With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.
Some of the most exciting documentaries are the ones where the “documentary” label doesn’t do the work justice. Khalik Allah’s work exists within such energizing, unclassifiable terrain. By the time his “Black Mother” surfaced at New Directors/New Films in 2018, Allah had already established his bonafides: In two shorts and a pair of concise features, he has emerged as a genuine auteur, among the best directors documenting Black faces in contemporary cinema. Nevertheless, it takes under four hours to consume almost his entire body of work, save for a new feature that premiered on the festival circuit earlier this year; with the rest of his oeuvre on the Criterion Channel, now’s the ideal time to get caught up.
As both cinematographer and director,...
Some of the most exciting documentaries are the ones where the “documentary” label doesn’t do the work justice. Khalik Allah’s work exists within such energizing, unclassifiable terrain. By the time his “Black Mother” surfaced at New Directors/New Films in 2018, Allah had already established his bonafides: In two shorts and a pair of concise features, he has emerged as a genuine auteur, among the best directors documenting Black faces in contemporary cinema. Nevertheless, it takes under four hours to consume almost his entire body of work, save for a new feature that premiered on the festival circuit earlier this year; with the rest of his oeuvre on the Criterion Channel, now’s the ideal time to get caught up.
As both cinematographer and director,...
- 6/18/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.
Some of the most exciting documentaries are the ones where the “documentary” label doesn’t do the work justice. Khalik Allah’s work exists within such energizing, unclassifiable terrain. By the time his “Black Mother” surfaced at New Directors/New Films in 2018, Allah had already established his bonafides: In two shorts and a pair of concise features, he has emerged as a genuine auteur, among the best directors documenting Black faces in contemporary cinema. Nevertheless, it takes under four hours to consume almost his entire body of work, save for a new feature that premiered on the festival circuit earlier this year; with the rest of his oeuvre on the Criterion Channel, now’s the ideal time to get caught up.
As both cinematographer and director,...
Some of the most exciting documentaries are the ones where the “documentary” label doesn’t do the work justice. Khalik Allah’s work exists within such energizing, unclassifiable terrain. By the time his “Black Mother” surfaced at New Directors/New Films in 2018, Allah had already established his bonafides: In two shorts and a pair of concise features, he has emerged as a genuine auteur, among the best directors documenting Black faces in contemporary cinema. Nevertheless, it takes under four hours to consume almost his entire body of work, save for a new feature that premiered on the festival circuit earlier this year; with the rest of his oeuvre on the Criterion Channel, now’s the ideal time to get caught up.
As both cinematographer and director,...
- 6/18/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Thompson on Hollywood
by Stephen Tronicek
As the sun rose over Columbia, Missouri, I found myself refreshed and ready to go. I’d slept on a couch for free (a quite comfy couch) and gained some of my energy back after the night before. I can say with some certainty that this energy has disappeared now that it is, yet again, midnight and I’ve just gotten home. There’s no need for pity though. The selection of films today was brilliant, broad, flawed but nevertheless exciting, something that True/False is certain to provide.
The day started out with Kirsten Johnson’s Dick Johnson is Dead, a documentary about grief for a person who has never died. Johnson has become a master of the meta-documentary, with her film Cameraperson capturing an emotional portrait of being a cinematographer for documentaries. Now, she’s returned to kill her dying father Dick, over and over and over again.
As the sun rose over Columbia, Missouri, I found myself refreshed and ready to go. I’d slept on a couch for free (a quite comfy couch) and gained some of my energy back after the night before. I can say with some certainty that this energy has disappeared now that it is, yet again, midnight and I’ve just gotten home. There’s no need for pity though. The selection of films today was brilliant, broad, flawed but nevertheless exciting, something that True/False is certain to provide.
The day started out with Kirsten Johnson’s Dick Johnson is Dead, a documentary about grief for a person who has never died. Johnson has become a master of the meta-documentary, with her film Cameraperson capturing an emotional portrait of being a cinematographer for documentaries. Now, she’s returned to kill her dying father Dick, over and over and over again.
- 3/7/2020
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Emerging on the scene with his remarkably-shot, poetic portraits of life, Field Niggas and Black Mother, director Khalik Allah is back with his third and most ambitious film yet. Clocking in at three hours, Iwow (I Walk on Water) finds him back on the streets of New York City. The filmmaker has now released a trailer and, as expected, it’s not of the standard variety. Clocking in at seven minutes, it features off-the-cuff freestyle voiceover from the director himself explaining the project over presumably footage from the film itself, which includes no shortage of stunning imagery (including a Black Mother poster cameo).
