Exclusive: MTV Documentary Films’ impressive slate of short films will debut on the Paramount+ streaming platform on Tuesday, a lineup that includes The ABCs of Book Banning, the directorial debut of documentary legend Sheila Nevins.
Nevins executive produces all five of the films joining Paramount+. In addition to her own film, co-directed by Trish Adlesic and Nazenet Habtezghi, the slate boasts Alive in Bronze: Huey P. Newton, about the artistic collaboration between sculptor Dana King and Fredrika Newton, widow of the Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Newton. The film chronicles their creation of a bust honoring Newton, for a monument in Oakland, Calif. where the Black Panther Party emerged.
The five shorts join a pair of award-winning features from MTV Documentary Films that premiered in recent days on Paramount+: Maite Alberdi’s Sundance winner The Eternal Memory and Pay or Die, directed by Rachael Dyer and Scott Alexander Ruderman,...
Nevins executive produces all five of the films joining Paramount+. In addition to her own film, co-directed by Trish Adlesic and Nazenet Habtezghi, the slate boasts Alive in Bronze: Huey P. Newton, about the artistic collaboration between sculptor Dana King and Fredrika Newton, widow of the Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Newton. The film chronicles their creation of a bust honoring Newton, for a monument in Oakland, Calif. where the Black Panther Party emerged.
The five shorts join a pair of award-winning features from MTV Documentary Films that premiered in recent days on Paramount+: Maite Alberdi’s Sundance winner The Eternal Memory and Pay or Die, directed by Rachael Dyer and Scott Alexander Ruderman,...
- 11/16/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
MSNBC Films is set to release a documentary looking at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration’s role in a 2022 migrant flight to Martha’s Vineyard.
Martha’s Vineyard v. DeSantis, which is executive produced by Trevor Noah, is set to premiere next month on MSNBC and Peacock. The doc, produced and directed by the Oscar-nominated duo David Heilbroner and Kate Davis (The Newburgh Sting, Traffic Stop), takes a look at the incident in September 2022 when the DeSantis administration rounded up 49 Venezuelan asylum seekers in San Antonio, Texas, and flew them by private plane to Massachusetts. The migrants have said that they were promised shelter, work, food and money in the form of a card once they arrived, but that turned out not to be true.
The official description: “Told in a personal, real-time narrative, the documentary interweaves the stories of four young migrant cousins fighting for justice, led...
Martha’s Vineyard v. DeSantis, which is executive produced by Trevor Noah, is set to premiere next month on MSNBC and Peacock. The doc, produced and directed by the Oscar-nominated duo David Heilbroner and Kate Davis (The Newburgh Sting, Traffic Stop), takes a look at the incident in September 2022 when the DeSantis administration rounded up 49 Venezuelan asylum seekers in San Antonio, Texas, and flew them by private plane to Massachusetts. The migrants have said that they were promised shelter, work, food and money in the form of a card once they arrived, but that turned out not to be true.
The official description: “Told in a personal, real-time narrative, the documentary interweaves the stories of four young migrant cousins fighting for justice, led...
- 9/14/2023
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” has its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.
In the era of the “authorized documentary,” whereby filmmakers get access to a living legend in exchange for a film that’s going to be almost unfailingly glowing, it’s incumbent upon documentarians to find some element of interest to take the place of scandal, criticism or provocation.
Thankfully, the makers of “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” have such a fascinating subject — and who gives interviews that are equal parts warm, self-deprecating, no-nonsense and unapologetic — that the movie almost never feels like a greatest-hits informercial. Warwick is one of the all-time great vocalists, yes, but she actively intersected her career with the world outside of show business, from the civil rights movement to the early years of the AIDS epidemic.
If the film teaches viewers under the age of 35 that Warwick is more...
In the era of the “authorized documentary,” whereby filmmakers get access to a living legend in exchange for a film that’s going to be almost unfailingly glowing, it’s incumbent upon documentarians to find some element of interest to take the place of scandal, criticism or provocation.
Thankfully, the makers of “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” have such a fascinating subject — and who gives interviews that are equal parts warm, self-deprecating, no-nonsense and unapologetic — that the movie almost never feels like a greatest-hits informercial. Warwick is one of the all-time great vocalists, yes, but she actively intersected her career with the world outside of show business, from the civil rights movement to the early years of the AIDS epidemic.
If the film teaches viewers under the age of 35 that Warwick is more...
- 2/3/2023
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Two musical icons are coming together to give fans a taste of heaven. During an appearance on “Tamron Hall”, Dionne Warwick revealed that she and country music legend Dolly Parton are coming together for a gospel duet.
“She sent me a song that she wanted me to record. And I said, ‘Ok, that sounds like a deal.’ And she’s such a sweetheart, I know her,” Warwick recalled. “And then she sent me another song, the one that we’re going to be doing as a duet. A gospel song called ‘Peace Like a River.’ She wrote it.”
“I am very excited about this, I really am. I’ve done so many duets over the years, but this one’s gonna be very special,” she added.
Hall noted the poignancy of Warwick and Parton working on a gospel song together, pointing out how Parton originally recorded the song “I Will Always Love You,...
“She sent me a song that she wanted me to record. And I said, ‘Ok, that sounds like a deal.’ And she’s such a sweetheart, I know her,” Warwick recalled. “And then she sent me another song, the one that we’re going to be doing as a duet. A gospel song called ‘Peace Like a River.’ She wrote it.”
“I am very excited about this, I really am. I’ve done so many duets over the years, but this one’s gonna be very special,” she added.
Hall noted the poignancy of Warwick and Parton working on a gospel song together, pointing out how Parton originally recorded the song “I Will Always Love You,...
- 1/4/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
"I'm a messenger - and I'm carrying messages of love and hope." Dogwoof has revealed the official trailer for a biopic documentary film titled Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over, from filmmakers David Heilbroner & Dave Wooley. This premiered at TIFF last year and it also screened at the Doc NYC and Santa Barbara Film Festivals. Set against a music world profoundly divided between black and white, Don't Make Me Over tells the dramatic story of Warwick's meteoric rise from New Jersey gospel choirs to international cross-over super stardom. The film chronicles the iconic singer Dionne Warwick's six-decade career in both music and Black and LGBTQ activism. The ultimate portrait of the legend, featuring an all star line up of appearances: Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Bill Clinton, Clive Davis, Gladys Knight, Cissy Houston, Elton John, Damon Elliott, Kenneth Cole, Snoop Dogg, Smokey Robinson. This looks like an uplifting, joyous doc.
- 10/18/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: CNN will be ringing in the New Year with a film on a music superstar.
CNN Films’ award-winning documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, directed by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, will premiere on CNN January 1, 2023 at 9 pm Et and Pt, broadcast with limited commercial interruption.
Warwick got her start singing in gospel groups with family members in New Jersey, and became a pop music sensation when she teamed with the songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, beginning with the 1962 song “Don’t Make Me Over.”
“Ms. Warwick’s own velvet-toned voice largely tells the story of her music and life for the film,” CNN Films noted in a release, “underscoring her creative and cultural legacies during six decades of an extraordinary career. The film explores her stunning range of musical styles and versatility.”
