Chicago – The Amazon Rainforest, in the country of Brazil in South America, is often called the heartbeat of the world … its ecosystem is a regulator for climate and nature. As this natural land – and the native people who have called it home – is threatened by development, the story is told by director Alex Pritz in “The Territory.”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
“The Territory” is a shorthand for what is at stake in that part of the world. Not only are farmers and other “property” structures infiltrating the Amazon, but the indigenous native people (the Uru-eu-wau-wau tribe) – who have occupied the rainforest for generations – are dwindling and being forced out. The country of Brazil are coercing their laws onto the law of nature and tribal survival, and this “heartbeat of the world” is being slowly co-opted for the commercialization of human greed. It’s also up to the Uru-eu-wau-wau to save their land, against...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
“The Territory” is a shorthand for what is at stake in that part of the world. Not only are farmers and other “property” structures infiltrating the Amazon, but the indigenous native people (the Uru-eu-wau-wau tribe) – who have occupied the rainforest for generations – are dwindling and being forced out. The country of Brazil are coercing their laws onto the law of nature and tribal survival, and this “heartbeat of the world” is being slowly co-opted for the commercialization of human greed. It’s also up to the Uru-eu-wau-wau to save their land, against...
- 8/23/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
by Jason Adams
If you're into egregious public humiliations (and who isn't) then has Sophia has got a doozy for you. Jon Kasbe and Crystal Moselle's new documentary about the inventor David Hanson and his quest to perfect "the most realistic humanoid robot" has a scene so cringe that I nearly crawled right out of my own humanoid skin suit and called it a day. It's obviously a testament to the filmmakers skill that I found myself so emotionally invested in this verité science doc when it's basically just a portrait of how the sausage gets made. The "sausage" in question is a twitchy real-doll with feelings named Sophia... ...
If you're into egregious public humiliations (and who isn't) then has Sophia has got a doozy for you. Jon Kasbe and Crystal Moselle's new documentary about the inventor David Hanson and his quest to perfect "the most realistic humanoid robot" has a scene so cringe that I nearly crawled right out of my own humanoid skin suit and called it a day. It's obviously a testament to the filmmakers skill that I found myself so emotionally invested in this verité science doc when it's basically just a portrait of how the sausage gets made. The "sausage" in question is a twitchy real-doll with feelings named Sophia... ...
- 6/21/2022
- by JA
- FilmExperience
Click here to read the full article.
Film festivals tend to have program guides and those program guides tend to have blurbs describing the individual movies, and I generally only read those descriptions when I’m on the ground at a festival trying to make a last-second decision on my next screening.
I accidentally read the Tribeca Film Festival description for Jon Kasbe and Crystal Moselle’s documentary Sophia and, I have to admit, my eyebrow raised. The description refers to Sophia as “inspiring, kinetic and soulful storytelling: an uplifting film about what it means to be & feel human.”
The documentary I watched, one already ticketed for a Showtime premiere after an intended theatrical release, was a ruminative nightmare — a free-floating and non-judgmental piece of storytelling about the collective loss of humanity on the eve of the Covid-19 outbreak, a hypnotically insinuating warning about an alienating future that we’re clearly not ready for.
Film festivals tend to have program guides and those program guides tend to have blurbs describing the individual movies, and I generally only read those descriptions when I’m on the ground at a festival trying to make a last-second decision on my next screening.
I accidentally read the Tribeca Film Festival description for Jon Kasbe and Crystal Moselle’s documentary Sophia and, I have to admit, my eyebrow raised. The description refers to Sophia as “inspiring, kinetic and soulful storytelling: an uplifting film about what it means to be & feel human.”
The documentary I watched, one already ticketed for a Showtime premiere after an intended theatrical release, was a ruminative nightmare — a free-floating and non-judgmental piece of storytelling about the collective loss of humanity on the eve of the Covid-19 outbreak, a hypnotically insinuating warning about an alienating future that we’re clearly not ready for.
- 6/11/2022
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“I come from a family of geniuses and criminals,” confesses inventor David Hanson. And it’s not at all apparent if Hanson is the former, or a less pernicious version of the latter.