“Peace. I’m telling you ahead of festivals and ahead of my world premiere: I made the best film of 2020 and I don’t give a fuck what they write,” Allah wrote in a recent Facebook post. “It is my privilege to forgive and I’m forever...
“Peace. I’m telling you ahead of festivals and ahead of my world premiere: I made the best film of 2020 and I don’t give a fuck what they write,” Allah wrote in a recent Facebook post. “It is my privilege to forgive and I’m forever...
- 2/12/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“The path of the math is to go fast” — not even a year after the release of Khalik Allah’s second feature, Black Mother, the filmmaker has just released the first trailer of his new feature, Iwow (I Walk on Water). The film is said to be three hours long, and the trailer length — seven minutes — is thus appropriately relational. Here’s Allah’s statement accompanying the video: Peace. From the most illest iambic pentameter visual photographer. Allah’s 5% student doctor. I’m around the 85% again. Straight up Ren & Stimpy. The pitiful situation of my people is the person […]...
- 2/12/2020
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
“The path of the math is to go fast” — not even a year after the release of Khalik Allah’s second feature, Black Mother, the filmmaker has just released the first trailer of his new feature, Iwow (I Walk on Water). The film is said to be three hours long, and the trailer length — seven minutes — is thus appropriately relational. Here’s Allah’s statement accompanying the video: Peace. From the most illest iambic pentameter visual photographer. Allah’s 5% student doctor. I’m around the 85% again. Straight up Ren & Stimpy. The pitiful situation of my people is the person […]...
- 2/12/2020
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Uncut Gems wins best lead actor, directing, editing.
Lulu Wang’s The Farewell was named best feature at the Spirit Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday (8) in a night that recognised female directing talent in stark contrast to tomorrow’s Oscars.
Olivia Wilde won best first film for Booksmart, and American Factory, co-directed by Julia Reichert, (alongside Steven Bognar), won best documentary.
Renée Zellweger won best actress for Judy and has virtually swept the boards this awards season ahead of Sunday’s expected win at the Academy Awards.
Adam Sandler was a popular winner for Uncut Gems, which took home...
Lulu Wang’s The Farewell was named best feature at the Spirit Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday (8) in a night that recognised female directing talent in stark contrast to tomorrow’s Oscars.
Olivia Wilde won best first film for Booksmart, and American Factory, co-directed by Julia Reichert, (alongside Steven Bognar), won best documentary.
Renée Zellweger won best actress for Judy and has virtually swept the boards this awards season ahead of Sunday’s expected win at the Academy Awards.
Adam Sandler was a popular winner for Uncut Gems, which took home...
- 2/9/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
The 35th annual Spirit Awards, honoring the best in independent cinema, took place Saturday in Santa Monica.
Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” won best picture, while Adam Sandler and Renee Zellweger took home the top acting prizes.
Full list of winners.
Best Feature
A Hidden Life
Clemency
The Farewell (Winner)
Marriage Story
Uncut Gems
Best Director
Robert Eggers – The Lighthouse
Alma Har’el – Honey Boy
Julius Onah – Luce
Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie – Uncut Gems (Winner)
Lorene Scafaria – Hustlers
Best First Feature
Booksmart (Winner)
The Climb
Diane
The Last Black Man In San Francisco
The Mustang
See You Yesterday
Best Female Lead
Karen Allen – Colewell
Hong Chau – Driveways
Elisabeth Moss – Her Smell
Mary Kay Place – Diane
Alfre Woodard – Clemency
Renée Zellweger – Judy (Winner)
Best Male Lead
Chris Galust – Give Me Liberty
Kelvin Harrison Jr. – Luce
Robert Pattinson – The Lighthouse
Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems (Winner)
Matthias Schoenaerts – The Mustang
Best Supporting Female
Jennifer Lopez...
Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” won best picture, while Adam Sandler and Renee Zellweger took home the top acting prizes.
Full list of winners.
Best Feature
A Hidden Life
Clemency
The Farewell (Winner)
Marriage Story
Uncut Gems
Best Director
Robert Eggers – The Lighthouse
Alma Har’el – Honey Boy
Julius Onah – Luce
Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie – Uncut Gems (Winner)
Lorene Scafaria – Hustlers
Best First Feature
Booksmart (Winner)
The Climb
Diane
The Last Black Man In San Francisco
The Mustang
See You Yesterday
Best Female Lead
Karen Allen – Colewell
Hong Chau – Driveways
Elisabeth Moss – Her Smell
Mary Kay Place – Diane
Alfre Woodard – Clemency
Renée Zellweger – Judy (Winner)
Best Male Lead
Chris Galust – Give Me Liberty
Kelvin Harrison Jr. – Luce
Robert Pattinson – The Lighthouse
Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems (Winner)
Matthias Schoenaerts – The Mustang
Best Supporting Female
Jennifer Lopez...
