Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 21st to 30th, 2024 - UPDATE #16

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Danny and Michael Philippou, the directors of the hit horror film, "Talk To Me," are reteaming with that film's distributor, A24, for a new film, "Bring Her Back."  The film is set to star Sally Hawkins.

EMMYS - From Deadline:  I missed this, dear readers.  The nominations for the 2024 / 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sat., June 8, 2024.

CANNES - From Variety:    Lily Gladstone,  Eva Green, Omar Sy, Ebru Ceylan, Nadine Labaki, Juan Antonio Bayona, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Kore-eda Hirokazu comprise the jury for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.  Oscar-nominee Greta Gerwig is jury president.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 4/26 to 4/28/2024 weekend box office is Amazon/MGM's "Challengers" (starring Zendaya) with an estimated take of 15 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The fate of "NCIS: Hawai'i" is no longer up in the air. CBS has cancelled the series after three seasons, making the announcement yesterday, Fri., April 26th.

From Deadline:  CBS has renewed "The Equalizer" starring Queen Latifah for a fifth season.  However, the fate of "NCIS: Hawai'i" is still up in the air.

SCANDAL - From APNews:  The state Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction. The court found that the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.  The court ordered a new trial.  The 75-year-old Weinstein has been serving a 23-year sentence in the Mohawk Correctional Facility near Rome, New York.

From Variety:  Harvey Weinstein was admitted to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan on Saturdays, just two days after his 2020 New York rape conviction was overturned (Thurs., April 25th).

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sources tell the site that actors Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Oscar-nominated Ralph Fiennes will star in the first film of the upcoming "28 Years Later" trilogy.  The new film will be directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, the director and writer, respectively of the original film, "28 Days Later."

ANIMATION - From Variety: This year marks the 25th anniversary of the airing of the debut episode of Fox's long-running animated series, "Family Guy," specifically January 31, 1999.  Because it was cancelled twice, the series is currently concluding its 22nd season.  Recently voice actor, Patrick Warburton, who voices one of the series main character, paraplegic police officer, "Joe Swanson," says that his parents hate the show.  He says that his mother even tried to get "Family Guy" cancelled.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, laments the end of the 20-year-old film and television production company, Participant.  Participant was behind Guggenheim and Al Gore's Oscar-winning doc, "An Inconvenient Truth."

From Variety:  The 20-year-old film and television production company whose mission was to inspire social justice and humanitarian action, Participant (formerly Participant Media), is shutting down.  Established in 2004, Participant co-produced or co-financed a number of notable movies including the "Best Picture" Oscar winner "Spotlight," as well as Steven Spielberg’s "Lincoln" and the Oscar-winning, breakthrough documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

MUSIC - From Deadline:  The 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been announced.  The inductees are as follows: A Tribe Called Quest, Cher, Foreigner, Dave Matthews Band, Kool & the Gang, Mary J. Blige, Peter Frampton, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Buffett, Dionne Warwick, Norman Whitfield, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, MC5, Suzanne de Passe, and Big Mama Thornton.

POLITICS - From Salon:  "Mainstream conservatives" never really purged the fascists, according to a wonderful piece by Salon writer, Paul Rosenberg.  Rosenberg interviews David Austin Walsh about his new book, "Taking America Back: The Conservative Movement and the Far Right."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 4/19 to 4/21/2024 weekend box office is A24's "Civil War" with an estimated take of 11.1 million dollars.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Variety:  Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller, "Trap."  Starring Josh Hartnett, the film follows a father and daughter who attend a pop star's concert only to realize that they are at the center of a dark and sinister event.  And Hartnett's character is a serial killer known as "The Butcher."  The pop star is played by M. Night's daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, who is an actual singer-songwriter.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American television actress, Marla Adams, has died at the age of 85, Thursday, April 25, 2024.  Adams was best known for her roles as "Belle Clemens" on the former CBS soap opera, "The Secret Storm," from 1968 to 1974, and also as "Dina Abbott Mergeron" a recurring character on "The Young and the Restless," that appeared in 235 episodes on and off from 1983 to 2021.  Adams was twice nominated in the Daytime Emmy Award category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series," winning in 2021.

From Deadline:  British art director and production designer, Ray Chan, has died at the age of 56, Tuesday, April 23, 2024.  Chan was best known for his work in art direction, production design, and additional photography for Marvel Studios, beginning with "Thor: The Dark World" (2013) to the upcoming "Deadpool & Wolverine" (2024).  He was nominated for five Art Directors Guild Awards and won twice.

Amblin Partners Signs Deal with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group

Amblin Partners Announces New Multi-Year Film Distribution Partnership With Universal Filmed Entertainment Group

Alibaba Pictures, Entertainment One, NBCUniversal and Reliance Entertainment Continue as Amblin’s Investment Partners

Participant Transitions Out of Ownership Interest in Amblin Partners

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amblin Partners announced a new multi-year film distribution partnership with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, as well as a series of new agreements that chart a clear course for the next phase of growth for one of the world’s leading independent film and television studios. The new deals were announced this morning by Steven Spielberg, Amblin’s Founder and Chairman.

    “Steven Spielberg and Amblin Partners have delivered award-winning critical and commercial hits that stand the test of time amongst films in the Universal canon. We’re proud to continue our partnership and reinvest in the future of Amblin Partners.”

Remarked Spielberg: “My decades-long relationship with Universal truly transcends any single business deal, and to once again renew our corporate vows reaffirms that Universal is Amblin’s home. In addition to Universal, we are blessed to continue forward with a global family of partners, including Alibaba, eOne and Reliance, each of which has supported us for many years and enabled our storytelling to touch the lives of millions of moviegoers around the world. I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to my dear friends Jeff Skoll and David Linde for an incredible run as formal partners; and my congratulations on what I know will be a successful next chapter in Participant’s journey. While in a different form, we look forward to continuing our collaborations to create the type of culturally-impactful content that only Participant can deliver.”

Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, said: “Steven Spielberg and Amblin Partners have delivered award-winning critical and commercial hits that stand the test of time amongst films in the Universal canon. We’re proud to continue our partnership and reinvest in the future of Amblin Partners.”

Amblin’s continuing partnership with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group builds on a long history between the two companies, dating back to Spielberg’s arrival on the Universal lot as an intern in 1968. The new agreement further evolves the entities’ 2015 agreement that resulted in a number of critical and commercial hits, most recently Oscar Best Picture Winner Green Book, and 1917, which won three Oscars, two Golden Globes and grossed more than $385 million at the worldwide box office.

The new deal calls for multiple Amblin films to be marketed and distributed theatrically via Universal Pictures and Focus Features each year, while also providing Amblin with new opportunities in the streaming film marketplace. NBCUniversal has also agreed to re-invest in the Company, continuing its position as an equity holder and providing fresh capital to fund new production and development efforts across the Company’s film and television businesses.

Jeff Small, Amblin Partners CEO, commented: “Universal is simply the best in the business, and we are beyond fortunate to have Donna Langley and her team supporting our films. In addition, the evolution of our partnership provides flexibility for us to continue supplying the fast-growing streaming marketplace on an even greater scale, which will no doubt be a key growth driver for Amblin Partners in both film and TV in the years ahead.”

Alibaba Pictures, eOne and Reliance Entertainment will all continue as equity holders, with Alibaba releasing Amblin films in China; eOne releasing in the U.K., Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Benelux; and Reliance releasing in India.

Participant, which as a founding partner played a key role in the formation of Amblin Partners in 2015, will now exit its role as an equity holder of the Company. This transition will allow Participant flexibility with respect to distribution of its films, while still keeping open opportunities to work together with Amblin on future projects.

“We have enjoyed our relationship with Amblin Partners and are proud of the many notable films we have produced together,” stated Participant CEO David Linde. “Exiting our formal position will allow us the flexibility to evolve our business as our strategic goals and the marketplace dictates. Both Universal and Focus have been great distribution partners; and we have been incredibly fortunate to work closely with Steven, well pre-dating the formation of Amblin Partners, and look forward to finding new projects with him, Jeff Small and the entire Amblin team.”

