By Glenn Dunks
I will be honest with you. I initially had no real desire to watch In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis. I believe my words were “because of the whole pope thing”, which I personally think is entirely fair. Especially after another European filmmaker, Wim Wenders, had his own Pope Francis doc not too long ago. It does, however, prove to be a much more interesting than initial perceptions would have suggested. And, to be honest, director Gainfranco Rosi—a director whose work only seems to be getting better and better (which is saying quite a lot)—deserves better than a ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ After all, I don’t think any other filmmaker can claim both a Golden Bear and a Golden Lion for works of non-fiction.
Rosi’s film is not the immersive experience that recent works like Notturno and Fire at Sea were, but...
I will be honest with you. I initially had no real desire to watch In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis. I believe my words were “because of the whole pope thing”, which I personally think is entirely fair. Especially after another European filmmaker, Wim Wenders, had his own Pope Francis doc not too long ago. It does, however, prove to be a much more interesting than initial perceptions would have suggested. And, to be honest, director Gainfranco Rosi—a director whose work only seems to be getting better and better (which is saying quite a lot)—deserves better than a ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ After all, I don’t think any other filmmaker can claim both a Golden Bear and a Golden Lion for works of non-fiction.
Rosi’s film is not the immersive experience that recent works like Notturno and Fire at Sea were, but...
- 3/23/2023
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Following The Young Pope, The New Pope, and The Two Popes, the time has officially come for the Woke Pope. In Viaggio, Gianfranco Rosi’s fascinating Rorschach test of a documentary, is also something of a People’s History of Pope Francis, pontiff since 2013, in that it largely consists of television broadcast footage of the man on his sundry global travels, though the filmmaker wisely deigns not to visualize his popular Twitter account. We don’t glimpse him from his own subjective point-of-view, as Fernando Meirelles and Jonathan Pryce attempted to show in their version; instead Rosi privileges what the global Roman Catholic membership and also what curious nonbelievers and secular onlookers observe—the dignified outer surface. And intriguingly enough, it’s a fairly flattering picture as one of the world’s oldest, most powerful institutions attempts some crisis PR in front of the contemporary world’s gaze.
Rosi, a...
Rosi, a...
- 9/21/2022
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
Master documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi, whose “Sacro Gra” won the Venice Golden Lion in 2013, is back on the Lido with “In Viaggio,” a doc about Pope Francis’ travels in which the director creates a counterpoint between archival footage and images that Rosi shot himself.
In the first nine years of his pontificate, Pope Francis made 37 trips visiting 53 countries, focusing on his key issues: poverty, migration, the environment, solidarity and war.
Intrigued by the fact that two of Francis’ trips – the first to the refugees landing in the Sicilian island of Lampedusa; the second in 2021 to the Middle East – so closely mirrored the itineraries of the director’s “Fire at Sea” (2016) and “Notturno” (2020), Rosi decided to delve into hundreds of hours of footage of papal travels with the intention of providing through them a “map of the human condition,” he says.
How did you first intersect with Pope Francis?
My first...
In the first nine years of his pontificate, Pope Francis made 37 trips visiting 53 countries, focusing on his key issues: poverty, migration, the environment, solidarity and war.
Intrigued by the fact that two of Francis’ trips – the first to the refugees landing in the Sicilian island of Lampedusa; the second in 2021 to the Middle East – so closely mirrored the itineraries of the director’s “Fire at Sea” (2016) and “Notturno” (2020), Rosi decided to delve into hundreds of hours of footage of papal travels with the intention of providing through them a “map of the human condition,” he says.
How did you first intersect with Pope Francis?
My first...
- 9/8/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
A powerful meditation on recent history, In Viaggio premiered out of competition at the Venice Film Festival. Directed by previous Golden Lion winner Gianfranco Rosi, it follows the travels of Pope Francis, using mostly archival footage to paint not just a picture of the man, but of the modern world.
Rosi was inspired by the fact that two of Francis’ trips mirrored his own, for the films Fuocoammare and Notturno (2020). The documentarian includes his own footage with that of news archives, but Pope Francis’ voice is the main one throughout the film. While reporters and followers are occasionally heard, the emphasis is on Francis, creating a singular tone. His softly-spoken messages combine with classical, often choral music to hypnotic effect.
We see him visit women’s and men’s prisons, where he preaches about dignity and dreams. We see him speaking about the power of collaborating with other religions,...
Rosi was inspired by the fact that two of Francis’ trips mirrored his own, for the films Fuocoammare and Notturno (2020). The documentarian includes his own footage with that of news archives, but Pope Francis’ voice is the main one throughout the film. While reporters and followers are occasionally heard, the emphasis is on Francis, creating a singular tone. His softly-spoken messages combine with classical, often choral music to hypnotic effect.
We see him visit women’s and men’s prisons, where he preaches about dignity and dreams. We see him speaking about the power of collaborating with other religions,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
One doesn’t need to be religious to feel the impact of the words uttered by Pope Francis to never-ending crowds of faithful followers, a concept deeply understood by Gianfranco Rossi with “In Viaggio,” a decade-long chronicling of the travels of the head of the Catholic church across all corners of the world. Composed entirely of archival footage, the film grants rare access to the public life of the pontifical, not only from the elevated security of a pulpit but from the more democratic grounds of unpaved streets and vast public avenues.
The film opens with the following disclaimer: “In the first nine years of his pontificate, Pope Francis made 37 trips visiting 53 countries, focusing on his most important issues: poverty, migration, the environment, solidarity and war.” These very same issues guide the work of Rossi, whose two latest documentaries – 2016’s Golden Bear-winning “Fire at Sea” and 2020’s “Notturno” – deal with...
The film opens with the following disclaimer: “In the first nine years of his pontificate, Pope Francis made 37 trips visiting 53 countries, focusing on his most important issues: poverty, migration, the environment, solidarity and war.” These very same issues guide the work of Rossi, whose two latest documentaries – 2016’s Golden Bear-winning “Fire at Sea” and 2020’s “Notturno” – deal with...
- 9/6/2022
- by Rafaela Sales Ross
- The Playlist
Master documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi, whose “Sacro Gra” won the Venice Golden Lion in 2013, is back on the Lido with “In Viaggio,” a doc about Pope Francis’ travels in which the director creates a counterpoint between archival footage and images that Rosi shot himself. Variety has been given access to an exclusive clip (above) from the film, which premieres in Venice on Sept. 5.
In the first nine years of his pontificate, Pope Francis made 37 trips visiting 53 countries, focusing on his key issues: poverty, migration, the environment, solidarity and war.
Intrigued by the fact that two of Francis’s trips – the first to the refugees landing in the Sicilian island of Lampedusa; the second in 2021 to the Middle East – so closely mirrored the itineraries of the director’s “Fuocoammare” and “Notturno” (2020), Rosi follows the Pope’s Stations of the Cross. “He sees what he sees, hears what he says,” the press notes point out,...
In the first nine years of his pontificate, Pope Francis made 37 trips visiting 53 countries, focusing on his key issues: poverty, migration, the environment, solidarity and war.
