A documentary made in secret about the life and career of rapper Tekashi69 has dropped on Hulu Monday, and the first look at the film “69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez” shows how a “cool Hispanic kid from the ghettos” became someone completely different and one of the more controversial figures in pop culture today.
Hulu surprised released its own documentary film Monday ahead of another Tekashi69 documentary series called “Supervillain” that’s meant to debut in early 2021. This one though sits down with people who knew the kid Danny Hernandez before he became 6ix9ine.
“There were two separate people at the beginning, but that morphed into one,” one of his friends says in the trailer.
Vikram Gandhi, best known for his film “Kumaré,” directs “69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez,” and this is not one of your typical glossy rock documentaries on the latest pop star of the day.
Hulu surprised released its own documentary film Monday ahead of another Tekashi69 documentary series called “Supervillain” that’s meant to debut in early 2021. This one though sits down with people who knew the kid Danny Hernandez before he became 6ix9ine.
“There were two separate people at the beginning, but that morphed into one,” one of his friends says in the trailer.
Vikram Gandhi, best known for his film “Kumaré,” directs “69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez,” and this is not one of your typical glossy rock documentaries on the latest pop star of the day.
- 11/16/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Vikram Gandhi Reprises Kumaré Character for Comedy Series ‘The Guru Inside You’ at Topic (Exclusive)
Vikram Gandhi, the filmmaker and journalist who posed as a false prophet and spiritual guide in his 2011 documentary “Kumaré,” will reprise his character for a new comedy series called “The Guru Inside You” to air on First Look Media’s streaming service Topic, TheWrap has learned exclusively.
The original series, which will debut on Topic July 2, is a comedic wellness show that will star Gandhi as the Indian guru Sri Kumaré as he provides his spiritual wisdom and guidance for audiences still stuck at home during the coronavirus.
Episodes will begin in Kumaré’s mythical compound, where he addresses his followers and reports on world events, and feature interviews with self-proclaimed experts and special guests. He will talk about the power of the mind to help us cope with issues of modern living through Kumaré’s teachings.
Also Read: First Look's Michael Bloom and Topic's Maria Zuckerman Talk 'Homegrown Success'...
The original series, which will debut on Topic July 2, is a comedic wellness show that will star Gandhi as the Indian guru Sri Kumaré as he provides his spiritual wisdom and guidance for audiences still stuck at home during the coronavirus.
Episodes will begin in Kumaré’s mythical compound, where he addresses his followers and reports on world events, and feature interviews with self-proclaimed experts and special guests. He will talk about the power of the mind to help us cope with issues of modern living through Kumaré’s teachings.
Also Read: First Look's Michael Bloom and Topic's Maria Zuckerman Talk 'Homegrown Success'...
- 6/24/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Fresh off of what we at IndieWire affectionately dubbed “Dog-Gate,” “Good Time” star Robert Pattinson has devoted an entire short film to a healthier kind of dog obsession: The New York City hot dog. Released by GQ, the wacky and short comedy was written by Pattinson himself, and clearly takes some inspiration from his time spent shooting with New York filmmaking brothers Josh and Benny Safdie.
Read More:Robert Pattinson Responds to Late Night Gaffe Promoting ‘Good Time’
Beginning with the former “Twilight” star speaking to himself as he paces around The Bowery Hotel, he angrily tosses a salami wrapper out of the mini-bar before sparking at the sight of a man eating a hot dog on the sidewalk. “This city is a labyrinth designed to mock me,” he says. Foregoing all fears about the outside world, Pattinson dons sunglasses and a baseball cap to brave the maze (and potential...
Read More:Robert Pattinson Responds to Late Night Gaffe Promoting ‘Good Time’
Beginning with the former “Twilight” star speaking to himself as he paces around The Bowery Hotel, he angrily tosses a salami wrapper out of the mini-bar before sparking at the sight of a man eating a hot dog on the sidewalk. “This city is a labyrinth designed to mock me,” he says. Foregoing all fears about the outside world, Pattinson dons sunglasses and a baseball cap to brave the maze (and potential...
- 8/10/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Earlier this year, Richard Tanne’s “Southside with You” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to general acclaim. The film followed a young Barack Obama and a young Michelle Robinson in 1989 on their very first date. Now, the second film about Barack Obama’s younger life will soon be upon us: “Barry,” which follows Obama in his junior year at Columbia University in 1981, a pivotal year in the life of the future president when he developed his opinions about race, government and America. The film stars Devon Terrell as Obama in his debut acting performance. It co-stars Ashley Judd (“Double Jeopardy”), Jenna Elfman (“Friends With Benefits”, Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Witch”), Jason Mitchell (“Straight Outta Compton”), Ellar Coltrane (“Boyhood”) and more. Watch a teaser trailer for the film below.
