Imagine Dragons frontman and Mormon Dan Reynolds recently embarked on a new mission: to explore and influence how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints treats its LGBTQ members.
Documentary
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BELIEVER Follows Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds on His Quest for LGBTQ Acceptance in the Mormon Community
Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons at Rock im Park 2013 in Nuremberg, Germany
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Wrestling Documentary ‘350 DAYS’ Starring Bret Hart and ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham, in U.S. Cinemas July 12 Only [Trailer]
The wrestling documentary “350 Days” starring former world champions Bret Hart and “Superstar” Billy Grahams “350 Days” hits movie theaters nationwide this summer for a one-night event on July 12. The documentary provides a behind-the-scenes look at the grueling life they led on the road and the effect that lifestyle had on their marriages, family, physical and mental health. Featuring Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff, Abdullah The Butcher, Wendi Richter, Bill Eadie, Nikolai Volkoff, Lanny Poffo, Stan Hansen, Angelo Mosca, Lex Luger, and more, the event also includes some of the last interviews ever done with George “The Animal” Steele, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Ox Baker, The Wolfman, “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe, Don Fargo, and 99-year-old Angelo Savoldi.
In addition to the documentary, this special one-night event will also present an exclusive introduction and interview with legendary wrestling manager JJ Dillon of The Four Horsemen to discuss the impact of the film and the current state of professional wrestling.
Fathom Events, Rivalry Championship Wrestling and Happy Fish Productions present “350 Days” in nearly 450 U.S. cinemas for one night on Thursday, July 12 at 7:00 p.m. local time, through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). For a complete list of participating theaters, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
“’350 Days’ pulls back the curtain to give fans a unique look at the personal side of one of America’s most-watched sports – professional wrestling,” said Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt. “There is no better way to experience this thrilling documentary than in a movie theater with other wrestling enthusiasts.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvcnVv55cQk
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PBS POV Acquires Award Winning Documentaries ON HER SHOULDERS and THE SILENCE OF OTHERS
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Nadia Murad and Murad Ismael appear in On Her Shoulders by Alexandria Bombach.[/caption]
Two of the year’s top award-winning and critically-acclaimed documentary feature films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival – On Her Shoulders by Alexandria Bombach and The Silence of Others by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar – have been acquired by PBS television series POV.
On Her Shoulders (Tim Hetherington Award Nominee) and The Silence of Others (Grand Jury Award Nominee) will both screen at the Sheffield Doc/Fest in the UK this weekend as well as at the AFI Docs film festival in Washington, DC and the Human Rights Films Festival in New York this month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT6EgVIGwDY
On Her Shoulders, following a 23-year-old Yazidi genocide and ISIS sexual slavery survivor, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Directing Award for a U.S. Documentary. It won a special jury award at SXSW Film Festival and was a Top Ten Audience Favorite at Hot Docs in Toronto.
Synopsis: Nadia Murad, a 23-year-old Yazidi, survived genocide and sexual slavery committed by ISIS. Repeating her story to the world, this ordinary girl finds herself thrust onto the international stage as THE VOICE of her people. Away from the podium, she must navigate bureaucracy, fame and people’s good intentions.
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The Silence of Others[/caption]
The Silence of Others, which captures the first attempt in 77 years to prosecute crimes of Spain’s 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, took the Audience Award (Panorama) as well as the Peace Prize at its world premiere at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), was a Top Ten Audience Favorite at Hot Docs in Toronto.
Synopsis: The Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle of victims of Spain’s 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, who continue to seek justice to this day. Filmed over six years, the film follows victims and survivors as they organize the groundbreaking “Argentine Lawsuit” and fight a state-imposed amnesia of crimes against humanity, in a country still DIVIDED four decades into democracy.
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ROCK RUBBER 45s, Bobbito Garcia’s Basketball, Sneaker, and Music Cinematic Odyssey, Sets Release Date
Rock Rubber 45s is a cinematic odyssey exploring the connectivity of global basketball, sneaker, and music lifestyle through the firsthand lens of authentic New York City culture orchestrator Bobbito Garcia. The film explores García’s youth dealing with mistreatment, educational quandaries, identity, and loss as well as his ascension to self-determination as an adult freelance creative. The ballplayer/author/DJ/filmmaker has carved an independent career that has inspired millions throughout the world, and has affected the growth and direction of the footwear, hip hop, and sports industries in the process.
