News

More than 30 years after Madonna: Truth or Dare, the documentary still has a hold on LGBTQ pop music and cinema.

In Troye Sivan‘s new Grindr campaign Tap or Block, directed by Jake Wilson and produced by Juxtapose Studio’s Charlie Wilson (no relation), the Australian gay pop-star and his Something to Give Each Other Tour dancers discuss hotel sex, open relationships, communication and more as they pay tribute to the 1991 Alek Kesheshian and Mark Aldo Miceli-helmed documentary.

“What was really fun about this idea is it came around really organically,” Charlie Wilson tells Deadline. “Once we had Troye’s interest and Grindr’s interest, it seemed like such a natural segue from really hearing how proud Troye was about this tour and how close his relationship was with these dancers, and thinking about how Grindr is this boundary-pushing, sex-positive brand.”

He credited Tristan Pineiro, Grindr’s SVP Brand Marketing + Comms,...

Selena Gomez was moved to tears during an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” shared online Saturday. Actress and comedian Miranda Hart told fellow guest Gomez that the latter’s vulnerability in her Apple TV+ documentary “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me” inspired Hart to be more open about her own mental health struggles in a new book.

“I have to say, it’s extraordinary that I’m on the show with Selena,” Hart explained. “Because — it makes me quite emotional — because when I saw your documentary on Apple about your illness struggles, I was thinking, ‘Do I share — is this something I should do’ — because it feels quite vulnerable sharing, it’s not something I’ve done before.”

“And I watched your documentary and I just thought, ‘Absolutely, yes,’ and that’s what kept me writing,” Hart added.

A visibly emotional Gomez grasped Hart’s hand as the audience cheered.

A mainstay of the film industry since the days of VHS tapes, Kevin Costner has made his name as an adept actor, creating a tapestry of hits that includes the heart-pounding suspense in The Bodyguard and the quintessential American charm in Bull Durham. His star soared into the stratosphere with the epic Dances with Wolves, netting him not only box-office adoration but also the coveted Oscar statuettes for Best Picture and Best Director.

Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves (1990) | Orion Pictures

The success of Costner’s TV show Yellowstone serves as further evidence that his stardom is still bright. That being said, it should come as no surprise that some people have not gotten along with the actor. His recent feud with Taylor Sheridan, as well as a throwback to a ’90s squabble with none other than Madonna, is public knowledge.

Madonna vs. Kevin Costner: A Look at the Controversial...

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Today we return to discuss a living legend with a big, new, ambitious project. Perhaps his most ambitious project yet! Our subject is Kevin Costner, the great American filmmaker whose new film Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is now available to rent or buy on VOD. Sadly, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 has been postponed to a later time in order to allow for a wider audience to discover Chapter 1.

Our B-Sides this time around include No Way Out, Revenge, The Upside of Anger, and Let Him Go. Filmmaker Chadd Harbold joins us. His new film Crumb Catcher, directed by Chris Skotchdopole and produced by Harbold, is now in theaters. We discuss Costner’s origin story, his brilliance at self-mythology,...

Spike Lee defends casting Madonna in Girl 6, saying he didn't care about backlash and she was the right choice. Madonna's acting career had mixed success, with hits like Desperately Seeking Susan and A League of Their Own, but also many flops. Girl 6 was another commercial and critical failure for Madonna, but Lee stands by his decision to cast her.

Spike Lee recalls the backlash he received after casting pop sensation Madonna in his 1996 critically mixed comedy, Girl 6. Released 28 years ago, Girl 6 followed the story of young actor Judy (Theresa Randle), who becomes disillusioned with her job after being asked to expose her breasts during an audition. Judy secures a new job at a call center, eventually finding a sense of purpose as a phone sex operator. Lee cast Madonna as boss #3 in the comedy, playing a well-manicured supervisor who fends off over-the-top requests from their clients.

Ever since the 1980s, Madonna has been a superstar. A mainstay of the music industry and a trailblazer in fashion, Madonna is a force to be reckoned with. From her early career and into the early 2000s, she is also one of many music performers who transitioned into acting. With around only a dozen acting roles in her filmography, she is much more prolific with her hundred-plus music videos. Madonna: Truth or Dare, which follows the singer during her Blond Ambition tour and is arguably one of her most influential films, is not included in this ranking because she plays a version of herself in the documentary – however, it is a must-see for fans of the performer.

