The documentary short film The Family Business: Trump and Taxes follows a team of New York Times investigative reporters through their diligent and intense efforts in uncovering the information that led to this exclusive report. Directed by Emmy(R) nominee Jenny Carchman and produced by Oscar(R) nominees Liz Garbus and Justin Wilkes of THE FOURTH ESTATE, SHOWTIME is offering the documentary short film for free online and across multiple platforms.
Embedded for more than a year inside The New York Times, Carchman and her film crew trail Times investigative reporters David Barstow, Russell Buettner and Susanne Craig as they expose the untold story of how Donald Trump became rich. Mr. Trump has proclaimed himself to be a self-made billionaire but what these reporters found offers a very different account, based on tens of thousands of pages of financial documents they obtained, including more than 200 Trump family tax returns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQwsPcToCQQ
image via Youtube screenshotDocumentary
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Watch FREE Online NOW Documentary Short Film THE FAMILY BUSINESS: TRUMP AND TAXES
The documentary short film The Family Business: Trump and Taxes follows a team of New York Times investigative reporters through their diligent and intense efforts in uncovering the information that led to this exclusive report. Directed by Emmy(R) nominee Jenny Carchman and produced by Oscar(R) nominees Liz Garbus and Justin Wilkes of THE FOURTH ESTATE, SHOWTIME is offering the documentary short film for free online and across multiple platforms.
Embedded for more than a year inside The New York Times, Carchman and her film crew trail Times investigative reporters David Barstow, Russell Buettner and Susanne Craig as they expose the untold story of how Donald Trump became rich. Mr. Trump has proclaimed himself to be a self-made billionaire but what these reporters found offers a very different account, based on tens of thousands of pages of financial documents they obtained, including more than 200 Trump family tax returns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQwsPcToCQQ
image via Youtube screenshot
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NARCISSISTER ORGAN PLAYER Riveting Doc on Enigmatic Performance Artist to Open in NYC [Trailer]
Narcissister Organ Player is as an eye-opening self-portrait by Narcissister, the Brooklyn-based performance artist whose work explores race, sexuality, and body image with infinite candor and grace. The documentary will have a 2-week engagement, November 7 to 20, at Film Forum in New York City, 209 W. Houston St., presented with support from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Fund.
A former dancer, Narcissister’s live shows amuse, shock, confound, and enchant in equal measure. With familial roots that are Moroccan, Jewish, and African-American, she explores the intimacies of her relationship with a mother whose influence and support were critical in shaping the artist she is today. The double-ness of Narcissister’s stage personality (mostly naked, but with her face fully or partially masked) has its origins in the intensity of her identification with her mother.
Narcissister Organ Player deconstructs and contextualizes the artist’s celebrated stage shows – which combine dance, elaborate costumes, pop music hits, unabashed eroticism and heavy doses of humor – as well as her higher-visibility public outings with Marilyn Manson, collaborations with Marina Abramovic, and stint on AMERICA’S GOT TALENT. Smartly edited by Taryn Gould, the film has as much to say about self-love as self-loathing in women’s lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hVEJ1VEBNo
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Documentary NORTH POLE, NY Chronicles Story of the Historic Christmas Theme Park [Trailer]
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North Pole, NY[/caption]
North Pole, NY, a documentary film directed by Ali Cotterill, chronicles the story of a historic Christmas theme park and the dreamers who fight to keep it open against all odds. North Pole, NY will premiere at DOC NYC on Friday, November 9th and Monday, Nov. 12th.
North Pole, NY is a revealing look at the battle for survival of one of the first theme parks in the U.S., Santa’s Workshop, located in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. The film examines the park’s legacy, the dedicated staff and loyal residents, and its current struggles to survive, despite technological shifts and economic realities, while placing it in the larger context of the history and decline of the American roadside attraction.
The film follows the development of Santa’s Workshop, founded in 1949 by visionary entrepreneur Julian Reiss, who was inspired by the beauty of the Adirondacks to build “Santa’s summer home.” In the 1950’s, following national media attention, Santa’s Workshop becomes a cultural fixture with families and tourists who flock from all over the U.S. to the Adirondack Mountains. From the immersive, village-like setting and interactive holiday attractions, complete with song and dance, Santa’s Workshop created an enchanted land of make-believe for both adults and children alike.
As area development and cultural shifts alter the landscape of the Adirondacks, Santa’s Workshop struggles to remain relevant. When a would-be businessman proposes what looks like a life-saving deal to save Santa’s Workshop, the heritage and the spirit of the historic theme park is jeopardized. Santa’s Workshop becomes a casualty of a power struggle between an opportunistic businessman and the owner. With help from local residents and town council, the community rallies around Santa’s Workshop to restore the park to its greatness.
Through it all, Santa’s Workshop remains a place where past and current staff, and generations of families remember simpler times, irony-free kitsch, and the celebration of imagination. Santa’s Workshop links us to an important time and place in history– a time of innocence. For over 65 years, Santa’s Workshop, which has its own zip code as North Pole, NY, has served as the economic driver of the small community of Wilmington, New York. North Pole, NY is a portrait of small town America. It shows both the beauty and struggle of the Adirondacks.