CNN Films added, “Her career has soared despite dramatic upheaval within a fickle industry,...
CNN Films’ award-winning documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, directed by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, will premiere on CNN January 1, 2023 at 9 pm Et and Pt, broadcast with limited commercial interruption.
Warwick got her start singing in gospel groups with family members in New Jersey, and became a pop music sensation when she teamed with the songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, beginning with the 1962 song “Don’t Make Me Over.”
“Ms. Warwick’s own velvet-toned voice largely tells the story of her music and life for the film,” CNN Films noted in a release, “underscoring her creative and cultural legacies during six decades of an extraordinary career. The film explores her stunning range of musical styles and versatility.”
CNN Films added, “Her career has soared despite dramatic upheaval within a fickle industry,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Every great singer has her own signature, and Dionne Warwick’s, in her defining period in the ’60s and ’70s, was the gorgeous wavery ethereal slowness of her vibrato. It allowed her to hit a note, sustain it with that beautiful wide tremolo, and invest it with a yearning that was pure enough to pierce you. You can hear it in her very first recording, “Don’t Make Me Over,” which is the first record she made of a song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, or in her first sublime recording, “Anyone Who Had a Heart” (1963), where she sings a line like “Anyone who had a heart, could look at me,/And know that I lov-v-v-e you…,” the last two words ringing out like bells, tied to each other by a curlicue of emotion. Warwick didn’t just sing the notes — she lofted them into the air, so that they floated into your heart.
- 3/9/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
One of California’s leading film festivals returns with a full slate of live screenings, industry panels and starry tributes, offering movie lovers a ray of sunshine in the gloom of Covid. The Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival (Sbiff) unspools March 2-12, for its 37th year via an in-person program. Although the fest adapted in 2021 to Covid health safety protocols and hosted drive-in screenings and virtual Q&a sessions, “This year will be closer to way things used to be,” promises executive director Roger Durling, who’s marking 20 years as the prestige West Coast fest’s executive director.
In all, the 200-film festival will host 95 U.S. premieres (62 features and 33 shorts) and 48 world premieres, including 21 feature films. “Being back in person, being at the festival, congregating and sharing opinions, it’s something we desperately missed,” says Durling of the Sbiff’s reawakening.
Festgoers will notice a major change to the...
In all, the 200-film festival will host 95 U.S. premieres (62 features and 33 shorts) and 48 world premieres, including 21 feature films. “Being back in person, being at the festival, congregating and sharing opinions, it’s something we desperately missed,” says Durling of the Sbiff’s reawakening.
Festgoers will notice a major change to the...
- 3/2/2022
- by Kathy A. McDonald
- Variety Film + TV
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Sbiff) has announced the full programming slate for its upcoming 2022 edition, consisting of 48 world premieres and 98 U.S. premieres.
“It brings us an unbridled joy to share our slate for this edition of Sbiff,” the festival’s executive director Roger Durling said in a statement. “After two years of incertitude, it feels good to know we can continue to count on film and the festival to give us a sense of comfort and continuity. We’re extremely proud of the offerings at the 37th fest.”
The festival, which spotlights independent and international film and regularly attracts around 100,000 attendees, will open with the U.S. premiere of “The Phantom of the Open” from director Craig Roberts. The comedy stars Mark Rylance as a man who entered the 1976 British Open despite having never played gold and subsequently shot the worst round of golf in the competition’s history,...
“It brings us an unbridled joy to share our slate for this edition of Sbiff,” the festival’s executive director Roger Durling said in a statement. “After two years of incertitude, it feels good to know we can continue to count on film and the festival to give us a sense of comfort and continuity. We’re extremely proud of the offerings at the 37th fest.”
The festival, which spotlights independent and international film and regularly attracts around 100,000 attendees, will open with the U.S. premiere of “The Phantom of the Open” from director Craig Roberts. The comedy stars Mark Rylance as a man who entered the 1976 British Open despite having never played gold and subsequently shot the worst round of golf in the competition’s history,...
- 2/10/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Tell-all documentary feature Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over is to be one of the first major films to launch on CNN+.
CNN Films struck a deal to acquire the highly-rated documentary for the streamer, which will launch in the Spring.
Debuting at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and launching for international sales at this week’s European Film Market, Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner’s documentary is a deeply personal portrait of the songstress, who became the first solo African American female artist to win a Grammy and went on to win five more.
The film yields insights into Warwick’s rise to music superstardom, from singing in her grandfather’s church, to her life beyond the lights standing up to discrimination in the U.S. and around the world. It features an emotional archive interview with Whitney Houston along with narration from Warwick, who visits key places from throughout her life.
CNN Films struck a deal to acquire the highly-rated documentary for the streamer, which will launch in the Spring.
Debuting at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and launching for international sales at this week’s European Film Market, Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner’s documentary is a deeply personal portrait of the songstress, who became the first solo African American female artist to win a Grammy and went on to win five more.
The film yields insights into Warwick’s rise to music superstardom, from singing in her grandfather’s church, to her life beyond the lights standing up to discrimination in the U.S. and around the world. It features an emotional archive interview with Whitney Houston along with narration from Warwick, who visits key places from throughout her life.
- 2/10/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
CNN Films has acquired the domestic rights to the music documentary about Dionne Warwick, “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over,” which first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.
Dave Wooley produced, directed and wrote the film about the “I Say a Little Prayer” singer, and David Heilbroner also directed.
“Don’t Make Me Over,” which is named for Warwick’s first debut single, will be among the first to premiere on the upcoming streaming platform CNN+, which is launching later this spring.
Warwick became the first solo African American female artist to win a Grammy in contemporary vocal performance for 1968’s “Do You Know The Way To San Jose.” And in the film, Warwick narrates some of her own archival footage and visits or describes other locations that have been key to her life and career, from East Orange, NJ to the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
Dave Wooley produced, directed and wrote the film about the “I Say a Little Prayer” singer, and David Heilbroner also directed.
“Don’t Make Me Over,” which is named for Warwick’s first debut single, will be among the first to premiere on the upcoming streaming platform CNN+, which is launching later this spring.
Warwick became the first solo African American female artist to win a Grammy in contemporary vocal performance for 1968’s “Do You Know The Way To San Jose.” And in the film, Warwick narrates some of her own archival footage and visits or describes other locations that have been key to her life and career, from East Orange, NJ to the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
- 2/10/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Mister Smith launches international sales this week.
CNN Films has acquired US streaming and broadcast rights to Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over and will set the documentary as one of the first films to premiere on its upcoming streaming service CNN+ which is scheduled to debut this spring.
Mister Smith handles international sales at the EFM this week on the film, co-directed by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, which explores the life of the legendary singer who broke racial and gender barriers to rise from her roots in New Jersey gospel choirs to attain global superstardom and continues to fight discrimination.
CNN Films has acquired US streaming and broadcast rights to Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over and will set the documentary as one of the first films to premiere on its upcoming streaming service CNN+ which is scheduled to debut this spring.
