Having recently shifted away from their one-film-a-day approach, Mubi has now unveiled their October lineup, which is headlined by Ira Sachs’ stellar drama Passages following its theatrical run this summer. The slate also features handpicked selections by Sachs, with work by Maurice Pialat, Luchino Visconti, Jack Hazan, Shirley Clarke, and Tsai Ming-liang.
Also arriving in October is “Watch If You Dare: Horror Halloween,” a series featuring a trio of giallo classics, with The Fifth Cord, The Possessed, and Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, alongside Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone and more. The service will also spotlight the work of underseen Japanese director Yasuzô Masumura, including his aching melodrama Red Angel, his biting workplace satire Giants and Toys, his thrilling noir Black Test Car, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
October 1
The Infiltrators, directed by Alex Rivera, Cristina Ibarra | National Hispanic Heritage Month
The Vanished Elephant,...
Also arriving in October is “Watch If You Dare: Horror Halloween,” a series featuring a trio of giallo classics, with The Fifth Cord, The Possessed, and Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, alongside Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone and more. The service will also spotlight the work of underseen Japanese director Yasuzô Masumura, including his aching melodrama Red Angel, his biting workplace satire Giants and Toys, his thrilling noir Black Test Car, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
October 1
The Infiltrators, directed by Alex Rivera, Cristina Ibarra | National Hispanic Heritage Month
The Vanished Elephant,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Netflix’s Ya No Estoy Aquí (I’m No Longer Here), Hulu’s Love Victor and FX’s Pose were among the top winners at this year’s Imagen Awards recognizing Latinas and Latinos in the entertainment industry who work both in front of and behind the camera.
Hosted by Aida Rodriguez, Chuey Martinez, Isabella Gomez and Karrie Martin Lachney, the 2021 Imagen Awards were announced last night during a live-streamed ceremony. The 36th annual awards winners were determined by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latina and Latino community leaders.
The theme of this year’s Imagen Awards was “A Celebration of Our Community: Diverse, Talented, and United.” Each year the Awards recognize an array of Latino talent by honoring and celebrating ground-breaking performances, storytelling, and powerful diverse programs.
Here is the complete list of winners:
Feature Film
Best Feature Film: Ya No Estoy Aquí / I’m No Longer Here...
Hosted by Aida Rodriguez, Chuey Martinez, Isabella Gomez and Karrie Martin Lachney, the 2021 Imagen Awards were announced last night during a live-streamed ceremony. The 36th annual awards winners were determined by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latina and Latino community leaders.
The theme of this year’s Imagen Awards was “A Celebration of Our Community: Diverse, Talented, and United.” Each year the Awards recognize an array of Latino talent by honoring and celebrating ground-breaking performances, storytelling, and powerful diverse programs.
Here is the complete list of winners:
Feature Film
Best Feature Film: Ya No Estoy Aquí / I’m No Longer Here...
- 10/11/2021
- by Greg Evans
- 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
While this year's Sundance Film Festival will be experienced differently in the era of Covid-19 (with virtual screenings taking place online and in-person screenings taking place with safety precautions in select theaters across the country), the cinema celebration will continue to highlight vital, impactful, and innovative creators behind and in front of the camera, with more than 70 feature films included in the festival's full lineup.
We've highlighted some of the genre films horror fans can look forward to from the official press release below. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for our upcoming coverage of the festival (taking place January 28th–February 3rd), and visit Sundance's website for more details.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet / Argentina — Sebastian, a man in his thirties, works a series of temporary jobs and he embraces love at every opportunity. He transforms, through a series of short encounters, as the world flirts with possible apocalypse.
We've highlighted some of the genre films horror fans can look forward to from the official press release below. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for our upcoming coverage of the festival (taking place January 28th–February 3rd), and visit Sundance's website for more details.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet / Argentina — Sebastian, a man in his thirties, works a series of temporary jobs and he embraces love at every opportunity. He transforms, through a series of short encounters, as the world flirts with possible apocalypse.
- 12/16/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The Academy dropped another 33 feature films into the online screening room for members of its Documentary Branch on Oct. 30, giving the Oscars doc race its biggest influx of new films to date. The branch now has 86 films to consider, with two or three more batches of films (and potentially more than 50 additional contenders) likely to be added to the field by early January.
Coming the same week that the Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced its nominees and the International Documentary Association’s Ida Documentary Awards revealed the 30-film shortlist from which it will make its final choices, the Academy move kicked the Oscar doc race into another gear in a year that promises to be highly competitive.
Among the docs that were made available to voters this week were Bryce Dallas Howard’s film about fatherhood, “Dads,” which means she’ll be competing against her father, Ron Howard, who is...
Coming the same week that the Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced its nominees and the International Documentary Association’s Ida Documentary Awards revealed the 30-film shortlist from which it will make its final choices, the Academy move kicked the Oscar doc race into another gear in a year that promises to be highly competitive.
Among the docs that were made available to voters this week were Bryce Dallas Howard’s film about fatherhood, “Dads,” which means she’ll be competing against her father, Ron Howard, who is...
- 11/2/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
It makes sense that this year’s AFI Fest closed on Thursday night with the premiere of director Errol Morris’ wild and entertaining documentary “My Psychedelic Love Story.” In a year in which reality has smacked all of us in the face, nonfiction filmmaking is in the spotlight more than ever, from a string of docs that deal with issues at stake in the upcoming election to more freewheeling works like Morris’ film, a Wtf concoction from a director who only gets this playful once in a while.
It’s undeniable that the Oscars race for Best Picture is off to a slow start, with fewer films than usual playing the scaled-down fall film festivals and studios reluctant to commit to theatrical openings as the pandemic stretches on. But the race for Best Documentary Feature promises to be a robust one. More than 50 films are now available in the Academy...
It’s undeniable that the Oscars race for Best Picture is off to a slow start, with fewer films than usual playing the scaled-down fall film festivals and studios reluctant to commit to theatrical openings as the pandemic stretches on. But the race for Best Documentary Feature promises to be a robust one. More than 50 films are now available in the Academy...
- 10/23/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Once upon a time, “Tenet” was set to open today, July 17. When Warners dated the film, rivals got out of the way. At this writing, it’s scheduled for August 12 worldwide, and it’s just one of many major releases to see (sometimes multiple) delays — or, rerouting to VOD release. Trying to track, or even remember, all the films that shifted would challenge even the most obsessed film fan.
With that in mind, we’ve recreated the original release calendar for March 20 through July 17 as it stood on March 3 — the day before Bond film “No Time to Die” shifted from April to November, auguring a massive number of changes to come.
The list, which we will continue updating, includes all studio wide release titles to date, and the most significant specialized titles that anticipated a limited release. Of note: A film like “Palm Springs” (Neon) was expected to have a...
With that in mind, we’ve recreated the original release calendar for March 20 through July 17 as it stood on March 3 — the day before Bond film “No Time to Die” shifted from April to November, auguring a massive number of changes to come.
