Oscar-winning actor and activist Angelina Jolie has signed on as an executive producer on We Dare to Dream, the new documentary from Oscar-nominated director Waad Al-Kateab (For Sama).
We Dare to Dream tells the story of the young, stateless athletes from Iran, Syria, South Sudan and Cameroon who competed together under the banner of the Ioc Refugee Olympic team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. We Dare to Dream has its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Sunday.
Jolie has long been a vocal advocate for the rights of refugees. The actor and filmmaker served as a goodwill ambassador for Un refugee agency the Unhcr from 2001 to 2012 and as a special envoy from 2012 to 2022.
“I have long admired Angelina’s clear-sighted and principled approach to human rights and refugee issues,” Al-Kateab said in a statement. “She has been a true ally to the refugee community and to me personally over the last two years.
We Dare to Dream tells the story of the young, stateless athletes from Iran, Syria, South Sudan and Cameroon who competed together under the banner of the Ioc Refugee Olympic team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. We Dare to Dream has its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Sunday.
Jolie has long been a vocal advocate for the rights of refugees. The actor and filmmaker served as a goodwill ambassador for Un refugee agency the Unhcr from 2001 to 2012 and as a special envoy from 2012 to 2022.
“I have long admired Angelina’s clear-sighted and principled approach to human rights and refugee issues,” Al-Kateab said in a statement. “She has been a true ally to the refugee community and to me personally over the last two years.
- 6/9/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Some in the industry might be irked that the Oscars and SXSW are colliding on the same weekend this year, however, it’s a win-win for both tonight: For a year ago, A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once blasted off here in Austin, TX as the festival’s opening night film. The movie becomes the first world premiere to debut at SXSW and win Oscar’s Best Picture.
Overall, Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven Oscars including Best Picture, the Daniels for Director, Jamie Lee Curtis for Best Supporting Actress, Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress, Key Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing and Original Screenplay.
Related: Oscar Winners List
Said SXSW head Claudette Godfrey beamed tonight, “It’s so meaningful to have been a part of the Daniels’ journey and the journey of Everything Everywhere All at Once. We could not be more thrilled that their...
Overall, Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven Oscars including Best Picture, the Daniels for Director, Jamie Lee Curtis for Best Supporting Actress, Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress, Key Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing and Original Screenplay.
Related: Oscar Winners List
Said SXSW head Claudette Godfrey beamed tonight, “It’s so meaningful to have been a part of the Daniels’ journey and the journey of Everything Everywhere All at Once. We could not be more thrilled that their...
- 3/13/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Documentary had UK premiere last night at Sheffield DocFest.
Wildcard Distribution has acquired theatrical rights to documentary Lyra in Ireland and the UK, and Cinephil has signed on for international sales.
The documentary, which had its UK premiere last night (June 26) at Sheffield DocFest, traces the life and death of Northern Irish investigative journalist Lyra McKee.
McKee’s journalism highlighted the consequences of the Troubles, seeking justice for crimes that had been forgotten since the Good Friday Agreement. She was murdered by dissident Republicans in 2019.
Directed by BAFTA-winning Alison Millar, the documentary uses hours of voice recordings from McKee’s mobile,...
Wildcard Distribution has acquired theatrical rights to documentary Lyra in Ireland and the UK, and Cinephil has signed on for international sales.
The documentary, which had its UK premiere last night (June 26) at Sheffield DocFest, traces the life and death of Northern Irish investigative journalist Lyra McKee.
McKee’s journalism highlighted the consequences of the Troubles, seeking justice for crimes that had been forgotten since the Good Friday Agreement. She was murdered by dissident Republicans in 2019.
Directed by BAFTA-winning Alison Millar, the documentary uses hours of voice recordings from McKee’s mobile,...
- 6/27/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The Academy announced Kelley Kali and Waad al-Kateeb as domestic and international recipients, respectively, of the 2021 Academy Fellowship for Women — with Kali receiving $35,000 and al-Kateeb receiving the equivalent of £20,000.
Part of the Academy Gold global talent development and inclusion initiative, the fellowship for women is a one-year program that provides direct financial support, mentorship and access to filmmakers. Additionally, fellows will also receive career achievement support through the Alumni Gold Program — which provides professional development and education for alumni of Academy Gold Programs, including Gold Rising, Student Academy Awards and the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting.
Both Kali and al-Kateeb were selected from a group of 11 finalists, including Kimberlee Bassford, Vigil Chime, Shaina Ghuraya, Amy Tofte, Gordon West, Farah Abushwesha, Rienkje Attoh-Wood, Prano Bailey-Bond and Dionne Edwards.
Kali is a graduate of Howard University and USC School of Cinematic Arts. Credits include being selected to work with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer...
Part of the Academy Gold global talent development and inclusion initiative, the fellowship for women is a one-year program that provides direct financial support, mentorship and access to filmmakers. Additionally, fellows will also receive career achievement support through the Alumni Gold Program — which provides professional development and education for alumni of Academy Gold Programs, including Gold Rising, Student Academy Awards and the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting.
Both Kali and al-Kateeb were selected from a group of 11 finalists, including Kimberlee Bassford, Vigil Chime, Shaina Ghuraya, Amy Tofte, Gordon West, Farah Abushwesha, Rienkje Attoh-Wood, Prano Bailey-Bond and Dionne Edwards.
Kali is a graduate of Howard University and USC School of Cinematic Arts. Credits include being selected to work with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer...
- 12/16/2021
- by Jennifer Yuma
- Variety Film + TV
Efa members will now choose five nominations from the list.
Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Syrian war documentary For Sama and Sundance award winner Honeyland are among the 12 titles on the documentary longlist for the 2019 European Film Awards.
Scroll down for the full longlist.
For Sama launched at SXSW in the Us, before joining the Cannes official selection as a special screening. The film shows the female experience of the Syrian conflict through the lives of al-Kateab and her young daughter Sama. Republic Film Distribution has UK rights on the title, with PBS Distribution handling a Us theatrical release.
Honeyland,...
Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Syrian war documentary For Sama and Sundance award winner Honeyland are among the 12 titles on the documentary longlist for the 2019 European Film Awards.
Scroll down for the full longlist.
For Sama launched at SXSW in the Us, before joining the Cannes official selection as a special screening. The film shows the female experience of the Syrian conflict through the lives of al-Kateab and her young daughter Sama. Republic Film Distribution has UK rights on the title, with PBS Distribution handling a Us theatrical release.
Honeyland,...
- 8/27/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
‘The Australian Dream’.
This year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) opener – director Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream – has proved an audience favourite, winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The film, which was also nominated for an Aacta Award earlier this week, explores race, identity and belonging from the perspective of former Sydney Swans captain and Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes. Written by Stan Grant, it opened at Miff to a seven minute standing ovation.
The winner of the Best Narrative Feature went to Celine Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which depicts a romance between a painter and her subject. It won Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm in Cannes earlier this year.
