After making the leap to narrative filmmaking last year with “Nyad,” Oscar winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have returned to their documentary roots and are currently at work in the edit suite prepping their next doc feature — “Lost in the Amazon” (working title), about how four Indigenous children survived for 40 days in the Amazon jungle after a plane crash in 2023. The story of their disappearance and eventual recovery transfixed the global media.
Vasarhelyi and Chin co-directed and produced the film with Colombian filmmaker Juan Camilo Cruz for National Geographic.
The feature docu will tell the story of the struggle for survival of the four children — who ranged in age from 11 months to 13 years — in the guerilla-held jungles of Colombia after a plane they were aboard crashed and killed their mother. The children survived for 40 days in the deep Amazonian rainforest using their Indigenous knowledge of the jungle and the...
Vasarhelyi and Chin co-directed and produced the film with Colombian filmmaker Juan Camilo Cruz for National Geographic.
The feature docu will tell the story of the struggle for survival of the four children — who ranged in age from 11 months to 13 years — in the guerilla-held jungles of Colombia after a plane they were aboard crashed and killed their mother. The children survived for 40 days in the deep Amazonian rainforest using their Indigenous knowledge of the jungle and the...
- 5/9/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
General Hospital (Gh) spoilers note that while actor Maurice Benard may play mob boss Sonny Corinthos on daytime drama, there are very few similarities between him and his character.
Would Sonny ever proclaim himself a Swiftie? Even for the sake of Donna Corinthos (Scarlett Spears) and Avery Corinthos (Ava and Grace Scarola)? That’s hard to say; however, Benard recently did, and here’s why.
General Hospital Spoilers – Maurice Benard Admits Being A Fan Of Taylor Swift
As most know, singing sensation Taylor Swift went out on the road in 2023, selling out arenas all across America with her Eras Tour. In 2024, the tour was brought to homes via the streaming service, Disney+.
On top of that, she also happens to have a high-profile romance with Kansas City Chiefs player, and Super Bowl winner, Travis Kelce.
What does all this have to do with soap star Maurice Benard? Well, it seems...
Would Sonny ever proclaim himself a Swiftie? Even for the sake of Donna Corinthos (Scarlett Spears) and Avery Corinthos (Ava and Grace Scarola)? That’s hard to say; however, Benard recently did, and here’s why.
General Hospital Spoilers – Maurice Benard Admits Being A Fan Of Taylor Swift
As most know, singing sensation Taylor Swift went out on the road in 2023, selling out arenas all across America with her Eras Tour. In 2024, the tour was brought to homes via the streaming service, Disney+.
On top of that, she also happens to have a high-profile romance with Kansas City Chiefs player, and Super Bowl winner, Travis Kelce.
What does all this have to do with soap star Maurice Benard? Well, it seems...
- 4/11/2024
- by Dorathy Gass
- Celebrating The Soaps
General Hospital spoilers tease Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) went through all the emotions when she discovered that Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) was alive and standing right in front of her.
A lot has happened since then even though it has only been a few weeks. Almost immediately, Drew Cain (Cameron Matheson), Jason’s twin, broke up with Carly knowing that Jason would always come first.
Carly was heartbroken but she knew in her heart that Drew was right. But Carly, as well as the rest of Port Charles, still had a lot of questions.
General Hospital Spoilers – Where Has Jason Morgan Been?
Jason eventually revealed that he had been picked up by the FBI right after he went missing. The blackmailed him into becoming an informant with the goal of bringing down the Pikeman Organization.
But Jason remained tight-lipped about exactly what he was being blackmailed with. It wasn’t...
A lot has happened since then even though it has only been a few weeks. Almost immediately, Drew Cain (Cameron Matheson), Jason’s twin, broke up with Carly knowing that Jason would always come first.
Carly was heartbroken but she knew in her heart that Drew was right. But Carly, as well as the rest of Port Charles, still had a lot of questions.
General Hospital Spoilers – Where Has Jason Morgan Been?
Jason eventually revealed that he had been picked up by the FBI right after he went missing. The blackmailed him into becoming an informant with the goal of bringing down the Pikeman Organization.
But Jason remained tight-lipped about exactly what he was being blackmailed with. It wasn’t...
- 4/7/2024
- by Matt Crider
- Celebrating The Soaps
General Hospital spoilers for the week of April 8 are in. Sasha Gilmore (Sofia Mattsson) finds a new joy, which could lead to a new career.
Coming Up On General Hospital
Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) suffers a major TV catastrophe. Kristina Corinthos-Davis (Kate Mansi) is rattled by Ava Jerome (Maura West). Plus, Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) turns to Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) for help, not realizing he is part of Pikeman.
General Hospital Spoilers – Programming Note
Gh spoilers for the week of April 8 reveal that there is a preemption. On Monday, April 8, expect to see news coverage instead of the soap opera. This preemption and news coverage is for the eclipse.
Gh Spoilers – Sasha Gilmore’s Joy
During the week of April 8, fans can expect Sasha to work with the horses in the stables. As Sasha and Cody Bell (Josh Kelly) work together with the animals, the former model will find a new joy.
Coming Up On General Hospital
Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) suffers a major TV catastrophe. Kristina Corinthos-Davis (Kate Mansi) is rattled by Ava Jerome (Maura West). Plus, Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) turns to Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) for help, not realizing he is part of Pikeman.
General Hospital Spoilers – Programming Note
Gh spoilers for the week of April 8 reveal that there is a preemption. On Monday, April 8, expect to see news coverage instead of the soap opera. This preemption and news coverage is for the eclipse.
Gh Spoilers – Sasha Gilmore’s Joy
During the week of April 8, fans can expect Sasha to work with the horses in the stables. As Sasha and Cody Bell (Josh Kelly) work together with the animals, the former model will find a new joy.