The list, which we will continue updating, includes all studio wide release titles to date, and the most significant specialized titles that anticipated a limited release. Of note: A film like “Palm Springs” (Neon) was expected to have a...
- 7/17/2020
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Distributor pivoted after coronavirus pandemic forced theatre closures.
Films released via Oscilloscope Laboratories’ virtual cinema initiative have generated more than $200,000 since the company reconfigured its distribution plans when the coronavirus pandemic forced theatres to close.
Through Thursday (May 14), Saint Frances, Other Music, Best Of CatVideoFest, The Infiltrators and Clementine had generated $215,108 at the virtual box office.
O-Scope kicked off its virtual cinema programme with The Avalon venue in Washington DC on March 16 as soon as it became clear theatre closures would endure for a while.
The New York-based distrbutor splits net revenue with participating theatres, who typically set a $12 price point for online ticket sales.
Films released via Oscilloscope Laboratories’ virtual cinema initiative have generated more than $200,000 since the company reconfigured its distribution plans when the coronavirus pandemic forced theatres to close.
Through Thursday (May 14), Saint Frances, Other Music, Best Of CatVideoFest, The Infiltrators and Clementine had generated $215,108 at the virtual box office.
O-Scope kicked off its virtual cinema programme with The Avalon venue in Washington DC on March 16 as soon as it became clear theatre closures would endure for a while.
The New York-based distrbutor splits net revenue with participating theatres, who typically set a $12 price point for online ticket sales.
- 5/15/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
The individual sitting across from me was a veteran filmmaker who was tormented by a tough decision. “The story I want to tell should be made as a doc, not a feature film,” he told me. “But let’s get real: Movies occupy center stage while documentaries sit in the balcony.”
He ended up shooting a feature (more on that later), but in today’s Hollywood, he would have reached the opposite conclusion. That’s because documentaries at the moment are stealing both the audiences and the conversation, and, along the way, acquiring some of the bad habits of the fiction film business — fights over budgets, credits and release dates.
This week, viewers will check out new docs about the future career path facing Michelle Obama, or the mysterious death of Natalie Wood, or the dauntless ambitions of Michael Jordan, or the perils of undercover probes (The Infiltrators). Or they...
He ended up shooting a feature (more on that later), but in today’s Hollywood, he would have reached the opposite conclusion. That’s because documentaries at the moment are stealing both the audiences and the conversation, and, along the way, acquiring some of the bad habits of the fiction film business — fights over budgets, credits and release dates.
This week, viewers will check out new docs about the future career path facing Michelle Obama, or the mysterious death of Natalie Wood, or the dauntless ambitions of Michael Jordan, or the perils of undercover probes (The Infiltrators). Or they...
- 5/7/2020
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
People risk all kinds of things to make movies — money, reputations, sometimes even their health. But in “The Infiltrators,” it feels as if the crew we see on-screen is putting their lives on the line for a cause they believe in, and that the movie is just a byproduct, as opposed to the principal mission.
In that way, it’s like “The Cove,” the remarkable dolphin-saving doc in which marine-life activists sneaked into a secluded Japanese killing field like soldiers on a special-ops mission. “The Infiltrators” also documents a courageous undercover operation, this one involving Dreamers who turn themselves over to Border Patrol officers in order to assist their fellow undocumented immigrants from inside a federal detention center — except, in this case, directors Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera rely on a mix of talking heads and reenactment footage to dramatize a mission for which principal coverage was limited to a few audio recordings.
In that way, it’s like “The Cove,” the remarkable dolphin-saving doc in which marine-life activists sneaked into a secluded Japanese killing field like soldiers on a special-ops mission. “The Infiltrators” also documents a courageous undercover operation, this one involving Dreamers who turn themselves over to Border Patrol officers in order to assist their fellow undocumented immigrants from inside a federal detention center — except, in this case, directors Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera rely on a mix of talking heads and reenactment footage to dramatize a mission for which principal coverage was limited to a few audio recordings.
- 5/2/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
While drive-in theaters remain virtually the only theaters still open in the U.S. (and a good place to see a new release like haunted-tree horror “The Wretched”), distributors are getting creative about how to release indie and foreign films.
“Jackie” director Pablo Larraín’s latest, “Ema,” debuts for free on Mubi for one day, teasing a future fall theatrical release planned by Music Box. And Oscilloscope uses the emerging virtual cinema model to debut fiction-doc hybrid “The Infiltrators,” in which undocumented activists find a way to liberate deportation-bound detainees from inside a detention center. Plus, Netflix subscribers get (at least) six original features to justify the subscription.
Here are all the new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them.
Independent films, directly on demand:
The Assistant (Kitty Green)
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Where to Find It: Rent on Amazon and iTunes
It’s a...
“Jackie” director Pablo Larraín’s latest, “Ema,” debuts for free on Mubi for one day, teasing a future fall theatrical release planned by Music Box. And Oscilloscope uses the emerging virtual cinema model to debut fiction-doc hybrid “The Infiltrators,” in which undocumented activists find a way to liberate deportation-bound detainees from inside a detention center. Plus, Netflix subscribers get (at least) six original features to justify the subscription.
Here are all the new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them.
Independent films, directly on demand:
The Assistant (Kitty Green)
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Where to Find It: Rent on Amazon and iTunes
It’s a...
- 5/1/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscilloscope Laboratories docu-thriller The Infiltrators is hitting virtual cinemas today before making its way to on-demand and digital June 2. The virtual release is becoming a staple for many film titles as it allows audiences to purchase film tickets through a theater’s website and, in turn, helps continue support of theaters that have been closed due to Covid-19.
Directed by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, the film made its world premiere last year at the Sundance Film Festival where it the won the Next Section Audience Award. The hybrid pic blends feature filmmaking, re-enactments of real-life events and documentary footage to tell the true story of young undocumented immigrants who are intentionally detained by Border Patrol and thrown into a for-profit detention center.
More from DeadlineWestern Thriller 'True History Of Kelly Gang' And '60s Coming-Of-Age Drama 'To The Stars' Make Debuts - Specialty Streaming PreviewComing-Of-Age Foodie Comedy 'Abe' Fires Up,...
Directed by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, the film made its world premiere last year at the Sundance Film Festival where it the won the Next Section Audience Award. The hybrid pic blends feature filmmaking, re-enactments of real-life events and documentary footage to tell the true story of young undocumented immigrants who are intentionally detained by Border Patrol and thrown into a for-profit detention center.
More from DeadlineWestern Thriller 'True History Of Kelly Gang' And '60s Coming-Of-Age Drama 'To The Stars' Make Debuts - Specialty Streaming PreviewComing-Of-Age Foodie Comedy 'Abe' Fires Up,...
