There’s a lot to enjoy, but nothing new, in this documentary that focuses on a key transitional period in Muhammad Ali’s life
Here to prove you can never have enough documentaries about Muhammad Ali is New York director Muta’Ali Muhammad, who has made a new film on the subject for the US’s Smithsonian Channel; it is entertaining, but perhaps unsure of what exactly it’s saying that is new. It focuses on the legendary boxer’s public life from 1959 to 1964, as he negotiated a new existence as world champion and member of the Nation of Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay to (initially) Cassius X in a key transitional moment. It is written by Scottish author and producer Stuart Cosgrove, adapting his own 2020 book Cassius X: A Legend in the Making.
This perfectly watchable film moves with breezy fluency from Ali’s early years, the sensational...
Here to prove you can never have enough documentaries about Muhammad Ali is New York director Muta’Ali Muhammad, who has made a new film on the subject for the US’s Smithsonian Channel; it is entertaining, but perhaps unsure of what exactly it’s saying that is new. It focuses on the legendary boxer’s public life from 1959 to 1964, as he negotiated a new existence as world champion and member of the Nation of Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay to (initially) Cassius X in a key transitional moment. It is written by Scottish author and producer Stuart Cosgrove, adapting his own 2020 book Cassius X: A Legend in the Making.
This perfectly watchable film moves with breezy fluency from Ali’s early years, the sensational...
- 10/11/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Flattering biopic zooms entertainingly through an extraordinary, switchback career
The extraordinary and long-gestating comeback story of heavyweight boxing champ George Foreman has taken a long time to tell, perhaps because he has lived his life in Muhammad Ali’s shade, especially since Ali’s sensational underdog victory over him in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle. In movie terms, Leon Gast’s thrilling 1996 documentary When We Were Kings turned Foreman into the bad guy who deserved to lose – particularly the nasty macho detail about Foreman having a German shepherd on a lead when he turned up in Zaire for the fight.
That dog does not appear in this watchable, celebratory biopic from director and co-screenwriter George Tillman Jr, with Foreman credited as executive producer. Khris Davis plays Foreman; Forest Whitaker plays his trainer Doc Broadus and Sonja Sohn is his mother Nancy. The movie thumps through successive events of Foreman’s amazing life in efficient,...
The extraordinary and long-gestating comeback story of heavyweight boxing champ George Foreman has taken a long time to tell, perhaps because he has lived his life in Muhammad Ali’s shade, especially since Ali’s sensational underdog victory over him in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle. In movie terms, Leon Gast’s thrilling 1996 documentary When We Were Kings turned Foreman into the bad guy who deserved to lose – particularly the nasty macho detail about Foreman having a German shepherd on a lead when he turned up in Zaire for the fight.
That dog does not appear in this watchable, celebratory biopic from director and co-screenwriter George Tillman Jr, with Foreman credited as executive producer. Khris Davis plays Foreman; Forest Whitaker plays his trainer Doc Broadus and Sonja Sohn is his mother Nancy. The movie thumps through successive events of Foreman’s amazing life in efficient,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
On the heels of crowning the class of 2023, Variety is marking 25 years of keeping a keen eye on the next generation of filmmakers with its annual 10 Directors to Watch franchise.
Over the past quarter-century, the editorial initiative has cast an important career spotlight on such future boldface-name directors as Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan, Ava DuVernay, Wes Anderson, Chloé Zhao, Barry Jenkins, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Steve McQueen, Taika Waititi, Kasi Lemmons, Michael Winterbottom, Sarah Polley, Catherine Hardwicke, Lulu Wang, Jay Chandrasekhar, David Gordon Green and Fernando Meirelles.
The scouting for 10 Directors to Watch goes on all year among Variety‘s editorial staff. The series was birthed in January 1997 by veteran Variety editor Steven Gaydos, executive VP of global content and leader of the Focus features department. The goal is to identify hot helmers before they pick up any significant hardware — aka major award wins, Gaydos said.
Variety‘s Steven Gaydos
“We look for a distinctive voice,...
Over the past quarter-century, the editorial initiative has cast an important career spotlight on such future boldface-name directors as Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan, Ava DuVernay, Wes Anderson, Chloé Zhao, Barry Jenkins, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Steve McQueen, Taika Waititi, Kasi Lemmons, Michael Winterbottom, Sarah Polley, Catherine Hardwicke, Lulu Wang, Jay Chandrasekhar, David Gordon Green and Fernando Meirelles.
The scouting for 10 Directors to Watch goes on all year among Variety‘s editorial staff. The series was birthed in January 1997 by veteran Variety editor Steven Gaydos, executive VP of global content and leader of the Focus features department. The goal is to identify hot helmers before they pick up any significant hardware — aka major award wins, Gaydos said.
Variety‘s Steven Gaydos
“We look for a distinctive voice,...
- 1/8/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
It may be sacrilege to say this: but I’d rather watch Cate Blanchett in a “Documentary Now!” episode than conducting the Berlin Phil while harassing young female virtuosos in the hysteria-tinged arthouse Oscar bait “Tár.”
Among the double Oscar winner’s finest roles was her take last season on the self-serious Serbian conceptual artist Marina Abramovich in the breathlessly hilarious “Waiting for the Artist.” Now, in the new Season 4 (or “Season 53” as the producers tease) premiering Oct. 19 on IFC, Blanchett returns. She plays a forlorn, bespectacled village hairdresser in a riff on beauty-themed docs, “Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport,” opposite “Succession’s” eat-her-young matriarch Lady Caroline Collingwood (Harriet Walter).
Perhaps it all comes down to taste, but I can’t imagine Blanchett better than the wildly freeing, reality-rooted comic performances to which she fully commits here. “Carol?” Not hardly.
The series is the brainchild of Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas.
Among the double Oscar winner’s finest roles was her take last season on the self-serious Serbian conceptual artist Marina Abramovich in the breathlessly hilarious “Waiting for the Artist.” Now, in the new Season 4 (or “Season 53” as the producers tease) premiering Oct. 19 on IFC, Blanchett returns. She plays a forlorn, bespectacled village hairdresser in a riff on beauty-themed docs, “Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport,” opposite “Succession’s” eat-her-young matriarch Lady Caroline Collingwood (Harriet Walter).
Perhaps it all comes down to taste, but I can’t imagine Blanchett better than the wildly freeing, reality-rooted comic performances to which she fully commits here. “Carol?” Not hardly.
The series is the brainchild of Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas.
- 10/19/2022
- by Thelma Adams
- The Wrap
When you make a movie with Michael Mann, you're likely going to become an expert in your character's field of expertise. James Caan had to study safecracking to a level where he could actually pull off a job. The cops and crooks in "Heat" went through such rigorous firearms training, Val Kilmer's on-the-fly reload mid-shootout has been singled out as textbook by military instructors. So when Will Smith got cast as Muhammad Ali, the preternaturally skilled heavyweight champion, Mann had him bulk up and get in the ring with prominent boxing contenders.
Though Mann's "Ali" was generally well-received when it was released in 2001, critics complained that it essentially told the same "Rumble in the Jungle" story as Leon Gast's Oscar-winning 1996 documentary, "When We Were Kings." In doing so, they overlooked what is easily the most technically detailed and accurate dramatization of "the sweet science" ever put to film.
