Humanitas, the organization that annually honors film and television writers whose work best explores the human condition, has revealed its 2023 winners.
Among the prizewinners is Craig Mazin, who scripted Season 1 The Last of Us episode “Long Long Time” that starred Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett. Mazin won in the Drama Teleplay category, beating out fellow semifinalists that included Peter Gould who was up for the series-finale episode of Better Call Saul.
Other Humanitas category winners in TV included Amy Sherman-Palladino for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Comedy Teleplay), and Tony Phelan & Joan Rater for the pilot of A Small Light in Limited Series.
On the movie side, winners included Tyler Perry for his Tyler Perry: A Jazzman’s Blues in the Drama Feature Film category, over Rebecca Lenkiewicz for She Said and Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu for Till. Cooper Raiff won Comedy Feature Film for his indie Cha Cha Real Smooth,...
Among the prizewinners is Craig Mazin, who scripted Season 1 The Last of Us episode “Long Long Time” that starred Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett. Mazin won in the Drama Teleplay category, beating out fellow semifinalists that included Peter Gould who was up for the series-finale episode of Better Call Saul.
Other Humanitas category winners in TV included Amy Sherman-Palladino for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Comedy Teleplay), and Tony Phelan & Joan Rater for the pilot of A Small Light in Limited Series.
On the movie side, winners included Tyler Perry for his Tyler Perry: A Jazzman’s Blues in the Drama Feature Film category, over Rebecca Lenkiewicz for She Said and Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu for Till. Cooper Raiff won Comedy Feature Film for his indie Cha Cha Real Smooth,...
- 8/16/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Humanitas Prizes for screenwriting, usually handed out at Beverly Hilton ceremony, were announced via the Los Angeles Times this year in solidarity with the unions on strike, including the Unite Here Local 11 hospitality workers. And on top of awarding shows like The Last of Us and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Humanitas, an organization founded in 1974, also honored the striking Writers Guild of America itself with its “Voice for Change” award. Past winners of that award have included Ava DuVernay and Kenya Barris.
Humanitas’ mission is to tell “stories that explore the human experience because we believe that the act of acknowledging our common humanity is transformational.” With that in mind, this year the organization’s winners include The Last of Us‘ Craig Mazin for the teleplay for the emotional and critically lauded episode “Long, Long Time” in the drama television category. In the comedy equivalent, Amy Sherman-Palladino...
Humanitas’ mission is to tell “stories that explore the human experience because we believe that the act of acknowledging our common humanity is transformational.” With that in mind, this year the organization’s winners include The Last of Us‘ Craig Mazin for the teleplay for the emotional and critically lauded episode “Long, Long Time” in the drama television category. In the comedy equivalent, Amy Sherman-Palladino...
- 8/15/2023
- by Esther Zuckerman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Better Angels Society, the Library of Congress, and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation have unveiled six finalists for the fifth annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film. Notably, veteran filmmaker Sam Pollard received two of the six noms.
The award, established in 2019, recognizes late-stage documentaries that use original research and a compelling narrative to tell stories that bring American history to life through archival materials.
The six projects that were selected are: Barak Goodman’s “Buckley,” Nicole London’s “The Disappearance of Miss. Scott,” Sam Pollard’s “The Harvest,” Peter Yost and Michael Rohatyn’s “Drop Dead City – New York on the Brink in 1975,” Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro’s “Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes,” and Jason Cohn’s “Modernism Inc.: The Eliot Noyes Design Story.”
This year 125 American history documentary features were submitted for consideration.
“We’ve seen time and again what...
The award, established in 2019, recognizes late-stage documentaries that use original research and a compelling narrative to tell stories that bring American history to life through archival materials.
The six projects that were selected are: Barak Goodman’s “Buckley,” Nicole London’s “The Disappearance of Miss. Scott,” Sam Pollard’s “The Harvest,” Peter Yost and Michael Rohatyn’s “Drop Dead City – New York on the Brink in 1975,” Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro’s “Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes,” and Jason Cohn’s “Modernism Inc.: The Eliot Noyes Design Story.”
This year 125 American history documentary features were submitted for consideration.
“We’ve seen time and again what...
- 7/20/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
In compelling new film Hold Your Fire, a siege that pitted black robbers against white US police led to an unlikely outcome
Films about hostage situations rarely play out like Hold Your Fire, where both the captives and captors don’t die.
Stefan Forbes’s riveting documentary revisits a real life 47-hour standoff in Brooklyn following a botched sporting goods store robbery; the kind that makes you wonder why they never made a movie about that before. In January 1973, four Black men led by Shu’aib Raheem were planning to steal guns from John and Al’s Sporting Goods in Bed-Stuy and were pitted into a loaded and intense confrontation with an overwhelmingly white police force that brought barricades, snipers and a tank.
Films about hostage situations rarely play out like Hold Your Fire, where both the captives and captors don’t die.
Stefan Forbes’s riveting documentary revisits a real life 47-hour standoff in Brooklyn following a botched sporting goods store robbery; the kind that makes you wonder why they never made a movie about that before. In January 1973, four Black men led by Shu’aib Raheem were planning to steal guns from John and Al’s Sporting Goods in Bed-Stuy and were pitted into a loaded and intense confrontation with an overwhelmingly white police force that brought barricades, snipers and a tank.
- 5/21/2022
- by Radheyan Simonpillai
- The Guardian - Film News
“I have very little to say except that I think it very charming and kind of you all to give us your Sunday night,” said a disarming Julian Fellowes at the NYC premiere of Downton Abbey: A New Era last Sunday. Distributor Focus Features – and the broader industry — hopes audiences will give the film many more Sunday nights, and other days and dayparts, jumpstarting the return to theaters of older demos.
Downton opens this weekend on over 3,800 screens, not a specialty release but leading here as a bellwether for that elusive audience, a staple of arthouses, that had raised hopes briefly by turning out for No Die To Die last fall. Lingering Covid jitters or an entrenched streaming habit have kept the 45-plus crowd sparse in cinemas even as they flock to restaurants and other public activities. The hope is that the Downton franchise will prove beloved as Bond, as enduring as Spider-Man,...
