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In 2007, Mihai Malaimare Jr. was a 29-year-old cinematographer working in Romania when he got his filmmaking dream job: shooting “Youth Without Youth” for Francis Ford Coppola as Coppola returned to the director’s chair for the first time in 10 years. Coppola wanted to reinvent himself and was looking for a partner who wouldn’t be afraid of trying new things, and in Malaimare, he found a willing and eager co-conspirator. “Even when he had what I thought was a crazy idea, I thought, ‘Well, it’s Francis Coppola so I better try it,'” Malaimare told IndieWire. “Then you try it and realize how much better the scene looks.”

Malaimare became Coppola’s cinematographer of choice on the movies that followed: “Tetro,” “Twixt,” and now “Megalopolis,” all of them self-financed experiments with which Coppola has attempted to find his own unique style after over 60 years of filmmaking. On “Megalopolis,” Coppola...

Coppola's Megalopolis may feature real footage of New York City captured on 9/11. The director revealed that a second-unit team had been filming in New York in 2001, a sign of the movie's long development process. Despite this footage having been captured, there is no clear indication of how much of it, if any, will be in the final film.

Francis Ford Coppola has revealed that his upcoming science-fiction drama Megalopolis could contain footage captured from 9/11. Conceived as Coppola's labor of love, work on the movie began as early as 1989, but Coppola did not fully revive the idea until 2019 and ended up self-funding the $120 million production. Set in a metropolis following a devastating disaster, the film boasts a stacked cast list and grand ideas from its director, but Megalopolis is facing release problems that could threaten its success. Coppola will premiere the movie at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May.

Now,...

The greatest cinema is often an exciting cocktail for the senses: sound and image in perfect harmony, intricately woven to create an immersive experience that transports us to another world. But what happens when one of those senses is numbed? Silent movies formed the foundations of visual grammar for audiences, and sound was a luxury audiences lived without for many years. Few films have attempted the inverse, plunging the viewer into darkness and relying on sound alone to guide them from one experience to another. Enter Galician filmmaker Lois Patiño's bold and beautiful “Samsara”, a meditative drama set between Laos and Zanzibar that tracks a soul moving between states of existence, and the lives that are touched in big and small ways by this cosmic rite of passage. The term ‘samsara' itself is the cycle of death and reincarnation as seen by Buddhism, and while it may sound familiar...

"The world opens to those who open up to it." Curzon in the UK has unveiled a trailer for an acclaimed film called Samsara, described as a "highly immersive and meditative film by artist and director Lois Patiño." Not to be confused with Ron Fricke's meditative globe-spanning documentary also called Samsara (2012). The term "saṃsāra" is actually a Pali/Sanskrit word that means "wandering" as well as "world," wherein the term connotes "cyclic change" or, less formally, "running around in circles." In the temples of Laos, teenage monks accompany a soul in transit from one body to another through the bardo. A luminous and sonorous journey leads to reincarnate on the beaches of Zanzibar, where groups of women work in seaweed farms. Berlinale adds: "In this conversation held on the border between life, death & meditation, Patiño continues his exploration of the image as an immersive experience. [As with films] by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the cycle of birth,...

Animal Photo: Courtesy of Locarno Film Festival It seems appropriate that the Greek port city of Thessaloniki has become a cultural meeting point for films from around the globe. The festival hub - where much of the 64th edition of the event unfolded in the past week - is in the dock area, now a hive of cultural activity.

The stately Olympion cinema also offers a warm welcome to festivalgoers nearby, although my favourite discovery this year was the small but lovely Makedonikon cinema, tucked away in a back street near the city's White Tower monument. An arthouse cinema outside the festival dates, it was the perfect place to catch the experimental Samsara. This was not the Ron Fricke film but a transportive journey from Spanish director Lois Patiño (Coast Of Death), which, at its midway point, instructs viewers to close their eyes before taking on a sensory trip "through...

We're a month away from the release of "The Creator," the latest sci-fi film from writer and director Gareth Edwards ("Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"). It's the story of a future in which A.I. and humans are at war after the robots set off a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. Ex-special forces agent Joshua (John David Washington), who is dealing with the disappearance of his wife, is sent off to find the architect of advanced A.I. He's created a new weapon that could destroy humans completely. However, when Joshua goes to take out the weapon, he finds that it's in the body of a little child. How do you destroy a weapon that you find yourself beginning to care for? 

Recently /Film's own Vanessa Armstrong attended a press screening of 30 minutes of footage from "The Creator," as well as a Q&a with Edwards, where the filmmaker...

After a brief closure this summer, New York City’s Paris Theater reopens in September with a newly-installed Dolby Atmos sound system (making the 500-seat Paris Theater the largest Dolby cinema in Manhattan) and, for the first time in 15 years, a series of 70mm screenings. Highlights include the first U.S. 70mm screening of Jacques Tati’s Playtime in 10 years; the first NYC 70mm screening of Ron Fricke’s Baraka in 10 years; the U.S. premiere of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria in Dolby Atmos; a screening of William Friedkin’s excellent Sorcerer as a tribute to the recently deceased director; and the first NYC […]

The post NYC’s Paris Theater To Reopen in September With Dolby Atmos System and 70mm Screenings first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

After a brief closure this summer, New York City’s Paris Theater reopens in September with a newly-installed Dolby Atmos sound system (making the 500-seat Paris Theater the largest Dolby cinema in Manhattan) and, for the first time in 15 years, a series of 70mm screenings. Highlights include the first U.S. 70mm screening of Jacques Tati’s Playtime in 10 years; the first NYC 70mm screening of Ron Fricke’s Baraka in 10 years; the U.S. premiere of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria in Dolby Atmos; a screening of William Friedkin’s excellent Sorcerer as a tribute to the recently deceased director; and the first NYC […]

The post NYC’s Paris Theater To Reopen in September With Dolby Atmos System and 70mm Screenings first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

This story is part of The Hollywood Reporter’s 2023 Sustainability Issue (click here to read more).

