WestEnd Films is launching worldwide sales on crime drama “Rhino” from Ukrainian director Oleh Sentsov, which will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section.
Produced by Denis Ivanov and Sentsov, the film centers on a young man nicknamed “Rhino,” who starts out as a petty thief before rising in the ranks of Ukraine’s criminal underworld in the 1990s. Rhino has only known power and cruelty, but with nothing left to lose, could he finally find a chance at redemption?
The film stars newcomer Serhii Filimonov as Rhino, alongside Yevhen Grigoriev and Alina Zievakova. Crew members include Academy Award-nominated director of photography Bogumił Godfrejów.
“Rhino” was awarded best project and best pitching at the Sofia Meetings, and production was originally planned for 2014. However, Oleh was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service in May 2014 and unlawfully sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, giving rise to a global campaign for his release.
Produced by Denis Ivanov and Sentsov, the film centers on a young man nicknamed “Rhino,” who starts out as a petty thief before rising in the ranks of Ukraine’s criminal underworld in the 1990s. Rhino has only known power and cruelty, but with nothing left to lose, could he finally find a chance at redemption?
The film stars newcomer Serhii Filimonov as Rhino, alongside Yevhen Grigoriev and Alina Zievakova. Crew members include Academy Award-nominated director of photography Bogumił Godfrejów.
“Rhino” was awarded best project and best pitching at the Sofia Meetings, and production was originally planned for 2014. However, Oleh was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service in May 2014 and unlawfully sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, giving rise to a global campaign for his release.
- 7/26/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Participant and French sales agent MK2 Films have teamed up to jointly represent worldwide rights to Rahul Jain’s documentary feature “Invisible Demons.” The feature film will have its world premiere at Cannes in the cinema for the climate special section.
In “Invisible Demons,” Jain explores the dramatic consequences of India’s growing economy and what it means on the broader world stage.
Using Jain’s experimental style and strong visuals, the documentary zooms in on the situation in New Delhi, where climate change is impacting the daily lives and health of 30 million locals.
Set for July 12, the premiere will mark the Cannes debut of Jain, a rising filmmaking who made his critically acclaimed debut feature with “Machines,” which won Sundance’s best cinematography award in 2017. “Machines” went on to nab 17 international awards at more than 160 festivals.
Rob Williams, Participant’s VP of content sales, and Fionnuala Jamison, MK2 Films’ MD,...
In “Invisible Demons,” Jain explores the dramatic consequences of India’s growing economy and what it means on the broader world stage.
Using Jain’s experimental style and strong visuals, the documentary zooms in on the situation in New Delhi, where climate change is impacting the daily lives and health of 30 million locals.
Set for July 12, the premiere will mark the Cannes debut of Jain, a rising filmmaking who made his critically acclaimed debut feature with “Machines,” which won Sundance’s best cinematography award in 2017. “Machines” went on to nab 17 international awards at more than 160 festivals.
Rob Williams, Participant’s VP of content sales, and Fionnuala Jamison, MK2 Films’ MD,...
- 6/25/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Participant’s Laura Kim has been promoted to executive vice president of marketing.
The seven-year-veteran of the company had previously served as a senior vice president in film marketing. She will continue to report to the company’s worldwide marketing president Christina Kounelias.
“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together. Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films,” said Kounelias. “Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”
In her new role, Kim assumes expanded duties in independent and international film and series projects at the studio, founded with a mission to...
The seven-year-veteran of the company had previously served as a senior vice president in film marketing. She will continue to report to the company’s worldwide marketing president Christina Kounelias.
“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together. Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films,” said Kounelias. “Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”
In her new role, Kim assumes expanded duties in independent and international film and series projects at the studio, founded with a mission to...
- 4/7/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Participant has promoted veteran executive Laura Kim to executive vice president of marketing, the company announced on Tuesday.
Kim, who first joined Participant in 2014, will focus on independent and international films and series, reporting to Christina Kounelias, Participant’s president of worldwide marketing.
“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together,” Kounelias said in a statement. “Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films. Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”
“I am excited to be working on films and series that move me and that challenge us to try harder and do better,...
Kim, who first joined Participant in 2014, will focus on independent and international films and series, reporting to Christina Kounelias, Participant’s president of worldwide marketing.
“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together,” Kounelias said in a statement. “Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films. Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”
“I am excited to be working on films and series that move me and that challenge us to try harder and do better,...
- 4/6/2021
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Marketing and publicity veteran Laura Kim has been elevated to EVP of Marketing at Participant.
In her new position, Kim will assume broadened executive responsibilities, with a focus on independent and foreign films and series.
Kim first joined Participant as SVP of Film Marketing in 2014. During her tenure, she’s been key in working on the company’s specialty features, including such Oscar-winning films as American Factory, A Fantastic Woman, Spotlight, and Citizenfour, as well as Monos, Human Flow, and the Oscar-nominated films The Look of Silence and Rbg, the latter of which went on to become a documentary box office hit in 2018 with over $14M. Recent marketing efforts include two-time Oscar-nominated Collective, and the upcoming Final Account and My Name Is Pauli Murray, which had its world premiere this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
Prior to joining Participant, Kim was principal and founder of Inside Job, a motion picture marketing,...
In her new position, Kim will assume broadened executive responsibilities, with a focus on independent and foreign films and series.
Kim first joined Participant as SVP of Film Marketing in 2014. During her tenure, she’s been key in working on the company’s specialty features, including such Oscar-winning films as American Factory, A Fantastic Woman, Spotlight, and Citizenfour, as well as Monos, Human Flow, and the Oscar-nominated films The Look of Silence and Rbg, the latter of which went on to become a documentary box office hit in 2018 with over $14M. Recent marketing efforts include two-time Oscar-nominated Collective, and the upcoming Final Account and My Name Is Pauli Murray, which had its world premiere this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
Prior to joining Participant, Kim was principal and founder of Inside Job, a motion picture marketing,...
- 4/6/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Executive joined in 2014.
Participant has promoted marketing and publicity veteran Laura Kim to EVP of marketing, effective immediately.
Kim will assume broadened executive responsibilities with a focus on independent and international films and series combining with impact work. She continues to report to Participant’s president of worldwide marketing Christina Kounelias.
She joined Participant as SVP of film marketing in 2014 and has played an instrumental role on most of the company’s specialty features, including American Factory, A Fantastic Woman, Spotlight, Citizenfour, as well as Monos, Human Flow, The Look Of Silence, and Rbg.
Most recently she has led marketing...
Participant has promoted marketing and publicity veteran Laura Kim to EVP of marketing, effective immediately.
Kim will assume broadened executive responsibilities with a focus on independent and international films and series combining with impact work. She continues to report to Participant’s president of worldwide marketing Christina Kounelias.
She joined Participant as SVP of film marketing in 2014 and has played an instrumental role on most of the company’s specialty features, including American Factory, A Fantastic Woman, Spotlight, Citizenfour, as well as Monos, Human Flow, The Look Of Silence, and Rbg.
