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Cinema Eye Awards 2010 Nominees Announced

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:11:22 +0000

Nominees for the 2010 Cinema Eye Awards were announced on November 5 by at the Sheffield Documentaries Festival in the U.K.

Introduced in 2008, the Cinema Eye Awards are unique in recognizing excellence in artistic achievements in nonfiction filmmaking in categories including cinematography, editing, music, graphics and animation, as well as outstanding achievement in filmmaking and direction, production and other disciplines.

The Cinema Eye nominating committee is comprised of film festival and film society programmers. This year, committee members included Meira Blaustein (Woodstock Film Festival), Heather Croall (Sheffield Documentaries Festival), Sean Farnel (Hot Docs), Ben Fowlie (Camden), Tom Hall (Sarasota/Newport), Doug Jones (Los Angeles), David Kwok (Tribeca), Caroline Libresco (Sundance), Janet Pierson (SXSW), Thom Powers (Toronto International Film Festival), Rachel Rosen (San Francisco Film Society), Sky Sitney (Silverdocs), Sadie Tillery (Full Frame) and David Wilson (True/False). 98 films were eligible for consideration.

Leading the nominations in number, The Cove is nominated for seven awards, including Outstanding Achievement for Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking, Cinematography, Production, Editing, Original Musical Score, Debut Feature Film and Audience Choice.

Also nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking are Burma VJ, Food, Inc, Loot and October Country.

A new category, the Spotlight Award, is intended to honor films that have yet to receive the recognition they deserve -- but, unfortunately, the majority of films on the complete list of nominees have not been widely seen in the U.S. Obviously, the Cinema Eye Honors do raise awareness about the films and increase their chances for wider distribution.

The Cinema Eye Awards will be presented on January 15, 2010 at the Times Center in New York City, with the sponsorship of IndiePix

(PHOTO: Cinema Eye Awards Statuette. Courtesy Cinema Eye Honors).

Cinema Eye Awards 2010 Nominees Announced originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 01:11:22.

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Hoop Dreams Hits the Big Screen for Fifteenth Anniversary!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:55:18 +0000

It's hard to imagine that 15 years have passed since Hoop Dreams made its documentary slam dunk premier at Sundance and subsequently scored big at the box office.

The engaging sports documentary is still enormously popular on DVD. It's applauded not only by fans who boost for basketball, but by everyone who loves a good underdog-to-topdog story. Thanks to Thom Powers' Stranger Than Fiction Series at NYC's IFC Center, Hoop Dreams again scores on the big screen -- for one night only on Monday, November 9. See it if you can!

Hoop Dreams follows two teenage guys, William Gates and Arthur Agee, who shoot hoops on the street courts of inner-city Chicago and who, given the opportunity to attend a suburban prep school and play basketball for its legendary coach, find that their dreams of NBA glory temporarily tempered by adjusting to academic demands, family pressures, economic realities and the intense competition of high school sports. Their problems are gripping, their triumphs inspiring.Hoop Dreams was recently named to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry, signifying its enduring importance to the history of American film.

Screening information: Monday, November 9, 2009 at 7 pm at the IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10014, (212) 924-7771. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Hoop Dreams's producer, Peter Gilbert. Meanwhile, watch the trailer.

(PHOTO: Arthur Agee in 'Hoop Dreams.' Courtesy Fine Line).

Hoop Dreams Hits the Big Screen for Fifteenth Anniversary! originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 12:55:18.

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Michael Jackson's This is It is Thrilling Sony At The Box Office

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:39:20 +0000

Documentaries rarely rank first in box office, but Michael Jackson's This Is It topped ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters this Halloween weekend, bringing in $21.3 million for Sony Corp., the film's distributor.

This is Sony's seventh first-place opener this year, and it's no surprise that the movie -- probably the most hyped documentary in cinema history -- is a big earner. It opened on Wednesday, October 28 on 3,400 screens across the country, making an average of $6.119 per screen for an overall total of $32.5 million. Many of the showings were sold out.

Directed by Kenny Ortega, the film chronicles Jackson's rehearsals for his big comeback tour that was to have premiered at London's O2 Arena this past August, just two weeks after Jackson's sudden death on June 25, due to a lethal combination of drugs. It shows the King of Pop refining his numbers and interacting with cast and crew, but makes no mention of the troubles in Jackson's life nor of the circumstances of his death.

If the film's big box office take continues to roll in, let's see whether Sony retires Michael Jackson's This is It as announced. You can read my full review.

(PHOTO: 'Michael Jackson's This is It' Poster Art. Courtesy Sony Pictures).

Michael Jackson's This is It is Thrilling Sony At The Box Office originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 23:39:20.