Amblin also announced the close of an amended and restated syndicated revolving credit facility led by J.P. Morgan and Comerica. The facility continues longstanding relationships with a number of additional banking partners, and in total includes City National Bank, Union Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank Hapoalim, CIT Bank, East West Bank, Fifth Third Bank, California Bank & Trust, Citizens Bank and Preferred Bank. The facility will fund ongoing corporate operations, as well as production and development activities for both film and television.

“For nearly three decades, J.P. Morgan has had the pleasure of working with Amblin through its many significant achievements and milestones,” said David Shaheen, Head of the West Region and Entertainment Industries Group for J.P. Morgan’s Corporate Client Banking business. “We are proud to support the ambitious and creative Amblin team as they write the next chapter of their impressive story.”


About Amblin Partners:
Amblin Partners is a film and television production company, led by Steven Spielberg, that develops and produces films using the Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures banners, and includes Amblin Television. The Company’s investment partners include Reliance Entertainment, Entertainment One (eOne), Alibaba Pictures and Universal Pictures.

www.amblin.com

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National Geographic to Premiere "City So Real" Fall 2020

National Geographic Acquires Critically Acclaimed Sundance Series CITY SO REAL With Fall Debut Planned

From Participant, Kartemquin Films and Oscar-Nominated Steve James, Documentary Series Delves Into the Universal and Timely Story of Structural Inequality Through the Lens of Chicago and Its Heated 2019 Mayoral Election

Newly Created Fifth Hour Focuses On Human Stories During the Current Pandemic and Recent Social Unrest

Series Includes Music from an Eclectic and Diverse Group of Hometown Chicago Musicians Including Jamila Woods, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Devil in a Woodpile and Original Music Compositions from Will Miller and his band Resavoir

“[Director Steve] James isn’t telling the story of an American city, but THE American city; Chicago’s problems are America’s problems, from our divisions to our strengths.” – Indiewire

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Geographic announced the acquisition of CITY SO REAL, an official Indie Episodic selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, set to premiere on the network this fall. From twice Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker, Steve James (America to Me, Hoop Dreams) and his longtime producing partner, Zak Piper (Life Itself, The Interrupters), the fascinating and complex portrait of contemporary Chicago delivers a deep, multifaceted look into the soul of a quintessentially American city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election.

    “its commitment to unflinching documentary filmmaking and telling an American history rooted in social justice and the stories of the marginalized.”

Following its Sundance world premiere, Paste Magazine declared: “There is perhaps no film that exudes the collective essence of Steve James’s body of work as much as his latest…. CITY SO REAL takes a sweeping look at the public and private lives of Chicago, of the political machine and of everyday sidewalk stories, of life at work and sometimes at home… exploring racial and cultural contradictions that often lurk just below the surface.”

From Participant and Kartemquin Films, CITY SO REAL’s rich and intricate story was originally conceived as four one-hour episodes, but the premiere on National Geographic will exclusively feature an epic fifth episode that follows the COVID-19 pandemic and social uprising following George Floyd’s death. The announcement was made by National Geographic Global Television Networks President Courteney Monroe during the network’s session at the Summer CTAM press tour.

The series begins in the haze of mid-summer 2018, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel, embroiled in accusations of a cover-up related to the police shooting of an African-American teenager, Laquan McDonald, shocks the city by announcing he won’t seek reelection. An unprecedented 21 candidates emerge in a diverse and crowded field as they engage in a no-holds-barred battle for a chance to shape the city’s uncertain future.

From the summer of 2018 through the spring of 2019, James, Piper, as well as James’ son, filmmaker Jackson James, and a diverse team followed the historic, often contentious mayoral election. Scenes from the streets, luxury high-rises, barbershops, campaign offices and nightclubs are skillfully juxtaposed by editors David E. Simpson (America to Me) and James to create a mosaic of life in the Midwest’s most racially, culturally and economically diverse city.

In candid interviews with residents throughout the city, the series captures Chicago’s indomitable spirit as well as its seemingly insurmountable challenges. CITY SO REAL is a gritty and loving depiction of a quintessentially American city that is at once fiercely unique and a microcosm of the nation ⎯ and our world ⎯ as a whole.

“Chicago is an enormous and enormously diverse urban environment that wrestles with issues of race and segregation and violence, which is the story of America today,” says James. “You see evidence of that everywhere in the series from the barbershop conversations to the people watching the debate. All cities have their boosters, but there’s something unique about the passionate love and civic pride Chicagoans have for their city. The documentary captures the beauty and the richness of a very complex city, while also showing how divided it can be.”

“The portrait of Chicago through Steve’s unique storytelling lens is one that will powerfully resonate across the country and elsewhere,” said Diane Weyermann, Chief Content Officer for Participant. “We are thrilled to be working with our friends at National Geographic to share this deeply human, nuanced character-driven series, which boldly weaves together an unflinching and illuminating story of contemporary America.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the extraordinary Steve James and the team from Participant on CITY SO REAL, a profound and intimate portrait of life in every American city that could not be more timely,” said Monroe. “We look forward to showcasing this ambitious and impactful documentary series, including Steve’s newly filmed fifth hour capturing the pandemic and the civil unrest gripping our nation.”

The team employed a creative filmmaking approach, exposing disparate personalities and campaign styles of the candidates, along with Chicago’s lively, visceral, and human personality. The beauty and richness of a complex city made it easy to leverage Chicago’s abundant musical history woven in through existing tracks from artists with roots in the city to pay homage to the music scene with original compositions by Will Miller and his band Resavoir, resulting in an infectious soundtrack. Additional music includes an eclectic and diverse group of musicians Including Jamila Woods, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound and Devil in a Woodpile.

“Labeling "City So Real” as the Chicago self-portrait of the new century is a start. The finish, as James reminds us throughout, remains up to those who rule, live and die here.” – The Chicago Tribune

For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com or our press site www.natgeotvpressroom.com, or follow us on Twitter using @NatGeoPR.

National Geographic and Participant Present a Kartemquin Films Production: CITY SO REAL - Directed by Steve James; Produced by Zak Piper and Steve James; Cinematography by Jackson James and Steve James; Edited by David E. Simpson and Steve James; Field Producers – Sylvetta Christmas, Janea Smith; Executive Producers - Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, and Jolene Pinder; Original Music Composed by Will Miller and Resavoir; Music Supervisor - Dawn Sutter Madell.


ABOUT STEVE JAMES:
Director, Producer, Cinematographer & Editor Steve James is a two-time Academy Award nominee who has earned four Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award nominations, winning for 1994’s Hoop Dreams. That film marked his first Oscar nomination (Best Film Editing), as well as an Independent Spirit Award win, and James received his second Oscar nod (Best Documentary Feature) for 2016’s Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. The latter film was named one of the National Board of Review’s “Top 5 Documentaries of the Year” and won Best Political Documentary at the Critics’ Choice Awards. James’ other notable credits include Stevie, an Independent Spirit Award nominee and Sundance prize winner; The Interrupters, which won an Emmy, Independent Spirit Award and the duPont-Columbia Journalism Award; and the Roger Ebert biography Life Itself, named best documentary by the National Board of Review and the Producers Guild of America (PGA), as well as winning an Emmy winner for Best Editing. The director’s Starz docuseries America to Me premiered at Sundance and was one of the most acclaimed TV shows of 2018.

About National Geographic Partners LLC:
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 132 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27% of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Participant:
Founded by Chairman Jeff Skoll and under the leadership of CEO David Linde, Participant (www.participant.com) combines the power of a good story well told with real world impact and awareness around today’s most vital issues. Through its worldwide network of traditional and digital distribution, aligned with partnerships with key non-profit and NGO organizations, Participant speaks directly to the rise of today’s “conscious consumer,” representing the well over 2 billion consumers compelled to make meaningful content a priority focus.

