Survivors of the living dead apocalypse and Jesse Custer and his crew are coming to San Diego this July for AMC's Hall H panels for The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead, and Preacher.
Press Release: What: The cast and producers of AMC’s hit scripted series “The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Preacher,” and new docuseries “Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics” will descend on this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, CA.
In addition to official series panels, AMC will host fan activations throughout the weekend, including a “The Walking Dead”-themed booth (#4237) in the Convention Center, where fans can stop by to take photos.
Who: “Fear the Walking Dead” panelists include cast members Kim Dickens, Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Mercedes Mason, Sam Underwood, Daniel Sharman and Michael Greyeyes along with Executive Producer and Showrunner David Erickson, Executive Producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd,...
Press Release: What: The cast and producers of AMC’s hit scripted series “The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Preacher,” and new docuseries “Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics” will descend on this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, CA.
In addition to official series panels, AMC will host fan activations throughout the weekend, including a “The Walking Dead”-themed booth (#4237) in the Convention Center, where fans can stop by to take photos.
Who: “Fear the Walking Dead” panelists include cast members Kim Dickens, Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Mercedes Mason, Sam Underwood, Daniel Sharman and Michael Greyeyes along with Executive Producer and Showrunner David Erickson, Executive Producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd,...
- 6/30/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The Oscars can have its annual celebrity luncheon. This week, several documentarians celebrated the Cinema Eye Honors with an after-hours field trip to the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Conceived in 2008 as a bid to broaden awareness for documentary achievements, the Cinema Eyes highlight a dozen categories that range from best director to best cinematography to graphic design. However, while it began as a tonic to the five-nominee limitations that circumscribe the Oscars, the Cinema Eyes have evolved into an idiosyncratic celebration all its own. Although the awards are Wednesday night at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, the ceremony is now only the culmination of a full week of programming that includes three days of activities.
“It’s kind of like senior skip week,” said co-founder and filmmaker Aj Schnack, catching his breath on Monday night before delivering a speech to the filmmakers in attendance. “Yes,...
Conceived in 2008 as a bid to broaden awareness for documentary achievements, the Cinema Eyes highlight a dozen categories that range from best director to best cinematography to graphic design. However, while it began as a tonic to the five-nominee limitations that circumscribe the Oscars, the Cinema Eyes have evolved into an idiosyncratic celebration all its own. Although the awards are Wednesday night at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, the ceremony is now only the culmination of a full week of programming that includes three days of activities.
“It’s kind of like senior skip week,” said co-founder and filmmaker Aj Schnack, catching his breath on Monday night before delivering a speech to the filmmakers in attendance. “Yes,...
- 1/11/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Direct from Sundance Blogs:
Come Swim
Credit: John GuleserianNight Shift
Credit: Estee OchoaThe Robbery
Credit: Lowell Meyer
Sixty-eight short films will complement the lineup of longer fare at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The short film slate aligns thematically with other Festival categories, including Midnight and The New Climate, the Festival’s new programming strand highlighting climate change and the environment. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 19–29.
The Institute’s support for short films extends internationally and year-round. Select Festival short films are presented as a traveling program at over 50 theaters in the U.S. and Canada each year, and short films and filmmakers take part in regional Master Classes geared towards supporting emerging shorts-makers in several cities. Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and in partnership with The Guardian and The New York Times’ Op-Docs,...
Come Swim
Credit: John GuleserianNight Shift
Credit: Estee OchoaThe Robbery
Credit: Lowell Meyer
Sixty-eight short films will complement the lineup of longer fare at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The short film slate aligns thematically with other Festival categories, including Midnight and The New Climate, the Festival’s new programming strand highlighting climate change and the environment. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 19–29.
The Institute’s support for short films extends internationally and year-round. Select Festival short films are presented as a traveling program at over 50 theaters in the U.S. and Canada each year, and short films and filmmakers take part in regional Master Classes geared towards supporting emerging shorts-makers in several cities. Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and in partnership with The Guardian and The New York Times’ Op-Docs,...
- 12/29/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– The 2017 Oxford Film Festival has announced the full schedule of films for next year’s edition of the popular Mississippi film festival. Katherine Dieckmann’s drama “Strange Weather,” starring Holly Hunter, is the Opening Night Selection while Jeff Grace’s festival hit, “Folk Hero & Funny Guy,” serves as the Closing Night selection.
