After premiering at Doc NYC, Kenji Tsukamoto debut documentary feature, “Ashima,” comes to the San Francisco Bay Area. Here, he follows legendary rock climber, Ashima Shiraishi, as she aims to master a V14 site – a bouldering grade accomplished by only 0.01% of climbers in the world. Over the course of the journey, we watch Shiraishi blossom into fame during her preteen years, cultivate her confidence under unconditional support of her father and coach, Poppo, and sport the colorful climbing shorts designed by her mother.
We caught documentarian Tsukamoto and producer Minji Chang in the advent of their San Francisco Bay Area premiere at CAAMFest 2024. We spoke about what it takes to make a solid documentary film: moving in with the subject, lots of generous editors, and of course, money.
What inspired the film?
Kenji Tsukamoto: In 2009, I moved back to the US from Japan. At the time, Japan had a really high suicide rate and hikkikomori,...
We caught documentarian Tsukamoto and producer Minji Chang in the advent of their San Francisco Bay Area premiere at CAAMFest 2024. We spoke about what it takes to make a solid documentary film: moving in with the subject, lots of generous editors, and of course, money.
What inspired the film?
Kenji Tsukamoto: In 2009, I moved back to the US from Japan. At the time, Japan had a really high suicide rate and hikkikomori,...
- 5/11/2024
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
After making the leap to narrative filmmaking last year with “Nyad,” Oscar winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have returned to their documentary roots and are currently at work in the edit suite prepping their next doc feature — “Lost in the Amazon” (working title), about how four Indigenous children survived for 40 days in the Amazon jungle after a plane crash in 2023. The story of their disappearance and eventual recovery transfixed the global media.
Vasarhelyi and Chin co-directed and produced the film with Colombian filmmaker Juan Camilo Cruz for National Geographic.
The feature docu will tell the story of the struggle for survival of the four children — who ranged in age from 11 months to 13 years — in the guerilla-held jungles of Colombia after a plane they were aboard crashed and killed their mother. The children survived for 40 days in the deep Amazonian rainforest using their Indigenous knowledge of the jungle and the...
Vasarhelyi and Chin co-directed and produced the film with Colombian filmmaker Juan Camilo Cruz for National Geographic.
The feature docu will tell the story of the struggle for survival of the four children — who ranged in age from 11 months to 13 years — in the guerilla-held jungles of Colombia after a plane they were aboard crashed and killed their mother. The children survived for 40 days in the deep Amazonian rainforest using their Indigenous knowledge of the jungle and the...
- 5/9/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
It's been 28 years since Jan De Bont's "Twister" ripped through theaters and whipped up a $496 million worldwide gross. In the meantime, it's become a weekend cable mainstay, where viewers can tune out its wafer-thin plot and simply enjoy the foul weather spectacle. It's far from a classic, but its visual prowess is undeniable, and its colorful cast of storm chasers led by Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt seem to be having a ball. Any film that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck, Jami Gertz, Todd Field, and Lois Smith is bound to be fun on some level.
So why has it taken so long for Universal to make a sequel to the second-highest-grossing film (domestically) of 1996?
"Twisters" didn't exactly have a stormy development process, but it did go through a couple of iterations over the last four years. Joseph Kosinski was attached to direct in early 2020. When that fell through,...
So why has it taken so long for Universal to make a sequel to the second-highest-grossing film (domestically) of 1996?
"Twisters" didn't exactly have a stormy development process, but it did go through a couple of iterations over the last four years. Joseph Kosinski was attached to direct in early 2020. When that fell through,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Oscar-winning director-producers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth (Chai) Vasarhelyi consistently deliver stunning visuals and compelling documentary content. And following such breakout films as “Meru,” Oscar- and Emmy-winning “Free Solo,” Emmy-winning “The Rescue,” and “Wild Life,” which took advantage of pro climber-cinematographer-NatGeo photographer Chin’s 20 years of athletic cinema and Vasarhelyi’s relentless producer drive for perfection, they moved into feature directing with long-distance swimming drama “Nyad,” which scored Oscar nominations for stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.
Over the years, the filmmakers have established their filmmaking prowess, combining immersive cinema verité visuals with deeply felt personal drama. That is on full display in their latest collaboration with NatGeo, the series “Photographer,” for which the duo matched six of the world’s most renowned shooters with veteran directors Marshall Curry, Kristi Jacobson, and Sam Pollard, plus Sundance alumnae Crystal Kayiza and Rita Baghdadi, and set them loose to return with bespoke...
Over the years, the filmmakers have established their filmmaking prowess, combining immersive cinema verité visuals with deeply felt personal drama. That is on full display in their latest collaboration with NatGeo, the series “Photographer,” for which the duo matched six of the world’s most renowned shooters with veteran directors Marshall Curry, Kristi Jacobson, and Sam Pollard, plus Sundance alumnae Crystal Kayiza and Rita Baghdadi, and set them loose to return with bespoke...
- 3/19/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
After making their first narrative feature “Nyad,” which debuted last year and earned Oscar nominations for the film’s stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, Academy Award winning directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (“Free Solo”) are returning to their documentary roots with “Photographer.”
The six-part National Geographic docuseries features seven photographers — Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, Dan Winters, Campbell Addy, Krystle Wright, Muhammed Muheisen, and Anand Varma. Vérité footage of each subject’s current mission is interwoven with interviews and archival footage to demonstrate how each photographer approaches their work, the intention behind that work, their process, and how they each discover, see and experience the world.
To bring each of the National Geographic photographers’ stories to life, showrunners Chin and Vasarhelyi hired six veteran documentary filmmakers: Marshall Curry (“Racing Dreams”), Crystal Kayiza (“Rest Stop”), Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”), Kristi Jacobson (“Solitary”) Rita Baghdadi (“Sirens”) and Pagan Harleman...
The six-part National Geographic docuseries features seven photographers — Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, Dan Winters, Campbell Addy, Krystle Wright, Muhammed Muheisen, and Anand Varma. Vérité footage of each subject’s current mission is interwoven with interviews and archival footage to demonstrate how each photographer approaches their work, the intention behind that work, their process, and how they each discover, see and experience the world.
To bring each of the National Geographic photographers’ stories to life, showrunners Chin and Vasarhelyi hired six veteran documentary filmmakers: Marshall Curry (“Racing Dreams”), Crystal Kayiza (“Rest Stop”), Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”), Kristi Jacobson (“Solitary”) Rita Baghdadi (“Sirens”) and Pagan Harleman...
- 3/18/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Apple TV+ is staying in business with one of the men behind its latest sports docuseries The Dynasty: New England Patriots.
The streamer has struck a first-look deal with director Matthew Hamachek.
It is the latest first-look deal for the tech company following similar deals with the likes of David & Jessica Oyelowo, The Morning Show’s Mimi Leder and Black Bird co-creator Dennis Lehane.
In addition to The Dynasty, Hamachek directed HBO’s Tiger Woods documentary Tiger, which won a sports Emmy in 2022.
He started his career working on the Oscar-nominated documentary Street Fight before working on Racing Dreams and If A Tree Falls before co-producing docs including Cartel Land, Amanda Knox, City of Ghosts and The Trade. He also exec produced Netflix’s Return To Space, which was directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.
The Apple deal comes ahead of the finale of the ten-part series The Dynasty: New England Patriots,...
The streamer has struck a first-look deal with director Matthew Hamachek.
