Ben Fowlie, founder of the Camden International Film Festival, is departing as executive and artistic director of the Points North Institute, the nonprofit that produces the highly-respected documentary festival in coastal Maine.
Rick Rector, a board member of the Points North Institute, has been appointed Pni’s interim executive director in Fowlie’s stead. Fowlie, in addition to founding the film festival in 2005, established the Points North Institute in 2016, co-founding the nonprofit with Sean Flynn and Caroline von Kuhn.
Von Kuhn will remain as Pni board chair and Flynn will continue to lead Pni’s artist programs and fellowships and expand his role to oversee the upcoming 20th Camden International Film Festival, set for September 12-15, 2024.
Ciff executive and artistic director Ben Fowlie with ‘The Rescue’ director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“After twenty incredible years building this organization from the ground up, it’s the right time for me to step down,...
Rick Rector, a board member of the Points North Institute, has been appointed Pni’s interim executive director in Fowlie’s stead. Fowlie, in addition to founding the film festival in 2005, established the Points North Institute in 2016, co-founding the nonprofit with Sean Flynn and Caroline von Kuhn.
Von Kuhn will remain as Pni board chair and Flynn will continue to lead Pni’s artist programs and fellowships and expand his role to oversee the upcoming 20th Camden International Film Festival, set for September 12-15, 2024.
Ciff executive and artistic director Ben Fowlie with ‘The Rescue’ director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“After twenty incredible years building this organization from the ground up, it’s the right time for me to step down,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Aka Mr. Chow
(HBO Documentary Films)
This portrait directed by Nick Hooker follows the life and career of painter turned restaurateur Michael Chow, the owner of the Mr Chow restaurant chain, as he returns to the art world with his first solo show in nearly 60 years.
American Symphony
(Netflix)
Matthew Heineman switches gears from following the front lines of the Mexican drug war (the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land) and the early days of the Covid crisis in New York City (The First Wave), this time helming an intimate profile of Late Night With Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste as he balances an incredible year of professional success while aiding his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, through her battle with a rare form of cancer.
Anonymous Sister
(Long Shot Factory/Gravitas Ventures)
Emmy Award-winning director Jamie Boyle chronicles her family’s collision with the opioid epidemic. The film, currently holding a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes,...
(HBO Documentary Films)
This portrait directed by Nick Hooker follows the life and career of painter turned restaurateur Michael Chow, the owner of the Mr Chow restaurant chain, as he returns to the art world with his first solo show in nearly 60 years.
American Symphony
(Netflix)
Matthew Heineman switches gears from following the front lines of the Mexican drug war (the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land) and the early days of the Covid crisis in New York City (The First Wave), this time helming an intimate profile of Late Night With Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste as he balances an incredible year of professional success while aiding his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, through her battle with a rare form of cancer.
Anonymous Sister
(Long Shot Factory/Gravitas Ventures)
Emmy Award-winning director Jamie Boyle chronicles her family’s collision with the opioid epidemic. The film, currently holding a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Tyler Coates and Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The streaming landscape can feel endless. It’s not and we’re here to help. Netflix has hundreds of documentaries in its streaming library, but they’re not all created equal, and we’ve narrowed down the options for you with 25 of our top picks for the best documentary movies currently available to watch on the streaming platform. If you’re looking for something light and visually stunning, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re looking for something gruesome yet fascinating, there are options for you below. If you only have half an hour or 40 minutes to kill, Netflix has something for you.
So peruse our list below, and get watching!
“Athlete A” Netflix
One of the best documentaries in recent years, “Athlete A” works on multiple fronts: First, it effectively chronicles the abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar, a former sports medicine physician who used his position...
So peruse our list below, and get watching!
“Athlete A” Netflix
One of the best documentaries in recent years, “Athlete A” works on multiple fronts: First, it effectively chronicles the abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar, a former sports medicine physician who used his position...
- 11/3/2023
- by Kayti Burt
- The Wrap
The 2023 Doc NYC lineup has officially been announced.
The program for the 14th annual festival includes opening night selection “The Contestant,” a real-life “Truman Show”-esque story of a Japanese comedian who was trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months as part of a reality TV show. The only twist? The comedian had no idea he was being filmed. Clair Titley directs the stranger-than-fiction documentary which premiered at TIFF.
Doc NYC runs from November 8 through 26, featuring 30 world premieres and 26 U.S. premieres with more than 200 films programmed. New films from Wim Wenders, Penny Lane, Dawn Porter, and Jeff Zimbalist are among the lineup for America’s largest documentary festival, with screenings at New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theatre, and Village East by Angelika. In-person screenings take place November 8 through 16, with online selections available through November 26.
The centerpiece screening is the world premiere of D.W. Young’s...
The program for the 14th annual festival includes opening night selection “The Contestant,” a real-life “Truman Show”-esque story of a Japanese comedian who was trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months as part of a reality TV show. The only twist? The comedian had no idea he was being filmed. Clair Titley directs the stranger-than-fiction documentary which premiered at TIFF.
Doc NYC runs from November 8 through 26, featuring 30 world premieres and 26 U.S. premieres with more than 200 films programmed. New films from Wim Wenders, Penny Lane, Dawn Porter, and Jeff Zimbalist are among the lineup for America’s largest documentary festival, with screenings at New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theatre, and Village East by Angelika. In-person screenings take place November 8 through 16, with online selections available through November 26.
The centerpiece screening is the world premiere of D.W. Young’s...
- 10/12/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
For much of Karim Amer’s reliably efficient documentary Defiant we follow Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine. Following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Kuleba and other members of The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine were quickly thrown into their own corners of the war. Kuleba’s responsibility––among others––is garnering support from allies abroad. One of the tasks of Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk is bolstering humanitarian efforts domestically, in direct reaction to attacks by the enemies in the eastern regions of the country.
There are harrowing scenes captured here. Consider one in which a mother realizes the body of her son lays before her by recognizing his sneaker. Or another wherein Vereschuk matter-of-factly mentions that she has not seen her child in months because of the war and requirements of her post. Footage from cell phones, security cameras, and the like capture bombings of...
There are harrowing scenes captured here. Consider one in which a mother realizes the body of her son lays before her by recognizing his sneaker. Or another wherein Vereschuk matter-of-factly mentions that she has not seen her child in months because of the war and requirements of her post. Footage from cell phones, security cameras, and the like capture bombings of...
- 9/22/2023
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 2022, it has rarely been far from the headlines. Beyond the horror of refugees fleeing a warzone, attacks on civilians and the state of the fighting itself, a complex picture has also emerged of increasing food prices and a world food crisis caused by the Russian refusing to let Ukraine export its grain.
This latest documentary on the subject, directed by Karim Amer, whose previous films include The Great Hack and, with his producing hat on, The Square, steps into the corridors of power in Ukraine from day one of the conflict. The docmentarian speaks to and follows high level politicians including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk and negotiator Rustem Umerov who, at the time of writing, was recently promoted to Defence Minister.
The result, cut together with pace by editing trio Emiliano Battista, Zachary Obid...
This latest documentary on the subject, directed by Karim Amer, whose previous films include The Great Hack and, with his producing hat on, The Square, steps into the corridors of power in Ukraine from day one of the conflict. The docmentarian speaks to and follows high level politicians including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk and negotiator Rustem Umerov who, at the time of writing, was recently promoted to Defence Minister.
The result, cut together with pace by editing trio Emiliano Battista, Zachary Obid...
- 9/13/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Karim Amer has made documentaries about seismic geopolitical events as they unfolded before. In the Oscar-nominated documentary The Square — which he produced — footage of the chaos and carnage in Cairo’s Tahrir Square helped offer an uniquely immersive account of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
But nothing he’d made previously compares to Defiant, premiering in Toronto on Sep. 9 and capturing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the unique perspective of key decision makers in Kiev — including minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba — politicians suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into a wartime government.
“The stakes are so high, because it’s the largest conflict we’ve seen since WWII and anything could happen,” says Amer, who swapped his producer hat for director, teaming up with longtime producer Mike Lerner (The Square, Hell and Back Again) and Odessa Rae, a newly-minted Oscar-winner for Navalny.
Access is absolute key for a film like Defiant,...
But nothing he’d made previously compares to Defiant, premiering in Toronto on Sep. 9 and capturing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the unique perspective of key decision makers in Kiev — including minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba — politicians suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into a wartime government.
“The stakes are so high, because it’s the largest conflict we’ve seen since WWII and anything could happen,” says Amer, who swapped his producer hat for director, teaming up with longtime producer Mike Lerner (The Square, Hell and Back Again) and Odessa Rae, a newly-minted Oscar-winner for Navalny.
