The story of human rights lawyer Jared Genser, who has helped free political prisoners in a number of hot zones around the world, is being developed by Orlando Bloom with Amazon as a TV series.
The streamer is in the early stages of developing the Untitled Jared Genser Project, which will be exec produced by Carnival Row star Bloom and former HBO exec Bruce Richmond.
Genser is Managing Director of Perseus Strategies and founder of Freedom Now. He was dubbed ‘The Extractor’ by the New York Times for his work freeing political prisoners.
His speciality is freeing prisoners of conscience and human rights prisoners in high-risk areas throughout the world’s most difficult hot zones, working with a core team of specialized operatives.
Clients have included former Czech Republic President Václav Havel, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Aung San Suu Kyi,...
The streamer is in the early stages of developing the Untitled Jared Genser Project, which will be exec produced by Carnival Row star Bloom and former HBO exec Bruce Richmond.
Genser is Managing Director of Perseus Strategies and founder of Freedom Now. He was dubbed ‘The Extractor’ by the New York Times for his work freeing political prisoners.
His speciality is freeing prisoners of conscience and human rights prisoners in high-risk areas throughout the world’s most difficult hot zones, working with a core team of specialized operatives.
Clients have included former Czech Republic President Václav Havel, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Aung San Suu Kyi,...
- 8/31/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Amal Clooney is back at work as an international human rights lawyer three months after welcoming twins with husband George Clooney.
The British lawyer released a statement addressing threats of forcible detention made against her longtime client, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed.
“Any attempt by a Maldivian diplomat to detain President Nasheed in Sri Lanka would constitute a violation of international law as well as Sri Lankan criminal law,” Clooney said in a statement. “President Nasheed should not be returned to the Maldives to serve a sentence that resulted from a sham trial, and it is incumbent on the Sri...
The British lawyer released a statement addressing threats of forcible detention made against her longtime client, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed.
“Any attempt by a Maldivian diplomat to detain President Nasheed in Sri Lanka would constitute a violation of international law as well as Sri Lankan criminal law,” Clooney said in a statement. “President Nasheed should not be returned to the Maldives to serve a sentence that resulted from a sham trial, and it is incumbent on the Sri...
- 9/13/2017
- by Ale Russian
- PEOPLE.com
Dave Lawrie Aug 4, 2017
Blackfish, The Act Of Killing - we celebrate the great documentaries distributed by the UK's Dogwoof...
Did you know that around 20 percent of the films released in the UK are documentaries? It’s a surprisingly large figure. I think the reason behind it might be that ‘documentary’ is considered to be a genre in and of itself. “And the Academy Award for best documentary feature goes to…”. They're all lumped into the same bracket. Also, they're relatively cheap to make and can be assembled independently by a team of only a few people. Success at the box office is often down on the priorities list for creators wanting to spread a message, tell a story or get a point across and, when they only need to recoup that small amount to be considered successful, documentary cinema becomes fertile ground for ambitions to grow in.
See related Preacher...
Blackfish, The Act Of Killing - we celebrate the great documentaries distributed by the UK's Dogwoof...
Did you know that around 20 percent of the films released in the UK are documentaries? It’s a surprisingly large figure. I think the reason behind it might be that ‘documentary’ is considered to be a genre in and of itself. “And the Academy Award for best documentary feature goes to…”. They're all lumped into the same bracket. Also, they're relatively cheap to make and can be assembled independently by a team of only a few people. Success at the box office is often down on the priorities list for creators wanting to spread a message, tell a story or get a point across and, when they only need to recoup that small amount to be considered successful, documentary cinema becomes fertile ground for ambitions to grow in.
See related Preacher...
- 8/3/2017
- Den of Geek
Months before they're born, George and Amal Clooney's twins are already having a big impact on their lives.
In an interview with French outlet Paris Match on Tuesday, the 55-year-old actor opened up about expecting the twins in late spring, and admitted that he and Amal have been considerably more cautious in anticipation of their arrival.
Look: Pregnant Amal Clooney Stuns in Red: See the Glamorous Pic!
"How can we not be anxious when faced with this immense responsibility? To give birth to a child in this world -- nevermind two! We are very happy, very excited, but also a bit nervous, it's normal," he shared.
Something not quite normal about the couple, however, is Amal's line of work as an international human rights lawyer, which means frequently traveling to dangerous destinations. The 39-year-old attorney has even recently taken on Isis on behalf of her client, Nadia Murad, a human trafficking survivor.
"We decided...
In an interview with French outlet Paris Match on Tuesday, the 55-year-old actor opened up about expecting the twins in late spring, and admitted that he and Amal have been considerably more cautious in anticipation of their arrival.
Look: Pregnant Amal Clooney Stuns in Red: See the Glamorous Pic!
"How can we not be anxious when faced with this immense responsibility? To give birth to a child in this world -- nevermind two! We are very happy, very excited, but also a bit nervous, it's normal," he shared.
Something not quite normal about the couple, however, is Amal's line of work as an international human rights lawyer, which means frequently traveling to dangerous destinations. The 39-year-old attorney has even recently taken on Isis on behalf of her client, Nadia Murad, a human trafficking survivor.
