The film AFTER TILLER, which takes a look at the four late-term abortion doctors in the U.S. left after the 2009 slaying of Dr. George Tiller, was released in theaters this week. At the POV blog, Tom Roston spoke with directors Martha Shane and Lana Wilson about the film, while Christopher Campbell interviewed them in a post at RogerEbert.com. Darianna Cardilli also interviewed the pair at the International Documentary Association’s Documentary site. A.O. Scott reviewed the film for The New York Times, as did Joëlle Pouliot at the DocGeeks blog. At Mother Jones, Kate Sheppard wrote about AFTER TILLER’s relationship to Chicken & Egg Pictures. And Daniel Walber reviewed the film for Nonfics.com.
News came out of Egypt this week that filmmaker John Greyson and doctor Tarek Loubani had begun a hunger strike in a Cairo jail; the pair have been held there since August 16 without charge. Friends and family announced the hunger strike in a post on website created to secure the pair’s release, and Alex Ballingall reported on the development for the Toronto Star.
Kevin Ritchie of Realscreen reported that Susan Lacy, the creator and executive producer of the “American Masters” doc show on PBS, was leaving affiliate WNET for a job directing and producing docs at HBO. The Deadline site also reported on the news, as did Bill Carter at the Times and AJ Marechal at Variety.
This week Stranger Than Fiction is kicking off its fall season with a screening of Evan Jackson’s film LINSANITY, which follows professional basketball phenomenon Jeremy Lin. Jackson and producer Brian Yang will be in attendance for a screening following the screening. You can find more information and purchase tickets by going here.
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The news regarding the doc world was dominated this week by stories coming out of the Toronto International Film Festival. Jehane Noujaim left the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with the People’s Choice award for her film THE SQUARE about the revolution in Egypt; Christopher Campbell had coverage of the award at Nonfics.com, while Evan Mitsui of the CBC also had the details. Writing for The Globe and Mail, Omar el Akkad covered the challenges faced by Noujaim in making the film. Globe and Mail colleague Simon Houpt also wrote up THE SQUARE and Alex Gibney’s THE ARMSTRONG LIE as films that had to evolve along with their fast-changing subject matter.
At Realscreen, Kevin Ritchie reported on a TIFF panel on distribution, while Indiewire reproduced Dan Cogan’s presentation on managing the relationship between film producers and investors. Indiewire also carried Liesl Copland’s speech on the need for more transparency regarding VOD, while Scott Macaulay at Filmmaker Magazine chimed in to back the sentiment. Kelly Anderson covered the talk for Realscreen. Michael Cieply of The New York Times also cited Copland’s speech in a piece on VOD revenues. And Kelly Anderson covered a panel discussion on the crowdfunding of the film HONDROS: A LIFE IN FRAMES for Realscreen.
This week Stranger Than Fiction is hosting a pre-season special screening of MUSCLE SHOALS on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. at the IFC Center in Manhattan. The film recounts the story behind one of the most important and influential recording studios in American music. For more information or to purchase tickets go here.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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