It is the latest first-look deal for the tech company following similar deals with the likes of David & Jessica Oyelowo, The Morning Show’s Mimi Leder and Black Bird co-creator Dennis Lehane.
In addition to The Dynasty, Hamachek directed HBO’s Tiger Woods documentary Tiger, which won a sports Emmy in 2022.
He started his career working on the Oscar-nominated documentary Street Fight before working on Racing Dreams and If A Tree Falls before co-producing docs including Cartel Land, Amanda Knox, City of Ghosts and The Trade. He also exec produced Netflix’s Return To Space, which was directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.
The Apple deal comes ahead of the finale of the ten-part series The Dynasty: New England Patriots,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Jodie Foster is one of the most talented and respected actresses in Hollywood. From working on many critically acclaimed projects to being nominated for an Oscar five times and winning two out of them, she has certainly seen the heights of success in her career. Naturally, she has worked very hard for these achievements.
Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs
Her most recent work, Nyad, is the perfect example of her dedication as an actress. Not only was she nominated for an Oscar for her work in the sports-thriller film, but she also pushed her physical capabilities as much as she could.
Suggested“I didn’t want that life”: Jodie Foster Vowed To Never Commit The Same Mistake That Destroyed Madonna
It would seem that the 61-year-old actress had a point to prove when making the movie and would stop at nothing to make it.
Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs
Her most recent work, Nyad, is the perfect example of her dedication as an actress. Not only was she nominated for an Oscar for her work in the sports-thriller film, but she also pushed her physical capabilities as much as she could.
Suggested“I didn’t want that life”: Jodie Foster Vowed To Never Commit The Same Mistake That Destroyed Madonna
It would seem that the 61-year-old actress had a point to prove when making the movie and would stop at nothing to make it.
- 3/11/2024
- by Ananya Godboley
- FandomWire
Four documentary filmmakers have been selected to participate in Yeti’s inaugural Pretty Wild fellowship program, which supports documentaries that give a fresh perspective on the outdoors and the people and stories that live there.
The projects are: Tasha Van Zandt’s “The Arctic Women,” Mike Day’s “Baby Highlander,” Emily Cohen Ibañez’s “River” and Juliana Schatz Preston’s “Rare Bird.”
The four filmmakers, chosen from 330 submissions spanning 30 countries, are currently in Austin, Texas, for the first of two immersive retreats featured in the eight-month program.
In addition to $50,000 in unrestricted grants, each of the four selected filmmakers will receive guidance throughout the development of their films from a board of mentors. That includes the retreat in Austin, which comes to a close on March 7, as well as another retreat in September in Camden, Maine, leading up to Points North’s 20th annual Camden International Film Festival. The retreats include feedback sessions,...
The projects are: Tasha Van Zandt’s “The Arctic Women,” Mike Day’s “Baby Highlander,” Emily Cohen Ibañez’s “River” and Juliana Schatz Preston’s “Rare Bird.”
The four filmmakers, chosen from 330 submissions spanning 30 countries, are currently in Austin, Texas, for the first of two immersive retreats featured in the eight-month program.
In addition to $50,000 in unrestricted grants, each of the four selected filmmakers will receive guidance throughout the development of their films from a board of mentors. That includes the retreat in Austin, which comes to a close on March 7, as well as another retreat in September in Camden, Maine, leading up to Points North’s 20th annual Camden International Film Festival. The retreats include feedback sessions,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
It’s been a remarkable past year for Free Solo directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. At Telluride, they premiered their first narrative feature Nyad, a dramatization of the relentless pursuit of extreme athlete Diana Nyad to swim from Cuba to Florida without the safety of a shark cage. The Netflix release has gone on to earn Oscar nominations for its stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.
But the filmmaking couple hasn’t left the world of nonfiction cinema behind. They return to documentary storytelling this month with Photographer, a National Geographic series about the elite artists who take some of the world’s most remarkable images of wildlife and the human family. Vasarhelyi and Chin join the latest episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss their six-part series, which profiles NatGeo photographers Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, Muhammed Muheisen, Krystle Wright and others.
Vasarhelyi and Chin also share insights from making Nyad,...
But the filmmaking couple hasn’t left the world of nonfiction cinema behind. They return to documentary storytelling this month with Photographer, a National Geographic series about the elite artists who take some of the world’s most remarkable images of wildlife and the human family. Vasarhelyi and Chin join the latest episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss their six-part series, which profiles NatGeo photographers Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, Muhammed Muheisen, Krystle Wright and others.
Vasarhelyi and Chin also share insights from making Nyad,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Embarking on the pursuit of goals is a timeless and universal endeavor that transcends age limitations. While some may argue that age hinders the realization of dreams, it is crucial to dispel this misconception and recognize that age should not impede our aspirations. Nyad is a sports drama that illustrates the steadfast resoluteness of a resilient woman in her sixties, determined to resurrect a previous, thwarted aspiration—the continuous swim from Cuba to Florida. Directed by the dynamic documentary filmmaking duo, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, renowned for their Academy and BAFTA-winning documentary Free Solo (2018), which chronicles Alex Honnold’s daring free solo climb in 2017 on El Capitan, a towering 3,000-foot-high rock formation in Yosemite Valley, California. In their debut feature film, they draw significant inspiration from their protagonist’s almost irrationally optimistic outlook and relentless drive. The narrative unfolds as a poignant exploration of the protagonist’s obstinate...
- 2/17/2024
- by Dipankar Sarkar
- Talking Films
The disaster film Twister (watch it Here) was a massive success for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Amblin Entertainment when it was released during the summer movie season in 1996. Made on a budget of $90 million, it earned almost $500 million at the global box office and ranked as the tenth highest-grossing film of all time. Quickly cashing in with a sequel would have made a lot of sense. But while there were rumors – including a memorable one that said the sequel would involve a tornado hitting a major city – a follow-up never made it into production. Until now. Universal and Amblin are reviving the Twister IP with a film called Twisters, which is set to receive a theatrical release on July 19, 2024. Twenty-eight years later, will it be able to replicate or surpass the success of its predecessor? We’ll have to wait and see. But for know, we’re going to...
- 2/15/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards has named Justine Triet’s mystery thriller Anatomy of a Fall as the best movie of the year.
The French courtroom drama — which is competing at the Oscars in five categories — also earned Sandra Hüller the best female actor crown for her star turn in the Cannes Palme d’Or award winner. Anatomy of a Fall beat out Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest for the best picture prize.
Nolan did, however, pick up the best director honor for Oppenheimer, while his biopic about the father of the A-bomb led to Robert Downey Jr. nabbing the best supporting actor prize. The other multiple winner is Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, which on the acting front earned Paul Giamatti the best male actor honor for his role as a curmudgeonly classics instructor and Da’Vine Joy Randolph the best supporting...
The French courtroom drama — which is competing at the Oscars in five categories — also earned Sandra Hüller the best female actor crown for her star turn in the Cannes Palme d’Or award winner. Anatomy of a Fall beat out Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest for the best picture prize.
Nolan did, however, pick up the best director honor for Oppenheimer, while his biopic about the father of the A-bomb led to Robert Downey Jr. nabbing the best supporting actor prize. The other multiple winner is Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, which on the acting front earned Paul Giamatti the best male actor honor for his role as a curmudgeonly classics instructor and Da’Vine Joy Randolph the best supporting...
