Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris had just begun his interview with David Cornwell for The Pigeon Tunnel when his subject — the former spy-turned-author better known by his pen name John le Carré — threw him a curveball. Or a left hook. Choose your metaphor. Cornwell eschewed the usual niceties reserved for such circumstances in favor of a riposte, demanding to know of his interlocutor, “Who are you?” Morris, the Oscar-winning director of The Fog of War, struggled to formulate a response. Maybe, he felt, at some philosophical level it was a question he truly couldn’t answer.
Deadline: What did you think of David Cornwell’s opening move with that question?
Errol Morris: When someone looks at you and says, “Who are you? Who are you?” My answer — I think it’s a fair answer — is I tell him, “I don’t think I can answer that question. Not because I don’t want to,...
Deadline: What did you think of David Cornwell’s opening move with that question?
Errol Morris: When someone looks at you and says, “Who are you? Who are you?” My answer — I think it’s a fair answer — is I tell him, “I don’t think I can answer that question. Not because I don’t want to,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Before the dual strikes this year, Faux Library Studio Props in North Hollywood would typically fill up to 20 trucks a day that were picking up props for big Hollywood TV and film projects like “Top Gun: Maverick.” But now, CEO Marc Meyer says the company only sees one truck picking up props — for a TV commercial.
Faux Library Studio Props’ revenue has since dropped from about $150,000 a month to only $10,000, Meyer told TheWrap, and he laid off all 14 of his employees back in June. “If the actors strike is not resolved in a short time, we may be forced to sell some props,” he said. “It is straining my resources to the snapping point.”
Over the past six months, economic losses related to the Hollywood labor disputes have surpassed $6 billion nationally, Kevin Klowden, global strategist at the Milken Institute, estimated. Los Angeles accounts for nearly half of those losses, while...
Faux Library Studio Props’ revenue has since dropped from about $150,000 a month to only $10,000, Meyer told TheWrap, and he laid off all 14 of his employees back in June. “If the actors strike is not resolved in a short time, we may be forced to sell some props,” he said. “It is straining my resources to the snapping point.”
Over the past six months, economic losses related to the Hollywood labor disputes have surpassed $6 billion nationally, Kevin Klowden, global strategist at the Milken Institute, estimated. Los Angeles accounts for nearly half of those losses, while...
- 11/7/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
It’s a big week for documentaries. Three major nonfiction films are hitting digital platforms, including two made by previous Oscar nominees. Check them out when you get home from seeing “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
The contender to watch this week: “Silver Dollar Road“
Raoul Peck‘s last documentary feature, 2017’s poignant James Baldwin profile “I Am Not Your Negro,” earned him an Oscar nomination. Four years later, his HBO docuseries “Exterminate All the Brutes” won a Peabody Award. Now Peck has returned to the awards race with a portrait of a Black family in North Carolina fighting to save their property from land developers who want to drive them out. Based on a ProPublica article by Lizzie Presser, “Silver Dollar Road” opened in theaters last week and is now available on Prime Video.
Other contenders:
“The Pigeon Tunnel”: It’s hard to believe, but Errol Morris has only snagged one Oscar nomination,...
The contender to watch this week: “Silver Dollar Road“
Raoul Peck‘s last documentary feature, 2017’s poignant James Baldwin profile “I Am Not Your Negro,” earned him an Oscar nomination. Four years later, his HBO docuseries “Exterminate All the Brutes” won a Peabody Award. Now Peck has returned to the awards race with a portrait of a Black family in North Carolina fighting to save their property from land developers who want to drive them out. Based on a ProPublica article by Lizzie Presser, “Silver Dollar Road” opened in theaters last week and is now available on Prime Video.
Other contenders:
“The Pigeon Tunnel”: It’s hard to believe, but Errol Morris has only snagged one Oscar nomination,...
- 10/21/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
From the mind of Academy Award winner Errol Morris comes the mind of John le Carré. “The Pigeon Tunnel,” a six-decade documentary tour of the life and career of the British spy-turned-espionage novel writer, comes to Apple TV+ this Friday, Oct. 20, offering archival footage, dramatized vignettes, and le Carré’s final interview. You can watch The Pigeon Tunnel with a 7-Day Free Trial of Apple TV+.
How to Watch ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ When: Friday, October 20, 2023 Where: Apple TV+ Stream: Watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Apple TV+. 7-Day Free Trial$6.99+ / month apple.com About ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’
Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris (“The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara”) takes a six-decade look into the life, career, and mind of David Cornwell, a.k.a. John le Carré, the former British spy-turned-author best known for his espionage novels including “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,...
How to Watch ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ When: Friday, October 20, 2023 Where: Apple TV+ Stream: Watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Apple TV+. 7-Day Free Trial$6.99+ / month apple.com About ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’
Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris (“The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara”) takes a six-decade look into the life, career, and mind of David Cornwell, a.k.a. John le Carré, the former British spy-turned-author best known for his espionage novels including “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Philip Glass has been composing soundscapes of ambient intrigue for documentary filmmaker Errol Morris for decades, from the groundbreaking true-crime doc “The Thin Blue Line” to the Robert McNamara portrait “The Fog of War.” Now, the three-time Oscar-nominated modernist composer and co-writer Paul Leonard-Morgan have crafted the original score for Morris’ John le Carré documentary “The Pigeon Tunnel,” the Apple TV+ documentary that opens Friday, October 20. Also premiering that day will be the film’s original soundtrack from Platoon, and IndieWire shares an exclusive track off the album below.
“It is our pleasure to share ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ soundtrack,” said Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan, adding that “the orchestral journey this score took us on, combing the cimbalom of ’60s espionage soundtracks with symphonic orchestral work, led to 80 minutes of score, almost the entirety of the film.”
The film centers on four days of interviews with le Carré in 2019 that...
“It is our pleasure to share ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ soundtrack,” said Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan, adding that “the orchestral journey this score took us on, combing the cimbalom of ’60s espionage soundtracks with symphonic orchestral work, led to 80 minutes of score, almost the entirety of the film.”
The film centers on four days of interviews with le Carré in 2019 that...
- 10/17/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Most people don’t get a text from Bono in the middle of the night.
But Jon Kamen, the CEO, chairman and co-founder of RadicalMedia, found himself fighting off jet lag on a recent business trip to Japan as he fielded messages from the U2 frontman. That pair had worked together on the One campaign, the musician’s push to eradicate AIDS and poverty in Africa, and this time Bono needed help launching ticketing for the band’s upcoming residency at Las Vegas’ newly launched venue, the Sphere. Kamen assured him that there was someone on staff who could help him.
“I said, ‘let me call this guy and see if he can come up with something,'” he remembers. “We needed to turn this thing around in ridiculous time. I go to bed in Japan. Bono gives me a good recommendation for a restaurant in Kyoto. I’m dreaming of sushi,...
