Canadian ilmmaker John Greyson was arrested in Egypt while researching a potential film.
Canadian filmmaker John Greyson, along with doctor and potential film subject Tarek Loubani, were arrested in Egypt this week while considering beginning work on a documentary film about Loubani’s work. Adam Benzine of Realscreen had details of his arrest, as did Sean Tepper of the Toronto Star. The Documentary Organization of Canada called on its government to aid in winning the release of the pair.
Director Bill Siegel talked with WYNC interviewer Leonard Lopate this week about his new film THE TRIALS OF MUHAMMAD ALI, which hit theaters this week. Noel Murray of The Dissolve and Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times turned in reviews of the film.
At the Tribeca Institute website Ron Mwangaguhunga wondered if documentaries could save newsweeklies, noting the recent launch of Time Magazine’s new doc unit, Red Border Films. In a piece for the POV blog, Heather McIntosh provided a rationale for new interest in docs from CNN, Time and Al Jazeera America.
Continue reading…
Critically regarded film CUTIE AND THE BOXER was released in theaters this week.
Zachary Heinzerling’s profile of Ushio Shinohara and his wife Noriko, CUTIE AND THE BOXER, reached theaters this week. Anthony Kaufman wrote about the film and its place in the oeuvre of “art” docs for his Docutopia post at the SundanceNOW site, while A.O. Scott reviewed the film for The New York Times. Nigel M. Smith interviewed Heinzerling for Indiewire, while Sara Vizcarrondo penned her own review of the film for the International Documentary Association (IDA) website.
Madeline Raynor of Indiewire reported on the news that Time had created a new digital documentary unit called Red Border Films. Georg Szalai of The Hollywood Reporter also had the news, as did Adam Benzine of Realscreen. Christine Haughney provided coverage at The New York Times.
Adam Benzine of Realscreen had details on the Toronto International Film Festival Doc Conference, while the festival itself posted a schedule on its website. Peter Knegt of Indiewire reported on the addition of 75 titles to TIFF’s lineup.
Continue reading…
Al Jazeera America this week announced the creation of a doc unit.
The Qatari government-funded news channel Al Jazeera America this week announced the launch of a new documentary film unit, with former National Geographic TV executive Kathy Davidov joining the outfit as senior executive producer. Adam Benzine reported on the development for Realscreen, as did Indiewire’s Alison Willmore.
Werner Herzog made waves this week with the release of a documentary on the dangers of texting and driving. Nick Dawson covered the news for Filmmaker Magazine, while Donald Melanson did the reporting for Engadget and Matt Hamblen did the same for Computerworld.
The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship has opened its call for submissions for the 2014 fellowship, setting a September 30 deadline for applications. Scott Macaulay of Filmmaker Magazine reported on the fellowship, created to honor editor Karen Schmeer who was killed in 2010 by the driver of a car fleeing a robbery.
Continue reading…
Errol Morris' new film on Donald Rumsfeld, THE UNKNOWN KNOWN, is among the work that will be screening in Toronto this year.
This week the big news was the announcement of the doc films to be featured at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. Coverage of the news came from all corners of the web. Jennie Punter of Variety had the news, as did Nick Dawson of Filmmaker Magazine. Adam Benzine wrote up the lineup for Realscreen, and later rounded up some trailers of the films screening in Toronto. Jordan M. Smith covered the news for Ion Cinema, while Nigel M. Smith did the same for Indiewire. Etan Vlessing wrote up the announcement for The Hollywood Reporter. STF’s Thom Powers also spoke with David Poland of Movie City News in his capacity as TIFF doc programmer.
Penny Lane’s OUR NIXON hit CNN this week, marking the first documentary to be screened under its CNN Films banner. Alison Willmore reviewed the film for Indiewire, while her colleague Sam Adams wondered if critics held the film to a different standard because it aired on television. David Teich of Indiewood/Hollywoodn’t also interviewed Lane.
In distro news, Kartemquin Films announced that Kino Lorber had acquired US rights for the upcoming THE TRIALS OF MUHAMMAD ALI from director Bill Siegel. Realscreen’s Adam Benzine reported that Sundance Selects had snagged U.S. rights for FINDING VIVIAN MAIER from directors John Maloof and Charlie Siskel. Benzine also had the news that Sony Picture Classics had gained worldwide rights for the film TIM’S VERMEER directed by one-name magician Teller. (Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times also reported on the film this week.) Benzine also reported that CNN Films had acquired SOLE SURVIVOR by director Kyle Dickens to be aired in 2014.
Continue reading…
GIVE UP TOMORROW from filmmakers Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco was among the films airing on television nominated for an Emmy this year.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences this week announced the nominations for this year’s news and documentary awards. Barry Walsh covered the announcement at Realscreen. ITVS’s Beyond the Box blog noted that it’s films had garnered eight nominations, while the POV blog announced it had show work snagging nine nominations.
The Sundance Institute also announced the 29 projects that would be recipients of its documentary grants this year. Nick Dawson covered the announcement for Filmmaker Magazine.
Joshua Oppenheimer’s doc THE ACT OF KILLING continues to draw attention in advance of its July 19 New York City release. At Guernica Mag, Caroline Cooper wrote a great piece on the underground network used for showing the film in Indonesia. The New York Times’ Larry Rohter also wrote a piece on the making of the film, while Errol Morris penned a piece on the film and the history of mass killings in Indonesia for Slate. The New Statesman even hosted a piece from Slavoj Zizek on the film.
Continue reading…
