KING GEORGES, a documentary that follows fiery French chef Georges Perrier’s crusade to save his world-renowned 40-year-old restaurant, Philadelphia’s Le Bec Fin, from closing, will be released in theaters on February 26, 2016 via Sundance Selects. The film directed by Erika Frankel just screened at 2015 DOC NYC.
Fiery French chef Georges Perrier is on a crusade to keep his 40-year-old landmark restaurant, Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia, relevant. Times have changed and the culinary world is full of new stars and shifting tastes. Perrier’s contemporaries – at Lutece, La Cote Basque, L’Orangerie – are gone and he is the last man standing of his generation. But how long can he reign?
Featuring colorful interviews with chefs Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert and former Mayor of Philadelphia Ed Rendell, first-time director Erika Frankel follows Perrier over four years from Le Bec-Fin’s raging inferno of a kitchen to quiet moments at home, capturing an intimate glimpse of a world-renowned artist in the twilight of his career.
Perrier introduced America to grand European-style dining in the 1960’s and he went on to become one of the most accomplished chefs of his generation, honored and praised by the French government, James Beard Foundation and The New York Times. His Napoleonic demeanor, thick French accent and penchant for screaming, throwing plates and de-corking champagne bottles with a sword helped to build his legend. But underneath his commanding presence, he struggles with the demands of a grueling profession. His life revolves around work and at age 67, the pressure to keep things functioning at the high level he set forty years ago, is “killing me,” he says.
He partners with young chef Nicholas Elmi (winner of Top Chef 2014), hoping to reinvigorate Le Bec-Fin, but Perrier struggles to let go, still insisting on washing the dishes every night after dinner service as the dishwashers stand around idle. More than a documentary about food, KING GEORGES is a touching story about passion, aging and art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4OIbnG2R0Y
Thirty-three independent documentary films have been selected for 2015 Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program support.
The Sundance Documentary Fund moved to a limited rolling open call in 2015, encouraging filmmakers to submit applications only when they feel their film is ready to share. Rahdi Taylor, Film Fund Director, said, “This past year was one of experimentation and change. We eliminated deadlines, embraced risk taking in form, filmmaker and subject matter, but we stayed true to our core purpose of discovering contemporary stories of meaning and moral purpose. Overall the selections are characterized by risk, inclusion and innovation as well as addressing the most vital conversations of our time.”
DEVELOPMENT
The Acali Experiment (Sweden) (pictured above)
Director: Marcus Lindeen
Producer: Erik Gandini
In 1973 five men and six women went on a dramatic raft expedition across the Atlantic Ocean for 101 days to study human aggression and sexuality. This documentary reunites them forty years later to reveal what actually happened during one of history’s strangest group experiments.
Afterglow (Hungary)
Director: Noémi Veronika Szakonyi
Producer: Julianna Ugrin
The filmmaker found her missing brother, who was kidnapped at age six by his father, a man with extraordinary connections in communist Hungary.
Casting JonBenet (Australia/U.S.)
Director: Kitty Green
Producer: Scott Macaulay and Kitty Green
An artful exploration of the legacy of the world’s most sensational child-murder case, the unsolved death of six-year-old American beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey.
Shirkers (U.S.-Singapore)
Writer-Director-Producer: Sandi Tan
In 1992, an enigmatic American named Georges shot Singapore’s first indie film with a group of female teenage film-buffs, then absconded with all the footage. Nearly twenty years later, his widow uncovers the 16mm cans in New Orleans—and ships them to the film’s screenwriter-actress, who embarks on a new voyage to Singapore, Cambridge, New Orleans, and into the past.
Three Identical Strangers (U.K.)
Director: Tim Wardle
Producer: Grace Hughes-Hallett
There’s no-one else on Earth quite like you. Or is there…?
Untitled Kronos Project (U.S.)
Director: Sam Green
Untitled Kronos Project is an experimental, live documentary that will tell the story of legendary classical group the Kronos Quartet and its 40 year career.
Untitled Prison Project (U.S.)
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Producer: Femke Wolting, Bruno Felix, Roger Ross Williams
Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams sets out on a deeply personal journey to understand why so many friends from his childhood town of Easton, Pennsylvania are in prison.