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Attention Independent Producers: IFP/Rotterdam Lab Fellowships Up For Grabs

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:19:11 +0000

IFP will provide two American independent film producers with travel assistance to participate in the 2010 Rotterdam Lab, a four-day training workshop scheduled concurrently with the CineMart Co-Production Market, a division of the Rotterdam Film Festival which takes place from January 31 through February 3, 2010.

The Rotterdam Lab is designed to build up participating producers' international networks through formal and informal meetings -- described as 'speed-dating sessions' -- with colleagues and numerous representatives in the international finance, production, sales and distribution sectors. There are also high level professional panels.

Recent IFP/Rotterdam Lab Fellowship recipients include: Paul Mezey, Karin Chien, Noah Harlan, Jamin O'Brien, Anish Savjani and Mynette Louie.

Those interested in consideration for the program's next iteration should apply with a letter of interest and a resume to Amy Dotson, Deputy Director IFP at adotson@ifp.org by Friday, November 13, 2009. Applicants should have at least one feature-film credit and must be a current IFP member.

Attention Independent Producers: IFP/Rotterdam Lab Fellowships Up For Grabs originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 19:19:11.

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Michael Jackson This is It Documentary Update

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:07:21 +0000

Despite the high level of secrecy surrounding Michael Jackson This is It, the new 'documentary' gleaned from footage shot during the March through June, 2009 rehearsals for the recently deceased King of Pop's necessarily cancelled tour, Sony Pictures has shown 12 minutes of the film to a group of selected journalists, including me. The clips are mesmerizing. Shown rehearsing for two numbers, Jackson is in top form.

The first number, Human Nature, the 1983 ballad, gives us a nostalgic reminder of Jackson's sweet falsetto, as he vigorously repeats his signature dance moves to make them perfect.

The second number is 1987's The Way You Make Me Feel, and here we see some of the tour's production values. Against a projected backdrop of the New York City skyline with the Chrysler Building, water towers and high rise office towers in view, there's a grid of risers with dancers positioned on them in silhouette. After Jackson appears on stage below, coolly snapping his fingers as if in tribute to West Side Story, and singing slowly to draw in the audience and build their anticipation, the dancers descend from their perches and the number quickly heats to a boil.

This is where we get a preview of the way the film is edited. Not unexpectedly, it's a very snappy music video sort of style that cuts between takes -- we see Jackson rehearsing in various costumes, perfecting various moments of the act, speaking with the This Is it tour's director Kenny Ortega (who also directed the documentary), choreographer Travis Payne and musical director Michael Bearden and pushing himself to perfection on every note, phrasing nuance and dance move.

This Is It isn't a straight out concert film or rockumentary.

Intended to please fans, and especially those who'd purchased tickets to the sold out tour that was set to premiere in London's O2 Arena just two weeks after Jackson's sudden death on June 25, the film not only records Jackson's last moves, it's also a tribute to the King of Pop and a reminder of his extraordinary artistry and contributions to contemporary popular culture.

The movie opens worldwide on October 27, for what is set to be a limited two week run on some 18,000 screens. Chances are, 'though, that the film -- clearly the most hyped documentary in the history of cinema -- will have much longer legs than that. I'll be at the first show, so please check back for my review of This is It and updates on additional Michael Jackson documentary news.

(PHOTO: Michael Jackson in 'This Is It' documentary. Courtesy Sony).

Michael Jackson This is It Documentary Update originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 16:07:21.

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IDFA Announces 2009 Program of Documentary Films

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:22:35 +0000

IDFA, one of the the world's largest and arguably most prestigious film festivals, convenes in Amsterdam every November. This year's edition, the 26th festival, takes place from November 19 to 29, 2009. IDFA is an acronym for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

The festival's mission is to promote creative documentaries with politically relevant and socially conscious themes and to present them to as wide an audience as possible. Approximately 120,000 people attend each year, watching some 250 documentary features, mid-length films and shorts, and student documentaries -- a number of them in competition for juried and audience awards -- that are programmed during the eleven-day event.

In addition to the films in competition for juried and audience awards, the program includes Crude, The Cove, Food, Inc, Capitalism: A Love Story, We Are Together and other films that have already opened very successfully in the U.S, and represents a wide range of documentary styles. Check the IDFA Website for the full program.

In addition to presenting its international film program, the variety of genres and the many European and world premieres featured each year, the festival also hosts debates, forums and workshops.

I should mention that I have the honor of being a juror at IDFA this year, and will blog and Tweet from the festival.

IDFA Announces 2009 Program of Documentary Films originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 23:22:35.

