In our Member Lens series, we’re spotlighting a cross-section of current Film Independent Members to see how they got where they are now, what they hope to do next and what being a part of Film Independent means to them. This profile originally ran in May 2022.
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Melissa Haizlip isn’t someone who had to go searching for culture. The New York-based director, producer and actor grew up immersed in a world of creators, her uncle Ellis—host of the landmark PBS variety show Soul! (1968-1973) and subject of Haizlip’s Peabody-award nominated 2018 documentary Mr. Soul!—acting as the catalyst bringing of the 20th century’s most important...
May is for Members! This week only: 50% off Filmmaker Lover or Filmmaker Pro. This month, we’re celebrating our Membership experience for filmmakers and film lovers all over the globe. All month-long you can enjoy an array of special discounts on Membership.
Melissa Haizlip isn’t someone who had to go searching for culture. The New York-based director, producer and actor grew up immersed in a world of creators, her uncle Ellis—host of the landmark PBS variety show Soul! (1968-1973) and subject of Haizlip’s Peabody-award nominated 2018 documentary Mr. Soul!—acting as the catalyst bringing of the 20th century’s most important...
- 5/22/2023
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
Click here to read the full article.
Hulu’s Dopesick and Netflix’s High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America are among the first round of winners for the 82nd annual Peabody Awards.
Dopesick is a winner in the entertainment category along with FX’s Reservation Dogs, as revealed earlier Monday morning. High on the Hog is a winner in the documentary category, alongside PBS’ Mr. Soul!
Other winners included Knxv’s Politically Charged, The New York Times’ “So They Know We Existed”: Palestinians Film War in Gaza and Vice News Tonight’s Transnational in the news category and NPR’s Throughline: “Afghanistan: The Center of the World” in podcast/radio.
The remaining awards will be presented virtually Tuesday through Thursday. Other categories include arts and children’s & youth. A full list of nominees can be found here.
A total of 30 winners will be chosen from...
Hulu’s Dopesick and Netflix’s High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America are among the first round of winners for the 82nd annual Peabody Awards.
Dopesick is a winner in the entertainment category along with FX’s Reservation Dogs, as revealed earlier Monday morning. High on the Hog is a winner in the documentary category, alongside PBS’ Mr. Soul!
Other winners included Knxv’s Politically Charged, The New York Times’ “So They Know We Existed”: Palestinians Film War in Gaza and Vice News Tonight’s Transnational in the news category and NPR’s Throughline: “Afghanistan: The Center of the World” in podcast/radio.
The remaining awards will be presented virtually Tuesday through Thursday. Other categories include arts and children’s & youth. A full list of nominees can be found here.
A total of 30 winners will be chosen from...
- 6/6/2022
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hulu’s “Dopesick” was the first program honored as the Peabody Awards started announcing the winners of its 2022 awards on Monday morning. Other honorees on day one included FX’s “Reservation Dogs.”
The virtual announcements kicked off with Jon Stewart presenting the award for “Dopesick,” which was accepted by star Michael Keaton. “Tackling such an important issue as the opioid crisis in America was not only daunting but well worth it. We are so honored to receive this award from an institution like the Peabody Awards,” Keaton said. “To address the devastation that has been brought on by the Sackler family and big Pharma, and still honor the people in Appalachia, which isn this case is what we chose as the location, and still show enormous respect for these people, all this is really gratifying for me.”
In his presentation, Stewart added, ‘Sometimes to drive these stories home you have to dramatize them.
The virtual announcements kicked off with Jon Stewart presenting the award for “Dopesick,” which was accepted by star Michael Keaton. “Tackling such an important issue as the opioid crisis in America was not only daunting but well worth it. We are so honored to receive this award from an institution like the Peabody Awards,” Keaton said. “To address the devastation that has been brought on by the Sackler family and big Pharma, and still honor the people in Appalachia, which isn this case is what we chose as the location, and still show enormous respect for these people, all this is really gratifying for me.”
In his presentation, Stewart added, ‘Sometimes to drive these stories home you have to dramatize them.
- 6/6/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Mr. Soul! director/writer Melissa Haizlip on telling the story of Ellis Haizlip, co-creator and host of the groundbreaking program Soul!: “To really understand who he was as a regular person, also to understand his ambition as somewhat of an unsung hero and a queer icon and a broadcast pioneer.”
The impressive list of the 2021 NAACP Image Awards includes double winners Viola Davis (George C Wolfe’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Peter Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes’s How To Get Away With Murder) and Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods), Dawn Porter’s John Lewis: Good Trouble (Documentary), Barack Obama’s A Promised Land (Nonfiction), Walter Mosley’s The Awkward Black Man (Fiction), Eddie Murphy (Hall of Fame Award), and Melissa Haizlip’s Mr. Soul!.
