The thriller-like...
- 2/6/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Yet another competitive category, it’s possible any of the Oscars frontrunners listed below are snubbed and it’s possible all of them make the cut. It’s hard to see the documentary branch not rewarding at least a few of the summer’s big doc hits with a nod. Our guess is that means “Three Identical Strangers” misses out, but “Rbg” could as well. [Posted Jan. 16, 2019]
Likely Frontrunners
“Free Solo”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Rbg”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Players
“Charm City”
“Communion”
“Crime + Punishment”
“Dark Money”
“The Distant Barking of Dogs”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“On Her Shoulders”
“Shirkers”
“The Silence of Others”
“Three Identical Strangers”
More predictions:
Best Picture
Best Director
Actress
Actor
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Foreign Language Film
Continue reading 2019 Best Documentary Feature Oscars Predictions at The Playlist.
Likely Frontrunners
“Free Solo”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Rbg”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Players
“Charm City”
“Communion”
“Crime + Punishment”
“Dark Money”
“The Distant Barking of Dogs”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“On Her Shoulders”
“Shirkers”
“The Silence of Others”
“Three Identical Strangers”
More predictions:
Best Picture
Best Director
Actress
Actor
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Foreign Language Film
Continue reading 2019 Best Documentary Feature Oscars Predictions at The Playlist.
- 1/17/2019
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Simon Lereng Wilmont on Oleg Afanasyev and his grandmother Alexandra Ryabichkina in The Distant Barking Of Dogs: "It has been a cinematic blessing to be let into Oleg and Alexandra's life from the very beginning." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Last Thursday night at the Cinema Eye Awards, Simon Lereng Wilmont, director/cinematographer of the Oscar-shortlisted The Distant Barking Of Dogs was presented with the Spotlight Prize by Bing Liu, Sandi Tan (who won with Lucas Celler in the Graphic Design or Animation for Shirkers), and RaMell Ross
Simon Lereng Wilmont with Oleg Afanasyev and his grandmother Alexandra Ryabichkina Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
I spoke with Simon about the score by Uno Helmersson (Elvira Lind's Bobbi Jene) and Erik Enocksson (Paul Wright's For Those in Peril) with additional music by Karsten Fundal (Feras Fayyad and Steen Johannessen's Last Men In Aleppo), the sound design, editing with Michael Aaglund, the...
Last Thursday night at the Cinema Eye Awards, Simon Lereng Wilmont, director/cinematographer of the Oscar-shortlisted The Distant Barking Of Dogs was presented with the Spotlight Prize by Bing Liu, Sandi Tan (who won with Lucas Celler in the Graphic Design or Animation for Shirkers), and RaMell Ross
Simon Lereng Wilmont with Oleg Afanasyev and his grandmother Alexandra Ryabichkina Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
I spoke with Simon about the score by Uno Helmersson (Elvira Lind's Bobbi Jene) and Erik Enocksson (Paul Wright's For Those in Peril) with additional music by Karsten Fundal (Feras Fayyad and Steen Johannessen's Last Men In Aleppo), the sound design, editing with Michael Aaglund, the...
- 1/14/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Hale County This Morning, This Evening enters the Oscar nomination voting homestretch with added momentum. The documentary by RaMell Ross captured Outstanding Nonfiction Feature at the Cinema Eye Honors in New York Thursday night, the latest prize for a film that has been racking up awards since it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last January.
“It’s really gratifying,” Ross tells Deadline when pressed for his reaction to the film’s reception. “I’m eternally appreciative of the team that we had. We were like, ‘I don’t care what anyone says. We like the film. We can stand behind what we did.’”
What Ross and his team did was to create a film that observes in compelling detail the African-American experience in a rural part of Alabama. Black lives here are rendered in poetic imagery of wonder and beauty, in sharp contrast to typical depictions of African-American life...
“It’s really gratifying,” Ross tells Deadline when pressed for his reaction to the film’s reception. “I’m eternally appreciative of the team that we had. We were like, ‘I don’t care what anyone says. We like the film. We can stand behind what we did.’”
What Ross and his team did was to create a film that observes in compelling detail the African-American experience in a rural part of Alabama. Black lives here are rendered in poetic imagery of wonder and beauty, in sharp contrast to typical depictions of African-American life...
- 1/11/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When legendary “Hoop Dreams” filmmaker Steve James retires from making award-winning documentaries, he could almost certainly fall back on a career in stand-up, or at least hit the circuit as an awards show host. James was in rare comedic form at the 12th Annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards, held Thursday night at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, his energy livening up a somewhat sober crowd. He missed no opportunity to mention his Oscar-nominated film from last year, “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” which lost out to Bryan Fogel’s similarly titled “Icarus.”
“‘Icarus’, ‘Abacus,’ ‘Icarus,’ ‘Abacus,’ and then they gave it to ‘Icarus,'” said James. “So I missed it by a few letters. And it really dawned on me as I was sitting there that most people thought they were voting for ‘Abacus’ when they voted for ‘Icarus.'”
Dad jokes aside, it was a winning...
“‘Icarus’, ‘Abacus,’ ‘Icarus,’ ‘Abacus,’ and then they gave it to ‘Icarus,'” said James. “So I missed it by a few letters. And it really dawned on me as I was sitting there that most people thought they were voting for ‘Abacus’ when they voted for ‘Icarus.'”
Dad jokes aside, it was a winning...
- 1/11/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
RaMell Ross’ debut feature, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, an intimate and cinematic portrait of black lives in Alabama, took the top award tonight at the 12th annual Cinema Eye Honors, winning Outstanding Nonfiction Feature. It was the second Cinema Eye Feature Honor in a row for producer Joslyn Barnes, who also produced last year’s award winner, Strong Island.
