As sexual-violence allegations grip the nation, the revealing Gloria Allred documentary “Seeing Allred” provides a candid look at one of the most public crusaders against the war on women. Seeing Allred will World Premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and debut on Netflix February 9, 2018.
Through rare archival footage and revealing interviews with both her supporters and critics, this fascinating biographical portrait examines Gloria Allred’s personal trauma and assesses both her wins and setbacks on high-profile cases against Bill Cosby and Donald Trump.
Featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Don Lemon, Alan Dershowitz, Allred’s daughter Lisa Bloom and others, Seeing Allred is a portrait of a woman everyone thinks they know, at a time when women need her the most.
Seeing Allred is directed by Sophie Sartain (Mimi and Dona, 2015) and Roberta Grossman (Above and Beyond, 2014); and produced by Grossman, Sartain, Marta Kauffman (co-creator of Friends and Grace & Frankie), Robbie Rowe Tollin (The Zookeeper’s Wife), and Hannah KS Canter (Grace & Frankie).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC8Eg0odTfYDocumentary
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Sundance 2018: Watch Trailer for Gloria Allred Documentary SEEING ALLRED
As sexual-violence allegations grip the nation, the revealing Gloria Allred documentary “Seeing Allred” provides a candid look at one of the most public crusaders against the war on women. Seeing Allred will World Premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and debut on Netflix February 9, 2018.
Through rare archival footage and revealing interviews with both her supporters and critics, this fascinating biographical portrait examines Gloria Allred’s personal trauma and assesses both her wins and setbacks on high-profile cases against Bill Cosby and Donald Trump.
Featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Don Lemon, Alan Dershowitz, Allred’s daughter Lisa Bloom and others, Seeing Allred is a portrait of a woman everyone thinks they know, at a time when women need her the most.
Seeing Allred is directed by Sophie Sartain (Mimi and Dona, 2015) and Roberta Grossman (Above and Beyond, 2014); and produced by Grossman, Sartain, Marta Kauffman (co-creator of Friends and Grace & Frankie), Robbie Rowe Tollin (The Zookeeper’s Wife), and Hannah KS Canter (Grace & Frankie).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC8Eg0odTfY
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ELVIS PRESLEY: THE SEARCHER, Documentary Exploring His Creative Journey, Debuts April 14 on HBO
The new documentary Elvis Presley: The Searcher will debut Saturday, April 14 on HBO. This three-hour, two-film presentation focuses on Elvis Presley the musical artist, taking the audience on a comprehensive creative journey from his childhood through the final 1976 Jungle Room recording sessions.
The films include stunning atmospheric shots taken inside Graceland, Elvis’ iconic home, and feature more than 20 new, primary source interviews with session players, producers, engineers, directors and other artists who knew him or who were profoundly influenced by him. The documentary also features never-before-seen photos and footage from private collections worldwide, and includes an original musical score composed by Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready.
Priscilla Presley, David Porter (legendary Memphis music writer and producer), Thom Zimny (director), Jon Landau (producer) and moderator John Jackson (SVP A&R, Sony Music) will discuss the film, the cultural impact of Elvis’ music and how that impact became the embodiment of rock’n’roll at the 2018 SXSW Festival in March.
The panel is expected to cover:
- how Elvis found inspiration in black and white gospel music of Tupelo
- his early experience with the great African-American blues and r’n’b of Memphis
- his evolution as an artist with Sam Phillips
- the creative impact of his time serving in the U.S. Army in Germany
- the creative highs and lows of his career in the 1960s, culminating in the triumphant ’68 special
- an assessment of Elvis as a performing artist in the early ’70s, featuring a discussion of Jon Landau’s seminal 1971 review of Elvis in concert
- a discussion of the interviews conducted for the film, including insights into the conversations with Scotty Moore, Red West, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, among others
- insight into the creation of the film’s score by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready
- an inquiry into the artistic and personal struggles that preceded his death in 1977
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Documentaries on Martin Luther King, Jr., Arthur Miller and More Set to Debut on HBO
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael appear in King In The Wilderness by Peter Kunhardt[/caption]
HBO has confirmed a diverse array of timely and thought-provoking documentaries for the first half of 2018, including: Peter Kunhardt’s KING IN THE WILDERNESS, about the last years of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Judd Apatow’s two-part, four-and-a-half-hour documentary THE ZEN DAIRIES OF GARRY SHANDLING; Rebecca Miller’s ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER, an intimate portrait of one the greatest playwrights of the 20th century; and I AM EVIDENCE, produced by Mariska Hargitay, about the untested rape kit backlog in the U.S.