Melissa Haizlip with Anne-Katrin Titze on Ellis Haizlip and Mr. Soul!: “We were always aware how big the story was,...
The impressive list of the 2021 NAACP Image Awards includes double winners Viola Davis (George C Wolfe’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Peter Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes’s How To Get Away With Murder) and Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods), Dawn Porter’s John Lewis: Good Trouble (Documentary), Barack Obama’s A Promised Land (Nonfiction), Walter Mosley’s The Awkward Black Man (Fiction), Eddie Murphy (Hall of Fame Award), and Melissa Haizlip’s Mr. Soul!.
Melissa Haizlip with Anne-Katrin Titze on Ellis Haizlip and Mr. Soul!: “We were always aware how big the story was,...
- 7/31/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Just past the halfway point in the documentary Mr. Soul!, poet Felipe Luciano calls Ellis Haizlip “the most effective, insidious revolutionary that I have ever met.” It isn’t meant as a specific accolade, but it is a badge of honor for a man who honored the true meaning of sedition. Subversion in the arts is a skill which can be expressed as simply as putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Seditious political expression is rarely so subtle. The creator and host of the all-too-short lived public television variety program Soul! achieved a dream mix of diverse thought, some which went under the radar, some designed to be unnoticed, all of which was riveting, and everything absolutely accessible.
Soul! captured everyday insurrection. Melvin Van Peebles’ 1971 independent feature Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song proclaimed to be unapologetically Black, Haizlip saw no reason to bring apology into the equation. Nothing he was doing,...
Soul! captured everyday insurrection. Melvin Van Peebles’ 1971 independent feature Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song proclaimed to be unapologetically Black, Haizlip saw no reason to bring apology into the equation. Nothing he was doing,...
- 7/31/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Mr. Soul!, the award-winning documentary about the public television variety show Soul!, is coming to HBO Max August 1st, and the streaming service has released a trailer for the film that captures just how influential and ahead of its time Soul! was.
Produced and directed by Melissa Haizlip, the documentary chronicles how her uncle, enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, created Soul! (1968-1973) as a celebration of black music, politics, literature, dance, and poetry during a tumultuous time for black Americans. The show featured countless performances by and interviews with...
Produced and directed by Melissa Haizlip, the documentary chronicles how her uncle, enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, created Soul! (1968-1973) as a celebration of black music, politics, literature, dance, and poetry during a tumultuous time for black Americans. The show featured countless performances by and interviews with...
- 7/22/2021
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Barack Obama’s memoir “A Promised Land,” the documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble” and the ESPN docuseries on Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan “The Last Dance” have won NAACP Image Awards for 2021, the organization announced Monday.
The NAACP is rolling out its winners for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards this week, revealing a slate of winners across various categories each night leading up until the televised awards show on Saturday, March 27.
This first crop of winners was announced in a virtual experience that is airing each night this week through the NAACP Image Awards website, and Monday recognized the best work by Black artists in literature and documentaries.
Obama’s book “A Promised Land” won Outstanding Literary Work in the Nonfiction category, and Dawn Porter’s documentary film “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” about the Georgia representative’s career-long fight for civil rights, won as the best documentary film. “The Last Dance...
The NAACP is rolling out its winners for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards this week, revealing a slate of winners across various categories each night leading up until the televised awards show on Saturday, March 27.
This first crop of winners was announced in a virtual experience that is airing each night this week through the NAACP Image Awards website, and Monday recognized the best work by Black artists in literature and documentaries.
Obama’s book “A Promised Land” won Outstanding Literary Work in the Nonfiction category, and Dawn Porter’s documentary film “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” about the Georgia representative’s career-long fight for civil rights, won as the best documentary film. “The Last Dance...
- 3/23/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Documentaries about the fight for pay equity and America’s first Black variety TV show will help anchor the winter lineup of Independent Lens
The Emmy Award-winning weekly series boasts several films that will make their broadcast debuts, including Jared Leto’s “A Day in the Life of America; Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!” and Shalini Kantayya’s “Coded Bias.” Many of these films, which will air on PBS between January and March, deal with issues of racial discrimination and gender bias.
“This Independent Lens lineup offers a stimulating and immersive slate of films that illuminate the powerful forces impacting our country today,” said Lois Vossen, executive producer of Independent Lens, in a statement. “From gender equality, to pay equity, to racial justice, there is an urgency, grace, and optimism to these documentaries and the topics they take on that is suited to the challenging times in which we live.
The Emmy Award-winning weekly series boasts several films that will make their broadcast debuts, including Jared Leto’s “A Day in the Life of America; Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!” and Shalini Kantayya’s “Coded Bias.” Many of these films, which will air on PBS between January and March, deal with issues of racial discrimination and gender bias.