We’re currently living in a golden age of panic-inducing eco-documentaries gushing facts and statistics at us about how humans are killing the planet. These didactic films are vital for grounding us in the sobering truths of climate change and spurring activism across generations. But it’s easy to feel wrung out from the constant finger-wagging, too. Unquestionably, it’s more challenging for filmmakers to transmit environmentalist messages via tone, mood or imagery alone — but for viewers, the rewards can be spectacular.

The documentaries in this list showcase the grand scale of Earth, but they’re also able to demonstrate the refinement of our microcosmic communities. Some focus on explorers who either conflict or harmonize with their subjects; others are dialogue-free meditations on life itself. We’re witnesses to tragedy and celebration, spirituality and terror.

A series of rituals play out across Helmut Dosantos’ nearly wordless documentary “Gods of Mexico.” Honing in on Indigenous communities and their labor in Mexico despite the shadow of the country’s creeping modernization, Dosantos’s breathtaking film recalls the work of Ron Fricke and Godfrey Reggio in its emphasis on the juxtaposition between static imagery and the syncopated rhythms of manual labor. Highly formal in its construction, “Gods of Mexico” eschews context for a fully immersive experience that is ultimately hypnotic, even if its overall message sometimes gets muddled in the process.

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023

Dosantos splits his film into two sections: “White,” which follows workers in the South’s salt pans in crisp black-and-white cinematography and “Black,” which turns to the North’s underground mines and is presented in color.

Continue reading ‘Gods Of Mexico’ Review: A Wordless and Hypnotic Exploration of Indigenous Mexican Communities at The Playlist.

Almulla has played an important part in the development of the local industry.

Trying to conduct an interview with Ahmed Almulla in the bustling Red Sea Souk at Rsiff can prove challenging. Every few minutes, an aspiring filmmaker or an industry professional approaches the published poet and Saudi Film Festival director to greet him and pay their respects.

It is not surprising as Almulla has been an important part of the cinematic movement that eventually led to movie theatres reopening in 2018 and the creation of a film industry in a country where, not too long ago, the entertainment medium was...

Prisoners of the Ghostland screenwriter/producer Reza Sixo Safai joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss his wildest cinematic experiences.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Infested (2002)

The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary

Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary

Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)

Mandy (2018)

Candy (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary

S.O.B. (1981)

The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary

Robin Hood (1973)

The Story of Robin Hood (1952)

Modern Times (1936)

The Kid (1921)

The Deer (1974)

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Qeysar (1969)

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Warriors (1979)

New Jack City (1991)

Colors (1988)

The Whip And The Body (1963)

Blow Out (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Porky’s (1981)

Cinema Paradiso (1988) – Glenn Erickson’s Region B Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review

Circumstance (2011)

Ninja 3: The Domination (1984)

Flashdance (1983)

Debbie...

This year’s batch of Emmy nominated filmmakers for both documentary and nonfiction encompass a wide spectrum that include veterans who have greatly influenced the genre and younger creatives getting their first dose of wide exposure. In getting to talk with them, it was incredible to hear them not only talk about the works that influenced their decision to go into nonfiction storytelling, but also the nonfiction works that have stood out to them in more recent years. Gold Derby recently had these discussions with Kirby Dick (“Allen v. Farrow”), Amanda McBaine (“Boys State”), Steve James (“City So Real”), Tom Campbell (“RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked”) and Jeff Orlowski (“The Social Dilemma”) during our recent “Meet the Experts” panel.

You can watch the documentary and nonfiction group panel above with these five creative helmers. Click on each person’s name above to be taken to their individual interview.

See Watch...

Exclusive: Paris-based sales outfit Reel Suspects has taken world sales, excluding Russia, on Uldus Bakhtiozina’s debut feature film Tzarevna Scaling, which has been selected for this year’s Berlinale Forum program.

Bakhtiozina is an internationally renowned artist who in 2015 became the first Russian speaker to deliver a Ted talk. She has exhibited work around the world.

This is her first feature. It follows a fishmonger who, after being given a tea by a strange old woman, finds her sleep turns into a fairy tale, during which she must compete to become a tsar’s daughter.

“I am immensely proud to work on Uldus’ first feature. I felt in love with the film at the first sight. It’s a powerful cinematographic work that reminds me of Ron Fricke’s Baraka or Matthew Barney’s works, with a more social and political background,” said Reel Suspects CEO Matteo Lovadina. “We...

With 8K an ever-increasing technology, Nhk Enterprises – a leader in the development of 8K – collaborated with Delta Electronics Foundation in Taiwan to shoot the world’s first 8K environmental documentary. With Takashi Komuro heading up a team of expert photographers, what is shown is not necessary anything new, but serves as a nice advert for the technology and the extra detail it can capture.