But Jon Kamen, the CEO, chairman and co-founder of RadicalMedia, found himself fighting off jet lag on a recent business trip to Japan as he fielded messages from the U2 frontman. That pair had worked together on the One campaign, the musician’s push to eradicate AIDS and poverty in Africa, and this time Bono needed help launching ticketing for the band’s upcoming residency at Las Vegas’ newly launched venue, the Sphere. Kamen assured him that there was someone on staff who could help him.
“I said, ‘let me call this guy and see if he can come up with something,'” he remembers. “We needed to turn this thing around in ridiculous time. I go to bed in Japan. Bono gives me a good recommendation for a restaurant in Kyoto. I’m dreaming of sushi,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Less a last will and testament than a mischievously mutual final troll, Errol Morris’s documentary The Pigeon Tunnel sees both its director and its subject, the late spy turned novelist John le Carré (né David Cornwell), engage in a circuitous dialogue, shot over four days near the end of 2019, that’s as charming and playful as it is oblique and ominous.
Contradictions abound, beginning with the film’s title visual, which is taken from le Carré’s 2016 memoir of the same name. It refers to a hotel in the Mediterranean that a young le Carré would visit with his father Ronnie, a career swindler. Pigeons were bred on the roof, and at certain points of the day the birds were forced to fly through a tunnel where they would emerge over the ocean and be shot at from below by wealthy clientele. Those that survived, rather than break for freedom,...
Contradictions abound, beginning with the film’s title visual, which is taken from le Carré’s 2016 memoir of the same name. It refers to a hotel in the Mediterranean that a young le Carré would visit with his father Ronnie, a career swindler. Pigeons were bred on the roof, and at certain points of the day the birds were forced to fly through a tunnel where they would emerge over the ocean and be shot at from below by wealthy clientele. Those that survived, rather than break for freedom,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Keith Uhlich
- Slant Magazine
In “The Pigeon Tunnel,” Academy-Award winning documentarian Errol Morris explores the life and career of former British spy David Cornwell — better known as John le Carré, author of such classic espionage novels as “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Constant Gardener.” Set against the backdrop of the Cold War leading into present day, the 94-minute docu spans six decades. Archival footage, dramatized vignettes and Morris’ expert interviewing skills allow viewers to see and hear the late spy and author in a very candid light. (Cornwell died in December 2020.)
“The Pigeon Tunnel,” which draws on Cornwell’s bestselling memoir of the same name, is an Apple Original Films production. The doc will debut at TIFF on Sept. 11.
I read that Cornwell really liked “The Fog of War,” which was part of the reason why he agreed to do this project. Is that accurate?...
“The Pigeon Tunnel,” which draws on Cornwell’s bestselling memoir of the same name, is an Apple Original Films production. The doc will debut at TIFF on Sept. 11.
I read that Cornwell really liked “The Fog of War,” which was part of the reason why he agreed to do this project. Is that accurate?...
- 9/11/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Before cameras ever start rolling on a RadicalMedia movie, staffers are already busy strategizing about where it should eventually premiere. The company, which boasts “The Fog of War” and “Summer of Soul” among its many credits, routinely consults an exhaustive chart that lays out the deadlines to submit a movie to major festivals like Cannes, Sundance and Toronto.
“There’s no guarantee that you’ll get invited, but it’s important to have a plan,” says Jon Kamen, CEO of RadicalMedia. “Each festival has their own unique personality that makes it the perfect fit for certain kinds of work.”
In the case of RadicalMedia’s “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero,” a documentary that follows the pop star behind “Old Town Road” on his first global tour, that ideal launching spot was always the Toronto International Film Festival.
“Nas X has performed in the city, and he has a huge fanbase there,...
“There’s no guarantee that you’ll get invited, but it’s important to have a plan,” says Jon Kamen, CEO of RadicalMedia. “Each festival has their own unique personality that makes it the perfect fit for certain kinds of work.”
In the case of RadicalMedia’s “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero,” a documentary that follows the pop star behind “Old Town Road” on his first global tour, that ideal launching spot was always the Toronto International Film Festival.
“Nas X has performed in the city, and he has a huge fanbase there,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris unveiled his new documentary The Pigeon Tunnel – about the spy-turned-novelist David Cornwell, aka John le Carré – at the Telluride Film Festival on Friday. Audience buzz afterwards ranked it among Morris’s best work, a canon that includes the classics The Thin Blue Line and Gates of Heaven.
Morris said it took years for The Pigeon Tunnel to be completed. But during a Q&a, he referenced a different endeavor that apparently isn’t fated to come together – a nascent documentary project on former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The controversial figure who guided American foreign policy during the Nixon and Ford administrations recently reached the century mark.
Henry Kissinger celebrates his 100th birthday in Bavaria, June 20, 2023.
“Someone wanted me to interview quite recently, on the occasion of his hundredth birthday, Henry Kissinger,” Morris told the audience at the Chuck Jones Theater in Mountain Village. “And as my wife has pointed out,...
Morris said it took years for The Pigeon Tunnel to be completed. But during a Q&a, he referenced a different endeavor that apparently isn’t fated to come together – a nascent documentary project on former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The controversial figure who guided American foreign policy during the Nixon and Ford administrations recently reached the century mark.
Henry Kissinger celebrates his 100th birthday in Bavaria, June 20, 2023.
“Someone wanted me to interview quite recently, on the occasion of his hundredth birthday, Henry Kissinger,” Morris told the audience at the Chuck Jones Theater in Mountain Village. “And as my wife has pointed out,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
At the beginning of “The Pigeon Tunnel,” British author and former intelligence officer David Cornwell – better known to millions of readers by his pen name, John le Carré – sits down in front of Errol Morris’ camera and immediately starts asking questions of the director. Morris is best known for coaxing damning admissions out of his subjects, most notably when former U.S. secretary of defense Robert McNamara admitted U.S. mistakes in Vietnam in “The Fog of War.”
But if the art of the interview is to get the subject to relax and disclose things they might not ordinarily do, forget it: Cornwell was once an interrogator for British intelligence and he never forgets the dance he’s involved in. “This is a performance,” he says, “and you need to know something about the ambitions of the people you’re talking to.”
But make no mistake, Cornwell brought some of...
But if the art of the interview is to get the subject to relax and disclose things they might not ordinarily do, forget it: Cornwell was once an interrogator for British intelligence and he never forgets the dance he’s involved in. “This is a performance,” he says, “and you need to know something about the ambitions of the people you’re talking to.”
But make no mistake, Cornwell brought some of...
- 9/1/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Errol Morris has a thing for facing down squirmy subjects. For the 2003 Oscar-winning “The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara,” he cold-called the former U.S. Defense Secretary for an interview. A decade later, the filmmaker trained his Interrotron on another former Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, for “The Unknown Known.”
