Dawn Porter’s documentary about R&b icon Luther Vandross, “Luther: Never Too Much,” has been acquired by CNN Films in partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), IndieWire can reveal exclusively.
The documentary film, which first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will debut in 2025 first on television on CNN and OWN before it lands on Max.
The acquisition is encouraging news for CNN Films, which back in 2022 under former boss Chris Licht scaled back on its original documentary films. The brand moved away from acquisitions or commissioning projects and opted instead for newsy, quick turnaround docs produced in-house.
But CNN Films also partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios on this fall’s release of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” so the two acquisitions, both from this year’s Sundance, is a positive step forward for the documentary brand.
“Luther: Never Too Much” chronicles the story of a vocal virtuoso,...
The documentary film, which first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will debut in 2025 first on television on CNN and OWN before it lands on Max.
The acquisition is encouraging news for CNN Films, which back in 2022 under former boss Chris Licht scaled back on its original documentary films. The brand moved away from acquisitions or commissioning projects and opted instead for newsy, quick turnaround docs produced in-house.
But CNN Films also partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios on this fall’s release of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” so the two acquisitions, both from this year’s Sundance, is a positive step forward for the documentary brand.
“Luther: Never Too Much” chronicles the story of a vocal virtuoso,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
“I bring you news from America, where commissions are plentiful and they all come within two weeks,” joked Dawn Porter, playing to the industry crowd at the international television market MIPTV on Sunday.
It got a big laugh. Everyone in the audience knows the reality: That the era of peak TV is past and that broadcasters and streamers are slashing their budgets for original programming. That decline is one of the reasons this will be the last MIPTV, with plans to move Mip to London next year and dramatically downsize the storied TV market. The mood on the Croisette this year is practically funereal.
But Porter came to Mip not to bury the TV business but to praise it.
“I’m sure that we’re all quite aware of the difficulties of commissioning and the challenges in our market,” she told the industry audience, “but I want to stress that...
It got a big laugh. Everyone in the audience knows the reality: That the era of peak TV is past and that broadcasters and streamers are slashing their budgets for original programming. That decline is one of the reasons this will be the last MIPTV, with plans to move Mip to London next year and dramatically downsize the storied TV market. The mood on the Croisette this year is practically funereal.
But Porter came to Mip not to bury the TV business but to praise it.
“I’m sure that we’re all quite aware of the difficulties of commissioning and the challenges in our market,” she told the industry audience, “but I want to stress that...
- 4/7/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Storied docs producer Dawn Porter has said private funding in the documentary space could help plug financial gaps that have opened up in today’s challenging market.
The Gotham Award-winner’s latest project, revealed by Deadline in February, is a documentary about Nelson and Willie Mandela that is part-funded by the Schultz Family Foundation.
Speaking at MIPTV today, Porter said her team at Trilogy Films is “reaching out for private funding” to finance big projects.
“We will need a broadcaster but are also reaching out [externally],” she added. “I’m looking at how we make films, how budget constraints are changing [the industry] and having honest conversations with partners about how we are going to do this together.”
Porter said she has spent time in recent months speaking with partners such as HBO, Netflix and CNN about “what is working for them and how their processes have changed” in the current climate. She...
The Gotham Award-winner’s latest project, revealed by Deadline in February, is a documentary about Nelson and Willie Mandela that is part-funded by the Schultz Family Foundation.
Speaking at MIPTV today, Porter said her team at Trilogy Films is “reaching out for private funding” to finance big projects.
“We will need a broadcaster but are also reaching out [externally],” she added. “I’m looking at how we make films, how budget constraints are changing [the industry] and having honest conversations with partners about how we are going to do this together.”
Porter said she has spent time in recent months speaking with partners such as HBO, Netflix and CNN about “what is working for them and how their processes have changed” in the current climate. She...
- 4/7/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
MipDoc keynote speaker Dawn Porter is coming to Cannes to discuss not only the challenging doc marketplace, but also how to work and prosper within it.
In the last few years the doc industry has favored a handful of big-name filmmakers, like Porter, who are commissioned to make one-off films or docuseries. Over the last 12 months two of Porter’s docus were released: “Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court” which was financed and distributed by Showtime and “The Lady Bird Diaries,” which was financed and distributed by Hulu/ABC News.