Yoghurt Utopia (U.K./Spain)
Directors: Anna Thomson, David Baksh
Producer: Adrian Pennink
Christopher Columbus gives 200 mental patients an opportunity to live, work and lead productive lives producing La Fageda, a top yogurt brand from Catalonia, Spain. Can this Yoghurt Utopia survive the mounting internal and external pressures?
Young Men and Fire (US)
Director: Kahlil Hudson and Alex Jablonski
Producer: Kyle Dickman
Young Men and Fire tells the story of working class men in a single wildland firefighting crew as they struggle with fear, loyalty, love, and defeat all over the course of a single fire season.
When God Sleeps
Director: Till Schauder (U.S/ Germany)
Producer: Sara Nodjoumi & Till Schauder (U.S./Germany)
When God Sleeps depicts the journey of an Iranian musician who is forced into hiding after hardline clerics offer a $100,000 reward for his murder
Whose Streets? (U.S.)
Director: Sabaah Jordan and Damon Davis
Producer: Flannery Miller
The murder of a teenage boy became the last straw for a community under siege. Whose Streets? follows the journey of everyday people turned freedom fighters, whose lives intertwine with a burgeoning national movement for black liberation.
PRODUCTION
All These Sleepless Nights (Poland/UK)
Director: Michal Marczak
Producer: Marta Golba, Michal Marczak, Julia Nottingham, Thomas Benski and Lucas Ochoa
A new era is coming, and Warsaw stands uncomfortably at its edge. Christopher and Michal, on the precipice of their own coming of age, restlessly roam their city’s streets in search of living forever inside the beautiful moment. Never content with answers, they push each experience to its breaking point, testing what it might mean to be truly awake in a world that seems satisfied to be asleep.
Audrie & Daisy (U.S.)
Director: Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk
Producers: Richard Berge and Sara Dosa
Two teenage girls are sexually assaulted while unconscious by boys who they thought were their friends. Each girl is harassed relentlessly online, both attempt suicide, and tragically, one girl dies. High school assault in the age of social media is explored from the perspective of the girls –and the boys –involved in the assaults.
Cecilia (India)
Director/Producer: Pankaj Johar
When Cecilia Hasda’s 14 year old daughter is trafficked and found dead in Delhi, the filmmaker and his wife decide to help her seek justice. As they battle a web of corruption at all levels, they find themselves navigating a complex network of cops, traffickers, judges, lawyers, villagers and family members.
Eagle Huntress (UK/Mongolia)
Director: Otto Bell
Producer: Stacey Reiss and Sharon Chang
This spellbinding documentary follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old nomadic Mongolian girl as she battles a culture of misogyny to become the first female Eagle Hunter in 2,000 years of male-dominated history.
Forgiveness (U.K.)
Director: Elizabeth Stopford
Producer: Nicole Stott
A modern American ghost story and a house that vanished. In the wake of two seemingly inexplicable shooting sprees, can a community forgive the teenage boy at the heart of its tragic past? .
Greywater (U.S.)
Director: Jeff Unay
Greywater is the story of Joe, a blue-collar family man who breaks the promise he made years ago to never fight again. Now forty years old, with a wife and four children who depend on him, he risks everything—his marriage, his family, his financial security— to go back into the fighting cage for one last time and come to terms with his past.
The Keepers (U.S.)
Director: Ryan White
Producer: Jessica Lawson
A documentary thriller unraveling a longstanding mystery in Baltimore.
Untitled Newtown Documentary (U.S.)
Director: Kim A. Snyder
Producer: Maria Cuomo Cole, Kim A. Snyder
We witness residents of Newtown, CT navigate the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history.
Untitled Reef Project (U.S.)
Director: Jeff Orlowski
Producer: Larissa Rhodes
Richard Vevers quit his job at a top London ad agency and sets out to become an underwater photographer. Face-to-face with stunning evidence of the human caused destruction of vibrant underwater ecosystems, Richard races the clock to save the oceans.
POST-PRODUCTION
Almost Sunrise (U.S.)
Director: Michael Collins
Producer: Marty Syjuco
Two friends, ex-soldiers, embark on an epic journey to heal from their time in combat. Filled with hope for veterans who’ve left the battlefield behind and are now seeking peace on the home front, Almost Sunrise follows Tom and Anthony as they walk 2,700 miles across America.
The Event (Ukraine/Russia)
Director: Sergei Loznitsa
Producers: Sergei Loznitsa & Maria Choustova
Three days that shook the world or much ado about nothing?