- 2/8/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Aubrey Plaza will return to host the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday in Santa Monica.
The 35th annual Spirit Awards are set to air live on the IFC Channel beginning at 5 p.m. Et/2 p.m. Pt. The network will live stream the ceremony on its website, though audiences will need a cable login to watch. TV subscribers can also watch the show live on IFC app’s, available on iOS and Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Xbox, and Android TV devices.
This year’s top Spirit Award nominees include Robert Pattinson’s “The Lighthouse” and Adam Sandler’s “Uncut Gems,” with five nods each. Shia Labeouf’s “Honey Boy” and Kirill Mikhanovsky’s scored four nominations.
“Uncut Gems,” Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life,” Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” are up for best feature.
Here’s the full...
The 35th annual Spirit Awards are set to air live on the IFC Channel beginning at 5 p.m. Et/2 p.m. Pt. The network will live stream the ceremony on its website, though audiences will need a cable login to watch. TV subscribers can also watch the show live on IFC app’s, available on iOS and Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Xbox, and Android TV devices.
This year’s top Spirit Award nominees include Robert Pattinson’s “The Lighthouse” and Adam Sandler’s “Uncut Gems,” with five nods each. Shia Labeouf’s “Honey Boy” and Kirill Mikhanovsky’s scored four nominations.
“Uncut Gems,” Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life,” Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” are up for best feature.
Here’s the full...
- 2/8/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Asako I & II (Ryūsuke Hamaguchi)
Full-fledged, complicated, rapturous romance is relatively rare in cinema nowadays, and one of the very best examples is Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s Asako I & II, which uses its doubled lovers as a way to reflect back upon its main character, in all of her doubts and uncertainties. Deeply rooted in its present moment, yet prone to flights of fancy as transportive and unreal as any in contemporary filmmaking, the film delights as much as it aches, staying in close step with the turns caused by the whims of the self and the other, moving back and forth in rapture. – Ryan S.
Asako I & II (Ryūsuke Hamaguchi)
Full-fledged, complicated, rapturous romance is relatively rare in cinema nowadays, and one of the very best examples is Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s Asako I & II, which uses its doubled lovers as a way to reflect back upon its main character, in all of her doubts and uncertainties. Deeply rooted in its present moment, yet prone to flights of fancy as transportive and unreal as any in contemporary filmmaking, the film delights as much as it aches, staying in close step with the turns caused by the whims of the self and the other, moving back and forth in rapture. – Ryan S.
- 1/17/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“First Cow” director Kelly Reichardt has been given a $50,000 Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant designed to recognize a mid-career female director.
Reichardt won the third annual Bonnie Award, named for Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, who became the first woman to pilot a major U.S. airline when she joined the award’s sponsor, American Airlines, in 1973.
Actress Alfre Woodard and filmmaker Jon M. Chu presented the award, one of four grants given out by Film Independent at its nominees brunch at the Boa Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Saturday.
Also Read: 'The Lighthouse,' 'Uncut Gems' Lead Nominees at Independent Spirit Awards
In addition to the $50,000 Bonnie Award, $25,000 unrestricted grants were given to an up-and-coming producer (Molly Asher), director (Rashaad Ernesto Green) and documentary director (Nadia Shihab).
Winners in the rest of the Spirit Awards categories will be announced during the main Spirit Awards show on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The...
Reichardt won the third annual Bonnie Award, named for Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, who became the first woman to pilot a major U.S. airline when she joined the award’s sponsor, American Airlines, in 1973.
Actress Alfre Woodard and filmmaker Jon M. Chu presented the award, one of four grants given out by Film Independent at its nominees brunch at the Boa Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Saturday.
Also Read: 'The Lighthouse,' 'Uncut Gems' Lead Nominees at Independent Spirit Awards
In addition to the $50,000 Bonnie Award, $25,000 unrestricted grants were given to an up-and-coming producer (Molly Asher), director (Rashaad Ernesto Green) and documentary director (Nadia Shihab).
Winners in the rest of the Spirit Awards categories will be announced during the main Spirit Awards show on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The...
- 1/4/2020
- by Steve Pond and Thom Geier
- The Wrap
As Martin Scorsese once said, “Music and cinema fit together naturally. Because there’s a kind of intrinsic musicality to the way moving images work when they’re put together. It’s been said that cinema and music are very close as art forms, and I think that’s true.” Indeed, the right piece of music–whether it’s an original score or a carefully selected song–can do wonders for a sequence, and today we’re looking at the 20 films that best expressed this notion this year.
From seasoned composers to accomplished musicians, as well as a smattering of soundtracks, each musical example perfectly transported us to the world of the film. Check out our rundown of the top 20, which includes streams to each soundtrack in full where available.