But budgets for commissioned projects, even those with well-known documentarians attached, have diminished significantly since the pandemic, due in part to corporate consolidation. The shrinking number of nonfiction distributors has hit directors of independently made docs especially hard. The major streaming services, who were spending millions to acquire indie fare five years ago, lost interest in garnering titles out of festivals.
In the last few years the doc industry has favored a handful of big-name filmmakers, like Porter, who are commissioned to make one-off films or docuseries. Over the last 12 months two of Porter’s docus were released: “Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court” which was financed and distributed by Showtime and “The Lady Bird Diaries,” which was financed and distributed by Hulu/ABC News.
But budgets for commissioned projects, even those with well-known documentarians attached, have diminished significantly since the pandemic, due in part to corporate consolidation. The shrinking number of nonfiction distributors has hit directors of independently made docs especially hard. The major streaming services, who were spending millions to acquire indie fare five years ago, lost interest in garnering titles out of festivals.
- 4/6/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Weekly Commentary: With the Directors Guild of America and BAFTA Awards in hand, in addition to the tragic news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar-winning “Navalny” last year, “20 Days in Mariupol” is too important to ignore.
Will Win:...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Weekly Commentary: With the Directors Guild of America and BAFTA Awards in hand, in addition to the tragic news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar-winning “Navalny” last year, “20 Days in Mariupol” is too important to ignore.
Will Win:...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Andrew McCarthy is getting back together with his fellow Brat Pack alums Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jon Cryer, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and more for the feature documentary Brats, a revealing look at the cultural phenomenon they became in the 1980s and how that has impacted their lives ever since.
Brats, from ABC News Studios, Neon, and Network Entertainment, is set to premiere on Hulu later this year. McCarthy, author of the 2021 memoir Brat: An ‘80s Story, writes and directs the documentary, which is now in post-production. He co-starred with fellow Brat Packers in some of the biggest hits of the mid- ‘80s including St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), and Less Than Zero (1987).
From left: ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’s Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham, Judd Nelson,
Ally Sheedy and Andrew McCarthy
“McCarthy crisscrosses the country to meet up with some of the stars of those beloved films,...
Brats, from ABC News Studios, Neon, and Network Entertainment, is set to premiere on Hulu later this year. McCarthy, author of the 2021 memoir Brat: An ‘80s Story, writes and directs the documentary, which is now in post-production. He co-starred with fellow Brat Packers in some of the biggest hits of the mid- ‘80s including St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), and Less Than Zero (1987).
From left: ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’s Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham, Judd Nelson,
Ally Sheedy and Andrew McCarthy
“McCarthy crisscrosses the country to meet up with some of the stars of those beloved films,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter — who directed the upcoming Luther Vandross documentary Luther: Never Too Much — thinks of her favorite song by the legendary singer, she selects “So Amazing,” the timeless track he wrote and produced for Dionne Warwick and later recorded himself.
But then she pauses. “I think it’s hard for me because I’m very attached to some scenes right now,” she says. Then she speaks about “Any Love,” Vandross’ autobiographical song about wanting to find the one and the sadness behind being alone. The track topped the R&b charts in the late ’80s.
“I really wanted him to be able to tell you his story as much as possible, so how do you do that with someone who’s not with us? A lot of that was thinking about the lyrics. [On] ‘Any Love,’ he was just endlessly frustrated with the absence of a romantic partner in his life,...
But then she pauses. “I think it’s hard for me because I’m very attached to some scenes right now,” she says. Then she speaks about “Any Love,” Vandross’ autobiographical song about wanting to find the one and the sadness behind being alone. The track topped the R&b charts in the late ’80s.
“I really wanted him to be able to tell you his story as much as possible, so how do you do that with someone who’s not with us? A lot of that was thinking about the lyrics. [On] ‘Any Love,’ he was just endlessly frustrated with the absence of a romantic partner in his life,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We’re happy to report that after five days, all of our New Years Resolutions are still intact. Except for the one about doing 20 minutes of yoga in the morning. Impossible. And the one about not eating the entire bag of potato chips in one sitting. Yeah, nah. Oh! We also didn’t stop doomscrolling, smoking or clipping our toenails at the gym. But other than that? Perfectly on track. And while there are still two long months of awards season left to endure enjoy, the New Year has brought a bountiful crop of Don’t-Miss Indies.
