Stories from All these wonderful things
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And Few Words about Cinema Eye 2012 and This Space
All these wonderful things &bull Oct 28, 2011
Admittedly, we've been a stranger around these parts lately, but more on that in a moment.As I write this, I'm en route to Los Angeles, returning from London, where we just announced the nominees for this year's Cinema Eye Honors (you can find the full list here). It was a great experience on this end, terrific to see several weeks (months?) of hard work by… Full Story »
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The Great Lost Opportunity of Current's 50 Docs List
All these wonderful things &bull Aug 30, 2011
Our long national nightmare is finally over. Current TV, the still-finding-its-identity network co-founded by Al Gore and newish home to left wing commentator Keith Olbermann, concludes its 5-week documentary film countdown - "50 Docs to See Before You Die" -... Full Story »
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TORONTO 2011: Thom Powers on Mavericks Premieres from Maysles & Demme Plus PALIN, PARADISE LOST 3 and "the sexiest Wiseman film ever made"
All these wonderful things &bull Aug 23, 2011
Earlier today, the Toronto International Film Festival announced the line-up for its Mavericks program, and our eye went immediately to THE LOVE WE MAKE, a decade-in-the-making look at Paul McCartney's organizing of The Concert for New York, a charity response to 9/11, directed by Albert Maysles and Bradley Kaplan. I first met Albert and his brother David," McCartney recalled, "when we came to America, came to New York, and they were filming us." Their manager, Brian Epstein, had been approached by the Maysles brothers with a pitch to film them in a new way: cinema verite. Well, we were very… Full Story »
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SENNA Breaks UK Box Office Records for Documentary
All these wonderful things &bull Jul 26, 2011
Director Asif Kapadia's SENNA has broken the record for the highest grossing opening weekend for a documentary in British history. Taking 375,000 (approx $614,000) after opening on Friday 3rd June, it knocks the previous record holder TOUCHING THE VOID off… Full Story »
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Michael Rapaport's TRIBE CALLED QUEST Docu Storms the Indie Box Office
All these wonderful things &bull Jul 12, 2011
BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, the debut feature by actor Michael Rapaport, finally landed in theaters last weekend after months of behind-the-scenes and in-the-press strife between the director and several of his subjects. But in the end, the formerly, vocally-opposed Q-Tip and his fellow members of A… Full Story »
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Bar-Lev, Ferguson, Hetherington, Junger & Weyermann Among 10 Invited to Join Academy
All these wonderful things &bull Jun 20, 2011
In what constitutes the largest, single-year class of invites to the Academy's Documentary Branch in years, ten have been invited to join AMPAS, including recently minted Oscar winner Charles Ferguson, filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev (MY KID COULD PAINT THAT, THE TILLMAN… Full Story »
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Sean Farnel Steps Down at Hot Docs
All these wonderful things &bull Jun 20, 2011
In what accounts for major news around here, Sean Farnel announced last night, via his blog, that he was stepping down from his role as Hot Docs' Director of Programming. Five years is usually enough to get the job done… Full Story »
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Sheffield Doc/Fest Takes JUSTIN BIEBER Seriously, and So Should You
All these wonderful things &bull Jun 10, 2011
Let's get one thing straight, right off the bat. Jon Chu's JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER will not cure disease. It's a bit long (there's a saggy middle section that could have been whipped into better shape) and the central conceit - a build-up to the tween heart-throb's big concert at Madison Square Garden - is, as they say, paper-thin. Further, most music docs have the benefit of an artist's long history to reflect on, a career and personal arc that includes the ups and downs of year's of hard touring and music biz shenanigans. Halfway through NEVER, I came… Full Story »
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Peter Richardson on Filming His Powerfully Quiet Prize-Winner, HOW TO DIE IN OREGON
All these wonderful things &bull May 25, 2011
Before I saw Peter Richardson's HOW TO DIE IN OREGON, I'd heard over and over that it was a incredibly difficult film to get through. In our now-annual interview in December, Sundance programmers David Courier and Caroline Libresco described the film to me as "devastating". There were reports of walkouts at Sundance (where the film won the Grand Jury Prize) and HBO's Sheila Nevins, the film's Executive Producer, even told the New York Times that the film was so wrenching, that "half her staff...refused to watch the whole film". Nobody wants to stare death in the face, and that's the… Full Story »
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Josh Fox Prepping GASLAND Sequel, Still Fighting Off Gas Industry
All these wonderful things &bull May 18, 2011
Last June, as GASLAND was premiering (after months of stellar festival screenings) on HBO, we wrote about the emerging attacks on Josh Fox by allies of the natural gas industry. When Fox was shortlisted and later nominated for an Academy Award for the film earlier this year, the attacks intensified, with gas industry front… Full Story »
