Documentary filmmaking has never been a profession one enters into to get rich — though for a brief period it seemed possible.
Cable expanded documentary’s reach to wider audiences in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and films like “Fahrenheit 9/11,” “March of the Penguins,” and “An Inconvenient Truth” became legitimate box-office breakthroughs, but nonfiction features on the whole remained something of a stepchild within the larger Hollywood ecosystem until 2017, when Netflix acquired Brian Fogel’s “Icarus” for $5 million.
At the time, the deal was one of the biggest ever for a non-fiction film. And it was followed by even bigger deals: In 2019 Netflix shelled out $10 million for Rachel Lears’ “Knock Down the House.” The following year Apple TV+ and A24 partnered to buy Jesse Moss’ “Boys State” for $10 million, and in 2021 Searchlight and Hulu bought Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s “Summer of Soul” for $12 million.
On the surface it seemed like people,...
Cable expanded documentary’s reach to wider audiences in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and films like “Fahrenheit 9/11,” “March of the Penguins,” and “An Inconvenient Truth” became legitimate box-office breakthroughs, but nonfiction features on the whole remained something of a stepchild within the larger Hollywood ecosystem until 2017, when Netflix acquired Brian Fogel’s “Icarus” for $5 million.
At the time, the deal was one of the biggest ever for a non-fiction film. And it was followed by even bigger deals: In 2019 Netflix shelled out $10 million for Rachel Lears’ “Knock Down the House.” The following year Apple TV+ and A24 partnered to buy Jesse Moss’ “Boys State” for $10 million, and in 2021 Searchlight and Hulu bought Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s “Summer of Soul” for $12 million.
On the surface it seemed like people,...
- 4/6/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Music movies are having a moment — if, indeed, they ever stopped having one. Take the pop-music biopic. There are times, like right now, when it surges in popularity, yet the form has never gone out of style. And music documentaries, a staple of the indie-film world, have only proliferated during the streaming era. This means that they have to compete for visibility, but a ton of them are getting made and (mostly) getting seen. They’ve become a happy epidemic.
A few, like “Amy” or “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?,” are popular and vital enough to have carved out a place in the culture — and, in the case of both those films, to have inspired the creation of a biopic. I have it on good authority that when you’re trying to put together a music documentary, the prospect of it spawning a biopic can be a key selling point.
A few, like “Amy” or “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?,” are popular and vital enough to have carved out a place in the culture — and, in the case of both those films, to have inspired the creation of a biopic. I have it on good authority that when you’re trying to put together a music documentary, the prospect of it spawning a biopic can be a key selling point.
- 3/24/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Giles Milton’s story behind Winston Churchill’s World War Two underground unit is to be told via a TV series from Netflix’s Castlevania: Nocturne creator Clive Bradley.
Academy Award-nominated Chocolat producer Kit Golden, Long Strange Trip’s Tom Mangan and former Discovery International CEO Mark Hollinger have secured the rights to Giles Milton’s non-fiction work Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler’s Defeat, with Trapped scribe Bradley turning the adaptation into a 10-episode TV drama.
Mango Productions/Pleasant Bay Pictures’ show, which plans to shoot in Scotland, France, Norway and Greece, is distinct from Paramount Pictures’ forthcoming pic Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which has Guy Ritchie attached to write and direct and is based on a different book by Damian Lewis.
Milton’s book follows the work of an international group of soldiers, spies and saboteurs from all walks of life...
Academy Award-nominated Chocolat producer Kit Golden, Long Strange Trip’s Tom Mangan and former Discovery International CEO Mark Hollinger have secured the rights to Giles Milton’s non-fiction work Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler’s Defeat, with Trapped scribe Bradley turning the adaptation into a 10-episode TV drama.
Mango Productions/Pleasant Bay Pictures’ show, which plans to shoot in Scotland, France, Norway and Greece, is distinct from Paramount Pictures’ forthcoming pic Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which has Guy Ritchie attached to write and direct and is based on a different book by Damian Lewis.
Milton’s book follows the work of an international group of soldiers, spies and saboteurs from all walks of life...
- 12/21/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Steve McQueen and his installation "Year 3" at Tate Britain. Steve McQueen will be unveiling a new installation, “Sunshine State,” at the International film festival Rotterdam as part of its Art Directions section, which is dedicated to "daring films, installations, exhibitions and live performance." This is McQueen's first major commission since "Year 3," which was exhibited at Tate Britain in 2019. Martin Scorsese has set his eyes on his next project with Apple: a biopic about the Grateful Dead, starring Jonah Hill as frontman Jerry Garcia. As Variety points out, Scorsese did executive produce a 2017 documentary series about the band entitled Long Strange Trip. For that series, he described the Grateful Dead as "more than just a band." Hill and Scorsese previously worked together on Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and a Coca-Cola ad for last year's Super Bowl.
- 11/26/2021
- MUBI
Jonah Hill and Martin Scorsese are to team up for a biopic feature of the band Grateful Dead.
Jonah Hill is on board to play the group’s frontman, Jerry Garcia, while Scorsese will direct and produce the untitled biopic. Hill will also produce through his Strong Baby banner along with his producing partner Matt Dines.
Sources have said that the band and the group’s management will be participating in the film, Apple has rights to use the group’s musical catalogue for the film.
Also in news – Mel Gibson set to direct ‘Lethal Weapon 5’
‘The People vs. O.J. Simpson’ scribes Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski will be penning the screenplay. The band’s Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann will executive produce along with their late bandmate’s daughter Trixie Garcia, Eric Eisner and Bernie Cahill.
Whether the biopic will cover the whole of...
Jonah Hill is on board to play the group’s frontman, Jerry Garcia, while Scorsese will direct and produce the untitled biopic. Hill will also produce through his Strong Baby banner along with his producing partner Matt Dines.
Sources have said that the band and the group’s management will be participating in the film, Apple has rights to use the group’s musical catalogue for the film.
Also in news – Mel Gibson set to direct ‘Lethal Weapon 5’
‘The People vs. O.J. Simpson’ scribes Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski will be penning the screenplay. The band’s Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann will executive produce along with their late bandmate’s daughter Trixie Garcia, Eric Eisner and Bernie Cahill.
Whether the biopic will cover the whole of...
- 11/19/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
As we wait—probably another year—for Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese (79 yesterday!) has not let a long stay in the edit bay get him down. Per Variety, he’ll reunite with Jonah Hill for an as-yet-untitled Jerry Garcia biopic “expected to chronicle the band’s rise amid the ’60s psychedelic counterculture movement.” Scripted by the reliable Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the project is moving forward with Apple and at the surviving members’ blessing: Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart are executive producing.
Though it’s early days and this wouldn’t be the first time in my life a Scorsese biopic falls through—anybody remember his attempts at a 3D Sinatra?—the inclusion of deep-pocketed Apple and remaining Dead crew are for sure a sign of upward mobility. And it would not be the master’s first dip in this river: in 2017 he...
Though it’s early days and this wouldn’t be the first time in my life a Scorsese biopic falls through—anybody remember his attempts at a 3D Sinatra?—the inclusion of deep-pocketed Apple and remaining Dead crew are for sure a sign of upward mobility. And it would not be the master’s first dip in this river: in 2017 he...
