Documentary

Sundance Award Winning Documentary LAST MEN IN ALEPPO to Be Released in U.S. | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_19914" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Last Men in Aleppo[/caption] The award-winning documentary film Last Men in Aleppo, directed by Feras Fayyad and Steen Johannesen will be released in the U.S. by Grasshopper Film. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Documentary Grand Jury Prize, then went on to screen as the Opening Night selection of CPH:DOX where it won the DOX:AWARD. After five years of war in Syria, the remaining citizens of Aleppo are getting ready for a siege. From September 2015 to the fall of 2016, the filmmakers follow the volunteers from The White Helmets as they experience the daily life of death and struggle in the streets of the city. They fight for sanity in a place where war has become the norm. Khalid, Subhi and Mahmoud are among the first to enter the destroyed buildings, scouring through the rubble in search of bodies and signs of life. They now live more or less under siege and constant bombings, together with the remaining 350,000 civilians in Aleppo. They all struggle with the same dilemma: Should they flee and bring their families to safety, or should they stay and fight for their city? “For six years, I witnessed the ugliest of human brutality; secret prisons, destroyed cities and streets littered with human remains,” said director Feras Fiyyad, “I wanted to find a glimmer of hope and humanity under all this hell. War brings out the worst in human beings, but it also brings out the best in us. The White Helmets are indeed a living example of that, and their voices deserve to be heard.” “’Last Men in Aleppo’ is bold, courageous, immersive filmmaking,” commented Ryan Krivoshey. “By embedding us among these extraordinary individuals, allowing us to experience their reality, it illuminates in a way that I haven’t seen before a conflict that is reshaping our world. We’re honored to be working with director Feras Fayyad and co-director Steen Johannesen on the release of this film.” Grasshopper plans to release the film theatrically in May, followed by a non-theatrical and VOD release. The film will have an exclusive New York run starting May 3rd at the Metrograph and May 18 th at Laemmle’s Music Hall in Los Angeles with a nationwide rollout thereafter. The film has also been acquired for US broadcast by POV which will air the film later in the year. Grasshopper Film is a new distribution company dedicated to the release of acclaimed and award-winning independent cinema. Upcoming releases include Bertrand Bonello’s “Nocturama,” Michael Almereyda’s “Escapes,” Andrew Rossi’s “Bronx Gothic” and Oliver Laxe’s Cannes Critics Week winner “Mimosas.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT6IagQ7xos
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Film Independent Selects 10 Indie Filmmakers for 2017 Documentary Lab + Launches Fiscal Sponsorship Program

[caption id="attachment_21677" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Brooklyn/Alaska, Erica Sterne[/caption] 10 filmmakers and six projects have been selected for Film Independent’s 2017 Documentary Lab. The 2017 Doc Lab is a five-week intensive program designed to support filmmakers who are currently in post-production on their feature-length documentaries. “We’re thrilled to bring together this group of talented filmmakers for the seventh year of our Documentary Lab and provide them with career support and mentorship that will help elevate their unique visions and fully realize the potential of their stories,” said Kushner. This year’s Documentary Lab Advisors and Guest Speakers include Jennifer Arnold (Tig, A Small Act); Nels Bangerter (Editor, Cameraperson); Peter Broderick (President, Paradigm Consulting); Greg Finton (Editor, He Named Me Malala); Keith Fulton (The Bad Kids); Simon Kilmurry (Executive Director, International Documentary Association); Peter Nicks (The Force); Lou Pepe (The Bad Kids); and Chris Perez (Partner, Donaldson + Callif LLP). The organization also launched its new Fiscal Sponsorship Program, open to all types of eligible projects at every stage including documentary and fiction films and interactive media. Fiscal sponsorship is a legal arrangement between a 501(c)3 and an independent artist that gives them the eligibility to apply for grants and solicit tax-deductible donations for their project. “In response to what our members have told us they need, we’re happy to deepen our support by offering Fiscal Sponsorship, helping filmmakers gain access to new sources of project funding,” said Jennifer Kushner, Director of Artist Development. The 2017 Documentary Lab projects and Fellows are: Brooklyn/Alaska, Erica Sterne – director/producer Teenage boys from tough Brooklyn neighborhoods discover the natural world on an unlikely adventure through the remote Alaskan wilderness and are transformed by the physical and emotional challenges encountered along the way. Minding the Gap, Bing Liu – director/producer, Diane Quon – producer Bing, a 25-year-old Chinese-American skateboarder and filmmaker, returns to his hometown and reconnects with two skateboarders: Keire, an African-American 17-year-old and Zack, a white 23-year-old, who all share a history of childhood trauma. Over the next three years, their freewheeling lives unravel as they figure out who they hope to be. Shadow