Most recently she has led marketing...
- 4/6/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Stone Canyon Entertainment has announced the start of production on “Who Are the Marcuses,” a feature documentary about a mysterious couple who donated half a billion dollars to Israel, the largest single gift in the history of the state.
Matthew Mishory is directing, with Stone Canyon’s Bradford Schlei and Alvaro Fernandez producing, and executive producers Marc Bennett and Rhino Films’ Stephen Nemeth. Filming is set to begin in Israel and in Austin, Texas in the first quarter of the year for a 2022 release. The film pieces together the lives of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus (pictured), who lived in a modest San Diego apartment and bequeathed half a billion dollars to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to study water management.
The couple hoped their gift would help bring about regional conflict resolution in Israel and peace through water. The film will explore how they invested their nest egg...
Matthew Mishory is directing, with Stone Canyon’s Bradford Schlei and Alvaro Fernandez producing, and executive producers Marc Bennett and Rhino Films’ Stephen Nemeth. Filming is set to begin in Israel and in Austin, Texas in the first quarter of the year for a 2022 release. The film pieces together the lives of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus (pictured), who lived in a modest San Diego apartment and bequeathed half a billion dollars to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to study water management.
The couple hoped their gift would help bring about regional conflict resolution in Israel and peace through water. The film will explore how they invested their nest egg...
- 2/18/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Dogwoof has closed a deal to handle international TV and digital sales rights to Participant’s feature doc catalogue.
UK-based sales outfit Dogwoof has closed a deal to handle international TV and digital sales rights to Green Book producer Participant’s feature documentary catalogue.
The deal will see Dogwoof take on 19 titles from the Participant library and start presenting to buyers during Mipcom next week.
Among the titles are political documentary Slay The Dragon, about the fight to end gerrymandering in the US. which was released earlier this year by Magnolia Pictures; Victor Kossakovsky’s Aquarela; Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow...
UK-based sales outfit Dogwoof has closed a deal to handle international TV and digital sales rights to Green Book producer Participant’s feature documentary catalogue.
The deal will see Dogwoof take on 19 titles from the Participant library and start presenting to buyers during Mipcom next week.
Among the titles are political documentary Slay The Dragon, about the fight to end gerrymandering in the US. which was released earlier this year by Magnolia Pictures; Victor Kossakovsky’s Aquarela; Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow...
- 10/12/2020
- ScreenDaily
Ever since the first patient in Wuhan, China was diagnosed with Covid-19 symptoms, the coronavirus has the world in a tight grip and left its mark, not only this year, but probably for some more years to come. While the virus will be fought and ultimately beaten whenever a vaccination will become available, the impact of the pandemic, the many deaths, the way it has shaped our lives and how it has dismantled politics and economics has been quite enormous. Nevertheless, while its global effect will still have to be measured, it certainly makes sense to explore the aftermath of the virus outbreak and the lockdown more closely, since the events which have led to these hold answers and stories about hierarchies of power in a state, how our modern society deals with a situation such as this and whether our global infrastructure can truly handle such a challenge, and those that undeniably lie ahead.
- 8/27/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
As an installation artist, Ai Weiwei is a larger-than-life character so adept at mocking China’s authoritarian extremes that it led to his exile; behind the camera, that personality recedes to the background. From “Stay Home,” his portrait of HIV struggles in China, to the sprawling look at the refugee crisis in “Human Flow,” Ai treats cinema as a pure humanitarian vessel. That makes him well-equipped for “Coronation,” which has bragging rights as the first documentary feature released about the coronavirus lockdown in China. It casts a wide net: The movie puts a human face on a global health crisis by finding many of them all across this troubled country.
It also brings new urgency to the concept of the found-footage movie. Produced in secret, shot by amateur citizens, and released without warning last week, “Coronation” confronts the paradoxes of China’s coronavirus response in fragments of angry residents, eerie medical processes,...
It also brings new urgency to the concept of the found-footage movie. Produced in secret, shot by amateur citizens, and released without warning last week, “Coronation” confronts the paradoxes of China’s coronavirus response in fragments of angry residents, eerie medical processes,...
- 8/24/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Simultaneously stoic and anguished, “Earth” takes a determined, unrelenting look at what Austrian director Nikolaus Geyrhalter calls “the wounds we are inflicting” on our planet.
Like his previous documentaries, this one is forcefully experimental, rejecting what the film’s press materials disdain as “familiar rhetorical devices” and “uninspired formal qualities of more run-of-the-mill ‘social issues’ docs.” Because the result is an experience that was not made for the masses, he is likely to preach primarily to the converted. But anyone willing to submit to the urgent exactitude of his methods will walk away deeply unsettled.
The film is divided into seven chapters, each of which brings us to a different location, but the overarching vision is always the same: In any economic or ecological battle between nature and humankind, the latter will do anything necessary to win.
Also Read: 'Hollywood's Architect' Paul R. Williams Finally Gets to Shine in the...
Like his previous documentaries, this one is forcefully experimental, rejecting what the film’s press materials disdain as “familiar rhetorical devices” and “uninspired formal qualities of more run-of-the-mill ‘social issues’ docs.” Because the result is an experience that was not made for the masses, he is likely to preach primarily to the converted. But anyone willing to submit to the urgent exactitude of his methods will walk away deeply unsettled.
The film is divided into seven chapters, each of which brings us to a different location, but the overarching vision is always the same: In any economic or ecological battle between nature and humankind, the latter will do anything necessary to win.
Also Read: 'Hollywood's Architect' Paul R. Williams Finally Gets to Shine in the...
- 2/6/2020
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
New contributor Ren Jender reporting from Sundance...
In 2014, Mexican police attacked students from a rural teachers' college, Ayotzinapa (known as a hotbed of leftist activism) in Iguala, Guerrero. They killed six of the students but injured many more and abducted another 43, who have never been found. In his new documentary Vivos, artist Ai WeiWei (Human Flow) focuses on the families left behind (and in limbo) When the families speak about the disappearance of their sons, siblings and partners, Ai captures the lyricism of their stories. One father memorably states:
That night, it rained and rained and rained."...
In 2014, Mexican police attacked students from a rural teachers' college, Ayotzinapa (known as a hotbed of leftist activism) in Iguala, Guerrero. They killed six of the students but injured many more and abducted another 43, who have never been found. In his new documentary Vivos, artist Ai WeiWei (Human Flow) focuses on the families left behind (and in limbo) When the families speak about the disappearance of their sons, siblings and partners, Ai captures the lyricism of their stories. One father memorably states:
That night, it rained and rained and rained."...
- 1/27/2020
- by Ren Jender
- FilmExperience
Ai Weiwei, Chinese artist, dissident and full-time provocateur, has always punched up: taking on authority and authoritarianism through his work, whether its the Chinese government (in the many works of art that made him famous) or the European Union, whose indifference to the plight of refugees he eviscerated in his first documentary film, the shocking cine-essay Human Flow (2017).