“This Independent Lens lineup offers a stimulating and immersive slate of films that illuminate the powerful forces impacting our country today,” said Lois Vossen, executive producer of Independent Lens, in a statement. “From gender equality, to pay equity, to racial justice, there is an urgency, grace, and optimism to these documentaries and the topics they take on that is suited to the challenging times in which we live.
- 12/22/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
In 1970, Gil Scott-Heron recorded his famous poem-song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” But that anthemic line, as forceful as it was, has been proved wrong time and again. Two years earlier, starting on Sept. 12, 1968, the revolution was televised, in a captivating and astounding way.
“Mr. Soul!” is a documentary that’s been gathering steam and generating Oscar buzz, and when you see it (which you really should), you’ll know why. The entire film tells the story of a TV program, one that was rich, fearless, eye-opening, and bold enough to stir up the culture. It was called “Soul!,” and staking out its turf on Wnet in New York, it was the first Black variety show on American television. That alone made it a landmark. But “Soul!,” as orchestrated by its creator, executive producer, and host, the awesomely unlikely TV personality Ellis Haizlip, was no cautious groundbreaker. It was an electrifying popular-music showcase,...
“Mr. Soul!” is a documentary that’s been gathering steam and generating Oscar buzz, and when you see it (which you really should), you’ll know why. The entire film tells the story of a TV program, one that was rich, fearless, eye-opening, and bold enough to stir up the culture. It was called “Soul!,” and staking out its turf on Wnet in New York, it was the first Black variety show on American television. That alone made it a landmark. But “Soul!,” as orchestrated by its creator, executive producer, and host, the awesomely unlikely TV personality Ellis Haizlip, was no cautious groundbreaker. It was an electrifying popular-music showcase,...
- 12/16/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
“Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” “Gunda” and “Mr. Soul” lead the fifth annual Critics Choice Association’s documentary nominations, with five apiece. Among the eclectic list of nominees are Taylor Swift, Greta Thunberg, veteran filmmaker Werner Herzog and longtime disability advocate Judith Heumann, as well as docs about such notables as John Lewis, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee and Frank Zappa.
Recognized with four nominations each are “Athlete A,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “My Octopus Teacher” and “Totally Under Control.”
In terms of distributors, Netflix led with 31 nominations, followed by Neon with 14 and Magnolia Pictures with nine. Showtime had six, while HBO, Amazon, National Geographic, PBS Independent Lens and Shoes in the Bed Productions earned five each.
It’s the fifth annual documentary honors for the group, honoring projects released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of Cca members. Winners will be announced at a presentation on Nov.
Recognized with four nominations each are “Athlete A,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “My Octopus Teacher” and “Totally Under Control.”
In terms of distributors, Netflix led with 31 nominations, followed by Neon with 14 and Magnolia Pictures with nine. Showtime had six, while HBO, Amazon, National Geographic, PBS Independent Lens and Shoes in the Bed Productions earned five each.
It’s the fifth annual documentary honors for the group, honoring projects released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of Cca members. Winners will be announced at a presentation on Nov.
- 10/26/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
"Ellis was a gardener... and cultivated all of these people." An official trailer has debuted for a documentary titled Mr. Soul!, from filmmakers Melissa Haizlip & Sam Pollard. The film celebrates the groundbreaking PBS series known as "Soul!" from its genesis to its eventual loss of funding against the backdrop of a swiftly changing political and social landscape, while profiling Ellis Haizlip, the charismatic man behind one of the most culturally significant and successful television shows in U.S. history. From 1968 to 1973, the show "Soul!", guided by the enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of Black literature, poetry, music, and politics—voices that had few other options for national exposure, and found the program an improbable place to call home. "With participants' recollections and a bevy of great archival clips, [this film] captures a critical moment in culture whose impact continues to resonate." Damn this looks good! An...
- 8/18/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
llis Haizlip was never one to miss a beat, and Mr. Soul! is right on time. Innovative, political, and openly gay before Stonewall, Haizlip was America’s first Black nighttime talk show host. Before Oprah and Arsenio, his show aired live on public television from 1968 to ‘73, during the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Black Lives Matter is now louder than ever, speaking volumes on racism in a meaningful manner. But in the days before cell phone journalism, Haizlip’s weekly television show promised “the revolution would be televised.” That revolution was Soul!. Directed, written and produced by Melissa Haizlip, Mr. Soul! had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and is slated to open in over 50 theaters in the virtual cinema space on Aug. 28.
Soul! was a weekly television show celebrating Black American culture, art, life, love, and community. The series “was the first national show to provide...
Soul! was a weekly television show celebrating Black American culture, art, life, love, and community. The series “was the first national show to provide...
- 8/17/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
PBS has announced a new programming slate consisting of two new series, two documentaries, a children’s special and a new Prime Video channel, all set to roll out between Fall 2020 and Winter 2021.
