Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief

  • HBO Debuts Release Date + Trailer for “Agents of Chaos” Alex Gibney’s Documentary on Russia’s Interference Into the 2016 Election

    Agents of Chaos
    Agents of Chaos

    Let’s put the word ‘collusion’ aside for a moment… and let’s instead use the word ‘seduction.’

    Timothy Snyder, Professor of History, Yale University; Author, The Road to Unfreedom

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  • ‘Carol’ ’45 Years’ Lead Nominations for London Critics’ Circle Film Awards

    45 Years Andrew Haigh Todd Haynes’ romantic drama Carol lead the 36th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards with seven nominations including Film of the Year and both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara competing for Actress of the Year. Close behind in the race for the awards, which are voted on by 140 members of The Critics‘ Circle Film Section, is Andrew Haigh’s marital study 45 Years, with six nominations. Unusually, two films received three nominations each: Asif Kapadia’s Amy is nominated for Film, Documentary and British Film, while Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence is up for Film, Documentary and Foreign-Language Film. The full list of nominees for the 36th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards: FILM OF THE YEAR 45 Years Amy Carol Inside Out The Look of Silence Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Room Spotlight BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR 45 Years Amy Brooklyn The Lobster London Road FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR Eden Hard to Be a God The Look of Silence The Tale of the Princess Kaguya The Tribe DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR Amy Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief The Look of Silence Palio A Syrian Love Story ACTOR OF THE YEAR Tom Courtenay – 45 Years Paul Dano – Love & Mercy Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs Tom Hardy – Legend ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Cate Blanchett – Carol Brie Larson – Room Rooney Mara – Carol Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR Benicio Del Toro – Sicario Tom Hardy – The Revenant Oscar Isaac – Ex Machina Michael Keaton – Spotlight Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Olivia Colman – The Lobster Kristen Stewart – Clouds of Sils Maria Tilda Swinton – Trainwreck Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Andrew Haigh – 45 Years Todd Haynes – Carol Alejandro G Iñárritu – The Revenant George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road Ridley Scott – The Martian SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR Emma Donoghue – Room Nick Hornby – Brooklyn Phyllis Nagy – Carol Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy – Spotlight Aaron Sorkin – Steve Jobs BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR Michael Caine – Kingsman: The Secret Service, Youth Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation, Second Coming Colin Farrell – The Lobster, Miss Julie Michael Fassbender – Macbeth Slow West, Steve Jobs, Tom Hardy – Legend, London Roa, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenantd BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Emily Blunt – Sicario Carey Mulligan – Far From the Madding Crowd, Suffragette Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years, The Forbidden Room Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn, Lost River Kate Winslet – The Dressmaker, A Little Chaos, Steve Jobs YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER Asa Butterfield – X + Y Milo Parker – Mr Holmes, Robot Overlords Florence Pugh – The Falling Liam Walpole – The Goob Maisie Williams – The Falling BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER Tom Browne – Radiator Mark Burton & Richard Starzak – Shaun the Sheep Movie Emma Donoghue – Room Alex Garland – Ex Machina John Maclean – Slow West BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM Directed by Tweedie – dir Duncan Cowles Leidi – dir Simon Mesa Soto Over – dir Jorn Threlfall Rate Me – dir Fyzal Boulifa Stutterer – dir Benjamin Cleary TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Carter Burwell, music – Carol Wade Eastwood, stunts – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Colin Gibson, production design – Mad Max: Fury Road Elliott Graham, editing – Steve Jobs Edward Lachman, cinematography – Carol Tom Ozanich, sound design – Sicario Sandy Powell, costumes – Cinderella John Seale, cinematography – Mad Max: Fury Road Alistair Sirkett and Markus Stemler, sound design – Macbeth Andrew Whitehurst, visual effects – Ex Machina

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  • Vancouver Film Critics Circle Reveals 2016 Nominations, ‘Room’ Leads Canadian Nominations