Though Mann's "Ali" was generally well-received when it was released in 2001, critics complained that it essentially told the same "Rumble in the Jungle" story as Leon Gast's Oscar-winning 1996 documentary, "When We Were Kings." In doing so, they overlooked what is easily the most technically detailed and accurate dramatization of "the sweet science" ever put to film.
- 9/27/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Exclusive: The Woodstock Film Festival will give honorary awards to Ethan Hawke, Awkwafina, Leave No Trace director Debra Granik and IFC Films president Arianna Bocco this fall.
The festival’s 23rd annual edition is set to run from September 28 to October 2. The awards ceremony, a consistent industry draw over the years given the fest’s location two hours north of New York City, is also set to feature appearances by actresses Amanda Seyfried and Vera Farmiga as well as filmmaker Marina Zenovich.
Hawke is receiving Woodstock’s Maverick Award, which goes to “a leader and a visionary in the film and media arts who exhibits fierce and independent spirit, strong artistic vision, and the pursuit of positive change.” The four-time Oscar nominee is also a screenwriter, director, producer, and best-selling novelist. He recently directed the well-received HBO Max docuseries The Last Movie Stars, about Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. Hawke...
The festival’s 23rd annual edition is set to run from September 28 to October 2. The awards ceremony, a consistent industry draw over the years given the fest’s location two hours north of New York City, is also set to feature appearances by actresses Amanda Seyfried and Vera Farmiga as well as filmmaker Marina Zenovich.
Hawke is receiving Woodstock’s Maverick Award, which goes to “a leader and a visionary in the film and media arts who exhibits fierce and independent spirit, strong artistic vision, and the pursuit of positive change.” The four-time Oscar nominee is also a screenwriter, director, producer, and best-selling novelist. He recently directed the well-received HBO Max docuseries The Last Movie Stars, about Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. Hawke...
- 8/18/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning guest curator for 2022’s Sheffield DocFest, has unveiled his program A Documentary Journey with Asif Kapadia.
Kapadia, who is best known for his documentaries ‘Amy,’ about Amy Winehouse, and ‘Senna’ about Brazilian motor-racing champion Ayrton Senna, opened the last in-person iteration of Sheffield DocFest in 2019 with his feature about legendary Argentine footballer Diego Maradona.
The festival, now in its 29th year, was digital only in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Featuring “films that have had significant impact for him, inspiring his own style and creative choices as a filmmaker,” Kapadia has selected eight documentaries for the series, including “When We Were Kings” about Muhammad Ali (pictured above).
“Without this film, there would be no ‘Amy.’ There would be no ‘Senna.’ There would be no ‘Diego Maradona,’” said Kapadia of the Ali feature.
“This selection is personal to me, as someone who grew up in Hackney in the 1970s and 1980s,...
Kapadia, who is best known for his documentaries ‘Amy,’ about Amy Winehouse, and ‘Senna’ about Brazilian motor-racing champion Ayrton Senna, opened the last in-person iteration of Sheffield DocFest in 2019 with his feature about legendary Argentine footballer Diego Maradona.
The festival, now in its 29th year, was digital only in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Featuring “films that have had significant impact for him, inspiring his own style and creative choices as a filmmaker,” Kapadia has selected eight documentaries for the series, including “When We Were Kings” about Muhammad Ali (pictured above).
“Without this film, there would be no ‘Amy.’ There would be no ‘Senna.’ There would be no ‘Diego Maradona,’” said Kapadia of the Ali feature.
“This selection is personal to me, as someone who grew up in Hackney in the 1970s and 1980s,...
- 5/9/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Ron Galella, the paparazzi photographer who pioneered the controversial art of candid celebrity imagery, died Saturday at his home in Montville, N.J. He was 91.
The New York Times said he died of congestive heart failure.
Galella was best-known for his years-long pursuit of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whom he photographed relentlessly throughout the ’70s. One of his photos of Onassis, with windswept hair outside her Manhattan apartment, is widely regarded as one of the most famous paparazzi images of all time. They went to court in 1972, with a judge declaring that Galella must stay 25 feet away from Onassis and 30 feet from her children. Although he violated the order numerous times, he eventually ceased his pursuit of the former First Lady in 1981, when a judge threatened to throw him in jail for 60 years if he did not comply with the order.
The photographer also made headlines in 1973, when...
The New York Times said he died of congestive heart failure.
Galella was best-known for his years-long pursuit of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whom he photographed relentlessly throughout the ’70s. One of his photos of Onassis, with windswept hair outside her Manhattan apartment, is widely regarded as one of the most famous paparazzi images of all time. They went to court in 1972, with a judge declaring that Galella must stay 25 feet away from Onassis and 30 feet from her children. Although he violated the order numerous times, he eventually ceased his pursuit of the former First Lady in 1981, when a judge threatened to throw him in jail for 60 years if he did not comply with the order.
The photographer also made headlines in 1973, when...
- 5/3/2022
- by Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
Ron Galella, a controversial photographer of celebrities whose work often rose to the level of fine art, has died, according to a post on his Facebook page. He died April 29 at 91.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Galella had contentious relationships with many celebrities, including Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley, Sean Penn, Elizabeth Taylor and, most of all, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. His bio on his personal web site proudly states, “Galella had five teeth knocked out and suffered a broken jaw by the hand of a cowardly Marlon Brando who sucker-punched him. He also endured another serious beating by Richard Burton’s bodyguards en route to his hotel – with a brief stop-over to a Mexican jail cell. Further, Galella was also involved in two high-profile legal battles with Jackie Onassis.”
Galella had a unique obsession with Onassis. The New York Post called it “the most co-dependent celeb-pap relationship ever.” Time...
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Galella had contentious relationships with many celebrities, including Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley, Sean Penn, Elizabeth Taylor and, most of all, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. His bio on his personal web site proudly states, “Galella had five teeth knocked out and suffered a broken jaw by the hand of a cowardly Marlon Brando who sucker-punched him. He also endured another serious beating by Richard Burton’s bodyguards en route to his hotel – with a brief stop-over to a Mexican jail cell. Further, Galella was also involved in two high-profile legal battles with Jackie Onassis.”
Galella had a unique obsession with Onassis. The New York Post called it “the most co-dependent celeb-pap relationship ever.” Time...
- 5/2/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
The Woodstock Film Festival has announced the slate for its 22nd edition, with 11 world premieres among the 43 features on the bill.
The festival will take place September 29 to October 3 in three Hudson Valley communities about two hours north of New York City. In-person screenings and events will be featured throughout the fest’s five days, but online options will also enable attendees to connect amid the ongoing challenges of Covid-19.
Panels, concerts and comedy sets along with film screenings are planned in Woodstock, Kingston and Saugerties. Neon chief Tom Quinn is slated to receive the festival’s Honorary Trailblazer Award, an honor announced in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic.
The festival will kick off with Fanny: The Right to Rock, a documentary about a pathbreaking Filipina-American garage band, with a performance by some of the band’s members following the screening. Music is an annual touchstone for Woodstock’s lineup,...
The festival will take place September 29 to October 3 in three Hudson Valley communities about two hours north of New York City. In-person screenings and events will be featured throughout the fest’s five days, but online options will also enable attendees to connect amid the ongoing challenges of Covid-19.