20. Climax (Various Artists)
19. August at Akiko’s (Alex Zhang Hungtai)
18. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Emile Mosseri)
17. An Elephant Sitting Still...
From seasoned composers to accomplished musicians, as well as a smattering of soundtracks, each musical example perfectly transported us to the world of the film. Check out our rundown of the top 20, which includes streams to each soundtrack in full where available.
20. Climax (Various Artists)
19. August at Akiko’s (Alex Zhang Hungtai)
18. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Emile Mosseri)
17. An Elephant Sitting Still...
- 12/30/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Epic concert films, the return of one of cinema’s longest-running franchises, explorations of the toll of modern war, a canine friendship for the ages, a vivid journey into space, the final film from a master director–these were just a few of the subjects and stories that this year’s documentary offerings brought us. With 2019 wrapping up, we’ve selected 20 features in the field that left us most impressed, so check out our list below and, in the comments, let us know your favorites.
63 Up (Michael Apted)
Revisiting the same subjects chosen from various walks of British life in 1964 at age seven, the latest installment, 63 Up, proves to be at times a moving sociological experiment with little surprise as it documents the lives of eleven ordinary British subjects it has followed for the past 56 years. Inspired by Francis Xavier’s quote, “Give me a child until he is seven...
63 Up (Michael Apted)
Revisiting the same subjects chosen from various walks of British life in 1964 at age seven, the latest installment, 63 Up, proves to be at times a moving sociological experiment with little surprise as it documents the lives of eleven ordinary British subjects it has followed for the past 56 years. Inspired by Francis Xavier’s quote, “Give me a child until he is seven...
- 12/12/2019
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Best international film nominees include Parasite, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and The Souvenir.
Uncut Gems and The Lighthouse have emerged as the top contenders for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards with five nods apiece while A24 leads the distributor pack on 18 nominations.
Adam Sandler from Uncut Gems will face off against The Lighthouse’s Robert Pattinson and others for best lead male and the Safdie brothers and Robert Eggers are among the best director nominees for each film, respectively.
Other best feature nominees announced on Thursday (21) are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.
Uncut Gems and The Lighthouse have emerged as the top contenders for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards with five nods apiece while A24 leads the distributor pack on 18 nominations.
Adam Sandler from Uncut Gems will face off against The Lighthouse’s Robert Pattinson and others for best lead male and the Safdie brothers and Robert Eggers are among the best director nominees for each film, respectively.
Other best feature nominees announced on Thursday (21) are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.
- 11/22/2019
- by 31¦John Hazelton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Best international film nominees include Parasite, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and The Souvenir.
Uncut Gems has emerged as the top contender among nominees for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, with the Adam Sandler drama getting nominations in five categories including best feature.
Other best feature nominees are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.
The Lighthouse also got five Spirit Award nominations and other films with multiple citations included Give Me Liberty and Honey Boy with four each and Clemency, Hustlers, The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Luce, Marriage Story and The Third Wife with three each.
Uncut Gems has emerged as the top contender among nominees for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, with the Adam Sandler drama getting nominations in five categories including best feature.
Other best feature nominees are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.
The Lighthouse also got five Spirit Award nominations and other films with multiple citations included Give Me Liberty and Honey Boy with four each and Clemency, Hustlers, The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Luce, Marriage Story and The Third Wife with three each.
- 11/21/2019
- ScreenDaily
The nominations for the 35th Independent Spirit Awards have been announced, and it was a big morning for “The Lighthouse” and “Uncut Gems.” The annual indie awards ceremony is presented by Film Independent and takes place the day before the Academy Awards on the beach in Santa Monica, California. The Spirit Awards have become known over the last decade for showcasing nominees that are a mix of underdog films and higher-profile awards contenders.
It’s important to note the Indie Spirit Awards has a budget ceiling of $22.5 million, meaning any movie made for more than this amount is ineligible for nominations. For this reason, Martin Scorsese’s Netflix-backed “The Irishman” was not eligible for 2020 nominations (the film had a budget north of $150 million). Netflix’s other top Oscar contender, Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” is eligible for Spirit Awards and landed a Best Feature nomination. As has become common over the last several years,...
It’s important to note the Indie Spirit Awards has a budget ceiling of $22.5 million, meaning any movie made for more than this amount is ineligible for nominations. For this reason, Martin Scorsese’s Netflix-backed “The Irishman” was not eligible for 2020 nominations (the film had a budget north of $150 million). Netflix’s other top Oscar contender, Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” is eligible for Spirit Awards and landed a Best Feature nomination. As has become common over the last several years,...