    ROOM, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, William H. Macy and Joan Allen Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant leads all films in the 2016 Vancouver Film Critics Circle International section with three nominations. The nominees for Best Documentary are Amy, Cartel Land and Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, while The Assassin, Goodnight Mommy and Son of Saul are up for Best Foreign Language Film. A riveting and uplifting tale of a mother and son escaping confinement, the Canadian-Irish co-production Room has earned six VFCC nominations in the Canadian categories, including one for Best Canadian Film, and director Lenny Abrahamson is nominated for Best Director of a Canadian Film, Room (pictured above) will face off against Guy Maddin and co-director Evan Johnson’s The Forbidden Room and Andrew Cividino’s Sleeping Giant for Best Canadian Film. Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World will also compete with Jerry Rothwell’s How to Change the World, Alan Zweig’s Hurt and Damien Gillis & Fiona Rayher’s Fractured Land for Best Canadian Documentary. The full list of 2016 Vancouver Film Critics Circle International nominees. BEST FILM Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant Spotlight BEST ACTOR Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant Michal Fassbender, Steve Jobs Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl BEST ACTRESS Cate Blanchett, Carol Brie Larson, Room Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies Michael Shannon, 99 Homes Sylvester Stallone, Creed BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina BEST DIRECTOR Todd Haynes, Carol Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road BEST SCREENPLAY Emma Donoghue, Room Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy, Spotlight BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM The Assassin Goodnight Mommy Son of Saul BEST DOCUMENTARY Amy Cartel Land Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief The full list of nominees in the 2016 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Canadian categories. BEST CANADIAN FILM The Forbidden Room Room Sleeping Giant BEST ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM Michael Eklund, Eadweard Christopher Plummer, Remember Jacob Tremblay, Room BEST ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM Marie Brassard, Sabali Brie Larson, Room Julia Sarah Stone, Wet Bum BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM Patrick Huard, My Internship in Canada Reece Moffett, Sleeping Giant Nick Serino, Sleeping Giant BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM Joan Allen, Room Suzanne Clement, My Internship in Canada Tara Pratt, No Men Beyond This Point BEST SCREENPLAY FOR A CANADIAN FILM Benjamin August, Remember Andrew Cividino, Blain Watters & Aaron Yeger, Sleeping Giant Emma Donoghue, Room BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM Lenny Abrahamson, Room Andrew Cividino, Sleeping Giant Atom Egoyan, Remember BEST CANADIAN DOCUMENTARY Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World Fractured Land How to Change the World Hurt BEST FIRST FILM BY A CANADIAN DIRECTOR Hit 2 Pass, Kurt Walker Sleeping Giant, Andrew Cividino Wet Bum, Lindsay Mackay BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM Eadweard Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World No Men Beyond This Point

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  • ‘Carol’ ‘Brooklyn’ ‘The Danish Girl’ ‘Spotlight’ Among 21st Critics’ Choice Awards Nominations

