North Pole, NY[/caption]
By the halfway point of North Pole, NY — an hour-long exposé on the history and hardships of the theme park known as ‘Santa’s Workshop’ in upstate New York — one thing is undeniably clear: director Ali Cotterill, who also served as co-writer, editor, and camera operator, has an unyielding affection for her subject matter. And why shouldn’t she? After all, the citizens of Wilmington, New York—a sleepy tourist town snug in the Adirondacks—couldn’t be more endearing in their devotion to Santa’s Workshop, the holiday theme park upon which their idyllic community has grown and, ultimately, come to rely.
It’s not all tinsel, though. The park, founded in the late 1940s by businessman Julian Reiss and later bequeathed to his son Bob, has been on a downward trajectory since the Eisenhower years, when theme parks and car trips were supplanted by the arrival of jet travel which took public interest elsewhere. These days Santa’s Workshop—which receives hundreds of letters to Kris Kringle each year—operates less as a commercial attraction and more as a gauzy piece of post-war nostalgia. See, in one particularly sobering sequence, as long-time park performer and historian Julie “Jingles” Robards drives her ’54 Dodge around Wilmington, pointing out what were once neighboring theme parks like “The Land of Make-Believe” but today resemble the sort of overgrown and decrepit structures you’d forbid your children from playing on.
Cotterill knows better than to wallow. After all, there is plenty of good to focus on here: the jobs for local teenagers, the decades of tradition kept alive by returning visitors, and the overall feeling that yes, magic still exists in the world, even if it doesn’t pay well. Never do the scales tip to full-blown despair. There is a villain, businessman Greg Cunningham, whose brief ownership of the park in the late 1990s turned sour after tales of his past criminal misconduct came to light, but even his story (which takes up less than four minutes of screen time) plays like a curious detour in a bigger tale of indomitable community spirit.
It’s the balance between the magical and melancholy that makes North Pole, NY such a compelling documentary. It operates on a two-fold illusion: the precious and short-lived one kids know as Santa Claus, and the existence of his workshop as a place of perpetual wonder in the face of bankruptcy, disinterest, and gentrification. Watching these awestruck children—whose interviews make up some of the funniest (and weirdest) parts of the film—react to a ‘talking’ tannenbaum or stand giddily in line for their moment with St. Nick, I found myself both moved by their innocence and depressed for the day when they’ll grow up and see behind the curtain.
Ultimately that’s what rounds out North Pole, NY and gives it such an engaging air: the people. Some of them, like Jingles Robards, seem at times almost too sincere to really exist in 2018. Others, like park manager Matt Stanley, are palpable in their believability. As he makes the morning rounds repairing broken games and reading customer complaints his cell phone erupts into a rock rendition of “Carol of the Bells.” It’s a moment that in a fictional film might feel cheap or obvious, but here rings true. Despite the daily grind, this guy really, truly loves Christmas. That’s how, after seven decades, Santa’s Workshop continues to survive: on the selflessness of people who believe in it. The park, just like this splendid little film, is a labor of love.
North Pole, NY premiered in New York on November 9th at IFC Center as part of DOC NYC.
Documentary
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FILM REVIEW: NORTH POLE, NY: A Fantasy Powered By Belief
[caption id="attachment_32505" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] North Pole, NY[/caption]
By the halfway point of North Pole, NY — an hour-long exposé on the history and hardships of the theme park known as ‘Santa’s Workshop’ in upstate New York — one thing is undeniably clear: director Ali Cotterill, who also served as co-writer, editor, and camera operator, has an unyielding affection for her subject matter. And why shouldn’t she? After all, the citizens of Wilmington, New York—a sleepy tourist town snug in the Adirondacks—couldn’t be more endearing in their devotion to Santa’s Workshop, the holiday theme park upon which their idyllic community has grown and, ultimately, come to rely.