Intrigued by the fact that two of Francis’s trips – the first to the refugees landing in the Sicilian island of Lampedusa; the second in 2021 to the Middle East – so closely mirrored the itineraries of the director’s “Fuocoammare” and “Notturno” (2020), Rosi follows the Pope’s Stations of the Cross. “He sees what he sees, hears what he says,” the press notes point out,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
After highlighting 40 titles confirmed to hit theaters this fall, we now turn our attention to the festival-bound films either without distribution or a release date. Looking over Venice, Toronto, and New York Film Festival selections, we’ve rounded up 20––most of which we’ll be checking out over the next few weeks––we can’t wait to see.
Check out our 20 most-anticipated festival premieres below, and return for our reviews.
A Cooler Climate (James Ivory and Giles Gardner; NYFF)
After debuting at NYFF’s third edition in 1965 with the Merchant-Ivory production Shakespeare Wallah, James Ivory returns this year for a world premiere. A Cooler Climate, co-directed with Giles Gardner, finds the filmmaker poetically revisiting a formative trip to Afghanistan through self-shot film he recovered. Featuring music by Alexandre Desplat and clocking in at 75 minutes, we’re curious what the 94-year-old Oscar winner has cooked up. – Jordan R.
A Compassionate Spy...
Check out our 20 most-anticipated festival premieres below, and return for our reviews.
A Cooler Climate (James Ivory and Giles Gardner; NYFF)
After debuting at NYFF’s third edition in 1965 with the Merchant-Ivory production Shakespeare Wallah, James Ivory returns this year for a world premiere. A Cooler Climate, co-directed with Giles Gardner, finds the filmmaker poetically revisiting a formative trip to Afghanistan through self-shot film he recovered. Featuring music by Alexandre Desplat and clocking in at 75 minutes, we’re curious what the 94-year-old Oscar winner has cooked up. – Jordan R.
A Compassionate Spy...
- 8/30/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Rebecca Hall’s deft directorial debut “Passing,” which competed for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and was acquired by Netflix, and Julia Ducournau’s sophomore feature “Titane,” winner of Cannes’ Palme d’Or and France’s entry in the International Feature Film Oscar race, have been selected to compete in a section devoted to up-and-coming directors at the 29th edition of EnergaCamerimage, a film festival that focuses on the art of cinematography.
The films play in the Directors’ Debuts Competition, which is open to the outstanding first or second feature films of rising directors. Ducournau’s first feature was 2016 “Raw,” which played in Cannes’ Critics Week. Also competing is Sebastian Meise’s second feature “Great Freedom,” which won the Jury Prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, and is Austria’s candidate in the Oscar race. Meise’s first feature was 2011’s “Still Life.”
The festival also revealed Thursday the...
The films play in the Directors’ Debuts Competition, which is open to the outstanding first or second feature films of rising directors. Ducournau’s first feature was 2016 “Raw,” which played in Cannes’ Critics Week. Also competing is Sebastian Meise’s second feature “Great Freedom,” which won the Jury Prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, and is Austria’s candidate in the Oscar race. Meise’s first feature was 2011’s “Still Life.”
The festival also revealed Thursday the...
- 10/21/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Poland’s documentary festival Millennium Docs Against Gravity is set to finally come of age after postponing its 18th edition due to Covid-19 restrictions, originally slated to take place in May. Once again unspooling in seven different cities between Sept. 3-12, with local authorities sponsoring their own respective awards, the event will then continue online, wrapping on Oct. 3.
“The government’s decision to, so to speak, ‘liberate cinemas’ came too late,” says founder Artur Liebhart, explaining the change. “But we have not given up on our audience, not even for a moment. Most documentary festivals cater to the needs of the industry but to us, the audience and their willingness to participate is the absolute priority.”
The festival’s collaboration with cinemas all over Poland is “based on mutual respect,” says Liebhart, which is why it forgoes the usual hybrid model. “First, we will watch films on 42 screens and only then will we move online,...
“The government’s decision to, so to speak, ‘liberate cinemas’ came too late,” says founder Artur Liebhart, explaining the change. “But we have not given up on our audience, not even for a moment. Most documentary festivals cater to the needs of the industry but to us, the audience and their willingness to participate is the absolute priority.”
The festival’s collaboration with cinemas all over Poland is “based on mutual respect,” says Liebhart, which is why it forgoes the usual hybrid model. “First, we will watch films on 42 screens and only then will we move online,...
- 9/5/2021
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
In a sad blow, the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has announced it will cancel its in-cinema screenings given the current Covid situation in the city.
The festival, always designed as a hybrid event, will continue nationally on Miff Play, with the festival securing an additional 30 titles for the platform. These include some direct-from-Cannes titles such as The Hill Where Lionesses Roar, La Civil, Rehana Maryam Noor and Babi Yar, and Australian films Ablaze, Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution, Little Tornadoes and Paper City.
However, some of the festival most anticipated films, including local films such as Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, intended as the Opening Night Gala, and Justin Kurzel’s Nitram are not available on the service.
As regional Victoria is no longer in lockdown, the festival’s regional season will proceed, with required changes to the line-up to be advised through local operators.
The festival, always designed as a hybrid event, will continue nationally on Miff Play, with the festival securing an additional 30 titles for the platform. These include some direct-from-Cannes titles such as The Hill Where Lionesses Roar, La Civil, Rehana Maryam Noor and Babi Yar, and Australian films Ablaze, Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution, Little Tornadoes and Paper City.
However, some of the festival most anticipated films, including local films such as Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, intended as the Opening Night Gala, and Justin Kurzel’s Nitram are not available on the service.
As regional Victoria is no longer in lockdown, the festival’s regional season will proceed, with required changes to the line-up to be advised through local operators.
- 8/10/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Michael Lieberman, formerly head of publicity at Metrograph, has been hired as Director of Communications, U.S., at Mubi. He will be based at the New York offices of the global film distributor, producer and curated film streaming service.
In his new role, Lieberman will lead all communications for the U.S. including publicity for Mubi releases, working alongside Global Director of Communications Sophie Rhatigan, U.S. Director of Marketing Corey Wilson, VP Global Marketing Lilly Riber, U.S. Director of Distribution Chris Mason Wells and Global Distribution boss Jon Barrenechea.
At Metrograph, Lieberman helped oversee the launch of the Metrograph cinema in 2015, Metrograph Pictures in 2019 and Metrograph Digital last year. He also promoted programming like retrospectives of Brian De Palma, Maggie Cheung and Gena Rowlands/John Cassavetes, and theatrical releases of A Bigger Splash and Downtown 81 among others.
He previously held publicity positions at Susan Norget Film Promotion and Film Presence.
In his new role, Lieberman will lead all communications for the U.S. including publicity for Mubi releases, working alongside Global Director of Communications Sophie Rhatigan, U.S. Director of Marketing Corey Wilson, VP Global Marketing Lilly Riber, U.S. Director of Distribution Chris Mason Wells and Global Distribution boss Jon Barrenechea.
At Metrograph, Lieberman helped oversee the launch of the Metrograph cinema in 2015, Metrograph Pictures in 2019 and Metrograph Digital last year. He also promoted programming like retrospectives of Brian De Palma, Maggie Cheung and Gena Rowlands/John Cassavetes, and theatrical releases of A Bigger Splash and Downtown 81 among others.