For the AppleTV+ production “The Pigeon Tunnel,” Morris again captured elusive quarry by recording four days of interviews with John le Carré (neé David Cornwell) in fall 2019; they proved to be the acclaimed author’s last. The film serves as a kind of adaptation of le Carré’s own autobiography, which he wrote after biographer Adam Sisman published “John le Carré: The Biography” in 2015.
“It’s not surprising to me that David took a competitive attitude towards it,” said Morris in a phone interview. “In the most direct way imaginable, he decided, ‘Hey, this...
For the AppleTV+ production “The Pigeon Tunnel,” Morris again captured elusive quarry by recording four days of interviews with John le Carré (neé David Cornwell) in fall 2019; they proved to be the acclaimed author’s last. The film serves as a kind of adaptation of le Carré’s own autobiography, which he wrote after biographer Adam Sisman published “John le Carré: The Biography” in 2015.
“It’s not surprising to me that David took a competitive attitude towards it,” said Morris in a phone interview. “In the most direct way imaginable, he decided, ‘Hey, this...
- 8/29/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: David Cornwell, the British spy better known to the world under his pen name John le Carré, reveals secrets of his extraordinary life in a documentary directed by nonfiction filmmaking legend Errol Morris.
The Pigeon Tunnel, from Apple Original Films and The Ink Factory (The Night Manager), is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on October 20.
Following a career in Britain’s MI5 and MI6 in the 1950s and ‘60s, Cornwell became the mega-bestselling author of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Night Manager and The Constant Gardener, all of which were successfully adapted by Hollywood. His fictional creation George Smiley, the veteran intelligence officer who appears in many of those books, has been played on screen by James Mason, Alec Guinness, Denholm Elliott, and Gary Oldman.
“Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Cold War leading into present day, the film...
The Pigeon Tunnel, from Apple Original Films and The Ink Factory (The Night Manager), is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on October 20.
Following a career in Britain’s MI5 and MI6 in the 1950s and ‘60s, Cornwell became the mega-bestselling author of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Night Manager and The Constant Gardener, all of which were successfully adapted by Hollywood. His fictional creation George Smiley, the veteran intelligence officer who appears in many of those books, has been played on screen by James Mason, Alec Guinness, Denholm Elliott, and Gary Oldman.
“Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Cold War leading into present day, the film...
- 7/24/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Not long after Bravo canceled Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in 2007, the show’s creators thought their showbiz careers were over. Despite masterminding one of the 21st century’s seminal reality TV hits, David Collins, Rob Eric and Michael Williams — the team behind Scout Productions, founded in 1994 as a scrappy indie film outfit based out of Boston — were struggling to find another hit now that they’d been rebranded as unscripted lifestyle guys. “In 2004, we won an Oscar for The Fog of War and an Emmy for Queer Eye,” Collins says. “Two years after that, we could not get arrested. There was a moment where I was like, ‘All right, am I going to become a barista?’ “
Today, Scout is one of the most prolific nonfiction development companies in Hollywood — all thanks to a call Collins received in 2016 from WME agent Nir Caspi looking to shop titles that would...
Today, Scout is one of the most prolific nonfiction development companies in Hollywood — all thanks to a call Collins received in 2016 from WME agent Nir Caspi looking to shop titles that would...
- 6/16/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Telluride Film Festival’s emphasis on documentary has not wavered in recent years. But the prominence of nonfiction fare at the 49th edition has arguably made this year’s Telluride the autumn Sundance, where some of the biggest buzz is for docs.
The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.)
The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“This year, there is almost parity with the narrative features in the [main feature] program,” says Huntsinger, who co-directs Telluride with Tom Luddy. “It’s not us actively seeking it. For lack of a better word,...
The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.)
The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“This year, there is almost parity with the narrative features in the [main feature] program,” says Huntsinger, who co-directs Telluride with Tom Luddy. “It’s not us actively seeking it. For lack of a better word,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Summer of Soul producer RadicalMedia has hired New York attorney and business strategist Candice Cook Simmons as Chief Strategy Officer.
Cook Simmons joins the company from the Cook Law Group, which she founded in 2010. Her professional background includes entertainment, consumer products, technology and fintech.
She has served as an adviser to Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail and Chef Dominique Ansel; was the attorney and strategist behind the trademark execution of the Cronut pastry; and is an adviser to TheHistoryMakers in Chicago, the single largest archival collection of Black oral history, which recently was acquired by the Library of Congress.
“We have ambitious plans for RadicalMedia,” said CEO Jon Kamen, who co-founded the company with Frank Scherma. “The addition of Candice to our executive management team will be a tremendous asset to helping us accomplish those goals.”
“This is a team of visionaries, executors and thought leaders, and I’m excited...
Cook Simmons joins the company from the Cook Law Group, which she founded in 2010. Her professional background includes entertainment, consumer products, technology and fintech.
She has served as an adviser to Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail and Chef Dominique Ansel; was the attorney and strategist behind the trademark execution of the Cronut pastry; and is an adviser to TheHistoryMakers in Chicago, the single largest archival collection of Black oral history, which recently was acquired by the Library of Congress.
“We have ambitious plans for RadicalMedia,” said CEO Jon Kamen, who co-founded the company with Frank Scherma. “The addition of Candice to our executive management team will be a tremendous asset to helping us accomplish those goals.”
“This is a team of visionaries, executors and thought leaders, and I’m excited...
- 7/28/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Adrian Francis is an Australian editor and director who has been living and working in Japan since 2005. After graduating from Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Francis shot many documentary shorts, such as “Soft Words” (2007), which won many student awards, “Lessons from the Night” (2009) and “The Forest of Things Left Unsaid”, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2009.
For his feature debut “Paper City” he decided to interview three survivors of the Tokyo firebombing of 1945, exploring the often problematic relationship of Japanese society and politics towards history, or more precisely, a certain historic narrative.
On the occasion of the German premiere of “Paper City” at Nippon Connection, Adrian Francis talks about the genesis of the project, a culture of remembering the past and whether it sometimes needs an outsider’s perspective to tackle certain issues.
What was your starting point for “Paper City”?
When I started investigating the 1945 firebombing further and looking for survivors,...
For his feature debut “Paper City” he decided to interview three survivors of the Tokyo firebombing of 1945, exploring the often problematic relationship of Japanese society and politics towards history, or more precisely, a certain historic narrative.
On the occasion of the German premiere of “Paper City” at Nippon Connection, Adrian Francis talks about the genesis of the project, a culture of remembering the past and whether it sometimes needs an outsider’s perspective to tackle certain issues.
What was your starting point for “Paper City”?
When I started investigating the 1945 firebombing further and looking for survivors,...
