It’s been a surprisingly interesting month of moving and shaking in terms of doc development. Just a month after making his first public funding pitch at Toronto’s Hot Docs Forum, legendary doc filmmaker Frederick Wiseman took to Kickstarter to help cover the remaining expenses for his 40th feature film In Jackson Heights (see the film’s first trailer below). Unrelentingly rigorous in his determination to capture the American institutional landscape on film, his latest continues down this thematic rabbit hole, taking on the immensely diverse New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights as his latest subject. According to the Kickstarter page, Wiseman is currently editing the 120 hours of rushes he shot with hopes of having the film ready for a fall festival premiere (my guess would be Tiff, where both National Gallery and At Berkeley made their North American debut), though he’s currently quite a ways away from his $75,000 goal.
- 7/6/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Well folks, after a rather long and brutal winter (at least for me here in Buffalo), we are finally heading into the wonderful warmth of summer, but with that blast of sunshine and steamy humidity comes the mid-year drought of major film fests. After the Sheffield Doc/Fest concludes on June 10th and AFI Docs wraps on June 21st, we likely won’t see any major influx in our charts until Locarno, Venice, Telluride and Tiff announce their line-ups in rapid succession. In the meantime, we can look forward to the intriguing onslaught of films making their debut in Sheffield, including Brian Hill’s intriguing examination of Sweden’s most notorious serial killer, The Confessions of Thomas Quick, and Sean McAllister’s film for which he himself was jailed in the process of making, A Syrian Love Story, the only two films world premiering in the festival’s main competition.
- 6/1/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
It should come as no surprise that Cannes Film Festival will play host to Kent Jones’s doc on the touchstone of filmmaking interview tomes, Hitchcock/Truffaut (see photo above). The film has been floating near the top of this list since it was announced last year as in development, while Jones himself has a history with the festival, having co-written both Arnaud Desplechin’s Jimmy P. and Martin Scorsese’s My Voyage To Italy, both of which premiered in Cannes. The film is scheduled to screen as part of the Cannes Classics sidebar alongside the likes of Stig Björkman’s Ingrid Bergman, in Her Own Words, which will play as part of the festival’s tribute to the late starlet, and Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna’s Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (see trailer below). As someone who grew up watching road races with my dad in Watkins Glen,...
- 5/1/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Now that the busy winter fest schedule of Sundance, Rotterdam and the Berlinale has concluded, we’ve now got our eyes on the likes of True/False and SXSW. While, True/False does not specialize in attention grabbing world premieres, it does provide a late winter haven for cream of the crop non-fiction fare from all the previously mentioned fests and a selection of overlooked genre blending films presented in a down home setting. This year will mark my first trip to the Columbia, Missouri based fest, where I hope to catch a little of everything, from their hush-hush secret screenings, to selections from their Neither/Nor series, this year featuring chimeric Polish cinema of decades past, to a spotlight of Adam Curtis’s incisive oeuvre. But truth be told, it is SXSW, with its slew of high profile world premieres being announced, such as Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs...
- 2/27/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Turkey or no turkey, these next couple of days lucky filmmakers who’ve been selected to screen as part of the Sundance Film Festival will get the invitation notice straight from John Cooper and the Park City programming team, and thus, those that we’re betting have made the cut have also inched up the list a bit. One of those that seem an obvious choice to premiere at the fest is director Steve Hoover and producer Danny Yourd’s Crocodile Gennadiy. Following up their Grand Jury Prize winning Blood Brother with incredible turnaround time, our new most anticipated film tracks the delicate operations of Gennadiy Mokhnenko, a Ukrainian activist, orphanage manager and savior of countless children whose addict parents favor injected cold medicine and alcohol over them. Part heartwrenching domestic drama, part sleuth thriller, the film looks to use the Ukrainian uprising as a backdrop to highlight its protagonist...
- 11/27/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
They often get quite a bit less attention than their fictional brethren, and it doesn’t help that many films fly under the radar while development and filming is underway. To chart this course with a little more precision, I’m launching Ioncinema.com’s latest feature, What’s Up Doc?, our monthly Top 50 Most Anticipated films, a sort of hitlist and/or snapshot of the most alluring, the most promising documentary film projects from the established documentarian guard, the new crop of future voices or the fiction filmmakers who on occasion dip their toes in the form. Curated by me, Jordan M. Smith, you’ll find docu items that are in their beginning stages to being moments away from their film festival berth. Like any such list, we can expect film items to fluctuate in ranking, with the cut-off being publicly items — such recent examples include Laura Poitras’s white hot Edward Snowden project,...