Read More: ‘Barry’ Review: The Best Obama Biopic Yet, But Not the Whole Story — Toronto Review
The film is written by Adam Mansbach...
Read More: ‘Barry’ Review: The Best Obama Biopic Yet, But Not the Whole Story — Toronto Review
The film is written by Adam Mansbach...
- 10/20/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
There were many conversations surrounding Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, most of them bad, and among the more interesting concerned its star, Ellar Coltrane — one of the “what now?” variety. (This interested me so much, in fact, that I asked him about it during an interview in the summer of 2014.) It didn’t take long to get an answer: in September of last year, he signed for James Ponsoldt’s The Circle, putting him in a co-starring position with Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, and John Boyega. And now there’s an update from Variety: the actor’s joined Barry, an Obama biopic-of-sorts concerning the future President’s time at Columbia University in 1981.
They share no details about who Coltrane’s playing, though it’s at least known that Devon Terrell (of Steve McQueen’s unsuccessful HBO pilot Codes of Conduct) will step into the main role; Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, M. Night Shyamalan...
They share no details about who Coltrane’s playing, though it’s at least known that Devon Terrell (of Steve McQueen’s unsuccessful HBO pilot Codes of Conduct) will step into the main role; Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, M. Night Shyamalan...
- 3/14/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Devon Terrell.
Nida graduate Devon Terrell will play a young Barack Obama in Barry, an independent feature to be directed by Vikram Gandhi, a former Vice correspondent who made the documentary Kumare.
The film will be set in 1981 in New York City, while Obama was attending Columbia University as a 20 year-old, reports THR.
Terrell was cast as the lead in Steve McQueen's HBO show Codes of Conduct, and despite the series being scrapped, that plum booking has no doubt opened many doors.
He'll star in Barry alongside another much-buzzed young actor, The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy, with a shoot planned for late April.
The script was written by Adam Mansbach, best known as the author of adult children's book Go the F*** to Sleep.
Terrell is repped by CAA in the U.S. and Imc in Australia.
Nida graduate Devon Terrell will play a young Barack Obama in Barry, an independent feature to be directed by Vikram Gandhi, a former Vice correspondent who made the documentary Kumare.
The film will be set in 1981 in New York City, while Obama was attending Columbia University as a 20 year-old, reports THR.
Terrell was cast as the lead in Steve McQueen's HBO show Codes of Conduct, and despite the series being scrapped, that plum booking has no doubt opened many doors.
He'll star in Barry alongside another much-buzzed young actor, The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy, with a shoot planned for late April.
The script was written by Adam Mansbach, best known as the author of adult children's book Go the F*** to Sleep.
Terrell is repped by CAA in the U.S. and Imc in Australia.
- 3/3/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
The story of a young Barack Obama trying to find his way in 1981 New York City has found its two leads. Devon Terrell and Anya Taylor-Joy, the star of the hit horror movie The Witch, will star in Barry, an indie drama being directed by Vikram Gandhi, a Vice correspondent who made the documentary Kumare. Black Bear Pictures (The Imitation Game) is producing with Cinetic Media. The movie is expected to begin shooting in April. Barry explores the time when Obama was a college student in New York City and forged key relationships, including with a fellow student
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- 2/24/2016
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"'Vice' makes the kind of documentaries that I'd been trying to make for years. There is a deeper truth that can be revealed from living in a story. And that is what we are trying to tap into." So says Vikram Gandhi, a journalist, filmmaker, and now producer and correspondent for HBO's series "Vice." Gandhi's documentary "Kumaré," in which he pretended to be a guru from India and gathered a following with made-up spiritualism, won the Audience Award at SXSW 2011. Produced by the magazine-turned-media empire, "Vice" is a world news show exploring everything from U.S. military waste and corruption in Afghanistan to extortion, torture and killing in Rio’s favelas. Its second season kicked off on March 14th. April 4th will see the premiere of the first of Gandhi's five episodes, which spotlight terrorism in India, a tribal uprising in Papua New Guinea, government secrecy in Japan and escalating violence in Honduras.