    21st Choice Awards Nominations“Mad Max: Fury Road” leads the nominations for the 21st Critics’ Choice Awards with 13 nominations including Best Picture. “Carol,” impressed with nine nominations including Best Picture, and Best Director. “Spotlight” earned eight nominations, “Brooklyn,” “The Danish Girl,” each garnered five nominations and “Room” earned four. The winners will be revealed live at the Critics’ Choice Awards gala, which will be broadcast from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on A&E, Lifetime and LMN on Sunday, January 17 at 8PM ET/ 5PM PT. Actor and comedian T.J. Miller will serve as the show’s host. NOMINATIONS FOR THE 21st CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS BEST PICTURE The Big Short Bridge of Spies Brooklyn Carol Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Room Sicario Spotlight BEST ACTOR Bryan Cranston – Trumbo Matt Damon – The Martian Johnny Depp – Black Mass Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl BEST ACTRESS Cate Blanchett – Carol Brie Larson – Room Jennifer Lawrence – Joy Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Paul Dano – Love & Mercy Tom Hardy – The Revenant Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies Michael Shannon – 99 Homes Sylvester Stallone – Creed BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight Rooney Mara – Carol Rachel McAdams – Spotlight Helen Mirren – Trumbo Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation RJ Cyler – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Shameik Moore – Dope Milo Parker – Mr. Holmes Jacob Tremblay – Room BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE The Big Short The Hateful Eight Spotlight Straight Outta Compton Trumbo BEST DIRECTOR Todd Haynes – Carol Alejandro González Iñárritu – The Revenant Tom McCarthy – Spotlight George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road Ridley Scott – The Martian Steven Spielberg – Bridge of Spies BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen – Bridge of Spies Alex Garland – Ex Machina Quentin Tarantino – The Hateful Eight Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley – Inside Out Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy – Spotlight BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Charles Randolph and Adam McKay – The Big Short Nick Hornby – Brooklyn Drew Goddard – The Martian Emma Donoghue – Room Aaron Sorkin – Steve Jobs BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Carol – Ed Lachman The Hateful Eight – Robert Richardson Mad Max: Fury Road – John Seale The Martian – Dariusz Wolski The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki Sicario – Roger Deakins BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Bridge of Spies – Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo Brooklyn – François Séguin, Jennifer Oman and Louise Tremblay Carol – Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler The Danish Girl – Eve Stewart, Michael Standish Mad Max: Fury Road – Colin Gibson The Martian – Arthur Max, Celia Bobak BEST EDITING The Big Short – Hank Corwin Mad Max: Fury Road – Margaret Sixel The Martian – Pietro Scalia The Revenant – Stephen Mirrione Spotlight – Tom McArdle BEST COSTUME DESIGN Brooklyn – Odile Dicks-Mireaux Carol – Sandy Powell Cinderella – Sandy Powell The Danish Girl – Paco Delgado Mad Max: Fury Road – Jenny Beavan BEST HAIR & MAKEUP Black Mass Carol The Danish Girl The Hateful Eight Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Ex Machina Jurassic World Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant The Walk BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Anomalisa The Good Dinosaur Inside Out The Peanuts Movie Shaun the Sheep Movie BEST ACTION MOVIE Furious 7 Jurassic World Mad Max: Fury Road Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Sicario BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE Daniel Craig – Spectre Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Tom Hardy – Mad Max: Fury Road Chris Pratt – Jurassic World Paul Rudd – Ant-Man BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE Emily Blunt – Sicario Rebecca Ferguson – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Bryce Dallas Howard – Jurassic World Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road BEST COMEDY The Big Short Inside Out Joy Sisters Spy Trainwreck BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY Christian Bale – The Big Short Steve Carell – The Big Short Robert De Niro – The Intern Bill Hader – Trainwreck Jason Statham – Spy BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY Tina Fey – Sisters Jennifer Lawrence – Joy Melissa McCarthy – Spy Amy Schumer – Trainwreck Lily Tomlin – Grandma BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE Ex Machina It Follows Jurassic World Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM The Assassin Goodnight Mommy Mustang The Second Mother Son of Saul BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Amy Cartel Land Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief He Named Me Malala The Look of Silence Where to Invade Next BEST SONG Fifty Shades of Grey – Love Me Like You Do Furious 7 – See You Again The Hunting Ground – Til It Happens To You Love & Mercy – One Kind of Love Spectre – Writing’s on the Wall Youth – Simple Song #3 BEST SCORE Carol – Carter Burwell The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone The Revenant – Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto Sicario – Johann Johannsson Spotlight – Howard Shore

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  • Complete List + Trailers of 15 Documentary Feature Films Advancing in 2015 Oscar Race

    We Come as Friends The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards®. One hundred twenty-four films were originally submitted in the category. The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Amy,” On the Corner Films and Universal Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE “Best of Enemies,” Sandbar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzgfQvB2dvA “Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vi9vWdUKEg “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zllYkNu1sl4 “He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ghiYve6k68 “Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v37BnyHefnY “The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBNHGi36nlM “Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZlWjE_NJfI “The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbPN8-juZUI “Meru,” Little Monster Films https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pZ1GzXPEO8 “3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” The Filmmaker Fund, Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, Actual Films, JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha BRITDOC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_USf1UQIAYg “We Come as Friends,” Adelante Films (pictured in main image) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0uso3emlUg “What Happened, Miss Simone?,” RadicalMedia and Moxie Firecracker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moOQXZxriKY “Where to Invade Next,” Dog Eat Dog Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei747zi9iYY “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” Pray for Ukraine Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RibAQHeDia8 The Academy’s Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles. 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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  • CARTEL LAND, MERU Leads Nominations for 9th Cinema Eye Honors awards for Nonfiction Filmmaking