He previously held publicity positions at Susan Norget Film Promotion and Film Presence.
- 5/24/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Think of it as the boutique label’s boutique label.
Super Ltd., the distributor of the Oscar-nominated “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” is an offshoot of “Parasite” producer Neon, and was launched to handle more experimental work. It’s not that Neon, which has made a name for itself with indie hits like “I, Tonya” and “Border,” is in the business of backing franchise fare, but Darcy Heusel and Dan O’Meara, Super Ltd.’s founders, say the label’s small size has helped them provide a personalized touch for movies that might struggle to find an audience. In the case of “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” a searing drama about a U.N. translator who works to save a family during the Bosnian war, that meant conceiving a distribution plan and launching an awards season strategy within six weeks of the film being acquired.
“We’re lean and mean,” says O’Meara. “Because...
Super Ltd., the distributor of the Oscar-nominated “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” is an offshoot of “Parasite” producer Neon, and was launched to handle more experimental work. It’s not that Neon, which has made a name for itself with indie hits like “I, Tonya” and “Border,” is in the business of backing franchise fare, but Darcy Heusel and Dan O’Meara, Super Ltd.’s founders, say the label’s small size has helped them provide a personalized touch for movies that might struggle to find an audience. In the case of “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” a searing drama about a U.N. translator who works to save a family during the Bosnian war, that meant conceiving a distribution plan and launching an awards season strategy within six weeks of the film being acquired.
“We’re lean and mean,” says O’Meara. “Because...
- 4/21/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
“Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt upset “Nomadland” Dp Joshua James Richards, the Oscar favorite, at the 35th annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards on Sunday. The win for David Fincher’s monochromatic biopic, with Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) struggling to churn out a first draft of “Citizen Kane,” was a surprise, given the momentum that has been with Richards since he won Camerimage’s prestigious Golden Frog last year. However, Richards (previously nominated for the Spotlight Award for “The Rider” but is not a current ASC member) still remains the Oscar favorite for shooting Chloé Zhao’s Best Picture frontrunner (she is also the favorite to take Best Director).
Yet it is a breakthrough achievement for Fincher’s go-to cinematographer from “Mindhunter.” Messerschmidt recreated a Golden Age of Hollywood in black-and-white, shooting with the Red Ranger Helium Monochrome, and bolstered by the Cinefade variable depth of field tool to emulate...
Yet it is a breakthrough achievement for Fincher’s go-to cinematographer from “Mindhunter.” Messerschmidt recreated a Golden Age of Hollywood in black-and-white, shooting with the Red Ranger Helium Monochrome, and bolstered by the Cinefade variable depth of field tool to emulate...
- 4/18/2021
- by Chris Lindahl and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The American Society of Cinematographers is announcing its winners today for the 35th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards this afternoon in the feature film, documentary and television cinematography categories.
They represent the organization’s picks for the most compelling visual filmmaking over the past 14 months.
The Society is bestowing the ASC Board of Governors Award to filmmaker Sophia Coppola for her contributions to cinema through her body of work. It is the only ASC Award not given to a cinematographer and is reserved for industry stalwarts who have been champions for directors of photography and the visual art form.
The Michael Chapman & Allen Daviau Student Heritage Award is being awarded to Ai Chung for A Young Tough in the Michael Chapman Graduate Category and Elias Ginsberg for Milk Teeth in the Allen Daviau Undergraduate Category.
The virtual ceremony is being streamed live via American Cinematographer’s Facebook page from the historic ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood.
They represent the organization’s picks for the most compelling visual filmmaking over the past 14 months.
The Society is bestowing the ASC Board of Governors Award to filmmaker Sophia Coppola for her contributions to cinema through her body of work. It is the only ASC Award not given to a cinematographer and is reserved for industry stalwarts who have been champions for directors of photography and the visual art form.
The Michael Chapman & Allen Daviau Student Heritage Award is being awarded to Ai Chung for A Young Tough in the Michael Chapman Graduate Category and Elias Ginsberg for Milk Teeth in the Allen Daviau Undergraduate Category.
The virtual ceremony is being streamed live via American Cinematographer’s Facebook page from the historic ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood.
- 4/18/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Franco-Egyptian filmmaker Namir Abdel Messeeh has teamed with Paris-based production outfit Les Films d’Ici for his next feature, the autobiographical hybrid-doc “Life After Siham.”
Building on themes he developed in his award-winning 2011 doc “The Virgin, the Copts and Me,” a self-reflexive exploration of family and identity that played in Cannes, Berlin and Copenhagen, among others, the filmmaker will once again take center stage in this follow-up, which will find the director grieving his mother’s passing and dealing with a creative impasse as he leads a writing workshop in Egypt.
Currently in pre-production and presented as part of the Visions du Réel project pitch session, the film will follow two parallel tracks, mixing family footage the director shot before and after his mother’s passing against the fictional backdrop of a creative retreat set at the late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine’s one-time residence.
With the spirits of Messeeh’s mother,...
Building on themes he developed in his award-winning 2011 doc “The Virgin, the Copts and Me,” a self-reflexive exploration of family and identity that played in Cannes, Berlin and Copenhagen, among others, the filmmaker will once again take center stage in this follow-up, which will find the director grieving his mother’s passing and dealing with a creative impasse as he leads a writing workshop in Egypt.
Currently in pre-production and presented as part of the Visions du Réel project pitch session, the film will follow two parallel tracks, mixing family footage the director shot before and after his mother’s passing against the fictional backdrop of a creative retreat set at the late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine’s one-time residence.
With the spirits of Messeeh’s mother,...
- 4/15/2021
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Documentary festival to take place online, with plans for physical screenings in May.
Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (Cph:Dox) has revealed the full lineup for its 2021 edition, which includes features by Werner Herzog, Spike Lee, Gianfranco Rosi and Frank Oz.
A total of 180 documentaries have been selected for the festival, which will take place virtually from April 21 to May 5. Cph:dox also plans to screen a selection of films in Copenhagen cinemas from May 6-12, if the Danish government goes ahead with its plan to reopen theatres. Those titles have yet to be revealed.
The programme includes Lee’s American Utopia,...
Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (Cph:Dox) has revealed the full lineup for its 2021 edition, which includes features by Werner Herzog, Spike Lee, Gianfranco Rosi and Frank Oz.
A total of 180 documentaries have been selected for the festival, which will take place virtually from April 21 to May 5. Cph:dox also plans to screen a selection of films in Copenhagen cinemas from May 6-12, if the Danish government goes ahead with its plan to reopen theatres. Those titles have yet to be revealed.
The programme includes Lee’s American Utopia,...
- 3/30/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Several award-winning filmmakers to pitch latest projects at industry platform, which has added three new cash prizes.
Swiss documentary festival Visions de Réel has revealed the industry projects that will be pitched and presented at its 2021 edition, including new features from UK director Mark Cousins and Oscar-nominated US filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon.
In total, 29 projects will participate across the VdR-Pitching, VdR-Work in Progress and VdR-Rough Cut Lab. Industry activity will take place from April 14-22 both online and physically in Nyon, subject to pandemic restrictions.
Full list of projects below
The work in progress strand will include the latest...