Panels, concerts and comedy sets along with film screenings are planned in Woodstock, Kingston and Saugerties. Neon chief Tom Quinn is slated to receive the festival’s Honorary Trailblazer Award, an honor announced in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic.
The festival will kick off with Fanny: The Right to Rock, a documentary about a pathbreaking Filipina-American garage band, with a performance by some of the band’s members following the screening. Music is an annual touchstone for Woodstock’s lineup,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
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“Mike Tyson: The Knockout” offers a ringside seat into the highs and lows of a legendary boxing career. The two-part documentary premieres on ABC on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Et, but if you miss the live airing, you can catch it on Hulu the following day.
The four-hour documentary chronicles Tyson’s “climb, crash, and comeback,” and details everything from his tough childhood to reaching world champion status. The documentary also covers Tyson’s 1992 rape conviction and personal struggles. Part two of “The Knockout” debuts on ABC on June 1, and will be available to stream on Hulu the next day. Tyson appears in the documentary, along with Rosie Perez, ESPN’s Jeremy Schapp,...
“Mike Tyson: The Knockout” offers a ringside seat into the highs and lows of a legendary boxing career. The two-part documentary premieres on ABC on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Et, but if you miss the live airing, you can catch it on Hulu the following day.
The four-hour documentary chronicles Tyson’s “climb, crash, and comeback,” and details everything from his tough childhood to reaching world champion status. The documentary also covers Tyson’s 1992 rape conviction and personal struggles. Part two of “The Knockout” debuts on ABC on June 1, and will be available to stream on Hulu the next day. Tyson appears in the documentary, along with Rosie Perez, ESPN’s Jeremy Schapp,...
- 5/25/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Who will be included for the special “In Memoriam” segment for Sunday night’s Oscars 2021 ceremony? With last year’s Academy Awards happening over 14 months ago, it means an even larger number of film veterans have died. Producers will hopefully be offering a longer remembrance and not leaving out people for the sake of time.
Superstar actor Chadwick Boseman died late last summer and is a nominee as Best Actor for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Previous Oscar winners from acting categories show who will likely be honored include Sean Connery, Olivia de Havilland, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Plummer. Past acting nominees include Hal Holbrook, Ian Holm, Shirley Knight, George Segal, Cicely Tyson, Max von Sydow and Stuart Whitman.
SEE2021 Oscars presenters: Last year’s winners Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern, Brad Pitt returning
Almost all of the near 100 people on the list below were Academy members.
Superstar actor Chadwick Boseman died late last summer and is a nominee as Best Actor for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Previous Oscar winners from acting categories show who will likely be honored include Sean Connery, Olivia de Havilland, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Plummer. Past acting nominees include Hal Holbrook, Ian Holm, Shirley Knight, George Segal, Cicely Tyson, Max von Sydow and Stuart Whitman.
SEE2021 Oscars presenters: Last year’s winners Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern, Brad Pitt returning
Almost all of the near 100 people on the list below were Academy members.
- 4/23/2021
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Leon Gast, the director of the Oscar-winning documentary “When We Were Kings,” about Muhammad Ali’s iconic “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match, has died. He was 85.
Gast died on Monday at his home in Woodstock, NY following a long illness, according to the Woodstock Film Festival, of which Gast was a member of the advisory board.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Academy Award-winning documentarian Leon Gast,” the festival tweeted. “Leon passed away peacefully this morning at his home. A longtime resident of Woodstock, Leon was one of the festival’s earliest friends and supporters. He will be missed dearly.”
Gast was in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974 attempting to tell a story about a music festival happening in the country before he turned his attention to the fight in which Ali won back the heavyweight title from George Foreman. He would spend over two decades working to complete the film,...
Gast died on Monday at his home in Woodstock, NY following a long illness, according to the Woodstock Film Festival, of which Gast was a member of the advisory board.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Academy Award-winning documentarian Leon Gast,” the festival tweeted. “Leon passed away peacefully this morning at his home. A longtime resident of Woodstock, Leon was one of the festival’s earliest friends and supporters. He will be missed dearly.”
Gast was in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974 attempting to tell a story about a music festival happening in the country before he turned his attention to the fight in which Ali won back the heavyweight title from George Foreman. He would spend over two decades working to complete the film,...
- 3/9/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Leon Gast, the veteran filmmaker who won a Documentary Feature Oscar for helming the 1996 “Rumble in the Jungle” pic When We Were Kings, died Monday. He was 85.
The news was confirmed by the Woodstock Film Festival, of which Gast was a founding advisory board member and a 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree.
Gast also won a Spirit Award, a Sundance Special Jury prize and a DGA Award nomination for When We Were Kings, which he also produced and edited. It told the fascinating story about the 1974 heavyweight title fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The filmmaker later produced and directed The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), which aired the following year on PBS as under the Independent Lens banner. Gast won a News & Documentary Emmy and an International Documentary Association Award for that project.
Gast began his movie career after working for an ad agency in New...
The news was confirmed by the Woodstock Film Festival, of which Gast was a founding advisory board member and a 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree.
Gast also won a Spirit Award, a Sundance Special Jury prize and a DGA Award nomination for When We Were Kings, which he also produced and edited. It told the fascinating story about the 1974 heavyweight title fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The filmmaker later produced and directed The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), which aired the following year on PBS as under the Independent Lens banner. Gast won a News & Documentary Emmy and an International Documentary Association Award for that project.
Gast began his movie career after working for an ad agency in New...
- 3/9/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Leon Gast, the Academy Award-winning director behind sport documentary “When We Were Kings,” died on Monday, according to Meira Blaustein, his close friend and the co-founder of Woodstock Film Festival. He was 85.
Blaustein shared the news of Gast’s death in a Facebook post. “He was a giant of a filmmaker, an absolute joy of a human being, and a very dear and beloved friend,” Blaustein wrote. “I am so grateful that I got to visit with him yesterday, tell him how much I loved him, how much he meant to all of us. I only wish I had stayed longer.”
“When We Were Kings,” which won best documentary feature at the 1997 Oscars, explores the iconic boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali that took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974. Featuring historical footage and new interviews, the doc also examines the...
Blaustein shared the news of Gast’s death in a Facebook post. “He was a giant of a filmmaker, an absolute joy of a human being, and a very dear and beloved friend,” Blaustein wrote. “I am so grateful that I got to visit with him yesterday, tell him how much I loved him, how much he meant to all of us. I only wish I had stayed longer.”
“When We Were Kings,” which won best documentary feature at the 1997 Oscars, explores the iconic boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali that took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974. Featuring historical footage and new interviews, the doc also examines the...
- 3/9/2021
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- Variety Film + TV
Leon Gast, the celebrated Oscar-winning documentarian behind When We Were Kings, which chronicled the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, has died. He was 85.
Gast died Monday, according to his friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. No other details of his death were immediately available.
Gast also executive produced Bill Siegel’s 2013 PBS documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, which was awarded a news and documentary Emmy. His final film, Manny (2014), co-directed with Ryan Moore, centered on another champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
When We Were Kings (1996) received special jury recognition at Sundance en route to ...
Gast died Monday, according to his friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. No other details of his death were immediately available.
