News

Exclusive: Actor-activist Liev Schreiber has joined the Oscar-shortlisted documentary Once Upon a Time in Ukraine as an executive producer.

The short film directed by Oscar nominee Betsy West (Rbg) explores how Ukrainian children cope with the devastation and terror of war – finding poignant and often surprising ways to deal with traumatic experience. Ivanna, a gifted artist and storyteller who lives in the embattled Kherson region, spent 256 days in a cellar of her house, writing and illustrating tales of heroism of Ukrainian defenders. In Moshchun, 8-year-old Ruslan dreams of building a home to replace his family’s bombed-out dwelling and goes fishing in a small pond formed in the cavity of a missile strike.

Ruslan with his dog in ‘Once Upon a Time in Ukraine’

Schreiber, who traces his roots to Ukraine on his mother’s side, co-founded BlueCheck Ukraine, a nonprofit that “identifies, vets, and fast-tracks urgent financial support to...

This year, documentaries that tackle pressing political issues including immigration, abortion and the Jan. 6 insurrection were meant to make an impact on the 2024 presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. While some, like Errol Morris’ immigration control documentary “Separated” and Matt Tyrnauer’s “Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid” both found distribution deals prior to Election Day with MSNBC and CNN respectively, there are many more docus that have been or will be self distributed that American voters on both sides would benefit from watching — even after the election.

As both Democrats and Republicans gear up for potential unrest and protracted legal battles following the results of the election, docus like “64 Days: The Insurrection Playbook” “The Last Republican” and “Zurawski V. Texas” are arguably more important viewing than ever before.

Director Nick Quested embedded with the Proud Boys and other far-right groups in the months leading up to the Jan.

Released shortly before the advent of voting in the 2024 US presidential election, this documentary by Nick Quested could not be more timely. There have already been a number of works examining the assault on the country’s Capitol building on 6 January 2021, but beyond its shock value, that isn’t much of a story in itself. The most interesting part of any battle is almost always what happens in the run-up to it. As discussions go on quite openly about what people on the extreme right might do if Donald Trump loses on 4 November, it’s valuable to explore the way that those discussions unfolded last time around, and what happened in the 64 days between the election and the insurrection.

The film opens with footage of the Select Commitee Inquiry into the events of that day, at which Quested testified: he presents it as an extension or summation of that...

Peacock is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with the premiere of its new four-part docuseries, “Reggaeton: The Sound That Conquered the World,” on October 3. The show features interviews with executive producer Daddy Yankee, as well as pivotal Reggaeton figures Bad Bunny, Feid, Ivy Queen, J Balvin, Karol G, Vico C, and many more. Watch the trailer below.

See Peacock drops official trailer for horror-thriller series ‘Teacup’ [Watch]

Unveiling the riveting narrative of Reggaeton’s global journey, “Reggaeton: The Sound That Conquered the World” explores the genre’s evolution from its beginnings in the barrios of Puerto Rico to its current status as a cultural and commercial powerhouse in the global music industry. The stellar lineup includes Myke Towers, Rauw Alejandro, Shaggy, and more, offering an immersive dive into the genre’s vibrant origins and unstoppable momentum, showcasing its unparalleled impact on the world stage.

“They say Reggaeton was going to die a million times,...

Mubi has acquired “Pavements,” Alex Ross Perry’s unconventional documentary-musical-biopic about cult ’90s slacker band Pavement, for multiple territories following its recent world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The arthouse distributor, streamer and production company has picked up all rights to the film — soon to bow in both the New York Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival — for the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, France and Canada. Meanwhile, Mubi also acquired exclusive SVOD rights for the U.S.

The deal was signed with Utopia, which is handling world sales and, the day after the film’s Venice launch, announced it would also distribute theatrically in the U.S. Mubi says it will announce its release plans in the coming months.

Directed and written by Perry (“Her Smell”), “Pavements” stars Joe Keery, Jason Schwartzman, Nat Wolff, Fred Hechinger, Logan Miller, Griffin Newman, Tim Heidecker, Michael Esper, Zoe Lister-Jones and...

Utopia has picked up the U.S. rights to Pavements, director Alex Ross Perry’s musical portrait of the 1990s al-rock band a day after a world premiere in Venice earlier this week.