- 4/7/2024
- by Taylor Hancen Rios
- Celebrating The Soaps
General Hospital spoilers reveal there will be no episode airing on Monday, April 8, 2024. So, what is coming up on Tuesday, April 9, 2024?
Coming Up On General Hospital
Expect Nina Reeves Corinthos (Cynthia Watros) and Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) to make a pact. Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) finds John Cates (Adam Harrington) in trouble.
Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) fumes over Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). Kristina Corinthos-Davis (Kate Mansi) is disturbed by Ava Jerome’s (Maura West) actions.
Kristina Corinthos-Davis Disturbed
Gh spoilers for Tuesday, April 9 reveal that Kristina will make a disturbing discovery. Kristina will be alarmed by Ava’s deceitful and secretive behavior.
Of course, if Kristina confronts Ava, that might not go over very well. If Kristina tries to warn Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard), she might not be believed. For one thing, Sonny’s circle is extremely tiny right now.
Sonny’s meds are also being replaced with placebos, so...
Coming Up On General Hospital
Expect Nina Reeves Corinthos (Cynthia Watros) and Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) to make a pact. Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) finds John Cates (Adam Harrington) in trouble.
Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) fumes over Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). Kristina Corinthos-Davis (Kate Mansi) is disturbed by Ava Jerome’s (Maura West) actions.
Kristina Corinthos-Davis Disturbed
Gh spoilers for Tuesday, April 9 reveal that Kristina will make a disturbing discovery. Kristina will be alarmed by Ava’s deceitful and secretive behavior.
Of course, if Kristina confronts Ava, that might not go over very well. If Kristina tries to warn Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard), she might not be believed. For one thing, Sonny’s circle is extremely tiny right now.
Sonny’s meds are also being replaced with placebos, so...
- 4/5/2024
- by Taylor Hancen Rios
- Celebrating The Soaps
As you may have seen, Steven Moffat is writing for Doctor Who again (and I bet Tumblr are glad Cloud servers exist now). According to showrunner Russell T. Davies’ Instagram, he contacted both his successors/predecessors in the role and Chris Chibnall turned the offer down in favour of writing a novel, whereas Moffat agreed and, Davies teases, wrote a series 14 episode in which “a perfectly ordinary word [is] turned into something Terrifying and it’s all in outer space and there’s a woman and Oh My God”.
As we saw during lockdown, Davies and Moffat never really stopped having ideas for Doctor Who stories. While it may seem unprecedented to have a former showrunner return to write an episode, it was fairly common during Doctor Who’s original run. If we take the Script Editor role of the original run as comparable to that of the contemporary showrunner (it...
As we saw during lockdown, Davies and Moffat never really stopped having ideas for Doctor Who stories. While it may seem unprecedented to have a former showrunner return to write an episode, it was fairly common during Doctor Who’s original run. If we take the Script Editor role of the original run as comparable to that of the contemporary showrunner (it...
- 3/21/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Oscar-winning director-producers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth (Chai) Vasarhelyi consistently deliver stunning visuals and compelling documentary content. And following such breakout films as “Meru,” Oscar- and Emmy-winning “Free Solo,” Emmy-winning “The Rescue,” and “Wild Life,” which took advantage of pro climber-cinematographer-NatGeo photographer Chin’s 20 years of athletic cinema and Vasarhelyi’s relentless producer drive for perfection, they moved into feature directing with long-distance swimming drama “Nyad,” which scored Oscar nominations for stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.
Over the years, the filmmakers have established their filmmaking prowess, combining immersive cinema verité visuals with deeply felt personal drama. That is on full display in their latest collaboration with NatGeo, the series “Photographer,” for which the duo matched six of the world’s most renowned shooters with veteran directors Marshall Curry, Kristi Jacobson, and Sam Pollard, plus Sundance alumnae Crystal Kayiza and Rita Baghdadi, and set them loose to return with bespoke...
Over the years, the filmmakers have established their filmmaking prowess, combining immersive cinema verité visuals with deeply felt personal drama. That is on full display in their latest collaboration with NatGeo, the series “Photographer,” for which the duo matched six of the world’s most renowned shooters with veteran directors Marshall Curry, Kristi Jacobson, and Sam Pollard, plus Sundance alumnae Crystal Kayiza and Rita Baghdadi, and set them loose to return with bespoke...
- 3/19/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The past few years have taught us an awful lot about what the future of moviegoing might look like. It's an ever-evolving beast in the aftermath of the pandemic but one fairly certain trend has emerged: Anime has found its audience in North America. This has once again firmed up with the release of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—To the Hashira Training," the latest in a series of theatrical releases from the wildly popular anime series. It may not have topped the charts like "Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train" did in 2021, but it helped fill plenty of seats in theaters that otherwise would have been at best sparsely occupied.
Released by Crunchyroll in the U.S., the latest "Demon Slayer" film made $11.5 million in its opening frame, trailing only the hit music biopic "Bob Marley: One Love" ($13.5 million), which is in its second weekend. Most impressive of all?...
Released by Crunchyroll in the U.S., the latest "Demon Slayer" film made $11.5 million in its opening frame, trailing only the hit music biopic "Bob Marley: One Love" ($13.5 million), which is in its second weekend. Most impressive of all?...
- 2/26/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Annette Bening is an actor’s actor. Like many of the greats before her, she began her career in the theatre. Through the 80s, she quietly compiled a library of rich, complex characters before making her Tony-nominated broadway debut in 1987’s “Coastal Disturbances.”
Bening then made her well deserved transition over to Hollywood with John Hughes’ “The Great Outdoors.” The film didn’t perform as well as hoped, nor did Milos Forman’s “Valmont” which was released the following year, but they both paved the way for Bening’s eventual Oscar-nominated breakout as Myra Langtry in Stephen Frears’ “The Grifters.”
She got particularly close to Oscar gold with “American Beauty” in 2000. Annette bagged the BAFTA and SAG award for her iconic portrayal of the colourfully volatile wife-in-crisis, Carolyn Burnham. She lost to Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”) though, who had edged her out at the Globes.