- 11/21/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
“American Factory” and “Apollo 11” led all films in nominations for the 13th annual Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based awards show created to pay tribute to all facets of nonfiction filmmaking.
The two films each received five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, from the Cinema Eye jury of festival programmers, as well as votes from this year’s eligible filmmakers.
The full slate of nominees in that category is a solid lineup of the year’s most acclaimed docs. In addition to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s “American Factory” and Todd Douglas Miller’s “Apollo 11,” it includes Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama,” Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s “Honeyland,” Luke Lorentzen’s “Midnight Family” and Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation.”
Also Read: 12 Documentaries to Check Out This Fall, Including Films by Bruce Springsteen and Agnès Varda (Photos)
“American Factory,” “Apollo 11...
The two films each received five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, from the Cinema Eye jury of festival programmers, as well as votes from this year’s eligible filmmakers.
The full slate of nominees in that category is a solid lineup of the year’s most acclaimed docs. In addition to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s “American Factory” and Todd Douglas Miller’s “Apollo 11,” it includes Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama,” Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s “Honeyland,” Luke Lorentzen’s “Midnight Family” and Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation.”
Also Read: 12 Documentaries to Check Out This Fall, Including Films by Bruce Springsteen and Agnès Varda (Photos)
“American Factory,” “Apollo 11...
- 11/7/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The International Documentary Association (Ida) has revealed the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards shortlists for the Best Feature and Best Short categories, culled from 785 submissions: 375 documentary features, 153 documentary shorts, 124 documentary series, 89 student films, 44 podcasts, and 48 music documentaries. After winnowing down each list to up to ten nominees to be announced on Wednesday, October 23, online screeners will be accessible for viewing as of November 4, followed by the Ida membership voting.
The 2019 Awards will be presented at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 7. The Ida will bestow awards in 16 categories. This year, the Ida has changed how craft awards are selected: cinematographers, editors, writers and composers will do the honors. And for the first time, the Ida will present an award for Best Director.
The awards categories include Best Feature, Best Short, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best Short Form Series, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award,...
The 2019 Awards will be presented at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 7. The Ida will bestow awards in 16 categories. This year, the Ida has changed how craft awards are selected: cinematographers, editors, writers and composers will do the honors. And for the first time, the Ida will present an award for Best Director.
The awards categories include Best Feature, Best Short, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best Short Form Series, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award,...
- 10/10/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
2019 is nearing the halfway mark, so it’s time to take a look back at the first six months and round up our favorite titles thus far. While the end of this year will bring personal favorites from all of our writers, think of the below 21 entries (and honorable mentions) as a comprehensive rundown of what should be seen before heading into a promising back half of the year.
Do note that this feature is based solely on U.S. theatrical releases from 2019, with many currently widely available on streaming platforms, home video (both noted below) or theatrically. Check them out below, as organized alphabetically, followed by honorable mentions and a handful of films to keep a look out for the rest of the summer.
Amazing Grace (Sydney Pollack)
A time capsule that’s as fresh and powerful an experience as it must have been when recorded live in Watts...
Do note that this feature is based solely on U.S. theatrical releases from 2019, with many currently widely available on streaming platforms, home video (both noted below) or theatrically. Check them out below, as organized alphabetically, followed by honorable mentions and a handful of films to keep a look out for the rest of the summer.
Amazing Grace (Sydney Pollack)
A time capsule that’s as fresh and powerful an experience as it must have been when recorded live in Watts...
- 6/12/2019
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
The first set of images in “Black Mother,” Khalik Allah’s intensely felt act of cinematic hypnosis, is a cavalcade of monochrome, vignetted portraits: A young woman in a tight minidress dances in a market; a shirtless man wriggles on one foot, extending the other leg gymnastically high in the air; an old woman with milky eyes smiles beatifically into the camera. The film’s last image is in grainy 16mm color as a woman’s arm extends from her hospital bed to touch the bassinet in which her newborn sleeps. And in the little over an hour in between, Allah, who directed, shot, edited, and co-scored the film, avoids the literal and the linear to create a beguilingly immersive, multifaceted, vividly sensorial portrait of his mother’s homeland, Jamaica.
Allah’s last film, “Field Niggas,” explored the microcosm of one Harlem street corner to make statements about race and...
Allah’s last film, “Field Niggas,” explored the microcosm of one Harlem street corner to make statements about race and...
