Collaborative developer studio Xdev is a key player in the development of popular titles such as Returnal, Rise of the Ronin, and Shift Up’s latest title Stellar Blade. The developer has recently shared an image on X/Twitter that has fans worked into a frenzy.
The teaser doesn’t have much, being only a 5-second long video, but seemingly makes a reference to Returnal or at least that’s what the fans think, promising some kind of reveal ‘today’, the 30th of April. This has excited fans who await the announcement.
Xdev Teases a Reveal, Sparking Excitement Among Fans
Xdev is a collaborator for first and third-party studios developing PlayStation-exclusive titles.
Returnal is a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter with elements of psychological horror. Mainly developed by Housemarque with aid from Xdev, the game was published for the PlayStation 5 in 2021 and later released for Windows.
..Tomorrow.. pic.twitter.com/ZSbZqj1u...
The teaser doesn’t have much, being only a 5-second long video, but seemingly makes a reference to Returnal or at least that’s what the fans think, promising some kind of reveal ‘today’, the 30th of April. This has excited fans who await the announcement.
Xdev Teases a Reveal, Sparking Excitement Among Fans
Xdev is a collaborator for first and third-party studios developing PlayStation-exclusive titles.
Returnal is a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter with elements of psychological horror. Mainly developed by Housemarque with aid from Xdev, the game was published for the PlayStation 5 in 2021 and later released for Windows.
..Tomorrow.. pic.twitter.com/ZSbZqj1u...
- 4/30/2024
- by Chad Glapion
- FandomWire
It’s true! No, seriously: it’s true. And by “it” we of course mean the stories at the heart of Film Independent’s 2024 Doc Story Lab. A one-week intensive designed to provide support for filmmakers whose projects are in post-production, the Doc Story Lab is one of two Documentary Labs amid the larger Film Independent Artist Development umbrella of talent incubators, which for over 30 years have been the place to spot future media-visionary movers-and-shakers.
This year’s participants will engage in five days’ worth of workshops, guest speaker sessions, and one-on-one mentorship with leading professionals in the nonfiction film space. including Doc Story Lab Lead Creative Mentors Chris Shellen (Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces) and Anayansi Prado (Paraiso for Sale) and Editing Mentors Christy Denes (Seduced: Inside the Nxivm Cult) and Sara Newens (Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields). Not to mention plenty of networking opportunities with advice on the...
This year’s participants will engage in five days’ worth of workshops, guest speaker sessions, and one-on-one mentorship with leading professionals in the nonfiction film space. including Doc Story Lab Lead Creative Mentors Chris Shellen (Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces) and Anayansi Prado (Paraiso for Sale) and Editing Mentors Christy Denes (Seduced: Inside the Nxivm Cult) and Sara Newens (Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields). Not to mention plenty of networking opportunities with advice on the...
- 4/10/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Death metal vets Six Feet Under have announced a new album, Killing for Revenge, arriving May 10th via Metal Blade Records. The opening track “Know-Nothing Ingrate” can be streamed now, offering a vicious tease of the full album to come.
Gut-punching rhythms blast away as frontman Chris Barnes spews misanthropy through coarse guttural vocals. It’s a smothering three minutes of frenetic death metal, which shouldn’t surprise anyone whose familiar with the band’s 30-plus years of output.
“I chose the title Killing for Revenge after we completed writing and noticed that all the lyrics and storylines had a common theme of revenge,” Barnes said of the LP in a press release. “Revenge by human or revenge by nature. The album title describes the flow of the stories within the lyrics perfectly.”
Killing for Revenge will be the second album released under the Six Feet Under name since Barnes...
Gut-punching rhythms blast away as frontman Chris Barnes spews misanthropy through coarse guttural vocals. It’s a smothering three minutes of frenetic death metal, which shouldn’t surprise anyone whose familiar with the band’s 30-plus years of output.
“I chose the title Killing for Revenge after we completed writing and noticed that all the lyrics and storylines had a common theme of revenge,” Barnes said of the LP in a press release. “Revenge by human or revenge by nature. The album title describes the flow of the stories within the lyrics perfectly.”
Killing for Revenge will be the second album released under the Six Feet Under name since Barnes...
- 3/13/2024
- by Jon Hadusek
- Consequence - Music
MTV Documentary Films is making its Oscar-nominated documentary The Eternal Memory available for free on YouTube through the rest of the month.
The film, winner of the Goya Award for Best Iberoamerican Film and the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival among many other awards, earned director Maite Alberdi the second Oscar nomination of her career. The Chilean filmmaker was nominated in 2021 for her documentary feature The Mole Agent.
“The Eternal Memory tells a profound and moving love story that balances vibrant individual and collective remembrance with the longevity of an unbreakable human bond,” notes a release about the film. “Augusto and Paulina have been together and in love for 25 years. Eight years ago, their lives were forever changed by Augusto’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. As one of Chile’s most prominent cultural commentators and television presenters, Augusto is no stranger to building an archive of memory.
The film, winner of the Goya Award for Best Iberoamerican Film and the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival among many other awards, earned director Maite Alberdi the second Oscar nomination of her career. The Chilean filmmaker was nominated in 2021 for her documentary feature The Mole Agent.
“The Eternal Memory tells a profound and moving love story that balances vibrant individual and collective remembrance with the longevity of an unbreakable human bond,” notes a release about the film. “Augusto and Paulina have been together and in love for 25 years. Eight years ago, their lives were forever changed by Augusto’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. As one of Chile’s most prominent cultural commentators and television presenters, Augusto is no stranger to building an archive of memory.
- 2/23/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Beatles weren’t civil rights activists, but a soul singer said the group’s success was “a civil rights breakthrough.” He wasn’t the only one to say something like that. Here’s a look at how Black singers inspired the Fab Four.
A singer said The Beatles and Elvis Presley moved helped the civil rights movement
Maxwell is a neo-soul singer known for tunes such as “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder),” “Sumthin’ Sumthin,” and “Lake by the Ocean.” His music doesn’t sound much like The Beatles’. However, Maxwell works in a musical idiom that paved the way for the Fab Four.
During a 2017 interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, Maxwell discussed the issue of The Beatles and cultural appropriation. “It’s a very touchy subject,” he said. “Because it’s like it was appropriation, but there was a certain window that was opened that never would have...
A singer said The Beatles and Elvis Presley moved helped the civil rights movement
Maxwell is a neo-soul singer known for tunes such as “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder),” “Sumthin’ Sumthin,” and “Lake by the Ocean.” His music doesn’t sound much like The Beatles’. However, Maxwell works in a musical idiom that paved the way for the Fab Four.
During a 2017 interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, Maxwell discussed the issue of The Beatles and cultural appropriation. “It’s a very touchy subject,” he said. “Because it’s like it was appropriation, but there was a certain window that was opened that never would have...
- 1/9/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Exclusive: Sandbox Films (Fire of Love) and Xtr (Ascension) have teamed to produce feature doc A Life Illuminated, exploring the life and legacy of pioneering marine biologist Edie Widder, in association with ocean exploration nonprofit OceanX.
Set to direct the pic is Tasha Van Zandt, the filmmaker behind such award-winning documentaries as After Antarctica, about legendary polar explorer Will Steger, and One Thousand Stories, about renowned artist Jr.
A Life Illuminated watches as Widder undertakes an extraordinary journey into the magical world of bioluminescence, through which she decodes the language of light that allows deep-sea life to communicate in complete darkness. It’s Widder’s unceasing need to understand and communicate with the most enigmatic forms of life on Earth that leads her to dive into the unknown, exploring the profound mysteries hidden beneath the ocean’s surface.
The film will draw upon Widder’s vast archive, from her earliest dives in deep sea submersibles,...
Set to direct the pic is Tasha Van Zandt, the filmmaker behind such award-winning documentaries as After Antarctica, about legendary polar explorer Will Steger, and One Thousand Stories, about renowned artist Jr.
A Life Illuminated watches as Widder undertakes an extraordinary journey into the magical world of bioluminescence, through which she decodes the language of light that allows deep-sea life to communicate in complete darkness. It’s Widder’s unceasing need to understand and communicate with the most enigmatic forms of life on Earth that leads her to dive into the unknown, exploring the profound mysteries hidden beneath the ocean’s surface.