Swiss documentary festival Visions de Réel has revealed the industry projects that will be pitched and presented at its 2021 edition, including new features from UK director Mark Cousins and Oscar-nominated US filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon.
In total, 29 projects will participate across the VdR-Pitching, VdR-Work in Progress and VdR-Rough Cut Lab. Industry activity will take place from April 14-22 both online and physically in Nyon, subject to pandemic restrictions.
Full list of projects below
The work in progress strand will include the latest...
- 3/19/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The 15 shortlisted contenders for Best Documentary Feature showcase the diversity and power in vérité storytelling with such a vast array of subjects and visions. From racial injustice and voter suppression to government conspiracies and emotionally connecting with animals, these stories, from all corners of life, illuminate the world we live in today.
Both the 15 semi-finalists and five nominees were determined by preferential voting. Final voting for the winner is widened to all academy members who attest to having watched all the nominees. Let’s take a closer look at the 15 films and their performances at the precursor awards.
The film that tackles 2020’s most pressing issue is “76 Days,” which gives an insider view of overwhelmed frontline workers caring for patients battling Covid-19 in Wuhan hospitals during its citywide lockdown. The direct cinema filmmaking highlights the doctors and nurses’ nonstop care, sustained compassion, and waves of anguish, all while donning...
Both the 15 semi-finalists and five nominees were determined by preferential voting. Final voting for the winner is widened to all academy members who attest to having watched all the nominees. Let’s take a closer look at the 15 films and their performances at the precursor awards.
The film that tackles 2020’s most pressing issue is “76 Days,” which gives an insider view of overwhelmed frontline workers caring for patients battling Covid-19 in Wuhan hospitals during its citywide lockdown. The direct cinema filmmaking highlights the doctors and nurses’ nonstop care, sustained compassion, and waves of anguish, all while donning...
- 3/14/2021
- by Nick Ruhrkraut
- Gold Derby
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Radu Jude's Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn. Radu Jude's Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn has won the Golden Bear at the 71st Berlinale. See the list of this year's award winners here. Recommended VIEWINGFeminist film journal Another Gaze has announced the upcoming launch of its free streaming platform, Another Screen, which will be available worldwide from March 12. Programming will begin with a retrospective dedicated to the late Italian filmmaker Cecilia Mangini. The official trailer for Roy Andersson's About Endlessness, which won Best Director at the Biennale in 2019. Read Leonardo Goi's Venice review of the film here.Janus Films has released its trailer for the restoration of Eric Rohmer's Tale of Four Seasons, an elegant cycle of moral parables. Until March 23, viewers have the opportunity to watch Tsai Ming-Liang's Madam...
- 3/11/2021
- MUBI
The American Society of Cinematographers on Wednesday set its nominees for the 35th Asc Outstanding Achievement Awards, recognizing the best in feature film, documentary and television cinematography over the past 14 months. Winners will be revealed April 18 in a virtual ceremony from the Asc Clubhouse in Hollywood.
The marquee Feature Film category this year features awards-season staples including Erik Messerschmidt for Mank and Phedon Papamichael for The Trial of the Chicago 7, both from Netflix, and Chloé Zhao’s go-to Dp Joshua James Richards for Seachlight’s Nomadland. Also in the running is Newton Thomas Sigel for A24’s Russo Brothers-directed Cherry and Dariusz Wolski for Universal’s News of the World.
Papamichael has been nominated for five Asc Awards including last year for Ford v Ferrari. He lost to Roger Deakins for 1917; Deakins went on to win the Oscar, marking the 15th time the Asc winner has gone on to scoop the Academy Award in 34 years.
The marquee Feature Film category this year features awards-season staples including Erik Messerschmidt for Mank and Phedon Papamichael for The Trial of the Chicago 7, both from Netflix, and Chloé Zhao’s go-to Dp Joshua James Richards for Seachlight’s Nomadland. Also in the running is Newton Thomas Sigel for A24’s Russo Brothers-directed Cherry and Dariusz Wolski for Universal’s News of the World.
Papamichael has been nominated for five Asc Awards including last year for Ford v Ferrari. He lost to Roger Deakins for 1917; Deakins went on to win the Oscar, marking the 15th time the Asc winner has gone on to scoop the Academy Award in 34 years.
- 3/10/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
“Cherry,” “Mank,” “News of the World,” “Nomadland” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” are among the films nominated by the American Society of Cinematographers (Asc) in the feature film category.
The Asc nominees for feature film, documentary and television cinematography represent the organization’s picks for the most compelling visual filmmaking over the past 14 months. Last year’s Asc feature film winner was Roger Deakins for “1917,” who went on to win an Oscar for best achievement in cinematography.
Winners will be named during the 35th Asc Outstanding Achievement Awards on April 18.
The virtual ceremony will be live streamed via American Cinematographer’s Facebook page at 12:30 p.m. Pt from the historic Asc Clubhouse in Hollywood.
The complete list of this year’s nominees are:
Feature Film
Erik Messerschmidt, Asc (“Mank”)
Phedon Papamichael, Asc, Gsc (“The Trial of the Chicago 7″)
Joshua James Richards (” Nomadland”)
Newton Thomas Sigel, Asc (“Cherry”)
Dariusz Wolski,...
The Asc nominees for feature film, documentary and television cinematography represent the organization’s picks for the most compelling visual filmmaking over the past 14 months. Last year’s Asc feature film winner was Roger Deakins for “1917,” who went on to win an Oscar for best achievement in cinematography.
Winners will be named during the 35th Asc Outstanding Achievement Awards on April 18.
The virtual ceremony will be live streamed via American Cinematographer’s Facebook page at 12:30 p.m. Pt from the historic Asc Clubhouse in Hollywood.
The complete list of this year’s nominees are:
Feature Film
Erik Messerschmidt, Asc (“Mank”)
Phedon Papamichael, Asc, Gsc (“The Trial of the Chicago 7″)
Joshua James Richards (” Nomadland”)
Newton Thomas Sigel, Asc (“Cherry”)
Dariusz Wolski,...
- 3/10/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The cinematography for “Mank,” “Nomadland,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “News of the World” and “Cherry” has been nominated as the best film work of 2020 by the American Society of Cinematographers, the Asc announced on Wednesday.
The first four of those films were expected to be recognized by the Asc and are thought to be strong contenders for the Oscar for Best Cinematography, but “Cherry” came as a surprise. The Russo brothers film came out in February to withering reviews and had not been considered an awards contender until the Asc included its cinematographer, Newton Thomas Sigel, in its list of nominees.
“Cherry” landed that nomination over a group of films that included “Tenet,” “Minari,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” — and “Da 5 Bloods,” a more high-profile film that was also shot by Sigel.
In the Spotlight category, which singles out cinematographers from films that...
The first four of those films were expected to be recognized by the Asc and are thought to be strong contenders for the Oscar for Best Cinematography, but “Cherry” came as a surprise. The Russo brothers film came out in February to withering reviews and had not been considered an awards contender until the Asc included its cinematographer, Newton Thomas Sigel, in its list of nominees.
“Cherry” landed that nomination over a group of films that included “Tenet,” “Minari,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” — and “Da 5 Bloods,” a more high-profile film that was also shot by Sigel.