Upcoming HBO documentaries include (in chronological order):
THE NUMBER ON GREAT GRANDPA’S ARM (debuts Jan. 27). When ten-year-old Elliott asks his 90-year-old great-grandfather, Jack, about the number tattooed on his arm, he sparks an intimate conversation about Jack’s life that spans happy memories of childhood in Poland, the loss of his family, surviving Auschwitz, and finding a new life in America. Drawing on haunting historical footage, photos and hand-painted watercolor animation, the short film tells a heartbreaking story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe before and during the Holocaust. Debuting on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, this gently powerful documentary centers on Elliott’s love for his beloved great-grandfather and his wish to keep Jack’s memories and lessons from that terrible time alive. Directed and produced by Amy Schatz.
MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS (Jan. 29). From longtime fans Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, and filmed with extensive access over the course of more than two years, this intimate portrait of the acclaimed North Carolina band charts their decade-and-a half rise, while chronicling the Avetts’ present-day collaboration with famed producer Rick Rubin on the multi-Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness.” With the recording process as a backdrop, it depicts a lifelong bond and unique creative partnership, as band members experience marriage, divorce, parenthood, illness, and the challenges of the music business. More than just a music documentary, the film is a meditation on family, love and the passage of time. An Apatow Production in association with RadicalMedia.
ATOMIC HOMEFRONT (Feb. 12). This timely film shines an urgent light on the lasting toxic effects nuclear waste can have on communities. Focusing on a group of moms-turned-advocates in St Louis, it follows them as they confront the Environmental Protection Agency, state regulators and the corporations behind the illegal dumping of dangerous radioactive waste in their neighborhoods. Directed by Rebecca Cammisa.
ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER (March 19). This intimate portrait of one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century is told from the unique perspective of his daughter, Rebecca Miller, who filmed interviews with her father over decades. Drawing on a wealth of personal archival material, the film provides new insights into Miller’s life as an artist and explores his character in all its complexity. Directed by Rebecca Miller.
THE ZEN DIARIES OF GARRY SHANDLING (March 26 and 27). Judd Apatow’s two-part, four-and-a-half-hour documentary explores the remarkable life of the legendary comedian, who was Apatow’s mentor and friend. It features interviews from nearly four dozen friends, family and colleagues; four decades’ worth of television appearances; and a lifetime of personal journals, private letters and home audio and video footage that reveal Shandling’s brilliant mind and restless soul.
KING IN THE WILDERNESS (April). Drawing on stories from the people around him, this film follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the last years of his life, from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968. The documentary provides a clear window into King’s character, showing him to be a man with an unshakeable commitment to nonviolence in the face of an increasingly unstable country. With the U.S. currently in one of the most divided periods in 50 years, King’s words underscore why nonviolence is still vital today. Directed by Peter Kunhardt and produced by George and Teddy Kunhardt.
TRAFFIC STOP (April). This film tells the story of Breaion King, a 26-year-old African-American school teacher from Austin, Texas, who was stopped for a routine traffic violation that escalated into a dramatic arrest. Caught on police dashcams, King was pulled from her car by the arresting officer, repeatedly thrown to the ground and handcuffed. En route to jail in a squad car, she engaged in a revealing conversation with her escorting officer about race and law enforcement in America. The documentary juxtaposes dashcam footage with scenes from King’s everyday life, offering a fuller portrait of the woman caught up in this unsettling encounter. Directed by Kate Davis; produced by David Heilbroner.
I AM EVIDENCE (April). Produced by Mariska Hargitay, this documentary reveals the shocking number of untested rape kits in the United States today. Despite the power of DNA to solve and prevent crimes, hundreds of thousands of these kits, containing potentially crucial DNA evidence, languish untested in police evidence storage rooms across the country. The film tells stories of survivors who have waited years for their kits to be tested, as well as the law enforcement officials who are leading the charge to work through the backlog and pursue long-awaited justice. Directed by Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir.
THE FINAL YEAR (May). This documentary is a unique insiders’ account of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during its last year in office. Featuring unprecedented access inside the White House and State Department, the film offers an uncompromising view of the inner workings of the Obama administration as it prepares to leave power after eight years. Directed by Greg Barker.