The film will draw upon Widder’s vast archive, from her earliest dives in deep sea submersibles,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Details about Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake have been minimal over the past year, but the developer says “production is progressing smoothly”…
Seemingly making up for lost time, Konami announced a whole wave of new Silent Hill games last year. Among the most anticipated is a remake of Silent Hill 2, which is being handled by Polish developer, Bloober Team.
A year later, and little has been seen from Bloober’s remake, which will revise the 2001 classic of the same name for a new generation of hardware. Perhaps conscious of the radio silence – or maybe somewhat weary of all the messages from fans asking for more information – Bloober Team has taken to Twitter (or X) with an update.
“As Bloober Team, we are proud to be a part of Konami’s plan for the Silent Hill franchise,” the studio wrote in a statement. “Alongside our partner, we are...
Seemingly making up for lost time, Konami announced a whole wave of new Silent Hill games last year. Among the most anticipated is a remake of Silent Hill 2, which is being handled by Polish developer, Bloober Team.
A year later, and little has been seen from Bloober’s remake, which will revise the 2001 classic of the same name for a new generation of hardware. Perhaps conscious of the radio silence – or maybe somewhat weary of all the messages from fans asking for more information – Bloober Team has taken to Twitter (or X) with an update.
“As Bloober Team, we are proud to be a part of Konami’s plan for the Silent Hill franchise,” the studio wrote in a statement. “Alongside our partner, we are...
- 11/27/2023
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
Genvid is set to launch Silent Hill: Ascension later tonight, and to get fans up to speed on what to expect, they’ve released a new details on the series and an “Essentials” video, courtesy of Gematsu. That new info also includes details on an optional time-limited Silent Hill: Ascension Founder’s Pack.
Prior to the premiere, Genvid will stream a pre-show event, hosted by Greg Miller and Kinda Funny where fans can gather together and chat with series creators. The Premiere Pre-Show starts at 4:30 p.m. Pt / 7:30 p.m. Et, and is available via the Silent Hill: Ascension app, the official Ascension website, as well as Kinda Funny’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
If you haven’t already, you can install the app for Silent Hill: Ascension and sign-up for a free account. And while the series itself kicks off at 6:00 p.m. Pt / 9:00 p.
Prior to the premiere, Genvid will stream a pre-show event, hosted by Greg Miller and Kinda Funny where fans can gather together and chat with series creators. The Premiere Pre-Show starts at 4:30 p.m. Pt / 7:30 p.m. Et, and is available via the Silent Hill: Ascension app, the official Ascension website, as well as Kinda Funny’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
If you haven’t already, you can install the app for Silent Hill: Ascension and sign-up for a free account. And while the series itself kicks off at 6:00 p.m. Pt / 9:00 p.
- 10/31/2023
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
Silent Hill: Ascension, an interactive horror series from Genvid Entertainment and Konami Digital Entertainment, is launching tonight with the hope that a broader streaming play will get its start on Halloween.
The premiere of the series, which centers on a cult and the bloody lengths its members will go to, will stream tonight at 6 p.m. Pt / 9 p.m. Et. The Silent Hill franchise has been a mainstay of the gaming world for more than 20 years, selling millions of copies. Accordingly, the new iteration has already gotten on the global radar, notching 1 million pre-registrations between Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
Bad Robot Games, a division of JJ Abrams’ production outfit, is a partner in the Ascension series, along with Canadian gaming studio Behaviour Interactive.
The principles involved with the project envision the series having a media presence far beyond the usual provinces of interactive gaming. While Twitch and...
The premiere of the series, which centers on a cult and the bloody lengths its members will go to, will stream tonight at 6 p.m. Pt / 9 p.m. Et. The Silent Hill franchise has been a mainstay of the gaming world for more than 20 years, selling millions of copies. Accordingly, the new iteration has already gotten on the global radar, notching 1 million pre-registrations between Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
Bad Robot Games, a division of JJ Abrams’ production outfit, is a partner in the Ascension series, along with Canadian gaming studio Behaviour Interactive.
The principles involved with the project envision the series having a media presence far beyond the usual provinces of interactive gaming. While Twitch and...
- 10/31/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Those of you waiting on Silent Hill: Ascension won’t have to wait much longer. Developer Genvid Entertainment has announced that the new interactive series will launch on October 31 at 9pm Et/6pm Pt on the mobile streaming app or at Ascension.com, with pre-installation now available. Fans can prepare for the world premiere by pre-installing the free streaming app from the App Store and Google Play. This all coincides with a new trailer for the series that reveals the premiere date.
First revealed a year ago during Konami’s Silent Hill Transmission stream, this latest entry into the Silent Hill universe follows an ensemble of new characters across never-before-explored locations, tormented by new and terrifying Silent Hill monsters. Silent Hill: Ascension puts the main character’s fate in the audience’s hands, ultimately determining who faces redemption, suffering or damnation.
The experience is all tied together with a score...
First revealed a year ago during Konami’s Silent Hill Transmission stream, this latest entry into the Silent Hill universe follows an ensemble of new characters across never-before-explored locations, tormented by new and terrifying Silent Hill monsters. Silent Hill: Ascension puts the main character’s fate in the audience’s hands, ultimately determining who faces redemption, suffering or damnation.
The experience is all tied together with a score...
- 10/6/2023
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
The finale of "X-Men: Evolution" — titled "Ascension" — is mostly a triumphant one. The eponymous team successfully defeats En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse, sending the villain spiraling through the limbo of time. In the process, they stop his plan to turn all of mankind into mutants (and kill those who can't "ascend" in the process) and rescue Apocalypse's brainwashed Horsemen. Left without their mentor in their darkest hour, the teenage X-Men prove themselves more than mere students: true heroes.
The creators had plans for more before "Evolution" was canceled, and the closing moments reflect that. Professor X reveals that he glimpsed their shared futures in the mind of Apocalypse and that while the X-Men will endure, not all days ahead are happy ones. Thus, the series ends on a mood halfway between uplifting and melancholy.
The minute-long montage can't help but feel like a glimpse of the season 5 that never was, a...
The creators had plans for more before "Evolution" was canceled, and the closing moments reflect that. Professor X reveals that he glimpsed their shared futures in the mind of Apocalypse and that while the X-Men will endure, not all days ahead are happy ones. Thus, the series ends on a mood halfway between uplifting and melancholy.
The minute-long montage can't help but feel like a glimpse of the season 5 that never was, a...
- 9/4/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Sony Pictures Television Studios president Katherine Pope says the company is being “methodical and thoughtful” about which video game IPs it turns into television series.
“We are so lucky to have such a strong relationship with our partners at PlayStation, and we absolutely are continuing to build more and more series together. That said, we are being pretty methodical and thoughtful about it,” Pope told TheWrap. “This IP is so special and valuable that we would rather take our time and get it right, than rush and get it wrong. So far, we have strong teams working on ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ and ‘God of War.’ I wish I could tell you more about them, but I’m sworn to secrecy!”
Sony’s recent TV credits include HBO’s Emmy-nominated hit “The Last of Us” and the live-action adaptation of “Twisted Metal,” premiering Thursday on Peacock.
“One might think it’s...
“We are so lucky to have such a strong relationship with our partners at PlayStation, and we absolutely are continuing to build more and more series together. That said, we are being pretty methodical and thoughtful about it,” Pope told TheWrap. “This IP is so special and valuable that we would rather take our time and get it right, than rush and get it wrong. So far, we have strong teams working on ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ and ‘God of War.’ I wish I could tell you more about them, but I’m sworn to secrecy!”
Sony’s recent TV credits include HBO’s Emmy-nominated hit “The Last of Us” and the live-action adaptation of “Twisted Metal,” premiering Thursday on Peacock.
“One might think it’s...
- 7/26/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
“When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood” by director Nathan Truesdell won TheWrap’s ShortList Film Festival Industry Award Wednesday night at The Culver Theater in Culver City, California.
Truesdell, who was also a producer and cinematographer on the Oscar-nominated doc “Ascension,” documented the disastrous LAPD operation of 2021 that devastated South Central after police accidentally blew up a truck full of confiscated fireworks. The 19-minute doc follows local residents, many of whom are still homeless two years later.
