Activists Demand UCLA Amend Hollywood Diversity Report to Document Disabled, Lgbtqia+ Representation
UCLA’s latest Hollywood Diversity Report found some improvement in 2022 in regards to hiring women and people of color, but activist group Fwd-Doc is demanding that UCLA address other overlooked groups such as Lgbtqia+ individuals and the “invisible minority” — disabled people — in the industry.
Jim LeBrecht, co-founder of Fwd-Doc and co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “Crip Camp” (2020), states, “UCLA’s report that stands for promoting diversity is an egregious case of exclusion and perpetuates the misconception that people with disabilities do not exist in the entertainment industry. In light of ‘Coda’s’ three Oscar wins at the recent 94th Academy Awards ceremony, this oversight reinforces Fwd-Doc’s assertion that this report is incomplete and not comprehensive.”
He adds that other groups have been under-represented, such as Lgbtqia+ people, but were ignored in the study.
The ninth annual report, from UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences, covers the top 200 theatrical English-language...
Jim LeBrecht, co-founder of Fwd-Doc and co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “Crip Camp” (2020), states, “UCLA’s report that stands for promoting diversity is an egregious case of exclusion and perpetuates the misconception that people with disabilities do not exist in the entertainment industry. In light of ‘Coda’s’ three Oscar wins at the recent 94th Academy Awards ceremony, this oversight reinforces Fwd-Doc’s assertion that this report is incomplete and not comprehensive.”
He adds that other groups have been under-represented, such as Lgbtqia+ people, but were ignored in the study.
The ninth annual report, from UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences, covers the top 200 theatrical English-language...
- 4/2/2022
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Before there was punk, there were Los Saicos. Started by four guys in Lima, Peru, Los Saicos thrashed their way through local venues and cinema matinees in the 1960s, eventually flickering into obscurity almost as quickly as they’d arrived. But they left behind a roster of hits, including “Demolición,” a buzzing maelstrom of a song driven by the guttural screams of lead singer Erwin Flores, whose orders to smash a train station capture the lawlessness of these proto-punk pioneers. Around the same time in Michigan, a bunch of kids...
- 3/31/2022
- by Julyssa Lopez
- Rollingstone.com
On a big night for Deaf representation at the Oscars with “Coda” taking Best Picture, a live stream featuring American Sign Language (Asl) interpreters of the Oscars broadcast racked up approximately 300,000 views alongside the main show.
According to data from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Oscars Asl live stream additionally had over 1 million impressions and was watched for 903.6 viewing hours. And with early ratings figures pegging the 94th Academy Awards as being viewed by 15.3 million people nationwide, that would be just shy of 2% of the overall viewing audience.
Troy Kotsur accepts his Oscar (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
“Coda” and Best Supporting Actor winner Troy Kotsur were not the only deaf talent representing the Oscars, as the short film “Audible” was also nominated and Japan’s “Drive My Car” features a deaf character as well. And given that added exposure for the deaf community, the...
According to data from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Oscars Asl live stream additionally had over 1 million impressions and was watched for 903.6 viewing hours. And with early ratings figures pegging the 94th Academy Awards as being viewed by 15.3 million people nationwide, that would be just shy of 2% of the overall viewing audience.
Troy Kotsur accepts his Oscar (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
“Coda” and Best Supporting Actor winner Troy Kotsur were not the only deaf talent representing the Oscars, as the short film “Audible” was also nominated and Japan’s “Drive My Car” features a deaf character as well. And given that added exposure for the deaf community, the...
- 3/29/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
With a dedicated awards operation and a seemingly infinite budget, Netflix has moved from Oscars dark horse to one to beat in just a few short years. After scoring its first Best Picture contender with Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” in 2019, the streamer now has the clear frontrunner in Jane Campion’s nomination leader “The Power of The Dog.” With more modest budgets and an international bent, the short form categories have historically presented a wider spread of indies to studio-produced fare. That is, until Netflix got into the fray.
Netflix produced three of the five documentary shorts nominees this year — “Audible,” “Lead Me Home,” and “Three Songs for Benazir — its most in any short film category. All five contenders run the gamut in both style and substance. There’s a feel-good story about a pioneering woman basketball player, and a personal experimental film following the director’s probing of a childhood bullying incident.
Netflix produced three of the five documentary shorts nominees this year — “Audible,” “Lead Me Home,” and “Three Songs for Benazir — its most in any short film category. All five contenders run the gamut in both style and substance. There’s a feel-good story about a pioneering woman basketball player, and a personal experimental film following the director’s probing of a childhood bullying incident.
- 2/18/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
As IndieWire can exclusively share, ShortsTV has announced the return of the 17th annual Oscar-nominated short films theatrical releases, including the categories of live-action, animation, and documentary.
The films will be available in theaters nationwide starting February 25. The 2022 program will open in over 350 theaters across more than 100 theatrical markets, including New York and Los Angeles, before expanding to over 500 theaters. To learn more about the participating theaters and how to purchase tickets, visit the website here. Watch a trailer for the series below.
This is the only opportunity for audiences to watch the short film nominees in theaters before the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 27. The program will be available only in theaters for the first four weeks and then will be available on VOD via iTunes, Amazon, Verizon, and Google Play beginning March 22.
“What a way to get back to the big screen! ShortsTV is bringing pure...
