Exclusive: WME has signed the Emmy-winning husband-and-wife filmmaking team of Bryan Storkel and Amy Bandlien Storkel, as well as their non-scripted production company, Sidestilt Films.
The Storkels most recently directed and produced the award-winning documentary The Pez Outlaw, which claimed a Special Jury Prize at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and was recently acquired for the U.S. by Gravitas Ventures, with plans for a day-and-date release on October 21. The fish-out-of-water story follows the adventures of Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan man who boards a plane for Eastern Europe soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. His mission is to locate a secret factory that holds the key to the most desired and valuable Pez dispensers. If he succeeds, he will pull his family out of debt and finally be able to quit his job of 25 years. Steve becomes the hero of his own adventure, smuggling the rarest of goods into the U.
The Storkels most recently directed and produced the award-winning documentary The Pez Outlaw, which claimed a Special Jury Prize at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and was recently acquired for the U.S. by Gravitas Ventures, with plans for a day-and-date release on October 21. The fish-out-of-water story follows the adventures of Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan man who boards a plane for Eastern Europe soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. His mission is to locate a secret factory that holds the key to the most desired and valuable Pez dispensers. If he succeeds, he will pull his family out of debt and finally be able to quit his job of 25 years. Steve becomes the hero of his own adventure, smuggling the rarest of goods into the U.
- 8/16/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to the 2022 SXSW award winner The Pez Outlaw, from directors Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel, with plans for a day-and-date release on October 21.
The fish-out-of-water story follows the adventures of Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan man, who boards a plane for Eastern Europe soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. His mission is to locate a secret factory that holds the key to the most desired and valuable Pez dispensers. If he succeeds, he will pull his family out of debt and finally be able to quit his job of 25 years. Steve becomes the hero of his own adventure, smuggling the rarest of goods into the U.S. and making millions in the process. It was all magical, until his arch-nemesis, The Pezident, decided to destroy him.
The Pez Outlaw made its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival,...
The fish-out-of-water story follows the adventures of Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan man, who boards a plane for Eastern Europe soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. His mission is to locate a secret factory that holds the key to the most desired and valuable Pez dispensers. If he succeeds, he will pull his family out of debt and finally be able to quit his job of 25 years. Steve becomes the hero of his own adventure, smuggling the rarest of goods into the U.S. and making millions in the process. It was all magical, until his arch-nemesis, The Pezident, decided to destroy him.
The Pez Outlaw made its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival,...
- 8/3/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
A “Dungeons and Dragons” documentary is on the way from global documentary studio Xtr. Titled “Role Players,” the film is described as the “definitive” documentary on the seminal fantasy game and is currently in production.
Using never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with high-profile celebrity D&d fanatics, “Role Players”will tell the all encompassing story of Dungeons & Dragons. From the game’s origin story to the cult-like devotion of its players, the documentary will explore the power living in a fantasy world can have on real-life human connection.
The feature film is helmed by the team behind Xtr’s trading card documentary “The Hobby,” director Morgan Jon Fox and producer Ted Speaker. Bryn Mooser, Kathryn Everett, Justin Lacob and Abazar Khayami will executive produce for Xtr.
“As a director, I am excited to tell the story of D&d, which at its heart is about the true power of learning to work as teams,...
Using never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with high-profile celebrity D&d fanatics, “Role Players”will tell the all encompassing story of Dungeons & Dragons. From the game’s origin story to the cult-like devotion of its players, the documentary will explore the power living in a fantasy world can have on real-life human connection.
The feature film is helmed by the team behind Xtr’s trading card documentary “The Hobby,” director Morgan Jon Fox and producer Ted Speaker. Bryn Mooser, Kathryn Everett, Justin Lacob and Abazar Khayami will executive produce for Xtr.
“As a director, I am excited to tell the story of D&d, which at its heart is about the true power of learning to work as teams,...
- 5/11/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Exclusive: There’s a boom in collectible sports trading cards – from the $4.6M paid for a Luka Doncic rookie card or the $5.2M for a 1952 Mickey Mantle card as well as a recent deal that valued card brand Topps at $1.3B.
This is the impetus for a new feature documentary that This Is What Love In Action Looks Like director Morgan Jon Fox is helming for non-fiction studio Xtr.
Fox and Xtr are producing The Hobby, which delves into the historic comeback of the trading card industry. The doc is a deep dive into the real-time trading card fever following longtime collectors and a new generation of buyers including high net worth investors, athletes and celebrities as the hobby goes nuclear.
The documentary follows longtime collectors and a new generation of buyers, including Josh Luber, the co-founder of StockX and Chief Vision Officer of Fanatics Trading Cards, which acquired Topps,...
This is the impetus for a new feature documentary that This Is What Love In Action Looks Like director Morgan Jon Fox is helming for non-fiction studio Xtr.