- 2/13/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pope Francis, Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Un chief Ban Ki-Moon will be honored at the upcoming Cinema for Peace gala in Berlin on February 19.
The long-running gala run by the Cinema for Peace Foundation will be accompanied by the inaugural World Forum on the Future Of Democracy, Tech and Humankind.
The latter event will run from February 18 to 19 at the Allianz Forum next to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with the aim of promoting the renewal of democracy and freedom at a time when both are under threat.
The Cinema for Peace Foundation was created in 2008 as an international non-profit organization with the goal to foster change through film. Over the years it has worked with a host of stars including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney.
Clinton and Ban will attend the February 19 gala in person while Pope Francis will be shown receiving his award in a recorded video.
The long-running gala run by the Cinema for Peace Foundation will be accompanied by the inaugural World Forum on the Future Of Democracy, Tech and Humankind.
The latter event will run from February 18 to 19 at the Allianz Forum next to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with the aim of promoting the renewal of democracy and freedom at a time when both are under threat.
The Cinema for Peace Foundation was created in 2008 as an international non-profit organization with the goal to foster change through film. Over the years it has worked with a host of stars including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney.
Clinton and Ban will attend the February 19 gala in person while Pope Francis will be shown receiving his award in a recorded video.
- 2/12/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
As Spinal Tap’s David St Hubbins famously noted, there is a fine line between stupid and clever. Likewise, one might say, there is a fine line between hero and villain. Diana Nyad – author, radio host, squash player and, most famously, long distance swimmer – encompasses aspects of each of these things in Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s take on the most remarkable swim of her life. The film does not concern itself with the way that aspects of that swim have been called into question, nor with Nyad’s established tendency to exaggerate, but focuses instead on her experience of forcing her way through life whilst demanding much more from it than others do, and on others’ experience of the attraction and sometime unpleasantness of being close to such a person.
The closest person of all to her is Bonnie Stoll, her lifelong best friend and latterly her coach.
The closest person of all to her is Bonnie Stoll, her lifelong best friend and latterly her coach.
- 2/11/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Annette Bening, who just received her fifth Oscar nomination last week for her portrayal of champion swimmer Diana Nyad in Nyad, has been named as the inaugural recipient of the Santa Barbara Film Festival’s Arlington Award.
The Arlington represents the first new award the festival has created in more than two decades and is named for the historic venue where all the fest’s annual tributes timed to Oscar season take place. It will be presented on Friday, February 16, 2024 at the theater, preceded by an in-person conversation I will be moderating covering her entire career.
“This is the first award added to our slate in 20 years. It is made to honor an artist who is greatly admired and who has demonstrated an incomparable commitment to film and its craft. Ms. Bening has not only displayed all of those qualities, but is considered by us to be a friend of the film festival.
The Arlington represents the first new award the festival has created in more than two decades and is named for the historic venue where all the fest’s annual tributes timed to Oscar season take place. It will be presented on Friday, February 16, 2024 at the theater, preceded by an in-person conversation I will be moderating covering her entire career.
“This is the first award added to our slate in 20 years. It is made to honor an artist who is greatly admired and who has demonstrated an incomparable commitment to film and its craft. Ms. Bening has not only displayed all of those qualities, but is considered by us to be a friend of the film festival.
- 1/30/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix has landed the Sundance Film Festival buzz title documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. The film premiered January 18 at The Ray Theatre.
The film focuses on the boundary-pushing couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus from Moscow, and a desperate climb to save their relationship. Directed by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed by Maria Bukhonina, the film is reminiscent of pics like the Robert Zemeckis-The Walk and the Jimmy Chin/Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi-directed Free Solo, in that you can feel the dizzying heights and the risks just watching.
It took the filmmakers seven years to chronicle it all, as the climbers scaled some of the some of the world’s highest skyscrapers and sharing intimate photos with their millions of followers on social media. The couple’s relationship was in danger of a freefall when their goals began to differ, as they continued to escape law enforcement to dangle off the skyscrapers,...
The film focuses on the boundary-pushing couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus from Moscow, and a desperate climb to save their relationship. Directed by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed by Maria Bukhonina, the film is reminiscent of pics like the Robert Zemeckis-The Walk and the Jimmy Chin/Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi-directed Free Solo, in that you can feel the dizzying heights and the risks just watching.
It took the filmmakers seven years to chronicle it all, as the climbers scaled some of the some of the world’s highest skyscrapers and sharing intimate photos with their millions of followers on social media. The couple’s relationship was in danger of a freefall when their goals began to differ, as they continued to escape law enforcement to dangle off the skyscrapers,...
- 1/27/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Watching 2018's "Free Solo," the Oscar-winning documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold's daring attempt to scale Yosemite's El Capitan with no ropes to protect him from potentially falling, was such a visceral viewing experience, it caused my palms to sweat.
The same thing can be said of "Skywalkers: A Love Story," director Jeff Zimbalist's new documentary about Angela Nikolau and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus, two Russian "rooftoppers" who have become famous for breaking into skyscrapers, climbing to their highest possible points, and taking photos and videos for social media. The two begin the film as rivals, but team up to work together and eventually ... well, the phrase "fall for each other" carries a heavy connotation given their particular niche, so let's just say their dynamic changes as they survive some ridiculously dangerous climbs and come to love one another. Armed with a phalanx of GoPros, cameras, and drones, Vanya is the straightforward tactician,...
The same thing can be said of "Skywalkers: A Love Story," director Jeff Zimbalist's new documentary about Angela Nikolau and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus, two Russian "rooftoppers" who have become famous for breaking into skyscrapers, climbing to their highest possible points, and taking photos and videos for social media. The two begin the film as rivals, but team up to work together and eventually ... well, the phrase "fall for each other" carries a heavy connotation given their particular niche, so let's just say their dynamic changes as they survive some ridiculously dangerous climbs and come to love one another. Armed with a phalanx of GoPros, cameras, and drones, Vanya is the straightforward tactician,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
The Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards will honor Nyad star Annette Bening with the Distinguished Artisan Award at its 11th annual Muahs Awards.
The event is set for Sunday, February 18, at The Beverly Hilton.
Bening is a Tony Award and five-time Academy Award nominee, and two-time Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award winner. Her most recent Academy Award nomination was for her role in Nyad, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
Related: Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Sets Michael Westmore For Vanguard Award
“Annette Bening brings fascinating characters to life on the screen with each stunning performance and has won the hearts of moviegoers around the world,” said Julie Socash, president of the Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild. “Her talent and versatility as an actress, from a beguiling Hollywood starlet to a driven marathon swimmer, have been matched by her commitment to her craft, making her...
The event is set for Sunday, February 18, at The Beverly Hilton.
Bening is a Tony Award and five-time Academy Award nominee, and two-time Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award winner. Her most recent Academy Award nomination was for her role in Nyad, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
Related: Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Sets Michael Westmore For Vanguard Award
“Annette Bening brings fascinating characters to life on the screen with each stunning performance and has won the hearts of moviegoers around the world,” said Julie Socash, president of the Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild. “Her talent and versatility as an actress, from a beguiling Hollywood starlet to a driven marathon swimmer, have been matched by her commitment to her craft, making her...
