Rian Johnson is in his element right now. The director of "Brick" and "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" just premiered his latest whodunnit and follow-up to "Knives Out," titled "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," at the Toronto International Film Festival."Glass Onion" features the return of detective Benoit Blanc and an entirely new all-star cast of suspects. The potential for more "Knives Out" stories beyond the original film was so appealing to Johnson that "Glass Onion" climbed to the top of the myriad projects the director has in the pipeline. Initial reactions to the film praise it as bigger and better than the previous installment, with Craig as Blanc delivering another funny, charming performance."Glass Onion" and its already-greenlit sequel won't be the last of the Benoit Blanc mysteries if it's up to Rian Johnson. However, it all hinges on the most integral piece of the puzzle: Daniel Craig,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Ernesto Valenzuela
- Slash Film
Nine titles announced for Berlinale, which runs Feb 7-17.
The first films have been announced for the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival Competition and Berlinale Special sections.
The Competition line-up includes new films by Fatih Akin (The Golden Glove), François Ozon (By the Grace of God) and Denis Côté (Ghost Town Anthology).
The other three films in the strand are Marie Kreutzer’s The Ground Beneath My Feet, Angela Schanelec’s I Was at Home, but and Emin Alper’s A Tale of Three Sisters. All are world premieres except By the Grace Of God which is an international premiere.
The...
The first films have been announced for the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival Competition and Berlinale Special sections.
The Competition line-up includes new films by Fatih Akin (The Golden Glove), François Ozon (By the Grace of God) and Denis Côté (Ghost Town Anthology).
The other three films in the strand are Marie Kreutzer’s The Ground Beneath My Feet, Angela Schanelec’s I Was at Home, but and Emin Alper’s A Tale of Three Sisters. All are world premieres except By the Grace Of God which is an international premiere.
The...
- 12/13/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The Berlin Film Festival has revealed the first wave of titles for its competition lineup, including new films from François Ozon, Marie Kreutzer, Denis Côté and Fatih Akin. Charles Ferguson’s Watergate documentary is among the Berlinale Special titles.
The first nine Competition and Berlinale Special films were revealed today, alongside the previously announced opening film, The Kindness of Strangers by Lone Scherfig.
Festival favourites Akin (In The Fade) and Ozon (In The House) return with German-language thriller The Golden Glove and French-language drama By The Grace Of God, respectively. The former follows a serial killer who strikes fear in the hearts of residents of Hamburg during the early 1970s. The latter looks at a real-life case of sexual abuses allegedly committed by a French priest in the late 1980s. Oscar-winner Ferguson (Inside Job) will present anticipated 260-minute feature doc Watergate, which is sure to draw plenty of contemporary parallels.
The first nine Competition and Berlinale Special films were revealed today, alongside the previously announced opening film, The Kindness of Strangers by Lone Scherfig.
Festival favourites Akin (In The Fade) and Ozon (In The House) return with German-language thriller The Golden Glove and French-language drama By The Grace Of God, respectively. The former follows a serial killer who strikes fear in the hearts of residents of Hamburg during the early 1970s. The latter looks at a real-life case of sexual abuses allegedly committed by a French priest in the late 1980s. Oscar-winner Ferguson (Inside Job) will present anticipated 260-minute feature doc Watergate, which is sure to draw plenty of contemporary parallels.
- 12/13/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
New films by Francois Ozon, Fatih Akin and Denis Cote are among the titles that will compete for the Golden Bear at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.
German director Akin’s “Der Goldene Handschuh” (“The Golden Glove”) and French helmer Ozon’s “Grâce à dieu” (“By the Grace of God”) were announced by the Berlinale in its first batch of competition films Thursday. Akin won the Golden Bear in 2004 with “Head-On.”
The lineup also includes “Der Boden unter den Fuessen” (“The Ground Beneath My Feet”) by Austrian director Marie Kreutzer; “Répertoire des villes disparues” (“Ghost Town Anthology”) by Canadian director Cote; “Ich war zuhause, aber” by German director Angela Schanelec; and “Kız Kardeşler” (“A Tale of Three Sisters”) by Turkish helmer Emin Alper.
All six competition films unveiled Thursday will have their world premieres in Berlin with the exception of “By the Grace of God,” which gets its international premiere at the festival.
German director Akin’s “Der Goldene Handschuh” (“The Golden Glove”) and French helmer Ozon’s “Grâce à dieu” (“By the Grace of God”) were announced by the Berlinale in its first batch of competition films Thursday. Akin won the Golden Bear in 2004 with “Head-On.”
The lineup also includes “Der Boden unter den Fuessen” (“The Ground Beneath My Feet”) by Austrian director Marie Kreutzer; “Répertoire des villes disparues” (“Ghost Town Anthology”) by Canadian director Cote; “Ich war zuhause, aber” by German director Angela Schanelec; and “Kız Kardeşler” (“A Tale of Three Sisters”) by Turkish helmer Emin Alper.
All six competition films unveiled Thursday will have their world premieres in Berlin with the exception of “By the Grace of God,” which gets its international premiere at the festival.
- 12/13/2018
- by Stewart Clarke and Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Here’s how it’s always worked, the traditional go-to method for diving down the barrel of the smoking gun: You film a close-up of reel-to-reel tapes, the rotating wheels moving the magnetic strips through the player’s gates. Maybe you focus on the spindles in the middle of the cassette, turning and turning, as well. You play the grainy, tinny voices of men over the soundtrack, as they discuss payments, political cover-ups, the media and, courtesy of one particularly gruff-sounding gentleman, “the goddamned Jews.” This is how the notorious...
- 10/12/2018
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Many movies, fiction and non-fiction, have been made about the second Iraq war. The best one was, oddly enough, a documentary: 2007’s No End In Sight. As far as fiction goes, though, none really “got” the war. Maybe they all came out too early and the war needed a little more digesting and thought, but the lack of a thoroughly made and informative depiction has yet to emerge.
Of course, one can say that none captured the tension and confusion of the war the way Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker did back in 2009. However, the film never mentioned the word “Iraq” and chose to not disclose its setting. Bigelow’s effort noted that “war is a drug,” and in fact its protagonist had such a rush at defusing bombs that he rather be shipped off to the middle East than spend any time with his own family.
Unlike The Hurt Locker‘s main protagonist,...
Of course, one can say that none captured the tension and confusion of the war the way Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker did back in 2009. However, the film never mentioned the word “Iraq” and chose to not disclose its setting. Bigelow’s effort noted that “war is a drug,” and in fact its protagonist had such a rush at defusing bombs that he rather be shipped off to the middle East than spend any time with his own family.
Unlike The Hurt Locker‘s main protagonist,...
- 1/24/2017
- by Jordan Ruimy
- We Got This Covered
Ava DuVernay (Courtesy: Kevork Djansezian/Reuters)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
Let’s talk about race in this year’s Oscar race, shall we? Three of the top films up for best documentary feature this year — 13th (Netflix), I Am Not Your Negro (Magnolia), and O.J.: Made in America (Espn) — all deal with the black experience in the United States through various lenses. These movies, all favorites to make the official list of five nominees that will battle it out for the big win, drive home the fact that this is still a very important and is one of the Academy’s favorite topics to highlight — but has that always been the case?
First, let’s take a more in-depth look at what these three leading docs deal center around. Ava DuVernay’s 13th provides an in-depth look at the prison system and how the nation’s history of racial...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
Let’s talk about race in this year’s Oscar race, shall we? Three of the top films up for best documentary feature this year — 13th (Netflix), I Am Not Your Negro (Magnolia), and O.J.: Made in America (Espn) — all deal with the black experience in the United States through various lenses. These movies, all favorites to make the official list of five nominees that will battle it out for the big win, drive home the fact that this is still a very important and is one of the Academy’s favorite topics to highlight — but has that always been the case?
First, let’s take a more in-depth look at what these three leading docs deal center around. Ava DuVernay’s 13th provides an in-depth look at the prison system and how the nation’s history of racial...
- 11/16/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
Ava DuVernay’s lucid study of the links between slavery and the Us penal system is packed with ideas and information
There is something bracing, even exciting, about the intellectual rigour that Ava DuVernay brings to this documentary about the prison system and the economic forces behind racism in America. The film takes its title from the 13th amendment, which outlawed slavery but left a significant loophole. This clause, which allowed that involuntary servitude could be used as a punishment for crime, was exploited immediately in the aftermath of the civil war and, DuVernay argues, continues to be abused to this day.
There is an understandable anger to this film-making, but DuVernay, who is best known as the director of Selma, but cut her teeth as a documentarian, never allows it to cloud the clarity of her message. It’s an approach that reminded me of the fierce intelligence of...
There is something bracing, even exciting, about the intellectual rigour that Ava DuVernay brings to this documentary about the prison system and the economic forces behind racism in America. The film takes its title from the 13th amendment, which outlawed slavery but left a significant loophole. This clause, which allowed that involuntary servitude could be used as a punishment for crime, was exploited immediately in the aftermath of the civil war and, DuVernay argues, continues to be abused to this day.
There is an understandable anger to this film-making, but DuVernay, who is best known as the director of Selma, but cut her teeth as a documentarian, never allows it to cloud the clarity of her message. It’s an approach that reminded me of the fierce intelligence of...
- 10/9/2016
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
George Galloway’s credibility gap fatally scuppers this attempt to broach a subject area that already boasts far superior films
The choice of George Galloway to front this crowdfunded character assassination of Tony Blair is a bit of an own goal. While there is no doubt that Blair should be called to account, Galloway’s lack of credibility and air of insufferable sanctimony have the unexpected result of making you want to side with Blair and the long list of despots who – apparently – now list him on their payroll. The definitive film on the Iraq war remains Charles Ferguson’s No End in Sight; the disintegration of the Labour party is an ongoing story that moves too quickly for any documentary to capture.
