“All of us know a great deal about their music and the culture and the fashion and the films. But I didn’t realize how really groundbreaking they were in terms of their careers,” explains Dr. Mehret Mandefro, who is Emmy-nominated for Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series for the “American Masters” documentary “How it Feels to Be Free”; she produced it along with Michael Kantor, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, Elliott Halpern, Elizabeth Trojian, Julie Sacks and Grammy winner Alicia Keys. Based on the book of the same name by Ruth Feldstein, the film chronicles the art and activism of Lena Horne, Nina Simone, Pam Grier, Abbey Lincoln, Diahann Carroll and Cicely Tyson. Watch our exclusive video interview with Mandefro above.
SEESee chats with 5 Emmy-nominated TV showrunners: ‘The Boys,’ ‘Black-ish,’ ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked,’ ‘Mahalia,’ ‘Black Lady Sketch Show’
The six artists profiled in the film represent the progress made by...
SEESee chats with 5 Emmy-nominated TV showrunners: ‘The Boys,’ ‘Black-ish,’ ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked,’ ‘Mahalia,’ ‘Black Lady Sketch Show’
The six artists profiled in the film represent the progress made by...
- 8/13/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Two films forgotten by the Academy, the animated adventure "The Lego Movie" and the Roger Ebert Documentary "Life Itself," triumphed at the recently concluded 2015 Producers Guild Awards.
"The Lego Movie" took home the Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures for producer Dan Lin while "Life Itself" won the Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures for producers Garrett Basch, Steve James, and Zak Piper.
Meanwhile, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, and James W. Skotchdopole took the Oscar glitter away from Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" when "Birdman" was awarded the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.
The Oscars just got interesting! Will "Boyhood" triumph over "Birdman" at the Academy Awards?
In TV land, NBC was the big winner of the evening with two of their shows taking home trophies for Competition Television ("The Voice") and Live Entertainment & Talk Television ("The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon...
"The Lego Movie" took home the Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures for producer Dan Lin while "Life Itself" won the Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures for producers Garrett Basch, Steve James, and Zak Piper.
Meanwhile, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, and James W. Skotchdopole took the Oscar glitter away from Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" when "Birdman" was awarded the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.
The Oscars just got interesting! Will "Boyhood" triumph over "Birdman" at the Academy Awards?
In TV land, NBC was the big winner of the evening with two of their shows taking home trophies for Competition Television ("The Voice") and Live Entertainment & Talk Television ("The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon...
- 1/26/2015
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Movies made by women directors were snubbed by the Producers Guild of America when they announced the nominees today! Both "Selma" by Ava DuVernay and "Unbroken" by Angelina Jolie were left in the dust. I agree with not nominating the latter movie (sorry Ms. Jolie but "Unbroken" is too earnest for my taste) but "Selma" deserved a nod! It's a profound movie aided by DuVernay's skilled directing and David Oyelowo's fine performance as Martin Luther King Jr.
You know who I'm blaming for this? Paramount! The studio did not send screeners to Academy voters. Heck, they did not sent one to us, the Broadcast Film Critics Association. But after begging, they did send a link so I could watch "Selma" in time for our Critics' Choice Movie Award nominations.
"Selma" is a "late to the party" entry that is gaining momentum dashed by the PGA! If you remember, Clint Eastwood...
You know who I'm blaming for this? Paramount! The studio did not send screeners to Academy voters. Heck, they did not sent one to us, the Broadcast Film Critics Association. But after begging, they did send a link so I could watch "Selma" in time for our Critics' Choice Movie Award nominations.
"Selma" is a "late to the party" entry that is gaining momentum dashed by the PGA! If you remember, Clint Eastwood...
- 1/5/2015
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Producers Guild of America announced today the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 26th Annual Producers Guild Awards. On the list are American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Foxcatcher, Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler, The Theory Of Everything and Whiplash.
Noticeably absent among the ten are Selma and Unbroken.
Last year’s PGA winners were 12 Years A Slave and Gravity.
The Directors Guild of America nominees will be announced on January 13, 2015. The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. Pt in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
2006 was the last time a film (The Departed) won the Oscar for Best Picture, while the PGA’s The Darryl F. Zanuck Award went to Little Miss Sunshine. The last seven years in a row the PGA winner ultimately went onto win the Academy Award – No Country For Old Men,...
Noticeably absent among the ten are Selma and Unbroken.
Last year’s PGA winners were 12 Years A Slave and Gravity.
The Directors Guild of America nominees will be announced on January 13, 2015. The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. Pt in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
2006 was the last time a film (The Departed) won the Oscar for Best Picture, while the PGA’s The Darryl F. Zanuck Award went to Little Miss Sunshine. The last seven years in a row the PGA winner ultimately went onto win the Academy Award – No Country For Old Men,...
- 1/5/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Foxcatcher, Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler, The Theory Of Everything and Whiplash have been nominated for the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, the PGA announced today. There were some surprising omissions– Selma, Unbroken, Interstellar and Into The Woods. On the TV side, American Horror Story: Freak Show, Fargo, The Normal Heart, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History and Sherlock are the nominees for the David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television. Big Hero 6, The Book Of Life, The Boxtrolls, How To Train Your Dragon 2, and The Lego Movie were nominated in the Animated Feature category. The 2015 PGA Award winners will be announced January 24 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
This year, the Producers Guild will present special honors to Jon Feltheimer (Milestone Award), Mark Gordon (Norman Lear Achievement...
This year, the Producers Guild will present special honors to Jon Feltheimer (Milestone Award), Mark Gordon (Norman Lear Achievement...
- 1/5/2015
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) added to the industry mix Monday morning with a list of 10 nominees to keep the awards season grist mill churning. "Gone Girl" popped up again, and it shouldn't be a surprise. It's one of the year's biggest hits. And speaking of hits, I had a hunch "Nightcrawler" would find a place after becoming such a well-liked, profitable success. There it sits. The question for both of these films is whether this on-going industry/guild love ends up translating to Oscar recognition. After the "Dragon Tattoo" rush a few years ago, I'm pretty much wait-and-see on stuff like this. Absent from the list was anything out of the Marvel Studios comic book factory, notable as both "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" were both on the top tier of box office earners in 2014. The former currently maintains the throne, though it...
- 1/5/2015
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
The Producers Guild Of America (PGA) announced on Monday (January 5) its motion picture and long-form television nominees for the 26th Annual Producers Guild Awards - but there is no place at the table for Selma or Unbroken.
The categories include: The Darryl F Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer Of Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Award For Outstanding Producer Of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer Of Long-Form Television.
The feature documentary film category and other television category nominations were previously announced by the PGA in late 2014.
All 2015 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 24th at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
The PGA will present special honours to Lionsgate chief Jon Feltheimer (Milestone Award), Mark Gordon (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Gale Anne Hurd (David O Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), the HBO television motion picture The Normal Heart (Stanley Kramer Award), and production...
The categories include: The Darryl F Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer Of Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Award For Outstanding Producer Of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer Of Long-Form Television.
The feature documentary film category and other television category nominations were previously announced by the PGA in late 2014.
All 2015 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 24th at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
The PGA will present special honours to Lionsgate chief Jon Feltheimer (Milestone Award), Mark Gordon (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Gale Anne Hurd (David O Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), the HBO television motion picture The Normal Heart (Stanley Kramer Award), and production...
- 1/5/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Gearing up for an exciting awards show season, the Producers Guild of American just announced the nominees for the Documentary, TV Series/Specials and Digital Series categories of the 26th annual PGA Awards.
Slated to take place on Saturday, January 24th, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, the big event focuses on the production aspect of the entertainment industry.
Furthermore, the PGA will announce the remaining nominees on January 5th, so stay linked to the GossipCenter for all the latest updates.
And the nominees are:
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:
The Green Prince (Music Box Films)
Life Itself (Magnolia Pictures)
Merchants of Doubt (Sony Pictures Classics)
Particle Fever (Abramorama/Bond 360)
Virunga (Netflix)
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:
Breaking Bad (AMC): Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons,...