"We decided...
- 2/22/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Sundance is over and the prizes are won. People have dispersed to their homes and the realities that await them there.
This was a Sundance like no other I can remember, and I have attended every single one since 1986! The cold was extreme; and the political engagement and disgust was extreme. Not only did we have the Inauguration the first day, but the Women’s March the second day had probably 6,000 people marching and on that day the first of many deplorable executive orders (this one against women of the world and their control over their own bodies) began flying off the desk of our current president, who has continued to issue at least one every day, each one more despicable than the previous. Politics and women took center stage.
Chelsea Handler leads the women’s march in Park City, Utah. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
The Sundance slant...
This was a Sundance like no other I can remember, and I have attended every single one since 1986! The cold was extreme; and the political engagement and disgust was extreme. Not only did we have the Inauguration the first day, but the Women’s March the second day had probably 6,000 people marching and on that day the first of many deplorable executive orders (this one against women of the world and their control over their own bodies) began flying off the desk of our current president, who has continued to issue at least one every day, each one more despicable than the previous. Politics and women took center stage.
Chelsea Handler leads the women’s march in Park City, Utah. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
The Sundance slant...
- 2/8/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Happy 39th birthday, Amal Clooney!
It’s been a tremendous year for the international human-rights lawyer, who scored key legal victories on several high-profile cases she’s been working on in addition to traveling around the world with her husband, George Clooney. The glamorous couple just celebrated her birthday together in Barcelona, Spain.
Take a look back at some of her most memorable moments in the last year.
January 2016
Amal started the year in Washington, D.C., where she met with top lawmakers like Sen. John McCain to discuss the plight of her client, former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, who...
It’s been a tremendous year for the international human-rights lawyer, who scored key legal victories on several high-profile cases she’s been working on in addition to traveling around the world with her husband, George Clooney. The glamorous couple just celebrated her birthday together in Barcelona, Spain.
Take a look back at some of her most memorable moments in the last year.
January 2016
Amal started the year in Washington, D.C., where she met with top lawmakers like Sen. John McCain to discuss the plight of her client, former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, who...
- 2/3/2017
- by Ale Russian
- PEOPLE.com
It’s hard to imagine “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power” having a happy ending. The follow-up to 2006’s Oscar-winning climate change documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” includes Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, a result that some environmentalists view as disastrous for the future of the planet.
Read More: Sundance 2017: Check Out the Full Lineup, Including Competition Titles, Premieres and Shorts
But 10 years after former U.S. vice president Al Gore frightened audiences with his slideshow of photos, charts and reams of data bluntly displaying the impacts of the global climate crisis, “An Inconvenient Sequel” finds a surprisingly optimistic Gore working tirelessly on his mission of spreading awareness about both the impacts of global warming and the concrete solutions humans can take to avert disaster.
“It’s just astounding how both absolutely devastating it is in terms of where we are with the environment,...
Read More: Sundance 2017: Check Out the Full Lineup, Including Competition Titles, Premieres and Shorts
But 10 years after former U.S. vice president Al Gore frightened audiences with his slideshow of photos, charts and reams of data bluntly displaying the impacts of the global climate crisis, “An Inconvenient Sequel” finds a surprisingly optimistic Gore working tirelessly on his mission of spreading awareness about both the impacts of global warming and the concrete solutions humans can take to avert disaster.
“It’s just astounding how both absolutely devastating it is in terms of where we are with the environment,...
- 1/20/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Al Gore’s follow-up to 2006’s “An Inconvenient Truth” now has an official title: “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.” Participant Media had yet to settle on a final title upon announcing the movie’s inclusion in the Sundance Film Festival line up last month.
Read More: Sundance 2017: Check Out the Full Lineup, Including Competition Titles, Premieres and Shorts
“An Inconvenient Sequel” is one of the very first screenings at Sundance this year, showing at 5:30 on Thursday, January 19 with the former Vice President scheduled to attend.
Like the original film, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary and was directed by Davis Guggenhiem, the documentary will focus on the climate crisis, but instead of relying heavily on Gore’s slide presentation, the film follows Gore as he travels the world to discuss climate change. Paramount Pictures is distributing the film.
The sequel is directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk,...
Read More: Sundance 2017: Check Out the Full Lineup, Including Competition Titles, Premieres and Shorts
“An Inconvenient Sequel” is one of the very first screenings at Sundance this year, showing at 5:30 on Thursday, January 19 with the former Vice President scheduled to attend.
Like the original film, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary and was directed by Davis Guggenhiem, the documentary will focus on the climate crisis, but instead of relying heavily on Gore’s slide presentation, the film follows Gore as he travels the world to discuss climate change. Paramount Pictures is distributing the film.
The sequel is directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk,...
- 1/11/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The sequel to Al Gore's Oscar-winning climate change documentary An Inconvenient Truth will open the Sundance Film Festival on January 19th, the former vice president announced Friday.
The documentary "follows Gore as he continues his decades-long fight to build a more sustainable future for our planet," Variety reports.