Director Ali Cotterill says, “My vision in creating North Pole, NY documentary was to investigate the rise and decline of theme parks and roadside attractions, which were central to my childhood development and creativity. I discovered that Santa’s Workshop was part of larger story about economic dislocation in small town America, and the ceding of childhood imagination to corporatized and digitized fun. Theme parks, and Santa Claus himself, are fueled by the magic of believing, North Pole, NY asks the question, “What will we lose as a culture if we let places like Santa’s Workshop disappear? “
North Pole, NY had its World Premiere at IFF Boston 2018, where it opened to critical acclaim. It was the Official Selection at SF DocFest 2018 and NH DOCS 2018. North Pole, NY recently won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at Indie Street Film Festival 2018.
North Pole, NY will premiere at DOC NYC during the following dates/times:
Fri. November 9, 2018 at 5:15pm at IFC Center
Mon. November 12, 2018 at 12:15pm at Cinepolis Chelsea
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33 Documentaries Win Sundance Institute Documentary Fund and Stories of Change Grant
Thirty-three nonfiction works from seventeen countries comprise the latest Sundance Institute Documentary Fund and Stories of Change Grantees. 81% of the supported projects have at least one woman producer or director; 48% originate from outside the US.
That support takes the form of grants to films in the development, production, post-production and audience engagement stages, and includes custom grants from The Kendeda Fund, which provides specific support for projects addressing environmental themes or the challenges of gun violence; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which provides specific support for journalistic projects, prioritizing diverse, Native and Indigenous voices; and the Stories of Change Fund, a creative partnership with the Skoll Foundation, which supports social entrepreneurs and independent storytellers. This slate of Institute grantees join those supported by Science Sandbox, a collaboration with the Simons Foundation, and the Art of Nonfiction Fellowship and Fund, announced last month.
“From renowned Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel addressing the legacy of 500 years of colonial history in her first feature documentary, to first-time Chinese director Runze Yu exploring a profoundly intimate domestic space, these are the vivid individual threads that form the narrative tapestry of our culture and we are proud to support them.” said Tabitha Jackson, the Documentary Film Program’s Director.
“These wildly diverse projects from around the globe encompass a staggering scope of subjects,” said Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, the Documentary Fund’s Director. “We are thrilled that our grants and tailored support opportunities can play a catalytic role across the lives of these projects, from developing creative languages to securing additional funding and finally launching the films on the world stage.”
Sundance Institute has a long history and firm commitment to championing the most distinctive nonfiction films from around the world. Recently-supported films include Shirkers, Hale County This Morning, This Evening; Minding the Gap; The Silence of Others; I Am Not Your Negro; Last Men in Aleppo; Casting JonBenet; Strong Island; Hooligan Sparrow.
Sundance Institute Documentary Fund Grantees
DEVELOPMENT
Chocobar (Argentina / US) Dir. Lucrecia Martel Prod. Benjamin Domenech, Joslyn Barnes, Santiago Gallelli, Matías Roveda Javier Chocobar was shot dead fighting the removal of his indigenous community from their ancestral land in Argentina. His death appeared in a video on YouTube. This film unravels the 500 years of “reason” that led to this shooting, both with a gun and a camera, and contextualizes it in the system of land tenure that emerged across Latin America. Cowboy Love (Argentina / Mexico) Dir. Manuel Abramovich Prod. Manuel Abramovich A gay cowboy community in Mexico reinvents the classical heteronormative cowboy figure. Like a documentary remake of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ with the tone of Mexican telenovela, ‘Amor vaquero’ is the movie these cowboys always wanted but never had: the one about their own love stories. Democrats II (Denmark) Dir. Camilla Nielsson Prod. Signe Byrge Sørensen Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. The new leader of the opposition party, MDC, Nelson Chamisa, challenges the old guard, ZANU-PF, represented by the acting president Emmerson Mnangagwa, also known as ‘the crocodile’. The election is the ultimate test for both the party in power and of the opposition. How do they interpret the principles of democracy in a post-Mugabe era – in discourse and in practice? Untitled Dystopia Film (US / UK) Dir. Malika Zouhali-Worrall Caught in a modern day dystopia, a novelist uses fiction to examine the very real brutality and absurdity of authoritarian rule. Gabi (Sweden) Dir. Engeli Broberg Prod. Anna J. Ljungmark and Jacob Eklund Gabi just wants to be Gabi. A simple wish one would think, but as it turns out, it is not. Showing the perspective of a child that refuses to be put in a box, we follow Gabi from age eight to thirteen, struggling to find a place in a society dictated by adult rules and gender categorizations. Mayor (US) Dir. David Osit Prod. David Osit With startling and unprecedented access, Mayor follows a charismatic leader’s quixotic quest to build the city of the future in a land paralyzed by its past. My Mom and My Little Secret (China) Dir. Runze Yu Prod. Runze Yu This film is an intimate portrait of the relationship between the closeted filmmaker himself and his estranged mother. In a fast-changing society like China, where traditional values collide with the new ones. Will revealing the secret bring the family together or rip it apart? Until I Find You (Mexico / France) Dir. Ludovic Bonleux Prod. Ludovic Bonleux and Sonia Paramo Until I Find You tells the story of Ana, a Honduran mother in search of her son, who disappeared in Mexico on his way to the United States.PRODUCTION
