Levan Akin’s film Crossing will open the 2024 Panorama program of 74th Berlin International Film Festival, set to showcase 31 titles from 36 countries. The Panorama program includes new works by André Téchiné, Thomas Arslan, Birgitte Stærmose, David-Pierre Fila, Annie Baker, Dag Johan Haugerud, Bruce LaBruce and Nathan Silver. Also in the program is the four-part anthology series Zeit Verbrechen.
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
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.
The 7th Milwaukee Film Festival, announced its lineup for Art + Artists. Now in its second year, the Art + Artists program features a selection of films that explore and celebrate creativity in the performing and visual arts.
“Milwaukee art lovers are going to have a lot to choose from at the festival this year—from visual art, opera and experimental film to cartoons and stand-up comedy,” explains Kristopher Pollard, Milwaukee Film Membership Manager and Art + Artists Programmer.
Art + Artists will feature the U.S. Premiere of the Argentinian film Nicola Costantino: The Artefacta (pictured above). One of the most controversial artists in Latin America, Costantino’s photography, sculpture and performance art utilize unconventional materials to evince social commentary. Film Subject Nicola Costantino and Director Natalie Cristiani are scheduled to appear at the Milwaukee Film Festival for the U.S. Premiere screening of the film.
“Costantino is a vital presence in the South American art world, and this film will introduce a U.S. audience to her life as well as her provocative and sometimes controversial work,” says Pollard.
An additional highlight of the program is Bobcat Goldthwait’s new film, Call Me Lucky, a documentary about comedy icon Barry Crimmons. A longtime friend of the legendary comic, Goldthwait interviews some of Crimmons’ biggest fans including Marc Maron, Patton Oswalt and David Cross.
“Crimmons is a loud, pissed-off and important voice, not only for the world of stand-up, but for the country in general,” explains Pollard.
New this year to the program is a single artist showcase of work from media artist Jesse McLean, who is scheduled to appear at the festival. The program, Mediated Realities: Videos by Jesse McLean, will feature her latest film, I’m in Pittsburgh and It’s Raining, which recently won first prize at the Onion City Experimental Film & Video Festival.
2015 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL
ART + ARTISTS
Go into the studio, around the work, and deep into the visionary mind with these films featuring iconic artists, artistic mediums, and everyday creative explorations.
Almost There
(USA / 2014 / Directors: Dan Rybicky, Aaron Wickenden)
A thought-provoking documentary about outsider art perfect for fans of MFF14’s Art and Craft, Almost There is the eight-year Midwestern odyssey of two filmmakers and the 83-year-old artist they’ve discovered. Peter Anton is as outside as an artist could possibly get — living in a home literally crumbling around him and surrounded by personal diaries of collage art. It takes the efforts of filmmakers Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden to secure him his first gallery show. But controversy follows when information about Anton’s complex history comes to light, secrets that whisk him out of his childhood home and into elder care.
https://vimeo.com/109723683
Call Me Lucky
(USA / 2015 / Director: Bobcat Goldthwait)
A loving documentary tribute to an acerbic comedic voice ahead of its time, Call Me Lucky is an insightful portrait of comedian-turned-humanitarian Barry Crimmins. Known for politically incisive satire (his two main targets: the U.S. government and the Catholic church) and the formation of the Boston comedy scene where he helped break numerous comedic talents, Crimmins’ tortured past led him out of the world of comedy and directly to Capitol Hill. Directed by close friend Bobcat Goldthwait and filled with comedians he influenced (Marc Maron, Patton Oswalt, David Cross), this is a personality profile of a comedic legend who channeled his pain into humor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FChmOC-Qjw
Iris
(USA / 2014 / Director: Albert Maysles)
One of the last works from the legendary documentarian Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter) allows an intimate glimpse into the private life of the vibrant, energetic nonagenarian fashion icon Iris Apfel, now 93 years young and still going strong. A character study of a genuine character, the film follows Iris from gala art events to the flea markets where she makes her finds, all the while finding rich insights into her philosophy on life and fashion — a philosophy that values individuality and creativity above all else. After all, as Iris says, “It’s better to be happy than well dressed.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIG2AoiHszY
Magicarena
(Italy / 2014 / Directors: Niccolò Bruna, Andrea Prandstraller)
A performance being held in the remarkable Verona Arena (an awe-inspiringly gorgeous first-century Roman amphitheater) must be equal to its setting, and Spanish theater group La Fura dels Baus’ production of Verdi’s Aida on the bicentennial of Verdi’s birth certainly fits the bill. Mimes, musicians, accomplished opera singers and a flotilla of set, costume and prop designers set forth to bring this sweeping vision to life, and we’re with them every step of the way. From initial auditions to opening night, this fascinating documentary shows the blood, sweat and tears involved in such a massive undertaking, with set disasters threatening to unravel the epic production at every turn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3YenwP_c_Y
Mediated Realities: Videos by Jesse McLean
(USA / 2008-2015 / Director: Jesse McLean)
This special presentation of works by leading avant-garde filmmaker Jesse McLean showcases her deep curiosity about human behavior and relationships, especially as presented and observed through mediated images. Through deft use of collage, each of McLean’s videos subtly questions viewers’ associations with the information we consume daily, while reimagining a world in which everyday media tropes are reclaimed and transformed.
Clip from I’m in Pittsburgh and It’s Raining
https://vimeo.com/130942011
Nicola Costantino: The Artefacta
(Argentina / 2015 / Director: Natalie Cristiani)
One of Latin America’s most celebrated and controversial visual artists is the subject of this fascinating cinematic tribute: Nicola Costantino: The Artefacta. Following this provocateur as she prepares her work for the 55th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, we’re given a behind-the-scenes look at the process behind her macabre works of genius — be it turning her own liposuctioned fat into bars of soap or her series of fetal animals compressed into perfect spheres. Join us for the U.S. premiere of this documentary on an artist whose work reckons with Argentina’s violent history and provokes responses both thoughtful and visceral.
https://vimeo.com/121268676
Station to Station
(USA / 2015 / Director: Doug Aitken)
A runaway train barreling through concepts of modern creativity, Doug Aitken’s Station to Station is a cross-country journey divided into 62 individual one-minute films, featuring an ever-mutating landscape of artists, places, and perspectives that all converge in this wild panoply of artistic expression. Be it Beck performing alongside a gospel choir in the Mojave Desert or other performers such as Cat Power, Thurston Moore, Patti Smith, or Kenneth Anger, this documentary is a must-see for fans of music and art alike, an amazing cross-section of people and places.
https://vimeo.com/79329869
Very Semi-Serious
(USA / 2015 / Director: Leah Wolchok)
The New Yorker has been a cultural institution for over 90 years, combining journalism, cultural criticism and literary fiction in a dazzling blend that has captivated readers. But perhaps most famous of all are its cartoons, single-panel salvos fired at the myriad absurdities of modern life from icons such as James Thurber, Charles Addams and Roz Chast. With editor Bob Mankoff (himself the spitting image of a loosely drawn single-panel character) as our tour guide, the hilarious documentary Very Semi-Serious takes us through the hallways of this venerable institution and introduces us to the quirky creatives behind the cartoons.
https://vimeo.com/67244072
The Sarasota Film Festival announced its full line-up, including its Narrative Feature Competition, Independent Visions Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, its Sundance/Gate Foundation Shorts, its Centerpiece and Spotlight films, and its Best of the Web Program for the 2015 Festival taking place April 10th Through April 19th, 2015.