The new Netflix documentary, Waco: American Apocalypse, follows the 51-day standoff that took place at a Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX. The Branch Davidians are an apocalyptic religious movement led by David Koresh at the time of the standoff. Waco: American Apocalypse isn’t the only show about cults on Netflix.
David Koresh in ‘Waco: American Apocalypse’ | Netflix The Netflix documentary ‘Sins of Our Mother’ follows a well-known true-crime case
Sins of Our Mother follows the disappearances and murders of Tylee Ryan (16) and J.J. Vallow (7) and the subsequent arrests of Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell. Lori grew up Mormon. This means she was a follower of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Lds Church.)
Over time, Lori’s religious beliefs and mental state became increasingly concerning, especially after she met Chad Daybell. The pair were part of an extreme cult-like spinoff sect of the Lds Church,...
David Koresh in ‘Waco: American Apocalypse’ | Netflix The Netflix documentary ‘Sins of Our Mother’ follows a well-known true-crime case
Sins of Our Mother follows the disappearances and murders of Tylee Ryan (16) and J.J. Vallow (7) and the subsequent arrests of Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell. Lori grew up Mormon. This means she was a follower of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Lds Church.)
Over time, Lori’s religious beliefs and mental state became increasingly concerning, especially after she met Chad Daybell. The pair were part of an extreme cult-like spinoff sect of the Lds Church,...
- 4/1/2023
- by Erica Scassellati
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Bikram Choudhury the Indian-born American yoga guru and the founder of the popular style of yoga commonly known as Bikram Yoga is back. FilmOn TV in its latest partnership Etv Remoting, is bringing sessions and live events with Bikram Choudhury from India, hosted by his son Bikram Jnr on Bikram is Back: The Unapologetic Tour. […]
The post Bikram is Back: The Unapologetic Tour appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Bikram is Back: The Unapologetic Tour appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 2/7/2022
- by Akansha
- ShockYa
Exclusive: Ana Isabelle has joined the cast of Roselyn Sanchez’s debut feature, Diario: Mujer y Cafe, which is set to start production this summer in Puerto Rico.
Written by Sanchez, the female-centric comedy follows four best friends — known back in high school as the Fab Four — as they reunite for an action-packed staycation in Puerto Rico.
Isabelle will play Soledad Vega, a free-spirited and charismatic yoga studio owner who is full of surprises and lives an uncompromising life. Having taken the workshop of the infamous Bikram Choudhury in Mexico, Sol never will understand why she did that master’s in literature with English studies. In her personal life, the character is known as the loving mom to a teenager who happens to look more like her little brother than her son.
Diario is produced by Broken English Prods, with the Latinx company’s sister sales division, Grandave International, looking...
Written by Sanchez, the female-centric comedy follows four best friends — known back in high school as the Fab Four — as they reunite for an action-packed staycation in Puerto Rico.
Isabelle will play Soledad Vega, a free-spirited and charismatic yoga studio owner who is full of surprises and lives an uncompromising life. Having taken the workshop of the infamous Bikram Choudhury in Mexico, Sol never will understand why she did that master’s in literature with English studies. In her personal life, the character is known as the loving mom to a teenager who happens to look more like her little brother than her son.
Diario is produced by Broken English Prods, with the Latinx company’s sister sales division, Grandave International, looking...
- 4/1/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
London-based Pulse Films has built its business on a steady diet of slick rock docs by the likes of LCD Soundsystem and the Beastie Boys, music videos including Beyoncé’s transcendent “Lemonade” and Andrea Arnold’s feature film “American Honey.” As it readies for a transformative year, the Vice Media Group-backed outfit is rolling out its first major scripted series, Sky and Cinemax’s dizzyingly violent and stylish “Gangs of London.”
Pulse CEO Thomas Benski is as much a rock star as the veteran musicians he’s immortalized through his 16-year-old production company. The Brazil-born French executive, who works closely with creative partner and Pulse chief creative officer Lucas Ochoa, is synonymous with the edgy brand, whose early music docs have evolved into evocative non-scripted fare, including films on U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning (“Xy Chelsea”), nefarious hot yoga founder Bikram Choudhury (“Bikram”) and missing toddler Madeleine McCann.
“In our business,...
Pulse CEO Thomas Benski is as much a rock star as the veteran musicians he’s immortalized through his 16-year-old production company. The Brazil-born French executive, who works closely with creative partner and Pulse chief creative officer Lucas Ochoa, is synonymous with the edgy brand, whose early music docs have evolved into evocative non-scripted fare, including films on U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning (“Xy Chelsea”), nefarious hot yoga founder Bikram Choudhury (“Bikram”) and missing toddler Madeleine McCann.
“In our business,...
- 4/23/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Eva Orner.
Eva Orner has signed with Wme after directing the Netflix original documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator.
Produced by the UK’s Pulse, the Netflix doc, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, chronicled the spectacular rise and scandalous fall of hot-yoga evangelist Bikram Choudhury through archival footage and insider interviews.
The founder of Bikram Yoga, Choudhury created an empire of yoga studios in the Us but for years was the subject of civil lawsuits alleging harassment, rape, racial discrimination and gay slurs.
He denied the claims but settled a number of lawsuits. He returned to India in 2016 after a California judge ordered him to pay $US6.8 million to his former attorney, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden, who had sued him for sexual harassment. When he failed to pay, a judge issued a warrant, so if he ever goes back to the Us, he’ll be arrested.
The La-based Australian director...
Eva Orner has signed with Wme after directing the Netflix original documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator.