Continue reading...
The choice of George Galloway to front this crowdfunded character assassination of Tony Blair is a bit of an own goal. While there is no doubt that Blair should be called to account, Galloway’s lack of credibility and air of insufferable sanctimony have the unexpected result of making you want to side with Blair and the long list of despots who – apparently – now list him on their payroll. The definitive film on the Iraq war remains Charles Ferguson’s No End in Sight; the disintegration of the Labour party is an ongoing story that moves too quickly for any documentary to capture.
Continue reading...
- 7/24/2016
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Title: Time To Choose Director: Charles Ferguson Genre: Documentary Oscar-winning documentary director Charles Ferguson addresses global climate change in his third feature. He portrays the breadth of the environmental challenge, the power of solutions already available, and the remarkable people working to save our planet. Ferguson has a gift for dissecting, blatantly and concisely, the issues of our time, as he demonstrated with ‘No End in Sight,’ that examined the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and ‘Inside Job,’ which grasped the economic meltdown of 2008. In ‘Time To Choose’ we are presented with doomsday scenarios, as the narrative ponders on three main chapters that are the most detrimental drivers to climate [ Read More ]
The post Time To Choose Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Time To Choose Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/16/2016
- by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
- ShockYa
Climate change is a topic many documentaries have covered and it is easy to feel hopeless or frustrated about it. Oscar-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson, whose previous documentaries include Inside Job and No End In Sight, takes a different approach with Time To Choose, tying the problem to other global issues, ranging from jobs, poverty, war, pollution, and mass extinction, and pointing to solutions to all through individual choice and market forces.
Beautifully photographed, with polished production values and narrated by actor Oscar Isaac, Time To Choose is a different kind of climate change documentary. It does the near-impossible, crisply summarizing the problem and rationally presenting practical solutions that focus on the power of individual choice to move corporations, and wrapping all that up in a visually lush film that is as compelling to watch as any winning nature documentary.
This handsome, compelling documentary features intelligent, persuasive arguments for action, beautiful...
Beautifully photographed, with polished production values and narrated by actor Oscar Isaac, Time To Choose is a different kind of climate change documentary. It does the near-impossible, crisply summarizing the problem and rationally presenting practical solutions that focus on the power of individual choice to move corporations, and wrapping all that up in a visually lush film that is as compelling to watch as any winning nature documentary.
This handsome, compelling documentary features intelligent, persuasive arguments for action, beautiful...
- 6/10/2016
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Advocacy documentaries usually save the “save-the-world” spiel for their closing credit, but “Time to Choose” gets it out of the way up front. No sooner have the lights dimmed than an opening title lets us know, “We can stop climate change.” Would you like to know more? It’s understandable that Charles Ferguson, who also directed “No End in Sight” and the Oscar-winning “Inside Job,” wants to keep our hopes up. Climate change is a daunting subject, because of not only the scope of the problem but the direness of the forecasts. Scientists have been ringing the alarm bell for years,...
- 6/3/2016
- by Sam Adams
- The Wrap
One of the most divisive issues among politicians is that of global warming. There’s plenty of evidence out there to point to the environment being affected by humanity, and that’s exactly what Oscar-winning director Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight, Inside Job) wants to call attention to. Charles Ferguson was said to previously be working […]
The post ‘Time to Choose’ Trailer: Oscar Winner Charles Ferguson Tackles Climate Change appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Time to Choose’ Trailer: Oscar Winner Charles Ferguson Tackles Climate Change appeared first on /Film.
- 4/24/2016
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Happy Earth Day! To celebrate the occasion, I wanted to feature a trailer for a documentary about climate change and what we can do to save this big, beautiful planet we all live on. Time to Choose is the latest documentary from Oscar-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson (of Inside Job, which won Best Doc in 2010; No End in Sight) and it focuses on the many people around the world actually coming up with and implementing creative solutions to the climate problem. It's a fantastic doc that I highly recommend. "We hope that when audiences see this film, they will see the tragedy unfolding, the urgency of stopping it, and all the remarkable and innovative ways we are using to build a sustainable, prosperous future for Earth." Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Charles Ferguson's doc Time to Choose, direct from Facebook: "First people deny there's a problem. Then they deny there's a solution.
- 4/23/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Documentary filmmaker Charles Ferguson shows no fear when it comes to tackling controversial subject matter. Taking on the Iraq war with "No End In Sight" in 2007, and the economic crash with 2010's Oscar winning "Inside Job," both were in depth, incendiary works, showcasing a real no-nonsense finesse for the craft of non-fiction feature filmmaking. Read More: Tribeca Review: Alma Har'el's Dreamlike And Poetic Documentary 'LoveTrue' Next on Ferguson's plate was an ultimately abandoned CNN documentary about current presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It seems like the Clintons had no interest in seeing the wholesome, well managed image they have built over the years touched up upon by Ferguson. The director later told Huffington Post, "...nobody, and I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film. Not Democrats, not Republicans — and certainly nobody who works with the Clintons, wants access to the...
- 4/22/2016
- by Jordan Ruimy
- The Playlist
Watch: Clip From Charles Ferguson's Telluride Doc 'Time to Choose' Charles Ferguson has only made three movies, but has already conquered bigger issues than many filmmakers tackle in a lifetime. The former MIT scholar and internet entrepreneur first shifted gears to the documentary arena with "No End in Sight," a searing look at the institutional forces behind the Iraq war, which he followed up with his Oscar-winning "Inside Job," a breakdown of the factors behind the 2008 economic crisis. Then, for several years, he stumbled through troubled projects about Julian Assange and Hillary Clinton that never came to fruition. Over the weekend, Ferguson cropped up at the Telluride Film Festival — which he has attended for 20 years, long before he became a professional documentarian — with a very different sort of exposé: "Time to Choose," an alarming overview of various ways in which environmental neglect is having a direct impact on global society.
- 9/8/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
No end in sight! Grey's Anatomy is about to enter its twelfth season, and ABC entertainment president Paul Lee told reporters that he doesn't see the show calling it quits any time soon. "We have no reason to expect that Grey's Anatomy won't go on for many years to come," he said at his network's Television Critics Association executive session on Tuesday, Aug. 4. In fact, he thinks the show is as strong as ever, thanks to creator Shonda Rhimes. "We've seen the pitch for Grey's for [...]...
- 8/4/2015
- Us Weekly
CNN Films has cancelled its planned Hillary Clinton documentary. The director Charles Ferguson ("No End in Sight" and "Inside Job"), who had been hired to direct a documentary for the network about the former Secretary of State, said in a blog post today on The Huffington Post that he is stepping away from the documentary about Hillary Clinton and that CNN is no longer proceeding with the film. Though he said that he received tremendous support from CNN, Ferguson explained that the political pressure from both sides of the aisle made it so that he could not make a film of which he would be proud of. Almost immediately after the documentary was announced in August, the Republican National Committee resolved to not partner with CNN for any of the 2016 presidential primary debates. In that same resolution the Rnc reasoned that due to Hillary Clinton's likely run for President...
- 9/30/2013
- by James Hiler
- Indiewire
Update: CNN Films has decided to cancel its upcoming documentary on Hillary Clinton. The director tied to the project, Charles Ferguson (2011's Oscar-winning "Inside Job"), has stepped down due to mounting political pressures. In a blog article for the Huffington Post, Ferguson wrote that the pressure was specifically coming from Clinton aides and supporters, as well as the Republican National Committee (who voted to ban CNN from hosting or sponsoring Republican primary debates following the initial announcement of the doc). Ferguson writes: "Nobody, I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film. Not Democrats, not Republicans -- and certainly nobody who works with the Clintons." As a result, scheduled interviewees began to drop out. A CNN rep told Variety they won't proceed with the film. Earlier: CNN has announced it will commission a feature-length documentary on Hillary Clinton, to be directed by Charles Ferguson (2011's Oscar-winning "Inside Job,...
- 9/30/2013
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
In response to their plans to air programs about Hillary Clinton, the Republican National Committee resolved today not to partner with CNN and NBC News for any of the 2016 presidential primary debates. CNN Films brought on Charles H. Ferguson (of "No End In Sight" and "Inside Job") to direct a documentary for the network about the former Secretary of State, assuring Politico that "CNN's editorial side has no role in the production of the film, just as it has no role in any of the films produced or acquired by CNN Films." NBC's announced plans to produce a scripted miniseries about Clinton at the TCA summer press tour, starring Diane Lane and written and directed by Courtney Hunt ("Frozen River"). The Rnc resolution: Whereas, former Secretary Hillary Clinton is likely to run for President in 2016, and CNN and NBC have both announced programming that amounts to little more than extended...
- 8/16/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
"Downton Abbey" returns to PBS for Season 4 on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, and the cast and executive producer Gareth Neame visited the Television Critics Association summer press tour to field questions on the hotly anticipated new season, which will see the Crawley family reeling in the aftermath of heir Matthew's (Dan Stevens) untimely death in the Season 3 finale.
"Downton Abbey" Season 4 will span from February 1922 to spring/summer 1923, and Neame pointed out that a time shift will help both the characters and the audience get a little distance from the loss of Matthew: "I think all of us in a way, as viewers of the show, feel we’ve gone through a bereavement with the loss of Matthew, and it’s really nice to feel that we’ve gone through several months of coming to terms with that, and we are going to reconnect with these characters who have also had several...
"Downton Abbey" Season 4 will span from February 1922 to spring/summer 1923, and Neame pointed out that a time shift will help both the characters and the audience get a little distance from the loss of Matthew: "I think all of us in a way, as viewers of the show, feel we’ve gone through a bereavement with the loss of Matthew, and it’s really nice to feel that we’ve gone through several months of coming to terms with that, and we are going to reconnect with these characters who have also had several...