Swank clearly was Bening’s kryptonite,...
Bening then made her well deserved transition over to Hollywood with John Hughes’ “The Great Outdoors.” The film didn’t perform as well as hoped, nor did Milos Forman’s “Valmont” which was released the following year, but they both paved the way for Bening’s eventual Oscar-nominated breakout as Myra Langtry in Stephen Frears’ “The Grifters.”
She got particularly close to Oscar gold with “American Beauty” in 2000. Annette bagged the BAFTA and SAG award for her iconic portrayal of the colourfully volatile wife-in-crisis, Carolyn Burnham. She lost to Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”) though, who had edged her out at the Globes.
Swank clearly was Bening’s kryptonite,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Nick Bisa
- Gold Derby
Midi Z, the Taiwan-based Myanmar-born director whose career has expanded from no-budget documentaries and dramas to 2019 Cannes title “Nina Wu,” has wrapped “The Unseen Sister,” his first mainstream film in Mainland China.
As with “Nina Wu,” the protagonist is an actress successfully enduring various pressures and humiliations at work. But in “Unseen Sister” her artifice is threatened by an anonymous attempt to extort her and the sudden reappearance of her long-lost sister. The sister, who had been in Myanmar, brings with her incidents and revelations from the past as well as hints of a larger crisis linking the seemingly coincidental events of her return and the blackmail.
For the dual lead roles Z secured the services of rising Chinese actor Zhao Liying in the role of the actress and Xin Zhilei (“The Rescue” and Wong Kar-wai’s TV series “Blossoms Shanghai”) as her sister.
Production, which wrapped earlier this month,...
As with “Nina Wu,” the protagonist is an actress successfully enduring various pressures and humiliations at work. But in “Unseen Sister” her artifice is threatened by an anonymous attempt to extort her and the sudden reappearance of her long-lost sister. The sister, who had been in Myanmar, brings with her incidents and revelations from the past as well as hints of a larger crisis linking the seemingly coincidental events of her return and the blackmail.
For the dual lead roles Z secured the services of rising Chinese actor Zhao Liying in the role of the actress and Xin Zhilei (“The Rescue” and Wong Kar-wai’s TV series “Blossoms Shanghai”) as her sister.
Production, which wrapped earlier this month,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Ben Fowlie, founder of the Camden International Film Festival, is departing as executive and artistic director of the Points North Institute, the nonprofit that produces the highly-respected documentary festival in coastal Maine.
Rick Rector, a board member of the Points North Institute, has been appointed Pni’s interim executive director in Fowlie’s stead. Fowlie, in addition to founding the film festival in 2005, established the Points North Institute in 2016, co-founding the nonprofit with Sean Flynn and Caroline von Kuhn.
Von Kuhn will remain as Pni board chair and Flynn will continue to lead Pni’s artist programs and fellowships and expand his role to oversee the upcoming 20th Camden International Film Festival, set for September 12-15, 2024.
Ciff executive and artistic director Ben Fowlie with ‘The Rescue’ director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“After twenty incredible years building this organization from the ground up, it’s the right time for me to step down,...
Rick Rector, a board member of the Points North Institute, has been appointed Pni’s interim executive director in Fowlie’s stead. Fowlie, in addition to founding the film festival in 2005, established the Points North Institute in 2016, co-founding the nonprofit with Sean Flynn and Caroline von Kuhn.
Von Kuhn will remain as Pni board chair and Flynn will continue to lead Pni’s artist programs and fellowships and expand his role to oversee the upcoming 20th Camden International Film Festival, set for September 12-15, 2024.
Ciff executive and artistic director Ben Fowlie with ‘The Rescue’ director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“After twenty incredible years building this organization from the ground up, it’s the right time for me to step down,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Warner Bros. has found itself a hit with "Wonka." The musical prequel to Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" starring Timothee Chalamet as the title character opened in theaters in the U.S. over the weekend and wound up beating industry projections. It topped the charts with a $39 million debut, benefitting greatly from a lack of direct competition. This is good news that the industry at large could sorely use as we head into an uncertain holiday season, with a very bare release calendar on the horizon for the first chunk of 2024.
"Wonka," directed by Paul King (of "Paddington" fame), got a head start overseas, opening in several key markets earlier this month. It has gone well so far, as the film has amassed $112.4 million to date internationally. That gives it a strong $151.4 million running total heading into Christmas week, which will see Warner Bros. also release "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom...
"Wonka," directed by Paul King (of "Paddington" fame), got a head start overseas, opening in several key markets earlier this month. It has gone well so far, as the film has amassed $112.4 million to date internationally. That gives it a strong $151.4 million running total heading into Christmas week, which will see Warner Bros. also release "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom...
- 12/18/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Endurance and single-minded determination have been the focus of filmmaking duo Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin with their documentary films Free Solo, Meru and The Rescue, and now, with Nyad, they examine those themes in a narrative feature, with Annette Bening in the starring role of long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, and Jodie Foster as her coach and best friend Bonnie Stoll. Based on Nyad’s memoir, Find a Way, the film follows Nyad’s multiple attempts to make the 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida, dodging sharks and dangerous jellyfish and weathering brutal waves. When Nyad finally succeeds at the age of 64, her message is, “It’s never too late to follow your dream.” Here, Vasarhelyi and Chin look back on how their documentarian skills fed into recreating an epic seafaring experience, and how both their marriage and their working relationship evolved as a result.
Deadline: How did...
Deadline: How did...
- 11/24/2023
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s Doctor Who’s 60th year, it’s a time of celebration, and sometimes we like to celebrate by getting granular. Any fool can write a Top 60 Stories list, we’re breaking it down further. The plan is be ranking single frames by 2063.
