Raoul Peck, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind 2016’s I Am Not Your Negro, is in production on his latest documentary, an investigation into the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise.
Tentatively titled The Hands That Held the Knives, Peck is not only directing but producing the film under his Velvet Films banner alongside Jigsaw Productions, with Imagine Documentaries, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, who are also financing the project.
Peck’s take is being described as a “documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré.” Per Monday’s announcement, Peck is going deep into the politics of Haiti, its relationship with the United States, and the corrupt business empires and criminal organizations that have now rendered the country a hellscape for its citizens.
The film will take audiences right up to the present moment, per the producers, “as ruthless gangs backed by oligarchs with well-paid lobbyists in Washington,...
Tentatively titled The Hands That Held the Knives, Peck is not only directing but producing the film under his Velvet Films banner alongside Jigsaw Productions, with Imagine Documentaries, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, who are also financing the project.
Peck’s take is being described as a “documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré.” Per Monday’s announcement, Peck is going deep into the politics of Haiti, its relationship with the United States, and the corrupt business empires and criminal organizations that have now rendered the country a hellscape for its citizens.
The film will take audiences right up to the present moment, per the producers, “as ruthless gangs backed by oligarchs with well-paid lobbyists in Washington,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filmmaker Raoul Peck’s next documentary will delve into the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise. The film, tentatively titled “The Hands That Held the Knives,” has been in production for over two years.
The documentary will be a thriller “in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré,” according to a press release. It will offer access to people involved in the murder of Moise, who was shot inside his home in July 2021. It will also feature secret footage from Haiti’s prisons and an encounter with a fugitive who witnessed the killing.
“The Hands That Held the Knives” will attempt to unpack Haiti’s politics, its relationship with the United States, as well as corrupt business empires and criminal organizations that deal drugs and contraband throughout the Caribbean. Per the official announcement, “the film will take us right up to the present moment, as ruthless gangs backed...
The documentary will be a thriller “in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré,” according to a press release. It will offer access to people involved in the murder of Moise, who was shot inside his home in July 2021. It will also feature secret footage from Haiti’s prisons and an encounter with a fugitive who witnessed the killing.
“The Hands That Held the Knives” will attempt to unpack Haiti’s politics, its relationship with the United States, as well as corrupt business empires and criminal organizations that deal drugs and contraband throughout the Caribbean. Per the official announcement, “the film will take us right up to the present moment, as ruthless gangs backed...
- 3/18/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Director Raoul Peck, who helmed the 2016 documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” has announced his new documentary project. “The Hands That Held the Knives” will detail the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
The documentary, which took over two years to make, is said to be in the same vein as the works of Graham Greene and John Le Carré. Peck was given access to the people involved in Moïse’s killing, and even secretly filmed in Haiti’s prison system. The documentary will lay out Haitian politics, its relationship to the U.S. and the corruption and criminality the country deals with, including drugs and weapons trafficking.
“I am eager to tell my country’s real story beyond the usual exotic clichés and preposterous clickbait,” Peck said in a prepared statement. “I want to reveal for once, without holding back, the core stories and real reasons for Haiti’s tragic situation.
The documentary, which took over two years to make, is said to be in the same vein as the works of Graham Greene and John Le Carré. Peck was given access to the people involved in Moïse’s killing, and even secretly filmed in Haiti’s prison system. The documentary will lay out Haitian politics, its relationship to the U.S. and the corruption and criminality the country deals with, including drugs and weapons trafficking.
“I am eager to tell my country’s real story beyond the usual exotic clichés and preposterous clickbait,” Peck said in a prepared statement. “I want to reveal for once, without holding back, the core stories and real reasons for Haiti’s tragic situation.
- 3/18/2024
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Raoul Peck is in production on his latest documentary The Hands That Held The Knives which explores the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise.
Haitian-born Peck is producing through his Velvet Films alongside Jigsaw Productions, with Imagine Documentaries, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, who are also financing the project.
Editing is underway and shooting continues in Haiti, the US, Canada, France, and North Africa.
More than two years in the making, the documentary thriller is described as being in the vein of Graham Greene or John Le Carré and explores the politics of Haiti and its relationship with the United...
Haitian-born Peck is producing through his Velvet Films alongside Jigsaw Productions, with Imagine Documentaries, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, who are also financing the project.
Editing is underway and shooting continues in Haiti, the US, Canada, France, and North Africa.
More than two years in the making, the documentary thriller is described as being in the vein of Graham Greene or John Le Carré and explores the politics of Haiti and its relationship with the United...
- 3/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Raoul Peck, the filmmaker behind Academy Award-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro, is in production on his next feature doc — an investigation into the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise, tentatively titled, The Hands That Held the Knives.
Over two years in the making, with unprecedented access to many of those involved, and including secret filming in Haiti’s prisons and an unexpected encounter with a fugitive who was an eyewitness to the murder, Peck’s film taking him back to his home country will be a documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré.
His investigation takes him deep into the politics of Haiti, its relationship with the United States, and the corrupt business empires and criminal organizations — dealing drugs and contraband throughout the Caribbean, using weapons trafficked from the U.S. — which have now rendered the country a hellscape for its citizens. The...
Over two years in the making, with unprecedented access to many of those involved, and including secret filming in Haiti’s prisons and an unexpected encounter with a fugitive who was an eyewitness to the murder, Peck’s film taking him back to his home country will be a documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré.
His investigation takes him deep into the politics of Haiti, its relationship with the United States, and the corrupt business empires and criminal organizations — dealing drugs and contraband throughout the Caribbean, using weapons trafficked from the U.S. — which have now rendered the country a hellscape for its citizens. The...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: It’s no secret that the independent film game is not for the faint-hearted, with the last decade seeing a number of companies and financiers collapse under the weight of the industry’s constant state of flux. But amidst the turmoil and unprecedented change, Teddy Schwarzman has been quietly building his Black Bear label into a full-fledged independent film studio.
The company, which Schwarzman founded as a financing and production outfit back in 2011, has now grown into a business that has tentacles in international sales; theatrical distribution in Canada (Elevation Pictures) and, more recently, the UK (Black Bear UK); a management business; a documentary financing joint venture with New Regency dubbed Double Agent; and a television strand, the latter of which recently deficit-financed AMC’s crime drama Monsieur Spade starring Clive Owen.
When Deadline sits down with Schwarzman in his Santa Monica office for a rare interview, Black Bear...
The company, which Schwarzman founded as a financing and production outfit back in 2011, has now grown into a business that has tentacles in international sales; theatrical distribution in Canada (Elevation Pictures) and, more recently, the UK (Black Bear UK); a management business; a documentary financing joint venture with New Regency dubbed Double Agent; and a television strand, the latter of which recently deficit-financed AMC’s crime drama Monsieur Spade starring Clive Owen.
When Deadline sits down with Schwarzman in his Santa Monica office for a rare interview, Black Bear...
- 11/16/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired international rights to Elon Musk documentary “Musk,” directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney.
It was announced during Cannes earlier this year that HBO Documentary Films had come on board to join the production and will release the film in North America.
Gibney directed “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” the Oscar-nominated “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and Oscar winner “Taxi to the Dark Side.”
Helen Parker, exec VP, Universal Pictures Content Group, said: “We instantly wanted to attach to this feature as we are big fans of Alex’s previous work and feel confident that he will deliver an insightful portrayal of one of the centuries most provocative characters.”
The film is produced by Jigsaw Productions and jointly financed and produced by Closer Media, Anonymous Content via their recently launched sales and finance division AC Independent, and Double Agent.
It was announced during Cannes earlier this year that HBO Documentary Films had come on board to join the production and will release the film in North America.
Gibney directed “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” the Oscar-nominated “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and Oscar winner “Taxi to the Dark Side.”
Helen Parker, exec VP, Universal Pictures Content Group, said: “We instantly wanted to attach to this feature as we are big fans of Alex’s previous work and feel confident that he will deliver an insightful portrayal of one of the centuries most provocative characters.”
The film is produced by Jigsaw Productions and jointly financed and produced by Closer Media, Anonymous Content via their recently launched sales and finance division AC Independent, and Double Agent.