- 8/7/2013
- by Laura Prudom
- Huffington Post
Bradley Manning, the United States Army soldier who in 2010 was arrested for having passed along classified materials to the website WikiLeaks, was found not guilty on Tuesday on charges of "aiding the enemy," but was convicted on 17 of 22 charges -- including five counts of espionage and theft. Even though the verdict is only a day old, already several movies are in the works, looking to dramatize Manning's story.
Last year, Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney ("No End in Sight," "Taxi to the Dark Side") and producer Marc Shmuger, the filmmakers behind this year's "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks," optioned the rights to Denver Nicks's nonfiction account "Private: Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks, and the Biggest Exposure of Official Secrets in American History."
According to Variety, Gibney and Shmuger are looking to develop a drama, rather than another documentary like "We Steal Secrets."
In September, "The Fifth Estate," which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange,...
Last year, Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney ("No End in Sight," "Taxi to the Dark Side") and producer Marc Shmuger, the filmmakers behind this year's "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks," optioned the rights to Denver Nicks's nonfiction account "Private: Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks, and the Biggest Exposure of Official Secrets in American History."
According to Variety, Gibney and Shmuger are looking to develop a drama, rather than another documentary like "We Steal Secrets."
In September, "The Fifth Estate," which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange,...
- 7/31/2013
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
Thom Powers is a friend of ours in the business and amazes us by his acumen, generosity, range of activities and devotion to what many of us consider the most frequently relevant, creative and earth changing form of feature length cinema - the documentary. I came upon this fascinating dialogue on his website (link below) where he ruminated most eloquently about what actually went on at Sundance business wise with documentaries. Fascinating. Please check out his 'Stranger Than Fiction' website which is of great value to any filmmaker wanting clarity on the business of documentary film. Two fascinating reports (for example) listed on the site among others were these two - Guide to Documentary Buyers at Tiff and Guide to Documentary Sales Agents at Tiff. Every docu filmmaker should start here. Thom Powers has been an International Documentary Programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival® since 2006. He is also responsible for Mavericks, the Festival’s discussion series with cinema innovators. Powers is the Artistic Director for the weekly documentary series, “Stranger than Fiction” at Manhattan’s IFC Center and for the Doc NYC festival in November. He also consults on programming for the Miami International Film Festival. He has directed documentaries for HBO and PBS; and is a founding member of the documentary production company Sugar Pictures. He teaches documentary courses at New York University’s School of Continuing Professional Studies and the School of Visual Arts. He is a co-founder of the Cinema Eye Honors, an annual award for documentary excellence; and the Garrrett Scott Development Grant. He has served as a juror for Sundance, SXSW, Cph: Dox and DocAviv festivals; as well as the Emmy, Ida and Independent Spirit Awards. He has written extensively on documentary filmmaking for The Boston Globe, Real Screen, and Filmmaker Magazine. Stranger than Fiction Exclusive documentary film screenings, hosted by Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers. Winter Season: Jan 8 - Feb 26, 2013 IFC Center 323 Sixth Ave. @ West Third St.
A Conversation With Thom Powers on the Sundance Film Festival
by Rahul Chadha | Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
For most people on the indie film circuit, the Sundance Film Festival marks the start of the new year. Park City is where filmmakers go to earn buzz for their projects, get some press and maybe even ink a distribution deal. On Jan. 30 I spoke with Thom Powers about the documentary films at Sundance that garnered the most chatter and the biggest checks, among other subjects.
[Q&A has been edited for content and clarity]
Rahul Chadha: It seemed like so much of the press attention around Sundance was focused on sales. The Hollywood Reporter said that four docs sold for at least seven figures and I read a report that Blackfish elicited a bidding war from four or five distributors. Did you get the sense that sales were better this year, and if so, why do you think that was?
Thom Powers: Some of those figures are slightly inflated. I know at least one of those films that is being reported as a million dollar sale is a little under a million dollars. But the fact remains that there were some very strong doc sales, and notably the emergence of a new player in The Weinstein Company’s RADiUS brand run by Tom Quinn and Jason Janego. Tom previously worked for Magnolia, where he worked on several successful docs such as Food Inc. and Man On Wire. Months ago RADiUS announced involvement in the new Errol Morris film about Donald Rumsfeld, The Unknown Known, due out later this year. Tom told me they would be very selective about docs which left me unprepared for their recent buying streak. Their first Sundance acquisition was the opening night title 20 Feet From Stardom, set in the music industry that gives it a solid commercial hook. Then RADiUS acquired Inequality For All, which struck me as less obvious. But if you imagine it following in the footsteps of An Inconvenient Truth you can see the commercial appeal. Then they announced Cutie And The Boxer, which has no celebrity connection and on the surface feels less obviously commercial, although it had strong word of mouth. So it seems RADiUS is trying out a wide range of docs and it’s good for the industry to have a new player in the mix. In addition to their strong showing, there was notable acquisitions by mainstay distributors including Sundance Selects, which bought Dirty Wars and The Summit, and Magnolia Pictures, which bought Blackfish.
Chadha: It seemed like Submarine had a strong presence this year.
Powers: For years Submarine–run by Josh Braun and his brother Dan–has been the dominant doc sales agent making the biggest doc deals at both Sundance and Toronto. There are certainly other big sales agents, including Cinetic and big agencies like Wme, CAA, UTA, or ICM taking on the occasional doc. But no one carries as big a slate of high prestige documentaries as Submarine. This year their lineup included 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, The Summit, Dirty Wars and Cutie And The Boxer, all of which were high-profile deals. Their slate includes other films that have yet to announce deals, including God Loves Uganda, Muscle Shoals, Who Is Dayani Cristal? and Citizen Koch.
Chadha: Do you think this underscores that filmmakers really do need a sales agent at a festival the level of Sundance?
Powers: I think for a film that has real theatrical potential a sales agent is key. For a film that may find it tougher in the American marketplace, such as many of the docs in the world competition that may not be competing for deals – any subtitled film has a harder time in this marketplace – for those films I don’t know that a sales agent necessarily helps for the kinds of smaller deals that may or may not be offered.
Chadha: Do you think that as digital becomes an increasingly important distribution channel that festivals will take on a new importance?
Powers: I do. In an old model, the way a film would imprint itself on the public’s consciousness is to get a theatrical run. But now there are more documentaries and more films in general being released than ever before. There are weeks when the New York Times is reviewing 15 films, so it’s harder to leave an impression on the public. A lot of these films are seeing their financial future on digital platforms. Because viewers aren’t hearing as much about films in theatrical release, I think the festival circuit is going to have increasing importance for the life of a film.
Chadha: There were a few films at Sundance that dealt with the legacy of 9/11. You mentioned Dirty Wars but there was The World According To Dick Cheney and Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington and We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks.
Powers: Yes that thematic cluster absolutely stood out. The legacy of 9/11 and the response to it through wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other kinds of counter-terrorism actions played out in other countries, remains a key subject for documentary makers to grapple with. I think the distance of 12 years from 9/11 gives us time to reflect. In the film Manhunt about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, there’s a clear connection. The World According To Dick Cheney is about the chief architect of post-9/11 counter-terrorism actions. It came in for criticism that the filmmakers weren’t hard enough on Dick Cheney, weren’t asking tough enough questions. And while I shared some of those frustrations, I certainly learned a lot about Cheney’s career from watching it.
Chadha: Anthony Kaufman recently wrote a piece that singled out Dirty Wars and the Alex Gibney film We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks as two films that he thought might presage a wave of films by left-leaning filmmakers that are critical of Obama and his policies? Do you agree with that assessment or see a similar trend?
Powers: It’s a smart observation. Dirty Wars – which is one of the films I was most impressed by at Sundance – takes a long view of American foreign policy after 9/11 in the hands of the journalist at the center of that film, Jeremy Scahill, who’s best known for his book on Blackwater, and who now has a new book coming out that ties into this film. Alex Gibney’s Wikileaksfilm looks at the harsh response of the Obama administration to Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier who had leaked the headline grabbing documents to Wikileaks. Those two films make an interesting contrast to documentaries of the past decade which comfortably coincided with a liberal critique of the Bush administration. I’m thinking of docs like Farhenheit 9/11 or No End In Sight that liberals rallied behind to point a finger at their political opponents. These new films force a more uncomfortable confrontation with an administration that those same liberals helped get elected.
Chadha: You previously mentioned to me that you thought that filmmakers screening unfinished films at Sundance were taking a risk. Why is that?
Powers: For some reason at Sundance, more than other festivals that I’m aware of, you find filmmakers rushing to screen works that sometimes aren’t completed. In my seven years of programming at Toronto, I’m not aware of any documentaries that went back for serious editing after their premiere – other than those presented as works-in-progress. But at Sundance every year there seems to be a few films that push the deadline so hard that they get taken back to the edit room afterwards. A notable example a couple of years ago was The Interrupters which played at Sundance in a version close to three hours before getting re-edited and having nearly an hour of material taken out of it. The question is, how much does that hurt a film, to have its first presentation before critics and industry be a version of itself that’s not the best. You can point to The Interrupters as a positive example. A lot of people, myself included, appreciated the long version of that film, and it didn’t diminish our interest at all. A fresh example this year was The Square, Jehane Noujaim’s film about the last two years of protest in Egypt around Tahrir Square. In this case the film arrived without any credits on it and Jehane told audiences that she was going back into the edit room. Normally that would sound to me like a challenging strategy. However, The Square came away from Sundance with an audience award. There’s clearly a power to that film, and a power that touched me watching that film, that transcended any rough edges that it contained. So I’ve just given two examples of films that made it work for them. I wouldn’t want to call out films where I think that strategy has not worked. But there certainly are cases and I’d strongly caution filmmakers not to assume that they’ll be the happy exceptions if they’re rushing their films for a festival deadline.