- 1/26/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Like clockwork, every January brings a cavalcade of Oscar nominee snubs and surprises, but Academy voting trends typically don't stop there. Sometimes predictable, usually disappointing, and -- every so often -- downright confounding, there's always one nomination wrinkle that everyone's favorite awards show throws into the mix. Let's call it, "Movie that most normies have never even heard of." We use "normie" affectionately, of course, referring to general audiences with nine-to-five jobs who don't spend every waking moment on the internet.
So after today's high-profile Oscars announcement, what stands out as the 2024 version of this annual and bizarrely fascinating event?
Folks, allow me to introduce you to a little movie called "Nyad," a biopic directed by the husband-and-wife directing duo of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin ("Free Solo") and based on the memoir written by long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad. The film had an unexpectedly strong showing in terms of nominations,...
So after today's high-profile Oscars announcement, what stands out as the 2024 version of this annual and bizarrely fascinating event?
Folks, allow me to introduce you to a little movie called "Nyad," a biopic directed by the husband-and-wife directing duo of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin ("Free Solo") and based on the memoir written by long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad. The film had an unexpectedly strong showing in terms of nominations,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer leads the 2024 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards nominations, including for best picture and best director, which were announced Monday.
The biopic about the father of the A-bomb will also be competing for best screenplay, best male actor for Cillian Murphy, a best supporting male actor nod for Robert Downey Jr. and best supporting female actor for Emily Blunt.
Oppenheimer’s main rivals are Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, with four nominations, and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, with three nods. All three films will compete in the best picture category.
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s Nyad and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things each earned two nominations each.
The winners of the Vfcc Awards for international film will be announced on Feb. 12 in Vancouver.
A full list of nominations...
The biopic about the father of the A-bomb will also be competing for best screenplay, best male actor for Cillian Murphy, a best supporting male actor nod for Robert Downey Jr. and best supporting female actor for Emily Blunt.
Oppenheimer’s main rivals are Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, with four nominations, and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, with three nods. All three films will compete in the best picture category.
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s Nyad and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things each earned two nominations each.
The winners of the Vfcc Awards for international film will be announced on Feb. 12 in Vancouver.
A full list of nominations...
- 1/22/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Annette Bening is an actor’s actor. Like many of the greats before her, she began her career in the theatre. Through the 80s, she quietly compiled a library of rich, complex characters before making her Tony-nominated broadway debut in 1987’s “Coastal Disturbances.”
Bening then made her well deserved transition over to Hollywood with John Hughes’ “The Great Outdoors.” The film didn’t perform as well as hoped, nor did Milos Forman’s “Valmont” which was released the following year, but they both paved the way for Bening’s eventual Oscar-nominated breakout as Myra Langtry in Stephen Frears’ “The Grifters.”
She got particularly close to Oscar gold with “American Beauty” in 2000. Annette bagged the BAFTA and SAG award for her iconic portrayal of the colourfully volatile wife-in-crisis, Carolyn Burnham. She lost to Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”) though, who had edged her out at the Globes.
Swank clearly was Bening’s kryptonite,...
Bening then made her well deserved transition over to Hollywood with John Hughes’ “The Great Outdoors.” The film didn’t perform as well as hoped, nor did Milos Forman’s “Valmont” which was released the following year, but they both paved the way for Bening’s eventual Oscar-nominated breakout as Myra Langtry in Stephen Frears’ “The Grifters.”
She got particularly close to Oscar gold with “American Beauty” in 2000. Annette bagged the BAFTA and SAG award for her iconic portrayal of the colourfully volatile wife-in-crisis, Carolyn Burnham. She lost to Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”) though, who had edged her out at the Globes.
Swank clearly was Bening’s kryptonite,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Nick Bisa
- Gold Derby
Ben Fowlie, founder of the Camden International Film Festival, is departing as executive and artistic director of the Points North Institute, the nonprofit that produces the highly-respected documentary festival in coastal Maine.
Rick Rector, a board member of the Points North Institute, has been appointed Pni’s interim executive director in Fowlie’s stead. Fowlie, in addition to founding the film festival in 2005, established the Points North Institute in 2016, co-founding the nonprofit with Sean Flynn and Caroline von Kuhn.
Von Kuhn will remain as Pni board chair and Flynn will continue to lead Pni’s artist programs and fellowships and expand his role to oversee the upcoming 20th Camden International Film Festival, set for September 12-15, 2024.
Ciff executive and artistic director Ben Fowlie with ‘The Rescue’ director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“After twenty incredible years building this organization from the ground up, it’s the right time for me to step down,...
Rick Rector, a board member of the Points North Institute, has been appointed Pni’s interim executive director in Fowlie’s stead. Fowlie, in addition to founding the film festival in 2005, established the Points North Institute in 2016, co-founding the nonprofit with Sean Flynn and Caroline von Kuhn.
Von Kuhn will remain as Pni board chair and Flynn will continue to lead Pni’s artist programs and fellowships and expand his role to oversee the upcoming 20th Camden International Film Festival, set for September 12-15, 2024.
Ciff executive and artistic director Ben Fowlie with ‘The Rescue’ director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“After twenty incredible years building this organization from the ground up, it’s the right time for me to step down,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Annette Bening is joining Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Frankenstein lore feature at Warner Bros; the studio making it official that this is a go-project. Cameras roll in Q1. This package with its attachments has been out there since it was at Netflix, and the deals have finally closed with everyone. Jessie Buckley is the star of the movie which follows Frankenstein’s pursuit of love.
There’s already been word out there about the cast, including Buckley, and it’s a murderers’ row with Christian Bale, Penélope Cruz, and Peter Sarsgaard. Bale and Buckley have been circling this project well before the strikes.
Logline: A lonely Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aide of a Dr. Euphronius in creating a companion for himself. The two reinvigorate a murdered young woman and the Bride is born. She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the...
There’s already been word out there about the cast, including Buckley, and it’s a murderers’ row with Christian Bale, Penélope Cruz, and Peter Sarsgaard. Bale and Buckley have been circling this project well before the strikes.
Logline: A lonely Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aide of a Dr. Euphronius in creating a companion for himself. The two reinvigorate a murdered young woman and the Bride is born. She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the...
- 1/12/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
After diving in to play Diana Nyad’s best friend and swim coach in the real-life Netflix sports drama, “Nyad,” Jodie Foster is ready for her next cinematic adventure.
“I really like doing things where I learn stuff,” Foster tells me. “I don’t know how to play any musical instruments. If somebody said to me you get to play a violinist and I get a year to do that, I would love that. Or you know, learn a new language like Swedish. Or maybe a javelin thrower.
“Can I do all three at one time?” she cracked. “Somehow, the distraction of having to learn something new for me just gets me jazzed. It’s like school. I love it.”
Foster stars opposite Annette Bening as the titular role in “Nyad,” based on Nyad’s dream at age 60 to complete a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida. Both...
“I really like doing things where I learn stuff,” Foster tells me. “I don’t know how to play any musical instruments. If somebody said to me you get to play a violinist and I get a year to do that, I would love that. Or you know, learn a new language like Swedish. Or maybe a javelin thrower.
“Can I do all three at one time?” she cracked. “Somehow, the distraction of having to learn something new for me just gets me jazzed. It’s like school. I love it.”
Foster stars opposite Annette Bening as the titular role in “Nyad,” based on Nyad’s dream at age 60 to complete a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida. Both...
- 12/22/2023
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscar shortlists were released December 21 ahead of the nominations on January 23, 2024, and here we’re covering the crafts of makeup and hairstyling, original score, sound, and visual effects.