Holy Cow (Azerbaijan/Germany/Romania)
Director: Imam Hasanov
Producer: Andra Popescu, Veronika Janatkova, Stefan Kloos
One man’s dream of bringing a European cow in his remote village in Azerbaijan unsettles the conservative community that wants to keep their secular traditions intact.
Maman Colonelle (France/DR Congo)
Director: Dieudo Hamadi
Producer: Christian Lelong
Colonel Honorine works for the Congolese police force and heads the unit for the protection of minors and the fight against sexual violence. Having worked for 15 years in Bukavu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she learned she was being transferred to Kisangani. There, she found herself faced with new challenges.
Markie in Milwaukee (U.S.)
Director: Matt Kliegman
Producer: Matt Kliegman and Zac Stuart-Pontier
Markie dreams of completing her gender transition, but can she overcome the ghosts of her past as a Fundamentalist Baptist preacher?
The Pearl Button (El Boton de Nacar)
Director: Patricio Guzmán
Producer: Renate Sachse
The Pearl Button is a story about water, Cosmos and us. It all starts with the discovery of two mysterious buttons deep in the Pacific Ocean, off the Chilean coast.
Proposition for a Revolution (India)
Directors: Khushboo Ranka, Vinay Shukla
Producer: Anand Gandhi
Co-Producer: Ruchi Bhimani
Exec. Producer: Joris van Wijk
What happens when an insider challenges corruption in the world’s largest democracy? Proposition for a Revolution tells the extraordinary story of the 2013 New Delhi elections, which catapulted bureaucrat-turned-activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal into power within a year of forming a new anti-corruption political party. A ground-level verite portrait depicting the transformation of a people’s movement into a political party, the film follows Arvind Kejriwal with unprecedented access as he takes on the oldest political party in India–The Congress Party.
The Reagan Years (U.S.)
Director: Pacho Velez
Producer: Sierra Pettengill
The Reagan Years is about a prolific actor’s defining role: Leader of the Free World. It uses the Reagan administration’s internal documentation to capture the spectacle of American might at its acme.
Teatro (U.S./Italy)
Director: Jeff Malmberg
Producer: Chris Shellen
For the past 50 years, the villagers of Monticchiello have confronted their communal issues through art in the form of a play that the entire town writes and performs. Teatro is a portrait of this tradition seen through the lens of the last man trying to keep it alive.
They Call Us Monsters (U.S.)
Director: Ben Lear
Producer: Sasha Alpert and Gabriel Cowan
They Call Us Monsters takes us behind the walls of The Compound, where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile offenders. To their advocates, they’re kids. To the system, they’re adults and to their victims they’re monsters. This film asks us to decide for ourselves.
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
1971 (U.S.)
Director: Johanna Hamilton
Producer: Marilyn Ness
On March 8, 1971 a group of citizens broke into an FBI office in Media, PA near Philadelphia and raided thousands of secret files that revealed an illegal government program known as COINTELPRO. Never caught, they have remained anonymous. Until now.
Enter the Faun (U.S.)
Director & Producer: Tamar Rogoff and Daisy Wright
Executive Producer: Véronique Bernard
Art and science collide as a young actor with cerebral palsy and a dancer embark on a journey that leads to unprecedented physical transformation and challenges the limitations associated with disability.
SUNDANCE | ESPN FILMS FELLOW
Shot in the Dark (U.S.)
Director: Dustin Nakao Haider
Producers: Daniel Poneman, Daniel Dewes, Derek Doneen, and Ben Vogel
For the players on Orr Academy’s basketball team, the court is a haven. Outside, it’s the Westside of Chicago – a neighborhood racked with gangs, gun trafficking, and violence. Within those walls, each player has his own struggle. But they’ll need to fight together if they ever want to break out.
SOUND OF REDEMPTION: THE FRANK MORGAN STORY, a feature documentary about gifted alto sax player and Charlie Parker’s protégé, Frank Morgan, will open in New York at The IFC Center on December 2nd, and in Los Angeles at Laemmle on December 18th.
Directed by N.C. Heikin, SOUND OF REDEMPTION: THE FRANK MORGAN STORY is packed with music.