“One of our favorite filmmakers, one of our favorite bands, Pavements joining Utopia is simply a dream come true. The band’s iconic status has only continued to blossom out of the ’90s and Alex has crafted a film that transcends documentary and questions what the format can be in a surprising and novel way,” Utopia head of marketing and distribution Kyle Greenberg said in a statement on Friday.

Pavements will also have a North American premiere at the New York Film Festival. The musical biopic tracks the influential rock band as they prepare for a 2022 reunion tour in the prism of their earlier accomplishments.

“This multifaceted meta-movie is at once documentary, musical comedy, faux biopic and real museum exhibition.

Utopia has acquired U.S. rights to acclaimed director Alex Ross Perry’s “Pavements,” the day after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The film debuted to strong reviews, with Variety saying “’Pavements’ dazzles as a spinning plates act,” and Screen describing it as “a joyous, slyly subversive celebration.”

A boundary-breaking look at the seminal band Pavement, the film is edited and produced by filmmaker Robert Greene and will have its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival later this fall.

An examination of the iconic 90s indie band, “Pavements” appears to be just another music documentary, until it doesn’t. A “prismatic, narrative, scripted, documentary, musical, metatextual hybrid,” the film intimately shows the band preparing for their sold-out 2022 reunion tour while simultaneously tracking the preparations for a musical based on their songs, a museum devoted to their history and a big-budget Hollywood biopic inspired by...

Paramount+’s documentary series I Wanna Rock: The ’80s Metal Dream delves into the world of heavy metal music and gets up close and personal with Dave ‘Snake’ Sabo from Skid Row, Kip Winger from Winger, Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, Janet Gardner from Vixen, and John Corabi from The Scream. Directed by Tyler Meason, the three-part docuseries is set to premiere on July 18, 2023.

Paramount+ offers this description: Hairspray. Spandex. Leather pants. I Wanna Rock: The ’80s Metal Dream follows five young dreamers chasing stardom in the cutthroat world of ’80s metal. Some will succeed, some will fail, but each will make you see an entirely new side of the metal genre.

Ep 101 – “I Wanna Be Somebody”

As ’80s metal sweeps America, five rockers set out to make it in the world of hair spray and spandex. Ep 102 – “Headed for Heartbreak”

Metal has been taken to new heights. As our rockers become stars,...

Here is a wrap-up of all the news you need to know from Wednesday, June 28, 2023.

Paramount+ has announced an exciting new docuseries with an '80s twist.

I Wanna Rock: '80s Metal Dream will bow on the streaming service on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.

"Hairspray. Spandex. Leather pants," the streaming service teases.

"I Wanna Rock: The '80s Metal Dream follows five young dreamers chasing stardom in the cutthroat world of '80s metal. Some will succeed, some will fail, but each will make you see an entirely new side of the metal genre."

It sounds different, right?

MTV Entertainment Studios produce the series in partnership with Gunpowder & Sky. Directed and executive produced by Tyler Measom.

Produced by Van Toffler. Executive produced by David Kennedy, Nick Quested, Rick Krim, Matt Shay, Matt Weaver, Floris Bauer, Barry Barclay, and Joanna Zwickel.

Bruce Gillmer, Michael Maniaci, and Vanessa WhiteWolf executive produce for MTV Entertainment Studios,...

Exclusive: Peacock launches its first ever DocFest, an on-platform showcase highlighting a selection from the streamer’s top-tier documentary roster. The documentaries include Joe Berlinger‘s Shadowland, as well as projects exploring the accomplishments of Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks and the scandals of England’s Prince Andrew.

The six-week virtual festival will feature six brand new Peacock Original titles between September 14 and October 19, with new titles dropping every Wednesday. Peacock subscribers can find the documentaries via a dedicated collection on the streaming platform.

“Peacock continues its commitment to shining a spotlight on real-life stories deserving of a platform,” said Rod Aissa, EVP Unscripted Content, NBCUniversal, “We hope that the launch of DocFest will habituate audiences into coming to Peacock for their weekly fix of quality documentary content presented by some of the industry’s leading creatives.”

A full list of documentaries set for Peacock’s DocFest and details provided...

