Oscar-winning director-producers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth (Chai) Vasarhelyi consistently deliver stunning visuals and compelling documentary content. And following such breakout films as “Meru,” Oscar- and Emmy-winning “Free Solo,” Emmy-winning “The Rescue,” and “Wild Life,” which took advantage of pro climber-cinematographer-NatGeo photographer Chin’s 20 years of athletic cinema and Vasarhelyi’s relentless producer drive for perfection, they moved into feature directing with long-distance swimming drama “Nyad,” which scored Oscar nominations for stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.
Over the years, the filmmakers have established their filmmaking prowess, combining immersive cinema verité visuals with deeply felt personal drama. That is on full display in their latest collaboration with NatGeo, the series “Photographer,” for which the duo matched six of the world’s most renowned shooters with veteran directors Marshall Curry, Kristi Jacobson, and Sam Pollard, plus Sundance alumnae Crystal Kayiza and Rita Baghdadi, and set them loose to return with bespoke...
Over the years, the filmmakers have established their filmmaking prowess, combining immersive cinema verité visuals with deeply felt personal drama. That is on full display in their latest collaboration with NatGeo, the series “Photographer,” for which the duo matched six of the world’s most renowned shooters with veteran directors Marshall Curry, Kristi Jacobson, and Sam Pollard, plus Sundance alumnae Crystal Kayiza and Rita Baghdadi, and set them loose to return with bespoke...
- 3/19/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
With the focus on mid and short films increasing significantly this year, Osaka Asian Film Festival presented another quite intriguing edition, with the choices from both within Japan and the rest of Asia highlighting the quality of the programming once more. At the same time though, the fact that both Japanese and Korean cinema, which make up for a large part of the program, are not on their best years, does take a toll. Particularly regarding the former, the repetition of the same tropes, and more importantly, the almost complete lack of tension most Japanese movies seem to exhibit nowadays, does border on the annoying. There were still some films that stood out, with “Snowdrop”, “Swimming in a Sand Pool” , “Inch Forward”, and “Girls and Boys” exhibiting some fresh ideas, but the aforementioned fact remains. At the same time, it is also a fact that is quite difficult to find...
- 3/19/2024
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
After making their first narrative feature “Nyad,” which debuted last year and earned Oscar nominations for the film’s stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, Academy Award winning directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (“Free Solo”) are returning to their documentary roots with “Photographer.”
The six-part National Geographic docuseries features seven photographers — Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, Dan Winters, Campbell Addy, Krystle Wright, Muhammed Muheisen, and Anand Varma. Vérité footage of each subject’s current mission is interwoven with interviews and archival footage to demonstrate how each photographer approaches their work, the intention behind that work, their process, and how they each discover, see and experience the world.
To bring each of the National Geographic photographers’ stories to life, showrunners Chin and Vasarhelyi hired six veteran documentary filmmakers: Marshall Curry (“Racing Dreams”), Crystal Kayiza (“Rest Stop”), Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”), Kristi Jacobson (“Solitary”) Rita Baghdadi (“Sirens”) and Pagan Harleman...
The six-part National Geographic docuseries features seven photographers — Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, Dan Winters, Campbell Addy, Krystle Wright, Muhammed Muheisen, and Anand Varma. Vérité footage of each subject’s current mission is interwoven with interviews and archival footage to demonstrate how each photographer approaches their work, the intention behind that work, their process, and how they each discover, see and experience the world.
To bring each of the National Geographic photographers’ stories to life, showrunners Chin and Vasarhelyi hired six veteran documentary filmmakers: Marshall Curry (“Racing Dreams”), Crystal Kayiza (“Rest Stop”), Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”), Kristi Jacobson (“Solitary”) Rita Baghdadi (“Sirens”) and Pagan Harleman...
- 3/18/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Showtime announced director Daniel Peddle’s Beyond The Aggressives: 25 Years Later documentary will debut on streaming and on-air for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan on Saturday, March 30 and premiere that day at 9 p.m. Et/Pt on Showtime.
The film, which was nominated for the Outstanding Documentary Feature at the GLAAD Media Awards this year, is a follow-up to Peddle’s groundbreaking 2005 film The Aggressives, which will premiere streaming and on-air March 5 on Paramount+ with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan. March 31 marks International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Beyond The Aggressives: 25 Years Later revisits four of the original subjects from The Aggressives, a doc centering transmasculine people of color who were assigned female at birth, enlightening viewers on what has transpired in their lives since the first film was made. The now iconic Kisha, Trevon, Octavio and Chin are back, sharing an array of their triumphs and challenges...