Slated to take place on Saturday, January 24th, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, the big event focuses on the production aspect of the entertainment industry.
Furthermore, the PGA will announce the remaining nominees on January 5th, so stay linked to the GossipCenter for all the latest updates.
And the nominees are:
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:
The Green Prince (Music Box Films)
Life Itself (Magnolia Pictures)
Merchants of Doubt (Sony Pictures Classics)
Particle Fever (Abramorama/Bond 360)
Virunga (Netflix)
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:
Breaking Bad (AMC): Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons,...
- 12/3/2014
- GossipCenter
A week before the 65th annual Primetime Emmy Awards rock the entertainment industry, nearly 80 awards were scheduled to be presented at the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony Sunday (Sept. 15) at the Nokia Theatre. Fxx will air an edited version of the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony on Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. Et.
HBO's "Behind the Candelabra" unsurprisingly took home a number of awards, while Bob Newhart won his first career Emmy for guest-starring on CBS' "The Big Bang Theory."
Here is the full list of winners:
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series - 2013: Carrie Preston, as Elsbeth Tascioni on "The Good Wife"
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series - 2013: Dan Bucatinsky, as James Novack on "Scandal"
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - 2013: Melissa Leo, as Laurie on "Louie"
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series - 2013: Bob Newhart, as Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton...
HBO's "Behind the Candelabra" unsurprisingly took home a number of awards, while Bob Newhart won his first career Emmy for guest-starring on CBS' "The Big Bang Theory."
Here is the full list of winners:
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series - 2013: Carrie Preston, as Elsbeth Tascioni on "The Good Wife"
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series - 2013: Dan Bucatinsky, as James Novack on "Scandal"
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - 2013: Melissa Leo, as Laurie on "Louie"
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series - 2013: Bob Newhart, as Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton...
- 9/16/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
You can't always know how the future will treat each year's awards recipients. Will their strengths will come into sharper focus as time erodes the particulars of the movie culture and conversation they arrived into or will that erosion grind a movie or performers appeal down with it? What will we make in five year's time of this moment when Hollywood threw awards at Argo instead of, say, Lincoln? That's what happened again last night at the Producers Guild Awards when Ben Affleck's 1970s CIA rescue tale took the top prize.
We don't have to wait for hindsight clarity when it comes to Argo's sudden rise in the previous deadheat Oscar race. I'd say that three things are responsible, two of which no one could have predicted.
1. I'd been saying from the very start that Argo's narrative subtext, embedded into its truish story of a fake movie...
We don't have to wait for hindsight clarity when it comes to Argo's sudden rise in the previous deadheat Oscar race. I'd say that three things are responsible, two of which no one could have predicted.
1. I'd been saying from the very start that Argo's narrative subtext, embedded into its truish story of a fake movie...
- 1/27/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Often considered a precursor to The Academy Awards, but honoring television as well as film, The Producers Guild Awards were handed out last night in Beverly Hills.
Here's a look at who took home hardware on the TV side:
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama - "Homeland" (Showtime)
Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm
The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy "Modern Family" (ABC)
Producers: Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Dan O'Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Chris Smirnoff, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television - "The Amazing Race" (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo
The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television - "Game Change" (HBO)
Producers: Gary Goetzman,...
Here's a look at who took home hardware on the TV side:
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama - "Homeland" (Showtime)
Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm
The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy "Modern Family" (ABC)
Producers: Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Dan O'Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Chris Smirnoff, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television - "The Amazing Race" (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo
The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television - "Game Change" (HBO)
Producers: Gary Goetzman,...
- 1/27/2013
- by matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal)
- TVfanatic
Oh yes it still hurts that Ben Affleck was not given a Best Director Oscar nomination, yet his fantastic film "Argo" continues its ascension to Oscar glory! The film took home the top prize at the Producers Guild of America Awards taking home the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.
So guess which film will win the Oscar Best Picture? Yup, it will be "Argo!" Why? Well, Hollywood really loves movies about them and "Argo" is about a movie of a fake movie in order to help free some Americans trapped in Iran during the hostage crisis.
And, the PGA award is a significant Academy Awards precursor. Only seven times in 24 years has the PGA winner failed to win a Best Picture Oscar. So "Argo" has a strong chance.
I'm also happy that "Searching for Sugar Man" won the Documentary category, and not so happy...
So guess which film will win the Oscar Best Picture? Yup, it will be "Argo!" Why? Well, Hollywood really loves movies about them and "Argo" is about a movie of a fake movie in order to help free some Americans trapped in Iran during the hostage crisis.
And, the PGA award is a significant Academy Awards precursor. Only seven times in 24 years has the PGA winner failed to win a Best Picture Oscar. So "Argo" has a strong chance.
I'm also happy that "Searching for Sugar Man" won the Documentary category, and not so happy...
- 1/27/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Producers Guild Awards were awarded on Saturday (Jan. 26). Often considered the precursor to the Academy Awards, both the television and movie producing awards were handed out at the Beverly Hilton.
Among the big award winners of the night were "Argo," "Homeland," "Wreck-It Ralph," "Modern Family" and "The Colbert Report."
Check out the full listing of winners here.
Special awards
Norman Lear Achievement Award
J.J. Abrams, presented by Jennifer Garner
Stanley Kramer Award
"Bully," producers Lee Hirsch and Cynthia Lowen, presented by Bradley Cooper
David O. Selznick Achievement Award
Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title, presented by Anne Hathaway
Visionary Award
Russell Simmons, presented by LL Cool J
TV awards
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
"Homeland" (Showtime)
Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm
The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television,...
Among the big award winners of the night were "Argo," "Homeland," "Wreck-It Ralph," "Modern Family" and "The Colbert Report."
Check out the full listing of winners here.
Special awards
Norman Lear Achievement Award
J.J. Abrams, presented by Jennifer Garner
Stanley Kramer Award
"Bully," producers Lee Hirsch and Cynthia Lowen, presented by Bradley Cooper
David O. Selznick Achievement Award
Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title, presented by Anne Hathaway
Visionary Award
Russell Simmons, presented by LL Cool J
TV awards
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
"Homeland" (Showtime)
Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm
The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television,...
- 1/27/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
As goes the Producers Guild, so goes the Oscar for Best Picture …
At least, that’s how the past five years have worked out. So Argo’s win on Saturday night is the strongest indicator yet that the rescue thriller is the frontrunner in the most fiercely competitive Academy Awards race in recent memory.
The 10 nominees in the producers race were Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Moonrise Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty. Only nine nominees are in the Academy’s top race, with Skyfall and Moonrise Kingdom out,...
At least, that’s how the past five years have worked out. So Argo’s win on Saturday night is the strongest indicator yet that the rescue thriller is the frontrunner in the most fiercely competitive Academy Awards race in recent memory.
The 10 nominees in the producers race were Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Moonrise Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty. Only nine nominees are in the Academy’s top race, with Skyfall and Moonrise Kingdom out,...
- 1/27/2013
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
I was of the opinion it would either be Lincoln or Silver Linings Playbook winning at the 2013 Producers Guild Awards, making it that much easier to pick one as the front-runner for Best Picture at the Oscars. Well, the producers made it even easier than that... they chose "Option C". Ben Affleck may have been snubbed a nomination for Best Director by the Academy, but ever since, Argo has won big at the Critics' Choice Awards, Golden Globes and now the PGA awards as it was awarded the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, giving it a clear path to winning Best Picture at the Oscars at the end of March. Tomorrow night the Screen Actors Guild will hold the 2013 SAG Awards and while I predicted Silver Linings Playbook would take the award when I posted my thoughts on Wednesday, at this point I would...
- 1/27/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Vol. I Issue 6
Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
Note: See Issues 1, 2, 3, and 4 for reviews and clips of the Academy documentary films and short films. Additional reviews of the documentary features follow in this issue.