of His Wings, Lucas Habte – director/producer, Isidore Bethel – producer/editor Hoping to understand his Ethiopian father’s history of forced migration, an American filmmaker moves to Addis Ababa and falls in love with a young man who soon must flee homophobic death threats at home to become France’s first LGBT refugee from Ethiopia. A Taste of Sky, Michael Lei – director/producer In the dizzying heights of Bolivia’s capital of La Paz a gastronomical revolution is offering the possibility of hope to the country’s impoverished youth. We follow the trials and tribulations of GUSTU, the innovative cooking school and world-class restaurant of South America’s poorest country. A Woman’s Work, Yu Gu – director, Elizabeth Ai – producer Football and feminism collide in this feature documentary that follows three former NFL cheerleaders as they battle against their former teams and the NFL to reverse 50 years of illegal employment practices. Waiting for Kate…(female is not a genre) Amy Goldstein – director/producer, Anouchka van Riel –producer Waiting for Kate…(female is not a genre) takes us on the roller coaster of contemporary pop stardom, with an unprecedented inside look at the euphoric highs and destructive lows on the cutting edge of today’s music industry. image via Brooklyn/Alaska, Erica Sterne
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Angkor Awakens: A Portrait of Cambodia is “A Fascinating Portrait of a Nation Struggling to Come to Terms with its Past”

[caption id="attachment_21671" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Angkor Awakens: A Portrait of Cambodia[/caption] Angkor Awakens: A Portrait of Cambodia is a fascinating portrait of a growing nation struggling to come to terms with its past. The follows the people of Cambodia as they fight to recover their culture and history in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-1979). The documentary film includes an unprecedented appearance by Cambodia’s Strongman/Prime Minister Hun Sen, who seems to align himself here with President Trump. Directed by Robert H Lieberman, Angkor Awakens: A Portrait of Cambodia will open on May 5th, 2017 in New York at Landmarks Sunshine Cinema and in DC at the E Street Theater, in LA on May 12th at Laemmle’s Monica Theater and at Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Claremont 5. Additional cities to follow “Angkor Awakens” is a sweeping and eye-opening portrait of a nation now poised at the tipping point. The film documents the process and collective efforts of the Khmer people as they work to recover their culture and history in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime. It views the present through the lens of the country’s tangled history. Though the legacy of past violence and present-day repression lives on, it is counterbalanced by the hope and aspirations of the new generation of Cambodians. Built around intimate interviews and stunning footage of the country, this is the film for anyone desiring to learn more about one of Asia’s youngest populations as it seeks to leave behind its brutal past. “”Angkor Awakens: A Portrait of Cambodia” is directed by Robert H. Lieberman, a best-selling novelist, award winning filmmaker and long-time member of Cornell University Physics faculty. It is Lieberman’s background as a child of the holocaust that has led him to explore the effects of the genocide on the mentality of today’s young Cambodian. The film opens with a rush of motion, the camera speeding up a flight of stairs with increasing momentum, panning out to reveal lush hills, stone steps and a vibrant earth that stretches on and on. Ambient music fills the theatre; the screen slips to a red backdrop, with the shadows of traditional dancers gliding about; a voiceover extracted from one of the many interviews speaks, introducing us to an eighty-minute documentary probe into Cambodia. Following independence from France, the Cambodia of the ’60s and ’70s was sucked into the Cold War when its neighbor Vietnam fell into civil chaos, despite efforts to stay neutral. What eventually emerged from the din and struggle for national survival was the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge, an extremist Communist group led by Pol Pot, which proceeded to commit one of the worst mass killings of the 20th century, claiming up to an estimated two million lives. Angkor Awakens is a poignant, revealing documentary in how it chooses to look at this highly volatile and violent time.” – Cornell Daily Sun
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ABORTION: STORIES WOMEN TELL Spotlighting Voices on Both Sides of The Polarizing Issue, will Debut April 3 on HBO | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_21645" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] ABORTION: STORIES WOMEN TELL[/caption] ABORTION: STORIES WOMEN TELL, a documentary film that presents a candid dialogue about one of the most divisive and timely issues facing America today, will debut Monday, April 3 on HBO. Although 44 years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade recognized a woman’s right to choose, abortion remains one of the most polarizing issues in America. Since 2011, more than half of the states have imposed significant restrictions on abortion, including in Missouri, where only one abortion clinic remains open in the entire state, and patients and their doctors must navigate a 72-hour waiting period. ABORTION: STORIES WOMEN TELL offers an intimate window into the lives of women living in Missouri. Tracy Droz Tragos (winner of the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary for “Rich Hill”), a native of the state, sheds new light on the issue, focusing not on the debate, which is typically dominated by legislators and advocates, but on women’s personal stories. Presenting a candid dialogue about one of the most divisive and timely issues facing America today, the film debuts MONDAY, APRIL 3 (8:00-9:35 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO. Wherever they stand the issue, the women in the film base their choices on individual circumstances and beliefs. ABORTION: STORIES WOMEN TELL underscores their strength and capacity to overcome and persevere through complicated and unexpected circumstances. As a result of the state’s restrictions and the availability of just one operating clinic, many women in Missouri travel across the state line, to Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Ill., just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis, but more than 100 miles from rural Missouri. Drawing on access to the clinic, the film features interviews with a range of women of all ages, backgrounds and faiths, as well as doctors, nurses and staff who face protestors on a daily basis, and activists on both sides, hoping to sway decisions and lives. The film provides a balanced looks at abortion through women’s own words and experiences. Among the subjects: Amie, a 30-year-old single mom who splits custody of her two children with her ex and works 70 hours a week as a waitress and bartender to make ends meet. She drives 400 miles round-trip to get to Hope Clinic, where she’s given a prescription for an abortion pill. Crying, Amie thinks of her kids and says, “I’m not just doing this for me.” Chi Chi, a guard at Hope Clinic, who shields women daily from the anti-choice protesters in the clinic’s parking lot. Challenging a particularly vocal protestor, Chi Chi demands, “Are you gonna take care of these babies?” Reflecting on her own abortion years ago – her son was only six months old at the time – Chi Chi says it was the right decision because she didn’t want to end up on public assistance. Erin, a doctor at Hope Clinic who says she had no problems when she worked at Planned Parenthood in Chicago, but has had protestors show up at her house since moving to the St. Louis area. “They identified me as an abortion provider, where I just think of myself as a gynecologist,” she says. When she feels worn down, Erin looks at a book with messages left by clinic patients, but warns that access to abortion keeps shrinking. Kathy, a pro-life activist, who says that her dad once told her that she was almost aborted, and that she always felt “a kinship with the baby in the womb.” Kathy hosts a local event featuring Susan, a prominent pro-life speaker who has had three abortions and sees herself as protecting women from the shame and guilt that she felt. Chelsea, a young woman who learned that her baby had a genetic defect and would not survive past birth. She and her husband consulted their pastor, who they say was supportive of their decision to terminate. As Christians, the couple says it was a tough choice, but knowing that they are not alone is the reason they want to share their story. Reagan, an anti-abortion activist for Students for Life of America. Reagan says there’s a stereotype of pro-life people as old men and women holding up graphic signs of aborted fetuses, but insists that is changing. She and other members of her group hand out anti-Planned Parenthood information on campus, and are challenged by a pro-choice student, who points out that Planned Parenthood provides many other services for women besides abortion. Te’Aundra, a young mother who was set to go to college on a basketball scholarship when she got pregnant. She wanted to give the baby up for adoption, but the father disagreed, though he didn’t want to be involved in raising the child. With a baby daughter now in her care and her college dreams dashed, Te’Aundra says, “I’d hate to say… I probably would have just had an abortion and just been on my way.” Interspersed throughout the film are short stories of women who have had an abortion in the recent or distant past. A few regret the decision, while others say they would not be where they are now if they hadn’t made that choice. The documentary had its world premiere at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X94ZaE7pso
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Restored Version of Marcel Ophuls’ THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE to Air April 24, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on HBO