Access is absolute key for a film like Defiant,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Burning Man made national headlines last weekend as shocking weather ravaged the desert campout arts festival and sent thousands searching for ways out of the playa.
From Chris Rock and Diplo hitching a ride out with a fan to a slew of Hollywood types and tech bros sludging through the mud after their private planes couldn’t reach them, it was a crazy year for the event, which has been running since 1986.
So, it’s apt that there’s a docuseries – The Man Will Burn – in the works about the event.
Double Agent, a joint venture between Black Bear and New Regency that is behind Asif Kapadia’s next feature film 2073, Noujaim Films, which was behind Egyptian revolution doc The Square, and The Othrs, the production company behind HBO’s The Vow, are behind the series.
But it’s not just about 2023’s wild Burning Man.
The series will...
From Chris Rock and Diplo hitching a ride out with a fan to a slew of Hollywood types and tech bros sludging through the mud after their private planes couldn’t reach them, it was a crazy year for the event, which has been running since 1986.
So, it’s apt that there’s a docuseries – The Man Will Burn – in the works about the event.
Double Agent, a joint venture between Black Bear and New Regency that is behind Asif Kapadia’s next feature film 2073, Noujaim Films, which was behind Egyptian revolution doc The Square, and The Othrs, the production company behind HBO’s The Vow, are behind the series.
But it’s not just about 2023’s wild Burning Man.
The series will...
- 9/8/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The 19th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival, kicking off Sept. 14, will feature a handful of award-contending documentaries fresh off showings at Toronto, Sundance, South by Southwest, Berlin and Tribeca film festivals. The Maine-based film festival will unfold in a hybrid format, with both in-person events over a four-day period concluding Sept. 17, and online screenings available from Sept. 18 to Sept. 25 to audiences across the U.S.
This year’s Ciff highlights include the U.S. premiere of Oscar-winning director, Alex Gibney’s “In Restless Dreams: The Music Of Paul Simon,” a portrait docu about the songwriter; Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck’s “Silver Dollar Road,” a documentary about a Black family’s decades-long fight to maintain waterfront land in North Carolina they’ve rightfully owned for generations against corrupt developers; Errol Morris’ “The Pigeon Tunnel,” an inventive interview with spy novelist John le Carré; and Oscar nominee Karim Amer’s “Defiant,...
This year’s Ciff highlights include the U.S. premiere of Oscar-winning director, Alex Gibney’s “In Restless Dreams: The Music Of Paul Simon,” a portrait docu about the songwriter; Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck’s “Silver Dollar Road,” a documentary about a Black family’s decades-long fight to maintain waterfront land in North Carolina they’ve rightfully owned for generations against corrupt developers; Errol Morris’ “The Pigeon Tunnel,” an inventive interview with spy novelist John le Carré; and Oscar nominee Karim Amer’s “Defiant,...
- 8/22/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
While advancing technology benefits mankind and contributes significantly to its progress, it can sometimes be considered a curse. For instance, while online financial transactions have simplified our lives, they have also instilled a sense of paranoia—the fear that our security could be breached, and hackers could potentially access our bank accounts at any time. Nowadays, traditional bank robberies are a thing of the past, as hackers now exploit this technology and easily gain access to bank accounts while sitting in the comfort of their own homes. Daniel Gordon’s documentary film, Billion Dollar Heist, explores this unsettling and terrifying crime, which reveals how cybercriminals execute highly skilled and intricate online robberies that can result in the theft of almost a billion dollars from heavily fortified banks. This is exemplified in the Bangladesh case, where a group of hackers targeted an almost billion-dollar heist without leaving any trace for the authorities to pursue them.
- 8/21/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
Programme opens with world premiere of Copa 71 from Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine.
Toronto has announced its TIFF Docs line-up, a crop of 22 features at time of writing which includes premieres of new work by Lucy Walker, Errol Morris, and Raoul Peck.
The section opens with the world premiere of Copa 71 from Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine, a timely tale about a 1971 international women’s football tournament in Mexico City which drew record crowds and has been largely erased from sports history.
Walker’s Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa gets its world premiere and profiles a single mother...
Toronto has announced its TIFF Docs line-up, a crop of 22 features at time of writing which includes premieres of new work by Lucy Walker, Errol Morris, and Raoul Peck.
The section opens with the world premiere of Copa 71 from Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine, a timely tale about a 1971 international women’s football tournament in Mexico City which drew record crowds and has been largely erased from sports history.
Walker’s Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa gets its world premiere and profiles a single mother...
- 7/26/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A documentary about women who accused Louis C.K. of sexual harassment and the consequences those accusations had on their careers is one of 22 documentaries from 12 countries heading to the 2023 Toronto Intl. Film Festival.
The docu titled “Sorry/Not Sorry,” previously intended for Showtime, is one of several films in TIFF’s nonfiction program that focus on women who have been unjustly ignored for their achievements. TIFF Docs opening night film, “Copa 71,” tells the story of the lost legacy of a 1971 international women’s soccer tournament that had record setting crowds in Mexico City but was largely erased from sports history. The film’s producers include Venus and Serena Williams as well as soccer super star Alex Morgan. Lucy Walker, a two-time Oscar nominee, is bringing “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa,” about a single mother working as a dishwasher at a Connecticut Whole Foods, who has another life as a record-breaking mountain climber.
The docu titled “Sorry/Not Sorry,” previously intended for Showtime, is one of several films in TIFF’s nonfiction program that focus on women who have been unjustly ignored for their achievements. TIFF Docs opening night film, “Copa 71,” tells the story of the lost legacy of a 1971 international women’s soccer tournament that had record setting crowds in Mexico City but was largely erased from sports history. The film’s producers include Venus and Serena Williams as well as soccer super star Alex Morgan. Lucy Walker, a two-time Oscar nominee, is bringing “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa,” about a single mother working as a dishwasher at a Connecticut Whole Foods, who has another life as a record-breaking mountain climber.
- 7/26/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The soccer documentary Copa 71, from executive producers Serena Williams and Venus Williams, is set to open the Toronto Film Festival’s Docs sidebar as it recounts the 1971 Women’s World Cup tournament in Mexico City.
The documentary from directors Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine will have its world premiere at TIFF. New Black Films, Dogwoof and Westbrook Studios are producing.
Toronto also booked world premieres for Raoul Peck’s Silver Dollar Road, about a Black family fighting to save their North Carolina property from land-grabbing developers; Anand Patwardhan’s The World is Family, which recounts the director’s parents helping lead India’s independence movement; and Karim Amer’s Defiant, about Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and his battle against disinformation.
There’s also a world premiere for Caroline Suh and Cara Mones’ Sorry/Not Sorry, a portrait of women who accused comedy giant Louis C.K. of sexual harassment,...
The documentary from directors Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine will have its world premiere at TIFF. New Black Films, Dogwoof and Westbrook Studios are producing.
Toronto also booked world premieres for Raoul Peck’s Silver Dollar Road, about a Black family fighting to save their North Carolina property from land-grabbing developers; Anand Patwardhan’s The World is Family, which recounts the director’s parents helping lead India’s independence movement; and Karim Amer’s Defiant, about Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and his battle against disinformation.
There’s also a world premiere for Caroline Suh and Cara Mones’ Sorry/Not Sorry, a portrait of women who accused comedy giant Louis C.K. of sexual harassment,...
- 7/26/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New films from legendary documentarians Frederick Wiseman and Errol Morris and new work from directors Raoul Peck, Lucy Walker, Roger Ross Williams and Karim Amer will screen at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, which announced its TIFF Docs lineup on Wednesday.
The 93-year-old Wiseman will present the North American premiere of “Menus – Plaisirs Les Troisgros,” a four-hour deep dive into a fabled Michelin-starred restaurant in France. Morris will have the international premiere of “The Pigeon Tunnel,” which is built around a Morris interview with John le Carre that turned out to be the last interview the espionage novelist gave before his death in 2020.
The 22 films announced on Wednesday include 10 world premieres, including Amer’s “Defiant,” Walker’s “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa,” Peck’s “Silver Dollar Road,” Williams’ “Stamped From the Beginning” and Caroline Suh and Cara Mones’ “Sorry/Not Sorry.” Of the 26 directors represented by those films,...
The 93-year-old Wiseman will present the North American premiere of “Menus – Plaisirs Les Troisgros,” a four-hour deep dive into a fabled Michelin-starred restaurant in France. Morris will have the international premiere of “The Pigeon Tunnel,” which is built around a Morris interview with John le Carre that turned out to be the last interview the espionage novelist gave before his death in 2020.
