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The fight for Palestinian livelihood, repatriation, the Argentine gaucho community, a pair of England’s greatest directors, Chinese textile mills, a legendary artist’s final performance, the frontlines of the war on Ukraine––just a few of the subjects and stories this year’s documentaries brought us. With 2024 wrapping up, we’ve selected the non-fiction features that left us most impressed. If you’re looking for where to stream them, check out our handy guide here.

Dahomey (Mati Diop)

In 1953, Alain Resnais, Chris Marker, and Ghislain Cloquet produced Statues Also Die, one of the fiercest and most lucid indictments of white imperialism ever captured on film. Commissioned by the magazine Présence Africaine, it sought to dissect Western attitudes toward African art. The 30-minute short did not begin as an anti-colonial project but became one along the way, informed by the belittling treatment that antiquities from the continent had received across...

Apple TV+’s Girls State and HBO’s Ren Faire scored three nominations apiece to lead all broadcast nominees announced Thursday for the 18th Cinema Eye Honors. The group, which recognizes the year’s outstanding nonfiction and documentary films and TV series, also revealed the 16-film longlist for its annual Audience Choice Prize, won last year by National Geographic’s Bobi Wine: The People’s President, which went on to get nominated for the Documentary Feature Oscar.

The past six winners of the Best Documentary Feature Oscar — this year’s winner 20 Days in Mariupol, Navalny, Summer of Soul, My Octopus Teacher, American Factory and Free Solo — were all Audience Choice Prize nominees. Fans voting will whittle the list to 10 beginning next week, with winners in that and all categories to be announced at an awards ceremony January 9 at the New York Academy of Medicine in East Harlem.

The full list...

Cinema Eye Honors today shared a string of announcements, including the 16 films on its Audience Choice Prize Longlist, the unveiling of this year’s Unforgettables Honorees, nominees in its five Broadcast categories, and its annual Shorts List — spotlighting 11 of the year’s top documentary short films — at its 7th annual Cinema Eye Fall Lunch in Downtown Los Angeles on October 24, 2024.

Spotlighted on the film side are several major Best Documentary Feature contenders including “Will & Harper,” “Black Box Diaries,” and “No Other Land,” which all also factored into the organization’s list of Unforgettables — standout on-camera collaborators from eight feature documentaries. This next ceremony will be the first time those honorees, like Harper Steele, Shiori Ito, and Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham for those respective films, receive a special medallion honoring their contribution to their Cinema Eye-winning films.

Highlights among the Broadcast nominees include filmmaker Lance Oppenheim, nominated for both...

The Apple TV+ documentary “Girls State” and the HBO doc series “Ren Faire” led all projects in nominations in the Cinema Eye Honors broadcast categories, which were announced on Thursday in Los Angeles.

“Girls State” was nominated in the Broadcast Film category and also for its editing and cinematography. “Ren Faire” was also nominated in those last two categories, as well as for Nonfiction Series.

Other broadcast films and series with multiple nominations included Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders,” Apple’s “The Enfield Poltergeist,” HBO’s “Telemarketers” and National Geographic’s “Photographer.”

At its annual Cinema Eye Fall Lunch at Redbird in downtown Los Angeles, the New York-based organization also announced the Audience Choice Award Long List, 16 films that will compete for the audience-voted award; 11 semi-finalists in the short doc category; and “The Unforgettables,” its annual list of the year’s most interesting documentary subjects.

The Audience...

Variety & Rolling Stone’s Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Paramount+, is dedicated to honoring those who prioritize the discovery of truth. Curated by the editors of Variety and Rolling Stone, the collection of panelists at this year’s annual summit showcased a remarkable lineup of documentary filmmakers, political journalists and overall advocates for justice. The event featured thought-provoking discussions and insights from renowned figures such as acclaimed documentary maker Alex Gibney, comedian and host Amber Ruffin, the tireless crusaders behind the “Unsolved Mysteries” series and many more.

Key moments included a panel of political correspondents and anchors comprised of Abby Phillip, Yamiche Alcindor, Katy Tur, Tony Dokoupil, and Geoff Bennett, who discussed the realities and hypocrisies of covering former President Donald Trump. CBS News President Susan Zirinsky also joined the conference to discuss the documentary “We Will Dance Again.” The event concluded with the presentation of the Truth Seekers Award to journalist E. Jean Carroll.

The fourth annual Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Paramount+ is only days away, live on August 15th from New York City. In celebration of the event, Rolling Stone and Variety are releasing their third annual Truth Seekers special issue for those who value journalism and documentary filmmaking.