Chadha: There was a lot of talk this year about how well-represented women were on the doc side. I was wondering why you think this difference exists between the doc side and the fictional narrative side, where women still are underrepresented?
Powers: You can start a documentary with just a camera, as opposed to a fiction film where you need actors, a crew, a script, a lot more start-up resources. It may be self-perpetuating. Because there have been more prominent female doc makers, dating back to Barbara Kopple winning an Academy Award in the mid-70s, they’ve become role models for other women.
Chadha: What lost opportunities do you think filmmakers are struggling through at Sundance in terms of self-promotion? I know you’re a big proponent of filmmakers using Twitter.
Powers: I continue to be surprised by filmmakers who spend thousands of dollars on a publicist, but don’t take more advantage of social media which isfree. The Sundance docs that I saw making strong use of Twitter were Sound City which had 20,000 followers at the end of the festival; and 99% – The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film which had 15,000 followers. Then there’s a sharp drop-off. Films such as After Tiller, Dirty Wars and American Promise had around 1,500 followers each – they are getting off to a good start. Whenever possible, filmmakers need to begin their Twitter strategy well before their first festival in order to accumulate followers who can spread what’s happening at the festival.
Chadha: Which film were you most surprised by, and why?
Powers: It’s a reality of film festivals that you can’t see everything. You’re dividing your time between seeing films and utilizing that unique space to have meetings with people that you can’t otherwise. There were around 40 docs at Sundance and I’ve now seen roughly half. I think the film Blood Brother that won the audience prize and the jury prize took a lot of people by surprise because there was hardly any chatter about it in the corridors where press and industry exchange tips. It shows you that in a big festival, things can always surprise you.
I think certain filmmakers going into Sundance or other big festivals should consider screening more for press and tastemakers before the festival. The traditional wisdom has always been the opposite: to not screen for anyone prior, let your film be seen by an audience, and generate the buzz from there. That works for a film like Supersize Me – where the description made people put it on their priority list. But for a film that doesn’t have an obvious hook – including a lot of the films in the world documentary competition – those filmmakers might be better served trying to strategically screen for certain press and tastemakers so they can enter the festival with people already talking about them.
Chadha: Are there any films that are now on your “can’t miss” list?
Powers: Some of my favorite Sundance titles I’ve programmed for the Miami International Film Festival, which just announced its line-up last week. They include 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, Gideon’S Army, The Crash Reel, Valentine Road, Which Way To The Front Line From Here? and Who Is Dayani Cristal?. There were many other strong films at Sundance that I look forward to showing at the Montclair Film Festival and Stranger Than Fiction. The Square I admire a lot. Muscle Shoals really took me by surprise. It played late in the festival and didn’t gain as much buzz as I thought it deserved. The director, who I believe is a first time director, made all kinds of smart creative decisions. Another film that went under the radar but made a big impression on me was The Stuart Hall Project about the U.K.-based black intellectual Stuart Hall. The film is wholly constructed out of archival sources, primarily from the BBC.
Chadha: What were the lessons about funding that came out of Sundance?
Powers: Sundance is a good survey of how docs are getting funded. This year reflects the important influence of Kickstarter. Recently Kickstarter introduced a tag for its projects that have a Sundance affiliation, and skimming that list I was impressed to see that Inequality For All had raised $83,000 and American Promise had raised $50,000 on Kickstarter. Other documentaries raised more modest sums. What’ so significant about Kickstarter is that those filmmakers did not need to wait around for a grant application committee to give them a green light. They could take matters into their own hands. Other funding players who were prominent are the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Institute and the Ford Foundation which last year announced a $50 million commitment through the Just Films program. That Ford initiative supported projects like Gideon’S Army, Valentine Road, American Promise, Who Is Dayani Cristal?, God Loves Uganda and Citizen Koch.
Another important player is the equity group Impact Partners, who for several years have had a strong showing of their catalog at Sundance. This year their involvement included American Promise, The Crash Reel, Who Is Dayani Cristal? and Pandora’S Promise. The last group that I would mention is Cinereach, who were the heroes of Sundance last year for their funding of Beasts Of The Southern Wild, and who were back this year with four docs: Cutie And The Boxer, Citizen Koch, God Loves Uganda, and Narco Cultura.
When you look at the kinds of films that are showing up at Sundance, you see the names of some key producers re-occurring. This year the producer Julie Goldman, whose recent Sundance titles include Buck was back with three projects – Gideon’S Army, Manhunt and God Loves Uganda. The producer John Battsek from the U.K. who last year came with Searching For Sugar Man, was back this year with The Summit and Manhunt. And Jess Search, also based in the U.K., who is the founder of Britdoc and the Good Pitch had her name attached to the films Dirty Wars and Who Is Dayani Cristal? Clearly those producers and others like them have a good eye for spotting what makes a strong documentary in development. Those producers perform a variety of roles for filmmakers, whether it’s connecting them to financial support or supplying editorial perspective or connecting them to the other kind of industry players who can take a project further.
Chadha: Going back to Kickstarter for a minute, do you think films that have success on Kickstarter have the added benefit of showing to grantmaking institutions that their films are viable and that there’s an audience for them?
Powers: Absolutely. One bit of industry news this past week was that the HotDocs Forum, which has been a key place for documentaries to raise money, mainly in the broadcast world, announced that they will now accept projects on the basis of a certain amount of funds raised on Kickstarter. It used to be that you had to demonstrate a portion of your budget, like a quarter, was already being supported by a broadcaster or other traditional grantmaking institution. This change in policy signals the way in which Kickstarter funding is being taken more seriously.
In the case of The Square, the producers launched a Kickstarter campaign at Sundance to help finish their film. That seems like a very smart strategy for other filmmakers to consider. When you’re at a film festival, you have a rapt and enthused audience and if you can point them to a Kickstarter campaign, that’s a great way to leverage that enthusiasm. Even if you don’t need finishing funds, it’s a way to get outreach funds. I also saw the team from The Square selling t-shirts. After one screening they came away with few hundred dollars of cash in hand, which can help defray costs of attending a festival. These are strategies that filmmakers like Gary Hustwit have long practiced, emulating the way rock musicians sell t-shirts and posters at live performances. The film community has been slow to catch on. Maybe filmmakers are so busy getting their films made that they don’t have time to think about merchandise. But every bit of revenue helps.
Chadha: Any final thoughts?
Powers: We’ve talked about theatrical and digital distribution and new trends in crowdfunding. But it has to be said that the most long-standing and reliable place for documentary makers to get money is the broadcast world. HBO, which usually has a strong presence at Sundance, had the most overwhelming presence that I can remember, coming with six feature length documentaries. Plus during Sundance HBO bought Pussy Riot-a Punk Prayer. When you consider that HBO also has the film that was the 2012 winner at Idfa, Alan Berliner’s First Cousin Once Removed, and had two films at the Toronto festival – Mea Maxima Culpa by Alex Gibney and First Comes Love by Nina Davenport – that’s an impressive slate of films. There was news generated by other broadcasters getting active in the documentary field, including Showtime, which came with The World According To Dick Cheney. Just before Sundane, The New York Times reported about Showtime’s announcement of several documentaries in progress, including a film about Richard Pryor by Marina Zenovich, who made the Roman Polanski film, that I am personally looking forward to. In addition, CNN made an announcement during Sundance about a slate of feature-length docs, including a film by Alex Gibney. Another major player in that realm is A&E IndieFilms, which didn’t have any films in Sundance this year, but they’re already attached to Errol Morris’s Donald Rumsfeld documentary coming out later this year. All in all, the year is off to a good start.
Link to the original article here...
A Conversation With Thom Powers on the Sundance Film Festival
by Rahul Chadha | Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
For most people on the indie film circuit, the Sundance Film Festival marks the start of the new year. Park City is where filmmakers go to earn buzz for their projects, get some press and maybe even ink a distribution deal. On Jan. 30 I spoke with Thom Powers about the documentary films at Sundance that garnered the most chatter and the biggest checks, among other subjects.
[Q&A has been edited for content and clarity]
Rahul Chadha: It seemed like so much of the press attention around Sundance was focused on sales. The Hollywood Reporter said that four docs sold for at least seven figures and I read a report that Blackfish elicited a bidding war from four or five distributors. Did you get the sense that sales were better this year, and if so, why do you think that was?
Thom Powers: Some of those figures are slightly inflated. I know at least one of those films that is being reported as a million dollar sale is a little under a million dollars. But the fact remains that there were some very strong doc sales, and notably the emergence of a new player in The Weinstein Company’s RADiUS brand run by Tom Quinn and Jason Janego. Tom previously worked for Magnolia, where he worked on several successful docs such as Food Inc. and Man On Wire. Months ago RADiUS announced involvement in the new Errol Morris film about Donald Rumsfeld, The Unknown Known, due out later this year. Tom told me they would be very selective about docs which left me unprepared for their recent buying streak. Their first Sundance acquisition was the opening night title 20 Feet From Stardom, set in the music industry that gives it a solid commercial hook. Then RADiUS acquired Inequality For All, which struck me as less obvious. But if you imagine it following in the footsteps of An Inconvenient Truth you can see the commercial appeal. Then they announced Cutie And The Boxer, which has no celebrity connection and on the surface feels less obviously commercial, although it had strong word of mouth. So it seems RADiUS is trying out a wide range of docs and it’s good for the industry to have a new player in the mix. In addition to their strong showing, there was notable acquisitions by mainstay distributors including Sundance Selects, which bought Dirty Wars and The Summit, and Magnolia Pictures, which bought Blackfish.