- 11/18/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Martin Scorsese has found his next movie for Apple: A biographical drama about the iconic rock band the Grateful Dead in which Jonah Hill will star as frontman and counterculture icon Jerry Garcia. Deadline first reported the project. The movie will reunite Scorsese and Hill, who last teamed for the director’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Hill earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor thanks to the movie.
According to Deadline: “Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who have received rave reviews for penning ‘American Crime Story: Impeachment,’ are writing the script with Rick Yorn of Lbi Entertainment joining Hill and Scorsese as producers. Bernie Cahill, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Trixie Garcia and Eric Eisner will exec produce. Insiders add that with the band and the groups management participating in the film, Apple has rights to use the groups musical catalogue for the film.
According to Deadline: “Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who have received rave reviews for penning ‘American Crime Story: Impeachment,’ are writing the script with Rick Yorn of Lbi Entertainment joining Hill and Scorsese as producers. Bernie Cahill, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Trixie Garcia and Eric Eisner will exec produce. Insiders add that with the band and the groups management participating in the film, Apple has rights to use the groups musical catalogue for the film.
- 11/18/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Martin Scorsese is making a musical biopic about the Grateful Dead, with Jonah Hill set to star as the iconic rock band’s frontman Jerry Garcia.
The project reunites Scorsese and Hill, who worked together on “The Wolf of Wall Street.” In addition to directing, Scorsese will serve as a producer alongside Hill.
The still-untitled film is expected to chronicle the band’s formation in the Bay Area as the ’60s psychedelic counterculture movement started to take off. Known for popularizing the jam-band musical style, the Grateful Dead — whose devoted fans call themselves Deadheads — has remained one of the most influential music groups. Along with Garcia, founding members include Bob Weir, Ron McKernan, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann. Though Garcia died 25 years ago of a heart attack, some surviving members have continued to go on tour.
The movie is being developed at Apple, where Scorsese is currently working on his...
The project reunites Scorsese and Hill, who worked together on “The Wolf of Wall Street.” In addition to directing, Scorsese will serve as a producer alongside Hill.
The still-untitled film is expected to chronicle the band’s formation in the Bay Area as the ’60s psychedelic counterculture movement started to take off. Known for popularizing the jam-band musical style, the Grateful Dead — whose devoted fans call themselves Deadheads — has remained one of the most influential music groups. Along with Garcia, founding members include Bob Weir, Ron McKernan, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann. Though Garcia died 25 years ago of a heart attack, some surviving members have continued to go on tour.
The movie is being developed at Apple, where Scorsese is currently working on his...
- 11/18/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: After stepping up as a producer on his next film Killers of the Flower Moon, Apple has found its next Martin Scorsese project, and its subject is a band the Oscar winner knows well. Sources tell Deadline that Scorsese is on board to direct and produce a new untitled biopic on the Grateful Dead with Jonah Hill on board to play the group’s frontman, Jerry Garcia.
Hill will also produce the pic through his Strong Baby banner along with his producing partner Matt Dines.
Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who received rave reviews for penning American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, are writing the script with Rick Yorn of Lbi Entertainment joining Hill and Scorsese as producers. The Dead’s Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann will executive produce along with their late bandmate’s daughter Trixie Garcia, Eric Eisner and Bernie Cahill.
Hill will also produce the pic through his Strong Baby banner along with his producing partner Matt Dines.
Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who received rave reviews for penning American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, are writing the script with Rick Yorn of Lbi Entertainment joining Hill and Scorsese as producers. The Dead’s Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann will executive produce along with their late bandmate’s daughter Trixie Garcia, Eric Eisner and Bernie Cahill.
- 11/18/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Concordia Studio adds three new docuseries, covering a range of topics, to its nonfiction slate. The company announced Thursday that it has expanded its nonfiction lineup with the addition of Phantastica, The Happenings and an Untitled Navajo Police Project, which are all currently in development.
“We are thrilled to add these three exceptional titles to our slate and to collaborate with these filmmakers who each have their own uniquely bold vision for what nonfiction stories can accomplish,” Concordia’s Nicole Stott and Jonathan Silberberg said in a statement. “Their creative intentions, paired with their unprecedented access to elements in telling three vastly different stories make us incredibly excited to support them in bringing their work to audiences.”
The first of Concordia’s new projects in development is the psychedelic docuseries Phantastica.
Filmmakers Amir Bar-Lev and Ken Dornstein, who previously worked together for the Oscar shortlisted Long Strange Trip and a number of other projects,...
“We are thrilled to add these three exceptional titles to our slate and to collaborate with these filmmakers who each have their own uniquely bold vision for what nonfiction stories can accomplish,” Concordia’s Nicole Stott and Jonathan Silberberg said in a statement. “Their creative intentions, paired with their unprecedented access to elements in telling three vastly different stories make us incredibly excited to support them in bringing their work to audiences.”
The first of Concordia’s new projects in development is the psychedelic docuseries Phantastica.
Filmmakers Amir Bar-Lev and Ken Dornstein, who previously worked together for the Oscar shortlisted Long Strange Trip and a number of other projects,...
- 9/17/2020
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Concordia Studio — the production outfit headed by Davis Guggenheim and Jonathan King — has added to its non-fiction slate with projects that cover psychedelics, The Enfield Poltergeist and the Navajo Nation Police Department.
Docuseries Phantastica hails from acclaimed filmmakers Amir Bar-Lev and Ken Dornstein (Long Strange Trip) and will focus on “the past, present, and future of psychedelics in America, bridging the story of the current renaissance with the history of the failed first era of psychedelics,” according to today’s announcement.
“For anyone who hears the word ‘psychedelic’ and thinks they know the story, we’re excited to take them on an ...
Docuseries Phantastica hails from acclaimed filmmakers Amir Bar-Lev and Ken Dornstein (Long Strange Trip) and will focus on “the past, present, and future of psychedelics in America, bridging the story of the current renaissance with the history of the failed first era of psychedelics,” according to today’s announcement.
“For anyone who hears the word ‘psychedelic’ and thinks they know the story, we’re excited to take them on an ...
- 9/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Concordia Studio — the production outfit headed by Davis Guggenheim and Jonathan King — has added to its non-fiction slate with projects that cover psychedelics, The Enfield Poltergeist and the Navajo Nation Police Department.
Docuseries Phantastica hails from acclaimed filmmakers Amir Bar-Lev and Ken Dornstein (Long Strange Trip) and will focus on “the past, present, and future of psychedelics in America, bridging the story of the current renaissance with the history of the failed first era of psychedelics,” according to today’s announcement.
“For anyone who hears the word ‘psychedelic’ and thinks they know the story, we’re excited to take them on an ...
Docuseries Phantastica hails from acclaimed filmmakers Amir Bar-Lev and Ken Dornstein (Long Strange Trip) and will focus on “the past, present, and future of psychedelics in America, bridging the story of the current renaissance with the history of the failed first era of psychedelics,” according to today’s announcement.
“For anyone who hears the word ‘psychedelic’ and thinks they know the story, we’re excited to take them on an ...
- 9/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In what has been one hell of an election year, Jon Stewart is cutting through all of it with his biting political comedy Irresistible starring Steve Carell, Rose Byrne and Chris Cooper. The Focus Features film was originally set to hit theaters on May 29, but like all films impacted by the pandemic, it pivoted to PVOD and drops today.