The network released the plans during its virtual press tour in lieu of this summer’s Television Critics Association press tour, which was canceled due to the coronavirus.
On August 4, PBS will launch a new Prime Video channel called PBS Documentaries, which will include a library of programs including the entire Ken Burns collections and films from “Nova,” “Frontline,” “American Masters,” “Nature, “American Experience,” “Independent Lens,” “Pov” and other independent producers.
Also Read: 'Wishbone' Feature Film in the Works From Universal Pictures and Mattel
PBS also announced two new series, including “Tell Me More With Kelly Corrigan,” an interview program featuring the New York Times bestselling author, and “The Black Church: This Is Our Story,...
The network released the plans during its virtual press tour in lieu of this summer’s Television Critics Association press tour, which was canceled due to the coronavirus.
On August 4, PBS will launch a new Prime Video channel called PBS Documentaries, which will include a library of programs including the entire Ken Burns collections and films from “Nova,” “Frontline,” “American Masters,” “Nature, “American Experience,” “Independent Lens,” “Pov” and other independent producers.
Also Read: 'Wishbone' Feature Film in the Works From Universal Pictures and Mattel
PBS also announced two new series, including “Tell Me More With Kelly Corrigan,” an interview program featuring the New York Times bestselling author, and “The Black Church: This Is Our Story,...
- 7/28/2020
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
Sixteenth edition showcased 92 films from 22 countries.
Melissa Haizlip and Sam Pollard’s Mr. Soul! has won the AFI Docs audience award for best feature and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee’s Earthrise claimed the best short prize.
Mr. Soul! (pictured) offers an in-depth look at the late 1960s Wnet public television series Soul! and its producer Ellis Haizlip. The series was among the first to provide expanded images of African-Americans on television, shifting the gaze from inner-city poverty and violence to the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement.
Earthrise recounts how the first image of Earth was captured from space in 1968.
The 16th...
Melissa Haizlip and Sam Pollard’s Mr. Soul! has won the AFI Docs audience award for best feature and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee’s Earthrise claimed the best short prize.
Mr. Soul! (pictured) offers an in-depth look at the late 1960s Wnet public television series Soul! and its producer Ellis Haizlip. The series was among the first to provide expanded images of African-Americans on television, shifting the gaze from inner-city poverty and violence to the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement.
Earthrise recounts how the first image of Earth was captured from space in 1968.
The 16th...
- 6/19/2018
- by Jenn Sherman
- ScreenDaily
The Firelight Media announced today a national open call for submissions for its Documentary Lab program. The fellowship supports filmmakers from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities working on their first or second feature-length documentary film.
In an effort to bring more inclusion and diversity to the filmmaking industry, the Documentary Lab is an 18-month program that provides filmmakers with customized mentorship from prominent leaders in the documentary world, funding, professional development workshops and networking opportunities.
“There are hundreds of talented, diverse filmmakers out there creating work that pushes the boundaries of documentary. These voices are critical to providing new narratives about the most pressing issues of our time,” says Loira Limbal, Vice President and Documentary Lab Director at Firelight Media. “Many of them, however, do not have accessible points of entry to the film industry. Through this open call, Firelight can better reach those filmmakers, support them, and flood the...
In an effort to bring more inclusion and diversity to the filmmaking industry, the Documentary Lab is an 18-month program that provides filmmakers with customized mentorship from prominent leaders in the documentary world, funding, professional development workshops and networking opportunities.
“There are hundreds of talented, diverse filmmakers out there creating work that pushes the boundaries of documentary. These voices are critical to providing new narratives about the most pressing issues of our time,” says Loira Limbal, Vice President and Documentary Lab Director at Firelight Media. “Many of them, however, do not have accessible points of entry to the film industry. Through this open call, Firelight can better reach those filmmakers, support them, and flood the...
- 4/11/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Before Oprah and Arsenio, there was a man named Ellis Haizlip. From 1968-1973, Haizlip hosted a groundbreaking weekly TV show called Soul! that aired on PBS networks that celebrated the Black community and changed the television landscape. Ellis’ niece and documentary filmmaker Melissa Haizlip puts the spotlight on the game-changing show in the documentary Mr. Soul! which will make its world premiere later this month at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In the first teaser trailer (watch above), we see Haizlip’s show and how the show awakened and celebrated African American culture and ethnic identity in the country — something that had never been done at the time. We see a collage of legendary figures in film, music, culture, and the arts that appeared as guests on his show including Muhammad Ali, Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Donny Hathaway, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Patti Labelle...
In the first teaser trailer (watch above), we see Haizlip’s show and how the show awakened and celebrated African American culture and ethnic identity in the country — something that had never been done at the time. We see a collage of legendary figures in film, music, culture, and the arts that appeared as guests on his show including Muhammad Ali, Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Donny Hathaway, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Patti Labelle...
- 4/5/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
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