Downton opens this weekend on over 3,800 screens, not a specialty release but leading here as a bellwether for that elusive audience, a staple of arthouses, that had raised hopes briefly by turning out for No Die To Die last fall. Lingering Covid jitters or an entrenched streaming habit have kept the 45-plus crowd sparse in cinemas even as they flock to restaurants and other public activities. The hope is that the Downton franchise will prove beloved as Bond, as enduring as Spider-Man,...
- 5/20/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Beanpole (Kantemir Balagov)
The horrors of war are often told through male-centric narratives. Heroes who go through hell on the battlefield, brothers who sacrifice everything for each other, soldiers who return home scarred for life etc., all of which we’ve seen put on the big screen time and again. But wars are of course collective nightmares, tears in the fabric of history that leave no one–men, women, children–unscathed. This is the premise of Russian writer–director Kantemir Balagov’s second feature Beanpole, a radical relationship drama that examines the trauma of war from a distinctly female perspective. – Zhuo-Ning Su (full review)
Where to Stream: Ovid.tv
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (Junta Yamaguchi)
The logistics behind Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes...
Beanpole (Kantemir Balagov)
The horrors of war are often told through male-centric narratives. Heroes who go through hell on the battlefield, brothers who sacrifice everything for each other, soldiers who return home scarred for life etc., all of which we’ve seen put on the big screen time and again. But wars are of course collective nightmares, tears in the fabric of history that leave no one–men, women, children–unscathed. This is the premise of Russian writer–director Kantemir Balagov’s second feature Beanpole, a radical relationship drama that examines the trauma of war from a distinctly female perspective. – Zhuo-Ning Su (full review)
Where to Stream: Ovid.tv
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (Junta Yamaguchi)
The logistics behind Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes...
- 5/20/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Chicago – Police reform and procedural alternatives in the U.S. continue to be in a hurricane of evolution. Despite the attention that the George Floyd incident brought to the perception, the law enforcement culture continues to resist. Stefan Forbes goes back to the past (1973), to inform them (and us) that change can work with his new documentary “Hold Your Fire.”
Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Hold Your Fire” is set in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. It is 1973, and when Shu’aib Raheem and his friends attempt to steal guns from a sports store to be used for self-defense, it sparked the longest hostage siege in the New York Police history. NYPD psychologist Harvey Schlossberg lobbied to avert a bloodbath by using newly developed negotiation techniques, to save the lives of the hostages, police and the four young Muslim men at the heart of the conflict. “Hold Your Fire” is as thrilling...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Hold Your Fire” is set in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. It is 1973, and when Shu’aib Raheem and his friends attempt to steal guns from a sports store to be used for self-defense, it sparked the longest hostage siege in the New York Police history. NYPD psychologist Harvey Schlossberg lobbied to avert a bloodbath by using newly developed negotiation techniques, to save the lives of the hostages, police and the four young Muslim men at the heart of the conflict. “Hold Your Fire” is as thrilling...
- 5/19/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
An “us versus them” mentality inherently possesses the drama many documentarians seek to bottle when telling their stories. They mine their topic for the message they aspire to share or take that message and search for a topic which speaks its truth—agenda and content always in concert. Like most issues in this increasingly volatile era of media consumption, however, choosing one or the other tends to alienate the audience that needs to hear what the resulting film is explaining. Stefan Forbes has thus found himself at a Holy Grail nexus point with Hold Your Fire—his subject matter exists at a literal crossroads wherein the “us” and “them” are equally to blame, its complexity demanding the realization that “them” is a construct for violence.
Forbes presents this unique position by using the event in question’s abstract importance (ushering in a new way of police thinking that included negotiation...
Forbes presents this unique position by using the event in question’s abstract importance (ushering in a new way of police thinking that included negotiation...
- 5/19/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Hold Your Fire Photo: Courtesy of Glasgow Film Festival
In Williamsburg, New York City, one day in 1973, four young men entered a sporting goods store in the hope of stealing guns with which they could defend their families. It wasn’t the smartest of plans to begin with, and when a police officer happened to see what was going on, the store was quickly surrounded. The siege which followed would change the course of US policing forever.
This thrilling and disturbing incident has been painstakingly pieced back together by filmmaker Stefan Forbes in documentary Hold Your Fire, which screened at the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year and is now due to open On Demand and in cinemas across the US. Stefan and I both have hectic schedules and struggled to find a time when we could meet, but eventually managed to connect for a discussion of this fascinating event,...
In Williamsburg, New York City, one day in 1973, four young men entered a sporting goods store in the hope of stealing guns with which they could defend their families. It wasn’t the smartest of plans to begin with, and when a police officer happened to see what was going on, the store was quickly surrounded. The siege which followed would change the course of US policing forever.
This thrilling and disturbing incident has been painstakingly pieced back together by filmmaker Stefan Forbes in documentary Hold Your Fire, which screened at the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year and is now due to open On Demand and in cinemas across the US. Stefan and I both have hectic schedules and struggled to find a time when we could meet, but eventually managed to connect for a discussion of this fascinating event,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Chicago – The 9th Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) is on Day Three, and will feature “Hold Your Fire,” a tense documentary recounting a police incident in 1973 New York City, directed by Stefan Forbes. The Fest continues through May 19th, click Ccff for schedule and ticket info.
“Hold Your Fire” is set in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City, in 1973. When Shu’aib Raheem and his friends attempted to steal guns for self-defense, it sparked the longest hostage siege in the New York Police Department history. NYPD psychologist Harvey Schlossberg lobbied to avert a bloodbath by using newly reformed policing methods, and save the lives of the hostages, police and the four young Muslim men at the heart of the conflict. “Hold Your Fire” will be released by IFC Films on May 20th, 2022. Director Stefan Forbes will appear on behalf of the documentary at the Ccff on May 15th, 2022 (7pm screening).