As an industry content leader, Participant annually produces up to six narrative feature films, five documentary films, three episodic television series, and more than 30 hours of digital short form programming, through its digital subsidiary SoulPancake. Participant’s more than 100 films have collectively earned 74 Academy Award® nominations and 19 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight and Green Book, Best Documentary Feature for An Inconvenient Truth, The Cove, CITIZENFOUR and American Factory, and Best Foreign Language Film for Roma and A Fantastic Woman. Participant’s digital division, SoulPancake (www.soulpancake.com), is an award-winning provider of thought-provoking, joyful, and uplifting content that reaches an audience of more than 9 million fans. Follow Participant on Twitter (@Participant) and on Facebook and Instagram. Follow SoulPancake on Twitter (@soulpancake) and on Facebook and Instagram.

About Kartemquin Films:
Sparking democracy through documentary since 1966, Kartemquin (www.kartemquin.com) is a collaborative center empowering filmmakers who create documentaries that foster a more engaged and just society. The organization's films have received four Academy Award ® nominations, and won six Emmys® and three Peabody Awards, among several more major prizes, including multiple Independent Spirit, IDA, PGA and DGA awards, and duPont-Columbia and Robert F. Kennedy journalism awards. In 2019, Kartemquin was honored with an Institutional Peabody Award for "its commitment to unflinching documentary filmmaking and telling an American history rooted in social justice and the stories of the marginalized." Recognized as a leading advocate for independent public media, Kartemquin has helped hundreds of artists via its filmmaker development programs and championing of the documentary field. Kartemquin is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization based in Chicago. Follow Kartemquin on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo.

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Review: "Middle of Nowhere" Signaled an Important Arrival

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Middle of Nowhere (2012)
Running time:  142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
MPAA – R for some language
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Ava DuVernay
PRODUCERS:  Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, and Paul Garnes
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bradford Young
EDITOR:  Spencer Averick
COMPOSER:  Kathryn Bostic
Black Reel Award winner

DRAMA

Starring:  Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Toussaint, Edwina Findley, Nehemiah Sutton, Sharon Lawrence, Maya Gilbert, and Troy Curvey III

Middle of Nowhere is a 2012 drama from writer-director Ava DuVernay.  The film centers on a medical student who supports her husband while he is in prison, but who also finds herself facing unforeseen pressures that threaten their relationship.

Roberta “Ruby” M. Murray (Emayatzy Corinealdi) is a young medical student,  Her husband, Derek J. Murray (Omari Hardwick), was sentenced to several years in prison.  Ruby dropped out of medical school in order to focus on her husband while he is incarcerated.  He can be released on parole after about five years, and as that time approaches, Ruby focuses all her energy on working as a nurse and on monitoring Derek's legal situation.  After unexpected complications involving Derek arise, Ruby finds herself curious about Brian (David Oyelowo), a bus driver who is interested in her.

Middle of Nowhere is a calm and measured drama.  People rarely yell at one another; instead, they occasionally speak strongly and firmly.  It depicts people with family members in prison without the theatrics, melodrama, and Christian themes that one would get in, say, Madea Goes to Jail.  This is not a slight against Tyler Perry, as the aforementioned Madea film is one of my favorites.

I think writer-director Ava DuVernay tells her audience that there are no easy answers, absolutely none, and every decision and direction that seems straightforward is not really.  Neither a prayer nor a good cry will resolve complex difficulties.  I like that Middle of Nowhere suggests that some people are unhappy and/or ashamed of the lives they lead.  They think that there is another way they should be living – even when they are not sure exactly what that better way should be.  Where do you go when you don't know where to go?  What do you do when you don't know what to do?

I think that so many people expect so much from DuVernay as a filmmaker because her two feature films, Middle of Nowhere and 2014's Selma, are radically different from just about all other current films.  Her film narratives do not offer idealism, and she forces her characters to deal with existential realities and the truth, even if those are just about impossible to discern.

Middle of Nowhere is not perfect.  DuVernay is vague or at least distant about the history and complications between Ruby and her mother, Ruth (Lorraine Toussaint), to say nothing of what is going on with Ruby's sister, Rosie (Edwina Findley).  It is as if there is an entire side or chunk of this story left out of the film narrative.

Middle of Nowhere is important because it signals the arrival of a different filmmaking voice and of a new cinematic vision.  The truth is that mainstream American film and Hollywood need that more than most people, inside and out of film, realize.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, April 16, 2016


NOTES:
2013 Black Reel Awards:  2 wins:  “Best Director” (Ava DuVernay) and “Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted” (Ava DuVernay); 7 nominations: “Best Film” (Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, and Howard Barish); “Best Actress” (Emayatzy Corinealdi), “Best Supporting Actor” (David Oyelowo); “Best Supporting Actress” (Lorraine Toussaint), “Best Breakthrough Performance” (Emayatzy Corinealdi), “Best Original Score” (Kathryn Bostic), and “Best Ensemble” (Aisha Coley-Casting Director)

2013 Image Awards:  2 nominations: “Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture” (Emayatzy Corinealdi) and “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (David Oyelowo)

The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


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15 Documentary Features Advance in 90th Academy Award Race

15 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES ADVANCE IN 2017 OSCAR® RACE

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards®. One hundred seventy films were originally submitted in the category.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Educational Films and WGBH/FRONTLINE

“Chasing Coral,” Exposure Labs in partnership with The Ocean Agency & View Into the Blue in association with Argent Pictures & The Kendeda Fund

“City of Ghosts,” Our Time Projects in association with Jigsaw Productions

“Ex Libris – The New York Public Library,” Zipporah Films

“Faces Places,” Ciné Tamaris

“Human Flow,” Participant Media and AC Films

“Icarus,” Netflix Documentary in association with Impact Partners, Diamond Docs, Chicago Media Project and Alex Productions

“An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” Paramount Pictures and Participant Media

“Jane,” National Geographic Studios in association with Public Road Productions

“LA 92,” Lightbox

“Last Men in Aleppo,” Larm Film and Aleppo Media Center

“Long Strange Trip,” Double E Pictures, AOMA Sunshine Films and Sikelia

“One of Us,” Loki Films

“Strong Island,” Yanceville Films and Louverture Films

“Unrest,” Shella Films and Little by Little Films

The Academy’s Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles.

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

The 90th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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Sequel to Oscar-Winning Doc, "An Inconvenient Truth," Due in 2017

PARAMOUNT PICTURES TO RELEASE THE FOLLOW-UP TO AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

A DECADE FOLLOWING VIDE PRESIDENT AL GORE’S LANDMARK CLIMATE CRISIS CALL TO ACTION WAS RELEASED, PARAMOUNT PARTNERS WITH PARTICIPANT MEDIA TO BRING A NEW MESSAGE TO AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD FILM WILL PREMIERE AT THE 2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ON OPENING NIGHT

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Paramount Pictures announced today it will release the follow-up to An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore’s two-time Academy Award-winning landmark documentary about the world’s climate crisis. From Participant Media, and directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, the sequel follows Gore as he continues his decades long fight to build a more sustainable future for our planet. 

Esteemed film critic Roger Ebert said upon the release of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH in 2006, “In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to.” A decade after AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the riveting follow up that shows both the escalation of the crisis and the real solutions we have close at hand.

Former Vice President Al Gore said, “Now more than ever we must rededicate ourselves to solving the climate crisis.  But we have reason to be hopeful; the solutions to the crisis are at hand.  I’m deeply honored and grateful that Paramount Pictures and Participant Media have once again taken on the task of bringing the critical story of the climate crisis to the world."

Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey said, “We are honored to be working again with Al, Jeff Skoll and everyone at Participant on a film whose message is as urgent as ever. Al’s tireless efforts to bring about change continues to inspire all of us as we fight for the health of our world for future generations.”