Morgan fell hard into heroin and got to be almost as good a conman and thief as he was a musician in order to feed his habit. The habit cost him 30 years of his life in and out of prison, most of it at San Quentin, where he performed in a big band with fellow junkie jazz musicians that grew famous in the Bay Area. To bring the past into present, director NC Heikin and writer Michael Connelly (THE LINCOLN LAWYER) brought an all-star band together into the “Q” for a concert. This hyper-emotional event forms the backbone of this riveting film.
Filmmaker NC Heikin began her career at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in New York and went on to work on and off Broadway as an actress, singer and director. She has written screenplays for Disney and Paramount as well as French TV networks. In 2004, she made her directing debut with her prize-winning short, mañana. Her first documentary, Kimjongilia, about North Korean refugees, premiered at Sundance, won the One World Brussels Best Film 2010, and has been seen all over the world. Heikin’s stage play, LATE, is in casting for a premiere in Paris next season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRRITxoJtQk
BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY, a new feature documentary by filmmaker Jerome Thélia exploring the nature and origins of sport, will have its New York Premiere at DOC NYC on Monday at 7:30 pm.
Inspired by the book, The Ball: Discovering the Object of the Game by John Fox
From Brazilian favelas to dusty Congolese villages, from neolithic Scottish isles to modern soccer pitches, BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY explores the little-known origins of our favorite sports. The film crosses time, languages and continents to discover how the ball has staked its claim on our lives and fueled our passion to compete. Equal parts science, history and cultural essay, BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY removes us from the scandals and commercialism of today’s sports world to uncover the true reasons we play ball, helping us reclaim our universal connection to the games we love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8UyRUrb6KM
If you love art, you’ll love “Almost There.” Almost There documents the story of 83-year-old Peter Anton, an artist living in isolated and crippling conditions whose world changes when two filmmakers discover his work and storied past. The film which world premiered at DOC NYC 2014, will open theatrically on December 4 in NYC and December 11 in LA, via Factory 25.
For many, Peter Anton’s house embodies an end-of-life nightmare: the utility companies long ago shut off the heat and electricity, the floorboards are rotting, and the detritus of a chaotic life is precariously stacked to the ceiling. But for the filmmakers Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden, Anton’s home is a treasure trove, a startling collection of unseen and fascinating paintings, drawings, and notebooks, not to mention Anton himself, a character worthy of his own reality TV show. Though aging, infirm, cranky, and solitary, Anton also is funny and utterly resilient. Rybicky and Wickenden’s remarkable journey follows a gifted artist through startling twists and turns. By its quietly satisfying ending, Almost There has provided enough human drama for a season of soap operas, plus insights into mental illness, aging in America, and the redemptive power of art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxbsBo9X_YI
Cartel Land, Matthew Heineman’s gripping account of violence and vigilantes on both sides of the US-Mexico border, led the nominations for 9th Cinema Eye Honors awards for Nonfiction Filmmaking, with five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature. It is joined in the top category by Asif Kapadia’s Amy, Camilla Neilsson’s Democrats, Stevan Riley’s Listen to Me Marlon, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence. The latter, which received four nominations, and Cartel Land were the only films nominated for Outstanding Feature, Direction, Production and Cinematography.
Other films that received multiple nominations include the mountain climbing thriller Meru (4 nominations); Amy, Heart of a Dog, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck and The Wolfpack (3 nominations); Best of Enemies, Democrats, Listen to Me Marlon, The Nightmare, Uncertain and Western (2 nominations).
Winners of the 9th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced Wednesday, January 13, 2016 in New York at the Museum of the Moving Image.
