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.
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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.
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The Ken Burns film PROHIBITION was among those made available on Netflix through the recent agreement.
Adam Benzine of Realscreen reported that Netflix had expanded a licensing agreement with PBS that would make a number of docs, including several works from Ken Burns, available on Netflix’s streaming service. You can find the Netflix press release on the deal here.
Adam Benzine also reported on the 40 documentary filmmakers invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), with Claude Lanzmann, Roger Ross Williams and Jafar Panahi numbering among them. A statement from Panahi, director of THIS IS NOT A FILM, was also published on Michael Moore’s website.
Joe Reid of the Tribeca Film Institute blog published his list of the five most essential docs of the year thus far, with Sarah Polley’s STORIES WE TELL topping his rundown.
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A Band Called Death from directors Jeff Howlett and Mark Covino bowed at theaters this week.
The film A BAND CALLED DEATH about Detroit’s proto-punk band Death from directors Jeff Howlett and Mark Covino hit theaters this week. Elisabeth Greenbaum Kassom interviewed Howlett and Covino for the International Documentary Association’s website, while Ben Edmonds covered the film for the Detroit Free Press. Jared Mobarak reviewed the doc for The Film Stage, while Eric Kohn wondered if a comparison between the film and SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN was apt at Indiewire. Mallika Rao of the Hufffington Post also spoke with Howlett and Covino about their film.
Writing for Realscreen, Adam Benzine covered the awards handed out at the first AFI Docs, with the Audience Award going to THE NEW BLACK from director Yoruba Richen. Ian Sandwell also had coverage of the festival’s awards in a piece for Screen Daily. Basil Tsiokos had coverage of the marriage of the festival and Washington politics in a piece for Indiewire, and provided additional coverage at his What (Not) to Doc blog. Ann Hornaday had news on the festival’s start for the Washington Post, and Patricia Aufderheide of American University’s Center for Social Media recapped a panel discussion she participated in on fair use issues.
In distro news, Adam Benzine of Realscreen reported that Sundance award-winner CUTIE AND THE BOXER from director Zachary Heinzerling was picked up by Dogwoof for UK theatrical distribution. His Realscreen colleague Kevin Ritchie reported that Sundance Selects had acquired North American rights for THE PUNK SINGER, Sini Anderson’s profile of musician and artist Kathleen Hanna. Benzine also had the news that Oscilloscope Laboratories had picked up North American rights for OFF LABEL, from directors Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher.
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Former POV staffer Yance Ford was among those named to Sundance's documentary story and edit labs.
The Sundance Institute this week named the nine projects selected to participate in its documentary story and edit labs for the year. Among those selected were director Yance Ford and editor Shannon Kennedy for the project STRONG ISLAND, and director Andrew James and editor Jason Tippet for the film STREET FIGHTING MAN. Ben Travers of Indiewire covered the announcement, as did Kelly Anderson of Realscreen.
The public television showcase POV kicks off its latest season today with a screening of the film HOMEGOINGS, a look at the traditions of African American funerals from director Isaiah Owens. At the Wall Street Journal Nancy Dewolf Smith previewed the film (after clicking scroll down to the second review).
The U.S. Tennis Association likely raised the hackles of fair use advocates after filing suit against filmmakers Maiken Baird and Michelle Major, directors of the film VENUS AND SERENA, which uses footage from the 2011 U.S. Open. Richard Sandomir covered the development for the New York Times blog Straight Sets. David Lieberman of Deadline reported that executive producer Alex Gibney termed the lawsuit an overstep by the USTA.
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