- 3/24/2014
- by Taylor Lindsay
- Indiewire
In recognition of the "trick" side of the Halloween tradition, Indiewire's latest curated selections for Hulu's Documentaries page highlights films that expose corruption, lies, and the manipulation of truth. Watch these and other docs now for free!Alex Gibney's "Casino Jack and the United States of Money," focuses on notorious DC conservative lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his central role in the 2006 corruption scandal that implicated powerful members of Congress.Gibney's also contributes another film to the list with his Oscar-nominated "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," exploring the rise and fall of the infamous corporation.Corporate malfeasance is also at the core of Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes' "We're Not Broke," an investigation into corporate tax shelters and the government collusion that allows profits to trump civil society.Vikram Gandhi's "Kumare" finds the filmmaker taking on the role of a fictional Indian guru to expose the absurdity of blind.
- 10/31/2013
- by Basil Tsiokos
- Indiewire
Press Release: Champaign, Ill. -- Terrence Malick's 1978 film "Days of Heaven" won an Oscar for best cinematography, and Roger Ebert likely found that no surprise. It is "above all one of the most beautiful films ever made," Ebert said in a 1997 review. So it's only appropriate that the film will open the 15th annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival on April 17 in the big-screen, newly renovated Virginia Theater in downtown Champaign.
Also among the 12 features and two shorts to be screened during the five-day "Ebertfest" -- running through April 21 at the Virginia and at the University of Illinois -- will be a kabuki-inspired drama from Japan; a recent silent film from Spain that deserved as much attention as "The Artist," according to Ebert; a sympathetic take on the "mad" painter Vincent Van Gogh, directed by frequent festival guest Paul Cox; and a documentary, which will close the festival, about...
Also among the 12 features and two shorts to be screened during the five-day "Ebertfest" -- running through April 21 at the Virginia and at the University of Illinois -- will be a kabuki-inspired drama from Japan; a recent silent film from Spain that deserved as much attention as "The Artist," according to Ebert; a sympathetic take on the "mad" painter Vincent Van Gogh, directed by frequent festival guest Paul Cox; and a documentary, which will close the festival, about...
- 5/3/2013
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
After a late day three (the Q&A didn’t get out until about midnight), many of the attendees to Ebertfest, myself included, were a bit on the sluggish side this morning. The first screening was set for 11am, which hardly seems early on paper, but for anyone catching up with friends at the festival or, in my case, writing up articles into the wee hours, 11am came a bit too soon. Honestly, many of us probably were not in a particularly good headspace to approach our first screening of the day, the silent, black and white film Blancanieves.
Fortunately, as can happen at Ebertfest, we were treated to a surprise when, rather than starting with the customary introduction to the first film, Chaz Ebert came on stage and announced that, inspired by Tilda Swinton, we were kicking things off with some dancing in the aisles. Barry White’s “My First,...
Fortunately, as can happen at Ebertfest, we were treated to a surprise when, rather than starting with the customary introduction to the first film, Chaz Ebert came on stage and announced that, inspired by Tilda Swinton, we were kicking things off with some dancing in the aisles. Barry White’s “My First,...
- 4/22/2013
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Press Release: Champaign, Ill. -- Terrence Malick's 1978 film "Days of Heaven" won an Oscar for best cinematography, and Roger Ebert likely found that no surprise. It is "above all one of the most beautiful films ever made," Ebert said in a 1997 review. So it's only appropriate that the film will open the 15th annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival on April 17 in the big-screen, newly renovated Virginia Theater in downtown Champaign.
Also among the 12 features and two shorts to be screened during the five-day "Ebertfest" -- running through April 21 at the Virginia and at the University of Illinois -- will be a kabuki-inspired drama from Japan; a recent silent film from Spain that deserved as much attention as "The Artist," according to Ebert; a sympathetic take on the "mad" painter Vincent Van Gogh, directed by frequent festival guest Paul Cox; and a documentary, which will close the festival, about...
Also among the 12 features and two shorts to be screened during the five-day "Ebertfest" -- running through April 21 at the Virginia and at the University of Illinois -- will be a kabuki-inspired drama from Japan; a recent silent film from Spain that deserved as much attention as "The Artist," according to Ebert; a sympathetic take on the "mad" painter Vincent Van Gogh, directed by frequent festival guest Paul Cox; and a documentary, which will close the festival, about...
- 3/23/2013
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
Sorry Oscars. But after the Indie Spirit Awards, the number two spot in terms of Award Season importance are the Cinema Eye Honors. Seems like it was only yesterday when Aj Schnack & Thom Powers teamed up for one basic, logical concept: an event that would reward yearly output of documentary film in a rightfully sound manner. With the wind in their sails, the 6th annual edition was held last night and deservingly so, adding to its double wins at the Idfa and Sundance, it is 5 Broken Cameras that took the top honors for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking. Co-directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi – political activism via you guessed it, five video cameras. The film was released via Kino Lorber.
The night’s only double winner, could be regarded as the silver medal doc film of the year: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Detropia grabbed the Outstanding...
