"Sunny days, furry friends, classic songs, and a whole lot of heart." HBO has unveiled their own full trailer for the acclaimed documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, made by doc filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom). This intiially premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival this year, and already opened in theaters back in April (watch the first trailer). The doc film chronicles the improbable origins and expansion of the groundbreaking show that not only changed children's TV, but it also had real-world effects on equality, education, and representation. With over 20 interviews with original writers, cast, and crew, and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, Street Gang is told from the inside with humor and emotion, weaving together personal narratives and eyewitness accounts. The film explores the original mission of the "gang" that created this cultural phenomenon, spanning 50-plus years and reaching more than 150 countries. Even though this...
- 11/23/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
One of the standouts from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year was the documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street. The documentary from Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom) dives into the origins of the beloved children’s program Sesame Street, a groudbreaking venture that dared to use television to educate children at a […]
The post ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ Trailer Reveals the Origins of the Beloved Children’s TV Show appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ Trailer Reveals the Origins of the Beloved Children’s TV Show appeared first on /Film.
- 4/6/2021
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
"Those were revolutionary times." Screen Media has released an official trailer for acclaimed documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, directed by the doc filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom). This premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival this year, and will be arriving in theaters + on VOD soon. The film chronicles the improbable origins and expansion of the groundbreaking show that not only changed children's TV, but it also had real-world effects on equality, education, and representation. Inspired by Michael Davis' best-selling book of the same name. With more than 20 interviews with original writers, cast, and crew, and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, Street Gang is told from the inside with humor and emotion, weaving together personal narratives and eyewitness accounts. The film explores the original mission of the "gang" that created this cultural phenomenon, now spanning 50-plus years and reaching more than 150 countries. Whether or not you're a fan of the show,...
- 4/6/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Screen Media today released the first official trailer for the critically acclaimed “Sesame Street” documentary, “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street.” Directed by Marilyn Agrelo (“Mad Hot Ballroom”) and inspired by Michael Davis’ eponymous nonfiction New York Times bestseller, the documentary chronicles the improbable origins of the groundbreaking children’s television show that had real-world effects on equality, education, and representation worldwide.
The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to rave reviews, including from IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland, who called the film “loving and wide-ranging,” adding: “Initially conceived of as a then-revolutionary combination of children’s entertainment and educational instruction — literally inventing the idea of educational TV — ‘Sesame Street’ has only maintained and expanded its lofty ambitions over the course of more than five decades. That success, Agrelo’s film sagely argues, was no accident, but instead the product of careful, considerate, and forward-thinking planning.
The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to rave reviews, including from IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland, who called the film “loving and wide-ranging,” adding: “Initially conceived of as a then-revolutionary combination of children’s entertainment and educational instruction — literally inventing the idea of educational TV — ‘Sesame Street’ has only maintained and expanded its lofty ambitions over the course of more than five decades. That success, Agrelo’s film sagely argues, was no accident, but instead the product of careful, considerate, and forward-thinking planning.
- 4/6/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Nicole Brending’s “Dollhouse: The Eradication of Female Subjectivity in American Popular Culture” has won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury prize and the Spirit of Slamdance award at the 25th Slamdance Film Festival.
The film follows rise and fall of fictional child pop star Junie Spoons as her life story unfolds, as told by those who knew her.
“’Dollhouse’ wasn’t like any other film at the festival or any festival,” the feature film jury said. “It was outrageous, bold, hilarious. We’re also giving it the grand prize because we think it really embodies the spirit of the Slamdance.”
Winners were announced at a ceremony at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah on Thursday evening. The festival runs concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival. The Slamdance feature competition is limited to films made by first-time directors with budgets under $1 million and without U.S. distribution.
“The Vast of Night,...
The film follows rise and fall of fictional child pop star Junie Spoons as her life story unfolds, as told by those who knew her.
“’Dollhouse’ wasn’t like any other film at the festival or any festival,” the feature film jury said. “It was outrageous, bold, hilarious. We’re also giving it the grand prize because we think it really embodies the spirit of the Slamdance.”
Winners were announced at a ceremony at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah on Thursday evening. The festival runs concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival. The Slamdance feature competition is limited to films made by first-time directors with budgets under $1 million and without U.S. distribution.
“The Vast of Night,...
- 2/1/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The Slamdance Film Festival has unveiled its 25th anniversary narrative and documentary feature film competition programs, as well as the lineup for its new breakouts section.
The narrative lineup includes the coming-of-age drama “Spiral Farm,” starring Piper De Palma, daughter of director Brian De Palma, who is making her feature debut as a teenage girl growing up on a commune where life is disrupted by the arrival of two outsiders, a father and son. Amanda Plummer (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”), Teo Halm (“Earth to Echo”), and Jade Fusco (“Youth in Revolt”) co-star.
The festival, launched in 1995 as an alternative to Sundance, has included showings of such notable titles as Oren Peli’s “Paranormal Activity.” The fest, which takes place at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 25 to Jan. 31, will screen 18 movies including 10 world premieres, four North American premieres, and four U.S. premieres.
Slamdance alumni include Joe and Anthony Russo,...
The narrative lineup includes the coming-of-age drama “Spiral Farm,” starring Piper De Palma, daughter of director Brian De Palma, who is making her feature debut as a teenage girl growing up on a commune where life is disrupted by the arrival of two outsiders, a father and son. Amanda Plummer (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”), Teo Halm (“Earth to Echo”), and Jade Fusco (“Youth in Revolt”) co-star.
The festival, launched in 1995 as an alternative to Sundance, has included showings of such notable titles as Oren Peli’s “Paranormal Activity.” The fest, which takes place at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 25 to Jan. 31, will screen 18 movies including 10 world premieres, four North American premieres, and four U.S. premieres.
Slamdance alumni include Joe and Anthony Russo,...
- 11/26/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Women directors and producers are consistent winners and well-represented as nominees when it comes to documentaries in awards season. Barbara Kopple is a two-time Oscar-winning documentary director; Freida Lee Mock is an Oscar winner and was the Academy’s first documentary branch governor; Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour”) and Zana Briski (“Born Into Brothels”) are the two women who’ve taken home the gold statuette as directors most recently. It’s a field in which women have made their mark in cinematography and editing, too, and are not outliers.
“Women have always been fiercely part of the documentary filmmaking movement,” says Diane Weyermann, Participant Media’s president of documentary film and TV. The barriers to entry are not as high when compared to scripted/narrative features, especially when it comes to financing. Production costs are less and crews are traditionally a fraction of the size. There’s also the longstanding tradition of...
“Women have always been fiercely part of the documentary filmmaking movement,” says Diane Weyermann, Participant Media’s president of documentary film and TV. The barriers to entry are not as high when compared to scripted/narrative features, especially when it comes to financing. Production costs are less and crews are traditionally a fraction of the size. There’s also the longstanding tradition of...
- 11/9/2018
- by Kathy A. McDonald
- Variety Film + TV
Film explores global TV phenomenon.