Executive producer, founder and chairman of Participant Media Jeff Skoll said, “A decade after we took a risk in backing a film centered around a slide show presentation and one human’s quest to awaken global consciousness about our changing planet, we are proud to bring global audiences a promising update: that a future powered by clean, safe, renewable, inexpensive, non-polluting energy is no longer a dream but a very attainable reality."

Commented directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, “It has been our honor to work with Participant on the follow-up to AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.  Climate change is the story of our time and following Al Gore during this critical moment in history has been both sobering and incredibly inspiring.  We couldn’t be more excited to have Paramount taking the film out to a wide audience around the world."

Stepping beyond the limits of the first movie’s focus on Gore’s inspirational slide presentation, the new film travels the world and delivers an inspirational story of change in the making. Participant Media presents a film featuring Al Gore, directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk.  The FOLLOW-UP TO AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH is produced by Richard Berge and Diane Weyermann and executive produced by Jeff Skoll, Davis Guggenheim, Lawrence Bender, Laurie David, Scott Z. Burns, and Lesley Chilcott.

Paramount Pictures will release the film in 2017.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Participant Media
Participant Media (www.participantmedia.com) is the leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant’s content combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for real world impact and awareness around the most pressing global issues of our time. Participant’s more than 75 films, including Spotlight, Contagion, Lincoln, The Help, He Named Me Malala, The Look of Silence, CITIZENFOUR, Food, Inc., and An Inconvenient Truth, have collectively earned 50 Academy Award® nominations and 11 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight. Participant’s digital entertainment division, SoulPancake (www.soulpancake.com), is an award-winning provider of thought-provoking, joyful, and uplifting digital content including such widely popular series as Kid President and The Science of Happiness and reaches an audience of nearly 9 million fans. Follow Participant Media on Twitter at @Participant and on Facebook and Instagram. Follow SoulPancake on Twitter @soulpancake and on Facebook and Instagram.

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Paramount and Participant Media Celebrates "An Inconvenient Truth" with Free Digital HD Copies

Paramount Pictures and Participant Media Commemorate 10th Anniversary of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’

Free Digital HD Copies of Academy Award®-Winning Film Available on May 24, 2016

Participant Media Launches #AIT10, Multi-Platform Campaign to ‘Share Your Truth’ About Climate Change

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An Inconvenient Truth (AIT), the critically acclaimed documentary film that ignited a global climate change movement, marks its 10th anniversary this year. To commemorate the event, Paramount Home Media Distribution will offer free Digital HD copies on May 24, 2016, the day the film was first released in 2006. Leading up to the anniversary, Participant Media is launching #AIT10, a multi-platform campaign recognizing the impact of the film and celebrating individuals like the Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune, actor Ed Begley Jr., and Andrew Youn of the OneAcre Fund who share why they are inspired to act on climate change, and encourage others to “Share Your Truth.”

    “The filmmakers’ dedication in bringing former Vice President Gore’s critical message to a global audience has since inspired countless social-action-minded movies, many of which have brought to light issues that, like AIT, help to ignite global conversations around important issues.”

“Al Gore, director Davis Guggenheim and the filmmaking team used the art of storytelling to catapult an urgent but misunderstood social issue into the middle of global consciousness,” said Jeff Skoll, Participant Media’s founder and an executive producer of the film. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the last 10 years, and that solutions to climate change are now within our reach. Now is the moment for more concerted action.”

“While all movies have the potential to inspire and move people, the impact that An Inconvenient Truth has had over the last 10 years stands apart,” said Megan Colligan, president, Worldwide Distribution & Marketing, Paramount Pictures. “The filmmakers’ dedication in bringing former Vice President Gore’s critical message to a global audience has since inspired countless social-action-minded movies, many of which have brought to light issues that, like AIT, help to ignite global conversations around important issues.”

Directed by Davis Guggenheim, An Inconvenient Truth is a passionate look at Gore’s fervent crusade to halt global warming’s deadly progress by revealing the truths about it. Called “the most important moment of the effort to address global warming…” by environmentalist Bill McKibben, and “absolutely riveting” by Seattle Post-Intelligencer, AIT is the first documentary to win two Academy Awards® (Best Documentary, Feature and Best Original Song) and continues to inspire people around the world to take action on climate change.

Spotlighting the influence the film has had on individuals around the world and inviting others to join in the conversation, Participant’s #AIT10 is launching “Share Your Truth,” a series of videos from environmental leaders, business owners and government officials from around the world telling personal stories of the impact the film had on them at http://www.takepart.com/ait10. Updated information on climate change, details on the 24-hour free Digital HD offer, and ways to get involved and take action are also available on the site. Everyone is encouraged to join the AIT Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AnInconvenientTruth to be part of the community.

The film will be available for free digital download for a 24-hour period from major digital retailers including Amazon Video, Cineplex Store, Comcast’s Xfinity On Demand, FandangoNOW, iTunes, Microsoft Movies & TV and VUDU.

An Inconvenient Truth was directed by Davis Guggenheim and presented by Paramount Classics and Participant Productions. Featuring Al Gore, the film was produced by Laurie David, Lawrence Bender and Scott Z. Burns. Jeff Skoll, Davis Guggenheim, Diane Weyermann, Ricky Strauss and Jeff Ivers served as executive producers, and Lesley Chilcott was co-producer.


About Paramount Home Media Distribution
Paramount Home Media Distribution (PHMD) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), home to premier media brands that create television programs, motion pictures, consumer products, and digital content for audiences in 180 countries and territories. The PHMD division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHMD additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.

About Participant Media
Participant Media (http://www.participantmedia.com/) is a leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for viewers to get involved. Participant’s more than 70 films, including Spotlight, Contagion, Lincoln, The Help, He Named Me Malala, The Look of Silence, CITIZENFOUR, Food, Inc., and An Inconvenient Truth, have collectively earned 50 Academy Award® nominations and 11 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight. Participant has also launched more than a dozen original series, including “Please Like Me,” Emmy® Award-winning “Hit Record On TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt,” and “Fortitude,” for its television network, Pivot (http://www.pivot.tv/). Participant's digital hub, TakePart (http://www.TakePart.com), serves millions of socially conscious consumers each month with daily articles, videos and opportunities to take action. Follow Participant Media on Twitter at @Participant and on Facebook.

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DreamWorks Studios Forms New Content Creation Company

DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment and Entertainment One Form Amblin Partners, a New Film, Television and Digital Content Creation Company

Steven Spielberg Also an Investor in Amblin Partners

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Steven Spielberg, Principal Partner, DreamWorks Studios, Jeff Skoll, Chairman, Participant Media, Anil Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Group and Darren Throop, President and Chief Executive Officer, Entertainment One (eOne) announced today the formation of Amblin Partners, a new film, television and digital content creation company.

The new company will create content using the Amblin, DreamWorks Pictures and Participant brands and leverage their power and broad awareness to tell stories that appeal to a wide range of audiences. Participant Media will remain a separate company that continues to independently develop, produce and finance projects with socially relevant themes.

Amblin Partners will be led by CEO Michael Wright and President and COO Jeff Small.

In addition, Amblin Television will become a division of Amblin Partners and continues to be run by co-presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, who maintain their longtime leadership roles. They join Producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and President of Production Holly Bario on the film side, to complete Amblin Partners’ senior management team.

David Linde, Chief Executive Officer of Participant Media, and Participant’s narrative feature team, led by Executive Vice President Jonathan King, will work closely with Amblin Partners to develop and produce specific content for the new venture in addition to exploring opportunities for co-productions and other content.

In making the announcement about Amblin Partners, Mr. Spielberg said, “We are thrilled to partner with Jeff Skoll, Participant Media, and to continue our prolific relationship. We are of like minds, as our many collaborations have illustrated, with a mutual commitment to quality, premium entertainment and global vision.”