The 22 films announced on Wednesday include 10 world premieres, including Amer’s “Defiant,” Walker’s “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa,” Peck’s “Silver Dollar Road,” Williams’ “Stamped From the Beginning” and Caroline Suh and Cara Mones’ “Sorry/Not Sorry.” Of the 26 directors represented by those films,...
- 7/26/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
This year, non-fiction titles will be front and center at the Toronto International Film Festival, as many writers and actors will not be on hand due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Opening night at the 2023 festival brings a documentary world premiere, Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine’s “Copa 71” (seller: Dogwoof), about an historic international women’s soccer tournament lost to sports history. The filmmakers bring us back to the record-setting crowds assembled in Mexico City in 1971. U.S. soccer star Alice Morgan and athletes Venus and Serena Williams are among the film’s executive producers.
That’s the sort of unexpected story that veteran TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers sought for this year’s documentary program of 22 titles from 12 countries. While it’s always painful to whittle down the selection from 800 feature submissions (the post-pandemic production boom continues), Powers looked at giving a boost to sales titles...
Opening night at the 2023 festival brings a documentary world premiere, Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine’s “Copa 71” (seller: Dogwoof), about an historic international women’s soccer tournament lost to sports history. The filmmakers bring us back to the record-setting crowds assembled in Mexico City in 1971. U.S. soccer star Alice Morgan and athletes Venus and Serena Williams are among the film’s executive producers.
That’s the sort of unexpected story that veteran TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers sought for this year’s documentary program of 22 titles from 12 countries. While it’s always painful to whittle down the selection from 800 feature submissions (the post-pandemic production boom continues), Powers looked at giving a boost to sales titles...
- 7/26/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
This year, women directors – and their women-centric subjects – swept the awards at Sundance Film Festival. Three women directors – Madeleine Gavin, Maryam Keshavarz, and Noora Niasari – won Audience Awards for their films on North Korea (“Beyond Utopia”), intergenerational motherhood (“The Persian Version”), and custody in diaspora (“Shayda”). Portraits of masculinity were also celebrated as well. First-time feature filmmaker Sing J. Lee won the Directing Award for his touching portrait of masculinity and fatherhood in “The Accidental Getaway Driver,” while Sauvnik Kaur’s intimate documentary on brotherhood “Against The Tide” took home a Special Jury Award. After two years of isolation and virtual festival-ing, it seems that stories of tenderness appealed over aggressive storytelling at Park City this year.
“This year’s Festival has been an extraordinary experience,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “The artists that comprise the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in independent film.
“This year’s Festival has been an extraordinary experience,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “The artists that comprise the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in independent film.
- 2/1/2023
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Festival runs through January 29.
A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand And One took the 2023 Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic prize and Charlotte Regan’s UK entry Scrapper earned the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2023 Sundance awards ceremony on Friday.
Audience award winners included Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version in U.S. Dramatic Competition, Madeleine Gavin’s Beyond Utopia in U.S. Documentary, Mstylav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol in World Cinema Documentary, and Noora Niasari’s Shayda in World Cinema Dramatic.
Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente said the selection “demonstrated a sense of...
A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand And One took the 2023 Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic prize and Charlotte Regan’s UK entry Scrapper earned the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2023 Sundance awards ceremony on Friday.
Audience award winners included Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version in U.S. Dramatic Competition, Madeleine Gavin’s Beyond Utopia in U.S. Documentary, Mstylav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol in World Cinema Documentary, and Noora Niasari’s Shayda in World Cinema Dramatic.
Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente said the selection “demonstrated a sense of...
- 1/27/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A Thousand and One took the jury prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, with Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project taking the top prize in the U.S. Documentary Competition section.
A Thousand and One is directed by A.V. Rockwell and follows a mother who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry from the foster care system, a secret that threatens their way of life as Terry gets older. The Focus Features title stars Teyana Taylor, Josiah Cross and Will Catlett.
“When I was writing this film, I was thinking about mother and son relationships. I was thinking about Black women and Black men relationships. I was thinking about marginalized people and their relationship to their homes,” said Rockwell, accepting the award. “Thank you to everyone for seeing all of those groups and for seeing me.” A tearful Jeremy O. Harris, who was a part of the dramatic jury,...
A Thousand and One is directed by A.V. Rockwell and follows a mother who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry from the foster care system, a secret that threatens their way of life as Terry gets older. The Focus Features title stars Teyana Taylor, Josiah Cross and Will Catlett.
“When I was writing this film, I was thinking about mother and son relationships. I was thinking about Black women and Black men relationships. I was thinking about marginalized people and their relationship to their homes,” said Rockwell, accepting the award. “Thank you to everyone for seeing all of those groups and for seeing me.” A tearful Jeremy O. Harris, who was a part of the dramatic jury,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival has set its jury, and among its members are “Coda” star and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton and Jim Gaffigan.
Additionally, Jeremy O. Harris, Ramona S. Diaz and Petra Costa are among the filmmakers who have been appointed to this year’s competition juries for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, it was announced Wednesday.
After two years of virtual presentations, this year’s festival will return to in-person screenings and awards galas — with a concurrent online component for select films running Jan. 24–Jan. 29.
“The jury plays a crucial role in the Festival by amplifying breakthrough works and providing the audience with further opportunities for discovery,” Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente said in a statement. “We thank them for their dedication to artistic excellence and their thoughtful lens on cinematic expression and all that independent film offers.
Additionally, Jeremy O. Harris, Ramona S. Diaz and Petra Costa are among the filmmakers who have been appointed to this year’s competition juries for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, it was announced Wednesday.
After two years of virtual presentations, this year’s festival will return to in-person screenings and awards galas — with a concurrent online component for select films running Jan. 24–Jan. 29.
“The jury plays a crucial role in the Festival by amplifying breakthrough works and providing the audience with further opportunities for discovery,” Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente said in a statement. “We thank them for their dedication to artistic excellence and their thoughtful lens on cinematic expression and all that independent film offers.
- 1/11/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Jeremy O. Harris, Eliza Hittman, and Marlee Matlin have been named the jurors of the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Harris was at Sundance in 2020 with Zola, the same years Hittman screened her film Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Matlin starred in 2021 Sundance winner Coda.
W. Kamau Bell, Ramona Diaz, and Carla Gutierrez are the jurors for the U.S. Documentary Competition; Shozo Ichiyama, Annemarie Jacir, and Funa Maduka for World Cinema Dramatic Competition; and Karim Amer, Petra Costa, and Alexander Nanau for World Cinema Documentary Competition. Madeleine Olnek is the juror for the Next competition section, Destin Daniel Cretton, Marie-Louise Khondji, and Deborah Stratman will judge the Short Film Program Competition.
The jury for Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize is Dr. Heather Berlin, Jim Gaffigan, Dr. Mandë Holford, Shalini Kantayya, and Lydia Dean Pilcher, and have already awarded the prize to Sophie Barthes’ The Pod Generation.
W. Kamau Bell, Ramona Diaz, and Carla Gutierrez are the jurors for the U.S. Documentary Competition; Shozo Ichiyama, Annemarie Jacir, and Funa Maduka for World Cinema Dramatic Competition; and Karim Amer, Petra Costa, and Alexander Nanau for World Cinema Documentary Competition. Madeleine Olnek is the juror for the Next competition section, Destin Daniel Cretton, Marie-Louise Khondji, and Deborah Stratman will judge the Short Film Program Competition.
The jury for Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize is Dr. Heather Berlin, Jim Gaffigan, Dr. Mandë Holford, Shalini Kantayya, and Lydia Dean Pilcher, and have already awarded the prize to Sophie Barthes’ The Pod Generation.
- 1/11/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance has announced the 16 jurors granting awards at this year’s film festival, ranging from playwright Jeremy O. Harris to Oscar winner Marlee Matlin.
This year’s Sundance Film Festival will take place from Jan. 19-29 in Utah, marking its first return to Park City since the pandemic. The awards ceremony will take place on Jan. 27, with grants bestowed for feature and short films.
Jurors are Harris, Matlin and Eliza Hittman for U.S. dramatic competition; W. Kamau Bell, Ramona Diaz and Carla Gutierrez for U.S. documentary competition; Shozo Ichiyama, Annemarie Jacir and Funa Maduka for world cinema dramatic competition; Karim Amer, Petra Costa and Alexander Nanau for world cinema documentary competition; Madeleine Olnek for the Next competition section; and Destin Daniel Cretton, Marie-Louise Khondji and Deborah Stratman for the short film program competition.
“The jury plays a crucial role in the festival by amplifying breakthrough works and providing...
This year’s Sundance Film Festival will take place from Jan. 19-29 in Utah, marking its first return to Park City since the pandemic. The awards ceremony will take place on Jan. 27, with grants bestowed for feature and short films.