ROCK RUBBER opens theatrically for a full week run in New York on Thursday, June 28 (The Metrograph) with an extended run at the Maysles Cinema on Friday, July 6 to follow; and available on demand on Tuesday, July 24 (Worldwide).
DJ Bobbito Garcia is the critically acclaimed author of Where’d You Get Those? NYC’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987. As an award-winning filmmaker, Garcia has directed DOIN’ IT IN THE PARK: PICK-UP BASKETBALL, NYC, STRETCH AND BOBBITO: RADIO THAT CHANGED LIVES, and his autobiographical documentary Rock Rubber 45s. Currently, “Kool Bob Love” produces his b-ball tournament Full Court 21™ in four continents, and co-hosts NPR’s “What’s Good With Stretch And Bobbito” podcast.
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National Geographic To Premiere ‘Inside North Korea: Race to Peace’ Two Days Before Historic Summit
National Geographic will premiere Inside North Korea: Race to Peace on Sunday, June 10, at 10/9c, two days before the summit with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump takes the world stage.
Inside North Korea: Race to Peace is the story of the twists and turns leading to this momentous event, following 70 years of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula.Combining current and archival footage with insights from leading dignitaries and noted experts, including new interviews with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico and U.S. North Korea emissary.
Inside North Korea: Race to Peace moves beyond the headlines to dive into the story behind what could be one of the most significant diplomatic events of our time.
Setting the Stage
On March 26, 2018, a passenger train departed Pyongyang, North Korea. Twenty-one bulletproof cars crossed the border into China and the international community was abuzz with speculation. Who was onboard? As the train reached its final destination in Beijing, it was revealed that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un was on it. Kim Jong Un met with China’s President Xi Jinping on this, his first trip outside North Korea since his he took power in 2011, and it was his first meeting with a foreign leader. Kim Jong Un would visit China again and South Korea, to meet with President Moon Jae-in. Are these the first steps to what may be the most important diplomatic event of our young century? The on-again, off-again, summit between Kim Jong Un and Trump is now on again, and the two leaders will meet in Singapore on June 12. Could this be a path to peace on the Korean Peninsula and a way to bring the North Koreans into the international fold after 70 years of isolation?National Geographic’s Role
National Geographic played an interesting, albeit unintentional, role in the creation of a separate North and South Korea. Near the close of World War II, in August 1945, the U.S. sought to divide the Korean Peninsula after the surrender of Japan. When the State Department’s Charles Bonesteel and future Secretary of State Dean Rusk were tasked with determining how to divide the zones of occupation they selected the 38th parallel based on a National Geographic Society map that would be featured in an issue of National Geographic Magazine.How We Got Here
Inside North Korea: Race to Peace takes an unflinching look back at the complicated diplomatic history of the region, with a trained eye on the future. “I think he [Kim Jong Un] does have a good hand to play,” Albright says in the special. “He has managed to scare the whole region into doing something.” While all eyes will be on June 12, proper historic context will only enhance what unfolds. For Inside North Korea: Race to Peace Christine Weber is executive producer and Robert Zakin is the writer and producer.
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Ground Breaking Immersive Documentary FACE TO FACE to World Premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest
FACE TO FACE, the ground breaking immersive story/documentary/installation directed by the award-winning photo journalist, Michelle Gabel and co-directed by immersive storyteller/filmmaker Michaela Holland will world premiere at the Sheffield Doc/Fest beginning June 7 to 12, 2018.
Imagine if a shotgun blast took away your eyes, nose and upper palate leaving you permanently blind and unable to smell. FACE TO FACE is the true story of Michelle, who was the victim of this accidental shooting and is currently raising her two daughters. A shotgun blast took away Michelle Fox’s eyes, nose, and upper palate, leaving her permanently blind and unable to smell. Years of photojournalism and audio interviews work in tandem with a virtual reality piece as viewers explore an immersive, three-act installation.
FACE TO FACE is an intimate look at gun injury and human resilience. The film is an immersive documentary that blends years of photojournalism with virtual reality to create a three-act installation. This intimate look at gun injury and human resilience is based on the life of a woman who wears a facial prosthesis after a near fatal shooting accident. The installation will bring the viewer up close and personal, as we experience only a fraction of a day in the life of the main character. Years of photojournalism and interview audio is the foundation and cornerstone of this project. These traditional mediums work in tandem with a virtual reality piece as guests explore the film/installation.