- 5/21/2019
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSBarbara Hammer by Mickalene Thomas for Vanity FairA treasured trailblazer of the American avant-garde, lesbian artist and filmmaker Barbara Hammer, has died. In a posthumously published interview with Vanity Fair, Hammer discusses the intertwining of her personal life and political obligations that appear in her works: "I’ve never understood why experiences need be separated into categories. And, so, I don’t." Amid ongoing talks among both parties, the Cannes Film Festival will not be screening any Netflix films in or out of its competition this year. The decision rules out a number of titles from screening, including Martin Scorsese's The Irishman and the Safdie brothers' Uncut Gems.To our surprise and elation, Wong Kar-Wai has confirmed that Blossoms will be his next film, and will act as the third part to In the Mood For Love...
- 3/27/2019
- MUBI
In the past four months or so since I last did this, the following on my @movieposterofthday (leave off the last e for elegance) Instagram has more than tripled, which makes this best-of round-up more competitive. Sadly, as is often the case, a lot of my posts were occasioned by the passing of an actor or director, or, in the case of the most popular poster yet, by a composer. The lovely two-color American half sheet for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg was posted in honor of Michel Legrand, who passed away in January at 86 just the day after Serbian director Dušan Makavejev, who was also 86 and whose ribald German poster for Sweet Movie also made the top 20. Other passings recognized were Stanley Donen (with a Japanese Funny Face), Nicolas Roeg (a Us Performance), and Bruno Ganz (a French Wings of Desire). It’s impossible to tell if people are liking...
- 3/22/2019
- MUBI
The world premiere of the second feature by photographer and filmmaker Khalik Allah, Black Mother, was at the True/False Film Fest. True/False effectively made Allah’s name in the film world by selecting his extraordinary debut, Field Niggas (2015), the portrait documentary shot on a corner 125th Street in Harlem, from the artist’s YouTube and Vimeo pages and premiering it in Columbia, Missouri, after which it traveled the world to much acclaim. The director's new triumph is not the secret discovery his debut was, but is no less powerful an experience. Another portrait film but of considerably expanded scope, Black Mother sees the New York-based director return to his mother’s home of Jamaica to make an impressionist combination of polyphonic character diary and concatenation of Jamaican identity as seen by a grandson of the island. As in his first film, Allah separates his images from his sounds,...
- 3/19/2019
- MUBI
NEWSCarolee Schneemann by Lynne SachsThe great Carolee Schneemann has died, gifting us with an inimitable legacy as a trailblazing avant-garde feminist filmmaker, painter, cat lover, performance artist, and much more. Lynne Sachs's 2017 documentary, Carolee, Barbara and Gunvor, previously screened on Mubi in partnership with the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. Read Sachs's introduction of the short film, and recollection of a life's friendship with Schneemann, here.The master film editor Thelma Schoonmaker has announced plans to publish the diaries of her late husband, filmmaker Michael Powell (The Red Shoes). "I want people to be able to read about all the great movies we lost," she states. "The ones he had hoped to make.” Recommended VIEWINGOlivier Assayas's satirical comedy on book publishing, the changing media landscape, and, of course, romantic coupling get a U.S. trailer.In the event of its new restoration, the controversial British dancehall cult-classic Babylon has a shining new trailer.
- 3/14/2019
- MUBI
Black Mother is the latest documentary feature from Khalik Allah, the New York-born and based photographer and filmmaker who has been candidly documenting the lives of black people for over a decade. Allah came to prominence on the festival circuit with his hour-long documentary Field Niggas (2015), an observational portraiture of the notorious corner of Harlem’s 125th Street and Lexington Avenue and the marginalized people who congregate there; most of them African American and many dispossessed, homeless, and drug-addicted. He has worked on Beyoncé’s music video Lemonade, and having grown up in the Five-Percent Nation, which is headquartered in Harlem, Allah has close ties with other African American artists who have emerged from the movement, including members of Wu-Tang Clan, whom he documented in his early years as a photographer. His work blends street photography with intimate portraiture, examining the lives of individuals and communities that are more often...
- 3/8/2019
- MUBI
Khalik Allah, a visual artist best-known for collaborations with Beyoncé (as Dp on Lemonade) and the Wu-Tang Clan, is following-up 2016’s much-praised Field Niggas with Black Mother, a poetic, sometimes dizzying vision of Jamaica, the country’s history, and what that means for its people. (And one of our top picks for what to see this month.) Shot with a variety of film stocks and heavily manipulative in its use of sound, the movie could be called Malick-esque, but, blissfully, a focus on documentary portraiture will throw most viable comparisons out the window rather fast. Following a trailer last month, the director has edited a new preview — one decidedly quieter, and more focused on the imagery of its island setting.
Our review was laudatory, saying, “Comparisons of Black Mother to cinematic poetry are apt, but it’s harder to pinpoint than that, more aptly described in relation to sound or music–free-flowing jazz,...
Our review was laudatory, saying, “Comparisons of Black Mother to cinematic poetry are apt, but it’s harder to pinpoint than that, more aptly described in relation to sound or music–free-flowing jazz,...
