I Called Him Morgan

  • AFI FEST 2017 Presentations and Conversations Lineups Feature Christopher Nolan, Angelina Jolie and More

    [caption id="attachment_25378" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Angelina Jolie, FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER Angelina Jolie, FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER[/caption] Conversations on directing with Christopher Nolan and on storytelling with Angelina Jolie and Loung Ung are among the events on the Presentations and Conversations lineups for AFI FEST 2017 presented by Audi. Other events include a roundtable of documentary filmmakers presented by the Los Angeles Times; The Hollywood Reporter’s Indie Contenders Roundtable with eight standout artists; an in-depth conversation with director Patty Jenkins; a conversation with filmmaker Agnès Varda; and a conversation with Martin McDonagh and Sam Rockwell about THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, presented by Variety. AFI FEST takes place November 9 to 16, 2017, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and other events will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.

    PRESENTATIONS

    CINEMATIC STORYTELLING: A CONVERSATION WTH CHRISTOPHER NOLAN Director/writer/producer Christopher Nolan discusses his latest film, Dunkirk, centering on the British maneuvers from the land, sea and air as the military and civilians attempt to save 400,000 soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, during World War II. A special 70mm film presentation of Dunkirk will precede the discussion. WORLD CINEMA MASTER IN CONVERSATION: AGNÈS VARDA French auteur and AFI FEST 2013 Guest Artistic Director Agnès Varda sits down for a discussion of her career and her new film Faces Places (co-directed with French installation artist JR). The event begins with a screening of Faces Places. The event will be moderated by Serge Toubiana, President of UniFrance.

    CONVERSATIONS

    INDIE CONTENDERS ROUNDTABLE Hear from a diverse panel of artists who have done standout work in independent film this year. Presented by The Hollywood Reporter and moderated by columnist and blogger Scott Feinberg, the panel will feature a 90-minute discussion with the artists about their careers and influences, as well as the challenges and rewards of working on indies. Panelists include Sean Baker (THE FLORIDA PROJECT), Richard Gere (NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER), Salma Hayek (BEATRIZ AT DINNER), Diane Kruger (IN THE FADE), Kumail Nanjiani (THE BIG SICK), Robert Pattinson (GOOD TIME), Margot Robbie (I, TONYA) and Lois Smith (MARJORIE PRIME). The roundtable is presented by The Hollywood Reporter and will be moderated by Scott Feinberg their lead awards analyst. DOC ROUNDTABLE Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang sits down with a panel of distinguished directors behind some of the most talked-about and acclaimed documentaries of the year. The panelists will include Evgeny Afineevsky (CRIES FROM SYRIA), Greg Barker (THE FINAL YEAR), Kasper Collin (I CALLED HIM MORGAN), Feras Fayyad (LAST MEN IN ALEPPO), Yance Ford (STRONG ISLAND), Bryan Fogel (ICARUS), Steve James (ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL), Amanda Lipitz (STEP) and Brett Morgen (JANE). The roundtable it presented by the Los Angeles Times. ON DIRECTING: PATTY JENKINS WONDER WOMAN director and AFI Conservatory alumna Patty Jenkins sits down for a moderated, in-depth discussion. ON DIRECTING: SOFIA COPPOLA Director/writer Sofia Coppola sits down to discuss her latest film, THE BEGUILED, set during the American Civil War and centering on an all-female Southern boarding school that takes in a wounded Union soldier, with unsettling results. ON ACTING: BRINGING APES TO LIFE – ANDY SERKIS, TERRY NOTARY, MATT REEVES, JOE LETTERI Actors Andy Serkis and Terry Notary, director Matt Reeves and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri of the critically acclaimed and visually stunning WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES sit down for a panel discussion on how performance capture and visual effects bring complex and emotional characters to life. ON COLLABORATIVE STORYTELLING: ANGELINA JOLIE AND LOUNG UNG Director Angelina Jolie and writer Loung Ung discuss the artistic and cross-cultural collaboration that brought FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER to the screen. Based on Ung’s autobiography, the film centers on a young girl who must embark on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER is Cambodia’s official Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission. CINEMA’S LEGACY: A CONVERSATION WITH JORDAN PEELE GET OUT director/writer Jordan Peele sits down for an in-depth conversation about his film and the impact and legacy of GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967), the groundbreaking, Oscar® winner about an interracial romance starring Sidney Poitier that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER will screen following the conversation. IN CONVERSATION: MARTIN MCDONAGH AND SAM ROCKWELL Director/writer/producer Martin McDonagh and actor Sam Rockwell, who have a long relationship working together for both the stage and screen, sit down for a moderated discussion with Jenelle Riley of Variety on THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, a darkly comedic drama centering on a mother (Frances McDormand) who makes a bold move to find her daughter’s murderer, riling local law enforcement. The conversation is presented by Variety.