Mister Smith handles international sales at the EFM this week on the film, co-directed by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, which explores the life of the legendary singer who broke racial and gender barriers to rise from her roots in New Jersey gospel choirs to attain global superstardom and continues to fight discrimination.
- 2/10/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
MTV Documentary Films’ Hogir Hirori’s “Sabaya” and Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” will make their streaming debut on Paramount Plus today as the MTV ramps up its awards campaign for both.
Both feature docs are in the running for an Oscar nomination and will become available to stream today at 10 a.m. Pt on the ViacomCBS service formerly known as CBS All Access. The service is the streaming home for other MTV projects, including the Emmy-award winning doc “76 Days,” about Wuhan, China, on lockdown just after the Covid-19 pandemic first hit.
Sheila Nevins, a documentary powerhouse that now heads MTV Documentary Films, executive produced “Sabaya” and “Ascension.” She acquired “Sabaya” after the doc’s Sundance Film Festival premiere in January and “Ascension” following the film’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere in June.
Hirori’s “Sabaya,” which won the Sundance directing award in the World Cinema Documentary category, is about...
Both feature docs are in the running for an Oscar nomination and will become available to stream today at 10 a.m. Pt on the ViacomCBS service formerly known as CBS All Access. The service is the streaming home for other MTV projects, including the Emmy-award winning doc “76 Days,” about Wuhan, China, on lockdown just after the Covid-19 pandemic first hit.
Sheila Nevins, a documentary powerhouse that now heads MTV Documentary Films, executive produced “Sabaya” and “Ascension.” She acquired “Sabaya” after the doc’s Sundance Film Festival premiere in January and “Ascension” following the film’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere in June.
Hirori’s “Sabaya,” which won the Sundance directing award in the World Cinema Documentary category, is about...
- 11/15/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The 12th edition of Doc NYC kicks off today — exactly one month before the AMPAS documentary branch begins voting to determine the 2022 Oscar documentary shortlist.
The nine-day affair, which runs until Nov. 18, will feature over 125 short docus and 127 feature-length nonfiction films that will screen at New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theater and Cinépolis Chelsea. (The fest will be available online until Nov. 28)
Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G,” will serve as the opening night film while Matthew Heineman’s “The First Wave” will close the festival. Sam Pollard and Rex Miller’s “Citizen Ashe” and Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner’s “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” are both fest Centerpiece docs.
Festivities commence with the fest’s annual Visionaries Tribute Honoree luncheon at Gotham Hall. While kudos will be given to cinematographer Joan Churchill, Oscar nominated director Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”), Emmy Award-winning...
The nine-day affair, which runs until Nov. 18, will feature over 125 short docus and 127 feature-length nonfiction films that will screen at New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theater and Cinépolis Chelsea. (The fest will be available online until Nov. 28)
Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G,” will serve as the opening night film while Matthew Heineman’s “The First Wave” will close the festival. Sam Pollard and Rex Miller’s “Citizen Ashe” and Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner’s “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” are both fest Centerpiece docs.
Festivities commence with the fest’s annual Visionaries Tribute Honoree luncheon at Gotham Hall. While kudos will be given to cinematographer Joan Churchill, Oscar nominated director Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”), Emmy Award-winning...
- 11/10/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
With the grand in-person return of the New York Film Festival in the rearview mirror, New York’s fall festival season barrels on with Doc NYC, the largest documentary festival in the country. This year’s festival will return to in-person theatrical screenings, with virtual options and passes available as well. The 2021 lineup includes more than 120 feature-length documentaries, including 32 world premieres and 34 U.S. premieres. World premieres include films on figures such as NBA legend Kevin Garnett, recently passed rapper Dmx, rat pack crooner Dean Martin, and the late literary icon Kurt Vonnegut. They join previously announced titles on Kenny G and Dionne Warwick, as well as Matthew Heineman’s “The First Wave,” a penetrating look at the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City.
Doc NYC is also launching three new competitive sections this year: A U.S. Competition for new American nonfiction films, an International...
Doc NYC is also launching three new competitive sections this year: A U.S. Competition for new American nonfiction films, an International...
- 10/19/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Winner has earned Oscar best picture nomination in last 11 years.
Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast has won the 2021 TIFF People’s Choice audience award in a boost to its award season prospects.
Winners of the award have gone on to garner a best picture Oscar nomination in the past 11 years with last year’s Nomadland and some years prior Green Book and Slumdog Millionaire winning the ultimate prize. Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Jude Hill, Judi Dench and Ciarin Hinds star in Northern Ireland-born Branagh’s childhood memoir set during the onset of The Troubles.
‘Belfast’: Review
Scarborough from Shasha Nakhai...
Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast has won the 2021 TIFF People’s Choice audience award in a boost to its award season prospects.
Winners of the award have gone on to garner a best picture Oscar nomination in the past 11 years with last year’s Nomadland and some years prior Green Book and Slumdog Millionaire winning the ultimate prize. Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Jude Hill, Judi Dench and Ciarin Hinds star in Northern Ireland-born Branagh’s childhood memoir set during the onset of The Troubles.
‘Belfast’: Review
Scarborough from Shasha Nakhai...
- 9/19/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white drama “Belfast” has won the People’s Choice Award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF announced on Saturday.
The gentle drama, which is based on Branagh’s childhood growing up in Northern Ireland, won over Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson’s “Scarborough,” a story of three low-income children that finished second, and Jane Campion’s revisionist Western “The Power of the Dog,” which finished third.
In its review of the film from TIFF, TheWrap wrote, “Visually stunning, emotionally wrenching and gloriously human, ‘Belfast’ takes one short period from Branagh’s life and finds in it a coming-of-age story, a portrait of a city fracturing in an instant and a profoundly moving lament for what’s been lost during decades of strife in his homeland of Northern Ireland.”
Other films in competition for the award included “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and “The Guilty.
The gentle drama, which is based on Branagh’s childhood growing up in Northern Ireland, won over Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson’s “Scarborough,” a story of three low-income children that finished second, and Jane Campion’s revisionist Western “The Power of the Dog,” which finished third.
In its review of the film from TIFF, TheWrap wrote, “Visually stunning, emotionally wrenching and gloriously human, ‘Belfast’ takes one short period from Branagh’s life and finds in it a coming-of-age story, a portrait of a city fracturing in an instant and a profoundly moving lament for what’s been lost during decades of strife in his homeland of Northern Ireland.”
Other films in competition for the award included “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and “The Guilty.
- 9/18/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
As presented in the Dionne Warwick documentary “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over,” the Grammy Award-winning vocalist used her clout to call out Snoop Dogg and Suge Knight during a sit-down talk about the notable misogyny of some hip-hop lyrics.
“A lot of the things that were spewing out of their mouths were not necessary,” Warwick told TheWrap’s Beatrice Verhoeven in an interview during the Toronto International Film Festival in which she was joined by the film’s directors, Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner. She told the rappers that they should watch their words because some day they might be parents, and “‘One of those children might be a little girl,'” Warwick said she told them
“It gave them food for thought,” she said.