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“The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling,” Documentary by Judd Apatow on the Legendary Comedian to Debut on HBO
When Garry Shandling passed away in 2016, he was widely remembered as a top stand-up comic and the star of two of the most innovative sitcoms in TV history. But to those who knew him, the “real” Garry Shandling was a far more complex person. Now, Judd Apatow has created a remarkable portrait of this iconic comedian in the four-and-a-half-hour documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, which debuts in two parts Monday, March 26 and Tuesday, March 27, exclusively on HBO.
Epic in scope and intimate in detail, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling features conversations with more than 40 of Shandling’s family and friends, including James L. Brooks, Jim Carrey, Sacha Baron Cohen, David Coulier, Jon Favreau, Jay Leno, Kevin Nealon, Conan O’Brien, Bob Saget, Jerry Seinfeld and Sarah Silverman, and four decades’ worth of TV appearances, along with personal journals, private letters and candid home audio and video footage that reveal his brilliant mind and restless soul.
“Give what you didn’t get,” wrote Shandling in a journal late in his life, the mantra of a self-proclaimed “spiritual warrior” still challenging himself to transcend his own insecurities, despite achieving so much in the face of loss, betrayal and tragic twists of fate. From childhood tragedy to heartbreak, professional betrayal and unexpected physical trauma, to his emergence as a powerful teacher, friend and guiding spirit for a new generation of talent, Apatow’s documentary not only chronicles one man’s ability to survive the ups and downs of a life in show business, but also offers a profound investigation into the power of comedy to elevate the human spirit.
Shandling experienced a normal existence growing up in Tucson until age ten, when his older brother and only sibling, Barry, died from cystic fibrosis. His parents barely discussed their older son’s passing, and his mother, Muriel, began clinging to her younger son, developing an intense and sometimes troubling bond that would later generate some of his comedy material.
Shandling’s unlikely path towards success, through an encounter with George Carlin and an impulsive move to Los Angeles after college, took a turn in 1976, when he was involved in a serious traffic accident, resulting in a near-death experience. As he recovered, he noted in his diaries, which he began keeping in 1977, “Do it – you are ready, be a comedian. It is the real me. The secret is to be myself.”
Explains Jim Carrey, “I thought of Garry as someone who told the audience, ‘You’re alright, because I have all these problems.’ But he did it in a way that was so incredibly clever, you had to respect him at the same time.”
Shandling made the leap from the pinnacle of stand-up success, appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” to develop his comic persona into something that would redefine television comedy. Realizing that one of his strengths as a standup was simply the ability to “talk to people,” he created a show where talking to the audience was the central focus – “a show that allows Garry to be Garry,” as his journals read.
“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” was a decade ahead of its time, the first modern “meta”-sitcom that brought him a new legion of devoted fans and elevated his profile in the industry. “It was kind of a revelation,” remembers Conan O’Brien about the show’s three-season run. “It showed everybody, this is what kind of show can exist.” He also met Linda Doucett, who became his fiancée, began building a new home, and was even rumored to be heir apparent for the host seat on “The Tonight Show.”
Part two of The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling offers an extensive examination of “The Larry Sanders Show,” his landmark HBO comedy series. Colleagues remember the demands of producing material that met Shandling’s high standards, while his diaries reveal an ongoing struggle with complacency and search for authenticity. The impact of “Larry Sanders” was immeasurable. “That show will outlast all of us,” says Jay Leno.
But in the wake of the show’s success, soul-wrenching tragedy, fueled at times by Shandling’s own demons, played itself out. Sanders and Doucett broke up and he fired her from the show, leading to a lawsuit, which in turn raised financial questions that led Shandling to sue his manager, Brad Grey, for $100 million, a case that took years to resolve and cost him many friendships, as well as threatening his ongoing pursuit of spiritual peace.
“I see him as a tortured person, because he was always trying to rise above,” remembers Kevin Nealon. “I mean, his core was good. I think it was the skin around that core that he was trying to break away from.” After “The Larry Sanders Show” ended, Shandling’s neuroses and insecurities became more evident, as he worked through unexpected emotional, physical and professional crises.
The ailing Shandling found solace in community. Sunday morning basketball games on his home courtyard brought friends together and kept him emotionally connected, while a mentorship of younger comics gave his life fresh meaning. “He was a comic angel,” recalls Sacha Baron Cohen.