- 6/6/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
For many cultures, the reworking and the close study of a nation’s history is not just a mere duty, but it is essential when it comes to understanding certain connections, and eventually (or hopefully) learning from them. For example, the remaining survivors of the Holocaust often visit student groups on a field trip or participate in the making of documentaries, as many of them regard it as their duty to share their experiences with others and to pass their history on to the next generation, so that they might process it and also tell it to their children at one point. However, these personal accounts also recreate a narrative which at times differs or even contradicts more popular ones, which will likely keep those voices at bay and exercise control over them. In that context, Japan is certainly no exception with the country and its political leaders, along with its society,...
- 6/1/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
NBC News is an enterprise built on 30-minute and 60-minute increments of TV journalism. Executives are starting to think about longer blocks of time.
As the Toronto International Film Festival continues into this weekend, Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News, and Liz Cole, president of the still-young NBC News Studios, will be there. “Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11,” a documentary co-presented by the Studios unit that features dozens of recollections by people of that fateful day, will get a special screening on the tragedy’s 20th anniversary.
“We are really honored by the TIFF screening,” says Cole. “We’d like to have more like it in the future.”
NBC News’ presence at TIFF signals its growing ambitions in the documentary space after forming the Studios in early 2020. The co-production, “The Way I See It,” about White House photographer Pete Souza, “was the most watched non-news program on MSNBC in history,” says Oppenheim,...
As the Toronto International Film Festival continues into this weekend, Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News, and Liz Cole, president of the still-young NBC News Studios, will be there. “Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11,” a documentary co-presented by the Studios unit that features dozens of recollections by people of that fateful day, will get a special screening on the tragedy’s 20th anniversary.
“We are really honored by the TIFF screening,” says Cole. “We’d like to have more like it in the future.”
NBC News’ presence at TIFF signals its growing ambitions in the documentary space after forming the Studios in early 2020. The co-production, “The Way I See It,” about White House photographer Pete Souza, “was the most watched non-news program on MSNBC in history,” says Oppenheim,...
- 9/10/2021
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
The inaugural Truth Seekers Summit brought together some of the brightest minds in filmmaking, music, and current events to speak on topics ranging from the impact of misinformation in media to the evolving language of documentary filmmaking. Co-hosted by Rolling Stone and Variety in partnership with Showtime, the summit featured panels, Q&a’s, and keynote discussions from marquee names in the world of documentary filmmaking. Check out 10 of the most thought-provoking moments from this week’s event.
Errol Morris on Breaking Rules
The dean of American documentary filmmaking Errol...
Errol Morris on Breaking Rules
The dean of American documentary filmmaking Errol...
- 8/27/2021
- by Ted Brown
- Rollingstone.com
Rolling Stone and Variety are pleased to announce additional programming for the inaugural “Truth Seekers” virtual summit on August 26th, presented by Showtime Documentary Films. RZA will participate in a keynote conversation about creating, executive-producing, and composing Wu-Tang: An American Saga, a series that examines the Wu-Tang Clan’s formation, mega-success, and cultural influence.
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Todd Haynes will take part in a keynote conversation about his new documentary feature, The Velvet Underground, and give an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at his creative process in telling the story of the legendary rock band.
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Todd Haynes will take part in a keynote conversation about his new documentary feature, The Velvet Underground, and give an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at his creative process in telling the story of the legendary rock band.
- 8/6/2021
- by Rolling Stone
- Rollingstone.com
Variety and Rolling Stone are pleased to announce programming for the inaugural Truth Seekers virtual summit on August 26th, presented by Showtime Documentary Films. Keynote speakers will include Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris (The Fog of War), with panels from documentarians behind Allen v. Farrow, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer, and more.
Stanley Nelson will receive the Truth Seeker Award. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Peabody Award recipient,...
Stanley Nelson will receive the Truth Seeker Award. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Peabody Award recipient,...
- 7/21/2021
- by Rolling Stone
- Rollingstone.com
IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to Sonia Kennebeck’s (National Bird) documentary thriller Enemies of the State which is executive produced by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (The Fog of War). The docu will be released this summer.
Enemies of the State, which made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020, investigates the complicated and bizarre case of alleged Wikileaks courier and Anonymous hacker Matt DeHart, an alleged whistleblower who believes he was the target of a U.S. government conspiracy. The film is the product of years of extensive investigation, featuring in-depth interviews with the DeHart family as well as their attorneys, supporters, detractors, journalists and key sources.
“Sonia maintains a deft balance in telling the fascinating story of the DeHart family, with all the twists and turns of a true crime mystery,” said Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Films. “We’re thrilled...
Enemies of the State, which made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020, investigates the complicated and bizarre case of alleged Wikileaks courier and Anonymous hacker Matt DeHart, an alleged whistleblower who believes he was the target of a U.S. government conspiracy. The film is the product of years of extensive investigation, featuring in-depth interviews with the DeHart family as well as their attorneys, supporters, detractors, journalists and key sources.
“Sonia maintains a deft balance in telling the fascinating story of the DeHart family, with all the twists and turns of a true crime mystery,” said Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Films. “We’re thrilled...
- 3/9/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Hillsong, the church that has had celebrity worshippers including Justin Bieber, Kevin Durant, and Selena Gomez, has been mired in scandal after its New York pastor Carl Lentz admitted an extramarital affair last year.
The church is now to be the subject of a limited documentary series from Queer Eye producer Scout Productions and Vanity Fair Studios.
It comes hot on the heels of an expose, published in Vanity Fair this morning, that includes new reporting on allegations of sexual assault, bullying, and the double standards to which congregants of color and those who identify as queer were at times held.
The investigation – American Pastoral – by Vanity Fair contributing editor Alex French and staff writer Dan Adler looks into the circumstances around Lentz’s firing and a culture at the church that had in many ways enabled him.
It looks at how the Australia-based megachurch, which averages more than 150,000 weekly congregants across 30 countries,...
The church is now to be the subject of a limited documentary series from Queer Eye producer Scout Productions and Vanity Fair Studios.
It comes hot on the heels of an expose, published in Vanity Fair this morning, that includes new reporting on allegations of sexual assault, bullying, and the double standards to which congregants of color and those who identify as queer were at times held.
The investigation – American Pastoral – by Vanity Fair contributing editor Alex French and staff writer Dan Adler looks into the circumstances around Lentz’s firing and a culture at the church that had in many ways enabled him.
It looks at how the Australia-based megachurch, which averages more than 150,000 weekly congregants across 30 countries,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
While Joanna Harcourt-Smith, the subject of Errol Morris’s latest documentary, “My Psychedelic Love Story,” passed away in October from breast cancer, she was able to see the completed film before she passed. “I was privileged to show her the completed movie just before she died. She watched it, I’ve been told by her family, six or seven times the week of her death and she loved it,” Morris says in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). But even though Harcourt-Smith is no longer with us, Morris still finds her story to be immensely captivating. “It’s a great story and the story continues and I’m still writing about it. It still has its hooks in me.”
“My Psychedelic Love Story,” which is currently available to watch through Showtime, showcases the story of Harcourt-Smith and, in particular, her relationship with Dr. Timothy Leary from 1972 to 1977. The...