In his latest film, Vivos, which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival today (Cinephil is handling worldwide sales), Ai's target is the Mexican government and the culture of corruption and violence he sees behind the events of September 26, 2014, when a ...
In his latest film, Vivos, which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival today (Cinephil is handling worldwide sales), Ai's target is the Mexican government and the culture of corruption and violence he sees behind the events of September 26, 2014, when a ...
- 1/24/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ai Weiwei, Chinese artist, dissident and full-time provocateur, has always punched up: taking on authority and authoritarianism through his work, whether its the Chinese government (in the many works of art that made him famous) or the European Union, whose indifference to the plight of refugees he eviscerated in his first documentary film, the shocking cine-essay Human Flow (2017).
In his latest film, Vivos, which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival today (Cinephil is handling worldwide sales), Ai's target is the Mexican government and the culture of corruption and violence he sees behind the events of September 26, 2014, when a ...
In his latest film, Vivos, which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival today (Cinephil is handling worldwide sales), Ai's target is the Mexican government and the culture of corruption and violence he sees behind the events of September 26, 2014, when a ...
- 1/24/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A list of the best cinematographers is bound to include high profile names like Robert Richardson and Roger Deakins, but it’s also likely to include Christopher Doyle. The Australian-born Hong Kong cinematographer made a name for himself through his collaborations with Wong Kar-Wai, which famously include “Chungking Express,” “Happy Together,” “In the Mood for Love,” and “2046.” Doyle’s work on “In the Mood for Love” is often cited as some of the most notable cinematography of the 21st century. Doyle recently spoke with The Film Stage about the past and future of his career, and he did not mince words when it came to referencing filmmakers James Cameron and Michael Mann.
At one point in the interview Doyle talks about the various directors he has been fortunate enough to work with throughout his career, from Wong Kar-Wai to Gus Van Sant, Jim Jarmusch, and Edward Yang. The Dp...
At one point in the interview Doyle talks about the various directors he has been fortunate enough to work with throughout his career, from Wong Kar-Wai to Gus Van Sant, Jim Jarmusch, and Edward Yang. The Dp...
- 12/11/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
“Midnight Traveler” is a film about distance. The distance between countries, the distance between years, the distance between heaven and hell. But most of all — and increasingly as it goes along — , even if just between themselves. Over the course of 1,000 days and as many miles, Hassan used three cell phones to record almost every step of his family’s perilous journey from their native Afghanistan (where the progressive director was targeted by the Taliban) to their current home in Central Europe, capturing a contemporary migrant experience from the most immediate and ground-level of perspectives. It’s a project that was made to restore a certain way of seeing; to punch a hole through the screen that separates people from the reality of what’s happening in their world. But in trying to get so close to the truth without touching it, Hassan almost fell into the same gap that he was trying to bridge.
- 9/17/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Diane Weyermann, a 14-year veteran at Participant Media, has been promoted to the role of chief content officer, the company’s CEO David Linde announced Thursday at the kickoff of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Weyermann, who previously oversaw Participant’s documentary film and television slate, including executive producing films such as “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Citizenfour,” will work closely with Linde in shaping Participant’s film and TV content in the newly created position.
Weyermann will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice presidents, Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
Also Read: Participant Media's Jonathan King Will Step Down to Segue Into Independent Production
The news comes as part of a restructuring after the departure of Jonathan King, the company...
Weyermann, who previously oversaw Participant’s documentary film and television slate, including executive producing films such as “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Citizenfour,” will work closely with Linde in shaping Participant’s film and TV content in the newly created position.
Weyermann will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice presidents, Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
Also Read: Participant Media's Jonathan King Will Step Down to Segue Into Independent Production
The news comes as part of a restructuring after the departure of Jonathan King, the company...
- 9/5/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
“Modern society is a ruin, in our emotions and our judgement.“
(Ai Weiwei)
Even though it has disappeared from mainstream media to a certain degree, the discussion about the wave of refugees to Europe has not ceased, and probably will still be relevant for many years to come. The chaos of the Brexit debates in the British Houses of Parliament as well as the upcoming election for the European Parliament are two events defined by the socio-political impact of these people coming from Africa and Asia. Hiding behind the numbers and the statistics, the political agendas and the programs, however, are human faces, biographies and tragedies which we tend to forget, especially if their stories are not featured in the media.
“The Rest” is screening at Sheffield Doc/Fest
Essentially these faces and stories were the starting point for Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. When he began filming “Human Flow” (2017) and...
(Ai Weiwei)
Even though it has disappeared from mainstream media to a certain degree, the discussion about the wave of refugees to Europe has not ceased, and probably will still be relevant for many years to come. The chaos of the Brexit debates in the British Houses of Parliament as well as the upcoming election for the European Parliament are two events defined by the socio-political impact of these people coming from Africa and Asia. Hiding behind the numbers and the statistics, the political agendas and the programs, however, are human faces, biographies and tragedies which we tend to forget, especially if their stories are not featured in the media.
“The Rest” is screening at Sheffield Doc/Fest
Essentially these faces and stories were the starting point for Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. When he began filming “Human Flow” (2017) and...
- 6/6/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Something that tends to get lost in the political discourse around the European migrant crisis — as right-wing gatekeepers promote myths of hungry foreign invaders, countered by left-wing checking of privilege and opportunity — is that the ultimate goal of many a Syrian or Afghan refugee is not to forge a new life, but return to their old one. The day-to-day challenges of resettlement and the exhausting toll it takes on the homesick, however, are very much to the fore in “The Rest,” the second documentary on the crisis from Chinese superstar artist Ai Weiwei — and a more focused, intimately affecting one than his heaving 2017 panorama “Human Flow.” A full hour shorter than that film, though still covering substantial ground in its survey of refugees battling barbed wire and red tape from Calais to Lampedusa, this Cph: Dox premiere should match its predecessor’s popularity with festival programmers and arthouse buyers.
With...
With...
- 4/1/2019
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Ai Weiwei film is a companion piece to Human Flow.
Copenhagen-based documentary festival Cph:dox (March 20-31) has revealed its line-up of competition titles for 2019.
Notable world premieres include The Rest, the latest feature from Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. His previous feature, refugee crisis doc Human Flow, premiered at Venice in 2017 and won multiple awards.
The Rest is a parallel work to Human Flow, again focusing on the refugee crisis, but this time in line with the voice and experience of an individual refugee. Edited down from 900 hours of footage, the film depicts those living in political limbo in Europe,...
Copenhagen-based documentary festival Cph:dox (March 20-31) has revealed its line-up of competition titles for 2019.
Notable world premieres include The Rest, the latest feature from Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. His previous feature, refugee crisis doc Human Flow, premiered at Venice in 2017 and won multiple awards.
The Rest is a parallel work to Human Flow, again focusing on the refugee crisis, but this time in line with the voice and experience of an individual refugee. Edited down from 900 hours of footage, the film depicts those living in political limbo in Europe,...
- 2/22/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
“My mother is all my life.”