As it’s a time of celebration, we cordially invite you all to join in by listing your top 60 episodes in the comments. Eat some Celebrations. Play some Kool and the Gang. We can go back to complaining about Doctor Who later, for now let’s try to focus on this extraordinary children’s show featuring a genocidal maverick as its hero, and how mint it is. Because it is, really, I don’t think we mention that enough. This could actually be on telly in 2063.
Very scientific process behind this list: they’re the 60 best Doctor Who TV episodes, listed in chronological order.
1. An Unearthly...
As it’s a time of celebration, we cordially invite you all to join in by listing your top 60 episodes in the comments. Eat some Celebrations. Play some Kool and the Gang. We can go back to complaining about Doctor Who later, for now let’s try to focus on this extraordinary children’s show featuring a genocidal maverick as its hero, and how mint it is. Because it is, really, I don’t think we mention that enough. This could actually be on telly in 2063.
Very scientific process behind this list: they’re the 60 best Doctor Who TV episodes, listed in chronological order.
1. An Unearthly...
- 11/20/2023
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Fast-emerging Mexican auteur, delivering knowing and cross.grained takes on life in Mixtec communities, actress-turned-director Angeles Cruz’s “Valentina or the Serenity” walked off Saturday night with the top best picture award and best actress (Myriam Bravo) in a high-caliber main competition at this year’s Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival.
Best actor went to “Money Heist’s” Rodolfo de la Serna, for his weighty turn in Paramount Television Intl. Studios’ “The Rescue.”
The Rescue
Cruz’s win underscored the focus and value of Huelva. Despite funding challenges, Latin America’s big three – Mexico, Brazil and Argentina – alone produced 660 features in 2022. It is simply impossible for the media to pay sufficient attention to all but a highly select clutch of top titles.
“Ibero-American cinema is constantly evolving. Now, it is very easy to find great films, if not in budgetary terms, then in artistic ambitions,” Huelva director Manuel H. Martin told...
Best actor went to “Money Heist’s” Rodolfo de la Serna, for his weighty turn in Paramount Television Intl. Studios’ “The Rescue.”
The Rescue
Cruz’s win underscored the focus and value of Huelva. Despite funding challenges, Latin America’s big three – Mexico, Brazil and Argentina – alone produced 660 features in 2022. It is simply impossible for the media to pay sufficient attention to all but a highly select clutch of top titles.
“Ibero-American cinema is constantly evolving. Now, it is very easy to find great films, if not in budgetary terms, then in artistic ambitions,” Huelva director Manuel H. Martin told...
- 11/19/2023
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
There’s “an enormous amount of fresh talent coming through, and those new voices, that for the most part don’t come from the U.S.,” CAA Media Finance’s said at San Sebastian’s Creative Investors Conference this September.
Getting noticed ia another matter. Global content spend has near doubled in a decade, from $136 billion in 2013 to $250 billion this year, according to Ampere Analysis.
The same cannot be seen of media coverage of new movies. Quite the reverse: At most outlets, it has radically declined.
Enter Huelva. They also often announce undoubted new talent to track, as Latin America has built film schools and passed film laws, creating a seemingly bottomless well of new talent.
Also taking in Luis Mandoki’s 17th fiction feature, Daniela Goggi’s fourth the second and third respectively from Renée Nader Messora and João Salaviza, Huelva’s 12 competition movies have very often won significant prizes at prominent festivals,...
Getting noticed ia another matter. Global content spend has near doubled in a decade, from $136 billion in 2013 to $250 billion this year, according to Ampere Analysis.
The same cannot be seen of media coverage of new movies. Quite the reverse: At most outlets, it has radically declined.
Enter Huelva. They also often announce undoubted new talent to track, as Latin America has built film schools and passed film laws, creating a seemingly bottomless well of new talent.
Also taking in Luis Mandoki’s 17th fiction feature, Daniela Goggi’s fourth the second and third respectively from Renée Nader Messora and João Salaviza, Huelva’s 12 competition movies have very often won significant prizes at prominent festivals,...
- 11/10/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Politics in Argentina are volatile. The 20th century brought six coups and restrictions on democracy were not lifted until 1983. Daniela Goggi’s (“Abzurdah”) latest “The Rescue” (“El Rapto”) is set in this transitional period, where a hangover of deep corruption still remains.
It stars “Money Heist’s” Rodrigo de la Serna, hit Paramount+ Nov. 3 and now plays in main competition at the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival.
Produced by Paramount Television International Studios, Rei Cine (“The Settlers”) and Infinity Hill, it shows Paramount’s continued global ambitions in Spanish-language originals.
“At our studio, we always seek to create high-quality content with great partners and remarkable talent, in front of and behind the camera, to create local stories with universal appeal that will cross borders and conquer global audiences,” said Dario Turovelzky, EVP Broadcast & Studios at Latam Paramount Global.
“‘El Rapto’ (‘The Rescue’) is an outstanding example of this ongoing creative pursuit.
It stars “Money Heist’s” Rodrigo de la Serna, hit Paramount+ Nov. 3 and now plays in main competition at the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival.
Produced by Paramount Television International Studios, Rei Cine (“The Settlers”) and Infinity Hill, it shows Paramount’s continued global ambitions in Spanish-language originals.
“At our studio, we always seek to create high-quality content with great partners and remarkable talent, in front of and behind the camera, to create local stories with universal appeal that will cross borders and conquer global audiences,” said Dario Turovelzky, EVP Broadcast & Studios at Latam Paramount Global.
“‘El Rapto’ (‘The Rescue’) is an outstanding example of this ongoing creative pursuit.
- 11/10/2023
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
The 49th edition of Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival, Spain’s largest confab for films from Latin America, Spain and Portugal, will honor Mexican star Cecilia Suárez with its City of Huelva Award.