Water with Life screened at Asian Pop-Up Cinema

Staring off as an educational piece charting the cycle of water, from evaporation, to clouds, rain, snow and freezing, “Water with Life” depicts the importance of water to the Taiwanese ecosystem. From the forests and mountains to the rivers across Taiwan, we also pop north to Hokkaido in Japan to see how water reacts to freezing temperatures.

Along the way, we meet a number of people to whom water is a vital part of their work and daily life.

By no stretch of the imagination China has been, and arguably still is, the world’s factory; the manufacturing womb of a planet where consumption is the driving force of the global economy. Trying to ignore the omnipresent “Made in China” insignia over the past few decades has been a pointless endeavour, even as this giant began outsourcing its production of our consumer lifeblood to its neighbours; now with the Belt and Road Initiave in full swing, Chinese influence is more inescapable than ever. But it is the toil, sweat, and, more often than not, the blood of its vast labour force that has kept its relentless structure of gears and cogs from slowing; despite well-documented cases of human rights violations, this machine still feeds on the tireless Sisyphean efforts of every individual. Wen Hai’s gargantuan effort ‘We The Workers’, then, serves as the mouthpiece for those trapped in...

When legendary film critic Roger Ebert included Ron Fricke's Baraka (1992) in his "Great Movies" list, he began his review of the documentary with the sentence - "If man sends another Voyager to the distant stars and it can only carry one film on board, that film might be Baraka."

Related: 10 Of Netflix's Best Nature Documentaries 

Currently available for free (with ads) on YouTube, this vibrantly stunning documentary was the first piece in over twenty years to be filmed on the beautifully wide 70mm Todd-ao format, which has never been used again since. While the movie features no conventional narrative, dialogue, or voice-over, it speaks volumes about humanity, evolution, spiritualism, environmentalism, and the relationships that keep all those things connected.

Ron Fricke’s 1992 documentary celebrating the natural beauty of the world and its cultures makes full use of a little-used but glorious photographic process, 70 mm Todd-ao. That crystal clear format was used for 1956’s Around the World in 80 Days and Fricke takes that as a challenge, traveling to 24 countries on six continents to assemble this one-of-a-kind movie. A sequel was produced in 2011, Samsara, which explored many of Baraka’s same themes.

The post Baraka appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

American Factory took top honors at the 13th annual Cinema Eye Honors recognizing the best in documentary filmmaking, tonight at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York.

A portrait of a once-closed Ohio factory bought by a Chinese billionaire, the Netflix release picked up awards for Outstanding Nonfiction Feature and Outstanding Direction for filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert.

CNN Films and Statement Pictures release, Apollo 11, a look at the first humans to land on the moon and return to Earth, also won two awards — Outstanding Editing for director/editor Todd Douglas Miller and Original Score for composer Matt Morton.

Other winners included HBO’s Leaving Neverland, Netflix’s Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, and National Geographic’s The Cave.

In December, the State Department denied Syrian-born filmmaker Feras Fayyad, who helmed The Cave, a travel visa to enter the United States to support the film, as Deadline reported Saturday.

“American Factory” has been named the best documentary of 2019 at the 13th annual Cinema Eye Honors ceremony, which were presented on Monday evening in New York City.

The film, executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground Productions, and distributed by Netflix, is an examination of an Ohio glass factory that was taken over by a Chinese company in an uneasy cultural alliance. It prevailed in a category in which all six nominees — “American Factory,” “Apollo 11,” “For Sama,” “Honeyland,” “Midnight Family” and “One Child Nation” — are also on the Oscars shortlist for documentary features.

The “American Factory” directors, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, also won the award for Outstanding Direction. The Outstanding Production category resulted in a tie between two films set in Syria, “The Cave” and “For Sama.”

Also Read: 'For Sama' Is Named Top Doc at Ida Documentary Awards

“Honeyland” won for cinematography,...

Stars: Jacques Ledoux, Davos Hanich, Jean Négroni, Hélène Chatelain, Alexandra Stewart | Written and Directed by Chris Marker

La Jetee is Chris Marker’s 1962 mini sci-fi film. It tells the story of the aftermath of World War 3, and the survivors living underground. A scientist (Jacques Ledoux) performs experiments in time travel, so a man (Davos Hanich) can go and fetch food and medical supplies.

The film is almost entirely composed of monochrome still images. It’s a form that requires a narrator (Jean Négroni) to explain everything at every moment, which makes you wonder what the images – many of which are library pictures depicting real-world destruction – really add to the piece. I wonder also if such a film were made today, making use of the devastation in, say, Syria, then it would be seen as tasteless and crass.

Still, it’s an arresting montage. By using still images, Marker circumvents normal...

For twelve years now, the Cinema Eye Honors selection committees, comprised of filmmakers from the documentary community, help to whittle down a curated list of must-see non-fiction film and television. At the annual Cinema Eye brunch, Cinema Eye Honors founding director A.J. Schnack and his team unveiled the first in a series of awards announcements, including nominees for two new awards: Outstanding Achievement for a Broadcast Film or Series in Editing and Cinematography.