Following its Sundance premiere, the film – the title hasn't been announced – will be released to theaters later in 2017 through a distribution deal with Paramount Pictures.
"Now more than ever we must rededicate ourselves to solving the climate crisis," Gore said in a statement.
The documentary "follows Gore as he continues his decades-long fight to build a more sustainable future for our planet," Variety reports.
Following its Sundance premiere, the film – the title hasn't been announced – will be released to theaters later in 2017 through a distribution deal with Paramount Pictures.
"Now more than ever we must rededicate ourselves to solving the climate crisis," Gore said in a statement.
- 12/10/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Among the opening night films for Sundance 2017: a sequel to “An Inconvenient Truth,” former Vice President Al Gore’s two-time Oscar-winning documentary about the climate crisis.
Paramount Pictures will release the film, which was directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, and produced through Participant Media. It does not yet have an official title, and is being referred to as “The Follow-Up to ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’”
Participant also backed the original film, which Davis Guggenheim directed.
Read More: Sundance 2017: Check Out the Full Lineup, Including Competition Titles, Premieres and Shorts
While the first movie focused on Gore’s slide presentation, the new film has Gore traveling the world to discuss climate change. Producers are Richard Berge and Diane Weyermann, and it’s executive produced by Jeff Skoll, Guggenheim, Lawrence Bender, Laurie David, Scott Z. Burns, and Lesley Chilcott.
The film will also be the centerpiece of Sundance’s The New Climate program,...
Paramount Pictures will release the film, which was directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, and produced through Participant Media. It does not yet have an official title, and is being referred to as “The Follow-Up to ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’”
Participant also backed the original film, which Davis Guggenheim directed.
Read More: Sundance 2017: Check Out the Full Lineup, Including Competition Titles, Premieres and Shorts
While the first movie focused on Gore’s slide presentation, the new film has Gore traveling the world to discuss climate change. Producers are Richard Berge and Diane Weyermann, and it’s executive produced by Jeff Skoll, Guggenheim, Lawrence Bender, Laurie David, Scott Z. Burns, and Lesley Chilcott.
The film will also be the centerpiece of Sundance’s The New Climate program,...
- 12/10/2016
- by Dana Harris
- Indiewire
George Clooney loves to expand his family with adopted dogs but he and wife Amal have no plans for a baby anytime soon. The Hail, Caesar! actor was light-hearted when asked about pregnancy rumors at the Good Money Gala in Amsterdam on Tuesday. "No," Clooney, 54, said in response to a reporter's inquiry about a baby, according to Entertainment Tonight. "But I like that you started that rumor," he added, hilariously. The Clooneys celebrated their first wedding anniversary in December, and recently the two-time Oscar winner also celebrated another milestone. "The president of the Maldives was let out of prison, because...
- 1/28/2016
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
George Clooney loves to expand his family with adopted dogs but he and wife Amal have no plans for a baby anytime soon. The Hail, Caesar! actor was light-hearted when asked about pregnancy rumors at the Good Money Gala in Amsterdam on Tuesday. "No," Clooney, 54, said in response to a reporter's inquiry about a baby, according to Entertainment Tonight. "But I like that you started that rumor," he added, hilariously. The Clooneys celebrated their first wedding anniversary in December, and recently the two-time Oscar winner also celebrated another milestone. "The president of the Maldives was let out of prison, because...
- 1/28/2016
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney stepped up the crusade to fight for democracy in the Maldives alongside former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed. Sitting with Nasheed - who has been temporarily released from prison to undergo spinal surgery in London - during a press conference Monday in the British capital, Clooney described the situation in the Indian Ocean state as "serious" and "urgent" and repeated her call for "targeted sanctions" against leading figures in the Maldivian government. "The case for sanctions remains urgent even though president Nasheed is here today," Clooney, 37, said. "We cannot forget that he has not been pardoned in the Maldives.
- 1/25/2016
- by Philip Boucher, @philipboucher
- PEOPLE.com
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney stepped up the crusade to fight for democracy in the Maldives alongside former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed. Sitting with Nasheed - who has been temporarily released from prison to undergo spinal surgery in London - during a press conference Monday in the British capital, Clooney described the situation in the Indian Ocean state as "serious" and "urgent" and repeated her call for "targeted sanctions" against leading figures in the Maldivian government. "The case for sanctions remains urgent even though president Nasheed is here today," Clooney, 37, said. "We cannot forget that he has not been pardoned in the Maldives.
- 1/25/2016
- by Philip Boucher, @philipboucher
- PEOPLE.com
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney met with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in London Saturday, alongside the former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, as she continues to push for support in the case against her client. At their meeting, Nasheed thanked Cameron for his support, according to The Independent. "The prime minister told Mr. Nasheed that the U.K. would continue to raise concerns about the erosion of democracy and wider situation in the Maldives," a spokesman told the Express & Star, "and it would also continue to discuss the situation with international partners, including how best the...
