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/117641253Films
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CITY OF TREES Documents DC Community’s Fight for Jobs and Safe Parks | TRAILER
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
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CHRISTMAS, AGAIN About Heartbroken Christmas Tree Salesman in NYC, Arrives Early December | VIDEO
CHRISTMAS, AGAIN, about a heartbroken Christmas tree salesman in NYC, will open in New York at the MoMA on Thursday, December 3rd, and Los Angeles on Friday, December 11th. CHRISTMAS, AGAIN is written, produced and directed by Charles Poekel and stars Kentucker Audley and Hannah Gross.
For a fifth consecutive December, a heartbroken Noel returns to New York City to work the night shift at a sidewalk Christmas tree lot. Devoid of any holiday spirit, he struggles to stay awake during the long, chilly nights in his trailer, while the daytime traffic keeps him from getting any real rest. As he slowly spirals into despair, he comes to the aid of a mysterious young woman in the park. Her warming presence, matched with some colorful customers, help rescue him from self-destruction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQDkwOp3X0g
In Theaters
December 1, 2015 (Sneak Preview)
MICA
Baltimore, MD
December 3 – 9th, 2015
MoMa
New York, NY
December 9th, 2015
The Public Cinema
Knoxville, TN
December 11 -17th, 2015
Leammle Theaters, NoHo
Los Angeles, CA
December 11 -17th, 2015
Dragonfly Cinema
Port Oarchard, WA
December 18th – 23rd, 2015
Gene Siskel Film Center
Chicago, IL
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Ewan McGregor to Receive Award at Los Cabos International Film Festival and Screen “Last Days in the Desert”
Actor and director Ewan McGregor will attend the upcoming Los Cabos International Film Festival where he will be presented with the Protagonist Award for Excellence in Acting. The award statuette was designed by acclaimed Mexican artist Gabriel Macotela. McGregor will also present the special screening of his film, Last Days in the Desert, accompanied by its director –and festival special guest– Rodrigo García. The film, widely praised by the critics when premiered at Sundance Film Festival this year, is an imaginative version of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert.
Ewan McGregor is mesmerizing as he takes on two of history’s most complicated and misunderstood characters: Jesus Christ and the Devil.
Director Rodrigo Garcia reimagines Christ’s last days of fasting in the desert as he walks back to civilization. In the midst of the harsh landscape, fatigued and hallucinating, Christ is met by the Devil, who is eager to test and tempt the weary traveler. Their profound ruminations on faith and truth demonstrate Garcia’s power as a screenwriter and McGregor’s determination to portray Jesus in a different light. By focusing on Christ’s fallibility and innocence, new dimensions of the prophet and the man create a fascinating character study. But Christ’s real test comes when he befriends a family on his travels and is caught up in a dispute that forces a powerful confrontation with his own fate.
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Watch the Full COSMIC SCRAT-TASTROPHE Short Featuring ICE AGE’s Scrat | VIDEO
COSMIC SCRAT-TASTROPHE short featuring ICE AGE’s Scrat screened in 2D and 3D exclusively with The Peanuts Movie in theaters on November 6, and now Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox have released the full version online. Scrat journeys where no ICE AGE character has gone before in COSMIC SCRAT-TASTROPHE. The consequences of Scrat’s antics are always momentous, and this time he’s creating his own version of the Big Bang.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgSNlmkJCpg
Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters. ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE, opening in theaters everywhere July 22, 2016, stars returning cast members Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, and Jennifer Lopez. Joining the herd are Stephanie Beatriz, Adam DeVine, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Max Greenfield, Jessie J, Nick Offerman, Melissa Rauch, Michael Strahan and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
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Award-winning Israeli Documentary, CENSORED VOICES, Gets November Release Date | TRAILER
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
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YOUTH, THE LOBSTER Leads Nominations for 28th European Film Awards
Youth directed by Paolo Sorrentino, lead the nominations for the 28th European Film Awards with 6 nominations, including Best European Film 2015, European Director for Paolo Sorrentino , European Actress for Rachel Weisz, European Actor for Michael Caine, European Screenwriter for Paolo Sorrentino.
Starring Academy Award winner Michael Caine as Fred and Academy Award nominee Harvey Keitel as Mick, Paolo Sorrentino’s YOUTH explores the lifelong bond between two friends vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena (Academy Award Winner Rachel Weisz), Mick is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda (Academy Award winner Jane Fonda). And where will inspiration lead their younger friend Jimmy (Paul Dano), an actor grasping to make sense of his next performance? Set against a sprawling landscape of unforgettable sights and intoxicating music, YOUTH asks if our most important and life-changing experiences can come at any time – even late — in life. Fox Searchlight will release the film on December 4, 2015.