Gast also executive produced Bill Siegel’s 2013 PBS documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, which was awarded a news and documentary Emmy. His final film, Manny (2014), co-directed with Ryan Moore, centered on another champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
When We Were Kings (1996) received special jury recognition at Sundance en route to ...
Leon Gast, the celebrated Oscar-winning documentarian behind When We Were Kings, which chronicled the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, has died. He was 85.
Gast died Monday, according to his friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. No other details of his death were immediately available.
Gast also executive produced Bill Siegel’s 2013 PBS documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, which was awarded a news and documentary Emmy. His final film, Manny (2014), co-directed with Ryan Moore, centered on another champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
When We Were Kings (1996) received special jury recognition at Sundance en route to ...
Gast died Monday, according to his friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. No other details of his death were immediately available.
Gast also executive produced Bill Siegel’s 2013 PBS documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, which was awarded a news and documentary Emmy. His final film, Manny (2014), co-directed with Ryan Moore, centered on another champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
When We Were Kings (1996) received special jury recognition at Sundance en route to ...
The director of Sergio and many docs talks about docs and movies taken from true stories.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sergio (2009)
Sergio (2020)
Reds (1981)
The Two Popes (2019)
Rules Don’t Apply (2016)
Bulworth (1998)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Innerspace (1987)
Ishtar (1987)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Man On Wire (2008)
The Fog of War (2003)
American Dharma (2018)
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (2016)
The Killing Fields (1984)
The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)
Under Fire (1983)
Salvador (1986)
The Quiet American (2002)
The Quiet American (1958)
A Private War (2018)
The War Room (1993)
The Final Year (2017)
Independence Day (1996)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Bloodsport (1988)
Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996)
When We Were Kings (1996)
Soul Power (2008)
High School (1968)
Hospital (1970)
Titicut Follies (1967)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007)
Before Night Falls (2000)
At Eternity’s Gate (2018)
American Factory (2019)
Dina (2017)
Honeyland (2019)
The Act of Killing (2012)
The English Patient (1996)
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Purple Noon (1960)
Other Notable Items
Sergio Aragonés
Wagner Moura
Narcos TV...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sergio (2009)
Sergio (2020)
Reds (1981)
The Two Popes (2019)
Rules Don’t Apply (2016)
Bulworth (1998)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Innerspace (1987)
Ishtar (1987)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Man On Wire (2008)
The Fog of War (2003)
American Dharma (2018)
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (2016)
The Killing Fields (1984)
The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)
Under Fire (1983)
Salvador (1986)
The Quiet American (2002)
The Quiet American (1958)
A Private War (2018)
The War Room (1993)
The Final Year (2017)
Independence Day (1996)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Bloodsport (1988)
Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996)
When We Were Kings (1996)
Soul Power (2008)
High School (1968)
Hospital (1970)
Titicut Follies (1967)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007)
Before Night Falls (2000)
At Eternity’s Gate (2018)
American Factory (2019)
Dina (2017)
Honeyland (2019)
The Act of Killing (2012)
The English Patient (1996)
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Purple Noon (1960)
Other Notable Items
Sergio Aragonés
Wagner Moura
Narcos TV...
- 7/14/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
At long last, Criterion has revealed its 1,000th entry to be the ultimate “Godzilla” collection, with all 15 films of the Japanese monster series’ original Showa era films beautifully burnished for the first time. This massive set, with all films digitally restored, ranges from Ishirō Honda’s 1954 original-that-started-it-all “Godzilla” to Honda’s 1975 “Terror of Mechagodzilla,” which was his directorial swan song.
Also featured in the set are such iconic Godzilla face-offs as “King Kong vs. Godzilla” (1963), “Mothra vs. Godzilla” (1964), “Godzilla vs. Gigan” (1972), “Godzilla vs. Megalon” (1973) and more.
Criterion promises “a landmark set showcasing the technical wizardry, fantastical storytelling, and indomitable international appeal that established the most iconic giant monster the cinema has ever seen.”
The series has featured its fair share of imitations and reboots over the years, including this year’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” whose director, Michael Dougherty modeled the creature design for his film after the 1954 version...
Also featured in the set are such iconic Godzilla face-offs as “King Kong vs. Godzilla” (1963), “Mothra vs. Godzilla” (1964), “Godzilla vs. Gigan” (1972), “Godzilla vs. Megalon” (1973) and more.
Criterion promises “a landmark set showcasing the technical wizardry, fantastical storytelling, and indomitable international appeal that established the most iconic giant monster the cinema has ever seen.”
The series has featured its fair share of imitations and reboots over the years, including this year’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” whose director, Michael Dougherty modeled the creature design for his film after the 1954 version...
- 7/25/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
When We Were Kings, the Oscar-winning documentary about Muhammed Ali and George Foreman’s legendary “Rumble in the Jungle,” is being adapted into a Broadway musical.
Held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974, the Rumble in the Jungle remains one of the most famous boxing bouts of all time with Ali knocking out Foreman, who was up until then the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. Leon Gast directed When We Were Kings, which was released in 1996 and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary.
When We Were Kings...
Held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974, the Rumble in the Jungle remains one of the most famous boxing bouts of all time with Ali knocking out Foreman, who was up until then the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. Leon Gast directed When We Were Kings, which was released in 1996 and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary.
When We Were Kings...
- 11/29/2018
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Could Muhammad Ali be headed to Broadway? Producer David Sonenberg is developing a musical stage adaptation of the 1996, Oscar-winning documentary “When We Were Kings,” it was announced Thursday.
“When We Were Kings” documents the legendary 1974 fight between Ali and George Foreman, better known as “The Rumble in the Jungle,” that was held in Zaire, Africa. Sonenberg, who executive produced the documentary directed by Leon Gast, is now bringing it to the stage with a workshop scheduled for spring 2019 and plans for a full stage musical production the following year.
The book for the musical is adapted from the film and is written by Shelley Marcus. The songs for the musical are R&B classics from the 1974 Zaire music festival, with the exception of “Rumble In The Jungle,” which was written by The Fugees for the film.
Also Read: CBS All Access Nabs Muhammad Ali Limited Series From Morgan Freeman
The...
“When We Were Kings” documents the legendary 1974 fight between Ali and George Foreman, better known as “The Rumble in the Jungle,” that was held in Zaire, Africa. Sonenberg, who executive produced the documentary directed by Leon Gast, is now bringing it to the stage with a workshop scheduled for spring 2019 and plans for a full stage musical production the following year.
The book for the musical is adapted from the film and is written by Shelley Marcus. The songs for the musical are R&B classics from the 1974 Zaire music festival, with the exception of “Rumble In The Jungle,” which was written by The Fugees for the film.
Also Read: CBS All Access Nabs Muhammad Ali Limited Series From Morgan Freeman
The...
- 11/29/2018
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Full Lineup Announcements
– “3-D Auteurs,” a 19-day, 34-film festival spotlighting stereoscopic movies by some of history’s most distinguished directors, will run at Film Forum November 11 – 29. The festival spans 3-D’s earliest days (including some turn-of-the-century films by pioneer Georges Méliès) to the present, and represents virtually every genre, including Westerns, Film Noir, and Science Fiction. Hollywood’s first big 3-D craze (sometimes called 3-D’s “golden era”), intended to offset the threat of television, came in the early 1950s, with such movies as Hitchcock’s “Dial M For Murder,” André De Toth’s “House of Wax” and Jack Arnold’s “Creature From the Black Lagoon” (all included in the series).