Mr. Skoll said, “I have had the good fortune of working with Steven for many years. We share a passion for stories that can truly affect change. And this new venture will further Participant’s growth and global impact.”

DreamWorks Studios and Participant Media have collaborated on many Academy Award® nominated films such as “Lincoln” and “The Help” as well as the critically acclaimed “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” and the recently released “Bridge of Spies.”

Mr. Spielberg continued, “We are honored to continue our long-term association with our dear friend, Anil Ambani and his team at Reliance. We have had the opportunity to develop and produce wonderful films thanks to their ongoing support.”

“We are delighted to continue our now seven-years-strong relationship with our valued partner, Steven Spielberg, and to extend this alliance to the formation of Amblin Partners with Jeff Skoll. We look forward to the combination of Steven’s passion and integrity with Jeff’s unique socially conscious vision to create uplifting and quality content to entertain global audiences,” Mr. Ambani said.

Mr. Spielberg continued, “We are also grateful to Darren Throop and his team at Entertainment One for their contribution to Amblin Partners. We look forward to expanding our relationship.”

“We are delighted to join Steven Spielberg, Jeff Skoll and Reliance in launching this unique new venture,” Mr. Throop said. “We continually strive to partner with producers of the highest quality content, and Amblin Partners certainly represents the gold standard.”

Through this new partnership, eOne extends its collaboration into television production and distribution and expands its successful film distribution relationship across additional territories. eOne will handle the direct distribution of Amblin Partners films on a multi-territory output basis in Australia/New Zealand and Spain as well as the United Kingdom and the Benelux, where it previously had a successful output arrangement with DreamWorks Studios.

J.P.Morgan Chase structured and arranged the $500 million debt syndication together with Comerica Bank, which served as Co-Lead. Other financial institutions involved included Sun Trust Bank, Union Bank, City National Bank and Bank of America, among others. J.P.Morgan Chase and its predecessors have financed DreamWorks Studios since its inception in 1994.


About Amblin Partners
Amblin Partners is a content creation company formed by DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment and Entertainment One (eOne). The company develops and produces films using the Amblin, DreamWorks Pictures and Participant banners and includes Amblin Television, a longtime leader in quality programming.

Film projects in various stages of production include: “The BFG,” and “The Light Between Oceans,” scheduled for release by Disney in 2016; “The Girl on the Train,” scheduled for release in October 2016; “A Dog’s Purpose,” scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2017 and “Ready Player One,” a co-production between Amblin Partners and Warner Bros. Pictures that is scheduled to be released in December of 2017.

Upcoming shows from Amblin TV include “All the Way,” an HBO movie directed by Jay Roach and starring Bryan Cranston, with an airdate to be announced shortly; and “American Gothic,” a summer series that will air on CBS and begin production in February 2016.

About Participant Media
Participant Media is a leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for viewers to get involved. Participant’s more than 70 films, including “Spotlight,” “Contagion,” “Lincoln,” “The Help,” “He Named Me Malala,” “The Look of Silence,” “CITIZENFOUR,” “Food, Inc.,” and “An Inconvenient Truth,” have collectively earned 37 Academy Award® nominations and eight wins. Participant has also launched more than a dozen original series including, “Please Like Me,” Emmy® Award-winning “Hit Record On TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt,” and “Fortitude,” for its television network Pivot. Participant’s digital hub, TakePart, serves millions of socially conscious consumers each month with daily articles, videos and opportunities to take action. Follow Participant Media on Twitter at @Participant and on Facebook.

About Reliance Entertainment
Reliance Group, led by Mr. Anil D. Ambani, is among India’s major business houses, with a leadership position in telecommunications, power, infrastructure, financial services, and media and entertainment. The Group has over 250 million customers, serving 1 in every 5 Indians, and has over 8 million shareholders, amongst the largest shareholder families in the world.

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group, and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms. Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios.

About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Through established Film and Television divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 40,000 film and television titles, 4,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

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Review: "Citizenfour" Records the Revolution

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 44 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of the review first appeared on Patreon.]

Citizenfour (2014)
Running time:  114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Laura Poitras
PRODUCERS:  Mathilde Bonnefoy, Laura Poitras, and Dirk Wilutzky
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Kirsten Johnson, Trevor Paglen, Laura Poitras, and Katy Scoggin
EDITOR:  Mathilde Bonnefoy
Academy Award winner

DOCUMENTARY – Politics, Society

Starring:  Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney, Ewan MacAskill, Jeremy Scahill, Jonathan Man, and Julian Assange with Laura Poitras and Barack Obama (archive)

Citizenfour (stylized as CITIZENFOUR) is a 2014 documentary film from director Laura Poitras.  The film focuses on Edward Snowden, who provided the information that revealed the illegal wiretapping of American citizens' communications by American intelligence agencies.  Citizenfour won the Oscar for “Best Documentary Feature” at the 87th Academy Awards (February 22, 2015).  Oscar-winning director, Steven Soderbergh, is one of this film's executive producers.

Citizenfour's narrative begins in January 2013 when documentarian Laura Poitras receives an encrypted email from an unknown person who calls himself “Citizenfour.”  He offers her inside information about the illegal wiretapping practices of the United States National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence agencies.  The NSA was recording and observing the phone calls of American citizens beyond the scope of what the U.S. Congress had authorized.

In June 2013, accompanied by investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald and The Guardian intelligence reporter, Ewen MacAskill, Poitras travels to Hong Kong for the first meeting with Citizenfour, who identifies himself as Edward Snowden.  Edward Joseph Snowden works for the CIA via his employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, a job that gives him access to highly sensitive and classified information about the wiretapping practices of the NSA, both in the U.S. and abroad.

On Monday, June 3, 2013, Poitras uses her camera to begin filming what would be a four-day interview, in which Snowden reveals to Greenwald and MacAskill the details of domestic surveillance of American citizens.  When Snowden's information becomes “breaking news” around the world, however, none of the participants in this interview feel safe in The Mira, the Hong Kong hotel where Snowden is staying.

Although it chronicles a momentous time in American history, Citizenfour is strangely quiet, even intimate.  This movie is not an all-encompassing survey of domestic surveillance and spying; it is the story of the first quiet days and then, frantic weeks when Snowden whispered the sour nothings that fully revealed the deceitful face of the American government.  It is as if Snowden, Poitras, and Greenwald said to us that we, the people of the United States, should finally, finally and really pay attention to that man behind the curtain.

Even if one is familiar with Edward Snowden and the furious sound of his whistle-blowing, Citizenfour still feels shocking.  Perhaps, this is because Poitras is recording the revelations and the resulting media and political fallout in real time.  This immediacy makes paranoia seem like a more than sensible and reasonable state of mind for any American and even for the rest of the world.

Citizenfour is one of the best films of the year (2014), and it is probably the most important film of the year.  Poitras proves that the documentary and the non-fiction film narrative are more important than ever.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2015 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win “Best Documentary, Feature” (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, and Dirk Wilutzky)

2015 BAFTA Awards:  1 win “Best Documentary” (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, and Dirk Wilutzky)

Monday, September 7, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Fox Searchlight and National Geographic Channel Unite for "He Named Me Malala"

National Geographic Channel Joins Fox Searchlight Pictures for Global Theatrical Release of the Highly Anticipated Feature Doc HE NAMED ME MALALA

Oscar Winner Davis Guggenheim-Helmed Film to Receive Cross-Platform Support from the Global Resources of National Geographic for Theatrical Launch; National Geographic Channel to also Premiere the Film on TV in 2016

"One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world." – Malala Yousafzai

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fox Searchlight Pictures announced today that National Geographic Channel has joined forces with Fox Searchlight Pictures for the global theatrical release of Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming feature documentary HE NAMED ME MALALA, an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.

    “That is why we are joining this project as true partners, from the global theatrical release through our eventual television broadcast, and dedicating our collective resources to bring Malala’s important journey and advocacy for girls’ education to millions of people worldwide.”