- 10/2/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired international rights to Alex Gibney’s latest documentary Musk, about the lightning-rod entrepreneur and businessman.
Negotiations first began in Cannes with Black Bear International and the multimillion-dollar pact is among the biggest ever for a documentary out of the Cannes Market.
In another lucrative presale we revealed in the spring, HBO Documentary Films pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to the project. A domestic theatrical release remains in play.
Taxi to the Dark Side Oscar winner and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room nominee Gibney has been working on the project for months. It recently was described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative X (formerly Twitter) owner.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187B, but the mercurial tech...
Negotiations first began in Cannes with Black Bear International and the multimillion-dollar pact is among the biggest ever for a documentary out of the Cannes Market.
In another lucrative presale we revealed in the spring, HBO Documentary Films pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to the project. A domestic theatrical release remains in play.
Taxi to the Dark Side Oscar winner and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room nominee Gibney has been working on the project for months. It recently was described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative X (formerly Twitter) owner.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187B, but the mercurial tech...
- 10/2/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Burning Man made national headlines last weekend as shocking weather ravaged the desert campout arts festival and sent thousands searching for ways out of the playa.
From Chris Rock and Diplo hitching a ride out with a fan to a slew of Hollywood types and tech bros sludging through the mud after their private planes couldn’t reach them, it was a crazy year for the event, which has been running since 1986.
So, it’s apt that there’s a docuseries – The Man Will Burn – in the works about the event.
Double Agent, a joint venture between Black Bear and New Regency that is behind Asif Kapadia’s next feature film 2073, Noujaim Films, which was behind Egyptian revolution doc The Square, and The Othrs, the production company behind HBO’s The Vow, are behind the series.
But it’s not just about 2023’s wild Burning Man.
The series will...
From Chris Rock and Diplo hitching a ride out with a fan to a slew of Hollywood types and tech bros sludging through the mud after their private planes couldn’t reach them, it was a crazy year for the event, which has been running since 1986.
So, it’s apt that there’s a docuseries – The Man Will Burn – in the works about the event.
Double Agent, a joint venture between Black Bear and New Regency that is behind Asif Kapadia’s next feature film 2073, Noujaim Films, which was behind Egyptian revolution doc The Square, and The Othrs, the production company behind HBO’s The Vow, are behind the series.
But it’s not just about 2023’s wild Burning Man.
The series will...
- 9/8/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Musk, Alex Gibney’s doc about the tech giant Elon Musk, has landed at HBO Documentary Films in North America.
Musk has been described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of the controversial and headline-making CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. (When the doc was first announced, in characteristic fashion, Musk made a comment on Twitter, writing, “It’s a hit piece.”) Gibney, who earned an Oscar for the 2008 film Taxi to the Dark Side, is no stranger to controversial figures, having produced docs on Scientology, Wikileaks and Enron.
Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions produced the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent, which is also financed the project.
HBO and Gibney have a long working relationship, which includes films about the opioid crisis The Crime of the Century, Elisabeth Homes doc The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley and Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.
Musk has been described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of the controversial and headline-making CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. (When the doc was first announced, in characteristic fashion, Musk made a comment on Twitter, writing, “It’s a hit piece.”) Gibney, who earned an Oscar for the 2008 film Taxi to the Dark Side, is no stranger to controversial figures, having produced docs on Scientology, Wikileaks and Enron.
Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions produced the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent, which is also financed the project.
HBO and Gibney have a long working relationship, which includes films about the opioid crisis The Crime of the Century, Elisabeth Homes doc The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley and Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.
- 5/11/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: HBO Documentary Films has pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to Musk, Alex Gibney’s upcoming documentary about lightning rod entrepreneur and businessman Elon Musk.
Black Bear has boarded international sales rights on the eve of the Cannes market and will be shopping the high-end doc to overseas buyers.
Taxi To The Dark Side and Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room director Gibney has been working on the project for months. It was recently described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative Twitter owner.
The deal with HBO was negotiated with UTA’s Independent Film Group, AC Independent, and Double Agent. The door is seemingly ajar for a North American theatrical deal.
Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187Bn, but the mercurial tech titan...
Black Bear has boarded international sales rights on the eve of the Cannes market and will be shopping the high-end doc to overseas buyers.
Taxi To The Dark Side and Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room director Gibney has been working on the project for months. It was recently described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative Twitter owner.
The deal with HBO was negotiated with UTA’s Independent Film Group, AC Independent, and Double Agent. The door is seemingly ajar for a North American theatrical deal.
Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187Bn, but the mercurial tech titan...
- 5/11/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Los Angeles, March 7 (Ians) Elon Musk will be the centre of a new documentary from the unflinching Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning director of ‘Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief’.
Already months into production, Gibney announced the project saying he was “hugely excited” about tackling Musk on film. It is described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter”, reports ‘Variety’.
Tech mogul Musk reached peak saturation in late 2022 when he completed a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, promising to upend the platform’s user experience as well as restore “balance” to its user body.
Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, which is also financing the project. A distribution partner for the documentary has not yet been named.
As per ‘Variety’, for Jigsaw, Gibney and Jessie Deeter produce and Stacey Offman and Richard Perello will executive produce.
Already months into production, Gibney announced the project saying he was “hugely excited” about tackling Musk on film. It is described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter”, reports ‘Variety’.
Tech mogul Musk reached peak saturation in late 2022 when he completed a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, promising to upend the platform’s user experience as well as restore “balance” to its user body.
Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, which is also financing the project. A distribution partner for the documentary has not yet been named.
As per ‘Variety’, for Jigsaw, Gibney and Jessie Deeter produce and Stacey Offman and Richard Perello will executive produce.
- 3/7/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Alex Gibney, the Emmy- and Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker behind “Taxi to the Dark Side,” “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” will next set his sights on Elon Musk with “Musk,” described in the official announcement as “a definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.”
“I have been working on this film, off and on, for some time and am hugely excited about it,” said Gibney in an official statement. “I am delighted by this extraordinary group who are working with me. Onward!”
Musk’s life is certainly colorful enough for a documentary (or maybe a limited series) and his most recent stint as the perpetually embattled CEO of Twitter is the latest chapter in a rich tapestry at once visionary and bumbling.
Also Read:
2023 Movie Release Dates: A Schedule of...
“I have been working on this film, off and on, for some time and am hugely excited about it,” said Gibney in an official statement. “I am delighted by this extraordinary group who are working with me. Onward!”
Musk’s life is certainly colorful enough for a documentary (or maybe a limited series) and his most recent stint as the perpetually embattled CEO of Twitter is the latest chapter in a rich tapestry at once visionary and bumbling.
Also Read:
2023 Movie Release Dates: A Schedule of...
- 3/6/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Elon Musk will be the center of a new documentary from the unflinching Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning director of “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.”
Already months into production, Gibney announced the project on Monday saying he was “hugely excited” about tackling Musk on film. It is described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.”
Tech mogul Musk reached peak saturation in late 2022 when he completed a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, promising to upend the platform’s user experience as well as restore “balance” to its user body.
Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, which is also financing the project. A distribution partner for the doc has not yet been named.
“Now is the moment for a rigorous portrait of Elon Musk, who is undeniably one of the most influential figures of our time.
Already months into production, Gibney announced the project on Monday saying he was “hugely excited” about tackling Musk on film. It is described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.”
Tech mogul Musk reached peak saturation in late 2022 when he completed a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, promising to upend the platform’s user experience as well as restore “balance” to its user body.
Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, which is also financing the project. A distribution partner for the doc has not yet been named.
“Now is the moment for a rigorous portrait of Elon Musk, who is undeniably one of the most influential figures of our time.
- 3/6/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Closer Media, Anonymous Content, Double Agent producing and financing.
Alex Gibney has revealed he is months into making Musk, a documentary about Elon Musk, the controversial multi-billionaire and CEO of Tesla, Space X and Twitter.
Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, the joint venture between New Regency and Black Bear Pictures, who are also financing the project.
Gibney and Jessie Deeter are producing for Jigsaw Productions alongside Dana O’Keefe for Double Agent, Joey Marra and Zhang Xin on behalf of Closer Media, and Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker and Jessica Grimshaw.