It’s been a “Long, Long Time” coming for a Linda Ronstadt biopic.

The Grammy-winning singer is at the center of an upcoming biopic, with “Only Murders in the Building” star Selena Gomez portraying Ronstadt. Rolling Stone confirmed that the film is in pre-production, with Ronstadt’s manager John Boylan and “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” documentarian James Keach co-producing. IndieWire has reached out to Gomez’s representatives for comment.

Actress Gomez shared an Instagram story of reading Ronstadt’s 2013 memoir “Simple Dreams” before her casting was announced.

Gomez and Ronstadt both share Mexican heritage, with Ronstadt’s 2022 album “Feels Like Home” including stories of her Sonoran upbringing. Documentary “Linda and the Mockingbirds” was released in 2020 and captured her visit to Mexico to work with Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy students alongside fellow musician Jackson Browne. Ronstadt was also the subject of the 2019 documentary “The Sound of My Voice,...

As we wrap up our year-end coverage, IndieWire looks back at the people, projects, and ideas that defined 2023 — and what’s coming next.

Chaos often breeds ingenuity, so when it felt like Hollywood had fully shut down during the overlap of the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes, audiences were quick to find a way to satiate their hunger for blockbuster entertainment elsewhere.

Enter Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, who already had massive tours booked for the summer (as most pop stars are wont to do), though both managed to also market them in a way in which the appeal of attending was not to just pay tribute to an artist they admire, but something far greater: the Renaissance tour and Eras tour became pop cultural events.

In wake of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, pundits did their best to make one-to-one comparisons within the film space for what could...

Josh Kramer, who worked as a film producer and financier and Amazon executive, died Nov. 27 in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 67.

Kramer started his career in entertainment in foreign sales for the Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis. By pre-selling foreign movie rights, he became an integral member of the company, financing films such as “Manhunter” and “Blue Velvet.” He led the acquisition of the film rights for Madonna’s first concert film “Madonna: Truth or Dare” and later sold the film overseas.

Rachael Horovitz, who worked with him at De Laurentiis, remembered Kramer on his memorial site. “A concert pianist who helped right the Beastie Boys tourbus one night in Paris when rabid fans were tipping it over; a patient negotiator who cried reading J.D. Salinger. His contradictions made him.”

He joined forces with Thom Mount to form the Mount/Kramer Company in the early ’90s, producing Roman Polanski’s...

Josh Kramer, a veteran Hollywood executive who produced such films as Roman Polanski’s Death and the Maiden and Sidney Lumet’s Night Falls on Manhattan, has died following a stroke. He was 67.

Kramer died Nov. 27 surrounded by family and friends in Santa Monica, according to a representative. The producer, who was a graduate of the American School in London, earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, where he is said to have made a mark creating conceptual art pieces. He then went on to earn his Mba from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

He began his entertainment industry career by working in foreign sales for legendary Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis, specializing in international presales of films by such directors as Sam Raimi, Michael Cimino, Bruce Beresford and David Cronenberg. One such title he shepherded was the iconic documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare.

Kramer went on...

Josh Kramer, who produced Roman Polanski’s Death and the Maiden and Sidney Lumet’s Night Falls on Manhattan and later led sales for Capitol Films before becoming Head of Motion Picture Business Operations at Amazon Studios, has died. He was 67.

Kramer died November 27 in Santa Monica.

Born on May 17, 1956, he began his showbiz career working for the Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis, pre-selling foreign movie rights that would help finance films including Manhunter, Blue Velvet and others. Kramer was instrumental in the success of the 1991 concert pic Madonna: Truth or Dare, leading the acquisition of the film rights and then selling the film overseas.

In the early 1990s, he teamed with Thom Mount to form the Mount/Kramer Company, which produced Death and the Maiden (1994) and Night Falls on Manhattan (1996).

He went on to become the head of sales for Capitol Films, later joining international acquisitions at MGM. In...