A total of 151 films (34 features, 117 shorts, music videos, new media, and virtual reality projects), including 15 world premieres and 4 U.S. premieres, were selected for the film festival taking place February 15-19, 2017, in Oxford, Mississippi. Along with the films in competition, the festival will be highlighted by three new sections: New Media, a virtual reality (Vr) slate of programming, and both features and shorts sections featuring Lgbtq films.
You can check out the full lineup and schedule right here.
Lineup Announcements
– The 2017 Oxford Film Festival has announced the full schedule of films for next year’s edition of the popular Mississippi film festival. Katherine Dieckmann’s drama “Strange Weather,” starring Holly Hunter, is the Opening Night Selection while Jeff Grace’s festival hit, “Folk Hero & Funny Guy,” serves as the Closing Night selection.
A total of 151 films (34 features, 117 shorts, music videos, new media, and virtual reality projects), including 15 world premieres and 4 U.S. premieres, were selected for the film festival taking place February 15-19, 2017, in Oxford, Mississippi. Along with the films in competition, the festival will be highlighted by three new sections: New Media, a virtual reality (Vr) slate of programming, and both features and shorts sections featuring Lgbtq films.
You can check out the full lineup and schedule right here.
- 12/8/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
With their feature film line-up now set (see here and here), Sundance have unveiled their 2017 short program, which in past years has included such gems as World of Tomorrow, Glove, and Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. This year’s line-up includes Kristen Stewart‘s Come Swim, featuring a score by St. Vincent, as well as Project X, the latest film from Citizenfour director Laura Poitras.
Check out the full line-up of 68 films below, along with the first look at Stewart’s film.
U.S. Narrative Short Films
American Paradise / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Joe Talbot) — A desperate man in Trump’s America tries to shift his luck with the perfect crime in this story inspired by true events.
Cecile on the Phone / U.S.A. (Director: Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Screenwriters: Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Ellen Greenberg) — Overwhelmed by doubt and confusion after her ex-boyfriend’s return to New York, Cecile embarks on...
Check out the full line-up of 68 films below, along with the first look at Stewart’s film.
U.S. Narrative Short Films
American Paradise / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Joe Talbot) — A desperate man in Trump’s America tries to shift his luck with the perfect crime in this story inspired by true events.
Cecile on the Phone / U.S.A. (Director: Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Screenwriters: Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Ellen Greenberg) — Overwhelmed by doubt and confusion after her ex-boyfriend’s return to New York, Cecile embarks on...
- 12/6/2016
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Sundance Film Festival just gave attendees 68 new reasons to look forward to the January event with the announcement of their short films program that features several titles for genre fans to keep an eye on, including the creature short feature Kaiju Bunraku, the suburban satanic cult-centric Fucking Bunnies, and the post-apocalyptic Dawn of the Deaf.
We have the official press release below with full details, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for our upcoming coverage of the festival.
Press Release: Park City, Ut — Sixty-eight short films, announced today, will complement the lineup of longer fare at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The short film slate aligns thematically with other Festival categories, including Midnight and The New Climate, the Festival’s new programming strand highlighting climate change and the environment. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 19-29.
The Institute’s support for...
We have the official press release below with full details, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for our upcoming coverage of the festival.
Press Release: Park City, Ut — Sixty-eight short films, announced today, will complement the lineup of longer fare at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The short film slate aligns thematically with other Festival categories, including Midnight and The New Climate, the Festival’s new programming strand highlighting climate change and the environment. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 19-29.
The Institute’s support for...
- 12/6/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Short film lovers, never fear, the Sundance Film Festival has not forgotten about you. After rolling out their various feature categories, the annual winter festival has now announced their full short film lineup, including narratives, documentaries, animated offerings and midnight chillers. The slate is packed with picks from such diverse filmmakers as Laura Poitras (who will screen her latest, “Project X,” co-directed with Henrik Moltke, at the festival) and Kristen Stewart (who will make her directorial debut with “Come Swim”), along with Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Zachary Zezima, E.G. Bailey and many, many more.
If you’re hoping to find the next big thing in independent filmmaking, start here. Among the shorts the festival has shown in recent years are “World of Tomorrow,” “Thunder Road,” “Whiplash,” “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” and “Gregory Go Boom.”
Read More: Sundance 2017 Announces Competition and Next Lineups, Including Returning Favorites and Major Contenders
Mike Plante,...
