Rainn Wilson travels for a purpose — to find the happiest places on Earth. In the new Peacock docu-series “The Geography of Bliss,” the intrepid traveler traverses the globe in a humorous search for meaning. Based on Eric Weiner’s New York Times bestselling book, “The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World,” Wilson explores some of the happiest and unhappiest places on earth — from Iceland to Bulgaria to Ghana — in a profound and funny way that unpacks the science of happiness. All five episodes of the series will be available during Mental Health Awareness Month, beginning on May 18.
Watch the trailer for “The Geography of Bliss”:
Also arriving on the streaming service next month, Pete Davidson, Edie Falco, and Joe Pesci will star in “Bupkis,” a semi-autobiographical series about Davidson’s life. The show mixes reality and absurdity to capture the complexities...
Watch the trailer for “The Geography of Bliss”:
Also arriving on the streaming service next month, Pete Davidson, Edie Falco, and Joe Pesci will star in “Bupkis,” a semi-autobiographical series about Davidson’s life. The show mixes reality and absurdity to capture the complexities...
- 4/27/2023
- by Fern Siegel
- The Streamable
Forest Whitaker has joined Codeblack Films’ Angela Davis biopic as an executive producer, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The actor boards the project after Lionsgate’s Codeblack acquired the movie rights last year to Angela Davis: An Autobiography, centering on the life and legacy of the prominent civil rights activist. He joins Nina Yang Bongiovi, with whom he also produced Fruitvale Station and Dope.
Sidra Smith, who produced the 2012 doc Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, and Codeblack Enterprises CEO Jeff Clanagan also are producing the film. Davis will serve as an executive producer with her niece, playwright Eisa Davis.
Whitaker's upcoming films include...
The actor boards the project after Lionsgate’s Codeblack acquired the movie rights last year to Angela Davis: An Autobiography, centering on the life and legacy of the prominent civil rights activist. He joins Nina Yang Bongiovi, with whom he also produced Fruitvale Station and Dope.
Sidra Smith, who produced the 2012 doc Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, and Codeblack Enterprises CEO Jeff Clanagan also are producing the film. Davis will serve as an executive producer with her niece, playwright Eisa Davis.
Whitaker's upcoming films include...
- 3/22/2017
- by Ashley Lee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The International Documentary Association (Ida) announced today that “Selma” director Ava DuVernay and “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners” filmmaker Shola Lynch have joined the lineup of keynote speakers for Getting Real ’16, a biennial filmmaker-to-filmmaker conference. “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James is also among the celebrated guests. The three-day conference will be Sept. 27-29 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study and other locations in Hollywood. Events will include keynotes, conversations with noted filmmakers, interactive presentations exploring the art and craft of documentary, distribution of recent documentaries, exclusive Here’s What Really...
- 8/23/2016
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Lee Daniels will direct a new documentary, The Apollo Theater Film Project, that will chronicle the history of the famed Harlem concert hall.
To make the film, Daniels is seeking the help of the public, requesting any film footage, photographs, audio recordings or other memorabilia related to either Harlem or the Apollo. Details and a submission form are available on the documentary's website.
The Apollo Theater Film Project marks Daniels' first documentary. "I used to go to the Apollo Theater as a kid and never in a million years would...
To make the film, Daniels is seeking the help of the public, requesting any film footage, photographs, audio recordings or other memorabilia related to either Harlem or the Apollo. Details and a submission form are available on the documentary's website.
The Apollo Theater Film Project marks Daniels' first documentary. "I used to go to the Apollo Theater as a kid and never in a million years would...
- 1/28/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Jay Z and Will Smith will executive produce an upcoming HBO miniseries about Emmett Till, a teenager whose death in 1955 helped spark the civil rights movement. A writer is currently being sought for the project that is in "active development," Deadline reports, with the as-yet-untitled miniseries expected to run six hours.
Till was 14 years old when he was brutally murdered in Mississippi after allegedly flirting with a married white woman. The two men charged in Till's killing were later acquitted; they would eventually admit to slaying the teenager but avoided further prosecution.
Till was 14 years old when he was brutally murdered in Mississippi after allegedly flirting with a married white woman. The two men charged in Till's killing were later acquitted; they would eventually admit to slaying the teenager but avoided further prosecution.
- 7/24/2015
- Rollingstone.com
On Saturday night, at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, where Ava DuVernay screened about 5 minutes of her upcoming first studio project, "Selma," the director also participated in a panel conversation about the film, with its star, David Oyelowo, who plays Martin Luther King Jr in the film. The panel, introduced by filmmaker Shola Lynch ("Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed" and "Free Angela and All Political Prisoners"), is very interesting, and informative, and might whet your appetite for what's to come, when the film opens in theaters later this year. Watch in 3 parts below:...
- 9/22/2014
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards went off without a hitch earlier this evening (February 22) with "12 Years a Slave" continuing to make waves snagging the biggest prize of the night.
Before her film won Outstanding Motion Picture, the gorgeous Lupita Nyong'o added another piece of hardware to her already impressive collection taking home a trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, while Kerry Washington snagged up her second Image Award with a win for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. Kerry's show "Scandal" also won Outstanding Drama Series.
In addition, the hilarious Kevin Hart took home Entertainer of the Year, while Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela with a touching speech and musical dedication.
"He was everything we have all have heard and more. He was humble and he was unscathed by any kind of bitterness after all that we know he's been through," Winfrey said.