- 10/23/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Banker White and Anna Fitch took home the top award, the Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feauture, at this weekend's ninth annual Camden International Film Festival for "Marian," their film about White's mother Pam as she enters the early stages of Alzheimer's. Said jury member Rebecca Richman Cohen ("Code of the West," "War Don Don"), "A film whose perspective is so warmly intimate, ['Marian'] is clearly crafted by a filmmaker whose connection is colored not only by blood ties, but by a profound sense of affection and respect. This relationship imbues the film with a nuanced and lyrical representation of a woman who is deeply loved, receding from life long before her time." Danish filmmaker Daniel Dencik's "Expedition to the End of the World," which follows a motley crew of scientists and artists as they exchange ideas on the purpose of life and the pursuit of knowledge and inspiration in Northeast Greenland,...
- 10/3/2013
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
As a part of the annual national celebrations of cannabis appreciation on April 20, Rebecca Richman Cohen's "Code of the West" will screen across the country, with Q&A's with local policy experts in special Colorado and Washington, DC screenings, and is now available on iTunes. The film, which follows the case of a legislative push to end the state's medical marijuana program in Montana, also chronicled the arrest of one of the film's major subjects, marijuana grower Tom Daubert (who was arrested with three of his colleagues in a Department of Justice-sponsored raid of the state's legal marijuana growing industry). Read More: Did Rebecca Richman Cohen's Medical Marijuana Documentary Save a Man from Prison? Cohen is also hosting a Google Hangout on April 16 with The Nation writer Liliana Segura, Aclu of Washington's Alison Holcomb, and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition's Neill Franklin. Code of the West - Trailer from Racing Horse Productions on Vimeo.
- 4/12/2013
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
In Code of the West, director Rebecca Richman Cohen chronicles the legislative machinations surrounding Montana’s endangered medical marijuana law. The debate, which was colored by outrageous, scaremongering claims about increased teen use and demonic possession, revolved around the possibility of an outright repeal of the initial 2004 law, which spawned an industry that became the ire of conservative politicians and family groups. During the vote on a proposed repeal, DEA agents raided 26 ostensibly legal cannabis growing sights across the state and put the state’s biggest caregivers out of operation, including one owned by Tom Daubert, the protagonist of Cohen’s …...
- 3/28/2013
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
When Tom Daubert was set to be sentenced earlier this month on federal drug charges, he didn't know if he'd be spending up to 20 years in prison or if the judge would be more lenient and he'd simply be given probation. In the end, Us District Court Judge Dana Lewis Christensen, an Obama appointee, sentenced Daubert to five years of probation after Daubert pled guilty to conspiracy to maintain drug-related premises. Part of Daubert's defense was a documentary film. Rebecca Richman Cohen's "Code of the West," which debuted at this year's SXSW, tracks both sides of a series of state referenda on medical marijuana laws. Daubert, as a leading advocate for patients and growers, featured prominently in the film. Daubert is a drug policy reform activist who also owned the medical marijuana company Montana Cannabis. His business, which grew medical marijuana for state-legal patients, was recently raided by federal authorities after an increase in.
- 9/21/2012
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
The 18th annual San Antonio Film Festival will run for a solid week, June 18-24, at several locations around the city and will feature, as it always does, an expansive and impressive lineup of documentaries, thrillers, dramas and a ton of short films.
The fest kicks off on the 18th with the Canadian culture clash comedy French Immersion, directed by Kevin Tierney, followed by a block of homegrown short films from all over the great state of Texas. The next night’s programming, the 19th, pays tribute to San Antonio’s neighbors to the south with two feature films from Mexico, the drama Burros by Odin Salazar Flores and the documentary Die Standing Up by Jacaranda Correa, as well as a block of short films.
Some of the feature-length documentaries include Stephanie Hubbard’s Christian theme park quest Bible Storyland (watch the trailer); James Lane’s expose of the Oklahoma...