Jurors are Harris, Matlin and Eliza Hittman for U.S. dramatic competition; W. Kamau Bell, Ramona Diaz and Carla Gutierrez for U.S. documentary competition; Shozo Ichiyama, Annemarie Jacir and Funa Maduka for world cinema dramatic competition; Karim Amer, Petra Costa and Alexander Nanau for world cinema documentary competition; Madeleine Olnek for the Next competition section; and Destin Daniel Cretton, Marie-Louise Khondji and Deborah Stratman for the short film program competition.
“The jury plays a crucial role in the festival by amplifying breakthrough works and providing...
- 1/11/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has today named the jurors who will preside over awards for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The 16-person lineup features everyone from Coda star Marlee Matlin to We Need To Talk About Cosby‘s W. Kamau Bell, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton and actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan.
Matlin will assess the awards potential amongst titles in U.S. Documentary Competition with Slave Play creator Jeremy O. Harris and Never Rarely Sometimes Always filmmaker Eliza Hittman. Bell, meanwhile, will oversee U.S. Documentary Competition, being joined in that arena by filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz (A Thousand Cuts) and editor Carla Gutiérrez (Julia).
While Wild Nights with Emily filmmaker Madeleine Olnek will preside alone over the Next section, Cretton has been assigned to the Short Film Program Competition, being joined there by artist-filmmaker Deborah Stratman and Marie-Louise Khondji, who founded the free streaming platform,...
Matlin will assess the awards potential amongst titles in U.S. Documentary Competition with Slave Play creator Jeremy O. Harris and Never Rarely Sometimes Always filmmaker Eliza Hittman. Bell, meanwhile, will oversee U.S. Documentary Competition, being joined in that arena by filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz (A Thousand Cuts) and editor Carla Gutiérrez (Julia).
While Wild Nights with Emily filmmaker Madeleine Olnek will preside alone over the Next section, Cretton has been assigned to the Short Film Program Competition, being joined there by artist-filmmaker Deborah Stratman and Marie-Louise Khondji, who founded the free streaming platform,...
- 1/11/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Modern Films, a leading London-based film banner which notably distributed “Drive My Car,” will release Dina Amer’s emotional and thought-provoking character study “You Resemble Me” in the U.K. and Ireland.
The movie, which world premiered at Venice last year, tells the journey of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, a fragile, young Muslim woman who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris and was wrongly believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber.
Exploring the roots of radicalization through a layered coming-of-age story, the movie marks the feature debut of Amer, an Egyptian-American filmmaker and award-winning journalist. The movie is executive produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Riz Ahmed and Alma Har’el.
“I’m thrilled to be working on this film with such a dedicated and talented team to bring it to audiences in the U.K. and Ireland, tying together the story of the fragility of youth,...
The movie, which world premiered at Venice last year, tells the journey of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, a fragile, young Muslim woman who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris and was wrongly believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber.
Exploring the roots of radicalization through a layered coming-of-age story, the movie marks the feature debut of Amer, an Egyptian-American filmmaker and award-winning journalist. The movie is executive produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Riz Ahmed and Alma Har’el.
“I’m thrilled to be working on this film with such a dedicated and talented team to bring it to audiences in the U.K. and Ireland, tying together the story of the fragility of youth,...
- 12/7/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Jehane Noujaim started her filmmaking journey with HBO’s The Vow in 2009. The award-winning director attended an introductory class for Nxivm’s personal growth Executive Success Program (“Esp”), where she would go on to meet the self-help marketing corporation’s leader and founder Keith Raniere and his co-founder Nancy Salzman. The pair, now convicted felons, were eventually examined in The Vow and now, interviewed for The Vow, Part Two, which premiered Oct. 17, more than a decade after that initial class.
But, back in 2009, Noujaim says she didn’t get the kind of balanced access she was looking for, so she put the project aside. She went on to make other documentaries like Startup.com (2001), focusing on the dark side of the internet boom; Control Room (2004), about the Al-Jazeera network amid the U.S.-Iraq war; and The Square (2013), looking at the unrest in...
Jehane Noujaim started her filmmaking journey with HBO’s The Vow in 2009. The award-winning director attended an introductory class for Nxivm’s personal growth Executive Success Program (“Esp”), where she would go on to meet the self-help marketing corporation’s leader and founder Keith Raniere and his co-founder Nancy Salzman. The pair, now convicted felons, were eventually examined in The Vow and now, interviewed for The Vow, Part Two, which premiered Oct. 17, more than a decade after that initial class.
But, back in 2009, Noujaim says she didn’t get the kind of balanced access she was looking for, so she put the project aside. She went on to make other documentaries like Startup.com (2001), focusing on the dark side of the internet boom; Control Room (2004), about the Al-Jazeera network amid the U.S.-Iraq war; and The Square (2013), looking at the unrest in...
- 10/19/2022
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s a weird time to watch politics on television, and I’m not just talking about political discussions that take place nightly on CNN or Fox News. If you watch stuff like “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” or “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” they’d tell you since Trump left office there’s been little respite. Our Covid deaths remain high, women’s reproductive rights are being demolished, and police brutality still happens, nothing’s changed. But to watch political limited series or documentaries, there’s a feeling some type of wall has been breached. Like “Gutsy,” “The Lincoln Project” feels too simplistic in its presentation of the nuances that ended up destroying the group internally. Add in the fact that our world already feels worse than it did in 2020 and it feels instantly dated.
You probably remember seeing at least one ad crafted by the Lincoln...
You probably remember seeing at least one ad crafted by the Lincoln...
- 10/7/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
An inside chronicle of the formation, actions and fracture of The Lincoln Project comes to Showtime next month in the form of a five-part docuseries, the trailer for which has now been released.
Directed by Fisher Stevens (“Dirty Money”) and Karim Amer (“The Great Hack”), “The Lincoln Project” follows a veteran group of former GOP operatives and strategists known publicly as The Lincoln Project, the fastest-growing super Pac in America, as they take on the task of “saving democracy” and defeating their own party’s sitting president.
Also Read:
Fallon Says the Window for a Bernie Sanders Presidency Has Closed: ‘How Many Times Do We Have to Decide This? No.’ (Video)
But while the documentary provides a closer look at the cutting-edge strategies and operations of The Lincoln Project leading up to the 2020 election, cameras are also present when the group is shaken by internal upheaval and scandal after co-founder...
Directed by Fisher Stevens (“Dirty Money”) and Karim Amer (“The Great Hack”), “The Lincoln Project” follows a veteran group of former GOP operatives and strategists known publicly as The Lincoln Project, the fastest-growing super Pac in America, as they take on the task of “saving democracy” and defeating their own party’s sitting president.
Also Read:
Fallon Says the Window for a Bernie Sanders Presidency Has Closed: ‘How Many Times Do We Have to Decide This? No.’ (Video)
But while the documentary provides a closer look at the cutting-edge strategies and operations of The Lincoln Project leading up to the 2020 election, cameras are also present when the group is shaken by internal upheaval and scandal after co-founder...
- 9/28/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Showtime is unveiling the trailer for The Lincoln Project, the upcoming docuseries that looks at the effort by GOP strategists to stop Donald Trump.
Directed by Fisher Stevens and Karim Amer, the project “goes behind the scenes of the meteoric rise and sudden rift” of the group, according to a rep for the project. The project shows the groups audacious efforts to defeat Trump, drawing his attention when he was in the White House, but it also features its members as they grapple with a sexual harassment scandal and internal breaks over its finances.
“Here’s the key: There’s nothing noble about us. But we’re useful,” Lincoln Project member Stuart Stevens says at one point in the trailer.
The Super Pac was formed in late 2019 by Stevens, George Conway, John Weaver, Rick Wilson, Jennifer Horn, Ron Steslow, Reed Galen and Mike Madrid. In January, 2021, The New York Times...
Directed by Fisher Stevens and Karim Amer, the project “goes behind the scenes of the meteoric rise and sudden rift” of the group, according to a rep for the project. The project shows the groups audacious efforts to defeat Trump, drawing his attention when he was in the White House, but it also features its members as they grapple with a sexual harassment scandal and internal breaks over its finances.
“Here’s the key: There’s nothing noble about us. But we’re useful,” Lincoln Project member Stuart Stevens says at one point in the trailer.
The Super Pac was formed in late 2019 by Stevens, George Conway, John Weaver, Rick Wilson, Jennifer Horn, Ron Steslow, Reed Galen and Mike Madrid. In January, 2021, The New York Times...
- 9/28/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Showtime has announced “The Lincoln Project,” a forthcoming documentary following the members of the super Pac amid the 2020 election and after.