Best documentary feature
5 Broken Cameras Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
The Gatekeepers Nominees to be determined *See note below
How to Survive a Plague Nominees to be determined
The Invisible War Nominees to be determined
Searching for Sugar Man Nominees to be determined
Best documentary short subject
Inocente Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
Kings Point Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider
Mondays at Racine Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
Open Heart Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
Redemption Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
Best animated short film
Adam and Dog Minkyu Lee
Fresh Guacamole Pes
Head over Heels Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly
Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare David Silverman
Paperman John Kahrs
Best live action short film
Asad Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
Buzkashi Boys Sam French and Ariel Nasr
Curfew Shawn Christensen
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw) Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
Henry Yan England
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) from a documentary
Before My Time from The documentary feature Chasing Ice Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
Note: *Nominees to be determined* The Documentary Brand gives the nomination to the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process. A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria. No more than two statuettes will normally be given in the Documentary Feature category. All individuals with a “Producer” or “Produced by” credit on films that reach the semifinal round will automatically be vetted.
The Documentary Branch Executive Committee will determine which producers, if any, are eligible to receive an Oscar. In the unlikely event of a dispute, filmmakers may appeal the committee’s decision. In extremely rare circumstances, a third statuette may be awarded.
Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.
DGA Documentary Award Nominations
Kirby Dick The Invisible War
This is Mr. Dick’s first DGA Award nomination.
Malik Bendjelloul Searching For Sugar Man
This is Mr. Bendjelloul’s first DGA Award nomination.
Lauren Greenfield The Queen of Versailles
This is Ms. Greenfield’s first DGA Award nomination.
David France How To Survive A Plague
This is Mr. France’s first DGA Award nomination.
Alison Klayman Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry
This is Ms. Klayman’s first DGA Award nomination.
Two Academy Nominated Documentary Features
& One Academy Short Listed Documentary Reviewed
The Gatekeepers, directed by Dror Moreh
Documentary Feature Nominee
Six former heads of Israel’s domestic secret service agency, the Shin Bet, share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions in The Gatekeepers, a film by Dror Moreh. These six heads of the Shin Bet stood at the center of Israel's decision-making process in all matters pertaining to security. They worked closely with every Israeli prime minister, and their assessments and insights had—and continue to have—a profound impact on Israeli policy. The Gatekeepers is an exclusive account of their successes and failures.
I find The Gatekeepers remarkable. Not for its craft but for its concept and vision. Imagine
J Edger Hoover talking about his tenure at the FBI, his successes and his failures, his interactions with the Presidents and members of Congress, and his critical self-evaluation of his mission and how his agency’s work affected our nation. Imagine. Dror Moreh accomplished this feat when he convinced these six surviving members of the Shin Bet, to speak on camera.
The film provides a historical perspective of Israel that is both candid and critical of the successive governments in this rare Middle Eastern democracy. The Shin Bet was created in 1949 by David Ben-Gurion’s government to focus on the internal affairs of Israel and evolved into dealing with counterterrorism and intelligence gathering in the West Bank and Gaza.
These intelligence heads, like ours, report to the President/Prime Minister. They are not part of the military complex. It is this context that gives this work its power. We hear the story of Israel’s struggle to protect itself from both its internal and external enemies; the bombers, terrorists, agents and others who worked to destroy this small country. These men are not glamorous or like the fictional heads of the spy agencies we have seen in James Bond and Bourne films. They are bald or balding grandfather-types. Articulate, highly educated, calm and yet we know that they protected Israel from its enemies even if they had them killed.
This is one of the strongest of the nominated docs. It raises significant issues of personal responsibilities. Despite the lack of oversight we don’t feel that this is an organization gone amuck like the Catholic Church not protecting children or the Us Military not protecting its members from sexual harassment. We see these articulate men as guardians and protectors of their nation steadfastly doing their duty within the confines of their moral beliefs. What is scary about The Gatekeepers is that clearly there could have been abuses and wrongs done by the Shin Bet if these six had less character or their mission was redefined by the government without regard to moral or ethical standards. The film on reflection is troubling for regardless of how the spectator might feel about Israel it forces us to look at this conflict through the lenses of these six guardians and we can only wonder what they don’t tell us about what they did in the name of their country.
Credits:
Director: Dror Moreh
Camera: Avner Shahaf
Producers: Dror Moreh, Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky
Co Producer: Anna Van Der Wee
Sound: Amos Zipori
Sound Design: Aex Claude
Music: Ab Ovo, Jérôme Chassagnard, Régis Baillet
Editor: Oron Adar
Production Companies: Dror Moreh Productions, Les Films du Poisson, Cinephil
In Co-Production with: Mac Guff, Wild Heart Productions, Arte France, Iba, Ndr, Rtbf
With the support of: Cnc, Media, Région Ile-de-France, Procirep, Angoa, The Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts – Cinema Project
Distribution: Sony Classics
Trailer: http://www.sonyclassics.com/thegatekeepers/
The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki
Short Listed Documentary Feature for Academy Award nomination
The House I Live In looks at how America has waged war on some of its poorest citizens, costing countless lives, destroying families, and inflicting untold damage on future generations of Americans. It posits that over the last forty years, the War on Drugs has accounted for more than 45 million arrests and shows how America became the world’s largest jailer, damaging poor communities at home and abroad. Yet today drugs are cheaper, purer and more available than ever before. It shows that drug abuse is a public health issue. Despite this, it is treated by our society as a criminal matter and a vast machine has been created that feeds on the men and women who are incarcerated. Because of this, the prisoners are not offered help or a cure for their underlying problems, so they return to prison in a never ending cycle.
Eugene Jarecki, whose previous films looked at the military industrial complex (Why We Fight and The Trials of Henry Kissinger), won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance in both 2005 and 2010. The film tackles difficult material. Material that has been in scores of documentaries and television shows over the years. Yet Jarecki, using his personal experience, a wealth of interviews and strong case studies, builds a compelling case for changing the sentencing guidelines for crack (and cocaine) and for dealing with both addiction and the underlying causes of addiction. Jarecki is a skillful filmmaker who has picked a vast and complex subject and has created a work that while rich in content moves along at a good pace although it might have been stronger if it had tried to do less. The film editor Paul Frost and the composer Robert Miller do an excellent job building strong sequences with evocative music. It was nicely shot by Sam Cullman and Derek Hallquist. Richard Abramowitz’s Abramorama handled the distribution and was successful getting the work out which is never easy for such an issue oriented film.
Credits:
Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Eugene Jarecki
Producers: Melinda Shopsin, Sam Cullman, Christopher St. John
Executive Producers: Eugene Jarecki, Nick Fraser, Joslyn Barnes, Danny Glover, Russell Simmons, Roy Ackerman, John Legend, Sally Jo Feifer, Nick Fraser
Camera: Sam Cullman, Derek Hallquist
Sound: Matthew Freed, Art Jaso
Music: Robert Milller
Editor: Paul Frost
Production Companies: Charlotte Street Films, Zdf Enterprises, Independent Television Services, BBC, Aljazeera Documentary Channel, Vpro, Special Broadcasting Service Corporation, Louverture Films, Nhk
Distribution (Us): Abramorama Entertainment, Snag Films
How to Survive a Plague, directed by David France
Documentary Feature Nominee
How to Survive a Plague by writer and filmmaker David France tells the story of how two coalitions came together to lobby for effective treatments and funding for treatments of AIDS in the late 1980s when it was evident that the Us government and its health and other agencies were not being very effective dealing with the AIDS epidemic. The coalitions, Act Up and Tag (Treatment Action Group) helped to make AIDS more treatable. While there is still no cure for AIDS and thousands of people globally still die from the virus, it is now possible to prolong life with treatments that have been developed.
Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time. With access to never-before-seen archival footage from the 1980s and '90s, filmmaker David France puts the viewer smack in the middle of the controversial actions, the heated meetings, the heartbreaking failures, and the exultant breakthroughs. Faced with their own mortality an improbable group of young men and women, many of them HIV-positive took on Washington and the medical establishment.