The documentary about Donald Trump shot by former BBC producer Alex Holder that will play a key part in the Jan. 6 Committee hearings Thursday will air later this summer on Discovery+, the streamer announced Wednesday.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, who is the chairman of the January 6th Committee, said on Wednesday that the new evidence in Holder’s footage has prompted the committee to continue the hearings into July. The committee will recess on Friday and return on Tuesday, July 12.

Holder is scheduled to speak to the committee on Thursday about his footage from the docuseries, which an insider said that Discovery had acquired sometime last year.

A Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson told TheWrap on Wednesday, “Alex Holder’s ‘Unprecedented’ three-part docuseries about the 2020 election will be released on discovery+ later this summer. Featuring never-before-seen footage of the Trump family on the campaign trail and their reactions to the outcome of the election,...

Click here to read the full article.

Streamer Discovery+ revealed Wednesday that it has purchased Unprecedented, documentary filmmaker Alex Holder’s three-part series on former president Donald Trump’s re-election campaign that has gained the attention of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“Alex Holder’s Unprecedented three-part docuseries about the 2020 election will be released on Discovery+ later this summer,” a Discovery+ spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. The streamer touts that the series features “never-before-seen footage of the Trump family on the campaign trail and their reactions to the outcome of the election” and offers “intimate and unprecedented interviews with Trump, his family and others who were in the White House.” No release date was provided.

Discovery+ originally purchased rights to the docuseries in 2021. Deadline was the first to report the news.

After announcing Tuesday that raw...

Update: Discovery+ released a trailer for the documentary Unprecedented, featuring footage of Donald Trump and his family, as its filmmaker Alex Holder is set to speak to the January 6th Committee on Thursday.

“My father, he is very honest, and he is who he is,” Ivanka Trump says in the video.

Trump says, “I think I treat people well unless they don’t treat me well, in which case, you go to war.” Then the trailer cuts to footage of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The events as they unfolded. The family as never heard before. #Unprecedented. Coming soon to #discoveryplus. pic.twitter.com/Pir3dAdBuk

— discovery+ (@discoveryplus) June 23, 2022

Previously Exclusive: Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-ms), the chairman of the January 6th Committee, said on Wednesday that the hearing schedule will continue into July.

A reason: Newly obtained evidence, including footage from British filmmaker Alex Holder, who is scheduled...

The Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed documentary filmmaker Alex Holder in regard to footage and interviews Holder and his team shot while following former President Donald Trump and his inner circle throughout the 2020 presidential campaign. Holder’s company, Ajh Films, confirmed to Rolling Stone on Tuesday that he has been subpoenaed, will sit for an interview with the panel on Thursday, and has “fully complied with all of the committee’s requests.”

Trump’s team was blindsided by the development, which was initially reported by Politico.

In some of the highest...

Last week, Nick Quested went to Washington and pulled off a rarity for filmmakers these days: He captured the public imagination without the benefit of Spider-Man or Tom Cruise.

Quested, as some of the 20 million people who tuned into the primetime hearings may recall, testified before Congress about the actions of the Proud Boys during the January 6 insurrection. A veteran documentarian who produced the Oscar-nominated “Restrepo,” Quested was on the ground at the Capitol trailing the extremist group when hundreds of them amassed in Washington. By then, he had been tracking the Proud Boys for months. The night before the riots, he even trailed Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio as he was released from jail and held a clandestine parking-lot meeting with the head of another extremist group, the Oath Keepers’ Stewart Rhodes.

The committee showed this footage and more in a roughly 10-minute assemblage during the first January 6 hearing this month,...

Click here to read the full article.

Television viewers looking for tension, drama and urgent historical, political and moral relevance now have something to move to the top of their must-watch list. The first “episode” of the Jan. 6 Committee hearings delivered a chilling account of one of the darkest days in American history, complete with harrowing film footage and powerful testimonials. It remains to be seen whether what’s to follow in the coming weeks will do anything to move the needle among a citizenry that seems to have settled into their respective stances. But judging from the opening installment, there will be plenty of powerful material for those with open minds to digest.

The hearing was deemed important enough to be aired live on all the major broadcast and cable news networks. Except, that is, for Fox, which stuck to its regular primetime lineup. Because, after all, Tucker Carlson...

Ahead of the Jan. 6 committee’s first hearing, the panel’s Republican critics predicted the hearing would be a warmed-over rehash of partisan talking points about an attack on the Capitol that took place more than 17 months ago.