- 1/23/2016
- by Adam Carlson, @acarlson91
- PEOPLE.com
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney met with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in London Saturday, alongside the former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, as she continues to push for support in the case against her client. At their meeting, Nasheed thanked Cameron for his support, according to The Independent. "The prime minister told Mr. Nasheed that the U.K. would continue to raise concerns about the erosion of democracy and wider situation in the Maldives," a spokesman told the Express & Star, "and it would also continue to discuss the situation with international partners, including how best the...
- 1/23/2016
- by Adam Carlson, @acarlson91
- PEOPLE.com
In a joyous victory for the human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney was all smiles Thursday after greeting former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, who was tasting freedom for the first time in months. Standing alongside co-counsel Jared Genser, the pair grinned as they welcomed a beaming Nasheed to Heathrow Airport, who was granted a temporary release from a prison in his home country after being found guilty last March in a trial described as a "mockery" of justice. Both Clooney, 37, and Genser have continued to vigorously defend Nasheed, whom they feel has been wrongly imprisoned by a government that has a...
- 1/21/2016
- by Jodi Guglielmi, @JodiGug3
- PEOPLE.com
In a joyous victory for the human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney was all smiles Thursday after greeting former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, who was tasting freedom for the first time in months. Standing alongside co-counsel Jared Genser, the pair grinned as they welcomed a beaming Nasheed to Heathrow Airport, who was granted a temporary release from a prison in his home country after being found guilty last March in a trial described as a "mockery" of justice. Both Clooney, 37, and Genser have continued to vigorously defend Nasheed, whom they feel has been wrongly imprisoned by a government that has a...
- 1/21/2016
- by Jodi Guglielmi, @JodiGug3
- PEOPLE.com
Amal Clooney has signed on for her latest case. The human rights lawyer will represent former Voice of America anchor Khadija Ismayilova before the European Court of Human Rights. She will aid the journalist alongside Nani Jansen, legal director at the Media Legal Defence Initiative, according to a statement obtained by People. Ismayilova, who moved from Washington to her native Azerbaijan to highlight political corruption in her home country for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is currently serving a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence after being sentenced last September for tax evasion, embezzlement and abuse of power in the Azer capital of Baku.
- 1/21/2016
- by Philip Boucher, @philipboucher
- PEOPLE.com
Amal Clooney has signed on for her latest case. The human rights lawyer will represent former Voice of America anchor Khadija Ismayilova before the European Court of Human Rights. She will aid the journalist alongside Nani Jansen, legal director at the Media Legal Defence Initiative, according to a statement obtained by People. Ismayilova, who moved from Washington to her native Azerbaijan to highlight political corruption in her home country for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is currently serving a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence after being sentenced last September for tax evasion, embezzlement and abuse of power in the Azer capital of Baku.
- 1/21/2016
- by Philip Boucher, @philipboucher
- PEOPLE.com
Amal Clooney continued her public campaign for her client, the imprisoned former president of the Maldives, on Sunday when she made an appearance on Meet the Press for a special interview with host Chuck Todd. While the interview mostly focused on Clooney's reasons for defending Mohamed Nasheed, who was charged with terrorism and sentenced to 13 years in prison, Todd also asked Clooney about the recent public attack that Maldives politicians have launched against the human rights lawyer after she took on Nasheed. Last year, after Clooney took on the case, a politician in the Maldives publicly criticized her, saying she...
- 1/17/2016
- by Maria Mercedes Lara, @maria_mercedes
- PEOPLE.com
Amal Clooney continued her public campaign for her client, the imprisoned former president of the Maldives, on Sunday when she made an appearance on Meet the Press for a special interview with host Chuck Todd. While the interview mostly focused on Clooney's reasons for defending Mohamed Nasheed, who was charged with terrorism and sentenced to 13 years in prison, Todd also asked Clooney about the recent public attack that Maldives politicians have launched against the human rights lawyer after she took on Nasheed. Last year, after Clooney took on the case, a politician in the Maldives publicly criticized her, saying she...
- 1/17/2016
- by Maria Mercedes Lara, @maria_mercedes
- PEOPLE.com
Amal Clooney isn't letting her newfound fame hinder her work in the Maldives. Clooney, 37, recently sat down with NBC News' Cynthia McFadden in her first U.S. television interview, speaking about her passion for her human rights work. "If you are a lawyer and you want to take on easier cases, you can prosecute traffic violations or something, you'd have a very high rate of success," Clooney joked. "But that's not what drives me. I want to work on cases that I feel the most passionate about." She added that, for her, giving up is "not an option." Clooney,...
- 1/15/2016
- by Char Adams, @CiCiAdams_
- PEOPLE.com
When we were first introduced to Amal Alamuddin, she was just "George Clooney's new girlfriend" - but it wasn't long before we realized just how much the stunning brunette had going for her and were elated to find out about her long list of professional accomplishments as a human rights attorney. These days, Mrs. Clooney has also become something of a celebrity in her own right, hitting the red carpet at high-profile Hollywood events and accompanying her husband to movie premieres and glitzy galas. Despite the newfound attention surrounding her, Amal is still fighting the good fight; the 37-year-old recently went to Washington DC to meet with lawmakers about a crisis in the Maldives, where her latest client, Mohamed Nasheed, went from being a president to a prisoner. In an interview with NBC News (her first-ever American network TV appearance), Amal spoke about her job and whether she worries...