John Sheedy’s debut feature H is For Happiness, which stars Daisy Axon, Wesley Patten,, Richard Roxburgh, Emma Booth, Miriam Margolyes, Joel Jackson and Deborah Mailman, was the runner up in the narrative awards.
This year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) opener – director Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream – has proved an audience favourite, winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The film, which was also nominated for an Aacta Award earlier this week, explores race, identity and belonging from the perspective of former Sydney Swans captain and Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes. Written by Stan Grant, it opened at Miff to a seven minute standing ovation.
The winner of the Best Narrative Feature went to Celine Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which depicts a romance between a painter and her subject. It won Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm in Cannes earlier this year.
John Sheedy’s debut feature H is For Happiness, which stars Daisy Axon, Wesley Patten,, Richard Roxburgh, Emma Booth, Miriam Margolyes, Joel Jackson and Deborah Mailman, was the runner up in the narrative awards.
- 8/23/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
by Murtada Elfadl
For Sama, the new documentary in theaters that chronicles the five years of the Syrian uprising in Aleppo, is presented as a document from a mother trying to explain what happened to her newborn daughter. Yet what filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab shows through capturing the minutiae of everyday life in a city under siege and continuous bombardment, is a love letter to people committed to building a better society even as the situation around them becomes dangerous. Al-Kateab, a journalist, and her husband Hamza, a doctor, make the choice several times to stay in Aleppo and continue their work while starting a family, building a life, helping their community, hoping they can sustain despite the circumstances. The film presents a narrative rarely seen on screen, intimately documenting life from inside a city ravaged by war, as its people are just trying to live through the days. We recently...
For Sama, the new documentary in theaters that chronicles the five years of the Syrian uprising in Aleppo, is presented as a document from a mother trying to explain what happened to her newborn daughter. Yet what filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab shows through capturing the minutiae of everyday life in a city under siege and continuous bombardment, is a love letter to people committed to building a better society even as the situation around them becomes dangerous. Al-Kateab, a journalist, and her husband Hamza, a doctor, make the choice several times to stay in Aleppo and continue their work while starting a family, building a life, helping their community, hoping they can sustain despite the circumstances. The film presents a narrative rarely seen on screen, intimately documenting life from inside a city ravaged by war, as its people are just trying to live through the days. We recently...
- 7/31/2019
- by Murtada Elfadl
- FilmExperience
The Battle of Aleppo ended three years ago with Bashar al-Assad strangling the rebel’s supply line. Waad Al-Kateab joined the civil uprising in 2011 shortly after graduating with a degree in economics. Al-Kateab documented the experience using her phone, the go-to device for capturing underrepresented voices in documentary and fiction. Her film For Sama resulted from years of footage, co-directed by Edward Watts, who helped to compile the footage.
Sama is Waad and Hazma’s daughter, who was born in the Battle’s final year. Waad narrates and reflects on the world Sama was born into; she wants the best for her daughter and her country, but as friends from the rebellion die and Hazma’s hospital is destroyed by a bomb, hope is in short supply. For Sama is a diary of Sama’s first year and Waad’s experience marrying and having a child during the civil war.
Sama is Waad and Hazma’s daughter, who was born in the Battle’s final year. Waad narrates and reflects on the world Sama was born into; she wants the best for her daughter and her country, but as friends from the rebellion die and Hazma’s hospital is destroyed by a bomb, hope is in short supply. For Sama is a diary of Sama’s first year and Waad’s experience marrying and having a child during the civil war.
- 7/31/2019
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
January’s Sundance Film Festival is the most effective launchpad for any documentary Oscar hopeful. With a field overloaded by competitive non-fiction, it’s essential to get a head start, a distributor, an early release date and build a profile before narrative features grab the media attention in an overcrowded fall.
Some high-profile non-fiction features, like Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s box-office star and eventual Oscar-winner “Free Solo,” break out of fall festivals like Telluride, Toronto, and New York. However, titles like those are the outliers.
Sundance 2018 yielded four out of the five 2019 Oscar nominees: $14 million-grossing Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc “Rbg,” Sundance breakthrough filmmaker prize-winner Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,” which follows three young skateboarders in the Rust Belt, photographer RaMell Ross’ languorous poetic portrait of a time and place, “Hale County: This Morning, This Evening,” and Talal Derki’s Sundance World Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winner “Of Fathers and Sons.
Some high-profile non-fiction features, like Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s box-office star and eventual Oscar-winner “Free Solo,” break out of fall festivals like Telluride, Toronto, and New York. However, titles like those are the outliers.
Sundance 2018 yielded four out of the five 2019 Oscar nominees: $14 million-grossing Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc “Rbg,” Sundance breakthrough filmmaker prize-winner Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,” which follows three young skateboarders in the Rust Belt, photographer RaMell Ross’ languorous poetic portrait of a time and place, “Hale County: This Morning, This Evening,” and Talal Derki’s Sundance World Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winner “Of Fathers and Sons.
- 6/15/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
January’s Sundance Film Festival is the most effective launchpad for any documentary Oscar hopeful. With a field overloaded by competitive non-fiction, it’s essential to get a head start, a distributor, an early release date and build a profile before narrative features grab the media attention in an overcrowded fall.
Some high-profile non-fiction features, like Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s box-office star and eventual Oscar-winner “Free Solo,” break out of fall festivals like Telluride, Toronto, and New York. However, titles like those are the outliers.
Sundance 2018 yielded four out of the five 2019 Oscar nominees: $14 million-grossing Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc “Rbg,” Sundance breakthrough filmmaker prize-winner Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,” which follows three young skateboarders in the Rust Belt, photographer RaMell Ross’ languorous poetic portrait of a time and place, “Hale County: This Morning, This Evening,” and Talal Derki’s Sundance World Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winner “Of Fathers and Sons.
Some high-profile non-fiction features, like Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s box-office star and eventual Oscar-winner “Free Solo,” break out of fall festivals like Telluride, Toronto, and New York. However, titles like those are the outliers.
Sundance 2018 yielded four out of the five 2019 Oscar nominees: $14 million-grossing Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc “Rbg,” Sundance breakthrough filmmaker prize-winner Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,” which follows three young skateboarders in the Rust Belt, photographer RaMell Ross’ languorous poetic portrait of a time and place, “Hale County: This Morning, This Evening,” and Talal Derki’s Sundance World Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winner “Of Fathers and Sons.
- 6/15/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Luke Lorentzen’s Midnight Family won the grand jury award at this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest, which held its closing ceremony last night (June 11).
The Sundance premiere follows a family trying to make a living by operating a private ambulance in Mexico city. The jury praised the film for providing a “timely warning to the dangers of privatised healthcare.” The top prize also came with a £2,000 windfall.
The jury gave a special mention to Hazzan Fazili’s Midnight Traveller (another Park City premiere) and Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Sxsx and Cannes title For Sama. The latter also won the audience award.
The respected UK documentary showcase presented its inaugural international award to Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s Earth, which charts the environmental destruction wrought by large-scale mining. A special mention went to Kristof Bilsen’s Mother.