Written by Stewart, Irresistible follows a Democrat political consultant (Carell) who helps a retired Marine colonel (Cooper) run for mayor against a Republican rival (Byrne) in a small Wisconsin town. This marks a reunion of sorts for Stewart and Carell, who was a recurring correspondent on The Daily Show between 1999 and 2005. The film is also Stewart’s latest outing as a feature film director. His first pic, Rosewater, was released in 2014 and told the story of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari who was accused and brutally interrogated by Iranian forces for being a spy.
Written by Stewart, Irresistible follows a Democrat political consultant (Carell) who helps a retired Marine colonel (Cooper) run for mayor against a Republican rival (Byrne) in a small Wisconsin town. This marks a reunion of sorts for Stewart and Carell, who was a recurring correspondent on The Daily Show between 1999 and 2005. The film is also Stewart’s latest outing as a feature film director. His first pic, Rosewater, was released in 2014 and told the story of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari who was accused and brutally interrogated by Iranian forces for being a spy.
- 6/26/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Longtime Endeavor Content Partner Mark Ankner is leaving to become a partner at DreamCrew Entertainment, the production company of Drake and Adel “Future” Nur. In his role Ankner will oversee content development, production and financing opportunities for the company. Ankner’s hire marks the continued growth of DreamCrew whose credits include Top Boy, Spree, and Euphoria.
Ankner joined Endeavor in 2006, and he was a fixture in the indie financing and dealmaking game, playing a key role in building the agency’s film finance, sales and advisory business. He was later named partner at Wme and then Endeavor Content. Over the last 15 years Ankner has created many of the biggest festival sales both financially and culturally and drove financing packages for content creators and financiers.
Ankner championed emerging filmmakers who’ve gone on to commercial acclaim, and he closed some whopping deals during his time. Among those films are the...
Ankner joined Endeavor in 2006, and he was a fixture in the indie financing and dealmaking game, playing a key role in building the agency’s film finance, sales and advisory business. He was later named partner at Wme and then Endeavor Content. Over the last 15 years Ankner has created many of the biggest festival sales both financially and culturally and drove financing packages for content creators and financiers.
Ankner championed emerging filmmakers who’ve gone on to commercial acclaim, and he closed some whopping deals during his time. Among those films are the...
- 6/15/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: There is a certain generation that basks in the ’90s Blind Melon tune “No Rain” and Oscilloscope Laboratories is looking to shed light on that era via the forthcoming documentary All I Can Say. The indie film company co-founded by Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch has acquired the North American rights to the docu from the late Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon. Oscilloscope is set to release the film later this year.
Shot firsthand by Hoon over the course of five years up until a few hours before his sudden death at the age of 28 in 1995, All I Can Say made its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019. Hoon used his camera as a diary and he meticulously documented facets of his life including his family, his creative process, his band’s rise to fame, and his struggle with addiction. From the birth of Hoon’s daughter to...
Shot firsthand by Hoon over the course of five years up until a few hours before his sudden death at the age of 28 in 1995, All I Can Say made its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019. Hoon used his camera as a diary and he meticulously documented facets of his life including his family, his creative process, his band’s rise to fame, and his struggle with addiction. From the birth of Hoon’s daughter to...
- 5/5/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The saga continues, featuring Adam Rifkin, Robert D. Krzykowski, John Sayles, Maggie Renzi, Mick Garris and Larry Wilmore with special guest star Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Key Largo (1948)
I Don’t Want to Talk About It (1993)
Camila (1984)
I, the Worst of All (1990)
The Wages of Fear (1953)
Le Corbeau (1943)
Diabolique (1955)
Red Beard (1965)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Ikiru (1952)
General Della Rovere (1959)
The Gold of Naples (1959)
Bitter Rice (1949)
Pickup On South Street (1953)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Viva Zapata! (1952)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Yellow Sky (1948)
Ace In The Hole (1951)
Wall Street (1987)
Women’s Prison (1955)
True Love (1989)
Mean Streets (1973)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
The Abyss (1989)
The China Syndrome (1979)
Big (1988)
Splash (1984)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Long Strange Trip (2017)
Little Women (2019)
Learning To Skateboard In A War Zone (If You’re A Girl) (2019)
The Guns of Navarone...
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Key Largo (1948)
I Don’t Want to Talk About It (1993)
Camila (1984)
I, the Worst of All (1990)
The Wages of Fear (1953)
Le Corbeau (1943)
Diabolique (1955)
Red Beard (1965)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Ikiru (1952)
General Della Rovere (1959)
The Gold of Naples (1959)
Bitter Rice (1949)
Pickup On South Street (1953)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Viva Zapata! (1952)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Yellow Sky (1948)
Ace In The Hole (1951)
Wall Street (1987)
Women’s Prison (1955)
True Love (1989)
Mean Streets (1973)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
The Abyss (1989)
The China Syndrome (1979)
Big (1988)
Splash (1984)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Long Strange Trip (2017)
Little Women (2019)
Learning To Skateboard In A War Zone (If You’re A Girl) (2019)
The Guns of Navarone...
- 4/17/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Here are many more movies to watch when you’re staying in for a while, featuring recommendations from Steven Canals, Larry Karaszewski, Gareth Reynolds, and Alan Arkush with special guest star Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Kung Fu Mama a.k.a. Queen of Fist (1973)
Ali: Fear Eats The Soul (1974)
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)
In The Mood For Love (2000)
Hunger (2008)
The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
Fargo (1996)
Night of the Lepus (1971)
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Soylent Green (1973)
Silent Running (1972)
Canyon Passage (1946)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
The Professionals (1966)
Ride Lonesome (1959)
Carrie (1952)
The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
Hello Down There (1969)
The Brass Bottle (1964)
The Trouble With Angels (1966)
Pollyanna (1960)
Tiger Bay (1959)
The Parent Trap (1961)
Endless Night (1972)
The Family Way (1966)
Take A Girl Like You (1970)
Freddy Got Fingered...
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Kung Fu Mama a.k.a. Queen of Fist (1973)
Ali: Fear Eats The Soul (1974)
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)
In The Mood For Love (2000)
Hunger (2008)
The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
Fargo (1996)
Night of the Lepus (1971)
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Soylent Green (1973)
Silent Running (1972)
Canyon Passage (1946)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
The Professionals (1966)
Ride Lonesome (1959)
Carrie (1952)
The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
Hello Down There (1969)
The Brass Bottle (1964)
The Trouble With Angels (1966)
Pollyanna (1960)
Tiger Bay (1959)
The Parent Trap (1961)
Endless Night (1972)
The Family Way (1966)
Take A Girl Like You (1970)
Freddy Got Fingered...
- 4/10/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Live Nation Productions and Double E Entertainment have signed on as executive producers of “All I Can Say,” the documentary film featuring footage shot entirely by the late Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon.
The film’s title is taken from the opening lines of Blind Melon’s instantly recognizable 1993 smash, “No Rain.” Culled from Hoon’s archives, the footage is carefully crafted by Grammy-winning director Danny Clinch, along with co-directors Taryn Gould and Colleen Hennessy. The film follows Hoon’s career in the band as shot through his own lens, right up until a few hours before he died of a drug overdose at the age of 28.
The film “provides an inside look into his family, his creative process, his television, his band’s rise to fame, and his struggle with addiction,” according to an official release.
In the days before iPhones, Hoon was ahead of his time, Clinch recently told Variety.