If you’re hoping to find the next big thing in independent filmmaking, start here. Among the shorts the festival has shown in recent years are “World of Tomorrow,” “Thunder Road,” “Whiplash,” “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” and “Gregory Go Boom.”
Read More: Sundance 2017 Announces Competition and Next Lineups, Including Returning Favorites and Major Contenders
Mike Plante,...
- 12/6/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
As was the case for Joe Swanberg, it’s not unheard of that trailblazing names synonymous with micro American indie film fail to crack the Sundance line-up. Despite the accolades and their idiosyncratic style guides, Mike Ott and Nathan Silver are a pair of names that have yet to set foot in snowy Park City, and with this, perhaps the idiom of two filmmaking heads are better than one is applicable. Both have been prolific in their own right, collectively outputting nine feature films in less than a decade, and with production for their Denver shot Actor Martinez ending somewhere this past July and a rough cut being selected for the American Film Festival in Poland’s Us in Progress, things are looking good for an early 2016 bid. Starring indie actress girl crush Lindsay Burdge (in 2015 we caught her in The Midnight Swim, 6 Years and Lace Crater), we’re curious...
- 11/23/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Next week marks the 35th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and it will be screening during the 16th season of Film on the Rocks on June 9th. Also in this round-up: a Dark Was the Night trailer and listing information for the house from Poltergeist.
The Shining 35th Anniversary Screening: Press Release -- "Denver Film Society and Denver Arts & Venues announced the line-up for the 2015 edition of Film on the Rocks (Fotr). Presented by Pepsi, the 16th season includes nine events throughout the summer. Each film is preceded by a live concert and local comedian, courtesy of Comedy Works.
"Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start to Summer and Film on the Rocks is a Colorado Summer tradition," said Britta Erickson, Festival Director for the Denver Film Society. "We are so excited to kick off the season on the holiday weekend and bring cult-classic and fan-favorite films, great...
The Shining 35th Anniversary Screening: Press Release -- "Denver Film Society and Denver Arts & Venues announced the line-up for the 2015 edition of Film on the Rocks (Fotr). Presented by Pepsi, the 16th season includes nine events throughout the summer. Each film is preceded by a live concert and local comedian, courtesy of Comedy Works.
"Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start to Summer and Film on the Rocks is a Colorado Summer tradition," said Britta Erickson, Festival Director for the Denver Film Society. "We are so excited to kick off the season on the holiday weekend and bring cult-classic and fan-favorite films, great...
- 5/15/2015
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Laura Gabbert, Scott Hamilton Kennedy, Caroline Libresco, Doug Pray, Heather Rae, Eddie Schmidt, Aj Schnack to Serve as Lab Mentors .
Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, has launched a new Documentary Lab, sponsored by Latino Public Broadcasting, with 14 filmmakers and 9 projects participating. Documentary Lab is an intensive seven-week program, with a main focus of assisting documentary filmmakers on their works-in-progress and providing creative feedback. All of the Film Independent Labs are designed to support strong, original voices develop their filmmaking careers in a nurturing, yet challenging creative environment. Documentary Lab Mentors include filmmakers Laura Gabbert (No Impact Man), Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden), Doug Pray (Art & Copy), Aj Schnack (Convention),Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer Caroline Libresco, and producers Heather Rae (Frozen River) and Eddie Schmidt (Troubadours). filmmakers Jen Arnold (A Small Act), Jeff Malmberg (Marwencol), Chicken & Egg.s Julie Benello,...
Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, has launched a new Documentary Lab, sponsored by Latino Public Broadcasting, with 14 filmmakers and 9 projects participating. Documentary Lab is an intensive seven-week program, with a main focus of assisting documentary filmmakers on their works-in-progress and providing creative feedback. All of the Film Independent Labs are designed to support strong, original voices develop their filmmaking careers in a nurturing, yet challenging creative environment. Documentary Lab Mentors include filmmakers Laura Gabbert (No Impact Man), Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden), Doug Pray (Art & Copy), Aj Schnack (Convention),Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer Caroline Libresco, and producers Heather Rae (Frozen River) and Eddie Schmidt (Troubadours). filmmakers Jen Arnold (A Small Act), Jeff Malmberg (Marwencol), Chicken & Egg.s Julie Benello,...