A successful gig hosting the Emmys(R), creating unique extras for the DVD release of “The Larry Sanders Show” and an appearance with his friend Jerry Seinfeld on “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (where Shandling opined about death and mortality) hinted at some of the lessons he’d learned in his lifelong quest for peace.
As his friends say farewell and some of Shandling’s most personal, heartfelt letters and thoughts are shared, Apatow’s documentary, like its subject, transcends easy definition, being at once hilarious, sad, fascinating and, above all, completely authentic.
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Watch Trailer for Award-Winning Documentary THE PEACEMAKER, Portrait of International Peacemaker Padraig O’Malley
The award winning documentary The Peacemaker, directed by James Demo, is an intimate portrait of Padraig O’Malley, an international peacemaker who helps make peace for others but struggles to find it for himself. The film takes us from Padraig’s isolated life in Cambridge, Massachusetts to some of the most dangerous crisis zones on Earth – from Northern Ireland to Kosovo, Nigeria to Iraq – as he works a peacemaking model based on his recovery from addiction. We meet Padraig in the third act of his life in a race against time to find some kind of salvation for both the world and himself.
The Peacemaker will open in New York at Cinema Village on Friday, February 9, 2018 ahead of a wider release.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT – JAMES DEMO
In 1971, Padraig O’Malley gambled his college scholarship on the Ali-Frazier fight, lost and dropped out of Harvard. He landed at The Plough and Stars, a pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he met a number of Irish ex-pats. Through those contacts O’Malley eventually got involved in solving The Troubles in Northern Ireland, even famously bringing Nelson Mandela into the Northern Irish peace process.
I first heard about Padraig four decades later, while I was having a pint at the Plough, which he now owned. At the time, Padraig was in Iraq, moving in and out of the Green Zone, trying to get warring parties to meet with Northern Irish and South African chief-negotiators who had helped settle major conflicts in the past. It surprised me that the owner of this little corner bar was risking his life to do this kind of work.
I had to know more. I got in touch with Padraig and asked him to meet with me. He explained that he never went into his bar because he was a recovering alcoholic, so we agreed to meet late one night in a Boston-area library. He told me the incredible story of his life and how his recovery from addiction informed his current work. I asked him if I could follow him during a new reconciliation effort he was launching in divided cities in conflict zones. As we filmed, and I spent more time with Padraig, it became clear that the conflict I was documenting was more personal, even existential. Four continents and five years later I wrapped production on The Peacemaker, about an extraordinary man who helps make peace for others but struggles to find it for himself.
– James Demo
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Kino Lorber will Release GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI Documentary | Trailer
The documentary GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI that world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival will be released by Kino Lorber in theaters in early April, with a VOD and home media release set for Fall 2018.
The film marks the second collaboration between Kino Lorber and Sophie Fiennes, following the company’s release of the director’s previous feature film, Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow. Zeitgeist Films, currently in a distribution partnership with Kino Lorber, also released two other documentaries directed by Sophie Fiennes: The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology and The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, both featuring renowned philosopher Slavoj Zizek.
Kino Lorber CEO wrote in a prepared statement: “I saw Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones documentary in the front row at its TIFF premiere — she was literally way larger than life. But the film and the woman are no less so in the back row … It’s a jaw-dropping experience that ricochets artfully between the intimate and galactic, the personal and the public worlds of an iconic superstar. I can’t wait to bring this unique cinematic encounter to North American audiences — one sure to engender many, many new Grace Jones fans.”
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami re-invents the music documentary as an electrifying journey through the performance, private and public worlds of pop cultural icon Grace Jones. Jones’ bold aesthetic echoes throughout the film as director Sophie Fiennes creates a powerful cinematic experience, contrasting breathtaking musical sequences with intimate personal footage, ultimately reaching beyond the iconic mask.
The film also features renowned photographer and Jones’ frequent creative collaborator Jean-Paul Goude, as well as Jamaican duo Sly and Robbie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKx4Rag680g
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Directors of Documentaries “Icarus” “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail” “City of Ghosts” among 5 Nominated for Directors Guild of America Awards
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Abacus: Small Enough to Jail[/caption]
The directors of five documentaries have been nominated for the Directors Guild of America for the DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2017.