For years, Hanson has spent his days and nights developing “Sophia:” an android billed as “the most realistic humanoid robot in the world” and the namesake of this documentary. He can often be found hunched over at a workbench, pulling together synthetic materials to create more artificial faces for Sophia (there’s more than one version of her), gregariously charging his employees to push the technology at hand, or at conferences showing off a Sophia prototype in the hopes of raising money from prospective investors.
Continue reading ‘Sophia’ Review: Crystal Moselle’s New Doc With Jon Kasbe Gives A Platform To An Android-Creating Tech Grifter [Tribeca] at The Playlist.
For years, Hanson has spent his days and nights developing “Sophia:” an android billed as “the most realistic humanoid robot in the world” and the namesake of this documentary. He can often be found hunched over at a workbench, pulling together synthetic materials to create more artificial faces for Sophia (there’s more than one version of her), gregariously charging his employees to push the technology at hand, or at conferences showing off a Sophia prototype in the hopes of raising money from prospective investors.
Continue reading ‘Sophia’ Review: Crystal Moselle’s New Doc With Jon Kasbe Gives A Platform To An Android-Creating Tech Grifter [Tribeca] at The Playlist.
- 6/10/2022
- by Robert Daniels
- The Playlist
Plans are in the works to launch a new documentary film festival in Washington, D.C. in June 2023, with a launch event to take place later this month.
Jamie Shor, president of PR Collaborative, and Sky Sitney, director of the film and media studies program at Georgetown University, are founders of the new event, called DC/Dox.
The announcement comes after the AFI announced earlier this year that it would merge AFI Docs this year into the AFI Fest in Los Angeles in November.
“Washington, D.C. has always been an essential home for leading-edge documentary films,” Sitney said in a statement. “With the explosion of non-fiction storytelling in recent years, we wanted to create a new space to showcase this vital work.”
Shor, whose firm had done PR for AFI Docs, said that the festival will be “serving as a critical marketplace for the launch of prestige documentary films in the nation’s capital.
Jamie Shor, president of PR Collaborative, and Sky Sitney, director of the film and media studies program at Georgetown University, are founders of the new event, called DC/Dox.
The announcement comes after the AFI announced earlier this year that it would merge AFI Docs this year into the AFI Fest in Los Angeles in November.
“Washington, D.C. has always been an essential home for leading-edge documentary films,” Sitney said in a statement. “With the explosion of non-fiction storytelling in recent years, we wanted to create a new space to showcase this vital work.”
Shor, whose firm had done PR for AFI Docs, said that the festival will be “serving as a critical marketplace for the launch of prestige documentary films in the nation’s capital.
- 6/3/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Freeform announced Tuesday that it is launching a nonfiction slate with three new original series: “The Deep End,” “Dear Pony: Keep This Between Us” and “Day to Night,” all geared to appeal to the network’s young demographic.
“Nonfiction is a genre that our audience loves,” Jihan Robinson, vice president, alternative development at Freeform, said in a statement. “Our goal is to focus on character-driven narratives that are relatable and reflective of the Gen Z and millennial experience, and we could not be more proud to usher in the new wave of nonfiction programming with these three unique series.”
“The Deep End,” a four-part docu-series directed by Jon Kasbe, delves inside the world of a controversial female spiritual teacher. It was filmed over three years and is produced by Bits Sola and executive produced by The Documentary Group’s Tom Yellin and Gabrielle Tenenbaum. It premieres on the network Wednesday,...
“Nonfiction is a genre that our audience loves,” Jihan Robinson, vice president, alternative development at Freeform, said in a statement. “Our goal is to focus on character-driven narratives that are relatable and reflective of the Gen Z and millennial experience, and we could not be more proud to usher in the new wave of nonfiction programming with these three unique series.”
“The Deep End,” a four-part docu-series directed by Jon Kasbe, delves inside the world of a controversial female spiritual teacher. It was filmed over three years and is produced by Bits Sola and executive produced by The Documentary Group’s Tom Yellin and Gabrielle Tenenbaum. It premieres on the network Wednesday,...
- 4/5/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Freeform has pulled back the curtain on its move into non-fiction with two docuseries and a reality series kicking off its unscripted slate.
The Disney-owned network has ordered The Deep End, a four-part docuseries about controversial spiritual teachers, Dear Pony: Keep This Between Us, a series about grooming in U.S. high schools directed by Phoenix Rising helmer Amy Berg and Day to Night, an eight-part reality series set in New York City.