Other films with multiple nominations, include The Lobster directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, with 4 nods, including Best European Film 2015, European Director for Yorgos Lanthimos, European Actor for Colin Farrell and European Screenwriter for Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou.
In the very near future, society demands that we live as couples. Single people are rounded up and sent to a seaside compound—part resort and part minimum-security prison—where they are given a finite number of days to find a match. If they don’t succeed, they will be “altered” and turned into an animal. The recently divorced David (Colin Farrell) arrives at The Hotel with his brother, now a dog; in the event of failure, David has chosen to become a lobster… because they live so long. When David falls in love, he’s up against a new set of rules established by another, rebellious order: for romantics, there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Welcome to the latest dark, dark comedy from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth), creator of absurdist societies not so very different from our own. With Léa Seydoux as the leader of the Loners, Rachel Weisz as David’s true love, John C. Reilly, and Ben Whishaw. An Alchemy release.
EUROPEAN FILM 2015
A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
EN DUVA SATT PÅ EN GREN OCH FUNDERADE PÅ TILLVARON
Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, 96 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Roy Andersson
PRODUCED BY: Pernilla Sandström
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk
MUSTANG
France, Germany, Turkey, 100 min.
DIRECTED BY: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
WRITTEN BY: Deniz Gamze Ergüven & Alice Winocour
PRODUCED BY: Charles Gillibert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU9JAN8LtIk
RAMS
HRÚTAR
Iceland, Denmark, 93 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Grímur Hákonarson
PRODUCED BY: Grímar Jónsson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw
THE LOBSTER
UK, Ireland, Greece, France, Netherlands, 118 min.
DIRECTED BY: Yorgos Lanthimos
WRITTEN BY: Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou
PRODUCED BY: Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey & Yorgos Lanthimos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z069ldsumxA
VICTORIA
Germany, 138 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Sebastian Schipper
PRODUCED BY: Jan Dressler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp8wcV3GjW0
YOUTH
YOUTH – LA GIOVINEZZA
Italy, France, UK, Switzerland, 118 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Paolo Sorrentino
PRODUCED BY: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima & Carlotta Calori
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJNxQ8Wzr2I
EUROPEAN COMEDY 2015
A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
EN DUVA SATT PÅ EN GREN OCH FUNDERADE PÅ TILLVARON
Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, 96 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Roy Andersson
PRODUCED BY: Pernilla Sandström
THE BÉLIER FAMILY
LA FAMILLE BELIER
France, 106 min.
DIRECTED BY: Eric Lartigau
WRITTEN BY: Eric Lartigau, Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carre de Malberg & Thomas Bidegain
PRODUCED BY: Eric Jehelmann, Philippe Rousselet & Stéphane Celerier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9p0qnj4OC4
THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT
LE TOUT NOUVEAU TESTAMENT
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, 114 min.
DIRECTED BY: Jaco Van Dormael
WRITTEN BY: Jaco Van Dormael & Thomas Gunzig
PRODUCED BY: Jaco Van Dormael, Olivier Rausin & Daniel Marquet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9jEA8uzHwQ
EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY 2015
A SYRIAN LOVE STORY
UK, 76 min.
DIRECTED BY: Sean McAllister
PRODUCED BY: Elhum Shakerifar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30JqnWtLvlU
AMY
UK, 127 min.
DIRECTED BY: Asif Kapadia
PRODUCED BY: James Gay-Rees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE
DANCING WITH MARIA
Italy, Argentina, Slovenia, 75 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Ivan Gergolet
PRODUCED BY: Igor Princic, David Rubio & Miha Cernec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHW5kOLRVP4
THE LOOK OF SILENCE
Denmark, Norway, Indonesia, 99 min.
DIRECTED BY: Joshua Oppenheimer
PRODUCED BY: Signe Byrge Sørensen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp1xT302VcY
TOTO AND HIS SISTERS
TOTO SI SURORILE LUI
Romania, Hungary, 93 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Alexander Nanau
PRODUCED BY: Valeriu Nicolae, Hanka Kastelicova, Alexander Nanau, Catalin Mitulescu & Marcian Lazar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXtjJbB1Oh4
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2015
Roy Andersson for A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
Yorgos Lanthimos for THE LOBSTER
Nanni Moretti for MY MOTHER
Sebastian Schipper for VICTORIA
Paolo Sorrentino for YOUTH
Małgorzata Szumowska for BODY
EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2015
Margherita Buy in MY MOTHER
Laia Costa in VICTORIA
Charlotte Rampling in 45 YEARS
Alicia Vikander in EX MACHINA
Rachel Weisz in YOUTH
EUROPEAN ACTOR 2015
Michael Caine in YOUTH
Tom Courtenay in 45 YEARS
Colin Farrell in THE LOBSTER
Christian Friedel in 13 MINUTES
Vincent Lindon in THE MEASURE OF A MAN
EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2015
Roy Andersson for A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
Alex Garland for EX MACHINA
Andrew Haigh for 45 YEARS
Radu Jude & Florin Lazarescu for AFERIM!
Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou for THE LOBSTER
Paolo Sorrentino for YOUTH
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Award-Winning Horror/Romance NINA FOREVER Will Open in Theaters on Valentine’s Day Weekend | TRAILER
The horror/romance film NINA FOREVER will be released on February 12, 2016, Valentine’s Day weekend via Epic Pictures Group. NINA FOREVER world premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, where it received widespread critical acclaim and generated strong word-of-mouth buzz from audiences.
Written and directed by Ben and Chris Blaine, NINA FOREVER was honored with multiple British Independent Film Awards nominations this week, including Best Debut Director for The Blaine Brothers and Most Promising Newcomer for lead actress Abigail Hardingham. The film was previously recognized with the Best Feature award at FrightFest 2015.
A darkly comedic romantic horror story exploring love and grief, NINA FOREVER follows Holly (Abigail Hardingham), as she begins a relationship with her co-worker Rob (Cian Barry), who is grieving over the recent death of his girlfriend Nina (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) from a motorcycle accident. Holly has fallen for Rob and is determined to help him though his grief. Yet every time they make love, Nina appears; tangled, bloody and still fixated on Rob. Holly doesn’t freak out and run – she can deal with the dead girl sharing their bed, their lives, their minds. If it’s what Rob needs, it’s what she’ll do, regardless of the consequences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IokJt_05co
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HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY to US Premiere at DOC NYC 2015 | TRAILER
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
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Coming Out Comedy “4th Man Out” to Hit Theaters on February 5, 2016
The comedy film 4th Man Out, from director Andrew Nackman which won the Outstanding Narrative Feature prize at 2015 Outfest, will be released on VOD and in theaters on February 5, 2016, via Gravitas Ventures.
The film was written by Aaron Dancik, and stars Evan Todd, Chord Overstreet, Kate Flannery, Parker Young, and Jon Gabrus.
Just like his pals, twenty-something auto mechanic Adam enjoys beer, hockey and inappropriate bodily functions. But Adam also likes guys. A hilarious mash-up of man-child and coming-out comedies, FOURTH MAN OUT examines a small-town, blue-collar guy who lets his friends know he’s gay – and what happens when they try to help him find a boyfriend. Both rudely funny and daring in its exploration of the kind of gay man we rarely see on the big screen, this bawdy comedy features Chord Overstreet (“Glee”) and Kate Flannery (“The Office”).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEoXzmuKdFc
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Australian Horror Film THE PACK, to Get a Spring 2016 Release | TRAILER
THE PACK, the feature debut of acclaimed commercials director Nick Robertson will be released in Spring 2016 via IFC Midnight. The film made its world premiere at the 2015 Fantasy Filmfest, and stars Anna Lise Phillips, Jack Campbell, and Kieran Thomas.
In THE PACK, a farmer and his family must fight for their lives after a ferocious pack of feral wild dogs lays siege to their isolated farm.. Through a series of frightening and bloody encounters, they are forced into survival mode to defend themselves from the ravenous beasts and make it through the night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcMH31xdvUA
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Complete List + TRAILERS of 16 Animated Feature Films Submitted For 88th Academy Awards
Sixteen features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 88th Academy Awards®.
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Anomalisa”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrrU3is7qvU
“The Boy and the Beast”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uifJLWoWv8c
“Boy and the World”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th0NihA2q-Q
“The Good Dinosaur”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-RgquKVTPE
“Home”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g50GhaH0U3Y
“Hotel Transylvania 2”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3nqmGgnJe8
“Inside Out”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAgJcEmMTek
“Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9dY5zkwK5M
“The Laws of the Universe – Part 0”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxWTp7O0VkM
“Minions”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfql_DoHRKc
“Moomins on the Riviera”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ie8lqrOe_4
“The Peanuts Movie”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XmV3zGifOE
“Regular Show: The Movie”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf6vwAOUDek
“Shaun the Sheep Movie” (pictured above)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQvwiOWpj7o
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGjbpO1toTc
“When Marnie Was There”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjmrxqcQdYg
Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated. In any year in which 16 or more animated feature films are eligible, a maximum of five motion pictures may be nominated.
Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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AMY, Listen To Me Marlon, Among Nominees for 2015 IDA Documentary Awards, Tig Notaro to Host Ceremony
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