In the constant stream of images of refugees making their way to Europe and the USA, we often tend to forget the stories behind the faces of the people we see on camera and newspaper articles. Since many young families, or the young fathers alone, start the sheer never-ending journey from Africa or Arab countries, their stories speak not only of the possibility of a future they want to create, but also the family they have left behind. Films such as Ai Weiwei’s documentary “Human Flow” or Philippe van Leeuw’s “Insyriated” are only two examples of artists who have decided to focus on these stories, these families and their conflicts, one which is after all ours as well.
In his second feature “Rona, Azim’s Mother” Afghan director Jamshid Mahmoudi tells one of these stories. Similar to his former feature “A Few...
In the constant stream of images of refugees making their way to Europe and the USA, we often tend to forget the stories behind the faces of the people we see on camera and newspaper articles. Since many young families, or the young fathers alone, start the sheer never-ending journey from Africa or Arab countries, their stories speak not only of the possibility of a future they want to create, but also the family they have left behind. Films such as Ai Weiwei’s documentary “Human Flow” or Philippe van Leeuw’s “Insyriated” are only two examples of artists who have decided to focus on these stories, these families and their conflicts, one which is after all ours as well.
In his second feature “Rona, Azim’s Mother” Afghan director Jamshid Mahmoudi tells one of these stories. Similar to his former feature “A Few...
- 2/7/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Pen America announced today that globally lauded artist Ai Weiwei will receive the Artistic Expression Award at the organization’s 2018 LitFest Gala in Los Angeles.
Ai is renowned for making bold aesthetic statements that expose fault lines, unmask hypocrisies, and unleash empathy on a global scale. This honor comes in the wake of the razing last weekend of Ai Weiwei’s Beijing studio, including the destruction of several artworks, purportedly to make way for gentrification. In the fall of 2018, Ai Weiwei will open three major exhibitions in Los Angeles. The 2018 LitFest Gala, which will take place on November 2, 2018, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, will also recognize media and entertainment litigator and Pen America Trustee Marvin Putnam with the 2018 Distinguished Leadership Award for exceptional work in support of Pen America and its mission to defend free expression and celebrate literary excellence.
Now in its 28th year, Pen America’s LitFest Gala...
Ai is renowned for making bold aesthetic statements that expose fault lines, unmask hypocrisies, and unleash empathy on a global scale. This honor comes in the wake of the razing last weekend of Ai Weiwei’s Beijing studio, including the destruction of several artworks, purportedly to make way for gentrification. In the fall of 2018, Ai Weiwei will open three major exhibitions in Los Angeles. The 2018 LitFest Gala, which will take place on November 2, 2018, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, will also recognize media and entertainment litigator and Pen America Trustee Marvin Putnam with the 2018 Distinguished Leadership Award for exceptional work in support of Pen America and its mission to defend free expression and celebrate literary excellence.
Now in its 28th year, Pen America’s LitFest Gala...
- 8/16/2018
- Look to the Stars
A Palestinian cameraman who worked on Ai Weiwei’s Venice 2017 documentary Human Flow has died after being shot while covering clashes between protesters in Gaza and the Israeli military.
According to local health officials, Yasser Murtaja, 30, was shot in the side of his stomach on Friday by the Israeli military while covering demonstrations along the Israel-Gaza border and died later in hospital. The Ain Media journalist was the 29th Palestinian killed in the week-long protests, according to Reuters.
Murtaja was a known figure in the local film and media community. He worked on Participant Media and Amazon Studio-backed Human Flow, which captures the tragedy of the global migration crisis, and he had worked on Basma Alsharif’s 2017 feature Ouroboros, which played at Locarno and London, as well as with the BBC.
Filmmaker Ai Weiwei retweeted a number of posts relating to the incident, including multiple in which artists and mainstream...
According to local health officials, Yasser Murtaja, 30, was shot in the side of his stomach on Friday by the Israeli military while covering demonstrations along the Israel-Gaza border and died later in hospital. The Ain Media journalist was the 29th Palestinian killed in the week-long protests, according to Reuters.
Murtaja was a known figure in the local film and media community. He worked on Participant Media and Amazon Studio-backed Human Flow, which captures the tragedy of the global migration crisis, and he had worked on Basma Alsharif’s 2017 feature Ouroboros, which played at Locarno and London, as well as with the BBC.
Filmmaker Ai Weiwei retweeted a number of posts relating to the incident, including multiple in which artists and mainstream...
- 4/9/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Palestinian filmmakers pay tribute to Yasser Murtaja, who dreamed of travelling the world.
A Palestinian cameraman who worked on dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow as well as on compatriot Basma Alsharif ’s feature Ouroboros, has died after being shot while covering clashes between Gaza protestors and the Israeli military on Friday.
Both Palestinian and Israeli media outlets reported that Yasser Murtaja, 30, was shot in the stomach by the Israeli military while covering demonstrations along the Israel-Gaza border and died later in hospital.
Murtaja, who was married with a young son, was a rising star in Gaza’s...
A Palestinian cameraman who worked on dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow as well as on compatriot Basma Alsharif ’s feature Ouroboros, has died after being shot while covering clashes between Gaza protestors and the Israeli military on Friday.
Both Palestinian and Israeli media outlets reported that Yasser Murtaja, 30, was shot in the stomach by the Israeli military while covering demonstrations along the Israel-Gaza border and died later in hospital.
Murtaja, who was married with a young son, was a rising star in Gaza’s...
- 4/7/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
To mark the release of Human Flow on 2nd April, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on DVD, along with a signed Human Flow poster for each winner.
A film of epic proportions, it really demonstrates the staggering scale of the refugee crisis and its personal impact, using some astonishing drone footage to really illustrate the crisis. The film was captured over the course of an eventful year in 23 countries. Ai Weiwei follows a chain of urgent human stories that stretches across the globe in countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, France, Greece, Germany, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and Turkey. Human Flow is a witness to its subjects and their desperate search for safety, shelter and justice.
From teeming refugee camps to perilous ocean crossings to barbed-wire borders; from dislocation and disillusionment to courage, endurance and adaptation; Human Flow comes at a crucial time when tolerance, compassion and trust are needed more than ever.
A film of epic proportions, it really demonstrates the staggering scale of the refugee crisis and its personal impact, using some astonishing drone footage to really illustrate the crisis. The film was captured over the course of an eventful year in 23 countries. Ai Weiwei follows a chain of urgent human stories that stretches across the globe in countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, France, Greece, Germany, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and Turkey. Human Flow is a witness to its subjects and their desperate search for safety, shelter and justice.
From teeming refugee camps to perilous ocean crossings to barbed-wire borders; from dislocation and disillusionment to courage, endurance and adaptation; Human Flow comes at a crucial time when tolerance, compassion and trust are needed more than ever.
- 3/28/2018
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A man arrives in purgatory, eager to learn his eternal fate. The divine judgement, however, is slow to arrive. The minutes turn to hours, the hours turn to days, and the days begin to blur together in a place where time has no meaning. Eventually, after what feels to him like a hundred years, the man begs for a verdict. “What are you talking about?” comes the reply. “You’ve been in hell since you got here.”