    Cartel Land Cartel Land, Matthew Heineman’s gripping account of violence and vigilantes on both sides of the US-Mexico border, led the nominations for 9th Cinema Eye Honors awards for Nonfiction Filmmaking, with five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature. It is joined in the top category by Asif Kapadia’s Amy, Camilla Neilsson’s Democrats, Stevan Riley’s Listen to Me Marlon, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence. The latter, which received four nominations, and Cartel Land were the only films nominated for Outstanding Feature, Direction, Production and Cinematography. Other films that received multiple nominations include the mountain climbing thriller Meru (4 nominations); Amy, Heart of a Dog, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck and The Wolfpack (3 nominations); Best of Enemies, Democrats, Listen to Me Marlon, The Nightmare, Uncertain and Western (2 nominations). Winners of the 9th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced Wednesday, January 13, 2016 in New York at the Museum of the Moving Image. The complete list of nominations for 9th Cinema Eye Honors Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking “Amy” Directed by Asif Kapadia Produced by James Gay-Rees “Cartel Land” Directed by Matthew Heineman Produced by Tom Yellin “Democrats” Directed by Camilla Nielsson Produced by Henrik Veileborg “Listen to Me Marlon” Directed by Stevan Riley Produced by John Battsek, George Chignell and R.J. Cutler “The Look of Silence” Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer Produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen “The Wolfpack” Directed by Crystal Moselle Produced by Crystal Moselle and Izabella Tzenkova Outstanding Achievement in Direction Matthew Heineman, “Cartel Land” Kim Longinotto, “Dreamcatcher” Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog” Frederick Wiseman, “In Jackson Heights” Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, David Usui & Ben Wu, “In Transit” Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence” Outstanding Achievement in Editing Chris King, “Amy” Aaron Wickenden and Eileen Meyer, “Best of Enemies” James Scott, “How to Change the World”Brett Morgen and Joe Neshenkovsky, “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” Stevan Riley, “Listen to Me Marlon” Outstanding Achievement in Production Tom Yellin, “Cartel Land” Henrik Veileborg, “Democrats” Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright and Kristen Vaurio, “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”Signe Byrge Sørensen, “The Look of Silence” Jimmy Chin, Chai Vasarhelyi and Shannon Etheridge, “Meru” Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll, “Cartel Land” Lars Skree, “The Look of Silence” Renan Ozturk, “Meru” Ewan McNicol, “Uncertain” Bill Ross and Turner Ross, “Western” Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Films Made for Television “Deep Web” Directed by Alex Winter Produced by Marc Schiller, Alex Winter and Glen Zipper For EPIX: Executive Producers Jill Burkhart and Ross Bernard “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” Directed by Alex Gibney Produced by Alex Gibney, Kristen Vaurio and Lawrence Wright For HBO Documentary Films: Supervising Producer Sara Bernstein and Executive Producer Sheila Nevins “Outbreak” Directed by Dan Edge Produced by Dan Edge and Sasha Joelle Achilli For Frontline/PBS: Coordinating Producer Carla Borras and Executive Producers Raney Aronson-Rath and David Fanning “Private Violence” Directed and Produced by Cynthia Hill For HBO Documentary Films: Senior Producer Nancy Abraham and Executive Producer Sheila Nevins “Whitey: The United States of America vs. James J. Bulger” Directed by Joe Berlinger Produced by Joe Berlinger and Caroline Suh For CNN Films: Supervising Producer Courtney Sexton and Executive Producers Vinnie Malhotra and Amy Entelis Audience Choice Prize “Amy” Directed by Asif Kapadia “Best of Enemies” Directed by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” Directed by Alex Gibney “The Hunting Ground” Directed by Kirby Dick “Iris” Directed by Albert Maysles “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” Directed by Brett Morgen “Meru” Directed by Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Directed by Liz Garbus “Where to Invade Next” Directed by Michael Moore “The Wolfpack” Directed by Crystal Moselle Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film “Kings of Nowhere” Directed by Betzabé Garcia “Peace Officer” Directed by Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson “Pervert Park” Directed by Frida Barkfors and Lasse Barkfors “The Russian Woodpecker” Directed by Chad Gracia “Uncertain” Directed by Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands “The Wolfpack” Directed by Crystal Moselle Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score Jackson Greenberg and Scott Salinas, “Cartel Land” Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog” J. Ralph, “Meru” Jonathan Snipes, “The Nightmare” Casey McAllister, “Western” Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation Nominees TBD, “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon” Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog” Stefan Nadelman and Hisko Hulsin, “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” Syd Garon, “The Nightmare” Ryan Green and Josh Larson, “Thank You for Playing” Spotlight Award “Almost There” Directed by Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden “Barge” Directed by Ben Powell “Field Niggas” Directed by Khalik Allah “Frame by Frame” Directed by Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli “(T)error” Directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe “Toto and His Sisters” Directed by Alexandre Nanău Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking “The Breath” Directed by Fabian Kaiser “Buffalo Juggalos” Directed by Scott Cummings “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah” Directed by Adam Benzine “The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul” Directed by Kitty Green “Hotel 22” Directed by Elizabeth Lo