Alabamaland (US) Dir. April Dobbins Prod. April Dobbins, Moira Griffin, Trevite Willis Jones Farm is a lush, 688-acre farm situated in the heart of western Alabama. Three generations of black women explore their very different ties to this place that shaped them and continues to exert a strange hold on their identities. This is the same plot of land that their ancestors once worked as slaves—a history that is important to their identities and to how they navigate the world. Aleph (US / Croatia) Dir. Iva Radivojevic Prod. Madeleine Molyneaux, Vilka Alfier, Iva Radivojevic Aleph is a mysterious portal that contains the entire universe. The portal is hidden in a splintered labyrinth of magic and meaning and encompasses the thoughts, ideas and dreams of ten protagonists in ten countries, spanning five continents. These collective stories serve as pieces of a puzzle that lead to what the writer Jorge Luis Borges called “the unimaginable universe.” The Fight (Bolivia & Australia) Dir. Violeta Ayala Prod. Redelia Shaw, Daniel Fallshaw, Fernando Barbosa, Andrea Monasterios People with disabilities are amongst the most discriminated in Bolivia, with the majority living in dire poverty. Fed up with being ignored, a group of them decide to take their fight to the streets; Feliza and her husband Marcelo lead the way, as the protest grows into a movement. They embark on an unimaginable journey, marching 260 miles over the Andean mountains in their wheelchairs to go toe-to-toe with the Bolivian government. Heaven Through the Backdoor (US) Dir. Anna Fitch and Banker White Prod. Sara Dosa Heaven Through the Backdoor is a multi-platform documentary that explores identity, judgement and family bonds through the experience of Swiss émigré Yo (Yolanda Shae), a fiercely independent 88-year old woman who we meet as she prepares for her next great adventure: death. The project juxtaposes cinematic interpretations of Yo’s stories using intricately built sets and miniatures,with raw, intimate documentary footage her present life. Just a Band (Kenya / Canada) Dir. Anjali Nayar, Wanuri Kahiu Prod. Katie Doering, Senain Kheshgi Just a Band is a story about four nerdy Nairobians, who drop out of university and form an Afro-electric pop band, a counter narrative to the lives expected of them by their middle-class families. Playing on popular band movie tropes (the story of every great band that’s ever broken up), while borrowing from a post-modern cultural mishmash of Sun Ra, Kung Fu Movies, Hip Hop and a thousand other bits of detritus, the film Just a Band presents a fresh coming-of-age story in the midst of the post-dictatorship art renaissance in Kenya. Outta The Muck (US) Dir. Ira McKinley & Bhawin Suchak Prod. Tracy Rector, Bhawin Suchak, Ira McKinley, Sam Pollard Family, football, and the forgotten history of the Deep South come to life in this intimate portrait of generational struggle and resilience in Pahokee, Florida. Outta The Muck tells a story about the power of community, the echoes of trauma, and the strength of Black families in rural America. Softie (Kenya) Dir. Sam Soko Prd. Toni Kamau and Sam Soko A young idealistic Kenyan challenges the status quo, facing questions on the cost of sacrifices made, past and present. Through the Night (US) Dir. Loira Limbal Prod. Loira Limbal To make ends meet, Americans are working longer hours across multiple jobs. This modern reality of non-stop work has resulted in an unexpected phenomenon: the flourishing of 24-hour daycare centers. Through the Night is a vérité documentary that explores the personal cost of our modern economy through the stories two working mothers and a childcare provider – whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center.POST-PRODUCTION
Advocate (Israel / Canada / Switzerland) Dir. Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche Prod. Philippe Bellaiche, Rachel Leah Jones, Paul Cadieux, Joelle Bertossa Lea Tsemel defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from non-violent demonstrators to armed militants. As a Jewish-Israeli lawyer who has represented political prisoners for nearly 50 years, Tsemel, in her tireless quest for justice, pushes the praxis of a human rights defender to its limits. Born in China (US / China) Directors: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang Prod. Julie Goldman, Chris Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, Christoph Jorg First-time mother and filmmaker Nanfu Wang uncovers the untold history of China’s One-Child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment. The Last Out (US) Dir. Sami Khan and Michael Gassert Prod. Michael Gassert, Jonathan Miller, Sami Khan Three young Cuban baseball players are pushed to their limits as they flee their homeland, leaving their families and everything they’ve ever known behind, to chase their dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. The Letter (Kenya) Dir. Maia Lekow and Chris King Prod. Maia Lekow and Chris King In coastal Kenya, a frenzied mix of consumerism & christianity is turning hundreds of families against their elders, branding them as witches as a means to steal their land. Filmed with a gentle pace and incredible closeness, The Letter is an intimate family portrait that weaves a complex story of shakespearean proportions. The Kendeda Fund Provides specific support for projects addressing environmental themes or the challenges of gun violenceAUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
Charm City (US) Dir. Marilyn Ness Prod. Katy Chevigny Charm City delivers a candid portrait of citizens, police, community advocates, and government officials on the frontlines during three years of unparalleled, escalating violence in Baltimore. The film highlights the positive actions undertaken by groups and individuals, optimistically offering humanity as common ground. Harvest Season (US) Dir. Bernardo Ruiz Prod. Bernardo Ruiz and Lauren Capps Rosenfeld Like studio musicians or backup singers, the behind-the-scenes players in the premium California wine industry are essential, yet rarely recognized for their efforts or contributions. Following three people whose lives and livelihoods are intimately tied to winemaking in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Harvest Season delves into the “backstage” action over the course of one dramatic grape harvest and during a period of of rapid change for the California wine industry. Inventing Tomorrow (US) Dir. Laura Nix Prod. Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Laura Nix Meet passionate teenage innovators from around the globe who are creating cutting-edge solutions to confront the world’s environmental threats – found right in their own backyards – while navigating the doubts and insecurities that mark adolescence. Take a journey with these inspiring teens as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), a program of the Society for Science & the Public.PRODUCTION