‘Hold Your Fire,...
“Hold Your Fire” is set in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City, in 1973. When Shu’aib Raheem and his friends attempted to steal guns for self-defense, it sparked the longest hostage siege in the New York Police Department history. NYPD psychologist Harvey Schlossberg lobbied to avert a bloodbath by using newly reformed policing methods, and save the lives of the hostages, police and the four young Muslim men at the heart of the conflict. “Hold Your Fire” will be released by IFC Films on May 20th, 2022. Director Stefan Forbes will appear on behalf of the documentary at the Ccff on May 15th, 2022 (7pm screening).
‘Hold Your Fire,...
- 5/15/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Summer is around the corner, which means Rooftop Films is almost back. New York cinephiles can look forward to another season of film screenings from the longtime nonprofit, which screens independent films in a variety of outdoor locations throughout New York City. Over time, Rooftop Films has become an essential institution in the indie film world, helping top directors get their work seen while connecting undiscovered artists to the resources that they need.
Notable films on the year’s lineup include Chloe Okuno’s “Watcher,” a Sundance horror hit in the tradition of paranoid classics like “Rosemary’s Baby;” James Morosini’s “I Love My Dad,” a comedy that took the top prizes in the Narrative category at SXSW; and Andrew Semans’ “Resurrection,” a psychological thriller that earned high marks from critics and fans alike at Sundance this year.
Tickets for select upcoming screenings are on sale now via the Rooftop Films website,...
Notable films on the year’s lineup include Chloe Okuno’s “Watcher,” a Sundance horror hit in the tradition of paranoid classics like “Rosemary’s Baby;” James Morosini’s “I Love My Dad,” a comedy that took the top prizes in the Narrative category at SXSW; and Andrew Semans’ “Resurrection,” a psychological thriller that earned high marks from critics and fans alike at Sundance this year.
Tickets for select upcoming screenings are on sale now via the Rooftop Films website,...
- 5/2/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
"That's when things went haywire." IFC Films has unveiled the trailer for a superb documentary film titled Hold Your Fire, from filmmaker Stefan Forbes. This premiered at last year's Toronto Film Festival, and it also played at Doc NYC in the fall. The film tells the story of a hostage situation in Williamsburg, Brooklyn - a forgotten story from the 1970s that, at the time, was breaking news that changed America forever. When Shu'aib Raheem tried to steal guns for self-defense, it sparked the longest hostage siege in NYPD history. NYPD psychologist Harvey Schlossberg fought to reform police policy to save lives by using words, not guns. "Everything is resolvable by talking," says Schlossberg, who recently passed away. The story raises questions — around Black self-defence, police tactics, and restorative justice — that strongly resonate today. I saw this at TIFF and it's an outstanding film that not only takes us back in time,...
- 4/12/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Emmy-nominated American writer and film director Stefan Forbes, known for making the documentary “Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story,” is back with another fantastic documentary, this time focusing on conflict resolution and how you can’t fight fire with fire in the aptly titled, “Hold Your Fire.” The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and was quickly acquired by IFC Films.
Continue reading ‘Hold Your Fire’ Trailer & Poster: Everything Is Resolvable By Talking [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Hold Your Fire’ Trailer & Poster: Everything Is Resolvable By Talking [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
- 4/12/2022
- by Jamie Rogers
- The Playlist
Exclusive: Gradually, Then Suddenly: The Bankruptcy Of Detroit, directed by Sam Katz and James McGovern, swept the 2021 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, a three-year-old documentary award that carries a finishing grant of $200,000.
The winning entry explores the decline of the American manufacturing city culminating in the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history in 2013 and its aftermath.
Directors of runner-up Free Chol Soo Lee, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi, will receive $50,000 for their story of a Korean immigrant wrongly convicted of a Chinatown gang murder in San Francisco in 1973. Four finalists will be awarded $25,000 apiece.
Filmmakers from Ken Burns’ production company Florentine Films and staff from the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center — the Library’s moving image and recorded sound preservation facility – selected the six entries from a flurry of initial submissions of late-stage American history documentaries. That was winnowed to two by a national jury including filmmakers Sam Pollard,...
The winning entry explores the decline of the American manufacturing city culminating in the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history in 2013 and its aftermath.
Directors of runner-up Free Chol Soo Lee, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi, will receive $50,000 for their story of a Korean immigrant wrongly convicted of a Chinatown gang murder in San Francisco in 1973. Four finalists will be awarded $25,000 apiece.
Filmmakers from Ken Burns’ production company Florentine Films and staff from the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center — the Library’s moving image and recorded sound preservation facility – selected the six entries from a flurry of initial submissions of late-stage American history documentaries. That was winnowed to two by a national jury including filmmakers Sam Pollard,...
- 10/26/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Documentary filmmaker Stefan Forbes (Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story) excavates a little-known chapter in true-crime history in his latest effort, recently given its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Relating the details of a 1973 Brooklyn robbery that resulted in the longest hostage event in the history of the New York Police Department, Hold Your Fire convincingly makes the case that the event was “the birthplace of hostage negotiation,” as one interview subject puts it, while delivering a fast-paced, suspenseful real-life thriller featuring an array of fascinating characters.
The incident began when four young Black Muslim men attempted ...
The incident began when four young Black Muslim men attempted ...
- 9/22/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Documentary filmmaker Stefan Forbes (Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story) excavates a little-known chapter in true-crime history in his latest effort, recently given its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Relating the details of a 1973 Brooklyn robbery that resulted in the longest hostage event in the history of the New York Police Department, Hold Your Fire convincingly makes the case that the event was “the birthplace of hostage negotiation,” as one interview subject puts it, while delivering a fast-paced, suspenseful real-life thriller featuring an array of fascinating characters.
The incident began when four young Black Muslim men attempted ...
The incident began when four young Black Muslim men attempted ...