Chadha: It seemed like Submarine had a strong presence this year.
Powers: For years Submarine–run by Josh Braun and his brother Dan–has been the dominant doc sales agent making the biggest doc deals at both Sundance and Toronto. There are certainly other big sales agents, including Cinetic and big agencies like Wme, CAA, UTA, or ICM taking on the occasional doc. But no one carries as big a slate of high prestige documentaries as Submarine. This year their lineup included 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, The Summit, Dirty Wars and Cutie And The Boxer, all of which were high-profile deals. Their slate includes other films that have yet to announce deals, including God Loves Uganda, Muscle Shoals, Who Is Dayani Cristal? and Citizen Koch.
Chadha: Do you think this underscores that filmmakers really do need a sales agent at a festival the level of Sundance?
Powers: I think for a film that has real theatrical potential a sales agent is key. For a film that may find it tougher in the American marketplace, such as many of the docs in the world competition that may not be competing for deals – any subtitled film has a harder time in this marketplace – for those films I don’t know that a sales agent necessarily helps for the kinds of smaller deals that may or may not be offered.
Chadha: Do you think that as digital becomes an increasingly important distribution channel that festivals will take on a new importance?
Powers: I do. In an old model, the way a film would imprint itself on the public’s consciousness is to get a theatrical run. But now there are more documentaries and more films in general being released than ever before. There are weeks when the New York Times is reviewing 15 films, so it’s harder to leave an impression on the public. A lot of these films are seeing their financial future on digital platforms. Because viewers aren’t hearing as much about films in theatrical release, I think the festival circuit is going to have increasing importance for the life of a film.
Chadha: There were a few films at Sundance that dealt with the legacy of 9/11. You mentioned Dirty Wars but there was The World According To Dick Cheney and Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington and We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks.
Powers: Yes that thematic cluster absolutely stood out. The legacy of 9/11 and the response to it through wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other kinds of counter-terrorism actions played out in other countries, remains a key subject for documentary makers to grapple with. I think the distance of 12 years from 9/11 gives us time to reflect. In the film Manhunt about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, there’s a clear connection. The World According To Dick Cheney is about the chief architect of post-9/11 counter-terrorism actions. It came in for criticism that the filmmakers weren’t hard enough on Dick Cheney, weren’t asking tough enough questions. And while I shared some of those frustrations, I certainly learned a lot about Cheney’s career from watching it.
Chadha: Anthony Kaufman recently wrote a piece that singled out Dirty Wars and the Alex Gibney film We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks as two films that he thought might presage a wave of films by left-leaning filmmakers that are critical of Obama and his policies? Do you agree with that assessment or see a similar trend?
Powers: It’s a smart observation. Dirty Wars – which is one of the films I was most impressed by at Sundance – takes a long view of American foreign policy after 9/11 in the hands of the journalist at the center of that film, Jeremy Scahill, who’s best known for his book on Blackwater, and who now has a new book coming out that ties into this film. Alex Gibney’s Wikileaksfilm looks at the harsh response of the Obama administration to Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier who had leaked the headline grabbing documents to Wikileaks. Those two films make an interesting contrast to documentaries of the past decade which comfortably coincided with a liberal critique of the Bush administration. I’m thinking of docs like Farhenheit 9/11 or No End In Sight that liberals rallied behind to point a finger at their political opponents. These new films force a more uncomfortable confrontation with an administration that those same liberals helped get elected.
Chadha: You previously mentioned to me that you thought that filmmakers screening unfinished films at Sundance were taking a risk. Why is that?
Powers: For some reason at Sundance, more than other festivals that I’m aware of, you find filmmakers rushing to screen works that sometimes aren’t completed. In my seven years of programming at Toronto, I’m not aware of any documentaries that went back for serious editing after their premiere – other than those presented as works-in-progress. But at Sundance every year there seems to be a few films that push the deadline so hard that they get taken back to the edit room afterwards. A notable example a couple of years ago was The Interrupters which played at Sundance in a version close to three hours before getting re-edited and having nearly an hour of material taken out of it. The question is, how much does that hurt a film, to have its first presentation before critics and industry be a version of itself that’s not the best. You can point to The Interrupters as a positive example. A lot of people, myself included, appreciated the long version of that film, and it didn’t diminish our interest at all. A fresh example this year was The Square, Jehane Noujaim’s film about the last two years of protest in Egypt around Tahrir Square. In this case the film arrived without any credits on it and Jehane told audiences that she was going back into the edit room. Normally that would sound to me like a challenging strategy. However, The Square came away from Sundance with an audience award. There’s clearly a power to that film, and a power that touched me watching that film, that transcended any rough edges that it contained. So I’ve just given two examples of films that made it work for them. I wouldn’t want to call out films where I think that strategy has not worked. But there certainly are cases and I’d strongly caution filmmakers not to assume that they’ll be the happy exceptions if they’re rushing their films for a festival deadline.
Chadha: There was a lot of talk this year about how well-represented women were on the doc side. I was wondering why you think this difference exists between the doc side and the fictional narrative side, where women still are underrepresented?
Powers: You can start a documentary with just a camera, as opposed to a fiction film where you need actors, a crew, a script, a lot more start-up resources. It may be self-perpetuating. Because there have been more prominent female doc makers, dating back to Barbara Kopple winning an Academy Award in the mid-70s, they’ve become role models for other women.
Chadha: What lost opportunities do you think filmmakers are struggling through at Sundance in terms of self-promotion? I know you’re a big proponent of filmmakers using Twitter.
Powers: I continue to be surprised by filmmakers who spend thousands of dollars on a publicist, but don’t take more advantage of social media which isfree. The Sundance docs that I saw making strong use of Twitter were Sound City which had 20,000 followers at the end of the festival; and 99% – The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film which had 15,000 followers. Then there’s a sharp drop-off. Films such as After Tiller, Dirty Wars and American Promise had around 1,500 followers each – they are getting off to a good start. Whenever possible, filmmakers need to begin their Twitter strategy well before their first festival in order to accumulate followers who can spread what’s happening at the festival.
Chadha: Which film were you most surprised by, and why?
Powers: It’s a reality of film festivals that you can’t see everything. You’re dividing your time between seeing films and utilizing that unique space to have meetings with people that you can’t otherwise. There were around 40 docs at Sundance and I’ve now seen roughly half. I think the film Blood Brother that won the audience prize and the jury prize took a lot of people by surprise because there was hardly any chatter about it in the corridors where press and industry exchange tips. It shows you that in a big festival, things can always surprise you.
I think certain filmmakers going into Sundance or other big festivals should consider screening more for press and tastemakers before the festival. The traditional wisdom has always been the opposite: to not screen for anyone prior, let your film be seen by an audience, and generate the buzz from there. That works for a film like Supersize Me – where the description made people put it on their priority list. But for a film that doesn’t have an obvious hook – including a lot of the films in the world documentary competition – those filmmakers might be better served trying to strategically screen for certain press and tastemakers so they can enter the festival with people already talking about them.
Chadha: Are there any films that are now on your “can’t miss” list?
Powers: Some of my favorite Sundance titles I’ve programmed for the Miami International Film Festival, which just announced its line-up last week. They include 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, Gideon’S Army, The Crash Reel, Valentine Road, Which Way To The Front Line From Here? and Who Is Dayani Cristal?. There were many other strong films at Sundance that I look forward to showing at the Montclair Film Festival and Stranger Than Fiction. The Square I admire a lot. Muscle Shoals really took me by surprise. It played late in the festival and didn’t gain as much buzz as I thought it deserved. The director, who I believe is a first time director, made all kinds of smart creative decisions. Another film that went under the radar but made a big impression on me was The Stuart Hall Project about the U.K.-based black intellectual Stuart Hall. The film is wholly constructed out of archival sources, primarily from the BBC.
Chadha: What were the lessons about funding that came out of Sundance?
Powers: Sundance is a good survey of how docs are getting funded. This year reflects the important influence of Kickstarter. Recently Kickstarter introduced a tag for its projects that have a Sundance affiliation, and skimming that list I was impressed to see that Inequality For All had raised $83,000 and American Promise had raised $50,000 on Kickstarter. Other documentaries raised more modest sums. What’ so significant about Kickstarter is that those filmmakers did not need to wait around for a grant application committee to give them a green light. They could take matters into their own hands. Other funding players who were prominent are the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Institute and the Ford Foundation which last year announced a $50 million commitment through the Just Films program. That Ford initiative supported projects like Gideon’S Army, Valentine Road, American Promise, Who Is Dayani Cristal?, God Loves Uganda and Citizen Koch.
Another important player is the equity group Impact Partners, who for several years have had a strong showing of their catalog at Sundance. This year their involvement included American Promise, The Crash Reel, Who Is Dayani Cristal? and Pandora’S Promise. The last group that I would mention is Cinereach, who were the heroes of Sundance last year for their funding of Beasts Of The Southern Wild, and who were back this year with four docs: Cutie And The Boxer, Citizen Koch, God Loves Uganda, and Narco Cultura.
When you look at the kinds of films that are showing up at Sundance, you see the names of some key producers re-occurring. This year the producer Julie Goldman, whose recent Sundance titles include Buck was back with three projects – Gideon’S Army, Manhunt and God Loves Uganda. The producer John Battsek from the U.K. who last year came with Searching For Sugar Man, was back this year with The Summit and Manhunt. And Jess Search, also based in the U.K., who is the founder of Britdoc and the Good Pitch had her name attached to the films Dirty Wars and Who Is Dayani Cristal? Clearly those producers and others like them have a good eye for spotting what makes a strong documentary in development. Those producers perform a variety of roles for filmmakers, whether it’s connecting them to financial support or supplying editorial perspective or connecting them to the other kind of industry players who can take a project further.