The Exchange has added worldwide sales rights to Sesame Street documentary Street Gang from Mad Hot Ballroom director Marilyn Agrelo, and will launch sales at the Afm next week.
CEO Brian O’Shea announced the acquisition on Monday (22) and said, “This is a story for all of us. Sesame Street has served as a cultural touchstone for multiple generations of children, in the U.S. and around the globe.”
Street Gang goes inside the hearts and minds of the Sesame Street creators to understand how they produced the show, and what it was like to...
The Exchange has added worldwide sales rights to Sesame Street documentary Street Gang from Mad Hot Ballroom director Marilyn Agrelo, and will launch sales at the Afm next week.
CEO Brian O’Shea announced the acquisition on Monday (22) and said, “This is a story for all of us. Sesame Street has served as a cultural touchstone for multiple generations of children, in the U.S. and around the globe.”
Street Gang goes inside the hearts and minds of the Sesame Street creators to understand how they produced the show, and what it was like to...
- 10/22/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Slamdance has awarded its grand prize for screenwriting to Jessica Sinyard for her television pilot “The Peak.”
The prize was presented Thursday night during a ceremony hosted by Writers Guild of America West at the WGA Theatre. About 3,000 submissions were received for this year’s contest, and more than $16,000 was awarded to 2018 winners across all categories.
“The Peak” is a psychological survival thriller that follows a team of eight overachievers in their attempt to climb Mount Everest. When a team member goes missing on the peak, paranoia and altitude sickness corrode the reliability of survivor accounts. With a dual narrative that interweaves both the team’s ascent and descent, “The Peak” explores the choices people make when they believe no one is watching.
“This year’s competition proved that wherever you come from in this world our judges are waiting to discover and honor great new writing talent, especially if...
The prize was presented Thursday night during a ceremony hosted by Writers Guild of America West at the WGA Theatre. About 3,000 submissions were received for this year’s contest, and more than $16,000 was awarded to 2018 winners across all categories.
“The Peak” is a psychological survival thriller that follows a team of eight overachievers in their attempt to climb Mount Everest. When a team member goes missing on the peak, paranoia and altitude sickness corrode the reliability of survivor accounts. With a dual narrative that interweaves both the team’s ascent and descent, “The Peak” explores the choices people make when they believe no one is watching.
“This year’s competition proved that wherever you come from in this world our judges are waiting to discover and honor great new writing talent, especially if...
- 10/12/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
National Geographic Documentary Films has announced the acquisition of film festival winner “Science Fair.”
The announcement took place Wednesday at the National Geographic’s “Further Front” presentation in New York City.
“Science Fair” won the audience choice award at both Sundance 2018 and SXSW 2018. The documentary follows nine students from around the world as they prepare for the 2017 International Science and Engineering Fair, a highly competitive showcase of the world’s top young scientific minds.
The film, directed by the documentary filmmaking team Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster, explores the victories, defeats, and motivations of a group of young men and women who are on a path to change their lives, and the world, through science. “Science Fair” is produced by Fusion and Muck Media; Costantini, Foster, and Jeffrey Plunkett serve as producers and Keith Summa, George Lansbury, Isaac Lee, and Daniel Eilemberg as executive producers.
Peter Debruge wrote in his...
The announcement took place Wednesday at the National Geographic’s “Further Front” presentation in New York City.
“Science Fair” won the audience choice award at both Sundance 2018 and SXSW 2018. The documentary follows nine students from around the world as they prepare for the 2017 International Science and Engineering Fair, a highly competitive showcase of the world’s top young scientific minds.
The film, directed by the documentary filmmaking team Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster, explores the victories, defeats, and motivations of a group of young men and women who are on a path to change their lives, and the world, through science. “Science Fair” is produced by Fusion and Muck Media; Costantini, Foster, and Jeffrey Plunkett serve as producers and Keith Summa, George Lansbury, Isaac Lee, and Daniel Eilemberg as executive producers.
Peter Debruge wrote in his...
- 4/18/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Slamdance crowd-pleaser finds Us home
Source: Slamdance
Sundance Selects has bought Us rights from Submarine to Slamdance opening night crowd-pleaser Pick Of The Litter.
Dana Nachman and Don Hardy directed the film, which follows a litter of five puppies from birth to the day one ‘graduates’ as a Guide Dog
Pick Of The Litter debuted on Friday night in Park City and screened again this morning and will play again on Tuesday.
The directors also served as producers, while Submarine’s Ian Reinhard, Dan Braun and Josh Braun are executive producers.
Arianna Bocco brokered the deal on behalf of Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Matt Burke, Josh Braun and Ben Braun of worldwide rights holder Submarine for the filmmakers.
Slamdance has premiered crossover crowd-pleasers in the past, notably Mad Hot Ballroom, which Paramount Classics acquired for the world in 2005. The film went on to gross $8.2m at the North American box office.
Source: Slamdance
Sundance Selects has bought Us rights from Submarine to Slamdance opening night crowd-pleaser Pick Of The Litter.
Dana Nachman and Don Hardy directed the film, which follows a litter of five puppies from birth to the day one ‘graduates’ as a Guide Dog
Pick Of The Litter debuted on Friday night in Park City and screened again this morning and will play again on Tuesday.
The directors also served as producers, while Submarine’s Ian Reinhard, Dan Braun and Josh Braun are executive producers.
Arianna Bocco brokered the deal on behalf of Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Matt Burke, Josh Braun and Ben Braun of worldwide rights holder Submarine for the filmmakers.
Slamdance has premiered crossover crowd-pleasers in the past, notably Mad Hot Ballroom, which Paramount Classics acquired for the world in 2005. The film went on to gross $8.2m at the North American box office.
- 1/21/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Two weeks ago, Macrocosm Entertainment, in association with Citizen Skull Productions, announced the production of “Street Gang,” a feature-length documentary about the creation and history of beloved, long-running children’s TV series “Sesame Street.” Based in part on Michael Davis’ 2008 New York Times best-selling book by the same name, the film would tell origin story of the story and how creator Joan Ganz Cooney, director Jon Stone, and visionary Jim Henson came out of the ideals and the societal unrest of the sixties to make something that changed history. The producers have launched an Indiegogo campaign to help fund the project.
Watch an exclusive clip from the re-building of the set’s iconic stoop, and check out some additional exclusive images from the production’s rebuild of the “Sesame Street” season one set.
Read More: ‘Sesame Street’ and Big Bird Get Premiere Date for Their New Nest On HBO
The...
Watch an exclusive clip from the re-building of the set’s iconic stoop, and check out some additional exclusive images from the production’s rebuild of the “Sesame Street” season one set.
Read More: ‘Sesame Street’ and Big Bird Get Premiere Date for Their New Nest On HBO
The...
- 11/2/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Netflix giveth, and Netflix taketh away.
"Blade Runner: The Theatrical Cut" was just added to Netflix streaming, but now it's facing a harsh expiration date of May 16. (We'll be up on the roof, holding a dove and crying.)
And dude! So bogus: Unless you have a time machine, you only have until May 1st to stream "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989).