It’s not all tinsel, though. The park, founded in the late 1940s by businessman Julian Reiss and later bequeathed to his son Bob, has been on a downward trajectory since the Eisenhower years, when theme parks and car trips were supplanted by the arrival of jet travel which took public interest elsewhere. These days Santa’s Workshop—which receives hundreds of letters to Kris Kringle each year—operates less as a commercial attraction and more as a gauzy piece of post-war nostalgia. See, in one particularly sobering sequence, as long-time park performer and historian Julie “Jingles” Robards drives her ’54 Dodge around Wilmington, pointing out what were once neighboring theme parks like “The Land of Make-Believe” but today resemble the sort of overgrown and decrepit structures you’d forbid your children from playing on.
Cotterill knows better than to wallow. After all, there is plenty of good to focus on here: the jobs for local teenagers, the decades of tradition kept alive by returning visitors, and the overall feeling that yes, magic still exists in the world, even if it doesn’t pay well. Never do the scales tip to full-blown despair. There is a villain, businessman Greg Cunningham, whose brief ownership of the park in the late 1990s turned sour after tales of his past criminal misconduct came to light, but even his story (which takes up less than four minutes of screen time) plays like a curious detour in a bigger tale of indomitable community spirit.
It’s the balance between the magical and melancholy that makes North Pole, NY such a compelling documentary. It operates on a two-fold illusion: the precious and short-lived one kids know as Santa Claus, and the existence of his workshop as a place of perpetual wonder in the face of bankruptcy, disinterest, and gentrification. Watching these awestruck children—whose interviews make up some of the funniest (and weirdest) parts of the film—react to a ‘talking’ tannenbaum or stand giddily in line for their moment with St. Nick, I found myself both moved by their innocence and depressed for the day when they’ll grow up and see behind the curtain.
Ultimately that’s what rounds out North Pole, NY and gives it such an engaging air: the people. Some of them, like Jingles Robards, seem at times almost too sincere to really exist in 2018. Others, like park manager Matt Stanley, are palpable in their believability. As he makes the morning rounds repairing broken games and reading customer complaints his cell phone erupts into a rock rendition of “Carol of the Bells.” It’s a moment that in a fictional film might feel cheap or obvious, but here rings true. Despite the daily grind, this guy really, truly loves Christmas. That’s how, after seven decades, Santa’s Workshop continues to survive: on the selflessness of people who believe in it. The park, just like this splendid little film, is a labor of love.
North Pole, NY premiered in New York on November 9th at IFC Center as part of DOC NYC.
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FILM REVIEW: Heart-Wrenching Story “ELEPHANT PATH/NJAIA NJOKU”
[caption id="attachment_32709" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Elephant Path: Njaia Njoku[/caption]
Todd McGrain knows the importance of conservation. The artist turned filmmaker is best known for his Lost Bird Project, a series of larger-than-life sculptures dedicated to five extinct North American bird species. While this endeavor was chronicled in the 2012 film of the same name by Deborah Dickson, now McGrain himself has stepped behind the camera to bring us the story of another endangered species, one we might actually be able to save: the forest elephants of Bayanga, Central Africa. Elephant Path (or “Njaia Njoku” in the Bayaka language) has a lot going for it: a heart-wrenching story, impressive scope, engaging characters, and above all a sense of showmanship. McGrain’s storytelling approach is stylish and highly cinematic to the point where, by the end of the film’s 79 minute run-time, it’s a shock to realize how little has actually happened.
The story of “Dzanga Bai” (“Elephant Village”) is presented through a quartet of characters. Andrea Turkalo, an American biologist, has spent three decades observing elephants in their natural habitat. Aiding her efforts in Bayanga is local tracker Sessely Bernard, a village elder named for the river from which he first drank. Keeping watch over the elephants is Zephirine Sosso Mbele, one of a handful of “Eco Guards” tasked with warding off poachers. Late in the film, the guards receive additional defense training from Nir Kalron, an Israeli ex-military security contractor with a soft spot for animals.
Why the additional training? Because Bayanga, in fact the entire Central African Republic, is under siege by Séléka rebels and embroiled in a civil war. To the rebels, elephants are prime targets; the sale of ivory from their priceless tusks is how they fund their arsenal. At the start of the film they have not arrived at Dzanga, but from Turkalo’s foreboding narration we quickly gather it’s only a matter of time. Meanwhile, she and Sessely enjoy their work, the bulk of which is done from an observation deck and conducted via sketch pads and telephoto lenses, with minimal conversation. There is a sublime peace to this process.