Chadha: Going back to Kickstarter for a minute, do you think films that have success on Kickstarter have the added benefit of showing to grantmaking institutions that their films are viable and that there’s an audience for them?
Powers: Absolutely. One bit of industry news this past week was that the HotDocs Forum, which has been a key place for documentaries to raise money, mainly in the broadcast world, announced that they will now accept projects on the basis of a certain amount of funds raised on Kickstarter. It used to be that you had to demonstrate a portion of your budget, like a quarter, was already being supported by a broadcaster or other traditional grantmaking institution. This change in policy signals the way in which Kickstarter funding is being taken more seriously.
In the case of The Square, the producers launched a Kickstarter campaign at Sundance to help finish their film. That seems like a very smart strategy for other filmmakers to consider. When you’re at a film festival, you have a rapt and enthused audience and if you can point them to a Kickstarter campaign, that’s a great way to leverage that enthusiasm. Even if you don’t need finishing funds, it’s a way to get outreach funds. I also saw the team from The Square selling t-shirts. After one screening they came away with few hundred dollars of cash in hand, which can help defray costs of attending a festival. These are strategies that filmmakers like Gary Hustwit have long practiced, emulating the way rock musicians sell t-shirts and posters at live performances. The film community has been slow to catch on. Maybe filmmakers are so busy getting their films made that they don’t have time to think about merchandise. But every bit of revenue helps.
Chadha: Any final thoughts?
Powers: We’ve talked about theatrical and digital distribution and new trends in crowdfunding. But it has to be said that the most long-standing and reliable place for documentary makers to get money is the broadcast world. HBO, which usually has a strong presence at Sundance, had the most overwhelming presence that I can remember, coming with six feature length documentaries. Plus during Sundance HBO bought Pussy Riot-a Punk Prayer. When you consider that HBO also has the film that was the 2012 winner at Idfa, Alan Berliner’s First Cousin Once Removed, and had two films at the Toronto festival – Mea Maxima Culpa by Alex Gibney and First Comes Love by Nina Davenport – that’s an impressive slate of films. There was news generated by other broadcasters getting active in the documentary field, including Showtime, which came with The World According To Dick Cheney. Just before Sundane, The New York Times reported about Showtime’s announcement of several documentaries in progress, including a film about Richard Pryor by Marina Zenovich, who made the Roman Polanski film, that I am personally looking forward to. In addition, CNN made an announcement during Sundance about a slate of feature-length docs, including a film by Alex Gibney. Another major player in that realm is A&E IndieFilms, which didn’t have any films in Sundance this year, but they’re already attached to Errol Morris’s Donald Rumsfeld documentary coming out later this year. All in all, the year is off to a good start.
Link to the original article here...
- 2/19/2013
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
By Joey Magidson
Film Contributor
***
Greetings from Park City, everyone! As I’m writing this piece, I’m in Utah attending the Sundance Film Festival. So far, it has been pretty cool (if a bit overwhelming at times), especially for a first-timer like myself. Being here inspired me to try and tie in the festival to the Oscars, as I’m prone to do with just about everything that I can. I’ve found that I’m on the lookout for what could move from this year’s festival lineup to the next awards season.
When I wrote about which film festivals influence the Oscar race a few weeks ago (found here), I mentioned how Sundance wasn’t the prime destination for awards hopefuls but still functioned as an essential launching pad. That was certainly true this year, and it will remain the case going forward.
It takes a certain...
Film Contributor
***
Greetings from Park City, everyone! As I’m writing this piece, I’m in Utah attending the Sundance Film Festival. So far, it has been pretty cool (if a bit overwhelming at times), especially for a first-timer like myself. Being here inspired me to try and tie in the festival to the Oscars, as I’m prone to do with just about everything that I can. I’ve found that I’m on the lookout for what could move from this year’s festival lineup to the next awards season.
When I wrote about which film festivals influence the Oscar race a few weeks ago (found here), I mentioned how Sundance wasn’t the prime destination for awards hopefuls but still functioned as an essential launching pad. That was certainly true this year, and it will remain the case going forward.
It takes a certain...
- 1/20/2013
- by Joey Magidson
- Scott Feinberg
2016 movie still trailing Michael Moore, Al Gore 2016 Obama's America, Dinesh D'Souza and John Sullivan's anti-Obama documentary, has surpassed the concert movie Katy Perry: Part of Me to become the second highest-grossing non-fiction film released in North America in 2012. By Sunday evening, D'Souza and Sullivan's right-wing doc -- current cume according to the web site Box Office Mojo stands at an estimated $27.66 million (as of Wed., September 13) -- should have also surpassed the nature doc Chimpanzee ($28.97 million) to become the year's top documentary in the United States and Canada. Worldwide, 2016 -- a 100% domestic sleeper hit like, say, the Tyler Perry movies (which have no audience overseas) -- remains behind both Chimpanzee (another domestic-only release) and Katy Perry: Part of Me. (Please scroll down for more details about the box-office performances of non-fiction films worldwide both in 2012 and "all-time.") As per numerous box-office reports, as the sixth biggest non-fiction film ever (or rather,...
- 9/13/2012
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
No end in sight. That was the takeaway from the HBO executive session at the 2012 Television Critics Association, where Richard Plepler and Michael Lombardo fielded questions about the future of Game of Thrones and True Blood. (Spoiler: Their futures are looking pretty darn bright.) And fans of Girls and Enlightened received an early Christmas gift when the comedies' season-two premiere dates were revealed. But what about Entourage fans eagerly awaiting a movie based on their favorite show? Well, it's complicated. Watch the Throne: Obviously based on the epic series by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones' future kind of depends on Martin's pen in many ways. "As long as he keeps writing...
- 8/1/2012
- E! Online
It has been years since I have felt the power or the schwartz and jumped to ludicrous speed in Spaceballs. MGM is releasing this Mel Brooks comedic spoof on Blu-ray to honor the films 25th anniversary. The disc includes a cool new featurette and tons more for audiences to enjoy.
Here is the official press release:
The farce is strong in the “uproarious salute to science fiction” (The Hollywood Reporter) when Spaceballs: 25Thanniversary Edition blasts off on Blu-ray August 7 from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Comedy legend Mel Brooks leads an all-star cast of cutups including John Candy (Splash), Rick Moranis (Ghostbusters) and Bill Pullman (Ruthless People).
When the evil Dark Helmet (Moranis) attempts to steal all the air from planet Druidia, a determined Druish Princess (Daphne Zuniga), a clueless rogue (Pullman) and a half-man/
half-dog creature who's his own best friend (Candy) set out to stop him.
Here is the official press release:
The farce is strong in the “uproarious salute to science fiction” (The Hollywood Reporter) when Spaceballs: 25Thanniversary Edition blasts off on Blu-ray August 7 from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Comedy legend Mel Brooks leads an all-star cast of cutups including John Candy (Splash), Rick Moranis (Ghostbusters) and Bill Pullman (Ruthless People).
When the evil Dark Helmet (Moranis) attempts to steal all the air from planet Druidia, a determined Druish Princess (Daphne Zuniga), a clueless rogue (Pullman) and a half-man/
half-dog creature who's his own best friend (Candy) set out to stop him.
- 6/10/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Official Press Release:
After 25 Years, The Schwartz Is Still With You
25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Prepare For Ludicrous Speed as Mel Brooks’ Classic Parody Arrives on Blu-ray August 7 With All New Bonus Material
The farce is strong in the “uproarious salute to science fiction” (The Hollywood Reporter) when Spaceballs: 25Th Anniversary Edition blasts off on Blu-ray August 7 from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Comedy legend Mel Brooks leads an all-star cast of cutups including John Candy (Splash), Rick Moranis (Ghostbusters) and Bill Pullman (Ruthless People).
When the evil Dark Helmet (Moranis) attempts to steal all the air from planet Druidia, a determined Druish Princess (Daphne Zuniga), a clueless rogue (Pullman) and a half-man/half-dog creature who’s his own best friend (Candy) set out to stop him. But with the forces of darkness closing in on them at ludicrous speed, they’ll need the help...
After 25 Years, The Schwartz Is Still With You
25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Prepare For Ludicrous Speed as Mel Brooks’ Classic Parody Arrives on Blu-ray August 7 With All New Bonus Material
The farce is strong in the “uproarious salute to science fiction” (The Hollywood Reporter) when Spaceballs: 25Th Anniversary Edition blasts off on Blu-ray August 7 from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Comedy legend Mel Brooks leads an all-star cast of cutups including John Candy (Splash), Rick Moranis (Ghostbusters) and Bill Pullman (Ruthless People).
When the evil Dark Helmet (Moranis) attempts to steal all the air from planet Druidia, a determined Druish Princess (Daphne Zuniga), a clueless rogue (Pullman) and a half-man/half-dog creature who’s his own best friend (Candy) set out to stop him. But with the forces of darkness closing in on them at ludicrous speed, they’ll need the help...
- 6/7/2012
- by Jason Moore
- ScifiMafia
Associated Press Ai Weiwei
The Sundance Film Festival’s best kept secret are its documentaries. While dramatic films and celebrity casts draw the headlines and paparazzi, the Park City event has become the preeminent launchpad for the best nonfiction films in the U.S. Some of the most successful documentaries of all time ”March of the Penguins,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Super Size Me,” “Hoop Dreams” first premiered at Sundance, while recent Oscar winners “No End In Sight” and “Man on Wire...
The Sundance Film Festival’s best kept secret are its documentaries. While dramatic films and celebrity casts draw the headlines and paparazzi, the Park City event has become the preeminent launchpad for the best nonfiction films in the U.S. Some of the most successful documentaries of all time ”March of the Penguins,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Super Size Me,” “Hoop Dreams” first premiered at Sundance, while recent Oscar winners “No End In Sight” and “Man on Wire...