Netflix, 30 for 30, Hulu and Showtime Documentary Films hosted the lunch at Tartine Bianco in Los Angeles, attended by many filmmakers, including many of this year’s non-fiction contenders: Nanfu Wang + Jialing Zhang, Todd Douglas Miller, Petra Costa, Steven Bognar + Julia Reichert, Lauren Greenfield, and Feras Fayyad.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s “Homecoming” (Netflix) led the Broadcast honorees with three nominations: Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Other multiple nominees included National Geographic’s “Apollo: Mission to the Moon,...

For twelve years now, the Cinema Eye Honors selection committees, comprised of filmmakers from the documentary community, help to whittle down a curated list of must-see non-fiction film and television. At the annual Cinema Eye brunch, Cinema Eye Honors founding director A.J. Schnack and his team unveiled the first in a series of awards announcements, including nominees for two new awards: Outstanding Achievement for a Broadcast Film or Series in Editing and Cinematography.

Netflix, 30 for 30, Hulu and Showtime Documentary Films hosted the lunch at Tartine Bianco in Los Angeles, attended by many filmmakers, including many of this year’s non-fiction contenders: Nanfu Wang + Jialing Zhang, Todd Douglas Miller, Petra Costa, Steven Bognar + Julia Reichert, Lauren Greenfield, and Feras Fayyad.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s “Homecoming” (Netflix) led the Broadcast honorees with three nominations: Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Other multiple nominees included National Geographic’s “Apollo: Mission to the Moon,...

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.

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.

Bumblebee (Travis Knight)

With Bumblebee, director Travis Knight and writer Christina Hodson weave together two different movies: 1) A sensitive, familiar riff on E.T. about a young girl who, struggling with the recent death of her father, regains her confidence through a clandestine friendship with an alien and 2) A less bombastic version of a Michael Bay-helmed Transformers movie, complete with Autobot vs. Decepticon lore, mechanical fight scenes with grinding metal sounds high in the mix, explosions, etc. To their credit, Knight and Hodson semi-seamlessly combine both movies without too much tonal clash. It’s just a shame that the end result never amounts to more than a “fine,...

With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story currently dominating the box-office, well on its way to crossing the $1 billion threshold, even if you didn’t fully embrace the movie, it’s hard to withhold appreciation in how Gareth Edwards captured this well-trodden universe in a new aesthetic way. One can now get a glimpse at some of his directorial influences with the latest Sight & Sound poll at BFI, where the director gave his top 10 films of all-time.

“One of the first things I do is grab imagery and put together a document, a Pdf, that is just full of thousands of images,” Edwards told Complex. “For me, the films that I got a lot of images from were Apocalypse Now, Thin Red Line, Alien, Blade Runner, and a film called Baraka.” A few of these can be found in his list, which of course includes George Lucas‘ Star Wars, which...

Submarine and Dogwoof have acquired all rights—minus Australia/New Zealand and German-speaking territories—to "Sherpa" director Jennifer Peedom’s "Mountain," an examination of humankind's troubled and triumphant relationship with mountains in the vein of "Baraka" (Ron Fricke, 1992) and "Koyaanisqatsi" (Godfrey Reggio, 1982). Read More: "Review: A Decade After Qatsi Trilogy, Avant-Garde Cine-Poem 'Visitors' Marks Godfrey Reggio's Triumphant Return" "Mountain," currently in production, is a collaboration between Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and features cinematography by Renan Ozturk, the Dp behind the gorgeous images of "Sherpa" and Producers Guild nominee "Meru." Renowned author Robert Macfarlane, whose best-selling book "Mountains of the Mind" explores similar themes contained in this work, will write the narration. Watch: "How Star Climber Jimmy...

Telluride — With all the reindeer games going on in the fall festival world, a lot of the drama and mystery surrounding Telluride's perennially on-the-lowdown program began to seep out like a steadily deflating balloon this year. Toronto, Venice and New York notations of "World Premiere," "Canada Premiere," "New York Premiere" or "International Premiere" and the like made it all rather obvious which films were heading to the San Juans for the 41st edition of the tiny mining village's cinephile gathering, and which were not. But the fact is, if you're in it just for the surprises — or certainly, for the awards-baiting heavies — you're never going to be fully satisfied by the Telluride experience. That having been said, this year's program might just be the most exciting one in my six years of attending. Starting with all of the stuff we were expecting, indeed, Cannes players "Foxcatcher," "Mr. Turner" and "Leviathan...

If you're hung up on the fact Lucy perpetuates the myth humans only use 10% of their brain then I don't know why you're reading this review. However, if you thought Transcendence was a talky bore and wish there had been more action and less jibber-jabber then you might want to stick around since the two films essentially approach the idea of the singularity, but get there using dramatically different means. Directed by Luc Besson (The Professional, The Fifth Element), Lucy tells the story of the title character, played by Scarlett Johansson with all the wooden acuity of Keanu Reeves, as she is forced into serving as a drug mule, carrying a package of a new drug next to her intestines. Unfortunately for her, when she's kicked in the stomach a small amount of the drug leaks into her system, giving her abilities beyond that of a "normal" human being and...