- 1/15/2016
- by Brittney Stephens
- Popsugar.com
Amal Clooney has given her first U.S. television interview - opening up to NBC News' Cynthia McFadden about her newfound celebrity and using it for a good cause in her role as a top human rights lawyer. McFadden asked Clooney about her feelings toward celebrities, like Angelina Jolie, who use their time in the limelight to promote other causes. "I think it's wonderful that celebrities would choose to spend their time or energy or, you know, the spotlight that they have to raise awareness about these causes," Clooney said. "I don't really see myself in the same way...
- 1/15/2016
- by Blake Bakkila, @bcbakkila
- PEOPLE.com
Amal Clooney has given her first U.S. television interview - opening up to NBC News' Cynthia McFadden about her newfound celebrity and using it for a good cause in her role as a top human rights lawyer. McFadden asked Clooney about her feelings toward celebrities, like Angelina Jolie, who use their time in the limelight to promote other causes. "I think it's wonderful that celebrities would choose to spend their time or energy or, you know, the spotlight that they have to raise awareness about these causes," Clooney said. "I don't really see myself in the same way...
- 1/15/2016
- by Blake Bakkila, @bcbakkila
- PEOPLE.com
Amal Clooney is back stateside, not for husband George Clooney's Hollywood events, but on business as a top international human rights attorney. Clooney was seen meeting with lawmakers such as Senator John McCain on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, to discuss issues of human rights in the Maldives as well as the plight of her client, the country's former president Mohamed Nasheed. The British barrister is defending Nasheed, who was charged with terrorism and sentenced to 13 years in prison after a much-debated trial. Clooney has pleaded for Nasheed's release writing in The Guardian that his detention...
- 1/14/2016
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
Amal Clooney is back stateside, not for husband George Clooney's Hollywood events, but on business as a top international human rights attorney. Clooney was seen meeting with lawmakers such as Senator John McCain on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, to discuss issues of human rights in the Maldives as well as the plight of her client, the country's former president Mohamed Nasheed. The British barrister is defending Nasheed, who was charged with terrorism and sentenced to 13 years in prison after a much-debated trial. Clooney has pleaded for Nasheed's release writing in The Guardian that his detention...
- 1/14/2016
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
Read More: 'The Island President' Sentenced to 13 Years; Can U.S. Film Activists Make a Difference? It's been seven months since the former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, was taken to Dhoonighoo prison without trial. Having been jailed north of ten times before for his environmental activism, Nasheed is no stranger to the corrupt and unjust government of the Maldives. The documentary "The Island President," directed by John Shenk ("Lost Boys of Sudan") aimed to raise awareness for the major injustice at play back in 2011. As a result, it garnered the attention of other documentary filmmakers and political figures. Most agree that the momentum of this case can be paid in part to the massive exposure the film provided. This morning at a press conference held at London's Doughty Street Chambers, Amal Clooney (barrister at the firm) spoke alongside Nasheed's wife, Laila Ali Abdulla and Jared Gesner,...
- 10/5/2015
- by Elle Leonsis
- Indiewire
Amal Clooney is getting down to business. The famed international human rights lawyer (and ahem, loving wife to George Clooney) arrived in the Maldives on Monday to meet with former president Mohamed Nasheed, who is being held on highly controversial charges of terrorism. Elected in 2008, the nation's first democratic leader's term was cut short in 2012, when he was "forced to resign at gunpoint," according to Clooney and her legal team. Clooney looked effortlessly chic in a black dress and blazer paired with gray heels and dark sunglasses for her meeting with Nasheed, whose 13 year sentencing has been slammed by the United States, European Union and...
- 9/8/2015
- E! Online
Back to business! Amal Alamuddin held a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 30, calling for the release of the imprisoned former President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed. Ever the professional, the international human rights lawyer chose a sleek ensemble to match the seriousness of the day. Alamuddin, 37, who tied the knot with George Clooney this past September, took the podium in a navy blue suit, white shirt, and blue suede heels. She finished the look with a dainty pair of pearl drop earrings. (Later, [...]...
- 4/30/2015
- Us Weekly
The Producers Guild of America is beginning to announce their nominees for the 2012 award season and today unveiled their list of five documentary nominees, four of which I've heard of but only one I've actually seen. A People Uncounted is the new title for me and it centers on the story of the Roma (Gypsies) that faced annihilation during the Nazi 'Final Solution' and still today are victims of extreme and often violent racial persecution. It appears to have played film festivals throughout the latter half of 2011 and early part of 2012, but has yet to see a theatrical release domestically. The Gatekeepers is a Sony Classics film centered on the stories of various members of Israel's secret service and it played the end of the year festivals including Telluride and New York, but has yet to be released. The Island President focuses on President Mohamed Nasheed of the...