- 1/18/2012
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, the festival is a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The Festival has changed over the decades from a low-profile venue for small-budget, independent creators from outside the Hollywood system to a media extravaganza for Hollywood celebrity actors, paparazzi, and luxury lounges set up by companies that are not affiliated with Sundance.
Now the festival is getting ready for the 2012 edition and today they announced the jury members for this year’s Festival. They include Shari Berman, Scott Burns, Charles Ferguson, Nick Fraser, Mike Judge, Justin Lin, Anthony Mackie, Cliff Martinez, Julia Ormond, Dee Rees and Lynn Shelton.
Here is the official press release:
Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute announced today the 22 members of the six juries awarding prizes at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival,...
Now the festival is getting ready for the 2012 edition and today they announced the jury members for this year’s Festival. They include Shari Berman, Scott Burns, Charles Ferguson, Nick Fraser, Mike Judge, Justin Lin, Anthony Mackie, Cliff Martinez, Julia Ormond, Dee Rees and Lynn Shelton.
Here is the official press release:
Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute announced today the 22 members of the six juries awarding prizes at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival,...
- 1/10/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Batman writer Scott Snyder recently spoke with the folks over at Newsarama where he revealed a ton of new info on ‘The Night of The Owls‘ crossover event that is set to begin later this year. The event will start to unfold in a 10-page back-up story that will be included in the back of Batman #8 and will expound on the main ‘Court of Owls’ storyline that’s currently being told in DC’s Batman title. The addition of this new backstory will beef up each issues page count from 20 to 30 pages as well as bump up the price from $2.99 to $3.99.
The first four Batman back-stories will be co-written by Snyder with James Tynion IV and, as the storyline progresses, will eventually branch out across the other Batman titles in DC’s ‘New 52′ lineup, switching between issues of Detective Comics and Batman in the following months.
You can check out...
The first four Batman back-stories will be co-written by Snyder with James Tynion IV and, as the storyline progresses, will eventually branch out across the other Batman titles in DC’s ‘New 52′ lineup, switching between issues of Detective Comics and Batman in the following months.
You can check out...
- 1/9/2012
- by geekmaster
- GeekRest
A few years ago, even documentary gurus wondered if nonfiction wasn't meant for theaters. "The bottom line is that not that many people go to see documentaries at the box office," HBO's Sheila Nevins told Reuters in 2007, the year Oscar-winner "No End in Sight" earned just $1.4 million. "People go to movies to escape," she said, "but they download to find out." Four years later, IFC Films and Sundance Selects president Jonathan Sehring begs to differ. Flush with this year's doc success stories "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" ($5.3 million) and "Buck" ($4 million), Sehring says the market "has never gone away." Of course, theatrical success for docs in 2011 requires a certain redefining of terms: We haven't seen an eight-digit documentary gross since Michael Moore's 2007 "Sicko" ($24.5 million). But if documentaries have achieved a modest comeback over the last 18 months...
- 12/20/2011
- Indiewire
HollywoodNews.com: I hesitated before watching Knives Over Forks on Netflix Instant yesterday. I had an interest in the picture, and the DVD was in my Blockbuster quque, so there was seemingly no reason for me not to just watch it right from my Netflix streaming system, right? Well, first I had to go online and look up the reviews for the Blu Ray.
Specifically, I needed to check what kind of supplemental materials were on the disc. To my relief, there was only about six minutes of PSA-type material to be found, so I watched the movie yesterday (quick review – the information is worthwhile, but it’s a terribly amateurish documentary with few real insights beyond its broad thesis). I have discussed before the problem of films coming out on DVD 3-5 months after theatrical with significantly altered or extended ‘director’s cuts’ and how that negates the whole...
Specifically, I needed to check what kind of supplemental materials were on the disc. To my relief, there was only about six minutes of PSA-type material to be found, so I watched the movie yesterday (quick review – the information is worthwhile, but it’s a terribly amateurish documentary with few real insights beyond its broad thesis). I have discussed before the problem of films coming out on DVD 3-5 months after theatrical with significantly altered or extended ‘director’s cuts’ and how that negates the whole...
- 9/7/2011
- by Scott Mendelson
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its annual list of invited new members, and it’s clear they’re continuing to try to make their membership younger. On the list alongside veterans like John Hawkes and David Duchovny are a slew of twentysomethings, including Mia Wasikowska, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Mila Kunis, Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lawrence, and Rooney Mara. The Board of Governors also decided to extend an invitation to Restrepo codirector Tim Hetherington, the first time Academy membership has been bestowed posthumously. As a side note, it’s also a hoot to now say the phrase Oscar voter Russell Brand.
- 6/17/2011
- by Dave Karger
- EW - Inside Movies
Beverly Hills, CA . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 178 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2011 to the Academy.s roster of members.
.These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks..
The Academy.s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.
.These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks..
The Academy.s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.
- 6/17/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
HollywoodNews.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 178 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2011 to the Academy’s roster of members.
“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks.”
The Academy’s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.
“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks.”
The Academy’s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.
- 6/17/2011
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
* There are so many flicks floating around about Wikileaks founder(and hero, in my opinion), Julian Assange, that it's impossible to get a handle on them. So the best thing to do is focus on the one with the most potential, and that's HBO's film that already has Academy Award winner Charles Ferguson(No End in Sight, Inside Job) aboard to direct. Well now he's got a little bit of help, as Rowan...
- 6/10/2011
- by Travis Hopson
- Punch Drunk Critics
Oscar-winning documentarian Charles Ferguson is attached to HBO Films' planned movie about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, HBO confirms to TheWrap. The film would be the first non-documentary project for Ferguson, whose "Inside Job," which investigated the 2008 financial meltdown, won the Best Feature Documentary Oscar this year. He will also produce. Also read: Julian Assange Vows to Fight Extradition Ruling Ferguson's other projects include 2009's "Between Earth & Sky," which chronicled the struggles of three young Iraqi refugees, and "No End in Sight," which tacked the Bush Administration's handling of the Iraq war.
- 4/29/2011
- The Wrap
We’ve heard about quite a few film projects concerning WikiLeaks founder and professional huckster Julian Assange over the past few months, but the first big piece of movement on one of them has just come in. THR says that Charles Ferguson, the Academy Award-winning director of Inside Job, will be directing a biopic of the man for HBO Films.
If it gets a greenlight, he’ll also be producing with Audrey Marrs, while executive producing will be done by Joshua Maurer, Alixandre Witlin andDavid Stern. The movie is said to The No End in Sight filmmaker will be making his narrative feature debut with the movie.
I’m looking forward to seeing a few of these projects, if only because I find myself interested in the man himself. That being said, Universal and Dreamworks have features planned about the man, and I’m worried it may become a little too much.
If it gets a greenlight, he’ll also be producing with Audrey Marrs, while executive producing will be done by Joshua Maurer, Alixandre Witlin andDavid Stern. The movie is said to The No End in Sight filmmaker will be making his narrative feature debut with the movie.
I’m looking forward to seeing a few of these projects, if only because I find myself interested in the man himself. That being said, Universal and Dreamworks have features planned about the man, and I’m worried it may become a little too much.
- 4/29/2011
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Charles Ferguson (Inside Job) has come on board to direct HBO Films' movie about Julian Assange should it be greenlighted for production. The project, a co-production with the BBC, is based on source material that includes Raffi Khatchadourian's June 7, 2010, article in The New Yorker No Secrets: Julian Assange’s Mission for Total Transparency, which takes an in-depth look at Assange and follows him and his WikiLeaks operatives as they prepare to leak a 38-minute classified video filmed from inside of the cockpit of an U.S. Army Apache Helicopter. The film is being executive produced by Joshua Maurer and Alixandre Witlin of City Entertainment and David Stern of KippSter Entertainment. Ferguson will also produce with producing partner Audrey Marrs. A writer for the project is expected to be locked in soon. This marks the first narrative project for Ferguson, who is also eying a transition to feature film directing.
- 4/29/2011
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Chicago – Two of the best documentaries of 2010 were recently released on DVD and both are well-worth your time in the very near future as they serve as prime examples of the vitality of the form of non-fiction filmmaking. Both “A Film Unfinished” and the Oscar-winning “Inside Job” are riveting filmmaking, proof that subjects that one might consider dry can be turned into a devastating experience.
DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0
Just glancing at the descriptions of “A Film Unfinished” or “Inside Job,” a potential renter or buyer might think that they know all there is to know about their subjects or, worse, that they’re going to be lectured like they’re sitting in a classroom on a Saturday night. What more could we possibly learn about the Holocaust after decades of books and films on the subject? And how could a subject like the fall of the economy possibly be dramatically interesting?...
DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0
Just glancing at the descriptions of “A Film Unfinished” or “Inside Job,” a potential renter or buyer might think that they know all there is to know about their subjects or, worse, that they’re going to be lectured like they’re sitting in a classroom on a Saturday night. What more could we possibly learn about the Holocaust after decades of books and films on the subject? And how could a subject like the fall of the economy possibly be dramatically interesting?...
- 3/21/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Released to DVD in perfect sync with its Best Documentary Oscar triumph, Charles Ferguson’s Inside Job (Sony) resembles his debut feature, No End In Sight, in that it doesn’t present new information, but assembles a cohesive, informative, persuasive argument out of old material. Ferguson’s dissection of the current financial crisis is clear and thorough, but lacks imagination; as a primer, it’s far outpaced by the likes of Michael Lewis’ The Big Short or This American Life’s “The Giant Pool Of Money”… Given that 1987’s wonderful Broadcast News concerned itself with the dumbing-down of network ...
