Since the launch of Guardian Documentaries in 2016, the short film division of the British daily newspaper has garnered an Oscar and a BAFTA over the past two consecutive years, scoring the best British short film trophy for Cherish Oteka’s “The Black Cop” on March 13.
About Gamal “G” Turawa, a Black gay man who joined the London police department to help change its racial make-up, “The Black Cop” explores Turawa’s memories of homophobia, racial profiling, and harassment. Commissioned by Guardian Documentaries, the doc received additional funds from the BFI Doc Society Fund.
“Guardian Documentaries compliment Guardian journalism,” says Lindsay Poulton, head of Guardian Documentaries. “I felt that Cherish’s initial proposal expressed urgent themes in a creative way. We were reflecting on the Black Lives Matter movement; on the push for LGBTQ+ equality; we knew there were a lot of important, uncomfortable conversations to be had about policing and abuse of power.
About Gamal “G” Turawa, a Black gay man who joined the London police department to help change its racial make-up, “The Black Cop” explores Turawa’s memories of homophobia, racial profiling, and harassment. Commissioned by Guardian Documentaries, the doc received additional funds from the BFI Doc Society Fund.
“Guardian Documentaries compliment Guardian journalism,” says Lindsay Poulton, head of Guardian Documentaries. “I felt that Cherish’s initial proposal expressed urgent themes in a creative way. We were reflecting on the Black Lives Matter movement; on the push for LGBTQ+ equality; we knew there were a lot of important, uncomfortable conversations to be had about policing and abuse of power.
- 3/24/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
While the presence of “Minding the Gap” and “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” in the Oscar documentary feature category suggest a welcome evolution in the way the Academy thinks about nonfiction filmmaking, the documentary short ballot hasn’t changed much from years past. Once again, just causes, rather than great cinema, dominate the list of nominees, which serve as a kind of armchair activism for voters, who tend to back the issue that matters most to them. Here, the choices range from empowering women in developing nations to easing terminal patients with end-of-life choices.
The first film screened in ShortsTV’s two-hour-plus theatrical program, Ed Perkins’ “Black Sheep,” actually suggests it may be otherwise, interweaving a compelling direct-to-camera interview with Cornelius Walker with equally powerful reenactment footage of his adolescence in Essex, where the young Nigerian immigrant learned to hate the color of his own skin. The story itself...
The first film screened in ShortsTV’s two-hour-plus theatrical program, Ed Perkins’ “Black Sheep,” actually suggests it may be otherwise, interweaving a compelling direct-to-camera interview with Cornelius Walker with equally powerful reenactment footage of his adolescence in Essex, where the young Nigerian immigrant learned to hate the color of his own skin. The story itself...
- 2/24/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
According to our official racetrack odds, “Black Sheep” looks to be out front for this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film. Those odds are pulled together from the forecasts made by our Expert film journalists, Gold Derby Editors, top 24 users and the thousands of regular Gold Derby readers predicting the contest in our predictions center.
But how solid is “Black Sheep” in the front-runner position? Is there another short that is a more traditional fit for Oscar voters? Let’s take a more in depth look at all five of this year’s nominated short docs, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
SEEOscars 2019: Best Animated Short preview of all 5 contenders
“Black Sheep” (odds of winning: 7/2)
This short centers on Cornelius Walker as he reminisces about his experiences dealing with racism in England in 2000. After the publicized killing of Damilola Taylor, a 10-year-old Nigerian boy in London,...
But how solid is “Black Sheep” in the front-runner position? Is there another short that is a more traditional fit for Oscar voters? Let’s take a more in depth look at all five of this year’s nominated short docs, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
SEEOscars 2019: Best Animated Short preview of all 5 contenders
“Black Sheep” (odds of winning: 7/2)
This short centers on Cornelius Walker as he reminisces about his experiences dealing with racism in England in 2000. After the publicized killing of Damilola Taylor, a 10-year-old Nigerian boy in London,...
- 2/18/2019
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Skye Fitzgerald, director of the Oscar-nominated short documentary “Lifeboat,” has a defining memory as a filmmaker. When he was 21, he saw a car accident and watched a man die as he was being tended to by a first responder. To this day, that image has guided the stories he’s chosen to tell.
“The only principle I use when I’m selecting a story is: if I walk out of this theater tonight and I get hit by that bus, am I proud of the stories I’ve chosen and how I’ve chosen to tell them?” Fitzgerald said during a post-screening panel held by TheWrap on Tuesday.