Also leaving in May 2016: "Election," "Clerks," and "Black Hawk Dawn" as well as classic Marilyn Monroe movie "Bus Stop."
Here are all the movies and TV series leaving Netflix in May 2016. As always, all titles and dates are subject to change.
Leaving May 1
"The Animatrix" (2003)
"Anna Karenina" (1948)
"Author! Author!" (1982)
"Beware of Mr. Baker" (2012)
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989)
"Broadway Idiot" (2013)
"Bus Stop" (1956)
"Election" (1999)
"The Good Life" (2012)
"Holiday Engagement" (2011)
"Kiss of Death" (1995)
"Mad Hot Ballroom" (2005)
"Mona Lisa Is Missing" (2012)
"Ralphie May: Austin-tatious" (2008)
"Terms And Conditions May Apply" (2013)
"That's What I Am...
"Blade Runner: The Theatrical Cut" was just added to Netflix streaming, but now it's facing a harsh expiration date of May 16. (We'll be up on the roof, holding a dove and crying.)
And dude! So bogus: Unless you have a time machine, you only have until May 1st to stream "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989).
Also leaving in May 2016: "Election," "Clerks," and "Black Hawk Dawn" as well as classic Marilyn Monroe movie "Bus Stop."
Here are all the movies and TV series leaving Netflix in May 2016. As always, all titles and dates are subject to change.
Leaving May 1
"The Animatrix" (2003)
"Anna Karenina" (1948)
"Author! Author!" (1982)
"Beware of Mr. Baker" (2012)
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989)
"Broadway Idiot" (2013)
"Bus Stop" (1956)
"Election" (1999)
"The Good Life" (2012)
"Holiday Engagement" (2011)
"Kiss of Death" (1995)
"Mad Hot Ballroom" (2005)
"Mona Lisa Is Missing" (2012)
"Ralphie May: Austin-tatious" (2008)
"Terms And Conditions May Apply" (2013)
"That's What I Am...
- 4/22/2016
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
August marks the unofficial cinephile appreciation month in New York City. Film lovers in all five boroughs will get to see “Movies Under the Stars,” a celebration of classic films starring beloved actors shot in the Big Apple, including “Ghostbusters” and “The Wiz,” as well as other favorites such as “Mad Hot Ballroom,” which kicked off the festivities Aug. 19, running through Aug. 31. “We want all New Yorkers to experience the fun and novelty of watching a film outdoors right in their own neighborhood,” said Cynthia López, commissioner of the mayor’s office of media and entertainment, in a statement. “The films and TV shows that shoot on location in New York City have not only left an indelible mark on our culture, they also employ thousands of New Yorkers behind the scenes and contribute billions of dollars to our local economy.” This year, an additional 150 screenings have been scheduled to...
- 8/14/2015
- backstage.com
Why the Slamdance Film Festival isn't more celebrated for its documentary finds each year is a question I ask, well, every year. Sure, its annual feature-doc program isn't filled exclusively with good movies, but neither is Sundance nor any other festival. There have been at least a few in every crop of eight-or-so titles that I'd recommend, and in most year's there's at least one really terrific work. Look at some of the successes to come out of Slamdance for proof that it's worthy of serious doc fans' attendance: Mad Hot Ballroom, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists and Steven Soderbergh's And Everything Is Going Fine all had their premieres at...
Read More...
Read More...
- 1/22/2014
- by Christopher Campbell
- Movies.com
For filmmakers and by filmmakers.
Slamdance Film Festival continues its twentieth year supporting the independent films at Park City, Utah, from January 17-23, 2014. The festival will feature nearly 100 films for shorts, narrative and documentary. It takes place at the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street.
Tickets are still available online at www.slamdance.com.
Latino-Review had the opportunity to carry a phone conversation with Slamdance Film Festival President Peter Baxter.
We discussed the origins and history of the film festival, special celebrations of the 20th anniversary, special celebrity experience and the awards selection process.
For the interview, please read or listen to the interview below.
Latino-Review: For my readers here, could you tell us on what Slamdance is all about?
Peter Baxter: Slamdance is started off as a film festival. In January 2014 in Park City, we are going to be celebrating our twentieth edition. We coincide with Sundance. We started out,...
Slamdance Film Festival continues its twentieth year supporting the independent films at Park City, Utah, from January 17-23, 2014. The festival will feature nearly 100 films for shorts, narrative and documentary. It takes place at the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street.
Tickets are still available online at www.slamdance.com.
Latino-Review had the opportunity to carry a phone conversation with Slamdance Film Festival President Peter Baxter.
We discussed the origins and history of the film festival, special celebrations of the 20th anniversary, special celebrity experience and the awards selection process.
For the interview, please read or listen to the interview below.
Latino-Review: For my readers here, could you tell us on what Slamdance is all about?
Peter Baxter: Slamdance is started off as a film festival. In January 2014 in Park City, we are going to be celebrating our twentieth edition. We coincide with Sundance. We started out,...
- 1/8/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Justine Smith
Bright Star, Jane Campion
Orlando, Sally Potter
Trouble Every Day, Claire Denis
Cleo 5 a 7, Agnes Varda
A New Leaf, Elaine May
The Night Porter, Liliana Cavani
American Psycho, Mary Harron
Anatomy of Hell, Catherine Breillat
Point Break, Kathryn Bigelow
Everyone Else, Maren Ade
Ricky D
Connection, Shirley Clarke
Wuthering Heights, Andrea Arnold
35 Shots of Rhum, Claire Denis
Meshes of the Afternoon, Maya Derin
Seven Beauties, Lina Wertmuller
The Hitch-Hiker, Ida Lupino
Lina Wertmuller- Swept Away
Meek’s Cutoff, Kelly Reichardt
Headless Woman, Lucrecia Martel
Xxy, Lucía Puenzo
Special mention:
Skyscraper – Shirley Clarke
Wasp – Andrea Arnold
On Dangerous Ground – Ida Lupino (uncredited)
Wanda
Chris Clemente
Little Miss Sunshine, Valerie Faris
American Psycho, Mary Harron
Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola
We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lynne Ramsay
Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold
Monster, Patty Jenkins
A League of Their Own, Penny Marshall
Wayne’s World, Penelope Spheeris
Clueless, Amy Heckerling
Point Break,...
Bright Star, Jane Campion
Orlando, Sally Potter
Trouble Every Day, Claire Denis
Cleo 5 a 7, Agnes Varda
A New Leaf, Elaine May
The Night Porter, Liliana Cavani
American Psycho, Mary Harron
Anatomy of Hell, Catherine Breillat
Point Break, Kathryn Bigelow
Everyone Else, Maren Ade
Ricky D
Connection, Shirley Clarke
Wuthering Heights, Andrea Arnold
35 Shots of Rhum, Claire Denis
Meshes of the Afternoon, Maya Derin
Seven Beauties, Lina Wertmuller
The Hitch-Hiker, Ida Lupino
Lina Wertmuller- Swept Away
Meek’s Cutoff, Kelly Reichardt
Headless Woman, Lucrecia Martel
Xxy, Lucía Puenzo
Special mention:
Skyscraper – Shirley Clarke
Wasp – Andrea Arnold
On Dangerous Ground – Ida Lupino (uncredited)
Wanda
Chris Clemente
Little Miss Sunshine, Valerie Faris
American Psycho, Mary Harron
Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola
We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lynne Ramsay
Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold
Monster, Patty Jenkins
A League of Their Own, Penny Marshall
Wayne’s World, Penelope Spheeris
Clueless, Amy Heckerling
Point Break,...