“For its experimental, bold truth-telling and for pushing the form of what a documentary can be while balancing tremendous narrative tension, this film brings to light issues of oppression while challenging us to find solutions,” the festival’s jury said in a statement explaining their decision.
Also Read:
ShortList 2023: ‘Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó’ Director Hopes You’ll Fall in Love With His Grandmothers
The jury was comprised of producer Amy Baer,...
Truesdell, who was also a producer and cinematographer on the Oscar-nominated doc “Ascension,” documented the disastrous LAPD operation of 2021 that devastated South Central after police accidentally blew up a truck full of confiscated fireworks. The 19-minute doc follows local residents, many of whom are still homeless two years later.
“For its experimental, bold truth-telling and for pushing the form of what a documentary can be while balancing tremendous narrative tension, this film brings to light issues of oppression while challenging us to find solutions,” the festival’s jury said in a statement explaining their decision.
Also Read:
ShortList 2023: ‘Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó’ Director Hopes You’ll Fall in Love With His Grandmothers
The jury was comprised of producer Amy Baer,...
- 7/13/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
With Silent Hill: Ascension due out later this year, the team has started to divulge more info on the game. IGN has snagged an inside look at the game’s development, including news that cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy fame has signed on to be the composer for Silent Hill: Ascension.
The clip begins with Genvid Entertainment’ Cco Stephen Bugaj explaining the concept of the interactive streaming series, and how it (along with Ascension) is the next evolution of interactive television that builds off of the fundamentals that were created for Telltale Games and Netflix’s “Bandersnatch”.
“All of the viewers will interact with our series simultaneously. They will be influencing a continuously unfolding story canon that they all experience together,” says Bugaj. “Everyone sees the same thing, everyone participates in the same decisions. And when those decisions are made, that’s canon for everyone.”
Of course, seeing as it’s Silent Hill,...
The clip begins with Genvid Entertainment’ Cco Stephen Bugaj explaining the concept of the interactive streaming series, and how it (along with Ascension) is the next evolution of interactive television that builds off of the fundamentals that were created for Telltale Games and Netflix’s “Bandersnatch”.
“All of the viewers will interact with our series simultaneously. They will be influencing a continuously unfolding story canon that they all experience together,” says Bugaj. “Everyone sees the same thing, everyone participates in the same decisions. And when those decisions are made, that’s canon for everyone.”
Of course, seeing as it’s Silent Hill,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
“When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood” was selected as a finalist in this year’s ShortList Film Festival, presented by TheWrap. You can watch the films and vote for your favorite here.
On this day two years ago, the Los Angeles Police Department got the word out to all local broadcast news stations that it had arrested a man in South Central who had been hiding thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks in the days leading up to the Fourth of July.
The news trucks gathered around East 27th Street as LAPD bomb squad officers prepared to detonate a set of homemade fireworks that were considered too dangerous to be transported from the scene. The footage those trucks got on tape became the basis for Nathan Truesdell’s short documentary “When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood,” which uses newscasts to retell the explosion that not only destroyed the LAPD’s detonation truck,...
On this day two years ago, the Los Angeles Police Department got the word out to all local broadcast news stations that it had arrested a man in South Central who had been hiding thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks in the days leading up to the Fourth of July.
The news trucks gathered around East 27th Street as LAPD bomb squad officers prepared to detonate a set of homemade fireworks that were considered too dangerous to be transported from the scene. The footage those trucks got on tape became the basis for Nathan Truesdell’s short documentary “When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood,” which uses newscasts to retell the explosion that not only destroyed the LAPD’s detonation truck,...
- 6/30/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
There’s a new entry in the Silent Hill video game franchise coming our way later this year – and you can watch the trailer for Silent Hill: Ascension in the embed above! This particular game is a collaboration between Behaviour Interactive, Bad Robot Games, Genvid Entertainment, DJ2 Entertainment, and Konami Digital Entertainment – and it’s promising to be something very different than what has come before. So different, it has been described as an “interactive streaming series.”
Genvid provides the following information: In Silent Hill: Ascension, the actions of millions will determine the outcome. By the time the last scene streams, which characters have survived? Will those who are left be redeemed, damned, or suffer? Even the project’s creators do not know how Silent Hill: Ascension will end. Instead, the character’s fates are in the audience’s hands. The project runs on a real-time interactive system that will...
Genvid provides the following information: In Silent Hill: Ascension, the actions of millions will determine the outcome. By the time the last scene streams, which characters have survived? Will those who are left be redeemed, damned, or suffer? Even the project’s creators do not know how Silent Hill: Ascension will end. Instead, the character’s fates are in the audience’s hands. The project runs on a real-time interactive system that will...
- 6/12/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
9 June 2023 —Breakout artist Sarah Kinsley has released Ascension, her debut EP for Verve Forecast and Decca UK. The EP’s release is accompanied by a music video for standout track “Black Horse.”
As Kinsley describes the EP: “Ascension is about this unknown, ethereal place—the islands we create with people we have loved, where our phrases with them live, where our conversations outlast us, where every moment we have experienced lives again and again. It’s an eternal paradise. This is the center of this EP: the treasure, the collection of shining memories I carry, I ascend to.”
Sarah Kinsley
The EP’s five songs were created by musician/singer/producer Kinsley in her NYC apartment. Of single “Black Horse,” Kinsley says: – “A black horse is a sign of death – not in the ringing of the knoll, omen sense – but rather, that the horse signifies letting things which no longer serve us to die.
As Kinsley describes the EP: “Ascension is about this unknown, ethereal place—the islands we create with people we have loved, where our phrases with them live, where our conversations outlast us, where every moment we have experienced lives again and again. It’s an eternal paradise. This is the center of this EP: the treasure, the collection of shining memories I carry, I ascend to.”
Sarah Kinsley
The EP’s five songs were created by musician/singer/producer Kinsley in her NYC apartment. Of single “Black Horse,” Kinsley says: – “A black horse is a sign of death – not in the ringing of the knoll, omen sense – but rather, that the horse signifies letting things which no longer serve us to die.
- 6/11/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Exclusive: MTV Documentary Films has acquired worldwide rights to Pay or Die, a heart wrenching film about Americans living with diabetes who face a cruel choice: pay the “extortionate” cost of insulin charged by pharmaceutical companies or risk death.
Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer directed and produced the documentary, which premiered in March at SXSW. MTV Documentary Films plans a theatrical release later this year, followed by a debut on streaming platform Paramount+.
“Today, nearly two-million Americans living with diabetes are being held hostage by the pharmaceutical industry, as many cannot afford insulin,” notes a release about the documentary. “Without this life-sustaining drug, they will be dead in days. Access to this drug has become increasingly more difficult, as the cost to patients in America soars. Pay or Die follows families struggling to afford their medications and reveals the harrowing reality of living with a chronic illness in the richest country in the world.
Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer directed and produced the documentary, which premiered in March at SXSW. MTV Documentary Films plans a theatrical release later this year, followed by a debut on streaming platform Paramount+.
“Today, nearly two-million Americans living with diabetes are being held hostage by the pharmaceutical industry, as many cannot afford insulin,” notes a release about the documentary. “Without this life-sustaining drug, they will be dead in days. Access to this drug has become increasingly more difficult, as the cost to patients in America soars. Pay or Die follows families struggling to afford their medications and reveals the harrowing reality of living with a chronic illness in the richest country in the world.
- 5/30/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Film Independent on Wednesday named the filmmakers and projects selected for its 12th annual Documentary Lab, rolling out a list that includes Alina Simone & Kirstine Barfod (Black Snow), Chris Coats (Flamingo Camp), Sisa Bueno, Gabriela Díaz Arp (Matininó), Amanda Erickson (She Cried That Day) and Adina Luo (You Have the Floor).
The nonprofit behind the Independent Spirit Awards also announced Black Snow‘s Simone as the recipient of its latest Cayton-Goldrich Family Foundation Fellowship, an unrestricted $10,000 cash grant awarded to a Jewish filmmaker participating in one of its Artist Development Programs.