The 12th Annual Cinema Eye Honors were presented at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York and were streamed live via the Museum of the Moving Image and Cinema Eye Honors Facebook pages. Filmmaker Steve James, a winner for Outstanding Series for America to Me, was the host.
The awards capped a week of events that brought together nonfiction filmmakers from around the globe. Cinema Eye was founded in 2007 as a protest of that year’s existing awards which it claimed failed to recognize many of...
The 12th Annual Cinema Eye Honors were presented at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York and were streamed live via the Museum of the Moving Image and Cinema Eye Honors Facebook pages. Filmmaker Steve James, a winner for Outstanding Series for America to Me, was the host.
The awards capped a week of events that brought together nonfiction filmmakers from around the globe. Cinema Eye was founded in 2007 as a protest of that year’s existing awards which it claimed failed to recognize many of...
- 1/11/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
RaMell Ross’s debut feature, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” took the top prize at the Cinema Eye Honors Thursday night in New York, winning outstanding nonfiction feature.
Bing Liu’s much-lauded skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” which tied the Cinema Eye record for most noms with seven, took home three trophies, including outstanding achievement in direction, editing, and debut. “Free Solo” also won three awards, with “Shirkers” nabbing two honors.
“Hale County’s” win marks the second for producer Joslyn Barnes, who also won last year for “Strong Island.” “Free Solo’s” three wins landed Jimmy Chin the title of most awarded individual in Cinema Eye history, with five awards including his two for 2015’s “Meru.”
See the full list of winners below.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross
Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Bing Liu, “Minding the Gap”
Outstanding Achievement...
Bing Liu’s much-lauded skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” which tied the Cinema Eye record for most noms with seven, took home three trophies, including outstanding achievement in direction, editing, and debut. “Free Solo” also won three awards, with “Shirkers” nabbing two honors.
“Hale County’s” win marks the second for producer Joslyn Barnes, who also won last year for “Strong Island.” “Free Solo’s” three wins landed Jimmy Chin the title of most awarded individual in Cinema Eye history, with five awards including his two for 2015’s “Meru.”
See the full list of winners below.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross
Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Bing Liu, “Minding the Gap”
Outstanding Achievement...
- 1/11/2019
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
RaMell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2018 at the 12th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were presented on Thursday evening in New York City.
The film, an examination of a small town in the deep South that also delves into how African Americans are depicted in the media, won in the Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking category over a slate of nominees that also included the Oscar-shortlisted documentaries “Minding the Gap,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “Three Identical Strangers” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” as well as “Bisbee ’17,” which did not make the Oscar short list.
The Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye category voted on by the public, went to “Free Solo.”
The Spotlight Award, designed to single out a film that has not yet received the attention it deserves, went to Simon Lereng Wilmont’s “The Distant Barking of Dogs,...
The film, an examination of a small town in the deep South that also delves into how African Americans are depicted in the media, won in the Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking category over a slate of nominees that also included the Oscar-shortlisted documentaries “Minding the Gap,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “Three Identical Strangers” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” as well as “Bisbee ’17,” which did not make the Oscar short list.
The Audience Award, the only Cinema Eye category voted on by the public, went to “Free Solo.”
The Spotlight Award, designed to single out a film that has not yet received the attention it deserves, went to Simon Lereng Wilmont’s “The Distant Barking of Dogs,...
- 1/11/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine has received scant attention in the United States, but its impact is felt powerfully in the documentary The Distant Barking of Dogs, now in competition for an Academy Award nomination.
The film unfolds from the perspective of a 10-year-old boy who is being raised by his grandmother Alexandra in a village in Eastern Ukraine that sits on the front dividing Ukrainian forces from Russian-backed separatists.
“There’s these people around and you can look at them and see that person has a film in them that’s worth watching,” notes director Simon Lereng Wilmont. “And I felt that way with Oleg and Alexandra right away.”
The pair prove as compelling as any gifted actors, photographed in rhythms of daily life that might appear unexceptional if not for the punctuation of exploding shells and distant gunfire. Their village has largely been depopulated of everyone but military personnel,...
The film unfolds from the perspective of a 10-year-old boy who is being raised by his grandmother Alexandra in a village in Eastern Ukraine that sits on the front dividing Ukrainian forces from Russian-backed separatists.
“There’s these people around and you can look at them and see that person has a film in them that’s worth watching,” notes director Simon Lereng Wilmont. “And I felt that way with Oleg and Alexandra right away.”
The pair prove as compelling as any gifted actors, photographed in rhythms of daily life that might appear unexceptional if not for the punctuation of exploding shells and distant gunfire. Their village has largely been depopulated of everyone but military personnel,...
- 1/10/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
By Glenn Dunks
The Academy’s documentary shortlist often throws up a few left of field choices – titles that really do earn their primary flutter of American attention simply by being chosen among the 15-wide selection. A 2018 rule change for the category no doubt helped two such films from Europe, austere portraits of youth that are among the shortlist’s most accomplished albeit small scale choices.
The Distant Barking of Dogs was the most unexpected addition this year and was for me the title that I was most happiest to see. It is, after all, the best work of contemporary non-fiction that I saw all year. It is a film that took me completely by surprise when I used it to fill a vacant morning slot at the Sydney Film Festival in May of last year thinking if nothing else I could at least nap. Lo and behold, this remarkable...
The Academy’s documentary shortlist often throws up a few left of field choices – titles that really do earn their primary flutter of American attention simply by being chosen among the 15-wide selection. A 2018 rule change for the category no doubt helped two such films from Europe, austere portraits of youth that are among the shortlist’s most accomplished albeit small scale choices.