They were wrong.

The two-plus-hour hearing was filled with a torrent of new information, including never-before-heard testimony from top Trump administration officials, details about what Trump was doing and saying as the Capitol was under siege, and damning revelations about the lawmakers who knew their efforts to overturn the election may have been illegal.

Hundreds of Proud Boys assembled near the Capitol on the mid-morning of Jan. 6 — well before Donald Trump’s speech at the ellipse — and appeared to perform reconnaissance for the attack on the Capitol that they would spearhead later that afternoon.

That was the testimony of British documentary filmmaker Nick Quested, live before the Jan. 6 Committee on Thursday night. Quested was embedded with Proud Boys on that day, and his raw footage of violence during the insurrection was featured at length by the committee.

In his testimony, Quested recalled how hundreds...

Editor’s Note: This post on the Jan 6 committee hearings by our TV critic Dominic Patten has been reclassified from a review to a commentary, and has been edited to better reflect the author’s point of view. In trying to opine that the presentation of evidence about a horrific day in American history did not rise to the occasion, the author did not mean to denigrate or belittle the loss of life and shocking violence that happened that day.

If tonight’s primetime debut of the House January 6 committee investigating the Maga-fueled murderous attack on the U.S. Capitol last year was any indication of how the democracy-protecting politicians plan on making their pitch to the American public, they fell short.

The fact is Thursday’s hearings led by chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss) and vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-wy) was not effective.

The first of six televised hearings,...

Update: The impact of the January 6th Committee hearing was probably felt more in the Cannon Caucus Room than outside of it: As an extended video was played of the attack, it was particularly wrenching for the lawmakers, law enforcement and members of the media who were there that day and witnessed it.

But the hearing itself went by rather briskly relative to other congressional events, as the committee seemed to want to give a taste of their case ahead — that Trump is to blame for what happened on January 6th. The bits of revelation were like teasers of the topics for the hearings ahead.

“What happened on January 6th is kind of the end of the story, but really the root of it is that Trump was determined to stay in power, regardless of the election,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-wa) said afterward.

As the committee’s vice chair, Rep.

When C-span covers the January 6th Committee’s first primetime hearing, viewers will get coverage from more vantage points that the typical session.

The public affairs network is serving as the pool for broadcast and cable media, and will cover the hearing with seven cameras in the stately Cannon Caucus Room, a 74-feet-long and 54-foot-wide venue.

“This is not a normal hearing. There is a little more structure to it,” said Phelix Andrew Jones, C-span Networks’ senior tech. “We wanted to provide as many sources as we could, but we wanted all of those sources to be substantive. We wanted to make sure all of our bases were covered.”

A typical hearing, he said, has three cameras: One for the committee, one for the witnesses and one for a wide shot of the room.

This time, C-span will a robotic “head on” camera, getting “cover” shots of the dais; a...

Jim Watkins, the 8chan/8kun operator and an influential figure among adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory, met with the Jan. 6 committee on Monday.

Watkins posted about the meeting on his Telegram account. “The committee decided to do it by zoom. So I didn’t go to DC,” he wrote in response to followers questioning why he posted a picture of himself in Chicago rather than Washington, D.C. Watkins posted on Friday that he was scheduled to have “an appointment with Congress on Monday.”

A spokesperson for the Jan.

National Geographic will premiere Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested’s new feature documentary Blood on the Wall on Sept. 30.

The project is a deep dive into the migrant crisis in Mexico, looking at the caravans coming through the country to the U.S. border, and how it has been exacerbated by drug trafficking and political corruption.

“The issues Mexico faces right now are layered and complex and ultimately intertwined with how the U.S. has approached foreign policy and immigration since the Reagan era,” Junger said in a statement. “The history and the future of the country and its inhabitants is so bound up in the larger forces at work in the region, it’s vital to look at them holistically. We’re reaching a juncture in this election year when understanding the socio-political landscape of our neighbors is incredibly important for people before going into a voting booth.”

The...

