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.Films
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Documentaries on Martin Luther King, Jr., Arthur Miller and More Set to Debut on HBO
[caption id="attachment_26489" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] 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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Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s Mind-Bending Indie Thriller THE ENDLESS to Open in Theaters on March 23rd | Trailer
The mind-bending thriller The Endless directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead will open in theaters on March 23rd, 2018. The film stars Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Callie Hernandez, Emily Montague, Lew Temple, Tate Ellington and James Jordan.
Following their Lovecraftian modern cult classic Spring, acclaimed filmmakers Moorhead and Benson return with this mind-bending thriller that follows two brothers who receive a cryptic video message inspiring them to revisit the UFO death cult they escaped a decade earlier. Hoping to find the closure that they couldn’t as young men, they’re forced to reconsider the cult’s beliefs when confronted with unexplainable phenomena surrounding the camp. As the members prepare for the coming of a mysterious event, the brothers race to unravel the seemingly impossible truth before their lives become permanently entangled with the cult.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXB0DK3upGY
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LOVE AFTER LOVE Starring Chris O’Dowd and Andie MacDowell, Sets March 30th Release Date | VIDEO
Love After Love directed by Russell Harbaugh and starring Chris O’Dowd and Andie MacDowell, takes an unblinking look at a family navigating their way forward in the shadow of a shared loss.
IFC Films will release Love After Love in theaters and on demand March 30th, 2018.
Suzanne (Andie MacDowell) and Glenn (Gareth Williams) are college theatre professors, enjoying a playful, tempestuous marriage surrounded by students and family. Their two sons are Nicholas (Chris O’Dowd), a successful book editor in a relationship with Rebecca (Juliet Rylance), and Chris (James Adomian), perpetually attempting to find an outlet for his vague, impassioned creativity. When Glenn becomes ill with cancer, the family waits out his last Summer days together.
Glenn’s eventual death prompts curious, contradictory reactions: Nicholas jettisons his long-term relationship with Rebecca and becomes haphazardly engaged to his father’s student, Emilie (Dree Hemingway); Suzanne, now displaced as mother and wife, begins to see a series of men; Chris lurches forward, careening from failure to failure while pursuing an artistic career. Ill-equipped to attend to their mounting emotional needs, the family finds release in alternatively abhorrent and joyful ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUb2z6yT_bI
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Indie Thriller “JOSIE” Starring Sophie Turner, Dylan McDermott Eyes a March 2018 Release Date
Eric England’s thriller “Josie” starring Sophie Turner, Dylan McDermott, and Jack Kilmer will be released day-and-date in theaters in March 2018 via Screen Media Films.
The residents of a small, southern town are forever changed when the tattooed, sweet-talking stranger Josie (Sophie Turner) struts into town. Striking up relationships with a local young punk Marcus (Jack Kilmer) and her loner neighbor Hank (Dylan McDermott), she quickly becomes a hot topic of local gossip. But her true intentions for arriving in town are far more sinister when her dark past comes to light.
“Anthony’s story is populated with such rich characters and emotions. It was a privilege to explore and create that world with artists like Dylan and Sophie. I’m truly excited for audiences to see their performances,” said director Eric England.
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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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VIDEO: Watch Evan Rachel Wood as a Rebel in New ALLURE Trailer
Samuel Goldwyn Films has released a new trailer for Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s Allure starring Evan Rachel Wood. The film previously titled A Worthy Companion, was an Official Selection of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival; and will open in theaters on March 16, 2018 in New York and Los Angeles, plus available on Demand and Digital.
In the film, Laura (Evan Rachel Wood) works as a house cleaner for her father’s company but her personal life is not so pristine. Rough around the edges, looking for love in all the wrong places, her heartbreaking behavior points to hardships of the past. One day on the job, in yet another house, Laura meets Eva (Julia Sarah Stone), a quiet teenager unhappy with her disciplined life. In Eva, Laura rediscovers an innocent tenderness. In Laura, Eva finds a thrilling rebel who can bring her into unknown territories. The mutual attraction soon morphs into obsession as Laura convinces Eva to run away and secretly come live with her, perilously raising the stakes for the young, impressionable girl as Laura’s emotional instability becomes increasingly clear. As their world closes in, they must unearth certain truths to find a way out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IvU4gZfKOQ
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2018 New York International Children’s Film Festival Reveals Opening Lineup + VR Mini Fest
[caption id="attachment_26446" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Clockwise: Lu Over the Wall, White Fang, Wolves in the Walls, A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 2[/caption]
This year’s 2018 New York International Children’s Film Festival opens on Friday, February 23rd, with the East Coast premiere of anime auteur Masaaki Yuasa’s Lu Over the Wall. Boasting a distinctive, off-kilter animation style, eye-popping color palette, and outrageous music, Yuasa’s latest gem is, at its core, a captivating coming of age story. The eponymous Lu is a manic mermaid with a show-stopping voice who helps Kai, a gifted teenager unfulfilled by small-town life, discover his own. Winner of the Grand Prize Cristal Award at Annecy 2017, Lu evokes charming hints of Miyazaki, but claims a frenetic energy and surreal, freewheeling structure all its own.