That peace, of course, does not last. Eventually the Séléka arrive, guns blazing, and the region is plunged into oppression and terror. Turkalo is forced to flee to America while Sessely and the Bayangan community retreat into the forest to avoid persecution. I won’t detail what follows from here on out, sufficeth to say the elephants do not fare well. In one particularly haunting scene set back in America, Turkalo and a colleague review audio recordings of the forest, where distant gunfire produces cries of animal distress. A short while later, rhythmic tapping is heard. “They’re chopping off the tusks,” Turkalo observes coldly.
The human cruelty of Elephant Path is the film’s most striking element, despite the fact that none of it is ever shown happening. Early on, Sessely remarks to Turkalo how the behavior of elephants does not differ so much from that of humans; they flirt and fight, bathe each other, have children, play games. This salient observation returns with a vengeance when, in the aftermath of a Séléka poaching spree, Sessely inspects the demolished corpse of a slain elephant and angrily declares “This elephant was me.”
One of the inherent dangers of documentary filmmaking is arriving at an anticlimax. For a film shot and edited with the gusto of a narrative film, Elephant Path comes to an abrupt, somewhat underwhelming conclusion. Again I won’t spoil, but for all of Nir Kalron’s efforts in training up the Eco Guards to combat the bigger, better-armed Séléka poachers, the resolution of said problem feels like a non-ending, at least to the viewer. Little can be done about this, I know, but McGrain and crew (in particular cinematographer Scott Anger) set up such palpable villains in the occupying rebels that you can’t help but feel a little cheated out of a proper showdown. There is hope at the end of Elephant Path, even if only a modest amount, and that must be our reward. The remaining elephants saunter into Dzanga Bai, as always, and hose themselves down. Life goes on. For the living, anyway.
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Child Labor Documentary INVISIBLE HANDS Opens in Theaters on Black Friday
Invisible Hands is a new documentary that exposes child labor and child trafficking; and offers a harrowing account of children as young as five years old making the products we buy and consume every day. The film appropriately will open in New York on Black Friday November 23, and one week later in Los Angeles on November 30.
Invisible Hands, directed by Shraysi Tandon, exposes child labor and child trafficking within the supply chains of the world’s biggest corporations, which produce some of our most loved items. The film offers a harrowing account of children as young as five years old making the products we buy and consume every day. Chilling undercover footage shows children being sold like animals to the highest bidder and others being abused by this pervasive slave labor. Invisible Hands digs deep into a modern slavery system quietly supported by some of the world’s largest companies, demanding to know why top stakeholders continue to engage in this unlawful practice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_hvZ1xafgU
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Documentary SAY HER NAME: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF SANDRA BLAND to Debut on HBO on December 3rd
[caption id="attachment_28284" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Sandra Bland in Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland.[/caption]
On July 10, 2015, Sandra Bland, a politically engaged and vibrant 28-year-old African American from Chicago, was arrested for a traffic violation in a small Texas town. After three days in custody, she was found hanging from a noose in her jail cell. Bland’s death was quickly ruled a suicide, sparking allegations of a racially motivated police murder and cover-up, and turning her case and name into a rallying cry nationwide.
From the Oscar(R)-nominated, Emmy(R)- and Peabody Award-winning team of directors/producers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner (HBO’s “Traffic Stop,” “Southern Comfort,” “The Cheshire Murders” and “Jockey”), Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland examines this story in depth, revealing previously unknown details when it debuts Monday, December 3 (10:00-11:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Both a legal thriller and a parable about race in America, Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland follows the Bland family and legal team from the first weeks after her death as they try to find out of what really happened in that jail cell in Hempstead, Texas. Embedded with the family and their lawyers, the filmmakers tracked the story for two years, drawing on key documents, jail footage and interviews with those closest to the events.