- 9/22/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off Thursday and promises to be more sparsely attended than previous iterations which packed the Canadian city with leading lights of Hollywood, power-players and star-gazers. It’s a painful concession to the complexities of international travel during Covid, which is keeping many filmmakers, stars, studio executives and sales agents from making the trip across the border.
But that won’t stop the dealmaking that’s been a staple of past festivals from taking place. Last year, a digital TIFF still hosted mega-sales for Halle Berry’s “Bruised” and “Malcolm & Marie” with Zendaya and John David Washington. The 2021 gathering should be no different with new projects on offer from Naomi Watts, Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain and plenty of other A-list talent. Let the deals begin!
The Survivor
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Ben Foster, Danny DeVito, Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard
Sales Agent: Endeavor...
But that won’t stop the dealmaking that’s been a staple of past festivals from taking place. Last year, a digital TIFF still hosted mega-sales for Halle Berry’s “Bruised” and “Malcolm & Marie” with Zendaya and John David Washington. The 2021 gathering should be no different with new projects on offer from Naomi Watts, Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain and plenty of other A-list talent. Let the deals begin!
The Survivor
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Ben Foster, Danny DeVito, Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard
Sales Agent: Endeavor...
- 9/9/2021
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Six documentary films remain in the running for the third annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, the richest award in nonfiction filmmaking.
The Better Angels Society, “a non-profit dedicated to the exploration of American history through documentary film,” announced the six finalists Tuesday [full list below]. The winning filmmaker, to be revealed at an October 26 virtual ceremony, will receive a $200,000 grant “to finish the in-production film and to help with outreach and marketing.” Per the organization, the runner-up will receive a $50,000 grant, and up to four finalists will each receive a $25,000 grant.
“In spite of the pandemic which heavily impacted the arts and entertainment industry, a wide array of late-stage professional American history documentary films were submitted for consideration this year,” The Better Angels Society noted in a statement. “An internal committee consisting of filmmakers from Florentine Films [Ken Burns’ company] and expert staff from the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, the Library...
The Better Angels Society, “a non-profit dedicated to the exploration of American history through documentary film,” announced the six finalists Tuesday [full list below]. The winning filmmaker, to be revealed at an October 26 virtual ceremony, will receive a $200,000 grant “to finish the in-production film and to help with outreach and marketing.” Per the organization, the runner-up will receive a $50,000 grant, and up to four finalists will each receive a $25,000 grant.
“In spite of the pandemic which heavily impacted the arts and entertainment industry, a wide array of late-stage professional American history documentary films were submitted for consideration this year,” The Better Angels Society noted in a statement. “An internal committee consisting of filmmakers from Florentine Films [Ken Burns’ company] and expert staff from the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, the Library...
- 8/25/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Eva Orner’s Burning, about Australia’s devastating ‘Black Summer’, will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.
Produced by Propagate Content, Dirty Films and Amazon Studios, the film marks Amazon’s first feature-length Australian documentary commission. To screen as part of the TIFF Docs strand, it explores what happened during the 2019 and 2020 bushfires from the perspective of victims, activists and scientists, as well as the lack of political will to address climate change.
In addition to directing, Orner executive produces alongside Cate Blanchett.
The LA-based Australian director won an Oscar for producing Alex Gibney’s 2008 doc Taxi To The Dark Side. Her credits also include Chasing Asylum, which tackled Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, and The Network, a behind-the-scenes look at the largest TV network in Afghanistan.
Burning is one of two Australian films selected for this year’s TIFF,...
Produced by Propagate Content, Dirty Films and Amazon Studios, the film marks Amazon’s first feature-length Australian documentary commission. To screen as part of the TIFF Docs strand, it explores what happened during the 2019 and 2020 bushfires from the perspective of victims, activists and scientists, as well as the lack of political will to address climate change.
In addition to directing, Orner executive produces alongside Cate Blanchett.
The LA-based Australian director won an Oscar for producing Alex Gibney’s 2008 doc Taxi To The Dark Side. Her credits also include Chasing Asylum, which tackled Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, and The Network, a behind-the-scenes look at the largest TV network in Afghanistan.
Burning is one of two Australian films selected for this year’s TIFF,...
- 8/5/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Toronto Film Festival Adds Docs and Midnight Titles Including ‘Titane,’ ‘Attica’ and ‘Neptune Frost’
The Toronto International Film Festival announced which films will fill the TIFF Docs, Midnight Madness, and Wavelength sections at this year’s edition of the event, which runs from Sept. 9-18. The festival also added new titles to the Special Presentation and Contemporary World Cinema programs.
Opening TIFF Docs is the world premiere of “Attica” by Stanley Nelson, which tells the story of the 1971 Attica prison riot. Coming about as a result of the prisoners’ fight for more humane living conditions and lasting for five days, it remains the deadliest prison rebellion in U.S. history.
Wavelengths will open with “Neptune Frost” from directors and married couple Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman. The film is billed a sci-fi musical romance between an intersex hacker and a coltan miner that will follow the “virtual marvel born as a result of their union.” This marks the North American premiere of the film,...
Opening TIFF Docs is the world premiere of “Attica” by Stanley Nelson, which tells the story of the 1971 Attica prison riot. Coming about as a result of the prisoners’ fight for more humane living conditions and lasting for five days, it remains the deadliest prison rebellion in U.S. history.
Wavelengths will open with “Neptune Frost” from directors and married couple Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman. The film is billed a sci-fi musical romance between an intersex hacker and a coltan miner that will follow the “virtual marvel born as a result of their union.” This marks the North American premiere of the film,...