The slate is overseen by Jihan Robinson, VP, Alternative Development, Freeform, the former Quibi and Netflix exec who joined in December 2020.
Robinson said that non-fiction is a genre that its Gen Z and millennial audience loves.
“Freeform as a whole is just really looking to be reflective and authentic to the young adult experience,” she told Deadline. “As a part of that, this audience is really engaged and loves the category of nonfiction programming across the board.
The Disney-owned network has ordered The Deep End, a four-part docuseries about controversial spiritual teachers, Dear Pony: Keep This Between Us, a series about grooming in U.S. high schools directed by Phoenix Rising helmer Amy Berg and Day to Night, an eight-part reality series set in New York City.
The slate is overseen by Jihan Robinson, VP, Alternative Development, Freeform, the former Quibi and Netflix exec who joined in December 2020.
Robinson said that non-fiction is a genre that its Gen Z and millennial audience loves.
“Freeform as a whole is just really looking to be reflective and authentic to the young adult experience,” she told Deadline. “As a part of that, this audience is really engaged and loves the category of nonfiction programming across the board.
- 4/5/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Indie ethos, costume drama and rich fantasy won the day at the world’s top cinematography event, EnergaCamerimage Film Festival, on Saturday, with Joshua James Richards’ naturalistic filming in Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” taking the Golden Frog plus Fipresci jury honors. The chronicle of life on the rough edges of America’s society among retirees living on the road in trailers, based on Jessica Bruder’s nonfiction book “Nomadland: Surviving in the Twenty-First Century,” is considered a strong Oscars contender.
The 28th edition of Camerimage also wrapped with its award to an actor of unique visual sensitivity for Johnny Depp, whose Japan-set war correspondent story “Minamata,” filmed by Benoit Delhomme, screened at the fest. Depp said in a letter to the fest that shooting with the celebrated Dp was “a sort of dance” encouraged by director Andrew Levitas, who “encouraged us to explore.”
Fest president Marek Zydowicz described the fest...
The 28th edition of Camerimage also wrapped with its award to an actor of unique visual sensitivity for Johnny Depp, whose Japan-set war correspondent story “Minamata,” filmed by Benoit Delhomme, screened at the fest. Depp said in a letter to the fest that shooting with the celebrated Dp was “a sort of dance” encouraged by director Andrew Levitas, who “encouraged us to explore.”
Fest president Marek Zydowicz described the fest...
- 11/21/2020
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
After months of anticipation, mobile-only streaming service Quibi will launch Monday with dozens of titles, all served up in “quick bites” of 10 minutes or less. Among them are eight documentaries, including one from Brent Hodge following small-town corruption allegations and another from producer Lena Waithe about sneaker culture.
Additionally, IndieWire has exclusively learned of new non-fiction efforts in development at Quibi from documentary luminaries Marina Zenovich (“Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired”), Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (“Jesus Camp”), Morgan Neville (“Twenty Feet From Stardom”), Amy Berg (“Deliver Us From Evil”), and Chris Moukarbel (“Me at the Zoo”).
More from IndieWireQuibi Is the $1.75 Billion Gamble No One Can Predict -- AnalysisStreaming Wars: Quibi Faces Its Ultimate Test, 'Big Little Lies' Starts a Trend, and 'Tiger King' Roars
Quibi also has projects in the pipeline from Jon Kasbe, Joanna Natasegara and Orlando Von Einsiedel, Julie Goldman, and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions.
Additionally, IndieWire has exclusively learned of new non-fiction efforts in development at Quibi from documentary luminaries Marina Zenovich (“Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired”), Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (“Jesus Camp”), Morgan Neville (“Twenty Feet From Stardom”), Amy Berg (“Deliver Us From Evil”), and Chris Moukarbel (“Me at the Zoo”).
More from IndieWireQuibi Is the $1.75 Billion Gamble No One Can Predict -- AnalysisStreaming Wars: Quibi Faces Its Ultimate Test, 'Big Little Lies' Starts a Trend, and 'Tiger King' Roars
Quibi also has projects in the pipeline from Jon Kasbe, Joanna Natasegara and Orlando Von Einsiedel, Julie Goldman, and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions.