The fest kicks off on the 18th with the Canadian culture clash comedy French Immersion, directed by Kevin Tierney, followed by a block of homegrown short films from all over the great state of Texas. The next night’s programming, the 19th, pays tribute to San Antonio’s neighbors to the south with two feature films from Mexico, the drama Burros by Odin Salazar Flores and the documentary Die Standing Up by Jacaranda Correa, as well as a block of short films.
Some of the feature-length documentaries include Stephanie Hubbard’s Christian theme park quest Bible Storyland (watch the trailer); James Lane’s expose of the Oklahoma...
- 6/18/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
SXSW 2012 film review
complete coverage of SXSW Film 2012
Code of the West
Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen
Frames a high stakes showdown in the halls of the Montana State Legislature. The future of medical marijuana is at stake.
(World Premiere)
Film Synopsis (from SXSW.com)
Who’S It For?: You do not need a strong interest in medical marijuana (or legalization in general) to dive into this pot doc.
Overall
With a distinct distance from most of its “characters,” Code of the West plays out best as the recalling of a bill being passed more than a soapbox moment begging for the legalization of weed. A large chunk of this movie could be used in schools to show the story of how a bill passes in the state of Montana. As for stimulating discussion about medical marijuana, this film will only send debaters in circles.
There is not much...
complete coverage of SXSW Film 2012
Code of the West
Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen
Frames a high stakes showdown in the halls of the Montana State Legislature. The future of medical marijuana is at stake.
(World Premiere)
Film Synopsis (from SXSW.com)
Who’S It For?: You do not need a strong interest in medical marijuana (or legalization in general) to dive into this pot doc.
Overall
With a distinct distance from most of its “characters,” Code of the West plays out best as the recalling of a bill being passed more than a soapbox moment begging for the legalization of weed. A large chunk of this movie could be used in schools to show the story of how a bill passes in the state of Montana. As for stimulating discussion about medical marijuana, this film will only send debaters in circles.
There is not much...
- 3/23/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
- 2/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.
- 2/1/2012
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
The Ifp announced today the slate for this year’s Project Forum, which will take place during the 33rd edition of Independent Film Week on Sept. 18-22 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center.
The centerpiece of Independent Film Week, Project Forum is designed specifically as a place for industry to meet with new talent, as well as discover fresh projects from emerging and veteran filmmakers.
Read the complete press release and full list of titles in this year’s Project Forum.
All 150 projects showcased in the Project Forum this year are narrative and documentary features ranging from films in development, or the early stages of production, to those nearing completion.
Some of the notable directors in this year’s Project Forum include: Bruce La Bruce (Otto: Or, Up With Dead People), Alrick Brown (Kinyrwanda), Adam Bowers (New Low), David Lowery (St. Nick), David Robert Mitchell...
The centerpiece of Independent Film Week, Project Forum is designed specifically as a place for industry to meet with new talent, as well as discover fresh projects from emerging and veteran filmmakers.
Read the complete press release and full list of titles in this year’s Project Forum.
All 150 projects showcased in the Project Forum this year are narrative and documentary features ranging from films in development, or the early stages of production, to those nearing completion.
Some of the notable directors in this year’s Project Forum include: Bruce La Bruce (Otto: Or, Up With Dead People), Alrick Brown (Kinyrwanda), Adam Bowers (New Low), David Lowery (St. Nick), David Robert Mitchell...
- 8/11/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Even as the wires and the waves buzz with anticipation for Quentin Tarantino's next project, Django Unchained, which, as the Guardian's Ben Child surmises, "seems to be an homage to Sergio Leone set in the deep south (rather than the old west) which tackles the predictably difficult subject of 19th-century American slavery," and which will likely feature Christoph Waltz and Franco Nero and, who knows, maybe Will Smith as well, along comes first-time contributor Jd Markel, headlining Issue 72 of Bright Lights Film Journal with a detailed map of influences on Tarantino's 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds.
As always with Bl, there's a full season's worth of reading in this new issue, but if you've got a moment, editor Gary Morris will talk you through it, piece by piece. Or head straight to the Toc for an overview of all the articles, reviews, profiles, empirical studies and rampant speculations.
For Reverse Shot's 29th symposium,...
As always with Bl, there's a full season's worth of reading in this new issue, but if you've got a moment, editor Gary Morris will talk you through it, piece by piece. Or head straight to the Toc for an overview of all the articles, reviews, profiles, empirical studies and rampant speculations.
For Reverse Shot's 29th symposium,...