- 3/16/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Film Independent has launched a new seven-week Documentary Lab, with 14 filmmakers and nine projects participating. The main focus of the program: assist documentary filmmakers on their works-in-progress and provide creative feedback. Lab mentors include slated to take part include Laura Gabbert ("No Impact Man"), Scott Hamilton Kennedy ("The Garden"), Doug Pray ("Art & Copy"), Aj Schnack ("Convention"), Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer Caroline Libresco, and producers Heather Rae ("Frozen ...
- 3/15/2011
- Indiewire
Lixin Fan's "Last Train Home" led the nominations for the 2011 Cinema Eye Honors, which were announced today at the Sheffield Doc/Fest in the UK by filmmakers Havana Marking ("Afghan Star"), Kim Longinotto ("Pink Saris") and Cinema Eye Co-chair Aj Schnack ("Convention"). Recognizing excellence in artistic achievements in nonfiction filmmaking, Cinema Eye Honors hands out awards in eleven categories. "Home" was nominated in seven of them, tying the record previously ...
- 11/4/2010
- Indiewire
More so than any other summer in recent memory, this year great documentaries are flooding through the marketplace at a rapid clip, whether on TV (HBO will host Sundance faves "Smash His Camera," "Gasland" and "A Small Act" in the weeks ahead), online (the always reliable SnagFilms.com) or in theaters ("Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," Aj Schnack's "Convention" and Oliver Stone's "South of the Border" before the end of June). With that in mind, we'd like to take the chance to shine a light on some of the best nonfiction films being released over the next month in this summer weekly column.
Certainly, that's true of "45365," the feature debut from Bill and Turner Ross, which took a circuitous route around the festival circuit (where it earned prizes at SXSW and Full Frame) before premiering online last summer on Hulu for a week and eventually winning this...
Certainly, that's true of "45365," the feature debut from Bill and Turner Ross, which took a circuitous route around the festival circuit (where it earned prizes at SXSW and Full Frame) before premiering online last summer on Hulu for a week and eventually winning this...
- 6/22/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
With five docs having just opened this past Friday, Summer 2010 is in full effect. Among the recently opened, Aj Schnack's Convention, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at 2008 Democratic National Convention, showcases the cinematography of some of the brightest stars in the docmaking galaxy--Laura Poitras, Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar, Daniel Junge and Paul Taylor among them. Another June 4th opener, Tom Shepard and Tina DeFelicination's Whiz Kids follows four high school students in their quest to win the coveted Intel Science Talent Search prize; Shepard himself was a finalist ...
- 6/7/2010
- by twhite
- International Documentary Association
For the enlightening documentary Convention - opening this weekend at the IFC Center - director Aj Schnack [Kurt Cobain About a Son, Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)] rounded up a small army of filmmakers to descend on the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Told from the various viewpoints of reporters, organizers, politicians, and protesters, the result is is a multi-faceted, all-access look at how one of the most inspiring events of the new millennium came together. In a fit of patriotism that coincided nicely with Memorial Day weekend, Tribeca talked with Schnack about his influences, the logistical hurdles, and the popularity of ensemble docs. Team of Filmmakers TribecaFilm.com: What prompted the film? Aj Schnack: I'd been wanting to make an ensemble film for a few years, obviously inspired by the work of Pennebaker, Maysles, Leacock and Drew on the Drew Associates films of the 1960s. Filmmakers often get opportunities to see one ...
- 6/1/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
As our theatrical calendar attests, there will be plenty of reasons to leave the house this summer. But for those times when you'd prefer to stay in, there's a wide array of American indies, international hits, and exquisite documentaries right at your fingertips on demand, online or on DVD. Here's what will be coming to your televisions, computer screens, Netflix queues and store shelves from May through July.
On Demand
As always, our sister company IFC Films will release some of the biggest festival favorites from around the world this summer both at theaters and on demand, allowing people to choose what size screen they want to see Johnnie To's actioner "Vengeance" (May 14), Ken Loach's soccer drama "Looking for Eric" (May 21), the Cillian Murphy-Brendan Gleeson gangster tale "Perrier's Bounty" (May 21), Mia Hansen-Løve's French family drama "The Father of My Children" (May 28), "Bronson" director Nicolas Winding Refn...