Hollywood produced roughly 50 movies in the process from 1952 to 1954, before fizzling out and being overtaken by...
Full Lineup Announcements
– “3-D Auteurs,” a 19-day, 34-film festival spotlighting stereoscopic movies by some of history’s most distinguished directors, will run at Film Forum November 11 – 29. The festival spans 3-D’s earliest days (including some turn-of-the-century films by pioneer Georges Méliès) to the present, and represents virtually every genre, including Westerns, Film Noir, and Science Fiction. Hollywood’s first big 3-D craze (sometimes called 3-D’s “golden era”), intended to offset the threat of television, came in the early 1950s, with such movies as Hitchcock’s “Dial M For Murder,” André De Toth’s “House of Wax” and Jack Arnold’s “Creature From the Black Lagoon” (all included in the series).
Hollywood produced roughly 50 movies in the process from 1952 to 1954, before fizzling out and being overtaken by...
- 10/20/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Film Festival Roundup: BFI London Announces Full Lineup, Austin Adds Playwriting Track And Much More
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
– The BFI London Film Festival has announced its full program, running October 5 – 16. The festival will screen a total of 193 fiction and 52 documentary features, including 18 World Premieres, 8 International Premieres, 39 European Premieres. There will also be screenings of 144 short films, including documentary, live action and animated works. A number of directors, cast and crew are expected to take part in career interviews, Screen Talks, Q&As and Industry Talks: Lff Connects during the fest.
The festival has previously announced both its opener — Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” — and its closer — Ben Wheatley’s “Free Fire” — and those titles are joined by a bevy of new additions. Highlights include “The Birth of a Nation,” “Nocturnal Animals,” “Manchester By the Sea,” “La La Land” and many more. You can check...
– The BFI London Film Festival has announced its full program, running October 5 – 16. The festival will screen a total of 193 fiction and 52 documentary features, including 18 World Premieres, 8 International Premieres, 39 European Premieres. There will also be screenings of 144 short films, including documentary, live action and animated works. A number of directors, cast and crew are expected to take part in career interviews, Screen Talks, Q&As and Industry Talks: Lff Connects during the fest.
The festival has previously announced both its opener — Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” — and its closer — Ben Wheatley’s “Free Fire” — and those titles are joined by a bevy of new additions. Highlights include “The Birth of a Nation,” “Nocturnal Animals,” “Manchester By the Sea,” “La La Land” and many more. You can check...
- 9/1/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
We return with a look at Soul Power, enjoy!
From Masters of Cinema:
Soul Power is a vérité documentary – compiled entirely from footage shot in 1974 – of the astonishing back-to-Africa 3-day music festival “Zaire ‘74”. It was held in Kinshasa ahead of the biggest boxing event of all time: the Muhammad Ali–George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle”. Directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, editor of Leon Gast’s Oscar®-winning (Best Documentary) When We Were Kings, and sourced from the same archival pool, Soul Power features a legendary line-up of African and African-diaspora musicians – all of whom are at the very peak of their creative powers.
Alongside Ali’s wit and wisdom – profoundly lyrical in its own right – vibrant street scenes of downtown Kinshasa, and “fly-on-the-wall” footage of the festival’s staging, rehearsals, and jams, the three nights of concerts (lensed by Albert Maysles and a host of other legendary cameramen) offer electrifying performances by James Brown,...
From Masters of Cinema:
Soul Power is a vérité documentary – compiled entirely from footage shot in 1974 – of the astonishing back-to-Africa 3-day music festival “Zaire ‘74”. It was held in Kinshasa ahead of the biggest boxing event of all time: the Muhammad Ali–George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle”. Directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, editor of Leon Gast’s Oscar®-winning (Best Documentary) When We Were Kings, and sourced from the same archival pool, Soul Power features a legendary line-up of African and African-diaspora musicians – all of whom are at the very peak of their creative powers.
Alongside Ali’s wit and wisdom – profoundly lyrical in its own right – vibrant street scenes of downtown Kinshasa, and “fly-on-the-wall” footage of the festival’s staging, rehearsals, and jams, the three nights of concerts (lensed by Albert Maysles and a host of other legendary cameramen) offer electrifying performances by James Brown,...
- 7/22/2016
- by Tom Jennings
- CriterionCast
Indeed, the Greatest. Remembering Muhammad Ali with this trailer from also one of the greatest sports documentaries of all times, Leon Gast’s When We Were Kings. From Edward Guthmann’s review in the San Francisco Chronicle: At the height of his stardom, Muhammad Ali was possibly the most famous man on earth. Cocky, dynamic, a tremendous athlete and a wizard at homespun, extemporaneous verbal gymnastics, Ali had the world on a string…. On a deeper level — and this is where When We Were Kings exceeds its expectations and becomes a great film — Gast examines African American pride. He records […]...
- 6/4/2016
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Sneak Peek footage from co-directors Ryan Moore and Leon Gast's boxing documentary "Manny", now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Anchior Bay Entertainment and Gravitas Ventures, following the Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao, narrated by Liam Neeson, with Mark Wahlberg, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeremy Piven and Oscar De La Hoya:
"...from a starving teenager who fought to feed his family, to a Congressman working tirelessly to improve the lives of his people...
"...'Manny' explores the many triumphs and tribulations of Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao, the greatest 'pound for pound' fighter the world has ever seen..."
DVD special features include "Manny vs. Mosley", "Top Rank Gym", "Manny’s Birthday Party" and the official "Manny" music video.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Manny"...
"...from a starving teenager who fought to feed his family, to a Congressman working tirelessly to improve the lives of his people...
"...'Manny' explores the many triumphs and tribulations of Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao, the greatest 'pound for pound' fighter the world has ever seen..."
DVD special features include "Manny vs. Mosley", "Top Rank Gym", "Manny’s Birthday Party" and the official "Manny" music video.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Manny"...
- 4/19/2015
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Two movies are now out in theaters and on-demand. First, we have .Song One. starring Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, and Mary Steenburgen from writer-director Kate Barker-Froyland. Hathaway is Franny, a young woman dealing with her brother (Ben Rosenfield) who just fell into a coma. Grieving, Franny turns to her brother.s favorite musician, James Forester (Flynn).
In .Manny,. Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao enters the documentary ring and this one.s about his rags-to-riches story from his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise. .Manny. is narrated by Liam Neeson and is directed by Oscar-winner Leon Gast (.When We Were Kings.) and Ryan Moore.
Which one is my pick of the week? Take a look at my reviews of .Song One. and .Manny..
In .Manny,. Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao enters the documentary ring and this one.s about his rags-to-riches story from his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise. .Manny. is narrated by Liam Neeson and is directed by Oscar-winner Leon Gast (.When We Were Kings.) and Ryan Moore.
Which one is my pick of the week? Take a look at my reviews of .Song One. and .Manny..