Stacey Offman...
Alex Gibney has revealed he is months into making Musk, a documentary about Elon Musk, the controversial multi-billionaire and CEO of Tesla, Space X and Twitter.
Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, the joint venture between New Regency and Black Bear Pictures, who are also financing the project.
Gibney and Jessie Deeter are producing for Jigsaw Productions alongside Dana O’Keefe for Double Agent, Joey Marra and Zhang Xin on behalf of Closer Media, and Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker and Jessica Grimshaw.
Stacey Offman...
- 3/6/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has his next documentary in Musk, a definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.
“I have been working on this film, off and on, for some time and am hugely excited about it,” Gibney said. “I am delighted by this extraordinary group who are working with me. Onward!”
Gibney has made a career out of hard-hitting documentaries that include Taxi to the Dark Side — for which he won an Oscar — Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and Steve Jobs: Man in the Machine.
Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent, who also are financing the project.
Gibney and Jessie Deeter produce the film for Jigsaw Productions, with Stacey Offman and Richard Perello executive producing. Joey Marra and Zhang Xin produce on behalf of Closer Media,...
“I have been working on this film, off and on, for some time and am hugely excited about it,” Gibney said. “I am delighted by this extraordinary group who are working with me. Onward!”
Gibney has made a career out of hard-hitting documentaries that include Taxi to the Dark Side — for which he won an Oscar — Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and Steve Jobs: Man in the Machine.
Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent, who also are financing the project.
Gibney and Jessie Deeter produce the film for Jigsaw Productions, with Stacey Offman and Richard Perello executive producing. Joey Marra and Zhang Xin produce on behalf of Closer Media,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Elon Musk is getting the Alex Gibney treatment.
Gibney, who has tackled Scientology, Wikileaks and Russian president Vladimir Putin, announced Monday that tech entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Elon Musk is the focus of his latest work.
Titled Musk, the feature project already months into making is described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of the controversial and headline-making CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.
Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent, which is also financing the project.
The list of producers and executive producers feels like it rivals the number of Teslas seen on Beverly Hills streets.
Gibney and Jessie Deeter are producing the film via Jigsaw with the company’s Stacey Offman and Richard Perello executive producing. Joey Marra and Zhang Xin will produce on behalf of Closer Media, which has a mission “to make meaningful stories to bring people closer together,...
Gibney, who has tackled Scientology, Wikileaks and Russian president Vladimir Putin, announced Monday that tech entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Elon Musk is the focus of his latest work.
Titled Musk, the feature project already months into making is described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of the controversial and headline-making CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.
Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions is producing the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent, which is also financing the project.
The list of producers and executive producers feels like it rivals the number of Teslas seen on Beverly Hills streets.
Gibney and Jessie Deeter are producing the film via Jigsaw with the company’s Stacey Offman and Richard Perello executive producing. Joey Marra and Zhang Xin will produce on behalf of Closer Media, which has a mission “to make meaningful stories to bring people closer together,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar-winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has lined up his next project – a documentary on the late groundbreaking hip hop producer J Dilla (James Dewitt Yancey).
Thompson, who won the Academy Award earlier this year for directing Summer of Soul, will executive produce Dilla Time, based on the New York Times bestseller Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, The Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm by Dan Charnas. Joseph Patel, who produced Summer of Soul (along with with Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein) will co-direct Dilla Time with Darby Wheeler.
Thompson’s Two One Five Entertainment, Cinetic Media, and Scenario Media are among the production partners on the film, which enjoys the approval of Yancey’s survivors. Dilla died in 2006 at the age of 32 from a rare blood disorder.
“The estate of James Dewitt Yancey, and its wholly-owned production entity, Pay Jay Productions, Inc., which benefits J Dilla’s two children,...
Thompson, who won the Academy Award earlier this year for directing Summer of Soul, will executive produce Dilla Time, based on the New York Times bestseller Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, The Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm by Dan Charnas. Joseph Patel, who produced Summer of Soul (along with with Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein) will co-direct Dilla Time with Darby Wheeler.
Thompson’s Two One Five Entertainment, Cinetic Media, and Scenario Media are among the production partners on the film, which enjoys the approval of Yancey’s survivors. Dilla died in 2006 at the age of 32 from a rare blood disorder.
“The estate of James Dewitt Yancey, and its wholly-owned production entity, Pay Jay Productions, Inc., which benefits J Dilla’s two children,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Following his Oscar win with Summer of Soul, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and his Two One Five Entertainment have signed on for a new nonfiction project about late music producer J Dilla.
Dilla Time will document, according to the project’s description, “the brief life and pervasive and largely uncredited influence of music producer J Dilla.” Dilla worked with some of hip-hop’s biggest names throughout the ’90s and into the early ’00s, including Questlove, as well as Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Common and Erykah Badu. Other collaborators include Ye, Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams, and his influence can be heard in the newer generation of hip-hop like Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington and Hiatus Kaiyote.
Thompson and Two One Five will reteam on the doc with Summer of Soul producer Joseph Patel, who will produce and co-direct with Darby Wheeler.
Following his Oscar win with Summer of Soul, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and his Two One Five Entertainment have signed on for a new nonfiction project about late music producer J Dilla.
Dilla Time will document, according to the project’s description, “the brief life and pervasive and largely uncredited influence of music producer J Dilla.” Dilla worked with some of hip-hop’s biggest names throughout the ’90s and into the early ’00s, including Questlove, as well as Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Common and Erykah Badu. Other collaborators include Ye, Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams, and his influence can be heard in the newer generation of hip-hop like Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington and Hiatus Kaiyote.
Thompson and Two One Five will reteam on the doc with Summer of Soul producer Joseph Patel, who will produce and co-direct with Darby Wheeler.
- 9/22/2022
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning director of “Amy” and “Senna,” is set to direct a new documentary film called “2073” that will look to the future and the challenges that will face the world 50 years from now.
Inspired by “La Jetée,” the classic, experimental science fiction film from 1962 directed by Chris Marker, Kapadia’s movie is a thriller looking at a dystopian future set in 2073. “La Jetée” was about a time traveler who tries to change history after an apocalyptic and nuclear World War III. The film was constructed entirely of black and white still photos and served as much of the premise for Terry Gilliam’s sci-fi “12 Monkeys.”
“I want to make an epic about the state of the world, using elements of science fiction as a lens through which to examine the huge questions we are facing as a species and hopefully find solutions, before it’s too late,...
Inspired by “La Jetée,” the classic, experimental science fiction film from 1962 directed by Chris Marker, Kapadia’s movie is a thriller looking at a dystopian future set in 2073. “La Jetée” was about a time traveler who tries to change history after an apocalyptic and nuclear World War III. The film was constructed entirely of black and white still photos and served as much of the premise for Terry Gilliam’s sci-fi “12 Monkeys.”
“I want to make an epic about the state of the world, using elements of science fiction as a lens through which to examine the huge questions we are facing as a species and hopefully find solutions, before it’s too late,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Neon, Double Agent and the U.K.’s Film4 are partnering on the documentary “2073,” from “Amy” director Asif Kapadia.
A vague description of the film indicates that it will “tackle some of the biggest challenges imperiling our future.” The synopsis continues: “Kapadia’s decision to create a genre-bending thriller set in a dystopian future was inspired by Chris Marker’s iconic 1962 featurette ‘La Jetée’ about a time traveler who risks his life to change the course of history and save the future of humanity.”
The companies will co-finance and executive produce the project with Kapadia and George Chignell producing. Davis Guggenheim, Nicole Stott, and Jonathan Silberberg will act as executive producers for Concordia Studio alongside Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films.
Kapadia said: “I want to make an epic about the state of the world, using elements of science fiction as a lens through which to examine the huge questions we...
A vague description of the film indicates that it will “tackle some of the biggest challenges imperiling our future.” The synopsis continues: “Kapadia’s decision to create a genre-bending thriller set in a dystopian future was inspired by Chris Marker’s iconic 1962 featurette ‘La Jetée’ about a time traveler who risks his life to change the course of history and save the future of humanity.”