“My Psychedelic Love Story,” which is currently available to watch through Showtime, showcases the story of Harcourt-Smith and, in particular, her relationship with Dr. Timothy Leary from 1972 to 1977. The...
- 1/4/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
“My Psychedelic Love Story,” which premiered last week on Showtime, finds Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris examining the wild lives of LSD advocate Timothy Leary and his lover, Joanna Harcourt-Smith. The film comprises of one long interview with Harcourt-Smith as she recalls a tumultuous period in the 1970s in which Leary had escaped prison, having been convicted for 20 years for marijuana possession. The documentary not only delves into Harcourt-Smith’s whirlwind experience of being with the man Richard Nixon once called “the most dangerous man in America” but also how her efforts to ensure Leary’s freedom involved her working with the FBI.
See‘The Way I See It’: From Critics’ Choice winner to Oscars?
Harcourt-Smith proves to be a fascinating storyteller as she discusses her reputation, her childhood and what drew her to Leary. Quipping at one point that she “always wanted to be with an outlaw,” Harcourt-Smith invites...
See‘The Way I See It’: From Critics’ Choice winner to Oscars?
Harcourt-Smith proves to be a fascinating storyteller as she discusses her reputation, her childhood and what drew her to Leary. Quipping at one point that she “always wanted to be with an outlaw,” Harcourt-Smith invites...
- 12/5/2020
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Updated, 2:15 Pm: We now have the first trailer for Showtime Documentary Films’ feature-length docu about LSD pioneer Timothy Leary from Oscar-winning director Errol Morris. The pic has been titled My Psychedelic Love Story and is set to premiere at 9 p.m. Sunday, November 29, on premium cable net. Check out the trailer above and read details about the movie below. There’s also a clip from the documentary at the bottom of the post.
Previously, May 26: Showtime Documentary Films unveiled a new docu feature from Oscar-winning director Errol Morris that will spotlight the polarizing psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary. The docu, which currently has the working title of A Film By Errol Morris will debut later this year on Showtime.
Known as the High Priest of LSD, the docu will dive deep into why he became a narc in 1974 and turned his back on...
Previously, May 26: Showtime Documentary Films unveiled a new docu feature from Oscar-winning director Errol Morris that will spotlight the polarizing psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary. The docu, which currently has the working title of A Film By Errol Morris will debut later this year on Showtime.
Known as the High Priest of LSD, the docu will dive deep into why he became a narc in 1974 and turned his back on...
- 10/29/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris has covered a lot of crazy stories in his day and he’s arguably the godfather of the true-crime documentary that we all love and spend watching as docu-series on places like Netflix (see the monumental true-crime doc “The Thin Blue Line“). Whether crafting incisive political docs like “The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara,” or making portraits of eccentric Americans, Morris is one-of-a-kind original and innovator.
Continue reading ‘My Psychedelic Love Story’ Trailer: Errol Morris Examines The Crazy Story of Timothy Leary Flipping As A Narc at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘My Psychedelic Love Story’ Trailer: Errol Morris Examines The Crazy Story of Timothy Leary Flipping As A Narc at The Playlist.
- 10/29/2020
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
From “The Fog of War” to “Tabloid“, to “Mr. Death,” and “American Dharma,” there are a few good reasons why many hail Errol Morris as the master of the one-on-one interview doc. Morris knows that the deepest stories can be found in human transgressions, these transgressions often being the outward manifestation of people’s darkest secrets and desires.
Continue reading ‘My Psychedelic Love Story’: Errol Morris’ Latest Doc Is A Trippy Romance With A Dash Of Conspiracy [AFI Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘My Psychedelic Love Story’: Errol Morris’ Latest Doc Is A Trippy Romance With A Dash Of Conspiracy [AFI Review] at The Playlist.
- 10/22/2020
- by Andrew Bundy
- The Playlist
Perhaps more interesting as an example of the power of storytelling than as an in-depth historical examination, Errol Morris’ “My Psychedelic Love Story” — which closes out the AFI 2020 festival on its way to Showtime — marks another case of the documentarian finding a fascinating figure and then allowing that person to tell their own side of the story, leaving it to audiences to decide how much is truth and how much is self-aggrandizing rationalization.
That’s not to say that Morris’ subject, Timothy Leary’s longtime companion Joanna Harcourt-Smith, is any more duplicitous or cagey than any of us; most people, asked to recount their life in front of a camera, will of course tell the most glowing and self-serving version of events — particularly after being publicly accused of skullduggery and bad faith. The tale that Harcourt-Smith has to tell is so figuratively mind-blowing, that it makes for a heck of a legend,...
That’s not to say that Morris’ subject, Timothy Leary’s longtime companion Joanna Harcourt-Smith, is any more duplicitous or cagey than any of us; most people, asked to recount their life in front of a camera, will of course tell the most glowing and self-serving version of events — particularly after being publicly accused of skullduggery and bad faith. The tale that Harcourt-Smith has to tell is so figuratively mind-blowing, that it makes for a heck of a legend,...
- 10/22/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Marc Smerling and Errol Morris are members of an exclusive club.
Smerling, a producer, writer and cinematographer on HBO’s The Jinx, and Morris, helmer of The Thin Blue Line and the Oscar-winning The Fog of War, are documentarians whose efforts in the true crime space yielded change in the real world. If anybody is qualified to discuss the genre and its capacity to bring about justice, but also maybe its ability to obscure facts in a sea of storytelling artifice, it’s these two.
Taken in that context, FX’s five-part documentary series A Wilderness of Error is a must-watch for true crime ...
Smerling, a producer, writer and cinematographer on HBO’s The Jinx, and Morris, helmer of The Thin Blue Line and the Oscar-winning The Fog of War, are documentarians whose efforts in the true crime space yielded change in the real world. If anybody is qualified to discuss the genre and its capacity to bring about justice, but also maybe its ability to obscure facts in a sea of storytelling artifice, it’s these two.
Taken in that context, FX’s five-part documentary series A Wilderness of Error is a must-watch for true crime ...
- 9/23/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Marc Smerling and Errol Morris are members of an exclusive club.
Smerling, a producer, writer and cinematographer on HBO’s The Jinx, and Morris, helmer of The Thin Blue Line and the Oscar-winning The Fog of War, are documentarians whose efforts in the true crime space yielded change in the real world. If anybody is qualified to discuss the genre and its capacity to bring about justice, but also maybe its ability to obscure facts in a sea of storytelling artifice, it’s these two.
Taken in that context, FX’s five-part documentary series A Wilderness of Error is a must-watch for true crime ...
Smerling, a producer, writer and cinematographer on HBO’s The Jinx, and Morris, helmer of The Thin Blue Line and the Oscar-winning The Fog of War, are documentarians whose efforts in the true crime space yielded change in the real world. If anybody is qualified to discuss the genre and its capacity to bring about justice, but also maybe its ability to obscure facts in a sea of storytelling artifice, it’s these two.