Beyoncé's self-produced concert documentary Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is gaining popularity at the box office, but it falls short of Taylor Swift's success. Renaissance grossed $21 million in its opening weekend, the first movie to pass the $20 million threshold in the post-Thanksgiving weekend since 2003. However, this result is in stark contrast to Taylor Swift's concert film which made $92.8 million upon its debut.

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is conquering the box office, though not quite at the level of Taylor Swift. The movie, which documents Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, was also written, directed, and produced by the star herself. The stadium tour saw the singer perform classic singles and tracks from her new album Renaissance, including "Alien Superstar," "Run the World (Girls)," and "Drunk in Love."

Per Variety, the Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé release is set to close Sunday with a 3-day opening weekend total of $21 million at the domestic box office.

“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” made a surprise appearance on the theatrical release calendar this October and has already become the second-highest grossing concert documentary ever, drawing in fans who wanted to re-experience her Eras Tour in movie form and those who weren’t able to catch this summer’s concert. But while “The Eras Tour” movie still isn’t the top music doc (yet), it’s something of an outlier when it comes to just how much it’s made at the box office — $178 million and counting.

Several other big-name musicians and bands have released documentaries about their tours or certain albums, but the only ones to come close to the success of “The Eras Tour” include Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber, so far. Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour documentary, slated for a Dec. 1 release, could further shake up the stats and the box office.

Below we’ve rounded up...

An Oscar ceremony with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift? What television producer wouldn’t want two of the biggest names in entertainment gracing the red carpet for the 96th Academy Awards? But despite two upcoming concert films from the megastars — “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” — neither are eligible to submit or compete for an Academy Award nomination for documentary feature, or any technical category, under the current guidelines.

Per the Academy’s bylaws, the Documentary Branch defines a documentary film as “a theatrically released nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.”

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

The Special Rules Section,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Because the people of New York can’t get enough, the 35mm print of Rio Bravo we programmed has yet another screening on Sunday; Swingers, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Body of Evidence, and James Toback’s Black and White also play on film, while Madonna: Truth or Dare has a screening.

Museum of Modern Art

Films by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kelly Reichardt, Harvard’s Sel, Maren Ade, and more play in a new series.

Film at Lincoln Center

A new 70mm print of Boogie Nights has begun daily showings.

Anthology Film Archives

Documentaries by the great Kazuo Hara are subject of a new retrospective, while work by the crew of How to with John Wilson is highlighted this Saturday.

Bam

A restoration of the recently rediscovered Tokyo Pop continues, while a new animation series includes Satoshi Kon’s Tokyo Godfathers.

Clockwise from left: Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry (Apple TV+), Gaga: Five Foot Two (Netflix), Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (HBO), Pamela, A Love Story (Netflix), Cobain: Montage Of Heck (HBO)Graphic: AVClub

Celebrity documentaries run the gamut. There are hagiographies, which all but deify their subjects.

A series of portraits of Black trans sex workers and the men who lust after them, D. Smith’s Kokomo City plays as a hyper-stylized companion to Zackary Drucker and Kristen Lovell’s recent The Stroll. But where The Stroll elaborates on the relationship between New York City, particularly the Meatpacking District, and trans women’s hustle using rather formulaic storytelling, Kokomo City’s look at trans sex work in Atlanta is more original.

The film’s most significant accomplishment is the mood it crafts with its cool black-and-white images, fast-paced editing, unorthodox camera angles, handheld camera, and overall jazzy atmosphere. But Smith’s investment on surfaces can only sustain the documentary for so long, as the discourse level of its interviewed subjects—a mix of trans sex workers and, to a lesser extent, trans-attracted men—never quite catches up to the euphoria of the visuals.

Kokomo City begins as...

In 1991, director Alek Keshishian came out with one of the most acclaimed and successful music-themed documentaries of all time, Madonna: Truth or Dare. More than three decades later, he explores the experience of another pop star and actress in his Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.

The director sees significant differences between Madonna and the young woman at the heart of his new film.