The Distant Barking of Dogs was the most unexpected addition this year and was for me the title that I was most happiest to see. It is, after all, the best work of contemporary non-fiction that I saw all year. It is a film that took me completely by surprise when I used it to fill a vacant morning slot at the Sydney Film Festival in May of last year thinking if nothing else I could at least nap. Lo and behold, this remarkable...
- 1/9/2019
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Just in time for some essential Oscar nomination prep, documentary film lovers can catch up on all 15 shortlisted contenders for Best Documentary, thanks to the Academy’s recently launched new program “Oscars Spotlight: Documentary Feature Shortlist.” The program features all of the shortlisted titles, including “Charm City,” “Communion,” “Crime + Punishment,” “Dark Money,” “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” “Free Solo,” “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” “Minding the Gap,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “On Her Shoulders,” “Rbg,” “Shirkers,” “The Silence of Others,” “Three Identical Strangers,” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
The films are screening theatrically in 13 cities nationwide now through January 21, 2019. A number of screenings will also include Q&As with filmmakers, and you can find out more about those (and other important ticket-buying info) right here on the Atom Tickets website.
“The Academy is thrilled to be collaborating with exhibitors and distributors to shine a light on...
The films are screening theatrically in 13 cities nationwide now through January 21, 2019. A number of screenings will also include Q&As with filmmakers, and you can find out more about those (and other important ticket-buying info) right here on the Atom Tickets website.
“The Academy is thrilled to be collaborating with exhibitors and distributors to shine a light on...
- 1/3/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
There’s rueful misdirection in the title “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” even if it isn’t strictly inaccurate: For much of Danish docmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont’s stoically compassionate fly-on-the-wall wartime portrait, a steady bassline of vocal canine discontent hangs in the background, becoming as integral to the scenery as a summertime cicada chorus. Yet in the tiny Ukrainian village of Hnutove, a stone’s throw from the frontline of the War in Donbass, it’s not the ever-present barking that keeps fretful residents up at night; that’s mere white noise beside the constant rattle of gunfire and shellfire from the adjacent war zone.
For young Oleg Afanasyev, orphaned and living in Hnutove with his wily, resilient grandmother Alexandra, the familiarity of this soundtrack makes it no easier to ignore as the years crawl by. Beautifully observed and edited across a three-year timespan, Lereng Wilmont’s film — an impressive solo feature debut,...
For young Oleg Afanasyev, orphaned and living in Hnutove with his wily, resilient grandmother Alexandra, the familiarity of this soundtrack makes it no easier to ignore as the years crawl by. Beautifully observed and edited across a three-year timespan, Lereng Wilmont’s film — an impressive solo feature debut,...
- 12/31/2018
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, led by the organization’s Future of Film Committee, has announced a new program showcasing the 15 documentary feature films that remain in contention for the 91st Oscars.
“Oscars Spotlight: Documentary Feature Shortlist” will screen theatrically in 13 cities nationwide beginning on Dec. 31 and concluding on Jan. 21 — the day before Oscar nominations are to be announced.
“The Academy is thrilled to be collaborating with exhibitors and distributors to shine a light on the best documentaries of the year,” says producer Albert Berger, Academy governor and chair of the Future of Film Committee. “We want to encourage moviegoing and engage audiences across the country in our process as we move through the shortlists, nominations, and towards the Oscars.”
See below for a list of locations (theaters and showtimes subject to change):
Austin — Alamo Drafthouse Mueller
Boston — AMC Loews Boston Common 19
Chicago — Music Box Theatre...
“Oscars Spotlight: Documentary Feature Shortlist” will screen theatrically in 13 cities nationwide beginning on Dec. 31 and concluding on Jan. 21 — the day before Oscar nominations are to be announced.
“The Academy is thrilled to be collaborating with exhibitors and distributors to shine a light on the best documentaries of the year,” says producer Albert Berger, Academy governor and chair of the Future of Film Committee. “We want to encourage moviegoing and engage audiences across the country in our process as we move through the shortlists, nominations, and towards the Oscars.”
See below for a list of locations (theaters and showtimes subject to change):
Austin — Alamo Drafthouse Mueller
Boston — AMC Loews Boston Common 19
Chicago — Music Box Theatre...
- 12/21/2018
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscars statues backstage at The 87th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 22, 2015.
Three hundred forty-seven feature films are eligible for the 2018 Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.
To be eligible for 91st Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days. https://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/91st_reminder_list.pdf
Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.
Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category. The “Reminder List of...
Three hundred forty-seven feature films are eligible for the 2018 Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.
To be eligible for 91st Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days. https://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/91st_reminder_list.pdf
Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.
Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category. The “Reminder List of...
- 12/18/2018
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Yesterday afternoon, the Academy did something brand new. The announced nine shortlists for the upcoming 91st Academy Awards. Yes, the Oscars are hinting at some of their below the line finalists. In the categories of Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Animated Short Film, Best Live Action Short Film, and Best Visual Effects, we now have a narrowed field. Essentially, Academy voters can now focus in on just a handful of titles in these categories. The wisdom of that remains to be seen, but time will tell if we get a different set of nominees than expected because of this. For now, get used to it. This is the new normal, Oscar voting wise… Below you’ll be able to see the nine lists that voters will be selecting from. In Best Documentary Feature,...
- 12/18/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Morgan Neville, director of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and the Oscar-winning 20 Feet From Stardom Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The 91st Academy Awards Oscar Best Documentary shortlist has been announced.