- 5/1/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
If you are in the habit of watching trailers without knowing (or remembering) what the movie is about, as I am, then you may be just as surprised as I was when I laid my eyes upon the trailer for The Infiltrators. Since I was caught off-guard by the trailer, I don't mean to spoil that happy surprise for you, dear reader, but for the sake of my role here at ScreenAnarchy, allow me to tell you a little more about the movie. Courtesy of distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories, here is the official synopsis: "The Infiltrators is a docu-thriller that tells the true story of young immigrants who are detained by Border Patrol and thrown into a shadowy for-profit detention center -- on purpose." Wha'?! Wait,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/23/2020
- Screen Anarchy
With California on lockdown, Hollywood is keenly aware that no matter how much we miss normalcy, this is no time to hang on to the rules of the road. Distributors large and small are crunching the numbers, weighing the immediate returns from VOD against revenues from theaters — whenever they return. As they assess how long theaters will be dark versus the best release strategy for their product, that creates a challenge for the 2021 Oscars: How will it adjust to this breakneck change?
This much is known: Hollywood’s production pipeline will be compromised. Many films will have halted or interrupted production, and may not make their original release dates. That means many films won’t be ready for fall festivals, and might not be ready by the end of the year.
For its part, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences acknowledges the crisis, and the potential for changes to come.
This much is known: Hollywood’s production pipeline will be compromised. Many films will have halted or interrupted production, and may not make their original release dates. That means many films won’t be ready for fall festivals, and might not be ready by the end of the year.
For its part, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences acknowledges the crisis, and the potential for changes to come.
- 3/20/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
With California on lockdown, Hollywood is keenly aware that no matter how much we miss normalcy, this is no time to hang on to the rules of the road. Distributors large and small are crunching the numbers, weighing the immediate returns from VOD against revenues from theaters — whenever they return. As they assess how long theaters will be dark versus the best release strategy for their product, that creates a challenge for the 2021 Oscars: How will it adjust to this breakneck change?
This much is known: Hollywood’s production pipeline will be compromised. Many films will have halted or interrupted production, and may not make their original release dates. That means many films won’t be ready for fall festivals, and might not be ready by the end of the year.
More from IndieWireBong Joon Ho Is Too Exhausted From Oscars to Start New Films: 'I'm a Shell of a...
This much is known: Hollywood’s production pipeline will be compromised. Many films will have halted or interrupted production, and may not make their original release dates. That means many films won’t be ready for fall festivals, and might not be ready by the end of the year.
More from IndieWireBong Joon Ho Is Too Exhausted From Oscars to Start New Films: 'I'm a Shell of a...
- 3/20/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
In today’s film news roundup, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Kino Lorber are offering digital viewing alternatives in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and the DGA Health Plan has announced that participants won’t be charged for telemedicine/telepsychology visits.
Digital Viewing
Oscilloscope Laboratories has unveiled a 10-film promotion — dubbed Circle of Quarantine — in order to offer distraction, promote social distancing and support the independent film industry during the coronavirus pandemic.
Oscilloscope is offering 10 digital downloads of its films for $49.99 and is donating $10 from every purchase to the Cinema Worker Solidarity Fund, to help those affected in the business. The company noted that it is scrapping its theatrical expansion of “Saint Frances” and will not release the documentary “The Infiltrators” on Friday.
“O-Scope looks to innovate in ways to reach audiences safely in their homes,” it said. “The Circle of Quarantine is an attempt to bridge the social distance.”
Oscilloscope acquired U.
Digital Viewing
Oscilloscope Laboratories has unveiled a 10-film promotion — dubbed Circle of Quarantine — in order to offer distraction, promote social distancing and support the independent film industry during the coronavirus pandemic.
Oscilloscope is offering 10 digital downloads of its films for $49.99 and is donating $10 from every purchase to the Cinema Worker Solidarity Fund, to help those affected in the business. The company noted that it is scrapping its theatrical expansion of “Saint Frances” and will not release the documentary “The Infiltrators” on Friday.
“O-Scope looks to innovate in ways to reach audiences safely in their homes,” it said. “The Circle of Quarantine is an attempt to bridge the social distance.”
Oscilloscope acquired U.
- 3/20/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
"No one knows how this will all end." Oscilloscope Labs has debuted the official trailer for an acclaimed indie documentary-feature hybrid titled The Infiltrators, that first premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. It won the Next Audience Award & Best of Next award, and went on to pick up a few more prizes including the Rogue Award as the Ashland Film Festival. The film is about a rag-tag group of undocumented youth - known as "DREAMers" - that deliberately get detained by the Us Border Patrol in order to infiltrate a shadowy, for-profit detention center. By weaving together documentary footage of the real infiltrators with re-enactments of the events inside the detention center, The Infiltrators tells an incredible and thrilling true story in a genre-defying new cinematic language. Starring Maynor Alvarado, Chelsea Rendon, Manuel Uriza, Juan Gabriel Pareja, and Vik Sahay. Looks like a vitally important and rousing, inspiring film. Here's...
- 3/4/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Fresh off of Sundance, Wavelength Productions has revealed Eliana Pipes as the first recipient of their inaugural Wave Grant, a $5,000 grant awarded to a first-time female filmmaker of color to help them finish their short film.
Pipes was selected from over 100 applications from all over the country. In addition to the handsome cash reward, Pipes will also receive mentorship and guidance from the Wavelength Productions team, covering everything from pre-production to distribution and festival strategies.
“Eliana really wowed us with her creativity and passion. We’re really excited to help make her vision a reality,” said Jenifer Westphal, president of Wavelength Productions. “That being said, it was definitely hard to narrow the winning submission down to one candidate because of the quality and creativity of what was submitted. It just goes to show how many more allies we need in this industry to help get these amazing stories told.
Pipes was selected from over 100 applications from all over the country. In addition to the handsome cash reward, Pipes will also receive mentorship and guidance from the Wavelength Productions team, covering everything from pre-production to distribution and festival strategies.
“Eliana really wowed us with her creativity and passion. We’re really excited to help make her vision a reality,” said Jenifer Westphal, president of Wavelength Productions. “That being said, it was definitely hard to narrow the winning submission down to one candidate because of the quality and creativity of what was submitted. It just goes to show how many more allies we need in this industry to help get these amazing stories told.
- 2/5/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Wavelength Productions, the company predominantly helmed by women behind acclaimed features such as Knock Down The House, Where’s My Roy Cohn?, The Infiltrators and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, recently launched the Wave (Women at the Very Edge) Grant a new initiative which is dedicated to fostering and supporting female filmmakers of color and are looking to tell their “own great f***ing story.”
The newly launched initiative will help first-time female filmmakers of color with the production of their first documentary or narrative film. Producers, directors or first-time filmmakers are invited to apply for the grant on the company’s website. In addition to putting money in your pockets for a film project, Wavelength will provide mentorship when it comes to producing, development, fundraising, and distribution strategy.
“At Wavelength Productions, we know that women have the power to not just break down barriers in this industry but to change the industry fundamentally,...