The special issue will showcase interviews with some of the most distinguished professionals in the field. CNN foreign correspondent Clarissa Ward, known for her fearless reporting from conflict zones such as Ukraine and Gaza, shares her insights and experiences. Additionally, filmmaker Jamila Wignot...

With the Truth Seekers Summit presented by Paramount+ less than a month away—August 15th in The Big Apple—Rolling Stone and Variety have added more esteemed names to an already star-studded lineup.

In an era where truth and integrity in journalism are more crucial than ever, journalist and author E. Jean Carroll will be honored with the Truth Seeker Award. This accolade celebrates the extraordinary achievements of journalists and documentary filmmakers dedicated to unearthing the truth, and Carroll’s steadfast commitment to truth and justice is documented (most notably,...

In a year—a critical election year, at that—where the concept of “truth” is tested daily, Rolling Stone and Variety have teamed up again to host the fourth annual Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Paramount+. Taking place on August 15th in New York City, the exclusive invitation-only event will celebrate the journalists, documentarians, creatives, and notable figures in the media and entertainment industry who honor the truth with every fiber of their being.

Featuring a range of keynotes and panel discussions, the Summit will focus on excellence in documentary storytelling,...

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

What makes this show addictive is also what makes it disturbing, devastating and occasionally funny: its brutal honesty. Richard Gadd’s account of stalking and abuse spares no one, least of all his semi-autobiographical stand-in. But it also finds empathy for imperfect victims and troubled perpetrators alike — the latter played by Jessica Gunning with ferocious commitment. — Angie Han

Extraordinary (Hulu)

In a TV landscape teeming with superpowered folks, this series stands out — and not just because its protagonist, Jen (Máiréad Tyers), is the rare adult in her universe without a special ability. Really a quarterlife coming-of-age comedy in genre packaging, the second season digs even deeper into its characters’ psyches to explore themes as relatable as sexuality and loss. — A.H.

Fantasmas (HBO)

A show that could only have come from Julio Torres, the surreal mind behind Los Espookys, Fantasmas follows a writer trying to avoid being evicted.

Glen Powell and Adria Arjona in Hit ManImage: Netflix

Hit Man, the twenty-third feature film from Lone Star State cinematic maverick Richard Linklater, is the second to be based on reporting that originally appeared in Texas Monthly. The first, Bernie mined from a 1998 article by journalist Skip Hollandsworth (co-writer of...

Exclusive: As his acclaimed comedic thriller Hit Man approaches its June 7 release on Netflix, filmmaker Richard Linklater may have identified his next project, as sources tell Deadline that he’s in development on a film called Blue Moon.

Taking its name from the 1934 ballad written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, the film follows Hart as he attempts to save face while celebrating his former partner Rodgers’ great success on the night of his musical Oklahoma!‘s Broadway opening. While it’s believed that this will end up being Linklater’s next film, that’s not entirely clear at present.

We’re told that Robert Kaplow — co-writer of Linklater’s 2008 film Me and Orson Welles — penned the script for Blue Moon and that Linklater will produce the project alongside his manager John Sloss.

A legendary American songwriting duo known for their contributions to musical theater, Rodgers and Hart collaborated between 1919 and the early 1940s,...

Paramount+ has announced that the two-part docuseries How Music Got Free will premiere exclusively on the service in the U.S. and Canada on Tuesday, June 11, and Wednesday, June 12, in the U.K., Australia, Latin America, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

Alexandria Stapleton directed the series, which premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival.

The docuseries was executive produced by Marshall “Eminem” Mathers, LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Paul Rosenberg, and Steve Stoute and produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television/Telepictures in association with SpringHill, Interscope Films, and Shady Films.

How Music Got Free details the fascinating and often funny inside story of the technology-driven disruption that changed music during the late 1990s and early 2000s. File-sharing technology, combined with the insatiable demand for new music, created both the means and the motive for millions of young people to participate in outright theft—and be celebrated for it.

From New...

Hello, and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast! I am your host Valerie Complex, an associate editor and film writer at Deadline.

Today, I’m chatting with director Alex Stapleton, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker known for her thought-provoking projects that have redefined authentic American storytelling across sports, music, pop culture, and social justice.

In a career spanning more than 15 years, Stapleton has collaborated with some of the best documentarians in the industry, releasing projects across all the top networks and studios. She directed one part of the HBO documentary trilogy God Save Texas, with her segment The Price of Oil.

Now, this film series takes viewers on a journey through one of the most controversial states in the United States, guided by three directors, each with a unique and personal perspective. Stapleton’s installment chronicles the energy industry’s impact on the African American community told through her own personal...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

And the Razzie Goes to . . .