An intensive program providing creative feedback to filmmakers who are currently in post-production on feature-length docs, The Lab also advances their careers by introducing them to mentors, advisors and guest speakers who can advise on both the craft and business of documentary filmmaking. Chris Shellen (Mickey: The Story of a Mouse) and Ivete Lucas...
The nonprofit behind the Independent Spirit Awards also announced Black Snow‘s Simone as the recipient of its latest Cayton-Goldrich Family Foundation Fellowship, an unrestricted $10,000 cash grant awarded to a Jewish filmmaker participating in one of its Artist Development Programs.
An intensive program providing creative feedback to filmmakers who are currently in post-production on feature-length docs, The Lab also advances their careers by introducing them to mentors, advisors and guest speakers who can advise on both the craft and business of documentary filmmaking. Chris Shellen (Mickey: The Story of a Mouse) and Ivete Lucas...
- 5/24/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Rooftop Films has announced the recipients of their 2023 Filmmakers Fund grants. A total of 21 cash and service grants will be awarded to a variety of independent filmmakers to support the production of their next short or feature film. Four Rooftop Films Water Tower Feature Film cash grants will be exclusively awarded with support from the Laurence W. Levine Foundation.
Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grants are made accessible to Rooftop Films alumni directors who have had their work screened during the annual Sumer Series in New York City. This years grantees include a demographic of over 60% women, 30% people of color and 10% people a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re unbelievably excited about the projects we’ve had the privilege of helping to fund this year! Every single one of these filmmakers approach their subjects in ways that are wholly unique to their style and vision, and we can’t wait to see the finished works,...
Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grants are made accessible to Rooftop Films alumni directors who have had their work screened during the annual Sumer Series in New York City. This years grantees include a demographic of over 60% women, 30% people of color and 10% people a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re unbelievably excited about the projects we’ve had the privilege of helping to fund this year! Every single one of these filmmakers approach their subjects in ways that are wholly unique to their style and vision, and we can’t wait to see the finished works,...
- 4/6/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The docuseries based on The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome podcast is moving a step closer to fruition.
Xtr, the non-fiction studio behind Apple’s They Call Me Magic and Oscar-nominated Ascension, has boarded the project, which comes from Project Brazen.
Deadline revealed in January that Project Brazen, which was launched by Pulitzer finalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, were launching the podcast, hosted by Nicky Woolf, who hosted Audible’s Qanon podcast Finding Q.
At the time, Project Brazen was also developing it as a docuseries with Prx and Xtr will now co-produce. Prx is no longer involved.
Havana Syndrome is a medical condition allegedly affecting U.S. diplomats in countries such as Cuba. The series will explore the events that began in December 2016, when a U.S. official in Havana went to the embassy medical center to report a debilitating and confounding illness that included headaches, nausea,...
Xtr, the non-fiction studio behind Apple’s They Call Me Magic and Oscar-nominated Ascension, has boarded the project, which comes from Project Brazen.
Deadline revealed in January that Project Brazen, which was launched by Pulitzer finalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, were launching the podcast, hosted by Nicky Woolf, who hosted Audible’s Qanon podcast Finding Q.
At the time, Project Brazen was also developing it as a docuseries with Prx and Xtr will now co-produce. Prx is no longer involved.
Havana Syndrome is a medical condition allegedly affecting U.S. diplomats in countries such as Cuba. The series will explore the events that began in December 2016, when a U.S. official in Havana went to the embassy medical center to report a debilitating and confounding illness that included headaches, nausea,...
- 4/3/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix and Chicken & Egg Pictures have teamed up on a new $450,000 documentary fund to support seasoned women and non-binary filmmakers working on their next feature-length project. Up to 30 filmmaking teams will receive either a $10,000 research grant or a $20,000 development grant to use towards a docu project.
Recipients of the Chicken & Egg Pictures research and development grant will also have access to peer support, mentorship, and relationship-building within the documentary filmmaking community.
Applications are currently being accepted for the new grant. The deadline for submission is April 24 and recipients will be announced this summer. To be eligible for the new grant, projects must be a feature-length film that is either in the research or the development stage. Additionally, the project must be directed or co-directed by an experienced woman or non-binary filmmaker who has directed at least two feature-length documentary films. Docus covering all types of topics and artistic approaches are welcome to apply.
Recipients of the Chicken & Egg Pictures research and development grant will also have access to peer support, mentorship, and relationship-building within the documentary filmmaking community.
Applications are currently being accepted for the new grant. The deadline for submission is April 24 and recipients will be announced this summer. To be eligible for the new grant, projects must be a feature-length film that is either in the research or the development stage. Additionally, the project must be directed or co-directed by an experienced woman or non-binary filmmaker who has directed at least two feature-length documentary films. Docus covering all types of topics and artistic approaches are welcome to apply.
- 3/16/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Once considered a showcase committed to hybrid documentaries, the Cph:forum in Copenhagen has steadily transformed into a four-day event that presents a variety of topics, genres and artistic approaches from a diverse group of filmmakers. While the carefully curated market isn’t fazed by experimental approaches to the form, the industry event also champions traditional docu projects and provides a prominent platform for veteran, mid-career and newbie directors and producers.
This year, the financing and co-production event, taking place in the middle of the 20th edition of the Cph:dox documentary film festival, will feature 34 international projects selected from a record number 478 submissions. According to artistic director of Cph:dox Niklas Engstrom, the films selected to participate in the Forum didn’t need to meet a specific criteria, but each project is “important artistically, socially, politically, and culturally.”
Tereza Simikova, head of industry and training at Cph:dox, adds: “We don’t have...
This year, the financing and co-production event, taking place in the middle of the 20th edition of the Cph:dox documentary film festival, will feature 34 international projects selected from a record number 478 submissions. According to artistic director of Cph:dox Niklas Engstrom, the films selected to participate in the Forum didn’t need to meet a specific criteria, but each project is “important artistically, socially, politically, and culturally.”
Tereza Simikova, head of industry and training at Cph:dox, adds: “We don’t have...
- 3/14/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Javicia Leslie (Batwoman) is set as a lead opposite Kaitlin Olson and Daniel Sunjata in ABC‘s character-based procedural drama pilot based on TF1’s popular detective series Hpi (High Intellectual Potential), from top TV and film writer Drew Goddard and ABC Signature, where Goddard and his Goddard Textiles are based.
Written by Goddard, the untitled Hpi remake centers on Morgan (Olson), a single mom with three kids and an exceptional mind who helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, Karadec (Sunjata), and together they form an unusual and unstoppable team.
Leslie will play Daphne.
In the original French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (Hpi), created by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot,...
Written by Goddard, the untitled Hpi remake centers on Morgan (Olson), a single mom with three kids and an exceptional mind who helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, Karadec (Sunjata), and together they form an unusual and unstoppable team.
Leslie will play Daphne.
In the original French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (Hpi), created by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
After parting ways with its parent company First Look Media in December, the non-profit documentary production studio Field of Vision is at Sundance with four docus and actively seeking new donors and supporters.
Founded in 2015 by former Hot Docs programming director Charlotte Cook, “CitizenFour” Oscar winner Laura Poitras and SXSW prize winner A.J. Schnack (“We Always Talk to Strangers”), the company now run by Cook has become a force to be reckoned with in recent years. The filmmaker-driven visual journalism documentary company’s credits include the Oscar-winning film “American Factory” as well Academy Award nominated features including “Ascension,” “Strong Island,” and “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.”
Overall, Field of Vision has supported or produced more than 260 features, shorts, and series mainly via grant money provided by First Look Media, the company run by eBay founder Pierre Olmidyar. Over the last several years, the company has begun commercially investing in docus,...
Founded in 2015 by former Hot Docs programming director Charlotte Cook, “CitizenFour” Oscar winner Laura Poitras and SXSW prize winner A.J. Schnack (“We Always Talk to Strangers”), the company now run by Cook has become a force to be reckoned with in recent years. The filmmaker-driven visual journalism documentary company’s credits include the Oscar-winning film “American Factory” as well Academy Award nominated features including “Ascension,” “Strong Island,” and “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.”