The £2,000 Tim Hetherington award, named in honor of the UK photo-journalist...
The Sundance premiere follows a family trying to make a living by operating a private ambulance in Mexico city. The jury praised the film for providing a “timely warning to the dangers of privatised healthcare.” The top prize also came with a £2,000 windfall.
The jury gave a special mention to Hazzan Fazili’s Midnight Traveller (another Park City premiere) and Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Sxsx and Cannes title For Sama. The latter also won the audience award.
The respected UK documentary showcase presented its inaugural international award to Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s Earth, which charts the environmental destruction wrought by large-scale mining. A special mention went to Kristof Bilsen’s Mother.
The £2,000 Tim Hetherington award, named in honor of the UK photo-journalist...
- 6/12/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Further winners included Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s Earth and Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s One Child Nation.
Luke Lorentzen’s Midnight Family won the grand jury award (with a £2000 prize) at this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest, which held its closing ceremony last night (June 11).
Full list of winners below
The film tells the story of a family scraping a living operating a private ambulance in Mexico city, and was praised by the jury for acting “as a timely warning to the dangers of privatised healthcare.”
The jury, made up of artist Jeremy Deller, producer Charlotte Cook and artist-filmmaker Jenn Nkiru...
Luke Lorentzen’s Midnight Family won the grand jury award (with a £2000 prize) at this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest, which held its closing ceremony last night (June 11).
Full list of winners below
The film tells the story of a family scraping a living operating a private ambulance in Mexico city, and was praised by the jury for acting “as a timely warning to the dangers of privatised healthcare.”
The jury, made up of artist Jeremy Deller, producer Charlotte Cook and artist-filmmaker Jenn Nkiru...
- 6/12/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ film won the Prix L’Œil d’Or for best documentary at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ documentary For Sama, which won the Prix L’Œil d’Or for best documentary at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has been sold to Kmbo for France and Just Wanted for Italy among a hot of international deals for Vienna and Los Angeles-based Autlook Filmsales.
Kmbo is planning a theatrical release in late autumn 2019.
For Sama has also been sold to Europafilm (Norway), Ost For Paradise (Denmark), Filmtrade (Greece), Greta Garbo...
Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ documentary For Sama, which won the Prix L’Œil d’Or for best documentary at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has been sold to Kmbo for France and Just Wanted for Italy among a hot of international deals for Vienna and Los Angeles-based Autlook Filmsales.
Kmbo is planning a theatrical release in late autumn 2019.
For Sama has also been sold to Europafilm (Norway), Ost For Paradise (Denmark), Filmtrade (Greece), Greta Garbo...
- 6/11/2019
- ScreenDaily
Italy’s Biografilm Festival, an event billed as a cinematic celebration of human lives, will pay tribute to Werner Herzog, whose Japanese-language film “Family Romance, LLC” will launch locally following its Cannes premiere, as will “Meeting Gorbachev,” his sit-down conversation with the former Soviet leader.
The prolific Herzog, 76, whose long career comprises feature films such as “Aguirre: The Wrath of God” and “Fitzcarraldo” and a slew of docs, including, more recently Netflix’s “Into the Inferno,” is expected to be on hand at the Bologna-based fest to receive its Celebration of Lives Award on June 10.
As previously announced, Biografilm, which will run June 7-17, is also celebrating Participant Media this year, in particular Diane Weyermann, head of the U.S. company’s documentary film and television unit, who will receive the fest’s Making it Real Award, honoring excellence in producing. The tribute to Participant will include the European premiere...
The prolific Herzog, 76, whose long career comprises feature films such as “Aguirre: The Wrath of God” and “Fitzcarraldo” and a slew of docs, including, more recently Netflix’s “Into the Inferno,” is expected to be on hand at the Bologna-based fest to receive its Celebration of Lives Award on June 10.
As previously announced, Biografilm, which will run June 7-17, is also celebrating Participant Media this year, in particular Diane Weyermann, head of the U.S. company’s documentary film and television unit, who will receive the fest’s Making it Real Award, honoring excellence in producing. The tribute to Participant will include the European premiere...
- 6/3/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The award comes with €10,000 cash prize and was presented at the Marché’s Doc Day.
Lina Soualem’s Their Algeria won the inaugural documentary works-in-progress prize at the Cannes Marche’s Doc Corner.
The award, which comes with €10,000 cash prize, is supported by International Emerging Film Talent Association (Iefta) and was presented at the Doc Lovers Mixer which closed Doc Day on Tues (May 21).
Their Algeria, part of the Palestinian Showcase, was one of the of 24 docs-in-progress from six countries participating in the Marché’s ‘Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the Doc Corner’ program. The countries were Argentina, Canada, Chile, Norway, Palestine and South Africa.
Lina Soualem’s Their Algeria won the inaugural documentary works-in-progress prize at the Cannes Marche’s Doc Corner.
The award, which comes with €10,000 cash prize, is supported by International Emerging Film Talent Association (Iefta) and was presented at the Doc Lovers Mixer which closed Doc Day on Tues (May 21).
Their Algeria, part of the Palestinian Showcase, was one of the of 24 docs-in-progress from six countries participating in the Marché’s ‘Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the Doc Corner’ program. The countries were Argentina, Canada, Chile, Norway, Palestine and South Africa.
- 5/22/2019
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Cannes' red carpet continued its political streak Saturday, with a pro-choice demonstration on the red carpet ahead of the premiere of Argentine director Juan Solanas' abortion documentary Let It Be Law (Que Sea Ley),
The demonstration brought together 60 women and activists from Argentina who unfurled a green sign and flags. Green is the signature color of the pro-choice movement in Argentina.
This year has seen directors unfurl banners on the red carpet, with Litigante helmer Franco Lolli protesting the assassination of Colombian filmmaker Mauricio Lezama and For Sama co-directors Edward Watts and Waad Al-Kateb condemning the Syrian regime's attacks on hospitals....
The demonstration brought together 60 women and activists from Argentina who unfurled a green sign and flags. Green is the signature color of the pro-choice movement in Argentina.
This year has seen directors unfurl banners on the red carpet, with Litigante helmer Franco Lolli protesting the assassination of Colombian filmmaker Mauricio Lezama and For Sama co-directors Edward Watts and Waad Al-Kateb condemning the Syrian regime's attacks on hospitals....
- 5/18/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes' red carpet continued its political streak Saturday, with a pro-choice demonstration on the red carpet ahead of the premiere of Argentine director Juan Solanas' abortion documentary Let It Be Law (Que Sea Ley),
The demonstration brought together 60 women and activists from Argentina who unfurled a green sign and flags. Green is the signature color of the pro-choice movement in Argentina.
This year has seen directors unfurl banners on the red carpet, with Litigante helmer Franco Lolli protesting the assassination of Colombian filmmaker Mauricio Lezama and For Sama co-directors Edward Watts and Waad Al-Kateb condemning the Syrian regime's attacks on hospitals....