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  • 124 Documentary Features Submitted For 2015 Oscar Race

    Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky One hundred twenty-four features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 88th Academy Awards®. The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are: “Above and Beyond” “All Things Must Pass” “Amy” “The Armor of Light” “Ballet 422” “Batkid Begins” “Becoming Bulletproof” “Being Evel” “Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery” “Best of Enemies” “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” “Bolshoi Babylon” “Brand: A Second Coming” “A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story” “Call Me Lucky” “Cartel Land” “Censored Voices” “Champs” “CodeGirl” “Coming Home” “Dark Horse” “Deli Man” “Dior and I” “The Diplomat” “(Dis)Honesty – The Truth about Lies” “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll” “Dreamcatcher” “dream/killer” “Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon” “Eating Happiness” “Every Last Child” “Evidence of Harm” “Farewell to Hollywood” “Finders Keepers” “The Forecaster” “Frame by Frame” “Gardeners of Eden” “A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile” “Godspeed: The Story of Page Jones” “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” “He Named Me Malala” “Heart of a Dog” “Hitchcock/Truffaut” “How to Change the World” “Human” “The Hunting Ground” “I Am Chris Farley” “In Jackson Heights” “In My Father’s House” “India’s Daughter” “Ingrid Bergman – In Her Own Words” “Iraqi Odyssey” “Iris” “Janis: Little Girl Blue” “Karski & the Lords of Humanity” “Killing Them Safely” “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” “Lambert & Stamp” “A Lego Brickumentary” “Listen to Me Marlon” “Live from New York!” “The Look of Silence” “Meet the Patels” “Meru” “The Mind of Mark DeFriest” “Misery Loves Comedy” “Monkey Kingdom” “A Murder in the Park” “My Italian Secret” “My Voice, My Life” “1971” “Of Men and War” “One Cut, One Life” “Only the Dead See the End of War” “The Outrageous Sophie Tucker” “Peace Officer” “The Pearl Button” “Pink & Blue: Colors of Hereditary Cancer” “Poached” “Polyfaces” “The Prime Ministers: Soldiers and Peacemakers” “Prophet’s Prey” “Racing Extinction” “The Resurrection of Jake the Snake” “Ride the Thunder – A Vietnam War Story of Victory & Betrayal” “Rosenwald” “The Russian Woodpecker” “Searching for Home: Coming Back from War” “Seeds of Time” “Sembene!” “The Seven Five” “Seymour: An Introduction” “Sherpa” “A Sinner in Mecca” “Something Better to Come” “Song from the Forest” “Song of Lahore” “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine” “Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans” “Stray Dog” “Sunshine Superman” “Sweet Micky for President” “Tab Hunter Confidential” “The Tainted Veil” “Tap World” “(T)error” “Thao’s Library” “Those Who Feel the Fire Burning” “3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets” “The Touch of an Angel” “TransFatty Lives” “The True Cost” “Twinsters” “Very Semi-Serious: A Partially Thorough Portrait of New Yorker Cartoonists” “The Wanted 18” “We Are Many” “We Come as Friends” “We Were Not Just…Bicycle Thieves. Neorealism” “Welcome to Leith” “What Happened, Miss Simone?” “What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy” “Where to Invade Next” “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” (pictured above) “The Wolfpack” Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules in order to advance in the voting process. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December. Films submitted in the Documentary Feature category may also 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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  • 2015 Camden International Film Festival Reveals Slate of Feature and Short Films