In the Spotlight category, which singles out cinematographers from films that...
- 3/10/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The American Society of Cinematographers (Asc) has weighed in with picks for the best cinematography in film and television over the last year. Like other major guild ceremonies including the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, the Asc nominees are looked at closely by Oscar pundits considering the overlap between guild members and the Academy. Over the last decade, the eventual Oscar winner for Best Cinematography has at least been nominated for the Asc prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases.
Last year’s ASC winner was Roger Deakins for “1917.” Deakins also won the ASC prize for “Blade Runner 2049.” In both cases, the legendary Dp went on to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Wally Pfister for “Inception” and Emmanuel Lubezki for “Gravity,” “Birdman,” and “The Revenant” are other recent examples of Asc winners who also prevailed at the Academy Awards. The Asc...
Last year’s ASC winner was Roger Deakins for “1917.” Deakins also won the ASC prize for “Blade Runner 2049.” In both cases, the legendary Dp went on to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Wally Pfister for “Inception” and Emmanuel Lubezki for “Gravity,” “Birdman,” and “The Revenant” are other recent examples of Asc winners who also prevailed at the Academy Awards. The Asc...
- 3/10/2021
- by Zack Sharf and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The documentary film community gathered virtually on Facebook Tuesday night to chat and cheer each other on at the annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards. Oscar ballots are due Wednesday at 5pm Pt, and many documentary branch voters were on the livestream.
At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.
She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”
Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...
At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.
She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”
Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...
- 3/10/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The documentary film community gathered virtually on Facebook Tuesday night to chat and cheer each other on at the annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards. Oscar ballots are due Wednesday at 5pm Pt, and many documentary branch voters were on the livestream.
At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.
She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”
Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...
At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.
She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”
Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...
- 3/10/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Oscar voting is wrapping on Wednesday, but it ain’t over ’til it’s over. Film distributor Neon, the reigning champion at the Academy Awards for best picture with “Parasite,” has another stack of contenders this year, all unique in awards discussions. CEO and co-founder Tom Quinn has always pushed the boundaries of cinema, and deeply believes in cultural representation in front and behind the camera, and the way consumers and Academy voters accept the film medium.
“Neon’s entire mission is built around the power of cinema,” Quinn says. “Cinema for us starts in the theater, a collective body of strangers coming together to see a director’s vision — unedited, uninterrupted — and with that comes great power.”
In this bonus episode of the “Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,” Quinn talks about Neon’s robust slate, which includes the comedy “Palm Springs,” international features like “Night of the Kings,” and docs...
“Neon’s entire mission is built around the power of cinema,” Quinn says. “Cinema for us starts in the theater, a collective body of strangers coming together to see a director’s vision — unedited, uninterrupted — and with that comes great power.”
In this bonus episode of the “Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,” Quinn talks about Neon’s robust slate, which includes the comedy “Palm Springs,” international features like “Night of the Kings,” and docs...
- 3/9/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Philip Yung’s Where The Wind Blows and Septet: The Story Of Hong Kong will open the festival.
The 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival has announced it will open with the world premiere of Philip Yung’s Where The Wind Blows and the gala premiere of omnibus Septet: The Story Of Hong Kong.
However, Where The Wind Blows is being announced as “Tbc” suggesting that it still needs to finalise mainland China censorship clearance. Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Chiu-wai star in the big-budget crime drama, based on the true stories of two notoriously corrupt Hong Kong police officers...
The 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival has announced it will open with the world premiere of Philip Yung’s Where The Wind Blows and the gala premiere of omnibus Septet: The Story Of Hong Kong.
However, Where The Wind Blows is being announced as “Tbc” suggesting that it still needs to finalise mainland China censorship clearance. Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Chiu-wai star in the big-budget crime drama, based on the true stories of two notoriously corrupt Hong Kong police officers...
- 3/9/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Gianfranco Rosi's Notturno is exclusively showing in many countries starting March 5, 2021 in Mubi's Luminaries series.Nonfiction films tend to exhibit anxiety over their subjective engagement with the factual world. It’s a tension that makers often feel compelled to resolve, or assuage. Some lean into a journalistic tone or style, gathering witnesses and evidence, telling a cogent story and presenting it soberly, burying or at least deemphasizing subjective choices. Others signal or admit their own interventions by including themselves in the frame, or by embracing an unconventional, conspicuous formal approach, eager to wriggle free from outsized expectations of objectivity. Either way the work is, at least in part, defined by this dialectic. Accepting that subjectivity is not only a given but a necessity, the very source of an artist’s power and mandate, the tension shifts to what the artist chooses to emphasize—what he or she is drawn to,...
- 3/9/2021
- MUBI
Neon said Thursday that it is partnering with film-centric social media platform Letterboxd to make six of the distributor’s Oscar-shortlisted pics available exclusively on the service for a week beginning Monday. Those titles include Victor Kossakovsky’s documentary Gunda and Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis, Aida?, the official Oscar submission of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It will mark the U.S. premiere dates for both titles, and the first time Letterboxd will be offering new films that have not streamed on any other platforms.
Those two, plus the documentaries Notturno and The Painter and the Thief along with Andrei Konchalovsky’s Dear Comrades! and Philippe Lacôte’s Night of the Kings, are involved in the deal. The will be available from March 8-14 as a package for $19.99.
Neon, which distributed last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite, made Gunda one of the first U.S. deals at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival.
It will mark the U.S. premiere dates for both titles, and the first time Letterboxd will be offering new films that have not streamed on any other platforms.
Those two, plus the documentaries Notturno and The Painter and the Thief along with Andrei Konchalovsky’s Dear Comrades! and Philippe Lacôte’s Night of the Kings, are involved in the deal. The will be available from March 8-14 as a package for $19.99.
Neon, which distributed last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite, made Gunda one of the first U.S. deals at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival.
- 3/4/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Distributor Neon is partnering with Letterboxd, the fast-growing global social network for movie discussion and discovery, to give the platform’s users access to the studio’s slate of documentary and foreign films shortlisted for the 93rd Academy Awards. From March 8 through March 14, Letterboxd users can stream all of Neon’s six shortlisted titles for the discounted bundle price of $19.99 over at watch.neonrated.com. This news marks the first time Letterboxd will be offering new films that have not streamed on any other platforms directly to its member base.
The six films included in the bundle will be documentary contender “Gunda” directed by Victor Kossakovsky and executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix; Gianfranco Rosi’s “Notturno,” which is Italy’s submission for the Best International Feature Academy Award; “The Painter and the Thief,” directed by Benjamin Ree and shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar; Andrei Konchalovsky’s Best International Feature submission from Russia,...
The six films included in the bundle will be documentary contender “Gunda” directed by Victor Kossakovsky and executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix; Gianfranco Rosi’s “Notturno,” which is Italy’s submission for the Best International Feature Academy Award; “The Painter and the Thief,” directed by Benjamin Ree and shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar; Andrei Konchalovsky’s Best International Feature submission from Russia,...
- 3/4/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Arthouse streamer Mubi has made three hires to its U.S. and UK teams.