On Demand
As always, our sister company IFC Films will release some of the biggest festival favorites from around the world this summer both at theaters and on demand, allowing people to choose what size screen they want to see Johnnie To's actioner "Vengeance" (May 14), Ken Loach's soccer drama "Looking for Eric" (May 21), the Cillian Murphy-Brendan Gleeson gangster tale "Perrier's Bounty" (May 21), Mia Hansen-Løve's French family drama "The Father of My Children" (May 28), "Bronson" director Nicolas Winding Refn...
- 5/6/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
By Sean O’Connell
Ryan Piers Williams’ “The Dry Land,” a Sundance Film Festival favorite, took home the top prize at the Dallas International Film Festival Friday evening, earning a $25,000 cash prize for the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature. In addition, Lucy Walker’s “Waste Land” received a $25,000 cash prize for the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Documentary Feature.
“Dry Land” stars America Ferrera and Wilmer Valderrama were on hand during the fest. Their film follows a U.S. soldier as he returns home from Iraq to Texas and tries to assimilate back into society.
The Documentary competition jury also gave a Special Jury Prize to Michael Pertnoy’s and Michael Kleiman’s “The Last Survivor” and a Special Mention for Editing (for Claire Didier’s work on the film) to Mark Landsman’s “Thunder Soul.”
Dallas Star Award recipient John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) made the...
Ryan Piers Williams’ “The Dry Land,” a Sundance Film Festival favorite, took home the top prize at the Dallas International Film Festival Friday evening, earning a $25,000 cash prize for the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature. In addition, Lucy Walker’s “Waste Land” received a $25,000 cash prize for the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Documentary Feature.
“Dry Land” stars America Ferrera and Wilmer Valderrama were on hand during the fest. Their film follows a U.S. soldier as he returns home from Iraq to Texas and tries to assimilate back into society.
The Documentary competition jury also gave a Special Jury Prize to Michael Pertnoy’s and Michael Kleiman’s “The Last Survivor” and a Special Mention for Editing (for Claire Didier’s work on the film) to Mark Landsman’s “Thunder Soul.”
Dallas Star Award recipient John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) made the...
- 4/17/2010
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
Indie Roundup is your guide to what's new and upcoming in the world of independent film. Pictured above:Luke and Brie Are on a First Date, Dallas International Film Festival.
On Demand. Oh, boy, two attractive people walk around trying to break through their romantic awkwardness! Who wants to see that? Well, Chad Hartigan's Luke and Brie Are on a First Date "takes us through universal, well-worn feelings," says Karina Longworth at Spout, "and makes them feel new." Give the feature a look at Babelgum for free this month.
Deals. Do you secretly wish you could watch "a small group of elderly, deformed sociopaths as they wander the back streets of Nashville, getting drunk, breaking televisions, and, yes, humping trash cans"? Harmony Korine's Trash Humpers has made its mark on the festival circuit and will now be trashing cinemas in a theatrical run starting next month, reports Peter Knegt at indieWIRE.
On Demand. Oh, boy, two attractive people walk around trying to break through their romantic awkwardness! Who wants to see that? Well, Chad Hartigan's Luke and Brie Are on a First Date "takes us through universal, well-worn feelings," says Karina Longworth at Spout, "and makes them feel new." Give the feature a look at Babelgum for free this month.
Deals. Do you secretly wish you could watch "a small group of elderly, deformed sociopaths as they wander the back streets of Nashville, getting drunk, breaking televisions, and, yes, humping trash cans"? Harmony Korine's Trash Humpers has made its mark on the festival circuit and will now be trashing cinemas in a theatrical run starting next month, reports Peter Knegt at indieWIRE.
- 4/8/2010
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
Sundance Selects has acquired worldwide rights to Aj Schnack’s “Convention.” The documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the city of Denver’s efforts as it prepared to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Schnack's third nonfiction feature is a collaboration with celebrated filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert (“A Lion in the House,” “The Last Truck: Closing of a Gm Plant”), Laura Poitras (“My Country, My Country,” “The Oath”), Paul Taylor (“We Are Together”) and Daniel Junge (“They Killed Sister Dorothy,” “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner”).
Schnack's third nonfiction feature is a collaboration with celebrated filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert (“A Lion in the House,” “The Last Truck: Closing of a Gm Plant”), Laura Poitras (“My Country, My Country,” “The Oath”), Paul Taylor (“We Are Together”) and Daniel Junge (“They Killed Sister Dorothy,” “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner”).