Before her film won Outstanding Motion Picture, the gorgeous Lupita Nyong'o added another piece of hardware to her already impressive collection taking home a trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, while Kerry Washington snagged up her second Image Award with a win for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. Kerry's show "Scandal" also won Outstanding Drama Series.
In addition, the hilarious Kevin Hart took home Entertainer of the Year, while Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela with a touching speech and musical dedication.
"He was everything we have all have heard and more. He was humble and he was unscathed by any kind of bitterness after all that we know he's been through," Winfrey said.
- 2/23/2014
- GossipCenter
The 45th NAACP Image Awards were presented Saturday night (Feb. 22), with names like Kevin Hart, Kerry Washington, "12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen and Lupita Nyong'o being honored.
The Image Awards pay tribute to the best in film, TV, writing, music and literature. Take a look at the full list of winners below.
Winners are in bold.
Entertainer of the Year
Kevin Hart
Film
Outstanding Motion Picture
"12 Years A Slave" "Fruitvale Station""Lee Daniels' The Butler""Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom""The Best Man Holiday"
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Forest Whitaker - "Lee Daniels' The Butler"Chadwick Boseman - "42"Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"Michael B. Jordan - "Fruitvale Station"
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Angela Bassett - "Black Nativity"Halle Berry - "The Call"Jennifer Hudson - "Winnie Mandela"Kerry Washington - "Tyler Perry Presents Peeples"Nicole Beharie...
The Image Awards pay tribute to the best in film, TV, writing, music and literature. Take a look at the full list of winners below.
Winners are in bold.
Entertainer of the Year
Kevin Hart
Film
Outstanding Motion Picture
"12 Years A Slave" "Fruitvale Station""Lee Daniels' The Butler""Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom""The Best Man Holiday"
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Forest Whitaker - "Lee Daniels' The Butler"Chadwick Boseman - "42"Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"Michael B. Jordan - "Fruitvale Station"
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Angela Bassett - "Black Nativity"Halle Berry - "The Call"Jennifer Hudson - "Winnie Mandela"Kerry Washington - "Tyler Perry Presents Peeples"Nicole Beharie...
- 2/23/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
SundanceNOW and their Doc Club program have released the full video of last week’s Spotlight on Women Directors panel out of the Sundance Film Festival.
Moderated by Indiewire’s Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck), the panel of talented women filmmakers included Rory Kennedy (Last Days in Vietnam), Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), Judith Helfand (Cooked), and Lucy Walker (The Crash Reel).
Curated by Thom Powers (@ThomPowers), January focused on the amazing women directors currently working in documentary filmmaking.
Click here to access the rest of January’s program: http://www.sundancenow.com/doc-club/spotlight-on-women-directors/35. Join Doc Club to access the 8 films highlighted. Sign up now and get your first month free.
SundanceNOW, the digital sister to Sundance Selects, is an online destination where independent film fans can download, watch instantly and discuss a broad range of independent films from around the globe. Offering the option to stream, download...
Moderated by Indiewire’s Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck), the panel of talented women filmmakers included Rory Kennedy (Last Days in Vietnam), Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), Judith Helfand (Cooked), and Lucy Walker (The Crash Reel).
Curated by Thom Powers (@ThomPowers), January focused on the amazing women directors currently working in documentary filmmaking.
Click here to access the rest of January’s program: http://www.sundancenow.com/doc-club/spotlight-on-women-directors/35. Join Doc Club to access the 8 films highlighted. Sign up now and get your first month free.
SundanceNOW, the digital sister to Sundance Selects, is an online destination where independent film fans can download, watch instantly and discuss a broad range of independent films from around the globe. Offering the option to stream, download...
- 1/28/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
At Sundance I had the opportunity to moderate a Spotlight on Women Directors panel featuring four prominent women in documentaries: Rory Kennedy ("Last Days in Vietnam"), Lucy Walker ("The Lion's Mouth Opens"), Chicken & Egg's Judith Helfand ("Everything's Cool") and Shola Lynch ("Free Angela and All Political Prisoners"). These demanding filmmakers share how sexism has impacted their work, how they pick their stories, when to kill an idea when it isn't good enough, and how to decide when their films are finished. Sundance Now programmer Thom Powers introduced the lively discussion, below. ...
- 1/25/2014
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
(From Sundance Institue Newsletter)
New research shows Sundance Institute lab projects helmed by women succeed at just shy of equal rates as male-helmed projects in production and top festival exhibition. Collaborative initiative now includes deepened mentorship program, financing intensives, expanded network of allied organizations and updated research. Study conducted by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Katherine Pieper, Ph.D. and Marc Choueiti at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.
At a gathering of filmmakers, producers and members of the film distribution industry, at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute, and Cathy Schulman, President, Women In Film Los Angeles, announced significant growth of a collaborative initiative designed to achieve gender parity and sustainable careers for women working in filmed entertainment.
Recent expansions of the initiative, which launched two years ago, include a deepened mentorship program, new financing intensives, an expanded network of allied organizations and new and updated research, the results of which were also released today. The study was commissioned by Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles and was conducted by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Katherine Pieper, Ph.D. and Marc Choueiti at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.
Putnam said, “Our collaborative initiative has furthered the dialogue around the importance of women behind the camera. We are grateful to the researchers and allied organizations in lending their analysis and expertise to help us identify the most productive next steps to address existing challenges.”
Schulman said of the results, “In terms of our committed course of change for women, this year's study is another invaluable tool in understanding how Sundance and Women In Film can help guide the industry to institutionalize permanent progress through our programs and collective influence."
