A November episode of ABC’s wonderful Abbott Elementary sitcom introduced an antagonist who’s determined to transform Abbott and other Philadelphia public schools into charter schools. I kept thinking about Abbott and its embattled staff while watching Let the Little Light Shine, producer-director Kevin Shaw’s inspiring documentary for Pov on PBS about a Chicago elementary school under fire. Abbott’s unquenchably optimistic teacher Janine (Quinta Brunson) would love it. The setting: National Teachers Academy (Nta), a high-performing (Level 1+) elementary school serving mostly Black children in the South Side’s booming “South Loop” neighborhood. It’s a model of achievement and local pride, and Shaw immerses the viewer in the daily routine of teachers and staff guiding students with acceptance and encouragement. PBS “We’re not just a school, we’re a community,” argues a seventh-grader after Nta is targeted to be converted into an integrated high school by...
- 12/11/2022
- TV Insider
Various sets of cameras, far different from the national-news ones obsessed only with Black homicide rates, have been rolling in Chicago over the last few years. Prominent efforts include “16 Shots” (2019), about the police murder of Laquan McDonald, and the NatGeo documentary miniseries “City So Real” (2020), which exposed the widespread opposition to Mayor Rahm Emanuel that contrasted with his esteemed national image. These, however, are far from the only attempts to put a present-day spotlight on the race and class issues still at play in the inner workings of one of the nation’s most iconic and notorious cities.
Just as “Unapologetic” (2020) put a lens on the rarely covered Movement for Black Lives in Chicago, protesting institutional complicity in racialized state violence with a focus on two female queer activists at the forefront, Chicago native Kevin Shaw’s “Let the Little Light Shine” amplifies another footnoted protest in the city.
Shaw...
Just as “Unapologetic” (2020) put a lens on the rarely covered Movement for Black Lives in Chicago, protesting institutional complicity in racialized state violence with a focus on two female queer activists at the forefront, Chicago native Kevin Shaw’s “Let the Little Light Shine” amplifies another footnoted protest in the city.
Shaw...
- 12/9/2022
- by Ronda Racha Penrice
- The Wrap
The International Documentary Association (IDA) has announced the full program for its annual screening series, including the 10 films that have been chosen for its Awards Campaign Access Initiative (Acai).
The program will open with Netflix’s “Descendant,” a film produced by the Obamas’ company Higher Ground Productions. The documentary sees director Margaret Brown return to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to document the search for The Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive in the United States, illegally carrying enslaved Africans, and the ramifications its discovery has on the community.
What will follow is a showcase of 43 feature-length documentary films that are eligible for consideration for the upcoming Academy Awards; 20 films will be screened both in-person and online, and 35 will be available for virtual viewing only.
The films selected for the Acai, a program meant to support independent filmmakers from historically excluded communities currently pursuing a film awards campaign, are:
Beba | Dir.
The program will open with Netflix’s “Descendant,” a film produced by the Obamas’ company Higher Ground Productions. The documentary sees director Margaret Brown return to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to document the search for The Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive in the United States, illegally carrying enslaved Africans, and the ramifications its discovery has on the community.
What will follow is a showcase of 43 feature-length documentary films that are eligible for consideration for the upcoming Academy Awards; 20 films will be screened both in-person and online, and 35 will be available for virtual viewing only.
The films selected for the Acai, a program meant to support independent filmmakers from historically excluded communities currently pursuing a film awards campaign, are:
Beba | Dir.
- 8/30/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Chicago – The City of Chicago, like a number of American cities, has gone through incredible transformations in the last 25 years. Whole neighborhoods left for dead during the white flight of the 1950s-70s have been gentrified and re-settled with luxury housing … often to the detriment of those who remained there throughout many difficult years. One such case was the National Teachers Academy (Nta) a high performing grade school mostly attended by the South Loop neighborhood children of color. How the city wanted to repurpose it is chronicled in the documentary “Let the Little Light Shine” by filmmaker Kevin Shaw.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The South Loop neighborhood, in the last 15 years or so, has had a proliferation of wealthier “settlers” in its environs – due to its close access to downtown – and the new neighbors have petitioned for a high school. The city wanted to close the relatively new infrastructure of Nta to accommodate this request,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The South Loop neighborhood, in the last 15 years or so, has had a proliferation of wealthier “settlers” in its environs – due to its close access to downtown – and the new neighbors have petitioned for a high school. The city wanted to close the relatively new infrastructure of Nta to accommodate this request,...