The film’s title is taken from the opening lines of Blind Melon’s instantly recognizable 1993 smash, “No Rain.” Culled from Hoon’s archives, the footage is carefully crafted by Grammy-winning director Danny Clinch, along with co-directors Taryn Gould and Colleen Hennessy. The film follows Hoon’s career in the band as shot through his own lens, right up until a few hours before he died of a drug overdose at the age of 28.
The film “provides an inside look into his family, his creative process, his television, his band’s rise to fame, and his struggle with addiction,” according to an official release.
In the days before iPhones, Hoon was ahead of his time, Clinch recently told Variety.
- 11/22/2019
- by Michele Amabile Angermiller
- Variety Film + TV
All I Can Say — the long-in-the-works documentary about late Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon — has added Double E Pictures and Live Nation Productions as executive producers on the film, which is currently on the festival circuit. It’s expected to drop in the U.S. in 2020.
Photographer and co-director Danny Clinch initially launched a Kickstarter in 2015 to finance the documentary; Clinch and Hoon were close friends, and the photographer had unfettered access and over 200 hours of footage that spanned from 1990 to Hoon’s overdose death shortly after the release of...
Photographer and co-director Danny Clinch initially launched a Kickstarter in 2015 to finance the documentary; Clinch and Hoon were close friends, and the photographer had unfettered access and over 200 hours of footage that spanned from 1990 to Hoon’s overdose death shortly after the release of...
- 11/21/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: CAA has signed filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev, director of the Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip.
The documentary received great acclaim when it was released and was put on the shortlist for Best Documentary for the 2018 Academy Awards.
Bar-Lev made his directorial debut with documentary Fighter which followed two Holocaust survivors who revisit the labor camp which they were imprisoned. He also directed the Emmy-winning The Tillman Story as well as Happy Valley which examined the Penn State scandal.
His other credits include My Kid Could Paint, a documentary about four-year-old artist Marla Olmstead as well as the Academy Award-nominated Trouble the Water, which he co-produced.
Bar-Lev was previously represented by Wme. His attorney is Linda Lichter at Lichter Grossman Nicholas Adler & Feldman.
The documentary received great acclaim when it was released and was put on the shortlist for Best Documentary for the 2018 Academy Awards.
Bar-Lev made his directorial debut with documentary Fighter which followed two Holocaust survivors who revisit the labor camp which they were imprisoned. He also directed the Emmy-winning The Tillman Story as well as Happy Valley which examined the Penn State scandal.
His other credits include My Kid Could Paint, a documentary about four-year-old artist Marla Olmstead as well as the Academy Award-nominated Trouble the Water, which he co-produced.
Bar-Lev was previously represented by Wme. His attorney is Linda Lichter at Lichter Grossman Nicholas Adler & Feldman.
- 3/4/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Activist Artists Management has tapped literary manager Jon Kanak to work alongside the firm’s talent department.
Based at Los Angeles headquarters, he will continue to focus on representing writers and directors as well as concentrate on Activist’s film and TV development and packaging.
Last year, Kanak set up several projects, including Reset (Paramount) and Anima & Saci (Hindsight Media).
Activist’s roster of clients now includes Marcus Kryler & Fredrik Akerstrom, Nate Atkins, Bill Marsilli, Jason Zada (The Forest), Philippe Van Leeuw (In Syria), Jay Longino and Justin Kreutzmann (Long Strange Trip) among others.
Kanak will also be representing the works of The New York Times Best Seller, Stephen Frey (The Chairman), as well as international best-selling authors Richard Doetsch (The 13th Hour) and Patricia Dunn (Rebels by Accident).
“Jon...
Based at Los Angeles headquarters, he will continue to focus on representing writers and directors as well as concentrate on Activist’s film and TV development and packaging.
Last year, Kanak set up several projects, including Reset (Paramount) and Anima & Saci (Hindsight Media).
Activist’s roster of clients now includes Marcus Kryler & Fredrik Akerstrom, Nate Atkins, Bill Marsilli, Jason Zada (The Forest), Philippe Van Leeuw (In Syria), Jay Longino and Justin Kreutzmann (Long Strange Trip) among others.
Kanak will also be representing the works of The New York Times Best Seller, Stephen Frey (The Chairman), as well as international best-selling authors Richard Doetsch (The 13th Hour) and Patricia Dunn (Rebels by Accident).
“Jon...
- 2/27/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Tony Sokol Nov 21, 2018
The Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip is the band's memento mori.
Death is fun. As long as we remember nothing about us will be remembered in the eternity. Death is also very accommodating, if we don't stop for it, it stops for us. It's an immortal uber driver that doesn't care about a rating because there is only one destination. Long Strange Trip, the Grateful Dead documentary that first arrived on Amazon Prime and is now available on Blu-ray, rides shotgun with death on the tour bus. Casey Jones hasn't even glanced at the speedometer.
The Grateful Dead wasn't just a band, it was a family. Some deaths weren't fun, and there is little gratitude for taking away key players. Pigpen McKernan died in 1973 at the age of 27, Brent Mydland's gruesome death, and Garcia’s death from a heart attack at age 53 in 1995. Long Strange Trip,...
The Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip is the band's memento mori.
Death is fun. As long as we remember nothing about us will be remembered in the eternity. Death is also very accommodating, if we don't stop for it, it stops for us. It's an immortal uber driver that doesn't care about a rating because there is only one destination. Long Strange Trip, the Grateful Dead documentary that first arrived on Amazon Prime and is now available on Blu-ray, rides shotgun with death on the tour bus. Casey Jones hasn't even glanced at the speedometer.
The Grateful Dead wasn't just a band, it was a family. Some deaths weren't fun, and there is little gratitude for taking away key players. Pigpen McKernan died in 1973 at the age of 27, Brent Mydland's gruesome death, and Garcia’s death from a heart attack at age 53 in 1995. Long Strange Trip,...
- 11/20/2018
- Den of Geek
Jerry Garcia talks Woodstock and Altamont, the San Francisco music scene and the Grateful Dead’s relationship with fringe political groups in a previously unreleased interview set to appear on the deluxe edition of Amir Bar-Lev’s Grateful Dead documentary, Long Strange Trip.
The deluxe edition will be released November 16th exclusively via Dead.net. The edition will be limited to 6,500 copies each on DVD and Blu-Ray, though regular versions will also be available.
The previously unreleased interview footage was recorded in May 1970 in England during the Grateful Dead’s first overseas trip.
The deluxe edition will be released November 16th exclusively via Dead.net. The edition will be limited to 6,500 copies each on DVD and Blu-Ray, though regular versions will also be available.
The previously unreleased interview footage was recorded in May 1970 in England during the Grateful Dead’s first overseas trip.
- 11/14/2018
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
The Grateful Dead‘s Long Strange Trip, a 2017 documentary about the pioneering jam band, will be released in various physical formats on November 9th. The four-hour, Martin Scorsese-produced film will be available on Blu-Ray, double-dvd and a “Deluxe Edition” that boasts a previously unreleased six-song live concert filmed May 24th, 1970 at England’s Hollywood Festival. The deluxe version is available exclusively at the Grateful Dead website.
All editions of Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead will include the original documentary in stereo and a new 5.1 surround mix,...
All editions of Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead will include the original documentary in stereo and a new 5.1 surround mix,...
