Sundance documentaries are alive and well. And it looks like there’s some acquisition action this year, too. Which Sundance documentaries have the best shot at landing in Oscar contention this year? It helps to get bought early or to have an international footprint.
A rickety theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers meant that many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution, or met serious delays before companies came through. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.
And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. But last year, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” which was rumored to be an HBO Documentary Films pickup for months, wasn’t announced until August 29, when other Sundance grads had been campaigning all summer.
One...
A rickety theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers meant that many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution, or met serious delays before companies came through. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.
And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. But last year, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” which was rumored to be an HBO Documentary Films pickup for months, wasn’t announced until August 29, when other Sundance grads had been campaigning all summer.
One...
- 1/31/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Just a day into the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Netflix has swooped on Ibelin, a new feature doc from Norwegian filmmaker Benjamin Ree (The Painter and the Thief), in the first acquisition of the festival.
World premiering in Park City on Thursday afternoon, the title playing in World Cinema Documentary Competition tells the story of Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated existence, later discovering that Mats had long been leading a vibrant digital life that left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.
The film takes us on a journey through the breadth of Steen’s adventurous online life, introducing us to Ibelin, his charismatic World of Warcraft persona. Through reconstructed animated moments from his gameplay, narrated entries from his blog and interviews with people who knew him as Ibelin,...
World premiering in Park City on Thursday afternoon, the title playing in World Cinema Documentary Competition tells the story of Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated existence, later discovering that Mats had long been leading a vibrant digital life that left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.
The film takes us on a journey through the breadth of Steen’s adventurous online life, introducing us to Ibelin, his charismatic World of Warcraft persona. Through reconstructed animated moments from his gameplay, narrated entries from his blog and interviews with people who knew him as Ibelin,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Philadelphia Eagles Play Against Giants Without Starting Guard Landon Dickerson Due To Thumb Surgery
Landon Dickerson, top interior lineman from the Philadelphia Eagles, was scheduled to have surgery on his thumb last week and missed the Christmas Day NFL game against the New York Giants.
Dickerson is rated as one of ESPN’s top interior linemen with a run block win rate metric of 81% and is fifth in the nation for his 96% pass block win rate.
In the game against the Seattle Seahawks, Dickerson was pulled out near the end, due to faulty equipment but played 68 out of 69 offensive snaps. Once pulled from the game, his position was taken over by an incoming rookie named Tyler Steen.
Steen was in the running to take over for Dickerson until he is able to resume play. They were hoping to regain momentum in the New York game to end their losing streak. In their past three games this season, the Eagles have lost by over 20 points.
Dickerson is rated as one of ESPN’s top interior linemen with a run block win rate metric of 81% and is fifth in the nation for his 96% pass block win rate.
In the game against the Seattle Seahawks, Dickerson was pulled out near the end, due to faulty equipment but played 68 out of 69 offensive snaps. Once pulled from the game, his position was taken over by an incoming rookie named Tyler Steen.
Steen was in the running to take over for Dickerson until he is able to resume play. They were hoping to regain momentum in the New York game to end their losing streak. In their past three games this season, the Eagles have lost by over 20 points.
- 12/28/2023
- by Morgan Lee Powers
- Uinterview
It’s a little more than three hours before Mannequin Pussy take the stage at Brooklyn Steel in front of a near-capacity crowd. A long line of fans is already stretching down the block, waiting for the doors to open. But the four members of the punk band are unable to focus on much right now besides their desperate desire to get some rest.
They’ve spent the past month crammed together in a Ford Transit van, putting roughly 5,200 miles on the dashboard and playing practically every night. They slump down on a dressing-room couch,...
They’ve spent the past month crammed together in a Ford Transit van, putting roughly 5,200 miles on the dashboard and playing practically every night. They slump down on a dressing-room couch,...
- 10/17/2023
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Acclaimed anime director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, The Boy And The Heron (aka How Do You Live?), hit Japanese theatres on Friday, July 14 with no advance publicity apart from a title and a poster.
The move was a deliberate ploy by Studio Ghibli head Toshio Suzuki to encourage audiences to see Miyazaki’s first film in a decade without preconceptions. “A poster and a title – that’s all we got when we were children. I enjoyed trying to imagine what a movie was about, and I wanted to bring that feeling back,” Suzuki told Japanese broadcaster Nhk.
ComScore reported a $13.2M opening weekend for the film, distributed by Toho, with IMAX saying it set a new three-day opening record with $1.7M from 44 screens.
Reactions from Japan-based critics, none of which were offered advance screenings, are mixed but mostly favourable.
Anime News Network gave the film an ‘A’ rating overall,...
The move was a deliberate ploy by Studio Ghibli head Toshio Suzuki to encourage audiences to see Miyazaki’s first film in a decade without preconceptions. “A poster and a title – that’s all we got when we were children. I enjoyed trying to imagine what a movie was about, and I wanted to bring that feeling back,” Suzuki told Japanese broadcaster Nhk.