Produced by the UK’s Pulse, the Netflix doc, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, chronicled the spectacular rise and scandalous fall of hot-yoga evangelist Bikram Choudhury through archival footage and insider interviews.
The founder of Bikram Yoga, Choudhury created an empire of yoga studios in the Us but for years was the subject of civil lawsuits alleging harassment, rape, racial discrimination and gay slurs.
He denied the claims but settled a number of lawsuits. He returned to India in 2016 after a California judge ordered him to pay $US6.8 million to his former attorney, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden, who had sued him for sexual harassment. When he failed to pay, a judge issued a warrant, so if he ever goes back to the Us, he’ll be arrested.
The La-based Australian director...
- 1/17/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Eva Orner, the Oscar-winning filmmaker whose latest credit is the buzzy Netflix original doc Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, has signed for representation with Wme.
The Australian director picked up her Oscar for producing Alex Gibney’s 2008 doc Taxi To The Dark Side, and also won a Daytime Emmy for co-directing the 2016 pic Out Of Iraq. The latter followed a gay Iraqi couple over a decade trying to stay alive and together as they seek asylum in the Us.
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator premiered at Toronto and also screened at Doc NYC. The film chronicles Bikram Choudhury’s journey from 1970s yoga pioneer to his more recent disgrace following accusations of rape and sexual harassment. It debuted on Netflix November 20.
Orner’s credits also include Chasing Asylum, which tackled Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, and The Network, set behind the scenes at the largest and most successful television network in Afghanistan.
The Australian director picked up her Oscar for producing Alex Gibney’s 2008 doc Taxi To The Dark Side, and also won a Daytime Emmy for co-directing the 2016 pic Out Of Iraq. The latter followed a gay Iraqi couple over a decade trying to stay alive and together as they seek asylum in the Us.
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator premiered at Toronto and also screened at Doc NYC. The film chronicles Bikram Choudhury’s journey from 1970s yoga pioneer to his more recent disgrace following accusations of rape and sexual harassment. It debuted on Netflix November 20.
Orner’s credits also include Chasing Asylum, which tackled Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, and The Network, set behind the scenes at the largest and most successful television network in Afghanistan.
- 1/16/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix and Pulse Films have been served with a legal letter about a breach of copyright on Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, their documentary on the downfall of hot yoga founder Bikram Choudhury.
Martha Engel, a trademark attorney at law firm Marjen, has written to the companies on behalf of Ghosh’s Yoga College, a yoga school in Kolkata, India, linked to Bishnu Charan Ghosh, a yoga master who trained Choudhury.
Ghosh’s Yoga College argued that images from Ghosh pamphlet Yoga Cure and book Calcutta Yoga were used without permission in Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator. The college has demanded Pulse Films removes the images from the film and issues a public apology.
The legal letter, seen by Deadline, said Ghosh’s Yoga College ambassador Ida Pajunen and two of her colleagues are “the only individuals in the world who have been granted permission by Gyc to use images from the Yoga Cure pamphlet.
Martha Engel, a trademark attorney at law firm Marjen, has written to the companies on behalf of Ghosh’s Yoga College, a yoga school in Kolkata, India, linked to Bishnu Charan Ghosh, a yoga master who trained Choudhury.
Ghosh’s Yoga College argued that images from Ghosh pamphlet Yoga Cure and book Calcutta Yoga were used without permission in Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator. The college has demanded Pulse Films removes the images from the film and issues a public apology.
The legal letter, seen by Deadline, said Ghosh’s Yoga College ambassador Ida Pajunen and two of her colleagues are “the only individuals in the world who have been granted permission by Gyc to use images from the Yoga Cure pamphlet.
- 12/2/2019
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
In her new Netflix documentary about hot yoga progenitor Bikram Choudhury, director Eva Orner faced a unique dilemma: How to do right by the victims who fell under the spell of the alleged yoga rapist. “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” is a timely and well-crafted film about the cult-like figure, who has been accused of multiple rapes and sexual assaults but has never faced criminal charges. By speaking out, years before #MeToo, Choudhury’s victims lost jobs, friends, and community, all for little to no personal gain other than protecting potential future victims. In order to honor these brave women, Orner had to first show Choudhury’s charismatic side.
“In act one, we had to create this man who was likable and lovable and a bit playful,” she told IndieWire recently by phone. “Because if we didn’t, we were doing a disservice to the people who became a part of it.
“In act one, we had to create this man who was likable and lovable and a bit playful,” she told IndieWire recently by phone. “Because if we didn’t, we were doing a disservice to the people who became a part of it.
- 11/27/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Netflix's shocking documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator delves deep into the allegations of sexual assault and rape that six women have filed against Bikram Yoga founder Bikram Choudhury since 2013, but for now, the yogi continues to be a free man. Choudhury has denied all allegations against him, and after the doc's release, his publicist issued a statement to the Los Angeles Times that reads: "Bikram Choudhury totally refutes all the allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment presented in the film and is deeply upset by the continued character assassination." But in the aftermath of so many allegations and lawsuits, is Choudhury still making money from Bikram Yoga? That question isn't an easy one to answer.
For now, the disgraced yogi travels the world and seems to continue to profit from his 26-pose hot yoga classes known as Bikram Yoga, although his spokesperson, Richard J. Hillgrove, claimed to Esquire that...
For now, the disgraced yogi travels the world and seems to continue to profit from his 26-pose hot yoga classes known as Bikram Yoga, although his spokesperson, Richard J. Hillgrove, claimed to Esquire that...