- 5/9/2011
- MUBI
121 films later… another installment of the Pan African Film Festival (Paff) in Los Angeles, CA, came to a close on Wednesday, the 23rd, with the announcement of its filmmaker awards.
Prizes were handed out for the following categories: Best Narrative Feature, Best First Feature Film, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, and Audience Favorite awards.
I was extremely pleased to see João Daniel Tikhomiroff’s Besouro win the Best Narrative Feature prize. It’s a film we’ve touted on this blog for the last 2 years, since initially hearing about it. The film is still without North American distribution, as far as I know, and it needs all the press and push it can get. I hope it’s eventually picked up – even if it’s a straight-to-dvd release.
Ava DuVernay’s I Will Follow received the well-deserved Best First Feature Film award.
And the Jamie Foxx-executive produced Thunder Soul,...
Prizes were handed out for the following categories: Best Narrative Feature, Best First Feature Film, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, and Audience Favorite awards.
I was extremely pleased to see João Daniel Tikhomiroff’s Besouro win the Best Narrative Feature prize. It’s a film we’ve touted on this blog for the last 2 years, since initially hearing about it. The film is still without North American distribution, as far as I know, and it needs all the press and push it can get. I hope it’s eventually picked up – even if it’s a straight-to-dvd release.
Ava DuVernay’s I Will Follow received the well-deserved Best First Feature Film award.
And the Jamie Foxx-executive produced Thunder Soul,...
- 2/25/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
While introducing War Don Don at last night’s Stranger Than Fiction, SXSW programmer Janet Pierson said that while many great documentaries were submitted to last year’s festival, there were few with the “clarity” of Rebecca Richman Cohen’s directorial debut. It was a sentiment later echoed by Raphaela Neihausen, the executive director of Stranger than Fiction who praised Richman Cohen for her ability to “break down a complex issue” but still keep the “nuance.”
Three years in the making, War Don Don follows the Un Special trial of Issa Sesay, one of the leaders of the Ruf, an incredibly violent rebel group in Sierra Leone. Although we know that Sesay will be convicted from the very beginning, Richman-Cohen finds an incredible amount of drama by questioning whether or not that conviction was fair. Structured like a trial, War Don Don follows both the zealous prosecutor who sees no grey and the…...
Three years in the making, War Don Don follows the Un Special trial of Issa Sesay, one of the leaders of the Ruf, an incredibly violent rebel group in Sierra Leone. Although we know that Sesay will be convicted from the very beginning, Richman-Cohen finds an incredible amount of drama by questioning whether or not that conviction was fair. Structured like a trial, War Don Don follows both the zealous prosecutor who sees no grey and the…...
- 11/10/2010
- by Mary Anderson Casavant
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
If you live in New York City and you missed the 3 previous screenings of Raoul Peck’s latest offering, Moloch Tropical, well, you’ll get a 4th chance to see it! Come on folks – you have zero excuses now! I expect every (ok, maybe not every) New Yorker who reads this blog to have seen this film already, and if you haven’t, make an effort to see it when it screens this weekend, the 20th, as a selection of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, which begins tomorrow, the 10th, and runs through the 24th of June.
There are a number of other films worth checking out, including: In the Land of the Free (a NY premiere), Vadim Jean’s documentary on the Angola 3, who were convicted of the murder of a prison guard (sans physical evidence and credible eyewitnesses), after they were targeted by prison officials for...
There are a number of other films worth checking out, including: In the Land of the Free (a NY premiere), Vadim Jean’s documentary on the Angola 3, who were convicted of the murder of a prison guard (sans physical evidence and credible eyewitnesses), after they were targeted by prison officials for...
- 6/9/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Acclaimed Winnipeg filmmaker Guy Maddin has won the Best Experimental Short award at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival for Night Mayor. The film is a fictional documentary about Bosnian inventor Nihad Ademi who, in 1939, built a machine that harnessed the power of the Aurora Borealis to transmit images of Canadians to themselves.
Created as a tribute to the National Film Board of Canada’s 70th anniversary, Night Mayor playfully twists concepts of fact and fiction. Maddin describes the film as a documentary, even though his subject never actually existed, since it was shot documentary style with no planned action or script. Maddin assembled his cast and crew to document Ademi’s story as it may have happened and captured the action in his uncanny style of recreating time periods.