Directed by Fisher Stevens (“Dirty Money”) and Karim Amer (“The Vow”), the five-part docuseries explores how the Lincoln Project, the fastest-growing super Pac in America made up of a veteran group of former GOP operatives and strategists, accepted the duty of “saving democracy” in their plot to defeat their own party’s sitting president.
“Celebrated for their scathing ads and biting social media commentary, the series discovers that their operation is a lot more than what meets the eye, with sophisticated data analytics and voter targeting operations churning away behind the scenes,” reads the series’ logline. “While working to accomplish their stated goal of ‘defeating Trumpism,’ the group is shaken by internal upheaval, a sexual harassment scandal and a tidal wave of negative press. As one fight ends, another...
Directed by Fisher Stevens (“Dirty Money”) and Karim Amer (“The Vow”), the five-part docuseries explores how the Lincoln Project, the fastest-growing super Pac in America made up of a veteran group of former GOP operatives and strategists, accepted the duty of “saving democracy” in their plot to defeat their own party’s sitting president.
“Celebrated for their scathing ads and biting social media commentary, the series discovers that their operation is a lot more than what meets the eye, with sophisticated data analytics and voter targeting operations churning away behind the scenes,” reads the series’ logline. “While working to accomplish their stated goal of ‘defeating Trumpism,’ the group is shaken by internal upheaval, a sexual harassment scandal and a tidal wave of negative press. As one fight ends, another...
- 9/12/2022
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Showtime will profile the people behind the anti-Trump Pac The Lincoln Project in a documentary series.
The five-episode series, also titled The Lincoln Project, is set to premiere Oct. 7. Fisher Stevens (Tiger King, Dirty Money) and Karim Amer (The Vow) are directing. It will follow the group of former Republican operatives and strategists who made it their mission to defeat their party’s sitting president, Donald Trump, in the 2020 election.
“There has never been a super Pac that has captured the imagination of the general public like The Lincoln Project. They showed us that you could use storytelling and the power of the internet to punch back, and that you could fight a bully by bringing the fight right to their doorstep,” Stevens and Amer said in a statement. “Like the best verité documentary journeys, we had no idea where this story would take us,...
Showtime will profile the people behind the anti-Trump Pac The Lincoln Project in a documentary series.
The five-episode series, also titled The Lincoln Project, is set to premiere Oct. 7. Fisher Stevens (Tiger King, Dirty Money) and Karim Amer (The Vow) are directing. It will follow the group of former Republican operatives and strategists who made it their mission to defeat their party’s sitting president, Donald Trump, in the 2020 election.
“There has never been a super Pac that has captured the imagination of the general public like The Lincoln Project. They showed us that you could use storytelling and the power of the internet to punch back, and that you could fight a bully by bringing the fight right to their doorstep,” Stevens and Amer said in a statement. “Like the best verité documentary journeys, we had no idea where this story would take us,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The HBO documentary series “The Vow,” from filmmakers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer will return for its second installment on October 17. The network shared a teaser for “The Vow Part Two” — a six-part continuation of the series, which became a sensation — with new episodes airing on subsequent Mondays.
The series follows the story of the Nxivm organization, and the second installment will be set against the backdrop of the federal trial of against Keith Raniere. It will offer looks into Raniere’s innermost circle, including Nxivm co-founder Nancy Salzman, who wasn’t interviewed for “The Vow,” but has been for this second installment. According to its logline, “The docuseries will chronicle the legal and emotional journeys of the group’s founders, supporters and defectors, as new evidence comes to light in a case at the forefront of the national spotlight.”
Raniere was sentenced to 120 years of imprisonment in October 2020, having...
The series follows the story of the Nxivm organization, and the second installment will be set against the backdrop of the federal trial of against Keith Raniere. It will offer looks into Raniere’s innermost circle, including Nxivm co-founder Nancy Salzman, who wasn’t interviewed for “The Vow,” but has been for this second installment. According to its logline, “The docuseries will chronicle the legal and emotional journeys of the group’s founders, supporters and defectors, as new evidence comes to light in a case at the forefront of the national spotlight.”
Raniere was sentenced to 120 years of imprisonment in October 2020, having...
- 8/29/2022
- by EJ Panaligan
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Amazon Studio’s Prime Video is charging into the fall season with a bevy of awards contending and crowd pleasing movies, the list of dates which you can find below.
Many of these will be having splashy world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival, i.e. My Policeman, Lena Dunham’s Catherine Called Birdy, with the Ryan White documentary Good Night Oppy receiving an international premiere in the Great White North. Two of these titles already made their world premieres at Sundance, i.e. Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny from this past year, and Shana Feste’s Run Sweetheart Run which made its debut in Park City during the pre-pandemic 2020 edition.
A select number of titles are receiving a limited theatrical release before their streaming drop date as noted below.
Said Julie Rapaport, head of movies, Amazon Studios tells Deadline, “This slate reflects our commitment to providing customers a wide variety of entertaining,...
Many of these will be having splashy world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival, i.e. My Policeman, Lena Dunham’s Catherine Called Birdy, with the Ryan White documentary Good Night Oppy receiving an international premiere in the Great White North. Two of these titles already made their world premieres at Sundance, i.e. Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny from this past year, and Shana Feste’s Run Sweetheart Run which made its debut in Park City during the pre-pandemic 2020 edition.
A select number of titles are receiving a limited theatrical release before their streaming drop date as noted below.
Said Julie Rapaport, head of movies, Amazon Studios tells Deadline, “This slate reflects our commitment to providing customers a wide variety of entertaining,...
- 8/1/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Red Sea International Film Festival’s selection of 12 projects from new and exciting voices from Saudi Arabia and the wider Arab region selected for the Red Sea Lodge, a mentoring program in collaboration with the Torino Film Lab, is a key part of the Festival’s drive to support and promote talent.
At the first edition of the Festival in December, The Red Sea Lodge 2021 winners The Zarqa Girl by Zaid Abuhamdan and The Photographer of Madina by Dalyah Bakheet each received a grant of US 100,000.
The Red Sea Lodge schedule is made up of 5 intensive labs designed to take a diversity of talent at the early stages of their career through the essentials of filmmaking to bring authentic stories to the screen.
The 8 month-program, designed to nurture and support emerging talent, will also improve access to Arab content and drive the potential of Arab talent on the international stage. The final workshop will take place during the second edition of the Festival which is scheduled to run from 1–10 December in Jeddah.
Of the 12 projects selected, 6 are from Saudi Arabia while the other projects are from Egypt, Algeria, and Lebanon. 50 of them are directed, produced, and written by women. As the Saudi Film industry continues to flourish and strives to become the Middle East’s film production hub, cinemas are reporting exponential growth and international productions are heading to shoot in the Kingdom this is an undoubtedly an opportune time for filmmakers breaking into the industry.
The selection committee features leading industry experts, including Savina Neirotti; Executive Director, TorinoFilmLab, Violeta Bava; Head of Studies, TorinoFilmLab, Jumana Zahid; Red Sea Lodge Manager, Shivani Pandya Malhotra; Managing Director of the Red Sea International Festival, Antoine Khalife; Director of the Arab Program, Red Sea International Film Festival, and Kaleem Aftab; Director of International Programming, Red Sea International Film Festival.
Also supporting the committee is Faiza Amba; Saudi Arabian film writer-director; Mohammad Sayed; Egyptian film critic and scriptwriter and Ziad Seaibi; Lebanese actor and lecturer at the Notre Dame University.
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director of the Red Sea International Festival, said: “Together with the Torino Film Lab we are thrilled to be unveiling the next 12 unique projects for The Red Sea Lodge. The feedback from past participants has been very encouraging and this year’s selection is an exciting slate of projects with bold cultural and social ambitions from a diverse selection of voices. The Red Sea Lodge is now building momentum and proving to be a vital support initiative which helps Arab talent to reach new heights in their film careers and ultimately amplify the impact of Saudi and Arab film around the world.”
The selected projects from Saudi Arabia are:
Seasons of Love & War — based on the novel ‘Divers of the Desert’ written by Amal Alfaran, Director/Screenplay Hana Alomair, Co-Writer/Producer Soha Samir.
A Last Argument Against Youth: Writer — Director Mohemmed Algbreen, producer Raghad Bajbaa.
The Crow Nest — Writer/Director Feras Almusharrei, Producer Razan Al Soghayer, Writer Taqwa Ali.
Al Qais — Writer/Director Lujain Hussain, Writer — Producer Abdulrahman Hakeem.
Tahweedah — Writer/Director Omar Al Omirat, Producer Asd Alkarimi.
Yajuj: Curse Of Iram — Director Fahmi Farahat, Producer Jomana Alquraish, Writer Murad Amayreh.