- 11/25/2019
- by Sabienna Bowman
- Popsugar.com
Netflix's Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator delves deep into the allegations against Bikram Yoga (a specific type of hot yoga) founder Bikram Choudhury, who has been accused of sexual assault and rape by six women since 2013. But as thorough as the documentary is, the question of who is Bikram's ex-wife, Rajashree Choudhury remains largely unexplored. Rajashree co-founded Bikram Yoga's Teacher Training program in 1994 - the same program that her ex-husband allegedly used to prey on his female students.
However, since filing her divorce from Bikram in 2015, the founder of the United States Yoga Federation and the International Yoga Sports Federation has largely stayed out of the conversation surrounding her husband's alleged misdeeds. The documentary's director Eva Orner recently told The Guardian that she reached out to both Bikram and Rajashree for interviews, but they declined. The director said of Rajashree: "She's very complicit." But to date, no allegations have been made about the yogi's ex-wife.
However, since filing her divorce from Bikram in 2015, the founder of the United States Yoga Federation and the International Yoga Sports Federation has largely stayed out of the conversation surrounding her husband's alleged misdeeds. The documentary's director Eva Orner recently told The Guardian that she reached out to both Bikram and Rajashree for interviews, but they declined. The director said of Rajashree: "She's very complicit." But to date, no allegations have been made about the yogi's ex-wife.
- 11/24/2019
- by Sabienna Bowman
- Popsugar.com
Netflix's Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator documentary presents an in-depth look at the cult-like founder of Bikram yoga (a specific type of hot yoga). While the practice of hot yoga has helped people worldwide, there is a dark side to Bikram Choudhury, a man who abused his power while teaching yoga classes by making racist, homophobic, and degrading comments about his students - and who allegedly did much worse behind closed doors.
Since 2013, six women have come forward to accuse the yogi of rape and sexual assault: Jill Lawler, Sarah Baughn, Larissa Anderson, Maggie Genthner, Dana McLellan, and a woman who goes by Jane Doe #3 to protect her anonymity. After hearing their allegations, the question on your mind will be, "Is Bikram Choudhury in jail?" The short answer is no, and aside from leaving his life in the United States behind him, the yogi hasn't been forced to deal with...
Since 2013, six women have come forward to accuse the yogi of rape and sexual assault: Jill Lawler, Sarah Baughn, Larissa Anderson, Maggie Genthner, Dana McLellan, and a woman who goes by Jane Doe #3 to protect her anonymity. After hearing their allegations, the question on your mind will be, "Is Bikram Choudhury in jail?" The short answer is no, and aside from leaving his life in the United States behind him, the yogi hasn't been forced to deal with...
- 11/23/2019
- by Sabienna Bowman
- Popsugar.com
In her prolific career as a producer and director of journalistic documentaries, Australian filmmaker Eva Orner has tackled such subjects as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, asylum seekers in Australia, and Cuba’s most vulnerable people. Her fourth feature film, about disgraced hot yoga architect Bikram Choudhury, presented a new challenge: How to humanize an alleged rapist.
The searing and timely documentary, “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator,” debuted on Netflix on Wednesday, and is certain to provoke renewed waves of shock and anger at how Choudhury has eluded justice for his many alleged crimes. But there’s one person Orner hopes is paying extra close attention: California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“I’m saying to Gavin Newsom, you know, I’m sure he watches Netflix a lot. Watch the film, call [L.A. District Attorney] Jackie Lacey and tell her to step it up and do something,” Orner told IndieWire during a recent phone interview.
The searing and timely documentary, “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator,” debuted on Netflix on Wednesday, and is certain to provoke renewed waves of shock and anger at how Choudhury has eluded justice for his many alleged crimes. But there’s one person Orner hopes is paying extra close attention: California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“I’m saying to Gavin Newsom, you know, I’m sure he watches Netflix a lot. Watch the film, call [L.A. District Attorney] Jackie Lacey and tell her to step it up and do something,” Orner told IndieWire during a recent phone interview.
- 11/20/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
A new Netflix documentary takes a no-holds-barred look at yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, still training teachers after dozens of accusations of abuse
In recent years, there’s been a growing discourse on intense fitness classes – Crossfit, SoulCycle – as the new secular religion. But if there was one branch that pushed the envelope from religion to near-fanatic cultishness, it’s Bikram yoga, the 90-minute routine of 26 postures performed in a room heated to 120 degrees founded by Bikram Choudhury. Clad in his signature tiny black Speedo and tight ponytail, Choudhury lorded over an empire built on sweat, devotion and $10k a pop teacher trainings – and, as explained in a new Netflix documentary, sexual harassment, rape and maniacal control.
In recent years, there’s been a growing discourse on intense fitness classes – Crossfit, SoulCycle – as the new secular religion. But if there was one branch that pushed the envelope from religion to near-fanatic cultishness, it’s Bikram yoga, the 90-minute routine of 26 postures performed in a room heated to 120 degrees founded by Bikram Choudhury. Clad in his signature tiny black Speedo and tight ponytail, Choudhury lorded over an empire built on sweat, devotion and $10k a pop teacher trainings – and, as explained in a new Netflix documentary, sexual harassment, rape and maniacal control.
- 11/20/2019
- by Adrian Horton
- The Guardian - Film News
Netflix's documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator explores the dark side of Bikram yoga (or hot yoga) founder Bikram Choudhury. The doc comes from Academy Award-winning director Eva Orner, who shines the spotlight on the women who toppled Choudhury's empire, as well as the dilemma practitioners of hot yoga face as they weigh the benefits of the exercise against the actions of the man who popularized the practice in the United States. Before Netflix's documentary, Choudhury was the subject of a five-part podcast from ESPN's 30 for 30 series.