The film, which was nominated for the Outstanding Documentary Feature at the GLAAD Media Awards this year, is a follow-up to Peddle’s groundbreaking 2005 film The Aggressives, which will premiere streaming and on-air March 5 on Paramount+ with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan. March 31 marks International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Beyond The Aggressives: 25 Years Later revisits four of the original subjects from The Aggressives, a doc centering transmasculine people of color who were assigned female at birth, enlightening viewers on what has transpired in their lives since the first film was made. The now iconic Kisha, Trevon, Octavio and Chin are back, sharing an array of their triumphs and challenges...
- 2/29/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: World-renowned actor and influential Hong Kong action filmmaker Donnie Yen is set to star in 87North and Universal Pictures’ Kung Fu, a feature adaptation of the classic ’70s TV series. Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, and Guy Danella will produce through 87North, with Leitch eyeing to direct.
Stephen Chin wrote the screenplay. Stephen L’Hereaux will also produce, and Ed Spielman, creator of the original Kung Fu television series, will executive produce.
The original ABC series starred David Carradine as a master martial artist who fled China after his master was murdered. He wandered the Old West helping the downtrodden and weathering rampant racism while eluding assassins trying to kill him. He was a peaceful man until provoked, which happened at least once an episode.
With his ground-breaking work on and off camera, Donnie Yen is among the exceedingly few actors of his generation to work at the highest levels...
Stephen Chin wrote the screenplay. Stephen L’Hereaux will also produce, and Ed Spielman, creator of the original Kung Fu television series, will executive produce.
The original ABC series starred David Carradine as a master martial artist who fled China after his master was murdered. He wandered the Old West helping the downtrodden and weathering rampant racism while eluding assassins trying to kill him. He was a peaceful man until provoked, which happened at least once an episode.
With his ground-breaking work on and off camera, Donnie Yen is among the exceedingly few actors of his generation to work at the highest levels...
- 1/31/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
The Stone Cold Stunner. The People's Elbow. Sweet Chin Music. The Figure Four. 619. There are some moves in the world of professional wrestling that are so well-known they can be identified by non-wrestling fans outside of the squared circle. And now, one of the most compelling submission moves in wrestling history — the Iron Claw — is the title of Sean Durkin's heartbreaking drama about the Von Erich family. During an Iron Claw, the wrestler places all five fingers over the face of their opponent and squeezes as hard as they can into the temples. It's one of the most evocative moves in a wrestler's arsenal because there's no way to "fake" it. The audience can see a bare hand over an agonized face, giving the impression that if the wrestler didn't stop ... they could crush a skull like an empty soda can.
And no one could do it like Fritz Von Erich.
And no one could do it like Fritz Von Erich.
- 12/22/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
When Annette Bening likes a project, she jumps in. That’s what happened with Netflix’s festival hit “Nyad,” based on the story of 60-ish cranky competitive swimmer Diana Nyad and her refusal to abandon her dream. When she signed on to star in Nyad’s story of swimming 110 miles in open ocean from Cuba to Florida, Bening wasn’t thinking about the details of what playing the title character would entail. She just wanted to play the part.
Over the course of her three-decade career, which has yielded four Oscar nominations, Bening’s dramatic and comedic roles have run the gamut from con artist, Machiavellian schemer, and gangster’s moll to angsty suburban housewife. But she’s never been identified as a physically athletic actress.
“I’ve always been an athletic person in my personal life,” she said over Zoom. “I’m an exercise person since I was 20.” In “Open Range,...
Over the course of her three-decade career, which has yielded four Oscar nominations, Bening’s dramatic and comedic roles have run the gamut from con artist, Machiavellian schemer, and gangster’s moll to angsty suburban housewife. But she’s never been identified as a physically athletic actress.
“I’ve always been an athletic person in my personal life,” she said over Zoom. “I’m an exercise person since I was 20.” In “Open Range,...
- 12/20/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Diana Nyad had been a world-class endurance athlete for years when, after swimming around Manhattan in a little under eight hours in 1975, she became a celebrity and a talk-show staple. At the age of 30, Nyad retired after breaking the open-ocean record by going from the Bahamas to Florida, one stroke at a time, in 27 hours. She transitioned into sportscasting, wrote books, hosted radio shows, did the occasional motivational speaker gig, and enjoyed the rewards of a life well lived.
Still, one thing consistently nagged at Nyad. In 1978, the face of...
Still, one thing consistently nagged at Nyad. In 1978, the face of...