- 8/4/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
BenedictionThe lineup has been unveiled for the 2021 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place over 10 days (September 9-18) both in-person and physically in Toronto, and digitally across Canada. Wavelengths - FEATURESFutura (Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi, Alice Rohrwacher)The Girl and the Spider (Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher)Neptune Frost (Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman)A Night of Knowing Nothing (Payal Kapadia)Ste. Anne (Rhayne Vermette)The Tsugua Diaries (Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes)Wavelengths - SHORTSThe Capacity for Adequate Anger (Vika Kirchenbauer)Dear Chantal (Querida Chantal) (Nicolás Pereda)earthearthearth (Daïchi Saïto)Inner Outer Space (Laida Lertxundi)Polycephaly in D (Michael Robinson)“The red filter is withdrawn.” (Minjung Kim)Train Again (Peter Tscherkassky)Midnight Madness After Blue (Dirty Paradise) (Bertrand Mandico)Dashcam (Rob Savage)Saloum (Jean Luc Herbulot)Titane (Julia Ducournau)You Are Not My Mother (Kate Dolan)Zalava (Arsalan Amiri)TIFF DOCSAttica (Stanley Nelson)Beba (Rebeca Huntt)Becoming Cousteau...
- 8/4/2021
- MUBI
Titles include a new film from ‘Host’ director Rob Savage.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has added 35 feature titles to its line-up for 2021, predominantly across the TIFF Docs, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths strands.
The new titles include 11 world premieres, consisting of eight in TIFF Docs and three in Midnight Madness.
Titles in the latter include Dashcam, the new film from Rob Savage, director of 2020 pandemic horror hit Host. Savage was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2013.
Also in the Midnight Madness section is Kate Dolan’s You Are Not My Mother, inspired by the mythology of the Changeling, which...
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has added 35 feature titles to its line-up for 2021, predominantly across the TIFF Docs, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths strands.
The new titles include 11 world premieres, consisting of eight in TIFF Docs and three in Midnight Madness.
Titles in the latter include Dashcam, the new film from Rob Savage, director of 2020 pandemic horror hit Host. Savage was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2013.
Also in the Midnight Madness section is Kate Dolan’s You Are Not My Mother, inspired by the mythology of the Changeling, which...
- 8/4/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
New nonfiction films from directors Liz Garbus, Stanley Nelson, and E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of the TIFF Docs program, TIFF organizers announced on Wednesday.
Nelson’s documentary “Attica” will serve as the opening-night film in the section, while other docs at the festival will include Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau,” Barry Avrich’s “Oscar Peterson: Black + White,” Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G” and Vasarhelyi and Chin’s “Rescue.”
The festival’s Midnight Madness section will open with the Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Titane,” by Julia Ducournau, while TIFF has also added three Special Presentations films that also premiered in Cannes: Nadav Lapid’s “Ahed’s Knee,” Bruno Dumont’s “France” and Ari Folman’s “Where Is Anne Frank?”
In the Contemporary World Cinema section, additions include Juho Kuosmanen’s “Compartment No. 6” and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s “The Gravedigger’s Wife.
Nelson’s documentary “Attica” will serve as the opening-night film in the section, while other docs at the festival will include Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau,” Barry Avrich’s “Oscar Peterson: Black + White,” Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G” and Vasarhelyi and Chin’s “Rescue.”
The festival’s Midnight Madness section will open with the Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Titane,” by Julia Ducournau, while TIFF has also added three Special Presentations films that also premiered in Cannes: Nadav Lapid’s “Ahed’s Knee,” Bruno Dumont’s “France” and Ari Folman’s “Where Is Anne Frank?”
In the Contemporary World Cinema section, additions include Juho Kuosmanen’s “Compartment No. 6” and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s “The Gravedigger’s Wife.
- 8/4/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Toronto International Film Festival announced its section of TIFF Docs presented by A&e IndieFilms, Wavelengths and Midnight Madness sections, and confirmed additions to the Special Presentation and Contemporary World Cinema programs of the fest.
“We’re so proud to present the films selected for the popular programmes TIFF Docs, Wavelengths and Midnight Madness,” stated Joana Vicente, Executive Director and Co-Head. “Always provocative, exhilarating and engaging, this year’s offerings are guaranteed to thrill Festival audiences.”
“As an audience-first film festival, mesmerizing film lovers with boundary-pushing stories is pivotal,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director and Co-Head. “It’s exciting that even in this exceptional time in our industry, we’re able to bring such thought-provoking selections to these coveted TIFF programmes.”
Of note today in the lineup is the international premiere of National Geographic’s documentary Becoming Cousteau from two-time Oscar-nominated and two-time Emmy-winning director Liz Garbus (The Farm, Angola USA,...
“We’re so proud to present the films selected for the popular programmes TIFF Docs, Wavelengths and Midnight Madness,” stated Joana Vicente, Executive Director and Co-Head. “Always provocative, exhilarating and engaging, this year’s offerings are guaranteed to thrill Festival audiences.”
“As an audience-first film festival, mesmerizing film lovers with boundary-pushing stories is pivotal,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director and Co-Head. “It’s exciting that even in this exceptional time in our industry, we’re able to bring such thought-provoking selections to these coveted TIFF programmes.”
Of note today in the lineup is the international premiere of National Geographic’s documentary Becoming Cousteau from two-time Oscar-nominated and two-time Emmy-winning director Liz Garbus (The Farm, Angola USA,...
- 8/4/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Documentary Hold Your Fire directed by Stefan Forbes has nabbed the second annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, a $200,000 finishing grant for a filmmaker who uses original research and compelling narrative to tell stories that touch on an aspect of American history.
Produced by Amir Soltani and Tia Wou, the feature-length doc explores the longest hostage siege in NYPD history in1973 at a Brooklyn sporting goods store and how Harvey Schlossberg, an officer with a doctorate in psychology, averted a bloodbath.
In the incident, four young Black men stealing guns for self-defense were cornered by police. A violent gun battle ensued and soon a police officer lay dead in the freezing rain. Hundreds of officers poured into Williamsburg intent on carrying out then standard NYPD operating procedure: issue an ultimatum, then assault the store with deadly force despite hostages being trapped inside.
Produced by Amir Soltani and Tia Wou, the feature-length doc explores the longest hostage siege in NYPD history in1973 at a Brooklyn sporting goods store and how Harvey Schlossberg, an officer with a doctorate in psychology, averted a bloodbath.