As Goes Parkland… (US) Dir. Kim A Snyder Prod. Lori Cheatle, Maria Cuomo Cole, Kim A. Snyder In the wake of the February 14, 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida–the worst school shooting since Newtown–Parkland students ignite the largest student movement since the 1960s to address gun violence in America and demand change. Hollow Tree (US) Dir. Kira Akerman Prod. Monique Walton Three teenagers come of age in Southeast Louisiana’s fragile delta; a parable for climate adaptation. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Provides support for journalistic projects, prioritizing diverse, Native and Indigenous voicesPRODUCTION
And She Could Be Next (US) Dir. Grace Lee, Marjan Safinia, Yoruba Richen, Amber Fares, Deb Esquenazi, Geeta Gandbhir. Anayansi Prado, Ramona Emerson Prod. Grace Lee, Marjan Safinia, Jyoti Sarda In a polarized America, where the dual forces of white supremacy and patriarchy threaten to further erode democracy, women of color are claiming power by running for political office. And She Could be Next, made by a team of women filmmakers of color, asks whether democracy itself can be preserved — and made stronger — by those most marginalized. Untitled Puerto Rico Documentary (US) Dir. Cecilia Aldarondo Prod. Cecilia Aldarondo, Ines Hofmann Kanna A kaleidoscopic portrait of the aftermath of Hurricane María in Puerto Rico. Untitled Race & Criminal Justice Project (US) Dir. Ursula Liang Prod. Rajal Pitroda & Chanelle Aponte Pearson A nuanced look at how two communities of color navigate an uneven criminal justice system, anchored by one polarizing New York City case. Stories of Change Fund A creative partnership with the Skoll Foundation, which supports social entrepreneurs and independent storytellers. Untitled Water Inequality in Kenya Project (Kenya), scripted short Dir. Judy Kibinge Prod. Emily Wanja A young women working as a house help in a middle class home in Kenya discovers that her affluent employers are paying less for water than she and her community do. She soon discovers the source of the problem is far closer to home. First Time Stories (India), feature documentary Directors: Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya Deep inside the Amazon, rainforests flourish untouched from horizon to horizon, guarded by mountains never climbed, and cut by rivers unmapped. And yet, they have all been claimed by stories told by elders around a fire. Keepers of the oral storytelling tradition in Suriname for 300 years, frail Matawai elders seek to pass them to the young, who are lured away by gold mining, far from the secrets of the forest. Mystery of Epilogue (Denmark/Syria), feature documentary Dir. Feras Fayyad Prod. Kirstine Barfod In the chaotic war-torn world of Syria, three lawyers and judges attempt to re-establish the rule of law amid the collapse of the justice in the ongoing civil war. Untitled Government Technology Project (US) Prod. Kate Osborn, Josh Penn, Elizabeth Lodge Stepp A comprehensive look at our nation’s contemporary infrastructure that matters most: technology. Examining how government works in this digital age, largely at the expense of the American people. The Widow Champion (US), short documentary Dir. Heather Courtney Evicted from their land and homes by their in-laws, widows in Kenya are forced to live destitute with their children in empty market stalls, or even under trees out in the open. But now these women are coming together to fight for what is rightfully theirs — their land, their homes and their lives.
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MoviePass Films to Support Release of Gabe Polsky’s Sports Documentary IN SEARCH OF GREATNESS [Trailer]
MoviePass Films is teaming up with Cannes Alum Gabe Polsky’s upcoming feature-length documentary, In Search Of Greatness as an investor and strategic marketing partner ahead of the film’s early-November theatrical release.
In Search Of Greatness, directed by acclaimed documentarian Gabe Polsky, best known for his previous feature Red Army, which debuted in Cannes in 2014 and was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, and his work on Nat Geo’s Emmy-award-winning TV show Genius, is a provocative work of non-fiction which examines the importance of creativity in determining athletic ability and also analyzes the roles nature and nurture play in the development of young athletes.
The film, which includes in-depth interviews with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, superstar wide receiver Jerry Rice, and soccer icon Pele, opens in 11 major U.S. markets on November 2nd, and expands to theaters across North America by mid-month.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Gabe and the AOS team to support this terrific documentary and help bring the personal stories of these world-class athletes to audiences everywhere,” said MoviePass Films Chairman Ted Farnsworth and Co-CEO Randall Emmett. We are pleased to be able to continue supporting independent creators and helping them bring their artistic visions to life on the big screen.”
The In Search Of Greatness investment follows a busy month of deal-making for the MoviePass Films label. In late September, MoviePass Films partnered with leading indie distributor NEON to co-release Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Sundance award-winner Monsters and Men (currently in theaters) and is preparing to co-release the second film in that partnership, Ali Abassi’s Cannes award-winner Border (which debuts in theaters this week). MoviePass Films also recently wrapped production on its Bruce Willis-starrer 10 Minutes Gone and green-lit Neil Marshall’s The Reckoning which starts production in Wales in January. The MoviePass Films team intends to produce 10-12 films per year, and intends to acquire an additional 8-10 films per year, starting in 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-B9CVCcLrM
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Charlamagne Tha God Exec Produces Bakari Sellers Documentary WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE [Trailer]
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While I Breathe, I Hope[/caption]
What does it means to be young, black, and a Democrat in the American South? While I Breathe, I Hope follows South Carolina politician and CNN political analyst Bakari Sellers as he runs to become the first African American candidate elected statewide in over a century.