The encounter was just one example of what Warwick, 80, an outspoken activist for the AIDS crisis, described as a “straight up honesty” when...
“A lot of the things that were spewing out of their mouths were not necessary,” Warwick told TheWrap’s Beatrice Verhoeven in an interview during the Toronto International Film Festival in which she was joined by the film’s directors, Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner. She told the rappers that they should watch their words because some day they might be parents, and “‘One of those children might be a little girl,'” Warwick said she told them
“It gave them food for thought,” she said.
The encounter was just one example of what Warwick, 80, an outspoken activist for the AIDS crisis, described as a “straight up honesty” when...
- 9/15/2021
- by Diane Haithman
- The Wrap
Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over is an apt title for a documentary by David Heilbroner and Dave Wooley on the life of iconic singer and legend Dionne Warwick. She stands out from the other singing divas because her catalog is the most diverse. With her cross-genre appeal, her music touched all people, everywhere.
Gen Z knows Warwick based on her social media persona (as she’s called “Auntie Dionne” on Twitter), so this film couldn’t have come at a better time, as a new generation of youngsters will learn why she is iconic in every way. The film is at its most authentic when Warwick gets to tell her story in her own words–and she is having a blast doing so.
The documentary begins with a sweeping shot of the landmark Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. They intend to honor Warwick with a plaque on the Apollo Star Walk of Fame.
Gen Z knows Warwick based on her social media persona (as she’s called “Auntie Dionne” on Twitter), so this film couldn’t have come at a better time, as a new generation of youngsters will learn why she is iconic in every way. The film is at its most authentic when Warwick gets to tell her story in her own words–and she is having a blast doing so.
The documentary begins with a sweeping shot of the landmark Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. They intend to honor Warwick with a plaque on the Apollo Star Walk of Fame.
- 9/11/2021
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
In a year that’s seen Hollywood attempt to tell Aretha Franklin’s story twice, watching a documentary on Dionne Warwick is a breath of fresh air, not just because Warwick had a different musical trajectory but because there’s more focus on authenticity than imitation. “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” isn’t just a celebration of its subject, but of how her music inspired other Black entertainers. Directors David Heilbroner and Dave Wooley certainly understand their subject — Wooley is credited as a writer on an in-production biopic on Warwick — though .
Before she became the Queen of Twitter, Dionne Warwick was winning amateur night at the Apollo theater. This feat has been accomplished by only a few Black women and it immediately placed her among the greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday. It’s a moment that is returned to again and again throughout the...
Before she became the Queen of Twitter, Dionne Warwick was winning amateur night at the Apollo theater. This feat has been accomplished by only a few Black women and it immediately placed her among the greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday. It’s a moment that is returned to again and again throughout the...
- 9/11/2021
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
The queen of ornately melodic easy listening gets her due in Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner’s tribute to the singer who ensured that Burt Bacharach and Hal David would enter the canon of American songwriters. The kind of fluffy pop bio-doc one turns to not to learn anything but to bathe in warm nostalgia, the film clearly says nothing its subject doesn’t want said. (Wooley co-wrote Warwick’s autobiography and her children’s book Say A Little Prayer.) But it contains enough enjoyable anecdotes to keep fans happy, and, devoting much of its final third to nonmusical ...
- 9/11/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The queen of ornately melodic easy listening gets her due in Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner’s tribute to the singer who ensured that Burt Bacharach and Hal David would enter the canon of American songwriters. The kind of fluffy pop bio-doc one turns to not to learn anything but to bathe in warm nostalgia, the film clearly says nothing its subject doesn’t want said. (Wooley co-wrote Warwick’s autobiography and her children’s book Say A Little Prayer.) But it contains enough enjoyable anecdotes to keep fans happy, and, devoting much of its final third to nonmusical ...
- 9/11/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
This year’s scaled-down Toronto Intl. Film Festival gets underway Sept. 9 with 14 non-fiction films in the lineup – a sizable reduction from the average of 22 in non-covid outings.
Thom Powers, lead TIFF documentary programmer, winnowed down the list from 800 submissions, looking for films that “took him by surprise,” as he always does. But with fewer slots to work with, Powers admits that “the bar was set higher” for selections this year.
So, what bowled him over? Stories about the devastating fires in Australia (Eva Orner’s “Burning”); the largest prison uprising in U.S. history (Stanley Nelson’s “Attica”); and New York City’s longest hostage siege.
Several of his choices have screened at other major film festivals: Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee,” about a refugee who fled Afghanistan as a boy, will screen at TIFF after being an official selection of Cannes 2020 and having a world premiere at Sundance in January.
Thom Powers, lead TIFF documentary programmer, winnowed down the list from 800 submissions, looking for films that “took him by surprise,” as he always does. But with fewer slots to work with, Powers admits that “the bar was set higher” for selections this year.
So, what bowled him over? Stories about the devastating fires in Australia (Eva Orner’s “Burning”); the largest prison uprising in U.S. history (Stanley Nelson’s “Attica”); and New York City’s longest hostage siege.
Several of his choices have screened at other major film festivals: Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee,” about a refugee who fled Afghanistan as a boy, will screen at TIFF after being an official selection of Cannes 2020 and having a world premiere at Sundance in January.
- 9/8/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The Toronto International Film Festival announced that Dionne Warwick and Danis Goulet will be honored at the TIFF Tribute Awards on Sept. 18.
Warwick, the famed singer of “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Walk on By,” will receive the Special Tribute Award. She is the subject of “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over,” a new documentary by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner that will premiere at TIFF in the TIFF Docs section.
Goulet, who directed “Night Raiders,” a Taika Waititi-backed science fiction film about a Cree woman resisting a military government, will receive the TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented by L’Oréal Paris and supported by MGM. “Night Raiders” will have its North American premiere at the festival, screening as a gala presentation.
“We are excited to be announcing a music industry icon, alongside an exceptional emerging talent,” said Joana Vicente, executive director and co-head of TIFF. “A legend in her own right,...
Warwick, the famed singer of “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Walk on By,” will receive the Special Tribute Award. She is the subject of “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over,” a new documentary by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner that will premiere at TIFF in the TIFF Docs section.
Goulet, who directed “Night Raiders,” a Taika Waititi-backed science fiction film about a Cree woman resisting a military government, will receive the TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented by L’Oréal Paris and supported by MGM. “Night Raiders” will have its North American premiere at the festival, screening as a gala presentation.
“We are excited to be announcing a music industry icon, alongside an exceptional emerging talent,” said Joana Vicente, executive director and co-head of TIFF. “A legend in her own right,...
- 8/26/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
The Toronto Film Festival will honor music icon and activist Dionne Warwick with a special tribute award at the festival’s TIFF Tribute Awards gala next month.
The award will come as the documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over receives a world premiere at TIFF. The film, by directors Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, recounts Warwick’s six-decade career in both pop music and Black and LGBTQ activism.
Warwick is a former goodwill ambassador for the Un’s Food and Agriculture Organization, and worked early as an artist to heighten public awareness of the AIDS epidemic. And Cree/Metis filmmaker Danis Goulet will receive ...