The complete list of nominations for 9th Cinema Eye Honors
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
“Amy”
Directed by Asif Kapadia
Produced by James Gay-Rees
“Cartel Land”
Directed by Matthew Heineman
Produced by Tom Yellin
“Democrats”
Directed by Camilla Nielsson
Produced by Henrik Veileborg
“Listen to Me Marlon”
Directed by Stevan Riley
Produced by John Battsek, George Chignell and R.J. Cutler
“The Look of Silence”
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
Produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen
“The Wolfpack”
Directed by Crystal Moselle
Produced by Crystal Moselle and Izabella Tzenkova
Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Matthew Heineman, “Cartel Land”
Kim Longinotto, “Dreamcatcher”
Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog”
Frederick Wiseman, “In Jackson Heights”
Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, David Usui & Ben Wu, “In Transit”
Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence”
Outstanding Achievement in Editing
Chris King, “Amy”
Aaron Wickenden and Eileen Meyer, “Best of Enemies”
James Scott, “How to Change the World”Brett Morgen and Joe Neshenkovsky, “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck”
Stevan Riley, “Listen to Me Marlon”
Outstanding Achievement in Production
Tom Yellin, “Cartel Land”
Henrik Veileborg, “Democrats”
Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright and Kristen Vaurio, “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”Signe Byrge Sørensen, “The Look of Silence”
Jimmy Chin, Chai Vasarhelyi and Shannon Etheridge, “Meru”
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll, “Cartel Land”
Lars Skree, “The Look of Silence”
Renan Ozturk, “Meru”
Ewan McNicol, “Uncertain”
Bill Ross and Turner Ross, “Western”
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Films Made for Television
“Deep Web”
Directed by Alex Winter
Produced by Marc Schiller, Alex Winter and Glen Zipper
For EPIX: Executive Producers Jill Burkhart and Ross Bernard
“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”
Directed by Alex Gibney
Produced by Alex Gibney, Kristen Vaurio and Lawrence Wright
For HBO Documentary Films: Supervising Producer Sara Bernstein and Executive Producer Sheila Nevins
“Outbreak”
Directed by Dan Edge
Produced by Dan Edge and Sasha Joelle Achilli
For Frontline/PBS: Coordinating Producer Carla Borras and Executive Producers Raney Aronson-Rath and David Fanning
“Private Violence”
Directed and Produced by Cynthia Hill
For HBO Documentary Films: Senior Producer Nancy Abraham and Executive Producer Sheila Nevins
“Whitey: The United States of America vs. James J. Bulger”
Directed by Joe Berlinger
Produced by Joe Berlinger and Caroline Suh
For CNN Films: Supervising Producer Courtney Sexton and Executive Producers Vinnie Malhotra and Amy Entelis
Audience Choice Prize
“Amy”
Directed by Asif Kapadia
“Best of Enemies”
Directed by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon
“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”
Directed by Alex Gibney
“The Hunting Ground”
Directed by Kirby Dick
“Iris”
Directed by Albert Maysles
“Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck”
Directed by Brett Morgen
“Meru”
Directed by Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi
“What Happened, Miss Simone?”
Directed by Liz Garbus
“Where to Invade Next”
Directed by Michael Moore
“The Wolfpack”
Directed by Crystal Moselle
Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film
“Kings of Nowhere”
Directed by Betzabé Garcia
“Peace Officer”
Directed by Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson
“Pervert Park”
Directed by Frida Barkfors and Lasse Barkfors
“The Russian Woodpecker”
Directed by Chad Gracia
“Uncertain”
Directed by Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands
“The Wolfpack”
Directed by Crystal Moselle
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score
Jackson Greenberg and Scott Salinas, “Cartel Land”
Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog”
J. Ralph, “Meru”
Jonathan Snipes, “The Nightmare”
Casey McAllister, “Western”
Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation
Nominees TBD, “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”
Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog”
Stefan Nadelman and Hisko Hulsin, “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck”
Syd Garon, “The Nightmare”
Ryan Green and Josh Larson, “Thank You for Playing”
Spotlight Award
“Almost There”
Directed by Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden
“Barge”
Directed by Ben Powell
“Field Niggas”
Directed by Khalik Allah
“Frame by Frame”
Directed by Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli
“(T)error”
Directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe
“Toto and His Sisters”
Directed by Alexandre Nanău
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking
“The Breath”
Directed by Fabian Kaiser
“Buffalo Juggalos”
Directed by Scott Cummings
“Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah”
Directed by Adam Benzine
“The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul”
Directed by Kitty Green
“Hotel 22”
Directed by Elizabeth Lo
BODY TEAM 12, winner of the Tribeca Film Festival award for best documentary short has been acquired by HBO Documentary Films and will debut on HBO in February 2016. BODY TEAM 12, recently nominated for an International Documentary Association award for best short, is directed by journalist-filmmaker and RYOT Co-Founder David Darg, who put his life at risk by embedding with a team of heroic Liberian Red Cross workers tasked with collecting the dead during the height of the Ebola outbreak.