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  • 170 Documentary Feature Films Submitted for 90th Academy Awards

    [caption id="attachment_25315" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Gaga: Five Foot Two Gaga: Five Foot Two[/caption] One hundred seventy features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 90th Academy Awards. 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. Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018. The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide. The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are: Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Aida’s Secrets Al Di Qua All the Rage All These Sleepless Nights AlphaGo The American Media and the Second Assassination of President John F. Kennedy And the Winner Isn’t Angels Within Architects of Denial Arthur Miller: Writer Atomic Homefront The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography Bang! The Bert Berns Story Bending the Arc Big Sonia Bill Nye: Science Guy Birthright: A War Story Bobbi Jene Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story Born in China Born to Lead: The Sal Aunese Story Boston Brimstone & Glory Bronx Gothic Burden California Typewriter Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story Casting JonBenet Chasing Coral Chasing Trane Chavela Citizen Jane: Battle for the City City of Ghosts Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives Cries from Syria Cruel & Unusual Cuba and the Cameraman Dawson City: Frozen Time Dealt The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson Destination Unknown Dina Dolores Dream Big: Engineering Our World A Dying King: The Shah of Iran Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) Earth: One Amazing Day 11/8/16 Elian Embargo Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars Escapes Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray Ex Libris – The New York Public Library Extraordinary Ordinary People Faces Places The Farthest The Final Year Finding Oscar 500 Years Food Evolution For Ahkeem The Force The Freedom to Marry From the Ashes Gaga: Five Foot Two A German Life Get Me Roger Stone Gilbert God Knows Where I Am Good Fortune A Gray State Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami Who Started It All Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story Hearing Is Believing Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS Human Flow I Am Another You I Am Evidence I Am Jane Doe I Called Him Morgan Icarus If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast The Incomparable Rose Hartman An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Intent to Destroy Jane Jeremiah Tower The Last Magnificent Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower Karl Marx City Kedi Keep Quiet Kiki LA 92 The Last Dalai Lama? The Last Laugh Last Men in Aleppo Legion of Brothers Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982 – 1992 Let’s Play Two Letters from Baghdad Long Strange Trip Look & See Machines Man in Red Bandana Mr. Gaga: A True Story of Love and Dance Motherland Mully My Scientology Movie Naples ’44 Neary’s – The Dream at the End of the Rainbow Night School No Greater Love No Stone Unturned Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press Nowhere to Hide Obit Oklahoma City One of Us The Paris Opera The Pathological Optimist Prosperity The Pulitzer at 100 Quest Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman The Rape of Recy Taylor The Reagan Show Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan Risk A River Below Rocky Ros Muc Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World Santoalla School Life Score: A Film Music Documentary Served Like a Girl The Settlers 78/52 Shadowman Shot! The Psycho Spiritual Mantra of Rock Sidemen: Long Road to Glory The Skyjacker’s Tale Sled Dogs Soufra Spettacolo Step Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex-Trafficking Strong Island Surviving Peace Swim Team Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton Take My Nose… Please! They Call Us Monsters 32 Pills: My Sister’s Suicide This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous Tickling Giants Trophy Twenty Two Unrest Vince Giordano – There’s a Future in the Past Voyeur Wait for Your Laugh Wasted! The Story of Food Waste Water & Power: A California Heist Whitney. Can I Be Me Whose Streets? The Work