Rounding out Opening Weekend is the Saturday, February 24th, Opening Spotlight screening of Academy Award®-winning director and NYICFF alum Alexandre Espigares’ debut feature, White Fang. An ambitious animated retelling of the classic Jack London novel, White Fang employs the voice work of Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Eddie Spears, and Paul Giamatti to tell the epic journey of White Fang’s life from pup to sled-dog to abused prizefighter and beyond, set in the gorgeously rendered landscape of the Pacific Northwest frontier.
On Saturday, March 10, NYICFF presents a special sneak peek Centerpiece screening of The Austere Academy: Parts 1 & 2, the highly-anticipated first episodes of Netflix’s original program A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 2. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and based on the Lemony Snicket series by Daniel Handler, this lauded adaptation is hailed as having “a respect for the ability of young minds to perceive offbeat, incongruous humor, the very quality that made the books so successful in the first place” (The New York Times). The new season returns with an all-star cast, including the brilliant Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, and plenty of nefarious schemes to catch the Baudelaire orphans. Season 2 releases March 30 only on Netflix.
The 2018 Festival will also showcase the inaugural edition of VR JR., a full weekend of Virtual Reality experiences, a special VR creators’ talk, and demos uniquely curated to provide a thoughtful point of entry for children and families to explore this new medium. Taking place Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4, the pioneering program showcases the latest VR projects that place kids at the helm of their own immersive story world. Projects include the East Coast premiere of the Neil Gaiman picture book adaptation Wolves in the Walls, directed by Pete Billington, and Golden Globe-nominated director Jorge Gutiérrez’s Son of Jaguar, a new Google Spotlight Story placing viewers into the story of a family of Mexican wrestlers.
The 21st anniversary of the Oscar qualifying Festival will run from February 23rd to March 18th, 2018
OPENING NIGHT:
LU OVER THE WALL, dir. Masaaki Yuasa (Japan) – 2018, East Coast premiere, Animation, 107 minutes Though obedient to his family, Kai’s quiet life in a traditional Japanese seaside town starts to rock and roil when he secretly joins a band with his classmates. His true interest is where they practice —on the foreboding Merfolk Island—a place that turns out to be even wilder than the town lore suggests. Enter Lu: a mermaid girl with the soul and voice of a pop star, who steals the show in this shape-shifting, musical/anime hybrid.OPENING SPOTLIGHT:
WHITE FANG, dir. Alexandre Espigares (France/Luxembourg/USA) – 2018, East Coast premiere, Animation, 85 minutes NYICFF alum and Oscar®-winning short film director Alexandre Espigares returns with his feature debut, a thrilling and thought-provoking adaptation of Jack London’s classic tale. White Fang and his fellow canines call the rugged beauty of the Yukon territory home, but with the Gold Rush of the 1890s they are thrust against the harsh life of profit-seeking prospectors. Will the tribal leader or a new peacekeeping couple offer White Fang another path?CENTERPIECE:
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: SEASON 2, THE AUSTERE ACADEMY, dirs. Barry Sonnenfeld and Daniel Handler (USA) – 2018, Special Preview Screening, Live Action, 98 minutes (Parts 1 & 2)VIRTUAL REALITY:
VR JR., Interactive VR Experiences and VR JR. Talk High-quality, innovative programming into new digital realms, offering the first dedicated Virtual Reality mini-fest for kids and families.
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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
[caption id="attachment_15896" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
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 VICTOR CROWLEY, Fourth Film in the Hatchet Franchise
Victor Crowley, the surprise fourth film in the fan-favorite Hatchet franchise will be released on VOD, Digital and Blu-ray and DVD on February 6, 2018. Kept tightly under wraps for over two years, the slasher reboot unexpectedly debuted this past August. The highly anticipated release was shown in theaters across the country in October as part of the “Victor Crowley Road Show.”
Set a decade after the events of the series’ first three films, Victor Crowley reunites Hatchet mainstays Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th 7 -X’s Jason Voorhees) and Parry Shen (Better Luck Tomorrow) for an all-new, horrifying journey into the haunted, blood-drenched bayou.
In 2007, over forty people were brutally torn to pieces in Louisiana’s Honey Island Swamp. Over the past decade, lone survivor Andrew Yong’s claims that local legend Victor Crowley was responsible for the horrific massacre have been met with great controversy, but when a twist of fate puts him back at the scene of the tragedy, Crowley is mistakenly resurrected and Yong must face the bloodthirsty ghost from his past.
Victor Crowley’s ensemble cast also features Laura Ortiz (2006’s The Hills Have Eyes), Dave Sheridan (Scary Movie), and Brian Quinn (truTV’s “Impractical Jokers”). Writer/director Adam Green proudly returns to the director’s chair of his series that, upon debuting in 2007, was energetically touted as a return to “old school American horror,” and whose maniacal fan-favorite villain quickly secured a place among slasher royalty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAY1YKne0RQ