Overall, Field of Vision has supported or produced more than 260 features, shorts, and series mainly via grant money provided by First Look Media, the company run by eBay founder Pierre Olmidyar. Over the last several years, the company has begun commercially investing in docus,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
“All That Breathes” and “Fire of Love” led the 16th Annual Cinema Eye Honors awards ceremony on Thursday night, which took place at the Museum of Moving image in Astoria, N.Y. and honored excellent craftsmanship and artistry in nonfiction films.
Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes,” which follows two brothers who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites, won the top honor for outstanding achievement in nonfiction filmmaking as well as the award for cinematography.
Sara Dosa’s “Fire of Love” took home the most honors with three, including for editing, visual design (tied with “Moonage Daydream”) and original score. The film documents husband and wife volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.
Founded in 2007, Cinema Eye Honors recognizes the subjects and entire creative team behind international nonfiction works, with several of its honorees going on to win Oscars for best documentary feature.
Films “Fire of Love” and...
Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes,” which follows two brothers who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites, won the top honor for outstanding achievement in nonfiction filmmaking as well as the award for cinematography.
Sara Dosa’s “Fire of Love” took home the most honors with three, including for editing, visual design (tied with “Moonage Daydream”) and original score. The film documents husband and wife volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.
Founded in 2007, Cinema Eye Honors recognizes the subjects and entire creative team behind international nonfiction works, with several of its honorees going on to win Oscars for best documentary feature.
Films “Fire of Love” and...
- 1/13/2023
- by Julia MacCary and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Visit Films has picked up worldwide sales rights for Sundance title “Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out.”
The sci-fi comedy will world premiere in Park City, and then be presented to international buyers at the European Film Market. The film’s cast includes Emma Tremblay, Jacob Buster, Will Forte, Elizabeth Michell, Kenneth Cummins and Matt Biedel.
The film centers on Itsy Levan, who is devastated by her parents’ decision to leave the city and buy a fixer upper in the middle of nowhere. Her life seems over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin Kipler, who has spent most of his life awaiting the next arrival of Jesper’s Comet— partly because of his obsession with astronomy, but mostly because the last time it came, aliens abducted his parents. Calvin is now preparing to finally get abducted with them.
“Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now...
The sci-fi comedy will world premiere in Park City, and then be presented to international buyers at the European Film Market. The film’s cast includes Emma Tremblay, Jacob Buster, Will Forte, Elizabeth Michell, Kenneth Cummins and Matt Biedel.
The film centers on Itsy Levan, who is devastated by her parents’ decision to leave the city and buy a fixer upper in the middle of nowhere. Her life seems over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin Kipler, who has spent most of his life awaiting the next arrival of Jesper’s Comet— partly because of his obsession with astronomy, but mostly because the last time it came, aliens abducted his parents. Calvin is now preparing to finally get abducted with them.
“Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now...
- 1/10/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Keep track of when films are coming out in the territory.
Screen is listing the release dates for films in the UK and Ireland in the calendar below.
For distributors who wish to add/amend a date on the calendar, please get in touch with Screen here.
Screen also has an awards season calendar for 2022, here.
December
December 30
Peter Von Kant (Curzon), Where Are You, Adam? (Primal Screen)
December 31
Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2022 (Trafalgar, event cinema)
Previous releases January
January 1
Licorice Pizza (Universal), The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain (Studiocanal), Cinderella - Met Opera 2022 (Trafalgar, event...
Screen is listing the release dates for films in the UK and Ireland in the calendar below.
For distributors who wish to add/amend a date on the calendar, please get in touch with Screen here.
Screen also has an awards season calendar for 2022, here.
December
December 30
Peter Von Kant (Curzon), Where Are You, Adam? (Primal Screen)
December 31
Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2022 (Trafalgar, event cinema)
Previous releases January
January 1
Licorice Pizza (Universal), The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain (Studiocanal), Cinderella - Met Opera 2022 (Trafalgar, event...
- 12/28/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Field of Vision, the documentary production arm been behind films like this year’s “Nothing Compares” and “Disclosure,” “MLK/FBI,” and more, will spin off from its parent company First Look Media and become a new independent organization, IndieWire exclusively reveals.
Field of Vision is part of First Look Media’s non-profit arm First Look Institute (Fli) and is known for its intersection of documentary film, journalism and the visual arts. Co-founder and executive director Charlotte Cook, who has been with the organization since it was formed in 2015, will continue to lead the new independent company.
Field of Vision will remain a non-profit organization, but it won’t be starting things from scratch. First Look Institute will also provide a “significant” financial grant to Field of Vision as part of the transition period as it looks to continue to find new donors and supporters. What’s more, the company’s...
Field of Vision is part of First Look Media’s non-profit arm First Look Institute (Fli) and is known for its intersection of documentary film, journalism and the visual arts. Co-founder and executive director Charlotte Cook, who has been with the organization since it was formed in 2015, will continue to lead the new independent company.
Field of Vision will remain a non-profit organization, but it won’t be starting things from scratch. First Look Institute will also provide a “significant” financial grant to Field of Vision as part of the transition period as it looks to continue to find new donors and supporters. What’s more, the company’s...
- 12/13/2022
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
National Geographic Films dominated the 2023 Documentary Motion Picture nominees for the upcoming 34th Producers Guild Awards. The studio landed three of the seven spots with “Fire of Love” from Sara Dosa, “Retrograde” from Matthew Heineman and “The Territory” from Alex Pritz.
In addition to the Nat Geo trio, other nominees included HBO’s “All That Breathes,” Netflix’s “Descendant,” CNN and Warner Bros’ “Navalny” and Showtime’s “Nothing Compares.” All seven are in the discussion for Oscar recognition this year.
The Producers Guild Awards honors excellence in motion picture and television productions, as well as the most notable names in the industry who are shaping the producing profession.
PGA nominees for docs haven’t had the best track record of translating to Oscar attention, which differs from the narrative feature category. However, it strongly correlates to appearing on the Oscar doc shortlist of 15 films, which began voting today. Last year,...
In addition to the Nat Geo trio, other nominees included HBO’s “All That Breathes,” Netflix’s “Descendant,” CNN and Warner Bros’ “Navalny” and Showtime’s “Nothing Compares.” All seven are in the discussion for Oscar recognition this year.
The Producers Guild Awards honors excellence in motion picture and television productions, as well as the most notable names in the industry who are shaping the producing profession.
PGA nominees for docs haven’t had the best track record of translating to Oscar attention, which differs from the narrative feature category. However, it strongly correlates to appearing on the Oscar doc shortlist of 15 films, which began voting today. Last year,...
- 12/12/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Documentary+, the ad-supported documentary streaming service from Xtr, is expanding its presence in the Fast game via a tile on Amazon Freevee, IndieWire has learned.
The Doc+ Fast (free ad-supported streaming television) channel will launch on the former IMDb TV service on December 13. It will feature documentary films and series from the Doc+ library, as well as some of its recently launched original titles, like: “The Sentence of Michael Thompson,” which first premiered on MSNBC; the very first Documentary+ original “When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood;” Nick Aldridge’s “Crypto Farmers” about those who have “mined” for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency; and Danilo Parra’s “Mala Onda.”
Documentary+ first launched in late 2020 as an AVOD (ad-supported video on-demand) service, but within a year the streamer went Fast on connected TVs including SamsungTVPlus, Xumo, Vizio, and more, helping Doc+ reach 95 million households with millions of monthly average views. The expansion...
The Doc+ Fast (free ad-supported streaming television) channel will launch on the former IMDb TV service on December 13. It will feature documentary films and series from the Doc+ library, as well as some of its recently launched original titles, like: “The Sentence of Michael Thompson,” which first premiered on MSNBC; the very first Documentary+ original “When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood;” Nick Aldridge’s “Crypto Farmers” about those who have “mined” for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency; and Danilo Parra’s “Mala Onda.”
Documentary+ first launched in late 2020 as an AVOD (ad-supported video on-demand) service, but within a year the streamer went Fast on connected TVs including SamsungTVPlus, Xumo, Vizio, and more, helping Doc+ reach 95 million households with millions of monthly average views. The expansion...
- 12/5/2022
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
The Cinema Eye Honors (Ceh) nominations announced on November 10 raise the profile of some of this year’s hottest contenders in the Oscar race for Best Documentary Feature. Sara Dosa’s “Fire of Love” and Alex Pritz’ “The Territory” reaped a leading seven bids apiece, tying the record for most Cinema Eye nominations in a single year.