The award will come as the documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over receives a world premiere at TIFF. The film, by directors Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, recounts Warwick’s six-decade career in both pop music and Black and LGBTQ activism.
Warwick is a former goodwill ambassador for the Un’s Food and Agriculture Organization, and worked early as an artist to heighten public awareness of the AIDS epidemic. And Cree/Metis filmmaker Danis Goulet will receive ...
- 8/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Toronto Film Festival will honor music icon and activist Dionne Warwick with a special tribute award at the festival’s TIFF Tribute Awards gala next month.
The award will come as the documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over receives a world premiere at TIFF. The film, by directors Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, recounts Warwick’s six-decade career in both pop music and Black and LGBTQ activism.
Warwick is a former goodwill ambassador for the Un’s Food and Agriculture Organization, and worked early as an artist to heighten public awareness of the AIDS epidemic. And Cree/Metis filmmaker Danis Goulet will receive ...
The award will come as the documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over receives a world premiere at TIFF. The film, by directors Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, recounts Warwick’s six-decade career in both pop music and Black and LGBTQ activism.
Warwick is a former goodwill ambassador for the Un’s Food and Agriculture Organization, and worked early as an artist to heighten public awareness of the AIDS epidemic. And Cree/Metis filmmaker Danis Goulet will receive ...
- 8/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
TIFF 2021 Lineup: ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ ‘Tammy Faye,’ ‘Titane,’ ‘Last Night in Soho,’ ‘Flee,’ and More
Updated August 11 With New Additions Below.
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival has an opener: Stephen Chbosky’s feature-film adaptation of the Tony Award–winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” will serve as the Opening Night Gala Presentation at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival and will screen Thursday September 9 at Roy Thomson Hall. Starring Tony winner Ben Platt as Evan, along with Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, and Nik Dodani, “Dear Evan Hansen” features songs from the original Broadway sensation.
The festival has also announced its closer, Zhang Yimou’s “One Second,” billed as “a love letter to movies and a reminder of how they can unite people, regardless of our differences,” along with a robust series of additions to both the Galas and Special Presentations slates, joining a list of already-announced titles. Standout films include the world premiere of Michael Showalter’s Jessica Chastain-...
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival has an opener: Stephen Chbosky’s feature-film adaptation of the Tony Award–winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” will serve as the Opening Night Gala Presentation at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival and will screen Thursday September 9 at Roy Thomson Hall. Starring Tony winner Ben Platt as Evan, along with Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, and Nik Dodani, “Dear Evan Hansen” features songs from the original Broadway sensation.
The festival has also announced its closer, Zhang Yimou’s “One Second,” billed as “a love letter to movies and a reminder of how they can unite people, regardless of our differences,” along with a robust series of additions to both the Galas and Special Presentations slates, joining a list of already-announced titles. Standout films include the world premiere of Michael Showalter’s Jessica Chastain-...
- 8/11/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
BenedictionThe lineup has been unveiled for the 2021 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place over 10 days (September 9-18) both in-person and physically in Toronto, and digitally across Canada. Wavelengths - FEATURESFutura (Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi, Alice Rohrwacher)The Girl and the Spider (Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher)Neptune Frost (Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman)A Night of Knowing Nothing (Payal Kapadia)Ste. Anne (Rhayne Vermette)The Tsugua Diaries (Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes)Wavelengths - SHORTSThe Capacity for Adequate Anger (Vika Kirchenbauer)Dear Chantal (Querida Chantal) (Nicolás Pereda)earthearthearth (Daïchi Saïto)Inner Outer Space (Laida Lertxundi)Polycephaly in D (Michael Robinson)“The red filter is withdrawn.” (Minjung Kim)Train Again (Peter Tscherkassky)Midnight Madness After Blue (Dirty Paradise) (Bertrand Mandico)Dashcam (Rob Savage)Saloum (Jean Luc Herbulot)Titane (Julia Ducournau)You Are Not My Mother (Kate Dolan)Zalava (Arsalan Amiri)TIFF DOCSAttica (Stanley Nelson)Beba (Rebeca Huntt)Becoming Cousteau...
- 8/4/2021
- MUBI
Festival will open with Stephen Chbosky’s ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.
The world premiere of Stephen Chbosky’s musical adaptation Dear Evan Hansen will open 2021 Toronto International film Festival, which runs from September 9-18.
Playing as a Gala Presentation, the film is one of 20 additions to the programme, alongside the North American premiere of Zhang Yimou’s One Second as the closing night film. Shortly after the line-up announcement, Neon said it had acquired the film for North America.
Other newly-announced Gala Presentation world premieres include Walt Becker’s Clifford The Big Red Dog; and Barry Levinson’s The Survivor starring Ben Foster.
The world premiere of Stephen Chbosky’s musical adaptation Dear Evan Hansen will open 2021 Toronto International film Festival, which runs from September 9-18.
Playing as a Gala Presentation, the film is one of 20 additions to the programme, alongside the North American premiere of Zhang Yimou’s One Second as the closing night film. Shortly after the line-up announcement, Neon said it had acquired the film for North America.
Other newly-announced Gala Presentation world premieres include Walt Becker’s Clifford The Big Red Dog; and Barry Levinson’s The Survivor starring Ben Foster.
- 7/20/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Festival will open with Stephen Chbosky’s ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.
The world premiere of Stephen Chbosky’s musical adaptation Dear Evan Hansen will open 2021 Toronto International film Festival, which runs from September 9-18.
Playing as a Gala Presentation, the film is one of 20 additions to the programme, alongside the North American premiere of Zhang Yimou’s One Second as the closing night film. Shortly after the line-up announcement, Neon said it had acquired the film for North America.
Other newly-announced Gala Presentation world premieres include Walt Becker’s Clifford The Big Red Dog; and Barry Levinson’s The Survivor starring Ben Foster.
The world premiere of Stephen Chbosky’s musical adaptation Dear Evan Hansen will open 2021 Toronto International film Festival, which runs from September 9-18.
Playing as a Gala Presentation, the film is one of 20 additions to the programme, alongside the North American premiere of Zhang Yimou’s One Second as the closing night film. Shortly after the line-up announcement, Neon said it had acquired the film for North America.
Other newly-announced Gala Presentation world premieres include Walt Becker’s Clifford The Big Red Dog; and Barry Levinson’s The Survivor starring Ben Foster.
- 7/20/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Taking place September 9-18, Toronto International Film Festival will feature a mix of in-person as well as digital screenings. On the heels of an initial lineup announcement that included Terence Davies’ Benediction, Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, and more, they’ve now unveiled more of their slate.
Featuring 2021 festival highlights from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Mia Hansen-Løve, Céline Sciamma, and Joachim Trier, the lineup also includes Michael Showalter’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Michael Pearce’s Riz Ahmed-led Encounter (pictured above), Phillip Noyce’s Lakewood, Mélanie Laurent’s The Mad Women’s Ball, Zhang Yimou’s One Second, Fabrice du Welz’s Inexorable, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2021
*previously announced
*Belfast Kenneth Branagh | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Clifford the Big Red Dog Walt Becker | USA/United Kingdom/Canada
World Premiere
.Opening Night Film.