The newly launched initiative will help first-time female filmmakers of color with the production of their first documentary or narrative film. Producers, directors or first-time filmmakers are invited to apply for the grant on the company’s website. In addition to putting money in your pockets for a film project, Wavelength will provide mentorship when it comes to producing, development, fundraising, and distribution strategy.
“At Wavelength Productions, we know that women have the power to not just break down barriers in this industry but to change the industry fundamentally,...
- 10/31/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Beyonce’s “Homecoming” has landed three nominations to lead all films in the first round of noms for the Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based awards ceremony established in 2007 to honor all aspects of nonfiction filmmaking.
In an announcement made at a luncheon in downtown Los Angeles, Cinema Eye Honors organizers unveiled nominations in seven categories, including new categories for broadcast editing and cinematography. “Homecoming” received nominations in both those new categories, as well as for the outstanding broadcast film of the year.
It faces off in that last category against “Apollo: Mission to the Moon,” “At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal,” “Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists,” “Leaving Neverland” and “The Sentence.”
Also Read: 'Homecoming' Film Review: Beyoncé's Powerful Documentary Captures Her Once-in-a-Lifetime Coachella Triumph
Other shows with multiple nominations were the broadcast series “Salt Fat Acid Heat” and “Tricky Dick,” which received two each.
In an announcement made at a luncheon in downtown Los Angeles, Cinema Eye Honors organizers unveiled nominations in seven categories, including new categories for broadcast editing and cinematography. “Homecoming” received nominations in both those new categories, as well as for the outstanding broadcast film of the year.
It faces off in that last category against “Apollo: Mission to the Moon,” “At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal,” “Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists,” “Leaving Neverland” and “The Sentence.”
Also Read: 'Homecoming' Film Review: Beyoncé's Powerful Documentary Captures Her Once-in-a-Lifetime Coachella Triumph
Other shows with multiple nominations were the broadcast series “Salt Fat Acid Heat” and “Tricky Dick,” which received two each.
- 10/24/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
In today’s film news roundup, Paramount sets up another Will Smith sci-fi project, “Distant Harmony: Pavarotti in China” gets re-released and pro-immigrant “The Infiltrators” finds a home.
Project Launch
Paramount Pictures has signed Will Smith to produce and star in a movie adaptation of Marcus Sakey’s dystopian trilogy “Brilliance.”
Akiva Goldsman will write the script and produce with James Lassiter and Shane Salerno. “Brilliance” will be a co-production between Goldsman’s Weed Road, Smith’s Westbrook and Overbrook and Salerno’s the Story Factory.
The story is set in a world where 1% of the children are born with powerful intellectual gifts and demonized by society. A director is not yet on board.
Smith starred in “Aladdin” and will next be seen in Ang Lee’s sci-fi thriller “Gemini Man,” which Paramount opens on Oct. 11. The news was first reported by Deadline.
Re-release
Giant Pictures, the digital film distribution division of Giant Interactive,...
Project Launch
Paramount Pictures has signed Will Smith to produce and star in a movie adaptation of Marcus Sakey’s dystopian trilogy “Brilliance.”
Akiva Goldsman will write the script and produce with James Lassiter and Shane Salerno. “Brilliance” will be a co-production between Goldsman’s Weed Road, Smith’s Westbrook and Overbrook and Salerno’s the Story Factory.
The story is set in a world where 1% of the children are born with powerful intellectual gifts and demonized by society. A director is not yet on board.
Smith starred in “Aladdin” and will next be seen in Ang Lee’s sci-fi thriller “Gemini Man,” which Paramount opens on Oct. 11. The news was first reported by Deadline.
Re-release
Giant Pictures, the digital film distribution division of Giant Interactive,...
- 9/7/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to the critically acclaimed immigration feature The Infiltrators. Directed by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, the film made its world premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival where it went on to won the Audience Award: Next and the Next Innovator Prize. Oscilloscope is set to release the feature in theaters before streaming on digital platforms.
The Infiltrators is a very timely docu-thriller that tells the true story of young immigrants who get detained by Border Patrol, and put in a shadowy for-profit detention center — on purpose. Marco (Maynor Alvarado) and Viri (Vida‘s Chelsea Rendon) are members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, a group of radical Dreamers who are on a mission to stop deportations. And the best place to stop deportations, they believe, is in detention. However, when they try to pull off a prison break in reverse,...
The Infiltrators is a very timely docu-thriller that tells the true story of young immigrants who get detained by Border Patrol, and put in a shadowy for-profit detention center — on purpose. Marco (Maynor Alvarado) and Viri (Vida‘s Chelsea Rendon) are members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, a group of radical Dreamers who are on a mission to stop deportations. And the best place to stop deportations, they believe, is in detention. However, when they try to pull off a prison break in reverse,...
- 9/5/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Ken Kirby is ready to jump into the soapy prime time drama of Dynasty. The Good Trouble actor is set to recur on the CW reboot of the iconic series in the role of Evan Tate, Trixie’s (Jessi Goei) older brother. And as we all know, Trixie is Fallon’s (Elizabeth Gillies) friend who died ten years ago and whose body was pulled from the lake in the season finale.
Kirby’s casting is refreshing in a time when Dynasty has seen a slew of changes in its casting during the first two seasons. The lead role of Cristal went through two changes. The first time Ana Brenda Contreras replaced original star Nathalie Kelley after the end of Season 1. And recently, Contreras was replaced by Daniella Alonso as the series headed into Season 3. In addition, Elizabeth Gillies recently took over the role of Alexis from Nicollette Sheridan. And original...
Kirby’s casting is refreshing in a time when Dynasty has seen a slew of changes in its casting during the first two seasons. The lead role of Cristal went through two changes. The first time Ana Brenda Contreras replaced original star Nathalie Kelley after the end of Season 1. And recently, Contreras was replaced by Daniella Alonso as the series headed into Season 3. In addition, Elizabeth Gillies recently took over the role of Alexis from Nicollette Sheridan. And original...
- 9/5/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Cody Stokes first came onto our radar back in 2014 as co-writer, editor, and cinematographer of Nathan Silver’s Uncertain Terms, and now he’s completed his directorial feature debut The Ghost Who Walks. A stylish, holiday-set crime thriller-meets-family drama, it’s set to make its world premiere at the Sidewalk Film Festival this month and we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the trailer.
“When I talk about my film The Ghost Who Walks, my elevator pitch is that it’s Carlito’s Way meets It’s a Wonderful Life,” says Stokes. “It’s a Christmas film, a crime thriller, and a family drama all rolled into one. Then doused in hard liquor and covered with broken glass.”
In developing the story of an imprisoned criminal who rats out his former boss for one last chance to reunite his family and become the father he never was, Stokes says “I came...
“When I talk about my film The Ghost Who Walks, my elevator pitch is that it’s Carlito’s Way meets It’s a Wonderful Life,” says Stokes. “It’s a Christmas film, a crime thriller, and a family drama all rolled into one. Then doused in hard liquor and covered with broken glass.”