Free Solo directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Free Solo, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin; Marilyn Ness's Charm City; Anna Zamecka's Communion (Komunia); Stephen Maing's Crime + Punishment: Kimberly Reed's Dark Money; Simon Lereng Wilmont's The Distant Barking Of Dogs; RaMell Ross's Hale County This Morning, This Evening; Bing Liu's Minding The Gap; Talal Derki's Of Fathers And Sons (Kinder Des Kalifats); Alexandria Bombach's On Her Shoulders; Julie Cohen and Betsy West's Rbg; Sandi Tan's Shirkers; Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo's The Silence Of Others (El Silencio De Otros); Tim Wardle's Three Identical Strangers; Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, directed...
The 91st Academy Awards Oscar Best Documentary shortlist has been announced.
Free Solo directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Free Solo, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin; Marilyn Ness's Charm City; Anna Zamecka's Communion (Komunia); Stephen Maing's Crime + Punishment: Kimberly Reed's Dark Money; Simon Lereng Wilmont's The Distant Barking Of Dogs; RaMell Ross's Hale County This Morning, This Evening; Bing Liu's Minding The Gap; Talal Derki's Of Fathers And Sons (Kinder Des Kalifats); Alexandria Bombach's On Her Shoulders; Julie Cohen and Betsy West's Rbg; Sandi Tan's Shirkers; Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo's The Silence Of Others (El Silencio De Otros); Tim Wardle's Three Identical Strangers; Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, directed...
- 12/17/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Last year, the Academy documentary branch had to grapple with a record 170 documentary feature submissions for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. This year, it wasn’t not so bad: only 166 were entered. The short list of 15 was announced December 17, along with eight others for the first time on a single date this year.
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. The early advantage went to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features), “Rbg” (CNN/Magnolia), and “Three Identical Strangers” (CNN/Neon), as well as August/September openers including critically hailed “Dark Money” (PBS), “Crime + Punishment” and “Minding the Gap...
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. The early advantage went to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features), “Rbg” (CNN/Magnolia), and “Three Identical Strangers” (CNN/Neon), as well as August/September openers including critically hailed “Dark Money” (PBS), “Crime + Punishment” and “Minding the Gap...
- 12/17/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Last year, the Academy documentary branch had to grapple with a record 170 documentary feature submissions for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. This year, it wasn’t not so bad: only 166 were entered. The short list of 15 was announced December 17, along with eight others for the first time on a single date this year.
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. The early advantage went to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features), “Rbg” (CNN/Magnolia), and “Three Identical Strangers” (CNN/Neon), as well as September openers including critically hailed “Dark Money” (PBS), “Crime + Punishment (“Hulu”), and another...
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. The early advantage went to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features), “Rbg” (CNN/Magnolia), and “Three Identical Strangers” (CNN/Neon), as well as September openers including critically hailed “Dark Money” (PBS), “Crime + Punishment (“Hulu”), and another...
- 12/17/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the shortlists in nine categories, including Best Feature Documentary, where hit documentaries like “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “Free Solo” are among the list of contenders.
While a few of the films on the doc-feature shortlist were not nominated or singled out by other awards groups – “Charm City,” “Communion” and “The Distant Barking of Dogs” being the biggest surprises – for the most part, the list stays true to the nonfiction films that have garnered the most critical and commercial attention in 2018.
Crucially, it includes the four top-grossing nonfiction films of the year: “Free Solo,” “Rbg,” “Three Identical Strangers” and the presumed frontrunner, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” But the most-honored films of the year are also accounted for, including “Minding the Gap,” “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” “Crime + Punishment,” “Of Fathers and Sons” and “Shirkers.”
Also...
While a few of the films on the doc-feature shortlist were not nominated or singled out by other awards groups – “Charm City,” “Communion” and “The Distant Barking of Dogs” being the biggest surprises – for the most part, the list stays true to the nonfiction films that have garnered the most critical and commercial attention in 2018.
Crucially, it includes the four top-grossing nonfiction films of the year: “Free Solo,” “Rbg,” “Three Identical Strangers” and the presumed frontrunner, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” But the most-honored films of the year are also accounted for, including “Minding the Gap,” “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” “Crime + Punishment,” “Of Fathers and Sons” and “Shirkers.”
Also...
- 12/17/2018
- by Jeremy Fuster and Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Academy unveiled the shortlists for nine different categories on Monday, including Best Foreign Language Film, Original Song, Original Score, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Live-Action Short, Animated Short, Visual Effects and Makeup & Hairstyling.
In the Best Foreign Language film category, nine films advanced from the eligible 87 films submitted from as many countries. Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” from Mexico, Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” from Poland and Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” from Lebanon were on the Oscars shortlist and are all favorites to be nominated.
Also on the list, from Japan, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winning film “Shoplifters” and Lee Chang-dong’s South Korean film “Burning,” which stars Steven Yeun. Rounding out the list were Colombia’s “Birds of Passage,” Denmark’s thriller “The Guilty,” Germany’s “Never Look Away,” and Kazakhstan’s “Ayka.”
“Birds of Passage” was co-directed by Ciro Guerra, whose “Embrace of the Serpent” was nominated...
In the Best Foreign Language film category, nine films advanced from the eligible 87 films submitted from as many countries. Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” from Mexico, Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” from Poland and Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” from Lebanon were on the Oscars shortlist and are all favorites to be nominated.
Also on the list, from Japan, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winning film “Shoplifters” and Lee Chang-dong’s South Korean film “Burning,” which stars Steven Yeun. Rounding out the list were Colombia’s “Birds of Passage,” Denmark’s thriller “The Guilty,” Germany’s “Never Look Away,” and Kazakhstan’s “Ayka.”
“Birds of Passage” was co-directed by Ciro Guerra, whose “Embrace of the Serpent” was nominated...
- 12/17/2018
- by Steve Pond and Brian Welk
- The Wrap
For the first time in Oscars history, the academy released the short lists in nine categories all at once. On Monday, December 17, the hopefuls in a wide range of races found out if they are still in contention for the 91st annual Academy Awards. Among these are the marquee awards for Best Foreign Language Film (which was pared down to nine films from the 87 submitted) and Best Documentary Feature (which went from 166 to 15).
