By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
This year’s best documentary feature nominees continues a long trend of music docs being recognized by the Academy, as two music-related films have earned nominations at this year’s Oscars.
Amy, which tells the story of late songstress Amy Winehouse in her own words through never-before-seen archival footage and unreleased tracks and is nominated for best doc this year, earned nominations for the Queer Palm and Golden Eye awards at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for director Asif Kapadia.
Filmmaker Liz Garbus earned the second nomination of her career with the Netflix documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? The film focuses on the life of iconic R&B singer Nina Simone and her life as a singer, mother, and civil rights activist. Garbus earned her first Oscar nomination in 1998 for her documentary The Farm: Angola, USA.
Music-related docs have been a hot topic for the Academy in years past,...
Managing Editor
This year’s best documentary feature nominees continues a long trend of music docs being recognized by the Academy, as two music-related films have earned nominations at this year’s Oscars.
Amy, which tells the story of late songstress Amy Winehouse in her own words through never-before-seen archival footage and unreleased tracks and is nominated for best doc this year, earned nominations for the Queer Palm and Golden Eye awards at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for director Asif Kapadia.
Filmmaker Liz Garbus earned the second nomination of her career with the Netflix documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? The film focuses on the life of iconic R&B singer Nina Simone and her life as a singer, mother, and civil rights activist. Garbus earned her first Oscar nomination in 1998 for her documentary The Farm: Angola, USA.
Music-related docs have been a hot topic for the Academy in years past,...
- 1/22/2016
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
The independent feature documentary, "Awake: The Life of Yogananda," has grossed well over $1 million in theatrical release and theatrical on-demand release via Gathr®, it was reported today.
The film -- exploring the life and teachings of Indian yoga master Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the best-selling classic Autobiography of a Yogi, which last month ranked number 4 on the La Times best-sellers list for non-fiction – was co-directed by Paola di Florio ("Speaking in Strings," "Home of the Brave") and Lisa Leeman ("Out of Faith," "Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trungpa"), and produced and self-distributed by award-winning CounterPoint Films. Richard Abramowitz of Abramorama spearheaded the theatrical component of the release.
“The commitment, professionalism and enthusiasm of the 'Awake' team were essential elements in the extraordinary reception this film received in the theatrical marketplace,” says Abramowitz. “Audiences showed up in force from the first day, and continue to do so in great numbers four months later. It’s a testimony to the power of the film and the community that has embraced it. I feel privileged to be a part of it.”
"Awake: The Life of Yogananda" premiered theatrically on October 10, 2014 in New York. The film has been shown across the country in over 100 theaters, as well as in more than 150 screenings via the Gathr® “Theatrical On Demand” platform.
“We attribute the success of the film to a combination of the timeliness of the subject matter and the hybrid distribution model that we have embraced,” says "Awake" producer Peter Rader. “As part of our strategy we have relied heavily on grass roots support and the booming interest in Yoga today, as well as the flexibility of an on-demand platform like Gathr to appeal to potential movie-goers across the country, not just those in major markets.”
The successful grassroots efforts is evidenced by the film’s robust performance in certain markets with significant community outreach. As an example, in November there were times "Awake" out-grossed "Interstellar" in weekend numbers at several venues, including the Sundance Sunset in Los Angeles and The Texas Theatre in Dallas.
“It’s profoundly gratifying to see how the message of this film is reaching people of all backgrounds across the country, and soon the world,” says Paola di Florio, Co-Writer and Co-Director along with Lisa Leeman.
“Awake has broken the mold by appealing to diverse audiences with its experiential, meditative journey and its message of empowerment,” adds Rader. “We now have plans for international distribution, to be announced shortly.”
For more information about "Awake: The Life of Yogananda," visit Here...
The film -- exploring the life and teachings of Indian yoga master Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the best-selling classic Autobiography of a Yogi, which last month ranked number 4 on the La Times best-sellers list for non-fiction – was co-directed by Paola di Florio ("Speaking in Strings," "Home of the Brave") and Lisa Leeman ("Out of Faith," "Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trungpa"), and produced and self-distributed by award-winning CounterPoint Films. Richard Abramowitz of Abramorama spearheaded the theatrical component of the release.