- 4/5/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
This coolly even-handed documentary dips into the lives of an ivory poacher and a stressed-out wildlife ranger trying to obstruct the illegal trade
Jon Kasbe’s documentary When Lambs Become Lions has been much praised on the festival circuit, and it is cleverly and effectively made, seeking to grip you the way a thriller would. Yet I’m not sure that I was completely on board with this film, which appears to have smoothly carpentered its narrative in the edit. Is it almost too good to be true?
The film gives us a coolly even-handed study of some ivory hunters in Kenya – and also the rangers, the hunters of the hunters, who have to roam through the landscape, in their camouflage gear and assault rifles, on the lookout for those who are illegally killing elephants for their tusks.
Jon Kasbe’s documentary When Lambs Become Lions has been much praised on the festival circuit, and it is cleverly and effectively made, seeking to grip you the way a thriller would. Yet I’m not sure that I was completely on board with this film, which appears to have smoothly carpentered its narrative in the edit. Is it almost too good to be true?
The film gives us a coolly even-handed study of some ivory hunters in Kenya – and also the rangers, the hunters of the hunters, who have to roam through the landscape, in their camouflage gear and assault rifles, on the lookout for those who are illegally killing elephants for their tusks.
- 2/12/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Focus Features is looking to flood the specialty box office with their latest title Dark Waters from director Todd Haynes. The film, which stars Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway, is based on a true story about attorney Rob Bilott (Ruffalo) who uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world’s largest corporations.
Dubbed a legal thriller, the film written by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan, uses Nathaniel Rich’s 2016 New York Times Magazine article “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” as a jumping-off point to tell the story about Bilott, who risks everything in his life to expose the truth about the contaminated water supply and the big company that is responsible — something that is still affecting the community today.
“It’s about what’s going on in the world and humanity in general — what people know and...
Dubbed a legal thriller, the film written by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan, uses Nathaniel Rich’s 2016 New York Times Magazine article “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” as a jumping-off point to tell the story about Bilott, who risks everything in his life to expose the truth about the contaminated water supply and the big company that is responsible — something that is still affecting the community today.
“It’s about what’s going on in the world and humanity in general — what people know and...
- 11/22/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
When it comes to sympathetic documentary subjects, elephant poachers rank somewhere between Steve Bannon and those responsible for the Indonesian genocide. To hear one of those poachers tell it in “When Lambs Become Lions,” however, it’s the rangers attempting to stymie their efforts who are “not human” because of the lethal action they take when catching would-be hunters on protected lands.
Director Jon Kasbe allows both sides to speak their piece in his non-fiction film (shot over the course of three years in Kenya), which takes its name from one of that country’s proverbs: “An empty stomach will turn many lambs into lions.”
Suffice to say that this documentary lives up to that adage. The first thing to know about the movie is that it does not feature any direct footage of elephants being harmed or killed, though two scenes come close. That’s a mercy as well as a relief,...
Director Jon Kasbe allows both sides to speak their piece in his non-fiction film (shot over the course of three years in Kenya), which takes its name from one of that country’s proverbs: “An empty stomach will turn many lambs into lions.”
Suffice to say that this documentary lives up to that adage. The first thing to know about the movie is that it does not feature any direct footage of elephants being harmed or killed, though two scenes come close. That’s a mercy as well as a relief,...
- 11/22/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- The Wrap
One of our favorite films from the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival was “When Lambs Become Lions,” a shocking documentary from director Jon Kasbe that explores both sides of the ivory trade with empathy and clarity. While the shrinking elephant population is one of the great ecological disasters of our time—the World Wide Fund for Nature credits the ivory trade with killing “tens of thousands” of elephants every single year—there are also economic factors at play that are difficult to unpack and fix.
Continue reading Poachers And Rangers Collide In The Trailer For ‘When Lambs Become Lions’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading Poachers And Rangers Collide In The Trailer For ‘When Lambs Become Lions’ at The Playlist.
- 10/26/2019
- by Matthew Monagle
- The Playlist
"Better to kill the poacher and spare the elephant." Oscilloscope Labs has debuted an official trailer for a documentary titled When Lambs Become Lions, a film made over three years of time by filmmaker Jon Kasbe. This premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and also played at the Zurich, San Diego, Budapest, and Docs Against Gravity Film Festivals. Set in the Kenyan bush, a small-time ivory dealer fights to stay on top while forces mobilize to destroy his trade. When he turns to his younger cousin, a conflicted wildlife ranger who hasn't been paid in months, they both see a possible lifeline. It took Kasbe three years filming to make this doc. The result is a rare and visually arresting look at the perspectives and motives of the people at the epicenter of this conservation crisis. When Lambs Become Lions is committed to showcasing the plight of elephants however it...