    OLMO AND THE SEAGULL Petra Costa, Lea Glob The 2015 Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) announced the slate of feature and short films for its 11th edition, which will take place September 17-20, 2015 throughout Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine. CIFF will present over 60 features and short films from across the globe, the country and the state, with filmmakers attending nearly every screening. Highlights of this year’s program include Locarno titles Machine Gun or Typewriter, The Ground We Won and Locarno winner Olmo and the Seagull (pictured above), fresh from TIFF: climate change doc This Changes Everything; and Points North alums Containment and Drawing the Tiger. In addition to the titles below, CIFF will screen a sidebar program of historic ethnographic films with support from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a program celebrating the home movie archives of Charles Norman Shay in collaboration with Northeast Historic Film, and the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking Shorts List, whose titles will be announced at the festival next month. The Camden International Film Festival will announce their Points North Documentary Forum lineup of films, speakers and panels on Thursday, August 27. 2015 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FEATURES ABOVE AND BELOW Nicolas Steiner | Switzerland, Germany | 2015 ALL THINGS ABLAZE Oleksandr Technyski, Aleksey Solodunov, Dmitry Stoykov | Ukraine | 2014 ALMOST THERE Aaron Wickenden, Dan Rybicky | United States | 2014 BEST OF ENEMIES Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon | United States | 2014 BREAKING A MONSTER Luke Meyer | United States | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! CONTAINMENT Peter Galison, Robb Moss | United States | 2015 Filmmakers in attendance! Points North Alum! DEMOCRATS Camila Nielsson| Denmark | 2014 DRAWING THE TIGER Amy Benson, Ramyata Limbu, Scott Squire | United States | 2015 Filmmakers in attendance! Points North Alum! ELEPHANT’S DREAM Kristof Bilsen | Belgium | 2014 Filmmaker in attendance! FRAME BY FRAME Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli | United States | 2015 Filmmakers in attendance! FROM THIS DAY FORWARD Sharon Shattuck | United States | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF Alex Gibney | United States | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! THE GROUND WE WON Christopher Pryor | New Zealand | 2015 HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD Jerry Rothwell | United Kingdom, Canada | 2015 I AM THE PEOPLE (JE SUIS LE PEUPLE) Anna Roussillon | France | 2014 IN TRANSIT Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu, David Usui | United States | 2015 Filmmakers in attendance! KINGS OF NOWHERE Betzabé García | Mexico | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! MACHINE GUN OR TYPEWRITER Travis Wilkerson | United States | 2015 MERU Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | United States | 2015 OF THE NORTH Dominic Gagnon | Canada | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! OLMO AND THE SEAGULL Petra Costa, Lea Glob | Denmark, Brazil, Portugal, France | 2015 Producer in attendance! PEACE OFFICER Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber | United States | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER Chad Gracia | Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States | 2015 SAILING A SINK SEA Olivia Wyatt | United States | 2015 Filmmakmer in attendance! TELL SPRING NOT TO COME THIS YEAR Saeed Taji Farouky, Michael McEvoy | United Kingdom | 2015 (T)ERROR Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe | United States | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! THANK YOU FOR PLAYING David Osit, Malika Zouhali-Worrall | United States | 2015 Filmmakers in attendance! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Avi Lewis | Canada, United States | 2015 THOSE WHO FEEL THE FIRE BURNING Morgan Knibbe | Netherlands | 2014 TOTO AND HIS SISTERS Alexander Nanau | Romania, Hungary, Germany | 2014 T-REX Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari | United States | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! UNCERTAIN Anna Sandilands, Ewan McNicol | United States | 2015 Filmmakers in attendance! UNTITLED Work-in-Progress Screening Ian Cheney | United States | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! WESTERN Bill Ross, Turner Ross | United States | 2015 Filmmaker in attendance! 2015 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILMS 70-SOME YEARS Riley Hooper | United States | 2015 AMERICAN RENAISSANCE Jarred Alterman, Ryan Scafuro | United States | 2015 BODY TEAM 12 David Darg | United States | 2015 CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH Adam Benzine | United Kingdom | 2015 CHOP MY MONEY Theo Anthony | United States | 2014 DENALI Ben Knight | United States | 2015 DIVER Christoph Gelfand, Caroline Losneck | United States | 2015 Dirigo Short! Made in Maine! ERIC, WINTER TO SPRING Danya Abt | United States | 2014 THE FACE OF UKRAINE: CASTING OSKANA BAIUL Kitty Green | Australia | 2015 FARM Christoph Gelfand | United States | 2015 Dirigo Short! Made in Maine! HERETIX: UP AND RUNNING Francis Decky | United States | 2015 Dirigo Short! Made in Maine! HOTEL 22 Elizabeth Lo | United States | 2014 THE LAND Erin Davis | United States | 2015 THE LAST BARN DANCE Ted Richardson, Jason Arthurs | United States | 2015 LAST PYRAMID Dave Schachter | United States | 2015 Dirigo Short! Made in Maine! LETTER TO SUBI Genevieve Carmel | United States | 2015 LUCHADORA River Finlay | United States, Mexico | 2014 THE MANY SAD FATES OF MR. TOLEDANO Joshua Seftel | United States | 2015 MY GAL, ROSEMARIE Jason Tippet | United States | 2015 NEW MISSION Christopher Giamo | United States | 2014 OBJECT Paulina Skibinska | Poland | 2015 OF THE UNKNOWN Eva Weber | United Kingdom | 2014 PINK BOY Eric Rockey | United States | 2015 THE REAGAN SHORTS Pacho Velez | United States | 2015 Points North Alum! SEEDING FEAR Craig Jackson | Canada | 2015 SPEARHUNTER Luke Poling, Adam Roffman | United States | 2014 TERRITORY Eleanor Mortimer | United Kingdom | 2015 THINGS Ben Rivers | United Kingdom | 2015