Journalist and former Bikram Studio manager Julia Lowrie Henderson's goal for the podcast was not only to shed light on the six women who have come forward with allegations of rape and sexual assault against Choudhury, but also to look at the hot yoga community as a whole. The fall of their guru has affected members worldwide in contrasting ways as those...
Journalist and former Bikram Studio manager Julia Lowrie Henderson's goal for the podcast was not only to shed light on the six women who have come forward with allegations of rape and sexual assault against Choudhury, but also to look at the hot yoga community as a whole. The fall of their guru has affected members worldwide in contrasting ways as those...
- 11/20/2019
- by Sabienna Bowman
- Popsugar.com
Hot yoga is offered in most gyms across the country, but while it might be the perfect Saturday morning activity, the origins of this specific yoga practice are littered with controversy. In Netflix's upcoming documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, the film unpacks the dramatic rise and fall of hot-yoga founder Bikram Choudhury, who moved to Beverly Hills from Calcutta, India, in the early 1970s and quickly built a celebrity-endorsed fitness empire.
With testimonies from past students, Academy Award winner Eva Orner's film explores numerous rape and sexual abuse allegations that were eventually put against him in the 2010s, as well as the aggressive and almost cult-like training atmosphere he forced people to endure. "[Choudhury] saw himself as a cross between Mother Theresa and Howard Stern," one person tells the camera, before another chimes in that he was "so good at getting inside of our brains."
In addition to shining...
With testimonies from past students, Academy Award winner Eva Orner's film explores numerous rape and sexual abuse allegations that were eventually put against him in the 2010s, as well as the aggressive and almost cult-like training atmosphere he forced people to endure. "[Choudhury] saw himself as a cross between Mother Theresa and Howard Stern," one person tells the camera, before another chimes in that he was "so good at getting inside of our brains."
In addition to shining...
- 11/18/2019
- by Quinn Keaney
- Popsugar.com
"Bikram was so good at getting inside our brains." Netflix has unveiled an official trailer for a documentary titled Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, the latest feature made by Oscar-winning filmmaker Eva Orner. The film tells the controversial story of the famous founder of "hot yoga" named Bikram Choudhury, who immigrated to Los Angeles in the early 70s and made tons of money with his fitness empire. The doc traces his rise to glory in the 1970s to his disgrace in accusations of rape and sexual harassment in more recent years. Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, a Netflix original, shines a light on the stories of the women who took him down and explores the contradiction of how this healing discipline could simultaneously help and hurt so many. This doc definitely fits into the Netflix canon with all their other searing, jaw-dropping, fascinating films about crazy minds of manipulative men. Yoga madness.
- 11/8/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Last year, Netflix proved our cultural obsession with cults is far from over with “Wild Wild Country,” the hit docu-series about Rajneeshpuram cult leader Bhagwan Rajneesh and his followers. In the years since its massive international popularity has grown, yoga has attracted millions of devotees as fervent as any cult followers. But none as cult-like as Bikram yoga, or hot yoga, founded and popularized by Bikram Choudhury. A new Netflix documentary titled “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” tells the story of the cult-like figure, who abused his position to rape, assault, and harass multiple women in his ranks. The newly released trailer showcases countless interviews with his followers and victims, often blurring the line between them.
“He sees himself as a cross between Mother Teresa and Howard Stern,” one male interview subject says in the trailer. Another woman recalls, “I’d see flashes of megalomania, but I didn’t know how diabolical he actually was.
“He sees himself as a cross between Mother Teresa and Howard Stern,” one male interview subject says in the trailer. Another woman recalls, “I’d see flashes of megalomania, but I didn’t know how diabolical he actually was.
- 11/7/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The 10th-anniversary edition of Doc NYC — which bills itself as America’s largest documentary film festival — boasts more than 300 movies and special events for 2019. The lineup includes new works from documentary veterans and fledgling filmmakers alike, plus U.S. and NYC premieres of films we’ve already seen making the rounds on the festival circuit. This year, according to the fest, is Doc NYC’s biggest slate ever.
“Our 10th-anniversary lineup reflects a more international scope than in previous years, drawing compelling stories from all over the world, in addition to a rich selection of American nonfiction,” said director of programming Basil Tsiokos in a statement. “Where better to experience this diversity of documentary storytelling than NYC?” Tsiokos leads the Doc NYC programming team alongside artistic director Thom Powers.
This year’s festival is dedicated to the memory of D.A. Pennebaker, a constant presence at Doc NYC since its first year,...
“Our 10th-anniversary lineup reflects a more international scope than in previous years, drawing compelling stories from all over the world, in addition to a rich selection of American nonfiction,” said director of programming Basil Tsiokos in a statement. “Where better to experience this diversity of documentary storytelling than NYC?” Tsiokos leads the Doc NYC programming team alongside artistic director Thom Powers.
This year’s festival is dedicated to the memory of D.A. Pennebaker, a constant presence at Doc NYC since its first year,...
- 10/10/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Over the past two years, the #MeToo movement has exposed countless terrible men guilty of sexual harassment and assault, but Bikram Choudhury has yet to face his comeuppance. A searing new documentary from Netflix on the “hot yoga” founder lays it all out in a blunt title: “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator.” It doesn’t bring much new information to the table, but it’s an infuriating look at the way Choudhury seduced thousands of followers with his yoga franchise, while raping and assaulting innumerable women, and how he managed — so far — to get away with it. Choudry belongs in jail, and
Director Eva Orner covers many of the details addressed in last year’s revealing “30 for 30” podcast miniseries, but with footage of the domineering guru and testimonies from several of his victims whose visible anger reinforces the tragedy. Orner stuffs the full arc of Choudhury’s story into a tight 86 minutes,...