It was that question that led Fitzgerald to create short documentary about the volunteer crews that rescue refugees lost adrift on the Mediterranean Sea, and a similar desire to tell important global stories fueled the creation of the other four nominated films...
“The only principle I use when I’m selecting a story is: if I walk out of this theater tonight and I get hit by that bus, am I proud of the stories I’ve chosen and how I’ve chosen to tell them?” Fitzgerald said during a post-screening panel held by TheWrap on Tuesday.
It was that question that led Fitzgerald to create short documentary about the volunteer crews that rescue refugees lost adrift on the Mediterranean Sea, and a similar desire to tell important global stories fueled the creation of the other four nominated films...
- 2/6/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
In the run-up to the Oscars, you may well have already seen all of the contenders — except for those in the shorts categories. Now’s your chance, with the 2019 Oscar Nominated Short Films program, to catch up on these underrated contenders before the office Oscar ballots come around.
They may not have big-name stars or auteur directors behind them, but several of these mini-movies are as effective as a Best Picture nominee when it comes to working on your emotions and leaving you thinking long after their credits roll. And if there’s ever a title that’s not working out for you, a new short will soon follow in its place, like revolving appetizers at a reception.
The shorts are divided into three categories of five titles each: Live Action, Documentary and Animation. Those in the Live Action competition are generally some of the heaviest, most dramatic shorts from filmmakers around the world.
They may not have big-name stars or auteur directors behind them, but several of these mini-movies are as effective as a Best Picture nominee when it comes to working on your emotions and leaving you thinking long after their credits roll. And if there’s ever a title that’s not working out for you, a new short will soon follow in its place, like revolving appetizers at a reception.
The shorts are divided into three categories of five titles each: Live Action, Documentary and Animation. Those in the Live Action competition are generally some of the heaviest, most dramatic shorts from filmmakers around the world.
- 2/6/2019
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’re reviewing each short category. See the Live Action section below and the other shorts sections here.
A Night at the Garden – USA – 7 minutes
On February 20, 1939, Fritz Kuhn — a naturalized American citizen of German heritage who would later be deported — held a pro-Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden under the auspices of “pro-America” sentiments for Gentile-Americans looking to escape the Jewish-led media and Jewish Moscow-directed domination of labor unions. Twenty thousand white men and women attended with arms raised in Adolph Hitler’s salute towards this German American Bund leader against a backdrop of George Washington next to swastikas, stars, and stripes. Children cheered as twenty-plus police officers accosted a protestor, dragging him off the stage while Kuhn laughed. And some still wonder why we say white supremacy is alive and well today.
Director Marshall Curry doesn’t have to do anything but...
A Night at the Garden – USA – 7 minutes
On February 20, 1939, Fritz Kuhn — a naturalized American citizen of German heritage who would later be deported — held a pro-Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden under the auspices of “pro-America” sentiments for Gentile-Americans looking to escape the Jewish-led media and Jewish Moscow-directed domination of labor unions. Twenty thousand white men and women attended with arms raised in Adolph Hitler’s salute towards this German American Bund leader against a backdrop of George Washington next to swastikas, stars, and stripes. Children cheered as twenty-plus police officers accosted a protestor, dragging him off the stage while Kuhn laughed. And some still wonder why we say white supremacy is alive and well today.
Director Marshall Curry doesn’t have to do anything but...
- 2/5/2019
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Ed Perkins’ film about a young black boy’s response to a racist gang after he moves out of London is up for an Academy award
Oscars 2019: Roma and The Favourite vying for glory with 10 nominations each
Full list of nominations
Black Sheep, a film commissioned by the Guardian, has been nominated for best short documentary at the 2019 Oscars.
Directed by Ed Perkins, Black Sheep tells the story of Cornelius Walker, a black 11-year-old from London who moves with his family to a housing estate in Essex after the murder of schoolboy Damilola Taylor in 2000. Walker, the same age as Taylor and of similar background, found himself confronting a gang of local racists and, after first fighting back, went to extraordinary lengths to fit in and gain their friendship.
Oscars 2019: Roma and The Favourite vying for glory with 10 nominations each
Full list of nominations
Black Sheep, a film commissioned by the Guardian, has been nominated for best short documentary at the 2019 Oscars.