- 1/23/2015
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Even as a promotional piece, Manny is too thin a nonfiction portrait of Manny Pacquiao, one of the greatest boxers of the modern era and the only one in history to win titles in eight different weight classes. Narrated by Liam Neeson, directors Leon Gast and Ryan Moore's film is structured more or less chronologically, albeit without any time markers to indicate when a given fight or event has taken place, which gives the material an overarching haziness. Worse, the film merely mentions many topics seemingly ripe for deeper exploration: the clash between Manny's devout Christianity and his gambling and womanizing ways; his promoter Bob Arum's purported role in blocking a bout against Floyd Mayweather; his brief acting career. What's offered is PR-approved footag...
- 1/21/2015
- Village Voice
Documentaries serve a crucial role in our culture — not only because they can challenge the way we look at the world, but also because, occasionally, they might actually prod us off our collective asses to do something. An Inconvenient Truth, Bowling for Columbine, Paradise Lost: these films motivated some moviegoers to get involved in important issues in ways they never thought they would. Other documentaries aren’t trying to change the world necessarily, but still discover and dissect fascinating people and events in ways that fiction can’t or won’t. Offer me Michael Mann’s Ali and Leon Gast’s When We Were Kings,...
- 5/20/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
A quarter-century ago, Kevin Costner hit a double-play, following up "Bull Durham" with "Field of Dreams" and becoming king of the sports movie. Twenty-five years later, as "Field of Dreams" marks its 25th anniversary (it was released on April 21, 1989), Costner is back with "Draft Day." The movie's about football, not baseball, and Costner's character plays in the executive suite, not on the field, but his mere presence still offers a reminder of great sports movies past.
And after all, isn't nostalgia a key element of sports movies? "Field of Dreams" makes this explicit -- we long for the sports heroes of our childhood, for a supposed long-gone golden age of our preferred sport, as a way of connecting with our past and bridging the generational divide that separates us as adults from our parents. Sports movies offer more than just the drama of winners and losers, or the journey from dream to achievement,...
And after all, isn't nostalgia a key element of sports movies? "Field of Dreams" makes this explicit -- we long for the sports heroes of our childhood, for a supposed long-gone golden age of our preferred sport, as a way of connecting with our past and bridging the generational divide that separates us as adults from our parents. Sports movies offer more than just the drama of winners and losers, or the journey from dream to achievement,...
- 4/20/2014
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Sundance just ended, and we are already preparing for the next big film festival, South By Southwest. Not too long ago, the festival announced a few of the films premiering this year, but now they’ve announced the main slate. The midnight selections and some inevitable late-breaking additions are still to be announced, but this should be more than enough to get you excited. Along with many World Premieres, and Sundance favorites like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Gareth Evans’ The Raid 2, the line up also includes an anniversary screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and an extended Q&A screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel with Wes Anderson. SXSW 2014 runs March 7 through 15 in Austin, Texas. Check out the line up after the jump.
****
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative...
****
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative...
- 1/31/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Today the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced a diverse features lineup for this year’s Festival, the 21st edition and running March 7 – 15, 2014 in Austin, Texas. The 2014 program expands on SXSW tradition of embracing a range of genres and span of budgets, featuring a wealth of vision from experienced and developing filmmakers alike.
For more information visit http://sxsw.com/film.
Listed in the announcement are 115 of the features that will screen over the course of nine days at SXSW 2014. The lineup below includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, and consists of 76 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres and 7 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from a record 2,215 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,540 U.S. and 675 international feature-length films. With a record number of 6,482 submissions total, the overall increase was 14% over 2013. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 5, with the complete...
For more information visit http://sxsw.com/film.
Listed in the announcement are 115 of the features that will screen over the course of nine days at SXSW 2014. The lineup below includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, and consists of 76 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres and 7 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from a record 2,215 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,540 U.S. and 675 international feature-length films. With a record number of 6,482 submissions total, the overall increase was 14% over 2013. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 5, with the complete...
- 1/31/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After announcing earlier this month that Jon Favreau’s Chef and the Veronica Mars movie will be making their world debuts at SXSW this year, the festival has revealed its full line-up, including further very promising world premieres, alongside appearances from some of the year’s most high-profile films.
The Midnight programme will be announced early next month, along with the Shorts line-up, and the complete Conference slate a little later as well.
Led by Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, Nicholas Stoller’s anticipated R-rated comedy, Neighbors, will be making its world debut at the festival, notably marked out as a ‘work-in-progress’ ahead of its theatrical release in May.
David Gordon Green’s acclaimed Joe will make its Us premiere, having bowed at Venice and then Toronto last year. Early reviews have Nicolas Cage giving one of the finest performances of his career, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) excellent alongside him.
The Midnight programme will be announced early next month, along with the Shorts line-up, and the complete Conference slate a little later as well.
Led by Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, Nicholas Stoller’s anticipated R-rated comedy, Neighbors, will be making its world debut at the festival, notably marked out as a ‘work-in-progress’ ahead of its theatrical release in May.
David Gordon Green’s acclaimed Joe will make its Us premiere, having bowed at Venice and then Toronto last year. Early reviews have Nicolas Cage giving one of the finest performances of his career, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) excellent alongside him.
- 1/30/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Not sure if there is a Short Term 12 equivalent in this year’s Narrative Feature Comp, but on paper SXSW programmers are serving up a mean (and the usual lean group of 8 out of a whopping 1,324 film entries) for the upcoming competitiuon of eight which includes notable entries (that we’ve been tracking for a good time now) such as Zachary Wigon’s The Heart Machine, John Magary’s The Mend, Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns and Lawrence Michael Levine’s Wild Canaries. Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated docs of the year, on the non-fiction side we find Margaret Brown’s The Great Invisible. Below you’ll find a breakdown of the other sections (notable world preems in We’ll Never Have Paris and Faults (see Mary Elizabeth Winstead above), some Sundance items with Texan connections and other nuggets.
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight...
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight...
- 1/30/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Above: Bill Siegel and Khalilah Camacho-Ali
Unlike other films about the controversial boxer, the recent documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali makes no pretense of telling Ali’s whole story. It presumes that most of us in the audience already know it and those of us who don’t can easily fill in the gaps with the wealth of other movies, books, and TV specials devoted to his legend. Produced by Chicago-based documentary company Kartemquin Films, Trials focuses on Ali’s conversion to the Nation of Islam and the controversies associated with his religious and political convictions. These subjects are addressed in Michael Mann’s Ali (2001) and referenced in other documentaries about him, but Trials examines them in greater depth, generally neglecting his athletic achievements to better focus on his radicalism.
We took some time to speak with the film’s director, Bill Siegel, whose first film was Kartemquin-produced The Weather Underground...
Unlike other films about the controversial boxer, the recent documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali makes no pretense of telling Ali’s whole story. It presumes that most of us in the audience already know it and those of us who don’t can easily fill in the gaps with the wealth of other movies, books, and TV specials devoted to his legend. Produced by Chicago-based documentary company Kartemquin Films, Trials focuses on Ali’s conversion to the Nation of Islam and the controversies associated with his religious and political convictions. These subjects are addressed in Michael Mann’s Ali (2001) and referenced in other documentaries about him, but Trials examines them in greater depth, generally neglecting his athletic achievements to better focus on his radicalism.