The Lady Bird Diaries
When You Can Watch: Now
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
Director: Dawn Porter
Why We’re Excited: Acclaimed documentarian Dawn Porter’s moving new documentary offers a singular vantage point on of the most important administrations in US history, based on 123 hours of former First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson’s own audio diaries.
The Lady Bird Diaries
When You Can Watch: Now
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
Director: Dawn Porter
Why We’re Excited: Acclaimed documentarian Dawn Porter’s moving new documentary offers a singular vantage point on of the most important administrations in US history, based on 123 hours of former First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson’s own audio diaries.
- 1/5/2024
- by Su Fang Tham
- Film Independent News & More
Dawn Porter looks for stories of people who made history without asking. By following congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis in John Lewis: Good Trouble, or President Obama’s White House photographer Pete Souza in The Way I See It, she says she hopes to shade in between the lines of history.
In her most recent project, Hulu’s The Lady Bird Diaries, she fixates on Lady Bird Johnson’s life, relying largely on archival audio recordings that were released following the former first lady’s death in 2007. In...
In her most recent project, Hulu’s The Lady Bird Diaries, she fixates on Lady Bird Johnson’s life, relying largely on archival audio recordings that were released following the former first lady’s death in 2007. In...
- 12/16/2023
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: New York-based Women Make Movies has acquired U.S. rights for Palestinian Oscar entry Bye Bye Tiberias by Lina Soualem.
The intimate work sees Soualem accompany her Palestinian-French actress mother Hiam Abbass back to the Arab village within Israeli borders, which she left in the 1980s to pursue her acting career in Europe.
There, they reflect on her past as well as the lives of Abbass’ mother and grandmother in a powerful work exploring themes of displacement, identity and survival across four generations of women.
Wmm executive director Debra Zimmerman said the film was a “perfect fit” for the label, which aims to put spotlight on the work of female filmmakers.
“It is a beautiful film about four generations of Palestinian women,” she said. “I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to have this film seen widely right now by the diverse audiences that need and deserve to see it.
The intimate work sees Soualem accompany her Palestinian-French actress mother Hiam Abbass back to the Arab village within Israeli borders, which she left in the 1980s to pursue her acting career in Europe.
There, they reflect on her past as well as the lives of Abbass’ mother and grandmother in a powerful work exploring themes of displacement, identity and survival across four generations of women.
Wmm executive director Debra Zimmerman said the film was a “perfect fit” for the label, which aims to put spotlight on the work of female filmmakers.
“It is a beautiful film about four generations of Palestinian women,” she said. “I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to have this film seen widely right now by the diverse audiences that need and deserve to see it.
- 12/8/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Academy has revealed the list of eligible films for consideration in best animated, documentary and international feature of the year, encompassing a broad range of blockbusters and critically acclaimed titles.
GKids’ “The Boy and the Heron,” Pixar’s “Elemental,” Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” are among the 33 animated films in the running. This is up from 27 in 2023, when “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” took home the prize.
The eventual five nominees are determined by members of the shorts and animation branch, and any Academy members outside the branch who wish to participate. The number of outside members who opt in is unknown. All films submitted for animated feature also qualify for the Academy Awards in other categories, including best picture.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
There are 88 films representing their countries for the international feature Oscar,...
GKids’ “The Boy and the Heron,” Pixar’s “Elemental,” Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” are among the 33 animated films in the running. This is up from 27 in 2023, when “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” took home the prize.
The eventual five nominees are determined by members of the shorts and animation branch, and any Academy members outside the branch who wish to participate. The number of outside members who opt in is unknown. All films submitted for animated feature also qualify for the Academy Awards in other categories, including best picture.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
There are 88 films representing their countries for the international feature Oscar,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday unveiled the films eligible for consideration for the 2024 Oscars in the categories of Documentary Feature Film and International Feature Film and Animated Feature Film.
A total of 167 documentaries have made the cut for the 96th Academy Awards, while 88 countries are eligible for the International Feature. Shortlists of 15 films in both categories will be revealed December 21.
In the Animated Feature race, 33 films are eligible for the 2024 race.