The film from award-winning director Emily Harrold who is making her documentary feature directing debut, and from Executive Producer Charlamagne Tha God, the radio personality who co-hosts the nationally syndicated iHeartRadio program The Breakfast Club will have it New York Premiere screening at DOC NYC on Sunday, November 11.
In 2014, Bakari Sellers–one of the youngest sitting members of the South Carolina House of Representatives–campaigns to be the first African American elected to statewide office since the 1870s. He runs for Lieutenant Governor, the second highest office in the state. The son of Cleveland Sellers, a prominent 1960s Civil Rights activist who was a leading member of SNCC, Bakari understands the difficult race relations in the American South. “Our race is not about what South Carolina was, it’s not about what South Carolina is, but it’s about what South Carolina can be,” he says. But as a Democrat in a red state, Bakari has a tough race ahead. News media consistently place Bakari behind his Republican opponent, Henry McMaster. Moreover, South Carolinians have not elected a Democrat to state office since 2006. Bakari doesn’t help his electability among white voters when he makes removing the Confederate Flag part of his campaign platform. But he refuses to give up. “I can’t win if I don’t run,” he states. But, in the end it seems South Carolina isn’t ready for the kind of change Bakari wants to bring to his state.
Just months after the election, racially motivated shootings in Charleston in June of 2015 throw Bakari back into the spotlight. As he struggles to deal with the brutal death of his friend Clementa Pinckney, he finds thousands of faces turn to him for leadership. Bakari rises as a spokesperson for the community while also trying to unravel and understand the strained race relations of his beloved state. As the Confederate Flag drops from the State House grounds, he is on national television explaining the momentous nature of this event. In one of the most significant moments of his life, Bakari addresses the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. He brings audiences to their feet as he proclaims “Stand up for progress. Stand up for justice. And stand up if you know like I know that we’re stronger together!”
NEW YORK PREMIERE SCREENING AT DOC NYC
Sunday, November 11 at 4:15 PM IFC Center 323 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10014
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AVICII: TRUE STORIES, Powerful Documentary on Late Producer/Artist, Sets Release Date [Trailer]
Levan Tsikurishvili’s powerful documentary Avicii: True Stories, reveals the unvarnished truth behind the success of Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and artist Avicii (A.K.A. Tim Bergling). The film which follows Avicii over four years, and features Chris Martin, Nile Rodgers, David Guetta, Tiësto and Wyclef Jean, will open on December 14th in Los Angeles and December 21st in New York.
Avicii: True Stories follows Avicii, one of the world’s highest grossing live music artists, whose seemingly sudden decision last year to quit doing live shows came as a complete chock to his fans and the industry.
The film traces the artist/DJ’s life from his beginnings, all the way to the joy of his success, from his chart-topping global radio hits and subsequent struggles with his physical and mental health. Tsikurishvili followed Bergling for over four years, and captured fly-on-the-wall footage of his experiences and thinking. Featuring appearances by colleagues such as Chris Martin, Nile Rodgers, David Guetta, Tiësto, and Wyclef Jean, Avicii: True Stories is a cautionary tale that explores the taxing nature and intensity of fame from the artist’s point of view as much as it is a film for Avicii’s die-hard fans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZFK3VKzQIs
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Judith Helfand’s Disaster Preparedness Documentary COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE to Premiere at DOC NYC 2018
In COOKED: Survival by Zip Code, peabody award winning director Judith Helfand melds her unique brand of investigative reporting and respectful humor to make a potent argument that the best preparation for a disaster may start with actually redefining disaster and preparedness. COOKED: Survival by Zip Code will World Premiere at DOC NYC, screening November 11 and 14.
COOKED: Survival by Zip Code is a searing yet quirky investigation into the “natural” disasters we’re willing to see and prepare for and the “unnatural” ones we’re not. Adapted from Eric Klinenberg’s ground-breaking book HEAT WAVE: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago.
In her signature serious-yet-quirky connect-the-dots style, Peabody Award winning filmmaker Judith Helfand takes audiences from the deadly 1995 Chicago heat disaster deep into one of our nation’s biggest growth industries — Disaster Preparedness. Along the way she forges inextricable links between extreme weather, extreme disparity and the politics of “disaster”; daring to ask: What if a zip code was just a routing number, and not a life-or-death sentence?
Chicago suffered the worst heat disaster in U.S history in 1995, when 739 residents ― mostly elderly, poor and disproportionately black―died over the course of one hot week. COOKED: Survival by Zip Code is a connect-the-dots investigation into extreme heat, the politics of disaster and survival by zip code. Helfand uses her quirky investigative lens to ask a radical yet obvious question: what if we reframe the long-term impact of structural racism, systemic inequity and climate change as an official disaster?
WORLD PREMIERE SCREENINGS AT DOC NYC
Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 1:30 PM SVA Theatre Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 2:45 PM IFC Center Director Judith Helfand, producer Fenell Doremus, and author Eric Klinenberg in-person for post-screening Q&A’s after each screening.
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Cinema Eye Honors Announces 2018 Audience Choice, Heterodox, Broadcast, Unforgettables and Nonfiction “Shorts List”
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Won’t You Be My Neighbor?[/caption]
The Cinema Eye Honors unveiled the first awards announcements for their 12th Annual awards, including The Unforgettables, their annual list of notable and significant nonfiction film subjects; The Shorts List, an annual list of the year’s ten top Nonfiction Short Films; and nominees in four categories: Broadcast Film; Broadcast Series; the Heterodox Award, which recognizes fiction films that actively blur the line between fiction and documentary; and the annual Audience Choice Prize. The full list of nonfiction film and craft nominees, including the five nominees for Outstanding Nonfiction Short Film, will be revealed on Thursday, November 8.