The big winners — appearing on three lists — were Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”, Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon”, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,”, and J.A. Bayona’s “Society of the Snow”.
In fact, “Napoleon,” “Poor Things,” and “Society of the Snow” have the potential to be late-season craft juggernauts in competition with “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar blockbuster “Barbie,” which scored on two lists (original score and sound).
Also making two lists were Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” (makeup and hairstyling and sound), James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (score and visual effects), Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” (makeup and hairstyling and sound), Christopher McQuarrie’s “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One...
The big winners — appearing on three lists — were Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”, Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon”, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,”, and J.A. Bayona’s “Society of the Snow”.
In fact, “Napoleon,” “Poor Things,” and “Society of the Snow” have the potential to be late-season craft juggernauts in competition with “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar blockbuster “Barbie,” which scored on two lists (original score and sound).
Also making two lists were Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” (makeup and hairstyling and sound), James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (score and visual effects), Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” (makeup and hairstyling and sound), Christopher McQuarrie’s “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One...
- 12/21/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Annette Bening, who was to have received the Golden Medallion for significant contribution to the world of cinema at September’s Telluride Film Festival — where the latest film in which the veteran actress stars, Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi’s Diana Nyad biopic Nyad, had its world premiere — but who was unable to attend the fest due to the actors strike, will be presented with the honor at a special event in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 6, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The Bening tribute will include a career-retrospective conversation, interspersed with clips, moderated by her Nyad co-star Jodie Foster, and a presentation of the award by Meg Ryan.
This marks the first time that Telluride has presented an honor outside of the dates of its festival.
“Annette Bening has long deserved a tribute in Telluride — and everywhere else on the planet,” Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a statement.
The Bening tribute will include a career-retrospective conversation, interspersed with clips, moderated by her Nyad co-star Jodie Foster, and a presentation of the award by Meg Ryan.
This marks the first time that Telluride has presented an honor outside of the dates of its festival.
“Annette Bening has long deserved a tribute in Telluride — and everywhere else on the planet,” Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a statement.
- 12/21/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rule change could vastly reduce number of eligible titles – and impact streamer release strategy
The number of films competing for the best film category at the Bafta Film Awards is set to fall from 2025 following a rule announced today that will also likely see a change in the scale of release for streamer titles seeking eligibility in the awards.
From next year, titles competing for best film must achieve a significantly wider release – five times the current requirement.
From the 2025 awards onwards, films must be theatrically exhibited publicly for the first time to a paying audience on at least 50 commercial...
The number of films competing for the best film category at the Bafta Film Awards is set to fall from 2025 following a rule announced today that will also likely see a change in the scale of release for streamer titles seeking eligibility in the awards.
From next year, titles competing for best film must achieve a significantly wider release – five times the current requirement.
From the 2025 awards onwards, films must be theatrically exhibited publicly for the first time to a paying audience on at least 50 commercial...
- 12/20/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with Nyad, Julia Cox’s adaptation of Diana Nyad’s memoir that was the diving-off point for directors Elizabeth Chai Vásárhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Netflix movie.
The plot follows the true story of Nyad’s attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida at age 63. Annette Bening plays Nyad, and Jodie Foster her coach Bonnie Stoll. Both recently snagged Golden Globe nominations for their performances.
Nyad attempted the Cuba-Florida swim once at the peak of her long-distance swimming career in 1978, but did not make it. Following her retirement, she covered sports for ABC and NPR among other outlets, but after turning 60 in 2010 she attempted the swim again. She didn’t make it that time, either.
The film shows the several attempts Nyad made to cross the 110 miles from Havana to Key West via the Straits of...
The plot follows the true story of Nyad’s attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida at age 63. Annette Bening plays Nyad, and Jodie Foster her coach Bonnie Stoll. Both recently snagged Golden Globe nominations for their performances.
Nyad attempted the Cuba-Florida swim once at the peak of her long-distance swimming career in 1978, but did not make it. Following her retirement, she covered sports for ABC and NPR among other outlets, but after turning 60 in 2010 she attempted the swim again. She didn’t make it that time, either.
The film shows the several attempts Nyad made to cross the 110 miles from Havana to Key West via the Straits of...
- 12/15/2023
- by Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
Sporting events captivate viewers everywhere, whether they are showing a competition or an athlete doing the impossible, but enticing an audience through a sports film in the same way can be a difficult task. It’s up to the cinematographers to bring a unique point of view that will highlight the tension and drama, and put viewers on the edge of their seats.
Creed III brings a surreal visual flair to the boxing ring for Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut. The story of Diana Nyad’s 102-mile swim comes to life through complicated lighting and camera techniques in Nyad. Michael Mann’s Ferrari documents the thrills, and very real dangers, of racing, with scenes shot at high speed with no green screen.
Michael B. Jordan in ‘Creed III’
Creed III
When working with first-time directors, bringing their vision to life can be sometimes be a challenge. However, Creed IIIcinematographer...
Creed III brings a surreal visual flair to the boxing ring for Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut. The story of Diana Nyad’s 102-mile swim comes to life through complicated lighting and camera techniques in Nyad. Michael Mann’s Ferrari documents the thrills, and very real dangers, of racing, with scenes shot at high speed with no green screen.
Michael B. Jordan in ‘Creed III’
Creed III
When working with first-time directors, bringing their vision to life can be sometimes be a challenge. However, Creed IIIcinematographer...
- 12/9/2023
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Poor Things, The Color Purple and American Fiction.
Leave the World Behind premiere
Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Kevin Bacon, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans and writer-director Sam Esmail walked the carpet at the NYC premiere of their Netflix thriller on Monday.
Ethan Hawke and Julia Roberts Kevin Bacon, Sam Esmail, Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, Mahershala Ali and Myha’la Herrold
American Fiction premiere
Writer-director Cord Jefferson joined stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown at their film’s Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday.
Cord Jefferson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown, Erika Alexander and Adam Brody
Wish music celebration
The team behind the music of Wish, including star Ariana DeBose, celebrated with an event in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Leave the World Behind premiere
Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Kevin Bacon, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans and writer-director Sam Esmail walked the carpet at the NYC premiere of their Netflix thriller on Monday.
Ethan Hawke and Julia Roberts Kevin Bacon, Sam Esmail, Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, Mahershala Ali and Myha’la Herrold
American Fiction premiere
Writer-director Cord Jefferson joined stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown at their film’s Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday.
Cord Jefferson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown, Erika Alexander and Adam Brody
Wish music celebration
The team behind the music of Wish, including star Ariana DeBose, celebrated with an event in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
- 12/8/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“I remember hearing about the swim at the time that she achieved it, but I didn’t follow her,” says “Nyad” star Annette Bening, who plays the titular role of Diana Nyad in the Netflix movie. Although the four-time Oscar nominee wasn’t familiar with the athlete’s previous achievements, she does say, “I used to listen to her on NPR. She used to be on NPR regularly, and I remember her voice and I remember the timbre of it, and just her intelligence. She would weigh in on controversial, ethical issues in athletics. I remember that, but I didn’t really know a lot about her.” Watch the exclusive video interview with Gold Derby above.
Bening was instantly drawn to the script penned by Nyad and Julia Cox. “I immediately wanted to do it,” she says. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, this story is great!’ I was moved by it and moved by her.
Bening was instantly drawn to the script penned by Nyad and Julia Cox. “I immediately wanted to do it,” she says. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, this story is great!’ I was moved by it and moved by her.