- 10/24/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“When Lambs Become Lions,” a new documentary about African elephant poaching, reveals that the fight to protect these animals is far more complicated than one would imagine.
The first trailer for the documentary film, which TheWrap is sharing exclusively, shows the fight from both perspectives. Director Jon Kasbe spent years embedded with both a small-time ivory dealer who is willing to break the law to provide for his family as well as a man willing to put elephant lives over human life and who operates like no ordinary conversation ranger.
“These are charismatic, complicated, and relatable men who do illegal or abhorrent things. I didn’t understand them, and I wanted to,” Kasbe said in the press notes for “When Lambs Become Lions.” “I wanted to explore their complexity and remain open to understanding things that were much easier to hate. The only way to do that–for an outsider...
The first trailer for the documentary film, which TheWrap is sharing exclusively, shows the fight from both perspectives. Director Jon Kasbe spent years embedded with both a small-time ivory dealer who is willing to break the law to provide for his family as well as a man willing to put elephant lives over human life and who operates like no ordinary conversation ranger.
“These are charismatic, complicated, and relatable men who do illegal or abhorrent things. I didn’t understand them, and I wanted to,” Kasbe said in the press notes for “When Lambs Become Lions.” “I wanted to explore their complexity and remain open to understanding things that were much easier to hate. The only way to do that–for an outsider...
- 10/23/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Oscilloscope Laboratories has rounded out its 2019 slate by acquiring three documentaries: Stephen Wilkes’ “Jay Myself,” Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian’s “Midnight Traveler,” and Jon Kasbe’s “When Lambs Become Lions.” The three films premiered at Doc NYC, Sundance, and Tribeca, respectively, with several awards among them.
Here’s the skinny on all three:
“Jay Myself” follows the arduous moving process of Jay Maisel, a photographer and artist who sold his home — a century-old, 35,000 square-foot building in Manhattan known as The Bank — in 2015 after nearly 50 years there. “Through the intimate lens of filmmaker and Jay’s protégé, noted artist and photographer Stephen Wilkes,” O-Scope’s description says, “the viewer is taken on a remarkable journey through Jay’s life as an artist, mentor, and man; a man grappling with time, life, change, and the end of an era in New York City.”
The film, Wilkes’ debut feature documentary, opens at...
Here’s the skinny on all three:
“Jay Myself” follows the arduous moving process of Jay Maisel, a photographer and artist who sold his home — a century-old, 35,000 square-foot building in Manhattan known as The Bank — in 2015 after nearly 50 years there. “Through the intimate lens of filmmaker and Jay’s protégé, noted artist and photographer Stephen Wilkes,” O-Scope’s description says, “the viewer is taken on a remarkable journey through Jay’s life as an artist, mentor, and man; a man grappling with time, life, change, and the end of an era in New York City.”
The film, Wilkes’ debut feature documentary, opens at...
- 3/29/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Oscilloscope Laboratories is cleaning up when it comes to acclaimed documentaries. The film production and distribution founded by the late great Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys announced today that they have acquired the North American rights to a trio of docus: Stephen Wikes’s documentary about photographer Jay Maisel Jay Myself, Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian’s award-winning Midnight Traveler and Jon Kasbe’s debut documentary feature on the ivory trade, When Lambs Become Lions.
Jay Myself marks Wilkes’s feature documentary debut. The film bowed in 2018 at Doc NYC and will open in New York on July 31 with national expansion over the following weeks.
The documentary documents the monumental move of renowned photographer and artist, Jay Maisel, who, in February 2015 after 48 years, begrudgingly sold his home; the 35,000 square- foot, 100-year-old landmark building in Manhattan known simply as “The Bank.” Wilkes, also an artist and photographer who was Maisel’s protege,...
Jay Myself marks Wilkes’s feature documentary debut. The film bowed in 2018 at Doc NYC and will open in New York on July 31 with national expansion over the following weeks.