Director Eva Orner covers many of the details addressed in last year’s revealing “30 for 30” podcast miniseries, but with footage of the domineering guru and testimonies from several of his victims whose visible anger reinforces the tragedy. Orner stuffs the full arc of Choudhury’s story into a tight 86 minutes,...
- 9/10/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Never trust a man in Speedos who promises to change your life. That’s advice from director Eva Orner’s “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator,” a doc that bends and snaps the self-described God status of megalomaniac yoga coach Bikram Choudhury, who sexually assaulted his female students while bragging he was the smartest and most spiritual man they’d ever be lucky enough to meet. The women were paying for the privilege: $10,000 each for a nine-week teacher training camp at a hotel where Choudhury slept in the presidential suite. Or rather, as Choudhury claims he only needed one hour of rest a night, where he instead summoned pupils to his bedroom for a 3 a.m. massage — and they went, because he alone controlled their future. Some say they were pressed against walls or pressured to touch his penis. Some say they were raped.
, ever since Bikram pranced before TV cameras flexing...
, ever since Bikram pranced before TV cameras flexing...
- 9/9/2019
- by Amy Nicholson
- Variety Film + TV
Director Calls on California Governor to Reopen Criminal Assault Charges Against Bikram Yoga Founder
The director of a harrowing new Netflix documentary about the guru who brought hot yoga to Beverly Hills in the 1970s is asking California lawmakers to reopen a criminal sexual assault case against him.
Eva Orner debuted “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” in the official selection at Toronto on Monday, which details the rise and disgrace of Bikram Choudhury — a megalomaniac who charmed luminaries like President Richard Nixon, Shirley MacLaine, and Michael Jackson with his tough-love yoga series practiced at temperatures over 100 degrees. He is also accused of rape, sexual assault and other abuse by students and followers in the film. He fled the country in 2016 and lives in India.
Orner sat for an interview at the Variety studio and made a direct appeal to California Governor Gavin Newsom to help bring the case back to life.
“We have a great governor in California, Gavin Newsom, I’m sure he watches everything on Netflix.
Eva Orner debuted “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” in the official selection at Toronto on Monday, which details the rise and disgrace of Bikram Choudhury — a megalomaniac who charmed luminaries like President Richard Nixon, Shirley MacLaine, and Michael Jackson with his tough-love yoga series practiced at temperatures over 100 degrees. He is also accused of rape, sexual assault and other abuse by students and followers in the film. He fled the country in 2016 and lives in India.
Orner sat for an interview at the Variety studio and made a direct appeal to California Governor Gavin Newsom to help bring the case back to life.
“We have a great governor in California, Gavin Newsom, I’m sure he watches everything on Netflix.
- 9/9/2019
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
In ESPN’s new docuseries “Backstory,” investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr. goes beyond what viewers think they know about unresolved sports stories of the past and present, beginning with the 2018 U.S. Open Women’s Finals.
Inspired by the hit “30 for 30” series and modeled on “The Last Days of Knight,” three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Van Natta Jr. goes on a “journalism journey through those stories to gather new information and find fresh insight at a time when people really want the truth,” he tells TheWrap.
The debut episode, “Serena vs. The Umpire,” dives into what Van Ant, Jr. calls “the ugliest finish in tennis Grand Slam history.”
Also Read: Rape Accusations Against Bikram Choudhury Examined in Dark ESPN '30 for 30' Podcast
“The clashes that Serena had with the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos, really divided people as to whether she was right and justified or if he had done the right thing,...
Inspired by the hit “30 for 30” series and modeled on “The Last Days of Knight,” three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Van Natta Jr. goes on a “journalism journey through those stories to gather new information and find fresh insight at a time when people really want the truth,” he tells TheWrap.
The debut episode, “Serena vs. The Umpire,” dives into what Van Ant, Jr. calls “the ugliest finish in tennis Grand Slam history.”
Also Read: Rape Accusations Against Bikram Choudhury Examined in Dark ESPN '30 for 30' Podcast
“The clashes that Serena had with the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos, really divided people as to whether she was right and justified or if he had done the right thing,...
- 8/16/2019
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
‘Dirt Music’ (Photo courtesy of Tiff)
Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music will have its world premiere in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival.
The festival said the “stunning landscape of Western Australia is the backdrop for an impassioned tale of love and grief in Gregor Jordan’s adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Tim Winton, starring Kelly Macdonald, Garrett Hedlund, and David Wenham.”
Produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey of the UK’s Wildgaze Films and Aquarius Films’ Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford, the film will join Justin Kurzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang, Unjoo Moon’s I Am Woman, Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream and Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones in the Toronto line-up.
In addition, Eva Orner’s Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, a Netflix Original production which charts the spectacular rise and scandalous fall of hot-yoga evangelist Bikram Choudhury,...
Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music will have its world premiere in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival.
The festival said the “stunning landscape of Western Australia is the backdrop for an impassioned tale of love and grief in Gregor Jordan’s adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Tim Winton, starring Kelly Macdonald, Garrett Hedlund, and David Wenham.”
Produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey of the UK’s Wildgaze Films and Aquarius Films’ Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford, the film will join Justin Kurzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang, Unjoo Moon’s I Am Woman, Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream and Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones in the Toronto line-up.