- 11/30/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
DVD Release Date: Nov. 13, 2012
Price: DVD $27.95
Studio: First Run Features
Mohamed Nasheed, the former president of the Maldives.
The 2011 documentary film The Island President looks at Mohamed Nasheed, the former president of the Maldives, and his attempts to save his nation from the recent changes in the climate and sea level.
The fourth president of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012, Nasheed put some serious time and effort into handling the threat posed to the very low-lying Maldive Island (1,200 of them!) by climate and sea level changes reportedly caused by global warming. The Island President examines how Nasheed pledged to set an example by making the Maldives carbon-neutral within a decade by moving to wind and solar power and how he presided over the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting in October, 2009, with the participants meeting underwater in scuba gear. The following month, Nasheed founded the Climate Vulnerable Forum, an association of...
Price: DVD $27.95
Studio: First Run Features
Mohamed Nasheed, the former president of the Maldives.
The 2011 documentary film The Island President looks at Mohamed Nasheed, the former president of the Maldives, and his attempts to save his nation from the recent changes in the climate and sea level.
The fourth president of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012, Nasheed put some serious time and effort into handling the threat posed to the very low-lying Maldive Island (1,200 of them!) by climate and sea level changes reportedly caused by global warming. The Island President examines how Nasheed pledged to set an example by making the Maldives carbon-neutral within a decade by moving to wind and solar power and how he presided over the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting in October, 2009, with the participants meeting underwater in scuba gear. The following month, Nasheed founded the Climate Vulnerable Forum, an association of...
- 11/8/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
This year, the esteemed Pare Lorentz Award will go to The Island President, directed by John Shenk. Each year, the Ida gives this award to a film that demonstrates concern for the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems. Previous winners of the Pare Lorentz Awards include The Last Mountain, Wasteland, and An Inconvenient Truth.
Ida’s Pare Lorentz Award recipient The Island President, directed by Jon Shenk, is the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives. Nasheed brings democracy to the ...
Ida’s Pare Lorentz Award recipient The Island President, directed by Jon Shenk, is the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives. Nasheed brings democracy to the ...
- 11/6/2012
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
There are many people who sound very impressive on paper but, unfortunately, when you meet them, do not live up to their reputation. Fortunately for film-maker Jon Shenk, the subject of his documentary The Island President was not one of these people.
Mohamed Nasheed - "one in a gazillion on the planet right now" according to the man who made his film, Jon Shenk
"People say that he’s a politician like other politicians, and that he says things that other politicians will say, but I sense that he’s a very unusual type of politician, he just seems to not have the fear that so many politicians have, and have a higher goal as his end game.
"Of course you meet people and you see that they are human, but at the end of the day I feel like he is the real deal, he practises what he preaches...
Mohamed Nasheed - "one in a gazillion on the planet right now" according to the man who made his film, Jon Shenk
"People say that he’s a politician like other politicians, and that he says things that other politicians will say, but I sense that he’s a very unusual type of politician, he just seems to not have the fear that so many politicians have, and have a higher goal as his end game.
"Of course you meet people and you see that they are human, but at the end of the day I feel like he is the real deal, he practises what he preaches...
- 9/3/2012
- by Caroline Frost
- Huffington Post
★★★★☆ "A cross between paradise and paradise" is how President Mohamed Nasheed describes his country which sits precariously at the mercy of the Indian ocean. Those who would prefer to visit the Maldives and enjoy its white beaches whilst remaining oblivious to its violent political past and its threat of extinction might do best to avoid The Island President (2011). For everyone else, Jon Shenk's riveting documentary film on the island chain's first democratically elected leader and his war on global warming, should be seen.
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- 8/21/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Review of The Island President - Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed brings a personal story to the environmental documentary. Grabbing hold of a sprawling documentary film topic like the crisis of global warming is difficult but director Jon Shenk accomplishes that and more in The Island President. Shenk, who also shot the film, takes the massive argument to reduce carbon emissions and address global warming and fashions the topic into the personal story of political activist Mohamed Nasheed, who journeys from prison to the presidency of his small island nation of the Maldives. Nasheed makes a compelling hero and his story transforms Shenk's film from a somewhat familiar debate into the eye-catching and soulful documentary feature The Island President, playing select art house cinemas and expanding to more cities via Samuel Goldwyn Films...
- 4/27/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Review of The Island President - Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed brings a personal story to the environmental documentary. Grabbing hold of a sprawling documentary film topic like the crisis of global warming is difficult but director Jon Shenk accomplishes that and more in The Island President. Shenk, who also shot the film, takes the massive argument to reduce carbon emissions and address global warming and fashions the topic into the personal story of political activist Mohamed Nasheed, who journeys from prison to the presidency of his small island nation of the Maldives. Nasheed makes a compelling hero and his story transforms Shenk's film from a somewhat familiar debate into the eye-catching and soulful documentary feature The Island President, playing select art house cinemas and expanding to more cities via Samuel Goldwyn Films...