In developing the story of an imprisoned criminal who rats out his former boss for one last chance to reunite his family and become the father he never was, Stokes says “I came...
- 8/16/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Jessica Hecht (Special), Parisa Fitz-Henley (Jessica Jones) and Eddie Martinez (Orange Is the New Black) are set as leads opposite Bill Pullman, Matt Bomer and Chris Messina on the upcoming third season of USA Network’s anthology crime thriller series The Sinner.
Season 3 follows Detective Harry Ambrose (Pullman) as he begins a routine investigation of a tragic car accident on the outskirts of Dorchester, in upstate New York. He uncovers a hidden crime that pulls him into the most dangerous and disturbing case of his career.
Hecht will play Sonya, a successful painter living a secluded life in Dorchester who meets Ambrose (Pullman) when he investigates the car accident on her property.
Fitz-Henley will portray Leela Burns. Jamie’s (Bomer) expectant wife and the stylish Brooklyn-born owner of a boutique in downtown Dorchester.
Martinez will play Vic Soto, a hardworking former Marine and rising star detective at the Dorchester...
Season 3 follows Detective Harry Ambrose (Pullman) as he begins a routine investigation of a tragic car accident on the outskirts of Dorchester, in upstate New York. He uncovers a hidden crime that pulls him into the most dangerous and disturbing case of his career.
Hecht will play Sonya, a successful painter living a secluded life in Dorchester who meets Ambrose (Pullman) when he investigates the car accident on her property.
Fitz-Henley will portray Leela Burns. Jamie’s (Bomer) expectant wife and the stylish Brooklyn-born owner of a boutique in downtown Dorchester.
Martinez will play Vic Soto, a hardworking former Marine and rising star detective at the Dorchester...
- 8/16/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, a movie about the deadly Camp Fire is in the works, “The Infiltrators” will open the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and former Rogers and Cowan topper Tom Tardio will run the Napa Valley Film Festival.
Project Launch
Focus Features is producing the survival story movie “Paradise,” based on events during the deadly 2018 Camp Fire.
The fire caused 85 fatalities and destroyed the small town of Paradise, Calif. Matthew Heineman, who was Oscar-nominated for “Cartel Land,” is set to direct and write the script. Temple Hill will produce along with Heineman.
The story will centers on Heather Roebuck, who gave birth via C-section minutes before the local hospital became engulfed by flames. Focus has optioned life rights for Roebuck, her fiancé and their children along with Butte County emergency medical workers Sean Abrams, Mike Castro, Shannon Molarius and Robin Cranston – who ended up becoming...
Project Launch
Focus Features is producing the survival story movie “Paradise,” based on events during the deadly 2018 Camp Fire.
The fire caused 85 fatalities and destroyed the small town of Paradise, Calif. Matthew Heineman, who was Oscar-nominated for “Cartel Land,” is set to direct and write the script. Temple Hill will produce along with Heineman.
The story will centers on Heather Roebuck, who gave birth via C-section minutes before the local hospital became engulfed by flames. Focus has optioned life rights for Roebuck, her fiancé and their children along with Butte County emergency medical workers Sean Abrams, Mike Castro, Shannon Molarius and Robin Cranston – who ended up becoming...
- 7/10/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, documentaries on Mac Miller and the U.S.’s great outdoors are under way, Paramount has promoted Kevin Tsu, Wavelength hires four and “The Muppet Movie” will come back for two days.
Documentaries Launched
Filmmaker Cj Wallis has announced that his company Margrette Bird Pictures is beginning pre-production on a documentary chronicling the late rapper Mac Miller.
Miller died in September from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine, according to a toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. His death was characterized as accidental. Miller had struggled with substance abuse in the past and often referred to the problems in his songs.
Wallis made the announcement on his Twitter account:
So, over the next year I'm going to start collecting interviews & content to make the definitive @MacMiller documentary for his family, friends & fans…
Please share & tag anyone you think we need to speak with!
Documentaries Launched
Filmmaker Cj Wallis has announced that his company Margrette Bird Pictures is beginning pre-production on a documentary chronicling the late rapper Mac Miller.
Miller died in September from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine, according to a toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. His death was characterized as accidental. Miller had struggled with substance abuse in the past and often referred to the problems in his songs.
Wallis made the announcement on his Twitter account:
So, over the next year I'm going to start collecting interviews & content to make the definitive @MacMiller documentary for his family, friends & fans…
Please share & tag anyone you think we need to speak with!
- 6/4/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Blumhouse Television has optioned the Sundance award-winning documentary-narrative film, The Infiltrators from Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra to adapt as a scripted series. Jenniffer Gomez will write and produce the adaptation. The critically praised film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was honored with The Audience Award: Next and The Next Innovator Prize.
The Infiltrators, a hybrid of real-time documentary footage and dramatic reconstructions, tells the real – and surreal – story of three young undocumented immigrants, Marco Saavedra, Viridiana Martinez and Mohammad Abdollahi, who in 2012 dared to defy the system by embarking on a high-risk mission to infiltrate a secretive for-profit detention center. By intentionally getting detained by the Border Patrol and voluntarily surrendering their freedom, these “Infiltrators” went into detention to uncover cases of abuse, organize behind bars, and help other detainees (and themselves) eventually get free. The story is a jail-break — in reverse.
The Infiltrators, a hybrid of real-time documentary footage and dramatic reconstructions, tells the real – and surreal – story of three young undocumented immigrants, Marco Saavedra, Viridiana Martinez and Mohammad Abdollahi, who in 2012 dared to defy the system by embarking on a high-risk mission to infiltrate a secretive for-profit detention center. By intentionally getting detained by the Border Patrol and voluntarily surrendering their freedom, these “Infiltrators” went into detention to uncover cases of abuse, organize behind bars, and help other detainees (and themselves) eventually get free. The story is a jail-break — in reverse.
- 5/2/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Bam has released the full lineup for its 11th annual BAMcinemaFest, a “platform for both emerging and established filmmakers as well as unconventional and often overlooked films,” which will run this year from June 12 — 23. This year’s 12-day festival includes 18 NY premieres, one U.S. premiere, and three world premieres.
Gina Duncan, Associate Vice President of Film, told IndieWire of the programming picks, “We have the same goal every year: to present the best American independent cinema being made today. But this is the first year that I’ve felt the films fit together as a cohesive whole; they are linked by a naturalness, an intimate focus, and boundless creativity. As the larger film conversation continues to focus on record-breaking box offices, it feels defiant to present a program that centers film as art.”
This year’s festival will open on June 12 with the New York premiere of Lulu Wang...
Gina Duncan, Associate Vice President of Film, told IndieWire of the programming picks, “We have the same goal every year: to present the best American independent cinema being made today. But this is the first year that I’ve felt the films fit together as a cohesive whole; they are linked by a naturalness, an intimate focus, and boundless creativity. As the larger film conversation continues to focus on record-breaking box offices, it feels defiant to present a program that centers film as art.”