While the Texas authorities ruled Bland’s death a suicide, providing photos of a noose made out of a garbage-can liner as evidence of the cause of death, questions were raised about why she was held alone in a cell without surveillance cameras, whether cell checks by law enforcement had been fabricated and why Bland’s body had been severely bruised. Attorneys in the film examine the disturbing police dashcam video of Trooper Brian Encina’s aggressive treatment of Bland after pulling her over for failing to use a turn signal. Fearing that she had been murdered, her mother and sisters filed a suit against local law enforcement and the Waller County jail as protests amplified across the country.
Say Her Name is punctuated with footage from Bland’s passionate “Sandy Speaks” video blogs that bring her voice to life. Through the videos, as well as voicemail messages and insights from close friends, she emerges a central figure in the narrative, an engaging and enlightened woman whose sharp, humorous remarks address subjects from black history to police brutality to natural hair. To those who knew Sandra Bland best, suicide seemed unimaginable.
Following a contentious legal battle, the family settled with authorities, giving rise to the Sandra Bland Act, which is now law in Texas. The Act mandates a host of prison reforms aimed at preventing inmate suicide, and a street in Hempstead, Texas has been named in Sandra Bland’s honor.
Interviewees in the film include: Geneva Reed-Veal, her mother; sisters Shante Needham, Shavon Bland and Sharon Cooper; Sheriff Glenn Smith, head of the Waller County PD; Elton Mathis, DA, Hempstead, Texas; Trey Duhon, county judge, Hempstead, Texas; Hannah Bonner, activist and Waller County minister; and family attorney Cannon Lambert.
Say Her Name will have a limited theatrical run prior to its HBO debut.
The documentary made its world premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. It won Best of Fest at the Ridgefield Film Festival, and was nominated for awards at the Traverse City Film Festival, Chicago Film Festival, the St. Louis Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival, among many others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pybBqJNg5ds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0zqjsP39Q
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Documentary THE INSUFFERABLE GROO Starring Jack Black Sets December Release Date
The documentary The Insufferable Groo by Scott Christopherson, follows a prolific low budget indie-filmmaker who sets off to cast Jack Black in his newest feature film, an elf/human love story. The Insufferable Groo will be released in select theaters in December and on demand December 14th by Gravitas Ventures.
The Insufferable Groo received critical praise and audience attention at its World Premiere at The Sheffield Film Festival earlier this year and had its North American Premiere on November 14th at DOC NYC in New York.
“Jack Black and Stephen Groo make for a hilarious documentary experience” says Christopherson. “Groo’s huge body of work should be recognized and celebrated and we are excited to have Gravitas share his story with the world.”
The Insufferable Groo follows Utah based filmmaker Stephen Groo, age 41, a self-proclaimed auteur, narrowing in on his 200th film in 20 years. His oeuvre of outlandishly awful genre films has managed to attract admirers like Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess and Jack Black, but the Utah-based director has never made a dime off of his work, leaving his wife to provide for their family of four small boys. As Groo attempts to make his latest opus, an elf/human love story, his narcissism threatens to prove his undoing in this entertaining look at low-budget guerrilla filmmaking.
Scott Christopherson was one of ten documentary filmmakers featured in Variety Magazine’s “Docu-makers to Watch” list in 2015. Scott’s debut feature film, Peace Officer, won both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards for best documentary at the SXSW Film Festival. Scott’s films have played at Hot Docs, Full Frame, Sheffield, DOC NYC, Montclair, Camden, Traverse City, New Zealand International, Melbourne International, and Taiwan film festivals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kwwSwbwltI
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Aretha Franklin Documentary AMAZING GRACE Added to AFI FEST 2018
A Special Screening of Amazing Grace, the long-awaited documentary featuring Aretha Franklin’s renowned performances at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, has been added to AFI FEST 2018 presented by Audi. Marking the film’s West Coast premiere, the Special Screening will take place Thursday, November 15, 8:00 p.m. at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres.
The live performances, ranked among Ms. Franklin’s finest, were originally recorded and filmed during a church service in Watts on January 13 and 14, 1972. Warner Bros. Pictures captured the footage for a companion documentary to the double live album “Amazing Grace.” “Amazing Grace” would go on to be the biggest selling album of Aretha Franklin’s career, and the best-selling gospel album of all time. Mired in technical issues, the film was never released to the public.