Fox and Xtr are producing The Hobby, which delves into the historic comeback of the trading card industry. The doc is a deep dive into the real-time trading card fever following longtime collectors and a new generation of buyers including high net worth investors, athletes and celebrities as the hobby goes nuclear.
The documentary follows longtime collectors and a new generation of buyers, including Josh Luber, the co-founder of StockX and Chief Vision Officer of Fanatics Trading Cards, which acquired Topps,...
- 1/19/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Theo Love is directing “Treasure Hunters,” a documentary feature based on the New York Magazine article “The Great 21st-Century Treasure Hunt.”
Netflix will distribute the documentary, with Vox Media Studios and Nomadica Films set to produce.
Benjamin Wallace wrote the article that inspired the non-fiction film, which was published in November of 2020. The lengthy read captures an epic 10-year “sometimes maddening, occasionally deadly, brainscrambling” search for gold in the Rockies.
The documentary’s official logline reads: “‘Treasure Hunters’ follows the true story of Forrest Fenn, an art collector, who buried a $2 million treasure in 2010 filled with rare gold coins in an unknown location with 24 cryptic verses offering the only hint to its whereabouts. More than 400,000 searched for it, including five people who died. Finally, this past June, a former journalist named Jack Stuef came forward claiming to have found it. So why does no one believe him? Is the treasure still out there somewhere?...
Netflix will distribute the documentary, with Vox Media Studios and Nomadica Films set to produce.
Benjamin Wallace wrote the article that inspired the non-fiction film, which was published in November of 2020. The lengthy read captures an epic 10-year “sometimes maddening, occasionally deadly, brainscrambling” search for gold in the Rockies.
The documentary’s official logline reads: “‘Treasure Hunters’ follows the true story of Forrest Fenn, an art collector, who buried a $2 million treasure in 2010 filled with rare gold coins in an unknown location with 24 cryptic verses offering the only hint to its whereabouts. More than 400,000 searched for it, including five people who died. Finally, this past June, a former journalist named Jack Stuef came forward claiming to have found it. So why does no one believe him? Is the treasure still out there somewhere?...
- 10/28/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
PBS dominated the documentary portion of this year’s News and Documentary Emmys, landing ten awards overall — including three for “Pov,” two for “Independent Lens” and two for “Frontline,” which are three of the public broadcaster’s long-running, signature series.
Netflix followed with four wins, then Showtime with three. The documentary Emmys were awarded on Wednesday by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the second of two individual ceremonies; categories honoring TV news were handed out on Tuesday.
“Tonight, we celebrate these documentary professionals who in the unprecedented year of 2020 delivered the insightful, clear, factual and timely filmmaking necessary to make sense of the tumultuous times that we live in,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS.
Ozy CEO Carlos Watson had originally signed on to host the documentary ceremony, but bowed out earlier this week following a New York Times article chronicling questionable claims and practices inside his company.
Netflix followed with four wins, then Showtime with three. The documentary Emmys were awarded on Wednesday by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the second of two individual ceremonies; categories honoring TV news were handed out on Tuesday.
“Tonight, we celebrate these documentary professionals who in the unprecedented year of 2020 delivered the insightful, clear, factual and timely filmmaking necessary to make sense of the tumultuous times that we live in,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS.
Ozy CEO Carlos Watson had originally signed on to host the documentary ceremony, but bowed out earlier this week following a New York Times article chronicling questionable claims and practices inside his company.
- 9/30/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
A feature-length documentary about the legacy of “Reading Rainbow,” the beloved children’s show featuring LeVar Burton, is in production now from non-fiction studio Xtr called “Butterfly in the Sky.”
The “Reading Rainbow” film is named for the iconic theme song for the series, which ran for 26 years beginning in 1983 and picked up 26 Emmys and a Peabody Award throughout its run.
LeVar Burton himself, who hosted the program during its run and helped make it a classroom staple, sat down for new interviews with the filmmakers to discuss the show’s legacy. And in the vein of recent nostalgia-driven documentaries such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story,” “Butterfly in the Sky” will also cobble together archival footage and new interviews with broadcasters, educators and filmmakers who have all been involved with “Reading Rainbow” over the past 30 years.
“Reading Rainbow” has...
The “Reading Rainbow” film is named for the iconic theme song for the series, which ran for 26 years beginning in 1983 and picked up 26 Emmys and a Peabody Award throughout its run.
LeVar Burton himself, who hosted the program during its run and helped make it a classroom staple, sat down for new interviews with the filmmakers to discuss the show’s legacy. And in the vein of recent nostalgia-driven documentaries such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story,” “Butterfly in the Sky” will also cobble together archival footage and new interviews with broadcasters, educators and filmmakers who have all been involved with “Reading Rainbow” over the past 30 years.
“Reading Rainbow” has...