- 9/26/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
School's out today, and that means the kids are ready for summer fun. Alamo Drafthouse is offering several family-friendly events, including Alamo Kids Camp at several Austin locations. Iron Giant began a two-week run at Alamo South Lamar today. From Saturday through Thursday, June 7, Alamo Slaughter is offering Fantastic Mr. Fox, Alamo Village hosts The Corpse Bride, and the Lake Creek location features How to Train Your Dragon. Check the Drafthouse calendar for times, and be sure to arrive extra early for these free screenings -- seating is limited and first come, first served.
On Thursday, Rolling Roadshow invades Austin's Park for a special screening of Pixar's Toy Story. Ticket purchase is only for the movie itself, and tickets must be picked up at Alamo South Lamar prior to the show. Don't forget to bring extra money for arcade games, miniature golf, and pizza before the screening.
For more mature audiences,...
On Thursday, Rolling Roadshow invades Austin's Park for a special screening of Pixar's Toy Story. Ticket purchase is only for the movie itself, and tickets must be picked up at Alamo South Lamar prior to the show. Don't forget to bring extra money for arcade games, miniature golf, and pizza before the screening.
For more mature audiences,...
- 5/25/2012
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Film: Bully (2011) Director: Lee Hirsch (Amandia! A Revolution ii Four Part Harmony) Genre: Documentary (98 minutes) Tyler looked like an adorable kid in the home movies. "He always had an infectious laugh," his dad tells us. But as he grew older, he became more introverted. He wasn't very athletic, always the last to be chosen for team sports. Some kids called him names, such as "geek" or "fag." At first Tyler cried... "and then he didn't cry." Tyler's dad goes on: "Some kids had told him to go hang his self... that he was worthless. I think he got to a point where enough was enough." Tyler's dad has to speak for him now because Tyler finally did hang himself. The movie follows five kids who are still the victims of bullying, including 12-year-old Alex. Alex has a strong overbite, which is the reason kids in school call him "fish face.
- 4/3/2012
- by Leslie Sisman
- Moviefone
Is 318, a Brooklyn public school residing in an area with a 70% poverty rate, with a top ranked chess team is the subject of the uplifting doc Brooklyn Castle. Director Katie Dellamaggiore spent several years with the chess team when budgets for non-essential school activities (ie: arts and extracurricular activities) were slashed by $1.3 million, which means a reduction in funds to travel to chess events.
The students of Is 318 share essentially the same story as those briefly chronicled in Waiting for Superman and The Lottery – they hope to get into a good school, and that rides on either a lottery or a standardized test. I suppose a good school will provide the resources to continue their chess career, although there is a not-for-profit that hooks up several Is 318 students with chess-masters, Chess in Schools. Scenes of students discovering which school they got into, complete with intercut interviews of students and parents...
The students of Is 318 share essentially the same story as those briefly chronicled in Waiting for Superman and The Lottery – they hope to get into a good school, and that rides on either a lottery or a standardized test. I suppose a good school will provide the resources to continue their chess career, although there is a not-for-profit that hooks up several Is 318 students with chess-masters, Chess in Schools. Scenes of students discovering which school they got into, complete with intercut interviews of students and parents...
- 3/24/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The Slamdance Film Festival, the rowdier cousin of the Sundance, has announced a competitive lineup that includes films about disco, porn, hacking and three virgins inspired by "The Catcher in the Rye." The Slamdance lineup, which was chosen out of nearly 5,000 submissions, is limited to first-time directors and films made for less than $1 million. Past Slamdance premieres include "Paranormal Activity" and the documentaries "Mad Hot Ballroom" and "The King of Kong," Slamdance will take place from January 20 through 26 in Park City, Utah, simultaneously with Sundance. The lineup, with descriptions from...
- 12/14/2011
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
HollywoodNews.com: Liddell Entertainment, the innovative production and distribution financier is launching a new theatrical distribution entity, Ld Distribution, and named indie veteran David Dinerstein as head of the new company. The company’s initial slate includes: William Friedkin’s critically acclaimed Killer Joe starring Matthew McConaughey; the recently wrapped production, Disconnect, starring Jason Bateman and Alexander Skarsgard from the Oscar nominated director Henry-Alex Rubin; and the horror film, The Collection, from Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, the writers of Saw lV, V and Vl which is currently in post-production. The company plans to release 4 to 6 films in its initial year.
Ld Distribution will actively acquire films and provide distribution for Liddell Entertainment’s expanding production slate. Liddell Entertainment is aiming to produce four to six movies a year with budgets of up to $25 million.
“We are thrilled to bring David Dinerstein on board to run our new distribution operation.
Ld Distribution will actively acquire films and provide distribution for Liddell Entertainment’s expanding production slate. Liddell Entertainment is aiming to produce four to six movies a year with budgets of up to $25 million.
“We are thrilled to bring David Dinerstein on board to run our new distribution operation.
- 12/12/2011
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
Bots High is a film that proudly declares its geekiness, which is a promising sign for a documentary that follows three groups of high school robotics students as they develop and (literally) battle their way to a national combat robots competition in Miami. Basically, it's Mad Hot Ballroom with nerds. Lest you think this is a niche film destined to play small, though, director/producer Joey Daoud has a different distribution plan for getting his project to a larger audience. Daoud is inviting anyone anywhere to host or join a free screening of Bots High on October 6th in any venue. After the screening, Daoud and the robot builders themselves, many of whom went on to engineering programs at schools like MIT and Duke, will be ...
- 7/13/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
The world’s largest youth slam poetry competition is the subject of Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel‘s audience-pleasing doc, Louder Than A Bomb, a high school competition pic in the tradition of films like Spellbound and Mad Hot Ballroom. For a decade now the Louder Than A Bomb competition has brought together budding young slam poets from over 60 Chicago high schools for a series of juried team and individual readings. The contest is highly competitive — one school goes home with the prize — but the event itself provides something far more valuable than competition; it is one of the few non-sports related outlets for teenagers from vastly different backgrounds in the largely segregated Second City to forge bonds that transcend societal divisions. Allowing us to glimpse the event through the experiences of three compelling, diverse young slam poets and the team from the wrong side of the tracks who are the defending champions,...
- 5/20/2011
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch.
This week Captain Jack returns to theaters to face off against – well, no one really…That’s right. Not one single studio feature wanted to do battle with Pirates 4 at the box office. Happily a trio of new features will be opening in limited release, including the latest from Woody Allen, an African-American ensemble dramedy, and documentary about the power of slam poetry. And as always, if you’re keen to take the gasps, laughs, love, and real-world drama home – we’ve got you covered.