- 12/5/2023
- by Denton Davidson and Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Eileen
Screenplay adapted by Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel
Ottessa Moshfegh’s debut novel, 2015’s Eileen, was an overwhelming literary success; it won the Pen Award for debut fiction and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. But beyond the accolades, the critical reception often included backhanded — sometimes bordering on misogynistic — disparagements of the protagonist. The book follows 24-year-old Eileen, stuck caring for her alcoholic father in her Massachusetts hometown while working as a secretary at the local juvenile correction facility. In first-person narrative, she fantasizes about moving to New York City and describes her dirty house, body issues and laxative abuse; the latter spurred readers to use terms like “disgusting” to describe the main character.
Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel
Moshfegh says she has complicated feelings about that element of the book’s publication, but when she sat down to write the screenplay for the Neon film alongside her husband,...
Screenplay adapted by Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel
Ottessa Moshfegh’s debut novel, 2015’s Eileen, was an overwhelming literary success; it won the Pen Award for debut fiction and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. But beyond the accolades, the critical reception often included backhanded — sometimes bordering on misogynistic — disparagements of the protagonist. The book follows 24-year-old Eileen, stuck caring for her alcoholic father in her Massachusetts hometown while working as a secretary at the local juvenile correction facility. In first-person narrative, she fantasizes about moving to New York City and describes her dirty house, body issues and laxative abuse; the latter spurred readers to use terms like “disgusting” to describe the main character.
Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel
Moshfegh says she has complicated feelings about that element of the book’s publication, but when she sat down to write the screenplay for the Neon film alongside her husband,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Seija Rankin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Endurance and single-minded determination have been the focus of filmmaking duo Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin with their documentary films Free Solo, Meru and The Rescue, and now, with Nyad, they examine those themes in a narrative feature, with Annette Bening in the starring role of long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, and Jodie Foster as her coach and best friend Bonnie Stoll. Based on Nyad’s memoir, Find a Way, the film follows Nyad’s multiple attempts to make the 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida, dodging sharks and dangerous jellyfish and weathering brutal waves. When Nyad finally succeeds at the age of 64, her message is, “It’s never too late to follow your dream.” Here, Vasarhelyi and Chin look back on how their documentarian skills fed into recreating an epic seafaring experience, and how both their marriage and their working relationship evolved as a result.
Deadline: How did...
Deadline: How did...
- 11/24/2023
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
Thanksgiving is a great time to spend with family and eat way too much, but it’s also an opportune time to gather around and watch a great movie together. To that end, we’ve put together a curated list of some of the best new movies streaming on Netflix this month, singling out new releases and new library titles that are sure to keep the whole family engaged. Whether you’re in the mood for an assassin thriller, inspirational drama, animated family film or a cult classic, we’ve got something for everyone.
Check out our picks for the best new movies on Netflix in November below.
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” Universal Pictures
There’s no better time to revisit filmmaker Edgar Wright’s cult classic “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” – but make sure you watch the live-action adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels before you...
Check out our picks for the best new movies on Netflix in November below.
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” Universal Pictures
There’s no better time to revisit filmmaker Edgar Wright’s cult classic “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” – but make sure you watch the live-action adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels before you...
- 11/19/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Annette Bening is reflecting on the life-changing experience of playing marathon swimmer Diana Nyad in the Netflix film Nyad.
At a screening this week in Los Angeles, Bening took part in a panel discussion about the film that focuses on Nyad’s real-life efforts in her 60s to become the first individual to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. Also participating in the conversation were co-directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, co-star Jodie Foster, Nyad and Nyad’s coach Bonnie Stoll, whom Foster portrays in the movie.
“It has changed my life,” Bening said of swimming for the film. “I actually came to the conclusion recently that I’m a better swimmer now than even when I made the movie because I just kept swimming. I love it so much.”
The performer, a four-time Oscar nominee, explained that she grew up in San Diego and is trained as a scuba diver,...
At a screening this week in Los Angeles, Bening took part in a panel discussion about the film that focuses on Nyad’s real-life efforts in her 60s to become the first individual to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. Also participating in the conversation were co-directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, co-star Jodie Foster, Nyad and Nyad’s coach Bonnie Stoll, whom Foster portrays in the movie.
“It has changed my life,” Bening said of swimming for the film. “I actually came to the conclusion recently that I’m a better swimmer now than even when I made the movie because I just kept swimming. I love it so much.”
The performer, a four-time Oscar nominee, explained that she grew up in San Diego and is trained as a scuba diver,...
- 11/18/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Almost every year, there is at least one performer who finally takes home that elusive Oscar. In 2022, Jessica Chastain won for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” after two prior nominations, and, in 2020, Joaquin Phoenix prevailed for “Joker” after three previous bids. Expect this year to be no different — we have a whole crew searching for their first Oscar wins after years of nominations, near-misses, or just plain being snubbed. Here are a so far unlucky seven contenders who could break that curse this year and win long overdue Oscars. (We’ve updated this post to include Ryan Gosling after his absence was pointed out by several readers.)
Annette Bening — “Nyad” (Netflix)
Dir: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
Co-Starring: Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans
Release Date: October 20 in theaters, November 3 on Netflix
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
“64-year-old marathon swimmer, Diana Nyad, attempts to become the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Florida.
Annette Bening — “Nyad” (Netflix)
Dir: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
Co-Starring: Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans
Release Date: October 20 in theaters, November 3 on Netflix
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
“64-year-old marathon swimmer, Diana Nyad, attempts to become the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Florida.
- 11/15/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: The Jackson Hole International Film Festival will debut December 8 to 10 in Jackson, Wy, via a new partnership with the Hamptons International Film Festival.
The mountain town is a longtime destination for vacationers and outdoor sports enthusiasts and also home, at least seasonally, to a number of film industry figures. Among the latter is local resident Stuart Suna, former owner of New York production mainstay Silvercup Studios, co-founder of the Hamptons fest and founder of the new event in Jackson.
The inaugural outing will feature eight narrative and documentary features, all selected by
Hamptons Artistic Director David Nugent. The opening film is I‘ll Be Right There, a comedy starring Edie Falco, Jeannie Berlin, Kayli Carter, Charlie Tahan and Bradley Whitford and exec produced by Falco and Jessie Eisenberg. It world premiered last month in the Hamptons.
“A film festival is a great way to stimulate artistic imagination and contribute to the culture of the community,...
The mountain town is a longtime destination for vacationers and outdoor sports enthusiasts and also home, at least seasonally, to a number of film industry figures. Among the latter is local resident Stuart Suna, former owner of New York production mainstay Silvercup Studios, co-founder of the Hamptons fest and founder of the new event in Jackson.
The inaugural outing will feature eight narrative and documentary features, all selected by
Hamptons Artistic Director David Nugent. The opening film is I‘ll Be Right There, a comedy starring Edie Falco, Jeannie Berlin, Kayli Carter, Charlie Tahan and Bradley Whitford and exec produced by Falco and Jessie Eisenberg. It world premiered last month in the Hamptons.