- 11/2/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
For the ‘Free Solo’ Directors, Making ‘Nyad’ Was Much Harder Than Hanging Off the Side of a Mountain
With
After “Meru,” Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” and “The Rescue,” we knew that directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi delivered stunning visuals and provocative storytelling. With festival hit “Nyad”, based on the story of cranky competitive swimmer Diana Nyad and her refusal to abandon her dream, none of their skills were lost in translation to the scripted world
Nyad’s story of swimming 110 miles in open ocean from Cuba to Florida is well aligned with the filmmakers’ own profiles: Chin is a star mountain climber and cinematographer; Vasarhelyi is a relentless producer-organizer who always pushes for perfection. “It’s very true to brand, about someone who can’t give up ever,” Vasarhelyi told me. “Finally she did it on the fifth try, when she was 64.”
This propulsive two-hander stars Annette Bening, who also was 64 when she played the part after a year of training. Jodie Foster portrays her former lover-now-trainer, and...
After “Meru,” Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” and “The Rescue,” we knew that directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi delivered stunning visuals and provocative storytelling. With festival hit “Nyad”, based on the story of cranky competitive swimmer Diana Nyad and her refusal to abandon her dream, none of their skills were lost in translation to the scripted world
Nyad’s story of swimming 110 miles in open ocean from Cuba to Florida is well aligned with the filmmakers’ own profiles: Chin is a star mountain climber and cinematographer; Vasarhelyi is a relentless producer-organizer who always pushes for perfection. “It’s very true to brand, about someone who can’t give up ever,” Vasarhelyi told me. “Finally she did it on the fifth try, when she was 64.”
This propulsive two-hander stars Annette Bening, who also was 64 when she played the part after a year of training. Jodie Foster portrays her former lover-now-trainer, and...
- 10/27/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Five new Beverly Hills spots are cutting through tough competition in 90210, offering elevated takes on local favorites, from decadent sandwiches with bresaola and truffle honey to sushi in a hidden underground spot. Plus, catch the last weekend of Caviar Kaspia’s pop-up tea service at the Peninsula (Oct. 28 and Oct. 29).
For more on where to eat in the area, check out THR‘s story on the best patios for a business lunch in Beverly Hills and Century City (featuring Nerano, Nua and Lumière), plus the scoop on a clutch of new restaurants that opened earlier in 2023 in and near the Golden Triangle (including the reopened La Dolce Vita, Funke, Steak 48 and Espelette).
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills
The city’s go-to for fine cheeses, cured meats, wines and sundry fancy foods since 1967 moved last summer from Beverly Drive to a bountiful 5,000-square-foot location on South Santa Monica Boulevard near Linden Drive.
For more on where to eat in the area, check out THR‘s story on the best patios for a business lunch in Beverly Hills and Century City (featuring Nerano, Nua and Lumière), plus the scoop on a clutch of new restaurants that opened earlier in 2023 in and near the Golden Triangle (including the reopened La Dolce Vita, Funke, Steak 48 and Espelette).
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills
The city’s go-to for fine cheeses, cured meats, wines and sundry fancy foods since 1967 moved last summer from Beverly Drive to a bountiful 5,000-square-foot location on South Santa Monica Boulevard near Linden Drive.
- 10/24/2023
- by Elycia Rubin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Yeti has launched a $200,000 grant to support emerging documentary filmmakers. The global outdoor brand’s Pretty Wild fellowship will support four directors as they create short docs that give a fresh perspective on the beauty, grandeur, and vulnerability of the outdoors and the people and stories that live there. Fellows will be offered mentorship, $50,000 unrestricted grants, and guidance throughout the development of their films. Applications for the Fellowship will open on Sept. 26.
The fellowship was developed in partnership with Little Monster Films, the production company founded by Academy Award-winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, and the Points North Institute, a nonprofit organization that supports the next generation of nonfiction storytellers. Vasarhelyi and Chin will serve as mentors for the inaugural crop of grant recipients
Yeti has produced more than 75 films focused on stories from the wild since launching Yeti Presents in 2015. Its latest short documentary film, “All That Is...
The fellowship was developed in partnership with Little Monster Films, the production company founded by Academy Award-winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, and the Points North Institute, a nonprofit organization that supports the next generation of nonfiction storytellers. Vasarhelyi and Chin will serve as mentors for the inaugural crop of grant recipients
Yeti has produced more than 75 films focused on stories from the wild since launching Yeti Presents in 2015. Its latest short documentary film, “All That Is...