With this partnership, National Geographic Channel and National Geographic Society will join the global launch campaign to support the theatrical release this October. Additionally, in 2016 the film will air on the National Geographic Channels in 171 countries and 45 languages.

National Geographic will support this important film from theatrical release through the broadcast television premiere with all of the resources of the National Geographic Channels as well as through the National Geographic Society in National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Digital Media, National Geographic Education Programs, National Geographic Kids, and more.

“This is a film that you leave not only feeling incredibly inspired, but truly wanting to make a difference. As leaders in bringing stories of global importance to the largest audience possible, it is more than just an honor to be part of this project, I feel it is our duty,” said Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Channels. “That is why we are joining this project as true partners, from the global theatrical release through our eventual television broadcast, and dedicating our collective resources to bring Malala’s important journey and advocacy for girls’ education to millions of people worldwide.”

“We are excited to be partnering with the National Geographic Channels to help bring Davis’ passion and commitment in the telling of Malala’s moving story to audiences worldwide across their extensive media platforms. Davis’ masterful eye captures this inspiring young individual and we are proud to champion her efforts to bring awareness to the critical global issue of the education of girls,” said Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula.

The documentary offers a look into Malala’s life both before and following the attack. Fifteen at the time of the incident, she was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education. The shooting sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. Malala miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund.

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth,” “Waiting for 'Superman'”) examines how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film delivers an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life – from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the United Nations, to joking around at home with her parents and brothers.

The launch of the film will also coincide with an international advocacy and fundraising campaign in partnership with the Malala Fund, Malala’s nonprofit organization working to empower adolescent girls globally through a quality secondary education.

HE NAMED ME MALALA is being released by Fox Searchlight Pictures, in association with Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Participant Media, with National Geographic Channel. The film is produced by Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Davis Guggenheim. Executive producers are Mohamed Al Mubarak and Michael Garin from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Jeff Skoll from Participant Media, and Shannon Dill.


About National Geographic Channels
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation’s major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in more than 90 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 432 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

About Image Nation Abu Dhabi
Since launching in 2008, Image Nation Abu Dhabi has become one of the leading content creators in the Middle East. The company produces filmed content across a wide range of platforms, with a particular focus on audiences in the UAE and Gulf region. Image Nation seeks to fulfill four key commitments: Developing Emirati filmed entertainment; growing the local film and television industry through training and internship programs; supporting Abu Dhabi entities in creating content to meet strategic and marketing objectives; and co-producing an aggressive slate of international films through several strategic partnerships.

About Participant Media
Participant Media (http://www.ParticipantMedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant's more than 60 films include Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana, An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc., Waiting for ‘Superman’, The Help, Contagion and Lincoln. Participant launches campaigns that bring together government entities, foundations, schools, and others to raise awareness and drive people to take action on issues from each film or television show. Pivot (http://www.pivot.tv/), the company’s television network, is available nationally in 47 million homes, with a diverse slate of talent and a mix of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. TakePart (http://www.TakePart.com) is Participant’s digital news and lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.

About Parkes/MacDonald
Parkes/MacDonald Productions was founded in 2005 by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald to develop and produce feature film and television projects. Previously, Parkes and MacDonald served as the founding presidents of Dream Works SKG motion picture studio; during their 12 year tenure, they led the studio to three consecutive Best Picture Oscars. Films produced or executive-produced by Parkes & MacDonald include GLADIATOR, MEN IN BLACK I, II & III, FLIGHT, MINORITY REPORT, THE MASK OF ZORRO, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, LEMONY SNICKET’S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, THE TERMINAL, ROAD TO PERDITION, THE RING, THE KITE RUNNER, and Stephen Sondheim’s musical thriller, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, among many others. In total, films produced or executive-produced by Parkes and MacDonald have earned in excess of $6 billion in worldwide box office. Their 2015 slate includes NBC’s critically acclaimed The Slap, the NBC pilot Warrior, RINGS for Paramount Pictures and KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES for Fox. Upcoming productions include the live action BARBIE film for Sony scheduled for production late 2015/early2016.

In 2012, Parkes/MacDonald teamed with Image Nation Abu Dhabi to form Parkes + MacDonald/Image Nation. HE NAMED ME MALALA is the first film financed by this new partnership.

About the Malala Fund
Malala Fund is a non-profit organization that empowers girls globally through education to achieve their potential and be agents of change in their communities. Co-founded in 2013 by student, education activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai and her father and teacher Ziauddin Yousafzai, the Malala Fund invests in and advocates for girls’ secondary education and amplifies the voices of adolescent girls globally.

About Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and its films are distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of 21st Century Fox.

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Review: First Trip to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" Was Quite Lovely

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
Running time:  124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual content and language
DIRECTOR:  John Madden
WRITER:  Ol Parker (based on the novel, These Foolish Things, by Deborah Moggach)
PRODUCERS:  Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ben Davis (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Chris Gill
COMPOSER:  Thomas Newman
Golden Globes nominee

COMEDY/DRAMA with elements of romance

Starring:  Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie, Dev Patel, Tina Desai, Lillete Dubey, Paul Bhattacharjee, Neena Kulkarni, Rajendra Gupta, and Lucy Robinson

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a 2012 British comedy-drama from director John Madden.  The film is based on the 2004 novel, These Foolish Things, from English author Deborah Moggach.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel focuses on a group of British retirees who travel to India to take up residence in a newly restored hotel that is not quite ready for prime time.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens in present day Great Britain and introduces a group of British retirees and AARP types.  Recently widowed housewife, Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench), is forced to sell the home she shared with her late husband in order to cover the huge debts he left.  Jean and Douglas Ainslie (Penelope Wilton and Bill Nighy) are searching for a retirement they can afford; they lost most of their savings through investing in their daughter's Internet business.

Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) is a retired housekeeper who is need of a hip replacement operation.  Her doctor informs her that she can have it done far more quickly and inexpensively in India than she can in the U.K., but Muriel hates Indians (as well as every other person of color).  Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) is searching for another husband.  Aging lothario Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) still wants to have sex with young women, but now, he needs to find a new place to try and re-capture his youth.  These six people decide to spend their retirement at a hotel in India, based only on the pictures on the hotel's website.

Meanwhile, high-court judge, Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson), spent the first eighteen years of his life in India; he suddenly decides to retire and return there.  When these Brits arrive at The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, they find it dilapidated.  The hotel's energetic young manager, Sunil Indrajit “Sonny” Kapoor (Dev Patel), promises that he will make the hotel look like what the website promises.  Now, everyone has to deal with the unexpected, and some are better at that than others.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is simply frothy feel-good entertainment – nothing more, nothing less.  The characters are interesting, but not especially well-developed.  There are so many of them that screenwriter Ol Parker cannot really develop them in the amount of the film's running time that actually involves storytelling, which is less than its stated 100 minutes running time.

But, boy, did I enjoy this movie anyway.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is sweet and charming, and its cast of veteran (some would say “senior citizen”) actors makes it a rare treat in a landscape of movies about children and 20-somethings saving the world.  Loving and wanting-to-be-loved are not exclusively the domain of lovelorn teens and the newly-turned middle-aged.  Yearning and striving for the good life:  well, old folks can want that, also.  That is why I am glad that this funny, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking film is here to be enjoyed again and again.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a good place for movie lovers to visit or even to stay.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, March 27, 2015


NOTES:
2013 Golden Globes, USA:  2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Judi Dench)

2013 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination: “Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film” (John Madden, Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, and Ol Parker)

The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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"Merchants of Doubt" Doc Launches Nationwide Campaign - Opens Friday, March 6th

Participant Media, Omidyar Network, and The Poynter Institute Launch New Campaign Against Misinformation Inspired by the Film “Merchants of Doubt”

March 2nd Event at Columbia Journalism School Kicks Off Nationwide Campaign Timed to Sony Pictures Classics Theatrical Release of the Critically-Acclaimed New Documentary from the Director of “FOOD, INC.”