“Madonna was a really armored person. She almost enjoyed that sparring [with paparazzi], and Selena is a much more vulnerable human being, immediately,” Keshishian said during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event. “I’m not saying Madonna isn’t vulnerable as well, but Madonna was in her 30s when she did Truth or Dare… What I noticed about [Selena], which was different to most pop stars and celebrities that I met, was she didn’t seem to have any guile. She had no armor.

Fair warning to certain right-wing politicians. Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event, which kicks off its 2023 edition Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. Pt, will feature the appearance of … (dramatic pause) … drag queens. Miss Isabelle Brooks and Luxx Noir London are among the RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants joining us to talk about Season 15 of the MTV unscripted series. Not only that, but Grammy-winning recording artist Lizzo – an ally of the LGBTQ+ community who boldly invited several RuPaul’s Drag Race all-stars onto the stage at her recent Nashville concert — is also coming by to spill the tea on her HBO Max film Love, Lizzo, which documents her Cuz I Love You world tour.

Click here to sign up for and launch today’s livestream.

In a time of book banning, furor over how history is taught, and pearl-clutching over queens, count on Deadline as your uncensored guide to...

Selena Gomez revealed she tested positive for Covid-19 and will be unable to visit NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this evening.

“I’m not going to be on Fallon tonight. I ended up getting covid but am resting and feeling ok,” the Only Murders in the Building star shared via Instagram Story on Wednesday.

She continued, “A friendly reminder covid is still out there. Get updated on your boosters. I was actually scheduled to get mine this week. Love you all.”

Gomez is currently promoting her upcoming Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me set to be released on November 4. The film comes from the helmer of the cult 1991 doc Madonna: Truth or Dare, Alek Keshishian, and follows the gold album-selling, Grammy-nominated artist and actress from the heights of unimaginable superstardom through the lows of a very personal crisis and back again.

On Monday, the...

BFI London Film Festival Adds Trio Of Titles

The BFI London Film Festival (October 5-16) has added Luca Guadagnino’s Bones And All to its 2022 line-up as a special presentation. Further late additions include Billy Eichner’s TIFF breakout LGBTQ comedy Bros and Jafar Panahi’s No Bears. The festival has also revealed the first batch of high-profile speakers booked for its talks programme who will include Noah Baumbach, Mia Hansen-Løve, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Janelle Monáe, Bill Nighy and Aubrey Plaza.

Talent Group Ymu Expands Into Gaming And Sports Marketing

Global talent agency Ymu Group, which already represents a host of talent in film, TV, literature and music, has expanded its reach into the world of gaming and sports marketing with the acquisition of a majority stake in Digital Sports Mgmt (Dsm). Dsm was founded by Rob Wadsworth and Tom Henderson in 2016 with a focus on sports marketing, entertainment and the gaming industry.

Fans of Selena Gomez will be getting their most intimate look at the pop star yet.

This week, Apple TV+ debuted the first teaser for the upcoming documentary “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me”, all about her mental health journey.

Read More: Selena Gomez Panics As Gordon Ramsay Yells In Hilarious ‘Selena + Chef’ Clip

“After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness,” the official description reads. “This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.”

The short teaser is a simple montage of Gomez, appearing emotional in some of her darker moments, set to soft music and the sound of breathing, before giving way to a more triumphant score and footage of the star seemingly finding happiness.

Gomez shared the teaser on Instagram, writing, “We don’t...

For Selena Gomez, every breath is a breakthrough.

The global pop star spent six years filming documentary “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me,” which premieres at 2022 AFI Fest before debuting November 4 on AppleTV+. Alek Keshishian (“Madonna: Truth or Dare”) captures Gomez’s 20s before ringing in her 30th birthday.

The official synopsis reads: After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.

Gomez has sold more than 210 million singles worldwide and amassed over 45 billion global streams of her music throughout her singing career. In 2022, Gomez received a Grammy nomination for her first all-Spanish EP and an Emmy nomination for executive producing the critically acclaimed Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building,” in which she stars opposite Steve Martin and Martin Short.