- 9/26/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
In “Nyad,” the titular character is entitled, mean, self-centered and treats people around her terribly… and she’s our hero? Supporting actors Jodie Foster and Rhys Ifans manage to keep the film moving along, but the main subject, played passionately by Annette Bening, is one who is difficult to connect with and root for in this modern take on a sports drama.
A still Oscar-less Bening could be a possibility for traction in the best actress race – at least, Netflix hopes so. With four career nominations to Bening’s name, the streamer believes the fifth time could be the charm with her turn as a marathon swimmer who achieves the impossible in the drama.
Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival one day shy of the 10-year anniversary of Nyad’s famous distance swim from Cuba to Florida without the assistance of a shark cage, the film was introduced by co-directors...
A still Oscar-less Bening could be a possibility for traction in the best actress race – at least, Netflix hopes so. With four career nominations to Bening’s name, the streamer believes the fifth time could be the charm with her turn as a marathon swimmer who achieves the impossible in the drama.
Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival one day shy of the 10-year anniversary of Nyad’s famous distance swim from Cuba to Florida without the assistance of a shark cage, the film was introduced by co-directors...
- 9/18/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Bruce Lee changed the cultural landscape. But he never lived to see just how he influenced martial arts and martial arts movies, the image of Asian men on screen, numerous directors from Ang Lee, who is planning on making a movie about Bruce Lee starring his son Mason, and Quentin Tarantino, action stars such as Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, comedians such as Eddie Murphy and Margaret Cho and singers including LL Cool J and RZA.
Lee was just 32 when he died on July 23, 1973 of what was described as “death by misadventure.” There have been numerous theories of what actually caused his death. One forensic scientist announced he died of cerebral edema due to a reaction to ingredients in the medication Equagesic he had taken. A 2022 study in the Clinical Kidney Journal stated that the cerebral edema was caused by hyponatremia-a lack of sodium in his blood. (Lee actually underwent surgery...
Lee was just 32 when he died on July 23, 1973 of what was described as “death by misadventure.” There have been numerous theories of what actually caused his death. One forensic scientist announced he died of cerebral edema due to a reaction to ingredients in the medication Equagesic he had taken. A 2022 study in the Clinical Kidney Journal stated that the cerebral edema was caused by hyponatremia-a lack of sodium in his blood. (Lee actually underwent surgery...
- 8/15/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The filmmaking couple Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have earned a reputation for making documentaries about people who accomplish the unthinkable – the no-ropes climber Alex Honnold in the Oscar-winning Free Solo, or the divers of The Rescue who, against all odds, saved a group of Thai kids stranded in a flooded cave.
As it happens, the heroes of their best-known films have been men, but in their latest documentary, Wild Life, the focus shifts in large part to a woman, the conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kris Tompkins.
L-r Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Kris Tompkins, Jimmy Chin
“It was really nice to make a film where there’s a woman at the center,” Vasarhelyi remarked at Cph:dox in Copenhagen, where the film screened last month. Wild Life, from National Geographic and Picturehouse, just expanded to theaters in Southern California, including Los Angeles, as well as the San Francisco Bay area...
As it happens, the heroes of their best-known films have been men, but in their latest documentary, Wild Life, the focus shifts in large part to a woman, the conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kris Tompkins.
L-r Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Kris Tompkins, Jimmy Chin
“It was really nice to make a film where there’s a woman at the center,” Vasarhelyi remarked at Cph:dox in Copenhagen, where the film screened last month. Wild Life, from National Geographic and Picturehouse, just expanded to theaters in Southern California, including Los Angeles, as well as the San Francisco Bay area...
- 4/22/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
With their new film Wild Life, two top filmmakers focused on the outdoor world — Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the directors of well-regarded climbing docs Meru and the Oscar-winning Free Solo — decided to make a film about icons of that very culture. And it felt a little messy at first, as they explain.
“I was really hesitant to make this film,” says Vasarhelyi, noting that her husband and co-director Chin — himself a world-class climber — deeply respected the film’s core subjects, former Patagonia CEO and conservationist Kris Tompkins and climbers and entrepreneurs Doug Tompkins, Yvon Chouinard and Rick Ridgeway. Moreover, as then-former and current company owners, the subjects were “used to making the decisions,” Vasarhelyi says, while the couple’s stringent filmmaking process would require them to cede control over the telling of their story.
Ultimately, though, the filmmakers overcame their misgivings (and the subjects of the film agreed to take part,...