“The Territory” is up for the top prize, Best Nonfiction Feature, plus Debut, Production, Cinematography, Original Score, Sound Design, and the Audience Choice Prize. Dosa is one of the five women nominated for Direction this year. Her film “Fire of Love” is also nominated in the top category, Editing, Original Score, Sound Design, Visual Design, and the Audience Choice Prize.
The other four films nominated for Best Nonfiction Feature are “All That Breathes” by Shaunak Sen, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” by Laura Poitras, “Navalny” by Daniel Roher, and “A Night of Knowing Nothing” by Payal Kapadia.
“The Territory” is up for the top prize, Best Nonfiction Feature, plus Debut, Production, Cinematography, Original Score, Sound Design, and the Audience Choice Prize. Dosa is one of the five women nominated for Direction this year. Her film “Fire of Love” is also nominated in the top category, Editing, Original Score, Sound Design, Visual Design, and the Audience Choice Prize.
The other four films nominated for Best Nonfiction Feature are “All That Breathes” by Shaunak Sen, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” by Laura Poitras, “Navalny” by Daniel Roher, and “A Night of Knowing Nothing” by Payal Kapadia.
- 11/11/2022
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Xtr, the non-fiction studio behind Apple’s They Call Me Magic and Oscar-nominated feature doc Ascension, has hired Shane Riley as Head of Sales and Distribution Strategy.
Riley will lead the distribution and sales of feature documentaries and series across both Xtr Studios and its non-fiction streaming platform, Documentary+, as well as help build and execute the overall content strategy of the studio.
He joins from Cinetic Media, the management and sales agency behind Oscar-winning doc Summer of Soul, Chris Smith’s HBO docu-series 100 Foot Wave, and Higher Ground’s Descendant. He also represented Xtr titles such as We Met in Virtual Reality, Faya Dayi, and The Thief Collector at Cinetic.
Riley also previously worked at First Run Features and Scott Rudin Productions.
Xtr, which recently opened its 35,000-square-foot studio in Echo Park, recently launched original docs for its streaming service and has produced and financed over 80 documentary features...
Riley will lead the distribution and sales of feature documentaries and series across both Xtr Studios and its non-fiction streaming platform, Documentary+, as well as help build and execute the overall content strategy of the studio.
He joins from Cinetic Media, the management and sales agency behind Oscar-winning doc Summer of Soul, Chris Smith’s HBO docu-series 100 Foot Wave, and Higher Ground’s Descendant. He also represented Xtr titles such as We Met in Virtual Reality, Faya Dayi, and The Thief Collector at Cinetic.
Riley also previously worked at First Run Features and Scott Rudin Productions.
Xtr, which recently opened its 35,000-square-foot studio in Echo Park, recently launched original docs for its streaming service and has produced and financed over 80 documentary features...
- 11/8/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
In 2005, Santa Monica Studio introduced gamers to a bloody new experience simply known as God of War. Gamers were so blown away by its action and cinematic presentation that even the game’s murderous anti-hero, Kratos, soon became an unlikely PlayStation mascot. Even though God of War was seemingly designed as a one-and-done story, its success all but guaranteed a sequel When that second game proved to be just as lucrative and acclaimed, even more projects were greenlit. In the grand tradition of many long-running video game franchises, those follow-ups soon formed an elaborate timeline that is as confusing as it is impressive.
Granted, the series avoids the worst curse of narrative bloat that plagues franchises like Kingdom Hearts, but every God of War entry provides intriguing extra bits of lore and context. To make matters more confusing, the main entries in the series feature references that call back to...
Granted, the series avoids the worst curse of narrative bloat that plagues franchises like Kingdom Hearts, but every God of War entry provides intriguing extra bits of lore and context. To make matters more confusing, the main entries in the series feature references that call back to...
- 11/7/2022
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
Olivia Wilde is in talks to make her feature documentary directorial debut with the nonfiction studio Xtr.
The doc will chronicle the storied, star-filled history of one of the world’s most iconic 1970s music venues. The under-wraps project has been in development for about a year, and more details are coming soon.
“Olivia and I met around 15 years ago and worked together in Haiti after the [2010] earthquake,” says Xtr founder and CEO Bryn Mooser. “I started making films there, and she would always help out with them. I’ve been encouraging her to direct this doc for a long time.” Wilde helmed the 2011 comedy short “Free Hugs,” which Mooser produced, and she exec produced several short docs that he directed or produced since 2010’s “Sun City Picture House,” including 2015’s “Body Team 12,” which earned both of them News and Documentary Emmys.
The doc feature is just the latest in...
The doc will chronicle the storied, star-filled history of one of the world’s most iconic 1970s music venues. The under-wraps project has been in development for about a year, and more details are coming soon.
“Olivia and I met around 15 years ago and worked together in Haiti after the [2010] earthquake,” says Xtr founder and CEO Bryn Mooser. “I started making films there, and she would always help out with them. I’ve been encouraging her to direct this doc for a long time.” Wilde helmed the 2011 comedy short “Free Hugs,” which Mooser produced, and she exec produced several short docs that he directed or produced since 2010’s “Sun City Picture House,” including 2015’s “Body Team 12,” which earned both of them News and Documentary Emmys.
The doc feature is just the latest in...
- 11/3/2022
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
Hard hitting social issue documentaries are getting more difficult to make and sell with each passing year. But despite the market’s fondness for true crime and celebrity-driven nonfiction content, the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program (Dfp) isn’t wavering when it comes to its support of docu filmmakers telling stories dealing with social impact topics including human rights, racial justice, gender equity, democracy, LGBTQ rights, environmental sustainability, freedom of expression, and civic empowerment.
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Dfp, which was established by the late Diane Weyermann in October 2002. In the last two decades the Dfp has supported more than 1,000 projects from all over the world via the fund and/or its Edit, Story, and Producers labs. Docus that have received financial and instructional support from the Dfp include Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Roger Ross Williams’ “God Loves Uganda,” Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson,” Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,...
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Dfp, which was established by the late Diane Weyermann in October 2002. In the last two decades the Dfp has supported more than 1,000 projects from all over the world via the fund and/or its Edit, Story, and Producers labs. Docus that have received financial and instructional support from the Dfp include Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Roger Ross Williams’ “God Loves Uganda,” Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson,” Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Visit Films will represent worldwide rights on the genre-bending relationship horror-thriller “A Void,” the latest feature from ”American Animal” director and star Matt D’Elia.
The film will be presented to buyers at next week’s American Film Market, and begin production in 2023.
“A Void” centers on troubled lovers Sarah and Nick, lifelong urbanites and intellectuals, who move from the city to the country to start a new chapter. As their repressed traumas become more evident, so too do the cracks in their relationship. These problems are only compounded when they encounter a mysterious anomaly on their property: An inexplicable black void that, according to all laws of physics, shouldn’t and can’t exist — and yet, there it is.
As Sarah and Nick attempt to understand what they’ve stumbled upon, bizarre and terrifying events begin to take place, both in their dreams and in their waking lives.
“A Void” is written by D’Elia.
The film will be presented to buyers at next week’s American Film Market, and begin production in 2023.
“A Void” centers on troubled lovers Sarah and Nick, lifelong urbanites and intellectuals, who move from the city to the country to start a new chapter. As their repressed traumas become more evident, so too do the cracks in their relationship. These problems are only compounded when they encounter a mysterious anomaly on their property: An inexplicable black void that, according to all laws of physics, shouldn’t and can’t exist — and yet, there it is.
As Sarah and Nick attempt to understand what they’ve stumbled upon, bizarre and terrifying events begin to take place, both in their dreams and in their waking lives.
“A Void” is written by D’Elia.
- 10/26/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Before diving into this week’s Silent Hill special, please give last week’s discussion on Xcom: Enemy Unknown a listen.
Silent Hill is Finally having a moment.
After the tease that was 2014’s P.T., few fandoms have been clamoring for a new main series game announcement quite like this franchise’s faithful. And after last week’s Silent Hill Transmission from Konami, fans will be feasting soon-ish.
