One of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history occurred 100 years ago, May 31-June 1, 1921. Known as the Tulsa Race Massacre, a mob of white residents set fire to “Black Wall Street” – hundreds of Black-owned businesses and homes in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma – killing an estimated 100-300 Black residents and leaving an estimated 10,000 Black residents homeless.
Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman topped the list of nominees for the 4th Annual Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards with a total of nine nominations. The film, which received rave reviews after its premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Female Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best First Feature, Best Cast Ensemble, Best Hair & Makeup, and Best Film Editing.
The feature documentary Playing with Sharks, from two-time Emmy-nominated director Sally Aitken, documenting the life of Australian icon, conservationist and filmmaker Valerie Taylor was acquired by National Geographic Documentary Films at Sundance Film Festival
At the 2021 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony tonight, hosted by actor and comedian Patton Oswalt, jurors presented 24 prizes for feature filmmaking and seven for Short Films.
Today, the nominees were announced for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, with films Emperor; Farewell Amor; Miss Juneteenth; The 24th and The Banker nominated for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture.
Good Deed Entertainment released the new trailer for Summertime, from Blindspotting director Carlos López Estrada, which premiered as one of the opening night films of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Summertime is scheduled to be released in the summer.
National Geographic Documentary Films announced today a new feature documentary about the nation’s top infectious disease expert and dedicated public servant, Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D., from Emmy winners John Hoffman (“The Weight of the Nation,” “Sleepless in America”) and Janet Tobias (“Unseen Enemy”) and Academy Award winner Dan Cogan (“Icarus”), and two-time Academy Award nominee Liz Garbus (“What Happened, Miss Simone?,” “The Farm: Angola, USA”).
The International Press Academy (IPA) announced its nominations for the 25th Satellite™ Awards in Motion Pictures and Television, along with Special Achievement Award Recipients.
Artsploitation Films acquired Playdurizm, a neon-colored fantasy/romance/drama directed by Turkish-born, 24-year-old Gem Deger. The independent English-language Czech Film, which world premiered at the Lausanne Underground Film Festival (and won its Jury Prize for Best Picture), blends violence, romance, sex and wry comedy into a story about a young man who awakens to finds himself in an exciting but troubling new reality.
The Atlanta Film Critics Circle announced their awards for best films and performances of 2020 with director Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland emerging as the number one film. The film also won the award for Best Director for Chloe Zhao and Best Cinematography for Joshua James Richards.
As part of the festival format in 2021, the directors of six Golden Bear winning films will decide on the prizes in the International Competition at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival and will view the films on the big screen in Berlin. A jury presidency is not planned for this year.
The short documentary COVID Diaries NYC, debuting Tuesday, March 9 (9:00-9:40 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO, chronicles the lives of five young filmmakers, ranging in age from 17 to 21, who turn their cameras on themselves to tell the stories of their families during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. The deeply personal film illuminates the plight of essential workers and their families during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis as they navigate the deadly virus and a country riven by social upheaval.