"The oil is treacherous, because it reflects the sky." Herzog says in voice over as we look upon what could very easily be small ponds and streams of water in an otherwise barren wasteland. Herzog speaks to this very thought adding, "The oil is trying to disguise itself as water." It's a statement only Herzog could make and it's one of the few heard throughout the brisk 50 minutes that make up his 1992 documentary Lessons of Darkness, which I think is best described as a cousin to Ron Fricke's wonderful wordless documentaries Baraka and Samsara, though with this film Herzog has a much more specific topic he's exploring. Broken into thirteen separate sections, all with their own "chapter" heading, Herzog tells the story of the 1991 Kuwait oil fires through sparse voice over (much of which are words read from the Bible), aerial and on the ground images captured on 16mm...

Earlier this year, Av Festival in Newcastle was the destination of many durational documentary enthusiasts (admittedly a niche market): a meaty Wang Bing retrospective was screened over several days. For all who are unfamiliar with the Chinese documentarian’s work, he has a tight catalogue of epic films such as West of the Tracks and Crude Oil that are in excess of ten hours apiece, which seek to tell objective stories of diminishing local labour or of nomadic existence in the great wilds of China and Mongolia. More palatable docs, while containing a similar gaze, have been delivered to us in recent years by Ron Fricke (namely Baraka and Samsara).

Director Thomas Balmès’ interest in cross-cultural filmmaking has allowed him to scaffold a bridge between these two styles of documentary: employing a lingering, dewy-eyed camera to portray stunning landscapes and untouched panoramas while telegraphing easy-to-watch glimpses of silent societies.

It may not be on everyone’s DVD shelf, but filmmaker Godfrey Reggio’s first film Koyaanisqatsi – released in 1982 – was a landmark piece of cinema. Comprised mainly of slow motion and time-lapse shots, the film had no narrative in the strict sense of the word, it simply observed our world, both human and natural, and left it up to the viewer to form their own ideas. Stunningly shot (cinematographer Ron Fricke went on to make similar films Baraka and Samsara), Koyaanisqatsi revolutionised techniques that we now take for granted and would be referenced in places as far afield as Grand Theft Auto, Madonna videos, and even an episode of Scrubs. Reggio followed this up with two more films to complete the Qatsi trilogy and now returns three decades later with Visitors, a film similar in concept, but completely different in its execution.

Filmed in a low-key, velvety black-and-white, Visitors runs...

One of the best documentaries of last year was Ron Fricke's Samsara, a wordless follow-up to Baraka and if you have any doubts as to how provocative a wordless documentary can actually be, the production has just brought online one of the more devastating clips from the film taking a close look at our world's food production. Here's a quote from producer Mark Magidson that accompanied the clip. "We are happy this clip has struck a chord with so many people, and we hope that the interest in this clip will lead viewers to see Samsara in its entirety. This clip represents only 6 minutes from a 100 minute long film, which was photographed in 25 countries and explores many other diverse aspects of the human experience. We would love for viewers to experience Samsara as a whole." ~ producer Mark Magidson Samsara is a film best seen on the biggest screen possible...

Lebanese writer/director Ziad Doueiri (West Beirut – ’98, Lila Says- ’04) finally returns behind the camera for his third feature, an adaptation of the novel by Algerian writer Yasmina Khadra. A successful Arab surgeon living in Israel finds his life shattered when he finds his wife was involved in a suicide bombing thus sending him on a journey full of unintentional discovery. A thoroughly profound, layered and complex film, the Israeli and Palestinian conflict provides the backdrop for what is essentially a thriller with a love story at its core. With Ali Suliman in a dramatically anchor-heavy lead role, and equally strong perfs from supporting players Reymond Amsalem and Uri Gavriel, according to our four-star review, “this is perhaps the most humanistic take on the never-ending conflict to ever be presented on the screen, definitely an important and compelling film.” The Attack [06.21 - NYC and Washington] received its world premiere showing at Tiff last fall where...

"Argo" remains the Oscar-frontrunner! The Ben Affleck film was the big winner at the recently concluded 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards honoring outstanding editing in nine categories of film, television, and documentaries. "Argo" won the Dramatic category, "Silver Linings Playbook" for Comedy/Musical, "Brave" for Animated, and "Searching for Sugar Man" for Documentary.

Here are the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:

Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):

*** Argo

William Goldenberg, A.C.E.

Life of Pi

Tim Squyres, A.C.E.

Lincoln

Michael Kahn, A.C.E.

Skyfall

Stuart Baird, A.C.E.

Zero Dark Thirty

Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E.

Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical):

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Chris Gill

Les Misérables

Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.

Moonrise Kingdom

Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.

*** Silver Linings Playbook

Jay Cassidy,...

The American Cinema Editors (Ace) handed out the 2013 Eddie Awards last night and the race didn't change too much, that is unless you were confused as to who the two primary front-runners heading into next Sunday's Oscars were. Argo (edited by William Goldenberg, A.C.E.) and Silver Linings Playbook (edited by Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. and Crispin Struthers) won Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) and Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy/Musical) respectively. Brave won in the Animated category while presumptive Best Documentary winner, Searching for Sugar Man won in the Documentary category. Of course, just to keep things interesting and ensure "Team Lincoln" didn't go home entirely empty handed, Steven Spielberg received the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year honor presented to him by longtime collaborator and friend Kathleen Kennedy. I've already updated the Oscar Overture with the wins for Argo and Silver Linings as the path...