The night’s only double winner, could be regarded as the silver medal doc film of the year: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Detropia grabbed the Outstanding...
- 1/10/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
"The Imposter" and "Searching for Sugar Man" each received 5 nods from the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. 31 features and 5 shorts will vie for the best of the best in documentary filmmaking. Check out the full list of nominees below including the Audience Award and Heterodox Award.
Winners of the 6th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced on January 9, 2013 as Cinema Eye returns for a third year to New York City.s Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
5 Broken Cameras
Directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Produced by Christine Camdessus, Serge Gordey, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Detropia
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Produced by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady and Craig Atkinson
The Imposter
Directed by Bart Layton
Produced by Dimitri Doganis
Marina Abramović The Artist is Present
Directed by Matthew Akers
Produced by Jeff Dupre and Maro Chermayeff...
Winners of the 6th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced on January 9, 2013 as Cinema Eye returns for a third year to New York City.s Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
5 Broken Cameras
Directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Produced by Christine Camdessus, Serge Gordey, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Detropia
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Produced by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady and Craig Atkinson
The Imposter
Directed by Bart Layton
Produced by Dimitri Doganis
Marina Abramović The Artist is Present
Directed by Matthew Akers
Produced by Jeff Dupre and Maro Chermayeff...
- 12/11/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Kumare is an Illusion, and Illusion is Truth
After growing up in the U.S. as part of a highly traditional Indian family, and later, graduating from college with a degree in religion, Vikram Gandhi’s faith was wavering. Hoping to find something of substance that he could believe in, he set off for India with a camera and an open mind, but every guru he came in contact with seemed to be merely a false savant looking to bag a buck with nothing more than confidence and an abundance of hair coming from all over. What he found most troubling was that through their blatant abuse of power via instruction, these so called holy men each had devout followings. This sparked an idea. What if Vikram Gandhi, a bright young man of Indian descent, thoroughly trained in the traditions of yoga, grew out his hair and beard, adopted his grandmother’s accent,...
After growing up in the U.S. as part of a highly traditional Indian family, and later, graduating from college with a degree in religion, Vikram Gandhi’s faith was wavering. Hoping to find something of substance that he could believe in, he set off for India with a camera and an open mind, but every guru he came in contact with seemed to be merely a false savant looking to bag a buck with nothing more than confidence and an abundance of hair coming from all over. What he found most troubling was that through their blatant abuse of power via instruction, these so called holy men each had devout followings. This sparked an idea. What if Vikram Gandhi, a bright young man of Indian descent, thoroughly trained in the traditions of yoga, grew out his hair and beard, adopted his grandmother’s accent,...
- 6/24/2012
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Hello hello! We hope you’re in the mood for love, because it’s definitely in the popcorn-and-butter-infused theater air this weekend. From an attempt at arranged marriage to a relationship forged at the moment of the apocalypse to romance in Rome (perhaps the romance capital itself, if you don’t count Paris, and, anyway, Woody Allen’s already been there), there’s a wide range of love stories to choose from. And if you prefer vampire flicks, well then you’ll absolutely adore the monster movie take on American history that’s hitting the cinemas. Either way, sneak champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries past the ticket attendants and enjoy Valentine’s Day, Part Deux!
This weekend, the 16th President of the United States puts an end to slavery and slays the bloodsucking undead in the Tim Burton-produced, Timur Bekmambetov-directed “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith,...
This weekend, the 16th President of the United States puts an end to slavery and slays the bloodsucking undead in the Tim Burton-produced, Timur Bekmambetov-directed “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith,...
- 6/22/2012
- by Emma Bernstein
- The Playlist
Sick of spiritualists charging an arm and a leg just to spout incredibly vague musings designed to help you? Think they're all a bunch of scammers taking advantage of those who actually need real assistance? If so, you're in luck, because Vikram Gandhi is on your wavelength. This filmmaker has made a documentary, not unlike "Borat," in which he pretends to be a native Indian guru (code name: Kumaré), creating his own philosophy and gathering very dedicated followers. Unlike the faux Kazakh, the director will reveal himself to his peons at the end, in an effort to prove that whatever change occurred was because of them and not him. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, "Kumaré" is a tricky flick that makes a scary case for how easy it is to begin a cult, but it also (unsurprisingly) is a morally questionable film endeavor.
Growing out...
Growing out...
- 6/20/2012
- by Christopher Bell
- The Playlist
Disappointed that Sacha Baron Cohen's latest movie chose to forgo his controversial prankster tactics? Fear not -- Indian-American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi has come to save the day.
