At the outset of Girls State, it seems as if filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss have deliberately set out to make a direct sequel to their 2020 documentary Boys State. Like any follow-up, they take the same general playbook and add in some wrinkles so the experience doesn’t feel like a rerun. Rather than following a group of rambunctious, ambitious teenage boys for a week in the mock government conference, this one’s for the girls.
Unlike their previous film’s larger-than-life Texan stomping grounds, which practically supplies its own mythology, the value of the setting here is subtler. McBaine and Moss selected a 2022 Girls State conference in Missouri for their project, which is notable primarily for being the state’s first instance of hosting events for both sexes simultaneously on the same campus. Try as they might to keep their documentary a self-sufficient microcosm of political anxieties and...
Unlike their previous film’s larger-than-life Texan stomping grounds, which practically supplies its own mythology, the value of the setting here is subtler. McBaine and Moss selected a 2022 Girls State conference in Missouri for their project, which is notable primarily for being the state’s first instance of hosting events for both sexes simultaneously on the same campus. Try as they might to keep their documentary a self-sufficient microcosm of political anxieties and...
- 2/3/2024
- by Marshall Shaffer
- Slant Magazine
The annual 50-state student government conference Boys State, sponsored by the American Legion, first came to filmmaker Jesse Moss’ attention after reading about the Texas edition in the Washington Post. At each summer’s conferences, boys gather to set up a mock-state legislature — they organize political campaigns, run for office, give speeches, write bills and debate it at all their respective state’s capital.
What made the Texas edition so special? In 2017, as covered by the Post, the young men at Boys State voted for Texas to secede from the United States.
Moss and his filmmaking partner Amanda McBaine believed that in a Donald Trump nation severely divided along blue and red state lines, Texas Boys State could provide answers into the origins of why we all can’t get along. So they opted to cover the 2018 summer edition of Texas Boys State with a 28-person crew — large by documentary standards — including six DPs.
What made the Texas edition so special? In 2017, as covered by the Post, the young men at Boys State voted for Texas to secede from the United States.
Moss and his filmmaking partner Amanda McBaine believed that in a Donald Trump nation severely divided along blue and red state lines, Texas Boys State could provide answers into the origins of why we all can’t get along. So they opted to cover the 2018 summer edition of Texas Boys State with a 28-person crew — large by documentary standards — including six DPs.
- 8/14/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the most powerful moments in “Boys State” is when Steven Garza stands up to give his speech for the gubernatorial nomination for the Nationalist Party and ends up captivating the room. It was a shocking moment for the film’s co-director, Amanda McBaine. “We didn’t know he had that capacity and to see someone actually find their voice and just like, have it lock in and, you know, it’s like being in a concert,” she tells Gold Derby in our Meet the Experts: Documentary and Nonfiction panel (watch the exclusive video interview above). It even left a mark on their executive producer, Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, when he saw it while reviewing dailies. “We wanted them to feel it while they were watching it and he jumped on top of his chair, like he jumped up and we thought, ‘That’s a good sign.'”
“Boys State,...
“Boys State,...
- 8/10/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Emmy nominations in the doc categories are giving films passed over by the Oscars a shot at some trophies of their own.
Dick Johnson Is Dead, directed by Kirsten Johnson, 76 Days, from director Hao Wu, and Welcome to Chechnya, directed by David France, earned nominations in the juried category of Outstanding Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Each of those films had made the Oscar Documentary Feature shortlist earlier in the year, but didn’t earn Oscar nominations.
The nod to 76 Days, a film set in hospitals in Wuhan, China during the city’s initial lockdown after the outbreak of Covid-19, marks the first Emmy nomination for MTV Documentary Films, the division headed by Sheila Nevins.
“It’s a great honor to be nominated for an Emmy,” Wu said in a statement to Deadline. “As we’re still reeling from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, we sincerely hope that...
Dick Johnson Is Dead, directed by Kirsten Johnson, 76 Days, from director Hao Wu, and Welcome to Chechnya, directed by David France, earned nominations in the juried category of Outstanding Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Each of those films had made the Oscar Documentary Feature shortlist earlier in the year, but didn’t earn Oscar nominations.
The nod to 76 Days, a film set in hospitals in Wuhan, China during the city’s initial lockdown after the outbreak of Covid-19, marks the first Emmy nomination for MTV Documentary Films, the division headed by Sheila Nevins.