- 8/29/2018
- by Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
At nearly four hours, Amir Bar-Lev’s documentary about The Grateful Dead lasts as long as one of their typical shows. The movie, which veers between live performances and studio sessions, is a deep dive in the band’s mythology but manages to intrigue even those who dislike the free-floating vibe of Jerry Garcia’s never-ending jams.
The post Long Strange Trip appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Long Strange Trip appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 8/13/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Joan Lindsay‘s 1967 historical novel “Picnic at Hanging Rock” was already adapted into a 1975 film by Peter Weir, so one might wonder what a new TV version could have to offer, but not star Natalie Dormer. “The original material is just so dense,” she explains. “There’s so much subtext there that isn’t really ever fully explored” in the previous movie. With the six-hour Amazon limited series, Dormer wanted to “expand and flesh out that original novel in a way that it’s been begging to” since its publication more than 50 years ago. Watch our exclusive video interview with Dormer above.
See Emmy spotlight: Natalie Dormer is wickedly good as headmistress in Amazon’s ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’
The series centers on a group of Australian schoolgirls who inexplicably go missing while on a Valentine’s Day picnic at Hanging Rock in 1900. Dormer plays Mrs. Appleyard, the tyrannical headmistress at the girls’ boarding school.
See Emmy spotlight: Natalie Dormer is wickedly good as headmistress in Amazon’s ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’
The series centers on a group of Australian schoolgirls who inexplicably go missing while on a Valentine’s Day picnic at Hanging Rock in 1900. Dormer plays Mrs. Appleyard, the tyrannical headmistress at the girls’ boarding school.
- 6/14/2018
- by Zach Laws and Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Emmy spotlight: Natalie Dormer is wickedly good as headmistress in Amazon’s ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’
Natalie Dormer has made a name for herself playing complex noblewomen in shows like “Game of Thrones” and “The Tudors” in recent years, but Amazon’s new limited series “Picnic at Hanging Rock” provides her with the role she was born to play. As Hester Appleyard, the wicked headmistress of a college for girls in 1900s Australia, Dormer proves that she is more than capable of commanding her own show, turning in one of the best performances of her career. Margaery Tyrell and Anne Boelyn have got nothing on the indomitable Mrs. Appleyard. Could Dormer get an Emmy nomination for Best Movie/Mini Actress?
SEEWill ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ set a new Emmy record as Amazon’s most nominated show?
“Picnic at Hanging Rock,” Amazon’s program based on the Joan Lindsay novel of the same name, tells the story of a group of girls at Mrs. Appleyard’s college...
SEEWill ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ set a new Emmy record as Amazon’s most nominated show?
“Picnic at Hanging Rock,” Amazon’s program based on the Joan Lindsay novel of the same name, tells the story of a group of girls at Mrs. Appleyard’s college...
- 5/30/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
The Emmy for Best Comedy Series is too close to call this year. That’s according to the Expert journalists we’ve polled from top media outlets, including Matt Roush (TV Guide Magazine), who just weighed in with his early picks. There are 15 elite journos making their predictions as of this writing, and they’re split right down the middle between “Atlanta” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
Seven Experts say “Atlanta” will prevail: Debra Birnbaum (Variety), Debbie Day (Rotten Tomatoes), Joyce Eng (Gold Derby), Matthew Jacobs (Huffington Post), Anne Thompson (IndieWire), Ben Travers (IndieWire) and Adnan Virk (ESPN).
Seven others are betting on “Mrs. Maisel”: Eric Deggans (NPR), Chris Harnick (E!), Tom O’Neil (Gold Derby), Robert Rorke (New York Post), Peter Travers (Rolling Stone), Ken Tucker (Yahoo) and now Roush.
That leaves one Expert, Lynette Rice (Entertainment Weekly), going out on a limb for the revival of “Will and Grace,...
Seven Experts say “Atlanta” will prevail: Debra Birnbaum (Variety), Debbie Day (Rotten Tomatoes), Joyce Eng (Gold Derby), Matthew Jacobs (Huffington Post), Anne Thompson (IndieWire), Ben Travers (IndieWire) and Adnan Virk (ESPN).
Seven others are betting on “Mrs. Maisel”: Eric Deggans (NPR), Chris Harnick (E!), Tom O’Neil (Gold Derby), Robert Rorke (New York Post), Peter Travers (Rolling Stone), Ken Tucker (Yahoo) and now Roush.
That leaves one Expert, Lynette Rice (Entertainment Weekly), going out on a limb for the revival of “Will and Grace,...
- 5/11/2018
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
TV academy members, check your doorsteps as Amazon’s 2018 Emmy Fyc mailer has arrived. The glossy package features three separate booklets (see photos above and below) highlighting their original programs that streamed during the 2017-18 television season. Comedy series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and documentary series “Long Strange Trip” are showcased in their own booklets, while the the third highlights “The Dangerous Book for Boys,” “The Tick,” “Transparent,” Mozart in the Jungle,” “Grand Tour” and “Electric Dreams.”
SEEJeffrey Tambor exits 2018 Emmy race for Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ amid harassment allegations [Exclusive]
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” stars Rachel Brosnahan as the titular Midge Maisel, a 1950s New York housewife, who has a midlife crisis and becomes a standup comedian. The show has already won top honors at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and PGA Awards, and is considered a frontrunner for Best Comedy Series at the Emmys.
Midge’s husband Joel Maisel (Michael Zegen...
SEEJeffrey Tambor exits 2018 Emmy race for Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ amid harassment allegations [Exclusive]
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” stars Rachel Brosnahan as the titular Midge Maisel, a 1950s New York housewife, who has a midlife crisis and becomes a standup comedian. The show has already won top honors at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and PGA Awards, and is considered a frontrunner for Best Comedy Series at the Emmys.
Midge’s husband Joel Maisel (Michael Zegen...
- 5/10/2018
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Noah Hawley’s 26 Keys has named former Amazon Studios executive Dan Seligmann as Head of Television.
During his tenure with Amazon, Seligmann oversaw the Golden Globe-winning Mozart in the Jungle and Emmy-nominated Catastrophe. In addition, he shepherded the six-part rock documentary series Long Strange Trip, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, oversaw the pilot for Jean-Claude Van Johnson, and most recently was point on Nicholas Winding Refn’s Too Old To Die Young, starring Miles Teller, and co-created by Ed Brubaker, which is currently in production.
“Dan has a rare talent for identifying and nurturing voice and vision,” said Hawley. “In a game with impossible odds, he makes winning look easy.”
Hawley and his producing partner John Cameron formed 26 Keys Productions in 2014. Hawley has emerged as one of FX’s top drama showrunners as creator/executive producer of the Emmy-winning anthology series Fargo and praised genre series Legion, based on the Marvel comic book series,...
During his tenure with Amazon, Seligmann oversaw the Golden Globe-winning Mozart in the Jungle and Emmy-nominated Catastrophe. In addition, he shepherded the six-part rock documentary series Long Strange Trip, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, oversaw the pilot for Jean-Claude Van Johnson, and most recently was point on Nicholas Winding Refn’s Too Old To Die Young, starring Miles Teller, and co-created by Ed Brubaker, which is currently in production.
“Dan has a rare talent for identifying and nurturing voice and vision,” said Hawley. “In a game with impossible odds, he makes winning look easy.”