We took some time to speak with the film’s director, Bill Siegel, whose first film was Kartemquin-produced The Weather Underground...
- 12/17/2013
- by Ben and Kathleen Sachs
- MUBI
Jehane Noujaim's "The Square" edged out Joshua Oppenheimer's "The Act of Killing" to emerge as the big winner of the 2013 Ida Documentary Awards! The documentary about the 2011 Egyptian Revolution also beat Jason Osder's "Let the Fire Burn," Gabriela Cowperthwaite's "Blackfish," and Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell" for the prize.
Here's a full list of winners of the 2013 Ida Documentary Awards:
Best Feature Award
The Square
Director: Jehane Noujaim
Producer: Karim Amer; Executive Producers: Geralyn Dreyfous, Mike Lerner, Sarah Johnson, Jodie Evans, Lekha Singh, Gavin Dougan, Dan Catullo III, Lisa Nishimura, Adam Del Deo, Khalil Noujaim, Alexandra Johnes, Jeff Skol; Noujaim Films, Netflix Originals
Best Short Award
Slomo
Director: Josh Izenberg; Producer: Amanda Micheli; Executive Producer: Neil Izenberg; Big Young Films, Runaway Films
Best Limited Series Award
Inside Man
Producers: Kristen Vaurio, Lisa Kalikow, Shannon Gibson, Suzanne Hillinger, Lara Benario; Writers: Jeremy Chilnick, Morgan Spurlock; Executive Producers: Jeremy Chilnick,...
Here's a full list of winners of the 2013 Ida Documentary Awards:
Best Feature Award
The Square
Director: Jehane Noujaim
Producer: Karim Amer; Executive Producers: Geralyn Dreyfous, Mike Lerner, Sarah Johnson, Jodie Evans, Lekha Singh, Gavin Dougan, Dan Catullo III, Lisa Nishimura, Adam Del Deo, Khalil Noujaim, Alexandra Johnes, Jeff Skol; Noujaim Films, Netflix Originals
Best Short Award
Slomo
Director: Josh Izenberg; Producer: Amanda Micheli; Executive Producer: Neil Izenberg; Big Young Films, Runaway Films
Best Limited Series Award
Inside Man
Producers: Kristen Vaurio, Lisa Kalikow, Shannon Gibson, Suzanne Hillinger, Lara Benario; Writers: Jeremy Chilnick, Morgan Spurlock; Executive Producers: Jeremy Chilnick,...
- 12/8/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
This is a tough awards season! Lots of great movies to see, so little time! I'm catching up like crazy before we vote for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for the Broadcast Film Critics Association. So I apologize if I haven't updated you with the latest on the awards season 2013-2014! And there were many award-giving bodies announcing nominations.
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
- 12/2/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Today in history... October 30, 1974, the Rumble In The Jungle in what was then called Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (Drc); Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the 8th round of a 15-round bout, regaining his World Heavy Weight title. The event was well-documented in director Leon Gast's Oscar-winning documentary, When We Were Kings, which was held up for about 20 years by financial and legal issues, before being released commercially in 1996. Skip ahead to summer 2012, when it was announced that producer David Sonenberg was developing a musical version of When We Were Kings. Sonenberg was the producer of the documentary as...
- 10/30/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Pound For Pound: Siegel’s Critical Bio-bit Middleweight
Pop culture commentator Chuck Klosterman recently reminded in his study of cultural villains, I Wear The Black Hat, that although Muhammad Ali may have been and might always be remembered as the greatest boxer the world has ever known, most people tend to overlook the fact that in the sixties he endlessly stirred controversy with his consciously outspoken, radically controversial beliefs on race and religion. Though he was an immensely influential icon himself, Ali, was in fact under heavy influence from the Nation of Islam, a group who, domestically at the time, was considered little more than a cultist collective whose main cultural concern was to uphold segregation in the midst of the civil rights movement, maintaining racial purity – an appalling agenda looking back. Under their advisement, Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, who ultimately became their biggest mouthpiece to the world. Almost in sync,...
Pop culture commentator Chuck Klosterman recently reminded in his study of cultural villains, I Wear The Black Hat, that although Muhammad Ali may have been and might always be remembered as the greatest boxer the world has ever known, most people tend to overlook the fact that in the sixties he endlessly stirred controversy with his consciously outspoken, radically controversial beliefs on race and religion. Though he was an immensely influential icon himself, Ali, was in fact under heavy influence from the Nation of Islam, a group who, domestically at the time, was considered little more than a cultist collective whose main cultural concern was to uphold segregation in the midst of the civil rights movement, maintaining racial purity – an appalling agenda looking back. Under their advisement, Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, who ultimately became their biggest mouthpiece to the world. Almost in sync,...
- 8/23/2013
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Two new films opening this weekend to add to your to-see list - if you live in New York or Miami anyway: First, Kino Lorber opens The Trials of Muhammad Ali, the feature documentary from Kartemquin Films, at IFCCenter, in NYC. Directed by Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground) and executive produced by Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) for Kartemquin Films, the film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. As a recap... here's a summary: As befitting its extraordinary and often complex subject, the film examines Ali's life outside the boxing ring, beginning with the announcement of his deeply held Islamic...
- 8/23/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Kino Lorber has announced that it will open The Trials of Muhammad Ali, the feature documentary from Kartemquin Films, on August 23 at IFCCenter, in NYC. And along with that news, we have our first look at the film's trailer embedded below. Directed by Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground) and executive produced by Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) for Kartemquin Films, the film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. As a recap... According to the press release announcement, the documentary is not a conventional sports documentary. As befitting its extraordinary and often complex subject, the...
- 7/31/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Kino Lorber executives announced on Wednesday [24] the acquisition of North American rights to Kartemquin Films’ documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali.
The film premiered at Tribeca earlier this year and will open at the IFC Center in NYC on Aug 23 followed by nationwide roll-out.
The Trials Of Muhammad Ali documents Ali’s life outside boxing, including his relationship with Islam and his stance on Vietnam.
The film includes archive footage of Ali and interviews with figures such as Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad.
Bill Siegel directed and Rachel Pikelny produced. Leon Gast, Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan and Kat White served as executive producers.
Richard Lorber and Elizabeth Sheldon brokered the deal with Cinetic Media.
The film premiered at Tribeca earlier this year and will open at the IFC Center in NYC on Aug 23 followed by nationwide roll-out.
The Trials Of Muhammad Ali documents Ali’s life outside boxing, including his relationship with Islam and his stance on Vietnam.
The film includes archive footage of Ali and interviews with figures such as Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad.
Bill Siegel directed and Rachel Pikelny produced. Leon Gast, Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan and Kat White served as executive producers.
Richard Lorber and Elizabeth Sheldon brokered the deal with Cinetic Media.
- 7/24/2013
- ScreenDaily
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to The Trials of Muhammad Ali, the feature documentary from Kartemquin Films (the company behind a few documentaries we've covered here, like The Interrupters and the Bill T Jones profile A Good Man). Directed by Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground) and executive produced by Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) for Kartemquin Films, the film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. As a recap... According to the press release announcement, the documentary is not a conventional sports documentary. As befitting its...
- 7/24/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Exclusive: Passion Pictures, executive producer of Searching for Sugar Man and The Imposter, board documentary centred on recorded conversations of the boxing champion.