—
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
In this high seas adventure, Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) joins forces with his old foe Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to uncover the legendary Fountain of Youth. But these unlikely allies find a new enemy...
This week Captain Jack returns to theaters to face off against – well, no one really…That’s right. Not one single studio feature wanted to do battle with Pirates 4 at the box office. Happily a trio of new features will be opening in limited release, including the latest from Woody Allen, an African-American ensemble dramedy, and documentary about the power of slam poetry. And as always, if you’re keen to take the gasps, laughs, love, and real-world drama home – we’ve got you covered.
—
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
In this high seas adventure, Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) joins forces with his old foe Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to uncover the legendary Fountain of Youth. But these unlikely allies find a new enemy...
- 5/19/2011
- by Kristy Puchko
- The Film Stage
Steven Klein Hiroki Hara, one of the magicians in the movie
Without revealing any secrets of the trade, director J. Clay Tweel’s humorous and heartfelt documentary “Make Believe” pulled laughs and a few understanding sighs out of its hat—and out of an appreciative audience at the Independent Film Festival Boston. Part competition film, part coming-of-age story, it follows a motley group of aspiring magicians as they battle for the coveted title of Teen World Champion at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas.
Without revealing any secrets of the trade, director J. Clay Tweel’s humorous and heartfelt documentary “Make Believe” pulled laughs and a few understanding sighs out of its hat—and out of an appreciative audience at the Independent Film Festival Boston. Part competition film, part coming-of-age story, it follows a motley group of aspiring magicians as they battle for the coveted title of Teen World Champion at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas.
- 5/3/2011
- by Gina Bernal
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Jessica Alba’s luscious hair and pouty lips have landed her numerous eye-candy roles and magazine covers. Now the oft glamorous actress looks to take on new terrain by donning a frumpy frock and limp pigtails to play an emotionally stunted math whiz in the upcoming drama The Invisible Sign. Based on the book An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender, the film marks the narrative debut of Marilyn Agrelo, the documentarian behind Mad Hot Ballroom, and features J.K Simmons and Chris Messina.
Below we have the trailer which features some awkward but adorable ingénue, an aggressive but affable suitor, and a pint-sized paramour getting to second base. Check it out:
An Invisible Sign by ThePlaylist
Young Mona idolizes her father, a brilliant mathematician. When he suddenly demonstrates signs of mental illness, Mona begins to obsess about numbers, using them to interpret an unpredictable and threatening world.
Below we have the trailer which features some awkward but adorable ingénue, an aggressive but affable suitor, and a pint-sized paramour getting to second base. Check it out:
An Invisible Sign by ThePlaylist
Young Mona idolizes her father, a brilliant mathematician. When he suddenly demonstrates signs of mental illness, Mona begins to obsess about numbers, using them to interpret an unpredictable and threatening world.
- 4/7/2011
- by Kristy Puchko
- The Film Stage
Quirk alert! This movie has it all! Math, burgeoning love, numbers and patterns everywhere like "A Beautiful Mind" and even a precocious little kid. We don't know if we can take any more. A trailer has landed for the Jessica Alba-led romantic comedy "An Invisible Sign." Directed by Marilyn Agrelo (”Mad Hot Ballroom”), written by Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis (who paired on “The Wedding Planner”) and based on Aimee Bender‘s book “An Invisible Sign of My Own,” the story follows a math teacher, obsessed with numbers, who battles her own compulsive behaviours, guides her students and deals with the…...
- 4/6/2011
- The Playlist
2005′s “Mad Hot Ballroom” was the hit of the year. The Nickelodeon/Paramount owned documentary featured three Public Schools in New York, all of whom were taught the art of ballroom dancing and ultimately experienced a coming of age with their skills that took them in to a major competition by the end of the film. The film grossed a total of over nine million dollars, screening on theaters in the double digits. 2007′s “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” about the inadvertent rivalry between two master gamers competing to obtain the world record Donkey Kong made the top ten lists of over a dozen critics in 2007, and garnered immense buzz over the course of the year from news companies alike. 2009′s “Paranormal Activity” was made on a micro budget and filmed in generally one location. It received rave reviews by critics across the board before being snatched...
- 2/1/2011
- by Felix Vasquez Jr.
- Beyond Hollywood
Joe Matukewicz has been named senior vice president of worldwide acquisitions for Relativity Media.
Matukewicz was vice president of acquisitions and co-productions for Paramount Vantage and Paramount Worldwide Acquisitions Group. During his tenure, Paramount acquired such high-profile projects as “An Inconvenient Truth,” “The Duchess,” “How She Move,” “Hustle & Flow,” “The Machinist,” “Jay-z: Fade to Black” and “Mad Hot Ballroom.”
In his new post, Matukewicz will serve as the head of acquisitions and work with the Relativity production team to evaluate projects for acquisitions and production for the studio. He reports to Tucker Tooley, president of worldwide production, and Peter Adee, president of theatrical marketing and distribution.
The first movie Matukewicz acquired for Relativity Media is David Ellis’ “Untitled 3D Shark Thriller” from Nick Meyer’s Sierra Pictures.
Matukewicz was vice president of acquisitions and co-productions for Paramount Vantage and Paramount Worldwide Acquisitions Group. During his tenure, Paramount acquired such high-profile projects as “An Inconvenient Truth,” “The Duchess,” “How She Move,” “Hustle & Flow,” “The Machinist,” “Jay-z: Fade to Black” and “Mad Hot Ballroom.”
In his new post, Matukewicz will serve as the head of acquisitions and work with the Relativity production team to evaluate projects for acquisitions and production for the studio. He reports to Tucker Tooley, president of worldwide production, and Peter Adee, president of theatrical marketing and distribution.
The first movie Matukewicz acquired for Relativity Media is David Ellis’ “Untitled 3D Shark Thriller” from Nick Meyer’s Sierra Pictures.
- 1/20/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Documentary; directed by Davis Guggenheim.
By Kevin Bowen - October 2, 2010
I don’t like to pull out the phrases “important movie” and “this is the one movie you should see.” But if I had to describe a movie as important and had to say there is one movie you should see it’s "Waiting for Superman."
That’s not to say it’s my number one film for the year. And that doesn’t mean it’s a future classic. In thirty years, this film isn’t going to matter. Our education system then will teach our children for the world of that time. Whether that’s producing graduates prepared to compete in the global economy or imparting the nuances of prairie dog hunting to survive winter on the freezing plains, we will get the education we deserve.
If there is one thing that left and right have agreed on all my life,...
By Kevin Bowen - October 2, 2010
I don’t like to pull out the phrases “important movie” and “this is the one movie you should see.” But if I had to describe a movie as important and had to say there is one movie you should see it’s "Waiting for Superman."