“A film festival is a great way to stimulate artistic imagination and contribute to the culture of the community,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
It was five decades ago long distance swimmer Diana Nyad became part of the cultural landscape with her feats including a recording-setting circling of Manhattan and a 102-mile swim from the Bahamas to Florida she accomplished that in 27 hours. In 1978, Nyad made her first attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida but ended the quest after 40 hours. After segueing to a successful career as a sports journalist on ABC’s “Wild World of Sports” for over two decades, she decided at 60 to try again. She made three attempts felled by asthma, muscle fatigue, jellyfish and a tropical storm.
Nyad’s attempts at the swim were the subject of the 2013 documentary “The Other Shore.” When I talked to her for the L.A. Times a decade ago the then 64-year-old was preparing for her final attempt. “When I first started this in my 20s and when I started again when I turned...
Nyad’s attempts at the swim were the subject of the 2013 documentary “The Other Shore.” When I talked to her for the L.A. Times a decade ago the then 64-year-old was preparing for her final attempt. “When I first started this in my 20s and when I started again when I turned...
- 11/11/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Underwater cinematographer Peter Zuccarini has worked on some of the biggest movies of all time and swam with sharks (“Into the Blue”) and crocodiles (“The Motorcycle Diaries”) to get his shots, so one might think that a modest character study about a 60-year-old swimmer trying to fulfill a youthful ambition wouldn’t have anything new to offer him. Yet according to Zuccarini, telling the true story of Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) and her 110-mile swim between Cuba and Florida in Netflix’s “Nyad” offered him satisfaction unlike any he had ever experienced on set.
“Watching the movie I was thinking to myself, ‘I have never done this before,'” Zuccarini told IndieWire. “I’ve never been able to move a camera around someone so closely.” Indeed, one of the great strengths of “Nyad” is the intimate access that it gives the viewer to Diana’s emotional experience in the water,...
“Watching the movie I was thinking to myself, ‘I have never done this before,'” Zuccarini told IndieWire. “I’ve never been able to move a camera around someone so closely.” Indeed, one of the great strengths of “Nyad” is the intimate access that it gives the viewer to Diana’s emotional experience in the water,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
“Nyad” is the real-life story of Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), a world class swimmer who decided, at age 60, that she wanted to do something that had previously seemed impossible after she’d tried it when she was younger and was unsuccessful – to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.
With her coach and former romantic partner Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) at her side, she made several more attempts, battling box jellyfish, turbulent storms and constant naysayers. Somehow insurmountable feels like too mild a word to describe what she was attempting.
And it feels like filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin were keenly equipped to capture her story. The team, who are also married in real life, are Oscar-winners for their documentary “Free Solo” and have helmed several more movies about human beings pushing themselves to the brink (like “The Rescue” and “Return to Space”). Nyad’s story,...
With her coach and former romantic partner Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) at her side, she made several more attempts, battling box jellyfish, turbulent storms and constant naysayers. Somehow insurmountable feels like too mild a word to describe what she was attempting.
And it feels like filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin were keenly equipped to capture her story. The team, who are also married in real life, are Oscar-winners for their documentary “Free Solo” and have helmed several more movies about human beings pushing themselves to the brink (like “The Rescue” and “Return to Space”). Nyad’s story,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Netflix’s November slate of additions to its film library sees the streaming giant collaborating with some of the biggest directors on the planet. This month’s marquee offering out of the best new movies on Netflix, David Fincher’s “The Killer” sees the king of the modern crime thriller continuing his decade-spanning collaboration with the streamer via a taut drama that stars Michael Fassbender as a murderer who can’t handle disruptions to his routine. While Fincher has been a regular presence on Netflix in recent years with projects like “Mank” and “Love, Death, and Robots,” “The Killer” feels like a throwback to the kind of films that made him beloved in the first place.
“Free Solo” and “The Rescue” directors E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, two of the biggest names in documentary filmmaking, are also bringing a new project to Netflix this month. “Nyad” marks their first attempt at scripted filmmaking,...
“Free Solo” and “The Rescue” directors E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, two of the biggest names in documentary filmmaking, are also bringing a new project to Netflix this month. “Nyad” marks their first attempt at scripted filmmaking,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Try, try, and try again till you succeed. We have heard this line ever since we were little kids but have never really given it a good try, have we? Well, not like Diana Nyad, on whose life the director duo of Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi have managed to make a great film titled Nyad. This seemingly feel-good dramedy is more than just a biopic. Diana Nyad, an inspiration to many distance swimmers in the world, rose to fame when she broke records one after another, but at age 28, she failed to accomplish the greatest challenge of her life—the swim from Cuba to Florida. Nyad is a story where the 60-something Diana (played by Annette Benning) returns to complete the near-impossible swim with the help of her longtime friend and coach Bonnie, played by Jodie Foster. Going deep into the psychology of achieving greatness, superiority complexes, and destiny,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Ayush Awasthi
- Film Fugitives
I really admire Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s work, whose film Free Solo is arguably one of the finest documentaries ever made. They have a sense of capturing the human spirit on celluloid in a way that is very non-obtrusive. Perhaps their documentary filmmaking experience helps, and it’s clearly visible in their new film, the biopic titled Nyad. It’s a story chronicling Diana Nyad’s journey—the same Diana who rose to fame as the greatest long-distance swimmer in the 1970s. The film primarily focuses on the part when Nyad pumped herself up for one last attempt to achieve her unfulfilled dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida, and that too in her 60s. The result is an interesting look at the idea of success, meaning, and the masochism of pursuing excellence.
Jimmy and Elizabeth are drawn towards this quality of pursuit—this angle of the greatness of a performance.
Jimmy and Elizabeth are drawn towards this quality of pursuit—this angle of the greatness of a performance.
- 11/3/2023
- by Ayush Awasthi
- Film Fugitives
Nyad is a 2023 movie directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, starring Jodie Foster and Annette Bening. It is based on the book by Diana Nyad.
Two great actresses return to the stage to portray, precisely, the comeback of a swimmer, Diana Nyad, who became famous some years ago for attempting something extraordinary: swimming from Cuba to Florida, 180 kilometers in open sea.
The problem: she didn’t succeed at thirty years old and now, at sixty, she gets to work with her friend.
The main attraction of the movie is to see Jodie Foster and Annette Bening on screen again in a film that, without them, wouldn’t have generated much interest.
A movie about personal growth and learning how, even at sixty, incredible feats are still possible.
About “Nyad” Nyad
Neither Jodie Foster nor Annette Bening are regular leads anymore. Like in this movie, both actresses decided to partially retire and appear,...
Two great actresses return to the stage to portray, precisely, the comeback of a swimmer, Diana Nyad, who became famous some years ago for attempting something extraordinary: swimming from Cuba to Florida, 180 kilometers in open sea.
The problem: she didn’t succeed at thirty years old and now, at sixty, she gets to work with her friend.
The main attraction of the movie is to see Jodie Foster and Annette Bening on screen again in a film that, without them, wouldn’t have generated much interest.
A movie about personal growth and learning how, even at sixty, incredible feats are still possible.
About “Nyad” Nyad
Neither Jodie Foster nor Annette Bening are regular leads anymore. Like in this movie, both actresses decided to partially retire and appear,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Alice Lange
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Diana Nyad had been a world-class endurance athlete for years when, after swimming around Manhattan in a little under eight hours in 1975, she became a celebrity and a talk-show staple. At the age of 30, Nyad retired after breaking the open-ocean record by going from the Bahamas to Florida, one stroke at a time, in 27 hours. She transitioned into sportscasting, wrote books, hosted radio shows, did the occasional motivational speaker gig, and enjoyed the rewards of a life well lived.