In the incident, four young Black men stealing guns for self-defense were cornered by police. A violent gun battle ensued and soon a police officer lay dead in the freezing rain. Hundreds of officers poured into Williamsburg intent on carrying out then standard NYPD operating procedure: issue an ultimatum, then assault the store with deadly force despite hostages being trapped inside.
- 10/20/2020
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Last week, record turnout for the midterm elections shifted the balance of political power in the United States, swinging the pendulum of public opinion back to the Gop. Despite Jon Stewart’s rally to remind Americans where the common ground exists, the election was a particularly insane clash of sniping and finger-pointing. Rarely does political discourse become a meaningful debate anymore, never more evident than the regularly scheduled shouting matches the television networks pass off as news to fill their 24-hour cycles.
Swirling a veritable maelstrom of spin cycles is Fox News, whose “fair and balanced” motto is more of a punchline than a promise and whose slanted punditry is typically more provocative than it is informative. It’s also a fitting new home for Republican political analyst and now Fox News contributor Karl Rove, the “architect” who made mudslinging an art form and is widely credited for the successful...
Swirling a veritable maelstrom of spin cycles is Fox News, whose “fair and balanced” motto is more of a punchline than a promise and whose slanted punditry is typically more provocative than it is informative. It’s also a fitting new home for Republican political analyst and now Fox News contributor Karl Rove, the “architect” who made mudslinging an art form and is widely credited for the successful...
- 11/11/2010
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
The documentary about Republican strategist Lee Atwater, mentor to George W. Bush and Karl Rove and evil villain to Democrats, is now on DVD. Stefan Forbes' Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story aired on PBS and the BBC, but was recently released as a special director's cut DVD that includes footage that didn't air on TV. Roger Ebert called the film "a fascinating portrait of an almost likable rogue." Here's the trailer:...
- 7/5/2010
- by Andy Dehnart
- Reality Blurred
A year after the 100-day writers strike, Writers Guild of America West President Patric Verrone took to the stage to celebrate achievements made following a February 2008 deal with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers.
“This is our future, and we are embracing it,” Verrone told the congregation, citing a handful of projects written for the Internet. Last year’s ceremony was canceled due to the strike.
Dustin Lance Black won for his original screenplay, Milk, and Simon Beaufoy received the honor for best adapted screenplay, Slumdog Millionaire. The latter looks poised to win the “Best Picture” Oscar on February 22 after sweeping the awards for the Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, and the Golden Globes.
The original screenplay winner has matched the Oscar winner 9 out of the last 14 years. Last year’s winner was Diablo Cody’s Juno. The adapted screenplay...
“This is our future, and we are embracing it,” Verrone told the congregation, citing a handful of projects written for the Internet. Last year’s ceremony was canceled due to the strike.
Dustin Lance Black won for his original screenplay, Milk, and Simon Beaufoy received the honor for best adapted screenplay, Slumdog Millionaire. The latter looks poised to win the “Best Picture” Oscar on February 22 after sweeping the awards for the Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, and the Golden Globes.
The original screenplay winner has matched the Oscar winner 9 out of the last 14 years. Last year’s winner was Diablo Cody’s Juno. The adapted screenplay...
- 2/9/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
"The Dark Knight" has bagged another prestigious awards' nomination. After collecting a nod for its producers from the 20th Producers Guild Awards, the superhero movie starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger earned a 2009 Writers Guild Awards' count for its writers from the Writers Guild of America on Wednesday, January 7.
Contending for the adapted screenplay kudo, "Dark Knight" enlisted its writers team consisting of Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. The trio will be in competition with Eric Roth and Robin Swicord of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", John Patrick Shanley of "Doubt", Peter Morgan of "Frost/Nixon" and Simon Beaufoy of "Slumdog Millionaire".
"Dark Knight" aside, last year WGA Award winners for best adapted screenplay, Joel and Ethan Coen, have once again received a nomination from the WGA. This time, the men behind gritty crime drama "No Country for Old Men" vie for Best Original Screenplay for...
Contending for the adapted screenplay kudo, "Dark Knight" enlisted its writers team consisting of Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. The trio will be in competition with Eric Roth and Robin Swicord of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", John Patrick Shanley of "Doubt", Peter Morgan of "Frost/Nixon" and Simon Beaufoy of "Slumdog Millionaire".
"Dark Knight" aside, last year WGA Award winners for best adapted screenplay, Joel and Ethan Coen, have once again received a nomination from the WGA. This time, the men behind gritty crime drama "No Country for Old Men" vie for Best Original Screenplay for...
- 1/8/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Words. I love them. And if you're reading maybe you do, too. Or do I provide too many photoshop goodies to for any wordy appeal. Never mind. Blogger has decided photos are off limits today. No illustrations for you. The Writers Guild have announced their nominations for this film year and they go like so...
Original Screenplay
Burn After Reading, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen
The Visitor, Tom McCarthy
The Wrestler, Robert Siegel
I knew that Woody Allen would eventually show up. One should never bet against him in the Screenplay races. Remarkably he'd been pretty absent up until now in the precursors. This lineup is bad news for both Jenny Lumet's Rachel Getting Married and Courtney Hunt's Frozen River which had been getting precursor attention. After last year's record making Oscar lineup --three female screenwriters were nominated (for Juno,...
Original Screenplay
Burn After Reading, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen
The Visitor, Tom McCarthy
The Wrestler, Robert Siegel
I knew that Woody Allen would eventually show up. One should never bet against him in the Screenplay races. Remarkably he'd been pretty absent up until now in the precursors. This lineup is bad news for both Jenny Lumet's Rachel Getting Married and Courtney Hunt's Frozen River which had been getting precursor attention. After last year's record making Oscar lineup --three female screenwriters were nominated (for Juno,...
- 1/8/2009
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
"The Dark Knight," "Slumdog Millionaire," "Doubt," "Frost/Nixon," and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" are among the nominees in the Adapted Screenplay category for the WGA's (Writers Guild Awards) 61st Anniversary awards show.