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  • Street Cats of Istanbul Documentary KEDI, Leads 2nd Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Nominations

    [caption id="attachment_20047" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Kedi Kedi[/caption] Kedi, a beautiful documentary about the street cats of Istanbul, leads the nominations for the second annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, with nominations for Best Documentary, Best First Documentary, Most Innovative Documentary, Best Director for Ceyda Torun, and Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary for The Cats of Istanbul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKq7UqplcL8 California Typewriter, Chasing Coral, City of Ghosts, Cries From Syria,  and  Dawson City: Frozen Time,  followed with three nominations each; and  Abacus: Small Enough to Jail and  An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power  receiving two nominations each. The second annual awards ceremony takes place November 2 in Brooklyn.  Academy Award and seven-time Emmy nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger will receive the Critics’ Choice Impact Award.

    Second Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Nominations

    BEST DOCUMENTARY

    Abacus: Small Enough to Jail – Director: Steve James (PBS / Blue Ice Films, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Films Production) Beware the Slenderman – Director: Irene Taylor Brodsky (HBO, Warner Bros. Television Distribution / HBO Documentary Films, Vermilion Films) Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds – Directors: Alexis Bloom, Fisher Stevens (HBO / Bloomfish Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, Insurgent Docs, RatPac Documentary Films) California Typewriter – Director: Doug Nichol (Gravitas Ventures / American Buffalo Pictures) Chasing Coral – Director: Jeff Orlowski (Netflix / Exposure Labs) City of Ghosts – Director: Matthew Heineman (Amazon Studios, A&E IndieFilms, IFC Films / Our Time Projects) Cries From Syria – Director: Evgeny Afineevsky (HBO / Afineevsky – Tolmor Production, Cinepost Barrandov, Levy Entertainment Group, Studio Malibu) Dawson City: Frozen Time – Director: Bill Morrison (Kino Lorber / Hypnotic Pictures, Picture Palace Pictures) Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis – Director: Colin Hanks (HBO / Live Nation Productions, Company Name) Ex Libris: The New York Public Library – Director: Frederick Wiseman (Zipporah Films) Faces Places – Directors: Agnès Varda & JR (Cohen Media Group / Ciné Tamaris, Social Animals, Rouge International, Arte France Cinéma, Arches Films) Jane – Director: Brett Morgen (National Geographic Documentary Films / National Geographic Studios, Public Road Productions) Kedi – Director: Ceyda Torun (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) One of Us – Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady (Netflix / Loki Films) Spettacolo – Directors: Jeff Malmberg, Chris Shellen (Grasshopper Film / Open Face) Strong Island – Director: Yance Ford (Netflix / Yanceville Films, Louverture Films)

    BEST DIRECTOR

    Evgeny Afineevsky – Cries from Syria (HBO / Afineevsky – Tolmor Production, Cinepost Barrandov, Levy Entertainment Group, Studio Malibu) Amir Bar-Lev – Long Strange Trip (Amazon / Amazon Studios, Double E Pictures, Sikelia Productions, AOMA Sunshine Films) Matthew Heineman – City of Ghosts (Amazon Studios, A&E IndieFilms, IFC Films / Our Time Projects) Bill Morrison – Dawson City: Frozen Time (Kino Lorber / Hypnotic Pictures, Picture Palace Pictures) Doug Nichol – California Typewriter (Gravitas Ventures / American Buffalo Pictures) Jeff Orlowski – Chasing Coral (Netflix / Exposure Labs) Irene Taylor Brodsky – Beware the Slenderman (HBO, Warner Bros. Television Distribution / HBO Documentary Films, Vermilion Films) Ceyda Torun – Kedi (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) Agnès Varda & JR – Faces Places (Cohen Media Group / Ciné Tamaris, Social Animals, Rouge International, Arte France Cinéma, Arches Films) Frederick Wiseman – Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (Zipporah Films)

    BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY

    California Typewriter – Director: Doug Nichol (Gravitas Ventures / American Buffalo Pictures) Kedi – Director: Ceyda Torun (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) Nowhere to Hide – Director: Zaradasht Ahmed (East Village Entertainment / Ten Thousand Images) Step – Director: Amanda Lipitz (Fox Searchlight / Impact Partners, Stick Figure Productions) Strong Island – Director: Yance Ford (Netflix / Yanceville Films, Louverture Films) Whose Streets? – Director: Sabaah Folayan, Co-Director: Damon Davis (Magnolia Pictures)

    BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY

    11/8/16 – Directors: Duane Andersen, Don Argott & Sheena M. Joyce, Yung Chang, Garth Donovan, Petra Epperlein & Michael Tucker, Vikram Gandhi, Raul Gasteazoro, Jamie Goncalves, Andrew Beck Grace, Alma Har’el, Daniel Junge, Alison Klayman, Ciara Lacy, Martha Shane, Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Bassam Tariq (The Orchard / Cinetic Media) Abacus: Small Enough to Jail – Director: Steve James (PBS / Blue Ice Films, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Films Production) An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power – Directors: Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk (Paramount / Actual Films, Participant Media) City of Ghosts – Director: Matthew Heineman (Amazon Studios, A&E IndieFilms, IFC Films / Our Time Projects) Dolores – Director: Peter Bratt (PBS Distribution / 5 Stick Films) The Reagan Show – Directors: Sierra Pettengill, Pacho Velez (Gravitas Ventures, CNN Films)

    BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY

    AlphaGo – Director: Greg Kohs (Submarine Entertainment / Moxie Pictures, Reel As Dirt) Disgraced – Director: Pat Kondelis (Showtime Networks / Bat Bridge Entertainment) Icarus – Director: Bryan Fogel (Netflix / Alex Productions, Diamond Docs, Impact Partners) Speed Sisters – Director: Amber Fares (First Run Features) Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton – Director: Rory Kennedy (Sundance Selects / Moxie Firecracker Films) Trophy – Directors: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz (CNN Films, The Orchard / Candescent Films, Pulse Films, Reel Peak Films)

    BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

    Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of our Lives – Director: Chris Perkel (Apple Music / IM Global, Scott Free Productions) Contemporary Color – Directors: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross (Oscilloscope / The Department of Motion Pictures, Public Domain, Todo Mundo) Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis – Director: Colin Hanks (HBO / Live Nation Productions, Company Name) I Called Him Morgan – Director: Kasper Collin (FilmRise, Submarine Entertainment / Kasper Collin Produktion, Sveriges Television, Film i Väst) Long Strange Trip – Director: Amir Bar-Lev (Amazon / Amazon Studios, Double E Pictures, Sikelia Productions, AOMA Sunshine Films) Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World – Director: Catherine Bainbridge, Co-Director: Alfonso Maiorana (Kino Lorber / ARTE G.E.I.E, Rezolution Pictures)

    MOST COMPELLING LIVING SUBJECT OF A DOCUMENTARY

    The Cats of Istanbul – Kedi (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) Etty – One of Us (Netflix / Loki Films) Al Gore – An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (Paramount / Actual Films, Participant Media) Laird Hamilton – Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton (Sundance Selects / Moxie Firecracker Films) Dolores Huerta – Dolores (PBS / 5 Stick Films) Gigi Lazzarato – This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous (YouTube Red / SelectNext, Cabin Creek Films) The Sung Family – Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (PBS / Blue Ice Films, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Films Production)