- 3/9/2011
- avclub.com
Inside Job Just as he did with the Iraq "war" in No End In Sight, Academy Award winning director Charles Ferguson takes a scalpel to the financial meltdown from 2007-2010. Interviewing a number of inside players in the crisis, as well as more than a few experts, Ferguson exposes the link between Wall Street and Washington for what it really is. Named Best Documentary at this year's Academy...
- 3/8/2011
- by Travis Hopson
- Punch Drunk Critics
Last Sunday, Inside Job was crowned the best documentary of the year by the Academy. But that’s not the reason to want to own it. The reason to want this insightful bit of filmmaking is so that you can (no matter your political beliefs) get into huge arguments with your family over it. Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up, and what better conversation piece is there to lob over the traditional feast of boiled potatoes, cabbage and shame? There is none. Plus, we’re giving away one copy for free and selling one for $2.02 trillion. How do you get your hands on the free copy? Glad you asked: Here is what’s up for grabs: one (1) lucky winner will earn themselves a copy of Inside Job on DVD. All you have to do is be one of our many folks who have hit the “Like” button on our Facebook page. That...
- 3/7/2011
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
By Bryan Buss
(March 2011)
March 1
“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, R) — This true story of a mountain climber who gets pinned in a crevasse by a boulder earned raves (and an Oscar nomination) for star James Franco’s tour de force performance (in addition to nabbing noms for Best Picture, adapted screenplay, original score, editing and original song). The realism and intensity — not to mention the gore — in one particularly brutal scene led to patrons fainting, which may have kept some viewers away, as the film grossed only $15 million.
“Burlesque” (Screen Gems, PG-13) — This pairing of songstresses Cher and Christina Aguilera could have been camp nirvana, but despite the story similarities (small-town girl goes to the big city to become a star and learns life lessons the hard way), this derided musical didn’t cross the line from bad to entertaining often enough the way “Showgirls” did. Critics found the story timeworn,...
(March 2011)
March 1
“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, R) — This true story of a mountain climber who gets pinned in a crevasse by a boulder earned raves (and an Oscar nomination) for star James Franco’s tour de force performance (in addition to nabbing noms for Best Picture, adapted screenplay, original score, editing and original song). The realism and intensity — not to mention the gore — in one particularly brutal scene led to patrons fainting, which may have kept some viewers away, as the film grossed only $15 million.
“Burlesque” (Screen Gems, PG-13) — This pairing of songstresses Cher and Christina Aguilera could have been camp nirvana, but despite the story similarities (small-town girl goes to the big city to become a star and learns life lessons the hard way), this derided musical didn’t cross the line from bad to entertaining often enough the way “Showgirls” did. Critics found the story timeworn,...
- 3/1/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
By Bryan Buss
(March 2011)
March 1
“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, R) — This true story of a mountain climber who gets pinned in a crevasse by a boulder earned raves (and an Oscar nomination) for star James Franco’s tour de force performance (in addition to nabbing noms for Best Picture, adapted screenplay, original score, editing and original song). The realism and intensity — not to mention the gore — in one particularly brutal scene led to patrons fainting, which may have kept some viewers away, as the film grossed only $15 million.
“Burlesque” (Screen Gems, PG-13) — This pairing of songstresses Cher and Christina Aguilera could have been camp nirvana, but despite the story similarities (small-town girl goes to the big city to become a star and learns life lessons the hard way), this derided musical didn’t cross the line from bad to entertaining often enough the way “Showgirls” did. Critics found the story timeworn,...
(March 2011)
March 1
“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, R) — This true story of a mountain climber who gets pinned in a crevasse by a boulder earned raves (and an Oscar nomination) for star James Franco’s tour de force performance (in addition to nabbing noms for Best Picture, adapted screenplay, original score, editing and original song). The realism and intensity — not to mention the gore — in one particularly brutal scene led to patrons fainting, which may have kept some viewers away, as the film grossed only $15 million.
“Burlesque” (Screen Gems, PG-13) — This pairing of songstresses Cher and Christina Aguilera could have been camp nirvana, but despite the story similarities (small-town girl goes to the big city to become a star and learns life lessons the hard way), this derided musical didn’t cross the line from bad to entertaining often enough the way “Showgirls” did. Critics found the story timeworn,...
- 3/1/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Charles Ferguson's documentary about the origins of the financial crash comes out on top in Oscar race
Follow our Oscars 2011 live coverage here
Inside Job, a searing assault on the banking industry and its role in the financial meltdown of 2008, has won the ultimate accolade from the film world: the Oscar for best documentary.
Director Charles Ferguson, who became a film-maker after making millions of dollars developing internet software, had lost out at the Oscars before, when his 2007 film about the Iraq war, No End in Sight, was nominated, but this time he had a happy ending.
Inside Job, which premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2010, traces the connections between government and financial institutions, as well as theoretically independent academics, showing how they combined to trigger excessive profit-taking and endanger the wider economy.
With this victory, Inside Job has outperformed an equally devastating attack on American politics, Michael Moore...
Follow our Oscars 2011 live coverage here
Inside Job, a searing assault on the banking industry and its role in the financial meltdown of 2008, has won the ultimate accolade from the film world: the Oscar for best documentary.
Director Charles Ferguson, who became a film-maker after making millions of dollars developing internet software, had lost out at the Oscars before, when his 2007 film about the Iraq war, No End in Sight, was nominated, but this time he had a happy ending.
Inside Job, which premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2010, traces the connections between government and financial institutions, as well as theoretically independent academics, showing how they combined to trigger excessive profit-taking and endanger the wider economy.
With this victory, Inside Job has outperformed an equally devastating attack on American politics, Michael Moore...
- 2/28/2011
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
22:18 to the Oscars! Sandra Bullock is Red Hot! Can't wait for the Academy Awards! Christian Bale and his beard!
12:34 to the Oscars! Different actors reveal their Oscar picks!
Commercial Break: Tomorrow, Britney Spears reveals...something! On Good Morning America :wink
4:57 to the Oscars! So apparently, Roberto Benigni's heartfelt acceptance speech is the best, next was Tom Hanks' Best Actor speech when he won for "Philadelphia" in 1994
The Oscars is about to start!!!!
5:30 The 83Rd Annual Academy Awards
I know I'm a sucker for Oscar montage! I am I am!
So James Franco and Anne Hathaway are doing a Billy Crystal type of open where they are melded into the famous scenes of the Oscar-nominated films. So Alec Baldwin was the surprise guest! Is Billy Crystal going to show up?
I kind of like the "True Grit" bit!
Morgan Freeman...another surprise guest!
Aw..."Back to the Future!
12:34 to the Oscars! Different actors reveal their Oscar picks!
Commercial Break: Tomorrow, Britney Spears reveals...something! On Good Morning America :wink
4:57 to the Oscars! So apparently, Roberto Benigni's heartfelt acceptance speech is the best, next was Tom Hanks' Best Actor speech when he won for "Philadelphia" in 1994
The Oscars is about to start!!!!
5:30 The 83Rd Annual Academy Awards
I know I'm a sucker for Oscar montage! I am I am!
So James Franco and Anne Hathaway are doing a Billy Crystal type of open where they are melded into the famous scenes of the Oscar-nominated films. So Alec Baldwin was the surprise guest! Is Billy Crystal going to show up?
I kind of like the "True Grit" bit!
Morgan Freeman...another surprise guest!
Aw..."Back to the Future!
- 2/28/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Charles Ferguson's exemplary documentary about the USA's recent banking crisis is intelligent and jaw-dropping
Ingmar Bergman once recalled the seminal experience of watching Danish TV in the 1950s in Sweden (he was then head of Malmö's municipal theatre). He became fascinated by talking heads and how truly cinematic they were. His observation is brought to mind by the most widely discussed films of recent weeks. None involves special effects or leans heavily on violent action. Instead, they centre on people talking, on what we deduce from their appearance, facial expressions and body language. I'm thinking of The King's Speech, The Social Network, Of Gods and Men and True Grit. To these we can now add Charles Ferguson's exemplary documentary Inside Job.
Having made the highly regarded No End in Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq, which was nominated three years ago for the best full-length documentary Oscar,...
Ingmar Bergman once recalled the seminal experience of watching Danish TV in the 1950s in Sweden (he was then head of Malmö's municipal theatre). He became fascinated by talking heads and how truly cinematic they were. His observation is brought to mind by the most widely discussed films of recent weeks. None involves special effects or leans heavily on violent action. Instead, they centre on people talking, on what we deduce from their appearance, facial expressions and body language. I'm thinking of The King's Speech, The Social Network, Of Gods and Men and True Grit. To these we can now add Charles Ferguson's exemplary documentary Inside Job.
Having made the highly regarded No End in Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq, which was nominated three years ago for the best full-length documentary Oscar,...
- 2/20/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
A New York University fellow and journalist has resigned after making "cruel and insensitive" remarks about Lara Logan's sexual attack in Egypt.
Shortly after CBS announced Logan's attack Tuesday, Nir Rosen — who has written about foreign policy for The New Yorker and The New York Times, and filmed footage to the Oscar-nominated documentary No End In Sight — tweeted "Lara Logan had to outdo Anderson [Cooper] ... Yes yes its wrong what happened to her. Of course. I don't support that. But, it would have been ...
Read More >...
Shortly after CBS announced Logan's attack Tuesday, Nir Rosen — who has written about foreign policy for The New Yorker and The New York Times, and filmed footage to the Oscar-nominated documentary No End In Sight — tweeted "Lara Logan had to outdo Anderson [Cooper] ... Yes yes its wrong what happened to her. Of course. I don't support that. But, it would have been ...
Read More >...
- 2/16/2011
- by Joyce Eng
- TVGuide - Breaking News
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