Projects from the wider Arab world:
The Settlement — Egypt — France; Writer/Director Mohamed Rashad, Producer Hala Lotfy.
A Quarter To Thursday In Algiers — Algeria — France; Writer/Director Sofia Djama, Producer Aurélie Turc.
Cain And Abel — Egypt — USA — France; Director Dina Amer, Producer Karim Amer, Writer Omar Mullick.
Dogmas — France — Algeria; Writer/Director Salah Issaad, Producer Taqiyeddine Issaad.
Bubblegum Brigades — Lebanon; Director Samah El Kadi, Producer Michelle Ayoub, Writer Rani Nasr.
Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore — Egypt; Writer/Director Morad Mostafa, Producer Sawsan Yusuf.
The second edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will run in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from December 1–10, 2022.
At the first edition of the Festival in December, The Red Sea Lodge 2021 winners The Zarqa Girl by Zaid Abuhamdan and The Photographer of Madina by Dalyah Bakheet each received a grant of US 100,000.
The Red Sea Lodge schedule is made up of 5 intensive labs designed to take a diversity of talent at the early stages of their career through the essentials of filmmaking to bring authentic stories to the screen.
The 8 month-program, designed to nurture and support emerging talent, will also improve access to Arab content and drive the potential of Arab talent on the international stage. The final workshop will take place during the second edition of the Festival which is scheduled to run from 1–10 December in Jeddah.
Of the 12 projects selected, 6 are from Saudi Arabia while the other projects are from Egypt, Algeria, and Lebanon. 50 of them are directed, produced, and written by women. As the Saudi Film industry continues to flourish and strives to become the Middle East’s film production hub, cinemas are reporting exponential growth and international productions are heading to shoot in the Kingdom this is an undoubtedly an opportune time for filmmakers breaking into the industry.
The selection committee features leading industry experts, including Savina Neirotti; Executive Director, TorinoFilmLab, Violeta Bava; Head of Studies, TorinoFilmLab, Jumana Zahid; Red Sea Lodge Manager, Shivani Pandya Malhotra; Managing Director of the Red Sea International Festival, Antoine Khalife; Director of the Arab Program, Red Sea International Film Festival, and Kaleem Aftab; Director of International Programming, Red Sea International Film Festival.
Also supporting the committee is Faiza Amba; Saudi Arabian film writer-director; Mohammad Sayed; Egyptian film critic and scriptwriter and Ziad Seaibi; Lebanese actor and lecturer at the Notre Dame University.
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director of the Red Sea International Festival, said: “Together with the Torino Film Lab we are thrilled to be unveiling the next 12 unique projects for The Red Sea Lodge. The feedback from past participants has been very encouraging and this year’s selection is an exciting slate of projects with bold cultural and social ambitions from a diverse selection of voices. The Red Sea Lodge is now building momentum and proving to be a vital support initiative which helps Arab talent to reach new heights in their film careers and ultimately amplify the impact of Saudi and Arab film around the world.”
The selected projects from Saudi Arabia are:
Seasons of Love & War — based on the novel ‘Divers of the Desert’ written by Amal Alfaran, Director/Screenplay Hana Alomair, Co-Writer/Producer Soha Samir.
A Last Argument Against Youth: Writer — Director Mohemmed Algbreen, producer Raghad Bajbaa.
The Crow Nest — Writer/Director Feras Almusharrei, Producer Razan Al Soghayer, Writer Taqwa Ali.
Al Qais — Writer/Director Lujain Hussain, Writer — Producer Abdulrahman Hakeem.
Tahweedah — Writer/Director Omar Al Omirat, Producer Asd Alkarimi.
Yajuj: Curse Of Iram — Director Fahmi Farahat, Producer Jomana Alquraish, Writer Murad Amayreh.
Projects from the wider Arab world:
The Settlement — Egypt — France; Writer/Director Mohamed Rashad, Producer Hala Lotfy.
A Quarter To Thursday In Algiers — Algeria — France; Writer/Director Sofia Djama, Producer Aurélie Turc.
Cain And Abel — Egypt — USA — France; Director Dina Amer, Producer Karim Amer, Writer Omar Mullick.
Dogmas — France — Algeria; Writer/Director Salah Issaad, Producer Taqiyeddine Issaad.
Bubblegum Brigades — Lebanon; Director Samah El Kadi, Producer Michelle Ayoub, Writer Rani Nasr.
Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore — Egypt; Writer/Director Morad Mostafa, Producer Sawsan Yusuf.
The second edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will run in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from December 1–10, 2022.
- 5/8/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Emmy-winning Succession star Jeremy Strong is set to headline and executive produce a limited series about Boeing’s controversial 737 Max planes. The untitled project, which is now in early development at Amazon Studios, hails from Oscar-winning Argo screenwriter Chris Terrio and Plan B.
Written by Terrio, the fictional series, which is targeted for Prime Video, is described as an examination of the events surrounding the Boeing 737 Max. It will reflect various perspectives, focusing on a composite engineer character, to be played by Strong.
Terrio and Strong will executive produce with Plan B, Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim.
In an unprecedented move, the Boeing 737 Max was grounded worldwide in 2019 following jet crashes in Indonesia (Lion Air Flight 610) and Ethiopia (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302), killing all 346 people on board.
Following the fatal incidents, investigations found a flaw in an automated flight control system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (McAs). Boeing was...
Written by Terrio, the fictional series, which is targeted for Prime Video, is described as an examination of the events surrounding the Boeing 737 Max. It will reflect various perspectives, focusing on a composite engineer character, to be played by Strong.
Terrio and Strong will executive produce with Plan B, Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim.
In an unprecedented move, the Boeing 737 Max was grounded worldwide in 2019 following jet crashes in Indonesia (Lion Air Flight 610) and Ethiopia (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302), killing all 346 people on board.
Following the fatal incidents, investigations found a flaw in an automated flight control system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (McAs). Boeing was...
- 5/4/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Filmmaker Pedro Kos (Lead Me Home) has signed with CAA for representation.
Kos is an Emmy winner who most recent directed the Netflix pic Lead Me Home with Jon Shenk, watching it land an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject. Shot over the course of three years in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, the short examines the epidemic of homelessness in America with a show-don’t-tell approach, featuring candid testimonials from those who rest their heads in shelters, tent cities, and anywhere a night’s sleep can be found.
Kos’ most recent documentary feature Rebel Hearts, which he wrote, directed and edited, premiered in U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The film looking at Los Angeles’ Sisters of the Immaculate Heart—nuns who challenged the patriarchal conventions of the Catholic Church 50 years ago and are still taking a stand today—was released worldwide by Discovery+.
Kos is an Emmy winner who most recent directed the Netflix pic Lead Me Home with Jon Shenk, watching it land an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject. Shot over the course of three years in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, the short examines the epidemic of homelessness in America with a show-don’t-tell approach, featuring candid testimonials from those who rest their heads in shelters, tent cities, and anywhere a night’s sleep can be found.
Kos’ most recent documentary feature Rebel Hearts, which he wrote, directed and edited, premiered in U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The film looking at Los Angeles’ Sisters of the Immaculate Heart—nuns who challenged the patriarchal conventions of the Catholic Church 50 years ago and are still taking a stand today—was released worldwide by Discovery+.
- 4/21/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Story Syndicate, the production house founded by Oscar and Emmy-winning documentary powerhouse couple Dan Cogan and Liz Garbus, is bulking up its development and production team with a new hire, a promotion and a first-look deal with producer and investigative journalist Amy Herdy.
The New York-based production company, which launched in 2019, was behind several popular docs and docuseries in 2021, including Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau” (National Geographic), Orlando von Einsiedel’s “Convergence: Courage in a Crisis” (Netflix) and John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” (Nat Geo).
Jon Bardin, most recently Story Syndicate’s head of creative, has been named head of documentary and nonfiction. Bardin, who has been at the production company since its inception, has served as a producer or executive producer on Story Syndicate documentaries including Jesse Moss’ “Mayor Pete,” Erin Lee Carr’s “Britney Vs. Spears,” “Fauci” and Ry Russo-Young’s docuseries “Nuclear Family.” Currently Bardin is working on...
The New York-based production company, which launched in 2019, was behind several popular docs and docuseries in 2021, including Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau” (National Geographic), Orlando von Einsiedel’s “Convergence: Courage in a Crisis” (Netflix) and John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” (Nat Geo).
Jon Bardin, most recently Story Syndicate’s head of creative, has been named head of documentary and nonfiction. Bardin, who has been at the production company since its inception, has served as a producer or executive producer on Story Syndicate documentaries including Jesse Moss’ “Mayor Pete,” Erin Lee Carr’s “Britney Vs. Spears,” “Fauci” and Ry Russo-Young’s docuseries “Nuclear Family.” Currently Bardin is working on...