In the SXSW Film Festival award-winner "Kumare," Gandhi dupes a handful of all white Americans into believing he's a spiritual guru. Why he chooses to embark on this journey is what fuels the curiosity factor of this provocative documentary. One thing's for sure: "Kumare" was made to ruffle a few feathers.
Initially the film was meant simply to capture the "guru phenomenon" that's taken over the world, but Gandhi decided to take his documentary one step further when he noticed that, as he puts it, "the gurus were trying to out-guru each other." To undergo the transformation required to turn skeptics into believers, Gandhi grew out his beard, invented his very own meaningless medication techniques, and mastered yoga. When the makeover was complete,...
In the SXSW Film Festival award-winner "Kumare," Gandhi dupes a handful of all white Americans into believing he's a spiritual guru. Why he chooses to embark on this journey is what fuels the curiosity factor of this provocative documentary. One thing's for sure: "Kumare" was made to ruffle a few feathers.
Initially the film was meant simply to capture the "guru phenomenon" that's taken over the world, but Gandhi decided to take his documentary one step further when he noticed that, as he puts it, "the gurus were trying to out-guru each other." To undergo the transformation required to turn skeptics into believers, Gandhi grew out his beard, invented his very own meaningless medication techniques, and mastered yoga. When the makeover was complete,...
- 6/20/2012
- by Nigel Smith
- NextMovie
Like many of this summer's most anticipated movies, the new documentary "Kumaré" follows the journey of an individual with a special power, a spiritual guru named Sri Kumaré who blesses his followers with a blue light that shines from the palm of his hand. The film features his attempt to attract followers and spread his teachings in Arizona. But also like this season's superhero movies, Kumaré is a fictional character, one created by American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi. He dons the appearance and personality of a real guru to explore why Americans seem fascinated with Indian spirituality, going to yoga studios or seeking guidance from gurus. "Kumaré" already earned some major praise at 2011's SXSW, winning the Feature Film Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, but if you're still not convinced of how good it is, check out the first 10 minutes of the movie above, courtesy of Film.com.
- 6/19/2012
- by Laura Rosenfeld
- NextMovie
Title: KUMARÉ Director: Vikram Gandhi Cast: Vikram Gandhi as Kumaré, Kristen Calgaro, Purva Bedi and disciples Screened at: Core Club, 66 E 55 St., NYC on 6/11/12 Opens: June 20, 2012 “What do we want? Fulfillment! When do we want it? Now! What do we want? Fulfillment! When do we want it? Now!” Now there’s a street demonstration that could theoretically bring out more petitioners than a labor dispute would attract since, when you come down to it, most Americans are making a decent living and not working in a Nepalese sweatshop. They do not urgently need a better standard of living but a better standard of life. Exploiting the [ Read More ]...
- 6/12/2012
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Kino Lorber has just announced that it will be releasing SXSW hit "Kumare" in the Us. The controversial comedic doc takes on people's devotion to spiritual gurus, with filmmaker Vikram Gandhi developing a guru character, Kumare, for himself. The film took home the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary at SXSW earlier this year. Indiewire reviewed the film at SXSW and interviewed the film's team there too. Though Kino Lorber is often known for taking on more serious fare, the company did make a hit out of "Winnebago Man" last year. The film will be released in May or June of 2012 and will roll out on VOD during the summer and early fall. Kino Lorber Acquires KUMARÉ (2011), A Documentary By Vikram Gandhi New York, NY - December 22, 2011 - Kino Lorber, Inc. (www.kinolorber.com) is proud to announce the acquisition of all Us rights to the acclaimed and controversial doc Kumaré (2011), by.
- 12/22/2011
- Indiewire
Kino Lorber has acquired Us rights to Kumaré, the Vikram Gandhi-directed documentary which won 2011 South by Southwest’s Audience Award. Disposable Television’s Brendan Colthurst and Bryan Carmel produced and Stephen Feder was exec producer. Kumaré is a wise guru from the East who indoctrinated a group of followers in the West. Kumaré, is an alter ego for the film’s director, who impersonated a spiritual leader for the sake of a social experiment designed to challenge one of the most widely accepted taboos: that only a tiny “1%” can connect the rest of the world to a higher power. Concealing his true identity from everyone he meets, Kumaré forges profound and spiritual connections with people from all walks of life. At the height of his popularity, Kumaré unveils his true identity to a core group of disciples who are knee-deep in personal transformation. Will they accept his final teaching...