To see the director at work and to hear him describe his process, embedded below is a making-of clip posted on the Nfb’s website.
Created as a tribute to the National Film Board of Canada’s 70th anniversary, Night Mayor playfully twists concepts of fact and fiction. Maddin describes the film as a documentary, even though his subject never actually existed, since it was shot documentary style with no planned action or script. Maddin assembled his cast and crew to document Ademi’s story as it may have happened and captured the action in his uncanny style of recreating time periods.
To see the director at work and to hear him describe his process, embedded below is a making-of clip posted on the Nfb’s website.
- 3/19/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
SXSW Film Announces 2010 Award Winners
Complete Coverage of SXSW 2010
Austin, Texas – March 16, 2010 – The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second categories were also eligible for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature Audience Awards were announced tonight. Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Monday, March 22.
SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking, and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award.
Complete Coverage of SXSW 2010
Austin, Texas – March 16, 2010 – The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second categories were also eligible for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature Audience Awards were announced tonight. Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Monday, March 22.
SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking, and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award.
- 3/18/2010
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
Austin, Texas – March 16, 2010 – The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second categories were also eligible for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature Audience Awards were announced tonight. Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Monday, March 22. SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking, and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award. Details can be found at www.
- 3/17/2010
- by Dave Campbell
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced last night at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories.
Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second categories were also eligible for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature Audience Awards were announced tonight.
Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Monday, March 22.
SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking, and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award.
Click through for the complete list of the...
Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second categories were also eligible for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature Audience Awards were announced tonight.
Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Monday, March 22.
SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking, and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award.
Click through for the complete list of the...
- 3/17/2010
- by Joe Gillis
- The Flickcast
Though SXSW 2010 is only at the halfway point, the music portion is about to kick into high gear and many film folks are leaving town. The awards ceremony was held last night, and Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol and Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture won jury awards for best feature-length documentary and narrative, respectively.
Audience awards went to For Once in My Life (documentary) and Brotherhood (narrative). As if often the case, I haven't seen any of the winners, so can't comment further on them, but we do have a review for Marwencol up on the site, which is linked below.
Here's the announcement provided by the festival:
Austin, Texas - March 16, 2010 - The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival's closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were...
Audience awards went to For Once in My Life (documentary) and Brotherhood (narrative). As if often the case, I haven't seen any of the winners, so can't comment further on them, but we do have a review for Marwencol up on the site, which is linked below.
Here's the announcement provided by the festival:
Austin, Texas - March 16, 2010 - The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival's closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were...
- 3/17/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Filmmaker/actress Lena Dunham must be very happy this evening -- not only did her film Tiny Furniture pick up the Best Narrative Feature award at SXSW this year, but Dunham won the Chicken and Egg Emergent Narrative Women Director award. I saw Tiny Furniture earlier this week and could not agree more with the choice. It's about a young woman fresh out of college trying to get her footing with a job and relationships, including those with her mom and sister, played by Dunham's real life mother and sister. (That's Dunham and her mother pictured at right, at an earlier SXSW screening.)
The Documentary Feature award went to Marwencol, directed by Jeff Malmberg, about someone who builds a small-scale entire town in his backyard, and what happens when it's discovered. War Don Don, Rebecca Richman Cohen's look at a war crimes trial in Sierra Leone, received a runner-up award in the category.
The Documentary Feature award went to Marwencol, directed by Jeff Malmberg, about someone who builds a small-scale entire town in his backyard, and what happens when it's discovered. War Don Don, Rebecca Richman Cohen's look at a war crimes trial in Sierra Leone, received a runner-up award in the category.
- 3/17/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Cinematical
The SXSW Film Festival continues on until Saturday, but tonight the Austin film festival announced its 2010 batch of awards. As always, even though I.ve been running around the festival like a madman cramming as many movies as possible into my brain. I.ve managed to miss seeing any of the winners. I have however heard nothing but good things about Brotherhood, which I hope to catch at a repeat screening before I leave. It.s no surprise to see it winning for Narrative Feature. Below is the complete list of 2010 SXSW Film Festival winners. For our coverage straight from the festival go here. Feature Film Jury Awards Documentary Feature Winner: Marwencol Director: Jeff Malmberg Runner-up: War Don Don Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen Narrative Feature Winner: Tiny Furniture Director: Lena Dunham Special Jury Award . Best Ensemble: Myth of the American Sleepover Director: David Robert Mitchell Special Jury Award . Best Individual...