The research documented the gender distribution of filmmakers participating in Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (Ffp) and Documentary Film Program (Dfp) Labs between 2002 and 2013 to determine how many emerging female writers, directors and producers receive critical artistic support as part of their filmmaking background, and how this may affect their careers and the pipeline overall. It also updated last year’s inaugural study by quantitatively examining the gender of 1,163 content creators (directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, and editors) across 82 U.S. films selected and screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Lastly, the research delved deeper into the original qualitative interviews to further explore obstructions facing female directors and producers in the narrative space.
Key findings include:
Artist Support Through Sundance Institute Labs •Female storytellers compete and flourish at Sundance Institute labs. Of the 432 lab fellows between 2002 and 2013, 42.6% were female. Women comprised 39.3% of fellows in the Feature Film Program (Ffp) and 54.5% of fellows in the Documentary Film Program (Dfp).
•Sundance Institute Lab projects helmed by women succeed at just shy of equal rates as male-helmed projects in production and top festival exhibition. The percentage of Ffp lab projects completed did not vary by gender; roughly 41% of male-helmed and female-helmed projects were finished. 81.3% of all finished Ffp films went on to play at the top 10 festivals worldwide, and of these, no gender differences emerged.
Barriers Facing Female FilmmakersThe initial report revealed career obstacles that face female filmmakers, including gendered financial barriers, male-dominated industry networks, and stereotyping on set. We analyzed a subset of the original 51 interviews with industry thought leaders and seasoned content creators.
•When industry leaders think director, they think male. Traits were gathered from 34 narrative and documentary decision-makers and filmmakers. We explored whether attributes of successful directors reflect stereotypical characteristics of men or women. Nearly one-third of traits (32.1%) were coded as masculine and 19.3% feminine. Conceiving of the directing role in masculine terms may limit the extent to which different women are considered for the job.
•Putting female directors on studio lists is limited by stereotypes. A group of 12 individuals working in the narrative realm were asked specifically about hiring directors into top commercial jobs. Two-thirds (66.7%) indicated that there is a smaller pool of qualified female directors. Half mentioned that stereotypically male films (i.e., action, horror) may not appeal as job opportunities to female directors. These findings illustrate how a reliance on stereotypes creates decision-making biases that weaken women’s opportunities.
Updates To Last Year’S Study•Of the 1,163 content creators working behind the camera on 82 U.S. films at Sff in 2013, 28.9% were women and 71.1% were men. The presence of women differed by storytelling genre: 23.8% of content creators were women in narrative films whereas 40.4% were women in documentary films.
•2013 was an extraordinary year for women in documentary filmmaking at Sff. 42.2% of documentary directors and 49.2% of documentary producers were women at the 2013 Festival. Focusing on directors specifically by program category, 46.4% of U.S. documentary competition directors were female as were 30.8% of documentary premiere helmers.
•Female narrative directors saw gains and losses in 2013, but little overall change. For the first time, gender parity was achieved in U.S. dramatic competition movies in 2013 with 50% of all helmers being female. In contrast, only one of the 18 directors in the premieres section was a woman.
•Narrative directors at the 2013 Festival continued to outperform directors in the top 100 box office: Turning to the 100 top-grossing films of 2013, only 2 (1.9%) of the 108 helmers were female. This represents a 48.1% drop from the percentage of female directors in the Festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition films.
•Examining female participation at the Festival as directors and producers from 2002 to 2013 revealed no meaningful change over time. Instead, the percentages of female participation often fluctuate but no continuous and sustained increases or decreases were observed across the 12 years. For dramatic features, females accounted for 24.4% of all competition helmers and 13.9% of all non-competition helmers. In documentaries, the percentage of female competition directors is 41.7% and 25% of non-competition helmers.From 2002-2013 17.1% of directors of U.S. narrative films and 35.3% of directors of U.S. documentary films at Sff were female.
This year’s mentorship fellows include Producer Brenda Coughlin (Dirty Wars), Director Marta Cunningham (Valentine Road), Director Mari Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl), Director Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), Producer Jordana Mollick (Life Partners) and Producer Kim Sherman (A Teacher).
The Dove short film fellow is Cynthia Wade, who directed a short film entitled Selfie, with producer Sharon Liese. Cynthia was mentored by Academy Award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple.
In addition, this past year Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles launched a Finance Forum in Los Angeles, where 68 female filmmakers with 58 industry advisors and guests participated. A second financing intensive will be presented in April 2014 in New York.
Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles also continued to meet with leading organizations working on gender in media. Allied Organizations involved in and lending counsel to the collaborative project include: AFI Conservatory; Alliance of Women Directors; Athena Film Festival; Chapman University; Chicken & Egg Pictures; Creative Capital; Film Independent; Fledgling Fund; Ford Foundation; Fusion Film Festival at Nyu; Gamechanger Films; Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; Ifp; Ifp New York; Impact Partners Women's Fund; Loreen Arbus Foundation; Los Angeles Film Festival; Loyola Marymount University; Nyu; Paley Center for Media; Producers Guild of America; Reel Image Inc.; Tangerine; The Harnisch Foundation; Time Warner Foundation; UCLA; USC; USC/Annenberg; Writers Guild of America; Women and Hollywood; Women In Film Nywift; Women In Film; Wifv (DC); Women Make Movies; Women Moving Millions and Women's Media Center.
The Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles collaboration is supported by Dove, Norlien Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Gruber Family Foundation, J. Manus Foundation, Bhakti Chai, and The Harnisch Foundation.
New research shows Sundance Institute lab projects helmed by women succeed at just shy of equal rates as male-helmed projects in production and top festival exhibition. Collaborative initiative now includes deepened mentorship program, financing intensives, expanded network of allied organizations and updated research. Study conducted by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Katherine Pieper, Ph.D. and Marc Choueiti at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.
At a gathering of filmmakers, producers and members of the film distribution industry, at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute, and Cathy Schulman, President, Women In Film Los Angeles, announced significant growth of a collaborative initiative designed to achieve gender parity and sustainable careers for women working in filmed entertainment.
Recent expansions of the initiative, which launched two years ago, include a deepened mentorship program, new financing intensives, an expanded network of allied organizations and new and updated research, the results of which were also released today. The study was commissioned by Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles and was conducted by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Katherine Pieper, Ph.D. and Marc Choueiti at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.
Putnam said, “Our collaborative initiative has furthered the dialogue around the importance of women behind the camera. We are grateful to the researchers and allied organizations in lending their analysis and expertise to help us identify the most productive next steps to address existing challenges.”
Schulman said of the results, “In terms of our committed course of change for women, this year's study is another invaluable tool in understanding how Sundance and Women In Film can help guide the industry to institutionalize permanent progress through our programs and collective influence."
The research documented the gender distribution of filmmakers participating in Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (Ffp) and Documentary Film Program (Dfp) Labs between 2002 and 2013 to determine how many emerging female writers, directors and producers receive critical artistic support as part of their filmmaking background, and how this may affect their careers and the pipeline overall. It also updated last year’s inaugural study by quantitatively examining the gender of 1,163 content creators (directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, and editors) across 82 U.S. films selected and screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Lastly, the research delved deeper into the original qualitative interviews to further explore obstructions facing female directors and producers in the narrative space.
Key findings include:
Artist Support Through Sundance Institute Labs •Female storytellers compete and flourish at Sundance Institute labs. Of the 432 lab fellows between 2002 and 2013, 42.6% were female. Women comprised 39.3% of fellows in the Feature Film Program (Ffp) and 54.5% of fellows in the Documentary Film Program (Dfp).
•Sundance Institute Lab projects helmed by women succeed at just shy of equal rates as male-helmed projects in production and top festival exhibition. The percentage of Ffp lab projects completed did not vary by gender; roughly 41% of male-helmed and female-helmed projects were finished. 81.3% of all finished Ffp films went on to play at the top 10 festivals worldwide, and of these, no gender differences emerged.
Barriers Facing Female FilmmakersThe initial report revealed career obstacles that face female filmmakers, including gendered financial barriers, male-dominated industry networks, and stereotyping on set. We analyzed a subset of the original 51 interviews with industry thought leaders and seasoned content creators.
•When industry leaders think director, they think male. Traits were gathered from 34 narrative and documentary decision-makers and filmmakers. We explored whether attributes of successful directors reflect stereotypical characteristics of men or women. Nearly one-third of traits (32.1%) were coded as masculine and 19.3% feminine. Conceiving of the directing role in masculine terms may limit the extent to which different women are considered for the job.
•Putting female directors on studio lists is limited by stereotypes. A group of 12 individuals working in the narrative realm were asked specifically about hiring directors into top commercial jobs. Two-thirds (66.7%) indicated that there is a smaller pool of qualified female directors. Half mentioned that stereotypically male films (i.e., action, horror) may not appeal as job opportunities to female directors. These findings illustrate how a reliance on stereotypes creates decision-making biases that weaken women’s opportunities.
Updates To Last Year’S Study•Of the 1,163 content creators working behind the camera on 82 U.S. films at Sff in 2013, 28.9% were women and 71.1% were men. The presence of women differed by storytelling genre: 23.8% of content creators were women in narrative films whereas 40.4% were women in documentary films.
•2013 was an extraordinary year for women in documentary filmmaking at Sff. 42.2% of documentary directors and 49.2% of documentary producers were women at the 2013 Festival. Focusing on directors specifically by program category, 46.4% of U.S. documentary competition directors were female as were 30.8% of documentary premiere helmers.
•Female narrative directors saw gains and losses in 2013, but little overall change. For the first time, gender parity was achieved in U.S. dramatic competition movies in 2013 with 50% of all helmers being female. In contrast, only one of the 18 directors in the premieres section was a woman.
•Narrative directors at the 2013 Festival continued to outperform directors in the top 100 box office: Turning to the 100 top-grossing films of 2013, only 2 (1.9%) of the 108 helmers were female. This represents a 48.1% drop from the percentage of female directors in the Festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition films.
•Examining female participation at the Festival as directors and producers from 2002 to 2013 revealed no meaningful change over time. Instead, the percentages of female participation often fluctuate but no continuous and sustained increases or decreases were observed across the 12 years. For dramatic features, females accounted for 24.4% of all competition helmers and 13.9% of all non-competition helmers. In documentaries, the percentage of female competition directors is 41.7% and 25% of non-competition helmers.From 2002-2013 17.1% of directors of U.S. narrative films and 35.3% of directors of U.S. documentary films at Sff were female.
This year’s mentorship fellows include Producer Brenda Coughlin (Dirty Wars), Director Marta Cunningham (Valentine Road), Director Mari Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl), Director Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), Producer Jordana Mollick (Life Partners) and Producer Kim Sherman (A Teacher).