[caption id="attachment_21634" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Marcel Ophuls’ THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE[/caption] Following the film’s restoration by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation, the newly restored version of Oscar(R)-winner Marcel Ophüls’ 1976 documentary THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE will be debut on HBO2 on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Monday, April 24. The rarely seen epic was presented at the Berlin, Toronto and New York film festivals in 2015. THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE explores the relationship between individual and collective responsibility, as Ophüls investigates then-recent alleged war crimes committed by France in Algeria and by the U.S. in Vietnam in light of atrocities committed by the Nazis. The director was inspired by the 1970 book “Nuremberg and Vietnam: An American Tragedy,” by Telford Taylor, a counsel for the prosecution at the Nuremberg trials, who became a harsh critic of America’s escalating involvement in Vietnam. Filmed 30 years after the end of World War II and the Nuremberg trials, the film draws on the unique perspectives of those who lived through the conflict and those who came of age afterward. THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE features rare archival footage and interviews with both victims and architects of atrocities, raising essential questions about the moral choices made by individuals and governments in the latter half of the 20th century that are equally relevant today. “It seems to me that THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE, which flopped pretty badly when it first came out, is the best work I ever did in my life, or at any rate the most personal and the most sincere of my films,” says Marcel Ophüls. “Now, thanks to Martin Scorsese and The Film Foundation, and with the help of my favorite studio, my favorite child has been put back into circulation as an adult. Needless to say, I’m immensely grateful!” “THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE is a monumental documentary achievement; an essential work of historic and intellectual importance,” notes Martin Scorsese, founder and chair of The Film Foundation. “The film was unavailable for decades and, strongly encouraged by my friend Jay Cocks, the Academy and The Film Foundation undertook the nearly ten-year process of restoration. We were incredibly fortunate to have support for this project from Olivia Harrison’s Material World Charitable Foundation and Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation.” After years of research, The Film Foundation and the Academy Film Archive discovered an original, unlabeled, 16mm camera negative of THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE in a studio vault, and worked closely with Ophüls and producer Hamilton Fish on its restoration. Newly discovered original recordings of Ophüls’ interviews with French and German speaking interview subjects were restored and substituted for the existing English-language voiceover tracks. New subtitles in English, French and German were created for the restoration so that the participants’ own voices can now be heard, along with Ophüls’ questions. The original film screened at the 1976 Cannes and New York Film Festivals, and was hailed by Vincent Canby as “a standard against which all other non-fiction cinema must be measured.”
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HBO Likes Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio’s Documentary on Avett Brothers’ Band

[caption id="attachment_20911" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS[/caption] HBO quickly snapped up the documentary MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS, co-directed and produced by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, ahead of its March 15 world premiere in the 24 Beats Per Second section of the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival. The documentary is expected to air on HBO later this year. Filmed with extraordinary access over the course of more than two years, MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS chronicles the band, fronted by brothers Scott and Seth Avett, on the long journey from their rural North Carolina childhoods to topping the charts and selling out arenas, experiencing heartbreak, tragedy and joy along the way. The film also provides an inside look at their collaboration with legendary producer Rick Rubin while recording the 2017 Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness,” which was released on American Recordings/Republic Records. With the recording process as the backdrop, MAY IT LAST intimately depicts the deeply personal, lifelong bond between brothers, and shows how that dynamic helps shape their creative process as musicians and songwriters. “This film has been a true labor of love for us for more than three years now, and we could not be happier that HBO – with their incredible lineage of documentary programming – believes in it as much as we do,” say Apatow and Bonfiglio. “The accuracy with which Apatow and Bonfiglio present this moment in our lives and process is stunning,” says Seth Avett. “From the vantage point of my brother and I, the film is almost surreal in its level of personal truth-telling.” Featuring a wealth of exclusive footage of the Avetts in the studio and at home, never-before-seen family photographs, concert footage and revealing interviews with band members Scott (banjo, lead vocals) and Seth (guitar, lead vocals) Avett, Bob Crawford (bass), Joe Kwon (cello), Tania Elizabeth (fiddle), Paul DeFiglia (keyboards) and Mike Marsh (drums), as well as producer Rick Rubin and intimate family and friends, the film takes an in-depth look at the personal and creative relationship between the brothers that helps define America’s biggest roots band. Apatow and Bonfiglio previously co-directed the ESPN documentary “Doc & Darryl” as part of the network’s “30 for 30” series, which was Apatow’s first foray into the documentary world.