Winners will be announced February 7th, and will be held simultaneously between two ceremonies -- West Coast at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, and the East Coast at the Hudson Theatre at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City.
What about "Milk" or "The Wrestler?" Click Read More to see full list of nominees!
Original Screenplay
Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay...
Winners will be announced February 7th, and will be held simultaneously between two ceremonies -- West Coast at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, and the East Coast at the Hudson Theatre at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City.
What about "Milk" or "The Wrestler?" Click Read More to see full list of nominees!
Original Screenplay
Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay...
- 1/7/2009
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) and the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and have offered up The Dark Knight as a legitimate contender for Best Adapted Screenplay by making it one of their five nominees in the category. On top of that my favorite film of the year, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, saw Woody Allen's screenplay nominated for original screenplay along with a few you may not have expected. As Ryan Adams at AwardsDaily points out, this is Woody's 19th WGA nom and could potentially lead to his 15th Best Screenplay Oscar nomination on top of his two Oscar wins. The complete lists for Original, Adapted and Documentary Screenplay noms are below. Winners will be honored at the 2009 Writers Guild Awards held on Saturday, February 7, 2009, at simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles. Original Screenplay Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Focus Features Milk,...
- 1/7/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Writers Guild of America has announced their nominations for outstanding achievements in screen writing during 2008. The ceremonies will be held simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles on February 7, 2009.
It looks like the WGA was a little more careful this year and put the titles in alphabetical order. Last year the original list was in no particular order other than the obvious “most votes” to “least votes” ranking, which turned out to be true when the statues were awarded to Juno and No Country for Old Men.
Here are the nominees for 2009:
Original Screenplay:
Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen
The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy
The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel
Adapted Screenplay:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord...
It looks like the WGA was a little more careful this year and put the titles in alphabetical order. Last year the original list was in no particular order other than the obvious “most votes” to “least votes” ranking, which turned out to be true when the statues were awarded to Juno and No Country for Old Men.
Here are the nominees for 2009:
Original Screenplay:
Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen
The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy
The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel
Adapted Screenplay:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord...
- 1/7/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
Original Screenplay
Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures
The Dark Knight, Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane, Warner Bros. Pictures
Doubt, Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play, Miramax Films
Frost/Nixon, Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play, Universal Pictures
Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Documentary Screenplay
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Written by Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker, InterPositive Media
Chicago 10, Written by Brett Morgen, Roadside Attractions
Fuel, Written by Johnny O'Hara, Greenlight Theatrical / Intention Media
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Screenplay by Alex Gibney, From the Words of Hunter S. Thompson, Magnolia Pictures
Waltz with Bashir, Written by Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics...
Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures
The Dark Knight, Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane, Warner Bros. Pictures
Doubt, Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play, Miramax Films
Frost/Nixon, Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play, Universal Pictures
Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Documentary Screenplay
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Written by Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker, InterPositive Media
Chicago 10, Written by Brett Morgen, Roadside Attractions
Fuel, Written by Johnny O'Hara, Greenlight Theatrical / Intention Media
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Screenplay by Alex Gibney, From the Words of Hunter S. Thompson, Magnolia Pictures
Waltz with Bashir, Written by Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics...
- 1/7/2009
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
Joel and Ethan Coen, who won the WGA Award for best adapted screenplay last year for "No Country for Old Men," were nominated in the original category for their CIA comedy "Burn After Reading" on Wednesday as the WGA announced its 2009 film nominees.
Their fellow nominees in the original category include Dustin Lance Black for "Milk," Woody Allen for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Tom McCarthy for "The Visitor" and Robert Siegel for "The Wrestler."
In the adapted screenplay category, the nominees are "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," screenplay by Eric Roth, story by Roth and Robin Swicord, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald; "The Dark Knight," screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer, based on characters, created by Bob Kane, appearing in the DC Comics comic books; "Doubt," screenplay by John Patrick Shanley based on his play; "Frost/Nixon," screenplay...
Their fellow nominees in the original category include Dustin Lance Black for "Milk," Woody Allen for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Tom McCarthy for "The Visitor" and Robert Siegel for "The Wrestler."
In the adapted screenplay category, the nominees are "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," screenplay by Eric Roth, story by Roth and Robin Swicord, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald; "The Dark Knight," screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer, based on characters, created by Bob Kane, appearing in the DC Comics comic books; "Doubt," screenplay by John Patrick Shanley based on his play; "Frost/Nixon," screenplay...
- 1/7/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Man on Wire
Photo: Magnolia Pictures I would say Man on Wire as well as Wall-e are pretty much the only two films I feel are a lock for Oscars come February 22 in Best Documentary and Best Animated Feature respectively. Of course Kung Fu Panda is knocking on Wall-e's door after the Annie Award nominations and one cannot count out the potential for Waltz with Bashir to do what Persepolis could not last year - knock Pixar off its high horse as an Academy Award sure bet. Tying with Man on Wire, the best reviewed film of all-time at Rotten Tomatoes, as best feature documentary is a pretty good start. Of course, being a best documentary and being best animated film is hardly an equal comparison, but buzz is buzz as the International Documentary Association handed out their awards on Friday, December 5 awarding the best docs of 2008. Seeing how I...
Photo: Magnolia Pictures I would say Man on Wire as well as Wall-e are pretty much the only two films I feel are a lock for Oscars come February 22 in Best Documentary and Best Animated Feature respectively. Of course Kung Fu Panda is knocking on Wall-e's door after the Annie Award nominations and one cannot count out the potential for Waltz with Bashir to do what Persepolis could not last year - knock Pixar off its high horse as an Academy Award sure bet. Tying with Man on Wire, the best reviewed film of all-time at Rotten Tomatoes, as best feature documentary is a pretty good start. Of course, being a best documentary and being best animated film is hardly an equal comparison, but buzz is buzz as the International Documentary Association handed out their awards on Friday, December 5 awarding the best docs of 2008. Seeing how I...