Hawley and his producing partner John Cameron formed 26 Keys Productions in 2014. Hawley has emerged as one of FX’s top drama showrunners as creator/executive producer of the Emmy-winning anthology series Fargo and praised genre series Legion, based on the Marvel comic book series,...
- 4/30/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The process that Amir Bar-Lev and Eric Eisner went through to put together their Grateful Dead documentary, “Long Strange Trip,” was not too different than how the band operated. “It all organically came together,” says producer Eisner in our recent interview (watch the video above). Part of that can be seen in how the six-part series, currently on Amazon, was originally supposed to be 90 minutes. Bar-Lev, the film’s director, explains that during the three year editing process it became apparent that 90 minutes wouldn’t be enough time to paint the picture they wanted to. Bar-Lev adds that the story of the Dead is more than just one of the band: “It’s a collective and that includes the staff, the roadies and the fans.”
SEEAmazon launches immersive Fyc Emmy experience for ‘Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Mozart’ and others
The series would also not have been possible without the involvement of Oscar winner Martin Scorsese.
SEEAmazon launches immersive Fyc Emmy experience for ‘Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Mozart’ and others
The series would also not have been possible without the involvement of Oscar winner Martin Scorsese.
- 4/6/2018
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
The Hollywood Athletic Club will be the scene for what Amazon Prime Video is touting as an immersive “For Your Consideration” Emmy experience, featuring interactive themed rooms, screenings and some public events.
The events, dubbed the “Prime Experience,” will take place from April 12 through April 27 at the club.
The first floor at the club will feature the world of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where attendees will be able to travel back to 1958 New York City through the eyes of Midge Maisel. As they enter her apartment, they’ll experience a “magic mirror” where they can interact with the show. From there, they’ll be able to take pictures in Midge’s living room and kitchen before checking out her stand-up at the Gaslight Café and “shopping” at Midge’s makeup counter.
Another room will be themed to the Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip and will feature a paint-by-light photo booth.
The events, dubbed the “Prime Experience,” will take place from April 12 through April 27 at the club.
The first floor at the club will feature the world of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where attendees will be able to travel back to 1958 New York City through the eyes of Midge Maisel. As they enter her apartment, they’ll experience a “magic mirror” where they can interact with the show. From there, they’ll be able to take pictures in Midge’s living room and kitchen before checking out her stand-up at the Gaslight Café and “shopping” at Midge’s makeup counter.
Another room will be themed to the Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip and will feature a paint-by-light photo booth.
- 4/6/2018
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon will host an immersive Fyc experience for Emmy voters for the second year in a row. Taking place at the Hollywood Athletic Club between April 12 and 27, the event will feature screenings, panels and themed evenings tied to its shows, including “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams,” “Mozart in the Jungle,” “The Grand Tour,” “The Dangerous Book for Boys” and “Long Strange Trip.”
“We’re very excited to bring such a diverse lineup of activities to our Emmy Fyc experience,” Mike Benson, Amazon Studios’ head of marketing, said in a statement. “These activities will deliver immersive experiences for the general public as well as insightful panel discussions to drive further awareness for series we’re submitting for Emmy consideration.”
While the screenings and panels for “Mrs. Maisel” (April 14) and “Electric Dreams” (April 21) are only for TV academy members, the themed nights will also be open to the general public.
“We’re very excited to bring such a diverse lineup of activities to our Emmy Fyc experience,” Mike Benson, Amazon Studios’ head of marketing, said in a statement. “These activities will deliver immersive experiences for the general public as well as insightful panel discussions to drive further awareness for series we’re submitting for Emmy consideration.”
While the screenings and panels for “Mrs. Maisel” (April 14) and “Electric Dreams” (April 21) are only for TV academy members, the themed nights will also be open to the general public.
- 4/6/2018
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Amazon Prime Video is once again renting out the Hollywood Athletic Club for much of April to continue its Emmy “For Your Consideration” campaign. Dubbed the “Prime Experience,” the display and series of events take place from April 12 to 27. Among the events: screenings with the cast and creators of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams” for TV Academy members, as well as themed evenings open to the general public.
This is the second year that Amazon has taken over the space to create themed rooms throughout the historic building. This time, interactive, themed rooms include the world of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” where, per Amazon, “attendees will be able to travel back to 1958 New York City through the eyes of Midge Maisel. As they enter her apartment, they’ll experience a unique ‘magic mirror’ where they can interact with the show. From there, they’ll...
This is the second year that Amazon has taken over the space to create themed rooms throughout the historic building. This time, interactive, themed rooms include the world of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” where, per Amazon, “attendees will be able to travel back to 1958 New York City through the eyes of Midge Maisel. As they enter her apartment, they’ll experience a unique ‘magic mirror’ where they can interact with the show. From there, they’ll...
- 4/5/2018
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
Amazon Prime Video announced today that, for the second year in a row, it will present an immersive For Your Consideration (Fyc) Emmy experience around its titles, including “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams,” “Mozart in the Jungle,” “The Dangerous Book for Boys,” “Long Strange Trip” and “The Grand Tour.”
The experience will take place at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Hollywood, Calif. between April 12 and 27 this year.
“We’re very excited to bring such a diverse lineup of activities to our Emmy Fyc experience,” said Mike Benson, Head of Marketing, Amazon Studios. “These activities will deliver immersive experiences for the general public as well as insightful panel discussions to drive further awareness for series we’re submitting for Emmy consideration.”
In addition to screenings and panels with the cast and creators of series of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (on April 14) and “Philip K. Dick’s...
The experience will take place at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Hollywood, Calif. between April 12 and 27 this year.
“We’re very excited to bring such a diverse lineup of activities to our Emmy Fyc experience,” said Mike Benson, Head of Marketing, Amazon Studios. “These activities will deliver immersive experiences for the general public as well as insightful panel discussions to drive further awareness for series we’re submitting for Emmy consideration.”
In addition to screenings and panels with the cast and creators of series of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (on April 14) and “Philip K. Dick’s...
- 4/5/2018
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
When host — and living documentary legend — Steve James took the stage on Thursday night to kick off the start of the 11th Annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards at Queens’ own Museum of the Moving Image, he might have enjoyed the benefit of being tipped off as to who would dominate the ceremony. For James, the night was all about a “new generation” of filmmakers, and bringing them further into a tight-knit community that could support them for the rest of their lives.
No surprise then that Yance Ford and his debut feature, the deeply personal and long-gestating “Strong Island,” emerged as the night’s biggest winner, pulling in wins for Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Debut, and Outstanding Nonfiction Feature Film. Ford’s win for Outstanding Direction was also a history-maker: the filmmaker is the first to ever win the award for a debut film.
Read More:Cinema Eye Honors Announces Nominees; ‘Strong Island,...
No surprise then that Yance Ford and his debut feature, the deeply personal and long-gestating “Strong Island,” emerged as the night’s biggest winner, pulling in wins for Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Debut, and Outstanding Nonfiction Feature Film. Ford’s win for Outstanding Direction was also a history-maker: the filmmaker is the first to ever win the award for a debut film.
Read More:Cinema Eye Honors Announces Nominees; ‘Strong Island,...