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GRAMMY Award Winning René Pérez Joglar’s Documentary RESIDENTE to Premiere at SXSW | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_20404" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Residente[/caption] Residente, the eponymous documentary by director & 25-time GRAMMY Award winning artist René Pérez Joglar (also known as Residente), has been selected to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, in Austin, Texas. Residente will be screened in the 24 Beats Per Second section of the festival, which showcases films that highlight sounds, culture and the influence of music and musicians. Residente is centered on the global journey Pérez Joglar embarked on – after taking a DNA test – to trace his ancestry, explore his creative process and expose local stories, all the while creating music with local communities along the way. The documentary explores the human condition as well as how music and art cut across cultural, social, economic, racial and political divides, while taking audiences on a tour across four continents, seven countries and numerous regions: Siberia (Kyzyl), Moscow, The Caucasus (North Ossetia, South Ossetia, Georgia and Armenia), China, Barcelona, London, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Puerto Rico. Pérez Joglar expressed: “We are all microscopically invisible in relation to the history of time, yet we are all part of the same map, part of a great moment, and within our greatest moments we are all equally small.” Through concerted self-exploration Pérez Joglar was confronted with a new world view, that he refined as he wrote and composed his new album. While the film focuses on Residente’s music – the visual, environmental, sociocultural and political landscapes of each region also provided inspiration for his creativity and curiosity. Pérez Joglar added: “I didn’t write my own lyrics, my journey wrote them for me. Our common genetic map, that unites us all, composed my sheet music.” The film is based on a concept by Pérez Joglar and Marc de Beaufort, and is the first feature-length film directed by the artist himself. It was completed by a talented team, including Rebecca Adorno (editor), Alexandra Posada (director of photography) and Marc de Beaufort (field production) – and features cameo appearances from an equally impressive array of musicians, artists and influencers, from Lin Manuel Miranda to Bombino.
Residente’s world premiere will take place at the Alamo Drafthouse Lamar Theater at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 11. The film will also screened two additional times at SXSW: On Tuesday, March 14 at the Rollins Theatre (1:45 p.m.) and on Thursday, March 16 at the Zach Theatre (11:00 a.m.)
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SXSW 2017: Watch Trailer for DISGRACED Chronicling the 2003 Murder of Baylor University Men’s Basketball Star Patrick Dennehy

[caption id="attachment_21354" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] DISGRACED[/caption] The official trailer was released yesterday for the upcoming documentary film Disgraced, that chronicles the 2003 murder of Baylor University men’s basketball star Patrick Dennehy. Disgraced will world premiere at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival on Sunday, March 12, and on Showtime on Friday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The revealing documentary chronicles the 2003 murder of Baylor University men’s basketball star Patrick Dennehy, to which fellow teammate and friend Carlton Dotson pled guilty in the only known instance in the history of the NCAA where one student-athlete was convicted of murdering another. Through first-hand accounts from students, investigators, family and friends,Disgraced calls into question the plea and conviction of Dotson. The film also includes exclusive and revealing interviews with former head coach Dave Bliss, who directly addresses the attempted cover-up and secretly recorded statements he made in 2003 that implicated him in NCAA rule violations. The violations, revealed in part by whistle blower and then assistant coach Abar Rouse, ultimately led to Bliss’ resignation and a partial ban on NCAA play for the Baylor Bears basketball team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5s_wI5RehI
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University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari will be Subject of ESPN 30 For 30 Series

[caption id="attachment_21302" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] John Calipari[/caption] University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari’s will be the subject of the next installment in ESPN Films’ award-winning 30 for 30 series in One and Not Done. The film, One and Not Done, directed by Jonathan Hock (“Of Miracles and Men,” “Survive and Advance,” “The Best That Never Was”) will premiere on Thursday, April 13, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Who is John Calipari? To his devotees, he is one of college basketball’s greatest coaches. To his detractors, he represents everything wrong with college sports. Somewhere in between lies one of the most compelling and complicated figures in American sports. “One and Not Done” chronicles the life of Calipari – from high school point guard, to dominating UMass coach, to king of Kentucky. A man who has not only altered the college basketball landscape and become the face of the so-called “One and Done” phenomenon, but has also had two Final Four appearances vacated and evolved as a coach who at one point had to rebuild his career. “‘One and Not Done’ is really three films in one,” said director Jonathan Hock. “It’s a biography of an immigrant son’s American Dream, an intense and revealing all-access sports film, and a meditation on corruption and the true meaning of big-time college sports. Making this film was a chance to write history while it’s being made, the kind of filmmaking opportunity that keeps me coming back to 30 for 30 year after year.” Hock takes viewers behind the scenes with never-before-seen footage as Calipari tries to reach the Final Four for the seventh time and win his second national title. “One and Not Done” features exclusive interviews with some of the players whose lives he changed, including Marcus Camby, Lou Roe, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Anthony Davis. Added says ESPN Films Vice President and Executive Producer John Dahl: “With our 30 for 30 series, it’s unusual for us to focus on someone whose career is still a work in progress. But in this instance, with Jon Hock directing, we thought it was warranted. Few figures in sports today draw such strong opinions and already have the kind of influence and body of work that John Calipari does, and the film provides a deeper understanding of what he’s all about.”