Still, one thing consistently nagged at Nyad. In 1978, the face of...
Still, one thing consistently nagged at Nyad. In 1978, the face of...
- 11/2/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Just keep swimming… to Oscar? Gold Derby editors and Experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng are here to discuss “Nyad,” last-minute contender “Memory” and more.
After opening in limited release two weeks ago (which you may not have noticed since that was the same weekend that “Killers of the Flower Moon” opened), “Nyad” will arrive on Netflix on Friday. The film, which marks the narrative directorial debut of Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, follows Diana Nyad‘s (Annette Bening) lifelong quest to swim from Cuba to Florida with the support of her friend-turned-coach Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster). Will Bening get her fifth Oscar nomination for this physically demanding role? And can Foster return to the Oscars 29 years after her last nomination for “Nell”?
See Experts slugfest: Will ‘The Holdovers’ win over Oscar voters? Plus: Gotham Awards nominations
Meanwhile, there’s a last-minute entrant in the Oscar race.
After opening in limited release two weeks ago (which you may not have noticed since that was the same weekend that “Killers of the Flower Moon” opened), “Nyad” will arrive on Netflix on Friday. The film, which marks the narrative directorial debut of Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, follows Diana Nyad‘s (Annette Bening) lifelong quest to swim from Cuba to Florida with the support of her friend-turned-coach Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster). Will Bening get her fifth Oscar nomination for this physically demanding role? And can Foster return to the Oscars 29 years after her last nomination for “Nell”?
See Experts slugfest: Will ‘The Holdovers’ win over Oscar voters? Plus: Gotham Awards nominations
Meanwhile, there’s a last-minute entrant in the Oscar race.
- 11/2/2023
- by Joyce Eng and Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
The latest feature from David Fincher, a big-budget drama series from Steven Knight and Shawn Levy, and an Oscar hopeful starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster are among the standout new additions hitting Netflix in November.
With The Killer, Fincher reteams with Seven writer Andrew Kevin Walker to adapt the graphic novel written by Alexis Nolent. The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year and debuts on Netflix on Nov. 10, stars Michael Fassbender as a shadowy unnamed assassin and features a cast that includes Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Gabriel Polanco, Kerry O’Malley, Emiliano Pernía, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte and Tilda Swinton.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of The Killer described the film as “a satisfyingly retro, location-hopping genre exercise with fisticuffs, gadgets (albeit ones bought from Amazon) and smooth-talking antagonists that all plays like a tongue-in-cheek spoof of James Bond movies.”
All the Light We Cannot See...
With The Killer, Fincher reteams with Seven writer Andrew Kevin Walker to adapt the graphic novel written by Alexis Nolent. The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year and debuts on Netflix on Nov. 10, stars Michael Fassbender as a shadowy unnamed assassin and features a cast that includes Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Gabriel Polanco, Kerry O’Malley, Emiliano Pernía, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte and Tilda Swinton.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of The Killer described the film as “a satisfyingly retro, location-hopping genre exercise with fisticuffs, gadgets (albeit ones bought from Amazon) and smooth-talking antagonists that all plays like a tongue-in-cheek spoof of James Bond movies.”
All the Light We Cannot See...
- 11/2/2023
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For the ‘Free Solo’ Directors, Making ‘Nyad’ Was Much Harder Than Hanging Off the Side of a Mountain
With
After “Meru,” Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” and “The Rescue,” we knew that directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi delivered stunning visuals and provocative storytelling. With festival hit “Nyad”, based on the story of cranky competitive swimmer Diana Nyad and her refusal to abandon her dream, none of their skills were lost in translation to the scripted world
Nyad’s story of swimming 110 miles in open ocean from Cuba to Florida is well aligned with the filmmakers’ own profiles: Chin is a star mountain climber and cinematographer; Vasarhelyi is a relentless producer-organizer who always pushes for perfection. “It’s very true to brand, about someone who can’t give up ever,” Vasarhelyi told me. “Finally she did it on the fifth try, when she was 64.”
This propulsive two-hander stars Annette Bening, who also was 64 when she played the part after a year of training. Jodie Foster portrays her former lover-now-trainer, and...
After “Meru,” Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” and “The Rescue,” we knew that directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi delivered stunning visuals and provocative storytelling. With festival hit “Nyad”, based on the story of cranky competitive swimmer Diana Nyad and her refusal to abandon her dream, none of their skills were lost in translation to the scripted world
Nyad’s story of swimming 110 miles in open ocean from Cuba to Florida is well aligned with the filmmakers’ own profiles: Chin is a star mountain climber and cinematographer; Vasarhelyi is a relentless producer-organizer who always pushes for perfection. “It’s very true to brand, about someone who can’t give up ever,” Vasarhelyi told me. “Finally she did it on the fifth try, when she was 64.”
This propulsive two-hander stars Annette Bening, who also was 64 when she played the part after a year of training. Jodie Foster portrays her former lover-now-trainer, and...
- 10/27/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Plan B Entertainment has set a joint venture with Oscar-winning documentarian and filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, known for movies including Touching The Void, One Day In September, Whitney, The Last King Of Scotland and State Of Play.
Per the Jv, the two parties will co-develop and co-produce unscripted films and series with both established and emerging directors.
Among Plan B’s current unscripted work is the ongoing Lego Masters series for Fox and the recent Wayne Shorter documentary Zero Gravity for Amazon. French media company Mediawan took a majority stake in the company late last year.
Macdonald’s previous work in documentary also includes Life In A Day, Marley and High & Low — John Galliano. He won a Best Documentary Oscar for One Day in September about the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympics In Munich, Germany. His most recent narrative feature was The Mauritanian, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster,...
Per the Jv, the two parties will co-develop and co-produce unscripted films and series with both established and emerging directors.
Among Plan B’s current unscripted work is the ongoing Lego Masters series for Fox and the recent Wayne Shorter documentary Zero Gravity for Amazon. French media company Mediawan took a majority stake in the company late last year.
Macdonald’s previous work in documentary also includes Life In A Day, Marley and High & Low — John Galliano. He won a Best Documentary Oscar for One Day in September about the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympics In Munich, Germany. His most recent narrative feature was The Mauritanian, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster,...
- 10/25/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
An Iranian American woman navigating culture clash, an Argentine bank heist and an animated ghost story voiced by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie debut this weekend with a handful of docs and some notable expansion, vying with Apple wide release Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Sony Pictures Classics The Persian Version opens on eight screens in NY, LA, Toronto and Vancouver today. The film by writer-director Maryam Keshavarz won both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance where it premiered (Deadline review here). Her previous film Circumstance, about two teenage Iranian girls who fall in love, won the Audience Award too, in 2011, but the filmmaker hasn’t been able to return to Iran since.
The Persian Version stars Layla Mohammadi as Leila, Iranian-American like Keshavarz, and bisexual, striving to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant,...
Sony Pictures Classics The Persian Version opens on eight screens in NY, LA, Toronto and Vancouver today. The film by writer-director Maryam Keshavarz won both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance where it premiered (Deadline review here). Her previous film Circumstance, about two teenage Iranian girls who fall in love, won the Audience Award too, in 2011, but the filmmaker hasn’t been able to return to Iran since.
The Persian Version stars Layla Mohammadi as Leila, Iranian-American like Keshavarz, and bisexual, striving to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
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