“It’s a great honor to be nominated for an Emmy,” Wu said in a statement to Deadline. “As we’re still reeling from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, we sincerely hope that...
- 7/13/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol underscored the precarious state of American democracy in a time of deep political polarization. But the Emmy-contending Apple Original Film Boys State offers some hope that bridging ideological differences remains a possibility.
The documentary directed and produced by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine focuses on an annual program in Texas where more than 1,000 high school boys gather for an exercise in mock government. Serious political differences emerge between the participants, but at least they keep engaged with each other.
“We went into the project with a question, which is can we find common ground in America?” Moss said during Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted awards-season event. “We thought Texas Boys State…would be a perfect laboratory to explore this question we’re all asking ourselves—what is our future as a country? Are we going to descend into civil war or find ways to work together?...
The documentary directed and produced by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine focuses on an annual program in Texas where more than 1,000 high school boys gather for an exercise in mock government. Serious political differences emerge between the participants, but at least they keep engaged with each other.
“We went into the project with a question, which is can we find common ground in America?” Moss said during Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted awards-season event. “We thought Texas Boys State…would be a perfect laboratory to explore this question we’re all asking ourselves—what is our future as a country? Are we going to descend into civil war or find ways to work together?...
- 5/1/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Updated: Mar. 4, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: The documentary branch has a lot of international voters that have been added over the last few years. Some of the American stories that center around politics and social issues may get passed over...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Updated: Mar. 4, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: The documentary branch has a lot of international voters that have been added over the last few years. Some of the American stories that center around politics and social issues may get passed over...
- 3/4/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the pair’s acclaimed documentary feature Boys State in a THR Presents Q&a powered by Vision Media. Joining them was Steven Garza, one of the 1,000 teenage subjects in the film who participated in the annual event at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Boys State program takes place over the course of a week in all 50 states, with thousands of high school students participating in mock exercises to build representative state governments from the ground up. Garza himself was one of the teenagers who ran ...
The Boys State program takes place over the course of a week in all 50 states, with thousands of high school students participating in mock exercises to build representative state governments from the ground up. Garza himself was one of the teenagers who ran ...
Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the pair’s acclaimed documentary feature Boys State in a THR Presents Q&a powered by Vision Media. Joining them was Steven Garza, one of the 1,000 teenage subjects in the film who participated in the annual event at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Boys State program takes place over the course of a week in all 50 states, with thousands of high school students participating in mock exercises to build representative state governments from the ground up. Garza himself was one of the teenagers who ran ...
The Boys State program takes place over the course of a week in all 50 states, with thousands of high school students participating in mock exercises to build representative state governments from the ground up. Garza himself was one of the teenagers who ran ...
Updated with video: The pressure was on when directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine set about making Boys State, their film documenting an annual exercise in Texas that gives high school boys the chance to practice democracy in action.
Why? The program lasts just six days.
“We’re used to shooting documentaries over years and years,” Moss says during the Apple TV+ film’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event. “This film…was super compressed.”
Moss and McBaine assembled a sizable crew to follow participants as they joined political parties, debated issues, fielded gubernatorial candidates and ran hard-nosed campaigns.
“We put together a very large team for a documentary…28 people,” McBaine says. “We needed to be there with our four main characters when these extraordinary moments happened because in the kind of filmmaking we do if you miss those you do not have a film.”
The filmmakers witnessed competitors...
Why? The program lasts just six days.
“We’re used to shooting documentaries over years and years,” Moss says during the Apple TV+ film’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event. “This film…was super compressed.”
Moss and McBaine assembled a sizable crew to follow participants as they joined political parties, debated issues, fielded gubernatorial candidates and ran hard-nosed campaigns.
“We put together a very large team for a documentary…28 people,” McBaine says. “We needed to be there with our four main characters when these extraordinary moments happened because in the kind of filmmaking we do if you miss those you do not have a film.”
The filmmakers witnessed competitors...
- 1/10/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
For 49 years, Moma and Film at Lincoln Center have joined forces to celebrate some of the most exciting movies from emerging filmmaking talent with New Directors/New Films, and even 2020 couldn’t change that. While the original March date for Nd/Nf was postponed as pandemic shutdowns took hold, the series has gone virtual this year and launches this week with a diverse set of options accessible to anyone in the United States.