Selena Gomez is getting personal.  The singer offered a rare look at her private life in the new trailer for her upcoming Apple TV+ documentary, My Mind and Me. In the 30-second teaser, a series of scenes flash across the screen, showing Gomez crying in bed, hugging friends and traveling the world.  "Every breath," text across the screen reads, "A breakthrough." The documentary, directed by Madonna: Truth or Dare's Alek Keshishian, promises to follow Gomez's life over the course of six years, according to the streamer, giving fans a closer look at her life as a singer, songwriter, actress, producer, entrepreneur and...

AppleTV+ has announced the official release date of its long-anticipated documentary feature film, Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me, which is set to premiere globally on the platform on November 4, 2022. The documentary is directed by Alek Keshishian, who also directed the critically acclaimed documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare. The film is the second collaborative project between AppleTV and producers, Lighthouse Management Media and Interscope films, following the Emmy-nominated documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.

The American Film Institute has announced the world premiere of Alek Keshishian’s documentary “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me” will open this year’s AFI Fest.

The 36th edition of AFI Fest will take place in Los Angeles on Nov. 2-6. Tickets will be available in October on their official website.

Keshishian made his directorial debut with “Madonna: Truth or Dare” and has now shifted his camera to Gomez, who has faced child stardom, mental and physical health challenges, and a flourishing career, all within her first 30 years.

“I had no interest in making a traditional pop doc,” says Keshishian. “I wanted to show something more authentic and Selena did, too. She has a raw vulnerability that captured me… I had no idea then that it would become a six-year labor of love.”

“AFI is proud to launch AFI Fest 2022 with ‘Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me,’ a film...

Director Alek Keshishian’s credits include Madonna: Truth Or Dare.

The world premiere of Apple Original Film Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me will open AFI Fest on November 2.

Alek Keshishian directs the film charting the actor and singer’s journey from the heights of superstardom to the lows of a personal crisis and back again.

“I had no interest in making a traditional pop doc,” says Keshishian, who made his directorial debut with the documentary Madonna: Truth Or Dare. “I wanted to show something more authentic and Selena did, too. She has a raw vulnerability that captured me… I...

Come and get it: Selena Gomez’s highly anticipated Apple Original films documentary just announced its world premiere at the 2022 AFI Fest.

“Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me” is set to open the annual American Film Institute (AFI) festival on November 2, hosting its opening night premiere at the famed Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Alek Keshishian (“Madonna: Truth or Dare”) directs the documentary centered on “Only Murders in the Building” actress and singer Gomez. The film chronicles the Emmy and Grammy nominee Selena Gomez’s journey from the heights of unimaginable superstardom through the lows of a very personal crisis and back again. The documentary is an Apple Original Film, produced by Interscope Films and Lighthouse Management & Media.

“I had no interest in making a traditional pop doc,” director Keshishian explained. “I wanted to show something more authentic and Selena did, too. She has a raw vulnerability that captured me.

The American Film Institute has announced that the world premiere of “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me” is set to open the 36th edition of AFI Fest on Nov. 2.

“AFI is proud to launch AFI Fest 2022 with ‘Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me,’ a film as profoundly powerful as it is personal,” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “Selena is a global force in art and entertainment, and we are honored to partner with her, Alek and Apple to shine a light upon her journey in this beautifully crafted celebration of optimism, vulnerability and hopefulness.”

Directed by Alek Keshishian (“Madonna: Truth or Dare”), the documentary explores Gomez’s rise to stardom as an actress and singer, along with the personal crises she’s endured throughout her life.

“I had no interest in making a traditional pop doc,” Keshishian said. “I wanted to show something more authentic and Selena did,...

Click here to read the full article.

Selena Gomez’s new documentary now has a date with AFI Fest.

The Apple Original film, Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me, will open the 36th edition of the festival in Los Angeles on Nov. 2. The singer, actress and producer just announced the project last week on social media by revealing she had a film coming in partnership with Apple TV+.

It comes from director Alek Keshishian, who previously directed the iconic documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare and who also happens to be the brother of Gomez’s manager, Aleen Keshishian. My Mind and Me is said to chronicle Gomez’s “journey from the heights of unimaginable superstardom through the lows of a very personal crisis and back again.”

In a statement, Keshishian said that he had “no interest” in making a traditional pop doc, adding, “I wanted to show something more authentic and Selena did,...