Executive produced by Paul G. Allen and actress Olivia Wilde, and produced by RYOT Co-Founder Bryn Mooser, BODY TEAM 12 lays bare the heartbreaking but lifesaving work of removing bodies from loved ones in order to halt the transmission of the disease. The filmmakers capture devasting and poignant images, shot on the ground in Monrovia, Liberia, that reveal the Ebola crisis through the story of Garmai Sumo, the sole female member of the body collection team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2eT2P1TfB8
Director David Darg states, “The bravery of these young Liberians was an astounding phenomenon to witness, as they risked their lives every day to save the lives of others, and to save their country from Ebola. BODY TEAM 12 is a tribute to those heroes, and it is our hope that a presentation on HBO will honor these body teams and lead to greater exposure of their determination and tireless efforts.”
CITY OF TREES which documents one community’s fight for equal access to good jobs and safe parks in our nation’s capital, have its midwest premiere as an official selection in the 24th annual St. Louis International Film Festival. City of Trees had its world premiere at the 13th annual American Conservation Film Festival on October 25 in Shepherdstown, WV.
Directed by Brandon Kramer, City of Trees documents a period in the lives of Charles, Michael, James and Steve when their lives intersect with stimulus resources designed to make change in DC.
City of Trees follows the lifecycle and aftermath of a $2.7 million stimulus grant awarded to DC-based nonprofit Washington Parks & People. With the grant, Parks & People launches the ‘Green Corps’ as an introduction in urban forestry to DC residents in communities hardest hit by the recession. For Charles, the paycheck offers him a chance to give his newborn daughter the life he never had and escape the cycle of violence that already impacted his younger brother. For Michael, the job training is a first step forward after a drug conviction permanently marred his employment record. For James, a Ward 8 native in his late 50s, the position offers a chance to prove that his experience and wisdom is an asset. For Steve, the president of Washington Parks & People, the grant offers the opportunity to elevate the impact of his organization’s work — and the challenge of finding the resources to continue the program after the short-term stimulus dollars run out.
A film about normal people fighting to provide for themselves, their families and environment, City of Trees offers a critical new perspective on the challenges of retraining our workforce and rebuilding the natural environments in our cities for the 21st century. What sounds like a simple goal — putting people back to work by planting trees in a blighted neighborhood — opens up a complex web of personal and community challenges. In the age of recession and rebuilding, City of Trees documents a story representative of the hopes and struggles of countless Americans impacted by the recession.
https://vimeo.com/117641253
Mor Loushy’s award-winning provocative Israeli documentary CENSORED VOICES presents for the first time ever the uncensored recordings of intimate conversations between Israeli soldiers and renowned author Amos Oz, immediately following the 1967 Six Day War in which Israel captured Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. Winner of the Ophir (Israeli Oscar) winner for Best Documentary, CENSORED VOICES was selected as the Opening Night film of the Other Israel Film Festival in New York, and will open in New York at Lincoln Plaza Cinema on November 20th, and in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s Royal and Town Center on Friday, November 27. A national release will follow.
The 1967 ‘Six-Day’ war ended with Israel’s decisive victory; it is portrayed to this day, as a righteous undertaking – a radiant emblem of Jewish pride. Yet, behind the euphoria and a proud new national narrative of invincibility are other voices with something different to say. Future renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. Originally censored by the Israeli army, the recordings provide an unfiltered lens into the Israeli zeitgeist as the country turned from David to Goliath. The recordings resulted in a best-selling book which form the basis of CENSORED VOICES.
The soldiers’ harrowing confessions, combined with rare archival footage and evocative sound design, create a sense of stunning immediacy. As they wrestle with the systemic excision of Palestinians, the dehumanizing nature of war, and echoes of the Holocaust, we watch as these men, now almost 50 years older, hear the recordings for the first time, and the past erupts, presciently, into the present.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oB8EFlf4-M
HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY, which will have its US PREMIERE at the upcoming DOC NYC 2015. HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY is directed by Academy Award Nominee Daniel Raim, Executive Produced by Danny DeVito and features many familiar faces including Harold Michelson, Lillian Michelson, Danny DeVito, Francis Ford Coppola, Mel Brooks, Anahid Nazarian, Rick Carter, Tom Walsh, Jim Bissell, Marc Wanamaker, Bill Krohn, Norman Newberry, and Gene Allen.