The documentary documents the monumental move of renowned photographer and artist, Jay Maisel, who, in February 2015 after 48 years, begrudgingly sold his home; the 35,000 square- foot, 100-year-old landmark building in Manhattan known simply as “The Bank.” Wilkes, also an artist and photographer who was Maisel’s protege,...
- 3/29/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The Master Class is a five-day networking and mentoring programme for 20 emerging filmmakers.
Director Kevin Madconald, Endgame Entertainment CEO James D Stern and producer Gabrielle Tana are among the expert speakers participating in the Zurich Film Festival’s Master Class that begins today (October 3).
The Master Class is an intensive five-day networking and mentoring programme for 20 directors, screenwriters and producers from 18 counties.
Further speakers include filmmakers Christian Frei, Jacob Berger, Jon Kasbe and Ann Hui, and writer Thomas Meyer.
The programme kicks off today with Srf Writer’s Day, a collaboration with Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. The day’s activities...
Director Kevin Madconald, Endgame Entertainment CEO James D Stern and producer Gabrielle Tana are among the expert speakers participating in the Zurich Film Festival’s Master Class that begins today (October 3).
The Master Class is an intensive five-day networking and mentoring programme for 20 directors, screenwriters and producers from 18 counties.
Further speakers include filmmakers Christian Frei, Jacob Berger, Jon Kasbe and Ann Hui, and writer Thomas Meyer.
The programme kicks off today with Srf Writer’s Day, a collaboration with Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. The day’s activities...
- 10/3/2018
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Over 200 projects announced, including 37 world and 70 UK premieres.
UK documentary festival Sheffield Doc/Fest has unveiled the programme for its 25th edition, which runs from June 7-12 this summer.
Amongst the titles are a screening of McQueen, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s film about the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen composed of archival footage and personal testimonials.
Last month Sean McAllister’s A Northern Soul was announced as the opening night film.
Scroll down for the full list of films in competition
The 2018 official competition jury includes documentarian Mark Cousins, director Sophie Fiennes and artists Liv Wynter and Samson Kambalu.
UK documentary festival Sheffield Doc/Fest has unveiled the programme for its 25th edition, which runs from June 7-12 this summer.
Amongst the titles are a screening of McQueen, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s film about the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen composed of archival footage and personal testimonials.
Last month Sean McAllister’s A Northern Soul was announced as the opening night film.
Scroll down for the full list of films in competition
The 2018 official competition jury includes documentarian Mark Cousins, director Sophie Fiennes and artists Liv Wynter and Samson Kambalu.
- 5/3/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
“I have a special gift,” says “X” in Jon Kasbe’s supple, complex, and darkly gorgeous documentary “When Lambs Become Lions,” having its world premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. “A sweet tongue and a smart brain.” He’s an ivory poacher in northern Kenya. More specifically, he’s a fixer, operating between the armed men who go into the bush to slaughter elephants and hack off their tusks, and the moneymen who pay top dollar for the gruesome cargo.
- 4/30/2018
- by Chris Barsanti
- The Playlist
New York City – The 17th Edition of the Tribeca Film Festival continues through April 29th, 2018, but the main jury awards were announced on April 26th at Awards Night ceremonies. “DIane,” directed by Kent Jones, was awarded Best U.S. Narrative Feature. “Smuggling Hendrix” took the honors for Best International Narrative Feature, and “Island of Hungry Ghosts” was Best Documentary Feature.
Awards were distributed in the following feature film competition categories – U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, New Narrative Director, The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director, and the Nora Ephron Prize, honoring a woman writer or director. Awards were also given in the short film categories – Narrative, Documentary, Student Visionary and Animation. For the sixth year, Tribeca awarded innovation in storytelling through its Storyscapes Award for immersive (Vr) storytelling.
Jury Awards for the 17th Tribeca Film Festival Took Place on April 26th, 2018
Photo credit: Tribeca Film Festival
“It is rewarding to honor...
Awards were distributed in the following feature film competition categories – U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, New Narrative Director, The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director, and the Nora Ephron Prize, honoring a woman writer or director. Awards were also given in the short film categories – Narrative, Documentary, Student Visionary and Animation. For the sixth year, Tribeca awarded innovation in storytelling through its Storyscapes Award for immersive (Vr) storytelling.
Jury Awards for the 17th Tribeca Film Festival Took Place on April 26th, 2018
Photo credit: Tribeca Film Festival
“It is rewarding to honor...