ComScore reported a $13.2M opening weekend for the film, distributed by Toho, with IMAX saying it set a new three-day opening record with $1.7M from 44 screens.
Reactions from Japan-based critics, none of which were offered advance screenings, are mixed but mostly favourable.
Anime News Network gave the film an ‘A’ rating overall,...
- 7/17/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
In this episode, we interviewed cinematographer and director John De Menil. John shares with us his insights about storytelling, making it into major film festivals, how to choose the right cameras and lenses for the project as an integral part of the pre-production process, and how to direct the characters. Read his thoughts below.
Dp John De Menil Cinematographer and director John De Menil
John de Menil is the Director of Photography of Late Bloomers, which premiered at SXSW and was directed by Lisa Steen, starring Karen Gillan (Nebula in the MCU). John as a Dp has become a film festival darling, with his films premiering at major festivals such as Sundance and SXSW. His most recent credits include Dp’ing the Sundance short Sundowners and the SXSW short Stepdaddy, both directed by Steen. John received a bachelor’s degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and a...
Dp John De Menil Cinematographer and director John De Menil
John de Menil is the Director of Photography of Late Bloomers, which premiered at SXSW and was directed by Lisa Steen, starring Karen Gillan (Nebula in the MCU). John as a Dp has become a film festival darling, with his films premiering at major festivals such as Sundance and SXSW. His most recent credits include Dp’ing the Sundance short Sundowners and the SXSW short Stepdaddy, both directed by Steen. John received a bachelor’s degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and a...
- 5/9/2023
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
Vendôme Pictures, the production house behind Sian Heder’s Oscar-winning film “Coda,” is set to produce “Ibelin,” a feature film which will be directed by Morten Tyldum (“The Imitation Game”).
Penned by Kyle Killen (“Halo”), the film will be inspired by the real-life story of Mats Steen, a disabled boy from Norway who went by ‘Ibelin’ in the gaming world.
Vendôme Pictures’ Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi are producing alongside Tyldum and Guri Neby (“The Monkey and the Mouth”) for Neby-Tyldum As. Principal photography will take place in the U.S., suggesting that the action will take place in the U.S. rather than Norway. Production dates yet to be set.
Like “Coda,” “Ibelin” will likely be a heart-wrenching drama. Steen died at the age of 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His parents, Robert and Trude, mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life for their disabled son.
Penned by Kyle Killen (“Halo”), the film will be inspired by the real-life story of Mats Steen, a disabled boy from Norway who went by ‘Ibelin’ in the gaming world.
Vendôme Pictures’ Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi are producing alongside Tyldum and Guri Neby (“The Monkey and the Mouth”) for Neby-Tyldum As. Principal photography will take place in the U.S., suggesting that the action will take place in the U.S. rather than Norway. Production dates yet to be set.
Like “Coda,” “Ibelin” will likely be a heart-wrenching drama. Steen died at the age of 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His parents, Robert and Trude, mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life for their disabled son.
- 11/14/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Story tells of beloved ‘World Of Warcraft’ community member Mats Steen.
Vendôme Pictures, producer of best picture Oscar winner Coda, has hired Morten Tyldum to direct Ibelin based on the inspirational life of online gamer Mats Steen.
Kyle Killen, whose credits include Halo, will write the screenplay about Steen, who died aged 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What his parents did not know and discovered on the day of his funeral was the youngster’s popularity, as people from all over Europe turned up to pay their respects to a beloved member of the World Of Warcraft community, where he went by the name Ibelin.
Vendôme Pictures, producer of best picture Oscar winner Coda, has hired Morten Tyldum to direct Ibelin based on the inspirational life of online gamer Mats Steen.
Kyle Killen, whose credits include Halo, will write the screenplay about Steen, who died aged 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What his parents did not know and discovered on the day of his funeral was the youngster’s popularity, as people from all over Europe turned up to pay their respects to a beloved member of the World Of Warcraft community, where he went by the name Ibelin.
- 11/14/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Story tells of beloved ‘World Of Warcraft’ community member Mats Steen.
Vendôme Pictures, producer of best picture Oscar winner Coda, has hired Morten Tyldum to direct Ibelin based on the inspirational life of online gamer Mats Steen.
Kyle Killen (Halo) will write the screenplay about Steen, who died aged 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What his parents did not know and discovered on the day of his funeral was the youngster’s popularity, as people from all over Europe turned up to pay their respects to a beloved member of the World Of Warcraft community, where he went by the name Ibelin.
Vendôme Pictures, producer of best picture Oscar winner Coda, has hired Morten Tyldum to direct Ibelin based on the inspirational life of online gamer Mats Steen.
Kyle Killen (Halo) will write the screenplay about Steen, who died aged 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What his parents did not know and discovered on the day of his funeral was the youngster’s popularity, as people from all over Europe turned up to pay their respects to a beloved member of the World Of Warcraft community, where he went by the name Ibelin.
- 11/14/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
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