Final Oscar nominations will be revealed January 23, 2024, with the 96th Oscars to air Sunday, March 10 on ABC hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
Here are the film lists revealed today, with AMPAS noting that not all have had their qualifying release yet, a requirement to advance in the voting process.
Animated Feature
The Amazing Maurice
Blue Giant
The Boy and the Heron
Chang’an
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Deep Sea
Elemental
Ernest & Celestine: A...
A total of 167 documentaries have made the cut for the 96th Academy Awards, while 88 countries are eligible for the International Feature. Shortlists of 15 films in both categories will be revealed December 21.
In the Animated Feature race, 33 films are eligible for the 2024 race.
Final Oscar nominations will be revealed January 23, 2024, with the 96th Oscars to air Sunday, March 10 on ABC hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
Here are the film lists revealed today, with AMPAS noting that not all have had their qualifying release yet, a requirement to advance in the voting process.
Animated Feature
The Amazing Maurice
Blue Giant
The Boy and the Heron
Chang’an
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Deep Sea
Elemental
Ernest & Celestine: A...
- 12/7/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (Rob Reiner)
One of the most brilliant comedic minds to ever live finally gets his due in Rob Reiner’s loving documentary. Framed around a conversation between the two, Brooks dives into all of his creative output while still proving he’s as witty as ever––and indeed, if you’ve never seen some of his early late-night bits, you’ll be howling along. And since you’ll be looking for more from Brooks to watch after watching, Lost in America and Defending Your Life are on Max, Modern Romance is on Tubi, and Real Life is on Kanopy.
Where to Stream: Max
Before, Now & Then (Kamila Andini)
In Before, Now & Then the social...
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (Rob Reiner)
One of the most brilliant comedic minds to ever live finally gets his due in Rob Reiner’s loving documentary. Framed around a conversation between the two, Brooks dives into all of his creative output while still proving he’s as witty as ever––and indeed, if you’ve never seen some of his early late-night bits, you’ll be howling along. And since you’ll be looking for more from Brooks to watch after watching, Lost in America and Defending Your Life are on Max, Modern Romance is on Tubi, and Real Life is on Kanopy.
Where to Stream: Max
Before, Now & Then (Kamila Andini)
In Before, Now & Then the social...
- 11/17/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“She sat down, stubbed out a cigarette, tossing her long hair and from then on I watched her expecting something — I didn’t know what. Apparently she did not eat, nor did she clap for any of the other speakers. She smoldered and smoked.”
That passage is First Lady Lady Bird Johnson’s description of Eartha Kitt at a White House luncheon — a meal that would come to define both women’s legacies — from her White House diaries, a meticulous account of Lyndon B. Johnson’s five years as president. As shown in “The Lady Bird Diaries,” a gorgeous and haunting new documentary from Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”), the First Lady was right to expect something.
Recreated thanks to an uncanny combination of Lady Bird and Kitt’s own voices, footage filmed at the event, and evocative illustrations from Molly Schwartz, we see history come to life as...
That passage is First Lady Lady Bird Johnson’s description of Eartha Kitt at a White House luncheon — a meal that would come to define both women’s legacies — from her White House diaries, a meticulous account of Lyndon B. Johnson’s five years as president. As shown in “The Lady Bird Diaries,” a gorgeous and haunting new documentary from Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”), the First Lady was right to expect something.
Recreated thanks to an uncanny combination of Lady Bird and Kitt’s own voices, footage filmed at the event, and evocative illustrations from Molly Schwartz, we see history come to life as...
- 11/14/2023
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Throughout the five years in which Lyndon B. Johnson was the President of the United States, his First Lady––Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson––took note of everything. The Lady Bird Diaries, directed by Dawn Porter, is built on archival photo and video as well as audio from Lady Bird herself. For the duration of the Johnson Administration, Mrs. Johnson recorded 123 hours of audible diary entries. From these revealing documents, Porter forms a sympathetic yet clear-eyed portrait of a compassionate woman in an extraordinary position.
Based on Julia E. Sweig’s biography Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight and the podcast In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson, The Lady Bird Diaries opens on November 22nd, 1963 in Dallas. “It all began so beautifully…,” Lady Bird recalls. The immediate aftermath of the JFK Assassination is described in great detail by the new First Lady, thrust into a role she was never eager to play.