- 12/7/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
- James Marsh's Man On Wire and Ari Folman's Waltz With Bashir have tied for the International Documentary Association’s 2008 Ida Documentary Awards Best Doc of the Year award. The duel winners were in a final noms category with Kassim The Dream, Stranded and Young @ Heart. Other winners include Chris Taylor's Food Fight which picked up the Audience Award and Stefan Forbes picked up the Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Filmmaker Award for his docu Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story....
- 12/6/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
Influential Republican operative and all-around evil genius Lee Atwater was a man of contradictions: In 1990, he released an album of classic R&B covers called Red Hot & Blue with help from Isaac Hayes, B.B, King, and Billy Preston, yet his deep love of African-American culture and music didn't keep him from making scowling black rapist/murderer Willie Horton a household name, cannily exploiting racism while running George H.W. Bush's successful 1988 presidential campaign. Stefan Forbes' conventional but absorbing documentary Boogie Man chronicles Atwater's meteoric rise from wisecracking Southern good ol' boy to top political consultant. Atwater emerges as a complex figure, a backstabbing Iago who plotted furtively against mentor Ed Rollins and taught the dark art of manipulating public opinion to protégé Karl Rove. At the height of his personal and professional success, Atwater was stricken with a fatal brain tumor that was treated with steroids, which in turn.
- 10/30/2008
- by Nathan Rabin
- avclub.com
Stefan Forbes is a courageous documentarian that says what he believes and believes what he says. In his latest effort, Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story he sheds a microscopic light over the life of the Republican Party’s last rock star, Lee Atwater. While working on both the Reagan and Bush (the first one) campaigns, Atwater found ways to persuade an impressionable American public by using tactically fabricated realities to sway their vote. Though his methods were hardly admirable, they were powerful in the sense that the fables he concocted were not only believed by Americans, but completely accepted on a national level. Boogie Man reveals the web of lies surrounding Atwater’s systematic stranglehold on Washington for more than a decade, right up to his shocking demise. Forbes provides us with a...
- 10/29/2008
- The Scorecard Review
The International Documentary Assn. on Tuesday announced its nominees for the 2008 Ida Documentary Awards. The honors will be bestowed Dec. 5 during a ceremony hosted by director Morgan Spurlock at DGA headquarters.
Features up for distinguished documentary achievement are the boxing biopic "Kassim the Dream"; "Man on Wire," James Marsh's look at Philippe Petit's Twin Towers high-wire stunt; "Stranded: I Have Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains," the chronicle of the infamous 1972 Andes plane crash; the animated war memories of "Waltz With Bashir"; and "Young@Heart," the look at singing senior citizens.
Werner Herzog will receive the Career Achievement award; Rob Epstein will receive the Pioneer Award; Sam Pollard will receive the inaugural Avid Excellence in Editing award; and Stefan Forbes ("Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story") will receive the Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Filmmaker award.
Spurlock most recently made "Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?...
Features up for distinguished documentary achievement are the boxing biopic "Kassim the Dream"; "Man on Wire," James Marsh's look at Philippe Petit's Twin Towers high-wire stunt; "Stranded: I Have Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains," the chronicle of the infamous 1972 Andes plane crash; the animated war memories of "Waltz With Bashir"; and "Young@Heart," the look at singing senior citizens.
Werner Herzog will receive the Career Achievement award; Rob Epstein will receive the Pioneer Award; Sam Pollard will receive the inaugural Avid Excellence in Editing award; and Stefan Forbes ("Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story") will receive the Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Filmmaker award.
Spurlock most recently made "Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?...
- 10/28/2008
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"I think until Democrats take Lee Atwater seriously and study his playbook, they're going to have a hard time on the national level." That's what filmmaker Stefan Forbes told me in a telephone conversation on Thursday. Forbes's new documentary Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (InterPositive Media) is set to open this weekend in Los Angeles and Columbia, S.C. The movie chronicles the life of brilliant Republican political consultant Lee Atwater who rose to power in the 1970s and 1980s and reached his pinnacle by masterminding President George H. W. Bush's defeat of Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election. Soon after the victory, he was named chairman of the Republican National Committee, but he was tragically diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1990 and died in March of 1991.
- 10/3/2008
- by Steve Mason
- fantasymoguls.com
"Lee Atwater destroyed the business of politics by going negative," said Terry MacAuliffe yesterday, introducing an Impact Film Festival screening of Stefan Forbes' Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story. "Democrats don't fight hard enough. They play tougher on the other side. The bottom line is that these guys will do anything to win." Forbes' film, which caused such a ruckus at its premiere in June at the Los Angeles Film F ...
- 8/27/2008
- by Karina Longworth
- Spout
By Stephen Saito
Last year, "Young@Heart" caused ripples when it sold to Fox Searchlight to become the first distribution deal to emerge from the L.A. Film Festival, so perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the festival put documentaries front and center this year, even in a city where there's no shortage of name actors that most other festivals would deploy to lure audiences. Instead, one of the more anticipated star attractions in Los Angeles was a talk with HBO documentary czar Sheila Nevins, who participated in a wide-ranging conversation with L.A. Times columnist Patrick Goldstein about her career of mixing high class projects like the recent doc "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" with, well, "Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal," which premiered at the festival hours after Nevins finished up. (The latest from "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato,...
Last year, "Young@Heart" caused ripples when it sold to Fox Searchlight to become the first distribution deal to emerge from the L.A. Film Festival, so perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the festival put documentaries front and center this year, even in a city where there's no shortage of name actors that most other festivals would deploy to lure audiences. Instead, one of the more anticipated star attractions in Los Angeles was a talk with HBO documentary czar Sheila Nevins, who participated in a wide-ranging conversation with L.A. Times columnist Patrick Goldstein about her career of mixing high class projects like the recent doc "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" with, well, "Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal," which premiered at the festival hours after Nevins finished up. (The latest from "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato,...
- 7/2/2008
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
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