In the last few years, I’ve happily watched and reviewed documentaries about Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish, both of which were presented on major streaming services and made with the full cooperation of the artists in question. So it wouldn’t have been shocking if either of those films turned out to be a glorified promotional tool. On the other hand, “Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free,” which premiered today at SXSW, is built around a trove of 16mm footage discovered in 2020 in the Tom Petty archive. The film was shot by Petty’s filmographer Martyn Atkins while Petty was recording his second solo album, “Wildflowers” (1994), and performing on the concert tour that followed its release.
In 2021, just saying the phrase “16mm” can give you a tingle. It sounds so raw and private, so home-movie analog. But here’s an irony for you. Both the Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish docs are,...
In 2021, just saying the phrase “16mm” can give you a tingle. It sounds so raw and private, so home-movie analog. But here’s an irony for you. Both the Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish docs are,...
- 3/18/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday released its official entries for 2021 Oscars in the categories of Documentary Feature, Animated Feature and International Films. The takeaway: As expected, the eligible Documentary Feature lineup shatters the record for the most ever.
A total of 238 features are eligible for consideration in the Doc Feature category, breaking the previous record of 170 set in 2017. Last year, by contrast, 159 feature documentaries qualified. The Academy relaxed eligibility rules in light of Covid-19, so that any film that could make a claim of an intended theatrical release was deemed eligible. Earning awards from film festivals was an alternative way to qualify.
For the International Feature race, Lesotho, Sudan and Suriname are first-time entrants among the 93 eligible titles, the same total as last year. Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors boosted the number of films eligible for the shortlist from 10 to 15. Under the new rules,...
A total of 238 features are eligible for consideration in the Doc Feature category, breaking the previous record of 170 set in 2017. Last year, by contrast, 159 feature documentaries qualified. The Academy relaxed eligibility rules in light of Covid-19, so that any film that could make a claim of an intended theatrical release was deemed eligible. Earning awards from film festivals was an alternative way to qualify.
For the International Feature race, Lesotho, Sudan and Suriname are first-time entrants among the 93 eligible titles, the same total as last year. Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors boosted the number of films eligible for the shortlist from 10 to 15. Under the new rules,...
- 1/28/2021
- by Patrick Hipes and Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Academy has added 93 more films to the members-only screening room devoted to entries in the Best Documentary Feature category, bringing the total number of eligible contenders to a record-shattering 215.
The previous record for entries was 170 in 2017. And this year’s crop of nonfiction films is expected to pass that number by an even bigger margin — at least 50 — once a final, smaller group of films is added to the screening room in January.
New eligibility rules that were passed in the wake of the Covid-19 theater closings made it easier for documentaries to qualify this year by allowing them to do so by playing at film festivals, even virtual ones, and by easing requirements for theatrical runs. In an email to members detailing the new additions, the Academy said, “The Documentary Branch Executive Committee felt it was important to be inclusive and supportive of documentary filmmakers in this unprecedented and challenging year.
The previous record for entries was 170 in 2017. And this year’s crop of nonfiction films is expected to pass that number by an even bigger margin — at least 50 — once a final, smaller group of films is added to the screening room in January.
New eligibility rules that were passed in the wake of the Covid-19 theater closings made it easier for documentaries to qualify this year by allowing them to do so by playing at film festivals, even virtual ones, and by easing requirements for theatrical runs. In an email to members detailing the new additions, the Academy said, “The Documentary Branch Executive Committee felt it was important to be inclusive and supportive of documentary filmmakers in this unprecedented and challenging year.
- 12/22/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
What’s New on DVD in November: ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ ‘Weathering With You,’ ‘Essential Fellini’ and More
New Indie
Big month for Charlie Plummer, as the young star of “Lean on Pete” has lead roles in two critically-acclaimed films making their way to DVD and Blu-ray: “Words on Bathroom Walls” (Lionsgate) stars Plummer as a teenager overcoming a mental illness diagnosis to chase his dreams of becoming a chef. The drama’s impressive ensemble includes Taylor Russell (“Waves”), Andy Garcia, AnnaSophia Robb, Beth Grant, Molly Parker and Walton Goggins. In the YA adaptation “Spontaneous” (Paramount Home Entertainment), Plummer and Katherine Langford (“13 Reasons Why”) play high school seniors who manage to find love despite the fact that many of their classmates seem to be unexpectedly exploding.