Taken in that context, FX’s five-part documentary series A Wilderness of Error is a must-watch for true crime ...
- 9/23/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Scout Productions, the company behind Netflix’s Queer Eye, is launching a dedicated documentary division.
The unit will be headed by Joel Chiodi, SVP, Strategic Development, who will oversee the content development and production. Chiodi, who was part of the team that rebooted Queer Eye, will report to Rob Eric, Scout’s Chief Creative Officer.
It comes after the production company won documentary orders including Equal, a four-part series chronicling the fight for LGBTQ rights pre-Stonewall, for HBO Max, and Get Real, a doc series about the history of reality television, for Quibi.
On the development slate are a music project from McQueen director Ian Bonhote, his producing partner Andee Ryder, Peter Ettedgui and the team at Misfits Entertainment, a “tongue in cheek” look at the candy industry, a deep-dive into the self-help world with investigative journalist Nile Cappello and a project from director Tommy Avallone (The Bill Murray Stories...
The unit will be headed by Joel Chiodi, SVP, Strategic Development, who will oversee the content development and production. Chiodi, who was part of the team that rebooted Queer Eye, will report to Rob Eric, Scout’s Chief Creative Officer.
It comes after the production company won documentary orders including Equal, a four-part series chronicling the fight for LGBTQ rights pre-Stonewall, for HBO Max, and Get Real, a doc series about the history of reality television, for Quibi.
On the development slate are a music project from McQueen director Ian Bonhote, his producing partner Andee Ryder, Peter Ettedgui and the team at Misfits Entertainment, a “tongue in cheek” look at the candy industry, a deep-dive into the self-help world with investigative journalist Nile Cappello and a project from director Tommy Avallone (The Bill Murray Stories...
- 9/15/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
When Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness arrived on Netflix just as captive audiences were adjusting to stay-at-home orders amid Covid-19, the bonkers docuseries provided just the right type of escapism.
The story of several big-cat collectors and animal-rights activists, centering on the eccentric villain Joe Exotic, immediately captured the cultural zeitgeist and went on to earn six Emmy nominations, including one for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series. It also landed a nom in picture editing for a nonfiction program. Editor Doug Abel (whose credits include Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 and Errol Morris’ Oscar-winning The Fog of War) describes how the ...
The story of several big-cat collectors and animal-rights activists, centering on the eccentric villain Joe Exotic, immediately captured the cultural zeitgeist and went on to earn six Emmy nominations, including one for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series. It also landed a nom in picture editing for a nonfiction program. Editor Doug Abel (whose credits include Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 and Errol Morris’ Oscar-winning The Fog of War) describes how the ...
- 8/27/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness arrived on Netflix just as captive audiences were adjusting to stay-at-home orders amid Covid-19, the bonkers docuseries provided just the right type of escapism.
The story of several big-cat collectors and animal-rights activists, centering on the eccentric villain Joe Exotic, immediately captured the cultural zeitgeist and went on to earn six Emmy nominations, including one for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series. It also landed a nom in picture editing for a nonfiction program. Editor Doug Abel (whose credits include Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 and Errol Morris’ Oscar-winning The Fog of War) describes how the ...
The story of several big-cat collectors and animal-rights activists, centering on the eccentric villain Joe Exotic, immediately captured the cultural zeitgeist and went on to earn six Emmy nominations, including one for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series. It also landed a nom in picture editing for a nonfiction program. Editor Doug Abel (whose credits include Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 and Errol Morris’ Oscar-winning The Fog of War) describes how the ...
- 8/27/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Leventhal was a leading figure at the UK’s Channel 4 and a former partner at Hal Films.
Colin Leventhal, a former Channel 4 executive and Hal Films partner, has died aged 73. He reportedly died on August 20 following illness.
Born in London, Leventhal began his career at the BBC in 1974 and was head of copyright at the public broadcaster when he left in 1981 to help set up Channel 4 as a founding director.
He remained at Channel 4 for 16 years, taking on roles including director of acquisitions and managing director of Channel Four International. He led FilmFour International, working alongside Channel 4 head of film David Aukin,...
Colin Leventhal, a former Channel 4 executive and Hal Films partner, has died aged 73. He reportedly died on August 20 following illness.
Born in London, Leventhal began his career at the BBC in 1974 and was head of copyright at the public broadcaster when he left in 1981 to help set up Channel 4 as a founding director.
He remained at Channel 4 for 16 years, taking on roles including director of acquisitions and managing director of Channel Four International. He led FilmFour International, working alongside Channel 4 head of film David Aukin,...
- 8/25/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
The director of Sergio and many docs talks about docs and movies taken from true stories.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sergio (2009)
Sergio (2020)
Reds (1981)
The Two Popes (2019)
Rules Don’t Apply (2016)
Bulworth (1998)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Innerspace (1987)
Ishtar (1987)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Man On Wire (2008)
The Fog of War (2003)
American Dharma (2018)
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (2016)
The Killing Fields (1984)
The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)
Under Fire (1983)
Salvador (1986)
The Quiet American (2002)
The Quiet American (1958)
A Private War (2018)
The War Room (1993)
The Final Year (2017)
Independence Day (1996)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Bloodsport (1988)
Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996)
When We Were Kings (1996)
Soul Power (2008)
High School (1968)
Hospital (1970)
Titicut Follies (1967)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007)
Before Night Falls (2000)
At Eternity’s Gate (2018)
American Factory (2019)
Dina (2017)
Honeyland (2019)
The Act of Killing (2012)
The English Patient (1996)
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Purple Noon (1960)
Other Notable Items
Sergio Aragonés
Wagner Moura
Narcos TV...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sergio (2009)
Sergio (2020)
Reds (1981)
The Two Popes (2019)
Rules Don’t Apply (2016)
Bulworth (1998)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Innerspace (1987)
Ishtar (1987)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Man On Wire (2008)
The Fog of War (2003)
American Dharma (2018)
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (2016)
The Killing Fields (1984)
The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)
Under Fire (1983)
Salvador (1986)
The Quiet American (2002)
The Quiet American (1958)
A Private War (2018)
The War Room (1993)
The Final Year (2017)
Independence Day (1996)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Bloodsport (1988)
Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996)
When We Were Kings (1996)
Soul Power (2008)
High School (1968)
Hospital (1970)
Titicut Follies (1967)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007)
Before Night Falls (2000)
At Eternity’s Gate (2018)
American Factory (2019)
Dina (2017)
Honeyland (2019)
The Act of Killing (2012)
The English Patient (1996)
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Purple Noon (1960)
Other Notable Items
Sergio Aragonés
Wagner Moura
Narcos TV...