The companies will co-finance and executive produce the project with Kapadia and George Chignell producing. Davis Guggenheim, Nicole Stott, and Jonathan Silberberg will act as executive producers for Concordia Studio alongside Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films.
Kapadia said: “I want to make an epic about the state of the world, using elements of science fiction as a lens through which to examine the huge questions we...
- 9/12/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Neon, Double Agent and Film4 are partnering to co-finance and exec produce 2073, a new documentary from Academy Award and BAFTA-winning director Asif Kapadia (Amy).
2073 is billed as a genre-bending thriller set in a dystopian future, which will tackle some of the biggest challenges imperiling our future. The project is inspired by Chris Marker’s iconic 1962 featurette La Jetée — about a time traveler who risks his life to change the course of history and save the future of humanity — which previously served as the basis for Terry Gilliam’s sci-fi pic 12 Monkeys, with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.
Kapadia and George Chignell are producing. Davis Guggenheim, Nicole Stott and Jonathan Silberberg will exec produce on behalf of Concordia Studio, alongside Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films.
Said Kapadia: “I want to make an epic about the state of the world, using elements of science fiction as a lens through which...
2073 is billed as a genre-bending thriller set in a dystopian future, which will tackle some of the biggest challenges imperiling our future. The project is inspired by Chris Marker’s iconic 1962 featurette La Jetée — about a time traveler who risks his life to change the course of history and save the future of humanity — which previously served as the basis for Terry Gilliam’s sci-fi pic 12 Monkeys, with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.
Kapadia and George Chignell are producing. Davis Guggenheim, Nicole Stott and Jonathan Silberberg will exec produce on behalf of Concordia Studio, alongside Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films.
Said Kapadia: “I want to make an epic about the state of the world, using elements of science fiction as a lens through which...
- 9/12/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia is set to direct 2073, a documentary thriller set in a dystopian future.
Neon, Double Agent and Film4 will co-finance and executive produce the project. 2073 will tackle challenges the world faces and is inspired by Chris Marker’s iconic 1962 featurette La Jetée, about a time traveler who risks his life to change the course of history and save the future of humanity.
“I want to make an epic about the state of the world, using elements of science fiction as a lens through which to examine the huge questions we are facing as a species and hopefully find solutions, before it’s too late,” said Kapadia in a statement.
Kapadia and George Chignell are producing. Davis Guggenheim, Nicole Stott, and Jonathan Silberberg will share executive producer credits for Concordia Studio, alongside Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films.
Kapadia is best known for documentaries like Amy,...
Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia is set to direct 2073, a documentary thriller set in a dystopian future.
Neon, Double Agent and Film4 will co-finance and executive produce the project. 2073 will tackle challenges the world faces and is inspired by Chris Marker’s iconic 1962 featurette La Jetée, about a time traveler who risks his life to change the course of history and save the future of humanity.
“I want to make an epic about the state of the world, using elements of science fiction as a lens through which to examine the huge questions we are facing as a species and hopefully find solutions, before it’s too late,” said Kapadia in a statement.
Kapadia and George Chignell are producing. Davis Guggenheim, Nicole Stott, and Jonathan Silberberg will share executive producer credits for Concordia Studio, alongside Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films.
Kapadia is best known for documentaries like Amy,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Concordia Studio and Ahmed’s Left Handed Films on board genre-bending thriller set in dystopian future.
Neon, Double Agent and Film4 are partnering with Asif Kapaida on the upcoming documentary 2073.
The film is described as a “genre-bending thriller set in a dystopian future” that will tackle some of the biggest challenges threatening our future. It is inspired by Chris Marker’s 1962 featurette La Jetée, about a time traveller who risks his life to change the course of history and save the future of humanity.
Double Agent – the joint venture from Black Bear Pictures and New Regency – Neon and Film4 will...
Neon, Double Agent and Film4 are partnering with Asif Kapaida on the upcoming documentary 2073.
The film is described as a “genre-bending thriller set in a dystopian future” that will tackle some of the biggest challenges threatening our future. It is inspired by Chris Marker’s 1962 featurette La Jetée, about a time traveller who risks his life to change the course of history and save the future of humanity.
Double Agent – the joint venture from Black Bear Pictures and New Regency – Neon and Film4 will...
- 9/12/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Llewellyn Radley, Laura Austin Little, Jill Silfen and Mike Shanks join John Friedberg.
Black Bear is moving into direct UK distribution and has unveiled the Black Bear International senior leadership team months after John Friedberg left STX to set up the company with Teddy Schwarzman.
Llewellyn Radley, Laura Austin Little, Jill Silfen and Mike Shanks all join Friedberg at the new venture and worked together at STX International. Last week Screen was first to report that STX was understood to be winding down its UK office in London, which houses the international sales and the distribution teams.
Radley joins as EVP,...
Black Bear is moving into direct UK distribution and has unveiled the Black Bear International senior leadership team months after John Friedberg left STX to set up the company with Teddy Schwarzman.
Llewellyn Radley, Laura Austin Little, Jill Silfen and Mike Shanks all join Friedberg at the new venture and worked together at STX International. Last week Screen was first to report that STX was understood to be winding down its UK office in London, which houses the international sales and the distribution teams.
Radley joins as EVP,...
- 8/4/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures is saying “Yup” to a documentary about an artist referenced in Nope.
The company has acquired North American rights to Exposing Muybridge, an award-winning film exploring the life and career of Eadweard Muybridge, an English-born, American-based photographer known for his pioneering motion studies. Gravitas will release the documentary, directed by Marc Shaffer, tomorrow on Digital HD, cable and satellite VOD, Blu-ray and DVD.
Muybridge’s work has been thrust front and center this summer courtesy of Jordan Peele’s horror-sci fi feature Nope. The photographer’s “Plate Number 626,” a motion study of a race horse ridden by a Black jockey, figures prominently in the box office hit.
Exposing Muybridge, meanwhile, boasts Hollywood connections of its own. Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman, an avid Muybridge fan and collector, is featured in the documentary, along with historians of film and photography, a museum curator, a wet-plate photographer and others.
Muybridge...
The company has acquired North American rights to Exposing Muybridge, an award-winning film exploring the life and career of Eadweard Muybridge, an English-born, American-based photographer known for his pioneering motion studies. Gravitas will release the documentary, directed by Marc Shaffer, tomorrow on Digital HD, cable and satellite VOD, Blu-ray and DVD.
Muybridge’s work has been thrust front and center this summer courtesy of Jordan Peele’s horror-sci fi feature Nope. The photographer’s “Plate Number 626,” a motion study of a race horse ridden by a Black jockey, figures prominently in the box office hit.
Exposing Muybridge, meanwhile, boasts Hollywood connections of its own. Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman, an avid Muybridge fan and collector, is featured in the documentary, along with historians of film and photography, a museum curator, a wet-plate photographer and others.
Muybridge...
- 8/1/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: STX’s former President of International John Friedberg is joining Teddy Schwarzman’s Black Bear to spearhead the company’s international sales and distribution business, we can reveal.
Friedberg, who we revealed yesterday is leaving STX after a seven year stint, will be President of Black Bear International, which we’re told has had substantial backing from Schwarzman.
Friedberg will spearhead the slate, looking to secure international and territorial-specific rights to critical and commercially driven content, also look to produce and package projects to bolster the lineup.
He joins The Imitation Game and I Care A Lot outfit Black Bear as a partner, alongside Schwarzman, Michael Heimler and Keith Redmon.
“John Friedberg is one of the best international sales and distribution executives in the business,” said Schwarzman. “At a time of rapid change, John has been incredibly effective at sourcing and packaging exceptional content and ensuring his strong network...
Friedberg, who we revealed yesterday is leaving STX after a seven year stint, will be President of Black Bear International, which we’re told has had substantial backing from Schwarzman.
Friedberg will spearhead the slate, looking to secure international and territorial-specific rights to critical and commercially driven content, also look to produce and package projects to bolster the lineup.
He joins The Imitation Game and I Care A Lot outfit Black Bear as a partner, alongside Schwarzman, Michael Heimler and Keith Redmon.
“John Friedberg is one of the best international sales and distribution executives in the business,” said Schwarzman. “At a time of rapid change, John has been incredibly effective at sourcing and packaging exceptional content and ensuring his strong network...