The Dove short film fellow is Cynthia Wade, who directed a short film entitled Selfie, with producer Sharon Liese. Cynthia was mentored by Academy Award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple.
In addition, this past year Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles launched a Finance Forum in Los Angeles, where 68 female filmmakers with 58 industry advisors and guests participated. A second financing intensive will be presented in April 2014 in New York.
Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles also continued to meet with leading organizations working on gender in media. Allied Organizations involved in and lending counsel to the collaborative project include: AFI Conservatory; Alliance of Women Directors; Athena Film Festival; Chapman University; Chicken & Egg Pictures; Creative Capital; Film Independent; Fledgling Fund; Ford Foundation; Fusion Film Festival at Nyu; Gamechanger Films; Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; Ifp; Ifp New York; Impact Partners Women's Fund; Loreen Arbus Foundation; Los Angeles Film Festival; Loyola Marymount University; Nyu; Paley Center for Media; Producers Guild of America; Reel Image Inc.; Tangerine; The Harnisch Foundation; Time Warner Foundation; UCLA; USC; USC/Annenberg; Writers Guild of America; Women and Hollywood; Women In Film Nywift; Women In Film; Wifv (DC); Women Make Movies; Women Moving Millions and Women's Media Center.
The Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles collaboration is supported by Dove, Norlien Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Gruber Family Foundation, J. Manus Foundation, Bhakti Chai, and The Harnisch Foundation.
- 1/22/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
For those of you who've expressed that you're suffering from "black rom-com fatigue," here's another look at the upcoming psychological thriller, Repentance (previously titled Vipaka). It's been quite an active last 12 months for Jeff Clanagan and his CodeBlack Films, since the launch of 2012's partnership with Lionsgate (also a company that's been on a hit streak lately). On the heels of successful releases like Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, George Tillman Jr.'s The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete, and Shola Lynch's Free Angela And All Political Prisoners, Codeblack picked up Us distribution rights to Forest Whitaker‘s thriller...
- 1/14/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Adding their picks to the awards season deluge, the 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards unveiled the official list of nominees.
Not surprisingly, “The Butler” will compete in categories including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor & Actress and Writing.
Meanwhile, Kerry Washington’s “Scandal” is up for Outstanding Drama Series, and Ms. Washington herself received a nod for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.
NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock gushed, “This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change.”
The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards will go live on Friday, February 21st.
And the nominees are:
Television
Outstanding Comedy Series
"House of Lies" (Showtime)
"Modern Family" (ABC)
"Real Husbands of Hollywood" (Bet)
"The Game" (Bet)
"The Soul Man" (TV Land)
Outstanding Actor in...
Not surprisingly, “The Butler” will compete in categories including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor & Actress and Writing.
Meanwhile, Kerry Washington’s “Scandal” is up for Outstanding Drama Series, and Ms. Washington herself received a nod for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.
NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock gushed, “This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change.”
The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards will go live on Friday, February 21st.
And the nominees are:
Television
Outstanding Comedy Series
"House of Lies" (Showtime)
"Modern Family" (ABC)
"Real Husbands of Hollywood" (Bet)
"The Game" (Bet)
"The Soul Man" (TV Land)
Outstanding Actor in...
- 1/10/2014
- GossipCenter
Deborah is a dear friend, family and business, for many years.
She is a lifelong dedicated documentary filmmaker, one of our best. Her docu Oscar and Emmy awards attest to the talent and dedication.
Recently she has been discussing with me what she feels are the current shortcomings in this year's nominating Documentary Oscar process and especially the recently published 'short list' by the Academy.
We are very interested in hearing your feedback or comments on this issue which is Not likely to be discussed or raised in any other forum but which we consider Very important!!
Following is her statement on the present situation and the omission of certain very important titles from the AMPAS 'short list' of this year's documentaries..
by Deborah Shaffer -
As an Academy Award-winning documentary director and member of the doc branch of AMPAS, I was the lucky recipient of all 149 qualified documentaries in 2013. It has certainly been one of the more bountiful and exciting years ever. I wish that, as with fiction features, we had the option to nominate up to 10 titles. There are certainly enough excellent, strong candidates to fill a slate of 10. But there is something about this year's short list that has made me sad and disappointed and I don't know whether the fault lies in the process or the end result, but it's certainly the latter where it shows up.
Among the qualified films this year were an incredibly strong number of docs on African American history and culture, including Let the Fire Burn, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, Gideon's Army, The New Black, and American Promise. Not One Of These Films Is On The Short List despite having been recognized at numerous other festivals and year end award events. It suggests a distressing pattern of oversight, and even more disappointing since 4 of the above films were directed by Black women.
I don't have any quick or easy solutions about how to address this. We are all bemoaning the nearly impossible burden of watching approximately 150 documentaries, yet I don't think anyone wants to go back to the bad old committee system. Certainly continuing the trend to diversifying the branch membership across gender, age, and race should help. Personally I would also like to see a system where fewer films qualify, making it more possible for more members to screen those docs that do make it through the gate.
As it stands now, anyone with enough money to four wall a theatrical opening in New York and La can meet the qualifications, essentially buying their way into the Oscar pool. There should be a way to close this loophole, which I estimate would cut the numbers by at least one third to one half. Our field has grown so much in recent years, and the overall quality of the films that have made it to the short list is staggeringly high. We need to find a way to make sure we reward the best, and not just the best known.