As usual, Nd/Nf selections qualify for filmmakers who have made up to three features. That means, rather than purely celebrating debuts, the festival serves to highlight active talent that may have already proven their worth but deserves more attention. That’s certainly the case in these highlights from the 2020 offering, which includes a couple of awards contenders and festival highlights worthy of wider attention. Together they prove that the future of cinema is in promising hands...
As usual, Nd/Nf selections qualify for filmmakers who have made up to three features. That means, rather than purely celebrating debuts, the festival serves to highlight active talent that may have already proven their worth but deserves more attention. That’s certainly the case in these highlights from the 2020 offering, which includes a couple of awards contenders and festival highlights worthy of wider attention. Together they prove that the future of cinema is in promising hands...
- 12/9/2020
- by Eric Kohn and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
A super-crowded documentary field means that many are called and few are chosen. And critics carry more sway than ever in this pandemic year, helping to cull the long list of would-be awards contenders. Every win from whatever source helps to turn a movie into a must-see.
Thus Monday’s fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Award winners — which recognize the year’s achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on digital platforms, for which I voted in several categories — push Best Documentary Feature “Dick Johnson Is Dead” (Netflix) and its Best Director Kirsten Johnson into the lead for the Oscar shortlist of 15, which the Academy will announce on February 9, 2021.
Netflix dominated the field with six wins, including “Dick Johnson is Dead,” popular hit “My Octopus Teacher,” which took home Best Cinematography and Best Science/Nature Documentary, Best Narration winner “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet,” and, with “Athlete A,...
Thus Monday’s fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Award winners — which recognize the year’s achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on digital platforms, for which I voted in several categories — push Best Documentary Feature “Dick Johnson Is Dead” (Netflix) and its Best Director Kirsten Johnson into the lead for the Oscar shortlist of 15, which the Academy will announce on February 9, 2021.
Netflix dominated the field with six wins, including “Dick Johnson is Dead,” popular hit “My Octopus Teacher,” which took home Best Cinematography and Best Science/Nature Documentary, Best Narration winner “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet,” and, with “Athlete A,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Dick Johnson Is Dead, Netflix’s personal documentary exploring a daughter’s look into the decline of her aging father, took top honors from the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards for Best Documentary Feature as well as Best Director for Kirsten Johnson.
The awards, which were spread out among several winners, saw no single docu dominate, and in fact another Netflix film, My Octopus Teacher, was the only other film to win more than one trophy, taking Best Science/Nature Docu and Best Cinematography.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and Gunda had led nominations with five each but were shut out. Mr. Soul! which also had five noms, did take Best First Documentary Feature. Among other significant winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for Best Historical/Biographical docu, and Apple TV+’s Boys State as Best Political Documentary.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a...
The awards, which were spread out among several winners, saw no single docu dominate, and in fact another Netflix film, My Octopus Teacher, was the only other film to win more than one trophy, taking Best Science/Nature Docu and Best Cinematography.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and Gunda had led nominations with five each but were shut out. Mr. Soul! which also had five noms, did take Best First Documentary Feature. Among other significant winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for Best Historical/Biographical docu, and Apple TV+’s Boys State as Best Political Documentary.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a...
- 11/16/2020
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced the 2020 winners Monday morning, honoring “Dick Johnson Is Dead” for best documentary feature as well as the film’s Kirsten Johnson for best director.
The film focuses on Richard Johnson, the director’s father, who suffers from dementia and imagines different ways in which he could die with a darkly comedic tone. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won the special jury award for innovation in non-fiction storytelling.
“My Octopus Teacher” took home two awards for best cinematography and best science/nature documentary.
Like most award shows this year, the Critics Choice Doc Awards had to go virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a diverse group of films and filmmakers and subjects this year of all years, on the fifth occasion of the CCDAs, and with 2020 being what it is,...
The film focuses on Richard Johnson, the director’s father, who suffers from dementia and imagines different ways in which he could die with a darkly comedic tone. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won the special jury award for innovation in non-fiction storytelling.
“My Octopus Teacher” took home two awards for best cinematography and best science/nature documentary.