- 3/1/2019
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: A24 has come aboard and greenlighted After Yang, with Colin Farrell set to star in an adaptation of the Alexander Weinstein short story Saying Goodbye to Yang. The film was scripted and will be directed by Kogonada, the South Korea-born writer-director who debuted on the John Cho starrer Columbus. Theresa Park and her Per Capita Productions will produce with Cinereach.
After Yang follows a father and daughter as they try to save the life of their robotic family member.
Farrell next stars in the Tim Burton-directed Dumbo at Disney, this after Widows, Killing of a Sacred Deer and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Farrell is repped by CAA, managers Ilene Feldman and Claudine Farrell, as well as Hansen, Jacobson. Kogonada is with UTA and Gang Tyre.
The film was initiated by Park, via her Per Capita Productions, who teamed with Cinereach last summer to buy the...
After Yang follows a father and daughter as they try to save the life of their robotic family member.
Farrell next stars in the Tim Burton-directed Dumbo at Disney, this after Widows, Killing of a Sacred Deer and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Farrell is repped by CAA, managers Ilene Feldman and Claudine Farrell, as well as Hansen, Jacobson. Kogonada is with UTA and Gang Tyre.
The film was initiated by Park, via her Per Capita Productions, who teamed with Cinereach last summer to buy the...
- 2/28/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
"A song of praise." Grasshopper Films has released an official trailer for a critically acclaimed documentary titled Black Mother, the latest film from director Khalik Allah. This premiered at numerous film festivals last year, and is getting released theatrically in the Us starting next month. From the red light districts to lush rainforests, Black Mother is a loving and lyrical ode to Jamaica and its people, a visual poem that is at once deeply felt love letter and ecstatic street-corner prayer. From the NY Times: "Gliding from color to black and white, from digital to analog, from grim realism to spiritual ecstasy, the film offers a song of praise to the island of Jamaica and a reckoning with its painful history and hard-pressed present." This poetic, experiential doc is like a museum piece, and definitely isn't for everyone. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Khalik Allah's documentary Black Mother,...
- 2/17/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Around The World When You Were My AgeThe titles for the 48th International Film Festival Rotterdam are being announced in anticipation of the event running January 23 – February 3, 2018. We will update the program as new films are revealed.Tiger COMPETITIONSons of Denmark (Ulaa Salim)Take Me Somewhere Nice (Ena Sendijarević)Present.Perfect. (Shengze Zhu)Sheena667 (Grigory Dobrygin)Nona. If They Soak Me, I’ll Burn Them (Camila José Donoso)Koko-di Koko-da (Johannes Nyholm)Els dies que vindran (Carlos Marqués-Marcet)Bright Future COMPETITIONAlva (Ico Costa)Chèche lavi (Sam Ellison)De nuevo otra vez (Romina Paula)Doozy (Richard Squires)Dreissig (Simona Kostova)Ende der Saison (Elmar Imanov)Fabiana (Brunna Laboissière)The Gold-Laden Sheep & the Sacred Mountain (Ridham Janve)Heroes (Köken Ergun)Historia de mi nombre (Karin Cuyul)Last Night I Saw You Smiling (Kavich Neang)Lost Holiday (Michael Kerry Matthews/Thomas Matthews)Maggie (Yi Okseop)Mens (Isabelle Prim)No Data Plan (Miko Revereza...
- 1/9/2019
- MUBI
There remains one group we’ve yet to hear from when it comes to the Best Films of 2018: The directors who made them. IndieWire has reached out to a number of our favorite filmmakers to share with us their lists and thoughts on the best of the year.
As is advisable with creative people, we gave the directors a great deal of freedom in how they reflected on the year in moving images. What follows is everything ranging from traditional Top 10 lists to a director like Lynne Ramsay writing passionately about her favorite film of the year, with lists that span TV, theater, the Kavanaugh hearings, WWE, and much more.
52 directors, so many of whom were behind our favorite films of the year – films like “Hereditary,” “Leave No Trace,” “First Reformed,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” “Eighth Grade,” “Destroyer,” “Mid90s,” “Bisbee ’17,” “Madeline’s Madeline,” “Black Mother,” “The Tale,...
As is advisable with creative people, we gave the directors a great deal of freedom in how they reflected on the year in moving images. What follows is everything ranging from traditional Top 10 lists to a director like Lynne Ramsay writing passionately about her favorite film of the year, with lists that span TV, theater, the Kavanaugh hearings, WWE, and much more.