- 9/2/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
HBO's Alabama Snake unpacks the terrifyingly bizarre case of Glenn Summerford, a preacher who forced his wife to stick her hand inside a box of snakes in 1991. Like the controversial Hillbilly Elegy, director Theo Love's true-crime project partially focuses on Appalachian culture, in which snake handling in religious services used to be popular. So, what happened to Summerford? Nearly 30 years after his story caught media attention, the former snake-handling preacher continues to serve a 99-year prison sentence for attempted murder.
Let's dive into a little bit of context. Summerford was a Pentecostal preacher who kept serpents in a shed on his property. His frenzied sermons took place at the Church of Jesus Christ With Signs Following near Scottsboro, Al,, and his services usually included speaking in tongues and handling snakes. According to his wife Darlene, he accused her of cheating on him and punished her by forcing her to...
Let's dive into a little bit of context. Summerford was a Pentecostal preacher who kept serpents in a shed on his property. His frenzied sermons took place at the Church of Jesus Christ With Signs Following near Scottsboro, Al,, and his services usually included speaking in tongues and handling snakes. According to his wife Darlene, he accused her of cheating on him and punished her by forcing her to...
- 12/9/2020
- by Stacey Nguyen
- Popsugar.com
This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.
With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.
More from TVLineWhat's New on Netflix in DecemberFreeform's 25 Days of Christmas Schedule110+ TV Shows That Ended in 2020:...
With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.
More from TVLineWhat's New on Netflix in DecemberFreeform's 25 Days of Christmas Schedule110+ TV Shows That Ended in 2020:...
- 12/5/2020
- by Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
Time and time again during this year’s pandemic, movie studios have had to make the best of a bad situation. HBO Max’s list of new releases for December 2020 comes along with the most extreme example yet.
WarnerMedia undoubtedly had big plans for Wonder Woman 1984 when it scheduled it for a holiday release last year. After moving it to the summer, however, the conglomerate had to delay its theatrical release time and time again. Now HBO Max is the lucky winner of the saga, as it gets to premiere the long-awaited sequel on its servers on Dec. 25.
While Wonder Woman 1984 is definitely the headline this month, there are some other intriguing streaming options for HBO Max in December. The month plays host to a whole host of high-powered documentaries like Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults (Dec. 3), Alabama Snake (Dec. 9), and the Tiger Woods documentary Tiger (Dec.
WarnerMedia undoubtedly had big plans for Wonder Woman 1984 when it scheduled it for a holiday release last year. After moving it to the summer, however, the conglomerate had to delay its theatrical release time and time again. Now HBO Max is the lucky winner of the saga, as it gets to premiere the long-awaited sequel on its servers on Dec. 25.
While Wonder Woman 1984 is definitely the headline this month, there are some other intriguing streaming options for HBO Max in December. The month plays host to a whole host of high-powered documentaries like Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults (Dec. 3), Alabama Snake (Dec. 9), and the Tiger Woods documentary Tiger (Dec.
- 11/30/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week, […]
The post This Week In Trailers: Some Kind of Heaven, Alabama Snake, Little Fish, Sing Me A Song, The Human Factor appeared first on /Film.
The post This Week In Trailers: Some Kind of Heaven, Alabama Snake, Little Fish, Sing Me A Song, The Human Factor appeared first on /Film.
- 11/28/2020
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
"It's not a story you hear every day: religion, relationships, and murder." This is creepy. HBO has debuted an official trailer for Alabama Snake, a true crime documentary directed by Theo Love. Alabama Snake highlights the story of Pentecostal minister Glenn Summerford — a man accused of attempting to murder his wife with a rattlesnake in the sleepy town of Scottsboro, Alabama — and the investigation and trial that haunted Southern Appalachia for decades. The film features local historian & folklorist Dr. Thomas Burton, who spent his life studying the culture, beliefs, and folklore of the Pentecostal snake handlers, as he paints a Southern Gothic portrait of Summerford and his tale of demonic possession. This looks and sounds way creepier than it seems at first, which is the point. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Theo Love's Alabama Snake, direct from HBO's YouTube: Alabama Snake explores the story of October 4, 1991, ...
- 11/20/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Vengeful spouses are not a new element of true crime documentaries — but snakes are. HBO’s upcoming documentary “Alabama Snake” takes a look at one of Appalachia’s strangest crimes to date. The recently released trailer is ready to inform the rest of the world of what happened.
Read More: ‘MLK/FBI’ Trailer: How The FBI Tried To Destroy The Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr.
Minister Glenn Summerford was described by those who knew him as an angry and jealous husband.
Continue reading ‘Alabama Snake’ Trailer: HBO Doc Looks At One Of The Strangest Crimes In Appalachia at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘MLK/FBI’ Trailer: How The FBI Tried To Destroy The Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr.
Minister Glenn Summerford was described by those who knew him as an angry and jealous husband.
Continue reading ‘Alabama Snake’ Trailer: HBO Doc Looks At One Of The Strangest Crimes In Appalachia at The Playlist.
- 11/19/2020
- by Brynne Ramella
- The Playlist
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