Like most award shows this year, the Critics Choice Doc Awards had to go virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a diverse group of films and filmmakers and subjects this year of all years, on the fifth occasion of the CCDAs, and with 2020 being what it is,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Kirsten Johnson’s playful “Dick Johnson Is Dead” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2020 at the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were announced on Monday morning.
Johnson also won the Best Director award for her Netflix film, in which she deals with the impending death of her father by staging his death in a variety of ways.
Melissa Haizlip won the Best First Documentary Feature award for “Mr. Soul!,” while other awards went to “My Octopus Teacher” for cinematography, “Totally Under Control” for editing, “The Way I See It” for music and “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” for narration.
“MLK/FBI” was named Best Archival Documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble” Best Historical/Biographical Documentary, “Boys State” Best Political Documentary” and “My Octopus Teacher” Best Science/Nature Documentary.
There were two ties: “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes” and “Athlete A” tied in the Best Sports Documentary category,...
Johnson also won the Best Director award for her Netflix film, in which she deals with the impending death of her father by staging his death in a variety of ways.
Melissa Haizlip won the Best First Documentary Feature award for “Mr. Soul!,” while other awards went to “My Octopus Teacher” for cinematography, “Totally Under Control” for editing, “The Way I See It” for music and “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” for narration.
“MLK/FBI” was named Best Archival Documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble” Best Historical/Biographical Documentary, “Boys State” Best Political Documentary” and “My Octopus Teacher” Best Science/Nature Documentary.
There were two ties: “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes” and “Athlete A” tied in the Best Sports Documentary category,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
‘Boys State’: How ‘Son of Saul’ Influenced the Documentary’s Up-Close Subjectivity — Toolkit Podcast
Since 1935, the American Legion has hosted Boys State, a week-long program in which high school juniors learn about civics by building their own state government. Teenage boys forming a mock government might sound like the definition of low-stakes drama, but the race for Boys State Texas governor, as captured in Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ documentary, is every bit as intense and bare-knuckled as the real-life elections we just witnessed.
On IndieWire’s Toolkit Podcast, the “Boys State” co-directors talked about how they created a cinematic style to match that intensity.
“I’ve covered political campaigns as a filmmaker before,” said Moss. “And usually, you’re in the back of the room on a press raiser on a telephoto lens, and it feels very distant.”
That is decidedly not the case in “Boys State.” As you can see in the video essay below, even when McBaine and Moss’ star subject,...
On IndieWire’s Toolkit Podcast, the “Boys State” co-directors talked about how they created a cinematic style to match that intensity.
“I’ve covered political campaigns as a filmmaker before,” said Moss. “And usually, you’re in the back of the room on a press raiser on a telephoto lens, and it feels very distant.”
That is decidedly not the case in “Boys State.” As you can see in the video essay below, even when McBaine and Moss’ star subject,...
- 11/10/2020
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Every year, the American Legion sponsors high school boys as they’re given a crash course on American politics. In 2017, Boys State (as it is known) made national news when Texas voted to secede from the union — shining a spotlight on the event.
Filmmaker Jesse Moss (“The Overnighters”) read an article in The Washington Post and was soon on a plane with fellow filmmaker Amanda McBaine, following Ben Feinstein, Steven Garza, Robert MacDougall and René Otero as they participated in the mock election.
“Boys State,” now streaming on Apple TV Plus provides an insight into the minds of these four teenage boys – some jaded, some optimistic — who hope to pursue a career in politics. Moss, McBaine and editor Jeff Gilbert spoke to Variety about “Boys State.”
Boy’s State is commonly known as offering a better perspective of the practical operation of government — where did the idea for this begin?...
Filmmaker Jesse Moss (“The Overnighters”) read an article in The Washington Post and was soon on a plane with fellow filmmaker Amanda McBaine, following Ben Feinstein, Steven Garza, Robert MacDougall and René Otero as they participated in the mock election.
“Boys State,” now streaming on Apple TV Plus provides an insight into the minds of these four teenage boys – some jaded, some optimistic — who hope to pursue a career in politics. Moss, McBaine and editor Jeff Gilbert spoke to Variety about “Boys State.”
Boy’s State is commonly known as offering a better perspective of the practical operation of government — where did the idea for this begin?...
- 8/29/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
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