- 12/22/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Kino Lorber will distribute Vikram Gandhi' Kumaré in the U.S., which made its debut at the South by Southwest film festival this year, reports Variety. Pic earned the Audience Award in the feature documentary category, and won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Napa Film Festival. Disposable Television's Brendan Colthurst and Bryan Carmel produced the film while Stephen Feder executive produces. Kino Lorber made the announcement today. Kumaré is an enlightened guru from the East who builds a following of disciples in the West. But Kumaré is not real. He is an American filmmaker named Vikram Gandhi, who has transformed himself into Kumaré as the centerpiece of a social experiment designed to explore and test one of the world's most sacred taboos. Concealing his true identity from all he meets, Kumaré forges profound, spiritual connections with real people from all walks of life. At the same time,...
- 12/22/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Kino Lorber will distribute Vikram Gandhi' Kumaré in the U.S., which made its debut at the South by Southwest film festival this year, reports Variety. Pic earned the Audience Award in the feature documentary category, and won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Napa Film Festival. Disposable Television's Brendan Colthurst and Bryan Carmel produced the film while Stephen Feder executive produces. Kino Lorber made the announcement today. Kumaré is an enlightened guru from the East who builds a following of disciples in the West. But Kumaré is not real. He is an American filmmaker named Vikram Gandhi, who has transformed himself into Kumaré as the centerpiece of a social experiment designed to explore and test one of the world's most sacred taboos. Concealing his true identity from all he meets, Kumaré forges profound, spiritual connections with real people from all walks of life. At the same time,...
- 12/22/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Kino Lorber will distribute Vikram Gandhi' Kumaré in the U.S., which made its debut at the South by Southwest film festival this year, reports Variety. Pic earned the Audience Award in the feature documentary category, and won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Napa Film Festival. Disposable Television's Brendan Colthurst and Bryan Carmel produced the film while Stephen Feder executive produces. Kino Lorber made the announcement today. Kumaré is an enlightened guru from the East who builds a following of disciples in the West. But Kumaré is not real. He is an American filmmaker named Vikram Gandhi, who has transformed himself into Kumaré as the centerpiece of a social experiment designed to explore and test one of the world's most sacred taboos. Concealing his true identity from all he meets, Kumaré forges profound, spiritual connections with real people from all walks of life. At the same time,...
- 12/22/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The Jack the Ripper weather that blanketed part of the 24th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam this year seemed poetically apropos. Rushing from P&I screenings, to public showings, to private viewing booths I often felt like I was lost in a heavy fog of docs. In addition I took great advantage of the many behind-the-scenes and inside-scoop events — most free to the public — that gives this biggest doc fest in Europe its accessible community vibe. I watched a Talk Show with tabloid-deep Nick Broomfield discussing his Sarah Palin: You Betcha! over a live Internet feed. I attended in person a much more fascinating Meet the Makers with Steve James (ironically, the very same morning I learned that The Interrupters — which I’d predicted would nab this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary — shamefully got booted from the Oscar shortlist), who was being honored with a retrospective on...
- 12/6/2011
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Nicolas Ozeki's "Mamitas" takes top prize at the event that combined food, wine and film.
The Napa Valley Film Festival kicked off its inaugural year with non-stop gourmet food, fine wines and emerging filmmakers. The Descendants, the opening night film, was followed by an A-class gala held at the Robert Mondavi Winery on opening night, Nov. 9. The late vintner's widow Margrit Biever Mondavi raised a glass to the spirit of indie cinema, under a giant tent decorated with a vintage Hollywood theme. This is Napa Valley, of course, so the opening gala featured wine country's top chefs, who laid out a spread including such yummy dishes as foie gras, braised wild boar, Liberty Farm duck and seafood bounty washed down with Mondavi cabernets, pinots and Mumm champagne.
Local vintners supported the fest and opened their mansions, barrel rooms, tasting salons and front porches to host private dinners and VIP receptions.
The Napa Valley Film Festival kicked off its inaugural year with non-stop gourmet food, fine wines and emerging filmmakers. The Descendants, the opening night film, was followed by an A-class gala held at the Robert Mondavi Winery on opening night, Nov. 9. The late vintner's widow Margrit Biever Mondavi raised a glass to the spirit of indie cinema, under a giant tent decorated with a vintage Hollywood theme. This is Napa Valley, of course, so the opening gala featured wine country's top chefs, who laid out a spread including such yummy dishes as foie gras, braised wild boar, Liberty Farm duck and seafood bounty washed down with Mondavi cabernets, pinots and Mumm champagne.
Local vintners supported the fest and opened their mansions, barrel rooms, tasting salons and front porches to host private dinners and VIP receptions.