Producer Alan Elliott acquired the film rights in 2007 and worked with a team of producers including Joe Boyd, Robert Johnson, Chiemi Karasawa, Sabrina Owens, Jerry Wexler, Tirrell D. Whittley and Joseph Woolf, to bring the feature-length documentary to light. The film was edited by Jeff Buchanan and its music was mixed by Jimmy Douglass. The documentary is a labor of love and a timely tribute to the music icon who passed away in August 2018. The film is now ready for release with the complete support and blessing from The Aretha Franklin Estate.
After decades of waiting, fans of the Queen of Soul can view her iconic performance at the AFI FEST 2018. The film features Ms. Franklin’s legendary gospel hits, performed in front of a distinguished audience that includes her father, the famed Reverend C.L. Franklin, Gospel legends Clara Ward and Mother Ward of the Ward Family Singers along with Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones (who were in Los Angeles recording “Exile on Main Street”).
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Watch an EXCLUSIVE Clip from CHINA LOVE on Chinese Ritual of Pre-Wedding Photography
[caption id="attachment_32605" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
China Love. At Only Photo Studio just out of Shanghai. This is a “go-to” pre wedding photography studio with 3 floors of ‘old world’ romantic and fantasy sets. July 2015[/caption]
Just for you our readers, an exclusive clip from China Love directed by Olivia Martin-McGuire premiering in the U.S. on November 9, 2018 at 2018 DOC NYC.
China Love takes us on a billion-dollar ride of fantasy exploring contemporary China through the window of the pre-wedding photography industry. The film is a feature length observational documentary which follows Chinese and Australian participants as they navigate love, weddings and family in the lead up to the most important ritual of Chinese society – getting married.
China Love is directed and produced by Olivia Martin-McGuire, produced by Rebecca Barry and Madeleine Hetherton, and features documentary subject Allen Shi the owner of the Jihao Group.
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Roy Cohn Documentary, From Director Ivy Meeropol, To Debut on HBO in 2019
A documentary on infamous attorney Roy Cohn will debut on HBO in 2019, drawing on extensive, newly unearthed archival material to present the most revealing examination of him to date. Director Ivy Meeropol (“Indian Point,” HBO’s “Heir to an Execution”), granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, spent much of her life feeling both repelled and fascinated by the man who prosecuted the Rosenbergs in what became known as the “atomic spies” case, obtaining their convictions in federal court and then insisting on their executions.
The untitled film features recently discovered audiotapes of candid discussions between Cohn and journalist Peter Manso, recorded at the height of Cohn’s career as a power broker in the rough and tumble world of New York City business and politics.
This vivid portrait focuses on family, friends, colleagues, employees and lovers, as well as those targeted by him – all of whom were profoundly affected by crossing paths with Cohn. The film focuses on key periods of his life, including his time in Provincetown, Mass., where he was considerably more open about his sexuality than in other settings, and where he shared a house with Manso and novelist Norman Mailer.
The documentary includes interviews with playwright Tony Kushner, whose Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play “Angels in America” featured Cohn as a main character, and actor Nathan Lane, who starred in it as Cohn for nearly a year. Lane offers insights into how devastatingly dangerous the actual Roy Cohn was and how he wielded power through invective and innuendo.
Director Ivy Meeropol notes, “The time has come for audiences to understand a man who, while hiding so much of himself from the world, has had a profound influence on our society, even to this day. We are thrilled to partner with HBO Documentary Films to bring this remarkable story to life.”
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8 Documentaries to Watch at 2018 DOC NYC
[caption id="attachment_32158" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Beyond the Bolex[/caption]
DOC NYC kicks off this weekend and the lineup is bursting with titles. Here are a few interesting documentary films to give you a sense of the programming and inspire a reason to get out and watch something nice, or at least fun.