Selena Gomez's new documentary is going to be good (for you).  On Sept. 8, Apple Original Films announced they have landed the global rights to a new documentary feature, Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me, directed and produced by Alek Keshishian, who previously directed Madonna: Truth or Dare.  "After years in the limelight," Apple teases, "Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light." The former Wizards of Waverly Place star will give us a rare look into her life as a singer,...

Apple Original Films has landed the global rights to a new documentary feature “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me,” about the singer, songwriter, actress, producer, entrepreneur and activist, the company announced on Thursday.

The documentary was directed and produced by Alek Keshishian, who directed the most successful documentary of its time – “Madonna: Truth or Dare,” still regarded as one of the most influential films of its genre.

The synopsis is as follows: “After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.”

Also Read:

Selena Gomez Takes on Malibu (and Torching Desserts) in ‘Selena + Chef’ Season 4 Trailer

As a recording artist, Gomez has sold more than 210 million singles worldwide and amassed over 45 billion global streams of her music. This year,...

Apple Original Films has landed the global rights to a new documentary feature about singer, songwriter, actress, producer, entrepreneur and activist Selena Gomez, Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me, directed and produced by Alek Keshishian.

The doc focuses on Gomez, who after years in the limelight, achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.

As a recording artist, Gomez has sold more than 210 million singles worldwide and amassed over 45 billion global streams of her music. This year, she received a Grammy nomination for her first all-Spanish EP and an Emmy nomination for her role in the critically acclaimed series “Only Murders in the Building,” in which she stars opposite Steve Martin and Martin Short.

Keshishian directed the most successful documentary of its time – the iconic, critically...

The 33rd edition of the New York LGBTQ+ film festival NewFest will kick off with the East Coast premiere of “Mayor Pete,” the Amazon Studios documentary about Pete Buttigieg run for president in 2020.

Now Pres. Joe Biden’s Secretary of Transportation, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana had hoped to have been the youngest and first openly gay president of the United States.

The 2021 hybrid edition of NewFest will take place Oct. 15-26 in New York City theaters and virtually on the festival’s on-demand platform. The lineup includes 130 films and episodic series from 31 countries. There are 30 narrative features, 14 docs and 11 shorts program screenings.

“This year’s festival is all about connection. The LGBTQ+ community thrives on connecting to one another, and having spent most of the past 18 months apart, we are hungry for experiences that remind us we are a part of something bigger than ourselves,” NewFest executive director David Hatkoff tells me.

On July 13, 2021, music director Aron Forbes woke up to his first-ever Emmy nominations for AppleTV+’s frank, in-depth music documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.” It’s probably the most revealing behind-the-scenes superstar doc since “Madonna: Truth or Dare,” except this one is about massive success filtered through the prism of someone who is barely old enough to drive (Note: you actually see Eilish score her driver’s license over the course of the movie), and told over several impactful, sometimes awkwardly raw years.

“It’s just mind-blowing, you know, the people in those categories, some of them I’ve looked up to my whole life,” says Forbes, referring to his category mates who chronicled music legends as diverse as Tina Turner, David Byrne and the Bee Gees. “It’s beyond unexpected.” But there’s one major thing that separates Forbes from his competition: he was literally arranging...

She doesn’t have to clean up the hotel room. You usually don’t get to spend time in luxury French hotel suites like this one unless you’re rich and megafamous, and when you get to be that rich and megafamous, you have plenty of people to clean up your messes. But the woman in the robe is still picking up the champagne flutes, pushing a tray of ice buckets into the corner, quietly tidying up the aftermath of a celebration. She’s talking about fear and anxiety and how last week,...

Thirty years after shooting her groundbreaking documentary, Madonna: Truth or Dare, the legendary pop star is working on another Madonna-centric film project. This time, though, it’s no documentary. She’s teamed up with Oscar-winning screenplay writer Diablo Cody for a film that’s rumored to be based on Madonna’s life. It may be a difficult task. After [...]

The post Madonna’s A Complex Character — And Who’d Know Better Than Her? appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Madonna is the latest star to open up about her experience of working with disgraced former film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

The singer and actress spoke to The New York Times about working with Weinstein in a feature published Wednesday. Weinstein's Miramax distributed her 1991 documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare.