- 7/14/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Bradley Whitford plays Commander Joseph Lawrence on Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” He won an Emmy last year in Best Drama Guest Actor and is now competing as a supporting actor for the upcoming awards.
Whitford recently spoke with Gold Derby senior editor Rob Licuria about the complicated nature of Commander Lawrence, playing alongside Elisabeth Moss and his feelings on awards. Watch the exclusive interview above and read the complete transcript below.
SEEElisabeth Moss Interview: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Gold Derby: Bradley, the guy is really complicated. He’s in a position of power and privilege but there’s this fascinating undercurrent of sorrow and empathy with him. How did that side of him develop when you and the show’s writers were bringing him to life?
Bradley Whitford: I’m a very lucky guy in terms of the parts that I have been able to play. This role is absolutely the most fascinating to perform.
Whitford recently spoke with Gold Derby senior editor Rob Licuria about the complicated nature of Commander Lawrence, playing alongside Elisabeth Moss and his feelings on awards. Watch the exclusive interview above and read the complete transcript below.
SEEElisabeth Moss Interview: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Gold Derby: Bradley, the guy is really complicated. He’s in a position of power and privilege but there’s this fascinating undercurrent of sorrow and empathy with him. How did that side of him develop when you and the show’s writers were bringing him to life?
Bradley Whitford: I’m a very lucky guy in terms of the parts that I have been able to play. This role is absolutely the most fascinating to perform.
- 7/9/2020
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Back in 2008, Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller approached RadicalMedia CEO Jon Kamen about filming the final performance of Rent. Kamen's New York-based production company already had a foothold in the documentary space, with such credits as Errol Morris' 2003 Oscar winner The Fog of War and 2004's Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. The live-capture experiment provided Kamen with an entry into an exciting new subgenre of the nonfiction film. The finished product, Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway, received a small theatrical release from Sony Pictures and, in the process, RadicalMedia "developed the nomenclature and a whole style of filming it in a ...
Back in 2008, Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller approached RadicalMedia CEO Jon Kamen about filming the final performance of Rent. Kamen's New York-based production company already had a foothold in the documentary space, with such credits as Errol Morris' 2003 Oscar winner The Fog of War and 2004's Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. The live-capture experiment provided Kamen with an entry into an exciting new subgenre of the nonfiction film. The finished product, Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway, received a small theatrical release from Sony Pictures and, in the process, RadicalMedia "developed the nomenclature and a whole style of filming it in a ...
Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris is back with a new feature based on the life of psychologist and psychedelic advocate Timothy Leary. Per Showtime, who will air the documentary at a soon-to-be-announced date, the film “will examine why Leary, the High Priest of LSD, became a narc in 1974 and seemingly abandoned the millions he urged to turn on, tune in and drop out.”
Inspired by Tripping the Bardo With Timothy Leary: My Psychedelic Love Story, the memoir by Leary’s longtime partner Joanna Harcourt-Smith, she is heavily featured in the documentary, as one can glean from the trailer. It’s an intriguing subject for Morris, who is is considered to be one of the most influential documentarians in film history with The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War, and many more. His controversial latest film, American Dharma, focused on political strategist and white nationalist Steve Bannon.
See the trailer below.
Inspired by Tripping the Bardo With Timothy Leary: My Psychedelic Love Story, the memoir by Leary’s longtime partner Joanna Harcourt-Smith, she is heavily featured in the documentary, as one can glean from the trailer. It’s an intriguing subject for Morris, who is is considered to be one of the most influential documentarians in film history with The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War, and many more. His controversial latest film, American Dharma, focused on political strategist and white nationalist Steve Bannon.
See the trailer below.
- 6/5/2020
- by Stephen Hladik
- The Film Stage
“The Fog of War” and “The Thin Blue Line” director Errol Morris’ next documentary film will be focused on the “High Priest of LSD” Timothy Leary and will debut on Showtime later this year, Showtime Documentary Films announced Tuesday.
The documentary, currently with the working title “A Film By Errol Morris,” is inspired by the memoir “Tripping the Bardo with Timothy Leary: My Psychedelic Love Story” by Joanna Harcourt-Smith. It will examine the romantic relationship between Harcourt-Smith and Leary as he went from an advocate for the psychedelic LSD drug and then became a narc in 1974.
The film will explore Leary’s period of exile, his re-imprisonment and his subsequent cooperation with the authorities and whether Leary and Harcourt-Smith truly had the “perfect love” or if something else was at play.
Also Read: 'American Dharma' Film Review: Errol Morris' Documentary on Steve Bannon Leaves Too Many Questions Unanswered
“This is a dream project,...
The documentary, currently with the working title “A Film By Errol Morris,” is inspired by the memoir “Tripping the Bardo with Timothy Leary: My Psychedelic Love Story” by Joanna Harcourt-Smith. It will examine the romantic relationship between Harcourt-Smith and Leary as he went from an advocate for the psychedelic LSD drug and then became a narc in 1974.
The film will explore Leary’s period of exile, his re-imprisonment and his subsequent cooperation with the authorities and whether Leary and Harcourt-Smith truly had the “perfect love” or if something else was at play.
Also Read: 'American Dharma' Film Review: Errol Morris' Documentary on Steve Bannon Leaves Too Many Questions Unanswered
“This is a dream project,...
- 5/26/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Editor Doug Abel provides a behind-the-scenes look at Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in a new episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Behind the Screen podcast series.
In a remotely recorded episode, Abel — whose credits include Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 and Errol Morris’ Oscar-winning documentary The Fog of War — shares how this series started with a look at the treatment of animals and evolved into a story beyond belief that follows several big cat collectors and animal rights activists, centering on breeder and former zoo owner Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic. His story ranges from a ...
In a remotely recorded episode, Abel — whose credits include Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 and Errol Morris’ Oscar-winning documentary The Fog of War — shares how this series started with a look at the treatment of animals and evolved into a story beyond belief that follows several big cat collectors and animal rights activists, centering on breeder and former zoo owner Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic. His story ranges from a ...
“Purple Rain,” “Clerks,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Amadeus,” “Sleeping Beauty,””Boys Don’t Cry” and “The Last Waltz” are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
The list also includes 1944’s “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning performance; the 1955 film noir “The Phenix City Story,” based on a real-life murder in Alabama; Disney’s 1959 canine tearjerker “Old Yeller”; Oliver Stone’s 1986 Best Picture winner “Platoon,” based on his own experiences in Vietnam; and Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit,” which tells the story of the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the racially charged riots that followed.
A place on the list — always made up of 25 films — guarantees the film will be preserved under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act. The criteria for selection is that the movies are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
“The National Film Registry has become...
The list also includes 1944’s “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning performance; the 1955 film noir “The Phenix City Story,” based on a real-life murder in Alabama; Disney’s 1959 canine tearjerker “Old Yeller”; Oliver Stone’s 1986 Best Picture winner “Platoon,” based on his own experiences in Vietnam; and Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit,” which tells the story of the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the racially charged riots that followed.