Corey Wilson has joined as Director of Marketing, U.S; Chris Mason Wells joins as Director of Distribution, U.S.; and Natalie Ralph has been hired as Director of Distribution, UK.
Wilson joins from Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, where he served as Director of Brand Partnerships and Sponsorship. There he developed and expanded national studio and entertainment partnerships for the company. Prior to Alamo Drafthouse, he helped develop and lead digital marketing strategies at NBCUniversal-owned Fandango.
New York-based Mason Wells joins from U.S. distributor Kino Lorber, where he served as Director of Theatrical Sales. Previously Wells was Director of Programming for the Quad Cinema in New York, and has curated film series for the IFC Center, Anthology Film Archives, and Bam.
Based in London, Ralph joins after six years at Studiocanal UK, where she...
Corey Wilson has joined as Director of Marketing, U.S; Chris Mason Wells joins as Director of Distribution, U.S.; and Natalie Ralph has been hired as Director of Distribution, UK.
Wilson joins from Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, where he served as Director of Brand Partnerships and Sponsorship. There he developed and expanded national studio and entertainment partnerships for the company. Prior to Alamo Drafthouse, he helped develop and lead digital marketing strategies at NBCUniversal-owned Fandango.
New York-based Mason Wells joins from U.S. distributor Kino Lorber, where he served as Director of Theatrical Sales. Previously Wells was Director of Programming for the Quad Cinema in New York, and has curated film series for the IFC Center, Anthology Film Archives, and Bam.
Based in London, Ralph joins after six years at Studiocanal UK, where she...
- 3/2/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Of the many types of documentary films, Oscar-nominated director Gianfranco Rosi has identified one genre he describes as “complaining and explaining.”
“There’s someone complaining,” Rosi observes, “and then there’s someone explaining to you why they’re complaining.”
That’s not his school. When Rosi settles on a theme for a film, he leaves the rest to chance—traveling to a place and then meeting people who capture his attention. Such was the case with his latest documentary, the Oscar-shortlisted Notturno. Rosi spent three years on the borders of Iraq, Kurdistan, Lebanon and Syria to gain a distinct experience of the Middle East.
“I wanted the film to be a film of encounter,” Rosi tells Deadline. “I wanted the film to start where the reportage stopped and to follow the patterns of the borders—those borders that for years were somehow dominated by violence, by fear, and yet the borders,...
“There’s someone complaining,” Rosi observes, “and then there’s someone explaining to you why they’re complaining.”
That’s not his school. When Rosi settles on a theme for a film, he leaves the rest to chance—traveling to a place and then meeting people who capture his attention. Such was the case with his latest documentary, the Oscar-shortlisted Notturno. Rosi spent three years on the borders of Iraq, Kurdistan, Lebanon and Syria to gain a distinct experience of the Middle East.
“I wanted the film to be a film of encounter,” Rosi tells Deadline. “I wanted the film to start where the reportage stopped and to follow the patterns of the borders—those borders that for years were somehow dominated by violence, by fear, and yet the borders,...
- 2/26/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Martha Stewart in In A Lonely Place. Actress Martha Stewart, best known for playing Mildred Atkinson in Nicholas Ray's In A Lonely Place (1950), has died. Check out the new website for listings resource Screen Slate! The website now has sections for specially curated listings and articles, as well as a store featuring surveys and readers. Joaquin Phoenix is officially joining the cast of Ari Aster's next film, Disappointment Blvd. Produced by A24, the film reportedly is “an intimate, decades-spanning portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.” Recommended VIEWINGLingua Franca director Isabel Sandoval's short film Shang-ri Lais the latest of Miu Miu's Women's Tales, now playing on Mubi. The sensual story takes place in California during the Great Depression, and depicts a Filipino farmhand whose strong feelings...
- 2/24/2021
- MUBI
I first met Tom Quinn, the film distributor Neon’s co-founder, at a party at the Telluride Film Festival in August 2019. With his film talent in attendance, including “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” star Adèle Haenel, a 10-minute side conversation with the CEO has remained prevalent in my mind. At the time, I conveyed to him my thoughts that Bong’s film from South Korea had a real chance to win best picture at the Oscars later in the year. I probably wasn’t the first person to make such a declaration, as the film had premiered at Cannes months earlier, and the buzz was palpable, even though it probably wasn’t believed by the masses as of yet. Without skipping a beat, Quinn almost ignored the comment, quickly stating, “That’s great, but do you know what I really want? I want...
- 2/22/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Super Ltd, Neon’s boutique label, has acquired the North American rights to “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” which is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s official submission into the Oscar race.
The film made the shortlist for Best International Feature and was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Jasmila Zbanic directed “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” which first premiered at Venice and won three prizes out of the festival before next playing at Toronto.
The movie is based on real events and is set in the Bosnian summer of 1995 during the Serbian occupation of Srebrenica, declared to be safe zone by the United Nations. Aida works as a translator for the Un peacekeeping task force in charge of a camp where her husband and two sons are being held along with thousands of other Bosnian citizens. Aida quickly gains access to crucial information she needs to translate, while the Serbian army gets closer to overtaking the camp.
The film made the shortlist for Best International Feature and was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Jasmila Zbanic directed “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” which first premiered at Venice and won three prizes out of the festival before next playing at Toronto.
The movie is based on real events and is set in the Bosnian summer of 1995 during the Serbian occupation of Srebrenica, declared to be safe zone by the United Nations. Aida works as a translator for the Un peacekeeping task force in charge of a camp where her husband and two sons are being held along with thousands of other Bosnian citizens. Aida quickly gains access to crucial information she needs to translate, while the Serbian army gets closer to overtaking the camp.
- 2/19/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Neon’s boutique division and incubator Super Ltd has acquired the North American rights to “All Lights, Everywhere,” a documentary that premiered at Sundance about the history of police body cameras and surveillance and their roles in justice.
The documentary directed by Theo Anthony won the Special Jury Prize for Non-Fiction Experimentation at this year’s Sundance. Anthony wrote, directed and edited the film, and “All Lights, Everywhere” is a production of Memory in association with Sandbox Films.
“All Light, Everywhere” is an exploration of the shared histories of cameras, weapons, policing and justice. As surveillance technologies become a fixture in everyday life, the film interrogates the complexity of an objective point of view, probing the biases inherent in both human perception and the lens.
This is Anthony’s second feature following 2017’s “Rat Film” that was nominated for a Gotham Award and uses a rat problem in Baltimore in...
The documentary directed by Theo Anthony won the Special Jury Prize for Non-Fiction Experimentation at this year’s Sundance. Anthony wrote, directed and edited the film, and “All Lights, Everywhere” is a production of Memory in association with Sandbox Films.
“All Light, Everywhere” is an exploration of the shared histories of cameras, weapons, policing and justice. As surveillance technologies become a fixture in everyday life, the film interrogates the complexity of an objective point of view, probing the biases inherent in both human perception and the lens.
This is Anthony’s second feature following 2017’s “Rat Film” that was nominated for a Gotham Award and uses a rat problem in Baltimore in...
- 2/17/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Autlook handles international sales.
All Light, Everywhere, the Sundance award-winning selection that premiered last month, has landed a North American deal with Neon’s boutique division and incubator Super Ltd.