The demonstration brought together 60 women and activists from Argentina who unfurled a green sign and flags. Green is the signature color of the pro-choice movement in Argentina.
This year has seen directors unfurl banners on the red carpet, with Litigante helmer Franco Lolli protesting the assassination of Colombian filmmaker Mauricio Lezama and For Sama co-directors Edward Watts and Waad Al-Kateb condemning the Syrian regime's attacks on hospitals....
- 5/18/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
If the Cannes Market’s Doc Corner, a hub for feature documentary filmmakers and executives, feels more crowded this year, it may have to do with the strong theatrical performance of features docs such as “Free Solo” and “Amazing Grace,” and the slew of U.S. and international titles acquired or admired at Sundance, SXSW (“For Sama”) and Tribeca (“The Apollo”). The combination of the box office and quality product is stoking a competitive marketplace not just in acquisitions but, increasingly, in pre-production involvement.
“With a clear acceleration this decade, feature docs have imposed themselves as a major, indispensable part of the film industry, generating business and revenues, and enabling a strong ecosystem to structure itself, with specialized festivals playing a major role,” says Pierre-Alexis Chevit, project manager of Doc Corner and its conference-style Doc Day on May 21.
Chevit says one of the major talking points in the sector is “inclusion and diversity,...
“With a clear acceleration this decade, feature docs have imposed themselves as a major, indispensable part of the film industry, generating business and revenues, and enabling a strong ecosystem to structure itself, with specialized festivals playing a major role,” says Pierre-Alexis Chevit, project manager of Doc Corner and its conference-style Doc Day on May 21.
Chevit says one of the major talking points in the sector is “inclusion and diversity,...
- 5/16/2019
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
In a lot of ways, the Cannes Film Festival premiere of “For Sama” should have felt like nothing new. After all, the film had premiered in March at the South by Southwest Film Festival and also screened earlier in May at the Hot Docs festival in Canada, making it the rare Cannes film to not premiere on the Croisette.
Beyond that, “For Sama” is a documentary about the bloody conflict in Syria, which has already been the subject of a string of notable nonfiction films, among them Feras Fayyad’s “Last Men in Aleppo,” Evgeny Afineevsky’s “Cries From Syria,” Matthew Heineman’s “City of Ghosts,” Talal Derki’s “The Return to Homs” and Sebastian Junger’s “Hell on Earth” in the feature realm, as well as the Oscar-nominated short docs “The White Helmets” (which won) and “Watani: My Homeland.”
What else, you could ask, is left to say about Syria,...
Beyond that, “For Sama” is a documentary about the bloody conflict in Syria, which has already been the subject of a string of notable nonfiction films, among them Feras Fayyad’s “Last Men in Aleppo,” Evgeny Afineevsky’s “Cries From Syria,” Matthew Heineman’s “City of Ghosts,” Talal Derki’s “The Return to Homs” and Sebastian Junger’s “Hell on Earth” in the feature realm, as well as the Oscar-nominated short docs “The White Helmets” (which won) and “Watani: My Homeland.”
What else, you could ask, is left to say about Syria,...
- 5/15/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The AFI Docs Festival has selected the Steven Bognar-Julia Reichert documentary “American Factory” as its centerpiece film, screening on June 21.
The event will take place at the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
“American Factory” centers on the aftermath of the 2014 purchase of a General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio, which had closed in 2008. A Chinese billionaire reopened the facility as Fuyao Glass America, with the promise of giving work to more than 2,000 local residents, along with bringing hundreds of Chinese workers to Ohio. Tensions mount among the Americans due to low wages and concerns about safety.
The festival revealed its full slate of films Wednesday for the 2019 edition, the 17th year, with 72 films representing 17 countries. The festival runs June 19–23 in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, Md.
As previously announced, the festival will open with the world premiere of...
The event will take place at the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
“American Factory” centers on the aftermath of the 2014 purchase of a General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio, which had closed in 2008. A Chinese billionaire reopened the facility as Fuyao Glass America, with the promise of giving work to more than 2,000 local residents, along with bringing hundreds of Chinese workers to Ohio. Tensions mount among the Americans due to low wages and concerns about safety.
The festival revealed its full slate of films Wednesday for the 2019 edition, the 17th year, with 72 films representing 17 countries. The festival runs June 19–23 in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, Md.
As previously announced, the festival will open with the world premiere of...
- 5/15/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Following its world premiere at SXSW (where it won the top documentary prize), For Sama is an official selection at this year’s prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and it’ll arrive in theaters this summer. PBS Distribution has now unveiled the first trailer for the harrowing and essential documentary, which conveys the female experience of living though an active war zone through the lens of first time co-director Waad al-Kateab. The film shows al-Kateab’s life though five years of the uprising in Aleppo, as she falls in love, becomes a mother, and gives birth to the titular Sama. The film grapples with love, loss, and the arduous choices one must make as a mother to protect her loved ones, even if it means abandoning one’s homeland.
John Fink in his review wrote, “ Co-directed with Edward Watts, For Sama’s structure mirrors the chaos of the moments it captures,...
John Fink in his review wrote, “ Co-directed with Edward Watts, For Sama’s structure mirrors the chaos of the moments it captures,...
- 5/14/2019
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
“Yellow Rose,” written, directed, and produced by Diane Paragas, was awarded the Grand Jury Award for outstanding North American narrative feature at the 35th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, which ran May 2-10.
Special Jury Awards for cinematography, actress and breakthrough performance went, respectively, to Ante Cheng for “Ms. Purple”; Maya Erskine for “Plus One”; and Eva Noblezada for “Yellow Rose.”
“Seadrift,” directed by Tim Tsai, took home the Grand Jury Award for North American documentary feature, while the jury-panelists gave Special Jury Awards to “Jaddoland,” directed by Nadia Shihab, and “Origin Story,” directed by Kulap Vilaysack.
The Grand Jury Award for international narrative feature went to “House of Hummingbird,” directed by Bora Kim. Jury Awards went to Leon Le for “Song Lang,” and to the directors ensemble of “Vai”: ‘Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Amberley Jo Aumua, Becs Arahanga, Dianna Fuemana, Marina Alofagia McCartney, Matasila Freshwater, Mīria George, Nicole Whippy.
Special Jury Awards for cinematography, actress and breakthrough performance went, respectively, to Ante Cheng for “Ms. Purple”; Maya Erskine for “Plus One”; and Eva Noblezada for “Yellow Rose.”
“Seadrift,” directed by Tim Tsai, took home the Grand Jury Award for North American documentary feature, while the jury-panelists gave Special Jury Awards to “Jaddoland,” directed by Nadia Shihab, and “Origin Story,” directed by Kulap Vilaysack.
The Grand Jury Award for international narrative feature went to “House of Hummingbird,” directed by Bora Kim. Jury Awards went to Leon Le for “Song Lang,” and to the directors ensemble of “Vai”: ‘Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Amberley Jo Aumua, Becs Arahanga, Dianna Fuemana, Marina Alofagia McCartney, Matasila Freshwater, Mīria George, Nicole Whippy.