“Directors are driving the push to more distinctive television, eye-catching commercials and powerful documentaries,” said Schlamme. “From 30-second spots to multi-hour mini-series, the nominees across these nine categories are leading that charge. We are proud to honor the tremendous range of excellence found in the projects nominated today. Congratulations to all of the nominees.”
The winners will be announced at the 70th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2017 are (in alphabetical order): KEN BURNS & LYNN NOVICK The Vietnam War PBS This is Mr. Burns’ and Ms. Novick’s second DGA Award nomination. They were previously nominated in this category in 2007 for The War. BRYAN FOGEL Icarus Netflix This is Mr. Fogel’s first DGA Award nomination. MATTHEW HEINEMAN City of Ghosts Amazon This is Mr. Heineman’s second DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary in 2015 for Cartel Land. STEVE JAMES Abacus: Small Enough to Jail PBS This is Mr. James’s fourth DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary in 1994 for Hoop Dreams, and was also nominated in this category in 2008 for At the Death House Door (co-directed with Peter Gilbert) and 2011 for The Interrupters. ERROL MORRIS Wormwood Netflix This is Mr. Morris’s fourth DGA Award nomination. He was nominated in this category in 1999 for Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred Leuchter, Jr. and in 2003 for The Fog of War. Mr. Morris was also nominated in the Commercials category in 2003 for “Pager” and “Alternative Fuel” (Miller), “Bernard” and “Kathryn” (Nike) and “Meanwhile” (Cisco).
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Alex Gibney’s New Docu Series “Dirty Money” to Debut on Netflix on January 6 | Trailer
Dirty Money, from Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney, is a thrilling six-part investigative series that provides an up-close and personal view into untold stories of scandal and corruption in the world of business. Using first-hand accounts from perpetrators and their victims, combined with rarely-seen video footage, Dirty Money is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
“Dirty Money” will debut globally on Netflix on January 26, 2018.
Episodes and directors include:
HARD NOx (Directed by Alex Gibney) – Gibney reveals shocking new details about VW’s corporate deceit, and exposes the unholy alliance between governments and automakers that allowed the automaker to put tens of thousands of lives at risk — all for the sake of a $500 part.
PAYDAY (Directed by Jesse Moss) – Targeting unsuspecting Americans, a group of payday lenders made millions off small loans with undisclosed charges, inflated interest rates and incomprehensible rules. But the way the laws are written, is that a crime or just business?
DRUG SHORT (Directed by Erin Lee Carr) – Wall Street short-sellers expose a scam that regulators overlook: how Big Pharma gouges patients in need of life-saving drugs.
CARTEL BANK (Directed by Kristi Jacobson) – For decades, HSBC, one of the world’s largest banks, laundered hundreds of millions of dollars for Mexican drug cartels. Senator Elizabeth Warren, dogged journalists and prosecutors try to hold the bankers to account. But will they be judged “too big to jail?”
THE MAPLE SYRUP HEIST (Directed by Brian McGinn) – In Canada, maple syrup is worth more than oil. When $20 million of syrup goes missing, the trail leads back to an epic battle between cartels and the little guy.
THE CONFIDENCE MAN (Directed by Fisher Stevens) – A rollicking profile of the rise and reign of TRUMP Inc. Weaving together a tapestry of tales in real estate booms and busts, Stevens lays out how Donald Trump’s business career transformed from epic failures into a consummate branding machine that propelled him into office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsplLiZHbj0
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VIDEO: Watch Trailer for Sundance 2018 Doc ANOTE’S ARK Directed by Matthieu Rytz
The trailer and poster premiered for Sundance 2018 doc Anote’s Ark directed by Matthieu Rytz. Anote’s Ark is the first feature doc to be shot in the Republic of Kiribati, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean that will gradually disappear with rising sea levels, which may grant it’s citizens the unfortunate title of first climate refugees in history.
Anote’s Ark is the first feature film directed by Matthieu Rytz, filmmaker and photographer specialized in visual anthropology. After initially being exposed to the plight of a people about to see their very land disappear during a visit to the Kuna Yala archipelago in 2012, Matthieu Rytz decided to document the lives of the citizens of Kiribati. He thus follows the country’s president, Anote Tong, on his journey through international halls of power and climate conferences leading up to COP21. He attempts to get his message heard loud and clear by political and economic leaders while fighting to protect his people, as numerous people in Kiribati are already seeking refuge abroad. Anote’s fight is thus intertwined with the extraordinary fate of Tiemeri Tiare, a young mother of six who decides to relocate to New Zealand with her family. Through both of these portraits, Matthieu Rytz explores issues related to the survival of Tiemeri Tiare’s family, of the population of Kiribati as a whole and of 4,000 years of Kiribati culture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE2_maYEqF8
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Watch Trailer for Brett Favre’s New Concussion Documentary “Shocked: A Hidden Factor in the Sports Concussion Crisis”
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Brett Favre[/caption]
“Shocked: A Hidden Factor in the Sports Concussion Crisis” a new documentary short, Executive Produced by Brett Favre, in partnership with KMG Media, will premiere on the new 24/7 multiplatform sports network, Stadium, on January 11, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. ET.