That grim parable is told to Georg (“Happy End” breakout Franz Rogowski) roughly halfway into Christian Petzold’s “Transit,” and yet the poor bastard doesn’t seem to realize that it’s about him. The inscrutable hero of an inscrutable film that unfolds like a remake of “Casablanca” as written by Franz Kafka, Georg has just escaped occupied Paris by the skin of his teeth, stowing away on a train to the port of Marseille.
That grim parable is told to Georg (“Happy End” breakout Franz Rogowski) roughly halfway into Christian Petzold’s “Transit,” and yet the poor bastard doesn’t seem to realize that it’s about him. The inscrutable hero of an inscrutable film that unfolds like a remake of “Casablanca” as written by Franz Kafka, Georg has just escaped occupied Paris by the skin of his teeth, stowing away on a train to the port of Marseille.
- 2/17/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
We take for granted how easy it is to travel between countries nowadays. But it wasn't always so easy. And it might not be so easy in the future. The latest film from German filmmaker Christian Petzold (Jerichow, Barbara, Phoenix) is a feature titled Transit, which is premiering at the Berlin Film Festival. The film feels similar to something Aki Kaurismäki would make, specifically his most recent film The Other Side of Hope, and even feels like it would play nice with Ai Weiwei's documentary Human Flow. Transit is about refugees and transit papers, and the lives of people who are just trying to find a way out, a way to somewhere else. They're just trying to move on. It's the kind of film you need to sit on and think about for days or weeks, and not instantly process, because there's so much more going on beyond just what's presented on the surface.
- 2/17/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
141 original scores just made the Oscar shortlist, meaning that we have no real idea which soundtracks will go on to be nominated for the actual Academy Award — “Phantom Thread” composer Jonny Greenwood looks poised to finally be recognized for his work, but might “Baywatch” be a spoiler? We simply don’t know, dear reader. We simply don’t know.
As you await the nominations — which will be announced on Tuesday, January 23 — treat yourself to this selection of tracks from the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score
Read More:Oscars 2018: Best Original Score Shortlist Includes ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘All the Money in the World,’ and More
Here are the 141 scores vying for an Oscar nod:
“Alien: Covenant,” Jed Kurzel, composer
“All I See Is You,” Marc Streitenfeld, composer
“All the Money in the World,” Daniel Pemberton, composer
“Annabelle: Creation,” Benjamin Wallfisch, composer
“Band Aid,” Lucius, composer
“Battle of the Sexes,...
As you await the nominations — which will be announced on Tuesday, January 23 — treat yourself to this selection of tracks from the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score
Read More:Oscars 2018: Best Original Score Shortlist Includes ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘All the Money in the World,’ and More
Here are the 141 scores vying for an Oscar nod:
“Alien: Covenant,” Jed Kurzel, composer
“All I See Is You,” Marc Streitenfeld, composer
“All the Money in the World,” Daniel Pemberton, composer
“Annabelle: Creation,” Benjamin Wallfisch, composer
“Band Aid,” Lucius, composer
“Battle of the Sexes,...
- 12/23/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
1. mother!Darren Aronofsky’s divisive nightmare boasted a number of very striking posters this year, including one that blatantly yet beautifully pastiched the iconic Gips/Frankfurt design for Rosemary’s Baby and another in which Jennifer Lawrence’s face is minutely cracked like a porcelain doll. But it is this first teaser poster for the film, by the extraordinary artist James Jean, that stands out for me not only as a surreally appropriate representation of Aronofsky’s uncompromising vision, but as the best movie poster of the year. Grotesque and gorgeous, and dotted with hidden clues, Jean’s looks more like a piece of devotional iconography than a poster for a horror movie. (There is also an accompanying poster by Jean which features Javier Bardem’s character.) Known for his covers for the DC comic book series Fables, Jean has been in high demand this year, creating the charcoal illustration...
- 12/11/2017
- MUBI
Ai Weiwei’s film about the world migration crisis moves from the universal to the personal to make an emphatic point
Broad in scope, vast in ambition but a little overbearing in execution, this documentary by the artist Ai Weiwei is a direct extension of the themes present throughout his work. Human Flow is an interrogation of the world’s response to its unprecedented migrant crisis. It looks at mass movement from Syria, Iraq and parts of Africa to Europe; of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh; from Palestine to Jordan, among others.
The title is interesting – “flow” suggests something inanimate but inexorable. It invokes the alarmist language of some media coverage – the “floods” and the “tides”. And at first the sheer scale of movement is such that it’s hard to see the human story. But then, through brief but intimate exchanges, Ai brings the individuals behind the statistics into focus.
Broad in scope, vast in ambition but a little overbearing in execution, this documentary by the artist Ai Weiwei is a direct extension of the themes present throughout his work. Human Flow is an interrogation of the world’s response to its unprecedented migrant crisis. It looks at mass movement from Syria, Iraq and parts of Africa to Europe; of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh; from Palestine to Jordan, among others.
The title is interesting – “flow” suggests something inanimate but inexorable. It invokes the alarmist language of some media coverage – the “floods” and the “tides”. And at first the sheer scale of movement is such that it’s hard to see the human story. But then, through brief but intimate exchanges, Ai brings the individuals behind the statistics into focus.
- 12/10/2017
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Chris here, with more Oscar bake off lists. Today we have the 15 films advancing in the Documentary Feature race, many of which we have covered here at The Film Experience in Glenn's column Doc Corner. The eventual lineup could include two recent Honorary Oscar winners: Frederick Wiseman (Ex Libris: New York Public Library) and Agnès Varda (Faces Places, with Jr), neither of who had ever been nominated in the category. Al Gore could be returning to the Oscars, as the follow-up to winning climate change doc An Inconvenient Truth has also advanced. Take a look at the rest of the list:
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Chasing Coral City of Ghosts Ex Libris: New York Public Library Faces Places Human Flow Icarus An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Jane La 92 Last Man in Aleppo Long Strage Trip One of Us Strong Island Unrest
Some beloved players that missed the lineup include Kedi,...
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Chasing Coral City of Ghosts Ex Libris: New York Public Library Faces Places Human Flow Icarus An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Jane La 92 Last Man in Aleppo Long Strage Trip One of Us Strong Island Unrest
Some beloved players that missed the lineup include Kedi,...
- 12/8/2017
- by Chris Feil
- FilmExperience
Jane Goodall with Jane director Brett Morgen Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Abacus: Small Enough To Jail, directed by Steve James; Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Coral; Matthew Heineman's City Of Ghosts; Frederick Wiseman's Ex Libris: New York Public Library; Agnès Varda and Jr's Faces Places; Ai Weiwei's Human Flow; Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk's An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power; Brett Morgen's Jane; Daniel Lindsay and Tj Martin's La 92; Firas Fayyad and Steen Johannessen's Last Men In Aleppo; Amir Bar-Lev's Long Strange Trip; Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's One Of Us; Yance Ford's Strong Island, and Jennifer Brea's Unrest are another step closer to garnering a Best Documentary Oscar nomination.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting on the 170 submitted titles. Documentary Branch members will now select...