- 5/11/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Like “Last Men in Aleppo,” “The White Helmets,” and other documentaries before it, “For Sama” offers a ground-level view of the ongoing conflict in Syria. Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ nonfiction account of that conflict differs from its predecessors insofar as it focuses on one woman’s experience, however, and for its efforts the film has already won the awards for Best Documentary at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at Hot Docs.
Ahead of its upcoming debut at Cannes, where it’s being featured as a Special Screening, the film now has a trailer that has been shared exclusively with IndieWire. Watch it below.
Here’s the premise: “‘For Sama’ is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo,...
Ahead of its upcoming debut at Cannes, where it’s being featured as a Special Screening, the film now has a trailer that has been shared exclusively with IndieWire. Watch it below.
Here’s the premise: “‘For Sama’ is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo,...
- 5/10/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Ai Weiwei, Werner Herzog to particpate in extended conversations following screenings.
A Spotlight section of screenings followed by extended conversations is the major addition to the programme for this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest (June 6-11), revealed today.
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and German filmmaker Werner Herzog are among those attending the festival and participating in the section.
Ai Weiwei will present his film The Rest, about Europe’s refugee crisis and the disintegrating humanitarian aid system, which premiered at Cph:Dox in March.
Herzog will take part in a discussion with Patrick Holland, controller, BBC Two, following a...
A Spotlight section of screenings followed by extended conversations is the major addition to the programme for this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest (June 6-11), revealed today.
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and German filmmaker Werner Herzog are among those attending the festival and participating in the section.
Ai Weiwei will present his film The Rest, about Europe’s refugee crisis and the disintegrating humanitarian aid system, which premiered at Cph:Dox in March.
Herzog will take part in a discussion with Patrick Holland, controller, BBC Two, following a...
- 5/9/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Toronto–Hot Docs opening film “Nipawistamasowin: We Will Stand Up,” directed by Tasha Hubbard, won the Best Canadian Feature Documentary Award at the annual festival’s awards ceremony May 13, where 14 awards and Can$75,000 in cash and prizes were handed out to Canadian and international films and filmmakers at the Isabel Bader Theater.
Hubbard was on hand to accept the award, which comes with a Can$10,000 cash prize, for her film about a family’s pursuit of justice from Saskatchewan to the U.N. after the killer of their son Colten Boushie is acquitted of murder. “I’d like to thank this courageous family who trusted me, and who never gave up,” Hubbard said upon accepting it.
“Hope Frozen,” about a grief-stricken Bangkok family and their decision to cryopreserve their deceased daughter, won the Best International Feature Documentary Award. Director and producer Pailin Wedel was on hand to accept the award,...
Hubbard was on hand to accept the award, which comes with a Can$10,000 cash prize, for her film about a family’s pursuit of justice from Saskatchewan to the U.N. after the killer of their son Colten Boushie is acquitted of murder. “I’d like to thank this courageous family who trusted me, and who never gave up,” Hubbard said upon accepting it.
“Hope Frozen,” about a grief-stricken Bangkok family and their decision to cryopreserve their deceased daughter, won the Best International Feature Documentary Award. Director and producer Pailin Wedel was on hand to accept the award,...
- 5/4/2019
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on Friday night handed its top jury prize to For Sama, a British film from Channel 4 and Wgbh/Frontline about a young mother creating a video diary for her baby daughter during the brutal conflict in Syria.
The film, which won the best documentary award when debuting at SXSW, is directed by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts. "For its unflinching lens on the horrors of war, accompanied by a tender portrait of a young family born out of conflict, and the courageous community that surrounds them, the Special Jury Prize goes to For ...
The film, which won the best documentary award when debuting at SXSW, is directed by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts. "For its unflinching lens on the horrors of war, accompanied by a tender portrait of a young family born out of conflict, and the courageous community that surrounds them, the Special Jury Prize goes to For ...
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on Friday night handed its top jury prize to For Sama, a British film from Channel 4 and Wgbh/Frontline about a young mother creating a video diary for her baby daughter during the brutal conflict in Syria.
The film, which won the best documentary award when debuting at SXSW, is directed by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts. "For its unflinching lens on the horrors of war, accompanied by a tender portrait of a young family born out of conflict, and the courageous community that surrounds them, the Special Jury Prize goes to For ...
The film, which won the best documentary award when debuting at SXSW, is directed by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts. "For its unflinching lens on the horrors of war, accompanied by a tender portrait of a young family born out of conflict, and the courageous community that surrounds them, the Special Jury Prize goes to For ...
The Syrian civil war may be the largest human crisis of our age, and with no end to it in sight, it’s only right that documentarians are unwilling to let it rest. The last few years have seen Syria-themed docs all but flooding the festival circuit, forming what the more cynical may deem a subgenre in itself: Almost all of them are made in good conscience and with honest intentions, but that does little to help concerned but daunted audiences differentiate or choose between them. What makes one sincere study of the conflict more essential than another? The answer lies in singularity and intimacy of perspective, and on that front, Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’s extraordinary war diary “For Sama” will prove hard to match. Simple in concept and shattering in execution, blending hard-headed reportage with unguarded personal testimony, it’s you-are-there cinema of the most literal order.
- 5/1/2019
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film has been picked up by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Fresh from winning the audience award and documentary feature award at SXSW, and in advance of its special screening in Cannes, 26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film For Sama has been picked up for international sales by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Autlook has For Sama for all the world excluding the UK and North America. PBS Distribution will be giving the film (also selected for Hot Docs) a theatrical release in North America in July.
Co-directed by Edward Watts, For Sama...
Fresh from winning the audience award and documentary feature award at SXSW, and in advance of its special screening in Cannes, 26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film For Sama has been picked up for international sales by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Autlook has For Sama for all the world excluding the UK and North America. PBS Distribution will be giving the film (also selected for Hot Docs) a theatrical release in North America in July.
Co-directed by Edward Watts, For Sama...
- 4/24/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film has been picked up by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Fresh from winning the audience award for documentary feature at SXSW and in advance of its special screening in Cannes, 26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film For Sama has been picked up for international sales by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Autlook has For Sama for all the world excluding the UK and North America. PBS Distribution will be giving the film (also selected for Hot Docs) a theatrical release in North America in July.
Co-directed by Edward Watts, For Sama tells...
Fresh from winning the audience award for documentary feature at SXSW and in advance of its special screening in Cannes, 26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film For Sama has been picked up for international sales by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Autlook has For Sama for all the world excluding the UK and North America. PBS Distribution will be giving the film (also selected for Hot Docs) a theatrical release in North America in July.
Co-directed by Edward Watts, For Sama tells...
- 4/24/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film has been picked up by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Fresh from winning the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature at SXSW and in advance of its special screening in Cannes, 26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film For Sama has been picked up for international sales by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Autlook has For Sama for all the world excluding the UK and North America. PBS Distribution will be giving the film (also selected for Hot Docs) a theatrical release in North America in July.