Dear Evan Hansen Stephen Chbosky | USA
World Premiere
The Electrical...
Featuring 2021 festival highlights from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Mia Hansen-Løve, Céline Sciamma, and Joachim Trier, the lineup also includes Michael Showalter’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Michael Pearce’s Riz Ahmed-led Encounter (pictured above), Phillip Noyce’s Lakewood, Mélanie Laurent’s The Mad Women’s Ball, Zhang Yimou’s One Second, Fabrice du Welz’s Inexorable, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2021
*previously announced
*Belfast Kenneth Branagh | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Clifford the Big Red Dog Walt Becker | USA/United Kingdom/Canada
World Premiere
.Opening Night Film.
Dear Evan Hansen Stephen Chbosky | USA
World Premiere
The Electrical...
- 7/20/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Toronto Film Festival organizers declared two weeks ago they will be welcoming back in-person audiences for a fest that will run from September 9-18. This after Canada made an exemption to allow for the National Hockey League playoffs to happen in country, and more recently that the Toronto Blue Jays will resume playing in the ballpark on Blue Jay Way by the end of the month. The fest also allowed fans to wet their beaks with a few films that were set.
On Tuesday morning, Tff unveiled its first big batch of premieres and galas. Co-heads Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey have set Dear Evan Hansen at the Opening Night Gala Presentation, with the Stephen Chbosky-directed adaptation of the Broadway hit to premiere September 9 at Roy Thomson Hall.
The festival will close with the Zhang Yimou-directed One Second. That film was originally due to play in 2019 Berlinale, but was...
On Tuesday morning, Tff unveiled its first big batch of premieres and galas. Co-heads Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey have set Dear Evan Hansen at the Opening Night Gala Presentation, with the Stephen Chbosky-directed adaptation of the Broadway hit to premiere September 9 at Roy Thomson Hall.
The festival will close with the Zhang Yimou-directed One Second. That film was originally due to play in 2019 Berlinale, but was...
- 7/20/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
With Theodore Melfi’s The Starling and Antoine Fuqua’s The Guilty among the thirteen titles that the Toronto International Film Festival have unveiled today we can confirm that Netflix are back on the film festival circuit curriculum. Another hybrid event, the 46th Edition will be a one hundred title edition with a return to some sort of industry component as they’ve programmed acquisition items such as Philip Noyce’s Lakewood and Terence Davies’ Benediction. Among the world preem offerings (to be confirmed once Telluride and Venice finalizes their picks) they’ve included Mélanie Laurent’s Le Bal des Folles, Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, Eric Warin and Tahir Rana’s Charlotte and a pair of musician based docus in Dave Wooley & David Heilbroner’s Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over and Alison Klayman’s Jagged.…...
- 6/23/2021
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
While all sights are focused on Cannes Film Festival over the next month, the fall festival corner is right around the corner. Toronto International Film Festival is now first out of the gate with their initial selections and details on the festival. Taking place September 9-18, they’ve unveiled several ticket options are available to audiences, from single film tickets for in-person screenings to packages for digital film screenings that allow access for up to 20 digital films. They’ll also hold screenings across cities in Canada, with more details to be announced.
As for the films, they’ve unveiled that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, after premiering at Venice, will come to TIFF. Also in the lineup is Le Bal des Folles directed by Mélanie Laurent (France) from Amazon Studios, Benediction, directed by Terence Davies (United Kingdom) from Bankside Films, Belfast, from director Kenneth Branagh (United Kingdom) from Focus Features, Charlotte,...
As for the films, they’ve unveiled that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, after premiering at Venice, will come to TIFF. Also in the lineup is Le Bal des Folles directed by Mélanie Laurent (France) from Amazon Studios, Benediction, directed by Terence Davies (United Kingdom) from Bankside Films, Belfast, from director Kenneth Branagh (United Kingdom) from Focus Features, Charlotte,...
- 6/23/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
New works by Kenneth Branagh, Edgar Wright, and Céline Sciamma will screen at the 2021 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. In addition, the festival will also host a special presentation of “Dune,” the big-budget adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science-fiction novel that is set to have its world premiere at this summer’s Venice Film Festival.
Branagh’s “Belfast,” a coming-of-age story that follows a young boy in Northern Ireland growing up amidst the political tumult of the 1960s; Wright’s twisty horror film “Last Night in Soho”; and Sciamma’s “Petite Maman,” her follow-up to 2019’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” are among the films tapped for the festival’s official selection. Other notable features that will make the trip to Canada include HBO’s Alanis Morissette documentary “Jagged,” which is directed by Alison Klayman, and “The Starling,” an off-beat comedy-drama directed by Theodore Melfi that stars...
Branagh’s “Belfast,” a coming-of-age story that follows a young boy in Northern Ireland growing up amidst the political tumult of the 1960s; Wright’s twisty horror film “Last Night in Soho”; and Sciamma’s “Petite Maman,” her follow-up to 2019’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” are among the films tapped for the festival’s official selection. Other notable features that will make the trip to Canada include HBO’s Alanis Morissette documentary “Jagged,” which is directed by Alison Klayman, and “The Starling,” an off-beat comedy-drama directed by Theodore Melfi that stars...
- 6/23/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Special IMAX screening event for Dune.
The 46th edition of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will return from September 9-18 with in-person screenings at indoor and outdoor venues, as it emerged this week that Ontario is ahead of schedule to enter the final stage of economic reopening.
The festival says it has programmed more than 100 films and that they will be unveiled in the next three weeks. It teased 12 selections including Edgar Wright’s Last Night In Soho (UK) from Focus Features Danis Goulet’s Night Riders (Canada-New Zealand) from Elevation Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films, and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast (UK), also from Focus.
The 46th edition of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will return from September 9-18 with in-person screenings at indoor and outdoor venues, as it emerged this week that Ontario is ahead of schedule to enter the final stage of economic reopening.
The festival says it has programmed more than 100 films and that they will be unveiled in the next three weeks. It teased 12 selections including Edgar Wright’s Last Night In Soho (UK) from Focus Features Danis Goulet’s Night Riders (Canada-New Zealand) from Elevation Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films, and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast (UK), also from Focus.
- 6/23/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced its first wave of films for its 2021 lineup, and new movies by Kenneth Branagh, Céline Sciamma, Ted Melfi and Edgar Wright are among the nine films announced on Wednesday.
Among those films as part of the festival’s official selection are Branagh’s “Belfast,” “Charlotte,” directed by Eric Warin and Tahir Rana, Wright’s “Last Night in Soho,” Sciamma’s “Petite Maman,” “Night Raiders,” directed by Danis Goulet, “Lakewood” directed by Philip Noyce and “The Starling” directed by Melfi.
Also included are two new music documentaries, “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” as directed by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, and “Jagged,” a documentary about Alanis Morissette that’s directed by Alison Klayman and headed to HBO.
Denis Villeneuve’s epic “Dune” will also premiere at the festival as part of a special event on an IMAX screen at the Cinesphere Theatre at Ontario Place.
