Showtime revealed the official poster and trailer for SHANGRI-LA and announced the four-part docu-series, a collaboration from Academy Award(R) and Emmy(R) winner Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor, 20 Feet From Stardom), legendary music producer Rick Rubin, and director Jeff Malmberg (Marwencol) will premiere on Friday, July 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Director Harry Mavromichalis’ Olympia will have its Los Angeles premiere at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) on June 8, 2019, at 5.45 p.m. at The Rigler Theatre at The Egyptian. The film most recently won the Best Documentary award at Hunter Mountain Film Festival.
Seeking to build a bridge of mutual understanding and friendship, a Canadian-Egyptian entrepreneur of Muslim faith, now living in Switzerland, decides to reach out to the very people who fear him. Traveling across the United States to find Americans concerned about an Islamic threat, he makes them an intriguing offer – a free trip to Egypt.
Filmmaker Stephen Wilkes spotlights the life and work of photographer Jay Maisel in the documentary Jay Myself that world premiered at 2018 Doc NYC. Jay Myself will be released in theaters on July 31 in New York and August 16 in Los Angeles via Oscilloscope.
Almost Never Films has completed principal photography on the feature film “Winter Song” starring Grammy Award winner and actress Ashanti. Ashanti who debuted her acting career in “Coach Carter” (starring Samuel L. Jackson) is also known for her roles in the films “The Muppet’s Wizard of Oz” and “Resident Evil: Extinction” (starring Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter). “Winter Song” also stars Stan Shaw, who has appeared in films such as “Fried Green Tomatoes” (starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy), “Harlem Nights” (starring Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor), and “The Monster Squad”.
New York filmmaker Diana Peralta’s vibrant feature film debut, DE LO MIO, will World Premiere as the Closing Night film of BAMcinemaFest which runs June 12 to 23. A bittersweet family drama set in the Dominican Republic, DE LO MIO will screen at BAMcinematek on Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 pm.
The documentary competition at the 54th Karlovy Vary IFF will feature eight world and three European premieres. The selection includes Marc Schmidt’s In the Arms of Morpheus and Todd Douglas Miller’s Apollo 11, compiled using unique archival footage from the first mission to the Moon’s surface. The renewed festival interest in Chinese cinema is illustrated by two films about the transformation of Chinese society: While The Fading Village shows the decline of the countryside, Confucian Dream focuses on the urban population’s exaggerated return to traditional ways of life.
The 25th annual Palm Springs International ShortFest will showcase 369 films including 60 World Premieres, 25 International Premieres, 46 North American Premieres, 17 U.S. Premieres and 98 California Premieres. There are 60 curated programs, which will screen June 18-24, at the Camelot Theatres (Palm Springs Cultural Center) in Palm Springs.
As John Walker Lindh is released from prison, Showtime Documentary Films announced the production of DETAINEE 001, from Emmy(R) winning director Greg Barker (The Final Year, Sergio, Manhunt, Legion of Brothers). The film, which has been in production since 2017, gives the definitive account of Lindh’s story with never-before-revealed details from his legal case and unpacks challenging truths and shifting allegiances behind one of the most compelling and unresolved mysteries of the post-9/11 age. Lindh’s case set a precedent for how Americans caught up in the War on Terror were prosecuted, and the film examines how American military and justice systems have grappled with the two decades since his detention.
Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Mati Diop’s award winning film Atlantics that premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. Atlantics is Diop’s feature directorial debut and she is the first black woman ever to compete for the Palme d’Or.
25 nonfiction films from 12 countries are the latest Sundance Institute Documentary Fund and Stories of Change Grantees which includes unrestricted grants to films in the development, production, post-production and audience engagement stages, and is made possible by founding support from Open Society Foundations.