NEW YORK & BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. & ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inspired by the new documentary “Merchants of Doubt”, Participant Media, Omidyar Network, and The Poynter Institute are collaborating on a national program to help journalists, educators and students learn how to identify misinformation aimed at distorting scientific truth and influencing public policy in the United States. Representatives from Poynter will introduce the program, including a curriculum aimed at journalism students, at a screening of “Merchants of Doubt” tonight at New York’s Columbia Journalism School, hosted with Columbia Journalism Review (CJR).

    “Journalists and citizens must both get smarter at vetting scientific information because a small number of powerful corporations have become quite sophisticated in their efforts to distort the truth”

In the new film “Merchants of Doubt”, inspired by the acclaimed book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, filmmaker Robert Kenner (“Food, Inc.”) lifts the curtain on a secretive group of charismatic pundits-for-hire who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities – yet have the contrary aim of spreading confusion about public threats ranging from toxic chemicals to pharmaceuticals to climate change.

Poynter’s curriculum is designed to help journalists report accurately and authoritatively on science and hold companies and individuals responsible for their actions. Poynter has also developed classroom guides to assist teachers and students as they explore the skills of news literacy and develop an appreciation of critical journalism in democratic societies. The training will be offered in a variety of forms, including in-person workshops and on the Institute’s e-learning platform News University. More information is available at www.takepart.com/doubt.

“Merchants of Doubt” director Robert Kenner, Poynter’s Kelly McBride, Huffington Post columnist Wendell Potter, New York Times reporter Justin Gillis, and Emily Southard from Forecast the Facts, will join CJR’s editor-in-chief Liz Spayd at Columbia Journalism School on Monday evening to explore how journalists and other citizens can identify and avoid corporate misinformation aimed at influencing the American public and impacting government policy.

Chad Boettcher, Participant’s Executive Vice President, Social Action & Advocacy added, “For decades, industries like tobacco, chemicals, and fossil fuels have employed spin doctors to cast doubt on inconvenient science that showed how damaging their products were to human health or the environment. Their success delayed public action on some of the most dangerous and pressing issues of our time. At Participant, we see the release of ‘Merchants of Doubt’ as an opportunity to inspire consumers to demand more information and more transparency about these issues in the media. We are proud to work with Poynter to help journalism students avoid the trap of spreading misinformation.”

“Journalists and citizens must both get smarter at vetting scientific information because a small number of powerful corporations have become quite sophisticated in their efforts to distort the truth,” said Kelly McBride, Poynter’s vice president of academic programs. “We at Poynter jumped at the chance to join this project because we believe that well-informed citizens are capable of holding private corporations accountable and encouraging their government to serve the greater good.”

Commenting on the campaign, Director Robert Kenner said, “The media looks at climate change like it's a debate – but there's no debate at all here. The theory of climate change is as solid as the theory of gravity. The only question now is what can we do to solve this, but as long as these merchants of doubt are being treated like experts, we're never going to see things change.”

“Merchants of Doubt” is presented by Sony Pictures Classics, in association with Participant Media and Omidyar Network, a film by Kenner, produced by Kenner and Melissa Robledo, executive produced by Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann of Participant Media, and Pierre Omidyar of Omidyar Network, and co-produced by Brian Pearle, Taki Oldham, Dylan Nelson and Youtchi von Lintel. Directors of Photography on the film include Don Lenzer, Barry Berona and Jay Redmond with music by Mark Adler. The film will release theatrically in the U.S. on Friday, March 6, 2015. Trailer and more information at http://www.takepart.com/merchants-of-doubt.


About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education, and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at conferences and organizational sites around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, www.newsu.org, offers the world’s largest online journalism curriculum in 7 languages, with more than 400 interactive courses and 300,000 registered users in more than 200 countries. The Institute’s website, www.poynter.org, produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news and the trends that currently define and redefine journalism news reporting. The world’s top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians and broadcast producers, and to build public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment and protected discourse that serves democracy and the public good.

About Columbia Journalism Review (CJR)
Columbia Journalism Review (www.cjr.org) is the only publication/brand whose sole focus is to critically examine the dynamics of American journalism - the work itself, the players and the forces reshaping it.

About Omidyar Network
Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. Omidyar Network has committed more than $730 million to for-profit companies and non-profit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple initiatives, including Consumer Internet & Mobile, Education, Financial Inclusion, Governance & Citizen Engagement, and Property Rights. To learn more, visit www.omidyar.com and follow on Twitter @omidyarnetwork.com.

About Participant Media
Participant Media (http://www.ParticipantMedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant's more than 60 films include Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana, An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc., Waiting for ‘Superman’, The Help, Contagion and Lincoln. Participant launches campaigns that bring together government entities, foundations, schools, and others to raise awareness and drive people to take action on issues from each film or television show. Pivot (http://www.pivot.tv/), the company’s television network, is available nationally in 50 million homes, with a diverse slate of talent and a mix of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. TakePart (http://www.TakePart.com) is Participant’s digital news and lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.

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2015 Directors Guild Awards Nominations - Documentary Feature Category

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the entertainment labor union that represents film and television directors.  The DGA gives out the Directors Guild of America Award each year to honor outstanding achievement.

Directors Guild of America President Paris Barclay announced the DGA’s nominees for “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary” for 2014 on Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The nominees for the "Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary" for 2014 are (in alphabetical order):

DAN KRAUSS

The Kill Team
Oscilloscope Laboratories
ITVS
f/8 Filmworks, Ltd
Motto Pictures
          
This is Mr. Krauss 's first DGA Award nomination.

JOHN MALOOF and CHARLIE SISKEL

Finding Vivian Maier
Sundance Selects
Ravine Pictures
          
This is Mr. Maloof's first DGA Award nomination.
          
This is Mr. Siskel's first DGA Award nomination.

JESSE MOSS

The Overnighters
Drafthouse Films
Mile End Films
Al Di La Films
Impact Partners
          
This is Mr. Moss's first DGA Award nomination.

LAURA POITRAS

Citizenfour
RADiUS
Praxis Films
Participant Media
HBO Documentary Films
Bertha Foundation | BRITDOC Circle | Channel 4
Norddeutscher Rundfunk NDR
Bayerischer Rundfunk BR
Deutscher Filmförderfonds
          
This is Ms. Poitras's first DGA Award nomination.

ORLANDO von EINSIEDEL

Virunga
Netflix
Bertha Foundation
BRITDOC Foundation
Violet Films
Appian Way
Grain Media

This is Mr. von Einsiedel's first DGA Award nomination.

The winners in all categories will be announced at the 67th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

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Gotham Awards Choose "Birdman" as Best Picture of 2014; Michael Keaton Named "Best Actor"

Honoring independent films, the Gotham Awards are the first major awards of the film awards season.  This year, the 2014 edition kicks off the 2014-15 season.  The Gotham Awards ceremony was held on Monday, December 1, 2014 at Cipriani Wall Street.

The 2014/24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Award winners are:

Best Feature
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, director; Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Documentary
CITIZENFOUR
Laura Poitras, director; Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky, producers (RADiUS, Participant Media, and HBO Documentary Films)

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Ana Lily Amirpour for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Kino Lorber)

Best Actor*
Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

* The 2014 Best Actor nominating panel also voted to award a special Gotham Jury Award jointly to Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum for their ensemble performance in Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics).

Best Actress
Julianne Moore in Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)

Breakthrough Actor
Tessa Thompson in Dear White People (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)


Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant:
For the fourth consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.