- 1/12/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
A year ago, it seemed like a great time for documentaries. “I Am Not Your Negro,” Raoul Peck’s eviscerating look at race in America, was a cultural touchstone, reaching over 300 theaters across the country and earning over $7.4 million at the box office. At Sundance, buyers paid big money for nonfiction films like “Long Strange Trip” (Amazon, $6 million), “Icarus” (Netflix, $5 million), and “Step” (Fox Searchlight, $4 million), among others.
And then, one by one, big-ticket docs failed to live up to box-office expectations. “Step” earned just over $1.1 million; Sundance Grand Jury Prize doc winner “Dina” grossed only $90,503 after seven weeks in release; Oscar-nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman’s highly acclaimed Syrian activist doc, “City of Ghosts,” made only $128,015; while other highly topical and critically lauded films, such as “Whose Streets?,” “The Force,” “Trophy,” and “Risk” failed to draw a significant audience.
Theatrical ticket sales don’t tell the whole story; many docs find audiences on streaming services.
And then, one by one, big-ticket docs failed to live up to box-office expectations. “Step” earned just over $1.1 million; Sundance Grand Jury Prize doc winner “Dina” grossed only $90,503 after seven weeks in release; Oscar-nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman’s highly acclaimed Syrian activist doc, “City of Ghosts,” made only $128,015; while other highly topical and critically lauded films, such as “Whose Streets?,” “The Force,” “Trophy,” and “Risk” failed to draw a significant audience.
Theatrical ticket sales don’t tell the whole story; many docs find audiences on streaming services.
- 1/3/2018
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Indiewire
Jane Goodall with Jane director Brett Morgen Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Abacus: Small Enough To Jail, directed by Steve James; Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Coral; Matthew Heineman's City Of Ghosts; Frederick Wiseman's Ex Libris: New York Public Library; Agnès Varda and Jr's Faces Places; Ai Weiwei's Human Flow; Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk's An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power; Brett Morgen's Jane; Daniel Lindsay and Tj Martin's La 92; Firas Fayyad and Steen Johannessen's Last Men In Aleppo; Amir Bar-Lev's Long Strange Trip; Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's One Of Us; Yance Ford's Strong Island, and Jennifer Brea's Unrest are another step closer to garnering a Best Documentary Oscar nomination.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting on the 170 submitted titles. Documentary Branch members will now select...
Abacus: Small Enough To Jail, directed by Steve James; Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Coral; Matthew Heineman's City Of Ghosts; Frederick Wiseman's Ex Libris: New York Public Library; Agnès Varda and Jr's Faces Places; Ai Weiwei's Human Flow; Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk's An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power; Brett Morgen's Jane; Daniel Lindsay and Tj Martin's La 92; Firas Fayyad and Steen Johannessen's Last Men In Aleppo; Amir Bar-Lev's Long Strange Trip; Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's One Of Us; Yance Ford's Strong Island, and Jennifer Brea's Unrest are another step closer to garnering a Best Documentary Oscar nomination.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting on the 170 submitted titles. Documentary Branch members will now select...
- 12/8/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards®. One hundred seventy films were originally submitted in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Educational Films and Wgbh/Frontline.
Director Steve James
A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States’ 2008 mortgage crisis.
Chasing Coral, Exposure Labs in partnership with The Ocean Agency & View Into the Blue in association with Argent Pictures & The Kendeda Fund. Directed by Jeff Orlowski
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Educational Films and Wgbh/Frontline.
Director Steve James
A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States’ 2008 mortgage crisis.
Chasing Coral, Exposure Labs in partnership with The Ocean Agency & View Into the Blue in association with Argent Pictures & The Kendeda Fund. Directed by Jeff Orlowski
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
- 12/8/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ documentary branch has advanced 15 films out of 170 submissions to vie for the final five Documentary Feature nominations.
As expected, Brett Morgan’s “Jane,” Agnes Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places,” two Syria non-fiction features, “Last Men in Aleppo” and “City of Ghosts,” two social action environmental documentaries, “An Inconvenient Sequel” and “Chasing Coral,” and timely Russian doping expose “Icarus” made the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Netflix landed four films, including “Chasing Coral,” “Icarus,” “One of Us” and transgender filmmaker’s Yance Ford’s black lives matter documentary “Strong Island.” Amazon delivered Grateful Dead movie “Long Strange Trip,” which qualified even at four hours long, as well as “City of Ghosts” and Ai Weiwei’s immigration feature “Human Flow,” which was backed by Participant Media along with Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel.”
Four features were directed or co-directed by women,...
As expected, Brett Morgan’s “Jane,” Agnes Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places,” two Syria non-fiction features, “Last Men in Aleppo” and “City of Ghosts,” two social action environmental documentaries, “An Inconvenient Sequel” and “Chasing Coral,” and timely Russian doping expose “Icarus” made the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Netflix landed four films, including “Chasing Coral,” “Icarus,” “One of Us” and transgender filmmaker’s Yance Ford’s black lives matter documentary “Strong Island.” Amazon delivered Grateful Dead movie “Long Strange Trip,” which qualified even at four hours long, as well as “City of Ghosts” and Ai Weiwei’s immigration feature “Human Flow,” which was backed by Participant Media along with Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel.”
Four features were directed or co-directed by women,...
- 12/8/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ documentary branch has advanced 15 films out of 170 submissions to vie for the final five Documentary Feature nominations.
As expected, Brett Morgan’s “Jane,” Agnes Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places,” two Syria non-fiction features, “Last Men in Aleppo” and “City of Ghosts,” two social action environmental documentaries, “An Inconvenient Sequel” and “Chasing Coral,” and timely Russian doping expose “Icarus” made the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Netflix landed four films, including “Chasing Coral,” “Icarus,” “One of Us” and transgender filmmaker’s Yance Ford’s black lives matter documentary “Strong Island.” Amazon delivered Grateful Dead movie “Long Strange Trip,” which qualified even at four hours long, as well as “City of Ghosts” and Ai Weiwei’s immigration feature “Human Flow,” which was backed by Participant Media along with Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel.”
Four features were directed or co-directed by women,...
As expected, Brett Morgan’s “Jane,” Agnes Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places,” two Syria non-fiction features, “Last Men in Aleppo” and “City of Ghosts,” two social action environmental documentaries, “An Inconvenient Sequel” and “Chasing Coral,” and timely Russian doping expose “Icarus” made the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Netflix landed four films, including “Chasing Coral,” “Icarus,” “One of Us” and transgender filmmaker’s Yance Ford’s black lives matter documentary “Strong Island.” Amazon delivered Grateful Dead movie “Long Strange Trip,” which qualified even at four hours long, as well as “City of Ghosts” and Ai Weiwei’s immigration feature “Human Flow,” which was backed by Participant Media along with Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel.”
Four features were directed or co-directed by women,...
- 12/8/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Errol Morris has been ahead of the curve ever since he broke out with pet cemetery documentary “Gates of Heaven” in 1978. A decade later, “The Thin Blue Line” wowed critics but alienated the hidebound documentary community with its use of “reenactments” and a rousing Philip Glass score. Decades before Netflix created “Making a Murderer,” “The Keepers,” and “Witness,” Morris’ film actually solved a murder mystery and freed an innocent Death Row convict in a Texas prison.
Since then, Glass became a go-to movie composer, earning three Oscar nominations — and could score a fourth for this year’s Oscar documentary frontrunner “Jane.” Reenactments have become standard issue for nonfiction films, filling the void between talking heads, archival footage, cinéma vérité observation, and what isn’t visually available. And Morris isn’t the only filmmaker who is a presence in his films, yelling at his subjects from behind his invention, the Interrotron.