As much as we hate to give Razzies any sort of promotion, The Criterion Channel has a new series to show just how wrong the execrable organization has been over the past decades. Launching today, they are spotlighting comedic gems like Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered, Elaine May’s Ishtar, and Neil Labute’s The Wicker Man, alongside Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Xanadu, Querelle, Under the Cherry Moon, Cocktail, Showgirls, Barb Wire, The Blair Witch Project, Swept Away and Gigli.

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

BlackBerry (Matt Johnson)

In BlackBerry, the rise of a blue-chip tech company sets the stage for the dissolution of a longstanding friendship. Sound familiar? Just wait ‘til you hear the score.

With a title like “God Save Texas, “ a new three-part docuseries inspired by an acclaimed piece of nonfiction carrying the same name and authored by Lawrence Wright, one might think this particular program will unquestionably take a harsh look at the Lone Star State, focusing solely on its flaws and a bleak viewpoint as it looks to the future. There’s no doubt that Texas has, time and again, been mired in a barrage of controversial moments throughout the past 178 years of its existence as the 28th United state, but under the direction of Texas natives Richard Linklater, Alex Stapleton and Iliana Sosa (“What We Leave Behind”), here three specific Texan sticking points are touched upon extensively, each handled well individually but when joined together paint a fascinating picture of how far Texas has come and how far it has yet to go.

Continue reading ‘God Save Texas’ Review: Richard...

Three acclaimed filmmakers—Richard Linklater, Alex Stapleton, and Iliana Sosa—take an intimate and multifaceted look at their home state of Texas through both the people that propel it forward the problems that set it back, from the prison and oil industries and their impact on disenfranchised community to the feelings of “in-between-ness” from straddling multiple cultures. The three-part HBO Original documentary “God Save Texas” will premiere on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 9 p.m. Et on HBO and Max with Parts Two and Three debuting back-to-back on Wednesday, Feb. 28. All three parts will be available to stream on Max beginning on Feb. 27. You can watch with a subscription to Max.

How to Watch ‘God Save Texas’ Premiere When: Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Where: Max Stream: Watch with a subscription to Max. Sign Up$9.99+ / month Max via amazon.com About ‘God Save Texas’ Premiere

Inspired by the book “God Save Texas: A Journey Into the...

Prepare to delve deeper into the rich cultural tapestry of Texas with “God Save Texas” as Season 1 continues with Episode 3 titled “La Frontera.” Airing at 10:00 Pm on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, on HBO, this episode promises to offer a thought-provoking exploration of identity and heritage.

In “La Frontera,” filmmaker Iliana Sosa takes viewers on a journey through the concept of “nepantla,” an embrace of in-betweenness that characterizes her relationship to both her Mexican heritage and her hometown of El Paso, Texas. Through intimate interviews, stunning visuals, and personal anecdotes, Sosa invites audiences to reflect on the complexities of cultural identity and belonging.

From navigating the borderlands to celebrating the vibrant traditions of the region, “La Frontera” offers a nuanced and compelling perspective on what it means to straddle multiple worlds. Don’t miss this illuminating episode of “God Save Texas,” exclusively on HBO. It’s a captivating exploration of culture, heritage,...

Prepare for a compelling and thought-provoking journey through the heart of Texas with “God Save Texas” as it returns with Season 1 Episode 2, titled “The Price of Oil.” Airing at 9:00 Pm on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, on HBO, this episode delves into the profound impact of the oil industry on one family’s legacy and the broader Texas community.

Hosted by Alex Stapleton, “God Save Texas” explores the complex history and ongoing challenges faced by her own family, who arrived in Texas as enslaved people in the 1830s. From building thriving communities to grappling with the human costs of Texas’ biggest money-maker, Stapleton uncovers the untold stories and hidden truths that lie beneath the surface of the Lone Star State.

With a mix of personal anecdotes, historical context, and investigative journalism, “The Price of Oil” promises to shine a light on the often overlooked consequences of the oil industry’s dominance in Texas.

Join filmmaker Richard Linklater on a journey back to his roots in the premiere episode of “God Save Texas,” titled “Hometown Prison.” Tune in to HBO at 9:00 Pm on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, for an insightful exploration of the Lone Star State’s criminal justice system.

In this inaugural episode, Linklater delves deep into his hometown, shining a spotlight on its diverse inhabitants and the complex dynamics of the Texas prison system. Through intimate interviews and captivating storytelling, viewers will gain a firsthand understanding of the challenges and complexities facing those ensnared in the state’s criminal justice system.