- 5/19/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Former STX executive named Black Bear partner.
John Friedberg has joined Black Bear as partner and will oversee the launch of Black Bear International.
Friedberg is named president of Black Bear International, which will handle film and television and has received what a press release on Thursday (May 19) was “substantial” backing from Black Bear founder Teddy Schwarzman. The other Black Bear partners are Schwarzman, Michael Heimler and Keith Redmon.
Friedberg joins from STX Entertainment, where he served as president of international and sold the likes of Greenland, The Mauritanian and the Bad Moms franchise. He is currently producing Michael Mann...
John Friedberg has joined Black Bear as partner and will oversee the launch of Black Bear International.
Friedberg is named president of Black Bear International, which will handle film and television and has received what a press release on Thursday (May 19) was “substantial” backing from Black Bear founder Teddy Schwarzman. The other Black Bear partners are Schwarzman, Michael Heimler and Keith Redmon.
Friedberg joins from STX Entertainment, where he served as president of international and sold the likes of Greenland, The Mauritanian and the Bad Moms franchise. He is currently producing Michael Mann...
- 5/19/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The UK-based comms agency has announced promotions and new hires.
UK-based communications agency Premier has restructured its filmed entertainment division with promotions and three new hires.
Former head of television Sj Peyton has been promoted to director of television. She is joined by the promotion of Fiona Lewis as director-photography and Eugene O’Connor as director-film. O’Connor previousy served as senior account director and is returning to the company from a freelance stint.
The trio will work alongside the division’s senior team which includes Alice Jenkins-Bruce (executive director), Annie McMonagle-Wilmot (director-digital), Jonathan Rutter (executive director) and Angela Smith (director-awards).
“This way of working,...
UK-based communications agency Premier has restructured its filmed entertainment division with promotions and three new hires.
Former head of television Sj Peyton has been promoted to director of television. She is joined by the promotion of Fiona Lewis as director-photography and Eugene O’Connor as director-film. O’Connor previousy served as senior account director and is returning to the company from a freelance stint.
The trio will work alongside the division’s senior team which includes Alice Jenkins-Bruce (executive director), Annie McMonagle-Wilmot (director-digital), Jonathan Rutter (executive director) and Angela Smith (director-awards).
“This way of working,...
- 5/13/2022
- by Melissa Kasule
- ScreenDaily
Bleiberg/Dimbort to show footage in Cannes next week.
Screen has obtained first-look images from producers Facing East of Liam Neeson and Ciarán Hinds in action thriller In The Land Of Saints And Sinners which Bleiberg/Dimbort represent for international sale and will tease footage in Cannes next week.
Robert Lorenz is currently directing the film in County Donegal, Ireland, about a retired assassin in a remote Irish village who gets drawn into a lethal game of cat-and-mouse with a trio of vengeful terrorists.
Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane wrote the screenplay to the film, which also stars Colm Meaney,...
Screen has obtained first-look images from producers Facing East of Liam Neeson and Ciarán Hinds in action thriller In The Land Of Saints And Sinners which Bleiberg/Dimbort represent for international sale and will tease footage in Cannes next week.
Robert Lorenz is currently directing the film in County Donegal, Ireland, about a retired assassin in a remote Irish village who gets drawn into a lethal game of cat-and-mouse with a trio of vengeful terrorists.
Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane wrote the screenplay to the film, which also stars Colm Meaney,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Cinetic Media’s Dana O’Keefe has been named president of Double Agent, a new production company dedicated to creating non-fiction content across all genres.
Double Agent comes as a joint venture between Black Bear Pictures and New Regency, created by New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer and Black Bear Pictures’ Teddy Schwarzman. Together, they plan to jump on “the extraordinary growth of the audience for non-fiction and the unprecedented opportunities that now exist in the documentary marketplace.”
O’Keefe previously served as a Partner at Cinetic Media, and was involved in hundreds of films while at the company, including the Oscar-winning documentaries “Summer of Soul,” “Free Solo” and “Amy.”
“We are living in an era that can be rightly described as the renaissance of documentary,” O’Keefe said in a statement. “It is a dynamic and vibrant landscape defined by innovation and a rapidly expanding audience. We will...
Double Agent comes as a joint venture between Black Bear Pictures and New Regency, created by New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer and Black Bear Pictures’ Teddy Schwarzman. Together, they plan to jump on “the extraordinary growth of the audience for non-fiction and the unprecedented opportunities that now exist in the documentary marketplace.”
O’Keefe previously served as a Partner at Cinetic Media, and was involved in hundreds of films while at the company, including the Oscar-winning documentaries “Summer of Soul,” “Free Solo” and “Amy.”
“We are living in an era that can be rightly described as the renaissance of documentary,” O’Keefe said in a statement. “It is a dynamic and vibrant landscape defined by innovation and a rapidly expanding audience. We will...
- 5/12/2022
- by Andi Ortiz
- The Wrap
New Regency Pictures and “I Care a Lot” producers Black Bear Pictures have formed a new joint venture, Double Agent, to produce and finance premium non-fiction content.
The planned slate will span all genres and formats, and will leverage the companies’ combined strategic experience and resources to tap into the booming documentary market. The Jv is spearheaded by New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer and Black Bear Pictures’ Teddy Schwarzman.
Dana O’Keefe has been appointed president of the company, stepping down from Cinetic Media where he served as a partner. The executive was involved in hundreds of films over the course of his tenure, including the Oscar-winning documentaries “Summer of Soul,” “Free Solo” and “Amy.”
Double Agent says it will offer filmmakers “robust financing capability” and high-end creative services for the development and production of non-fiction feature films, series and emerging formats.
The Jv deal was negotiated by...
The planned slate will span all genres and formats, and will leverage the companies’ combined strategic experience and resources to tap into the booming documentary market. The Jv is spearheaded by New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer and Black Bear Pictures’ Teddy Schwarzman.
Dana O’Keefe has been appointed president of the company, stepping down from Cinetic Media where he served as a partner. The executive was involved in hundreds of films over the course of his tenure, including the Oscar-winning documentaries “Summer of Soul,” “Free Solo” and “Amy.”
Double Agent says it will offer filmmakers “robust financing capability” and high-end creative services for the development and production of non-fiction feature films, series and emerging formats.
The Jv deal was negotiated by...
- 5/12/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Black Bear Pictures and New Regency today announced the launch of Double Agent, a new joint venture designed to produce and finance non-fiction content spanning all genres and formats for a global audience. New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer and Black Bear Pictures’ Teddy Schwarzman have joined forces to utilize their combined strategic expertise, financial acumen and resources to take advantage of the extraordinary growth of the audience for non-fiction and the unprecedented opportunities that now exist in the documentary marketplace.
Double Agent will look to offer filmmakers robust financing capability and high-end creative services for the development and production of non-fiction feature films, series and emerging formats. Dana O’Keefe has been appointed as President of the company, exiting Cinetic Media where he served as Partner. He was involved with hundreds of films over the course of his tenure at Cinetic, including the Oscar-winning docs Summer of Soul,...
Double Agent will look to offer filmmakers robust financing capability and high-end creative services for the development and production of non-fiction feature films, series and emerging formats. Dana O’Keefe has been appointed as President of the company, exiting Cinetic Media where he served as Partner. He was involved with hundreds of films over the course of his tenure at Cinetic, including the Oscar-winning docs Summer of Soul,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Partners to leverage resources, relationships to create premium content spanning all genres, formats.
Black Bear Pictures and New Regency have formed the joint venture Double Agent to produce and finance premium non-fiction content spanning all genres and formats.
Dana O’Keefe has been named president and departs from Cinetic Media where he served as a partner and was involved in hundreds of films over the course of his tenure including Oscar-winning documentaries Summer Of Soul, Free Solo, and Amy, along with Oscar nominated films like Collective, Rbg, Cartel Land, The Square and Exit Through The Giftshop.
Combining the strategic expertise, resources...
Black Bear Pictures and New Regency have formed the joint venture Double Agent to produce and finance premium non-fiction content spanning all genres and formats.