She is a lifelong dedicated documentary filmmaker, one of our best. Her docu Oscar and Emmy awards attest to the talent and dedication.
Recently she has been discussing with me what she feels are the current shortcomings in this year's nominating Documentary Oscar process and especially the recently published 'short list' by the Academy.
We are very interested in hearing your feedback or comments on this issue which is Not likely to be discussed or raised in any other forum but which we consider Very important!!
Following is her statement on the present situation and the omission of certain very important titles from the AMPAS 'short list' of this year's documentaries..
by Deborah Shaffer -
As an Academy Award-winning documentary director and member of the doc branch of AMPAS, I was the lucky recipient of all 149 qualified documentaries in 2013. It has certainly been one of the more bountiful and exciting years ever. I wish that, as with fiction features, we had the option to nominate up to 10 titles. There are certainly enough excellent, strong candidates to fill a slate of 10. But there is something about this year's short list that has made me sad and disappointed and I don't know whether the fault lies in the process or the end result, but it's certainly the latter where it shows up.
Among the qualified films this year were an incredibly strong number of docs on African American history and culture, including Let the Fire Burn, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, Gideon's Army, The New Black, and American Promise. Not One Of These Films Is On The Short List despite having been recognized at numerous other festivals and year end award events. It suggests a distressing pattern of oversight, and even more disappointing since 4 of the above films were directed by Black women.
I don't have any quick or easy solutions about how to address this. We are all bemoaning the nearly impossible burden of watching approximately 150 documentaries, yet I don't think anyone wants to go back to the bad old committee system. Certainly continuing the trend to diversifying the branch membership across gender, age, and race should help. Personally I would also like to see a system where fewer films qualify, making it more possible for more members to screen those docs that do make it through the gate.
As it stands now, anyone with enough money to four wall a theatrical opening in New York and La can meet the qualifications, essentially buying their way into the Oscar pool. There should be a way to close this loophole, which I estimate would cut the numbers by at least one third to one half. Our field has grown so much in recent years, and the overall quality of the films that have made it to the short list is staggeringly high. We need to find a way to make sure we reward the best, and not just the best known.
- 12/18/2013
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
A follow up to our recent discussion on contenders for the 2014 Best Documentary Oscar. The Academy has culled its list down to 15 feature documentary films still in consideration. None of the five black female-directed films in our earlier post - Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, American Promise, Gideon's Army, Valentine Road, or The New Black - were selected for the short list. However, two more projects we've followed at length - Roger Ross Williams' exploration of the African missionary movement, God Loves Uganda, and 20 Feet From Stardom, Morgan Neville's profile of powerhouse background vocalists - have been included in the top...
- 12/4/2013
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
This is a tough awards season! Lots of great movies to see, so little time! I'm catching up like crazy before we vote for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for the Broadcast Film Critics Association. So I apologize if I haven't updated you with the latest on the awards season 2013-2014! And there were many award-giving bodies announcing nominations.
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
- 12/2/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
For our readers in the Philly area, an event you just might be interested in attending, taking place a week from today, Tuesday, November 26, 2013, from 5pm to 7pm...A Master Class given by Shola Lynch (Free Angela And All Political Prisoners, Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed), titled "The Aesthetics of Archival Filmmaking." In this Master Class, Shola Lynch focuses on the techniques, approaches and aesthetics of archival filmmaking from concept to screen. Examples from Lynch’s documentaries including Chisholm '72 – Unbought & Unbossed, and the more recent Free Angela and All Political Prisoners will demonstrate her practice. The class will be...
- 11/26/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Finding the right archival material for your documentary can be an enormous and daunting undertaking -- one that, if you don't go about it the right way, may not pay off. Panelists on the "Dig Into Archives" panel at Doc NYC yesterday highlighted the most important things to keep in mind when researching and trying to secure the rights to archival material. The panelists included Frank Keraudren, co-director, "The Dog," Shola Lynch, director, "Free Angela and all Political Prisoners," Tom Jennings, director, "Mlk: The Assassination Tapes" and Scott Norman, content manager, NBC News Archives. Judith Aley, who has worked as an archival researcher on "When the Levees Broke," "Sicko" and "The Tillman Story," among other documentaries, moderated. "Free Angela Davis" tells the story of how Angela Davis' radical political stance wrongly implicated her in a kidnapping attempt and landed her on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list. The final...
- 11/20/2013
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
For those of you who've expressed that you're suffering from "black rom-com fatigue," here's your first look at the first trailer for something that might be of interest. It's been quite an active last 12 months for Jeff Clanagan and his CodeBlack Films, since the launch of last year's partnership with Lionsgate (also a company that's been on a hit streak lately). On the heels of successful releases like Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, George Tillman Jr.'s The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete, and Shola Lynch's Free Angela And All Political Prisoners, Codeblack picked up Us distribution rights to Forest Whitaker‘s thriller...
- 11/20/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Woefully underreported by major news outlets to date is the fact that this year, there are at least five feature documentaries directed by black women qualifying for Academy Award consideration, including Gideon's Army by Dawn Porter; Free Angela and All Political Prisoners by Shola Lynch; Valentine Road by Marta Cunningham; The New Black by Yoruba Richen; and American Promise by Michele Stephenson. I've written often here on S&A about the work being done in the documentary world and how it tends to fly under the radar. Even critically acclaimed docs tend to receive less attention,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
It's been quite an active last 12 months for Jeff Clanagan and his CodeBlack Films, since the launch of last year's partnership with Lionsgate (also a company that's been on a hit streak lately). On the heels of successful releases like Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, George Tillman Jr.'s The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete, and Shola Lynch's Free Angela And All Political Prisoners, Codeblack picked up Us distribution rights to Forest Whitaker‘s thriller Repentance (previously titled Vipaka), over the summer, with plans to release the psychological thriller on February 28, 2014, in limited release. The southern gothic...