Eight films – Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Free Solo, Stephen Loveridge’s Mantangi/Maya/M.I.A., Bing Liu’s Minding the Gap, Alexandria Bombach’s On Her Shoulders, Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s RBG, Sandi Tan’s Shirkers, Tim Wardle’s Three Identical Strangers and Morgan Neville’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor? – were nominated for the Audience Choice Prize and also saw their subjects recognized amongst this year’s Unforgettables. Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks’ Quincy and Dava Whisenant’s Bathtubs Over Broadway round out this year’s Audience Choice nominees.
This is the first year that Cinema Eye will have an award to recognize Outstanding Nonfiction Series for Broadcast. Inaugural nominees in the Series category are Steve James’ America to Me (STARZ), Trey Borzilleri & Barbara Schroeder’s Evil Genius (Netflix), Zackary Canepari, Drea Cooper & Jessica Dimmock’s Flint Town (Netflix) Liz Garbus’ The Fourth Estate (Showtime) Matthew Heineman’s The Trade (Showtime) and Chapman Way & Maclain Way’s Wild Wild Country (Netflix).
The 12th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be presented on Thursday, January 10, 2019 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City.
AUDIENCE CHOICE PRIZE NOMINEES
Bathtubs Over Broadway Directed by Dava Whisenant Free Solo Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. Directed by Stephen Loveridge Minding the Gap Directed by Bing Liu On Her Shoulders Directed by Alexandria Bombach Quincy Directed by Rashida Jones and Al Hicks RBG Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West Shirkers Directed by Sandi Tan Three Identical Strangers Directed by Tim Wardle Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Directed by Morgan NevilleNONFICTION SHORTS LIST
(Five nominees in this category will be announced on Thursday, November 8) Baby Brother Directed by Kamau Bilal Concussion Protocol Directed by Josh Begley The Earth is Humming Directed by Garrett Bradley My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes Directed by Charlie Tyrell A Night at the Garden Directed by Marshall Curry Las Nubes Directed by Juan Pablo González Sister Hearts Directed by Mohammad Gorjestani Skip Day Directed by Patrick Bresnan and Ivete Lucas Volte Directed by Monika Kotecka and Karolina Poryzala Zhalanash – Empty Shore Directed by Marcin SauterHETERODOX AWARD NOMINEES
American Animals Directed by Bart Layton Obscuro Barrocco Directed by Evangelia Kranioti Skate Kitchen Directed by Crystal Moselle The Tale Directed by Jennifer Fox We the Animals Directed by Jeremiah ZagarBROADCAST FILM NOMINEES
Baltimore Rising Directed by Sonja Sohn HBO Believer Directed by Don Argott HBO The Final Year Directed by Greg Barker HBO I Am Evidence Directed by Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir HBO Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press Directed by Brian Knappenberger Netflix This is Home: A Refugee Story Directed by Alexandra Shiva EpixBROADCAST SERIES NOMINEES
America to Me Directed by Steve James Starz Evil Genius Directed by Trey Borzilleri and Barbara Schroeder Netflix Flint Town Directed by Zackary Canepari, Drea Cooper and Jessica Dimmock Netflix The Fourth Estate Directed by Liz Garbus Showtime The Trade Directed by Matthew Heineman Showtime Wild Wild Country Directed by Chapman Way and Maclain Way NetflixUNFORGETTABLES NONFICTION SUBJECTS OF 2018
Annette Ontell 306 Hollywood América América Issei Sagawa Caniba Alex Honnold Free Solo Julita Salmerón Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle Nick Bollettieri Love Means Zero M.I.A. Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. Kiere Johnson, Bing Liu and Zack Mulligan Minding the Gap Abu Osama Of Fathers and Sons Nadia Murad On Her Shoulders Ruth Bader Ginsburg RBG Scotty Bowers Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Georges Cardona, Jasmine Ng, Sophie Siddique and Sandi Tan Shirkers Edward Galland, David Kellman and Robert Shafran Three Identical Strangers Fred Rogers Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
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AFI FEST Announces 2018 Shorts Lineup, Winners Eligible for Academy Awards
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God Never Dies (Dios Nunca Muere)[/caption]
The Shorts lineup at AFI FEST 2018 presented by Audi will feature 47 films from filmmakers from all over the world, showcasing their distinct international viewpoints. As the only juried section of the festival, the Grand Jury Award winners for Live Action and Animated Short will be eligible for the 2019 Best Live Action Short and Best Animated Short Academy Awards®.
The Shorts jury is comprised of Alison Becker (actor on PARKS AND RECREATION, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM), Chinonye Chukwu (director/writer), Alicia Malone (host on Turner Classic Movies), Michael Mohan (co-creator of the Netflix original series EVERYTHING SUCKS!), Eliza Skinner (comedian and writer on THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN) and Sasheer Zamata (comedian, actress, writer and former SNL cast member).