- 4/6/2010
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Rainbow Media's VOD service Sundance Select has acquired rights to the political documentary "Convention."
Described as a behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the film was directed by Aj Schnack ("Kurt Cobain About a Son") in collaboration with an ensemble of filmmakers.
"Convention" will debut May 12 on VOD simultaneously with its limited theatrical release in Los Angeles and Denver. The doc was featured last year at the Los Angeles Film Festival and AFI Silverdocs.
Described as a behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the film was directed by Aj Schnack ("Kurt Cobain About a Son") in collaboration with an ensemble of filmmakers.
"Convention" will debut May 12 on VOD simultaneously with its limited theatrical release in Los Angeles and Denver. The doc was featured last year at the Los Angeles Film Festival and AFI Silverdocs.
- 4/5/2010
- by By Carl DiOrio
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Wrap Staff
Sundance Selects has acquired worldwide rights to Aj Schnack’s "Convention," a documentary feature shot during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Dencer.
The documentary, Schnack's third nonfiction film, takes a behind-the-scenes look at Denver's efforts in hosting the convention at which Barack Obama was nominated for president. Through the intertwining stories of several protesters, reporters from the Denver Post,...
Sundance Selects has acquired worldwide rights to Aj Schnack’s "Convention," a documentary feature shot during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Dencer.
The documentary, Schnack's third nonfiction film, takes a behind-the-scenes look at Denver's efforts in hosting the convention at which Barack Obama was nominated for president. Through the intertwining stories of several protesters, reporters from the Denver Post,...
- 4/5/2010
- by Lisa Horowitz
- The Wrap
Sundance Selects today announced the acquisition of worldwide rights to Aj Schnack's "Convention," an ensemble documentary shot during the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Working with acclaimed filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Laura Poitras, Paul Taylor and Daniel Junge, Schnack gives a behind-the-scenes look at Denver's efforts in hosting the historic event. The film premiered at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival and at AFI Silverdocs, where its ...
- 4/5/2010
- Indiewire
The only big film festival in my own backyard is back and it runs from November 12th through the 22nd. While it caters more to heavy run fest material and arthouse film, they do have some of the more interesting films playing this year:
Ryan Ward's excellent Son of the Sunshine which is one of my favorite films of the year. (review)
The weird, lengthy comedy The Revenant (review)
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
and much more. Program after the break!
In Competition
Children of Invention
Two first-generation Chinese kids in suburban Boston find themselves on their own after their desperate mother is unwittingly involved in a pyramid scheme and arrested. Older brother Raymond takes a page from her marketing seminars to start creating a life for himself and his sister - casting a strange, pint-sized reflection on the American Dream.
Footprints...
Ryan Ward's excellent Son of the Sunshine which is one of my favorite films of the year. (review)
The weird, lengthy comedy The Revenant (review)
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
and much more. Program after the break!
In Competition
Children of Invention
Two first-generation Chinese kids in suburban Boston find themselves on their own after their desperate mother is unwittingly involved in a pyramid scheme and arrested. Older brother Raymond takes a page from her marketing seminars to start creating a life for himself and his sister - casting a strange, pint-sized reflection on the American Dream.
Footprints...
- 10/26/2009
- QuietEarth.us
On a panel discussion before its world premiere screening at SilverDocs last night, Aj Schnack used the phrase "Robert Altman-esque" to describe the construction of his new film, Convention. This is accurate as a reference to the stylistic tropes we classically think of when we think of Altman -- shot by nine filmmaker/camerapersons, Convention tracks the interwoven stories of a number of semi-interrelated characters as they produce, participate in, protest, protect and/or report on the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver -- but the film also shares what Roger Ebert, in his review of ...
- 6/18/2009
- by Karina Longworth
- Spout
On Monday June 15th, Sky Sitney, Silverdocs’ director of programming and newly appointed artistic director, will usher in the seventh iteration of the event that Aj Schnack, the director of this year's Centerpiece Screening Convention, calls “the most important documentary festival in the United States.” Silver Spring, Maryland is the Candyland, one might say, of documentary filmmaking and factual television in the Us, for it is the town that The Discovery Channel built. Silverdocs also partners with the American Film Institute to gather together not only massive local audiences from the Washington, DC-area, but most of the shining lights of nonfiction cinema that reside in this country, and quite a few others that will come from...