While there have been a handful of outstanding films dealing with the AIDS epidemic including Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter and Silverlake Life, to name a few, How to Survive a Plague picks up on the story begun in the landmark Common Threads and updates the struggle, looking at the quest to find a treatment and possibly a cure for this vicious disease. The film weaves together stories of activism and shows how a small determined group can effect change not just nationally but globally. While the film is not as well made as Common Threads or Dr. Peter, it’s powerful. The archival footage manages to capture some of the key figures of Act Up and Tag showing actions as they take place. Instead of relying on talking heads to tell this amazing story, it is presented with footage shot as the story unfolded. This footage and its solid editing distinguishes this film from so many of the works that have tried to tell this story.
Few documentaries have such powerful antagonists, the government, incompetence, a lack of urgency on the part of the medical community and fear. Throw in homophobia and it is evident that the dramatic actions of these heroes saved hundreds of thousands of possible victims from this mostly sexually spread plague.
My only serious criticism of this documentary is its failure to be clearer that the plague continues, that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS and that the community continues to give a false sense of hope. Currently the Cdc states:
” ..estimates that 1,148,200 persons aged 13 years and older are living with HIV infection, including 207,600 (18.1%) who are unaware of their infection1. Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable. Still, the pace of new infections continues at far too high a level—particularly among certain groups.
HIV Incidence(new infections): The estimated incidence of HIV has remained stable overall in recent years, at about 50,000 new HIV infections per year.2 Within the overall estimates, however, some groups are affected more than others. Msm (men who have sex with men) continue to bear the greatest burden of HIV infection, and among races/ethnicities, African Americans continue to be disproportionately affected.”
This information could have been contained in the last few minutes of this powerful work, to inspire and warn the audience that testing is critical and that safe sex is still the only way to contain AIDS.
The Filmmaker
David France, Director, Producer
David France is an award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author who has been writing about AIDS since 1982 and today is one of the best-known chroniclers of the epidemic. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, GQ, and New York magazine, where he is a contributing editor, and has received the National Headliner Award and the GLAAD Media Award, among others. Several films have been inspired by his work, most recently the Emmy-nominated Showtime film Our Fathers, for which he received a WGA nomination. He is at work on a major history of AIDS, due from Alfred A. Knopf in 2013. Based on decades of reporting, How to Survive a Plague is his directorial debut.
Credits
Director: David France
Writers: David France, Todd Woody Richman, Tyler H. Walk
Producers: David France, Howard Gertler
Executive Producers: Dan Cogan, Joy A. Tomchin
Co-Producer: Todd Woody Richman
Camera: Derek Wieshahn
Sound: Stuart Deutsch, Topher Reifeiss
Original Music: Stuart Bogie
Editor: Todd Woody Richman, Tyler H. Walk
Production Companies: Public Square Films, Ninety Thousand Words
Distribution (Us): Sundance Selects
Short Notes and Update:
The International Documentary Association in Los Angeles presents Doc U: The Doc Reporter
Navigating the Intersection of Documentary and Journalism
Moderated by: Karin Skellwagen (The Brooks Institute)
With Panelists:
Sarah Burns (The Central Park Five)
Michael Donaldson (Partner, Donaldson & Callif)
David France (How To Survive A Plague)
For information: http://doc-u-jan-2013-la.eventbrite.com/
Sundance Announces 2013 International Documentary Competition:
Fallen City/ China (Director: Qi Zhao) — Fallen City spans four years to reveal how three families who survived the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to embark on a journey searching for hope, purpose, identity, and to rebuild their lives in a new China torn between tradition and modernity. North American Premiere
Fire in the Blood/ India (Director: Dylan Mohan Gray) — In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Western governments and pharmaceutical companies blocked low-cost antiretroviral drugs from reaching AIDS-stricken Africa, causing 10 million or more unnecessary deaths. An improbable group of people decided to fight back. North American Premiere
Google and the World Brain/ Spain, United Kingdom (Director: Ben Lewis) — In the most ambitious Internet project ever conceived, Google is working to scan every book in the world. Google says it is building a library for mankind. But some are trying to stop it, claiming that Google may have other intentions. World Premiere
The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear/ Georgia, Germany (Director: Tinatin Gurchiani) — A film director casting a 15-23-year-old protagonist visits villages and cities to meet people who answer her call. She follows those who prove to be interesting enough through various dramatic and funny situations. North American Premiere
The Moo Man/ United Kingdom (Directors: Andy Heathcote, Heike Bachelier) — A year in the life of heroic farmer Steve, scene stealing Ida (queen of the herd), and a supporting cast of 55 cows. When Ida falls ill, Steve’s optimism is challenged and their whole way of life is at stake. World Premiere
Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer/ Russian Federation, United Kingdom (Directors: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin) — Three young women face seven years in a Russian prison for a satirical performance in a Moscow cathedral. But who is really on trial: the three young artists or the society they live in? World Premiere
A River Changes Course/ Cambodia, U.S.A. (Director: Kalyanee Mam) — Three young Cambodians struggle to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing, and overwhelming debt in this devastatingly beautiful story of a country reeling from the tragedies of war and rushing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding world. World Premiere
Salma/ United Kingdom, India (Director: Kim Longinotto) — When Salma, a young girl in South India, reached puberty, her parents locked her away. Millions of girls all over the world share the same fate. Twenty-five years later, Salma has fought her way back to the outside world. World Premiere
The Square (Al Midan)/ Egypt, U.S.A. (Director: Jehane Noujaim) — What does it mean to risk your life for your ideals? How far will five revolutionaries go in defending their beliefs in the fight for their nation? World Premiere
The Stuart Hall Project/ United Kingdom (Director: John Akomfrah) — Antinuclear campaigner, New Left activist and founding father of Cultural Studies, this documentary interweaves 70 years of Stuart Hall’s film, radio and television appearances, and material from his private archive to document a memorable life and construct a portrait of Britain’s foremost radical intellectual. World Premiere
The Summit/ Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Nick Ryan) — Twenty-four climbers converged at the last stop before summiting the most dangerous mountain on Earth. Forty-eight hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished. Had one, Ger McDonnell, stuck to the climbers' code, he might still be alive. International Premiere
Who is Dayani Cristal?/ United Kingdom (Director: Marc Silver) — An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for its identity leads us across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. World Premiere. Day One Film
Producer’s Guild Announces Nominations for the Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures and Non-Fiction Television:
A People Uncounted(Urbinder Films)
Producers: Marc Swenker, Aaron Yeger
The Gatekeepers(Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky, Dror Moreh
The Island President(Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Producers: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen
The Other Dream Team(The Film Arcade)
Producers: Marius Markevicius, Jon Weinbach
Searching For Sugar Man(Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
Nominations for the Award for Outstanding Producer of
Non-Fiction Television:
American Masters(PBS)
Producers: Prudence Glass, Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations(Travel Channel)
Producers: Anthony Bourdain, Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandy Zweig
Deadliest Catch(Discovery Channel)
Producers: Thom Beers, Jeff Conroy, Sean Dash, John Gray, Sheila McCormack, Bill Pruitt, Decker Watson
Inside the Actors Studio(Bravo)
Producers: James Lipton, Shawn Tesser, Jeff Wurtz
Shark Tank(ABC)
Producers: Rhett Bachner, Becky Blitz, Mark Burnett, Bill Gaudsmith, Yun Lingner, Brien Meagher, Clay Newbill, Jim Roush, Laura Skowlund, Paul Sutera, Patrick Wood
BAFTA Short and Documentary Feature Nominations (British Academy of Film and Television Arts, London)
Documentary Feature
The ImposterBart Layton, Dimitri Doganis
Marley Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel
McCullin David Morris, Jacqui Morris
Searching for Sugar Man Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
West of Memphis Amy Berg
Short Animation
Here to Fall Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath
I’m Fine Thanks Eamonn O'Neill
The Making of Longbird Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson
Short Film
The Curse Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries
Good Night Muriel d'Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir
Swimmer Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw
Tumult Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews
The Voorman Problem Mark Gill, Baldwin Li
The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca)
Documentary Feature Nominations
Bully
The Imposter
Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man (Winner)
The Central Park Five
West of Memphis
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013 Ida Doc U
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.documentary.org/news/february-documentary-producing-workshops-mitchell-block
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
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Note: See Issues 1, 2, 3, and 4 for reviews and clips of the Academy documentary films and short films. Additional reviews of the documentary features follow in this issue.