AFI FEST takes place November 8 to 15, 2018, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and other events will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
SHORTS
III – A sudden meeting of a man and a woman begins a hypnotic act — a game of pleasure and discomfort. III is a portrait of a woman in an exhausting relationship with a man, which allures and repulses at the same time. DIR Marta Pajek. SCR Marta Pajek. Poland 49 MILE SCENIC DRIVE – The compelling and amusing story behind one of San Francisco’s most visually arresting signposts and the design change that tarnished a legacy. DIR Bradley Smith, Tyler McPherron. USA ADA – Ada is an unlikeable competitive walker who makes a dress out of toilet paper and has an unfortunate run-in with a hose. DIR Eleanore Pienta. USA ALL INCLUSIVE – Under the spell of mass entertainment on the high seas. DIR Corina Schwingruber Ilić. Switzerland APPLIED PRESSURE – Ease the pain from past physical and mental distress. The body remembers. Aches may linger. Lay prone, breathe deeply, release tension, let go of the pain. DIR Kelly Sears. USA BABY BROTHER – My baby brother moves back in with our parents. DIR Kamau Bilal. USA BIRDIE – A casual gesture of friendliness quickly spirals into a paralyzing moment for a woman on a train. DIR Shelly Lauman. Australia BLOOMSTREET 11 (BLOEISTRAAT 11) – As summer progresses, the bodies of inseparable best friends start to morph and shift as puberty interrupts their bond. DIR Nienke Deutz. Belgium, Netherlands CAT DAYS (NEKO NO HI) – Jiro, a little boy, feels sick. His father takes him to the doctor. She diagnoses a harmless condition, but it shakes the core of the boy’s identity. DIR Jon Frickey. Germany, Japan COME ON MANDY – A wheelchair-bound woman trying to get her dog to come when she calls. DIR Joshua Wilmott. USA CONCUSSION PROTOCOL – By the end of the 2017-18 season, more than 250 players in the NFL will have sustained concussions. For his latest project, data artist Josh Begley tracked these injuries. DIR Josh Begley. USA COUNTERFEIT KUNKOO – In a city that houses millions, Smita discovers a strange prerequisite for renting a house in middle-class Mumbai. She would make an ideal tenant, except for one glaring flaw — she is an Indian woman without a husband. DIR Reema Sengupta. India CYCLISTS (BICIKLISTI) – During the final race of the cycling season, two men in the lead compete for more than the Grand Trophy. DIR Veljko Popovic. Croatia, France DESERT RATS – Out in the Salt Flats, people think nothing can survive, but Lily did. DIR Shaz Bennett. USA DOWN THERE – A blissful night is unexpectedly interrupted by a sound from downstairs. Different reactions are triggered as well as indifference. DIR Zhengfan Yang. China, France DULCE – In coastal Colombia, a mother teaches her daughter how to swim, so that she may go to the mangroves and harvest piangua shellfish with other women in the village. DIR Angello Faccini, Guille Isa. Colombia, USA EGG – A woman is locked in her home with an egg. She eats the egg, she repents. She kills it. She lets the egg die of hunger. DIR Martina Scarpelli. France, Denmark FAUVE – Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent power game with Mother Nature as the sole observer. DIR Jeremy Comte. Canada GINGERBREAD – In 1862, during the bloodiest days of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln reluctantly agrees to join Mary Todd in a séance to contact their recently departed son. DIR Kendell Courtney Klein. USA GOD NEVER DIES (DIOS NUNCA MUERE) – Living in hidden America, Paula, a Mexican farmworker, struggles to raise her two children on her own. DIR Barbara Cigarroa. USA, Ireland GOOD PEOPLE – Overwhelmed by guilt after an intense affair, Emma returns home to her family hoping to reconnect with her husband. An AFI Conservatory thesis film. DIR Gregory Kohn. USA HAIR WOLF – The staff of a black hair salon fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture. DIR Mariama Diallo. USA HALF A CHICKEN – Bryan struggles to keep to his chicken alive. DIR Sarah Ginsburg, Will Lennon. USA INSTINCT – A psychosexual thriller about Isabelle, a lonely gallery owner, who meets a dangerously seductive performance artist and discovers they have more in common than expected. An AFI Conservatory thesis film. DIR Maria Alice Arida. USA IRISH PRINCE – When an older Irish gentleman reveals to his pals how he met his wife, the story turns out to be a lot more familiar than expected. DIR Joey Garfield. USA JEOM – A strange and wonderful story about a special connection between father and son. DIR Kangmin Kim. USA A LITTLE BREAK (LES PETITES VACANCES) – While on their summer break, two young women explore their sexuality. DIR Louise Groult. France MAGIC ’85 – During the height of the AIDS epidemic in LA, Gabriel, a lonely hospice worker, helps lead his patients to a conscious death. An AFI Conservatory thesis Film. DIR Annika Kurnick. USA MAGIC ALPS – An Afghani refugee arrives in Italy with his goat and seeks political asylum for both of them. DIR Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi. Italy MATRIA – Faced with the challenges presented by her daily routine, Ramona tries to take refuge in the relationship that ties her to her daughter and granddaughter. DIR Alvaro Gago. Spain METEORITE – Bird men suffer mysterious falls in the search for where the sun rises. An altered reality through rites that converge in one objective: die to generate life. DIR Mauricio Sáenz. Mexico NORMAL APPEARANCES – An unsettling supercut of the women of #BachelorNation watching themselves being watched. DIR Penny Lane. USA THE ORPHAN (O ÓRFÃO) – Jonathas is adopted but then returned due to his “different” way. Inspired by true events. DIR Carolina Markowicz. Brazil PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. – In an effort to improve feminine hygiene, a machine that creates low-cost biodegradable sanitary pads is installed in a rural village in Northern India. DIR Rayka Zehtabchi. USA PIU PIU – A restless young woman yearns to escape the confines of romance in order to find her superpower. DIR Naima Ramos-Chapman. USA REBIRTH IS NECESSARY – A video-art film exploring the magic and dynamism of Blackness in a realm where time