FACE TO FACE was chosen from a record number of highest quality entries to be awarded the 2018 Alternate Realities Commission . It was awarded due to the project’s ability to push the boundaries of what is possible within factual storytelling and its strong commitment to innovation in the realm of non-fiction.
FACE TO FACE is a part of Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Alternate Realities programme, which is a leading forum for interactive, augmented reality, and virtual reality projects. Here, the festival explores game-changing forms of storytelling through experimenting with technology, for fully immersive experiences.
Image: Michelle in her daily ritual just before she puts her face on – in a scene from FACE TO FACE – an immersive documentary directed by Michelle Gabel and co-directed by Michaela Holland.
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Documentary AFGHAN CYCLES to East Coast Premiere at Brooklyn Film Festival [Trailer]
Following a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists, the documentary Afghan Cycles uses the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights – human rights – and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis, from discrimination to abuse, to the oppressive silencing of their voices in all aspects of contemporary society. These women ride despite cultural barriers, despite infrastructure, and despite death threats, embracing the power and freedom that comes with the sport. Afghan Cycles will have its East Coast premiere at the Brooklyn Film Festival, screening on June 7 and 8, 2018.
Focusing on local impact, Afghan Cycles is partnering with local organizations Women for Afghan Women, Get Women Cycling, Bicycle Habitat, BikeStyle and Girls on Bikes. On Thursday, June 7, Get Women Cycling will be hosting a group ride to the screening, and following the screening on Friday June 8, the partner organizations will join Afghan Cycles Director Sarah Menzies for a panel discussion following the film.
“The women in this film represent the positive impact that sports can have in oppressive societies. Cycling has empowered these women to get around more freely and independently when they would otherwise have to rely on a man. This is not unique to Afghanistan. In fact, in many countries women do not have the freedom of mobility and are dependent on men to travel safely,” says Menzies. “This brave group of Afghan women are challenging that type of traditional thinking that is quite prevalent throughout the world, and by telling their story, we hope that it inspires more women to get on bicycles internationally.”
Panel participants:
Fatima Rahmati, Women for Afghan Women
Fatima was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and at the age of four, she and her family fled as refugees from Afghanistan to Australia. Fatima traces back her experiences of being raised in the projects of Australia and her father’s legacy of educator and social activism as the path which paved the way to philanthropy. Moving to New York City 13 years ago, Fatima found herself naturally gravitating towards education, social justice, and philanthropy. When deciding on how to best serve her father’s legacy and her own passions, Fatima decided a school bearing his name in the country he loved would be fitting – a project she is currently working on. She joined Women for Afghan Women in 2015 as the Program Assistant for a brief period, she then took on a leading role in WAW’s Junior Board. Starting January 2018 she took on the role of Coalition and Outreach Coordinator at WAW. Fatima is fluent in Dari and EnglishLydia Moore, Bicycle Habitat/BikeStyle
Lydia works as a bicycle mechanic in brooklyn, with a belief in the need to redistribute resources, knowledge and access to bicycles. In the white cis male dominated bike industry she has created a workshop and ride series called BikStyle. Sharing the resources and space of Bicycle Habitat, BikeStyle centers queer and trans cyclist of color. Lydia is passionate about the bicycle as a tool for change. She is a founding board member of the Bike Worker Advocacy Project. A worker Center with a mission to organize the work force of bike messengers and bike shop workers in NYC.Kala La Fortune, Girls on Bikes
Kala grew up and currently resides in Newark, NJ. A graduate of Rutger’s University Newark with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Kala founded Girls On Bikes as a Senior in college while pursuing a career in Fashion. Her initial goal was to get more girls in her community to cycle as a way to get connected, have fun, and exercise. Now the organization has worked with over 150 students in the Newark Public Schools teaching them how to build bicycles from scratch and discussing the negative stigmas they may encounter while cycling in the urban community.Screening times:
Thursday June 7, 2018 @ 7:30 pm, Wythe Hotel Friday June 8, 2018 @ 6:30pm, Windmill Studios NYC, panel discussion to follow
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MAYNARD, Powerful and Inspiring Story of the First Black Mayor of a Major Southern City, Sets Digital Release Date [Trailer]
The remarkable story of the unparalleled success of Maynard Jackson Jr., Atlanta’s beloved longtime leader, is told in the compelling new documentary Maynard which will be released by Virgil Films on iTunes and digital platforms on Tuesday, July 3, 2018.