New Foreign
The team behind the global anime smash “Your Name” returns with another transcendent love story in “Weathering With You” (Gkids/Shout Factory), an epic saga of rain, young love and potato-chip fried rice that includes the English-language dub that...
Big month for Charlie Plummer, as the young star of “Lean on Pete” has lead roles in two critically-acclaimed films making their way to DVD and Blu-ray: “Words on Bathroom Walls” (Lionsgate) stars Plummer as a teenager overcoming a mental illness diagnosis to chase his dreams of becoming a chef. The drama’s impressive ensemble includes Taylor Russell (“Waves”), Andy Garcia, AnnaSophia Robb, Beth Grant, Molly Parker and Walton Goggins. In the YA adaptation “Spontaneous” (Paramount Home Entertainment), Plummer and Katherine Langford (“13 Reasons Why”) play high school seniors who manage to find love despite the fact that many of their classmates seem to be unexpectedly exploding.
New Foreign
The team behind the global anime smash “Your Name” returns with another transcendent love story in “Weathering With You” (Gkids/Shout Factory), an epic saga of rain, young love and potato-chip fried rice that includes the English-language dub that...
- 11/29/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
The Guild of Music Supervisors (Gms) has announced the full agenda for its third annual event and film festival in partnership with Mondo.NYC.
Among those participating are Bryan Cosgrove, head of creative music licensing for TikTok, and Sam Hayflitch from Viacom and +1 The Vote. “Mr. Soul!” and “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” will also screen.
For the first time, the event will be accompanied by a three-night film festival featuring music-oriented full-length documentaries and Q&As with the music supervisors and directors who worked on the projects.
Both the NYC Education Event and Film Festival will explore the opportunities and challenges of supervision and sync and master licensing, and how related technologies like AI, data collection/analytics and more may impact them.
The program takes place on Thursday, October 15 from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. Et.
Full Agenda Below:
October 15, 2020
Conference Kickoff: 12:00 noon Et/ 9:00 a.
Among those participating are Bryan Cosgrove, head of creative music licensing for TikTok, and Sam Hayflitch from Viacom and +1 The Vote. “Mr. Soul!” and “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” will also screen.
For the first time, the event will be accompanied by a three-night film festival featuring music-oriented full-length documentaries and Q&As with the music supervisors and directors who worked on the projects.
Both the NYC Education Event and Film Festival will explore the opportunities and challenges of supervision and sync and master licensing, and how related technologies like AI, data collection/analytics and more may impact them.
The program takes place on Thursday, October 15 from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. Et.
Full Agenda Below:
October 15, 2020
Conference Kickoff: 12:00 noon Et/ 9:00 a.
- 10/9/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on September 10th, 2020, reviewing the new films “I Am Woman” (VOD and theaters) and “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” (virtual and actual theaters).
Rating: 3.5/5.0
I Am Woman As you would guess, this film is about Helen Reddy, and the journey to her signature song. Fellow Australian Tilda Cobham-Hervey distinctly portrays Reddy, who won a contest to record a record in the U.S. in the 1960s … only to travel here with her daughter and find out the prize didn’t exist. She stayed and eventually met agent and future husband Jeff Wald (Evan Peters) who took her on a rocky path to her 1970s hit making period. 3.5/5 stars.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President The improbable rise of a peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, to the White House is told through the filter...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
I Am Woman As you would guess, this film is about Helen Reddy, and the journey to her signature song. Fellow Australian Tilda Cobham-Hervey distinctly portrays Reddy, who won a contest to record a record in the U.S. in the 1960s … only to travel here with her daughter and find out the prize didn’t exist. She stayed and eventually met agent and future husband Jeff Wald (Evan Peters) who took her on a rocky path to her 1970s hit making period. 3.5/5 stars.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President The improbable rise of a peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, to the White House is told through the filter...
- 9/12/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
With no major new releases, Tenet is once again set to be the weekend’s biggest box office story. The film held strong in Germany, with a 24% drop, and had a steeper drop in the UK and in France, at 59.9% and 57% respectively. Internationally, the film’s largest new territory is in Hong Kong, but seeing what happens domestically is one of the keys to determining whether Tenet’s release strategy will pay off.