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GET ME ROGER STONE, Documentary on Controversial Republican Political Consultant to World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_21299" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Roger Stone in GET ME ROGER STONE. Photo credit: Barbara Nitke/Netflix.[/caption] Get Me Roger Stone, a documentary on the controversial Republican political consultant, lobbyist, and strategist, will have its world premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. The whole world was riveted by the rise of Donald Trump, but there is only one man who has been with the mogul since the beginning, plotting his improbable ascent. Ever since political consultant Roger Stone became the youngest person called before the Watergate grand jury, his career as a master in the dark arts of politics has intersected many momentous low points in modern political history. Stone, the subject of the documentary, has had an unconventional political career from engineering political scandals to upending the establishment. His relationship to Trump began in the 1980s, when Stone began planting the seed for the businessman to enter politics, culminating in 2016 with one of the biggest election upsets in U.S. history. A chronicle of the infamous Roger Stone, Get Me Roger Stone gives an up-close look into his rise and the transformation of American Politics. Get Me Roger Stone, a Netflix original documentary, is directed by Morgan Pehme, Daniel DiMauro, and Dylan Bank and executive produced by Blair Foster, Lisa Nishimura, Jason Spingarn-Koff and Adam Del Deo. The film will launch globally on Netflix in spring 2017.
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Film on Controversial Anti-Vaccine Filmmaker, Andrew Wakefield, to Open Manhattan Film Festival

The Pathological Optimist by director Miranda Bailey, will open the 11th Manhattan Film Festival on April 20, 2017. The documentary is a character study that features never-before-seen, full access footage, of the man at the center of one of the biggest medical and media controversies of our time – Andrew Wakefield – whose film Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, screened at last year’s Manhattan Film Festival and sparked fierce debate. “As a filmmaker, I was drawn to exploring a controversial subject so I’m grateful that the Manhattan Film Festival embraces provocative films, and I look forward to premiering The Pathological Optimist,” says Director Miranda Bailey. The screening will also include a filmmaker Q & A with participants in the film to create an open discussion about the subject matter. “MFF strongly feels part of the role for an independent film festival is to spark debate and give filmmakers a platform,” said Festival Director Philip Nelson. “We are thrilled and honored to open the festival with The Pathological Optimist, and look forward to the dialog to follow.” Bailey made her directorial debut with the documentary Greenlit – a humorous documentary examining the hypocrisy inherent in Hollywood’s “green” movement – premiered at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival to critical acclaim and was acquired by IFC International. Additionally, she established herself as a prolific producer championing independent films as CEO of Cold Iron Pictures. In the last year, her film Swiss Army Man and Don’t Think Twice were released to box office success and critical acclaim. Her most recent film, Norman, will be released by Sony Classics April 14. The 11^th annual Manhattan Film Festival will take place April 19 to 30, 2017.
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WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME,” Documentary to World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_21232" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Whitney Houston in WHITNEY ‘CAN I BE ME.’ Photo by David Corio.[/caption] WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME,” a film exploring the incredible career and complicated life of the memorable singer, will World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 26, and then air on SHOWTIME later this year. The powerful documentary is directed by acclaimed BAFTA Award winner Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney, Tales of the Grim Sleeper). Hers was the golden voice with the unmatchable range. Six-time Grammy(R) winner Whitney Houston was one of the most successful female recording artists of all time. After a troubled marriage to singer Bobby Brown and many years of struggles with addiction, Houston died suddenly and tragically at age 48. With behind the scenes materials, candid interviews and performance footage – including many of Houston’s greatest hits – WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME” will offer a raw and uncensored look at Houston, exploring the impact her life and death had on the people around her and the world of music. According to her band members, “Can I be me?” was Houston’s favorite expression, one she used so much that they sampled it to play at the start of rehearsals. The film explores Whitney’s central dilemma: even though she had made millions of dollars, had more consecutive number ones than The Beatles and was recognized as having one of the greatest voices of all time, she still couldn’t do what she wanted to do, either professionally or in her personal life. WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME” joins an esteemed list of projects under the Showtime Documentary Films banner that focus on the lives and legacies of culture-defining figures, including ERIC CLAPTON: A LIFE IN 12 BARS, which will screen at festivals and theaters this year before airing nationally on SHOWTIME this fall, and an upcoming documentary film on John Belushi‘s life and career.
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