Theo Anthony’s film debuted in U.S. Documentary Competition and won a special jury prize for non-fiction experimentation.
It explores of the shared histories of cameras, weapons, policing and justice and questions the objectivity of point of view amid an explosion in surveillance technology.
All Light, Everywhere is a Memory production in association with Sandbox Films. Riel Roch-Decter and Sebastian Pardo produced for Memory, alongside Jonna McKone. Executive producers...
All Light, Everywhere, the Sundance award-winning selection that premiered last month, has landed a North American deal with Neon’s boutique division and incubator Super Ltd.
Theo Anthony’s film debuted in U.S. Documentary Competition and won a special jury prize for non-fiction experimentation.
It explores of the shared histories of cameras, weapons, policing and justice and questions the objectivity of point of view amid an explosion in surveillance technology.
All Light, Everywhere is a Memory production in association with Sandbox Films. Riel Roch-Decter and Sebastian Pardo produced for Memory, alongside Jonna McKone. Executive producers...
- 2/17/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Eligibility controversies. Category name changes. Executive committee “saves” allowed. Executive committee “saves” disallowed. The introduction of a nine-entry shortlist. The expansion to 10. Then to 15…and so on. There has been no Academy Award category more frequently and fitfully tinkered with than best international feature film (formerly best foreign language feature).
And so to the overriding question coming out of yesterday’s shortlist of 15 titles (formerly 10; née 9): have all the tinkerings been worth it? Have we finally — maybe even just randomly — hit on the precise combination of variables that will make the selection bulletproof? For the 93rd Academy Awards, with its numerological kismet of 93 international film submissions (equalling last year’s record-setting tally), and its reigning champ “Parasite” being, for the first time in history, also the best picture winner, it sure would be a great time to declare this most broken of categories “fixed.”
Let’s not be hasty,...
And so to the overriding question coming out of yesterday’s shortlist of 15 titles (formerly 10; née 9): have all the tinkerings been worth it? Have we finally — maybe even just randomly — hit on the precise combination of variables that will make the selection bulletproof? For the 93rd Academy Awards, with its numerological kismet of 93 international film submissions (equalling last year’s record-setting tally), and its reigning champ “Parasite” being, for the first time in history, also the best picture winner, it sure would be a great time to declare this most broken of categories “fixed.”
Let’s not be hasty,...
- 2/10/2021
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has dominated the Oscar documentary race the last few years, winning Documentary Feature in 2020 and 2018, but the release of the Academy shortlists Tuesday confirms it faces a battle this time around, from a rival streamer.
Amazon Studios landed two films on the feature shortlist—Time, directed by Garrett Bradley, and All In: The Fight for Democracy, directed by Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés. Time, which touches on mass incarceration through the experience of one Black family in Louisiana, must be considered a solid favorite in the Oscar race, having tied for the Gotham Award and amassing multiple critics’ prizes.
Netflix made the Oscar shortlist, as expected, with its top two contenders—Crip Camp, directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, and Dick Johnson Is Dead, from director Kirsten Johnson. It also muscled in with mollusk-themed My Octopus Teacher, ensnaring in its tentacles a fifth of the 15 shortlist slots. But...
Amazon Studios landed two films on the feature shortlist—Time, directed by Garrett Bradley, and All In: The Fight for Democracy, directed by Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés. Time, which touches on mass incarceration through the experience of one Black family in Louisiana, must be considered a solid favorite in the Oscar race, having tied for the Gotham Award and amassing multiple critics’ prizes.
Netflix made the Oscar shortlist, as expected, with its top two contenders—Crip Camp, directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, and Dick Johnson Is Dead, from director Kirsten Johnson. It also muscled in with mollusk-themed My Octopus Teacher, ensnaring in its tentacles a fifth of the 15 shortlist slots. But...
- 2/10/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Predicting the winner of the Best Documentary Feature Oscar will become a lot easier in the new year when the academy announces the 15 films that have made the shortlist. Those semi-finalists are culled from the 150 plus titles that qualify every year for consideration. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Documentary Feature.)
To winnow these down to a manageable number, the academy adds newly eligible documentary feature to a virtual screening room available to all 500 plus members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. In the new year, each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.
All of these ballots will be collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members will then be encouraged to watch those films on this list that they haven’t...
To winnow these down to a manageable number, the academy adds newly eligible documentary feature to a virtual screening room available to all 500 plus members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. In the new year, each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.
All of these ballots will be collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members will then be encouraged to watch those films on this list that they haven’t...
- 2/10/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
There’s still a ton of mystery about what will receive Oscar nominations this year, but today a tiny bit of that disappeared. Yes, the Academy announced nine category shortlists, helping to let us know who and what are still in contention below the line. The categories are as follows: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film and Visual Effects. Read on below to view the lists… Here is their press release: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced shortlists in nine categories for the 93rd Academy Awards®: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film and Visual Effects. Download shortlists by category here. Documentary Feature Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary...
- 2/9/2021
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
The academy released the 2021 Oscars shortlists in nine categories on Tuesday, February 9. The hopefuls in a wide range of races found out if they are remain in contention for the 93rd annual Academy Awards. Among these are the marquee categories for Best International Feature Film (which was pared down to 10 films from the 93 submitted) and Best Documentary Feature (which went from 238 to 15).
Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from upwards of 100 submissions apiece. The Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects races as well as the three awards for shorts – animated, documentary and live-action — were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.
Documentary Feature
Two hundred and thirty-eight films were eligible for consideration; there are 15 on the shortlist. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The films, listed in alphabetical order by title,...
Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from upwards of 100 submissions apiece. The Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects races as well as the three awards for shorts – animated, documentary and live-action — were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.
Documentary Feature
Two hundred and thirty-eight films were eligible for consideration; there are 15 on the shortlist. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The films, listed in alphabetical order by title,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The largest field of documentaries in Oscar history has been narrowed down to 15 semifinalists, with almost all of the films that were expected to advance to the shortlist doing so.
Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Alexander Nanau’s “Collective,” Viktor Kosakovskiy’s “Gunda,” James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham’s “Crip Camp” and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya,” which led all of the year’s nonfiction films in previous nominations and wins, were among the films that advanced from the record field of 238 qualifying docs. That number shattered the previous record of 170 eligible documentaries, which was set in 2017.
Other films that made the shortlist included “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” “Boys State,” “MLK/FBI,” “My Octopus Teacher,” “The Painter and the Thief,” “76 Days” and “The Truffle Hunters.” Two documentaries that were also entered in the Oscars’ international race, Chile’s “The Mole Agent” and Italy’s “Notturno,...
Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Alexander Nanau’s “Collective,” Viktor Kosakovskiy’s “Gunda,” James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham’s “Crip Camp” and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya,” which led all of the year’s nonfiction films in previous nominations and wins, were among the films that advanced from the record field of 238 qualifying docs. That number shattered the previous record of 170 eligible documentaries, which was set in 2017.
Other films that made the shortlist included “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” “Boys State,” “MLK/FBI,” “My Octopus Teacher,” “The Painter and the Thief,” “76 Days” and “The Truffle Hunters.” Two documentaries that were also entered in the Oscars’ international race, Chile’s “The Mole Agent” and Italy’s “Notturno,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists for nine categories for the upcoming Oscars. The categories and number of films include documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (10), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (10), live action short film (10) and visual effects (10).