Directors Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested have traveled to the darkest corners of the world, from Afghanistan to Syria and beyond. Together, they earned a News and Documentary Emmy Award and an Oscar nomination for their films, including the harrowing “Restrepo” and “Korengal.” In their new National Geographic documentary “Blood on the Wall,” the journalists-turned-filmmakers pivot to Central America to explore the corruption dictating and impeding the swell of migration into Mexico, diving into such issues as how Acapulco went from tourism hotspot to murder capital of the world. Check out the first trailer for “Blood on the Wall,” exclusive to IndieWire, below. Look for the film on National Geographic on September 30.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Blood on the Wall” explores the internal and external influences on Mexico as it deals with the key issues of migrant caravans from Central America heading to the U.S., the dangerous but...

The American Film Institute has revealed its full slate of films being presented online for the AFI Docs 2020 Film Festival, which will take place digitally this year. The lineup features 59 films from 11 countries and 12 virtual world premieres, with 61 percent of the films directed by women, 25 percent by Poc directors, and 14 percent by LGBTQ directors. The festival runs June 17–21, with films available to view on Docs.AFI.com. See the full lineup below.

“Now more than ever, it is important to expand our perspectives and listen to voices that may differ from our own, and this year’s festival includes a diverse range of insights and experiences for audiences to share in,” said Michael Lumpkin, AFI Festivals director. “These films explore political and social issues in the U.S. and across the globe, introducing us to the next generation of leaders and shedding new light on figures of the past.”

The...

18th edition runs June 17-21.

A 59-strong line-up at AFI Docs announced on Monday (June 8) includes Deirdre Fishel’s exploration of race, gender and violence in the Minneapolis police department in Women In Blue, and a look at immigration policies under the Trump administration in Blood On The Wall by Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested.

The 18th edition of the festival takes place online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and is set to run from June 17-21.

As previously announced, AFI Docs will open with Sundance hit and Apple and A24 acquisition Boys State by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine,...

Keeley Hawes will star opposite Hugh Bonneville in a film about the Oscar-winner Patricia Neal and her husband, author Roald Dahl. Formerly known as “An Unquiet Life,” and based on Stephen Michael Shearer’s book of the same name, the family drama starts filming this week in Surrey, southern England.

John Hay directs. He co-wrote the script with David Logan. The movie has already scored a raft of presales.

Film and TV star Hawes returns to the big screen after the success of BBC/Netflix breakout hit “Bodyguard” and ITV/PBS drama “The Durrells.” She also set up her own banner this year, Buddy Club Productions, and has teed up several projects.

Neal, who died in 2010, starred in Hollywood classics such as “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” before winning an Oscar for 1963’s “Hud.” She was nominated again in the best actress category five...

Polygram Entertainment has unveiled a quartet of music documentaries in development on the Bee Gees, the Go-Go’s, hip-hop jewelry and the origins of mixtapes, Variety has learned exclusively.

Polygram, which was revived in 2017 by Universal Music Group, rolled out details of the projects Saturday afternoon during a pre-Grammys showcase in downtown Los Angeles. Members of the Go-Go’s were in attendance along with Umg executives Michele Anthony and David Blackman and veteran film producer Frank Marshall, who’s handling the Bee Gees documentary.

Since 2017, Polygram has co-distributed Ron Howard’s “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years” and developed several notable upcoming projects: a Luciano Pavarotti documentary directed by Howard, a Velvet Underground documentary directed by Todd Haynes and “Hitsville: The Making of Motown.”

The Bee Gees documentary feature is authorized by Barry Gibb and the families of his late brothers Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb. The...

Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049) and Demián Bichir (The Hateful Eight) are set to star in drama-thriller Jsa, screenwriter David Franzoni’s (Gladiator) reworking of hit Korean film Joint Security Area, which was directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy).

Franzoni has scripted and will direct the feature about the love affair between a U.S. Marine and a female Spanish infantry lawyer (De Armas) who is sent by The Hague to investigate a shoot-out between Marines and Mexican special forces.

Producers are Terry Botwick, Paul Yi, Marcus Englefield, and George Lee. Saboteur Media’s Nick Quested, David Kennedy and Mark Lindsay are executive producers.

Saboteur/Goldcrest will launch sales at the Efm. Pic is scheduled to go into pre-production this coming fall.

Lindsay stated, “We are thrilled to be working with such a talented writer-director as David Franzoni on what we believe will be a must have project for buyers. This...

Park Chan-wook adaptation to commence pre-production in autumn.