Best documentary feature
5 Broken Cameras Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
The Gatekeepers Nominees to be determined *See note below
How to Survive a Plague Nominees to be determined
The Invisible War Nominees to be determined
Searching for Sugar Man Nominees to be determined
Best documentary short subject
Inocente Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
Kings Point Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider
Mondays at Racine Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
Open Heart Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
Redemption Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
Best animated short film
Adam and Dog Minkyu Lee
Fresh Guacamole Pes
Head over Heels Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly
Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare David Silverman
Paperman John Kahrs
Best live action short film
Asad Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
Buzkashi Boys Sam French and Ariel Nasr
Curfew Shawn Christensen
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw) Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
Henry Yan England
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) from a documentary
Before My Time from The documentary feature Chasing Ice Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
Note: *Nominees to be determined* The Documentary Brand gives the nomination to the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process. A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria. No more than two statuettes will normally be given in the Documentary Feature category. All individuals with a “Producer” or “Produced by” credit on films that reach the semifinal round will automatically be vetted.
The Documentary Branch Executive Committee will determine which producers, if any, are eligible to receive an Oscar. In the unlikely event of a dispute, filmmakers may appeal the committee’s decision. In extremely rare circumstances, a third statuette may be awarded.
Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.
DGA Documentary Award Nominations
Kirby Dick The Invisible War
This is Mr. Dick’s first DGA Award nomination.
Malik Bendjelloul Searching For Sugar Man
This is Mr. Bendjelloul’s first DGA Award nomination.
Lauren Greenfield The Queen of Versailles
This is Ms. Greenfield’s first DGA Award nomination.
David France How To Survive A Plague
This is Mr. France’s first DGA Award nomination.
Alison Klayman Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry
This is Ms. Klayman’s first DGA Award nomination.
Two Academy Nominated Documentary Features
& One Academy Short Listed Documentary Reviewed
The Gatekeepers, directed by Dror Moreh
Documentary Feature Nominee
Six former heads of Israel’s domestic secret service agency, the Shin Bet, share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions in The Gatekeepers, a film by Dror Moreh. These six heads of the Shin Bet stood at the center of Israel's decision-making process in all matters pertaining to security. They worked closely with every Israeli prime minister, and their assessments and insights had—and continue to have—a profound impact on Israeli policy. The Gatekeepers is an exclusive account of their successes and failures.
I find The Gatekeepers remarkable. Not for its craft but for its concept and vision. Imagine
J Edger Hoover talking about his tenure at the FBI, his successes and his failures, his interactions with the Presidents and members of Congress, and his critical self-evaluation of his mission and how his agency’s work affected our nation. Imagine. Dror Moreh accomplished this feat when he convinced these six surviving members of the Shin Bet, to speak on camera.
The film provides a historical perspective of Israel that is both candid and critical of the successive governments in this rare Middle Eastern democracy. The Shin Bet was created in 1949 by David Ben-Gurion’s government to focus on the internal affairs of Israel and evolved into dealing with counterterrorism and intelligence gathering in the West Bank and Gaza.
These intelligence heads, like ours, report to the President/Prime Minister. They are not part of the military complex. It is this context that gives this work its power. We hear the story of Israel’s struggle to protect itself from both its internal and external enemies; the bombers, terrorists, agents and others who worked to destroy this small country. These men are not glamorous or like the fictional heads of the spy agencies we have seen in James Bond and Bourne films. They are bald or balding grandfather-types. Articulate, highly educated, calm and yet we know that they protected Israel from its enemies even if they had them killed.
This is one of the strongest of the nominated docs. It raises significant issues of personal responsibilities. Despite the lack of oversight we don’t feel that this is an organization gone amuck like the Catholic Church not protecting children or the Us Military not protecting its members from sexual harassment. We see these articulate men as guardians and protectors of their nation steadfastly doing their duty within the confines of their moral beliefs. What is scary about The Gatekeepers is that clearly there could have been abuses and wrongs done by the Shin Bet if these six had less character or their mission was redefined by the government without regard to moral or ethical standards. The film on reflection is troubling for regardless of how the spectator might feel about Israel it forces us to look at this conflict through the lenses of these six guardians and we can only wonder what they don’t tell us about what they did in the name of their country.
Credits:
Director: Dror Moreh
Camera: Avner Shahaf
Producers: Dror Moreh, Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky
Co Producer: Anna Van Der Wee
Sound: Amos Zipori
Sound Design: Aex Claude
Music: Ab Ovo, Jérôme Chassagnard, Régis Baillet
Editor: Oron Adar
Production Companies: Dror Moreh Productions, Les Films du Poisson, Cinephil
In Co-Production with: Mac Guff, Wild Heart Productions, Arte France, Iba, Ndr, Rtbf
With the support of: Cnc, Media, Région Ile-de-France, Procirep, Angoa, The Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts – Cinema Project
Distribution: Sony Classics
Trailer: http://www.sonyclassics.com/thegatekeepers/
The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki
Short Listed Documentary Feature for Academy Award nomination
The House I Live In looks at how America has waged war on some of its poorest citizens, costing countless lives, destroying families, and inflicting untold damage on future generations of Americans. It posits that over the last forty years, the War on Drugs has accounted for more than 45 million arrests and shows how America became the world’s largest jailer, damaging poor communities at home and abroad. Yet today drugs are cheaper, purer and more available than ever before. It shows that drug abuse is a public health issue. Despite this, it is treated by our society as a criminal matter and a vast machine has been created that feeds on the men and women who are incarcerated. Because of this, the prisoners are not offered help or a cure for their underlying problems, so they return to prison in a never ending cycle.
Eugene Jarecki, whose previous films looked at the military industrial complex (Why We Fight and The Trials of Henry Kissinger), won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance in both 2005 and 2010. The film tackles difficult material. Material that has been in scores of documentaries and television shows over the years. Yet Jarecki, using his personal experience, a wealth of interviews and strong case studies, builds a compelling case for changing the sentencing guidelines for crack (and cocaine) and for dealing with both addiction and the underlying causes of addiction. Jarecki is a skillful filmmaker who has picked a vast and complex subject and has created a work that while rich in content moves along at a good pace although it might have been stronger if it had tried to do less. The film editor Paul Frost and the composer Robert Miller do an excellent job building strong sequences with evocative music. It was nicely shot by Sam Cullman and Derek Hallquist. Richard Abramowitz’s Abramorama handled the distribution and was successful getting the work out which is never easy for such an issue oriented film.
Credits:
Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Eugene Jarecki
Producers: Melinda Shopsin, Sam Cullman, Christopher St. John
Executive Producers: Eugene Jarecki, Nick Fraser, Joslyn Barnes, Danny Glover, Russell Simmons, Roy Ackerman, John Legend, Sally Jo Feifer, Nick Fraser
Camera: Sam Cullman, Derek Hallquist
Sound: Matthew Freed, Art Jaso
Music: Robert Milller
Editor: Paul Frost
Production Companies: Charlotte Street Films, Zdf Enterprises, Independent Television Services, BBC, Aljazeera Documentary Channel, Vpro, Special Broadcasting Service Corporation, Louverture Films, Nhk
Distribution (Us): Abramorama Entertainment, Snag Films
How to Survive a Plague, directed by David France
Documentary Feature Nominee
How to Survive a Plague by writer and filmmaker David France tells the story of how two coalitions came together to lobby for effective treatments and funding for treatments of AIDS in the late 1980s when it was evident that the Us government and its health and other agencies were not being very effective dealing with the AIDS epidemic. The coalitions, Act Up and Tag (Treatment Action Group) helped to make AIDS more treatable. While there is still no cure for AIDS and thousands of people globally still die from the virus, it is now possible to prolong life with treatments that have been developed.
Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time. With access to never-before-seen archival footage from the 1980s and '90s, filmmaker David France puts the viewer smack in the middle of the controversial actions, the heated meetings, the heartbreaking failures, and the exultant breakthroughs. Faced with their own mortality an improbable group of young men and women, many of them HIV-positive took on Washington and the medical establishment.
While there have been a handful of outstanding films dealing with the AIDS epidemic including Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter and Silverlake Life, to name a few, How to Survive a Plague picks up on the story begun in the landmark Common Threads and updates the struggle, looking at the quest to find a treatment and possibly a cure for this vicious disease. The film weaves together stories of activism and shows how a small determined group can effect change not just nationally but globally. While the film is not as well made as Common Threads or Dr. Peter, it’s powerful. The archival footage manages to capture some of the key figures of Act Up and Tag showing actions as they take place. Instead of relying on talking heads to tell this amazing story, it is presented with footage shot as the story unfolded. This footage and its solid editing distinguishes this film from so many of the works that have tried to tell this story.
Few documentaries have such powerful antagonists, the government, incompetence, a lack of urgency on the part of the medical community and fear. Throw in homophobia and it is evident that the dramatic actions of these heroes saved hundreds of thousands of possible victims from this mostly sexually spread plague.
My only serious criticism of this documentary is its failure to be clearer that the plague continues, that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS and that the community continues to give a false sense of hope. Currently the Cdc states:
” ..estimates that 1,148,200 persons aged 13 years and older are living with HIV infection, including 207,600 (18.1%) who are unaware of their infection1. Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable. Still, the pace of new infections continues at far too high a level—particularly among certain groups.
HIV Incidence(new infections): The estimated incidence of HIV has remained stable overall in recent years, at about 50,000 new HIV infections per year.2 Within the overall estimates, however, some groups are affected more than others. Msm (men who have sex with men) continue to bear the greatest burden of HIV infection, and among races/ethnicities, African Americans continue to be disproportionately affected.”
This information could have been contained in the last few minutes of this powerful work, to inspire and warn the audience that testing is critical and that safe sex is still the only way to contain AIDS.
The Filmmaker
David France, Director, Producer
David France is an award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author who has been writing about AIDS since 1982 and today is one of the best-known chroniclers of the epidemic. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, GQ, and New York magazine, where he is a contributing editor, and has received the National Headliner Award and the GLAAD Media Award, among others. Several films have been inspired by his work, most recently the Emmy-nominated Showtime film Our Fathers, for which he received a WGA nomination. He is at work on a major history of AIDS, due from Alfred A. Knopf in 2013. Based on decades of reporting, How to Survive a Plague is his directorial debut.
Credits
Director: David France
Writers: David France, Todd Woody Richman, Tyler H. Walk
Producers: David France, Howard Gertler
Executive Producers: Dan Cogan, Joy A. Tomchin
Co-Producer: Todd Woody Richman
Camera: Derek Wieshahn
Sound: Stuart Deutsch, Topher Reifeiss
Original Music: Stuart Bogie
Editor: Todd Woody Richman, Tyler H. Walk
Production Companies: Public Square Films, Ninety Thousand Words
Distribution (Us): Sundance Selects
Short Notes and Update:
The International Documentary Association in Los Angeles presents Doc U: The Doc Reporter
Navigating the Intersection of Documentary and Journalism
Moderated by: Karin Skellwagen (The Brooks Institute)
With Panelists:
Sarah Burns (The Central Park Five)
Michael Donaldson (Partner, Donaldson & Callif)
David France (How To Survive A Plague)
For information: http://doc-u-jan-2013-la.eventbrite.com/
Sundance Announces 2013 International Documentary Competition:
Fallen City/ China (Director: Qi Zhao) — Fallen City spans four years to reveal how three families who survived the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to embark on a journey searching for hope, purpose, identity, and to rebuild their lives in a new China torn between tradition and modernity. North American Premiere
Fire in the Blood/ India (Director: Dylan Mohan Gray) — In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Western governments and pharmaceutical companies blocked low-cost antiretroviral drugs from reaching AIDS-stricken Africa, causing 10 million or more unnecessary deaths. An improbable group of people decided to fight back. North American Premiere
Google and the World Brain/ Spain, United Kingdom (Director: Ben Lewis) — In the most ambitious Internet project ever conceived, Google is working to scan every book in the world. Google says it is building a library for mankind. But some are trying to stop it, claiming that Google may have other intentions. World Premiere
The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear/ Georgia, Germany (Director: Tinatin Gurchiani) — A film director casting a 15-23-year-old protagonist visits villages and cities to meet people who answer her call. She follows those who prove to be interesting enough through various dramatic and funny situations. North American Premiere
The Moo Man/ United Kingdom (Directors: Andy Heathcote, Heike Bachelier) — A year in the life of heroic farmer Steve, scene stealing Ida (queen of the herd), and a supporting cast of 55 cows. When Ida falls ill, Steve’s optimism is challenged and their whole way of life is at stake. World Premiere
Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer/ Russian Federation, United Kingdom (Directors: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin) — Three young women face seven years in a Russian prison for a satirical performance in a Moscow cathedral. But who is really on trial: the three young artists or the society they live in? World Premiere
A River Changes Course/ Cambodia, U.S.A. (Director: Kalyanee Mam) — Three young Cambodians struggle to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing, and overwhelming debt in this devastatingly beautiful story of a country reeling from the tragedies of war and rushing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding world. World Premiere
Salma/ United Kingdom, India (Director: Kim Longinotto) — When Salma, a young girl in South India, reached puberty, her parents locked her away. Millions of girls all over the world share the same fate. Twenty-five years later, Salma has fought her way back to the outside world. World Premiere
The Square (Al Midan)/ Egypt, U.S.A. (Director: Jehane Noujaim) — What does it mean to risk your life for your ideals? How far will five revolutionaries go in defending their beliefs in the fight for their nation? World Premiere
The Stuart Hall Project/ United Kingdom (Director: John Akomfrah) — Antinuclear campaigner, New Left activist and founding father of Cultural Studies, this documentary interweaves 70 years of Stuart Hall’s film, radio and television appearances, and material from his private archive to document a memorable life and construct a portrait of Britain’s foremost radical intellectual. World Premiere
The Summit/ Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Nick Ryan) — Twenty-four climbers converged at the last stop before summiting the most dangerous mountain on Earth. Forty-eight hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished. Had one, Ger McDonnell, stuck to the climbers' code, he might still be alive. International Premiere
Who is Dayani Cristal?/ United Kingdom (Director: Marc Silver) — An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for its identity leads us across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. World Premiere. Day One Film
Producer’s Guild Announces Nominations for the Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures and Non-Fiction Television:
A People Uncounted(Urbinder Films)
Producers: Marc Swenker, Aaron Yeger
The Gatekeepers(Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky, Dror Moreh
The Island President(Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Producers: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen
The Other Dream Team(The Film Arcade)
Producers: Marius Markevicius, Jon Weinbach
Searching For Sugar Man(Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
Nominations for the Award for Outstanding Producer of
Non-Fiction Television:
American Masters(PBS)
Producers: Prudence Glass, Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations(Travel Channel)
Producers: Anthony Bourdain, Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandy Zweig
Deadliest Catch(Discovery Channel)
Producers: Thom Beers, Jeff Conroy, Sean Dash, John Gray, Sheila McCormack, Bill Pruitt, Decker Watson
Inside the Actors Studio(Bravo)
Producers: James Lipton, Shawn Tesser, Jeff Wurtz
Shark Tank(ABC)
Producers: Rhett Bachner, Becky Blitz, Mark Burnett, Bill Gaudsmith, Yun Lingner, Brien Meagher, Clay Newbill, Jim Roush, Laura Skowlund, Paul Sutera, Patrick Wood
BAFTA Short and Documentary Feature Nominations (British Academy of Film and Television Arts, London)
Documentary Feature
The ImposterBart Layton, Dimitri Doganis
Marley Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel
McCullin David Morris, Jacqui Morris
Searching for Sugar Man Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
West of Memphis Amy Berg
Short Animation
Here to Fall Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath
I’m Fine Thanks Eamonn O'Neill
The Making of Longbird Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson
Short Film
The Curse Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries
Good Night Muriel d'Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir
Swimmer Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw
Tumult Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews
The Voorman Problem Mark Gill, Baldwin Li
The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca)
Documentary Feature Nominations
Bully
The Imposter
Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man (Winner)
The Central Park Five
West of Memphis
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013 Ida Doc U
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.documentary.org/news/february-documentary-producing-workshops-mitchell-block
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
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- 1/17/2013
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
Earlier this week The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the nominations for their annual awards for theatrical motion picture, animated motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 2013 Producers Guild Awards.
