This past Sunday evening, the awards for the online edition of exground filmfest 33 were presented in Wiesbaden, Germany. In the German Short Film Competition, the audience chose “keep shiftin'”by Verena Wagner as the winning film and in the International Short Film Competition, the jury chose the Mexican film Nightcrawlers (Noctámbulos) by Arturo Baltazar as the winning film.
Amazon Prime Video released the official trailer for Red, White and Blue, the third film in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology series. Small Axe premiered with Mangrove starring Letitia Wright and Shaun Parkes on Friday, November 20, and a new films will premiere each Friday as follows: Lovers Rock on 11/27 starring Micheal Ward & Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Red, White and Blue on 12/4 starring John Boyega, Alex Wheatle on 12/11 with newcomer Sheyi Cole, and the final film Education on 12/18 featuring Kenyah Sandy.
Glenn Close and the ensemble cast of One Night in Miami will receive awards at this year’s SFFILM Awards Night, taking place as a live-streamed showcase on December 9.
HBO Max has picked up a new documentary series inside the life of Nicki Minaj to be directed by Emmy nominee Michael John Warren. Nicki personally broke the news on social media with this announcement video.
British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) announced the long list for the 2020 Best British Short Film award. The 16 films listed below were chosen from over 300 entries. BIFA also announced this year’s long list in its highly-competitive Best International Independent Film category, and Best Documentary category, celebrating the finest independent films of the year.
CNN acquired the documentary “President in Waiting” from director Jeffrey Roth (41, The Wonder of it All). Now-President-Elect Joe Biden discusses his deliberation in accepting his nomination of Vice President, and explores in detail, his relationship with President Barack Obama, and the key counsel he offered at pivotal moments during their time in office. The film will premiere Saturday, Dec. 5 at 9:00pm Eastern on CNN.
Showtime released the trailer for the documentary Macho: The Hector Camacho Story, an unflinching look at the remarkable life, storied career and unsolved murder of one of boxing’s greatest showmen. The documentary debuts eight years after Camacho’s fatal shooting in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on Friday, December 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
Sundance Institute will honor filmmaker Radha Blank with the 2020 Vanguard Award presented by Acura, given annually to an artist whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence. The award honors the artistic achievement of her feature film directorial debut The Forty-Year-Old Version, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was developed by Blank at the Institute’s Labs. The Institute invites fans and supporters of independent cinema to celebrate Radha with a special event on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 hosted on Sundance Collab, the community platform for creators from around the world. The celebration, free for all, will feature Octavia Spencer, who was an advisor to Blank at the Labs, and a conversation between Blank and 2019 Vanguard Award recipient Lulu Wang (The Farewell).
Under the banner “Streaming Rivers: The Past into the Present,” the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) returns virtually December 2-6 with a spotlight on the cinema of two nations: Nigeria and the Sudan. Presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF), this year’s regional NYAFF will screen six features and eight short films in the FLC Virtual Cinema, as AFF celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Netflix dropped the official trailer for the documentary Giving Voice, featuring the original song, “Never Break” from John Legend. Directed by James D. Stern and Fernando Villena, the documentary – winner of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Favorite Award – will be released on December 11, 2020.
This year’s 2020 AFI European Union Film Showcase will take place as a virtual event from December 2–20 featuring 48 films representing 25 EU member states. Now in its 33rd year, the Showcase, one of the largest and long-running showcases of European cinema in the United States, has typically taken place at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD.
Magnolia Pictures released the trailer for the Some Kind of Heaven, documentary on The Villages, oft described as America’s largest retirement community, located in Central Florida. Directed by Lance Oppenheim the documentary premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and will open in theaters and on demand on January 15th, 2021.