Among those films as part of the festival’s official selection are Branagh’s “Belfast,” “Charlotte,” directed by Eric Warin and Tahir Rana, Wright’s “Last Night in Soho,” Sciamma’s “Petite Maman,” “Night Raiders,” directed by Danis Goulet, “Lakewood” directed by Philip Noyce and “The Starling” directed by Melfi.
Also included are two new music documentaries, “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” as directed by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, and “Jagged,” a documentary about Alanis Morissette that’s directed by Alison Klayman and headed to HBO.
Denis Villeneuve’s epic “Dune” will also premiere at the festival as part of a special event on an IMAX screen at the Cinesphere Theatre at Ontario Place.
- 6/23/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
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In honor of Pride Month, we put together a collection of documentaries that explore some of the many challenges faced by the LGBTQ community, and the ongoing fight for equality. From the Stonewall Uprising, to the oldest lesbian bar in the United States, the films listed shed a light on the lives of gays, lesbians, and trans people, while showing the evolution of the Gay Rights Movement. Below, find 10 documentary films that you can rent (or buy) on Amazon Prime Video. If you’re not already an Amazon Prime member, you can joint today for free (the membership will cost you $12.99 a month after a free 30-day trial). For more LGBTQ content check...
In honor of Pride Month, we put together a collection of documentaries that explore some of the many challenges faced by the LGBTQ community, and the ongoing fight for equality. From the Stonewall Uprising, to the oldest lesbian bar in the United States, the films listed shed a light on the lives of gays, lesbians, and trans people, while showing the evolution of the Gay Rights Movement. Below, find 10 documentary films that you can rent (or buy) on Amazon Prime Video. If you’re not already an Amazon Prime member, you can joint today for free (the membership will cost you $12.99 a month after a free 30-day trial). For more LGBTQ content check...
- 6/12/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
The late Sandra Bland was an activist primed for the social media age. In a series of videos that attracted a significant following, the telegenic young African-American woman spoke out on thorny issues of race and injustice in America, and supported the aspirations of an audience she addressed directly as “my kings and queens.”
What led to her death at age 28 seems, in a disturbing way, almost inescapable—to be caught up, arguably, in the very machinery of racial bias that she had called out in life.
“She was educated, she was passionate about issues. She wanted to make an impact,” declares David Heilbroner, co-director with Kate Davis of the HBO documentary Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, now in contention for Emmy nominations. “We came to think of her almost like a Rosa Parks. She wouldn’t go to the back of the bus.”
In her videos,...
What led to her death at age 28 seems, in a disturbing way, almost inescapable—to be caught up, arguably, in the very machinery of racial bias that she had called out in life.
“She was educated, she was passionate about issues. She wanted to make an impact,” declares David Heilbroner, co-director with Kate Davis of the HBO documentary Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, now in contention for Emmy nominations. “We came to think of her almost like a Rosa Parks. She wouldn’t go to the back of the bus.”
In her videos,...
- 5/6/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Sandra Bland went viral after dashboard camera footage showed state trooper Brian Encinia pulling her over for failing to signal while driving, and ultimately threatening to “light [her] up” and trying to pull her out of the car. But well before that 2015 incident, which ultimately led to her dying under mysterious circumstances in a jail cell, she was using social media to empower and educate. That is why filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, who directed “Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland,” wanted to start their documentary about her with one of her own videos.
In a piece that Bland originally shared on her Instagram account, she opens “Say Her Name” by saying, “Today #SandySpeaks is going to talk about white people.” It is a moment, Heilbroner points out, that often gets a laugh from the audience because it’s “an immediate disarming, witty side” of the woman.
In a piece that Bland originally shared on her Instagram account, she opens “Say Her Name” by saying, “Today #SandySpeaks is going to talk about white people.” It is a moment, Heilbroner points out, that often gets a laugh from the audience because it’s “an immediate disarming, witty side” of the woman.
- 11/30/2018
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
The Traverse City Film Festival is celebrating its 14th year in 2018 by bringing together some of the year’s best indies and documentaries, plus classics from Jonathan Demme, Hal Ashby, and more. The Michigan-set festival, backed by Michael Moore, is being run in 2018 by directors Susan Fisher and Meg Weichman, who have worked on the festival for nearly a decade and have been at the helm since December.
Tickets for this year’s edition will go on sale to the public on Saturday, July 21 (click here for the official festival website). Friends of the Film Festival will be able to get early access to tickets with advance sales starting Sunday, July 15.
The full lineup for the 2018 Traverse City Film Festival is below.
Opening Night: “Rbg”
Centerpiece: “Hearts Beat Loud”
Closing Night: “Burden”
Open Space
“Stop Making Sense,” Jonathan Demme
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” Jake Kasdan
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich
“Black Panther,...
Tickets for this year’s edition will go on sale to the public on Saturday, July 21 (click here for the official festival website). Friends of the Film Festival will be able to get early access to tickets with advance sales starting Sunday, July 15.
The full lineup for the 2018 Traverse City Film Festival is below.
Opening Night: “Rbg”
Centerpiece: “Hearts Beat Loud”
Closing Night: “Burden”
Open Space
“Stop Making Sense,” Jonathan Demme
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” Jake Kasdan
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich
“Black Panther,...
- 6/29/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Arrested and charged with a felony assault simply for bruising the fragile ego of Waller County, Texas officer Brian Encinia, Sandra Bland would later end up dead in an alleged suicide in an empty back corner holding cell in county lock-up. The details of her mysterious death, as detailed by an independent autopsy, still prove to be inconclusive as noted: there’s no DNA on the plastic garbage liner used in the hanging nor did this particular corner have cameras and proper monitoring.
Kate Davis and David Heilbroner’s Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland provides more questions than answers on the circumstance of her death, but also gives a sketch of her life as a young woman finding herself in a series of entry-level jobs in Chicago after college. A graduate of Waller County’s Prairie View A&M University, an Hbcu, she finds herself...
Kate Davis and David Heilbroner’s Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland provides more questions than answers on the circumstance of her death, but also gives a sketch of her life as a young woman finding herself in a series of entry-level jobs in Chicago after college. A graduate of Waller County’s Prairie View A&M University, an Hbcu, she finds herself...
- 5/5/2018
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
One of the most galvanizing episodes in this generation's civil rights struggle, the brutal arrest and question-raising death of activist Sandra Bland, is poignantly explored in David Heilbroner and Kate Davis' Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland. Hitting Tribeca alongside the first episode of a Trayvon Martin docuseries and other race-conscious docs, the film is not as effective in its storytelling as the duo's previous Tribeca entry, 2014's The Newburgh Sting. But it captures the controversy emotionally enough to move audiences on the fest circuit and, when it airs on HBO later this year, should revive...
- 5/2/2018
- by John DeFore
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Frank Wuterich, Sandra Bland and Rachel Dolezal captured the attention of the country for weeks, sometimes months, only to eventually be eclipsed by fresher faces in the news.
