Neuigkeiten

Greenwich Entertainment has acquired the North American distribution rights to “Marcella,” the documentary about legendary Italian chef and cookbook author Marcella Hazan. Directed by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Peter Miller (aka Doc Pomus), the Oak Street Pictures and Willow Pond Films production made its world premiere at the Coronado Island Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, followed by a win for Best Film at the 2025 Taste Awards.

Greenwich will release “Marcella” in theaters on May 9, ahead of its national broadcast and streaming premiere on PBS’ “American Masters,” which will be announced at a later date.

Hailed by Julia Child as “my mentor in all things Italian,” Marcella Hazan revolutionized the way Americans cook and understand Italian food. Through her best-selling cookbooks, she introduced generations to the beauty of authentic Italian cuisine. The New York Times once declared, “What Alice Waters did for restaurants, Hazan did for home cooks.

Connoisseurs of documentaries about the Golden Age of the music business may feel they've heard this one before: Jewish kid, born in the '20s to outer-borough New Yorkers; gets a crippling disease and shouldn't live past high school; survives to be the unsung genius behind countless hits you know by heart. Bang! The Bert Berns Story has much in common with 2012's A.K.A. Doc Pomus and, even if it's a bit less polished, will be received just as warmly by music lovers, especially those with a nose for the lore of '60s powerhouse Atlantic Records.

Like Pomus and plenty other...

The film to see this weekend is Paul Greengrass' breathless, beyond-intense thriller "Captain Phillips," anchored by knockout performances by veteran Tom Hanks and newcomer Barkhad Abdi. Based on the real-life saga of a cargo ship captain held hostage by Somali pirates, the film is cruising into awards season with strong reviews off its Nyff world premiere, along with some controversy. Also receiving excellent reviews is Peter Miller's doc on the Doc, "A.K.A. Doc Pomus," focusing on the legendary New York songwriter who churned out more than 1,000 songs over the years, including classics like "Save the Last Dance For Me" and "This Magic Moment," to name only a very few. The film reveals Pomus' struggles with polio since childhood, among other aspects of his personal life, even as he collaborated with the likes of Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. Otherwise, it's eclectic pickings. Randy Moore's Sundance hit "Escape from Tomorrow...

The thrilling story of Brooklyn's most beloved polio-stricken white boy r&b genius, Peter Miller and Will Hechter's A.K.A. Doc Pomus bops along with the simple, sturdy power of a good Doc Pomus song: It's constructed with techniques familiar to anyone with a passing awareness of its genre—but also with such wit and insight and serious longing that it moves as much as it grooves. Pomus, a warm and Falstaffian fellow seen here in old interview footage, wrote blues-steeped pop hits as eternal as "Save the Last Dance for Me," "Lonely Avenue," "This Magic Moment," and several of Elvis's very best—"Viva Las Vegas," "Little Sister," and that soulful masterpiece "A Mess of Blues"—but he started as an r&b shouter himself, swapping his birth name, Jerome Felder, for his ...

The St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, held annually at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema (1701 S Lindbergh Blvd #210, St Louis, Mo 63131), is one of the local Jewish community’s most popular and highly attended events of the year. Each year, the festival presents international Jewish films, both documentaries and features that explore universal issues through traditional Jewish values, opposing viewpoints and new perspectives. And each year, the fest packs ‘em in so get there early – it’s first come first serve for seats and those Frontenac theaters aren’t very big. Attendance is always through the roof for this thing, a testament to the group’s marketing and choice of programming. Guest lecturers are brought to the fest to discuss and illuminate the subjects of these films. This year’s St. Louis Jewish Film Festival runs Sunday, June 9th through Thursday June 13th.

The 18th Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival...

At this year's 17th Annual Stony Brook Film Festival, Peter Miller and William Hechter's documentary about blues singer and songwriter Doc Pomus, "A.K.A. Doc Pomus," took home the Festival's highest honor. The festival ran from July 19th-28th and featured 33 full length and short films from around the world. Full list of Stony Brook Film Festival winners: Grand Prize Winner: "A.K.A Doc Pomus"- Directed by Peter Miller and William Hechter Audience Choice Award: "Wunderkinder"- Directed by Marcus O. Rosenmüller. Written by Stephen Glantz and Rolf Schübel from a story by Art Bernd Jury Award Best Feature: "Shuffle"- Written and directed by Kurt Kuenne "Taped"- Written by Marnie Blok and Diederik Van Rooijen Audience Choice Best Short: "Bordando La Frontera"- A Film by by René Rhi Jury Award Best Short: ...