Part of the visionary genius behind The Qatsi Trilogy owes credit to the eye of cinematographer Ron Fricke, whose own film Baraka has become a visual standard unto itself. His follow-up film Samsara, follows almost 20 years later and took five years to put together thanks to its highly varied content and the globetrotting approach, capturing moments of human life and industry across 25 countries. It’s an absolutely stunning work of cinematography and Fricke’s eye for detail and color has only improved over the years, and now it has the benefit of high-definition to make it downright breathtaking at times in terms of scope, and at other times it manages to make the mundane seem incomprehensibly special.

Read more...

Here is a documentary so difficult to describe it’s hard to understand the motivation to watch it never mind to think that you’d like it. A wordless documentary filmed over twenty-five countries in five continents, it’s all about the imagery and the accompanying music so that you may interpret it as you wish. All the images you see are completely magnanimous with every interpretation being as correct as every other as there’s no guiding voice to narrate you to the thoughts of the filmmakers. Instead, you see images that he’s captured over fours of filming on seventy-millimetre film while it transports you around the globe seamlessly. It seemingly melts societies from one place to another showing that there may be differences but we are all the same and suffer similar tribulations.

The best setting was had when I watched this film, thankfully. Although sitting and...

The Qatsi series is made up of several compelling contradictions. On the one hand, the first film, Koyaanisqatsi (1983), was a unique-for-its-time, one-of-a-kind event; but on the other hand, that film used many of the same cinematic tactics and strategies common to “pure cinema” (or “absolute film”) projects that characterized experimental filmmaking in the 1920s, like Dziga Vertov’s Man with the Movie Camera, Fernand Leger’s Ballet Mechanique, and the geometric filmmaking of Viking Eggeling. On the one hand, the Qatsi series is often celebrated as a series, or as an accomplishment characterized by a long-term vision realized across several films; but on the other hand, celebrations of the weight and accomplishment of this series are often relegated to the first film. Koyaanisqatsi’s sequels, Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002), are only mentioned a fraction as often as the landmark first film. On the one hand, this trilogy is one of the most radical critical critiques of capitalism and...

Pina Directed by: Wim Wenders Featuring: Regina Advento, Malou Airaudo, Ruth Amarante Written by: Wim Wenders Being a fan of both documentaries and the work of German filmmaker Wim Wenders, I went into Pina with the hopes that my absolute distaste for modern dance might be tempered by some great filmmaking and an interesting story. Unfortunately, as Pina's tagline states, this is 'a film for Pina Bausch by Wim Wenders' and not a film for Jay Cheel. Be warned, if you don't like modern dance or ballet, Pina might not be for you. The film focuses on the work of its title character/subject, Pina Bausch. It seems Wenders assumes that most people watching the film might be coming in with a basic knowledge of Pina and her work. Either that or he simply doesn't care, which is sort of respectable I suppose. I personally had no idea...

Chicago – Blending the spiritual majesty of 1992’s “Baraka” with ominous overtones suggesting a world out of balance (so memorably portrayed in 1982’s “Koyaanisqatsi”), master cinematographer Ron Fricke’s “Samsara” is the sort of rapturous visual feast that his fans have come to expect from him. The key difference here is the spectacular level of clarity brought to each image.

Shot on cumbersome 70mm cameras that were dragged through heavy security across 25 countries, “Samsara” was clearly a labor of love for everyone involved. During its limited theatrical run, the film was screened in a brand-new high-resolution 4K digital projection that boggled moviegoers’ minds with its unprecedented depth of detail. The impact of such an intense sensory experience is often dramatically diminished on the small screen, but thankfully the 8K UltraDigital HD version of the film available on Blu-ray is a mammoth exception.

Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

The scintillating perfection of Fricke’s gorgeously...

Dredd | Lawless | Samsara | Shadow Dancer | Tabu

Dredd

Finally, a comic-book adaptation comes along that completely honours the source material, doesn't derail the action with pointless backstory and brutally sticks to its (rapid-firing) guns to the last frame – and what do we do? We stay away in droves.

Maybe audiences were burned by dreary futuristic tales such as Total Recall or bored by repetitive comic-book rehashes like The Amazing Spider-Man. Whatever the cause, Dredd bombed at the box office. Set in Mega City One, a place crammed with 800 million citizens, where the lawkeeping Judges (a mix of cop/judge/jury/executioner) struggle to deal with a mere 6% of the 17,000 serious crimes reported daily. We follow the titular Dredd as he assesses rookie Judge Anderson, who's thrown into the deep end. The considerable action is confined to a kilometre-high, self-contained Mega-Block ruled over by the sadistic Ma-Ma, whose gang control the area...

The American Cinema Editors (Ace) has announced the nominees of the 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards honoring outstanding editing in nine categories of film, television, and documentaries. We'll find out the winners on Saturday, February 16th.

Here are the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:

Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):

Argo

William Goldenberg, A.C.E.

Life of Pi

Tim Squyres, A.C.E.

Lincoln

Michael Kahn, A.C.E.

Skyfall

Stuart Baird, A.C.E.

Zero Dark Thirty

Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E.

Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical):

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Chris Gill

Les Misérables

Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.

Moonrise Kingdom

Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.

Silver Linings Playbook

Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. & Crispin Struthers

Ted

Jeff Freeman, A.C.E.

Best Edited Animated Feature Film:

Brave -- Nicolas C.