- 11/8/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Second-time filmmaker Shola Lynch, having just finished her first project about Brooklyn-based Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm's 1972 presidential bid, did not want to make her next film about "another black woman." But political activist Angela Davis was simply too rich of a subject for Lynch to pass up. After acquiring an exclusive contract that allowed Lynch access to Mr. Davis's story and the people in Angela's life, the process of constructing a second feature-length documentary was underway. "Free Angela and All Political Prisoners" took Lynch eight years to complete, but what came out of that long process is an emotional, political crime drama "with a love story at the center," a story that offers a detailed look into Angela Davis's life as a political activist and the activities that lead to her 1971 court case. Through rare verité footage, exclusive photographs, and never-before-seen courtroom sketches, Lynch weaves a narrative out of Angela's.
- 11/4/2013
- by Katharine Relth
- Indiewire
The International Documentary Association (Ida) aren’t necessarily the most indicative of where the Academy’s documentary branch will go, but they’re important and prestigious so it’s always good to see where their members go. This year’s selection of nominees is quite a highbrow collection with a heavy slant towards politics and activism with three very high profile contenders battling it out against a pair of smaller-scale, yet mightily intimidating, documentaries about prejudice some 30 years apart.
Best Documentary Feature
The Act of Killing
Blackfish
Let the Fire Burn
The Square (Nyff review)
Stories We Tell
I am a big fan of Jehane Noujaim’s up-to-the-minute look at the Egyptian democracy crisis, The Square, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s disturbing look at SeaWorld’s animal cruelty, Blackfish, and Sarah Polley’s fragmented family tree, Stories We Tell, but the other two – sadly, two I have not yet had the chance...
Best Documentary Feature
The Act of Killing
Blackfish
Let the Fire Burn
The Square (Nyff review)
Stories We Tell
I am a big fan of Jehane Noujaim’s up-to-the-minute look at the Egyptian democracy crisis, The Square, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s disturbing look at SeaWorld’s animal cruelty, Blackfish, and Sarah Polley’s fragmented family tree, Stories We Tell, but the other two – sadly, two I have not yet had the chance...
- 10/29/2013
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Second-time filmmaker Shola Lynch, having just finished her first project about Brooklyn-based Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm's 1972 presidential bid, did not want to make her next film about "another black woman." But political activist Angela Davis was simply too rich of a subject for Lynch to pass up. After acquiring an exclusive contract that allowed Lynch access to Mr. Davis's story and the people in Angela's life, the process of constructing a second feature-length documentary was underway. Free Angela and All Political Prisoners took Lynch eight years to complete, but what ...
- 10/28/2013
- by krelth
- International Documentary Association
New York -- In the late 1960s and early 1970s, millions of people across America and around the world knew the name, face and Afro of the young black academic and activist Angela Davis. Today, far fewer do, and Davis, now 69 but sporting a similar hairstyle, couldn't be happier about it. Even so, she agreed to fly from Oakland to New York this week in order to attend a Peggy Siegal luncheon today in support of a new documentary about her life, Shola Lynch's Free Angela and All Political Prisoners. I had the good fortune of being seated right beside
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- 10/4/2013
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Göteborg, Sweden – Free Angela and All Political Prisoners was screened at Way Out West 2013 in cooperation with Folkets Bio. This powerful feature-length documentary is centered on the struggle of legendary college professor and civil rights activist, Angela Davis, who finds herself accused in a failed escape attempt that ended in a shootout, four dead and Angela on the FBI Most Wanted list.
Directed by Shola Lynch, Free Angela combines archival material with new interviews including a series of interviews with Davis herself that makes for a well executed film. Through the film, Angela has the opportunity to share her intimate stories and speak out about her actions during that time.
Lynch’s film captivates the viewer, returning them to a troubled time in American history, during the civil rights movement and Angela’s struggle. Her story challenged the perceptions of political freedom in America back then and is as relevant then,...
Directed by Shola Lynch, Free Angela combines archival material with new interviews including a series of interviews with Davis herself that makes for a well executed film. Through the film, Angela has the opportunity to share her intimate stories and speak out about her actions during that time.
Lynch’s film captivates the viewer, returning them to a troubled time in American history, during the civil rights movement and Angela’s struggle. Her story challenged the perceptions of political freedom in America back then and is as relevant then,...
- 10/2/2013
- by Marie Ferrer
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Though I’m just finding out about it now, the C-span interview program, Q & A, hosted by C-span’s founder and former CEO Brian Lamb, featured an interview with filmmaker Shola Lynch, in early May, about her films, her career and her life in general.Though we already have a really excellent interview with Ms. Lynch that filmmaker Zeinabu irene Davis did exclusively for us (Here) with Ms. Lynch (director of Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed and Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), this C-span interview is just as good.In the hour long interview, you’ll get a real sense of Ms. Lynch’s charisma (having met her before, a couple of years ago, I can...