Dana O’Keefe has been named president and departs from Cinetic Media where he served as a partner and was involved in hundreds of films over the course of his tenure including Oscar-winning documentaries Summer Of Soul, Free Solo, and Amy, along with Oscar nominated films like Collective, Rbg, Cartel Land, The Square and Exit Through The Giftshop.
Combining the strategic expertise, resources...
- 5/12/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to “The Meaning of Hitler,” Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s thought-provoking documentary about the enduring cultural fascination with the Nazi dictator and its resonance on contemporary politics.
Filmed over the course of four years, the documentary is set against the backdrop of the current rise of white supremacy and anti-Semitism, and explores the myths and misconceptions of our understanding of the past. Shot in nine countries, “The Meaning of Hitler” traces the dictator’s movements, his rise to power, and the scenes of his crimes through the lens of key locations in his life.
The documentary’s framework is inspired by Sebastian Haffner’s 1978 best-selling book of the same title, which dismantled the legend surrounding Hitler’s life through interviews with subjects including Martin Amis, Saul Friedländer, Richard Evans, Yehuda Bauer and famed Nazi hunters Beate and Serge Klarsfeld.
“Petra and Michael...
Filmed over the course of four years, the documentary is set against the backdrop of the current rise of white supremacy and anti-Semitism, and explores the myths and misconceptions of our understanding of the past. Shot in nine countries, “The Meaning of Hitler” traces the dictator’s movements, his rise to power, and the scenes of his crimes through the lens of key locations in his life.
The documentary’s framework is inspired by Sebastian Haffner’s 1978 best-selling book of the same title, which dismantled the legend surrounding Hitler’s life through interviews with subjects including Martin Amis, Saul Friedländer, Richard Evans, Yehuda Bauer and famed Nazi hunters Beate and Serge Klarsfeld.
“Petra and Michael...
- 3/2/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s ever more timely The Meaning Of Hitler, a Doc NYC highlight, features Saul Friedländer and Francine Prose on Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph Of The Will, Martin Amis on political tactics and characterology, Klaus Theweleit on strangers, Deborah Lipstadt, Beate Klarsfeld, Serge Klarsfeld, Ute Frevert, and Yehuda Bauer. The filmmakers start in 2017 with a commuter train ride into New York City, and then on to a subway - Epperlein is seen reading books that mark the moment by the likes of Timothy Snyder, Hannah Arendt, George Orwell, Theweleit, and the one by Sebastian Haffner that gives the film its name.
A little avalanche of movie clips, from Mel Brooks’s [film id=10451]The...
A little avalanche of movie clips, from Mel Brooks’s [film id=10451]The...
- 11/22/2020
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Doc screens in Masters section and is in contention for best creative use of archive award.
Cinetic has closed key territory sales in the UK, Scandinavia, Benelux, and Poland on Sam Pollard’s documentary MLK/FBI ahead of its European premiere at International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
Dogwoof has acquired the film for the UK, NonStop for Scandinavia, Cherry Pickers for Benelux, and Against Gravity for Poland. Terry Steiner has picked up airlines rights, and additional territories are expected to close shortly.
MLK/FBI screens in IDFA’s Masters section and is in contention for the best creative use of archive award.
Cinetic has closed key territory sales in the UK, Scandinavia, Benelux, and Poland on Sam Pollard’s documentary MLK/FBI ahead of its European premiere at International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
Dogwoof has acquired the film for the UK, NonStop for Scandinavia, Cherry Pickers for Benelux, and Against Gravity for Poland. Terry Steiner has picked up airlines rights, and additional territories are expected to close shortly.
MLK/FBI screens in IDFA’s Masters section and is in contention for the best creative use of archive award.
- 11/20/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Doc screens in Masters section and is in contention for best creative use of archive award.
Cinetic has closed key territory sales in the UK, Scandinavia, Benelux, and Poland on Sam Pollard’s documentary MLK/FBI ahead of its European premiere at International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
Dogwoof has acquired the film for the UK, NonStop for Scandinavia, Cherry Pickers for Benelux, and Against Gravity for Poland. Terry Steiner has picked up airlines rights, and additional territories are expected to close shortly.
MLK/FBI screens in IDFA’s Masters section and is in contention for the best creative use of archive award.
Cinetic has closed key territory sales in the UK, Scandinavia, Benelux, and Poland on Sam Pollard’s documentary MLK/FBI ahead of its European premiere at International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
Dogwoof has acquired the film for the UK, NonStop for Scandinavia, Cherry Pickers for Benelux, and Against Gravity for Poland. Terry Steiner has picked up airlines rights, and additional territories are expected to close shortly.
MLK/FBI screens in IDFA’s Masters section and is in contention for the best creative use of archive award.
- 11/20/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Amazon Studios’ espionage thriller “All the Old Knives” has added actors Jonathan Pryce and Laurence Fishburne.
Directed by Janus Metz, the stage and screen stars join the previously announced Chris Pine and Thandie Newton in the project.
Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Olen Steinhauer, who also adapted the screenplay, “Knives” is produced by Chockstone Pictures, Nick Wechsler Productions and Jackson Pictures in association with eOne.
The film follows ex-lovers Henry (Pine) and Celia (Newton) — one a CIA spy, one an ex-spy — who meet over dinner to reminisce on their time together at Vienna station. The conversation moves to the disastrous hijacking of Royal Jordanian Flight 127, which ended in the deaths of all on board. That failure haunts the CIA to this day, and Henry seeks to close the book on that seedy chapter. Over a sumptuous dinner, it becomes clear that one of them is...
Directed by Janus Metz, the stage and screen stars join the previously announced Chris Pine and Thandie Newton in the project.
Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Olen Steinhauer, who also adapted the screenplay, “Knives” is produced by Chockstone Pictures, Nick Wechsler Productions and Jackson Pictures in association with eOne.
The film follows ex-lovers Henry (Pine) and Celia (Newton) — one a CIA spy, one an ex-spy — who meet over dinner to reminisce on their time together at Vienna station. The conversation moves to the disastrous hijacking of Royal Jordanian Flight 127, which ended in the deaths of all on board. That failure haunts the CIA to this day, and Henry seeks to close the book on that seedy chapter. Over a sumptuous dinner, it becomes clear that one of them is...
- 11/19/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Amazon Studios has come on to produce the actioner All the Old Knives, starring Chris Pine and Thandie Newton. Based on the acclaimed novel of the same title by Olen Steinhauer, who also adapted the screenplay, the studio has also tapped Janus Metz, who recently directed episodes of ZeroZeroZero for Amazon, to direct the spy thriller.
The film will be produced with Chockstone Pictures and Nick Wechsler Productions in association with Entertainment One (eOne). Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz and Nick Wechsler will produce through Chockstone Pictures and Matt Jackson will produce through his Jackson Pictures. Pine will exec produce through his Barry Linen Productions along with Joanne Lee of Jackson Pictures and Kate Churchill of Churchill Films. Richard Hewitt and Mark Gordon will also exec produce.
The story is set in the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea and follows ex-lovers — one a CIA spy, one an ex-spy — meet over...
The film will be produced with Chockstone Pictures and Nick Wechsler Productions in association with Entertainment One (eOne). Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz and Nick Wechsler will produce through Chockstone Pictures and Matt Jackson will produce through his Jackson Pictures. Pine will exec produce through his Barry Linen Productions along with Joanne Lee of Jackson Pictures and Kate Churchill of Churchill Films. Richard Hewitt and Mark Gordon will also exec produce.
The story is set in the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea and follows ex-lovers — one a CIA spy, one an ex-spy — meet over...
- 9/17/2020
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to the Martin Luther King Jr. documentary “MLK/FBI,” the company announced on Tuesday. The film, directed by Emmy Award-winner and Oscar nominee Sam Pollard, examines the civil rights leader’s treatment by the federal agency in the 1960s.
IFC Films will release the film on January 15, 2021 ahead of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. “MLK/FBI” was part of the Official Selection for the 2020 edition of the Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival.
A description of the film reads:
“MLK/FBI” is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government...
IFC Films will release the film on January 15, 2021 ahead of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. “MLK/FBI” was part of the Official Selection for the 2020 edition of the Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival.
A description of the film reads:
“MLK/FBI” is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government...