The race for Best Visual Effects, which has already been narrowed down to 20 films, was cut in half. Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from upwards of 100 submission while the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category will have just seven. And the three awards for shorts – animated, documentary and live-action — were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.
See 2019 Oscar nominations: 10 Academy Awards with special rules – Original Song,...
The race for Best Visual Effects, which has already been narrowed down to 20 films, was cut in half. Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from upwards of 100 submission while the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category will have just seven. And the three awards for shorts – animated, documentary and live-action — were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.
See 2019 Oscar nominations: 10 Academy Awards with special rules – Original Song,...
- 12/17/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Pawel Pawlikowski’s “”Cold War” swept the European Film Academy Awards on Saturday, winning five of its bids: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Joanna Kulig), Screenplay and Film Editing. This Polish picture contended for the top prize against three other films that are also entered in this year’s Oscar race for Foreign-Language Film — Sweden’s “Border,” Poland’s “Cold War,” Italy’s “Dogman” and Belgium’s “Girl.” The fifth nominee was “Happy as Lazzaro,” which is also from Italy.
Winners of the 31st edition of these awards were decided by the 3,000 plus members of the academy, drawn from all parts of Europe. Scroll down to see all the winners (and nominees).
Last year Ruben Ostlund‘s satire “The Square” swept the EFAs with six wins including both Best Picture and Best Comedy. Ostlund claimed both the writing and directing awards for his savage satire set in the high stakes art...
Winners of the 31st edition of these awards were decided by the 3,000 plus members of the academy, drawn from all parts of Europe. Scroll down to see all the winners (and nominees).
Last year Ruben Ostlund‘s satire “The Square” swept the EFAs with six wins including both Best Picture and Best Comedy. Ostlund claimed both the writing and directing awards for his savage satire set in the high stakes art...
- 12/16/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
“Cold War” was the big winner at the European Film Awards, picking up the prizes for Best European Film, Actress (Joanna Kulig), Director, and Screenwriter (both Paweł Pawlikowski). Best actor went to Marcello Fonte of “Dogman,” while Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin” was named Best European Comedy.
“Cold War” also led all films with five nominations, continuing a strong year for the black-and-white drama — Pawlikowski, whose “Ida” won the Foreign-Language Oscar, also took home Best Director laurels from Cannes.
Ali Abbasi’s “Border” and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro” left the ceremony empty-handed despite picking up four nominations apiece.
The full list of winners:
Best European Film
“Border,” Ali Abbasi
“Cold War,” Pawel Pawlikowski
“Dogman,” Matteo Garrone
“Girl,” Lukas Dhont
“Happy as Lazzaro,” Alice Rorhwacher
European Comedy
“C’est La Vie,” Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
“Diamantino,” Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt
“The Death of Stalin,” Armando Iannucci
European Director
Ali Abbasi,...
“Cold War” also led all films with five nominations, continuing a strong year for the black-and-white drama — Pawlikowski, whose “Ida” won the Foreign-Language Oscar, also took home Best Director laurels from Cannes.
Ali Abbasi’s “Border” and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro” left the ceremony empty-handed despite picking up four nominations apiece.
The full list of winners:
Best European Film
“Border,” Ali Abbasi
“Cold War,” Pawel Pawlikowski
“Dogman,” Matteo Garrone
“Girl,” Lukas Dhont
“Happy as Lazzaro,” Alice Rorhwacher
European Comedy
“C’est La Vie,” Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
“Diamantino,” Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt
“The Death of Stalin,” Armando Iannucci
European Director
Ali Abbasi,...
- 12/15/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
“Minding the Gap” had a great day on December 8. Hours after Bing Liu‘s heartfelt look at live in the Rust Belt was named Best Documentary Feature of the year by the Chicago film critics, it won the top award from The International Documentary Association (Ida).
At the Ida, it prevailed in the largest-ever field of contenders at this key precursor prize. Among the competition were all of the other frontrunners for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars: National Geographic’s “Free Solo,” Hulu’s “Crime + Punishment,” the Mr. Rogers retrospective “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and PBS’ “Dark Money.”
This was the first year that Ida had nominated 10 films for their top award, a sharp increase from the 5-6 contenders cited in the past. While only two films were nominated by both the Ida and Oscar last year, in 2017 the groups lined up on four nominees and...
At the Ida, it prevailed in the largest-ever field of contenders at this key precursor prize. Among the competition were all of the other frontrunners for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars: National Geographic’s “Free Solo,” Hulu’s “Crime + Punishment,” the Mr. Rogers retrospective “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and PBS’ “Dark Money.”
This was the first year that Ida had nominated 10 films for their top award, a sharp increase from the 5-6 contenders cited in the past. While only two films were nominated by both the Ida and Oscar last year, in 2017 the groups lined up on four nominees and...
- 12/9/2018
- by Paul Sheehan and John Benutty
- Gold Derby
“Minding the Gap,” Bing Liu’s film about working-class Illinois skateboarders whose raucous lifestyle hides brutal family stories, has been named the best nonfiction film of 2018 at the International Documentary Association’s Ida Documentary Awards, which took place on the Paramount Studios lot on Saturday night.
Liu also received the Emerging Filmmaker Award, and he and Joshua Altman won the award for best editing.
Other craft awards went to “Distant Constellation” cinematographer Shevaun Mizrahi, “The Other Side of Everything” writer Mila Turajlić and, in a tie, “Bisbee ’17” composer Keegan DeWitt and “Hale Country This Morning, This Evening” composers Scott Alario, Forest Kelley and Alex Somers.