Abacus: Small Enough To Jail, directed by Steve James; Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Coral; Matthew Heineman's City Of Ghosts; Frederick Wiseman's Ex Libris: New York Public Library; Agnès Varda and Jr's Faces Places; Ai Weiwei's Human Flow; Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk's An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power; Brett Morgen's Jane; Daniel Lindsay and Tj Martin's La 92; Firas Fayyad and Steen Johannessen's Last Men In Aleppo; Amir Bar-Lev's Long Strange Trip; Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's One Of Us; Yance Ford's Strong Island, and Jennifer Brea's Unrest are another step closer to garnering a Best Documentary Oscar nomination.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting on the 170 submitted titles. Documentary Branch members will now select...
- 12/8/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards®. One hundred seventy films were originally submitted in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Educational Films and Wgbh/Frontline.
Director Steve James
A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States’ 2008 mortgage crisis.
Chasing Coral, Exposure Labs in partnership with The Ocean Agency & View Into the Blue in association with Argent Pictures & The Kendeda Fund. Directed by Jeff Orlowski
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Educational Films and Wgbh/Frontline.
Director Steve James
A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States’ 2008 mortgage crisis.
Chasing Coral, Exposure Labs in partnership with The Ocean Agency & View Into the Blue in association with Argent Pictures & The Kendeda Fund. Directed by Jeff Orlowski
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
- 12/8/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ documentary branch has advanced 15 films out of 170 submissions to vie for the final five Documentary Feature nominations.
As expected, Brett Morgan’s “Jane,” Agnes Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places,” two Syria non-fiction features, “Last Men in Aleppo” and “City of Ghosts,” two social action environmental documentaries, “An Inconvenient Sequel” and “Chasing Coral,” and timely Russian doping expose “Icarus” made the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Netflix landed four films, including “Chasing Coral,” “Icarus,” “One of Us” and transgender filmmaker’s Yance Ford’s black lives matter documentary “Strong Island.” Amazon delivered Grateful Dead movie “Long Strange Trip,” which qualified even at four hours long, as well as “City of Ghosts” and Ai Weiwei’s immigration feature “Human Flow,” which was backed by Participant Media along with Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel.”
Four features were directed or co-directed by women,...
As expected, Brett Morgan’s “Jane,” Agnes Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places,” two Syria non-fiction features, “Last Men in Aleppo” and “City of Ghosts,” two social action environmental documentaries, “An Inconvenient Sequel” and “Chasing Coral,” and timely Russian doping expose “Icarus” made the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Netflix landed four films, including “Chasing Coral,” “Icarus,” “One of Us” and transgender filmmaker’s Yance Ford’s black lives matter documentary “Strong Island.” Amazon delivered Grateful Dead movie “Long Strange Trip,” which qualified even at four hours long, as well as “City of Ghosts” and Ai Weiwei’s immigration feature “Human Flow,” which was backed by Participant Media along with Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel.”
Four features were directed or co-directed by women,...
- 12/8/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ documentary branch has advanced 15 films out of 170 submissions to vie for the final five Documentary Feature nominations.
As expected, Brett Morgan’s “Jane,” Agnes Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places,” two Syria non-fiction features, “Last Men in Aleppo” and “City of Ghosts,” two social action environmental documentaries, “An Inconvenient Sequel” and “Chasing Coral,” and timely Russian doping expose “Icarus” made the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Netflix landed four films, including “Chasing Coral,” “Icarus,” “One of Us” and transgender filmmaker’s Yance Ford’s black lives matter documentary “Strong Island.” Amazon delivered Grateful Dead movie “Long Strange Trip,” which qualified even at four hours long, as well as “City of Ghosts” and Ai Weiwei’s immigration feature “Human Flow,” which was backed by Participant Media along with Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel.”
Four features were directed or co-directed by women,...
As expected, Brett Morgan’s “Jane,” Agnes Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places,” two Syria non-fiction features, “Last Men in Aleppo” and “City of Ghosts,” two social action environmental documentaries, “An Inconvenient Sequel” and “Chasing Coral,” and timely Russian doping expose “Icarus” made the shortlist.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Netflix landed four films, including “Chasing Coral,” “Icarus,” “One of Us” and transgender filmmaker’s Yance Ford’s black lives matter documentary “Strong Island.” Amazon delivered Grateful Dead movie “Long Strange Trip,” which qualified even at four hours long, as well as “City of Ghosts” and Ai Weiwei’s immigration feature “Human Flow,” which was backed by Participant Media along with Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel.”
Four features were directed or co-directed by women,...
- 12/8/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Detroit Film Critics Society (of which CinemaNerdz Editor-in-Chief, Mike Tyrkus, is a member) is pleased to announce the Best of 2017 winners in twelve categories. The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and consists of a group of nineteen film critics with a Michigan connection who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; and New York City.
Each critic submitted their top five picks in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Ensemble, and Breakthrough in any category, Best Screenplay, and Best Documentary. Two additional categories were added this year for Best Animated Feature and Best Use of Music making a total of twelve (12) categories.
From these submissions, each entry was given a point value and the top five...
Each critic submitted their top five picks in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Ensemble, and Breakthrough in any category, Best Screenplay, and Best Documentary. Two additional categories were added this year for Best Animated Feature and Best Use of Music making a total of twelve (12) categories.
From these submissions, each entry was given a point value and the top five...
- 12/7/2017
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
The Detroit Film Critics Society is pleased to announce the Best of 2017 nominees in twelve categories.
The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and consists of a group of nineteen film critics with a Michigan connection who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; and New York City.
Each critic submitted their top five picks in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Ensemble, and Breakthrough in any category, Best Screenplay, and Best Documentary. Two additional categories were added this year for Best Animated Feature and Best Use of Music making a total of twelve (12) categories. From these submissions, each entry was given a point value and the top five in each category have been placed on the final ballot.
The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and consists of a group of nineteen film critics with a Michigan connection who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; and New York City.
Each critic submitted their top five picks in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Ensemble, and Breakthrough in any category, Best Screenplay, and Best Documentary. Two additional categories were added this year for Best Animated Feature and Best Use of Music making a total of twelve (12) categories. From these submissions, each entry was given a point value and the top five in each category have been placed on the final ballot.
- 12/4/2017
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
I’d imagine every one of us, despite our individual life situations, however privileged or difficult they may be, wouldn’t have too much trouble coming up with a pretty long list of people and circumstances for which to be grateful, during the upcoming week traditionally reserved for the expression of thanks as well as throughout the entirety of the year.
Even in our brave new world, where gratitude and humility and generosity of spirit often seem to be in short supply, at the mercy of greed, abuse of power, disregard for the rule of law, and megalomaniac self-interest cynically masquerading as an aggressive strain of nationalist, populist passion, there are good, everyday reasons to look around and take stock of blessings in one’s immediate surroundings.