“I was really hesitant to make this film,” says Vasarhelyi, noting that her husband and co-director Chin — himself a world-class climber — deeply respected the film’s core subjects, former Patagonia CEO and conservationist Kris Tompkins and climbers and entrepreneurs Doug Tompkins, Yvon Chouinard and Rick Ridgeway. Moreover, as then-former and current company owners, the subjects were “used to making the decisions,” Vasarhelyi says, while the couple’s stringent filmmaking process would require them to cede control over the telling of their story.
Ultimately, though, the filmmakers overcame their misgivings (and the subjects of the film agreed to take part,...
- 4/21/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Clouds of gloom have settled over much of the documentary field, brought on by multiple factors: a sluggish acquisition market, cutbacks in the executive ranks at Netflix and Showtime, uncertainty around Hulu’s future, CNN Films taking doc production in house, sharper scrutiny of budgets and content needs, and… well, the list goes on.
But there’s at least one bright spot it the nonfiction firmament – National Geographic Documentary Films. Coming off its latest Oscar nomination – for the feature Fire of Love – the unit of the Walt Disney Company is leaning into documentary production with half a dozen films set for release or in the works.
First up: Wild Life, a film Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of global scripted content and documentary films for NatGeo, calls “a big, beautiful love story.” The couple at the heart of it – Doug and Kris Tompkins — left the corporate world for life in remote Chile.
But there’s at least one bright spot it the nonfiction firmament – National Geographic Documentary Films. Coming off its latest Oscar nomination – for the feature Fire of Love – the unit of the Walt Disney Company is leaning into documentary production with half a dozen films set for release or in the works.
First up: Wild Life, a film Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of global scripted content and documentary films for NatGeo, calls “a big, beautiful love story.” The couple at the heart of it – Doug and Kris Tompkins — left the corporate world for life in remote Chile.
- 4/17/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
A sign of a classic movie is that it still holds up well against subsequent remakes\reimagining. “The Boxer from Shantung” to the best of my knowledge has been reworked at least twice in “Hero” by Corey Yuen and more recently as “Once Upon a Time in Shanghai”. To it's credit the original holds its own and, in many respects, remains the superior entity despite the evolution of action cinematography and film technique.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Ma Yung Chen (Chen Kuan-tai) arrives in Shanghai to escape poverty and seek his fortune. Initially, he is only able to find work as a labourer. A chance encounter with the crime lord Tan Si (David Chiang) sets him on his way. A defeat of a travelling Russian strongman only adds to his burgeoning reputation. Romance comes in the form of singer Chin Ling-tzu (Li Ching...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Ma Yung Chen (Chen Kuan-tai) arrives in Shanghai to escape poverty and seek his fortune. Initially, he is only able to find work as a labourer. A chance encounter with the crime lord Tan Si (David Chiang) sets him on his way. A defeat of a travelling Russian strongman only adds to his burgeoning reputation. Romance comes in the form of singer Chin Ling-tzu (Li Ching...
- 4/16/2023
- by Ben Stykuc
- AsianMoviePulse
‘Hello Deli’ Owner, Made Famous By ‘Late Show With David Letterman,’ Is Retiring And Seeking A Buyer
The sandwich shop made famous by its owner’s frequent appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman” is looking to call it quits.
The New York Post is reporting that “Hello Deli” owners are heading for retirement after 31 years. One of them, Rupert Jee, appeared on the Letterman show more than 400 times.
“It has been a heck of an adventure,” Jee told The Post on Thursday. “The office workers were extremely loyal, the ‘Late Show’ fans were amazing. We got the best of both worlds.”
Jee and partner May Chin are looking to sell the deli. They announced the farewell with a simple statement on Instagram in March: “Hello Deli: Retiring.” Jee is 66. No age has been given for Chin. The business is still operating while it seeks a buyer.
There is no asking price listed for the business.
“We’re going to pick and choose. I want someone...
The New York Post is reporting that “Hello Deli” owners are heading for retirement after 31 years. One of them, Rupert Jee, appeared on the Letterman show more than 400 times.
“It has been a heck of an adventure,” Jee told The Post on Thursday. “The office workers were extremely loyal, the ‘Late Show’ fans were amazing. We got the best of both worlds.”
Jee and partner May Chin are looking to sell the deli. They announced the farewell with a simple statement on Instagram in March: “Hello Deli: Retiring.” Jee is 66. No age has been given for Chin. The business is still operating while it seeks a buyer.
There is no asking price listed for the business.
“We’re going to pick and choose. I want someone...
- 4/8/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
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