WINNER: Chloé Zhao, director, Songs My Brothers Taught Me

The nominees are:
Garrett Bradley, director, Below Dreams
Claire Carré, director, Embers


Gotham Independent Film Audience Award: Boyhood
New this year, IFP members had a voice in determining the 5th Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Award with nominees comprised of the 15 nominated films in the Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award categories. All IFP current, active members at the Individual Level and above will be eligible to vote.  Voting took place online from November 19th at 12:01 AM EST and concluded on November 26th at 5:00 PM EST.  The winner of the Audience Award was announced at the Gotham Awards Ceremony on December 1, 2014.


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Women Dominate 2014 DGA Awards Documentary Nominations

by Amos Semien

The Directors Guild of America recently announced the nominations in the category of "DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for 2013."  Three of the five nominations went to women filmmakers, including Sarah Polley for her much-honored 2012 Canadian doc, Stories We Tell.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the entertainment labor union that represents film and television directors.  The DGA gives out the Directors Guild of America Award each year to honor outstanding achievement.

The 66th Annual DGA Awards Dinner will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles

DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for 2013

ZACHARY HEINZERLING
Cutie and the Boxer
(Radius TWC, Ex Lion Tamer, Cine Mosaic)

This is Mr. Heinzerling’s first DGA Award nomination.

JEHANE NOUJAIM
The Square
(Netflix, Participant Media, Noujaim Films, Maktube Productions, WorldView, Roast Beef Productions

This is Ms. Noujaim’s third DGA Award nomination.  She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for Startup.com in 2001 (together with Chris Hegedus) and was also nominated in this category in 2004 for Control Room.

JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER
The Act of Killing
(Final Cut for Real APS, Drafthouse Films, Piraya Films, Novaya Zemlya Ltd., Spring Films Ltd.)

This is Mr. Oppenheimer’s first DGA Award nomination.

SARAH POLLEY
Stories We Tell
(Roadside Attractions, The National Film Board of Canada)

This is Ms. Polley’s first DGA Award nomination.

LUCY WALKER
The Crash Reel
(HBO Documentary Films, KP Rides Again, LLC, Impact Partners, Tree Tree Tree Production)

This is Ms. Walker’s first DGA Award nomination.


http://www.dga.org/

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Participant Media Pushes "The Square" in Social Media

Participant Media Enters “THE SQUARE” to Mount Social Action Campaign for Jehane Noujaim’s Gripping, Award Winning-Documentary

Film Will Bow Theatrically in Eight North American Cities on January 17, 2014 

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Participant Media will join forces with director-producer Jehane Noujaim (Control Room; Startup.com; Rafea: Solar Mama) and producer Karim Amer (Rafea: Solar Mama) for the documentary THE SQUARE, a riveting, deeply human chronicle of the Egyptian protest movement. Participant Media will mount a comprehensive social action campaign targeting universities, cultural institutions and thought leaders across the country, with support from Participant’s digital network TakePart as well as “TakePart Live,” its live nightly talk show on Pivot, Participant’s new television network.

The first film to win the Audience Award at both the Sundance and Toronto film festivals, THE SQUARE will open theatrically in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, Boston and Toronto on January 17, 2014. The film is being released theatrically by Noujaim Films.

THE SQUARE is an epic documentary that tells the behind-the-headlines story of the Egyptian Revolution through the eyes of young activists who have sought for the last two years to build a better Egypt. The film captures the immediacy and intensity of the protests in Tahrir Square from the 2011 overthrow of military leader Hosni Mubarak through the ousting of Mohammed Morsi in 2013, providing a kaleidoscopic, visceral portrait of the events as they unfold before Magdy, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Khalid Abdalla, an Egyptian actor who played the lead in Participant’s The Kite Runner and the charismatic Ahmed, whose poetic storytelling carries the narrative. Armed with nothing more than cameras, social media, deep consciousness, and a resolute commitment to change, these young revolutionaries give us a front line perspective of the ongoing struggle fought with new weapons.

“Jehane has crafted a compelling, emotional and enlightening film that transports you to the center of Tahrir Square,” said Participant CEO Jim Berk. “We look forward to deploying all our social action resources at Participant to bring THE SQUARE to the widest possible audience.”

Noujaim said, “We made THE SQUARE in order to inspire the hearts and minds of people worldwide, and we are thrilled that Participant Media, a company that was founded on the belief that film has the power to change the world, will create and implement a social action campaign for the film.”

The deal was negotiated by Participant’s COO Jeff Ivers, with Cinetic Media’s John Sloss on behalf of the filmmakers.

About Participant Media
Participant is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant's more than 40 films include GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, SYRIANA, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, FOOD, INC., WAITING FOR ‘SUPERMAN’, THE HELP, CONTAGION and LINCOLN. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network TakePart.com and Pivot, its new television network for Millennials, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.

Review: "Snitch" Tattles on America's Drug War

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 47 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Snitch (2013)
Running time: 112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for drug content and sequences of violence
DIRECTOR: Ric Roman Waugh
WRITERS: Justin Haythe and Ric Roman Waugh
PRODUCERS: Tobin Armbrust, Alexander Yves Brunner, Guy East, David Fanning, Dany Garcia, Matt Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Jonathan King, and Nigel Sinclair
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dana Gonzales (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jonathan Chibnall
COMPOSER: Antonio Pinto

DRAMA/CRIME with elements of a thriller

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Michael K. Williams, Rafi Gavron, Melina Kanakaredes, Nadine Velazquez, Benjamin Bratt, Lela Loren, JD Pardo, David Harbour, and Harold Perrineau

Snitch is a 2013 crime drama from director Ric Roman Waugh. The film is inspired by Snitch, an episode of the PBS documentary series, “Frontline” (Season 17, 1999). Snitch the movie stars Dwayne Johnson as a father who goes undercover as a drug dealer in order to free his son who was arrested in a drug sting.

Snitch focuses on John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson), who owns a construction company. He receives a phone call from his ex-wife, Sylvie Collins (Melina Kanakaredes), that their son, Jason Collins (Rafi Gavron), has been arrested and charged with distribution of narcotics. The local U.S. Attorney, Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon), tells John and Sylvie that Jason is facing a federal mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in jail.

In a bid to get Jason’s sentence reduced, John plans to inform on a drug dealer. He asks one of his new employees, Daniel James (Jon Bernthal), who served time in prison for drug distribution, to help him make a connection with a drug dealer. Reluctantly, but in need of the money John offers, Daniel introduces John to Malik (Michael K. Williams), a very dangerous, high-ranking local drug dealer. John’s simple plan turns very complicated when he draws the attention of a drug cartel kingpin, Juan Carlos Pintera a.k.a. “El Topo.”

Because Participant Media is one of the studios behind Snitch, the film has a social and political message, that being the futility of the United States’ “war on drugs.” There is also the need to make an action movie of Snitch, or at least have some action in the form of gunfights and car chases. Thus, Snitch ends up being somewhat muddled; it is part drama, but struggles to also be a message movie and an action film. The film has a slightly awkward pace and a jittery feel, as if the story just needed to start running – to who knows where.

With that said, Snitch is an enjoyable movie. The action is good, and the way the messaging is presented is certainly attention-grabbing. Director and co-writer Ric Roman Waugh makes sure his audience feels his film’s overwhelming theme of injustice. Waugh certainly plays up the notion of “policemen and thieves” as causing confusion and commotion for the people caught in the middle of their dangerous games.

Dwayne Johnson gives a performance that is so intense that he often comes across as stiff – sincere but stiff. Still, you know… he’s a movie star, mesmerizing and alluring, so I overlook the blemishes. Barry Pepper gives one of his best performances ever as Agent Cooper (of the DEA, although this is never made clear in the movie). Benjamin Bratt is like lightning in a bottle when he first appears in what is a small, but pivotal role. As far as I’m concerned, we don’t see Bratt enough.

Although it could have been much better, Snitch is a quality film that is worth seeing. Just because it does present a powerful and compelling portrait of America’s futile drug war makes it worthwhile. Plus, the DVD has a funny and satirical faux-advertisement about going to prison for selling drugs.

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, July 03, 2013