That’s not to say it’s my number one film for the year. And that doesn’t mean it’s a future classic. In thirty years, this film isn’t going to matter. Our education system then will teach our children for the world of that time. Whether that’s producing graduates prepared to compete in the global economy or imparting the nuances of prairie dog hunting to survive winter on the freezing plains, we will get the education we deserve.
If there is one thing that left and right have agreed on all my life,...
- 10/2/2010
- by Screen Comment
- Screen Comment
Survival in the favelas by way of the ballet? That's what the Film Movement folks are proposing this summer as they become the official dance partners with Beadie Finzi's favela-set documentary film which appears to contain a rags-to denouement and could easily mimic the popularity of Mad Hot Ballroom. - Survival in the favelas by way of the ballet? That's what the Film Movement folks are proposing this summer as they become the official dance partners with Beadie Finzi's favela-set documentary film which appears to contain a rags-to denouement (see the well-crafted trailer) and could easily mimic the popularity of Mad Hot Ballroom. Only When I Dance follows two young teenagers, Isabella and Irlan as they strive to realize an extraordinary dream. One girl, one boy. Both black and poor and living in a lawless community on the outskirts of Rio.
- 2/10/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Sometimes superlatives need to be slung, such as when speaking of the richest, most ambitious and exciting decade yet for nonfiction film -- and, really, what other variety could back up that boast? To nail down a single doc as the preeminent work that typifies these years is no easy task, especially since the best of the bunch attacked specific subjects with laser-like precision and idiosyncratic techniques. (Sit tight, the lede is about to be buried.)
The '00s legitimized the allure of the "pop doc," a trend that shoehorns potentially lackluster material into glossy narratives. Spelling bees were transformed into suspense thrillers ("Spellbound"), quadriplegic rugby players did their own stunts ("Murderball"), tangoing kids got their dance-off ("Mad Hot Ballroom"), a reckless but beautiful feat of derring-do was reenacted like a heist procedural ("Man on Wire"), and a PBS-style nature film became a blockbuster saga of familial survival ("March of the Penguins"). Who'd have thought,...
The '00s legitimized the allure of the "pop doc," a trend that shoehorns potentially lackluster material into glossy narratives. Spelling bees were transformed into suspense thrillers ("Spellbound"), quadriplegic rugby players did their own stunts ("Murderball"), tangoing kids got their dance-off ("Mad Hot Ballroom"), a reckless but beautiful feat of derring-do was reenacted like a heist procedural ("Man on Wire"), and a PBS-style nature film became a blockbuster saga of familial survival ("March of the Penguins"). Who'd have thought,...
- 12/7/2009
- by Aaron Hillis
- ifc.com
November 7 was the premiere event of the Tribeca Cinemas Kids Club series, and it was quite a hit! Gavin, one of our intrepid Tribeca Kids Access correspondents, was on hand at the afternoon screening of Mad Hot Ballroom, and he submitted his review of the film. Parents, do you have a budding cineaste on your hands? If so, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is on deck for November 21. Don't miss it! This is Gavin from Tribeca Kids Access. On Saturday, the seventh of November, I went to the Mad Hot Ballroom screening at Tribeca Cinemas Kids Club with my reporter colleague Margaret. Mad Hot Ballroom is a movie about sixty of New York City's public schools that compete every year in - you guessed it - ballroom dancing. This documentary focuses on three of these sixty schools: P.S. 150, P.S. 112 and P.S. 115. The director, Marilyn Agrelo, follows these kids...
- 11/16/2009
- TribecaFilm.com
Going to the movies is a magical thing when you're a kid. With the inaugural edition of the Tribeca Cinemas Kids Club, this Saturday, November 7, kids and adults alike have several chances to really delve into the magic of the cinema. Kids and adults can catch brilliant shorts, both fiction and documentary, or dive into the fascinating world of Marilyn Agrelo's documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, where New York elementary schoolers learn ballroom dancing. (And, as made clear from the preview, the movie is filled with relatable, real kids being kiddish and having youthful emotions and fun times dancing.) November 7, 10:30 am (Ages 3+) Shorts Program The morning shorts program focuses on the work of three filmmakers: Jennifer Oxley, Jay Rosenblatt, and Eva Saks. There will be a post-screening Q and A with the directors, who are all Tribeca Film Festival alumni. Oxley (who's worked on Sesame Street and Nick Jr.
- 11/2/2009
- TribecaFilm.com
Going to the movies is a magical thing when you're a kid. With the inaugural edition of the Tribeca Cinemas Kids Club, this Saturday, November 7, kids and adults alike have several chances to really delve into the magic of the cinema, whether it's watching brilliant shorts, both fiction and documentary, or diving into the fascinating world of Marilyn Agrelo's documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, about New York elementary schoolers who learn ballroom dancing. (And, as made clear from the preview, the movie is filled with relateable, real kids being kiddish and having youthful emotions and fun times dancing.) November 7, 10:30 am (Ages 3+) Shorts Program The morning shorts program focuses on the work of three filmmakers: Jennifer Oxley, Jay Rosenblatt, and Eva Saks. There will be a post-screening Q and A with the directors, who are all Tribeca Film Festival alumni. Oxley's (who's worked on Sesame Street and Nick Jr.'s...
- 11/2/2009
- TribecaFilm.com
Jessica Alba has signed on to star in Marilyn Agrelo’s upcoming drama “An Invisible Sign of My Own,” according to Variety.
Based on the novel by Aimee Bender, the story centers on a young woman who lives in solitude and spends most of her time burying herself in a world of numbers and math. Everything changes when she takes on a job as second-grade math teacher.
Agrelo, whose credits include “Mad Hot Ballroom,” is directing a script by Mike Ellis and Pam Falk. The duo also wrote Adam Shankman’s 2001 comedy “The Wedding Planner.”
Alba most recently starred in “The Eye” and “The Love Guru.”...
Based on the novel by Aimee Bender, the story centers on a young woman who lives in solitude and spends most of her time burying herself in a world of numbers and math. Everything changes when she takes on a job as second-grade math teacher.
Agrelo, whose credits include “Mad Hot Ballroom,” is directing a script by Mike Ellis and Pam Falk. The duo also wrote Adam Shankman’s 2001 comedy “The Wedding Planner.”
Alba most recently starred in “The Eye” and “The Love Guru.”...
- 9/9/2008
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
These people just landed a part in a movie and you didn't:
Sorry boys, but Jessica Alba has officially become a math nerd. Oh yes, Variety tells us the actress has signed on to star in An Invisible Sign of My Own, based on the book by Aimee Bender. Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom) will direct the flick, which follows a woman who becomes obsessed with numbers and math ... and then lands a gig as a second-grade math teacher. Hot, steamy gratuitous love-making scene not included.
Val Kilmer has decided he needs more action in his life, as the dude has hopped onboard the crime thriller Fake Identity for Nu Image/Millennium Films. The film, to be directed by Dennis Dimster-Denk (or Triple D, as I like to call him), tells of a doctor (Kilmer) who, while working in Chechnya, helps a woman escape from her would-be assailant and then...