Saboteur / Goldcrest will commence international sales at the Efm next week on border thriller J.S.A., an adaptation of South Korea master Park Chan-wook’s Joint Security Area to star Ana de Armas and Demián Bichir.

David Franzoni adapted the screenplay, which relocates the action from the Dmz between North and South Korea to the Us-Mexico border and has romantic undertones.

When a shoot-out between Us Marines and Mexican Special Forces further ignites tensions on the Us-Mexico border, the Mexican government dispatches an equal number of its elite Special Forces to...

Coming-of-age thriller stars Sofia Hublitz from Ozark, Madelyn Cline of Stranger Things, Boy Erased.

Saboteur Media will handle worldwide sales rights to Afm-bound What Breaks The Ice, a thriller mentored by Richard Linklater that features rising stars from hit shows like Ozark, Glow, and Stranger Things.

The coming-of-age thriller centres on two 15-year-old girls whose summer takes an unexpected turn when they become accidental accomplices in a fatal crime.

Sofia Hublitz (Ozark), Madelyn Cline, Joel Allen (Never Goin’ Back), Shakira Barrera (Glow), Erik Jensen (Messengers), Catherine Curtin and Aimee Mullins (Stranger Things) star.

Rebecca Eskreis makes her feature directorial debut,...

Production scheduled for spring 2019.

New York-based Saboteur Media will launch worldwide sales at Afm on the upcoming gothic teen vampire film Carmilla starring Lin Shaye from Insidious and Robert Englund from A Nightmare On Elm Street.

Production is scheduled to start in New York in April May 2019 on Carmilla, which is inspired by the 19th century Irish novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu that predated Bram Stoker’s Dracula by 26 years.

The story takes place in New England where a young woman recovering from an accident is taken into the home of Puritan pastors. Her arrival sparks a sexual awakening in the ministers’ twins,...

Review by Peter BelsitoBobbito Garcia, author, basketball maven, D.J. and more, is the focus of the documentary ‘Rock Rubber 45s’ and he also directed the film.

This film has two sides.

It is a cultural epoch telling from the inside the stories of new York City’s youth cultures during a certain period 20 years ago.

It also follows an amazing character whose life story is intimately bound with those cultures and that time and place.

A documentary (directed by its subject) of a strange and wonderful character. The subject of the film Bobbito Garcia exists in a variety popular new York City cultures of 20 years ago. Hip hop music and clubs, street and high school basketball, fashion (shoes here). It does this by chronicling his life as a DJ Mc in underground very popular clubs, his popular radio show and his fashion creations (sneaker shoes and the culture they...

In light of the horrifying and long-lasting war in Syria, Oscar-nominated filmmakers Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested have directed a documentary called “Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of Isis,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year.

The film’s purpose was to capture the harrowing socio-political situation in Syria and to be a relentless portrayal of the death and violence that surrounds the population on a daily basis. IndieWire’s editor-at-large Anne Thompson highlighted the film as a potential Oscar contender for Best Documentary Feature.

“You can’t sugarcoat the suffering of the Syrian people. We didn’t go out to shock people. We went to show people how it really is. It’s entirely documentary, exactly as it is happening. This is the reality,” said co-director Nick Quested.

Read More:How Women Made the Documentary Community

Below are two exclusive shorts that...

At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”

The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).

It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...

At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”

The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).

It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...

Syria’s first ever submission in the Motion Picture Academy’s Foreign Language category, “Little Gandhi”, is one of a handful of documentaries submitted for Best Foreign Language Film nomination this year.

It comes to the Academy in a most unusual way. It was selected not by the country which is how submissions are always made, but by a committee of artists in exile. If any of these people had actually been in Syria they would likely have been imprisoned, tortured and executed, for this was the fate of Ghiyath Matar, the Syrian activist who became known for giving flowers and roses to army soldiers in his home town of Daraya, leader of the once peaceful Syrian revolution and the Little Gandhi of the title. It premiered at the ongoing Asian World Film Festival.

I have yet to see the documentary submission for Academy Award® nomination entitled Syria Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of Isis...

Ten months into the year, it’s hard out here for an Oscar contender. Being worthy of remembering, or being watched by Academy members, demands a warm film-festival reception, rave reviews, effective marketing and distribution, strong theater attendance, and word of mouth. Check out this curated (alphabetical) selection of long-shot performers who are worthy of Oscar consideration, but may see their movies get lost in the intense competitive awards shuffle.