The American Cinema Editors (Ace) announced the nominees for the 2013 Ace Eddie Awards today and among them are all five Oscar nominees, four of them -- Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty -- in the Dramatic category and the fifth, Silver Linings Playbook, in the Comedy/Musical category. There isn't really too much else to say about the noms considering in previous years these nominations came out before the Oscar nominations were announced giving reason to speculate on which of the several films would end up nominated for Oscars. Considering that's not the case this year, this will all become a little more interesting when they announce their winners on Saturday, February 16. For now, the nominees are listed below in the Dramatic, Musical or Comedy, Animated and Documentary categories. Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic): Argo - William Goldenberg, A.C.E. Life of Pi - Tim Squyres,...

The nominees for the 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards was announced today. Ace, the American Cinema Editors, is an honorary society of motion picture editors founded in 1950. Film editors are voted into membership on the basis of their professional achievements, their dedication to the education of others and their commitment to the craft of editing. Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic): Argo William Goldenberg, A.C.E Life of Pi Tim Squyres, A.C.E. Lincoln Michael Kahn, A.C.E. Skyfall Stuart Baird, A.C.E. Zero Dark Thirty Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. & William Goldenberg, A.C.E. Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical): The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Chris Gill Les Misérables Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E. Moonrise Kingdom Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E. Silver Linings Playbook Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. & Crispin Struthers Ted Jeff Freeman, A.C.E. Best Edited...

Universal City, CA, Jan. 11 –American Cinema Editors (Ace) today announced nominations for the 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards recognizing outstanding editing in nine categories of film, television and documentaries. Winners will be revealed during Ace’s annual black-tie awards ceremony on Saturday, February 16, 2013 in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Actor / Comedian David Cross (“Arrested Development”) will serve as the Master of Ceremonies that evening. Next week Ace will announce the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year honoree and two Career Achievement honorees. The Ace Eddie Award nominees in nine categories are listed below. A tie in the Best Animated Feature Film category resulted in four nominees this year instead of three. Nominees For 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) Argo William Goldenberg, A.C.E. Life of Pi Tim Squyres, A.C.E. Lincoln Michael Kahn, A.C.E. Skyfall Stuart Baird, A.

Sorry Oscars. But after the Indie Spirit Awards, the number two spot in terms of Award Season importance are the Cinema Eye Honors. Seems like it was only yesterday when Aj Schnack & Thom Powers teamed up for one basic, logical concept: an event that would reward yearly output of documentary film in a rightfully sound manner. With the wind in their sails, the 6th annual edition was held last night and deservingly so, adding to its double wins at the Idfa and Sundance, it is 5 Broken Cameras that took the top honors for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking. Co-directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi – political activism via you guessed it, five video cameras. The film was released via Kino Lorber.

The night’s only double winner, could be regarded as the silver medal doc film of the year: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Detropia grabbed the Outstanding...

In this clip from the the making of director Ron Fricke's Samsara, find out how the filmmaker approached the epic scope of his globe-trotting, non-verbal film in senses-shattering 70Mm. And look for an opportunity to own one of five copies of Samsara later today. Here's the official synopsis: Samsara is a Sanskrit word that means "the ever turning wheel of life" and is the point of departure for the filmmakers as they search for the elusive current of interconnection that runs through our lives. Filmed over a period of almost five years and in twenty-five countries, Samsara transports us to sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites, and natural wonders. By dispensing with dialogue and descriptive text, Samsara subverts our expectations of a traditional documentary, instead...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi trilogy is a brilliantly realized, influential piece of cinema that bridges the gap between experimental film and documentary. Completely free of dialogue or any sort of obvious narrative, these three films combine visuals and music to provoke a visceral and intellectual response from the audience, allowing themes to emerge from seemingly disparate images in a freedom of interpretation. The Criterion Collection has finally given the series an HD upgrade and outside of one exception, I'm pretty thrilled with the results. The first film in the series, Koyaanisqatsi (life out of balance), is definitely my favourite. The film casts wider conceptual and thematic net, allowing the audience to decide for themselves what they take away from its imagery, if anything at all. It claims ownership over the originality of its visuals, indulging in long sequences of time lapse photography set mostly in cities and factories. This brand...

Vol. I Issue 3

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Chasing Ice directed by Jeff Orlowski

Chasing Ice is the story of James Balog’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.

In a year where the Short Listed Academy documentary features deal with issues ranging from sexual harassment in the military to the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexually molesting children, Chasing Ice deals with arguably the most important issue proving that the ice caps are melting and that the warming of the planet will have a catastrophic effect. But this is a year where the MPAA rating of a film about bullying school students has seemed to get the most press. That’s a shame. Chasing Ice needs to be seen. It is the most important short listed documentary film of the year. Like Davis Guggenheim’s Al Gore PowerPoint presentation, this film is scary. With never-before-seen time lapse photography we can dramatically see the ice caps and giant glaciers shrinking. A chunk of ice the size of lower Manhattan crashes into the sea. The ice flows like a river into the sea. We all know that when the ice melts, it releases its fresh water into the sea and that the water will rise. In time a few feet. Say good bye to land that several hundred million people live on.

So what’s the problem? They don’t have the press machine of Bob and Harvey Weinstein that makes a mountain out of an MPAA rating. Can the Oscar nomination go to the most important film? (could this paragraph go after next paragraph?)