Sorry boys, but Jessica Alba has officially become a math nerd. Oh yes, Variety tells us the actress has signed on to star in An Invisible Sign of My Own, based on the book by Aimee Bender. Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom) will direct the flick, which follows a woman who becomes obsessed with numbers and math ... and then lands a gig as a second-grade math teacher. Hot, steamy gratuitous love-making scene not included.
Val Kilmer has decided he needs more action in his life, as the dude has hopped onboard the crime thriller Fake Identity for Nu Image/Millennium Films. The film, to be directed by Dennis Dimster-Denk (or Triple D, as I like to call him), tells of a doctor (Kilmer) who, while working in Chechnya, helps a woman escape from her would-be assailant and then...
- 9/8/2008
- by Erik Davis
- Cinematical
Mad Hot Ballroom was one of the most exciting, surprising and entertaining documentaries of 2005, a summer that also boasted March of the Penguins. So you'd figure director Marilyn Agrelo would have been flooded with offers and given her pick of Hollywood to work with for her first fiction feature. Not, you might imagine, Jessica Alba. But that's exactly who is set to star in An Invisible Sign of My Own, reports Variety, which will be Agrelo's first film since Ballroom. Much like Alba's recent role as a world-class violinist in The Eye, the part here seems a little atypical for the starlet: She'll play a young woman who is obsessed with math, and then becomes a second-grade math teacher. The screenplay is written by the people responsible for The Wedding Planner, Pam Falk and Mike Ellis, which just adds another level of mediocrity. I'm not sure what took Agrelo so...
- 9/8/2008
- cinemablend.com
NEW YORK -- America Ferrera has signed on to star in "An Invisible Sign of My Own", a coming-of-age drama that will also mark Marilyn Agrelo's first directorial effort since her breakout documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom".
The movie, expected to begin shooting shortly, is based on Aimee Bender's quirky novel about a 20-year-old loner named Mona Gray (Ferrera) who as a child turned to math for salvation after her father became ill. As an adult, Gray now teaches the subject and must help her students through their own crises. "Wedding Planner" scribes Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk penned the adaptation.
Endeavor put together the project, which will be produced by Jana Edelbaum's iDealPartners Film Fund, the New York entity that's also behind the Uma Thurman comedy "Motherhood" and Lionsgate's Russell Crowe crime-saga "Tenderness".
Ferrera will have a relatively short window in which to shoot the movie; the "Ugly Betty" star is on an aggressive production schedule for her ABC hit, with ABC Studios still in production on the show until early May and then going back into production in June as the show shoots ahead of a potential SAG strike.
The movie, expected to begin shooting shortly, is based on Aimee Bender's quirky novel about a 20-year-old loner named Mona Gray (Ferrera) who as a child turned to math for salvation after her father became ill. As an adult, Gray now teaches the subject and must help her students through their own crises. "Wedding Planner" scribes Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk penned the adaptation.
Endeavor put together the project, which will be produced by Jana Edelbaum's iDealPartners Film Fund, the New York entity that's also behind the Uma Thurman comedy "Motherhood" and Lionsgate's Russell Crowe crime-saga "Tenderness".
Ferrera will have a relatively short window in which to shoot the movie; the "Ugly Betty" star is on an aggressive production schedule for her ABC hit, with ABC Studios still in production on the show until early May and then going back into production in June as the show shoots ahead of a potential SAG strike.
- 4/30/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- I think the reason why folks love their college football and Ncaa dribbling is because its pits youth and top tier competition against one another. Psychologists are still debating the pros and cons of competition among young adults, but for viewers, this merge of the two makes for some great docu-tainment. Feisty , spirited such docs spelling bee battles (Spellbound), sport-related rags to riches (Hoop Dreams), dance-offs (Mad Hot Ballroom) and now a junior jazz comp are part of that trend. Today, Arts Alliance America picked up theatrical/DVD rights to Bruce Broder's Chops. The docu looks at the annual event: Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival is where 15 high school jazz bands from across North America get the chance to wow audiences and Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, with their interpretations of the work of the great Duke Ellington.
- 3/27/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
Paramount's new, still-untitled specialty films division has promoted Robert Schulze to executive vp distribution, the label said Thursday. Schulze, who will report to president John Lesher, was senior vp distribution at the formerly dubbed Paramount Classics. In his new post, he will oversee all aspects of the art house label's film sales and distribution. "Robert is a consummate professional with a sterling reputation and excellent relationships with exhibitors," Lesher said. "His extensive experience in distributing groundbreaking films makes him a huge asset to our group." Schulze joined Paramount Classics in 2001 as senior vp and was responsible for the division's film sales and distribution, including forecasting, development of theatrical strategies and serving as a liaison with Paramount Picture Commercial Film Distribution Group. Among the titles he supervised were Mad Hot Ballroom, Mostly Martha and Man on a Train.
- 1/20/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The indie blockbuster March of the Penguins is among the 15 documentaries that have made the cut for consideration for the best feature documentary Oscar at the 78th annual Academy Awards. The short-listed candidates -- drawn from 82 films that were eligible -- include After Innocence, The Boys of Baraka, Darwin's Nightmare, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Favela Rising, Mad Hot Ballroom, March of the Penguins, Murderball, Occupation: Dreamland, On Native Soil: The Documentary of the 9/11 Commission Report, Rize, Street Fight, 39 Pounds of Love and Unknown White Male, the Academy said Tuesday. Eligible documentaries were screened by the documentary branch screening committee, made up of members of the branch who serve on a volunteer basis. The above films were chosen after a preliminary round of screenings. The nominated films will be announced along with nominations in 24 other categories on Jan. 31. The Academy Awards will be presented March 5 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland, televised live by ABC.
- 11/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The indie blockbuster March of the Penguins is among the 15 documentaries that have made the cut for consideration for the best feature documentary Oscar at the 78th annual Academy Awards. The short-listed candidates -- drawn from 82 films that were eligible -- include After Innocence, The Boys of Baraka, Darwin's Nightmare, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Favela Rising, Mad Hot Ballroom, March of the Penguins, Murderball, Occupation: Dreamland, On Native Soil: The Documentary of the 9/11 Commission Report, Rize, Street Fight, 39 Pounds of Love and Unknown White Male, the Academy said Tuesday. Eligible documentaries were screened by the documentary branch screening committee, made up of members of the branch who serve on a volunteer basis. The above films were chosen after a preliminary round of screenings. The nominated films will be announced along with nominations in 24 other categories on Jan. 31. The Academy Awards will be presented March 5 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland, televised live by ABC.
- 11/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SYDNEY -- Kriv Stenders' unlikely suburban romance Blacktown proved the maxim that films don't need to big budgets to connect with audiences as the 52nd Sydney Film Festival came to a close Saturday night. The micro-budget Australian Blacktown took home the prize for best feature film from the Sidebar Program as part of the inaugural Urban Cinefile Audience Awards, while Danish director Susanne Bier's family drama Brothers was voted best feature from the Contemporary World Cinema program. Awards were handed out after a screening of the closing night film in its Australian premiere, Hayao Miyazake's Japanese animated hit Hauru no ugoku shiro (Howl's Moving Castle). Mad Hot Ballroom, a crowd pleaser about kids from different schools competing for a ballroom dancing prize and directed by Marylin Agrelo from the United States, won the award for best documentary across both sections. Chris Landreth's Ryan (Canada) won best short from the World Cinema selection and Juan Pablo Zaramella's Journey To Mars (Argentina) took home best short in the Sidebar program.