    MOST INNOVATIVE DOCUMENTARY

    78/52 – Director: Alexandre O. Philippe (IFC Midnight / ARTE, Exhibit A Pictures, Milkhaus, Screen Division, Sensorshot Productions) Casting JonBenet – Director: Kitty Green (Netflix / Forensic Films, Symbolic Exchange, Meridian Entertainment) Dawson City: Frozen Time – Director: Bill Morrison (Kino Lorber / Hypnotic Pictures, Picture Palace Pictures) Karl Marx City – Directors: Petra Epperlein, Michael Tucker (Bond/360 / Pepper & Bones) Kedi – Director: Ceyda Torun (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) Last Men in Aleppo – Director: Firas Fayyad, Co-Director: Steen Johannessen (Grasshopper Film / Aleppo Media Center, Larm Film)

    BEST SONG IN A DOCUMENTARY

    An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power – “Truth to Power” – OneRepublic (Paramount / Actual Films, Participant Media) Chasing Coral – “Tell Me How Long” – Kristen Bell (Netflix / Exposure Labs) Cries From Syria – “Prayers for This World” – Cher (HBO / Afineevsky – Tolmor Production, Cinepost Barrandov, Levy Entertainment Group, Studio Malibu) Dina – “Best I Can” – Michael Cera featuring Sharon Van Etten (The Orchard / Cinereach, El Peligro, Killer Films) Served Like a Girl – “Dancing Through the Wreckage” – Pat Benatar (Entertainment Studios, Freestyle Digital Media) Step – “Jump” – Cynthia Erivo (Fox Searchlight / Impact Partners, Stick Figure Productions)

    BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES (TV/STREAMING)

    The Defiant Ones (HBO) Five Came Back (Netflix / Amblin Television, IACF Productions, Netflix, Passion Pictures, Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment) The Keepers (Netflix / Film 45, Tripod Media) The Nineties (CNN / CNN, Playtone, Herzog & Company) Planet Earth II (BBC America, AMC, SundanceTV / BBC Natural History Unit, BBC America, ZDF, Tencent, France Télévisions) The Vietnam War (PBS / Florentine Films, WETA-TV Washington)

    BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES (TV/STREAMING)

    30 for 30 (ESPN / ESPN Films) American Masters (PBS / WNET New York City) Frontline (PBS / WGBH-TV Boston) Independent Lens (PBS / Independent Television Service, Inc.) POV (PBS / American Documentary, Inc.) VICE (HBO / VICE Media)

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  • I CALLED HIM MORGAN Documentary on Jazz Legend Lee Morgan Sets March Release Date

    [caption id="attachment_20714" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]I CALLED HIM MORGAN I CALLED HIM MORGAN[/caption] I CALLED HIM MORGAN, Kasper Collin’s (My Name Is Albert Ayler) documentary portrait of legendary jazz musician Lee Morgan and the woman who tragically took his life will open in New York on March 24 and Los Angeles on March 31.  Featuring cinematography by Oscar-nominated DP Bradford Young (Arrival, Selma), I CALLED HIM MORGAN swept a prestigious group of fall film festivals—Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York, and London. The film will open theatrically on Friday, March 24 at New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center, and followed on Friday, March 31 by openings at Manhattan’s Metrograph Theater and Los Angeles’ Laemmle Monica with a national expansion to follow. On a snowy night in February 1972, 33-year-old jazz trumpet star Lee Morgan was shot dead by his common-law wife, Helen, during a gig at a club in New York City. The murder sent shockwaves through the jazz community, where Morgan played with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and John Coltrane. Helen served time for the crime and, following her release, retreated into obscurity. Over 20 years later, a chance encounter led her to give a remarkable interview. Helen’s revealing audio “testimony” acts as a refrain throughout the film, which draws together a wealth of archival photographs and footage, interviews with friends and bandmates and incredible jazz music to tell the ill-fated pair’s story. Part true-crime tale, part love story, and an all-out musical treat, I CALLED HIM MORGAN is a captivating chronicle of the dramatic destinies of two unique personalities and the music that brought them together. Featuring Wayne Shorter, Paul West, Charli Persip, Albert “Tootie” Heath, Larry Ridley, Jymie Merritt, Bennie Maupin, Billy Harper, Larry Reni Thomas, and more.

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