With leading roles in Netflix’s “The House of Flowers” and HBO Latin America’s “Capadocia,” Suárez has also be seen in ABC’s drama “The Promised Land” and has worked on films by as Tommy Lee Jones (“The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”), James L. Brooks (“Spanglish”), Ernesto Contreras (“Párpados azules”), Antonio Serrano and Fernando Colomo (“Cuidado con lo que deseas”).
The new edition of Huelva runs Nov. 10-18.
Andalusia’s oldest film festival, Huelva will also grant a Light Award to Spanish actress Natalia de Molina, a two-time Goya winner, delivering acclaimed performance in films such as David Trueba’s “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed” and Juan Miguel del Castillo’s “Food and Shelter.”
Another...
With leading roles in Netflix’s “The House of Flowers” and HBO Latin America’s “Capadocia,” Suárez has also be seen in ABC’s drama “The Promised Land” and has worked on films by as Tommy Lee Jones (“The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”), James L. Brooks (“Spanglish”), Ernesto Contreras (“Párpados azules”), Antonio Serrano and Fernando Colomo (“Cuidado con lo que deseas”).
The new edition of Huelva runs Nov. 10-18.
Andalusia’s oldest film festival, Huelva will also grant a Light Award to Spanish actress Natalia de Molina, a two-time Goya winner, delivering acclaimed performance in films such as David Trueba’s “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed” and Juan Miguel del Castillo’s “Food and Shelter.”
Another...
- 11/10/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
“Nyad” is the real-life story of Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), a world class swimmer who decided, at age 60, that she wanted to do something that had previously seemed impossible after she’d tried it when she was younger and was unsuccessful – to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.
With her coach and former romantic partner Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) at her side, she made several more attempts, battling box jellyfish, turbulent storms and constant naysayers. Somehow insurmountable feels like too mild a word to describe what she was attempting.
And it feels like filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin were keenly equipped to capture her story. The team, who are also married in real life, are Oscar-winners for their documentary “Free Solo” and have helmed several more movies about human beings pushing themselves to the brink (like “The Rescue” and “Return to Space”). Nyad’s story,...
With her coach and former romantic partner Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) at her side, she made several more attempts, battling box jellyfish, turbulent storms and constant naysayers. Somehow insurmountable feels like too mild a word to describe what she was attempting.
And it feels like filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin were keenly equipped to capture her story. The team, who are also married in real life, are Oscar-winners for their documentary “Free Solo” and have helmed several more movies about human beings pushing themselves to the brink (like “The Rescue” and “Return to Space”). Nyad’s story,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Netflix’s November slate of additions to its film library sees the streaming giant collaborating with some of the biggest directors on the planet. This month’s marquee offering out of the best new movies on Netflix, David Fincher’s “The Killer” sees the king of the modern crime thriller continuing his decade-spanning collaboration with the streamer via a taut drama that stars Michael Fassbender as a murderer who can’t handle disruptions to his routine. While Fincher has been a regular presence on Netflix in recent years with projects like “Mank” and “Love, Death, and Robots,” “The Killer” feels like a throwback to the kind of films that made him beloved in the first place.
“Free Solo” and “The Rescue” directors E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, two of the biggest names in documentary filmmaking, are also bringing a new project to Netflix this month. “Nyad” marks their first attempt at scripted filmmaking,...
“Free Solo” and “The Rescue” directors E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, two of the biggest names in documentary filmmaking, are also bringing a new project to Netflix this month. “Nyad” marks their first attempt at scripted filmmaking,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
For the ‘Free Solo’ Directors, Making ‘Nyad’ Was Much Harder Than Hanging Off the Side of a Mountain
With
After “Meru,” Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” and “The Rescue,” we knew that directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi delivered stunning visuals and provocative storytelling. With festival hit “Nyad”, based on the story of cranky competitive swimmer Diana Nyad and her refusal to abandon her dream, none of their skills were lost in translation to the scripted world
Nyad’s story of swimming 110 miles in open ocean from Cuba to Florida is well aligned with the filmmakers’ own profiles: Chin is a star mountain climber and cinematographer; Vasarhelyi is a relentless producer-organizer who always pushes for perfection. “It’s very true to brand, about someone who can’t give up ever,” Vasarhelyi told me. “Finally she did it on the fifth try, when she was 64.”
This propulsive two-hander stars Annette Bening, who also was 64 when she played the part after a year of training. Jodie Foster portrays her former lover-now-trainer, and...
After “Meru,” Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” and “The Rescue,” we knew that directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi delivered stunning visuals and provocative storytelling. With festival hit “Nyad”, based on the story of cranky competitive swimmer Diana Nyad and her refusal to abandon her dream, none of their skills were lost in translation to the scripted world
Nyad’s story of swimming 110 miles in open ocean from Cuba to Florida is well aligned with the filmmakers’ own profiles: Chin is a star mountain climber and cinematographer; Vasarhelyi is a relentless producer-organizer who always pushes for perfection. “It’s very true to brand, about someone who can’t give up ever,” Vasarhelyi told me. “Finally she did it on the fifth try, when she was 64.”
This propulsive two-hander stars Annette Bening, who also was 64 when she played the part after a year of training. Jodie Foster portrays her former lover-now-trainer, and...
- 10/27/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Plan B Entertainment has set a joint venture with Oscar-winning documentarian and filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, known for movies including Touching The Void, One Day In September, Whitney, The Last King Of Scotland and State Of Play.
Per the Jv, the two parties will co-develop and co-produce unscripted films and series with both established and emerging directors.
Among Plan B’s current unscripted work is the ongoing Lego Masters series for Fox and the recent Wayne Shorter documentary Zero Gravity for Amazon. French media company Mediawan took a majority stake in the company late last year.
Macdonald’s previous work in documentary also includes Life In A Day, Marley and High & Low — John Galliano. He won a Best Documentary Oscar for One Day in September about the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympics In Munich, Germany. His most recent narrative feature was The Mauritanian, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster,...