Co-directed by Edward Watts, For Sama...
Fresh from winning the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature at SXSW and in advance of its special screening in Cannes, 26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s film For Sama has been picked up for international sales by Vienna and La-based Autlook Filmsales.
Autlook has For Sama for all the world excluding the UK and North America. PBS Distribution will be giving the film (also selected for Hot Docs) a theatrical release in North America in July.
Co-directed by Edward Watts, For Sama...
- 4/24/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
The 2019 Cannes Film Festival announced its official lineup of films on Thursday, April 18. The 72nd annual event is one of the most prestigious showcases for films from around the world, and this year’s selections include familiar festival names like Terrence Malick, Pedro Almodovar, Ken Loach and the Dardenne brothers. But what about women? Last year, 82 women, including Cannes jury president Cate Blanchett, protested the fest’s gender inequality. Women are better represented in 2019, but is it enough? Scroll down for the full list of titles.
There are 13 films from female directors scheduled for the festival, but only four out of the 19 films in competition for the Palme d’Or (21%) are by women: “Atlantique” by Mati Diop, “Little Joe” by Jessica Hausner, “Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire” by Celine Sciamma and “Sibyl” by Justine Triet. Despite making up less than a quarter of the competition, that actually ties...
There are 13 films from female directors scheduled for the festival, but only four out of the 19 films in competition for the Palme d’Or (21%) are by women: “Atlantique” by Mati Diop, “Little Joe” by Jessica Hausner, “Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire” by Celine Sciamma and “Sibyl” by Justine Triet. Despite making up less than a quarter of the competition, that actually ties...
- 4/18/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Little Joe and Sorry We Missed You both selected for Cannes Competition.
Following last year’s disappointing Cannes showing for UK movies, with only one Polish-language UK co-production in Competition (Cold War), this year’s presence looks to be an improvement.
Following today’s announcement, which saw 90% of the Official Selection titles unveiled, two films with significant UK involvement have been selected for Competition.
Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You sees the director once again break his own record with his 14th selection – his latest film focuses on the UK’s gig economy. Loach’s last film I, Daniel Blake...
Following last year’s disappointing Cannes showing for UK movies, with only one Polish-language UK co-production in Competition (Cold War), this year’s presence looks to be an improvement.
Following today’s announcement, which saw 90% of the Official Selection titles unveiled, two films with significant UK involvement have been selected for Competition.
Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You sees the director once again break his own record with his 14th selection – his latest film focuses on the UK’s gig economy. Loach’s last film I, Daniel Blake...
- 4/18/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Update: The grand majority of the Cannes Film Festival lineup for 2019 was unveiled this morning in Paris with such expected names as Pedro Almodovar (Pain & Glory), Terrence Malick (A Hidden Life) and Ken Loach (Sorry We Missed You) in the mix — see below the original post for the full list. At the same time, there is still no confirmation of Quentin Tarantino’s anticipated Once Upon A Time In Hollywood — yet. Fest chief Thierry Frémaux said it’s not quite ready, but he hopes to add it. What he’s seen of the period film is “magnificent.”
Overall, there were few surprises, but among the refreshing turns here on the Champs-Elysées this morning, there are four female directors in Competition, the most of any recent year. They include Jessica Hausner’s Little Joe and Céline Sciamma’s Portrait Of A Lady On Fire.
We also learned this morning that...
Overall, there were few surprises, but among the refreshing turns here on the Champs-Elysées this morning, there are four female directors in Competition, the most of any recent year. They include Jessica Hausner’s Little Joe and Céline Sciamma’s Portrait Of A Lady On Fire.
We also learned this morning that...
- 4/18/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The 72nd Cannes Film Festival will get underway next month and today Thierry Frémaux has unveiled the lineup. Some festival alums will return, including Terrence Malick, who last came to Cannes with his Palme d’Or winner The Tree of Life and will now debut his three-hour-long A Hidden Life (formerly known as Radegund). Also returning is Jim Jarmusch, Dardennes, Bong Joon-ho, Arnaud Desplechin, Pedro Almodóvar, Corneliu Porumboiu, Ken Loach, Marco Bellocchio, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and Xavier Dolan.
In competition this year are a number of highly-anticipated from up-and-coming directors as well, including Jessica Hausner’s Amour Fou follow-up Little Joe and Mati Diop’s directorial debut Atlantics. Diao Yinan will also bring his new drama The Wild Goose Lake to competition, along with Ira Sachs’ Isabelle Huppert-led Frankie and Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
In other sections, Bruno Dumont’s sequel Jeanne, Olivier Laxe...
In competition this year are a number of highly-anticipated from up-and-coming directors as well, including Jessica Hausner’s Amour Fou follow-up Little Joe and Mati Diop’s directorial debut Atlantics. Diao Yinan will also bring his new drama The Wild Goose Lake to competition, along with Ira Sachs’ Isabelle Huppert-led Frankie and Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
In other sections, Bruno Dumont’s sequel Jeanne, Olivier Laxe...
- 4/18/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Eleven months after signing a pledge to help increase the number of films by female directors at international festivals, the Cannes Film Festival has unveiled a lineup that features four films directed by women in the main competition, tying but not breaking the record set in 2011.
The four are Mati Diop’s “Atlantique,” Jessica Hausner’s “Little Joe,” Celine Schiamma’s “Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire” and Justine Triet’s “Sibyl.” An additional nine female directors are included in other sections of the festival.
Prior to this year, only 82 women have been included in the official competition at Cannes, compared to more than 1,600 men.
Also Read: Cannes Film Festival Signs Pledge for More Women Directors, More Transparency
The lineup is filled with heavyweight directors whose films have been at Cannes in the past: Pedro Almodovar, the Dardenne brothers (“Young Ahmed”), Bong Joon-ho (“Parasite”), Ken Loach (“Sorry We Missed You...
The four are Mati Diop’s “Atlantique,” Jessica Hausner’s “Little Joe,” Celine Schiamma’s “Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire” and Justine Triet’s “Sibyl.” An additional nine female directors are included in other sections of the festival.
Prior to this year, only 82 women have been included in the official competition at Cannes, compared to more than 1,600 men.
Also Read: Cannes Film Festival Signs Pledge for More Women Directors, More Transparency
The lineup is filled with heavyweight directors whose films have been at Cannes in the past: Pedro Almodovar, the Dardenne brothers (“Young Ahmed”), Bong Joon-ho (“Parasite”), Ken Loach (“Sorry We Missed You...
- 4/18/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 2019 Cannes Film Festival has announced the majority of its official lineup, including films set to debut in sections such as Competition, Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition, Special Screenings, and Midnight Screenings. The lineup was announced this morning during a press conference. One thing to note is that additions to the lineup will most likely happen in the coming days. The lineup being announced this morning is the majority of the 2019 slate.