Based on Julia E. Sweig’s biography Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight and the podcast In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson, The Lady Bird Diaries opens on November 22nd, 1963 in Dallas. “It all began so beautifully…,” Lady Bird recalls. The immediate aftermath of the JFK Assassination is described in great detail by the new First Lady, thrust into a role she was never eager to play.
- 11/13/2023
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
The thing that strikes you first is her voice.
Lady Bird Johnson recorded 123 hours of audio tapes recounting the ins and outs of her husband Lyndon Johnson’s administration. The recordings form the spine of Dawn Porter’s illuminating new documentary, “The Lady Bird Diaries,” but they don’t just give a chronological sequence of events. These recordings are an artistic achievement in their own right, primary-source history executed with insight and wit, and as a kind of diaristic blank verse. It helps that Johnson had worked as a journalist; she has a way with words that’s deceptive because she’s not (overly) flowery, though her vocabulary is immense. Instead, she’s direct, spare in her descriptions, with her Texas drawl giving musicality to her prose. The space between the drama of her saying “I want to know what is going on, even if to know is to suffer...
Lady Bird Johnson recorded 123 hours of audio tapes recounting the ins and outs of her husband Lyndon Johnson’s administration. The recordings form the spine of Dawn Porter’s illuminating new documentary, “The Lady Bird Diaries,” but they don’t just give a chronological sequence of events. These recordings are an artistic achievement in their own right, primary-source history executed with insight and wit, and as a kind of diaristic blank verse. It helps that Johnson had worked as a journalist; she has a way with words that’s deceptive because she’s not (overly) flowery, though her vocabulary is immense. Instead, she’s direct, spare in her descriptions, with her Texas drawl giving musicality to her prose. The space between the drama of her saying “I want to know what is going on, even if to know is to suffer...
- 11/13/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
A mesmerizing new documentary uses archival recordings to give an intimate portrait of a first lady who acted as a shadow politician in the 60s
Lady Bird, as Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson was better known, is a nickname that conjures the frivolous and fanciful, but the fiftysomething woman from east Texas who emerges in Dawn Porter’s elegant documentary The Lady Bird Diaries was a paragon of substance. She was also a documentarian in her own right, chronicling her time in the White House over 123 hours of audio recordings that were released after her death in 2007.
Apart from the footage of wildflowers that Porter shot on the Johnson family ranch in Texas, the film entirely relies on archival audio and video recordings from the time of Lyndon B Johnson’s presidency, from the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy to 1969. Building on an ABC News podcast, Porter’s work is a...
Lady Bird, as Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson was better known, is a nickname that conjures the frivolous and fanciful, but the fiftysomething woman from east Texas who emerges in Dawn Porter’s elegant documentary The Lady Bird Diaries was a paragon of substance. She was also a documentarian in her own right, chronicling her time in the White House over 123 hours of audio recordings that were released after her death in 2007.
Apart from the footage of wildflowers that Porter shot on the Johnson family ranch in Texas, the film entirely relies on archival audio and video recordings from the time of Lyndon B Johnson’s presidency, from the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy to 1969. Building on an ABC News podcast, Porter’s work is a...
- 11/13/2023
- by Lauren Mechling
- The Guardian - Film News
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie was the top winner at the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were handed out Sunday night.
Among the other prizes the film collected was the best narration award for Michael J. Fox. It also won best biographical documentary, best direction for Davis Guggenheim and best editing for Michael Harte for a total of five awards overall.
Elsewhere, Jon Batiste won best score for American Symphony on the heels of his five Grammy noms, including album of the year. American Symphony also was named best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol won two awards, for best first documentary feature and best political doc.
The eighth annual edition of the awards show, hosted by Wyatt Cenac, took place at New York’s Edison Ballroom.
Winners were announced in 18 categories spanning theatrical film, TV and digital platforms. Also this year, the Critics Choice Association honored Ross McElwee with its Pennebaker Award,...
Among the other prizes the film collected was the best narration award for Michael J. Fox. It also won best biographical documentary, best direction for Davis Guggenheim and best editing for Michael Harte for a total of five awards overall.
Elsewhere, Jon Batiste won best score for American Symphony on the heels of his five Grammy noms, including album of the year. American Symphony also was named best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol won two awards, for best first documentary feature and best political doc.
The eighth annual edition of the awards show, hosted by Wyatt Cenac, took place at New York’s Edison Ballroom.