And speaking specifically as one who has the privilege and opportunity to occasionally write about matters concerning the movies, and even a (very...
Even in our brave new world, where gratitude and humility and generosity of spirit often seem to be in short supply, at the mercy of greed, abuse of power, disregard for the rule of law, and megalomaniac self-interest cynically masquerading as an aggressive strain of nationalist, populist passion, there are good, everyday reasons to look around and take stock of blessings in one’s immediate surroundings.
And speaking specifically as one who has the privilege and opportunity to occasionally write about matters concerning the movies, and even a (very...
- 11/23/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
For the second straight weekend, a strongly reviewed new film with a central female character broke through the clutter of this mixed fall season to great success. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight) joined “Lady Bird” (A24) as the best starts among the many top titles vying for attention, and both did so by a wide margin above other films. “Lady Bird” added other top cities and proved its first week was no fluke, showing results unequaled since “La La Land” last year.
The grosses in both cases are early results, but the films look in prime position for both greater success and maximum attention just as the awards jockeying is reaching high gear. And given that both are female-centered, and not historical figure-based like so many other titles, makes them even more vital at the moment.
Opening
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight) Metacritic: 86; Festivals include: Venice,...
The grosses in both cases are early results, but the films look in prime position for both greater success and maximum attention just as the awards jockeying is reaching high gear. And given that both are female-centered, and not historical figure-based like so many other titles, makes them even more vital at the moment.
Opening
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight) Metacritic: 86; Festivals include: Venice,...
- 11/12/2017
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Cartel Land, revisits similar territory with IFC's City of Ghosts, which follows a group of citizen journalists fighting Isis in Raqqa, Syria, before the recent liberation. New Century's Nowhere to Hide is director Zaradasht Ahmed's grim look at life in Central Iraq's triangle of death. And internationally renowned artist-activist Ai Weiwei's Human Flow, a Magnolia release, presents a close-up look at life in refugee camps spanning more than 20 countries.
"The casualties number...
"The casualties number...
- 11/9/2017
- by Jordan Riefe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Lady Bird” (A24), Greta Gerwig’s first solo directing effort, rode a wave of strong reviews and publicity to score the best limited opener of the year. After a disappointing prime specialty season when it has become easy to forget what a strong limited platform opening can be, her valentine to her home town of Sacramento starring Saorise Ronan debuted even higher than expectations.
This success stood in sharp contrast to the weak opening for Richard Linklater’s “Last Flag Flying” (Lionsgate). Despite a strong push for the Amazon presentation, which opened the New York Film Festival, the military veteran drama starring Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne couldn’t pull in specialty audiences.
Opening
Lady Bird (A24) – Metacritic: 93; Festivals include: Telluride, Toronto, New York 2017
$375,612 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $93,903
The first breakout hit of the awards season is also the biggest specialized release of the year...
This success stood in sharp contrast to the weak opening for Richard Linklater’s “Last Flag Flying” (Lionsgate). Despite a strong push for the Amazon presentation, which opened the New York Film Festival, the military veteran drama starring Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne couldn’t pull in specialty audiences.
Opening
Lady Bird (A24) – Metacritic: 93; Festivals include: Telluride, Toronto, New York 2017
$375,612 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $93,903
The first breakout hit of the awards season is also the biggest specialized release of the year...
- 11/5/2017
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
This pre-Halloween weekend, multiple specialized distributors opened and expanded significant fall season releases. Comedy “The Square” (Magnolia), this year’s top Cannes prize-winner, launched at a high level for a subtitled film on the road to national release and Oscar contention.
No other opening reached its levels. “The Novitiate” (Sony Pictures Classics) drew disappointing results. “Bill Nye: Science Guy” (PBS) showed some initial promise, while “Jane” (Abramorama/National Geographic), another documentary about a well-known scientist, primate conservationist Jane Goodall, showed strong second weekend results. A24’s “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” led second weekend expansions.
Opening
The Square (Magnolia) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Cannes, Toronto 2017
$76,000 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $19,000
Ruben Ostlund’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winner, despite a 2.5 hour length, opened unusually well for a subtitled film. The Swedish Oscar entry, a comedy about the art world, opened at four prime New York/Los Angeles locations with...
No other opening reached its levels. “The Novitiate” (Sony Pictures Classics) drew disappointing results. “Bill Nye: Science Guy” (PBS) showed some initial promise, while “Jane” (Abramorama/National Geographic), another documentary about a well-known scientist, primate conservationist Jane Goodall, showed strong second weekend results. A24’s “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” led second weekend expansions.
Opening
The Square (Magnolia) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Cannes, Toronto 2017
$76,000 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $19,000
Ruben Ostlund’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winner, despite a 2.5 hour length, opened unusually well for a subtitled film. The Swedish Oscar entry, a comedy about the art world, opened at four prime New York/Los Angeles locations with...
- 10/29/2017
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
One hundred seventy features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 90th Academy Awards. That’s 25 more than 2016. Assuming they all book their qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles, the members of the documentary branch have just a few more weeks to see as many films as possible and file their votes for the shortlist of 15 to be announced in December. They’re each supposed to watch an assigned list of about 20 films, plus as many more as they can.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
It’s possible for documentaries to also vie for Best Picture, although it is rare. Among this year’s most lauded features are “City of Ghosts,” “Faces Places,” “Jane,” “Kedi” and “One of Us.”
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
“Aida’s Secrets”
“Al Di Qua”
“All the Rage...
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
It’s possible for documentaries to also vie for Best Picture, although it is rare. Among this year’s most lauded features are “City of Ghosts,” “Faces Places,” “Jane,” “Kedi” and “One of Us.”
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
“Aida’s Secrets”
“Al Di Qua”
“All the Rage...
- 10/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
One hundred seventy features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 90th Academy Awards. That’s 25 more than 2016. Assuming they all book their qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles, the members of the documentary branch have just a few more weeks to see as many films as possible and file their votes for the shortlist of 15 to be announced in December. They’re each supposed to watch an assigned list of about 20 films, plus as many more as they can.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
It’s possible for documentaries to also vie for Best Picture, although it is rare. Among this year’s most lauded features are “City of Ghosts,” “Faces Places,” “Jane,” “Kedi” and “One of Us.”
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
“Aida’s Secrets”
“Al Di Qua”
“All the Rage...
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
It’s possible for documentaries to also vie for Best Picture, although it is rare. Among this year’s most lauded features are “City of Ghosts,” “Faces Places,” “Jane,” “Kedi” and “One of Us.”
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
“Aida’s Secrets”
“Al Di Qua”
“All the Rage...
- 10/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Human. Flow. The central issue with Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei‘s meticulously well-intentioned, undeniably colossal and beautifully shot documentary, which debuted in Venice and now embodies the refugee-focus of the competition line-up at the Antalya Film Festival in Turkey, exists right there in its title. The words summon the image of a swell of collective humanity engaged in a gracefully epic, natural process, like the flocking of birds in the sky, or the glimmering progress of a school of fish through darkened waters on their yearly pilgrimage to a far-off spawning ground.