- 4/27/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
"The Island President" at the center of Jon Shenk’s documentary is no longer in office, but Mohamed Nasheed’s environmental crusade on behalf of his island nation continues as the movie rolls out into theaters Friday. Nasheed, the first democratically-elected president of the Maldives in 2008, led a crusade to get the world's governments to recognize and take steps to stem global warming. At risk: his nation, a low-lying string of islands that could be submerged by a rising Indian Ocean within decades. He let Shenk’s cameras to follow him almost everywhere in...
- 4/6/2012
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Jon Shenk on location with President Mohamed Nasheed. “Observational documentary filmmaking is kind of like hunting when you’re really hungry. You’re never satisfied.” — Documentarian Jon Shenk “It won...
- 4/5/2012
- by Editor2
- AwardsDaily.com
Maldives is going underwater. Literally.
Due to rising sea levels, studies suggest that the country, a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, could be uninhabitable by 2100. What's the leader of the lowest lying country on Earth to do?
If you're former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, you pull underwater publicity stunts, aim to become the world’s first carbon-neutral country and allow a documentary crew to follow your desperate attempts to salvage a nation.
Despite having recently been ousted from the presidency in an alleged "coup," Nasheed led a fervent fight against man-made climate change while in power. "The Island President," a documentary by filmmaker Jon Shenk, follows Nasheed's first year as president of the Maldives, culminating in the carbon emissions battle at the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit.
Shenk described to The Huffington Post the “wonder of the world” that he found filming in the Maldives. And yet, “you go to the beaches and...
Due to rising sea levels, studies suggest that the country, a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, could be uninhabitable by 2100. What's the leader of the lowest lying country on Earth to do?
If you're former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, you pull underwater publicity stunts, aim to become the world’s first carbon-neutral country and allow a documentary crew to follow your desperate attempts to salvage a nation.
Despite having recently been ousted from the presidency in an alleged "coup," Nasheed led a fervent fight against man-made climate change while in power. "The Island President," a documentary by filmmaker Jon Shenk, follows Nasheed's first year as president of the Maldives, culminating in the carbon emissions battle at the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit.
Shenk described to The Huffington Post the “wonder of the world” that he found filming in the Maldives. And yet, “you go to the beaches and...
- 4/2/2012
- by Joanna Zelman
- Huffington Post
Originally posted during the Toronto Film Festival, here is a short video with the now former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and filmmaker Jon Shenk on their collaboration making the climate change doc, The Island President. The film opened today at Film Forum in New York.
Over at Hammer to Nail, Daniel James Scott interviews Shenk. An excerpt:
H2N: So for you, filmmaking starts with story. Yet all of your films coincide with social or political issues that can be affected by the emotional power you described. I’m sure that few filmmakers know more than you the delicate relationship between entertainment and advocacy. How did you balance those two in The Island President?
Js: That’s a great question. I think that documentary filmmakers are unique in the film business because we wear two hats. We’re filmmakers working in a long history of cinema, and we use a...
Over at Hammer to Nail, Daniel James Scott interviews Shenk. An excerpt:
H2N: So for you, filmmaking starts with story. Yet all of your films coincide with social or political issues that can be affected by the emotional power you described. I’m sure that few filmmakers know more than you the delicate relationship between entertainment and advocacy. How did you balance those two in The Island President?
Js: That’s a great question. I think that documentary filmmakers are unique in the film business because we wear two hats. We’re filmmakers working in a long history of cinema, and we use a...
- 3/31/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Title: The Island President Director: Jon Shenk It’s pretty amazing to see the impact one small island nation and their leader have on the world environmental landscape. The actions of larger nations like the United States affect every other nation in the world. The new film by filmmaker Jon Shenk (Lost Boys of Sudan), “The Island President,” which was also part of the Doc NYC Film Festival last year, explores the environmental effects on the small island nation of the Republic of Maldives and what their president and leader, Mohamed Nasheed, will do to prevent his nation from extinction. The Republic of Maldives is an island nation in the middle [ Read More ]...
- 3/31/2012
- by Rudie Obias
- ShockYa
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (U)
(Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt, 2012, UK/Us) Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton. 88 mins
Aardman sets sail on seas of clay, in what feels more like an animated Blackadder than Pirates Of The Caribbean. Grant's inept rogue is good company, falling foul (or rather fowl) of Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin in a nonsensical, if inconsequential, romp that's lifted, as usual, by Aardman's eccentric details and fine craftsmanship.
Into The Abyss (12A)
(Werner Herzog, 2011, Us/UK/Ger) 107 mins
Herzog studies a Texas homicide from all angles, building less a polemic against the death penalty than a humane survey of death and loss.
This Is Not A Film (U)
(Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi, 2010, Ira) 75 mins
Panahi boldly defies his own house arrest by "not making" a film within his apartment, the confinement provoking a profound questioning of cinema itself.
Wrath Of The Titans (12A)
(Jonathan Liebesman,...
(Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt, 2012, UK/Us) Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton. 88 mins
Aardman sets sail on seas of clay, in what feels more like an animated Blackadder than Pirates Of The Caribbean. Grant's inept rogue is good company, falling foul (or rather fowl) of Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin in a nonsensical, if inconsequential, romp that's lifted, as usual, by Aardman's eccentric details and fine craftsmanship.