Winners were announced in 18 categories spanning theatrical film, TV and digital platforms. Also this year, the Critics Choice Association honored Ross McElwee with its Pennebaker Award,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’ Sweeps the Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Complete Winners List)
One of the first big nights of the 2023 award season took place tonight at Manhattan’s Edison Ballroom when the best nonfiction filmmakers competed for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. The show, which is hosted by Wyatt Cenac, honors the most acclaimed documentaries of the year in one of the biggest early contests before the Academy Awards.
Netflix’s Jon Batiste documentary “American Symphony” led the pack with six nominations, while “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City,” and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” were each honored with five nominations a piece. Other contenders for Best Documentary Feature include “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Mission,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” and “Stamped from the Beginning.”
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Story” had the strongest story of the night. In addition to taking home Best Documentary Feature, the film won Best Biographical Documentary, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Narration for Fox himself.
Netflix’s Jon Batiste documentary “American Symphony” led the pack with six nominations, while “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City,” and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” were each honored with five nominations a piece. Other contenders for Best Documentary Feature include “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Mission,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” and “Stamped from the Beginning.”
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Story” had the strongest story of the night. In addition to taking home Best Documentary Feature, the film won Best Biographical Documentary, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Narration for Fox himself.
- 11/13/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Fans of Albert Brooks will not want to miss an insightful documentary in which he’s interviewed by his best friend, Rob Reiner, about the seminal moment of his life.
For documentary fans, we also highly recommend The Lady Bird Diaries, which sheds light on the life in office of the former first lady of the United States, and JFK: What the Doctors Saw.
Big things are coming this week, including Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which literally finds fabled giants in the realm of Godzilla coming to the small screen with an exciting new branch of the film series.
And if space sci-fi is your thing, Beacon 23 begins on Epix. See what else we recommend below!
Saturday, November 11
8/7c Christmas Island (Hallmark)
Can you find the perfect Christmas if you don’t usually celebrate it at all? What if you’re stuck on, of all places, Christmas Island?
Andrew Walker...
For documentary fans, we also highly recommend The Lady Bird Diaries, which sheds light on the life in office of the former first lady of the United States, and JFK: What the Doctors Saw.
Big things are coming this week, including Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which literally finds fabled giants in the realm of Godzilla coming to the small screen with an exciting new branch of the film series.
And if space sci-fi is your thing, Beacon 23 begins on Epix. See what else we recommend below!
Saturday, November 11
8/7c Christmas Island (Hallmark)
Can you find the perfect Christmas if you don’t usually celebrate it at all? What if you’re stuck on, of all places, Christmas Island?
Andrew Walker...
- 11/11/2023
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Every year the race for the Oscar for best documentary feature gets more expensive and less inclusive.
The challenging doc marketplace favors a handful of big-name filmmakers commissioned to make one-off films or docuseries. During the last two years, directors of independently made docs, especially those tackling hard-hitting social issues, have been facing an uphill battle to secure distribution.
The major streaming services, who just a few years ago were spending millions to acquire indie fare, seem to no longer be interested in garnering titles out of festivals.
There have, of course, been exceptions. Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony” sold to Netflix immediately after the film’s Telluride premiere in September, and HBO Documentary Films/Max picked up Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize U.S. Documentary winner “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” eight months after it debuted in Park City. Netflix acquired Laura McGann...
The challenging doc marketplace favors a handful of big-name filmmakers commissioned to make one-off films or docuseries. During the last two years, directors of independently made docs, especially those tackling hard-hitting social issues, have been facing an uphill battle to secure distribution.
The major streaming services, who just a few years ago were spending millions to acquire indie fare, seem to no longer be interested in garnering titles out of festivals.
There have, of course, been exceptions. Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony” sold to Netflix immediately after the film’s Telluride premiere in September, and HBO Documentary Films/Max picked up Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize U.S. Documentary winner “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” eight months after it debuted in Park City. Netflix acquired Laura McGann...
- 11/3/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
November is loaded with some of your favorite movies, streaming on some of the services you probably are subscribed to already. Wondering what movies are coming out in November 2023 that you could stream? We have curated for you a list of the top 10 best new movies in November 2023.