This year’s festival will open on June 12 with the New York premiere of Lulu Wang...
- 5/2/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Toronto – Just weeks after the Sundance premiere of “The Infiltrators,” Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera’s documentary about conditions inside a Florida immigration detention center, one of the film’s subjects, Claudio Rojas, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents and deported back to his native Argentina.
Rojas, who spent 19 years living in the U.S., had been an inside source for a documentary that exposed abuses inside the Broward Transitional Center, a for-profit institution that has detained hundreds of immigrants without trial. His ordeal served as a timely reminder of the countless lives still imperiled by the recent migrant crisis — a historical event that’s offered raw material for a number of documentaries screening at the Hot Docs Canadian Intl. Film Festival this year.
“It’s an ongoing theme that’s more important than ever,” said Shane Smith, Hot Docs director of programming. “Filmmakers are...
Rojas, who spent 19 years living in the U.S., had been an inside source for a documentary that exposed abuses inside the Broward Transitional Center, a for-profit institution that has detained hundreds of immigrants without trial. His ordeal served as a timely reminder of the countless lives still imperiled by the recent migrant crisis — a historical event that’s offered raw material for a number of documentaries screening at the Hot Docs Canadian Intl. Film Festival this year.
“It’s an ongoing theme that’s more important than ever,” said Shane Smith, Hot Docs director of programming. “Filmmakers are...
- 5/2/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – One of the exciting weekend film festivals in Chicago is Doc 10, a celebration of non-fiction filmmaking at its highest level. And no one knows that more than Steve Cohen, the co-founder – with Paula Froehle – of the festival. Cohen and Froehle not only help facilitate and curate Doc 10, but also produce documentaries through their Chicago Media Project. The Closing Night Film of Doc 10, on April 14th, 2019, is “Biggest Little Farm.” For more information and tickets, click here.
’The Infiltrators’ at Chicago’s Doc 10 on April 14th, 2019
Photo credit: DOC10.org
“Biggest Little Farm,” is a testament to the immense complexity of nature. Two dreamers, John and Molly Chester, leave the city to build a diverse and sustainable farm. The building of their utopia involved eight years of ups and downs, with a lesson of good intentions in harsh practical challenges. Watch for the release of the nine other documentaries in...
’The Infiltrators’ at Chicago’s Doc 10 on April 14th, 2019
Photo credit: DOC10.org
“Biggest Little Farm,” is a testament to the immense complexity of nature. Two dreamers, John and Molly Chester, leave the city to build a diverse and sustainable farm. The building of their utopia involved eight years of ups and downs, with a lesson of good intentions in harsh practical challenges. Watch for the release of the nine other documentaries in...
- 4/14/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – One of the great predictors of Oscar worthy films is Chicago’s Doc 10 festival. The Chicago Media Project presents its fourth annual documentary fest, a weekend of 10 prominent documentaries that end up either making a national statement or nominated for awards (last year’s fest included Oscar nominees “Minding the Gap” and “Rbg”). It all takes place at the Davis Theatre in the Lincoln Square neighborhood from April 11th-14th, 2019, and opens with “Knock Down the House.” For more information and tickets, click here.
’Knock Down the House’ Opens Doc 10
Photo credit: DOC10.org
The Opening Night film is the emotionally charged “Knock Down the House,” which profiles the insurgent campaigns of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and other women candidates who defined the 2018 midterm elections. The nine other documentaries, playing at various times over the weekend are ... “Mike Wallace is Here,” “Midnight Family,” “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch,” “One Child Nation,” “American Factory,...
’Knock Down the House’ Opens Doc 10
Photo credit: DOC10.org
The Opening Night film is the emotionally charged “Knock Down the House,” which profiles the insurgent campaigns of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and other women candidates who defined the 2018 midterm elections. The nine other documentaries, playing at various times over the weekend are ... “Mike Wallace is Here,” “Midnight Family,” “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch,” “One Child Nation,” “American Factory,...
- 4/11/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Ava DuVernay, John Leguizamo, and Laura Poitras have added their signatures to a letter fighting against the impending deportation of Claudio Rojas, subject of the documentary “The Infiltrators.” The non-fiction feature from directors Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra debuted in Park City earlier this year to strong reviews, with IndieWire’s Eric Kohn saying it made a “strong case for abolishing Ice.”
Rojas is a native of Argentina but has lived in the United States for 19 years. The International Documentary Association said in a memo that Rojas has been detained by Ice and is now being held at the Krome Detention Center in South Miami-Dade after what should have been a routine check-in. Rojas is now facing deportation as early as sometime this week.
“We feel strongly that detaining a protagonist of a documentary film has a chilling effect on those whose stories we tell as documentary journalists, and restricts...
Rojas is a native of Argentina but has lived in the United States for 19 years. The International Documentary Association said in a memo that Rojas has been detained by Ice and is now being held at the Krome Detention Center in South Miami-Dade after what should have been a routine check-in. Rojas is now facing deportation as early as sometime this week.
“We feel strongly that detaining a protagonist of a documentary film has a chilling effect on those whose stories we tell as documentary journalists, and restricts...
- 4/2/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The official awards for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival were announced this weekend at a ceremony in Park City, Utah. We've all been curious to see who's taking home awards at Sundance this year, and now we know - it's not many of the films most people have been buzzing about. Like last year. These are unexpected but nonetheless worthy picks from audiences and each jury. The big Audience Award winners are: Brittany Runs a Marathon, about an overweight young woman who pushes herself to train for the NYC Marathon, starring Jillian Bell; Knock Down the House, a documentary about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other underdog politicians; and The Infiltrators, a doc-feature hybrid about children detention centers. Other winners include filmmakers Joanna Hogg, Chinonye Chukwu, and Nanfu Wang. View all the winners below. Here's the full release of winners with synopsis info next to each. The 2019 festival wraps up this weekend. 2019 Sundance...
- 2/4/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” a drama starring Alfre Woodard as a prison warden agonizing over capital punishment, has won the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic films at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, which handed out its awards at a ceremony in Park City on Saturday evening.
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation” won the Grand Jury Prize for documentaries.
The directing awards in the U.S. dramatic and documentary competitions went to Joe Talbot for “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for “American Factory,” respectively.
Also Read: Sundance's Haves and Have Nots: Can Traditional Indie Distributors Still Compete?
The Grand Jury Prizes in the World Cinema Dramatic competition went to Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir,” while in the World Cinema Documentary competition it went to “Honeyland” by Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska.
Audience awards went to “Paul Downs Colaizzo’s “Brittany Runs a Marathon...
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation” won the Grand Jury Prize for documentaries.
The directing awards in the U.S. dramatic and documentary competitions went to Joe Talbot for “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for “American Factory,” respectively.
Also Read: Sundance's Haves and Have Nots: Can Traditional Indie Distributors Still Compete?
The Grand Jury Prizes in the World Cinema Dramatic competition went to Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir,” while in the World Cinema Documentary competition it went to “Honeyland” by Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska.