‘63 Boycott
Gordon Quinn’s new short film 63’ Boycott looks to be not just another social issue film about racial segregation in Chicago public schools, but a relevant piece about activism that is still happening over half a century later. Mixing unseen archival footage (shot by Quinn himself) from the Freedom Day movement with present-day video from demonstrations, there are a clear similarities drawn between then and now. Quinn being an active participant of organizations for the betterment of communities they serve, 63’ Boycott seems to have the energy to get people on the streets. Director Gordon Quinn with producers Rachel Dickson and Tracye A. Matthews are expected to be at the screening on November 9th at the IFC Center.Beyond the Bolex
A film with a production history that may have been years in the making, filmmaker Alyssa Bolsey creates a portrait of the inventor of the Bolex camera, her great-grandfather Jacques Bolsey. Using materials from family photos as well the possibly limitless hours of footage shot from a Bolex, Bolsey paints a picture of the Steve Jobs like inventor/designer. Director Alyssa Bolsey is expected to attend the world premiere on November 8th at the Chelsea Cinepolis.Barbara Rubin & The Exploding NY Underground
An undiscussed figure of the 60s underground art scene, Barbara Rubin was out there. Chuck Smith takes the time to elaborate the fascinating profile of Rubin contextualizing the avant-garde films she’s made. Chronicling her life from hanging out with the likes of Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg to settling down in France with a Hasidic Jewish community. Smith’s film includes interviews with people who knew her well including Amy Taubin and Jonas Mekas. Director Chuck Smith is expected to attend to screening on November 11th at the IFC Center.The Eyes of Orson Welles
From the same Irish narration of Mark Cousins, from The Story of Film: An Odyssey, comes a conversational look at the unseen artwork of Orson Welles. Sketches, storyboards, poems, notes; it all comes out and is explored with a soft touch, as if it were an interview that Welles could only be a part of by speaking from his art. Cousins’ is expected to be at the screening on November 12th at Chelsea Cinepolis.Hillbilly
Similar to Walter Evan’s work documenting Americans during the Great Depression, directors Sally Rubin and Ashley York’s film looks at the “American hillbilly.” Especially interesting during a time when that label has contentious connotations concerning America’s political atmosphere. Going to York’s hometown in Appalachian Hills, the women give wider perspective on the classical stereotype of close-minded ignorance. Both directors are expected to attend the screening on November 12th at the IFC Center.My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes
Charlie Tyrell’s new short film has a title with a combined meaning of being off-putting (“Dad’s Porno Tapes”) but deeply personal (“Dead Dad”.) With a similar to Dear Zachary, Tyrell focuses on the recently formed bond shared between him and his late father, by way of a VHS pornography collection. Subject matter aside there is a combination of archival photography of his father along with stop-motion animation, a process that is far too tedious to not be commendable. Charlie Tyrell is expected to attend the screen on November 9th at the IFC Center.See Know Evil
The photography of Davide Sorrenti is known for being anti-glamour and disturbingly melancholic, but the story of his very short life has yet to be properly told. Having been a part of youth culture of the 90s, the heroin scene, and even a relationship with Jaime King; Sorrenti could be described as a James Dean for fashion photography. Director Charlie Curran who has done work in both film and fashion should be no stranger to the kind of image making that makes iconic personas. Curran and his team are expected to be at world premiere on November 9th at the SVA Theatre.What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael
A self-explanatory title but Pauline Kael deserves more than that. Being one of the most well known film critics ever, Rob Graver’s portrait of Kael seeks to contextualize the critic to make sense of the madness. Including interviews from filmmakers and writers alike, archived footage, clips from relevant films; perhaps this doc is more than a celebration of an iconic figure in film criticism, it’s a spotlight on a leading women figure in a world of men. Director Rob Graver along with producers Glen Zipper and Doug Blush will be attendance at the screening on November 11th at the SVA Theatre, followed by an extended conversation with critics David Edelstein, Stephanie Zacharek, and Eric Kohn.
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165 Films Documentary Feature Films Submitted for 2018 Oscar Race
[caption id="attachment_28784" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind[/caption]
One hundred sixty-six features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 91st Academy Awards®. Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules in order to advance in the voting process. This year, for the first time, films that have won a qualifying award at a competitive film festival or have been submitted in the Foreign Language Film category as their country’s official selection, are also eligible in the category. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 17.