The films will be available in theaters nationwide starting February 25. The 2022 program will open in over 350 theaters across more than 100 theatrical markets, including New York and Los Angeles, before expanding to over 500 theaters. To learn more about the participating theaters and how to purchase tickets, visit the website here. Watch a trailer for the series below.
This is the only opportunity for audiences to watch the short film nominees in theaters before the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 27. The program will be available only in theaters for the first four weeks and then will be available on VOD via iTunes, Amazon, Verizon, and Google Play beginning March 22.
“What a way to get back to the big screen! ShortsTV is bringing pure...
- 2/17/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
South by Southwest Conference and Festivals has set additional Keynotes and Featured Speakers names for the 36th annual festival, which celebrates the intersections of the technology, film, and music industries.
“The 2022 Conference program is coming together in a spectacular fashion. We could not be more thrilled to announce a Keynote lineup that includes Lizzo, Beck, Neal Stephenson, and Celine Tricart,” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer. “These acclaimed creatives, along with the Featured Speakers revealed today, exemplify why SXSW is an essential destination for global professionals.”
The SXSW Conference, is organized into 15 programming tracks presented in a variety of session formats. New for 2022 is the addition of Summits, which take a deep dive into specific topics relevant to the SXSW audience.
SXSW runs March 11-20 in Austin.
The list of keynotes and featured speakers includes Grammy-winning artist Lizzo, also star and executive producer of Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,...
“The 2022 Conference program is coming together in a spectacular fashion. We could not be more thrilled to announce a Keynote lineup that includes Lizzo, Beck, Neal Stephenson, and Celine Tricart,” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer. “These acclaimed creatives, along with the Featured Speakers revealed today, exemplify why SXSW is an essential destination for global professionals.”
The SXSW Conference, is organized into 15 programming tracks presented in a variety of session formats. New for 2022 is the addition of Summits, which take a deep dive into specific topics relevant to the SXSW audience.
SXSW runs March 11-20 in Austin.
The list of keynotes and featured speakers includes Grammy-winning artist Lizzo, also star and executive producer of Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,...
- 2/15/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
New York Times bestselling political conspiracy thriller “The Night Agent” will get the silver screen treatment by Netflix. The streamer has greenlit the series for a book-to-tv adaptation, tapping creator Shawn Ryan to executive produce. The show will hail from Sony Pictures Television.
Per the logline, “The Night Agent,” based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, is a “sophisticated, character-based, action-thriller centering on a low-level FBI Agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings — until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast-moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office.” The novel’s audio version currently holds a 4.2 out of 5 score on Amazon’s Audible platform.
The drama will be comprised of 10 episodes. Ryan, who also showruns, will executive produce via MiddKid Productions along with Marney Hochman. Ryan’s writing...
Per the logline, “The Night Agent,” based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, is a “sophisticated, character-based, action-thriller centering on a low-level FBI Agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings — until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast-moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office.” The novel’s audio version currently holds a 4.2 out of 5 score on Amazon’s Audible platform.
The drama will be comprised of 10 episodes. Ryan, who also showruns, will executive produce via MiddKid Productions along with Marney Hochman. Ryan’s writing...
- 7/21/2021
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
The new Netflix documentary Audible invites viewers to enter a world rarely explored in film: the community of the Deaf and hearing impaired.
The film directed by Matt Ogens focuses on 17-year-old Amaree McKenstry, Homecoming King at the Maryland School for the Deaf, and a star of the high school’s outstanding football team. The Orioles went through a 16 season stretch without losing to another deaf school, and generally prevailed in games against hearing teams.
“There’s a lot of history for me there,” Ogens explains of his connection to Msd and his route to making the film. “I grew up in Maryland, my best friend is Deaf, my aunt even taught sign language at the school, one of our executive producers Nyle Dimarco went to the school, his brother Neal is one of the coaches in the film… Being so closely adjacent to the Deaf community through my best friend,...
The film directed by Matt Ogens focuses on 17-year-old Amaree McKenstry, Homecoming King at the Maryland School for the Deaf, and a star of the high school’s outstanding football team. The Orioles went through a 16 season stretch without losing to another deaf school, and generally prevailed in games against hearing teams.
“There’s a lot of history for me there,” Ogens explains of his connection to Msd and his route to making the film. “I grew up in Maryland, my best friend is Deaf, my aunt even taught sign language at the school, one of our executive producers Nyle Dimarco went to the school, his brother Neal is one of the coaches in the film… Being so closely adjacent to the Deaf community through my best friend,...
- 7/9/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix's Audible is the latest sports drama to captivate audiences. The documentary follows a deaf football player named Amaree McKenstry-Hall through his senior year at Maryland School For the Deaf. Born with full hearing, Amaree eventually became deaf after developing a severe case of meningitis at two or three years old, which lead to brain swelling. Though he has a cochlear implant, he reveals that he only uses it to listen to music, which helps keep him focused. In the documentary, we see the young athlete balance his athletic career and personal life, following the death of a close friend and former classmate, Teddy Webster.
Since the documentary is only 38 minutes long, by the end of the film, you're probably left wondering where Amaree is now. Though there isn't too much public information on the Audible star, in a recent interview with Daily Moth, he revealed that he graduated...
Since the documentary is only 38 minutes long, by the end of the film, you're probably left wondering where Amaree is now. Though there isn't too much public information on the Audible star, in a recent interview with Daily Moth, he revealed that he graduated...
- 7/6/2021
- by Kelsie Gibson
- Popsugar.com
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