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  • Alex Gibney’s Controversial Scientology Doc to Debut on HBO

    going clear scientology prison of belief

    GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF, directed by Oscar® winner Alex Gibney which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, will debut in prime time Sunday, March 29, exclusively on HBO.

    The film can also be seen the next night, Monday, March 30 at 9:00 p.m. 

    Based on the book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright, GOING CLEAR,profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, whose most prominent adherents include A-list Hollywood celebrities, shining a light on how the church cultivates true believers, detailing their experiences and what they are willing to do in the name of religion.

    One of the most talked about films at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, this powerful documentary highlights the Church’s origins, from its roots in the mind of founder L. Ron Hubbard to its rise in popularity in Hollywood and beyond. The heart of GOING CLEAR is a series of shocking revelations by former insiders, including high-ranking and recognizable members such as acclaimed screenwriter Paul Haggis (“Crash”), who describe the systematic history of abuse and betrayal by Church officials, including the current leadership of the Church. GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF is a provocative tale of ego, exploitation and lust for power.

    GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF was written and directed by Alex Gibney; based on the book by Lawrence Wright; producers, Alex Gibney, Kristen Vaurio and Lawrence Wright; editor, Andy Grieve; director of photography, Samuel Painter. For HBO; supervising producer, Sara Bernstein; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zllYkNu1sl4

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  • Alex Gibney’s Scientology Doc to Open Big Sky Film Festival

    GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEFGOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF

    The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has released the lineup of 40 films, plus opening night film Alex Gibney’s GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF.

    The 12th Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) opens February 6th with a free screening, fresh from its Sundance premiere, of Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney’s GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF. 