Since then, Glass became a go-to movie composer, earning three Oscar nominations — and could score a fourth for this year’s Oscar documentary frontrunner “Jane.” Reenactments have become standard issue for nonfiction films, filling the void between talking heads, archival footage, cinéma vérité observation, and what isn’t visually available. And Morris isn’t the only filmmaker who is a presence in his films, yelling at his subjects from behind his invention, the Interrotron.
- 11/16/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Errol Morris has been ahead of the curve ever since he broke out with pet cemetery documentary “Gates of Heaven” in 1978. A decade later, “The Thin Blue Line” wowed critics but alienated the hidebound documentary community with its use of “reenactments” and a rousing Philip Glass score. Decades before Netflix created “Making a Murderer,” “The Keepers,” and “Witness,” Morris’ film actually solved a murder mystery and freed an innocent Death Row convict in a Texas prison.
Since then, Glass became a go-to movie composer, earning three Oscar nominations — and could score a fourth for this year’s Oscar documentary frontrunner “Jane.” Reenactments have become standard issue for nonfiction films, filling the void between talking heads, archival footage, cinéma vérité observation, and what isn’t visually available. And Morris isn’t the only filmmaker who is a presence in his films, yelling at his subjects from behind his invention, the Interrotron.
Since then, Glass became a go-to movie composer, earning three Oscar nominations — and could score a fourth for this year’s Oscar documentary frontrunner “Jane.” Reenactments have become standard issue for nonfiction films, filling the void between talking heads, archival footage, cinéma vérité observation, and what isn’t visually available. And Morris isn’t the only filmmaker who is a presence in his films, yelling at his subjects from behind his invention, the Interrotron.
- 11/16/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The United Nations Development Programme (Undp) last month appointed legendary musician and founding member of the Grateful Dead and Dead & Company Bob Weir as its newest Goodwill Ambassador.
The ceremony took place during the eighth annual Social Good Summit at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
In this new role, Weir will be teaming up with Undp to raise awareness and mobilize support for the Un agency’s work to end poverty while fighting climate change.
Weir will help Undp shine a spotlight on the important role climate action plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which were agreed upon by world leaders to protect the planet and achieve a brighter future for all. Weir will help Undp advocate for climate initiatives and projects that promote renewable energy, preserve coastlines, combat deforestation and ensure a healthy planet for generations to come.
“I am most honored to join the...
The ceremony took place during the eighth annual Social Good Summit at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
In this new role, Weir will be teaming up with Undp to raise awareness and mobilize support for the Un agency’s work to end poverty while fighting climate change.
Weir will help Undp shine a spotlight on the important role climate action plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which were agreed upon by world leaders to protect the planet and achieve a brighter future for all. Weir will help Undp advocate for climate initiatives and projects that promote renewable energy, preserve coastlines, combat deforestation and ensure a healthy planet for generations to come.
“I am most honored to join the...
- 11/7/2017
- Look to the Stars
At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
- 11/6/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
- 11/6/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
It’s still impossible to know just how many lives were claimed in the decades-long Guatemalan Civil War, but the documentary “Finding Oscar” tells the story of two that were spared — and have been able to help gain justice for the citizens who were brutally murdered in a previously forgotten massacre.
Read More:‘Long Strange Trip’ Director Explains the Four-Hour Running Time: Deadheads Always Want More
After a screening of the film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series, filmmaker Ryan Suffern and producer Frank Marshall explained how their movie came to be.
Without giving away too much — you can watch the saga play out onscreen as a team of dedicated professionals (including a forensic anthropologist and a young prosecutor) attempt to find two young survivors of a brutal assault on a small Guatemalan town that saw government soldiers round up and murder the entire populace — Marshall explained...
Read More:‘Long Strange Trip’ Director Explains the Four-Hour Running Time: Deadheads Always Want More
After a screening of the film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series, filmmaker Ryan Suffern and producer Frank Marshall explained how their movie came to be.
Without giving away too much — you can watch the saga play out onscreen as a team of dedicated professionals (including a forensic anthropologist and a young prosecutor) attempt to find two young survivors of a brutal assault on a small Guatemalan town that saw government soldiers round up and murder the entire populace — Marshall explained...
- 11/1/2017
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
One hundred seventy features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 90th Academy Awards. That’s 25 more than 2016. Assuming they all book their qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles, the members of the documentary branch have just a few more weeks to see as many films as possible and file their votes for the shortlist of 15 to be announced in December. They’re each supposed to watch an assigned list of about 20 films, plus as many more as they can.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
It’s possible for documentaries to also vie for Best Picture, although it is rare. Among this year’s most lauded features are “City of Ghosts,” “Faces Places,” “Jane,” “Kedi” and “One of Us.”
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
“Aida’s Secrets”
“Al Di Qua”
“All the Rage...
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
It’s possible for documentaries to also vie for Best Picture, although it is rare. Among this year’s most lauded features are “City of Ghosts,” “Faces Places,” “Jane,” “Kedi” and “One of Us.”
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
“Aida’s Secrets”
“Al Di Qua”
“All the Rage...
- 10/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
One hundred seventy features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 90th Academy Awards. That’s 25 more than 2016. Assuming they all book their qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles, the members of the documentary branch have just a few more weeks to see as many films as possible and file their votes for the shortlist of 15 to be announced in December. They’re each supposed to watch an assigned list of about 20 films, plus as many more as they can.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
It’s possible for documentaries to also vie for Best Picture, although it is rare. Among this year’s most lauded features are “City of Ghosts,” “Faces Places,” “Jane,” “Kedi” and “One of Us.”
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
“Aida’s Secrets”
“Al Di Qua”
“All the Rage...
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
It’s possible for documentaries to also vie for Best Picture, although it is rare. Among this year’s most lauded features are “City of Ghosts,” “Faces Places,” “Jane,” “Kedi” and “One of Us.”
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
“Aida’s Secrets”
“Al Di Qua”
“All the Rage...
- 10/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Oklahoma City bombing occurred more than 20 years ago, but it remains the worst act of domestic terrorism in America. The documentary “Oklahoma City” traces the interactions between law enforcement and fringe groups in Ruby Ridge and Waco that led to Timothy McVeigh’s deadly bombing.
After a screening of the PBS American Experience film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series, director Barak Goodman and producer Emily Singer Chapman said in a Q&A that there is a very clear line between the anti-government white-supremacist groups living off the grid in the ’90s and the alt-right movement today.
Read More:‘City of Ghosts’ Director Matthew Heineman Explains How to Fight Isis Without Bombs
“Some of the leaders of Charlottesville were the very same people who were involved in the white-supremacist movement back then — they’ve just traded in their camouflage for chinos and polo shirts, but it...
After a screening of the PBS American Experience film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series, director Barak Goodman and producer Emily Singer Chapman said in a Q&A that there is a very clear line between the anti-government white-supremacist groups living off the grid in the ’90s and the alt-right movement today.
Read More:‘City of Ghosts’ Director Matthew Heineman Explains How to Fight Isis Without Bombs
“Some of the leaders of Charlottesville were the very same people who were involved in the white-supremacist movement back then — they’ve just traded in their camouflage for chinos and polo shirts, but it...
- 10/27/2017
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.