- 11/17/2011
- icelebz.com
"Bigger and here to stay, Doc NYC returns for its second year to spread the gospel of nonfiction, showcasing 52 features in what's becoming the city's mainstream fall complement to Moma's more international and experimental Documentary Fortnight," writes Nicolas Rapold in the Voice. "Boldface names Werner Herzog, Barbara Kopple, and Jonathan Demme come bearing new work; anticipated favorites such as The Island President and an Eames doc will be rolled out; a memorial tribute to the late Richard Leacock burnishes another vérité legend; and a host of often issue-oriented other films await presumably sympathetic perusal."
The festival opens this evening with Into the Abyss, "Herzog's best documentary in many years," at least for Amy Taubin, writing for Artforum. "Herzog's subject is state-mandated execution, which he addresses via a case of triple homicide that took place in Conroe, Texas…. The movie is all the more haunting for being so straightforward in its narrative organization,...
The festival opens this evening with Into the Abyss, "Herzog's best documentary in many years," at least for Amy Taubin, writing for Artforum. "Herzog's subject is state-mandated execution, which he addresses via a case of triple homicide that took place in Conroe, Texas…. The movie is all the more haunting for being so straightforward in its narrative organization,...
- 11/4/2011
- MUBI
Sick of spiritualists charging an arm and a leg just to spout incredibly vague musings designed to help you? Think they're all a bunch of scammers taking advantage of those who actually need real assistance? If so, you're in luck, because Vikram Gandhi is on your wavelength. This filmmaker has made a documentary not unlike "Borat" in which he pretends to be a native Indian guru (code name: Kumare), creating his own philosophy and gathering very dedicated followers. Unlike the Kazakh, the director will reveal himself to his peons at the end in an effort to prove that whatever change…...
- 11/4/2011
- The Playlist
"Kumare" director Vikram Gandhi took the stage at Hot Docs Saturday night for the Canadian debut of his film, in which Gandhi plays the titular character, a guru from a fictional village in India who travels to Arizona to spread the gospel of his own brand of yoga that includes a special “blue light” ritual that doesn’t exist beyond Gandhi’s creation of it for the film. Pictured alongside festival programmer ...
- 5/2/2011
- Indiewire
Kumaré
Directed by Vikram Gandhi
2011, USA, 84 mins.
After watching Kumaré, an old aphorism comes to mind: the best way to learn is to teach. When Vikram Gandhi set out to teach people that gurus and other religious teachers are unnecessary by growing out his hair and beard, putting on an exaggerated Indian accent, and transforming into a guru character called Kumaré, he probably did not expect that he too would learn something about spirituality. When he founded a fake religious movement, he probably did not expect that he would end up actually helping people. And while he had always planned to reveal his deception, he probably did not anticipate the magnitude of his own moral crisis.
This film is not Borat. While Borat was making a satirical statement at the expense of the most ridiculous people Sasha Baron Cohen could find, Gandhi is trying, perhaps inexpertly, to make a serious point to his disciples.
Directed by Vikram Gandhi
2011, USA, 84 mins.
After watching Kumaré, an old aphorism comes to mind: the best way to learn is to teach. When Vikram Gandhi set out to teach people that gurus and other religious teachers are unnecessary by growing out his hair and beard, putting on an exaggerated Indian accent, and transforming into a guru character called Kumaré, he probably did not expect that he too would learn something about spirituality. When he founded a fake religious movement, he probably did not expect that he would end up actually helping people. And while he had always planned to reveal his deception, he probably did not anticipate the magnitude of his own moral crisis.
This film is not Borat. While Borat was making a satirical statement at the expense of the most ridiculous people Sasha Baron Cohen could find, Gandhi is trying, perhaps inexpertly, to make a serious point to his disciples.
- 5/1/2011
- by DaveRobson
- SoundOnSight
Torontonians love their film festivals. In September, they love star-gazing, and voting on the movies that are most likely to - and usually do - go on to win Oscar gold. They love waiting in line in the sun all day for tickets, and standing in rush lines, and charting their 5-films-a-day schedules on carefully calculated spreadsheets. And in May, they love watching documentaries: docs that you've never heard of and will never hear from again; docs that played and won awards in Sundance and South by Southwest; docs about obscure Canadian things like curling, Alan Zweig, and longboarding on the highway. The city arguably gets more up-in-arms about Hot Docs than they do about Tiff, opting for the more quaint venues that aren't bombarded by outsiders and celebrities. It's a great mix of films, and they can be viewed in theatres full of eclectic audiences. This week I'll be...