- 4/28/2018
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Top honors at the 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival have gone to Diane for the Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, Smuggling Hendrix for Best International Narrative Feature, and Island of the Hungry Ghosts for Best Documentary Feature. On the acting side, Alia Shawkat won Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film for Miguel Arteta’s Duck Butter, and Jeffrey Wright took the Best Actor honor for O.G.
First-time narrative director and writer Kent Jones (who is also the executive director of the New York Film Festival) won two prizes at Tribeca for Diane, and the film starring Mary Kay Place won three. Estelle Parsons, Andrea Martin, Deirdre O’Connell and Jake Lacy co-star in the film, about a widowed, altruistic seventysomething woman whose life is dictated by the needs of others, and who finds herself forced to look at her own identity.
Screenings of...
First-time narrative director and writer Kent Jones (who is also the executive director of the New York Film Festival) won two prizes at Tribeca for Diane, and the film starring Mary Kay Place won three. Estelle Parsons, Andrea Martin, Deirdre O’Connell and Jake Lacy co-star in the film, about a widowed, altruistic seventysomething woman whose life is dictated by the needs of others, and who finds herself forced to look at her own identity.
Screenings of...
- 4/26/2018
- by Anita Busch
- Deadline Film + TV
“Diane,” writer-director Kent Jones’ drama starring Mary Kay Place, and actors Jeffrey Wright and Alia Shawkat were among the winners of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival’s slate of juried awards.
“Diane,” the first narrative feature from New York Film Festival director Jones, centers on a 70-something woman (Place) and the relationships and memories she’d rather not confront, and won awards for narrative feature, cinematography and for screenplay (U.S. narrative). Wright (“Westworld”) scored a trophy for “O.G.,” in which he plays a maximum-security prison inmate, and Shawkat (“Arrested Development”) earned her award for her turn in “Duck Butter,” about a romantic experiment between two women.
Also on the list of Tribeca award recipients were international narrative feature winner “Smuggling Hendrix,” Marios’ Piperides movie about a washed-up musician trying to rescue his dog, and “Island of the Hungry Ghosts,” Gabrielle Brady’s winning documentary feature about a detention center on Christmas Island.
“Diane,” the first narrative feature from New York Film Festival director Jones, centers on a 70-something woman (Place) and the relationships and memories she’d rather not confront, and won awards for narrative feature, cinematography and for screenplay (U.S. narrative). Wright (“Westworld”) scored a trophy for “O.G.,” in which he plays a maximum-security prison inmate, and Shawkat (“Arrested Development”) earned her award for her turn in “Duck Butter,” about a romantic experiment between two women.
Also on the list of Tribeca award recipients were international narrative feature winner “Smuggling Hendrix,” Marios’ Piperides movie about a washed-up musician trying to rescue his dog, and “Island of the Hungry Ghosts,” Gabrielle Brady’s winning documentary feature about a detention center on Christmas Island.
- 4/26/2018
- by Gordon Cox
- Variety Film + TV
Beginning next week is the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and, quite often, a number of gems can be found in its documentary lineup. One film that’s caught our eye is When Lambs Become Lions, executive produced by Matt Heineman and The Documentary Group (Cartel Land), and directed by emerging filmmaker Jon Kasbe. Ahead of the premiere, we’re pleased to debut an exclusive clip.
Exploring the violative African poaching trade, the film profiles an ivory dealer from Kenya and his cousin, a wildlife ranger who is tasked with hunting down poachers. It has the makings of an emotional, complex documentary, and with the award-winning Kasbe at the helm, it should prove to be a break-out. Check out the clip below, which introduces the ivory dealer, and see more info here.
In Kenya, the intersecting lives of three men crystallize the fierce conflict over conservation efforts in the country’s vast northern plains.
Exploring the violative African poaching trade, the film profiles an ivory dealer from Kenya and his cousin, a wildlife ranger who is tasked with hunting down poachers. It has the makings of an emotional, complex documentary, and with the award-winning Kasbe at the helm, it should prove to be a break-out. Check out the clip below, which introduces the ivory dealer, and see more info here.
In Kenya, the intersecting lives of three men crystallize the fierce conflict over conservation efforts in the country’s vast northern plains.
- 4/13/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
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