Per the Jv, the two parties will co-develop and co-produce unscripted films and series with both established and emerging directors.
Among Plan B’s current unscripted work is the ongoing Lego Masters series for Fox and the recent Wayne Shorter documentary Zero Gravity for Amazon. French media company Mediawan took a majority stake in the company late last year.
Macdonald’s previous work in documentary also includes Life In A Day, Marley and High & Low — John Galliano. He won a Best Documentary Oscar for One Day in September about the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympics In Munich, Germany. His most recent narrative feature was The Mauritanian, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster,...
- 10/25/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
An Iranian American woman navigating culture clash, an Argentine bank heist and an animated ghost story voiced by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie debut this weekend with a handful of docs and some notable expansion, vying with Apple wide release Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Sony Pictures Classics The Persian Version opens on eight screens in NY, LA, Toronto and Vancouver today. The film by writer-director Maryam Keshavarz won both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance where it premiered (Deadline review here). Her previous film Circumstance, about two teenage Iranian girls who fall in love, won the Audience Award too, in 2011, but the filmmaker hasn’t been able to return to Iran since.
The Persian Version stars Layla Mohammadi as Leila, Iranian-American like Keshavarz, and bisexual, striving to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant,...
Sony Pictures Classics The Persian Version opens on eight screens in NY, LA, Toronto and Vancouver today. The film by writer-director Maryam Keshavarz won both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance where it premiered (Deadline review here). Her previous film Circumstance, about two teenage Iranian girls who fall in love, won the Audience Award too, in 2011, but the filmmaker hasn’t been able to return to Iran since.
The Persian Version stars Layla Mohammadi as Leila, Iranian-American like Keshavarz, and bisexual, striving to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a story long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad loves to tell about herself — Ok, there are allegedly lots of stories Diana Nyad loves to tell about herself, but for brevity’s sake, we’ll stick with this one — about the provenance of her last name. “Nyad” traces back to “naiad,” a Greek mythological aquatic nymph. You can see why Nyad would be so taken with this coincidence, one allegedly drilled into her ad nauseam by her father, Aristotle Nyad, who we repeatedly meet in flashback during the film, only later to learn — oops! — he was actually her stepfather, thus rendering moot one of the myths Diana built for and about herself.
More thrilling: the myths that ended up being true. Over the course of their lauded documentary filmmaking career, Vasarhelyi and Chin have been consistently compelled by outsized personalities driven to accomplish seemingly insane physical (and thus also mental and emotional) feats of strength,...
More thrilling: the myths that ended up being true. Over the course of their lauded documentary filmmaking career, Vasarhelyi and Chin have been consistently compelled by outsized personalities driven to accomplish seemingly insane physical (and thus also mental and emotional) feats of strength,...
- 10/19/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Netflix has released the brand new trailer for Nyad. Nyad tells the remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach, commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.
In their Telluride Film Festival review, Variety’s Peter Debruge says: “it’s the private glimpses of vulnerability that make “Nyad” so effective, along with the personal scenes between Diana and Bonnie — dramatized moments when no cameras were present in the real world. Audiences want to see Diana Nyad succeed, but the pleasure of the experience comes from watching actors become these characters. No matter how tricky such feats must have been to re-create, you get the impression that everyone involved was having a blast.”
A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, Nyad recounts...
In their Telluride Film Festival review, Variety’s Peter Debruge says: “it’s the private glimpses of vulnerability that make “Nyad” so effective, along with the personal scenes between Diana and Bonnie — dramatized moments when no cameras were present in the real world. Audiences want to see Diana Nyad succeed, but the pleasure of the experience comes from watching actors become these characters. No matter how tricky such feats must have been to re-create, you get the impression that everyone involved was having a blast.”
A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, Nyad recounts...
- 10/19/2023
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"I will not accept defeat!" Swim on, Nyad, swim on. Netflix has debuted a behind-the-scenes featurette for Nyad, which is set for both a theatrical and streaming release this week. This first premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival, with stops at London and TIFF in the fall festival season. Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, and Rhys Ifans all star in Nyad to tell a remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend & coach, commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida. It really happened! It's also the first narrative feature made by the Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, known for Meru, Free Solo, The Rescue, and this year's Wild Life (all great films). This featurette dives into the making of the film, mainly focusing on casting Annette & Jodie and...
- 10/17/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
With the writers’ strike over, a new studio brand and new management in part of international, Paramount Global execs are attending Madrid’s Iberseries & Platino Industria, Rome’s Mia market and Mipcom as they talk up their competitive assets and priorities to the international market.
In one move, five months after the launch of Paramount Television International Studios in May, Paramount Global’s Darío Turovelzky delivered a keynote on Thursday at Iberseries & Platino Industria.
A rising star at Paramount, with oversight of ViacomCBS’ Argentine and Chilean broadcast networks Telefe and Chilevisión from 2019, Turovelzky himself was promoted to executive VP, Broadcast & Studios, Paramount Global, Latin America in late July.
His on-stage interview came just one day after Paramount’s U.K.’s chief marketing officer Anna Priest was announced as senior VP and head of Paramount+ for U.K. market, overseeing its “strategic vision” and pursuing growth opportunities.
Nicole Clemens, president...
In one move, five months after the launch of Paramount Television International Studios in May, Paramount Global’s Darío Turovelzky delivered a keynote on Thursday at Iberseries & Platino Industria.
A rising star at Paramount, with oversight of ViacomCBS’ Argentine and Chilean broadcast networks Telefe and Chilevisión from 2019, Turovelzky himself was promoted to executive VP, Broadcast & Studios, Paramount Global, Latin America in late July.
His on-stage interview came just one day after Paramount’s U.K.’s chief marketing officer Anna Priest was announced as senior VP and head of Paramount+ for U.K. market, overseeing its “strategic vision” and pursuing growth opportunities.