This was an incredible year for films, and most of the movies nominated here deserve to be. Out of all the films listed here, I'd like to see Zero Dark Thirty or Silver Linings Playbook take the top prize for motion picture, Paranorman for animated film, Game of Thrones for TV drama, and Curb Your Enthusiasm for TV Comedy. In case you missed them, here they are! Look them over and let us know what films you'd like to see win!
Ten nominations in the theatrical motion picture category include:
Argo (Warner Bros.)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight)
Django Unchained (The Weinstein Company)
Life of Pi (20th Century Fox)
Lincoln (DreamWorks)
Les Misérables (Universal)
Moonrise Kingdom...
This was an incredible year for films, and most of the movies nominated here deserve to be. Out of all the films listed here, I'd like to see Zero Dark Thirty or Silver Linings Playbook take the top prize for motion picture, Paranorman for animated film, Game of Thrones for TV drama, and Curb Your Enthusiasm for TV Comedy. In case you missed them, here they are! Look them over and let us know what films you'd like to see win!
Ten nominations in the theatrical motion picture category include:
Argo (Warner Bros.)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight)
Django Unchained (The Weinstein Company)
Life of Pi (20th Century Fox)
Lincoln (DreamWorks)
Les Misérables (Universal)
Moonrise Kingdom...
- 1/5/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the nominees in both motion picture and television for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards. "Skyfall" made the cut as one of the nominees of the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.
Winners will be announced on January 26th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Here's the complete list of nominees (including television); for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Theatrical Motion Picture Nominees
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
.Argo. (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
.Beasts of the Southern Wild. (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
.Django Unchained. (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher
.Les Misérables. (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
.Life of Pi. (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter,...
Winners will be announced on January 26th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Here's the complete list of nominees (including television); for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Theatrical Motion Picture Nominees
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
.Argo. (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
.Beasts of the Southern Wild. (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
.Django Unchained. (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher
.Les Misérables. (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
.Life of Pi. (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter,...
- 1/2/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Producers Guild of America has announced its nominations for best productions of the year, in what is often looked to as an indicator for how the Academy Awards may go.
The guild selected 10 films — most of them common guesses for the group that could make up the Oscar list of the best films of 2012: Argo, Lincoln, Les Misérables, among others.
The one surprise: Skyfall. No 007 film has ever cracked the Best Picture list, but if this nomination is any indication, that could change when the Oscar nods are revealed Jan. 10.
Check out the full list …
The Darryl F. Zanuck...
The guild selected 10 films — most of them common guesses for the group that could make up the Oscar list of the best films of 2012: Argo, Lincoln, Les Misérables, among others.
The one surprise: Skyfall. No 007 film has ever cracked the Best Picture list, but if this nomination is any indication, that could change when the Oscar nods are revealed Jan. 10.
Check out the full list …
The Darryl F. Zanuck...
- 1/2/2013
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
One of my favorite documentaries this year, "Searching for Sugar Man," received top honors at the 2012 Ida Documentary Awards winning the Best Feature prize. The documentary about the search for the elusive musician, Rodriguez, is truly a brilliant film illuminating failed dreams and eventual redemption.
Here's the complete winners list of the 2012 Ida Documentary Awards:
Career Achievement Award
Arnold Shapiro
Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award
David France
Pioneer Award
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program And Fund
Best Feature Award
Searching For Sugar Man
Director/Producer/Writer: Malik Bendjelloul
Producer: Simon Chinn
Executive Producer: John Battsek
Red Box Films, Sony Pictures Classics
Best Short Award
Saving Face
Director: Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Producers: David Coombe, Daniel Junge, Alison Greenberg, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Sabiha Sumar
Co-Producers: Aaron Kopp, Fazeelat Aslam
Senior Producer: Lisa Heller (HBO)
Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins (HBO)
HBO Documentary Films, Milkhaus, LLC, and JungeFilm, LLC
Best Limited Series Award...
Here's the complete winners list of the 2012 Ida Documentary Awards:
Career Achievement Award
Arnold Shapiro
Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award
David France
Pioneer Award
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program And Fund
Best Feature Award
Searching For Sugar Man
Director/Producer/Writer: Malik Bendjelloul
Producer: Simon Chinn
Executive Producer: John Battsek
Red Box Films, Sony Pictures Classics
Best Short Award
Saving Face
Director: Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Producers: David Coombe, Daniel Junge, Alison Greenberg, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Sabiha Sumar
Co-Producers: Aaron Kopp, Fazeelat Aslam
Senior Producer: Lisa Heller (HBO)
Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins (HBO)
HBO Documentary Films, Milkhaus, LLC, and JungeFilm, LLC
Best Limited Series Award...
- 12/8/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
On Wednesday, the Producers' Guild of America announced the TV and digital nominees for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards. The winners will be announced in a ceremony on January 26, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. In addition to the nominees listed below, the PGA will present special honors to Bob and Harvey Weinstein, J.J. Abrams, and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:
"Breaking Bad" (AMC) Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett
"Downton Abbey" (PBS) Producers: Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge
"Game of Thrones" (HBO) Producers: David Benioff, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, Carolyn Strauss, D.B. Weiss
"Homeland" (Showtime) Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm
"Mad Men" (AMC) Producers: Jon Hamm,...
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:
"Breaking Bad" (AMC) Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett
"Downton Abbey" (PBS) Producers: Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge
"Game of Thrones" (HBO) Producers: David Benioff, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, Carolyn Strauss, D.B. Weiss
"Homeland" (Showtime) Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm
"Mad Men" (AMC) Producers: Jon Hamm,...
- 11/28/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
HBO’s Game of Thrones, Showtime’s Homeland, CBS’ Big Bang Theory and FX’s Louie were among the nominees in the top categories for the annual Producers Guild of America awards.
There’s a lot of overlap here with the 2012 Emmy award nominations, with a few exceptions: HBO’s Boardwalk Empire missed landing a slot for best drama series (there were six Emmy nominees and five for PGA). While on the comedy side, HBO’s Girls and Veep weren’t nominated, but Louie was. If you’re wondering why Comedy Central’s Emmy favorite The Daily Show with Jon Stewart...
There’s a lot of overlap here with the 2012 Emmy award nominations, with a few exceptions: HBO’s Boardwalk Empire missed landing a slot for best drama series (there were six Emmy nominees and five for PGA). While on the comedy side, HBO’s Girls and Veep weren’t nominated, but Louie was. If you’re wondering why Comedy Central’s Emmy favorite The Daily Show with Jon Stewart...
- 11/28/2012
- by James Hibberd
- EW - Inside TV
Last night the Producers Guild of America (PGA) gave out awards for achievement in films and television released in 2011. The big winner was The Artist, which took home the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. As the winner of this award takes the Best Picture Oscar three times out of four, any betting on the top Oscar honor is pretty much over at this point. Read on for the full list of winners. The PGA website provides the list. In each case I've left the full slate of nominees, and winners are bolded. I'm happy to see the excellent A Tribe Calle Quest doc, Beats, Rhymes and Life, picking up the award for best documentary. The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: The Artist Producer: Thomas Langmann Bridesmaids Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend The Descendants Producers: Jim Burke,...