In addition, Eva Orner’s Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, a Netflix Original production which charts the spectacular rise and scandalous fall of hot-yoga evangelist Bikram Choudhury,...
- 8/13/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘The Australian Dream.’
Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream and Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones will have their international premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In addition, Eva Orner’s Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator will be among 25 titles in the Tiff Docs section, along with The Australian Dream.
Good Thing Productions and Passion Pictures’ The Australian Dream opened the Melbourne International Film Festival. Written by Stan Grant, the film looks at race, identity and belonging from the perspective of former Sydney Swans captain and Indigenous rights activist Adam Goodes.
In 2013 Goodes sparked a national conversation about racism after requesting a 13-year-old Collingwood supporter be removed from the ground after calling him an “ape.”
Madman Entertainment will launch the film on 100—plus screens on August 22.
Lawrence’s debut feature Hearts and Bones, which had its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, will screen in the Discovery program.
Produced...
Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream and Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones will have their international premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In addition, Eva Orner’s Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator will be among 25 titles in the Tiff Docs section, along with The Australian Dream.
Good Thing Productions and Passion Pictures’ The Australian Dream opened the Melbourne International Film Festival. Written by Stan Grant, the film looks at race, identity and belonging from the perspective of former Sydney Swans captain and Indigenous rights activist Adam Goodes.
In 2013 Goodes sparked a national conversation about racism after requesting a 13-year-old Collingwood supporter be removed from the ground after calling him an “ape.”
Madman Entertainment will launch the film on 100—plus screens on August 22.
Lawrence’s debut feature Hearts and Bones, which had its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, will screen in the Discovery program.
Produced...
- 8/8/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
The Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled its documentary, discovery, and midnight programs.
The lineup of 25 nonfiction works in the documentary category cover an array of topics and subjects — ranging from immigration to corruption in politics to Truman Capote’s rarefied social circle. The announcement comes as documentaries have become one of the most reliable sources of box office revenues for indie studios. Films such as “Free Solo” and “Rbg” were among the biggest arthouse hits of 2018 and there’s a lot of interest among buyers in the films in this section. Thom Powers, Tiff Docs programmer, attributes the rising commercial prospects of these films to the ubiquity of non-fiction works on Netflix and other streaming services.
“People have developed a real appetite for documentary films similar to the way they once developed an appetite for serial television,” says Powers. “Once they started sampling, they just wanted more. With Netflix...
The lineup of 25 nonfiction works in the documentary category cover an array of topics and subjects — ranging from immigration to corruption in politics to Truman Capote’s rarefied social circle. The announcement comes as documentaries have become one of the most reliable sources of box office revenues for indie studios. Films such as “Free Solo” and “Rbg” were among the biggest arthouse hits of 2018 and there’s a lot of interest among buyers in the films in this section. Thom Powers, Tiff Docs programmer, attributes the rising commercial prospects of these films to the ubiquity of non-fiction works on Netflix and other streaming services.
“People have developed a real appetite for documentary films similar to the way they once developed an appetite for serial television,” says Powers. “Once they started sampling, they just wanted more. With Netflix...
- 8/8/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Two of the Toronto International Film Festival’s signature programs have today unveiled their full slates, including both the genre-bending Midnight Madness program and the wide-ranging Tiff Docs section. Both slates will feature a number of highly anticipated premieres, with the lauded documentary section playing home to films like Feras Fayyad’s “The Cave” (which will open Tiff Docs), Mark Cousins’ 14-hour “Women Make Film,” Bryce Dallas Howard making her feature directorial debut with the documentary “Dads,” along with new films from Barbara Kopple, Alex Gibney, and Lauren Greenfield.
The Tiff Docs lineup includes 25 non-fiction works, including 18 world premieres with representation from 18 countries. The films cover many high-profile figures, both famous and infamous — including Truman Capote, Merce Cunningham, Ron Howard, Bikram Choudhury, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Imelda Marcos — and a broad range of themes, including artistic achievement, the power of journalism, immigration, global politics, and resistance against corrupt leaders.
“This year...
The Tiff Docs lineup includes 25 non-fiction works, including 18 world premieres with representation from 18 countries. The films cover many high-profile figures, both famous and infamous — including Truman Capote, Merce Cunningham, Ron Howard, Bikram Choudhury, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Imelda Marcos — and a broad range of themes, including artistic achievement, the power of journalism, immigration, global politics, and resistance against corrupt leaders.
“This year...
- 8/8/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
After lifting the lid on the worlds of Scientology and WikiLeaks, Academy Award and Emmy-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has again teamed up with ESPN, this time to investigate how technology and science are impacting the future of sports.
“Enhanced,” the six-part docuseries that is currently streaming on ESPN+, takes viewers into the secret worlds of training, technology, recovery, mind exercises and even steroids to show how they are propelling record-breaking performances from athletes.
The subject is something that Gibney had been talking to ESPN executives about for years.
Also Read: Rape Accusations Against Bikram Choudhury Examined in Dark ESPN '30 for 30' Podcast
“He’s been a sports fan for a long time and realized that the stakes get higher every year, records are broken … the equipment, the bodies and the sports look different,” Libby Geist, vice president and executive producer, ESPN Films and Original Content, told TheWrap. “We finally...
“Enhanced,” the six-part docuseries that is currently streaming on ESPN+, takes viewers into the secret worlds of training, technology, recovery, mind exercises and even steroids to show how they are propelling record-breaking performances from athletes.
The subject is something that Gibney had been talking to ESPN executives about for years.