Directed by Ed Perkins, Black Sheep tells the story of Cornelius Walker, a black 11-year-old from London who moves with his family to a housing estate in Essex after the murder of schoolboy Damilola Taylor in 2000. Walker, the same age as Taylor and of similar background, found himself confronting a gang of local racists and, after first fighting back, went to extraordinary lengths to fit in and gain their friendship.
- 1/22/2019
- by Andrew Pulver and Gwilym Mumford
- The Guardian - Film News
As the Oscar nomination voting window opens, suspense is building across all the categories including Documentary Short Subject, where 10 films remain in contention. Five will go on to earn Academy Award nominations, which are set to be revealed on January 22.
Among the contenders, several touch on taboo subjects. In the case of Period. End of Sentence., directed by young filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, that taboo is menstruation. She filmed in India, where a shockingly small percentage of girls and women have access to sanitary pads. A lack of understanding about their bodies, and a deep feeling of shame around the topic, have forced countless numbers of girls to leave school once they develop their period.
“Going to these villages in India and having conversations with hundreds of women and men as well and just bringing up the word ‘periods,’” Zehtabchi recalls, “it was never an outward, confident conversation or understanding about what menstruation was.
Among the contenders, several touch on taboo subjects. In the case of Period. End of Sentence., directed by young filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, that taboo is menstruation. She filmed in India, where a shockingly small percentage of girls and women have access to sanitary pads. A lack of understanding about their bodies, and a deep feeling of shame around the topic, have forced countless numbers of girls to leave school once they develop their period.
“Going to these villages in India and having conversations with hundreds of women and men as well and just bringing up the word ‘periods,’” Zehtabchi recalls, “it was never an outward, confident conversation or understanding about what menstruation was.
- 1/7/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The only thing at the Oscars that is harder than predicting who will win in the short film categories is trying to predict which ones will get nominated. Even with shortlists of the potential nominees, it can be very difficult to try and single out the five films that will emerge as Oscar nominees. Well, now that the shortlists have been announced for these categories and you can make your predictions about them in our predictions center, we wanted to give you the full details about the 10 finalists for Best Documentary Short Subject. These cheat sheet summaries should help you predict which five contenders will be the nominees for the 2019 Oscars.
SEE2019 Oscar nominations: 10 Academy Awards with special rules – Original Song, Score, Documentary Feature, Foreign Language Film …
Black Sheep – Following the high-profile murder of Damilola Taylor, a 10-year-old Nigerian immigrant in London, Cornelius Walker’s family decides to move out of London.
SEE2019 Oscar nominations: 10 Academy Awards with special rules – Original Song, Score, Documentary Feature, Foreign Language Film …
Black Sheep – Following the high-profile murder of Damilola Taylor, a 10-year-old Nigerian immigrant in London, Cornelius Walker’s family decides to move out of London.
- 12/26/2018
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Three films from 12 teams will be greenlit for production.Scroll down for full list of projects
UK film-making initiative iFeatures has revealed the teams and projects that will make up its fourth development slate.
Twelve teams and projects have been selected, of which three will be greenlit for production in 2017, each with a budget of £350,000 ($455,000).
The scheme, which has previously produced regional productions such as Guy Myhill’s award-winning The Goob, is overseen by Creative England with partners the BFI Film Fund, BBC Films and Creative Skillset.
The selected teams include Screen International Stars of Tomorrow Rob Savage, Emily Morgan and Joy Wilkinson; Sundance Fellowship winner Naz Sadoughi; and Ted Evans, one of the UK’s leading deaf filmmakers who directed and co-wrote the Paralympic Opening Ceremony film Look Up.
Between them the chosen teams have made films which have screened at Toronto, London and Sundance film festivals as well as FrightFest.
The selected...
UK film-making initiative iFeatures has revealed the teams and projects that will make up its fourth development slate.
Twelve teams and projects have been selected, of which three will be greenlit for production in 2017, each with a budget of £350,000 ($455,000).
The scheme, which has previously produced regional productions such as Guy Myhill’s award-winning The Goob, is overseen by Creative England with partners the BFI Film Fund, BBC Films and Creative Skillset.
The selected teams include Screen International Stars of Tomorrow Rob Savage, Emily Morgan and Joy Wilkinson; Sundance Fellowship winner Naz Sadoughi; and Ted Evans, one of the UK’s leading deaf filmmakers who directed and co-wrote the Paralympic Opening Ceremony film Look Up.
Between them the chosen teams have made films which have screened at Toronto, London and Sundance film festivals as well as FrightFest.
The selected...
- 7/6/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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