- 3/17/2010
- cinemablend.com
Feature Film Jury Awards Documentary Feature Winner: Marwencol Director: Jeff Malmberg Runner-up: War Don Don Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen Narrative Feature Winner: Tiny Furniture Director: Lena Dunham Special Jury Award...
- 3/17/2010
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
At the SXSW closing awards ceremony Tuesday night, Lena Dunham's offbeat autobiographical drama Tiny Furniture won the narrative feature jury prize. Shot in November and edited in December, the filmmakers finished the micro-budget drama last Monday, and flew into Austin with a tape in hand. Dunham also won the Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award. The dramatic jury also awarded two special jury prizes: best ensemble, Myth of the American Sleepover, directed by David Robert Mitchell and best individual performance: Brian Hasenfus in Phillip the Fossil, directed by Garth Donovan. The feature doc jury winner was Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol, about Mark Hogancamp and his fantasy world. The runner-up was War Don Don, from director Rebecca Richman Cohen. The audience awards went to Will Canon's fraternity thriller Brotherhood and documentary ...
- 3/17/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
We are only hours away from day 1 of SXSW Film 2010, and with that continues our preview coverage with 7 more reviews to wet your film fest appetite. Check out the excerps below and click the links to see the full reviews. Check out Part 1 by clicking here. White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights, The | Review "Under Great White Northern Lights is satisfying because it doesn’t go too deep into aimless conversations with the band, but instead focuses on the music, with excellent live footage that continues to hammer home the raw power that has made The White Stripes a power to be reckoned with. There are certainly poignant moments, with Jack and Meg discussing the idea behind the band, the apparent purposeful colors used from the outset, and their aversion to set lists. But overall, Malloy lets the music speak for the band." ____________________________________________________ Haynesville | Review "Either I have...
- 3/12/2010
- by Dave Campbell
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen The Revolutionary United Front (Ruf) under Foday Sankoh started The Sierra Leone Civil War in 1991. During the 11-year conflict, tens of thousands died and more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) were displaced. The civil war was officially declared over in January 2002. The title of this documentary – “war don don” – translates to “the war is over.” And, as you might guess, I had no choice but to review this documentary because of its name alone – apparently it was destiny. In 2004, the Special Court for Sierra Leone – an international war crimes tribunal – began its trial of Issa Sesay, who was deemed the Interim Leader of the Ruf after Sankoh was jailed. The chief prosecutors, David Crane (2002 - 2005) and Stephen Rapp (2006 - 2009), built their case on the concept that Sesay was a high-ranking rebel commander and should be held directly responsible for the atrocities committed by the Ruf.
- 3/11/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
IFP has announced its recipients of its annual Ifp Independent Filmmaker Lab Finishing Grants totaling $90,000. Congratulations goes to Stranger Things' Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal and War Don Don's Rebecca Richman Cohen. Both will receive a package valued at $45,000, that includes post-production services from Goldcrest Post New York, post-graphic services from Edgeworx, Inc., legal consultation from Gray Krauss Llp, publicity consultation from International House of Publicity, test screening space courtesy of The Tank, and promotional materials from 4over4. Additional award finalists included narrative projects Amy Seimetz's City on a Hill and Russell Costanzo's The Tested, and documentary projects Luisa Dantas's Land of Opportunity and...
- 2/19/2010
- by Melissa Silvestri
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The South by Southwest Film Festival announced its 2010 feature line-up Wednesday night, and I couldn’t be more excited. The nine day event starts March 12, 2010 here in Austin, Texas, and I’ll be covering as much as I can from start to finish. Though, if it’s anything like last year, I’ll be asleep on my feet by the end of it.
The 2010 list includes 119 films (55 world premieres), but here are a few notables: The previously announced Kick-Ass will start the festivities. Elektra Luxx, the sequel to the underseen comedy Women in Trouble, starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and too many more to name. Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass in which Edward Norton plays identical twins. A documentary titled People vs. George Lucas that I will be seeing. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs. Plus the “SNL” spin-off movie MacGruber in its world premiere, possibly before the MacGyver creator shuts it down.