Also Read: Rape Accusations Against Bikram Choudhury Examined in Dark ESPN '30 for 30' Podcast
“He’s been a sports fan for a long time and realized that the stakes get higher every year, records are broken … the equipment, the bodies and the sports look different,” Libby Geist, vice president and executive producer, ESPN Films and Original Content, told TheWrap. “We finally...
- 8/15/2018
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
A year before the #MeToo era rocked Hollywood, ESPN podcast producer Julia Lowrie Henderson was investigating sexual assault and rape accusations that led to the downfall of yoga guru Bikram Choudhury.
Her research took her across America to India and Mexico, and resulted in ESPN’s dark and eye-opening “30 for 30” podcast series chronicling Bikram’s fall from grace.
The multiple accusations against Choudhury date back to 2013, and while they “made a big splash” then, they faded away from the media spotlight, Henderson said. “When #MeToo launched [in October 2017], there was a point when I kept expecting Bikram’s name to be brought back into that conversation and it just didn’t happen, which I found surprising but made it even more exciting that we were doing this series,” she told TheWrap.
Also Read: Morgan Freeman's Comments to CNN Reporter Chloe Melas Led to Her Report on Harassment Accusations
“There does seem...
Her research took her across America to India and Mexico, and resulted in ESPN’s dark and eye-opening “30 for 30” podcast series chronicling Bikram’s fall from grace.
The multiple accusations against Choudhury date back to 2013, and while they “made a big splash” then, they faded away from the media spotlight, Henderson said. “When #MeToo launched [in October 2017], there was a point when I kept expecting Bikram’s name to be brought back into that conversation and it just didn’t happen, which I found surprising but made it even more exciting that we were doing this series,” she told TheWrap.
Also Read: Morgan Freeman's Comments to CNN Reporter Chloe Melas Led to Her Report on Harassment Accusations
“There does seem...
- 5/25/2018
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
It’s always the right time to listen to the unique voice of Bomani Jones, but now the ESPN host is airing his frank opinions on sports and social issues on a podcast instead of his long-running radio show.
“I think the biggest difference is that it’s more concentrated,” Jones told TheWrap of the podcast that airs Tuesdays and Thursdays. “What we really want to do is take the best of what we were doing before and just kind of trim the fat, give people the best concentrated version of what I have to offer,” he said.
“The Right Time With Bomani Jones” podcast reboot premiered earlier this month and Jones’ upcoming daytime television show with Pablo Torre is set to debut this spring from ESPN’s new Seaport District Studio.
Also Read: FiveThirtyEight Leaves ESPN for ABC News
Jones’ new show continues ESPN’s push into the world of podcasts, which includes a “30 for 30” series on yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, plus other recently debuted shows “Jalen and Jacoby,” “Sports? With Katie Nolan,” “Marty Smith’s America” and “The Plug” from Undefeated.
While they’ve still a solid roster of radio and TV shows along with new streaming platform ESPN+, what makes podcasts the new go-to platform? On that, Jones, as usual, had plenty of thoughts.
“If you do a radio show for 15 hours a week, you’ve got to please so many different people because everyone in radio is trying to grab that elusive listener for 15 minutes,” Jones explained, comparing the two formats. “With a podcast, you are dealing with people who are opting in, it is your most dedicated diehard fans and people who are making a conscious decision to walk in the door.”
Also Read: Coolest Things About ESPN+ Streaming Service, From '30 for 30' Film Library to Live Sports Events
One way he wants to cater to those diehards is by doing less interviews.
“On the radio show, I would try and do interviews such as with a beat writer for a team as a way to share information on a story and then I would give my opinion on it,” he said. “But we won’t have to do those nearly as much. If we’re coming off an NFL weekend and we’re trying to figure that the games are to talk about, now we don’t have to talk about that second or third game — we can focus on whatever the biggest game was.”
Also Read: ESPN Lets Viewers Binge Watch 'We the Fans' Season 2 by Stacking Episodes Back-to-Back
Podcasts are also a “far more intimate medium” than television, Jones continued. “With a podcast, I think it’s really a chance to get in touch with those people who want to be there the most.”
As for why he thinks podcasts have become such as trendy medium, especially since the success of “Serial” in 2014, Jones said it is because anyone can do one.
“Not anybody can do a very good one, but in terms of theory, anyone can set up a microphone, run it into their computer and then go do a podcast,” he explained. “Regardless of whether the person has a public profile or not, they can say ‘this is something that I could put out there for people.'”
Like social media, Jones said, “Podcasts allow a lot of those people just to have regular conversations, and there is a demand that comes from the listener… It makes them feel like they are a lot closer to people who are otherwise untouchable.”
Despite this explosion in podcasts over the last few years, “I still don’t think people know what a podcast is,” Jones marveled. “For me, a big part of putting this together is how it will evolve and for me learning not just what a podcast is but what a podcast can be. The page is so wide open right now, which makes it really attractive to a lot of people because no one is really telling you, ‘this is how we have to do it.'”
Jones, left, on ESPN’s “Highly Questionable”
In terms of topics covered, the boundaries of sports and politics have increasingly blurred since President Trump took office, such as NFL player protests and NBA stars clashing with a certain Fox News host. With a masters degree in politics, economics and business, it is only natural that listeners expect Jones to comment on topical social issues.
“Me going outside of the realm of sports has always been dictated by what is going on in the realm of sports,” Jones told TheWrap. “We had a situation at the end of 2016 and early 2017 where the real world topics were coming up in a way that mattered when came to sports, so we talked about the immigration ban because you had NBA players who were potentially caught up in that.”