    The film, which is controversial in its own right, is based on the controversial book of the same title by Pulitzer-winning journalist Lawrence Wright, who is featured in the film along with eight former members of the Church of Scientology. The book drew significant litigation from the Church, and HBO expects the same for the film.  The film will enjoy a limited theatrical and festival run before its broadcast premiere on HBO in March.

    The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has also released the list of 40 films vying to win one of four juried competitions.  

    Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Competitions –

    Mini-Doc Award –

    BREAK KIDS, Emily Kassie, 8 minutes
    BROKEN LANDSCAPES, Michael T. Miller, 13 minutes
    CAILLEACH, Rosie Reed Hillman, 14 minutes
    THE LAST SMALLHOLDER, Francis Lee, 9 minutes
    LITTLE HERO, Marcus A. McDouglad & Jennifer Medvin, 10 minutes
    LUCHADORA, River Finlay, 12 minutes
    OMID, Jawad Wahabzada, 9 minutes
    SLOW SEASON, John Fiege, 6 minutes
    TREASURE ISLAND, Elizabeth Lo & Melissa Langer, 7 minutes
    UNDER THE BED, Michael Galinsky & Suki Hawley, 11 minutes

    MINI-DOC JURY –

    John Cohen, Filmmaker
    Yarrow Kramer, Filmmaker
    Adam Singer, Filmmaker

    Short Documentary Award –

    BROKEN CITY POETS, Ariane Wu, 29 minutes
    CONTROVERSIES, Ryan Mckenna, 22 minutes
    FIGHTER BY NATURE, JP Keenan & Aryelle Cormier, 28 minutes
    GROWING HOME, Faisal Attrache, 21 minutes
    HINOKI FARM, Akiro Hellgardt, 29 minutes
    LA REINA, Manuel Abramovich, 19 minutes
    MIE NISHI, Bruno Caticha, 19 minutes
    POUTERS, Paul Fegan, 17 minutes
    SANTA CRUZ DEL ISLOTE  19 minutes
    THE VOW, Cameron Zohoori, 40 minutes

    SHORT DOCUMENTARY JURY –

    Christoph Green, Filmmaker
    Alexandra Hanibal, Tribecca DocFund
    Noland Walker, ITVS

    Feature Documentary Award –

    1971, Johanna Hamilton, 80 minutes
    BOYS WITH BROKEN EARS,  Nima Shayeghi, 80 minutes
    HIP HOP-ERATION, Bryn Evans, 93 minutes
    MEET THE HITLERS, Matt Ogens, 83 minutes
    NOW EN ESPANOL, Andrea Meller, 67 minutes
    PERSONAL GOLD, Tamara Christopherson, 89 minutes
    SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER, Frode Fimland, 85 minutes
    THERE WILL BE NO STAY,  Patty Dillon, 71 minutes
    TOP SPIN, Sara Newens & Mina T. Son, 76 minutes
    TRUE SON, Kevin Gordon, 72 minutes

    FEATURE DOCUMENTARY JURY

    Erik Augustin Palm, Journalist
    Desroches Mia, National Film Board of Canada
    Tracy Rector, Filmmaker
    Brian Newman, Producer

    Big Sky Award –

    BILLY MIZE AND THE BAKERSFIELD SOUND, William J. Saunders, 95 minutes
    BY BLOOD, Sam Russell & Marcos Barbery, 63 minutes
    CHILDREN OF THE ARCTIC, Nick Brandestini, 94 minutes
    DAUGHTERS OF EMMONAK, Graeme Aegerter, Bobby Moser, & Samantha Andre, 17 minutes
    DESERT HAZE, Sofie Benoot, 109 minutes
    FISHTAIL, Andrew Renzi, 61 minutes
    FLORENCE, ARIZONA, Andrea B. Scott, 77 minutes
    GAUCHO DEL NORTE, Sofian Khan & Andres Caballero, 58 minutes
    LOVE AND TERROR: ON THE HOWLING PLAINS OF NOWHERE, Dave Jannetta, 100 minutes
    THE LAST SEASON,  Sara Dosa, 80 minutes

    BIG SKY AWARD JURY

    Sandra Itkoff, Producer
    Julie Campfield, RocoFilms
    Nikki Heyman, POV

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