Showtime will air the television premiere of the documentary Pavarotti from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard on Monday, December 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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HBO Acquires LGBTQ Documentary WELCOME TO CHECHYNA Ahead of Sundance Premiere
Welcome to Chechnya by David France, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute HBO Documentary Films has acquired the powerful and eye-opening documentary Welcome to Chechnya, from Academy Award nominated director David France (“How to Survive a Plague,” “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson”). This searing documentary shadows a group of brave activists risking their lives to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ persecution in the repressive and closed Russian republic of Chechnya. With unfettered access and a commitment to protecting anonymity, this documentary exposes these underreported atrocities, while highlighting an extraordinary group of heroic people confronting crushing brutality.
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Magnolia Pictures to Release Documentary on Civil Rights Activist John Lewis in 2020
President Barack Obama awards the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Congressman John Lewis in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House February 15, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) Participant and Magnolia Pictures have acquired North American rights to the documentary JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter (TRAPPED, GIDEON’S ARMY). The film chronicles the life and career of the legendary civil rights activist and Democratic Representative from Georgia. Magnolia is planning a Spring 2020 theatrical release.
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5 Indie Films Nominated for Houston Film Critics Society 2019 Texas Independent Film Award
Bull directed by Annie Silverstein The Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) has again nominated five indie films to compete for this year’s 2019 TIFA (Texas Independent Film Award) awarded to an independently financed film shot in Texas.
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MARRIAGE STORY, BOOKSMART, WAVES Receive St. Louis Film Critics Association 2019 Awards Nominations
Beanie Feldstein stars as Molly and Kaitlyn Dever as Amy in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release. Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures Quentin Tarantino’s 1969 period piece “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” Martin Scorsese’s epic gangster film “The Irishman” and Noah Baumbach’s intimate portrait of divorce “Marriage Story” lead the nominations for St. Louis Film Critics Association’s 2019 awards.
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Short Film LITTLE CHIEF by Indigenous Filmmaker Erica Tremblay to Premiere at Sundance 2020
Little Chief directed by Erica Tremblay Little Chief, a narrative short film directed by Indigenous filmmaker Erica Tremblay (Seneca-Cayuga), will world premiere as part of the Shorts Selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The story stars an Indigenous cast, including Starring Lily Gladstone as Sharon, Julian Ballentyne as Bear and Lily Gladstone (Certain Women, Billions); and was produced through the Sundance Institute Native Filmmakers Lab.
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Watch New Trailer for Horror Thriller VFW Starring Stephen Lang, William Sadler
(L-R) Fred Williamson as Abe Hawkins, William Sadler as Walter Reed, Stephen Lang as Fred Paras, Sierra McCormick as Lizard and Tom Williamson as Shaun Mason in the action/thriller/horror film, “VFW,” an RLJE Films release. Photo courtesy of RLJE Films. Watch as a typical night for a group of war veterans at the local VFW turns into an all-out battle for survival in the new trailer for Joe Begos’ VFW. The action/thriller/horror film starring Stephen Lang, William Sadler, Martin Kove, David Patrick Kelly, Sierra McCormick,Tom Williamson, Travis Hammer, Dora Madison with George Wendt and Fred Williamson opens in theaters, on demand and digital on February 14, 2020.
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Sundance Film Festival 2020 Reveals Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events Lineup
A Love Song For Latasha by Sophia Nahli Allison, an official selection of the Shorts Programs at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Sophia Nahli Allison Sundance Film Festival announced the works selected across the Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events sections of the 2020 Festival. Of the projects announced, 48% were directed or created by one or more women, 33% were directed or created by one or more filmmaker of color, and 19% by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA. 7 were supported by Sundance Institute in development, whether through direct granting or Labs.
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“Clerks,” “She’s Gotta Have It” “Boys Don’t Cry” Among New Films Added to National Film Registry
Boys Don’t Cry (1999) directed by Kimberly Peirce Films ranging from Prince’s 1984 autobiographical hit “Purple Rain” and Spike Lee’s 1986 breakout movie “She’s Gotta Have It” to this year’s biggest public vote getter, Kevin Smith’s 1994 “Clerks” are among the 2019 selection of 25 of America’s most influential motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
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PARASITE and STATE FUNERAL Top Film Comment’s 2019 End-of-Year Survey
State Funeral directed by Sergei Loznitsa Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite took the top spot among films released in 2019 in Film Comment’s annual end-of-year survey. Of the films that screened at festivals worldwide but have not announced stateside distribution, Sergei Loznitsa’s State Funeral, Eloy Enciso Cachafeiro’s Endless Night, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth received the top rankings.
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RIP: TANGERINES Director Zaza Urushadze Dead at 53
Zaza Urushadze Georgian film director Zaza Urushadze known internationally for his film Tangerines passed away on December 7th, reportedly of heart attack, according to local news sites. He was 53.
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MARRIAGE STORY’s Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern + PARASITE Score SAG Award Nominations
Adam Driver (with Scarlett Johansson) in Marriage Story Nominees for the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® for outstanding individual, cast and ensemble performances in film and television of 2019 were announced this morning at the Pacific Design Center’s SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood. Marriage Story scored Best Actor nominations for Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson along with Supporting Actor nomination for Laura Dern; while the cast of Parasite were nominated along with JoJo Rabbit, The Irishman and more for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.