Films submitted in the Documentary Feature category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.
The 91st Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Above and Beyond: NASA’S Journey to Tomorrow”
“Active Measures”
“Amazing Grace”
“American Chaos”
“Andy Irons: Kissed by God”
[caption id="attachment_25696" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco[/caption]
“Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco”
“Avicii: True Stories”
“Bali: Beats of Paradise”
“Bathtubs over Broadway”
“Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché”
“Believer”
“Better Angels”
“Bill Coors: The Will to Live”
“Bisbee ’17”
“The Bleeding Edge”
“Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat”
“Breaking Point: The War for Democracy in Ukraine”
“Call Her Ganda”
“Charm City”
“Chef Flynn”
“The China Hustle”
“Christian Audigier The Vif”
“The Cleaners”
“Communion”
“Crime + Punishment”
“Dark Money”
“Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders”
“The Dawn Wall”
“The Distant Barking of Dogs”
“Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes”
“Drug$”
“Eating Animals”
“Eldorado”
“Fahrenheit 11/9”
“Fail State”
“Family in Transition”
“Far from the Tree”
“Filmworker”
“The First Patient”
“Foreign Land”
“40 Years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie”
“Free Solo”
“Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable”
“Generation Wealth”
“Ghost Hunting”
“Ghosthunter”
“The Gilligan Manifesto”
“The Gospel According to André”
“Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami”
“Graves without a Name”
“The Great Buster: A Celebration”
“Hal”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Half the Picture”
“The Heart of Nuba”
“Hillbilly”
“The Homeless Chorus Speaks”
“Hondros”
“Howard”
“In Search of Greatness”
“In the Land of Pomegranates”
“Inventing Tomorrow”
“Invisible Hands”
“Itzhak”
“Jane Fonda in Five Acts”
“John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection”
“The Judge”
“Kangaroo: A Love Hate Story”
“Killer Bees”
“The King”
“King in the Wilderness”
“Kusama – Infinity”
“The Last Race”
“Leaning into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy”
“Letter from Masanjia”
“Licu, a Romanian Story”
“Living in the Future’s Past”
“Liyana”
“Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle”
“Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story”
“Love, Cecil”
“Love, Gilda”
“Love Is Tolerance – Tolerance Is Love – Make Tolerance Great Again!”
“Making The Five Heartbeats”
“Maria by Callas”
“Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.”
“McQueen”
“Minding the Gap”
“Monrovia, Indiana”
“The Most Unknown”
“New Moon”
“93Queen”
“Nossa Chape”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“Of Love & Law”
“On Her Shoulders”
“Opera about Poland”
“The Opera House”
“The Oslo Diaries”
“The Other Side of Everything”
“The Panama Papers”
“Path of Blood”
“People’s Republic of Desire”
“Philosopher King – Lee Teng-hui’s Dialogue”
“Pick of the Litter”
“Piripkura”
“Police Killing”
“Pope Francis – A Man of His Word”
“The Price of Everything”
“The Price of Free”
“Qiu (Inmates)”
“Quincy”
“RBG”
“The Rachel Divide”
“The Raft”
“Recovery Boys”
“Restoring Tomorrow”
“Reversing Roe”
“The Road Movie”
“Robin Williams: Come inside My Mind”
“Ruben Blades Is Not My Name”
“Samouni Road”
“Saving Brinton”
“Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland”
“Science Fair”
“Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood”
“Searching for Ingmar Bergman”
“Seeing Allred”
“The Sentence”
“Shirkers”
“Shot in the Dark”
“The Silence of Others”
“Sisters of the Wilderness”
“A Son of Man”
“Songwriter”
“Stan”
“Studio 54”
“Summer in the Forest”
“Tea with the Dames”
“That Summer”
“That Way Madness Lies…”
“They Fight”
“They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead”
“This Is Congo”
“This Is Home: A Refugee Story”
“Three Identical Strangers”
“To Be Continued”
“Transformer”
“Travel Ban”
“The Trial”
“Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace”
“Trust Machine”
“Under the Wire”
“United Skates”
“Unknown Distance”
“Up Down and Sideways”
“The Waldheim Waltz”
“We Could Be Heroes”
“Weed the People”
“What Haunts Us”
“What Lies Upstream”
“Whitney”
“Wonderful Losers: A Different World”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
“Yellow Is Forbidden”
“Yellowing”
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CREATING A CHARACTER: THE MONI YAKIM LEGACY Releases New Clip + Poster
A new video clip and poster debuted today for the new documentary feature Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy that highlights the incredible legacy of Moni Yakim – a groundbreaking acting teacher whose techniques have influenced many of the most known actors in the world.
Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy is presented by former students Jessica Chastain and Anthony Mackie, featuring interviews with alumni such as Oscar Isaac, Laura Linney, and Kevin Kline; and will have its world premiere on Sunday November 11 at 9PM at the SVA theatre in New York at DOC NYC.
Using verite coverage, archival footage, and mime, the film portrays Moni’s journey as a young artist from Jerusalem to France in the 1950’s where he studied with the fathers of Mime, Marcel Marceau and Etienne Decroux. Discovered by Stella Adler, he became one of the founders of the Julliard Drama Division and the only one there 50 years later. The film also explores the experience of actors training at Juilliard, where an emerging star named Alex Sharp is followed from his very first year in Moni’s class to landing a leading role in a Tony Award Winning Broadway show.
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AMAZING GRACE, The Long-Delayed Aretha Franklin Concert Doc, To World Premiere at DOC NYC
After decades of waiting, Amazing Grace, the long-awaited documentary featuring Aretha Franklin’s signature performances at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, will make its world premiere at the 2018 DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary film festival. The film will be presented on Monday, November 12 at 6:45 pm and 9:00 pm at the SVA Theatre on 333 West 23rd St, NY, NY. Tickets are available at Docnyc.net.
The live performances, ranked among Ms. Franklin’s finest, were originally recorded and filmed during a church service in Watts on January 13 and 14, 1972. Warner Bros. Pictures captured the footage for a companion documentary to the double live album “Amazing Grace.” “Amazing Grace” would go on to be the biggest selling album of Aretha Franklin’s career, and the best-selling gospel album of all time. Mired in technical issues, the film was never released to the public.
Producer Alan Elliott acquired the film rights in 2007 and worked with a team of producers, including Joe Boyd, Robert Johnson, Chiemi Karasawa, Sabrina Owens, Jerry Wexler, Tirrell D. Whittley and Joseph Woolf, to bring the feature-length documentary to light. The film was edited by Jeff Buchanan and its music was mixed by Jimmy Douglass. The documentary is a labor of love and a timely tribute to the music icon who passed away in August 2018. The film is now ready for release with the complete support and blessing from The Aretha Franklin Estate.
“I am thrilled to work with Sabrina Owens and the family to do right by Aretha’s legacy,” said Mr. Elliott. “Being able to share this film and the musical genius of Aretha Franklin with her family and the world is an honor. Aretha’s fans will be enthralled by every moment of the film as her genius, her devotion to God and her spirit are present in every frame.”
Captivated by the heart and brilliance of the Queen of Soul, producer Tirrell D. Whittley stated, “Bringing this film to audiences is a great joy and privilege for me. Amazing Grace is a unique film that lifts the spirit and soul with the joy of gospel music. It’s a pure experience, showcasing Aretha Franklin in her element doing what she does best and being The Queen.”
“Amazing Grace is the heart and soul of Aretha Franklin,” said Sabrina Owens, Franklin’s niece and the Executor of the Aretha Franklin Estate. “This film is authentic and is my aunt at her core. She was a daughter of the church, she loved gospel music, and she always incorporated some form of sacred music in her concerts.”
The film features Ms. Franklin’s legendary gospel hits, performed in front of a distinguished audience that includes her father, the famed Reverend C.L. Franklin, Gospel legends Clara Ward and Mother Ward of the Ward Family Singers along with Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones (who were in Los Angeles recording “Exile on Main Street”).
“Amazing Grace has been a lost treasure of documentary filmmaking for over four decades. I can’t think of a bigger honor for a festival than to premiere this film,” said DOC NYC artistic director Thom Powers.