Not only was the long-rumored remake of the beloved Silent Hill 2 finally confirmed, but Konami laid out a loose roadmap for the future of the Silent Hill brand. Not one, not two, but Three spin-off games were announced: Silent Hill: Townfall, Silent Hill f, and Ascension.
Little is known about what these games will entail, but seeing the brand being applied to non-traditional S.H. experiences is exactly the mold-breaking move someone like myself clamors for. And at the very least,...
Silent Hill is Finally having a moment.
After the tease that was 2014’s P.T., few fandoms have been clamoring for a new main series game announcement quite like this franchise’s faithful. And after last week’s Silent Hill Transmission from Konami, fans will be feasting soon-ish.
Not only was the long-rumored remake of the beloved Silent Hill 2 finally confirmed, but Konami laid out a loose roadmap for the future of the Silent Hill brand. Not one, not two, but Three spin-off games were announced: Silent Hill: Townfall, Silent Hill f, and Ascension.
Little is known about what these games will entail, but seeing the brand being applied to non-traditional S.H. experiences is exactly the mold-breaking move someone like myself clamors for. And at the very least,...
- 10/25/2022
- by Neil Bolt
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Documentary+, the free streaming service launched by non-fiction studio Xtr, has launched its latest slate of original feature docs.
The service is launching three new films in October and November in addition to The Sentence of Michael Thompson, which is coming to the service after its debut on MSNBC, and When The LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood, which was the service’s first original.
The streamer launched in 2020 and is available in 95M households as both on-demand and via Fast channel platforms.
Crypto Farmers, which launches on November 8, comes from director Nick Aldrige, who helmed Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral that aired on the BBC Storyville strand.
It examines the unlikely relationship between a young cryptocurrency entrepreneur and struggling farmers in rural Wales. As farms in Britain continue to shut down due to unprofitability, Crypto Farmers follows a group of Britons as they build hydro, solar, and manure-powered crypto...
The service is launching three new films in October and November in addition to The Sentence of Michael Thompson, which is coming to the service after its debut on MSNBC, and When The LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood, which was the service’s first original.
The streamer launched in 2020 and is available in 95M households as both on-demand and via Fast channel platforms.
Crypto Farmers, which launches on November 8, comes from director Nick Aldrige, who helmed Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral that aired on the BBC Storyville strand.
It examines the unlikely relationship between a young cryptocurrency entrepreneur and struggling farmers in rural Wales. As farms in Britain continue to shut down due to unprofitability, Crypto Farmers follows a group of Britons as they build hydro, solar, and manure-powered crypto...
- 10/24/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Thirteen-year-old Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has revealed its influential 15-film Short List. The festival will run its main lineup of 112 features and 124 short films in-person November 9-17 at the IFC Center, Sva Theatre, and Cinépolis Chelsea and continue online until November 27 with films available to viewers across the U.S. All the films will have theatrical screenings at the festival, often with the directors in person.
Historically, most of the Doc NYC shortlist titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix’s Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” for 10 years the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “Summer of Soul,” “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.” The festival has also screened 44 of the last 50 Oscar-nominated documentary features. In 2021, Doc...
Historically, most of the Doc NYC shortlist titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix’s Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” for 10 years the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “Summer of Soul,” “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.” The festival has also screened 44 of the last 50 Oscar-nominated documentary features. In 2021, Doc...
- 10/18/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
Bryn Mooser, CEO and founder of nonfiction entertainment studio Xtr, says he wants to see more production on L.A.’s Eastside, a historic area for movie filming.
“Echo Park in particular is sort of where the center of the creative community is, especially for documentary filmmakers,” says the Oscar-nominated producer (Lifeboat, Body Team 12). “The neighborhood used to be called Edendale, and that’s where the first Hollywood studios were. Charlie Chaplin’s studio, the Keystone Studios, Mary Pickford, everybody was here. The first talkie was filmed probably a mile or so away. So there’s this history of making things here, which is really exciting.”
That’s what drew Mooser, a fifth-generation Angeleno, to open Xtr’s new 35,000-square-foot production facility and headquarters on a cul-de-sac in Echo Park (in the former home of BelleVarado Studios). The studio, established in 2019 and previously...
Bryn Mooser, CEO and founder of nonfiction entertainment studio Xtr, says he wants to see more production on L.A.’s Eastside, a historic area for movie filming.
“Echo Park in particular is sort of where the center of the creative community is, especially for documentary filmmakers,” says the Oscar-nominated producer (Lifeboat, Body Team 12). “The neighborhood used to be called Edendale, and that’s where the first Hollywood studios were. Charlie Chaplin’s studio, the Keystone Studios, Mary Pickford, everybody was here. The first talkie was filmed probably a mile or so away. So there’s this history of making things here, which is really exciting.”
That’s what drew Mooser, a fifth-generation Angeleno, to open Xtr’s new 35,000-square-foot production facility and headquarters on a cul-de-sac in Echo Park (in the former home of BelleVarado Studios). The studio, established in 2019 and previously...
- 10/2/2022
- by Evan Nicole Brown
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Pharoah Sanders, the legendary tenor saxophonist who performed alongside John Coltrane in the mid-1960s, has died. He was 81.
Sanders’ passing was announced on Saturday (Sept. 24) by his record label Luaka Bop, which released the influential jazz musician’s 2021 album, Promises, a collaboration with Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra. A cause of death was not provided.
“We are devastated to share that Pharoah Sanders has passed away,” Luaka Bop wrote on Twitter. “He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace.”
Born in Little Rock, Ark., on Oct. 13, 1940, Sanders — whose real name was Ferrell Sanders — moved to the Bay Area in the late 1950s before relocating to New York City, where he met fellow jazz artist Sun Ra, who encouraged him to take the name Pharoah.
Pharoah Sanders, the legendary tenor saxophonist who performed alongside John Coltrane in the mid-1960s, has died. He was 81.
Sanders’ passing was announced on Saturday (Sept. 24) by his record label Luaka Bop, which released the influential jazz musician’s 2021 album, Promises, a collaboration with Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra. A cause of death was not provided.
“We are devastated to share that Pharoah Sanders has passed away,” Luaka Bop wrote on Twitter. “He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace.”
Born in Little Rock, Ark., on Oct. 13, 1940, Sanders — whose real name was Ferrell Sanders — moved to the Bay Area in the late 1950s before relocating to New York City, where he met fellow jazz artist Sun Ra, who encouraged him to take the name Pharoah.
- 9/24/2022
- by Mitchell Peters, Billboard
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pharoah Sanders, the saxophonist who helped John Coltrane explore the avant-garde and pushed jazz itself toward the spiritual, has died at the age of 81.
Record label Luaka Bop, which released Sanders and Floating Points’ acclaimed collaboration Promises in 2021, announced the jazz legend’s death Saturday; no cause of death was provided.
“We are devastated to share that Pharoah Sanders has passed away,” the label wrote on Instagram. “He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being,...
Record label Luaka Bop, which released Sanders and Floating Points’ acclaimed collaboration Promises in 2021, announced the jazz legend’s death Saturday; no cause of death was provided.
“We are devastated to share that Pharoah Sanders has passed away,” the label wrote on Instagram. “He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being,...
- 9/24/2022
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
The 18th Camden International Film Festival on Maine’s mid-coast – an increasingly important destination for documentary filmmakers – wrapped its in-person portion Sunday after announcing a handful of awards.
Day After…, directed by Kamar Ahmad Simon, won the festival’s Harrell Award, chosen from a group of “some of the most significant documentaries of the year.” The film is described as “A philosophical ballad along the rivers of Bangladesh, transporting the rich and poor, young and old, East and West in a century-old paddle steamer.”
“The jury was unanimous in its admiration for this film, in which an old riverboat seems to contain an entire society’s worth of dreamers and hustlers, politicians and radicals,” juror Eric Hynes said, noting that the documentary employs “both hybrid techniques and dogged observational power. This is a dazzling work of nonfiction.”
The jury awarded a special mention to Polaris, another film with a nautical theme.
Day After…, directed by Kamar Ahmad Simon, won the festival’s Harrell Award, chosen from a group of “some of the most significant documentaries of the year.” The film is described as “A philosophical ballad along the rivers of Bangladesh, transporting the rich and poor, young and old, East and West in a century-old paddle steamer.”