Also Read: 'Minding the Gap' Film Review: Powerful Doc Depicts Skateboarders In Transition to Adulthood
The award for the best music documentary also ended in a tie, between Steve Loveridge’s “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.” and Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!”
In its first year,...
Liu also received the Emerging Filmmaker Award, and he and Joshua Altman won the award for best editing.
Other craft awards went to “Distant Constellation” cinematographer Shevaun Mizrahi, “The Other Side of Everything” writer Mila Turajlić and, in a tie, “Bisbee ’17” composer Keegan DeWitt and “Hale Country This Morning, This Evening” composers Scott Alario, Forest Kelley and Alex Somers.
Also Read: 'Minding the Gap' Film Review: Powerful Doc Depicts Skateboarders In Transition to Adulthood
The award for the best music documentary also ended in a tie, between Steve Loveridge’s “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.” and Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!”
In its first year,...
- 12/9/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 34th Annual Ida Documentary Awards were handed out Saturday night at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles with Bing Liu’s Minding The Gap taking top honors in the Best Feature category.
Hosted by actress and producer Ricki Lake, the ceremony also honored Floyd Russ’s Zion as Best Short as well as Netflix’s Wild Wild Country which won for Best Limited Series.
Other winners for the evening included HBO’s John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls for the ABC News VideoSource Award, PBS’ Pov for Best Curated Series, Showtime’s The Trade for Best Episodic Series, Mel Films for Best Short Form Series, and Jayisha Patel’s Circle for the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award. The New York Times’ Caliphate won the inaugural Best Audio Documentary category.
In addition, the Career Achievement Award was presented to three-time Academy Award winner Julia Reichert and Ida...
Hosted by actress and producer Ricki Lake, the ceremony also honored Floyd Russ’s Zion as Best Short as well as Netflix’s Wild Wild Country which won for Best Limited Series.
Other winners for the evening included HBO’s John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls for the ABC News VideoSource Award, PBS’ Pov for Best Curated Series, Showtime’s The Trade for Best Episodic Series, Mel Films for Best Short Form Series, and Jayisha Patel’s Circle for the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award. The New York Times’ Caliphate won the inaugural Best Audio Documentary category.
In addition, the Career Achievement Award was presented to three-time Academy Award winner Julia Reichert and Ida...
- 12/9/2018
- by Erik Pedersen and Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Rookie filmmaker Bing Liu’s “Minding The Gap” beat out the competition to win top honors at the 34th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at the Paramount Theatre on Saturday night. The portrait of a group of skateboarders took home Best Feature, Emerging Filmmaker and Best Editing. Liu had accepted a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where the Pov film was acquired by Hulu.
Other winners include Floyd Russ’s “Zion” (Best Short), Netflix’s “Wild Wild Country” (Best Limited Series), HBO’s “John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls” (the ABC News VideoSource Award), PBS’ Pov (Best Curated Series), Showtime’s “The Trade” (Best Episodic Series), Mel Films (Best Short Form Series), and Jayisha Patel’s “Circle” (the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award). Both Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!” and Steve Loveridge’s “Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.” won Best Music Documentary,...
Other winners include Floyd Russ’s “Zion” (Best Short), Netflix’s “Wild Wild Country” (Best Limited Series), HBO’s “John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls” (the ABC News VideoSource Award), PBS’ Pov (Best Curated Series), Showtime’s “The Trade” (Best Episodic Series), Mel Films (Best Short Form Series), and Jayisha Patel’s “Circle” (the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award). Both Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!” and Steve Loveridge’s “Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.” won Best Music Documentary,...
- 12/9/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Rookie filmmaker Bing Liu’s “Minding The Gap” beat out the competition to win top honors at the 34th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at the Paramount Theatre on Saturday night. The portrait of a group of skateboarders took home Best Feature, Emerging Filmmaker and Best Editing. Liu had accepted a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where the Pov film was acquired by Hulu.
Other winners include Floyd Russ’s “Zion” (Best Short), Netflix’s “Wild Wild Country” (Best Limited Series), HBO’s “John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls” (the ABC News VideoSource Award), PBS’ Pov (Best Curated Series), Showtime’s “The Trade” (Best Episodic Series), Mel Films (Best Short Form Series), and Jayisha Patel’s “Circle” (the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award). Both Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!” and Steve Loveridge’s “Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.” won Best Music Documentary,...
Other winners include Floyd Russ’s “Zion” (Best Short), Netflix’s “Wild Wild Country” (Best Limited Series), HBO’s “John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls” (the ABC News VideoSource Award), PBS’ Pov (Best Curated Series), Showtime’s “The Trade” (Best Episodic Series), Mel Films (Best Short Form Series), and Jayisha Patel’s “Circle” (the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award). Both Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!” and Steve Loveridge’s “Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.” won Best Music Documentary,...
- 12/9/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Nominations for the European Film Academy Award were announced on Saturday (Nov. 10) at the Seville film festival in Spain. Four of the entries in this year’s Oscar race for Foreign-Language Film — Sweden’s “Border,” Poland’s “Cold War,” Italy’s “Dogman” and Belgium’s “Girl” — are up for Best Picture. The fifth nominee is “Happy as Lazzaro” from Germany (which submitted “Never Look Away” at the Oscars).
Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” leads with five nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Tomasz Kot), Actress (Joanna Kulig) and Screenplay. “Dogman” and “Border” have four nominations apiece as does “Happy as Lazzaro.”
Winners of the 31st edition of these awards will be decided by the 3,000 plus members of the academy, drawn from all parts of Europe. The ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 15 in Seville.
Last year Ruben Ostlund‘s satire “The Square” swept the EFAs with six wins including both Best Picture and Best Comedy.
Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” leads with five nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Tomasz Kot), Actress (Joanna Kulig) and Screenplay. “Dogman” and “Border” have four nominations apiece as does “Happy as Lazzaro.”
Winners of the 31st edition of these awards will be decided by the 3,000 plus members of the academy, drawn from all parts of Europe. The ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 15 in Seville.
Last year Ruben Ostlund‘s satire “The Square” swept the EFAs with six wins including both Best Picture and Best Comedy.
- 11/11/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
This year’s European Film Awards will be dominated by movies that won prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, with Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War,” Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman,” Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro,” Lukas Dhont’s “Girl” and Ali Abbasi’s “Border” all in the running for best picture.
A 1950s-set love story shot in black and white, “Cold War” world premiered in competition at Cannes, along with the crime thriller “Dogman” and magic parable “Happy as Lazzaro.” “Cold War” won the award for best director, “Dogman” for best actor and “Happy as Lazzaro” for screenplay.
“Girl,” a drama about a transgender teen who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer, world premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and won four awards, including the Golden Camera for best first film. “Border” also opened in Un Certain Regard and won the top prize. It follows a customs officer with an extraordinary sense of smell,...
A 1950s-set love story shot in black and white, “Cold War” world premiered in competition at Cannes, along with the crime thriller “Dogman” and magic parable “Happy as Lazzaro.” “Cold War” won the award for best director, “Dogman” for best actor and “Happy as Lazzaro” for screenplay.
“Girl,” a drama about a transgender teen who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer, world premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and won four awards, including the Golden Camera for best first film. “Border” also opened in Un Certain Regard and won the top prize. It follows a customs officer with an extraordinary sense of smell,...
- 11/11/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The nominations for the 2018 Efa awards were revealed at the Seville European Film Festival.
After winning best birector at Cannes Film Festival, Pawel Pawlikowski’s melodrama about love and modern European history leads the European Film Awards (Efa) nominations with five nods including for European film, director, actress (for Joanna Kulig), actor (for Tomasz Kot) and screenwriter (for Pawlikowski).
Cold War was followed closely by Dogman, Border and Happy As Lazzaro with four Efa nominations each. The latter three joined Cold War in being nominated for European film, director and screenwriter.
Like Pawlikowski, Rohrwacher was nominated on her own for Lazzaro’s screenplay,...
After winning best birector at Cannes Film Festival, Pawel Pawlikowski’s melodrama about love and modern European history leads the European Film Awards (Efa) nominations with five nods including for European film, director, actress (for Joanna Kulig), actor (for Tomasz Kot) and screenwriter (for Pawlikowski).
Cold War was followed closely by Dogman, Border and Happy As Lazzaro with four Efa nominations each. The latter three joined Cold War in being nominated for European film, director and screenwriter.
Like Pawlikowski, Rohrwacher was nominated on her own for Lazzaro’s screenplay,...
- 11/10/2018
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
The Cinema Eye Honors, which annually presents awards to “celebrate outstanding artistry and craft in nonfiction film,” has revealed its nominees in 10 categories, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature and Outstanding Nonfiction Short. Multiple nominees include Robert Greene’s ”Bisbee ‘17,” Sandi Tan’s “Shirkers,” and RaMell Ross’ ”Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” with five nods each. While Greene is a Cinema Eye Honors vet, both Tan and Ross are first-time filmmakers.
Another first-time filmmaker on the rise: Bing Liu, whose autobiographical skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” leads the nominees with a total of seven nominations. That’s good enough to put the newbie filmmaker into rarefied territory, tying his film with lauded documentaries like Louie Psihoyos’ ”The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s ”Last Train Home,” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir” for most Cinema Eye Honors nods ever. As Liu is a named nominee for six of those awards, he’s...
Another first-time filmmaker on the rise: Bing Liu, whose autobiographical skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” leads the nominees with a total of seven nominations. That’s good enough to put the newbie filmmaker into rarefied territory, tying his film with lauded documentaries like Louie Psihoyos’ ”The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s ”Last Train Home,” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir” for most Cinema Eye Honors nods ever. As Liu is a named nominee for six of those awards, he’s...
- 11/8/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,” an look at small-town American life through the lens of a group of skateboarder friends, led the 2018 Cinema Eye Honors nominations for nonfiction filmmaking Thursday.
The film, a Hulu original documentary, landed seven bids, for direction, editing, cinematography, original score, debut feature and the audience award, in addition to outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking, the organization’s top prize. It was also mentioned in the “Unforgettables” sidebar honoring the subjects of many of this year’s documentaries.
The seven-nomination haul was enough to match Cinema Eye’s record, held by Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s “Last Train Home” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir.”
The other nominees for outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking were “Bisbee ’17” (five nominations), “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (five nominations), “Of Fathers and Sons” (three nominations), “Three Identical Strangers” (three nominations) and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
The film, a Hulu original documentary, landed seven bids, for direction, editing, cinematography, original score, debut feature and the audience award, in addition to outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking, the organization’s top prize. It was also mentioned in the “Unforgettables” sidebar honoring the subjects of many of this year’s documentaries.
The seven-nomination haul was enough to match Cinema Eye’s record, held by Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s “Last Train Home” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir.”
The other nominees for outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking were “Bisbee ’17” (five nominations), “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (five nominations), “Of Fathers and Sons” (three nominations), “Three Identical Strangers” (three nominations) and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
- 11/8/2018
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
A total of 166 films have been submitted for consideration in the documentary feature category for the 91st Academy Awards.
Notable titles up for the gold include “Rbg,” “Three Identical Strangers,” “Free Solo” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” — which have performed strongly at the box office. Fred Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” has grossed $22.6 million domestically.