1. Bryan Cranston

Category: Best Actor

Awards: Nominated for Best Actor by SAG and the Oscars for “Trumbo,” Cranston won three Best Actor in a Drama Emmys for playing Walter White in “Breaking Bad” and won SAG Best Actor in TV movie as Lbj in “All the Way.”

Last Hit: “Why Him?” ($60 million domestic)

Title: “Last Flag Flying” (Amazon Studios)

Bottom Line: This layered New York Film Festival opener stars Cranston in one of his signature large, colorful, entertaining performances as Sal,...

Ten months into the year, it’s hard out here for an Oscar contender. Being worthy of remembering, or being watched by Academy members, demands a warm film-festival reception, rave reviews, effective marketing and distribution, strong theater attendance, and word of mouth. Check out this curated (alphabetical) selection of long-shot performers who are worthy of Oscar consideration, but may see their movies get lost in the intense competitive awards shuffle.

1. Bryan Cranston

Category: Best Actor

Awards: Nominated for Best Actor by SAG and the Oscars for “Trumbo,” Cranston won three Best Actor in a Drama Emmys for playing Walter White in “Breaking Bad” and won SAG Best Actor in TV movie as Lbj in “All the Way.”

Last Hit: “Why Him?” ($60 million domestic)

Title: “Last Flag Flying” (Amazon Studios)

Bottom Line: This layered New York Film Festival opener stars Cranston in one of his signature large, colorful, entertaining performances as Sal,...

Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has announced its 15-film Short List of Oscar contenders along with its opening-night selection, “The Final Year,” in which Greg Barker follows key members of Barack Obama’s administration during their last year in office. The festival runs November 9-16.

Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.

Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...

Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has announced its 15-film Short List of Oscar contenders along with its opening-night selection, “The Final Year,” in which Greg Barker follows key members of Barack Obama’s administration during their last year in office. The festival runs November 9-16.

Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.

Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...

Getting out early can be an advantage in the documentary race, which is often front loaded at January’s Sundance Film Festival. While a raft of movies made their mark, the question is which ones can sustain support through the end of the year.

Among that festival’s breakouts were three Syria documentaries. Daring and timely “City of Ghosts” (July 14, A & E/Amazon Studios), which is Matthew Heineman’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated border drug war thriller “Cartel Land,” will get a major push. Any footage from Syria came from the fearless Raqqa journalists he tracked through Turkey and Germany, where they discover that they are not necessarily safe — anywhere.

It remains to be seen if there will be room for more than one Syrian documentary. HBO Documentary Films is forgoing Emmy consideration for “Winter on Fire” nominee Evgeny Afineevsky’s harrowing “Cries From Syria” (March 10, HBO), planning an Oscar push this fall.

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– The Provincetown International Film Festival (Piff) has announced the latest slate of programming for its 19th edition, running June 14 – 18. The added programming includes an awards presentation for actress Aubrey Plaza, who will receive the festival’s inaugural Next Wave Award, which recognizes those who have exciting and distinctive voices, take artistic risks, and have a passionate commitment to independent film. Plaza, who stars in and produced the festival’s Closing Night Film, “Ingrid Goes West,” will receive the honor at a ceremony on Sunday, June 18 at Fishermen Hall in Provincetown.

Additionally, the festival announced a special presentation with Julie Klausner and Scott King, the creators of Hulu’s hit original series “Difficult People“ and a special screening of a new documentary from acclaimed filmmakers Sebastian Junger...

Having made a trilogy of docs viewing the war in Afghanistan through deliberately tight frames (the first of which, Restrepo, earned an Oscar nomination), Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested grapple with a sprawling Middle East topic in Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of Isis. A useful primer for those who haven't paid enough attention and a synthesis for those who've been overwhelmed by years of upsetting news reports, the film explains cause-and-effect relationships that, while hardly unexplored, merit continued attention. Though premiering in limited theatrical release this week, it will reach most of its audience...

In a world where TV networks fight for the opportunity to showcase the best nonfiction content that will keep viewers on their couches, the Toronto-based Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival (April 27 – May 7) is a very, very good place to be.