Audience awards went to “Paul Downs Colaizzo’s “Brittany Runs a Marathon...
- 2/3/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival drew to a close this evening with the annual awards ceremony, which was hosted by filmmaker and actress Marianna Palka at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse in Park City, Utah.
Of the four Grand Jury Prizes given to competition films — the festival’s highest honors — each was directed or co-directed by a female filmmaker, reflecting last year’s Directing winners, who were all women. This year’s Grand Jury Prize winners include Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency” (U.S. Dramatic), Nanfu Wang’s “One Child Nation” (U.S. Documentary), Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” (World Dramatic), and Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s “Honeyland” (World Documentary).
Both of the U.S. winners are still without U.S. distribution, so here’s hoping a big win at tonight’s show might loosen up some purse strings for these essential — and now award-winning — features.
At this year’s festival, women...
Of the four Grand Jury Prizes given to competition films — the festival’s highest honors — each was directed or co-directed by a female filmmaker, reflecting last year’s Directing winners, who were all women. This year’s Grand Jury Prize winners include Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency” (U.S. Dramatic), Nanfu Wang’s “One Child Nation” (U.S. Documentary), Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” (World Dramatic), and Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s “Honeyland” (World Documentary).
Both of the U.S. winners are still without U.S. distribution, so here’s hoping a big win at tonight’s show might loosen up some purse strings for these essential — and now award-winning — features.
At this year’s festival, women...
- 2/3/2019
- by Kate Erbland and Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
The Sundance Film Festival concluded with five female directors — and one man — sharing the grand jury prizes in the four main competition categories.
In U.S. dramatic competition, African-American writer-director Chinonye Chukwu won for “Clemency,” in which Alfre Woodard plays a prison warden who connects with a death-row inmate. Meanwhile, in the world dramatic category, Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” specifically looks at the challenges and setbacks facing a young female filmmaker, who puts her directing ambitions on hold in order to deal with the drug-addicted man who monopolizes her attention.
Top U.S. documentary honors went to Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation,” a personal exploration of the suffering and aftermath of China’s infamous population-control policy through co-director Wang’s family. In the world documentary competition, “Honeyland” — an artful portrait of a Macedonian beekeeper struggling to protect her livelihood — was a clear favorite with the jury,...
In U.S. dramatic competition, African-American writer-director Chinonye Chukwu won for “Clemency,” in which Alfre Woodard plays a prison warden who connects with a death-row inmate. Meanwhile, in the world dramatic category, Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” specifically looks at the challenges and setbacks facing a young female filmmaker, who puts her directing ambitions on hold in order to deal with the drug-addicted man who monopolizes her attention.
Top U.S. documentary honors went to Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation,” a personal exploration of the suffering and aftermath of China’s infamous population-control policy through co-director Wang’s family. In the world documentary competition, “Honeyland” — an artful portrait of a Macedonian beekeeper struggling to protect her livelihood — was a clear favorite with the jury,...
- 2/3/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
On the opening day of the Sundance Film Festival, programmers were asked at a press conference to characterize the lineup with a single word. They responded with vague descriptors like “fearless,” “emboldened,” “provocative,” “unflinching,” “real,” and “optimistic.” But magnet poetry can only go so far in assessing the quality of a program that’s always at the mercy of many different audiences: Distributors arrive eager to open their pocketbooks, critics comb through the lineup for quality, and ticket-paying audiences just want to go home happy. The one word that epitomizes the true character of this year’s Sundance lineup was its key to satisfying all three of those contingencies: “Safe.”
In Kim Yutani’s first year as director of programming under Sundance director John Cooper, the program took few big swings that could anger and excite audiences in equal measure. There were few reports of walkouts, and not many movies that proved divisive.
In Kim Yutani’s first year as director of programming under Sundance director John Cooper, the program took few big swings that could anger and excite audiences in equal measure. There were few reports of walkouts, and not many movies that proved divisive.
- 2/2/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Undocumented immigrants are detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a regular basis, and their experiences could provide the foundation of a potent documentary, or a riveting social thriller. “The Infiltrators” endeavors to be both: Husband-and-wife co-directors Alex Rivera (“Sleep Dealer”) and Cristina Ibarra (“Las Marthas”) oscillates from real-life accounts of Dreamer activists going undercover in detention facilities to help reunite immigrants with their families, and fictional reenactments of the drama that unfolded inside.
The experimental approach takes some time to settle in and doesn’t always click, but at its best, “The Infiltrators” manages to personalize the undocumented struggle by transforming it into an unlikely blend of activism and suspense that makes a compelling case for the abolishment of Ice.
The two-pronged approach reflects its creators’ many modes: Rivera’s 2008 “Sleep Dealer” was a sci-fi allegory for contemporary immigration concerns, while Ibarra directed several documentaries on the same subject.
The experimental approach takes some time to settle in and doesn’t always click, but at its best, “The Infiltrators” manages to personalize the undocumented struggle by transforming it into an unlikely blend of activism and suspense that makes a compelling case for the abolishment of Ice.
The two-pronged approach reflects its creators’ many modes: Rivera’s 2008 “Sleep Dealer” was a sci-fi allegory for contemporary immigration concerns, while Ibarra directed several documentaries on the same subject.
- 2/1/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Chronicling the audacious acts of a group of organized undocumented youth prior to the Obama-implemented, temporary relief known as Daca (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), “The Infiltrators,” from Latinx directors Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, is a vital piece of hybrid cinema that shines light into the obscure realm of privately-operated immigration detention facilities. The timely film world-premiered Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival.
Interweaving firsthand accounts in talking-head format and scripted reenactments, Rivera and Ibarra construct a high-stakes, real-life drama centered on the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (Niya), comprised of resourceful and deeply committed DREAMers who’ve dared to defy the system, not only for their own benefit but also for the greater good.
“Everyone needs a plan,” says Niya activist Marco Saavedra (played by Maynor Alvarado in the docufiction sections) when detailing their strategy behind the 2012 infiltration of the Broward Transitional Center, an immigration jail in Florida,...
Interweaving firsthand accounts in talking-head format and scripted reenactments, Rivera and Ibarra construct a high-stakes, real-life drama centered on the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (Niya), comprised of resourceful and deeply committed DREAMers who’ve dared to defy the system, not only for their own benefit but also for the greater good.
“Everyone needs a plan,” says Niya activist Marco Saavedra (played by Maynor Alvarado in the docufiction sections) when detailing their strategy behind the 2012 infiltration of the Broward Transitional Center, an immigration jail in Florida,...
- 1/26/2019
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
Sundance has always been pretty gay. Whether the festival was supporting queer filmmakers to lead the indie film boom of the ’90s, ushering in the dawn of the New Queer Cinema, or unofficially partnering with OutFest to share programmers and titles, Park City has always been fertile ground in which Lgbtq cinema can thrive. This year brings fewer solely queer offerings than previous years, but the program still has plenty to look forward to.