He was Obama before Obama, Maynard Holbrook Jackson became first black Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia in 1973 and this film is an exploration into a man who had dreams and ambitions to be a public servant for his people seeing that it was the next logical step in the journey that had been started by Dr. King, and so many others who had blazed the trail during the years of horrific segregation.
Maynard interviews include President Bill Clinton, Al Sharpton, Vernon Jordan, Ambassador Andrew Young, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Jesse Jackson, former Atlanta Mayor’s Sam Massell and Shirley Franklin, and current Mayor Kasim Reed to name a few.
Directed by Academy Award nominee, Emmy winner and 4 time Peabody Award winner Sam Pollard (“Slavery by Another Name”, “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me”, “Two Trains Runnin’”), Maynard is produced by Maynard Jackson III, Wendy Eley Jackson, Dolly Turner, Winsome Sinclair, Daphne McWilliams, Jason Orr, and Donald Jarmond with cinematography by Henry Adebonojo who worked on the Academy Award nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro”.
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Hulu to Release Sundance Award-Winning Documentary MINDING THE GAP
Minding the Gap, is a moving documentary from director Bing Liu about three young men who bond across racial lines to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. Ten years later, while facing adult responsibilities, unsettling revelations force them to reckon with their fathers, their mothers, and each other. The documentary film has been acquired Hulu, and will be released as a Hulu Documentary both theatrically across key markets in the US and on Hulu on August 17th.
Minding the Gap was shot by Bing Liu and marks the director’s feature debut. The film made its world premiere earlier this year at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where it went on to win the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking. Since Sundance it has received over twenty-five awards and distinctions at festivals, including nine Jury Awards for Best Documentary and five Audience Awards.
Compiling over 12 years of footage shot in his hometown of Rockford, IL, in Minding the Gap Bing Liu searches for correlations between his skateboarder friends’ turbulent upbringings and the complexities of modern-day masculinity. As the film unfolds, Bing captures 23-year-old Zack’s tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend deteriorate after the birth of their son and 17-year-old Keire struggling with his racial identity as he faces new responsibilities following the death of his father. While navigating a difficult relationship between his camera, his friends, and his own past, Bing ultimately weaves a story of generational forgiveness while exploring the precarious gap between childhood and adulthood.
“When I first started developing Minding the Gap, I knew I wanted it to be accessible to young audiences, so I’m enthused with the reach the film will have as a Hulu Original,” said Bing Liu. “The film has elicited strong emotional responses with festival viewers around the world, so I’m happy with Hulu’s plans for a theatrical release and an outreach campaign to engage audiences in discussing the issues the film explores. I’m infinitely grateful for the friends and collaborators who’ve made the film possible, especially the brave participants of the film.”
The film is produced by Liu and Diane Quon through Kartemquin Films, and edited by Liu and Joshua Altman. Executive producers are Steve James, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Sally Jo Fifer, Justine Nagan, and Chris White. Minding the Gap is a co-production of Kartemquin Films, American Documentary |POV, and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. Magnolia Pictures will handle the theatrical distribution.
Minding the Gap will join Hulu’s growing list of award-winning and critically acclaimed documentaries, including TINY SHOULDERS: RETHINKING BARBIE, THE BEATLES: 8 DAYS A WEEK – THE TOURING YEARS, TOO FUNNY TO FAIL, OBEY GIANT, BECOMING BOND, DUMB, BATMAN AND BILL and MARCH OF THE PENGUINS 2: THE NEXT STEP.
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Alex Gibney Directing New HBO Documentary on the Rise and Fall of Healthcare Company Theranos
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Alex Gibney[/caption]
Academy Award winner Alex Gibney is working on a new documentary for HBO, investigating the rise and fall of Theranos, the one-time multibillion-dollar healthcare company founded by Elizabeth Holmes.
In 2004, Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford to start a company that was going to revolutionize healthcare. In 2014, Theranos was valued at $9 billion, making Holmes, who was touted as “the next Steve Jobs,” the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world. Just two years later, Theranos was cited as a “massive fraud” by the SEC, and its value was less than zero.
Drawing on extraordinary access to never-before-seen footage and testimony from key insiders, director Alex Gibney will tell a Silicon Valley tale that was too good to be true. With all the drama of a real-life heist film, the untitled documentary will examine how this could have happened and who is responsible, while exploring the psychology of deception.
“This story is a classic example of truth is more dramatic than fiction,” says Gibney. “The characters are at once larger-than-life and real.”