- 8/15/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Doc10, the yearly Chicago documentary film festival, is on Day Three on May 21st, 2022, with the films (click links) Let The Little Light Shine, Riotsville USA (4pm), The Territory (6:30pm), and Fire Of Love (9pm).
Rating: 4.0/5.0
”Let the Little Light Shine” is timely in the sense that public education is in the crosshairs of both conservative politics and the economic delineation of Chicago’s rapidly changing neighborhoods, that are challenging historically black districts. These issues come together in “Little Light … “ as activist parents try to save the near Southside, and mostly black, National Teachers Academy (Nta) … the City of Chicago wants to convert it from its current station as a high achieving grade school to a high school for the rapidly gentrifying (and mostly white) new residents. As the challenges mount, the principal, students and even Chance the Rapper gets involved, but will it be enough? Director Kevin Shaw,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
”Let the Little Light Shine” is timely in the sense that public education is in the crosshairs of both conservative politics and the economic delineation of Chicago’s rapidly changing neighborhoods, that are challenging historically black districts. These issues come together in “Little Light … “ as activist parents try to save the near Southside, and mostly black, National Teachers Academy (Nta) … the City of Chicago wants to convert it from its current station as a high achieving grade school to a high school for the rapidly gentrifying (and mostly white) new residents. As the challenges mount, the principal, students and even Chance the Rapper gets involved, but will it be enough? Director Kevin Shaw,...
- 5/21/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
“Pov,” the longest-running series for independent documentaries on television, has unveiled the majority of its slate for the series’ 35th season, which launches on July 11 with Yung Chang’s “Wuhan Wuhan.”
Neighborhood gentrification on Chicago’s south side, land defenders in the Philippines and the 2018 Zimbabwean general election are among the many topics that will be examined by the 14 feature docus in the upcoming season, which will run through Jan. 16.
PBS has revealed 13 of the upcoming season’s “Pov” films beyond “Wuhan Wuhan,” an observational documentary about the first wave of the Covid-19 lockdown, with one more entry slated to be unveiled in June.
While celebrity driven docs are all the rage with streaming services, “Pov” will stay true to its roots and program social issues films that delve into topics including environmental justice immigration and systemic inequity.
“PBS is proud that after 35 years, “Pov” continues to deliver artistically unique,...
Neighborhood gentrification on Chicago’s south side, land defenders in the Philippines and the 2018 Zimbabwean general election are among the many topics that will be examined by the 14 feature docus in the upcoming season, which will run through Jan. 16.
PBS has revealed 13 of the upcoming season’s “Pov” films beyond “Wuhan Wuhan,” an observational documentary about the first wave of the Covid-19 lockdown, with one more entry slated to be unveiled in June.
While celebrity driven docs are all the rage with streaming services, “Pov” will stay true to its roots and program social issues films that delve into topics including environmental justice immigration and systemic inequity.
“PBS is proud that after 35 years, “Pov” continues to deliver artistically unique,...
- 5/11/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Summer is around the corner, which means Rooftop Films is almost back. New York cinephiles can look forward to another season of film screenings from the longtime nonprofit, which screens independent films in a variety of outdoor locations throughout New York City. Over time, Rooftop Films has become an essential institution in the indie film world, helping top directors get their work seen while connecting undiscovered artists to the resources that they need.
Notable films on the year’s lineup include Chloe Okuno’s “Watcher,” a Sundance horror hit in the tradition of paranoid classics like “Rosemary’s Baby;” James Morosini’s “I Love My Dad,” a comedy that took the top prizes in the Narrative category at SXSW; and Andrew Semans’ “Resurrection,” a psychological thriller that earned high marks from critics and fans alike at Sundance this year.
Tickets for select upcoming screenings are on sale now via the Rooftop Films website,...