One film already confirmed for the festival is Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die,” which has been selected to open Cannes 2019 on May 14. The movie is a zombie comedy starring Adam Driver, Bill Murray, and Chloe Sevigny as police officers who must protect their small town from the undead. “The Dead Don’t Die” will be in competition at Cannes, bringing Jarmusch back to the Palme d’Or race after “Paterson” in 2016. Other Jarmusch efforts...
One film already confirmed for the festival is Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die,” which has been selected to open Cannes 2019 on May 14. The movie is a zombie comedy starring Adam Driver, Bill Murray, and Chloe Sevigny as police officers who must protect their small town from the undead. “The Dead Don’t Die” will be in competition at Cannes, bringing Jarmusch back to the Palme d’Or race after “Paterson” in 2016. Other Jarmusch efforts...
- 4/18/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
It’s unthinkable to imagine the intimacy and immediacy of a self-shot film like For Sama even just years ago, without the access to Dslr and mobile phone cameras which have become so pervasive that the authorities would barely bat an eye at a photographer. Co-director and subject Waad al-Kateab crafts an impactful and harrowing tale inside Aleppo as she navigates both motherhood and life in the war-torn city. Capturing the city without the distant critical eye of a war photographer, she’s a native and this is very much a home movie with geopolitical implications. Beginning as a letter to her daughter Sama, the film documents through various means what life is like inside the city from children discussing the death of friends in air strikes to the front lines of al-Kateab’s husband Hamza’s makeshift hospital.
Co-directed with Edward Watts, For Sama’s structure mirrors the chaos of the moments it captures,...
Co-directed with Edward Watts, For Sama’s structure mirrors the chaos of the moments it captures,...
- 3/20/2019
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Beto O’Rourke was a winner at South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas, or at least the film chronicling his campaign to unseat Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate, “Running With Beto,” was, as it took home the Audience Award for Documentary Spotlight Saturday.
The audience favorite Narrative Spotlight section went to “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” starring Shia Labeouf, Jon Bernthal, Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern. The film is about a young man with Down syndrome (Zack Gottsagen) who runs away from a nursing home to become a professional wrestler.
Also Read: Jimmy Fallon Debuts His Really, Really Excitable Beto O'Rourke Impression (Video)
Headliners and 24 Beats Per Second Audience Award winners will be announced on Monday, March 19.
Here’s a complete list of Saturday’s winners:
Narrative Feature Competition
“Saint Frances ”
Director: Alex Thompson
Documentary Feature Competition
“For Sama ”
Directors: Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Narrative Spotlight
“The...
The audience favorite Narrative Spotlight section went to “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” starring Shia Labeouf, Jon Bernthal, Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern. The film is about a young man with Down syndrome (Zack Gottsagen) who runs away from a nursing home to become a professional wrestler.
Also Read: Jimmy Fallon Debuts His Really, Really Excitable Beto O'Rourke Impression (Video)
Headliners and 24 Beats Per Second Audience Award winners will be announced on Monday, March 19.
Here’s a complete list of Saturday’s winners:
Narrative Feature Competition
“Saint Frances ”
Director: Alex Thompson
Documentary Feature Competition
“For Sama ”
Directors: Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Narrative Spotlight
“The...
- 3/16/2019
- by Rosemary Rossi
- The Wrap
As SXSW comes to a close, the Austin-based festival unveiled the audience winners from this year’s film festival which includes the Shia Labeouf-fronted drama The Peanut Butter Falcon as well as David Modigliano’s documentary Running With Beto.
The winners for the Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Visions, Midnighters, Episodic Premieres, Global, Festival Favorites, Design Award, and Virtual Cinema Jury Award categories were announced Saturday morning.
Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s The Peanut Butter Falcon took the Audience Award for Narrative Spotlight. Featuring an all-star cast including Labeouf, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church, John Bertnthal and some professional wrestlers you might recognize as well as breakout star Zack Gottsagen, the film follows a young man with Down syndrome runs away from the retirement home where he lives to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. The crowd...
The winners for the Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Visions, Midnighters, Episodic Premieres, Global, Festival Favorites, Design Award, and Virtual Cinema Jury Award categories were announced Saturday morning.
Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s The Peanut Butter Falcon took the Audience Award for Narrative Spotlight. Featuring an all-star cast including Labeouf, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church, John Bertnthal and some professional wrestlers you might recognize as well as breakout star Zack Gottsagen, the film follows a young man with Down syndrome runs away from the retirement home where he lives to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. The crowd...
- 3/16/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Audiences at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas, are famously enthusiastic, cheering for movies with the same kind of bring-down-the-house applause they show bands at the event’s overlapping music fest — so it can be helpful to know which movies they really loved when the 10-day showcase winds to an end and SXSW announces its Audience Awards.
These popular prizes, tallied via ballots at screenings in each category, follow several days after the Grand Jury awards, announced midway through the festival. The SXSW juries selected Josephine Mackerras’ French-language “Alice” in the narrative feature competition and Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Syria-set “For Sama” as the top documentary.
Passholders and the general public clearly also responded to “For Sama,” which won the Audience Award in the same category, while “Running With Beto” — about the Senatorial campaign of local favorite and presidential contender Beto O’Rourke — took the Documentary Spotlight prize.
These popular prizes, tallied via ballots at screenings in each category, follow several days after the Grand Jury awards, announced midway through the festival. The SXSW juries selected Josephine Mackerras’ French-language “Alice” in the narrative feature competition and Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Syria-set “For Sama” as the top documentary.
Passholders and the general public clearly also responded to “For Sama,” which won the Audience Award in the same category, while “Running With Beto” — about the Senatorial campaign of local favorite and presidential contender Beto O’Rourke — took the Documentary Spotlight prize.
- 3/16/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The SXSW Film Festival unveiled the 2019 Jury and Special Award winners for 26th edition of the fest at Austin’s Paramount Theater with Josephine Mackerras-directed drama Alice winning in the Narrative Feature Competition and Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts’s For Sama taking top honors for the Documentary Feature Competition. Short films and other juried sections, including Film Design Awards were also presented.
Alice follows the titular character, a happy and perfect wife and mother whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her husband is living a secret life. She is left abandoned, financially ruined but fights back as she goes on a journey of self-discovery. For Sama tells the epic story of a young woman’s journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
SXSW also announced Special Awards including the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, the Vimeo Staff Picks Award,...
Alice follows the titular character, a happy and perfect wife and mother whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her husband is living a secret life. She is left abandoned, financially ruined but fights back as she goes on a journey of self-discovery. For Sama tells the epic story of a young woman’s journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
SXSW also announced Special Awards including the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, the Vimeo Staff Picks Award,...
- 3/13/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Josephine Mackerras' marital drama 'Alice' won the top prize for best narrative feature at the South by Southwest Awards on Tuesday night at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas.