Academy Award®-nominated director Daniel Raim and Executive Producer Danny DeVito (Pulp Fiction, Man on the Moon) present HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY, a fascinating and deeply moving account of the romantic and creative partnership of storyboard artist Harold Michelson and his wife, film researcher Lillian Michelson—a talented couple once considered “the heart of Hollywood.”
Harold and Lillian worked on hundreds of iconic films during Hollywood’s golden age including The Ten Commandments, The Apartment, The Birds, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, Rosemary’s Baby, Fiddler On The Roof, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Scarface, Full Metal Jacket and more.
Although the couple was responsible for some of Hollywood’s most iconic examples of visual storytelling, their contributions remain largely uncredited. Through an engaging mix of love letters, film clips and candid conversations with Harold and Lillian, Danny DeVito, Mel Brooks, Francis Coppola and others, this heartfelt documentary chronicles their remarkable relationship and two extraordinary careers spanning six decades of movie-making history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RuCqsZhkLE
Grammy-nominated comedian Tig Notaro will host the 2015 IDA Documentary Awards ceremony. Tig Notaro is the subject of Tig, the Netflix Original documentary chronicling her life after it famously fell apart.
The 2015 edition of the Awards will highlight six films in Best Feature Documentary category. These films include AMY, Asif Kapadia’s moving film about six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse; The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Stanley Nelson’s vibrant chronicle of the birth of the Black Panther Party; Listen To Me Marlon, Stevan Riley’s fascinating self-portrait of Marlon Brando culled from his vast archive of personal audio and visual materials; The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer’s powerful companion piece to the Oscar®-nominated The Act of Killing; The Russian Woodpecker, Chad Gracia’s riveting examination of eccentric Ukranian artist Fedor Alexandrovich’s obsession with a Soviet-constructed radio antenna near the Chernobyl site; and What Happened, Miss Simone?, Liz Garbus’s sensitive exploration of the legendary singer and activist Nina Simone.
In addition to the awards, this year’s honorees include Matthew Heineman, recipient of the IDA’s Courage Under Fire Award in recognition of conspicuous bravery in the pursuit of truth. Heineman’s gripping film, Cartel Land, documents two modern-day vigilante movements – Dr. José Mireles’s citizen-led uprising against a violent drug cartel wreaking havoc in Mexico and the Arizona Border Recon led by Tim “Nailer” Foley, which is working to prevent Mexico’s drug wars from crossing into the United States. Previous recipients of the award include: Laura Poitras, Christiane Amanpour, Andrew Berends, Jonathan Stack and James Brabazon and Saira Shah.
In addition to Heineman, the 2015 IDA Documentary Awards will honor Gordon Quinn with its Career Achievement Award. Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation (berthafoundation.org) will receive the IDA Amicus Award, and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos will receive IDA’s Pioneer Award. (T)ERROR directors Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe will share the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award sponsored by the Archibald Family Foundation.
The recipients of this year’s IDA Creative Recognition Awards include The Russian Woodpecker (cinematography by Artem Ryzhykov) will be recognized with the award for Best Cinematography; Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (edited by Joe Beshenkovsky and Brett Morgen) will receive the Best Editing award; Best of Enemies (original score by Jonathan Kirkscey) will be presented with the Best Music award, and Listen To Me Marlon (written by Stevan Riley, co-writer Peter Ettedgui) will receive the Best Writing award.