- 4/11/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
12 upcoming films from the Middle East and North Africa will be supported by project and talent incubator.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has unveiled the 12 projects selected for this year’s edition of its Red Sea Lodge project and talent development programme.
Of the 12 projects selected, six are from Saudi Arabia while the other projects are from Egypt, Algeria, and Lebanon, with 50% of the participants directed, produced, and written by women
The selection includes Saudi director and writer Hana Alomair’s feature directorial debut Seasons Of Love And War. The love triangle tale set in an...
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has unveiled the 12 projects selected for this year’s edition of its Red Sea Lodge project and talent development programme.
Of the 12 projects selected, six are from Saudi Arabia while the other projects are from Egypt, Algeria, and Lebanon, with 50% of the participants directed, produced, and written by women
The selection includes Saudi director and writer Hana Alomair’s feature directorial debut Seasons Of Love And War. The love triangle tale set in an...
- 3/15/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
In June 2021, Oscar-nominee and Emmy-winner Riz Ahmed and Pillars Fund’s Kashif Shaikh and Arij Mikati outlined the urgent need for more Muslim representation in the entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the camera, during an extensive interview with Variety.
The trio announced plans to launch a first-of-its-kind initiative, dubbed the Pillars Artist Fellowship, with a mission to provide resources and mentorship to a group of talented Muslim artists to help them use their talents to change the game in the film and television industries. Today, Pillars Fund, Ahmed and his Left Handed Films banner unveil the inaugural cohort of fellows.
“We spent months getting to know many talented candidates,” stated Shaikh, Pillars Fund’s co-founder and president. “We are honored to work with these incredible artists and are excited to provide them resources to reach even greater heights in the coming year.”
Sponsored by Netflix and Amazon Studios,...
The trio announced plans to launch a first-of-its-kind initiative, dubbed the Pillars Artist Fellowship, with a mission to provide resources and mentorship to a group of talented Muslim artists to help them use their talents to change the game in the film and television industries. Today, Pillars Fund, Ahmed and his Left Handed Films banner unveil the inaugural cohort of fellows.
“We spent months getting to know many talented candidates,” stated Shaikh, Pillars Fund’s co-founder and president. “We are honored to work with these incredible artists and are excited to provide them resources to reach even greater heights in the coming year.”
Sponsored by Netflix and Amazon Studios,...
- 3/15/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Nancy Salzman, the co-founder and former president of Nxivm, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison. Salzman, 66, who was close with cult leader Keith Raniere, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in March 2019, and received her sentence in a Brooklyn courtroom on Wednesday.
In a sentencing memo, prosecutors has asked that Salzman be sentenced in the upper range of the recommended 33 to 41 months, and they got their wish: “The conduct underlying the defendant’s conviction warrants a substantial sentence,” wrote assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar in a pre-sentencing court filing.
Salzman was featured, though not interviewed, in the phenomenon that was the HBO docuseries “The Vow” last year. The second season of the show — directed and executive produced by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer — is currently in production.
Sarah Edmondson — the Nxivm whistleblower who was one of the stars of “The Vow,” if such a charaterization can be made about...
In a sentencing memo, prosecutors has asked that Salzman be sentenced in the upper range of the recommended 33 to 41 months, and they got their wish: “The conduct underlying the defendant’s conviction warrants a substantial sentence,” wrote assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar in a pre-sentencing court filing.
Salzman was featured, though not interviewed, in the phenomenon that was the HBO docuseries “The Vow” last year. The second season of the show — directed and executive produced by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer — is currently in production.
Sarah Edmondson — the Nxivm whistleblower who was one of the stars of “The Vow,” if such a charaterization can be made about...
- 9/8/2021
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Here’s a first clip from You Resemble Me, the debut feature of NY-based Egyptian-American director Dina Amer which has its world premiere in the Venice Days section of the Venice Film Festival this week.
Executive Produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze and Alma Har’el, the French-language pic is being sold by CAA for North America and Match Factory for international.
Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world.
Director Amer says the film was “created to understand the roots of one woman’s trauma — a journey through layers of disassociation, from the personal and familial to the religious and colonial; a kaleidoscope of splintered identities and fractured dreams. You Resemble Me is an invitation to look beyond our perception of the absolute truth,...
Executive Produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze and Alma Har’el, the French-language pic is being sold by CAA for North America and Match Factory for international.
Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world.
Director Amer says the film was “created to understand the roots of one woman’s trauma — a journey through layers of disassociation, from the personal and familial to the religious and colonial; a kaleidoscope of splintered identities and fractured dreams. You Resemble Me is an invitation to look beyond our perception of the absolute truth,...
- 9/7/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Lauren Salzman, 45, a former Nxivm collaborator of cult leader Keith Raniere, was sentenced on Wednesday to time served and five years of probation. Salzman, the daughter of Nxivm co-founder Nancy Salzman, had pleaded guilty in April 2019 to racketeering and conspiracy charges.
Salzman was featured in the HBO docuseries “The Vow” last year, which became a sensation. A second season of the show — directed and executive produced by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer — is currently in production.
Salzman is the fourth Nxivm member to be sentenced. In September, Clare Bronfman, was sentenced to 81 months; in October, Raniere himself was sentenced to 120 years in prison; and last month, former “Smallville” actor and top Nxivm recruiter Allison Mack was sentenced to three years. Nancy Salzman has also pleaded guilty, and according to the Albany Times-Union, her sentencing is set for next week.
At Raniere’s trial in spring 2019, Salzman testified against him for four days.
Salzman was featured in the HBO docuseries “The Vow” last year, which became a sensation. A second season of the show — directed and executive produced by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer — is currently in production.
Salzman is the fourth Nxivm member to be sentenced. In September, Clare Bronfman, was sentenced to 81 months; in October, Raniere himself was sentenced to 120 years in prison; and last month, former “Smallville” actor and top Nxivm recruiter Allison Mack was sentenced to three years. Nancy Salzman has also pleaded guilty, and according to the Albany Times-Union, her sentencing is set for next week.
At Raniere’s trial in spring 2019, Salzman testified against him for four days.
- 7/29/2021
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
Newly-minted Oscar-nominee and Emmy-winner Riz Ahmed has become just as well known for his activism as for his performances in projects like “Sound of Metal” or “The Night Of.”
Now the actor, musician and producer is taking his fight one step further, by launching a multi-layered initiative for Muslim representation in media, in partnership with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the Ford Foundation and Pillars Fund. Powered by USC Annenberg’s new study on Muslim representation in media — which found that less than 10% of top grossing films from 2017-2019 had a Muslim character on screen, with less than 2% of those characters having speaking roles — the coalition has created the Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion, as well as the Pillars Artists Fellowship, offering selected grantees an unrestricted award of $25,000.
The grantees will also receive mentorship from the fellowship’s advisory board, made up of Muslim artists, including Ahmed, Mahershala Ali, Ramy Youssef,...
Now the actor, musician and producer is taking his fight one step further, by launching a multi-layered initiative for Muslim representation in media, in partnership with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the Ford Foundation and Pillars Fund. Powered by USC Annenberg’s new study on Muslim representation in media — which found that less than 10% of top grossing films from 2017-2019 had a Muslim character on screen, with less than 2% of those characters having speaking roles — the coalition has created the Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion, as well as the Pillars Artists Fellowship, offering selected grantees an unrestricted award of $25,000.
The grantees will also receive mentorship from the fellowship’s advisory board, made up of Muslim artists, including Ahmed, Mahershala Ali, Ramy Youssef,...
- 6/10/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Crown Media announced that the Hallmark Channel will bring back its annual “Christmas in July” programming schedule, starting with the new original movie “Crashing Through the Snow,” which premieres on July 10 at 9 p.m.
In “Crashing Through the Snow,” Amy Acker and Kristian Bruun star as Maggie and Jeff, who are ex-spouses but friends first. When Jeff’s new girlfriend, Kate (Brooke Nevin), spontaneously invites Maggie along to their Christmas getaway in Aspen, she jumps at the chance to spend a Yuletide holiday away with her two daughters. Although Maggie feels like a third wheel crashing their Christmas, she’s not alone, as Kate’s hapless brother, Sam (Warren Christie), shows up unannounced. Always seeming to live in Kate’s shadow, Sam, for once, wants to come out ahead, and he convinces Maggie that, together, they can compete with Kate and make this Christmas the best one ever. Neither of...