"Harvey crossed lines and boundaries and was incredibly sexually flirtatious and forward with me when we were working together; he was married at the time, and I certainly wasn't interested," she told the publication. "I was aware that he did the same with a lot of other women ...

Madonna is the latest star to open up about her experience of working with disgraced former film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

The singer and actress spoke to The New York Times about working with Weinstein in a feature published Wednesday. Weinstein's Miramax distributed her 1991 documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare.

"Harvey crossed lines and boundaries and was incredibly sexually flirtatious and forward with me when we were working together; he was married at the time, and I certainly wasn't interested," she told the publication. "I was aware that he did the same with a lot of other women ...

Madonna was honored at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York on Saturday night. The 60-year-old pop icon - who recently graced the cover of British Vogue - was named the recipient of the Advocate for Change Award. She earned the distinction for her enduring efforts to promote equality and acceptance for the Lgbtq+ community. Rocking an embroidered ensemble, the singer delivered a passionate speech about spreading love and kindness and her personal connection to the Lgbtq+ community.

"The first gay man I ever met was named Christopher Flynn," she said. "He was my ballet teacher in high school, and he was the first person that believed in me. That made me feel special as a dancer, as an artist and as a human being." She then revealed the teacher took her to her first gay club in downtown Detroit, adding, "I finally felt like I was not alone, that...

Among her many achievements, Madonna, who turns 60 on Aug. 16, once starred in the top-grossing documentary of all time. Though the record has since been broken by docs on subjects as varied as penguins and Justin Bieber, when Madonna: Truth or Dare was released in 1991 and grossed $15 million ($28 million today), it was a box-office behemoth.

The film got its start when Madonna approached Alek Keshishian — then 26 and with several award-winning videos for Bobby Brown under his belt — about doing an HBO special on her Blond Ambition tour. After shooting in Japan, Keshishian says, he ...

Despite artful direction and meticulous curation by Gaga herself, the documentary never quite shakes the feel of a longform advert for the singer’s new phase – one that’s preaching to the converted

It’s been a transformative year in the life of Stefani Germanotta, a cycle purportedly captured in the new documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two, which is streaming on Netflix starting Friday. The vérité-style feature tracks the artist during the recording, release and promotion of her fifth studio cut, Joanne, culminating with her triumphant performance at the Super Bowl half-time show. The title, a nod to both the performer’s diminutive stature and the Guy Lombardo number, showcases the sincerity and humor and artistry that’s engendered a connection with her legion of Little Monsters over the years, but not even as formidable a talent as Gaga can overcome the inherent pitfalls of the authorized popstar documentary.

Artfully...

Fashion documentaries have been going downhill ever since Unzipped. Douglas Keeve’s 1995 portrait of Isaac Mizrahi, a box office smash and critical hit, remains the pinnacle of what so many since have attempted. Like Madonna: Truth or Dare, from which it took much inspiration, that riotously funny glimpse into Mizrahi’s world full of design, famous friends, creativity and wickedly self-depreciating neurosis was a perfect storm of sorts between personality, fashion and celebrity that a film about this sort of person ought to be.

Every year brings us several of these sorts of documentaries. Like the majority of them, Sandy Chronopoulos’ debut feature, House of Z, is easily digestible and barely raises a sweat; a work of celebrity portraiture that fans won’t regret watching, but which offers little beyond what is promised on the tin. Taking the same narrative hook as Unzipped of a talented young designer’s comeback...

This moving documentary charts the impact that Madonna’s Blond Ambition world tour had on seven of her dancers’ lives

The year is 1990. Madonna, at the height of her fame and influence, embarks on her controversial Blond Ambition tour. Alongside her were seven young male dancers, who were catapulted into the public eye by the tour, and the film that accompanied it, Madonna: Truth Or Dare (released as In Bed With Madonna in the UK).

This documentary catches up with the six surviving dancers to explore the impact that the tour had on their lives, and examines their legacy within the gay community. Madonna is notable for her absence –though since three of her dancers subsequently took her to court, that’s perhaps to be expected. The approach could have been a little more hard-hitting, but it’s a moving account of the way one huge opportunity can unbalance the life that follows.