The 2010 list includes 119 films (55 world premieres), but here are a few notables: The previously announced Kick-Ass will start the festivities. Elektra Luxx, the sequel to the underseen comedy Women in Trouble, starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and too many more to name. Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass in which Edward Norton plays identical twins. A documentary titled People vs. George Lucas that I will be seeing. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs. Plus the “SNL” spin-off movie MacGruber in its world premiere, possibly before the MacGyver creator shuts it down.
- 2/4/2010
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
Less than a week worth of recovering from the Sundance Film Festival, and we are already looking forward to our next, big film fest coverage. That would be the South by Southwest Film Festival held annually in Austin, Texas. Last year, Scott and I brought you all kinds of coverage from the Lone Star State, and this year doesn’t look to be much different.
With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.
Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.
Check out the full list...
With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.
Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.
Check out the full list...
- 2/4/2010
- by Kirk
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Late yesterday the SXSW Fim Festival, which runs from March 12-20 in Austin, TX, announced the full lineup of films that will be screening at this year’s event. And baby, it’s quite a list. Mixing big name films with intimate indie gems, the sheer number of films and the vast array of talented filmmakers is sure to be a hit with attendees and critics alike.
This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.
For more on...
This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.
For more on...
- 2/4/2010
- by Chris Ullrich
- The Flickcast
The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival unveiled its feature film program Wednesday night, highlighted by the world premieres of action spoof "MacGruber" and "Mr. Nice," a real-life tale of an infamous British drug smuggler starring Rhys Ifans.
Features from the Duplass brothers ("Cyrus"), Steven Soderbergh ("And Everything Is Going Fine"), Michel Gondry ("The Thorn in the Heart") and Tim Blake Nelson ("Leaves of Grass") also have spots on the program.
The March 12-20 festival will showcase 119 features and 55 world premieres, including pervasively announced opening-night film "Kick-Ass." Selections were chosen from 1,572 submissions (1,206 U.S., 366 international).
"We want discovery," said conference and fest producer Janet Pierson, now in her second year. "We want a real range of films across the board."
Eight narrative and eight documentary features comprise the main competition categories.
The narrative selections are "Brotherhood," directed by Will Canon; "Dance With the One" (Mike Dolan); "Earthling" (Clay Liford...
Features from the Duplass brothers ("Cyrus"), Steven Soderbergh ("And Everything Is Going Fine"), Michel Gondry ("The Thorn in the Heart") and Tim Blake Nelson ("Leaves of Grass") also have spots on the program.
The March 12-20 festival will showcase 119 features and 55 world premieres, including pervasively announced opening-night film "Kick-Ass." Selections were chosen from 1,572 submissions (1,206 U.S., 366 international).
"We want discovery," said conference and fest producer Janet Pierson, now in her second year. "We want a real range of films across the board."
Eight narrative and eight documentary features comprise the main competition categories.
The narrative selections are "Brotherhood," directed by Will Canon; "Dance With the One" (Mike Dolan); "Earthling" (Clay Liford...
- 2/4/2010
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
You may have caught on overnight that Ifp's Independent Film Week is upon us. Throughout the event (which begins tomorrow and concludes on the 24th) filmmakers who are participating this year will take time out of their busy schedules to post their thoughts on the experience on the blog. Here's who you'll be hearing from: Kristi Jacobson (Hungry in America, Spotlight on Documentaries) Paul Lovelace & Jessica Wolfson, a.k.a. Lost Footage Films (Radio Unnameable, Spotlight on Documentaries) Rebecca Richman Cohen (War Don Don, Spotlight on Documentaries) Jennifer Phang (Look for Water, No Borders) Noah Harlan (Free In Deed, No Borders) Melissa B. Miller (The Tested, Emerging Narratives) And also keep an eye out for posts from Pamela...
- 9/18/2009
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Hello blog readers. I’m Rebecca Richman Cohen, a relapsed documentary filmmaker. I say relapsed because I tried to quit this industry once already to no avail. After swearing off assistant editing, I went to law school and became passionate about indigent criminal defense. But alas, I wound up filmmaking again. I’m a doc addict. So it goes. I’m representing two films in Independent Film Week. Both are directly criminal justice related, though perhaps not sufficiently so to justify three years of law school. The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest (directed by Gabriel London, produced by me) deals with a mentally ill prison escape artist in North Florida. And War Don Don (directed by me, produced by Francisco Bello) profiles a controversial...
- 9/18/2009
- by Rebecca Richman Cohen
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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