Continue reading Ai Weiwei’s Well-Intentioned But Abstract ‘Human Flow’ [Antalya Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Ai Weiwei’s Well-Intentioned But Abstract ‘Human Flow’ [Antalya Review] at The Playlist.
- 10/26/2017
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
At this point during the prime fall awards season (“Moonlight” opened one year ago), the arthouse box office should be humming along. It’s not. This weekend, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (A24) and the documentary “Jane” (National Geographic/Abramorama) showed credible initial results, while the anticipated opening of Todd Haynes’ “Wonderstruck” (Roadside Attractions) fell shy of expectations.
These three films are catching attention ahead of a glut of upcoming biopics, which can be hit or miss. While “Victoria & Abdul” (Focus) continues to be the biggest success of the season so far, and “Loving Vincent” (Good Deed) is an arthouse sleeper, middling performer “Battle of the Sexes” (Fox Searchlight) failed to reach hoped-for heights. The next round comes in the face of widespread audience disinterest for such true stories as “Goodbye Christopher Robin” (Fox Searchlight), “Marshall” (Open Road) and “Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman” (Annapurna).
Building...
These three films are catching attention ahead of a glut of upcoming biopics, which can be hit or miss. While “Victoria & Abdul” (Focus) continues to be the biggest success of the season so far, and “Loving Vincent” (Good Deed) is an arthouse sleeper, middling performer “Battle of the Sexes” (Fox Searchlight) failed to reach hoped-for heights. The next round comes in the face of widespread audience disinterest for such true stories as “Goodbye Christopher Robin” (Fox Searchlight), “Marshall” (Open Road) and “Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman” (Annapurna).
Building...
- 10/22/2017
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Refugees walking near Idomeni Camp, Greece in the documentary Human Flow, an Amazon Studios release. Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios ©
Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei was the subject of a 2012 documentary titled AI Weiwei: Never Sorry. Now the artist has made his own documentary, about refugees, mostly fleeing war in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, called Human Flow.
Ai Weiwei knows something of this experience, having been an undocumented immigrant in New York in his youth. He returned to his native China, gained fame as an artist but the artist has since left, following his release from house arrest. Ai Weiwei’s sympathy lies firmly with the refugees and their plight in this emotional film.
In his documentary, Ai turns his camera on refugees fleeing Iraq and Syria, landing on the shore of Lesvos, Greece, and in refugee camps in Iraq. Ai documents the arrival of refugees by boat, as well as assisting some,...
Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei was the subject of a 2012 documentary titled AI Weiwei: Never Sorry. Now the artist has made his own documentary, about refugees, mostly fleeing war in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, called Human Flow.
Ai Weiwei knows something of this experience, having been an undocumented immigrant in New York in his youth. He returned to his native China, gained fame as an artist but the artist has since left, following his release from house arrest. Ai Weiwei’s sympathy lies firmly with the refugees and their plight in this emotional film.
In his documentary, Ai turns his camera on refugees fleeing Iraq and Syria, landing on the shore of Lesvos, Greece, and in refugee camps in Iraq. Ai documents the arrival of refugees by boat, as well as assisting some,...
- 10/20/2017
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
When Ai Weiwei was detained by China’s secret police, the dissident artist imprisoned for 81 days for his supposed crimes against the state, the men tasked with interrogating him must have faced a unique challenge: He speaks in a stage whisper, murmuring with the flatness of someone to whom the world is always revealing itself. “They said I watched too many Hollywood movies,” he remembered. His voice barely went up a tick, even when imitating his furious jailers: “’This person is out of his mind! He’s talking about human rights and freedom of speech… can’t he just grow up?’”
The reasons for Ai’s release were as arbitrary as those for his incarceration, but perhaps he was set free because the Chinese government realized that he was fundamentally inextricable from his ideals. Born into exile during the Cultural Revolution, Ai was displaced before he even had a home...
The reasons for Ai’s release were as arbitrary as those for his incarceration, but perhaps he was set free because the Chinese government realized that he was fundamentally inextricable from his ideals. Born into exile during the Cultural Revolution, Ai was displaced before he even had a home...
- 10/18/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Roy Price has resigned as head of Amazon Studios, just days after being placed on “indefinite leave” by the company. Price’s exit followed allegations made by producer Isa Hackett, who revealed to reporter Kim Masters that the exec made sexual remarks to her in July 2015 at San Diego Comic-Con.
Hackett, the daughter of author Philip K. Dick, runs Electric Shepherd Prods. and is a producer on the Amazon series “The Man in the High Castle,” as well as another upcoming series for the streaming service, “Electric Dreams.” Among the things that Price said to Hackett, in propositioning her, was “you will love my dick.”
Read More:Harvey Weinstein Fallout at Amazon Studios: Roy Price Faces Sexual Harassment Allegations, Placed on Leave of Absence
Price was suspended on Oct. 12. Since then, his fiancée, TV writer-playwright Lila Feinberg, also called off their wedding.
The allegations against Price were first posted...
Hackett, the daughter of author Philip K. Dick, runs Electric Shepherd Prods. and is a producer on the Amazon series “The Man in the High Castle,” as well as another upcoming series for the streaming service, “Electric Dreams.” Among the things that Price said to Hackett, in propositioning her, was “you will love my dick.”
Read More:Harvey Weinstein Fallout at Amazon Studios: Roy Price Faces Sexual Harassment Allegations, Placed on Leave of Absence
Price was suspended on Oct. 12. Since then, his fiancée, TV writer-playwright Lila Feinberg, also called off their wedding.
The allegations against Price were first posted...
- 10/17/2017
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
By Daniel Walber
Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow is the result of a truly enormous undertaking. Spread across four continents, the film is a distillation of the current refugee crisis. All of it. Rather than focus on a single geographic region or the fallout from a particular international conflict, this is a whirlwind tour of the entire global situation. Its scenes from the Us-Mexico Border to the Mediterranean, Sub-Saharan Africa to Bangladesh. If that sounds like far too much, that’s because it is.
If the purpose were totally aesthetic and metaphorical, a wordless and breathtaking aerial tour of large-scale human movement, the scope might not have been a problem. It might have bypassed the head and gone straight to the heart. But Human Flow tries to have it both ways...
Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow is the result of a truly enormous undertaking. Spread across four continents, the film is a distillation of the current refugee crisis. All of it. Rather than focus on a single geographic region or the fallout from a particular international conflict, this is a whirlwind tour of the entire global situation. Its scenes from the Us-Mexico Border to the Mediterranean, Sub-Saharan Africa to Bangladesh. If that sounds like far too much, that’s because it is.
If the purpose were totally aesthetic and metaphorical, a wordless and breathtaking aerial tour of large-scale human movement, the scope might not have been a problem. It might have bypassed the head and gone straight to the heart. But Human Flow tries to have it both ways...
- 10/17/2017
- by Daniel Walber
- FilmExperience
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