Some good news for Tenet is that theaters have gotten the green light to reopen in some additional California counties, the largest being Orange County, albeit with 25% capacity and 100-person caps. While the state’s key markets of Los Angeles and San Francisco remain closed, the new rules open theaters for millions of people. This staggered opening could give the film longer legs than one might expect from a traditional release, with the country’s top markets still yet to reopen.
Some good news for Tenet is that theaters have gotten the green light to reopen in some additional California counties, the largest being Orange County, albeit with 25% capacity and 100-person caps. While the state’s key markets of Los Angeles and San Francisco remain closed, the new rules open theaters for millions of people. This staggered opening could give the film longer legs than one might expect from a traditional release, with the country’s top markets still yet to reopen.
- 9/10/2020
- by Sam Mendelsohn <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
Greenwich Entertainment has acquired the North American theatrical and home entertainment rights to the documentary “Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President.”
CNN Films acquired the Na broadcast rights to the film earlier this month. It was supposed to be the opening night film at the Tribeca Film Festival in April before the coronavirus pandemic shut down festivals. It closed out the AFI Docs Festival last week.
“Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” showcases the role music played in propelling Jimmy Carter from Georgia to the White House, and how his love for music gave him an unexpected edge in the presidential race. Willie Nelson, Bono, Bob Dylan, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Jimmy Buffett, Roseanne Cash, Chuck Leavell, Paul Simon, Andrew Young, and Madeleine Albright are just a few of the contributors giving interviews in the documentary. Rare, archival footage from live performances by Buffett, Nelson, etc. are also included in the documentary.
CNN Films acquired the Na broadcast rights to the film earlier this month. It was supposed to be the opening night film at the Tribeca Film Festival in April before the coronavirus pandemic shut down festivals. It closed out the AFI Docs Festival last week.
“Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” showcases the role music played in propelling Jimmy Carter from Georgia to the White House, and how his love for music gave him an unexpected edge in the presidential race. Willie Nelson, Bono, Bob Dylan, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Jimmy Buffett, Roseanne Cash, Chuck Leavell, Paul Simon, Andrew Young, and Madeleine Albright are just a few of the contributors giving interviews in the documentary. Rare, archival footage from live performances by Buffett, Nelson, etc. are also included in the documentary.
- 6/30/2020
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Exclusive: For all intents and purposes, the Tribeca Film Festival wrapped last week with the announcement of winners in various categories. Of course there was no live Tribeca this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the festival went ahead as virtually as it could by creating an Extranet where some of the accepted films could be screened online for press and buyers, among others. That option is still open through next week for those movies that want to participate, but the fact is the higher-profile titles did not want to put in jeopardy a true distribution deal by giving away their film, sans traditional festival premiere, and risking a much bigger deal than just getting seen in this unprecedented way, similar to the experiment SXSW forged with Amazon for their interested filmmakers mourning the loss of a key fest berth.
As I wrote on what would have been the...
As I wrote on what would have been the...
- 5/5/2020
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
“I’m not going to lie I cried, I sobbed. And I sort of hate to admit it, because it’s not about me. But we worked so hard for, you know, a couple of years on this movie. And it felt like there were times when we weren’t sure if it was even ever going to get made or anything. And then to have it lined up, this is how it works: you take it to your festival and then the buyers get excited about it, and you sell it, and it goes out into the world, and that’s how things normally work. To have that all just sort of ripped out from under you is very disappointing, for sure.”
Those are the words of Mary Wharton, director of Jimmy Carter: Rock And Roll President, the documentary chosen to open the 2020 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival.
Those are the words of Mary Wharton, director of Jimmy Carter: Rock And Roll President, the documentary chosen to open the 2020 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival.
- 4/16/2020
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The Tribeca Film Festival on Monday unveiled plans to kick off its 19th installment with the world premiere of director Mary Wharton’s Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President – a rockumentary-style presidential portrait that shows how popular music helped propel the folksy peanut farmer from rural Georgia to the White House. The film will launch a politically active fest this year with a get-out-the vote effort.
The opening-night announcement came on President’s Day during a divisive election season and the festival said a focus is to showcase the power of inspiring change through art, politics and community as it unspools April 15-26.
Concurrently, the festival will provide audiences access to online tools to make voting easy, including text updates, and education on ways to get involved in their local elections. To do that, Tribeca has partnered with Democracy Works and Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition of businesses “working together to...
The opening-night announcement came on President’s Day during a divisive election season and the festival said a focus is to showcase the power of inspiring change through art, politics and community as it unspools April 15-26.