“Shocked” sheds light on Favre’s career-ending head-to-turf concussion and explores what preventative measures can be taken to make the playing environment safer for all athletes at all skill levels.
“Shocked” takes an intimate look at Brett’s career and his concerns for the future, and parallels the experience with Gracie Hussey – a 17-year-old girl living with Post Concussion Syndrome from head-to-turf injuries suffered when she was thirteen. Shocked unveils deeply personal stories, supported by interviews with leading researcher, John Sorochan, Ph. D. of the University of Tennessee – Turfgrass Research Center, the President of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., and others.
There are between an estimated 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions in the United States every year, leading The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to conclude that sports concussions in the United States have reached an epidemic level. One in every five of those concussions is directly a result from a head-to-turf collision.
Immediately preceding the debut of “Shocked” on January 11, Brett Favre will appear on Stadium’s signature studio show, “The Rally,” at 6:00 p.m. ET, discussing his involvement in the documentary.
Shocked will re-air several times throughout the month of January on the Stadium network.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9prordVz3nY
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MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS, Produced and Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, sets HBO Premiere Date
The documentary “May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers,” an inside look at the North Carolina band, produced and directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, will debut Monday, January 29, 2018, on HBO.
Founded by Scott and Seth Avett and Bob Crawford in 2001, The Avett Brothers have gone from obscurity to critical acclaim and sold-out tours, experiencing profound heartbreak and exceptional joy along the way.
Filmed with extensive access over more than two years, May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers is an inside look at the North Carolina band, from its origins to a recent collaboration with legendary record producer Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Jay Z, Beastie Boys, Dixie Chicks) on the Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness.” The film depicts a lifelong bond and unique creative partnership, as band members experience marriage, divorce, parenthood, illness and the challenges of the music business, offering a meditation on family, love and the passage of time.
Featuring a wealth of original footage of the Avetts in the studio, on the road and at home, previously unseen family photographs and home movies, never-before-heard original songs and rousing concert performances, the intimate film includes revealing interviews with Scott (banjo, lead vocals) and Seth (guitar, lead vocals) Avett, band members Bob Crawford (bass), Joe Kwon (cello), Tania Elizabeth (fiddle), Paul Defiglia (keyboards) and Mike Marsh (drums), Rick Rubin and friends and family. MAY IT LAST shows how the ties between Scott and Seth help shape their creative process as musicians and songwriters.
In 2008, after several independent releases, the band signed with Rubin, who says he recognized something special about the Avetts at their very first encounter. “In the first 30 seconds of meeting them, I knew they were people that I wanted to work with, and it seemed like being around them would make life better,” he recalls, noting they differ from other sibling musical acts because “they actually like each other” and have the ability to collaborate on deeply personal lyrics. Between touring constantly and selling out arenas around the world, MAY IT LAST finds the brothers working on new songs at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC and Rubin’s Shangri La Studio in Malibu, Calif. for their latest album, “True Sadness.”
The grandsons of a minister, Scott and Seth live down the road from each other in their Concord, NC hometown, not far from their parents’ house. Four years Scott’s junior, Seth took up guitar as a kid to back up his brother, who showed an early enthusiasm for singing and performing. As teens, they rejected country music and the “country things” of their surroundings like cowboy boots and tractors, gravitating instead to artists like Hall & Oates, Prince and Nirvana.
Seth says he “came back to a rural-based country music” after meeting bluegrass legend Doc Watson. Still, the brothers’ first band, NEMO, was devoted to heavy rock. They soon started playing acoustic jams, and added stand-up bass player Bob Crawford, a New Jersey native, who had only recently taken up the instrument.