A Jigsaw Production for HBO Documentary Films; directed and written by Alex Gibney (“Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” HBO’s Emmy-winning “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief“); producers, Alex Gibney, Erin Edeiken, Jessie Deeter; editor, Andy Grieve; co-editor, Alexis Johnson; associate producer, Ophelia Harutyunyan; executive producer Graydon Carter. For HBO: executive producers, Sara Bernstein, Nancy Abraham.
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Leonardo DiCaprio to Produce TV Documentary Series on President Ulysses S. Grant for History
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Leonardo DiCaprio[/caption]
History network has greenlit “Grant,” a six-part television documentary based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow’s #1 New York Times bestselling biography, produced by Academy Award-winner Leonardo DiCaprio. The documentary will portray one of the most complex and under-appreciated generals and presidents in U.S. History – Ulysses S. Grant. Chernow will also serve as executive producer.
“Grant is one of the most brilliant, yet flawed figures in U.S. History and Chernow’s extraordinary biography has transformed our understanding of him at the deepest level,” said Eli Lehrer, Executive Vice President of Programming, History. “This documentary will look at the Civil War and Reconstruction through the intriguing lens of Grant and we look forward to bringing Chernow’s fascinating portrait of this president to life.”
The six-part documentary examines Grant’s life story using his perspective and experiences to explore a turbulent time in History – the Civil War and Reconstruction. Grant is known for his role as U.S. Army General and Commanding General during the Civil War, but few recognize his struggles during his youth, his time at West Point, his service in the Mexican War alongside some of the greatest names from U.S. military History or his several failed business ventures before the Civil War.
Criticized for a scandal ridden Presidency and with a reputation for being a drunk, Grant was often dismissed by scholars, even after he distinguished himself as an extraordinary military strategist and leader during the Civil War. However, a primary focus of his Administration was Reconstruction and the herculean task to reconcile the North and the South. One of the most courageous and unexpected initiatives of Grant’s Presidency was protecting the four million freed slaves who had become U.S. citizens with the right to vote – despite the enormous resistance he faced. Most notably after his presidency, Grant embarked on a world tour in hopes Americans would forget the scandals during his term and negotiated a contract with a friend – famed novelist Mark Twain – to publish his now famous memoirs.
History has seen continued success with mega-docs such as Emmy Award winner “The Men Who Built America,” Emmy Award winner “America: The Story of Us,” Emmy Award nominee “The World Wars,” and “Vietnam in HD.” Most recently, “The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen” reached 26 million viewers on a Live+7 basis.
“Grant” is produced for History by Appian Way Productions and RadicalMedia in association with Lionsgate Television. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson are executive producers for Appian Way Productions who are also producers on Lionsgate’s feature film based on the same property. Dave Sirulnick, Justin Wilkes and Fisher Stevens are executive producers for RadicalMedia. Ron Chernow is executive producer. Eli Lehrer, Mary E. Donahue and Jennifer Wagman are executive producers for History. Brian Volk-Weiss also serves as executive producer.
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Rooftop Films to US Premiere EXIT MUSIC Cameron Mullenneaux’s Docu-Portrait of Ethan Rice Dying with Cystic Fibrosis
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Ethan Rice, Subject of Exit Music[/caption]
On Saturday, June 16, Rooftop Films will present the U.S. Premiere of Exit Music, Cameron Mullenneaux’s intimate and emotional docu-portrait of Ethan Rice, a 28 year old with Cystic Fibrosis, during the final months of his life. Filmmaker Cameron Mullenneaux will be in attendance and will participate in a special conversation along with Green-Wood Cemetery’s Death Educator Amy Cunningham after the film.’
The event will take place at Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn and will feature a live musical performance by Samuel R Saffery.
Exit Music
Born with cystic fibrosis, 28-year-old Ethan Rice has been preparing to die his entire life. His father Ed, a Vietnam veteran with PTSD, immersed him in a world of imagination and documented it on camera, a hobby that provided relief from the fear of his son’s prognosis and his own painful past. Equal parts comedy and darkness, Exit Music is the last year, last breath, and final creative act of Ethan as he awaits the inevitable. Interweaving home movies with Ethan’s original music and animation, his story is an unflinching meditation on mortality and invites the viewer to experience Ethan’s transition from reality to memory. In a culture that often looks away from death, this film demystifies the dying process, a universal cornerstone of the human experience.