A theatrical documentary based around phone conversations made and received by boxing icon Muhammad Ali is in the works.
I Am Ali is the feature debut of Clare Lewins, who has previously directed episodes of British television series Countrywise, Perspectives andWho Do You Think You Are?.
For production details visit
I Am Ali
The documentary, which will feature interviews, archive and audio archive, is currently being edited for delivery at the end of 2013. Ali is aware of the project.
Financed by Universal Pictures, the film is made by Lewins’ Fisheye Productions and Passion Pictures, which has made hit documentaries such as One Day In September and Restrepo and executive produced award-winners Searching for Sugar Man and The Imposter.
Speaking to ScreenDaily, executive producer John Battsek said: “It’s a film built around phone conversations...
A theatrical documentary based around phone conversations made and received by boxing icon Muhammad Ali is in the works.
I Am Ali is the feature debut of Clare Lewins, who has previously directed episodes of British television series Countrywise, Perspectives andWho Do You Think You Are?.
For production details visit
I Am Ali
The documentary, which will feature interviews, archive and audio archive, is currently being edited for delivery at the end of 2013. Ali is aware of the project.
Financed by Universal Pictures, the film is made by Lewins’ Fisheye Productions and Passion Pictures, which has made hit documentaries such as One Day In September and Restrepo and executive produced award-winners Searching for Sugar Man and The Imposter.
Speaking to ScreenDaily, executive producer John Battsek said: “It’s a film built around phone conversations...
- 6/14/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Passion Pictures, executive producer of Searching for Sugar Man and The Imposter, board documentary centred on recorded conversations of the boxing champion.
A theatrical documentary based around phone conversations made and received by boxing icon Muhammad Ali is in the works.
I Am Ali is the feature debut of Clare Lewins, who has previously directed episodes of British television series Countrywise, Perspectives andWho Do You Think You Are?.
For production details visit
I Am Ali
The documentary, which will feature interviews, archive and audio archive, is currently being edited for delivery at the end of 2013. Ali is aware of the project.
Financed by NBC Universal, the film is made by Lewins’ Fisheye Productions and Passion Pictures, which has made hit documentaries such as One Day In September and Restrepo and executive produced award-winners Searching for Sugar Man and The Imposter.
Speaking to ScreenDaily, executive producer John Battsek said: “It’s a film built around phone conversations...
A theatrical documentary based around phone conversations made and received by boxing icon Muhammad Ali is in the works.
I Am Ali is the feature debut of Clare Lewins, who has previously directed episodes of British television series Countrywise, Perspectives andWho Do You Think You Are?.
For production details visit
I Am Ali
The documentary, which will feature interviews, archive and audio archive, is currently being edited for delivery at the end of 2013. Ali is aware of the project.
Financed by NBC Universal, the film is made by Lewins’ Fisheye Productions and Passion Pictures, which has made hit documentaries such as One Day In September and Restrepo and executive produced award-winners Searching for Sugar Man and The Imposter.
Speaking to ScreenDaily, executive producer John Battsek said: “It’s a film built around phone conversations...
- 6/14/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Today in history... October 30, 1974, the Rumble In The Jungle in what was then called Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (Drc); Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the 8th round of a 15 round bout, regaining his World Heavy Weight title. The event was well-documented in director Leon Gast's Oscar-winning documentary, When We Were Kings, which was held up for about 20 years by financial and legal issues, before being released commercially in 1996. Skip ahead to this past summer when it was announced that producer David Sonenberg was developing a musical version of When We Were Kings. Sonenberg was the producer of the...
- 10/30/2012
- by Courtney
- ShadowAndAct
"Reincarnated" -- directed by Vice magazine editor and first-time feature documentary filmmaker Andy Capper -- tells the true story of Snoop Dogg's divinely inspired trip to Jamaica and the effect that it had on the man he has become today. It world premieres tonight in Toronto. Capper, a long-time fan of Snoop's work, sought muse in Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy's "Murder Was the Case," a 1994 short film that starred Snoop Dogg, among other documentaries -- such as Leon Gast's 1996 documentary, "When We Were Kings," and Jonas Mekas and Andrew Solt's Lennon-inspired "Gimme Some Truth". "Reincarnated" is meant to chart the artist's journey from dark to light: Snoop's evolution from a 'Dogg' to a 'Lion,' and the creation of a new record. What the movie is really about: "Snoop's life story set against a real, personal transformation and an examination of...
- 9/7/2012
- by Justin Krajeski
- Indiewire
It was a sight that no one expected to see, musician Sean Coombs – aka P Diddy or Puff Daddy, depending on what generation one is from – on stage at the Academy Awards to pick up an Oscar for the documentary Undefeated. The surprise was that a sports film had taken home the top documentary prize. The American Academy has a patchy record when it comes to awarding gongs to documentaries about sports. The only two previous sporting winners were The Horse With the Flying Tail in 1960, about a palomino horse that won an equestrian team gold medal, and When We Were Kings, Leon Gast's fascinating 1996 documentary about the events surrounding the "Rumble in the Jungle".
- 3/23/2012
- The Independent - Film
If Muhammad Ali hadn't existed, Hollywood might have tried to invent him. A handsome athlete who speaks like a poet and can back up his trash talk with his fists, a principled martyr who can take an insane amount of punishment inside and outside the ring, a hero who goes from underdog to champ and back again several times -- if a Hollywood screenwriter had invented such a character arc, who would believe it? Ali, who turns 70 today, was bigger than the movies. Several films have tried to capture portions of his life, but the whole story is simply too big for one movie. Here are five that focus on portions of his life, either in documentary or lightly fictionalized form. None does him complete justice, but together, they'll remind you of why Ali was, and always will be, the Greatest. 1. "Ali the Fighter" (1971). Shot at the time of the...
- 1/17/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Louisville, Ky. — Muhammad Ali's wife says the boxing great is still a "big kid" who enjoys his birthday parties.
The three-time heavyweight boxing champion will celebrate a milestone birthday Tuesday when he turns 70. Ali will be surrounded by friends who are gathering Saturday evening for a private birthday party at the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville.
"Muhammad likes celebrations that involve him and are centered around him," Lonnie Ali said. "He's still a big kid in that area. He loves birthdays."
Lonnie Ali said it's the first of five parties for Ali over the next couple of months. Lonnie Ali says the champ will be surrounded by close friends and people who have been fixtures in his life at the party Saturday night, including his trainer Angelo Dundee. The party is doubling as a $1,000 per person fundraiser for the center, which is seen as a legacy to Ali's humanitarian causes.
The three-time heavyweight boxing champion will celebrate a milestone birthday Tuesday when he turns 70. Ali will be surrounded by friends who are gathering Saturday evening for a private birthday party at the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville.
"Muhammad likes celebrations that involve him and are centered around him," Lonnie Ali said. "He's still a big kid in that area. He loves birthdays."
Lonnie Ali said it's the first of five parties for Ali over the next couple of months. Lonnie Ali says the champ will be surrounded by close friends and people who have been fixtures in his life at the party Saturday night, including his trainer Angelo Dundee. The party is doubling as a $1,000 per person fundraiser for the center, which is seen as a legacy to Ali's humanitarian causes.
- 1/13/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
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