MAY IT LAST shows Scott returning from the road to spend time with his wife, Sarah, and two young children, admitting he dislikes being away from home more and more. But it’s this time at home with their parents, sister, Scott’s family and Seth’s girlfriend (actress Jennifer Carpenter) that fuels the brothers’ creativity. Soon, Scott and Seth travel to Malibu to record what will be the hit album “True Sadness,” marking the first time the full touring band has recorded together.
The band’s struggles with illness and divorce have strengthened their bond and greatly influenced their lyrics. When Crawford’s two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor, band members rallied around his family in support. Crawford discusses his daughter’s struggles with cancer, noting how the shared ordeal has pulled the band even closer together.
The recording of “True Sadness” reveals how the band’s personal lives are mined for their music, as Seth opens up about songs like “Divorce Separation Blues” (on the end of his first marriage), underscoring the honest vulnerability that has cemented their success. Five years after its release, “I and Love and You,” the Avetts’ major label debut (produced by Rubin), is certified gold, and “True Sadness,” released on American Recordings/Republic Records, receives critical raves, earning two Grammy nominations and fueling the band’s debut at Madison Square Garden.
The band is already working on songs for the next album. In a quiet moment with Scott, Bob and Rick Rubin, Seth debuts a song he’s been writing – “C-Sections and Railway Trestles” – about becoming a father for the first time.
MAY IT LAST had its world premiere at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, where it received the 24 Beats Per Second Audience Award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4dcxt6DUM0
MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS is an Apatow Production in association with RadicalMedia; produced and directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio; executive producers, Jon Kamen, Dave O’Connor, Justin Wilkes; cinematographer, Jonathan Furmanski; additional photography, Michael Richard Martin; sound, Brad Bergbom; editor, Paul Little.
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Showtime Documentary Series THE FOURTH ESTATE to Follow NY Times as it Covers Trump Administration
A revealing multi-part documentary series The Fourth Estate (wt), exploring the process and progress of The New York Times and its journalists in covering the Trump administration, is set to debut later this year – Sunday, May 27 at 8 PM ET/PT – on Showtime. Produced and directed by Emmy(R) Award winning and Oscar(R) nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?), the project illuminates critical issues facing journalism today – including the challenge to the bedrock concept of truth, the changing role of the media, and the Times’ response to President Trump’s war of words – through extraordinary access, on-the-scene filmmaking and exclusive sit-down interviews.
From the first time President Trump called The New York Times “highly inaccurate” in its coverage of his administration, through his false claim that the paper is “failing” and losing thousands of subscribers, to ultimately declaring the majority of the nation’s major news outlets “fake news,” a chief task for the Times, long considered the “newspaper of record,” has been to find the best way to accurately and honestly cover this new and unconventional president. With unprecedented access to the inner workings of the Times, including filming inside closed-door meetings, rare interviews with the editors and reporters who cover the President and the tumult around him, as well as an insider’s view of the Sulzberger family publisher transition, Garbus intimately chronicles the tenacious men and women in the trenches who are fighting for the freedom of the press and America’s right to know.
“The Times is an odd and confounding muse for the current president. Trump craves the positive coverage of his hometown paper while simultaneously denigrating the ‘failing New York Times’ on what seems to be a daily basis,” says Garbus. “We’ve been given unprecedented access to capture the challenges, triumphs and pitfalls of covering a president who has declared war on the free press, from the point of view of those on the front line – the White House correspondents, investigative journalists and editors at The New York Times. It’s the story of a lifetime, but what kind of story is it? Is it the story of a new era of the American presidency, or is it a reality show debacle? This series explores these questions as we take a front row seat to those writing the first draft of this moment in history.”
Garbus is an Oscar, Grammy(R) and DGA nominated and an Emmy and Peabody Award winning director. Her most recent film, Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper, had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Her previous film, What Happened, Miss Simone?, was the opening film at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for a 2016 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and received a Peabody Award and four Primetime Emmy nominations (including Best Directing for Garbus), winning the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Garbus’ past work includes Love, Marilyn and Bobby Fischer Against the World. Garbus produced the documentary short Killing in the Name, directed by her partner Rory Kennedy and nominated for an Academy Award. Garbus received her first Emmy and Oscar nominations in 1998 when she won international public and critical acclaim for her film about prison life in America, The Farm: Angola, USA. Her directing credits include Girlhood, The Execution of Wanda Jean, The Nazi Officer’s Wife, Coma, Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech and There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane. Producing credits include Street Fight and Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.