Chicago – When encountering film producer, director, writer and “movie star” Warren Beatty, I entered into an interview that would be truly one of a kind. The spontaneous Mr. Beatty works a talk in a give-and-take Socratic method, searching for the truth underneath the rhetoric, as he did with his new film “Rules Don’t Apply.”

The film is a quasi-biographical profile of the legendary American billionaire Howard Hughes, but don’t mention that to writer/director Beatty (who also portrays Hughes). What he wanted to explore was the truth around Hughes, in the personification of a fictional couple (Alden Ehrenreich and Lily Collins) working for the billionaire. Set in 1958 Hollywood – the same year a young Warren Beatty arrived there – the film highlights the clash between the sexual looseness that existed in the movie business, and the potential seekers that “got off the bus” in tinsel town, still mired in their 1950s puritanism.

My World Of Flops is Nathan Rabin’s survey of books, television shows, musical releases, or other forms of entertainment that were financial flops, critical failures, or lack a substantial cult following.

It’s not easy for a man who is rich, famous, handsome, and a bona fide movie star to also be a giant dork, but somehow Kevin Costner manages it. The onscreen Costner has a number of defining moments, perhaps none bigger than his epic attention-demanding monologue in Bull Durham. But the defining moment of the offscreen Costner is probably that wonderful moment in Madonna: Truth Or Dare when he comes backstage after one of her orgiastic performances and opines that it was “neat.”

This was Costner in miniature: When confronted with one of the preeminent sex goddesses of her era at her prime, he doled out a wholesome compliment more appropriate for a 6-year-old boy geeking out...

Earlier this year, it was announced that Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection — perhaps the two most trusted names in the distribution and exhibition of important classic and contemporary cinema — would be joining forces to create a streaming service dedicated to sharing their combined library with cinephiles around the world. For months, it sounded too good to be true. Today, it suddenly became as real as the screen in front of your face.

If the movies are truly as dead as they say, then FilmStruck is nothing short of heaven on Earth. It’s here, it’s alive, and hot damn has it come out of the gate swinging. Hundreds of essential titles are ready to go on launch day, and while hundreds more are imminently on the way, there’s already more than enough to satisfy whatever mood you’re in and scratch itches that you didn’t even know you had.

Many who haven’t seen Madonna: Truth or Dare can still claim to know it in a cultural sense — probably thanks to Saturday Night Live, if anything else. The film’s recently been restored on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, and will begin a new run at Metrograph today. This also marks an occasion to speak with the film’s director, Alek Keshishian, who’s had a closer access to Madonna than just about any filmmaker, working or otherwise, and who proved remarkably open about the story behind his documentary classic.

But how else could one be? Truth or Dare still surprises in how much it revealed, even if we’re only talking about the star’s distaste for Kevin Costner and even (or especially) if its all-access quality means a bit less in light of today’s social-media-obsessive stars — one of many areas we managed to cover in our time.

Madonna stunned fans who gathered for a 25th anniversary screening of “Madonna: Truth Or Dare” at NYC’s Museum Of Modern Art by making a surprise appearance on Wednesday. Approximately 400 fans were in attendance to screen the film in New York City. Originally released in 1991, “Truth Or Dare ” follows Madonna behind-the-scenes of her controversial Blonde […]...

In his elephantine sixth edition of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film (2014), critic David Thomson reserves his most scathing, uncharitable critique for Madonna. To him, her mere existence on film is an affront to the medium itself. He finds that she is incapable of understanding the art of acting, and spends the space of nine paragraphs belaboring the point. “There is nothing in Madonna to be advertised,”he writes, “except for her ironic, deflecting contempt. She is an ad for advertising.”It is a curiously mean-spirited entry in a book filled with thoughtful, sympathetic reconsiderations of women whom critics wrote off in their time. Thomson’s entries on Tippi Hedren and Kim Novak are among his most articulate and impassioned. Yet Thomson is utterly heartless when it comes to Madonna, suspecting that “[s]he is disappointed about something, and hugely driven by resentment.” Thomson wasn’t exactly staking out a contrarian position.