- 1/22/2012
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: It’s beginning to look a bit like a landslide. The Producers Guild of America is the latest group to reward Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” with its year-end Best Picture honors, paving the way for what could be Oscar domination next month.
The black-and-white and predominantly silent film has been picking up top prizes throughout the season, winning Best Picture awards at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Golden Globes. On accepting the PGA distinction, producer Thomas Langmann said that when they “dreamed of making ‘The Artist,’ we knew we were dreaming of writing a love letter to American cinema.”
Oscar nominations arrive on Tuesday morning, and “The Artist” is expected to lead all films with the most nominations. It’s best to caution against landslide victories in what amounts to “the primaries.” Last year, David Fincher’s “The Social Network” did very...
hollywoodnews.com: It’s beginning to look a bit like a landslide. The Producers Guild of America is the latest group to reward Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” with its year-end Best Picture honors, paving the way for what could be Oscar domination next month.
The black-and-white and predominantly silent film has been picking up top prizes throughout the season, winning Best Picture awards at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Golden Globes. On accepting the PGA distinction, producer Thomas Langmann said that when they “dreamed of making ‘The Artist,’ we knew we were dreaming of writing a love letter to American cinema.”
Oscar nominations arrive on Tuesday morning, and “The Artist” is expected to lead all films with the most nominations. It’s best to caution against landslide victories in what amounts to “the primaries.” Last year, David Fincher’s “The Social Network” did very...
- 1/22/2012
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
John Goodman, The Artist Motion Pictures Darryl F. Zanuck Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures * The Artist Producer: Thomas Langmann Bridesmaids Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend The Descendants Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin The Help Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green Hugo Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese The Ides Of March Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver Midnight In Paris Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum Moneyball Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt War Horse Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures * The Adventures Of Tintin Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg Cars 2 Producer: Denise Ream Kung Fu Panda 2 Producer: Melissa Cobb Puss In Boots Producers: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou Rango Producers: John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures * Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels...
- 1/22/2012
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominees for their 2012 film and TV awards.
The Producers Guild Awards (PGA) nominees include the obvious choices such as The Artist, The Descendants, and Hugo, but also some films that have not often been mentioned in the build-up to the Oscars, including Moneyball, The Help, The Ides of March. Among the TV nominees, as well, are 30 Rock, Modern Family, Game of Thrones, and Mad Men.
The PGA has also chosen ten nominees this year for Best picture, but the Oscars will choose between five and ten. Here are the nominees:
The theatrical motion picture nominees are:
Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures:
The Artist
Producer: Thomas Langmann
Bridesmaids
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend
The Descendants
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin
The Help
Producers: Michael Barnathan,...
The Producers Guild Awards (PGA) nominees include the obvious choices such as The Artist, The Descendants, and Hugo, but also some films that have not often been mentioned in the build-up to the Oscars, including Moneyball, The Help, The Ides of March. Among the TV nominees, as well, are 30 Rock, Modern Family, Game of Thrones, and Mad Men.
The PGA has also chosen ten nominees this year for Best picture, but the Oscars will choose between five and ten. Here are the nominees:
The theatrical motion picture nominees are:
Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures:
The Artist
Producer: Thomas Langmann
Bridesmaids
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend
The Descendants
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin
The Help
Producers: Michael Barnathan,...
- 1/4/2012
- by Charlie Derry
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Producers Guild of America has announced their nominations for the PGA Awards and it's hard not to agree with every movie on the list. All of the ones I've seen are great films, and the ones I haven't seen I've heard are amazing. The only two on the list I haven't watched are The Artist and The Descendants, both of which I'm looking forward to seeing. I'd love Hugo or War Horse to take home the top prize though. Those were my two favorite movies of 2011. The winners will be announced on January 21st, 2012; check out the full press released with the list of nominations below and tell us what you think! What would you like to see win?
Here's the Press Release:
Los Angeles, CA (January 3, 2012) – The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards.
Here's the Press Release:
Los Angeles, CA (January 3, 2012) – The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards.
- 1/3/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Universal Pictures Kristen Wiig in “Bridesmaids”
The movies “Bridesmaids,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Midnight in Paris” were among the nominees announced today for the 2012 Producers Guild Awards.
The awards, which go to TV and film producers, often help forecast the Oscar nominees and winners.
The fact that “Bridesmaids” made the list is an indication that the light comedy may be in the running for some major nominations when the Oscars roll around. A number of expected movies,...
The movies “Bridesmaids,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Midnight in Paris” were among the nominees announced today for the 2012 Producers Guild Awards.
The awards, which go to TV and film producers, often help forecast the Oscar nominees and winners.
The fact that “Bridesmaids” made the list is an indication that the light comedy may be in the running for some major nominations when the Oscars roll around. A number of expected movies,...
- 1/3/2012
- by WSJ Staff
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
We really can’t say that 2011 is behind us until award season is finished, and as we get closer to the coveted Academy Awards in February, various other guilds and organizations are recognizing the best that 2011 had to offer. Today the Producers Guild of America announced their nominees for Best Picture. The PGA is generally a good indicator as to which movies will be nominated for best Picture when the Oscars roll around.
There are some pretty safe picks. Movies like War Horse, The Artist, The Descendants, and Hugo all made the list, but its Bridesmaids that came completely out of no where.
Below is the full press release of those that are nominated. This includes animated films and television shows. As you can see there are a lot of movies you expect to see on this list with a few surprises on it as well.
Los Angeles, CA (January...
There are some pretty safe picks. Movies like War Horse, The Artist, The Descendants, and Hugo all made the list, but its Bridesmaids that came completely out of no where.
Below is the full press release of those that are nominated. This includes animated films and television shows. As you can see there are a lot of movies you expect to see on this list with a few surprises on it as well.
Los Angeles, CA (January...
- 1/3/2012
- by Mike Lee
- FusedFilm
George Clooney, The Ides of March Terrence Malick/The Tree Of Life, Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, Clint Eastwood/J. Edgar Bypassed: PGA Award Nominations Motion Pictures Darryl F. Zanuck Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures The Artist Producer: Thomas Langmann Bridesmaids Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend The Descendants Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin The Help Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green Hugo Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese The Ides Of March Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver Midnight In Paris Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum Moneyball Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt War Horse Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures The Adventures Of Tintin Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg Cars 2 Producer: Denise Ream Kung Fu Panda 2 Producer: Melissa Cobb Puss In Boots Producers: Joe M. Aguilar,...
- 1/3/2012
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
Here's your best indicator yet as to what the crop of nominations for the Best Picture Oscar is likely to be. The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced its nominations for 2011 awards, which will be doled out on January 21. The ten films nominated for the PGA's top honor include expected pictures such as The Artist, The Descendants and War Horse. There are no real surprises, but the growing Oscar chances for The Help won't be hurt by getting a PGA nomination (would be slightly wild to see Chris Columbus, a producer on The Help, with an Oscar), and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris makes an appearance on the list, too. There are a couple surprises, though, in the form of Bridesmaids and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo -- the Judd Apatow and Scott Rudin effects in full force there. With 5-10 Best Picture nominations possible for this year's Oscars,...
- 1/3/2012
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
HollywoodNews.com: The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards. The categories include: The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television. The documentary film category and other television category nominations were already announced by the Guild in December 2011.
All 2012 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 21, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also award special honors to Leslie Moonves (Milestone Award), Steven Spielberg (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), Don Mischer (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Stan Lee (Vanguard Award), and In The Land Of Blood And Honey (The Stanley Kramer Award...
All 2012 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 21, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also award special honors to Leslie Moonves (Milestone Award), Steven Spielberg (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), Don Mischer (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Stan Lee (Vanguard Award), and In The Land Of Blood And Honey (The Stanley Kramer Award...
- 1/3/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
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