- 4/29/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
I think I can safely say IFC covered the crap out of South by Southwest 2011. Stephen Saito and I reviewed over fifteen films and interviewed over forty filmmakers during our ten days in Austin. That's way more films covered than hours either of us slept. Here now is a complete archive of everything we did: reviews, video interviews, and print interviews. At the bottom, you'll also find mine and Stephen's picks for the five best films at this year's SXSW. Enjoy. I know we did.
Reviews
"Attack the Block," directed by Joe Cornish
"The Beaver," directed by Jodie Foster
"Bellflower," directed by Evan Glodell
"Bridesmaids," directed by Paul Feig
"Convento," directed by Jarred Alterman
"The Fp," directed by The Brothers Trost
"The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," directed by Morgan Spurlock
"Insidious," directed by James Wan
"Last Days Here," directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton
"The Other F Word," directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
"Paul,...
Reviews
"Attack the Block," directed by Joe Cornish
"The Beaver," directed by Jodie Foster
"Bellflower," directed by Evan Glodell
"Bridesmaids," directed by Paul Feig
"Convento," directed by Jarred Alterman
"The Fp," directed by The Brothers Trost
"The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," directed by Morgan Spurlock
"Insidious," directed by James Wan
"Last Days Here," directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton
"The Other F Word," directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
"Paul,...
- 3/23/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Updated through 3/23.
Robbie Pickering's Natural Selection has been named best Narrative Feature at this year's SXSW Film Festival by both the Grand Jury and audiences. What's more, Rachael Harris and Matt O'Leary are among the Breakthrough Performances (the one other winner is Evan Ross for 96 Minutes), Pickering wins Best Screenplay and Michelle Tesoro wins Best Editing.
To the Documentary Features. The Jury's going for Tristan Patterson's Dragonslayer, awarding Best Cinematography to Eric Koretz as well. As for the Audience Award, "In 2010, Indian-American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi went to Phoenix and invented a spiritual workshop from scratch," writes Eric Kohn at indieWIRE. "That's the premise of Kumaré, a documentary that Gandhi assembled out of his experience, in which he created a fake spiritual guru, replete with heavy accent, far-out proclamations, and a tiny legion of followers… Structural problems aside, Kumaré succeeds at creating a thoughtful depiction of performance art, if not a particularly funny one.
Robbie Pickering's Natural Selection has been named best Narrative Feature at this year's SXSW Film Festival by both the Grand Jury and audiences. What's more, Rachael Harris and Matt O'Leary are among the Breakthrough Performances (the one other winner is Evan Ross for 96 Minutes), Pickering wins Best Screenplay and Michelle Tesoro wins Best Editing.
To the Documentary Features. The Jury's going for Tristan Patterson's Dragonslayer, awarding Best Cinematography to Eric Koretz as well. As for the Audience Award, "In 2010, Indian-American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi went to Phoenix and invented a spiritual workshop from scratch," writes Eric Kohn at indieWIRE. "That's the premise of Kumaré, a documentary that Gandhi assembled out of his experience, in which he created a fake spiritual guru, replete with heavy accent, far-out proclamations, and a tiny legion of followers… Structural problems aside, Kumaré succeeds at creating a thoughtful depiction of performance art, if not a particularly funny one.
- 3/23/2011
- MUBI
Jury and Audience Award winners were announced this evening at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival.
Robbie Pickering‘s look at a Texas woman’s journey to self-discovery, Natural Selection, won the Grand Jury prize in the Narrative Feature competition (it also won the Audience Award) while Tristan Patterson‘s film on skateboarders in the California suburbs, Dragonslayer, won the prize on the doc side.
New for 2011, films in competition were also eligible for jury awards for Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Score/Music, and Best Screenplay and Breakthrough Performance for narrative films (all going to Natural Selection except for Best Cinematography which was won by Elliot Davis for A Year in Mooring. Evan Ross of 96 Minutes was also recognized in Breakthrough Performance).
Read Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards winners.
The compete list of 2011 SXSW Film Festival award winners are below. Read our...
Robbie Pickering‘s look at a Texas woman’s journey to self-discovery, Natural Selection, won the Grand Jury prize in the Narrative Feature competition (it also won the Audience Award) while Tristan Patterson‘s film on skateboarders in the California suburbs, Dragonslayer, won the prize on the doc side.
New for 2011, films in competition were also eligible for jury awards for Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Score/Music, and Best Screenplay and Breakthrough Performance for narrative films (all going to Natural Selection except for Best Cinematography which was won by Elliot Davis for A Year in Mooring. Evan Ross of 96 Minutes was also recognized in Breakthrough Performance).
Read Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards winners.
The compete list of 2011 SXSW Film Festival award winners are below. Read our...
- 3/19/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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