52 directors, so many of whom were behind our favorite films of the year – films like “Hereditary,” “Leave No Trace,” “First Reformed,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” “Eighth Grade,” “Destroyer,” “Mid90s,” “Bisbee ’17,” “Madeline’s Madeline,” “Black Mother,” “The Tale,...
- 12/28/2018
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
AFI Fest isn’t thought of as an acquisition festival, as most of its offerings are either world premieres about to enter awards season or high-profile selections from Cannes and Venice. Explore the program a bit, however, and you’ll discover any number of under-the-radar titles that have yet to find a home. That’s unsurprising, given how crowded the fall festival season has been, but dealmakers should seek out these worthy titles before it’s too late.
“Amateurs”
Gabriela Pichler’s debut as writer-director, the youth-in-revolt dramedy “Eat Sleep Die,” never got a theatrical release. That was a shame, and it’d be just as much of a disappointment if her follow-up met the same fate. Working from an appropriately zany premise — a small Swedish town attempts to woo a German superstore company into opening a new location via a promotional video — Pichler delivers clever scenarios and a surprising...
“Amateurs”
Gabriela Pichler’s debut as writer-director, the youth-in-revolt dramedy “Eat Sleep Die,” never got a theatrical release. That was a shame, and it’d be just as much of a disappointment if her follow-up met the same fate. Working from an appropriately zany premise — a small Swedish town attempts to woo a German superstore company into opening a new location via a promotional video — Pichler delivers clever scenarios and a surprising...
- 11/19/2018
- by Michael Nordine, Eric Kohn and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
World premieres include Simone Kostova’s debut feature ’Thirty’.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has unveiled the first 26 titles to be confirmed for its 48th edition, running Jan 23-Feb 3, 2019.
The early selections include hotly-tipped foreign-language Oscar contender Capernaum by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, Claire Denis’s space thriller High Life and Jia Zhangke’s epic melodrama Ash Is Purest White.
First world premieres include German filmmaker Simona Kostova’s debut feature Thirty (Dreissig), capturing the lives of a group of friends living in Berlin over the course of 24 hours.
Fabienne Godet’s drama Our Wonderful Lives will get its...
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has unveiled the first 26 titles to be confirmed for its 48th edition, running Jan 23-Feb 3, 2019.
The early selections include hotly-tipped foreign-language Oscar contender Capernaum by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, Claire Denis’s space thriller High Life and Jia Zhangke’s epic melodrama Ash Is Purest White.
First world premieres include German filmmaker Simona Kostova’s debut feature Thirty (Dreissig), capturing the lives of a group of friends living in Berlin over the course of 24 hours.
Fabienne Godet’s drama Our Wonderful Lives will get its...
- 11/7/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
World premieres include Simone Kostova’s debut feature ’Thirty’.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has unveiled the first 26 titles to be confirmed for its 48th edition, running Jan 23-Feb 3, 2019.
The early selections include hotly-tipped foreign-language Oscar contender Capernaum by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, Claire Denis’s space thriller High Life and Jia Zhangke’s epic melodrama Ash Is Purest White.
First world premieres include German filmmaker Simona Kostova’s debut feature Thirty (Dreissig), capturing the lives of a group of friends living in Berlin over the course of 24 hours.
Fabienne Godet’s drama Our Wonderful Lives will get its...
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has unveiled the first 26 titles to be confirmed for its 48th edition, running Jan 23-Feb 3, 2019.
The early selections include hotly-tipped foreign-language Oscar contender Capernaum by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, Claire Denis’s space thriller High Life and Jia Zhangke’s epic melodrama Ash Is Purest White.
First world premieres include German filmmaker Simona Kostova’s debut feature Thirty (Dreissig), capturing the lives of a group of friends living in Berlin over the course of 24 hours.
Fabienne Godet’s drama Our Wonderful Lives will get its...
- 11/7/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Mike Leigh’s ’Peterloo’ amongst other new openers.
After Twentieth Century Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody scored a strong opening at the UK box office last week, Disney’s The Nutcracker And The Four Realms heads the challengers looking to usurp it at the top.
Directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, The Nutcracker is a retelling of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s short story The Nutcracker And The Mouse King and Marius Petipa’s The Nutcracker Ballet. Mackenzie Foy stars as Clara, the young girl who finds a nutcracker doll which comes to life, with further cast including Keira Knightley as the...
After Twentieth Century Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody scored a strong opening at the UK box office last week, Disney’s The Nutcracker And The Four Realms heads the challengers looking to usurp it at the top.
Directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, The Nutcracker is a retelling of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s short story The Nutcracker And The Mouse King and Marius Petipa’s The Nutcracker Ballet. Mackenzie Foy stars as Clara, the young girl who finds a nutcracker doll which comes to life, with further cast including Keira Knightley as the...
- 11/2/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
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