From personal anecdotes to broader societal issues, “God Save Texas” paints a vivid and multifaceted portrait of life behind bars and the impact it has on individuals and communities alike. With Linklater’s signature blend of empathy and insight, this premiere episode promises to be a thought-provoking and compelling exploration of justice and redemption.

"It's hard to be a Texan right now." HBO has revealed an official trailer for a fascinating new docu series titled God Save Texas, a three part look into the lives of Texans living in three different cities. This brand new HBO Original Documentary Trilogy is inspired by Lawrence Wright's book that's also called "God Save Texas", and follows three filmmakers' distinct perspectives on their own Texas hometowns. The three Texan filmmakers who direct the films in this series are Richard Linklater, Alex Stapleton, and Iliana Sosa – a personal and panoramic journey through one of the most controversial states in the union. Returning to their hometowns to shed light on an underrepresented story, the filmmakers chronicle the complex history of each city, exploring how it intertwines with their own provenance and evolution, and placing it in the larger picture of America today. Linklater's film God Save Texas: Hometown Prison is set in Huntsville.

Three Texas directors head back to their hometowns and focus their cameras on stories that affect their cities in HBO’s documentary series God Save Texas. Inspired by Lawrence Wright’s God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State, the three-part documentary focuses on Huntsville’s prisons, the impact of the oil industry in Houston, and immigration issues in El Paso.

Oscar nominee Richard Linklater directs God Save Texas: Hometown Prison premiering on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 9pm Et/Pt. Part two, The Price of Oil, debuts on February 28th at 9pm Et/Pt, followed by La Frontera at 10pm Et/Pt.

HBO released the following descriptions of the documentary trilogy:

God Save Texas: Hometown Prison – Huntsville is the capital of the Texas prison colossus, with seven prisons in the area and one-quarter of the town’s adult population incarcerated. In his second documentary, five-time Oscar nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater,...

List of What to Watch on HBO and Max in February 2024. (Picture Credit: IMDb)

If you are wondering what to watch on HBO and Max in February 2024, you have come to the right place. The TV network and the streaming platform have a captivating lineup of new titles.

Viewers will be treated with some exclusive releases, mainly some compelling series. Both platforms are known to provide quality entertainment to their viewers. So, there’s no doubt that they have planned some promising content even for February.

Compared to 2023, the number of releases on HBO and Max has evidently gone down. But quantity only matters a little if the quality is excellent. So take a pen and paper and save these exciting titles making their way on the streaming platform this month.

Trending Is Thanos Finally Returning To The MCU? Josh Brolin Reacts, “I Hear Kind Of Like Through The Grapevine…...

It’s true: We’re finally putting a bow on our Sundance 2024 coverage. But while the annual festival has now wrapped, that doesn’t mean our work has quite concluded just yet. If nothing else, a review of our top stories from the annual event feel like a road map for the cinematic year to come, a quick trip into the obsessions and interests that guided 11 days in snowy Park City, Utah and seem destined to carry over throughout the rest of 2024.

Check out our full critics survey to see which films over 160 (!!) critics deemed the best of the fest, watch our full run of in-studio interviews with some of the biggest names of festival, and check out every piece of key Sundance news (from reviews to interviews and so much more) right here. Until next year!

As is often the case with IndieWire’s readership, first-look reviews were our hottest tickets.

HBO kicked off the current iteration of the premium true-crime movement with The Jinx back in 2015.

As they prepare to launch The Jinx – Part 2, Lisa Heller and Nancy Abraham, EVPs of HBO Documentary and Family Programming, laid out their strategy to find films involving “crime with a conscience.”

The pair, speaking at the Realscreen event in New Orleans, highlighted recent docs including The Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York, directed by Anthony Caronna, and Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning from The Last Dance director Jason Hehir.

Heller said of The Last Call, which premiered in July, “[Caronna] feels that the true-crime in that case was a trojan horse to getting the audience there and then having a much deeper issue about homophobia and the NYPD and all of the bad things that allowed this bad man to stay on the loose and brutalize people. That was...