Nicole Clemens, president...
- 10/9/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
“Monster,” Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan
Described by Variety critic Peter Debruge as a “convoluted portrait of a pre-teen in turmoil,” Kore-eda ‘s Palme d’Or best script and Queer Palm winner stars Sakura Andō as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing odd changes in her son’s demeanor. Written by Yuji Sakamoto, it’s scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.
“Peafowl,” Byun Sungbin, South Korea
Myung, a transgender, is estranged from her family because of who she is. She competes in a dance to earn some money for her sex-change surgery but it does not go well. One day, she is told that her father has died and that his will stipulates she could inherit his estate if she performed the Drum Dance during his memorial. Left with no other options, she returns to her hometown to do her father’s bidding.
“Waiting for Dali,” David Pujol, Spain
Fernando,...
Described by Variety critic Peter Debruge as a “convoluted portrait of a pre-teen in turmoil,” Kore-eda ‘s Palme d’Or best script and Queer Palm winner stars Sakura Andō as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing odd changes in her son’s demeanor. Written by Yuji Sakamoto, it’s scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.
“Peafowl,” Byun Sungbin, South Korea
Myung, a transgender, is estranged from her family because of who she is. She competes in a dance to earn some money for her sex-change surgery but it does not go well. One day, she is told that her father has died and that his will stipulates she could inherit his estate if she performed the Drum Dance during his memorial. Left with no other options, she returns to her hometown to do her father’s bidding.
“Waiting for Dali,” David Pujol, Spain
Fernando,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Award-winning production company Ventureland has entered a first-look partnership with independent studio A24 for documentary projects.
John Battsek, producer of Oscar-winning documentaries “One Day in September” and “Searching for Sugar Man,” who also serves as Ventureland’s managing director, will be both producing and executive producing as part of the deal, alongside Ventureland CEO Kerstin Emhoff, president Ali Brown, and co-founder Paul Hunter.
The two companies recently collaborated on freediving Netflix documentary “The Deepest Breath,” which premiered earlier this year at Sundance.
Battsek and Emhoff said: “With our shared culture and ambition to broaden perspectives, we are thrilled to partner with A24. This partnership will allow us to continue to push creative boundaries in making award-winning documentary features and series.”
Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, Ventureland’s credits include PGA and BAFTA-nominated “The Rescue”; double Emmy-winning “Rising Phoenix”; Critics Choice nominee “The Real Charlie Chaplin”; Werner Herzog’s “Theater...
John Battsek, producer of Oscar-winning documentaries “One Day in September” and “Searching for Sugar Man,” who also serves as Ventureland’s managing director, will be both producing and executive producing as part of the deal, alongside Ventureland CEO Kerstin Emhoff, president Ali Brown, and co-founder Paul Hunter.
The two companies recently collaborated on freediving Netflix documentary “The Deepest Breath,” which premiered earlier this year at Sundance.
Battsek and Emhoff said: “With our shared culture and ambition to broaden perspectives, we are thrilled to partner with A24. This partnership will allow us to continue to push creative boundaries in making award-winning documentary features and series.”
Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, Ventureland’s credits include PGA and BAFTA-nominated “The Rescue”; double Emmy-winning “Rising Phoenix”; Critics Choice nominee “The Real Charlie Chaplin”; Werner Herzog’s “Theater...
- 9/19/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Mexico’s Monterrey Film Festival (ficmonterrey) is chasing new ambitions in a bid to raise its international profile. Buttressed by generous state, local and private backing as well as some federal funding, the festival, running Sept. 28 – Oct. 4, aims to become Mexico’s most prominent international film festival and a key creative hub in Mexico.
This year’s 19th edition boasts a new director, Janeth Aguirre, also its first female director, and new hires: Diana Cadavid, a programmer for Toronto (TIFF), LA Latino Int’l Film Fest (Laliff) and Colombia’s Cali, who has taken charge of the festival’s burgeoning industry section, and LA-based PR agent Alvar Carretero of Joshua Jason Public Relations.
In recognition of its country guest of honor, South Korea, the fest will open with “Little Forest” by Yim Soonrye, one of the few prominent women film auteurs in South Korean New Wave cinema. Five of her...
This year’s 19th edition boasts a new director, Janeth Aguirre, also its first female director, and new hires: Diana Cadavid, a programmer for Toronto (TIFF), LA Latino Int’l Film Fest (Laliff) and Colombia’s Cali, who has taken charge of the festival’s burgeoning industry section, and LA-based PR agent Alvar Carretero of Joshua Jason Public Relations.
In recognition of its country guest of honor, South Korea, the fest will open with “Little Forest” by Yim Soonrye, one of the few prominent women film auteurs in South Korean New Wave cinema. Five of her...
- 9/11/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has debuted the trailer for the remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad, ‘Nyad.’
A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, Nyad recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad. Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110-mile trek from Cuba to Florida, often referred to as the “Mount Everest” of swims. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, Diana goes on a thrilling, four-year journey with her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) and a dedicated sailing team.
This inspirational film marks the narrative directorial debut of Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
Jodie Foster,...
A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, Nyad recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad. Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110-mile trek from Cuba to Florida, often referred to as the “Mount Everest” of swims. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, Diana goes on a thrilling, four-year journey with her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) and a dedicated sailing team.
This inspirational film marks the narrative directorial debut of Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
Jodie Foster,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"The only one who gets to decide if I'm through – is me!" Netflix has revealed the official trailer for Nyad, which is set for both a theatrical and streaming releasing coming up this fall. This recently premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival last weekend to mostly positive reviews, and it's playing next at the Toronto, Hamptons, and London Film Festivals. Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, and Rhys Ifans all star in Nyad to tell a remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend & coach, commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida. It really happened! It's also the first narrative feature made by the Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, known for Meru, Free Solo, The Rescue, and this year's Wild Life (all great films). The cast also includes Ethan Jones Romero,...