“The commitment, professionalism and enthusiasm of the 'Awake' team were essential elements in the extraordinary reception this film received in the theatrical marketplace,” says Abramowitz. “Audiences showed up in force from the first day, and continue to do so in great numbers four months later. It’s a testimony to the power of the film and the community that has embraced it. I feel privileged to be a part of it.”
"Awake: The Life of Yogananda" premiered theatrically on October 10, 2014 in New York. The film has been shown across the country in over 100 theaters, as well as in more than 150 screenings via the Gathr® “Theatrical On Demand” platform.
“We attribute the success of the film to a combination of the timeliness of the subject matter and the hybrid distribution model that we have embraced,” says "Awake" producer Peter Rader. “As part of our strategy we have relied heavily on grass roots support and the booming interest in Yoga today, as well as the flexibility of an on-demand platform like Gathr to appeal to potential movie-goers across the country, not just those in major markets.”
The successful grassroots efforts is evidenced by the film’s robust performance in certain markets with significant community outreach. As an example, in November there were times "Awake" out-grossed "Interstellar" in weekend numbers at several venues, including the Sundance Sunset in Los Angeles and The Texas Theatre in Dallas.
“It’s profoundly gratifying to see how the message of this film is reaching people of all backgrounds across the country, and soon the world,” says Paola di Florio, Co-Writer and Co-Director along with Lisa Leeman.
“Awake has broken the mold by appealing to diverse audiences with its experiential, meditative journey and its message of empowerment,” adds Rader. “We now have plans for international distribution, to be announced shortly.”
For more information about "Awake: The Life of Yogananda," visit Here...
- 1/12/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
Keep on Keepin’ On, director Alan Hicks’ debut film, follows four years of the friendship and mentorship between jazz legend and trumpeter Clark Terry, who played with Count Basie and Duke Ellington and taught a young Quincy Jones how to play, and Justin Kauflin, a talented 23-year-old blind pianist. The two musicians support each other as Terry begins to lose his eyesight due to health issues and as Kauflin deals with stage fright as a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. The film is one of 15 films on the Oscar documentary shortlist, five of which will be nominated on Jan. 15.
The Academy is particularly fond of music-related documentaries, nominating 17 since 1942, with eight winning. Keep on Keepin’ On could join the following Oscar-nominated films:
Festival (1967)
Director Murray Lerner’s black-and-white documentary offers a glimpse into three years (1963-1966) of the Newport Folk Festival, which...
Managing Editor
Keep on Keepin’ On, director Alan Hicks’ debut film, follows four years of the friendship and mentorship between jazz legend and trumpeter Clark Terry, who played with Count Basie and Duke Ellington and taught a young Quincy Jones how to play, and Justin Kauflin, a talented 23-year-old blind pianist. The two musicians support each other as Terry begins to lose his eyesight due to health issues and as Kauflin deals with stage fright as a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. The film is one of 15 films on the Oscar documentary shortlist, five of which will be nominated on Jan. 15.
The Academy is particularly fond of music-related documentaries, nominating 17 since 1942, with eight winning. Keep on Keepin’ On could join the following Oscar-nominated films:
Festival (1967)
Director Murray Lerner’s black-and-white documentary offers a glimpse into three years (1963-1966) of the Newport Folk Festival, which...
- 1/8/2015
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Exclusive: When Spartacus star Andy Whitfield was battling cancer in the last months of his life, he had a camera crew with him every step of the way. The result is Be Here Now, a feature-length documentary project about the late actor, which is launching a campaign to raise money for its completion. Related: R.I.P. Andy Whitfield Whitfield was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after wrapping the first season of Starz’s Spartacus, a role that would make him a global star. He went through a rigorous program of chemotherapy and was deemed as being in remission when, during a physical to return to Spartacus, his blood tests raised a flag, resulting in a devastating news for the actor — his cancer had come back stronger than ever, leaving him with about a 25% chance of survival. Facing another round of treatments, Whitfield and his wife Vashti decided to have it all documented.
- 6/8/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
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