In “Crashing Through the Snow,” Amy Acker and Kristian Bruun star as Maggie and Jeff, who are ex-spouses but friends first. When Jeff’s new girlfriend, Kate (Brooke Nevin), spontaneously invites Maggie along to their Christmas getaway in Aspen, she jumps at the chance to spend a Yuletide holiday away with her two daughters. Although Maggie feels like a third wheel crashing their Christmas, she’s not alone, as Kate’s hapless brother, Sam (Warren Christie), shows up unannounced. Always seeming to live in Kate’s shadow, Sam, for once, wants to come out ahead, and he convinces Maggie that, together, they can compete with Kate and make this Christmas the best one ever. Neither of...
- 6/2/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
Revolution Rent, a documentary that follows director/actor Andy Señor Jr. to Cuba as he stages a production of Jonathan Larson’s Rent that marks the first American company of a Broadway musical there in more than half a century, will debut on HBO June 15.
Executive produced by Neil Patrick Harris, Revolution Rent also chronicles a personal journey for Señor Jr. as he returns to the homeland of his exiled parents. The documentary is written by Señor Jr. and directed by him and Victor Patrick Alvarez.
“Andy and I started our Rent journey together many years ago and I was proud to see him take his talents to Cuba,” said Harris in a statement. “Revolution Rent is a continuation of our journey as well as a tribute to the power of theater and its ability to transform lives. “
The documentary also marks the 25th anniversary of the musical’s Broadway premiere on April 29, 1996. Señor Jr.
Executive produced by Neil Patrick Harris, Revolution Rent also chronicles a personal journey for Señor Jr. as he returns to the homeland of his exiled parents. The documentary is written by Señor Jr. and directed by him and Victor Patrick Alvarez.
“Andy and I started our Rent journey together many years ago and I was proud to see him take his talents to Cuba,” said Harris in a statement. “Revolution Rent is a continuation of our journey as well as a tribute to the power of theater and its ability to transform lives. “
The documentary also marks the 25th anniversary of the musical’s Broadway premiere on April 29, 1996. Señor Jr.
- 4/29/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO will premiere “Revolution Rent,” the 2019 documentary following Andy Señor Jr.’s journey to stage a production of “Rent” in Cuba, on June 15.
Señor Jr., who directed the documentary alongside Victor Patrick Alvarez, started his career with “Rent.” In the late 1990s he starred as Angel Dumott Schunard in Jonathan Larson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical about a group of starving artists in the East Village who are dealing with big dreams, drug addiction and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Now, things are coming full circle 25 years after the show made its Broadway debut. In the documentary, Señor Jr. takes the show from auditions through closing night, highlighting both the “setbacks and accomplishments” of being Cuba’s first Broadway musical produced by an American company in more than 50 years. Señor Jr.’s story is also a personal one, as he explores his Cuban heritage and family’s relationship to the country within this project.
Señor Jr., who directed the documentary alongside Victor Patrick Alvarez, started his career with “Rent.” In the late 1990s he starred as Angel Dumott Schunard in Jonathan Larson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical about a group of starving artists in the East Village who are dealing with big dreams, drug addiction and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Now, things are coming full circle 25 years after the show made its Broadway debut. In the documentary, Señor Jr. takes the show from auditions through closing night, highlighting both the “setbacks and accomplishments” of being Cuba’s first Broadway musical produced by an American company in more than 50 years. Señor Jr.’s story is also a personal one, as he explores his Cuban heritage and family’s relationship to the country within this project.
- 4/29/2021
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
True-crime TV has found its new obsession: The twisted saga of the Nvixm cult, with famous followers like Smallville alum Allison Mack and salacious accusations of sex slavery, has inspired not one but two long-form TV documentaries, along with a number of one-off investigative specials. HBO’s The Vow, which premiered in August, was billed as the definitive look at the cult’s inner workings, told by the members themselves. But is it even good? And does another TV documentary actually do a better job at bringing Nxivm’s shocking deeds to light? Let’s take a closer look, shall we?...
- 11/11/2020
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
Keith Raniere, the leader of the alleged sex cult Nxivm, has given an interview which aired on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt tonight and will also be featured on the network’s Dateline.
In the interview, Raniere denies his convictions for sex trafficking, racketeering and possession of child pornography. Raniere said he was the victim of unethical prosecution in the interview. He asked for a new trial, but was denied Friday by a judge. He will be sentenced on Tuesday and could face life in prison.
The activities of Nvxim was captured by the documentary series The Vow, which is coming back in 2021 for a second season on HBO. Directors and exec producers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, to continue to the story of the Nxivm cult and its top leadership.
Raniere admitted to NBC interviewer Frank Parlato and Dateline NBC that he was the leader of Nxivm, which...
In the interview, Raniere denies his convictions for sex trafficking, racketeering and possession of child pornography. Raniere said he was the victim of unethical prosecution in the interview. He asked for a new trial, but was denied Friday by a judge. He will be sentenced on Tuesday and could face life in prison.
The activities of Nvxim was captured by the documentary series The Vow, which is coming back in 2021 for a second season on HBO. Directors and exec producers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, to continue to the story of the Nxivm cult and its top leadership.
Raniere admitted to NBC interviewer Frank Parlato and Dateline NBC that he was the leader of Nxivm, which...
- 10/24/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO has released the first teaser for “The Vow: Part 2,” which sees Keith Raniere, leader of the Nxivm cult, head to court.
On Friday, HBO announced that the hit docuseries would be returning for a second installment with filmmakers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer after the success of the premiere season. The news also comes before Raniere’s sentencing on Oct. 27, where he faces a minimum of 15 years and a possible life sentence for charges of sex trafficking of children, conspiracy and conspiracy to commit forced labor.
The new episodes will follow Raniere into the courtroom after he was convicted on June 19, 2019, and share more stories from top members of the Nxivm cult and Dos, its secret master-slave group where women were allegedly subjected to sexual slavery. The teaser features voices of members who still support Raniere, hinting at several new interviews in the second season.
The first season ended on a cliffhanger,...
On Friday, HBO announced that the hit docuseries would be returning for a second installment with filmmakers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer after the success of the premiere season. The news also comes before Raniere’s sentencing on Oct. 27, where he faces a minimum of 15 years and a possible life sentence for charges of sex trafficking of children, conspiracy and conspiracy to commit forced labor.
The new episodes will follow Raniere into the courtroom after he was convicted on June 19, 2019, and share more stories from top members of the Nxivm cult and Dos, its secret master-slave group where women were allegedly subjected to sexual slavery. The teaser features voices of members who still support Raniere, hinting at several new interviews in the second season.
The first season ended on a cliffhanger,...
- 10/20/2020
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
“The Vow” finale hinted at several big interviews gearing up for the second installment on HBO. Any additional details on what we can expect for season two will have to wait until 2021 (when next set of episodes is scheduled to drop). Until then, here’s an update on all the major players in the docuseries that exposes the practices of the self improvement organization and cult known as Nxivm. What’s next for Nxivm founder Keith Raniere, Nancy Salzman and whistleblowers Mark Vicente, Bonnie Piesse and Sarah Edmondson?
Do not read if you haven’t watched the season one finale of “The Vow” — spoilers ahead.
What do we know about the future? In September, filmmakers Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim revealed their plans to interview all parties involved in Nxivm to Variety “We reached out to everybody involved — many people, on all sides of the story — and we are continuing to film.
Do not read if you haven’t watched the season one finale of “The Vow” — spoilers ahead.
What do we know about the future? In September, filmmakers Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim revealed their plans to interview all parties involved in Nxivm to Variety “We reached out to everybody involved — many people, on all sides of the story — and we are continuing to film.
- 10/19/2020
- by Meredith Woerner and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
HBO’s buzzy Nxivm sex cult docuseries “The Vow” has been criticized for dragging at times over the course of its nine-episode run. But the closing moments of Sunday’s season finale left no doubt about where the storyline is headed in season two, which HBO formally ordered last week.
Warning, spoilers for the finale episode of “The Vow” ahead.
Here comes the counterspin from now-convicted felons Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman, co-founders of the self-help programs at the heart of the whole of shocking story that led to federal human trafficking, sex abuse and racketeering charges. “The Fall,” episode 9 of “The Vow,” ends with hints that the pair will go on camera, or at least on the record, with “Vow” directors/executive producers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer.
The closing sequence features what appears to be a glimpse of Salzman under house arrest, complete with a shot of her...
Warning, spoilers for the finale episode of “The Vow” ahead.
Here comes the counterspin from now-convicted felons Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman, co-founders of the self-help programs at the heart of the whole of shocking story that led to federal human trafficking, sex abuse and racketeering charges. “The Fall,” episode 9 of “The Vow,” ends with hints that the pair will go on camera, or at least on the record, with “Vow” directors/executive producers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer.
The closing sequence features what appears to be a glimpse of Salzman under house arrest, complete with a shot of her...
- 10/19/2020
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
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