The shortlist voting concluded on Feb. 5, and the remaining will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, with the show scheduled to take place on April 25.
The full lists are below with snubs and surprises:
Documentary Feature
Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category out of 238 films eligible films. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“76 Days” (MTV Documentary Films) – directed by Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, Anonymous “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios) – directed by Lisa Cortes,...
The shortlist voting concluded on Feb. 5, and the remaining will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, with the show scheduled to take place on April 25.
The full lists are below with snubs and surprises:
Documentary Feature
Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category out of 238 films eligible films. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“76 Days” (MTV Documentary Films) – directed by Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, Anonymous “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios) – directed by Lisa Cortes,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscar shortlists are out in nine categories including International Film, Documentary Feature, Music Score and Song, Makeup & Hairstyling, Visual Effects and Shorts. These are the first indicator of strength in the race for the 93rd Annual Academy Awards and, though the lists contain few real surprises, is especially good news for those films that are mentioned more than once.
Leading the pack with three mentions apiece are Netflix’s holiday film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, David Fincher’s Mank and Disney’s Mulan.
Films receiving two mentions each are The Little Things, One Night in Miami, Birds of Prey, The Life Ahead, The Midnight Sky, Minari, Soul, The One and Only Ivan, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Tenet. Also doubling up in both the Documentary Feature and International Feature Film categories...
Leading the pack with three mentions apiece are Netflix’s holiday film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, David Fincher’s Mank and Disney’s Mulan.
Films receiving two mentions each are The Little Things, One Night in Miami, Birds of Prey, The Life Ahead, The Midnight Sky, Minari, Soul, The One and Only Ivan, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Tenet. Also doubling up in both the Documentary Feature and International Feature Film categories...
- 2/9/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The road to the 2021 Academy Awards hit an important marker today with the announcement of nine shortlists for the following categories: International Feature Film, Documentary, Original Score, Original Song, Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Live-Action Short Film, Documentary Short Subject, and Animated Short Film. Just as in previous years, members of the Academy will select from these reduced lists of contenders in each category the nominees for the 2021 Oscars. This year marked the third year in a row the Academy released nine of its shortlists on the same day.
The nominations for the 2021 Oscars will be announced Monday, March 15, ahead of the 93rd Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, April 25. The Academy pushed back the ceremony this year in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Films that were set for a theatrical release but headed to streaming and/or PVOD instead are eligible for Oscar consideration. The Oscar cutoff date for...
The nominations for the 2021 Oscars will be announced Monday, March 15, ahead of the 93rd Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, April 25. The Academy pushed back the ceremony this year in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Films that were set for a theatrical release but headed to streaming and/or PVOD instead are eligible for Oscar consideration. The Oscar cutoff date for...
- 2/9/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Music, score, visual effects, make-up and hairstyling, short film shortlists also unveiled.
The Academy has announced the 15 international and 15 documentary features that have made the cut as it unveiled nine Oscar shortlists on Tuesday (February 9).
Switzerland’s My Little Sister, Greece’s Apples and Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again are notable absentees from an international list dominated by Europe with seven contenders, followed by Latin America on three, Africa and Asia on two apiece, and the Middle East with one.
In January the Academy expanded the international shortlist from 10 to 15, ruling that the international feature film preliminary committee would vote on the entire shortlist.
The Academy has announced the 15 international and 15 documentary features that have made the cut as it unveiled nine Oscar shortlists on Tuesday (February 9).
Switzerland’s My Little Sister, Greece’s Apples and Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again are notable absentees from an international list dominated by Europe with seven contenders, followed by Latin America on three, Africa and Asia on two apiece, and the Middle East with one.
In January the Academy expanded the international shortlist from 10 to 15, ruling that the international feature film preliminary committee would vote on the entire shortlist.
- 2/9/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Music, score, visual effects, make-up and hairstyling, short film shortlists also unveiled.
The Academy has announced the 15 international and 15 documentary features that have made the cut as it unveiled nine Oscar shortlists on Tuesday (February 9).
Switzerland’s My Little Sister, Greece’s Apples and Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again are notable absentees from an international list dominated by Europe with seven contenders, followed by Latin America on three, Africa and Asia on two apiece, and the Middle East with one.
In January the Academy expanded the international shortlist from 10 to 15, ruling that the international feature film preliminary committee would vote on the entire shortlist.
The Academy has announced the 15 international and 15 documentary features that have made the cut as it unveiled nine Oscar shortlists on Tuesday (February 9).
Switzerland’s My Little Sister, Greece’s Apples and Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again are notable absentees from an international list dominated by Europe with seven contenders, followed by Latin America on three, Africa and Asia on two apiece, and the Middle East with one.
In January the Academy expanded the international shortlist from 10 to 15, ruling that the international feature film preliminary committee would vote on the entire shortlist.
- 2/9/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Music, score, visual effects, make-up and hairstyling, short film shortlists also unveiled.
The Academy has announced the 15 international features and 15 documentary shortlists that have made the cut as it unveiled nine Oscar shortlists on Tuesday (February 9).
Switzerland’s My Little Sister and Greece’s Apples are notable absentees from an international list dominated by Europe with seven contenders, followed by Latin America on three, Africa and Asia on two apiece, and the Middle East with one.
All shortlisted films proceed to the phase one voting stage that runs from March 5-9 prior to the nominations announcement on March 15. The 93rd...
The Academy has announced the 15 international features and 15 documentary shortlists that have made the cut as it unveiled nine Oscar shortlists on Tuesday (February 9).
Switzerland’s My Little Sister and Greece’s Apples are notable absentees from an international list dominated by Europe with seven contenders, followed by Latin America on three, Africa and Asia on two apiece, and the Middle East with one.
All shortlisted films proceed to the phase one voting stage that runs from March 5-9 prior to the nominations announcement on March 15. The 93rd...
- 2/9/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Gianfranco Rosi’s documentary is also nominated at the BIFAs and Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
The Match Factory has secured an additional sale for Gianfranco Rosi’s Notturno, with Madman Entertainment coming on board to distribute in Australia and New Zealand.
The distributor joins previously announced deals for the documentary including the US (Neon’s Super Ltd label), India, UK, Latin America and Turkey (Mubi), Austria (Filmladen), Benelux (Cineart), ex-Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Japan (Bitters End), Portugal (Leopardo), Switzerland (Xenix), Taiwan (Joint Entertainment) and Poland (New Horizons).
Notturno is Italy’s submission for the international feature award at the 2021 Oscars, with the...
The Match Factory has secured an additional sale for Gianfranco Rosi’s Notturno, with Madman Entertainment coming on board to distribute in Australia and New Zealand.
The distributor joins previously announced deals for the documentary including the US (Neon’s Super Ltd label), India, UK, Latin America and Turkey (Mubi), Austria (Filmladen), Benelux (Cineart), ex-Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Japan (Bitters End), Portugal (Leopardo), Switzerland (Xenix), Taiwan (Joint Entertainment) and Poland (New Horizons).
Notturno is Italy’s submission for the international feature award at the 2021 Oscars, with the...
- 2/5/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
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