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2009 Gotham Awards Nominees for Best Documentary

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:11:52 +0000

IFP has announced the nominees for the 2009 Gotham Awards in the documentaries category, and there are no surprises among them. In fact, three of the five nominees are on my Best Documentaries of 2009 list. The nominees are:

Food, Inc. - Directed by Robert Kenner, Produced by Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein (Magnolia Pictures) - Robert Kenner's compelling investigation of nutrition in the United States shows that several powerful multinational companies control most food production from the planting of crops to the distribution of pre-packaged cereals, meats and vegetables on supermarket shelves. Unfortunately, as the documentary convincingly points out, their primary motive is profit, often at the expense of food quality and humane concerns. This very well made film has been most effective in stimulating discussion about food production, and in convincing audience members to adopt a healthier approach to personal nutrition.
Good Hair - Directed by Jeff Stilson, Produced by Chris Rock, Kevin O'Donnell, Nelson George and Jenny Hunter, (Liddell Entertainment and Roadside Attractions with HBO Films) - Motivated by his young daughter's questions about why she doesn't have 'good hair,' the inimitably clever Chris Rock uses his witty wisdom and wise wit to get to the roots of African-American women's attitude towards their 'black' hair and untangle the ways and weaves of the billion-dollar industry that caters to their efforts to make it look 'white.' This is a stunningly funny and provocative documentary.
My Neighbor My Killer- Produced and Directed by Anne Aghion (Gacaca Productions) - For her extraordinarily gripping and inspiring documentary, filmmaker Anne Aghion spent ten years observing and chronicling events in post-genocide Rwanda, where the government mandated that Tutsis and Hutus -- the victims and killers in the 1994 genocide -- reconcile so that the country could begin to again function effectively and move forward. Aghion brings us to one rural town where women whose husbands, children and siblings were slaughtered sit down with the killers, and with their extraordinary human dignity and strength of character forgive the neighbors who murdered their loved ones. This film is a revelation. Aghion's awesome skills as filmmaker show themselves in every frame.
Paradise - Directed by Michael Almereyda, Produced by Michael Almereyda and Laurie Butler (Post Factory Films) - In this remarkable documentary, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Almereyda uses dozens of video clips he's shot over the years, showing a wide range of people in seemingly disconnected situations, to create a unique and personal statement about contemporary life.
Tyson - Directed by James Toback, Produced by James Toback and Damon Bingham (Sony Pictures Classics) - James Toback's profile of Mike Tyson is close up, personal and sort of psychological in approach. With his camera tight on Tyson's face, Toback focuses on the fighter's inner-self and the results are surprising. This is certainly a new and unique view of a fascinating man who has lived in larger than life circumstances.

The 2009 Gotham Awards, presented on November 19 in New York City, are the first honors of the film awards season. IFP, a nonprofit organization representing a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world, also presents filmmaker workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships and the IFP Independent Film Week, and publishes Filmmaker magazine.

2009 Gotham Awards Nominees for Best Documentary originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 22:11:52.

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European Film Awards Names Documentary Nominees

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:39:51 +0000

The European Film Academy and European culture channel ARTE have announced the list of nominees for their Best Documentary award, which will be presented at the 22nd European Film Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 12 December, in Bochum, Germany. The nominees are:

The Beaches Of Agnes (Les Plages d'Agn�s), directed by Agn�s Varda (France) - An autobiographical documentary in which a famed filmmaker focuses on her own career and personal life.
Below Sea Level, directed by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy / USA) - The filmmaker chronicles life among a community of modern social renegades who live in trailers and other makeshift lodging in an isolated encampment in the Mohave Desert.
Burma VJ, directed by Anders �stergaard (Denmark) - A band of Burmese videographers risk their lives to report the political situation and human rights atrocities in their homeland.
Cooking History (Ako Sa Varia Dejiny), directed by Peter Kerekes (Slovakia / Austria / Czech Republic) - A fascinating investigation about how military cooks influence the well being of combat soldiers and, possibly, the outcome of battles.
The Damned Of The Sea (Les Damn�s de la Mer), directed by Jawad Rhalib (Belgium)
Defamation, directed by Yoav Shamir (Denmark / Austria / Israel / USA) - An Israeli filmmaker travels the globe to interview a wide range of people about their attitude towards Jews, and finds that the world is still rife with anti-semitism.
The Heart Of Jenin (Das Herz von Jenin), directed by Leon Geller & Marcus Vetter (Germany) - The parents of a Palestinian boy killed by Israeli soldiers who mistook his toy gun for a real one decide to give their son's vital organs to Israelis in need of transplants.
Pianomania, Lilian Franck & Robert Cibis (Germany / Austria) - Follows Steinway's chief piano tuner, Stephan Kn�pfer, as he adjusts the pianos of famous soloists, searching for the perfect tone.
The Sound Of Insects - Record Of a Mummy (Das Summen der Insekten - Bericht einer Mumie), directed by Peter Liechti (Switzerland) - The compelling true story of a man who walked into the woods with the intention of starving himself to death, and kept a diary which was found near his corpse, two years later, by a hunter who happened upon the remains.
The Woman With The 5 Elephants (Die Frau mit den 5 Elefanten), directed by Vadim Jendreyko (Switzerland / Germany) - A profile of Svetlana Geier, the leading translator of Dostoevsky's five greatest novels from Russian into German, now 85, travels to her birthplace in the Ukraine.