The 31st Annual IDA Documentary Awards will take place on Saturday, December 5th at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles, CA
31st Annual IDA Awards Nominees
Best Feature Award
Amy
Director: Asif Kapadia
Producer: James Gay-Rees
A24
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Director: Stanley Nelson
Producer: Laurens Grant
PBS DISTRIBUTION
Listen to Me Marlon
Director: Stevan Riley
Producer: John Battsek
SHOWTIME DOCUMENTARY FILMS
The Look of Silence
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen
DRAFTHOUSE FILMS AND PARTICIPANT MEDIA
The Russian Woodpecker
Director: Chad Gracia
Producer: Ram Devineni and Mike Lerner
FILMBUFF
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Director: Liz Garbus
NETFLIX
Best Short Award
Body Team 12
Director: David Darg
Producer: Bryn Mooser
RYOT FILMS AND VULCAN PRODUCTIONS
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
Director: Adam Benzine
HBO
The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul
Director: Kitty Green
Producer: Philippa Campey
KURZFILMAGENTUR HAMBURG (GERMANY)
Last Day of Freedom
Directors: Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
Object
Director: Paulina Skibińska
MUNK STUDIO AND POLISH FILMMAKERS ASSOCIATION
Best Curated Series Award
30 for 30
Executive Producers John Dahl and Connor Schell
ESPN
America ReFramed
Executive Producers: Chris Hastings and Simon Kilmurry
WORLD CHANNEL
Independent Lens
Executive Producers: Sally Jo Fifer and Lois Vossen
ITVS/PBS
POV
Executive Producers: Simon Kilmurry and Chris White
POV, PBS
Storyville
Series Editor: Nick Fraser
Executive Producer: Kate Townsend
BBC TV, BBC WORLD NEWS
Best Limited Series Award
Blood Brothers
Executive Producers: Kees Schaap and Anja van Oostrom
VARA TELEVISION (THE NETHERLANDS)
Hard Earned
Executive Producers: Steve James, Justine Nagan, and Gordon Quinn
Series Producer: Maggie Bowman
AL JAZEERA AMERICA AND KARTEMQUIN FILMS
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
Executive Producer: Jason Blum
Co-Executive Producer: Zac Stuart-Pontier
Produced by: Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling
HBO
Life Story
Executive Producer: Mike Gunton
DISCOVERY
Rebel Architecture
Executive Producer: Fiona Lawson-Baker
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH
Best Episodic Series Award
Chef’s Table
Executive Producers: David Gelb, Andrew Fried, and Brian McGinn
NETFLIX
Morgan Spurlock Inside Man
Executive Producers: Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin, and Morgan Spurlock
CNN AND WARRIOR POETS
NOVA
Senior Executive Producer: Paula Apsell
Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Cort
PBS
The Seventies
Executive Producers: Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, and Mark Herzog
CNN, PLAYTONE, AND HERZOG & COMPANY
This is Life with Lisa Ling
Executive Producers: Amy Bucher, Lisa Ling, and David Shadrack Smith
CNN AND PART2 PICTURES
Best Short Form Series Award
Do Not Track
Executive Producer: Hugues Sweeney
NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA, UPIAN, ARTE, AND BR
Highrise: Universe Within
Executive Producers: Anita Lee and Silva Basmajian
NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA
The New York Times Op-Docs
Executive Producer: Jason Spingarn-Koff
THE NEW YORK TIMES
POV Interactive Documentaries
Executive Producer: Simon Kilmurry and Adnaan Wasey
POV AND PBS
WE THE ECONOMY: 20 Short Films You Can’t Afford to Miss
Executive Producer: Paul G. Allen and Morgan Spurlock
VULCAN PRODUCTIONS AND CINELAN
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
This award recognizes exceptional achievement in non-fiction film and video production at the university level and brings greater public and industry awareness to the work of students in the documentary field.
The Archipelago
Director: Benjamin Huguet
THE NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL
The Blue Wall
Director: Michael Milano
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
El Cacao
Director: Michelle Aguilar
University of California Santa Cruz
In Attla’s Tracks
Director: Catharine Axley
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Looking at the Stars
Director: Alexandre Peralta
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Pare Lorentz Award
The Pare Lorentz Award recognizes films that demonstrate exemplary filmmaking while focusing on the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems.
How to Change the World
Director: Jerry Rothwell
ABC News VideoSource Award
This award is given each year for the best use of news footage as an integral component in a documentary.
(T)ERROR
Directors: Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe
INDEPENDENT LENS ALONG WITH BBC
Best of Enemies
Directors: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville
MAGNOLIA PICTURES AND INDEPENDENT LENS
Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll
Director: John Pirozzi
ARGOT PICTURES
Night Will Fall
Director: André Singer
HBO
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Director: Liz Garbus
NETFLIX
Creative Recognition Award Winners
The Creative Recognition category recognizes special achievement in cinematography, editing, music and writing in films entered in the Feature Category.
Best Cinematography
The Russian Woodpecker
Cinematography by: Artem Ryzhykov
Best Editing
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
Edited by: Joe Beshenkovsky and Brett Morgen
Best Writing
Listen to Me Marlon
Written by: Stevan Riley
Co-Writer: Peter Ettedgui
Best Music
Best of Enemies
Original Score by: Jonathan Kirkscey