Inspired by God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright’s examination of the contradictions and history of Texas, God Save Texas is an anthology series in which three Texan directors offer their own perspective on the state. The second of these, God Save Texas: The Price of Oil, is Corman’s World director Alex Stapleton’s examination of the history of the country’s energy sector and its relationship to her own family history, who arrived as enslaved people in the 1830s. Below, God Save Texas: The Price of Oil editor Rosella Tursi discusses editing the […]

The post “This is the Story of Environmental Racism”: Editor Rosella Tursi on God Save Texas: The Price of Oil first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Inspired by God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright’s examination of the contradictions and history of Texas, God Save Texas is an anthology series in which three Texan directors offer their own perspective on the state. The second of these, God Save Texas: The Price of Oil, is Corman’s World director Alex Stapleton’s examination of the history of the country’s energy sector and its relationship to her own family history, who arrived as enslaved people in the 1830s. Below, God Save Texas: The Price of Oil editor Rosella Tursi discusses editing the […]

The post “This is the Story of Environmental Racism”: Editor Rosella Tursi on God Save Texas: The Price of Oil first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Anchored by Richard Linklater’s exceptional feature-length “Hometown Prison,” HBO’s God Save Texas may only be a three-part anthology docuseries, but in those three parts, it manages to be wide-ranging, timely and vitally important.

While the inspiration is Lawrence Wright’s book of the same title, and the focus is the Lone Star State, the template set by Linklater, Alex Stapleton and Iliana Sosa could be applied to personal/political hybrid storytelling delving into the fractured identities of all 50 states and the artists who call them home.

Or maybe we just need more seasons of God Save Texas — premiering at Sundance before coming to HBO on Feb. 27 and 28 — since Texas represents so much of what 21st century America is likely to look like moving forward. A red state with blue cities, in which the ideology and voting interests of each demographic are far more complicated than “Democrat” or “Republican,...

This isn’t a meteorology blog. We’re under no obligation to inform you that–despite a historically slow ski season start–the snow now falling across Northern Utah’s Wasatch Valley is voluminous and omnipresent. All the better excuse for sequestering oneself inside the weatherproofed walls of Park City’s myriad Sundance screening venues. And whether you’re a Sundance programmer, filmmaker, critic, industry wonk or civilian attendee, one thing is certain: there are currently a lot of granola bars getting smushed in a lot of people’s pockets.

Of course, our favorite among these snowblind wretches are our own Film Independent Fellows proudly debuting their new works at the festival. And by “Fellows” here we of course mean filmmakers who have been directly supported by Film Independent’s Lab Programs, Project Involve, Fast Track and Fiscal Sponsorship programs, as well as Emerging Filmmaker Award winners and grant recipients.

In an election year when civil rights are being threatened, authoritarianism is spreading around the globe and minorities are a popular political target, it’s no wonder that films exploring the U.S. criminal justice system are everywhere you look in the Sundance Film Festival lineup.

“There’s so much inequality and injustice in the justice system,” says “God Save Texas: Hometown Prison” director Richard Linklater. “There’s a lot to be outraged by and examined.” Variety spoke with him and other filmmakers such as Chiwetel Ejiofor, Debra Granik and Yance Ford about their Park City projects — when taken together, they paint a devastating and sometimes hopeful picture of contemporary policing, criminal trials, incarceration and rehabilitation.

Linklater’s “Prison,” inspired by Lawrence Wright’s book “God Save Texas,” is the first feature in a doc trilogy about his home state, debuting Jan. 23 in Park City and late February on HBO...

The annual IndieWire Studio at Sundance returns for the 2024 season to honor the 40th anniversary of the iconic festival.

The IndieWire Studio at Sundance will feature interviews with the talent behind the most anticipated films of the festival with discussions taking place in-person on Main Street in historic Park City, Utah.

Presented by Dropbox, and with supporting partners ACLU and Cotopaxi, the IndieWire Studio at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival will serve as a hub for video interviews with the top attending talent from the hottest indie films presented at the fest. Actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, and documentary subjects will be interviewed by IndieWire’s senior staff for exclusive video and social media content.

Dropbox is the perfect partner for IndieWire — and for Sundance — because it’s a brand that recognizes the power of collaborative effort. Their tools keep creative teams on the same page, whether sharing dailies, shooting schedules, costume specs,...

The 2024 edition of The Latinx House at Sundance will feature filmmakers and castmembers from many of the Latino-centered films screening at the festival.

“When we launched The Latinx House in 2019, we were committed to honoring the long legacy that Latinx creatives have built at the Sundance Film Festival,” co-founder Olga Segura said in a statement. “Over the last five years, we have built a home that’s welcoming and accepting of the journeys being told and inclusive of the leaders who are shaping our culture.”

Featured Sundance projects at Latinx House include anthology series God Save Texas, represented by director Iliana Sosa; short film Border Hopper, represented by filmmaker and star Gabriela Ortega; and U.S. dramatic competition entries Ponyboi, represented by director Esteban Arango and writer/star/producer River Gallo, and filmmaker Alessandra Lacorazza’s In the Summers. The latter will be feted at an invite-only party hosted by...