- 6/26/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SYDNEY -- Kriv Stenders' unlikely suburban romance Blacktown proved the maxim that films don't need to big budgets to connect with audiences as the 52nd Sydney Film Festival came to a close Saturday night. The micro-budget Australian Blacktown took home the prize for best feature film from the Sidebar Program as part of the inaugural Urban Cinefile Audience Awards, while Danish director Susanne Bier's family drama Brothers was voted best feature from the Contemporary World Cinema program. Awards were handed out after a screening of the closing night film in its Australian premiere, Hayao Miyazake's Japanese animated hit Hauru no ugoku shiro (Howl's Moving Castle). Mad Hot Ballroom, a crowd pleaser about kids from different schools competing for a ballroom dancing prize and directed by Marylin Agrelo from the United States, won the award for best documentary across both sections. Chris Landreth's Ryan (Canada) won best short from the World Cinema selection and Juan Pablo Zaramella's Journey To Mars (Argentina) took home best short in the Sidebar program.
- 6/26/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- The Sydney Film Festival drew to a close on Saturday, capping it all off with the Australian premiere of the eagerly anticipated Howl's Moving Castle. Not only that but Saturday night marked the first time the festival awarded films based on audience votes in the Sydney Film Festival Urban Cinefile Awards. This is the first time such prizes have been awarded, and will hopefully boost the Sydney Film Festival's international standing. The winners were:In World CinemaBest Feature: Brothers (Directed by Susanne Bier) Best Short: Ryan (Directed by Chris Landreth) Best Documentary: Mad Hot Ballroom (Directed by Marilyn Agrelo) Side Bar Program: Best Feature: Blacktown (Directed by Kriv Stenders) (Australian) Best Short: Journey To Mars (Directed by Juan Palbo Zaramella) Best Documentary: Mad Hot Ballroom While the Sydney Film Festival is the place to find world cinema that quite often doesn't get distribution down here, it also provides itself as
- 6/25/2005
- IONCINEMA.com
Resistance is futile. It's impossible not to be swept up into the uplifting world of Mad Hot Ballroom, a documentary that can be neatly summed up as the Spellbound of competitive ballroom dancing.
Premiered at this year's Slamdance Film Festival, the film follows a diverse group of fifth-graders from three equally contrasting New York schools as they rumba, meringue, tango, foxtrot and swing their way into an annual intracity competition.
Playing like gangbusters with thoroughly engaged audiences, the Paramount Classics release, which eschews fancy technical footwork in favor of straight-ahead storytelling, could find itself dancing off with some similarly spellbinding, all-ages business.
First introduced in two schools a decade ago, the American Ballroom Theater's nonprofit Dancing Classrooms provides ballroom instruction in more than 60 New York public schools.
For their purposes, director Marilyn Agrelo and Amy Sewell chose to limit their attention to P.S. 150 in trendy Tribeca, P.S. 115, located far uptown in lower-class, heavily Dominican Washington Heights and P.S. 112 in Bensonhurst, a traditionally Italian Brooklyn neighborhood that, because of a recent spike in immigration, is now half Asian.
Each school definitely has its distinct flavor and its own assortment of colorful, affable personalities. Among them are brainy, no-nonsense Cyrus and aspiring superstar Tara at P.S. 150, the shy but remarkably handsome Wilson over at P.S. 115, a kid with preternaturally breathtaking ability on the dancefloor; and at P.S. 112, friends Priscilla and Jai-Wen and buddies Ronnie and pint-sized Michael who prove to be quite astute when it comes to assessing the opposite sex.
During the 10 weeks of intense classes leading up to the big event, the film not only provides the chance to watch a lot of promising young talent strutting their stuff, but also, thanks to cinematographer Claudia Raschke-Robinson's gently probing camera, it also offers encouraging glimpse into the minds of an articulate group of average, everyday students on the cusp of adolescence.
Premiered at this year's Slamdance Film Festival, the film follows a diverse group of fifth-graders from three equally contrasting New York schools as they rumba, meringue, tango, foxtrot and swing their way into an annual intracity competition.
Playing like gangbusters with thoroughly engaged audiences, the Paramount Classics release, which eschews fancy technical footwork in favor of straight-ahead storytelling, could find itself dancing off with some similarly spellbinding, all-ages business.
First introduced in two schools a decade ago, the American Ballroom Theater's nonprofit Dancing Classrooms provides ballroom instruction in more than 60 New York public schools.
For their purposes, director Marilyn Agrelo and Amy Sewell chose to limit their attention to P.S. 150 in trendy Tribeca, P.S. 115, located far uptown in lower-class, heavily Dominican Washington Heights and P.S. 112 in Bensonhurst, a traditionally Italian Brooklyn neighborhood that, because of a recent spike in immigration, is now half Asian.
Each school definitely has its distinct flavor and its own assortment of colorful, affable personalities. Among them are brainy, no-nonsense Cyrus and aspiring superstar Tara at P.S. 150, the shy but remarkably handsome Wilson over at P.S. 115, a kid with preternaturally breathtaking ability on the dancefloor; and at P.S. 112, friends Priscilla and Jai-Wen and buddies Ronnie and pint-sized Michael who prove to be quite astute when it comes to assessing the opposite sex.
During the 10 weeks of intense classes leading up to the big event, the film not only provides the chance to watch a lot of promising young talent strutting their stuff, but also, thanks to cinematographer Claudia Raschke-Robinson's gently probing camera, it also offers encouraging glimpse into the minds of an articulate group of average, everyday students on the cusp of adolescence.
- 5/31/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stray Dogs was named best narrative feature of the eighth Bermuda International Film Festival. Directed by Iranian Marziveh Meshkini, the film tells the story of two young children left to fend for themselves in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Murderball, from directors Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro, was recognized as best documentary feature, while the Bermuda Shorts Award was given to Goodbye, Cruel World. Les Choristes (The Chorus) picked up the Audience Choice Award; the runner-up was Mad Hot Ballroom. Seventy films from 20 countries were shown, while a special sidebar highlighted Iranian cinema.
- 3/29/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
BERLIN -- Paramount Classics has appointed international sales, distribution and finance outfit Fortissimo Films to handle sales duties on Marilyn Agrelo's Mad Hot Ballroom, the companies said Sunday. The deal will see Fortissimo handle sales for the documentary outside of North America, Australia and New Zealand, according to a joint announcement. Paramount Classics snapped up global rights from John Sloss' Cinetic Media during Sundance earlier this year, though the film, which details the story of a group of young New York City public school kids' journey into the world of competitive ballroom dancing, was first seen by Fortissimo after it unspooled at Slamdance.
- 2/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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