- 6/10/2013
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
DVD Release Date: Aug. 20, 2013
Price: DVD $26.98
Studio: Lionsgate
The tumultuous life of Angela Davis is chronicled in Free Angela and All Political Prisoners.
The 2013 documentary Free Angela and All Political Prisoners is an historic account of the tumultuous events that befell African American activist, writer and scholar Angela Davis and her cohorts in the late 1960s.
The film tells the dramatic story of how Angela Davis—a professor at UCLA who led the Communist party USA and had close relations with the Black Panther Party—was tried and acquitted of suspected involvement in the Soledad brothers’ August, 1970 abduction of Judge Harold Haley of Marin Country, California, which resulted in a shootout, four dead, and her name on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.
Directed by Shola Lynch, the unrated Free Angela received a limited release to theaters in the U.S. in April, 2013 following its September, 2012 premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
Price: DVD $26.98
Studio: Lionsgate
The tumultuous life of Angela Davis is chronicled in Free Angela and All Political Prisoners.
The 2013 documentary Free Angela and All Political Prisoners is an historic account of the tumultuous events that befell African American activist, writer and scholar Angela Davis and her cohorts in the late 1960s.
The film tells the dramatic story of how Angela Davis—a professor at UCLA who led the Communist party USA and had close relations with the Black Panther Party—was tried and acquitted of suspected involvement in the Soledad brothers’ August, 1970 abduction of Judge Harold Haley of Marin Country, California, which resulted in a shootout, four dead, and her name on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.
Directed by Shola Lynch, the unrated Free Angela received a limited release to theaters in the U.S. in April, 2013 following its September, 2012 premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
- 6/4/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
“Movie Houses of Worship” is a regular feature spotlighting our favorite movie theaters around the world, those that are like temples of cinema catering to the most religious-like film geeks. This week, I’ve chosen one of my own favorite theaters, or at least the return of an old favorite. If you’d like to suggest or submit a place you regularly worship at the altar of cinema, please email our weekend editor. The New Parkway Location: 474 24th Street, Oakland, CA Opened: November 30, 2012 (original Parkway Theater existed at another location from January 1997 through March 2009) No. of screens: 2 Current first-run titles: Trance; Olympus Has Fallen; Disconnect Repertory programming: Regular repertory series include “Family Classics” (next weekend they’re showing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), “Spectrum Queer Media” (not always rep, but today they’ve got The Wiz Sing-Along), the “indoor” drive-in themed “Thrillville Theater” (tonight is Mothra) and general “Parkway Classics” (this month’s selections include Shaun of the Dead, Heathers...
- 5/12/2013
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Exclusive: Jada Pinkett-Smith will produce and star in Salsa. Her dance partner will be William Levy, whose name makes you think he’s an accountant, but he’s actually the hunk in the Latino soap Triunfo del Amor. Clueless helmer Amy Heckerling is writing and directing. Pinkett-Smith stars as a woman at a turning point in her life who meets a salsa teacher (Levy). Through the dance of salsa she begins to get her life back on track. Pinkett-Smith and Miguel Melendez will produce for Overbrook Entertainment, and production will begin first quarter of 2014. Pinkett-Smith most recently produced The Secret Life Of Bees and Free Angela And All Political Prisoners, and she is exec producer of Queen Latifah’s CBS daytime talk show, which premieres September 16, 2013. Levy recently wrapped two Lionsgate films: Addicted and Tyler Perry’s Single Moms Club. He’s currently shooting the remake of La Tormenta–called La Tempestad–for Univision.
- 5/6/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
A strong, good-looking lineup of films here, including a few that you would be familiar with, given that we've profiled them in the last 12 months: in the documentary section, the Opening Night film, Twenty Feet from Stardom, as well as Sing Your Song, Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, God Loves Uganda, Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, and Gideon's Army; And in the fiction section, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, and Violet and Daisy. The 2013 edition of the Montclair Film Festival (Mff), now only in its 2nd year, runs through May 5 - this Sunday - so if you're in the...
- 5/3/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Codeblack Films, a Lionsgate company, and Tugg, a web-platform that allows to audiences choose which films play in their local theaters, have teamed up to make Shola Lynch's documentary "Free Angela & All Political Prisoners" available to screen across the country. The partnership enables the film to play in theaters outside of the cities it opens limited release in on April 5. "Free Angela," which had a gala premiere at Tiff, tells the story of Angela Davis, the 26-year-old UCLA philosophy professor who became a revolutionary icon in the 1960s. Davis was denounced as a terrorist after her social justice activism ended in the bloody kidnapping of a judge. "We're incredibly excited to empower individuals and groups across the country to host their own screenings of this gripping and inspirational film," said Tugg co-founders Nicolas Gonda and Pablo Gonzalez. "'Free Angela' is a perfect film for local communities to rally around...
- 3/25/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Indiewire
Watch the trailer for Shola Lynch's Free Angela and All Political Prisoners documentary which opens in theaters on April 5th via Codeblack, exclusively to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Oakland, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Free Angela and All Political Prisoners tells the dramatic story of how a young professor’s social justice activism implicates her in a botched kidnapping attempt that ends with a bloody shootout, four dead, and her name on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. In this historical vérité style documentary, marking the 40th anniversary of her acquittal on charges of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy, Angela Davis recounts the politics and actions that branded her a terrorist and simultaneously spurred a worldwide movement for her freedom as a political prisoner. At its core, the story wrestles with the meaning of political freedom in a democracy negotiated between the people and its government. Strong, attractive,...
- 2/21/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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