- 6/11/2009
- by Pamela Cohn
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The world premiere of Aj Schnack's "Convention" will serve as the Centerpiece Screening at the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival, which runs June 8- 22 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in the Washington, D.C., area.
For "Convention," Schnack assembled a crew of documentary filmmakers to tell the story of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. They include Laura Poitras ("My Country, My Country"), Paul Taylor ("We Are Together"), Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar ("A Lion in the House"), and Daniel Junge ("They Killed Sister Dorothy").
Most of the filmmakers will be in attendance and will present a special "Doc Talk" on ensemble filmmaking as part of the Silverdocs International Documentary Conference.
"While all filmmaking is a collaboration, it has never been so eloquently realized than in 'Convention,' where some of today's most exciting and talented filmmakers share in the collective spirit of documentary filmmaking to...
For "Convention," Schnack assembled a crew of documentary filmmakers to tell the story of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. They include Laura Poitras ("My Country, My Country"), Paul Taylor ("We Are Together"), Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar ("A Lion in the House"), and Daniel Junge ("They Killed Sister Dorothy").
Most of the filmmakers will be in attendance and will present a special "Doc Talk" on ensemble filmmaking as part of the Silverdocs International Documentary Conference.
"While all filmmaking is a collaboration, it has never been so eloquently realized than in 'Convention,' where some of today's most exciting and talented filmmakers share in the collective spirit of documentary filmmaking to...
- 6/10/2009
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Universal Pictures' "Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, will screen as the Centerpiece Premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs June 18-28.
Directed by Michael Mann, whose "Collateral" screened as a sneak peek at the festival five years ago, "Enemies" also stars Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard. The film opens nationally July 1.
Organized by Film Independent, the fest announced the bulk of its lineup Tuesday,encompassing more than 70 feature films, 70 shorts and 50 music videos drawn from more than 30 countries.
Said Rebecca Yeldham, who recently stepped into her new role as the festival's director: "The Laff is a celebration of culture, cinema and community. We're dedicated to our public, and we're dedicated to our filmmakers. We see ourselves as part of the international community of artists and passionate cinephiles."
Joining Yeldham and programming director Rachel Rosen at the Hotel Palomar in Westwood, actors Gael Garcia Bernal...
Directed by Michael Mann, whose "Collateral" screened as a sneak peek at the festival five years ago, "Enemies" also stars Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard. The film opens nationally July 1.
Organized by Film Independent, the fest announced the bulk of its lineup Tuesday,encompassing more than 70 feature films, 70 shorts and 50 music videos drawn from more than 30 countries.
Said Rebecca Yeldham, who recently stepped into her new role as the festival's director: "The Laff is a celebration of culture, cinema and community. We're dedicated to our public, and we're dedicated to our filmmakers. We see ourselves as part of the international community of artists and passionate cinephiles."
Joining Yeldham and programming director Rachel Rosen at the Hotel Palomar in Westwood, actors Gael Garcia Bernal...
- 5/5/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday and Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Independent has released the core line-up for the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival. There are a Lot of world and Us premieres in the Narrative and Documentary competitions, both of which offer the winner a $50,000 prize courtesy of Target. I'm particularly excited about the latter, which includes Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri's October Country and the final cut of Convention, which Aj Schnack previewed at True/False. Though the opening and closing night titles have yet to be announced, the Centerpiece selection of Michael Mann's Public Enemies adds a bit of starpower to a lineup also including some familiar 2009 circuit titles, including Humpday, Harmony & Me, In t ...
- 5/5/2009
- by Karina Longworth
- Spout
On Sunday at True/False, filmmaker/blogger Aj Schnack screened the first thirty minutes of Convention, his verite-style film documenting the 2008 Democratic National Convention with an eye on the Denver locals (politicians, city administrators, journalists, protesters) who were in the mix. Shot by Schnack in collaboration with nearly a dozen documentarians (including the Oscar-nominated directors Laura Poitras and Julia Reichert, and Daniel Junge, who directed the Oscar-shortlisted They Killed Sister Dorothy), the film's making-of process was almost as much of a serendipity-dependent feat of execution as the event captured on screen. As his, uh, primary inspiration, Schnack cites Robert Drew's Primary, a Direct Cinema landmark documenting the Wisconsin primary race between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey. The first Ame ...
- 3/4/2009
- by Karina Longworth
- Spout
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