What began 24 years ago as a modest showcase for Canadian documentaries is now a sprawling international program that screens 230 titles from 58 countries. The festival still favors homegrown product, but also amplifies movies from Sundance (“Chasing Coral,” “Long Strange Trip,” “City of Ghosts”) and Tribeca (“The Departure,” “A River Below”), as well as some international (Joe Berlinger’s “Intent to Destroy”) and world premieres (“A Moon of Nickel and Ice”).

“Hot Docs creates an environment where you can meet with the best in the documentary world,” said director Cullen Hoback, who brought his sharp pollution whodunit “What Lies Upstream” first to Slamdance, then to Hot Docs (Preferred Content is seeking...

In a world where TV networks fight for the opportunity to showcase the best nonfiction content that will keep viewers on their couches, the Toronto-based Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival (April 27 – May 7) is a very, very good place to be.

What began 24 years ago as a modest showcase for Canadian documentaries is now a sprawling international program that screens 230 titles from 58 countries. The festival still favors homegrown product, but also amplifies movies from Sundance (“Chasing Coral,” “Long Strange Trip,” “City of Ghosts”) and Tribeca (“The Departure,” “A River Below”), as well as some international (Joe Berlinger’s “Intent to Destroy”) and world premieres (“A Moon of Nickel and Ice”).

“Hot Docs creates an environment where you can meet with the best in the documentary world,” said director Cullen Hoback, who brought his sharp pollution whodunit “What Lies Upstream” first to Slamdance, then to Hot Docs (Preferred Content is seeking...

Exclusive: Sales and distribution veteran Mark Lindsay to introduce five new titles to Cannes buyers.

New York-based Saboteur Media has launched a production and finance operation with a broader sales remit and hired former Miramax International senior executive Mark Lindsay as president of distribution.

The moves comes as executive director Nick Quested expands the suite of services beyond those of documentary distributor and sales company initially launched under the auspices of Goldcrest Films.

Saboteur now operates as a stand-alone entity that produces, finances and sells narrative and documentary features, with particular emphasis on empowering the New York creative community and an opportunistic eye towards television.

The company has the ability to finance tax credits and invest equity in select projects, which will not rely on pre-sales in order to get greenlight. It serves as co-producer on all five titles headed for Cannes.

Lindsay, whose executive roles have included head of sales and distribution at Kimmel International, Arclight...

Prompted by yesterday’s suspected chemical attacks in Syria, National Geographic has released footage from the upcoming doc Hell On Earth: The Fall Of Syria And The Rise of Isis. Filmmaker Sebastian Junger and producing partner Nick Quested made the call to release the 13-minute preview, NatGeo says. The documentary feature, directed by Junger and Quested, will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival this month and air on NatGeo this spring. This preview includes…...

Festival receives record number of submissions as top brass trim roster by 20%.

World premieres of Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip To Spain (pictured), Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal’s Whitney. “can I be me,”, and Hell On Earth: The Fall Of Syria And The Rise Of Isis by Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested are among the line-up at the 16th annual Tribeca Film Festival (April 19-30).

Festival top brass led by new director of programming Cara Cusumano and artistic director Frédéric Boyer unveiled on Thursday 82 of the 98 features that will screen at this year’s edition.

Trimmed down by 20%, the festival received a record number 8,700 submissions, of which 3,362 were features – and includes 32 films in competition comprising 12 documentaries, 10 Us narratives and 10 international narratives. Films in competition will compete for cash prizes totalling $160,000.

Spotlight Narrative section features 15 fiction films, while Spotlight Documentary includes 16 non-fiction films. Five fiction and one documentary film play in Midnight.

The 2017 roster...

Last year, National Geographic’s climate change documentary, “Before the Flood, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Fisher Stevens, became the network’s most watched film ever due to it being the most broadly distributed program it had ever released.

Now Variety reports, that in an effort to continue developing outstanding nonfiction work, National Geographic Networks has launched a new banner titled National Geographic Documentary Films, which focuses on producing feature-length documentaries.

“We abandoned the space for some reason, but now we are actively resuming our proper place,” the network’s CEO Courteney Monroe told the publication. “We want to be making timely, issue-oriented, very provocative films with the very best documentary filmmakers in the business. Given the success of ‘Before the Flood’ and ‘He Named Me Malala,’ these are the types of stories we want to be telling.”

Read More: ‘Before the Flood’: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Climate Change...