and space are altered. DIR Jenn Nkiru. UK SHE (AJO) – To escape an early marriage arranged by her father, Zana has to make a courageous decision. DIR More Raca. Kosovo A SIEGE (OSTROM) – A lonely woman in war-torn Sarajevo embarks on a journey to find water, and neither her neighbors nor sniper fire can stop her. DIR István Kovács. Hungary THE SUMMER OF THE ELECTRIC LION (EL VERANO DEL LEON ELECTRICO) – Hidden in a house far from the city, Alonso accompanies his dear sister, Daniela. She expects to become the seventh wife of The Lion, a prophet who (according to stories) electrocutes you when you touch him. DIR Diego Céspedes. Chile UMBRA (TARIKI) – A few minutes after midnight, a young woman realizes that her partner has disappeared after sex. Worried, she goes out to find him in the dark streets. DIR Saeed Jafarian. Iran WAR PAINT – A young, South LA black girl experiences a series of events that intersect racism and sexism during the Fourth of July holiday. An AFI Directing Workshop for Women film. DIR Katrelle Kindred. USA THE WATER SLIDE – Tragedy strikes the world’s tallest water slide. DIR Nathan Truesdell. USA WHERE THE WATER RUNS – During the most drastic and prolonged drought in California history, a water truck delivery driver uses his resources to return water to the communities that need it most. An AFI Conservatory thesis film. DIR DuBois Ashong. USA WHILE I YET LIVE – Five acclaimed African-American quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, talk about love, religion and the fight for civil rights as they continue the tradition of quilting that originally brought them together. DIR Maris Curran. USA X – X, a young black kid, wanders through Los Angeles while confronting the difficult realities of adolescence while being black in America. DIR Yara Shahidi. USA YAEL (CONCEPTION: YAEL) – Becoming a mother is one of the most transformative life experiences. DIR Margaret Cheatham Williams, Jordan Bruner. USA YASAMIN – Amid the Iranian Hostage Crisis, Yasamin moves to the USA and navigates the trials and tribulations of assimilation through the waxing of a unibrow. DIR Julia Elihu. USA
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2018 IDFA to Open with Afghan Documentary KABUL, CITY IN THE WIND
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Kabul, City in the Wind[/caption]
Kabul, City in the Wind by Aboozar Amin, a sobering, intimate and warm account of daily life in Kabul during the silent intervals between suicide bombings, will open this year’s 31st International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) on Wednesday November 14th.
The bombings that happened, and those that will, define life for the film’s characters; a father who works as a bus driver, and two young boys whose policeman father is away due to murder threats.
“Amini introduces himself as an original uncompromising artist of film, he absorbed the work of Abbas Kiarostami and made it his very own,” Artistic Director Orwa Nyrabia comments.
Aboozar Amini (Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 1985) arrived in the Netherlands as a teenager and graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in 2010. Amini returned to reside in Afghanistan after his studies in the Netherlands. Kabul, City in the Wind is a co-production between Afghanistan, Japan and the Netherlands and was made with support from the IDFA Bertha Fund.
IDFA also revealed the the complete list of nominees for the Feature-Length Documentary, First Appearance and Dutch Documentary competitions. IDFA’s main competition consists of 12 titles by established filmmakers; the IDFA Competition for First Appearance consists exclusively of first films, including opening film opening film; and 11 unique films – both in terms of subject matter and form – compete in the IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary.
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DOCNYC 2018: Syrian Women Find Strength Through Theater in WE ARE NOT PRINCESSES [Trailer]
With intimate footage and stunning animation, We Are Not Princesses follows how a theater workshop group of Syrian refugee women, living in a Beirut refugee camp, find laughter and purpose behind the scenes, as they come together to perform the ancient Greek play, Antigone. This film focuses on the strong, resilient, and often hilarious Syrian women who are moving forward in spite of the ever-worsening situation back home. We Are Not Princesses directed by Bridgette Auger and Itab Azzam will World Premiere at DOC NYC on November 14, 2018.
In 2014, the Open Art Foundation put together a theater workshop with Syrian women refugees in Beirut to create a space for community and to provide tools to help the women process their trauma as a result of the ongoing conflict in Syria.
We Are Not Princesses focuses on the strong, resilient, and often hilarious Syrian women who are moving forward in spite of the ever-worsening situation back home. With intimate footage and stunning animation, the film follows how this group of women find laughter and purpose behind the scenes, as they come together to perform the ancient Greek play, Antigone.
Whether they are gossiping at a seaside café or engaging in long-forgotten pleasures at a night-time fairground, these poignant scenes are where intense discussion and transformation take place. Smoking cigarettes and wearing makeup become acts of rebellion against societal and patriarchal authority. And never far from the surface are the horrifying backstories which brought the women to Beirut.
Mona tells of the death of her child; Fedwa hyperventilates as she attempts to rehearse the story of her son whom she was unable to bury; Heba remembers her starving brother’s last wish for noodles and yogurt.
These stories provide context for the Syrian war, and also establish the women’s point of access into the story of Antigone, a story through which the women begin the work of processing their personal and national traumas.
We Are Not Princesses focuses strong Syrian women picking up the pieces of their broken society and moving forward.
WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING AT DOC NYC
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 7:45 PM – Cinepolis Chelsea