The French film is Mackerras' feature directorial debut and explores the collapse of a seemingly perfect marriage. Emilie Piponnier stars as the title character who becomes a sex worker after discovering that her husband Francois, played by Martin Swabey, has taken all of their money and spent it -- including her inheritance from her father.
'Alice' also won the inaugural CherryPicks Female First Award, presented to a first-time female filmmaker.
The best documentary award went to the British production 'For Sama,' directed by Waad al-Khateab and Edward Watts. 'For Sama' tells the story of al-Khateab's journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
The French film is Mackerras' feature directorial debut and explores the collapse of a seemingly perfect marriage. Emilie Piponnier stars as the title character who becomes a sex worker after discovering that her husband Francois, played by Martin Swabey, has taken all of their money and spent it -- including her inheritance from her father.
'Alice' also won the inaugural CherryPicks Female First Award, presented to a first-time female filmmaker.
The best documentary award went to the British production 'For Sama,' directed by Waad al-Khateab and Edward Watts. 'For Sama' tells the story of al-Khateab's journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
- 3/13/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The SXSW Film Festival has announced the winners of the its Narrative and Documentary Competitions. The winners were unveiled during a ceremony at Austin’s Paramount Theater on Tuesday, alongside several other prizes for features and shorts from across the the SXSW lineup.
Among this year’s big Narrative Feature entries is Grand Jury winner “Alice,” Josephine Mackerras’ story of a woman’s choice to become a sex worker to support her husband and child. “For Sama,” this year’s Documentary Feature winner, follows a Syrian filmmaker as she starts a family amidst the backdrop of the country’s ongoing political turmoil.
Previous SXSW winners include Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and “Marwencol.” Last year, the top prizes went to “Thunder Road” and “People’s Republic of Desire.”
Audience awards will be announced closer to the conclusion of the festival. The full list of Tuesday evening’s winners can be...
Among this year’s big Narrative Feature entries is Grand Jury winner “Alice,” Josephine Mackerras’ story of a woman’s choice to become a sex worker to support her husband and child. “For Sama,” this year’s Documentary Feature winner, follows a Syrian filmmaker as she starts a family amidst the backdrop of the country’s ongoing political turmoil.
Previous SXSW winners include Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and “Marwencol.” Last year, the top prizes went to “Thunder Road” and “People’s Republic of Desire.”
Audience awards will be announced closer to the conclusion of the festival. The full list of Tuesday evening’s winners can be...
- 3/13/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Festival announces 102 features and episodic premieres for 26th edition.
Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum starring Matthew McConaughey as a rebellious stoner, John Lee Hancock’s western The Highwaymen starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, and The Day Shall Come from British arch provocateur Chris Morris will premiere at SXSW in March.
Festival top brass on Wednesday (16) announced 102 features and episodic premieres line-up for the 26th edition of the festival that runs from March 8-17 in Austin, Texas.
Besides The Beach Bum and The Highwaymen, the Headliners programme includes Universal’s sixth grade comedy Good Boys starring Jacob Tremblay, from...
Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum starring Matthew McConaughey as a rebellious stoner, John Lee Hancock’s western The Highwaymen starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, and The Day Shall Come from British arch provocateur Chris Morris will premiere at SXSW in March.
Festival top brass on Wednesday (16) announced 102 features and episodic premieres line-up for the 26th edition of the festival that runs from March 8-17 in Austin, Texas.
Besides The Beach Bum and The Highwaymen, the Headliners programme includes Universal’s sixth grade comedy Good Boys starring Jacob Tremblay, from...
- 1/16/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Festival announces 102 features and episodic premieres for 26th edition.
Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum starring Matthew McConaughey as a rebellious stoner, John Lee Hancock’s western The Highwaymen starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, and Taika Waititi’s TV version of his vampire feature What We Do In The Shadows will premiere at SXSW in March.
Festival top brass on Wednesday (16) announced 102 features and episodic premieres line-up for the 26th edition of the festival that runs from March 8-17 in Austin, Texas.
Besides The Beach Bum and The Highwaymen, the Headliners programme includes Universal’s sixth grade comedy Good Boys starring Jacob Tremblay,...
Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum starring Matthew McConaughey as a rebellious stoner, John Lee Hancock’s western The Highwaymen starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, and Taika Waititi’s TV version of his vampire feature What We Do In The Shadows will premiere at SXSW in March.
Festival top brass on Wednesday (16) announced 102 features and episodic premieres line-up for the 26th edition of the festival that runs from March 8-17 in Austin, Texas.
Besides The Beach Bum and The Highwaymen, the Headliners programme includes Universal’s sixth grade comedy Good Boys starring Jacob Tremblay,...
- 1/16/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Stefan Allesch-Taylor plans to back 20 more short films in 2018.
As Screen revealed in October 2017, UK businessman and philanthropist Stefan Allesch-Taylor has pledged £1m to fund short-form content.
Now, nine months on, Allesch-Taylor reveals that his organisation has to date part-funded 22 projects, many of which have played at festivals and won awards on the circuit. These include four short films which the organisation invested in for means-testing prior to its official launch.
The films backed so far include: Gerry, from writer-directors Victoria Hollup and Paul Agar, which recently won the La Shorts Fest’s best actress award for star Joan Collins; What Happened To Evie,...
As Screen revealed in October 2017, UK businessman and philanthropist Stefan Allesch-Taylor has pledged £1m to fund short-form content.
Now, nine months on, Allesch-Taylor reveals that his organisation has to date part-funded 22 projects, many of which have played at festivals and won awards on the circuit. These include four short films which the organisation invested in for means-testing prior to its official launch.
The films backed so far include: Gerry, from writer-directors Victoria Hollup and Paul Agar, which recently won the La Shorts Fest’s best actress award for star Joan Collins; What Happened To Evie,...
- 8/21/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
The best thing about "Scandalous," Kathie Lee Gifford's Broadway play, is that it represents dreams realized.
Gifford long wanted to make this musical about evangelist preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. Gifford wrote the book, the lyrics and some of the music, and has used her host spot on "Today" to promote it.
I suppose we should be happy when someone works so hard and for so long, then achieves that goal.
Though seeing her dream come to fruition may be grand for her, that's not the case for anyone who enters the Neil Simon Theatre. This is so cliched and amateurish, you half expect the curtain to fall and the school principal to come out on stage, thank the teachers who stayed after school to make this play happen and ask for a round of applause for the woodworking class for crafting the sets.
"Scandalous" is painfully dull and a...
Gifford long wanted to make this musical about evangelist preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. Gifford wrote the book, the lyrics and some of the music, and has used her host spot on "Today" to promote it.
I suppose we should be happy when someone works so hard and for so long, then achieves that goal.
Though seeing her dream come to fruition may be grand for her, that's not the case for anyone who enters the Neil Simon Theatre. This is so cliched and amateurish, you half expect the curtain to fall and the school principal to come out on stage, thank the teachers who stayed after school to make this play happen and ask for a round of applause for the woodworking class for crafting the sets.
"Scandalous" is painfully dull and a...
- 11/19/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
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