‘Locked In’
November is about to begin with a romantic crime thriller from Netflix. Unhappy newlywed Lina goes at loggerhead with her rich, coldhearted mother-in-law Katherine. It all begins with an affair that sets off a chain reaction which will result in a weird triangle of love, murder and a plot to bring Lina down. Who is the victim and who can Lina trust? You’re about to find out when “Locked In” hits Netflix on November 1, 2023.
‘Sly’
“Sly” puts the spotlight on the nearly five-decade acting career of the Oscar-nominated actor-writer-director-producer, Sylvester Stallone. The retrospective documentary will tell the inspiring story...
‘Locked In’
November is about to begin with a romantic crime thriller from Netflix. Unhappy newlywed Lina goes at loggerhead with her rich, coldhearted mother-in-law Katherine. It all begins with an affair that sets off a chain reaction which will result in a weird triangle of love, murder and a plot to bring Lina down. Who is the victim and who can Lina trust? You’re about to find out when “Locked In” hits Netflix on November 1, 2023.
‘Sly’
“Sly” puts the spotlight on the nearly five-decade acting career of the Oscar-nominated actor-writer-director-producer, Sylvester Stallone. The retrospective documentary will tell the inspiring story...
- 10/31/2023
- by Dee Gambit
- buddytv.com
The Critics Choice Association just unveiled the nominees for its 8th annual documentary awards. Topping the list is “American Symphony” with six bids, including Best Documentary, Best Director for Matthew Heineman, and notices in Cinematography, Editing, and Music Documentary. Heineman is the Oscar nominated director of “Cartel Land” from 2015. The sixth nomination for “American Symphony” is for Best Score thanks to 2022’s Grammy Award recipient for Album of the Year, Jon Batiste. You may recognize another Aoty winner in the Ccda’s lineup — Taylor Swift‘s record breaking concert movie “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is also nominated for Music Documentary.
Just behind “American Symphony” are three films that received five nominations each: “20 Days in Mariupol” from Mstyslav Chernov, “Kokomo City” from D. Smith, and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” from Davis Guggenheim, who is also nominated for Director. The other directors that were heralded for their films...
Just behind “American Symphony” are three films that received five nominations each: “20 Days in Mariupol” from Mstyslav Chernov, “Kokomo City” from D. Smith, and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” from Davis Guggenheim, who is also nominated for Director. The other directors that were heralded for their films...
- 10/24/2023
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
Hulu Unveils List of Titles Coming In November 2023: 'The Holiday,' 'Shallow Hal,' 'Twister' & More!
Hulu has released it’s full list of what will be added to it’s library throughout the month of November 2023!
The streaming service revealed all of the TV shows and movies that are coming to it’s platform, including quite a few fan favorite movies and some holiday features as the holiday season kicks off.
Get more info inside…
Among the movies being added include The Holiday, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Pacific Rim, Shallow Hal, Twister, Men in Black, Armageddon and many more.
On the television side, Hulu will be adding the new original series Black Cake and Drive with Swizz Beatz, season two of Arthdal Chronicles, LA Law, Wahlburgers season five, and Spellbound season 1B.
There will also be many Christmas movies from Hallmark and A&e being added!
Keep reading below to see the complete list of what’s being added to Hulu in November 2023…
November 1
Arthdal Chronicles...
The streaming service revealed all of the TV shows and movies that are coming to it’s platform, including quite a few fan favorite movies and some holiday features as the holiday season kicks off.
Get more info inside…
Among the movies being added include The Holiday, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Pacific Rim, Shallow Hal, Twister, Men in Black, Armageddon and many more.
On the television side, Hulu will be adding the new original series Black Cake and Drive with Swizz Beatz, season two of Arthdal Chronicles, LA Law, Wahlburgers season five, and Spellbound season 1B.
There will also be many Christmas movies from Hallmark and A&e being added!
Keep reading below to see the complete list of what’s being added to Hulu in November 2023…
November 1
Arthdal Chronicles...
- 10/19/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Steve McQueen earns directing nod for A24’s Occupied City.
Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony exploring a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste led the Critics Choice Documentary Awards with six nominations on Monday (October 16).
Heineman also gets a nod for best director, Tony Hardmon, Heineman, and Thorsten Thielow for best cinematography, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Heineman, and Fernando Villegas for best editing, Jon Batiste for best score, and best music documentary.
Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol, D. Smth’s Kokomo City, and Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each received five nominations...
Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony exploring a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste led the Critics Choice Documentary Awards with six nominations on Monday (October 16).
Heineman also gets a nod for best director, Tony Hardmon, Heineman, and Thorsten Thielow for best cinematography, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Heineman, and Fernando Villegas for best editing, Jon Batiste for best score, and best music documentary.
Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol, D. Smth’s Kokomo City, and Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each received five nominations...
- 10/16/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
American Symphony earned six nominations, topping the list of 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda) nominees. American Symphony, which focuses on Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad, picked up nominations in categories including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Matthew Heineman), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score (Jon Batiste), and Best Music Documentary.
Three documentaries – 20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – followed with five nominations each. Documentarian Ross McElwee has been chosen to receive The Pennebaker Award (the Ccda’s lifetime achievement honor).
Winners will be announced during the Eighth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards to be held at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on Sunday, November 12, 2023. Actor and standup comedian Wyatt Cenac (Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas) will host the awards for the second consecutive year.
The Ccda will live-stream on Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter...
American Symphony earned six nominations, topping the list of 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda) nominees. American Symphony, which focuses on Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad, picked up nominations in categories including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Matthew Heineman), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score (Jon Batiste), and Best Music Documentary.
Three documentaries – 20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – followed with five nominations each. Documentarian Ross McElwee has been chosen to receive The Pennebaker Award (the Ccda’s lifetime achievement honor).
Winners will be announced during the Eighth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards to be held at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on Sunday, November 12, 2023. Actor and standup comedian Wyatt Cenac (Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas) will host the awards for the second consecutive year.
The Ccda will live-stream on Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter...
- 10/16/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Updated with the addition of The Holly and American Symphony to the FallDocs lineup.
The Holly, Julian Rubinstein’s documentary about conflict over a gentrifying neighborhood near Denver, and Matthew Heineman’s film American Symphony, about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, have been added to the IDA’s FallDocs screening series.
American Symphony will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles, followed by a live Q&a with Heineman.
The Holly will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the Culver Theater, followed by a live Q&a with Rubinstein, main participant Terrance Roberts, and Aqeela Sherrills, anti-violence activist and co-founder of Community Based Public Safety Collective.
Earlier: Exclusive: The International Documentary Association announced the lineup for its prestigious FallDocs 2023 program, featuring a slew of Oscar contending nonfiction films as well as more than two dozen films that haven’t yet nailed down distribution.
The Holly, Julian Rubinstein’s documentary about conflict over a gentrifying neighborhood near Denver, and Matthew Heineman’s film American Symphony, about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, have been added to the IDA’s FallDocs screening series.
American Symphony will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles, followed by a live Q&a with Heineman.
The Holly will hold an in-person screening on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the Culver Theater, followed by a live Q&a with Rubinstein, main participant Terrance Roberts, and Aqeela Sherrills, anti-violence activist and co-founder of Community Based Public Safety Collective.
Earlier: Exclusive: The International Documentary Association announced the lineup for its prestigious FallDocs 2023 program, featuring a slew of Oscar contending nonfiction films as well as more than two dozen films that haven’t yet nailed down distribution.
- 8/31/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Two days after ”Everything Everywhere All at Once“ won seven Oscars, including best picture, the SXSW Film Festival, where Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s movie launched last year, has announced its own awards. To be clear, “Eeaao” was a studio-backed opening night premiere (not one of the smaller movies launched in competition at the indie-focused fest), but you can still feel the excitement in Austin around the landmark Oscar win. After all, SXSW was the first festival to take Daniels seriously, awarding them top prize for their Battles music video (“My Machines”) in 2012.
Will any of the movies or directors screening here this year go on to change film history?
With five days still to go at SXSW, the juries convened to present the winners.
Narrative feature honors went to writer-director Paris Zarcilla’s “Raging Grace.” On the surface, the tense story of an undocumented Filipina house cleaner and...
Will any of the movies or directors screening here this year go on to change film history?
With five days still to go at SXSW, the juries convened to present the winners.
Narrative feature honors went to writer-director Paris Zarcilla’s “Raging Grace.” On the surface, the tense story of an undocumented Filipina house cleaner and...
- 3/15/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
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