Into The Abyss (12A)
(Werner Herzog, 2011, Us/UK/Ger) 107 mins
Herzog studies a Texas homicide from all angles, building less a polemic against the death penalty than a humane survey of death and loss.
This Is Not A Film (U)
(Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi, 2010, Ira) 75 mins
Panahi boldly defies his own house arrest by "not making" a film within his apartment, the confinement provoking a profound questioning of cinema itself.
Wrath Of The Titans (12A)
(Jonathan Liebesman,...
- 3/30/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
In the beautiful, meditative new documentary "The Island President," we're introduced to Mohamed Nasheed, the democratically elected president of the chain of 2,000 islands in the Indian Ocean known as The Maldives. After three decades of tyrannical rule, the islands gained democratic independence, nominated Nasheed, and found their calling in the world – to expose the catastrophe of global warming by example. The Maldives, Nasheed explains, are slowly disappearing into the ocean. It's a truth loaded with symbolic and literal weight – in the face of global warming, the entire culture of the Maldives could be lost forever, here one day, gone the next.
The documentary begins at the Un's Climate Change Conference, in Copenhagen during December 2009. We're first introduced to Nasheed, a diminutive, trim, highly educated man, as he flits through the massive conference. "Who is this little guy who is commanding such media attention?" we wonder, before the film toggles back...
The documentary begins at the Un's Climate Change Conference, in Copenhagen during December 2009. We're first introduced to Nasheed, a diminutive, trim, highly educated man, as he flits through the massive conference. "Who is this little guy who is commanding such media attention?" we wonder, before the film toggles back...
- 3/29/2012
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
★★★★☆ How do you win a war against the ocean? That's the question posed in The Island President (2011), an astonishingly intimate account of a world leader fighting - quite literally - for his country's survival. Jon Shenk's documentary paints a vivid and powerful picture, enjoying extensive access to the Maldives' first democratically elected leader, President Mohamed Nasheed, as he rallies against the very real effects of climate change on his homeland.
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- 3/29/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
"Blessed — or maybe cursed — with fortuitous timing," begins Melissa Anderson in the Voice, "Jon Shenk's lionizing documentary of Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected leader of the Republic of Maldives, the archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean consisting of 1200 tiny islands, closely follows the charming president from 2008 to 2009, his first year in office. The film, a hopeful portrait of a crusader that premiered at Telluride last September, is now inadvertently a record of a bygone era: Nasheed was forced to leave office February 7, the result of a coup by loyalists to his predecessor, the dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom."
And that predecessor, Ao Scott notes in the New York Times, was "a dictator with the usual authoritarian habit of imprisoning, torturing and terrorizing his opponents…. As soon as he took office, Mr Nasheed faced an environmental crisis of existential dimensions. The steady rise in ocean levels caused by melting polar...
And that predecessor, Ao Scott notes in the New York Times, was "a dictator with the usual authoritarian habit of imprisoning, torturing and terrorizing his opponents…. As soon as he took office, Mr Nasheed faced an environmental crisis of existential dimensions. The steady rise in ocean levels caused by melting polar...
- 3/29/2012
- MUBI
Jon Shenk's profile of Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected leader of the Republic of Maldives, "The Island President," opens today at New York's Film Forum, following a surge of press after Nasheed was forced to leave office following a coup d'etat by loyalists to his predecessor, dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Made before the tumultuous events of the past several weeks (he resigned February 7), "The Island President" follows Nasheed's quest as President to make his country (the lowest nation in the world, and therefore vulnerable to rising sea levels) the first to go carbon-neutral. Shenk, who also served as the film's cinematographer, tracks Nasheed's first year in office, leading up to the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. Indiewire caught up with Shenk in New York to discuss the making of "The Island President," whether he saw this dispiriting turn of events coming and...
- 3/28/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Jon Shenk's profile of Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected leader of the Republic of Maldives, "The Island President," opens today at New York's Film Forum, following a surge of press after Nasheed was forced to leave office following a coup d'etat by loyalists to his predecessor, dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Made before the tumultuous events of the past several weeks (he resigned February 7), "The Island President" follows Nasheed's quest as President to make his country (the lowest nation in the world, and therefore vulnerable to rising sea levels) the first to go carbon-neutral. Shenk, who also served as the film's cinematographer, tracks Nasheed's first year in office, leading up to the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. Indiewire caught up with Shenk in New York to discuss the making of "The Island President," whether he saw this dispiriting turn of events coming and...
- 3/28/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
For Mohamed Nasheed, climate change isn't just an academic issue—it's one of survival. The former President of the Maldives, one of the lowest-lying countries in the world, Nasheed made it his personal mission to have a positive impact on the climate issue during his tenure as his island nation's first democratically elected president. Luckily for everyone who loves a good underdog story, director Jon Shenk made it his mission to capture Nasheed's inspiring crusade on film; the result, the award-winning documentary The Island President, comes to U.S. theaters tomorrow.
- 3/27/2012
- MovieMaker.com
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