Concurrently, the festival will provide audiences access to online tools to make voting easy, including text updates, and education on ways to get involved in their local elections. To do that, Tribeca has partnered with Democracy Works and Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition of businesses “working together to...
- 2/17/2020
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
A documentary about the role of popular music in helping bring Jimmy Carter to the White House, “Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President,” will open the 19th Tribeca Film Festival April 15 this year. Billed as a rockumentary-style presidential portrait, is directed by veteran music documentarian Mary Wharton.
“Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” features 2018 interviews with Carter, who was then 93, and rare archival footage of Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon, and more.
Wharton’s film explores the use of folk, soul, gospel, jazz, and rock in helping Carter get elected and the president’s friendships with Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers, and Nelson.
“The film accurately captures my love for all music and the importance music has played in my personal and professional life. I remain hopeful and believe that music can serve to bring us together as a nation,” Carter said in a statement. “Rosalynn and I are...
“Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” features 2018 interviews with Carter, who was then 93, and rare archival footage of Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon, and more.
Wharton’s film explores the use of folk, soul, gospel, jazz, and rock in helping Carter get elected and the president’s friendships with Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers, and Nelson.
“The film accurately captures my love for all music and the importance music has played in my personal and professional life. I remain hopeful and believe that music can serve to bring us together as a nation,” Carter said in a statement. “Rosalynn and I are...
- 2/17/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
The 19th annual Tribeca Film Festival will open on April 15 with the world premiere of the documentary “Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President.”
The film explores Carter’s lifelong passion for all genres of music and how it helped propel him, a former peanut farmer from Georgia, all the way to the White House. Carter’s friendships with musicians like Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers and Willie Nelson will be featured, and archival footage of performances by Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett and Paul Simon will be shown. The doc is directed by Mary Wharton, produced by Chris Farrell and written by Bill Flanagan.
“The film accurately captures my love for all music and the importance music has played in my personal and professional life,” Carter said in a statement. “I remain hopeful and believe that music can serve to bring us together as a nation. Rosalynn and I are pleased with...
The film explores Carter’s lifelong passion for all genres of music and how it helped propel him, a former peanut farmer from Georgia, all the way to the White House. Carter’s friendships with musicians like Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers and Willie Nelson will be featured, and archival footage of performances by Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett and Paul Simon will be shown. The doc is directed by Mary Wharton, produced by Chris Farrell and written by Bill Flanagan.
“The film accurately captures my love for all music and the importance music has played in my personal and professional life,” Carter said in a statement. “I remain hopeful and believe that music can serve to bring us together as a nation. Rosalynn and I are pleased with...
- 2/17/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival will open with the world premiere of the documentary Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President, it was announced today.
The film, directed by Mary Wharton, illustrates the role of popular music and Carter's passion for it in helping propel the Georgia peanut farmer to the White House. The doc was written by Bill Flanagan and produced by Chris Farrell.
The world premiere event, April 15, will take place at the Beacon Theatre and be followed by live performances from Willie Nelson, featured in the doc via archival footage, and musical director Paul Shaffer.
The doc ...
The film, directed by Mary Wharton, illustrates the role of popular music and Carter's passion for it in helping propel the Georgia peanut farmer to the White House. The doc was written by Bill Flanagan and produced by Chris Farrell.
The world premiere event, April 15, will take place at the Beacon Theatre and be followed by live performances from Willie Nelson, featured in the doc via archival footage, and musical director Paul Shaffer.
The doc ...
- 2/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival will open with the world premiere of the documentary Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President, it was announced today.
The film, directed by Mary Wharton, illustrates the role of popular music and Carter's passion for it in helping propel the Georgia peanut farmer to the White House. The doc was written by Bill Flanagan and produced by Chris Farrell.
The world premiere event, April 15, will take place at the Beacon Theatre and be followed by live performances from Willie Nelson, featured in the doc via archival footage, and musical director Paul Shaffer.
The doc ...
The film, directed by Mary Wharton, illustrates the role of popular music and Carter's passion for it in helping propel the Georgia peanut farmer to the White House. The doc was written by Bill Flanagan and produced by Chris Farrell.
The world premiere event, April 15, will take place at the Beacon Theatre and be followed by live performances from Willie Nelson, featured in the doc via archival footage, and musical director Paul Shaffer.
The doc ...
- 2/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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