“The jury was unanimous in its admiration for this film, in which an old riverboat seems to contain an entire society’s worth of dreamers and hustlers, politicians and radicals,” juror Eric Hynes said, noting that the documentary employs “both hybrid techniques and dogged observational power. This is a dazzling work of nonfiction.”
The jury awarded a special mention to Polaris, another film with a nautical theme.
- 9/19/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Oscar race came into sharper focus at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, with actors like Brendan Fraser and Michelle Yeoh cementing their lead contender status, and big-budget studio efforts like The Fablemans and Glass Onion premiering to raves.
The fall superfecta – Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York – is the traditional launchpad for the prestige dramas that go on to vie for Best Picture. But for documentaries, it’s a different story.
Analyzing the last 10 years of Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Feature, most premiered early in the eligibility year, typically at Sundance. But a fortunate few have launched as late as the fall, arriving with such noise and momentum that they rise to the top and earn one of the five slots among the year’s most prestigious nonfiction films.
Stanley Nelson’s Attica accomplished that last year, launching at TIFF in 2021. A second Oscar nominee,...
The fall superfecta – Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York – is the traditional launchpad for the prestige dramas that go on to vie for Best Picture. But for documentaries, it’s a different story.
Analyzing the last 10 years of Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Feature, most premiered early in the eligibility year, typically at Sundance. But a fortunate few have launched as late as the fall, arriving with such noise and momentum that they rise to the top and earn one of the five slots among the year’s most prestigious nonfiction films.
Stanley Nelson’s Attica accomplished that last year, launching at TIFF in 2021. A second Oscar nominee,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Adam Benzine
- Deadline Film + TV
Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) has long been one of the most controversial and divisive characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The character was first introduced in season 1 episode “Encounter at Farpoint,” and is the son of Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), the chief medical officer for the Enterprise. Thanks to his mother’s job and his late father’s working relationship with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), Wesley feels destined to lead a life as a Starfleet Officer for a majority of the series until he decides to leave that life behind and join The Traveler (Eric Menyuk).
Longtime Star Trek fans undoubtedly know that much of the controversy surrounding young Wesley stems from how the character is written on the show. Because Wesley spends so much of his time in The Next Generation with the adults on the Enterprise rather than with kids his own age, some Trekkers find...
Longtime Star Trek fans undoubtedly know that much of the controversy surrounding young Wesley stems from how the character is written on the show. Because Wesley spends so much of his time in The Next Generation with the adults on the Enterprise rather than with kids his own age, some Trekkers find...
- 9/14/2022
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
MTV Documentary Films has boarded new projects about an all-girl Afghan robotics team, a #MeToo crime story, an imprisoned mural artist and a community of disabled children in Pakistan. The documentaries join a slate that includes Ondi Timoner’s Sundance title “Last Flight Home,” which will be screening at Telluride this week in a rare double festival act.
The fledgling division, which was Oscar-nominated for the film “Ascension” earlier this year, was set up in 2019 by legendary HBO Documentary Films boss Sheila Nevins, and ViacomCBS executives Liza Burnett Fefferman and Nina L. Diaz. Nevins was at HBO for 38 years and won 34 Emmys in that period. Her credits include “Citizenfour,” “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” and “Paradise Lost.”
The slate spans four feature-length documentaries and six short films (full details below), with Timoner’s “Last Flight Home” serving as a centrepiece.
The “Dig!” director’s acclaimed film follows...
The fledgling division, which was Oscar-nominated for the film “Ascension” earlier this year, was set up in 2019 by legendary HBO Documentary Films boss Sheila Nevins, and ViacomCBS executives Liza Burnett Fefferman and Nina L. Diaz. Nevins was at HBO for 38 years and won 34 Emmys in that period. Her credits include “Citizenfour,” “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” and “Paradise Lost.”
The slate spans four feature-length documentaries and six short films (full details below), with Timoner’s “Last Flight Home” serving as a centrepiece.
The “Dig!” director’s acclaimed film follows...
- 9/2/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The 18th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival, kicking off Sept. 15, will feature a handful of award-contending documentaries fresh off showings at Telluride and the Toronto film festivals. The Maine-based festival will unfold in a hybrid format, with both in-person events over a three-day period concluding Sept. 18, and online screenings available from Sept. 15 to Sept. 25 to audiences across North America.
This year’s Ciff highlights include the U.S. premiere of Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen’s Netflix release “In Her Hands,” which follows one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors during the months leading up to the Taliban takeover the country in 2021; Chris Smith’s “Sr.,” centered on the life and career of Robert Downey Sr. and his relationship to his son, Robert Downey Jr.; and Steve James’ “A Compassionate Spy,” about Manhattan Project physicist, Soviet spy and University of Chicago alum Theodore Hall. Each of the three...
This year’s Ciff highlights include the U.S. premiere of Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen’s Netflix release “In Her Hands,” which follows one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors during the months leading up to the Taliban takeover the country in 2021; Chris Smith’s “Sr.,” centered on the life and career of Robert Downey Sr. and his relationship to his son, Robert Downey Jr.; and Steve James’ “A Compassionate Spy,” about Manhattan Project physicist, Soviet spy and University of Chicago alum Theodore Hall. Each of the three...
- 8/22/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The Film Independent Spirit Awards moved up three weeks this year, to March 6, in part to give contenders a boost in the run-up to Oscars March 27. However, few of its nominees will be in the Oscar running. Those who complained that the Indie Spirits overlap too much with the Academy Awards need not worry this year.
Film Independent’s always-idiosyncratic hand-picked juries shed light on some deserving movies, including four A24 titles that have yet to register with other awards groups: Janicza Bravo’s “Zola” leads the field with seven nods including Best Director, Screenplay, Female Lead Taylour Paige, and Editing), Mike Mills’ “C’mon, C’mon”, Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” (acting nods for Simon Rex and Suzanna Son), and Steven Karam’s “The Humans” (cinematography).
Titles ineligible due to a $22.5 million budget cap include Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog,” “Tick, Tick, Boom,” “Don’t Look Up,...
Film Independent’s always-idiosyncratic hand-picked juries shed light on some deserving movies, including four A24 titles that have yet to register with other awards groups: Janicza Bravo’s “Zola” leads the field with seven nods including Best Director, Screenplay, Female Lead Taylour Paige, and Editing), Mike Mills’ “C’mon, C’mon”, Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” (acting nods for Simon Rex and Suzanna Son), and Steven Karam’s “The Humans” (cinematography).
Titles ineligible due to a $22.5 million budget cap include Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog,” “Tick, Tick, Boom,” “Don’t Look Up,...
- 12/14/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Peter Dinklage to Be Honored at Gotham Awards
The Gotham Film and Media Institute announced that Peter Dinklage will receive a Performer Tribute and the Actors Fund will receive the Gotham Impact Salute 2021 Gotham awards ceremony on Nov. 29 at Cipriani Wall Street.
Dinklage first gained notice in the 2003 film “The Station Agent” and he has received many accolades as Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones” from 2011-2019. Through the series, Dinklage won four Emmy awards and a Screen Actors Guild award.
“The roots of Peter Dinklage’s extraordinary career are firmly grounded in independent film,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Gotham Film and Media Institute. “As his work has grown in major features and shows to reach audiences everywhere, Peter has remained a steadfast supporter of this community of independent artists.”
The Actors Fund provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals with emergency financial assistance,...
The Gotham Film and Media Institute announced that Peter Dinklage will receive a Performer Tribute and the Actors Fund will receive the Gotham Impact Salute 2021 Gotham awards ceremony on Nov. 29 at Cipriani Wall Street.
Dinklage first gained notice in the 2003 film “The Station Agent” and he has received many accolades as Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones” from 2011-2019. Through the series, Dinklage won four Emmy awards and a Screen Actors Guild award.
“The roots of Peter Dinklage’s extraordinary career are firmly grounded in independent film,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Gotham Film and Media Institute. “As his work has grown in major features and shows to reach audiences everywhere, Peter has remained a steadfast supporter of this community of independent artists.”
The Actors Fund provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals with emergency financial assistance,...
- 11/17/2021
- by Jennifer Yuma
- Variety Film + TV
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