- 9/15/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
IFC Films said Tuesday that it acquired North American rights to MLK/FBI, the Sam Pollard-directed documentary that premiered today at the Toronto Film Festival and will play at the New York Film Festival too. IFC Films will release the film on January 15, 2021, ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday and the hope is to factor in the Oscar race.
MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government’s history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures including former FBI director James Comey, MLK...
MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government’s history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures including former FBI director James Comey, MLK...
- 9/15/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has taken worldwide rights to Barry, Vikram Ghandhi's film about the young Barack Obama, which had its world premiere last week at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Barry stars Devon Terrell as the 20-year-old Obama as he goes about discovering his identity as a transfer student at Columbia University in 1981. The cast also includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ashley Judd, Ellar Coltrane and Avi Nash.
A joint production of Black Bear Pictures and Cinetic Media, the film was produced by Black Bear's Teddy Schwarzman and Ben Stillman and Cinetic's Dana O'Keefe, along with Ghandhi, and ...
Barry stars Devon Terrell as the 20-year-old Obama as he goes about discovering his identity as a transfer student at Columbia University in 1981. The cast also includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ashley Judd, Ellar Coltrane and Avi Nash.
A joint production of Black Bear Pictures and Cinetic Media, the film was produced by Black Bear's Teddy Schwarzman and Ben Stillman and Cinetic's Dana O'Keefe, along with Ghandhi, and ...
- 9/17/2016
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Netflix has taken worldwide rights to Barry, Vikram Ghandhi's film about the young Barack Obama, which had its world premiere last week at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Barry stars Devon Terrell as the 20-year-old Obama as he goes about discovering his identity as a transfer student at Columbia University in 1981. The cast also includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ashley Judd, Ellar Coltrane and Avi Nash.
A joint production of Black Bear Pictures and Cinetic Media, the film was produced by Black Bear's Teddy Schwarzman and Ben Stillman and Cinetic's Dana O'Keefe, along with Ghandhi, and ...
Barry stars Devon Terrell as the 20-year-old Obama as he goes about discovering his identity as a transfer student at Columbia University in 1981. The cast also includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ashley Judd, Ellar Coltrane and Avi Nash.
A joint production of Black Bear Pictures and Cinetic Media, the film was produced by Black Bear's Teddy Schwarzman and Ben Stillman and Cinetic's Dana O'Keefe, along with Ghandhi, and ...
- 9/17/2016
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The documentary shorts presented at the Tribeca Film Festival included both human stories and New York’s past. The films delved into themes of chaos, survival, and a glimpse into a life of the city that forever evolves but a time past that cannot be forgotten. After the screening, the filmmakers joined in for a Q&A.
About the Film: "Joe's Violin"
A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor donates his violin to an instrument drive, changing the life of a 12-year-old schoolgirl from the Bronx and unexpectedly, his own.
About the Director: Kahane Cooperman is the director/producer of "Joe's Violin." She has also directed several other documentaries. She is currently the showrunner/executive producer of "The New Yorker Presents." Prior to that role, she was a co-executive producer of ‘The Daily Show’ with Jon Stewart. She began her career at Maysles Films.
Kahane Cooperman talks about "Joe’s Violin"
Cooperman began by introducing the two subjects of her film who were seated in the audience, the violin owner Joseph Feingold and Brianna.
“The way I got this idea was very simple. My car radio was on and I tuned on the classical radio station Wqxr and I heard a promo for their instrument drive; it said donate your instruments and the instruments are going to New York City school kids. They mentioned the donations they already had gotten and one of the instruments was Joseph’s violin. I just thought, 'I wonder if there's a story there with this violin and if the student who gets the violin will know the story.' I got in touch with the radio station and they allowed me the privilege of pursuing the story and this film is what unfolded. It was a very moving experience. I do love music but I don't play an instrument. I think music is incredibly powerful but I'm also moved by the idea of how a small gesture can make you dream and change someone’s life. Somehow the idea of this was very compelling to me and that it might play out in the context of this one instrument shared by two people who were born 80 years apart.
About the Film: "Mulberry"
This cinematic portrait of Little Italy explores how a working class neighborhood of tenement buildings transformed into the third most expensive zip code in the United States. Part funny, part sad, the film investigates how gentrification and rent control are affecting the neighborhood’s long-term residents.
About the Director: Paul Stone
Brooklynite Paul Stone started his directing career in the edit room at Ridley Scott & Associates. In "Tales of Time Square," Paul recreated 1980’s Time Square. The footage was often mistaken for stock and went on to be screened at over 50 festivals in the U.S. and abroad. His previous short ‘Man Under’ (Tff 2015) explored the rise in NYC subway suicides.
Paul Stone talks about "Mulberry"
“I saw my neighborhood disappearing, changing. I have no problem with gentrification, but it’s gotten to a point of hyper gentrification. Little Italy in New York is known for its soul and its people, and it was rapidly disappearing. I wanted to tell the story about who inspired me in terms of my friends and that Little Italy is still alive and well, and that there are still a lot of characters left.
About the Film: "Starring Austin Pendleton"
Austin Pendleton is that quintessential character actor you might recognize. We follow Austin as he reflects on his life and craft, while his A-list peers discuss his vast influence, dogged determination, and what it means to be an original in today's celebrity-obsessed world.
About the Directors Gene Gallerano and David H. Holmes
David H. Holmes has studied and acted under the direction of Mr. Pendleton. His film and television credits include ‘Birdman’, ‘Law and Order’, ‘Girls’, ‘Mr. Robot’, and ‘The Following’. Gene Gallerano is the co-founder of The Neboya Collective, and has produced and starred in works including, Occupy’, ‘Texas’, ‘Fireworks’, and ‘The Talk Men’, which he also directed.
Holmes and Gallerano talk about "Starring Austin Pendleton"
The directors met ten years ago in an Off-Broadway show and studied with Austin Pendleton for about five years. They consider him a big mentor. “We look up to him a lot and we wanted to make sure in the end that we could look him in the eye. He was very happy we made the film. At the Tribeca Talks the other day it was the first time Austin saw it. Someone asked him if he had any input into the film and he said no because then you start manipulating it and controlling it; particularly his stutter, he said I would have told them ‘cut that’.” He wasn’t preventing us from making art.”
About the Film: "Taylor and Ultra on the 60s, The Factory and Being a Warhol Superstar"
Warhol superstar Ultra Violet (Isabelle Colin Dufresne) and Lower East Side icon Taylor Mead (poet/actor/artist) share their stories of Manhattan in the 1960s.
About the Director: Brian Bayerl
Brian Bayerl's documentary work includes ‘8: The Mormon Proposition’ (Sundance 2010), and ‘For Once in My Life’ (SXSW Audience Award Winner 2010). This is his third collaboration with producer Michael Huter, including ‘Datuna: Portrait of America’ (London's Raindance Winner 2015) and Full Circle.
Brian Bayerl talks about "Taylor and Ultra on the 60s, The Factory and Being a Warhol Superstar"
“Our producer came across photographs of Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol, Taylor Mead and Ultra Violet and a lot of other figures of the sixties Pop Art. When documenting those photographs we met Taylor Mead and Ultra Violet and instantly fell in love with them; they were just so captivating and charismatic and fun that over the next four years we had opportunities to interview them and gather footage. When we lost both of them, we were approached by the Warhol Museum about putting something together and that's exactly what we wanted to do. We put this film together as an homage to both of them.”
About the film "Dead Ringer"
There are only four outdoor phone booths left in all of New York City—this is a late night conversation with one of them.
About the Directors: Alex Kliment, Dana O’Keefe, and Michael Tucker
Alex Kliment is a filmmaker and musician from New York. He is also a talking head. Dana O'Keefe is a filmmaker based in New York and Stockholm. Michael Tucker is a documentary filmmaker who lives in upstate New York.
Alex Kliment, Dana O’Keefe, and Michael Tucker talk about "Dead Ringer"
“Our film started with learning about the statistic that there were only four outdoor telephone booths left in New York City. The city's replacing them with Wi-Fi hotspots, We thought, ‘What's a fun way to dramatize the changing urban landscape that also reflects a lot of other changes of the human landscape and how we relate to each other. We thought about how to impersonate and put ourselves in the mind of a pay phone. This film was an opportunity to visit with very tragic heroes of our sidewalk -- the payphones of New York City.”