But documentary filmmakers couldn’t forget their stories – or those of other news makers. So they decided to investigate further, peeling back the proverbial onion on stories that had once been under a short-term microscope. The result is seven documentaries at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival that explore the truths, the lies and the aftermath of stories we thought that we knew.
Michael Epstein got the idea to make “House Two” 12 years ago when he read about the 2005 Haditha, Iraq, massacre, where U.S. Marines killed 24 unarmed Iraqi men, women, and children — some of them at close range inside a small bedroom.
“I began working on this film when the massacre was a part of media diet,” Epstein says. “I thought I...
But documentary filmmakers couldn’t forget their stories – or those of other news makers. So they decided to investigate further, peeling back the proverbial onion on stories that had once been under a short-term microscope. The result is seven documentaries at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival that explore the truths, the lies and the aftermath of stories we thought that we knew.
Michael Epstein got the idea to make “House Two” 12 years ago when he read about the 2005 Haditha, Iraq, massacre, where U.S. Marines killed 24 unarmed Iraqi men, women, and children — some of them at close range inside a small bedroom.
“I began working on this film when the massacre was a part of media diet,” Epstein says. “I thought I...
- 4/18/2018
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The 2018 Academy Awards took place on March 4 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The 90th annual ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The full list of winners is below.
Supporting Actor:
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Makeup and Hair:
“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick
“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten
Costume Design:
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges
“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle
Best Documentary Feature:
“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman
“Faces Places,” Jr, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen
“Strong Island,...
Supporting Actor:
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Makeup and Hair:
“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick
“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten
Costume Design:
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges
“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle
Best Documentary Feature:
“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman
“Faces Places,” Jr, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen
“Strong Island,...
- 3/5/2018
- by William Earl
- Indiewire
In the midst of ongoing tensions between parts of the African-American community and law enforcement, Kate Davis and David Heilbroner seek to tell one person’s story of how they were affected by this. The result is the short documentary “Traffic Stop” (now viewable on HBO) which is one of this year’s nominees at the Oscars for Best Documentary Short.
While this marks the first nomination for both Davis and Heilbroner, Davis is no stranger to accolades. She won the Grand Jury Prize (Documentary) at Sundance in 2001 for “Southern Comfort” and won an Emmy for Best Directing for Nonfiction Programming in 2004 for the HBO doc, “Jockey.”
The film focuses on Breaion King and her arrest in June of 2015 in Austin, Texas. King, 26, was driving from Texas State University, where she was working on her Master’s degree, to a summer camp where she worked as an art teacher when...
While this marks the first nomination for both Davis and Heilbroner, Davis is no stranger to accolades. She won the Grand Jury Prize (Documentary) at Sundance in 2001 for “Southern Comfort” and won an Emmy for Best Directing for Nonfiction Programming in 2004 for the HBO doc, “Jockey.”
The film focuses on Breaion King and her arrest in June of 2015 in Austin, Texas. King, 26, was driving from Texas State University, where she was working on her Master’s degree, to a summer camp where she worked as an art teacher when...
- 2/28/2018
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
It’s a close race between “Edith+Eddie” and “Heroin(e),” but the former is slightly more moving and that may be enough. [Posted Feb. 19]
1. “Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright
2. “Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon
3. “Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel
4. “Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
5. “Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner
Current predictions:
Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Director
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing
Cinematography
Production Design
Original Score
Best Song
Costumes
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing
Documentary
Foreign Language Film
Animated Feature Film
Makeup and Hairstyling
Visual Effects
Documentary Short
Live Action Short
Animated Short...
1. “Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright
2. “Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon
3. “Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel
4. “Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
5. “Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner
Current predictions:
Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Director
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing
Cinematography
Production Design
Original Score
Best Song
Costumes
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing
Documentary
Foreign Language Film
Animated Feature Film
Makeup and Hairstyling
Visual Effects
Documentary Short
Live Action Short
Animated Short...
- 2/20/2018
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are set to reveal the nominations for the 90th Academy Awards in all 24 categories this morning. Films such as “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” are expected to earn multiple nominations this year following big wins at the Golden Globes and Critic Choice Awards.
Click here to watch the nominations announcement live. Nominations will be updated live below as they are announced.
Best Picture
“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour”
“Dunkirk”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Phantom Thread”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Best Director
Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water
Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Phantom Thread”
Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird”
Jordan Peele, “Get Out”
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya “Get Out”
Gary Oldman “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington “Roman J.
Click here to watch the nominations announcement live. Nominations will be updated live below as they are announced.
Best Picture
“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour”
“Dunkirk”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Phantom Thread”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Best Director
Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water
Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Phantom Thread”
Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird”
Jordan Peele, “Get Out”
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya “Get Out”
Gary Oldman “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington “Roman J.
- 1/23/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
David Garrett to show footage in Cannes; film currently in post.
Mister Smith Entertainment has acquired international sales rights in the run-up to Cannes to Don’t Make Me Over.
Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner are directing the documentary about the legendary singer who broke racial and gender barriers and rose from her roots in New Jersey gospel choirs to attain global superstardom.
Wooley also wrote the screenplay and is a music industry entrepreneur who has produced and directed television and tours and concerts for Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Bb King, James Brown, and Queen Latifah.
Mister Smith CEO David Garrett will unveil footage to Don’t Make Me Over on the Croisette. The project is currently in post and features untold stories from former Us President Bill Clinton, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Clive Davis, Gladys Knight, Cissy Houston, Smokey Robinson, and others.
The film will feature such Warwick hits as Walk On By, Do You Know...
Mister Smith Entertainment has acquired international sales rights in the run-up to Cannes to Don’t Make Me Over.
Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner are directing the documentary about the legendary singer who broke racial and gender barriers and rose from her roots in New Jersey gospel choirs to attain global superstardom.
Wooley also wrote the screenplay and is a music industry entrepreneur who has produced and directed television and tours and concerts for Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Bb King, James Brown, and Queen Latifah.
Mister Smith CEO David Garrett will unveil footage to Don’t Make Me Over on the Croisette. The project is currently in post and features untold stories from former Us President Bill Clinton, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Clive Davis, Gladys Knight, Cissy Houston, Smokey Robinson, and others.
The film will feature such Warwick hits as Walk On By, Do You Know...
- 4/28/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Could it be second time lucky for Dionne Warwick in Cannes?
A year after the iconic singer held a press conference at the festival to announce a new biopic — only for its biggest cast member, Lady Gaga, to hastily announce she wasn't involved after all— another film about Warwick is heading to the Croisette.
Don't Make Me Over, co-directing and co-produced by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, and written by Wooley, is set to offer a glimpse into the life of one the most famous, yet notoriously private, hitmakers of the last sixty years. The documentary will tell the...
A year after the iconic singer held a press conference at the festival to announce a new biopic — only for its biggest cast member, Lady Gaga, to hastily announce she wasn't involved after all— another film about Warwick is heading to the Croisette.
Don't Make Me Over, co-directing and co-produced by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, and written by Wooley, is set to offer a glimpse into the life of one the most famous, yet notoriously private, hitmakers of the last sixty years. The documentary will tell the...
- 4/28/2017
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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