Of these excellent documentaries, only Agnes Varda's The Beaches of Agnes, Anders Ostergaard's Burma VJ, Yoav Shamir's Defamation. Peter Kerekes' Cooking History and Peter Liechti's The Sounds Of Insects have screened in the U.S. and/or Canada, in limited theatrical releases or festival venues, and The Heart of Jenin can be seen on PBS's POV. Hopefully their nomination for Europe's equivalent of the Oscar will raise awareness about them and lead to wider distribution, either theatrically or on DVD, or both.

(PHOTO: European Film Awards statuette. Courtesy European Film Academy.)

European Film Awards Names Documentary Nominees originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 19:39:51.

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New DVDs From Docurama

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:14:04 +0000

Docurama, one of the leading documentary film distributors, is releasing four excellent films on DVD on October 27:

Election Day - A verite documentary that follows eleven storylines through a single election day on November 2, 2004. The cast of central characters includes a factory worker, a harried mom, a Native American activist, an ex-felon and diligent poll workers, among others. All of them take our democracy and their citizenship very seriously, and some of them disagree mightily with the way things are done. This film is both eye-opening and entertaining. It's a revelation about democratic process and election practice -- even for citizens who think they know it all. The DVD features additional scenes and an interview with director Katy Chevigny.

Lioness - Filmmakers Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers profiles a five women soldiers who were sent to Iraq to support combat troops as clerks, cooks and engineers, but found themselves toting guns and sent into battle alongside the Marines. Known as Team Lioness, they are the first generation of American women to return home as combat veterans, and their debriefing in this film is enlightening. It gives us a chance to see the war and understand its effects from a unique woman's perspective.

Soldiers of Conscience - This documentary presents the very challenging dilemma of moral men who go to war: to kill or not to kill. Profiling eight American combat soldiers -- including a West Point grad, low ranking reservist, Abu Gharaib interrogator and others -- who've squared off with the dilemma face to face, and come to their own conclusions about what's right and wrong. Four believe that killing is taboo -- even in war -- and four see war as the extenuating circumstance in which killing is not only allowable, but expected. This fascinating film challenges you to look into your own conscience and grapple with the question these soldiers have faced in combat.

Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived - 'What ifs' are problematical in history and documentaries, but this film, which poses the question of whether America would have been involved in the Vietnam War had President John F. Kennedy not been assassinated, is a fascinating investigation of American politics in a time of crisis. As we see in the film, JFK had, through negotiation, prevented America from going to war six times during his presidency -- and that's interpreted as an indication of the Commander-in-Chief's ability and intention to avoid military confrontation. How did the Kennedy assassination change America's fate? This documentary, through speculation based on fact, shows us. DVD Bonus Features include exclusive footage of Lyndon Johnson's statements of Vietnam and the movie's trailer.

If you've got serious movie lovers on your holidays gift list, you might want to order these now as great stocking stuffers.

(IMAGES: DVD covers. Courtesy Docurama.)

New DVDs From Docurama originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 13:14:04.

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Preview: Food Beware Opens Theatrically on October 16

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:41:36 +0000

Taking us further down the Food Inc. path of awareness about food production and nutrition, Jean-Paul Jaud's documentary, Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution shows us how the mayor of Barjac, a farming community in rural Provence, introduces a program of healthy, responsible and sustainable eating for his town's 1,400 residents. The mayor's innovative initiative entails transformation of the town's central cafeteria, where school lunches are prepared, into an organic kitchen which uses locally grown produce. Jaud follows the mayor as he solves the inevitable patch of problems that crop up as he plants and grows his organic food revolution, and we see how the school kids, the first to fully benefit from the plan, participate more fully in it by planting vegetables. In fact, the mayor and this film create a kind of blueprint that others might follow to bring organic, healthy and socially responsible food production and preparation to their communities.

Additionally, Jaud provides ample evidence about why the 'organic food revolution' is important, citing statistics showing, for example, the causal relationship between the use of pesticides and cancer. He also presents the human up-close-and-personal side of the statistics when he interviews, for example, a woman who confides that her neighbor can't pee for a week after spraying his fields with chemicals.

The film, which factors fact and characters into its story, is both informative and entertaining. And, it may inspire anyone who's on the verge of an organic food revolution to take up the hoe and go for it.

First Run Features is releasing the film theatrically in New York on October 16, 2009 for a limited run at the Quad Cinemas, and it is also available on DVD.

(PHOTO: 'Food Beware: The Organic Food Revolution' on DVD. Courtesy First Run Features.)

Preview: Food Beware Opens Theatrically on October 16 originally appeared on About.com Documentaries on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 10:41:36.

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