This year’s program marks the first in Kim Yutani’s new role as director of programming. Formerly a senior programmer for the festival, Yutani began her career at OutFest, where she lived and breathed queer films in her roles as artistic director and director of programming. Yutani reports to festival director John Cooper, another out and gay power player in independent film.
When Sundance released its first round of programming, it boasted that 40 percent, or...
This year’s program marks the first in Kim Yutani’s new role as director of programming. Formerly a senior programmer for the festival, Yutani began her career at OutFest, where she lived and breathed queer films in her roles as artistic director and director of programming. Yutani reports to festival director John Cooper, another out and gay power player in independent film.
When Sundance released its first round of programming, it boasted that 40 percent, or...
- 1/23/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Is Sundance poised for ICE to crash its Park City party?
When the documentary/narrative hybrid The Infiltrators makes its world premiere Jan. 25 at the Library Center Theatre, at least two self-described Dreamers who are featured in the film plan to be on hand and are taunting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to meet them there.
“I welcome any retaliation by the Trump Administration,” says Mohammad Abdollahi, an undocumented immigrant from Iran. “We've come to understand that the more out there in the open we are, the safer we are. If I were to get detained by immigration,...
When the documentary/narrative hybrid The Infiltrators makes its world premiere Jan. 25 at the Library Center Theatre, at least two self-described Dreamers who are featured in the film plan to be on hand and are taunting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to meet them there.
“I welcome any retaliation by the Trump Administration,” says Mohammad Abdollahi, an undocumented immigrant from Iran. “We've come to understand that the more out there in the open we are, the safer we are. If I were to get detained by immigration,...
- 1/23/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In today’s film news roundup, immigration drama “The Infiltrators” gets financing, Jake Busey is starring in a high-school comedy, and Stuart Ford’s Agc Studios hires two former Im Global executives.
Project Financing
Chicago Media Project Invest/Impact’s Paula Froehle and Steve Cohen have joined the immigration drama “The Infiltrators” as executive producers and financiers, Variety has learned exclusively.
Cmp I/I has invested previously in the Academy Award-winning documentary “Icarus,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” and Showtime’s series “The Fourth Estate.”
Directed and produced by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, “The Infiltrators” centers on a small group of young undocumented immigrants who embark on a high-risk mission inside America’s for-profit detention system in order to set people free. The film, which mixes documentary with narrative dramatization, stars Chelsea Rendon, Vik Sahay, Maynor Alvarado, and Manuel Uriza.
Production is currently underway in Southern California. The...
Project Financing
Chicago Media Project Invest/Impact’s Paula Froehle and Steve Cohen have joined the immigration drama “The Infiltrators” as executive producers and financiers, Variety has learned exclusively.
Cmp I/I has invested previously in the Academy Award-winning documentary “Icarus,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” and Showtime’s series “The Fourth Estate.”
Directed and produced by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, “The Infiltrators” centers on a small group of young undocumented immigrants who embark on a high-risk mission inside America’s for-profit detention system in order to set people free. The film, which mixes documentary with narrative dramatization, stars Chelsea Rendon, Vik Sahay, Maynor Alvarado, and Manuel Uriza.
Production is currently underway in Southern California. The...
- 8/31/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The docs are often the toughest nuggets to guess in our annual Sundance predictions, as we had Cristina Ibarra & Alex Rivera‘s The Infiltrators pegged for a launch this past January.
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
- 11/16/2017
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Labs take place over two sessions at Sundance Resort, Utah, in July.
Sundance Institute has announced the eight projects selected for its annual Documentary Edit and Story Labs.
The Documentary Edit and Story Lab is centred on nurturing non-fiction storytellers during the later stages of post-production.
The selected projects are:
Always In Season (Us) Jacqueline Olive (director)
Charm City (Us) Marilyn Ness (director), Don Bernier (editor)
Facing The Dragon (Afghanistan/Us) Sedika Mojadidi (director), Sinead Kinnane (editor)
Freedom Fields (UK/Libya) Naziha Arebi (director), Alice Powell (editor)
Impeachment (Brazil) Petra Costa (director), Jordana Berg (editor)
The Infiltrators (Us) Cristina Ibarra (co-director/co-editor), Alex Rivera (co-director/co-editor)
People’s Republic Of Desire (China/Us)Hao Wu (director), Nanfu Wang (editor)
Warrior Women (Us) Christina D. King (co-director), Elizabeth Castle (co-director), Kristen Nutile (editor)
Overseen by documentary film programme director Tabitha Jackson and Labs director Kristin Feeley, each lab connects independent director and editor teams with seasoned documentary filmmakers...
Sundance Institute has announced the eight projects selected for its annual Documentary Edit and Story Labs.
The Documentary Edit and Story Lab is centred on nurturing non-fiction storytellers during the later stages of post-production.
The selected projects are:
Always In Season (Us) Jacqueline Olive (director)
Charm City (Us) Marilyn Ness (director), Don Bernier (editor)
Facing The Dragon (Afghanistan/Us) Sedika Mojadidi (director), Sinead Kinnane (editor)
Freedom Fields (UK/Libya) Naziha Arebi (director), Alice Powell (editor)
Impeachment (Brazil) Petra Costa (director), Jordana Berg (editor)
The Infiltrators (Us) Cristina Ibarra (co-director/co-editor), Alex Rivera (co-director/co-editor)
People’s Republic Of Desire (China/Us)Hao Wu (director), Nanfu Wang (editor)
Warrior Women (Us) Christina D. King (co-director), Elizabeth Castle (co-director), Kristen Nutile (editor)
Overseen by documentary film programme director Tabitha Jackson and Labs director Kristin Feeley, each lab connects independent director and editor teams with seasoned documentary filmmakers...
- 6/8/2017
- ScreenDaily
The Sundance Institute has announced the eight projects selected for its annual Documentary Edit and Story Lab, which will take place in two sessions at the Sundance Resort in Utah, including June 23 – July 1 and July 7 – 15. The Documentary Edit and Story Lab was designed to “create an incubation space for nonfiction storytellers to creatively interrogate their projects during the later stages of post-production. Among the breathtaking scenery of the Sundance Mountain Resort, filmmakers take advantage of the Lab’s creative environment to intensively explore story, dramatic structure and character development, centering their work around their own original motivation and intention.”
The Lab will be overseen by Documentary Film Program Director Tabitha Jackson and Labs Director Kristin Feeley, and will combine independent director and editor teams with world-renowned documentary filmmakers who serve as mentors and advisors. For the second year, the Lab will also host writers-in-residence Eric Hynes and Logan Hill, as...
The Lab will be overseen by Documentary Film Program Director Tabitha Jackson and Labs Director Kristin Feeley, and will combine independent director and editor teams with world-renowned documentary filmmakers who serve as mentors and advisors. For the second year, the Lab will also host writers-in-residence Eric Hynes and Logan Hill, as...
- 6/8/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
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