A place on the list — always made up of 25 films — guarantees the film will be preserved under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act. The criteria for selection is that the movies are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
“The National Film Registry has become...
- 12/11/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of screenings at the Telluride Film Festival over Labor Day weekend, Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris debuted a series of 19 30-second spots featuring “Better Call Saul” Emmy nominee Bob Odenkirk.
Each of the clips, which IndieWire has assembled into a single video below, slyly points at a different aspect of climate change, with Odenkirk playing Admiral Horatio Horntower (obviously a play on C.S. Forester’s fictional Horatio Hornblower character) as he stands atop a disappearing iceberg, pondering life’s mysteries alongside his animal friends who realize, unlike Horatio, that the planet is on the brink of a total climate meltdown. “I’m not worried!” says Horatio, who’s in denial. But the penguins and the seals are awake to what’s going on in these clips presented by Biscuit Filmworks & Fourth Floor Productions.
Below is the statement from director Morris, who won his Oscar in 2004 for “The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara...
Each of the clips, which IndieWire has assembled into a single video below, slyly points at a different aspect of climate change, with Odenkirk playing Admiral Horatio Horntower (obviously a play on C.S. Forester’s fictional Horatio Hornblower character) as he stands atop a disappearing iceberg, pondering life’s mysteries alongside his animal friends who realize, unlike Horatio, that the planet is on the brink of a total climate meltdown. “I’m not worried!” says Horatio, who’s in denial. But the penguins and the seals are awake to what’s going on in these clips presented by Biscuit Filmworks & Fourth Floor Productions.
Below is the statement from director Morris, who won his Oscar in 2004 for “The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara...
- 9/5/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday.
This week’s question: What is the best documentary about the American political system?
“13th”
Anne McCarthy (@annemitchmcc), Teen Vogue, Ms. Magazine, Bonjour Paris
Although “13th” is, in effect – at face value – about the U.S. prison system, that’s not entirely what it’s about. Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated 2016 documentary illustrates with poise and punch just how the U.S. political system and the government directly contributed to the highly problematic American prison system as we know it today. From President Clinton’s “3 Strikes” rule, President Reagan’s crack-down on crack cocaine, and more, we see the correlations between political acts and overcrowded jails, wrongly convicted inmates, and young lives lost at the hands of the people who are supposed to protect them. In an ideal world, every American would see this film.
This week’s question: What is the best documentary about the American political system?
“13th”
Anne McCarthy (@annemitchmcc), Teen Vogue, Ms. Magazine, Bonjour Paris
Although “13th” is, in effect – at face value – about the U.S. prison system, that’s not entirely what it’s about. Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated 2016 documentary illustrates with poise and punch just how the U.S. political system and the government directly contributed to the highly problematic American prison system as we know it today. From President Clinton’s “3 Strikes” rule, President Reagan’s crack-down on crack cocaine, and more, we see the correlations between political acts and overcrowded jails, wrongly convicted inmates, and young lives lost at the hands of the people who are supposed to protect them. In an ideal world, every American would see this film.
- 3/18/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
January continues its slow roll on the Specialty side this weekend with very few anticipated limited releases. IFC Films has the headliner of the weekend with political thriller An Acceptable Loss starring Tika Sumpter and Jamie Lee Curtis. Chicago Fire director Joe Chappelle wrote and directed the title after finding inspiration from two documentaries by Errol Morris. Brooklyn-based Distrib Films believes it found an under-the-radar gem in last year’s Berlin Film Festival with The Heiresses, which took two Silver Bears at the event in the German capital.
Other openers this weekend include Screen Media’s 2016 Tribeca Nora Ephron prize-winner Adult Life Skills, as well as Freestyle Digital Media’s I Hate The Kids and Rlj Entertainment’s The Standoff at Sparrow Creek.
An Acceptable Loss
Director-writer: Joe Chappelle
Cast: Tika Sumpter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Tavassoli, Jeff Hephner
Distributor: IFC Films
Veteran TV director Joe Chappelle had the idea...
Other openers this weekend include Screen Media’s 2016 Tribeca Nora Ephron prize-winner Adult Life Skills, as well as Freestyle Digital Media’s I Hate The Kids and Rlj Entertainment’s The Standoff at Sparrow Creek.
An Acceptable Loss
Director-writer: Joe Chappelle
Cast: Tika Sumpter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Tavassoli, Jeff Hephner
Distributor: IFC Films
Veteran TV director Joe Chappelle had the idea...
- 1/17/2019
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress Rachel Weisz and RadicalMedia founder Jon Kamen will receive two of the tribute honors at November’s IFP Gotham Awards, the unofficial kickoff to awards season.
The awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 26, in its longtime home at Cipriani Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.
Weisz is in The Favourite, which took multiple honors at the Venice Film Festival and also played Telluride. It will open the New York Film Festival later this month. Earlier this year, Weisz earned accolades for her role in Disobedience, which she also produced. She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2005 for The Constant Gardener.
Kamen is chairman and CEO of RadicalMedia, whose work spans television, film, graphic and interactive design. Among its 150-plus titles are Oscar-nominated and -winning documentaries such as The Fog of War, What Happened, Miss Simone? and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. On TV, it has been involved with Mad Men,...
The awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 26, in its longtime home at Cipriani Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.
Weisz is in The Favourite, which took multiple honors at the Venice Film Festival and also played Telluride. It will open the New York Film Festival later this month. Earlier this year, Weisz earned accolades for her role in Disobedience, which she also produced. She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2005 for The Constant Gardener.
Kamen is chairman and CEO of RadicalMedia, whose work spans television, film, graphic and interactive design. Among its 150-plus titles are Oscar-nominated and -winning documentaries such as The Fog of War, What Happened, Miss Simone? and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. On TV, it has been involved with Mad Men,...
- 9/14/2018
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
American Dharma is meant to leave its audience shaken, whatever side they’re on. Filmmaker Errol Morris’ subject is Stephen K. Bannon, ideologue of the alt-right and Donald Trump’s campaign manager and one-time advisor. While deceptively placid on the surface, their exchange of views is electrified and contradicted by a nervous deluge of headlines, photos, videos and Twitter feeds that reveal what kind of issues are really at stake behind the friendly facade. Though stylistically quite different from the director’s The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara, it shows the same ability to ...
American Dharma is meant to leave its audience shaken, whatever side they’re on. Filmmaker Errol Morris’ subject is Stephen K. Bannon, ideologue of the alt-right and Donald Trump’s campaign manager and one-time advisor. While deceptively placid on the surface, their exchange of views is electrified and contradicted by a nervous deluge of headlines, photos, videos and Twitter feeds that reveal what kind of issues are really at stake behind the friendly facade. Though stylistically quite different from the director’s The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara, it shows the same ability to ...
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