Nine of the 10 titles named as finalists for the International Documentary Association’s top feature are on the list, including “Crime + Punishment,” “Dark Money,” “Free Solo,” “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” “Minding the Gap,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “The Silence of Others,” “United Skates” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences noted that several of the 166 films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying runs. A shortlist of 15 movies will be announced on Dec. 17.
Nominations...
Notable titles up for the gold include “Rbg,” “Three Identical Strangers,” “Free Solo” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” — which have performed strongly at the box office. Fred Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” has grossed $22.6 million domestically.
Nine of the 10 titles named as finalists for the International Documentary Association’s top feature are on the list, including “Crime + Punishment,” “Dark Money,” “Free Solo,” “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” “Minding the Gap,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “The Silence of Others,” “United Skates” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences noted that several of the 166 films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying runs. A shortlist of 15 movies will be announced on Dec. 17.
Nominations...
- 11/8/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Last year, the Academy documentary branch had to grapple with a record 170 documentary feature submissions for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. This year, it’s not so bad: only 166 were entered. The short list of 15 will be announced, along with eight others for the first time on a single date this year: December 17.
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume until last month, when they received a batch of 77, with more to come. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. Give the advantage to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” “Rbg,” and “Three Identical Strangers,” as well as September’s list including critically hailed “Dark Money,...
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume until last month, when they received a batch of 77, with more to come. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. Give the advantage to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” “Rbg,” and “Three Identical Strangers,” as well as September’s list including critically hailed “Dark Money,...
- 11/8/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Last year, the Academy documentary branch had to grapple with a record 170 documentary feature submissions for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. This year, it’s not so bad: only 166 were entered. The short list of 15 will be announced, along with eight others for the first time on a single date this year: December 17.
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume until last month, when they received a batch of 77, with more to come. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. Give the advantage to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” “Rbg,” and “Three Identical Strangers,” as well as September’s list including critically hailed “Dark Money,...
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume until last month, when they received a batch of 77, with more to come. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. Give the advantage to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” “Rbg,” and “Three Identical Strangers,” as well as September’s list including critically hailed “Dark Money,...
- 11/8/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
A whopping 166 documentary features have been submitted to the academy for consideration at the 2019 Oscars. That is down by four from last year’s record 170 submissions. Among these contenders are all of the highest grossing documentaries of the year including “Free Solo,” “Rbg” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
To winnow the entries down to the 15 semi-finalists that will be announced on December 17, the academy is sending monthly packages of the newly eligible documentary feature screeners to all 400 or so members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. In late November, each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.
See 2019 Oscars: Foreign-language film entries from A (Afghanistan) to Y (Yemen)
All of these ballots will be collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members will then be...
To winnow the entries down to the 15 semi-finalists that will be announced on December 17, the academy is sending monthly packages of the newly eligible documentary feature screeners to all 400 or so members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. In late November, each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.
See 2019 Oscars: Foreign-language film entries from A (Afghanistan) to Y (Yemen)
All of these ballots will be collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members will then be...
- 11/8/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
In a year that has seen multiple documentaries find mainstream success, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the list of 166 docs that have been submitted for Oscar consideration this year.
Among the films on the list are Michael Moore’s anti-Trump polemic “Fahrenheit 11/9,” as well as CNN Films’ Ruth Bader Ginsburg biography “Rbg” and Focus’ Mister Rogers retrospective “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Other films considered frontrunners include “Three Identical Strangers,” the wild story of triplets who were separated at birth by a bizarre experiment, “Free Solo,” which documents the first ever attempt to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan without any climbing gear, and “Dark Money,” an investigative report into the influence of billionaires on American democracy through the lens of a Montana congressional race.
Also Read: Sorry, Oscar Documentary Voters: Your Workload Just Doubled
The contender field is slightly less than last year’s record field of 170 but does include,...
Among the films on the list are Michael Moore’s anti-Trump polemic “Fahrenheit 11/9,” as well as CNN Films’ Ruth Bader Ginsburg biography “Rbg” and Focus’ Mister Rogers retrospective “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Other films considered frontrunners include “Three Identical Strangers,” the wild story of triplets who were separated at birth by a bizarre experiment, “Free Solo,” which documents the first ever attempt to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan without any climbing gear, and “Dark Money,” an investigative report into the influence of billionaires on American democracy through the lens of a Montana congressional race.
Also Read: Sorry, Oscar Documentary Voters: Your Workload Just Doubled
The contender field is slightly less than last year’s record field of 170 but does include,...
- 11/8/2018
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Members of the Academy’s documentary branch received a generous gift from AMPAS on Friday: 77 new films that had qualified in this year’s Best Documentary Feature category.
And it turned what had been a modest year for docs — with a total of 83 films included in June, July, August and September groups — into one in which the number of eligible films that voters would need to watch nearly doubled.
The Academy also promised voters in the branch to expect a final batch of films in early November — which, if it hits double digits, will set a new record in the category.
Also Read: 'Free Solo' Leads Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Nominations
The previous high, set last year, was 170 films. With 160 already on the Oscar eligibility list and one additional (though likely small) batch yet to come, this year’s crop will give voters a lot of work to do before...
And it turned what had been a modest year for docs — with a total of 83 films included in June, July, August and September groups — into one in which the number of eligible films that voters would need to watch nearly doubled.
The Academy also promised voters in the branch to expect a final batch of films in early November — which, if it hits double digits, will set a new record in the category.
Also Read: 'Free Solo' Leads Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Nominations
The previous high, set last year, was 170 films. With 160 already on the Oscar eligibility list and one additional (though likely small) batch yet to come, this year’s crop will give voters a lot of work to do before...
- 10/27/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
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