But wait, there is more. This is a strikingly well made film. It has a compelling character, James Balog, who is giving his body to science and this cause. The cracks we hear are not chunks of ice but his knees disintegrating as he scales cliffs of rock and ice. The filmmakers really are risking their lives making the film, the ice takes no prisoners, the small planes and helicopters regularly crash. The film unfolds with precision; we are moved and awed by the characters and the stunning photography. The score is first rate as is the editing. This is a work that should be short listed but might be overlooked because it lacks the political coolness of some of the other films. This would be a shame.

The Filmmakers

Chasing Ice is directed by Jeff Orlowski, cinematographer for the Extreme Ice Survey, and an award-winning filmmaker. A Stanford University graduate, he has been working with Balog since 2007 and has shot over 300 hours of footage of Eis in the field. His work for Eis has screened on NBC, CNN, PBS, National Geographic, and hundreds of other venues around the world.

The film is produced by Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, the winner of the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary and 2010 Producers Guild of America ‘Producer of the Year’ for her role on The Cove. She has also served as producer on three Harry Potter films, Rent, and Mrs. Doubtfire. The film is also produced by Jerry Aronson, nominated for an Academy Award for the documentary The Divided Trail, and the director of The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg.

Credits:

Director/Producer: Jeff Orlowski

Producers: Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, Jerry Aronson

Executive Producers: David and Linda Cornfield

Writer: Mark Monroe

Cinematography: Jeff Orlowski

Music Composer: J. Ralph

Editor, Mark Monroe

Production: Diamond Docs (in association with)

Exposure Production, Exposure

Distributors (Us): Submarine Deluxe and National Geographic Channel

Maggie Simpson a short animated film by David Silverman

The Longest Daycare is a four-and-a-half-minute-long animated 3D short animated film based on the animated television series The Simpsons.

Directed by David Silverman The Longest Daycare is one of my favorite short animated films short listed for the Oscar this year. Silverman, credited with creating the look of the Simpsons, has directed numerous episodes of this hit series. Daycare has no dialogue. It is hilarious in part because of its silent film style. It is smart and fun. Maggie is a delight. This short film is really special. Between the 3D, the super clever writing and the stunning animation style, it is one of the very rare animations that can be enjoyed by any audience. Silverman’s work deserves an Oscar.

Scored by Hans Zimmer, best known for his work on Hollywood blockbusters, the score references numerous films scores and adds another layer of meaning to this magnificent (really?) work. Silverman attended the University of Maryland College Park and studied animation at UCLA.

Credits:

Directed by: David Silverman

Produced by: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Richard Raynis, Richard Sakai

Written by: James L. Brooks, Joel H. Cohen, Matt Groening, Al Jean, David Mirkin, Michael Price

Music by: Hans Zimmer, James Dooley (addition music)

Distributed by: 20th Century Fox

Running time: 4:30

Academy announces 15 feature documentary films shortlisted for the Documentary Film Nomination

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the short listed documentary features on December 3, 2012. Under the new documentary branch rules all of the branch members as well as documentary nominees and award winners from other Academy branches could vote for the short listed films. About 180 Academy members participated. Dropping the committee process where four committees would screen one quarter of the submitted films, Documentary Branch Governor Michael Moore pushed the branch to use a preferential voting system with all branch members and other qualified Academy members participating. As this writer expected, works with a lot of hype, such as Bully, were short listed. One can wonder how many members who voted for this film actually saw it. In addition to changing the short listing process, the branch demanded that films had to have been reviewed in either the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times. Voters received 126 DVDs in the mail.

A number of worthy films were omitted, as is always the case, including: The Central Park Five (directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon), West of Memphis (directed by Amy Berg), The Queen of Versailles, directed by Lauren Greenfield. I also really liked Bad 25 (directed by Spike Lee) and Love Marilyn (directed by Liz Garbus). Samsara (directed by Ron Fricke) is the year’s best documentary for its sheer poetry

The Academy can choose to nominate up to three people. However, only the director has a lock on the nomination. Individuals credited as “Producer” are vetted by the Producer’s Guild. Each must prove that they did a majority of the producer roles. This is the third year that this rule has been in force. Many of the films have multiple “producers” so it remains to be seen who will receive nominations. The decision of the Academy will be announced once the films are nominated. This has been somewhat contentious in the past.

AMPAS rules follow:

The nominee(s) should be the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process. A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria. No more than two statuettes will normally be given in the Documentary Feature category. All individuals with a “Producer” or “Produced by” credit on films that reach the semifinal round will automatically be vetted. The Documentary Branch Executive Committee will determine which producers, if any, are eligible to receive an Oscar. In the unlikely event of a dispute, filmmakers may appeal the committee’s decision. In extremely rare circumstances, a third statuette may be awarded. Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.

The Short List:

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman

Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch

Chasing Ice, directed by Jeff Orlowski

Detropia, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady

Ethel, directed by Rory Kennedy

5 Broken Cameras, directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi

The Gatekeepers, directed by Dror Moreh

The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki

How to Survive a Plague, directed by David France

The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton

The Invisible War, directed by Kirby Dick

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, directed by Alex Gibney

Searching for Sugar Man, directed by Malik Bendjelloul

This Is Not a Film, directed by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and Jafar Panahi

The Waiting Room, directed by Peter Nicks

The nominations for the 85th Academy Awards will be announced at 5:30 am (Pst) on Thursday, January 10, 2013. The awards will be handed out on Sunday, February 24, 2013.

Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).

Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.

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