Notable films on the year’s lineup include Chloe Okuno’s “Watcher,” a Sundance horror hit in the tradition of paranoid classics like “Rosemary’s Baby;” James Morosini’s “I Love My Dad,” a comedy that took the top prizes in the Narrative category at SXSW; and Andrew Semans’ “Resurrection,” a psychological thriller that earned high marks from critics and fans alike at Sundance this year.
Tickets for select upcoming screenings are on sale now via the Rooftop Films website,...
- 5/2/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The International Documentary Association on Friday announced its latest round of grant funding. It’s providing a total of $245,000 out of two funds for 15 films, many of which are investigative works. The organization also announced its first class of Documentary magazine editorial fellows for a program meant to enhance opportunities for writers from underserved and underrepresented communities.
This year, 10 projects are set to receive $15,000 each from the Ida Enterprise Documentary Fund, which supports in-depth explorations of contemporary stories that into journalistic practice into filmmaking. The fund is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation.
Among them is “11 Questions,” the working title of the project from director-producer Cassandra Herrman, which is also getting funding from “Frontline.” This marks the first-ever joint-funding collaboration between Ida and the prestigious PBS series.
Herrman has been nominated for three News & Documentary Emmy Awards, most recently for...
This year, 10 projects are set to receive $15,000 each from the Ida Enterprise Documentary Fund, which supports in-depth explorations of contemporary stories that into journalistic practice into filmmaking. The fund is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation.
Among them is “11 Questions,” the working title of the project from director-producer Cassandra Herrman, which is also getting funding from “Frontline.” This marks the first-ever joint-funding collaboration between Ida and the prestigious PBS series.
Herrman has been nominated for three News & Documentary Emmy Awards, most recently for...
- 2/21/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Steve James — the acclaimed documentary filmmaker behind Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters and current Oscar nominee Abacus: Small Enough to Jail — didn't need much of a travel budget for his latest project, America to Me.
James, who's lived in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park for over 30 years, usually requires $2.50 for the Cta Green Line into the city at least, but in 2015 he found a worthy subject within walking distance.
The director, along with three close collaborators dubbed "segment directors" in the credits — Bing Liu, Rebecca Parrish and Kevin Shaw — followed 12 diverse teenagers through ...
James, who's lived in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park for over 30 years, usually requires $2.50 for the Cta Green Line into the city at least, but in 2015 he found a worthy subject within walking distance.
The director, along with three close collaborators dubbed "segment directors" in the credits — Bing Liu, Rebecca Parrish and Kevin Shaw — followed 12 diverse teenagers through ...
- 1/30/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Following on last week’s announcement of its feature slate for the 2018 edition, the Sundance Film Festival has announced the selections for its indie episodic, shorts and special events selections. In that middle category Filmmaker readers will spot two of this year’s 25 New Faces of film, Robin Comisar and Alexa Lim Haas. Indie Episodic America To Me / U.S.A. (Director: Steve James, Segment Directors: Bing Liu, Rebecca Parrish, Kevin Shaw) — This limited series captures a year-long look at one of Chicago’s most progressive and diverse public schools, located in suburban Oak Park. Unprecedented in scope, the series is both […]...
- 12/4/2017
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
At the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, TV is invading the schedule in a whole new way. The Park City film fest has previously dabbled in what’s possible on the small screen, but this year marks the launch of the Indie Episodics section — which will spotlight TV pilots that mostly lack mainstream distribution.
The selections include “America to Me,” a new docu-series by “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James; as well as “The Mortified Guide,” a screen adaptation of the popular stage show “Mortified,” spotlighting the most embarrassing true stories of adolescence. There’s also “This Close,” showcasing star/creators Josh Feldman and Shoshannah Stern (both of whom are deaf), and “Franchesca,” featuring digital star and “The Nightly Show” writer/contributor Franchesca Ramsey.
This marks a major change for Sundance, and a renewed commitment to independent television. While Sundance has featured TV programming since the premiere of “Top of the Lake” in...
The selections include “America to Me,” a new docu-series by “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James; as well as “The Mortified Guide,” a screen adaptation of the popular stage show “Mortified,” spotlighting the most embarrassing true stories of adolescence. There’s also “This Close,” showcasing star/creators Josh Feldman and Shoshannah Stern (both of whom are deaf), and “Franchesca,” featuring digital star and “The Nightly Show” writer/contributor Franchesca Ramsey.