As for the new podcast, “I think we will fill the show with sports as much as possible as that’s what people come to us for. But once you are there, you’ve got to take it wherever you need to go to answer a question. If that comes from somewhere else, that’s where I am going to go to, but I don’t think it is effective to ramrod politics into your sports discussion because it doesn’t do you any good to talk if there ain’t nobody listening.”
Obvious exceptions have included when boxing legend Muhammad Ali died, as you couldn’t cover his life story without talking about the Nation of Islam, “which is not the easiest thing to do,” Jones said.
“What makes it a little bit different for me is that I am kinda good at it [talking about social issues]. There are a lot of people that when these issues come up, they look at me as they feel like I am a person who can address them,” he said. “I think in the time that I have worked this job, I’ve managed to do this without having any kind of giant controversy over any kind of observations I’ve made.”
Read original story ESPN’s Bomani Jones Gives Us His Take on the Podcast Craze, Social Issues Invading Sports At TheWrap...
“I think the biggest difference is that it’s more concentrated,” Jones told TheWrap of the podcast that airs Tuesdays and Thursdays. “What we really want to do is take the best of what we were doing before and just kind of trim the fat, give people the best concentrated version of what I have to offer,” he said.
“The Right Time With Bomani Jones” podcast reboot premiered earlier this month and Jones’ upcoming daytime television show with Pablo Torre is set to debut this spring from ESPN’s new Seaport District Studio.
Also Read: FiveThirtyEight Leaves ESPN for ABC News
Jones’ new show continues ESPN’s push into the world of podcasts, which includes a “30 for 30” series on yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, plus other recently debuted shows “Jalen and Jacoby,” “Sports? With Katie Nolan,” “Marty Smith’s America” and “The Plug” from Undefeated.
While they’ve still a solid roster of radio and TV shows along with new streaming platform ESPN+, what makes podcasts the new go-to platform? On that, Jones, as usual, had plenty of thoughts.
“If you do a radio show for 15 hours a week, you’ve got to please so many different people because everyone in radio is trying to grab that elusive listener for 15 minutes,” Jones explained, comparing the two formats. “With a podcast, you are dealing with people who are opting in, it is your most dedicated diehard fans and people who are making a conscious decision to walk in the door.”
Also Read: Coolest Things About ESPN+ Streaming Service, From '30 for 30' Film Library to Live Sports Events
One way he wants to cater to those diehards is by doing less interviews.
“On the radio show, I would try and do interviews such as with a beat writer for a team as a way to share information on a story and then I would give my opinion on it,” he said. “But we won’t have to do those nearly as much. If we’re coming off an NFL weekend and we’re trying to figure that the games are to talk about, now we don’t have to talk about that second or third game — we can focus on whatever the biggest game was.”
Also Read: ESPN Lets Viewers Binge Watch 'We the Fans' Season 2 by Stacking Episodes Back-to-Back
Podcasts are also a “far more intimate medium” than television, Jones continued. “With a podcast, I think it’s really a chance to get in touch with those people who want to be there the most.”
As for why he thinks podcasts have become such as trendy medium, especially since the success of “Serial” in 2014, Jones said it is because anyone can do one.
“Not anybody can do a very good one, but in terms of theory, anyone can set up a microphone, run it into their computer and then go do a podcast,” he explained. “Regardless of whether the person has a public profile or not, they can say ‘this is something that I could put out there for people.'”
Like social media, Jones said, “Podcasts allow a lot of those people just to have regular conversations, and there is a demand that comes from the listener… It makes them feel like they are a lot closer to people who are otherwise untouchable.”
Despite this explosion in podcasts over the last few years, “I still don’t think people know what a podcast is,” Jones marveled. “For me, a big part of putting this together is how it will evolve and for me learning not just what a podcast is but what a podcast can be. The page is so wide open right now, which makes it really attractive to a lot of people because no one is really telling you, ‘this is how we have to do it.'”
Jones, left, on ESPN’s “Highly Questionable”
In terms of topics covered, the boundaries of sports and politics have increasingly blurred since President Trump took office, such as NFL player protests and NBA stars clashing with a certain Fox News host. With a masters degree in politics, economics and business, it is only natural that listeners expect Jones to comment on topical social issues.
“Me going outside of the realm of sports has always been dictated by what is going on in the realm of sports,” Jones told TheWrap. “We had a situation at the end of 2016 and early 2017 where the real world topics were coming up in a way that mattered when came to sports, so we talked about the immigration ban because you had NBA players who were potentially caught up in that.”
As for the new podcast, “I think we will fill the show with sports as much as possible as that’s what people come to us for. But once you are there, you’ve got to take it wherever you need to go to answer a question. If that comes from somewhere else, that’s where I am going to go to, but I don’t think it is effective to ramrod politics into your sports discussion because it doesn’t do you any good to talk if there ain’t nobody listening.”
Obvious exceptions have included when boxing legend Muhammad Ali died, as you couldn’t cover his life story without talking about the Nation of Islam, “which is not the easiest thing to do,” Jones said.
“What makes it a little bit different for me is that I am kinda good at it [talking about social issues]. There are a lot of people that when these issues come up, they look at me as they feel like I am a person who can address them,” he said. “I think in the time that I have worked this job, I’ve managed to do this without having any kind of giant controversy over any kind of observations I’ve made.”
Read original story ESPN’s Bomani Jones Gives Us His Take on the Podcast Craze, Social Issues Invading Sports At TheWrap...
- 4/20/2018
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
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