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
About the Film: "Joe's Violin"
A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor donates his violin to an instrument drive, changing the life of a 12-year-old schoolgirl from the Bronx and unexpectedly, his own.
About the Director: Kahane Cooperman is the director/producer of "Joe's Violin." She has also directed several other documentaries. She is currently the showrunner/executive producer of "The New Yorker Presents." Prior to that role, she was a co-executive producer of ‘The Daily Show’ with Jon Stewart. She began her career at Maysles Films.
Kahane Cooperman talks about "Joe’s Violin"
Cooperman began by introducing the two subjects of her film who were seated in the audience, the violin owner Joseph Feingold and Brianna.
“The way I got this idea was very simple. My car radio was on and I tuned on the classical radio station Wqxr and I heard a promo for their instrument drive; it said donate your instruments and the instruments are going to New York City school kids. They mentioned the donations they already had gotten and one of the instruments was Joseph’s violin. I just thought, 'I wonder if there's a story there with this violin and if the student who gets the violin will know the story.' I got in touch with the radio station and they allowed me the privilege of pursuing the story and this film is what unfolded. It was a very moving experience. I do love music but I don't play an instrument. I think music is incredibly powerful but I'm also moved by the idea of how a small gesture can make you dream and change someone’s life. Somehow the idea of this was very compelling to me and that it might play out in the context of this one instrument shared by two people who were born 80 years apart.
About the Film: "Mulberry"
This cinematic portrait of Little Italy explores how a working class neighborhood of tenement buildings transformed into the third most expensive zip code in the United States. Part funny, part sad, the film investigates how gentrification and rent control are affecting the neighborhood’s long-term residents.
About the Director: Paul Stone
Brooklynite Paul Stone started his directing career in the edit room at Ridley Scott & Associates. In "Tales of Time Square," Paul recreated 1980’s Time Square. The footage was often mistaken for stock and went on to be screened at over 50 festivals in the U.S. and abroad. His previous short ‘Man Under’ (Tff 2015) explored the rise in NYC subway suicides.
Paul Stone talks about "Mulberry"
“I saw my neighborhood disappearing, changing. I have no problem with gentrification, but it’s gotten to a point of hyper gentrification. Little Italy in New York is known for its soul and its people, and it was rapidly disappearing. I wanted to tell the story about who inspired me in terms of my friends and that Little Italy is still alive and well, and that there are still a lot of characters left.
About the Film: "Starring Austin Pendleton"
Austin Pendleton is that quintessential character actor you might recognize. We follow Austin as he reflects on his life and craft, while his A-list peers discuss his vast influence, dogged determination, and what it means to be an original in today's celebrity-obsessed world.
About the Directors Gene Gallerano and David H. Holmes
David H. Holmes has studied and acted under the direction of Mr. Pendleton. His film and television credits include ‘Birdman’, ‘Law and Order’, ‘Girls’, ‘Mr. Robot’, and ‘The Following’. Gene Gallerano is the co-founder of The Neboya Collective, and has produced and starred in works including, Occupy’, ‘Texas’, ‘Fireworks’, and ‘The Talk Men’, which he also directed.
Holmes and Gallerano talk about "Starring Austin Pendleton"
The directors met ten years ago in an Off-Broadway show and studied with Austin Pendleton for about five years. They consider him a big mentor. “We look up to him a lot and we wanted to make sure in the end that we could look him in the eye. He was very happy we made the film. At the Tribeca Talks the other day it was the first time Austin saw it. Someone asked him if he had any input into the film and he said no because then you start manipulating it and controlling it; particularly his stutter, he said I would have told them ‘cut that’.” He wasn’t preventing us from making art.”
About the Film: "Taylor and Ultra on the 60s, The Factory and Being a Warhol Superstar"
Warhol superstar Ultra Violet (Isabelle Colin Dufresne) and Lower East Side icon Taylor Mead (poet/actor/artist) share their stories of Manhattan in the 1960s.
About the Director: Brian Bayerl
Brian Bayerl's documentary work includes ‘8: The Mormon Proposition’ (Sundance 2010), and ‘For Once in My Life’ (SXSW Audience Award Winner 2010). This is his third collaboration with producer Michael Huter, including ‘Datuna: Portrait of America’ (London's Raindance Winner 2015) and Full Circle.
Brian Bayerl talks about "Taylor and Ultra on the 60s, The Factory and Being a Warhol Superstar"
“Our producer came across photographs of Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol, Taylor Mead and Ultra Violet and a lot of other figures of the sixties Pop Art. When documenting those photographs we met Taylor Mead and Ultra Violet and instantly fell in love with them; they were just so captivating and charismatic and fun that over the next four years we had opportunities to interview them and gather footage. When we lost both of them, we were approached by the Warhol Museum about putting something together and that's exactly what we wanted to do. We put this film together as an homage to both of them.”
About the film "Dead Ringer"
There are only four outdoor phone booths left in all of New York City—this is a late night conversation with one of them.
About the Directors: Alex Kliment, Dana O’Keefe, and Michael Tucker
Alex Kliment is a filmmaker and musician from New York. He is also a talking head. Dana O'Keefe is a filmmaker based in New York and Stockholm. Michael Tucker is a documentary filmmaker who lives in upstate New York.
Alex Kliment, Dana O’Keefe, and Michael Tucker talk about "Dead Ringer"
“Our film started with learning about the statistic that there were only four outdoor telephone booths left in New York City. The city's replacing them with Wi-Fi hotspots, We thought, ‘What's a fun way to dramatize the changing urban landscape that also reflects a lot of other changes of the human landscape and how we relate to each other. We thought about how to impersonate and put ourselves in the mind of a pay phone. This film was an opportunity to visit with very tragic heroes of our sidewalk -- the payphones of New York City.”
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
- 5/5/2016
- by Susan Kouguell
- Sydney's Buzz
Newcomer Devon Terrell ("Codes of Conduct") has been cast as a young Barack Obama in the upcoming indie drama "Barry" for Black Bear Pictures and Cinetic Media.
The story explores the time when Obama was a college student in New York City in 1981 and forged key relationships, including with a fellow student (Anya Taylor-Joy).
"Vice" correspondent Vikram Gandhi directed the project from a script by "Go the F--- to Sleep" author Adam Mansbach. Shooting begins in April. Teddy Schwarzman, Dana O'Keefe and Ben Stillman are producing.
Source: THR...
The story explores the time when Obama was a college student in New York City in 1981 and forged key relationships, including with a fellow student (Anya Taylor-Joy).
"Vice" correspondent Vikram Gandhi directed the project from a script by "Go the F--- to Sleep" author Adam Mansbach. Shooting begins in April. Teddy Schwarzman, Dana O'Keefe and Ben Stillman are producing.
Source: THR...
- 3/2/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
In late 2002, CIA officers at Guantanamo Bay reportedly rented the 1998 Roland Emmerich flick "Godzilla." The film had largely failed to engage the interest of even the most explosion-happy action fans, but the agents were not looking to be entertained. Abu Zubaydah, a high-ranking al Qaeda operative, had confessed to them under interrogation that the terrorist organization had made plans to blow up "the bridge in the Godzilla movie." Had the officers been familiar with the movie they would have known he was talking about the Brooklyn Bridge.
The possibility that a Saudi terrorist knew more about Hollywood than a roomful of American intelligence officials may be obvious in its irony, but isn't unlikely. The men who conceived of and carried out the September 11th attacks were infatuated with American entertainment (the young Bin Laden was said to have been particularly taken with "Bonanza").
The template for the Hollywood action movie is the Western,...
The possibility that a Saudi terrorist knew more about Hollywood than a roomful of American intelligence officials may be obvious in its irony, but isn't unlikely. The men who conceived of and carried out the September 11th attacks were infatuated with American entertainment (the young Bin Laden was said to have been particularly taken with "Bonanza").
The template for the Hollywood action movie is the Western,...
- 9/9/2011
- by Saki Knafo
- Huffington Post
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