This marks a major change for Sundance, and a renewed commitment to independent television. While Sundance has featured TV programming since the premiere of “Top of the Lake” in...
- 12/4/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
America To Me, capturing life at a top Chicago high school championing diversity, is Participant Media’s first unscripted series.
Participant Media has boarded respected Us documentary-maker Steve James’s upcoming unscripted series America To Me following a year in the life of a top Chicago high school with an exemplary track-record and one of the diverse student populations in the Us.
David Linde, CEO of Participant, announced the company’s involvement in the series during a Media Mastermind Keynote at Mipcom on Tuesday. He said America To Me represented the company’s commitment to socially relevant entertainment.
He also noted that it marked Participant’s first foray into the unscripted series arena. Having focused on feature films up until recently, Participant has started expanding into other formats in recent months to extend the reach of its content.
“Expanding into the unscripted realm with this vibrant and compelling series with a filmmaker of Steve’s calibre and creative...
Participant Media has boarded respected Us documentary-maker Steve James’s upcoming unscripted series America To Me following a year in the life of a top Chicago high school with an exemplary track-record and one of the diverse student populations in the Us.
David Linde, CEO of Participant, announced the company’s involvement in the series during a Media Mastermind Keynote at Mipcom on Tuesday. He said America To Me represented the company’s commitment to socially relevant entertainment.
He also noted that it marked Participant’s first foray into the unscripted series arena. Having focused on feature films up until recently, Participant has started expanding into other formats in recent months to extend the reach of its content.
“Expanding into the unscripted realm with this vibrant and compelling series with a filmmaker of Steve’s calibre and creative...
- 10/19/2016
- ScreenDaily
Opportunities are opening up to restore classic assets on new formats - but film restoration is an art form in danger. Ann-Marie Corvin reports from Screen International and Broadcast’s Restoration & Archive Forum
“If there’s been a gold rush in film archive then it’s kind of passed me by,” says Paul Collard, vice-president of film and digital services at film processing company Deluxe Digital.
While there have been a few showcase renewals in the Us, such as Sony’s 4K restoration of David Lean’s 1962 classic Lawrence Of Arabia, the main drivers for restoration of archive in Europe are commercial - the Blu-ray sell-through market and broadcasters looking to release TV classics on new distribution formats - or cultural, from national institutions and trusts that find the money to achieve a handful of significant projects.
Deluxe, for example, recently completed full Digital Intermediates (Di) restoration of the 1927 silent film The Battles Of The Coronel And Falkland...
“If there’s been a gold rush in film archive then it’s kind of passed me by,” says Paul Collard, vice-president of film and digital services at film processing company Deluxe Digital.
While there have been a few showcase renewals in the Us, such as Sony’s 4K restoration of David Lean’s 1962 classic Lawrence Of Arabia, the main drivers for restoration of archive in Europe are commercial - the Blu-ray sell-through market and broadcasters looking to release TV classics on new distribution formats - or cultural, from national institutions and trusts that find the money to achieve a handful of significant projects.
Deluxe, for example, recently completed full Digital Intermediates (Di) restoration of the 1927 silent film The Battles Of The Coronel And Falkland...
- 10/13/2014
- ScreenDaily
Chances are you’re still not over last week’s Mindy Project breakup, and we can’t blame you. But the good news? Mindy (Mindy Kaling) and Danny (Chris Messina) might be done for now, but they’re not done forever.
“I think the dynamic between them is special and different and they are unlike any other couple on TV because they are such distinct characters and they fight so much,” says Ike Barinholtz, who plays lovable nurse Morgan on the show and co-wrote the big breakup episode. “To put them back together just makes so much sense…eventually.”
Below,...
“I think the dynamic between them is special and different and they are unlike any other couple on TV because they are such distinct characters and they fight so much,” says Ike Barinholtz, who plays lovable nurse Morgan on the show and co-wrote the big breakup episode. “To put them back together just makes so much sense…eventually.”
Below,...
- 4/15/2014
- by Sandra Gonzalez
- EW - Inside TV
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