- 9/7/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Oscar-winning documentarian filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have made an entire career out of making nerve-wracking feats-of-athleticism documentaries like the incredible, Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” “Meru” and 2021’s “The Rescue,” about the death-defying race against time to rescue the boys trapped in the caves of Thailand that made international news. Naturally, given the intensity of their films, Hollywood has come knocking for them to try their hand at non-documentaries and dramas.
Continue reading ‘Nyad’ Trailer: Jodie Foster & Annette Bening Star In A Swimming Drama From The ‘Free Solo’ Directors at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Nyad’ Trailer: Jodie Foster & Annette Bening Star In A Swimming Drama From The ‘Free Solo’ Directors at The Playlist.
- 9/7/2023
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
In cinematic terms, regime change lends itself to a full stop or climax. It’s often used by filmmakers as a conclusion. Revolution is typically portrayed as the final act that the struggle has been building toward, as the old ways are swept aside in favor of a new and presumably glorious future. Stickier and typically more difficult to dramatize is the long, slow “what now?,” where a country begins the process of building new systems.
“The Rescue,” from writer-director Daniela Goggi, is set during the 1980s, after the reintroduction of democracy to Argentina, following the collapse of the military junta which ruled the country with an iron first after the 1976 coup against Isabel Perón. In “The Rescue,” the old regime has notionally been dispersed, but in practice, rooting out corruption and renewing a governance culture rife with human rights abuses is very much an ongoing work in progress.
Goggi...
“The Rescue,” from writer-director Daniela Goggi, is set during the 1980s, after the reintroduction of democracy to Argentina, following the collapse of the military junta which ruled the country with an iron first after the 1976 coup against Isabel Perón. In “The Rescue,” the old regime has notionally been dispersed, but in practice, rooting out corruption and renewing a governance culture rife with human rights abuses is very much an ongoing work in progress.
Goggi...
- 9/7/2023
- by Catherine Bray
- Variety Film + TV
Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi premiered their latest movie, Nyad, at the Telluride Film Festival on Friday. The Netflix film, which stars Annette Bening as long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad and Jodie Foster as her coach, Bonnie Stoll, is the first narrative film from the married couple of co-directors, who won an Academy Award for their 2018 documentary Free Solo, about rock climber Alex Honnold, and also made the docs The Rescue in 2021 and Wild Life in 2023.
Chin and Vasarhelyi spoke with THR about working with actors vs. athletes, grappling with Nyad’s complex history, which included exaggerating some claims earlier in her career, and rolling out their film in the midst of Hollywood’s dual strikes. Nyad will also screen at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 12, before hitting theaters Oct. 20 and hitting Netflix’s streaming service Nov. 3.
Were you actively looking to make a narrative film?
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi...
Chin and Vasarhelyi spoke with THR about working with actors vs. athletes, grappling with Nyad’s complex history, which included exaggerating some claims earlier in her career, and rolling out their film in the midst of Hollywood’s dual strikes. Nyad will also screen at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 12, before hitting theaters Oct. 20 and hitting Netflix’s streaming service Nov. 3.
Were you actively looking to make a narrative film?
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi...
- 9/3/2023
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Diana Nyad was a swimming legend, a stellar athlete in the 1970s who achieved the heights of her sport, and then went on to a successful decades-long career in the broadcast booth for ABC Sports, ESPN, and elsewhere.
The new movie Nyad is not about any of that. In this regard, the film, a first narrative effort from Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, has something in common with Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, which premiered today in Venice. Neither movie is a traditional biopic about their title subject, but rather a movie with a singular focus that digs much deeper into the weeds to discover what drove them and made them who they were.
For a film revolving around an athlete, making this the story of a champion who starts all over at age 60 is decidedly an un-Hollywood-like thing to do. The fact...
The new movie Nyad is not about any of that. In this regard, the film, a first narrative effort from Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, has something in common with Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, which premiered today in Venice. Neither movie is a traditional biopic about their title subject, but rather a movie with a singular focus that digs much deeper into the weeds to discover what drove them and made them who they were.
For a film revolving around an athlete, making this the story of a champion who starts all over at age 60 is decidedly an un-Hollywood-like thing to do. The fact...
- 9/2/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin held the first screening of their Oscar-winning documentary, Free Solo, in Telluride five years ago. So it seems appropriate that their first narrative feature, Nyad, also has its world premiere at Telluride this year. Free Solo followed the determination of an obsessed mountain climber, and Nyad also investigates an obsessive athlete: marathon swimmer and journalist Diana Nyad, who resolved to swim from Cuba to Florida, a 110-mile journey, when she was over 60 years old.
The film has already stirred a measure of controversy, with some other athletes and sports commentators critical of some of the exaggerations that Nyad had trumpeted during the course of her long career. But it is to the credit of the filmmakers that even though they want to celebrate Nyad’s achievements, they do not shy away from dramatizing her selfishness and combative personality. And even people who may...
The film has already stirred a measure of controversy, with some other athletes and sports commentators critical of some of the exaggerations that Nyad had trumpeted during the course of her long career. But it is to the credit of the filmmakers that even though they want to celebrate Nyad’s achievements, they do not shy away from dramatizing her selfishness and combative personality. And even people who may...
- 9/2/2023
- by Stephen Farber
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The married filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi made their names with docs about extreme athletic accomplishments — see 2015’s Meru, 2018’s Free Solo (for which they won the best documentary feature Oscar) and 2021’s The Rescue — and have now made their narrative directorial debut, Nyad, about one woman’s decades-long pursuit of one of the greatest of all: becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the benefit of a moving cage to keep away sharks, jellyfish and other dangerous sea creatures.
As with, say, Argo, Sully or, well, The Rescue, I suspect that most people will know, going in to Nyad, how it ends. Spoiler alert: Nyad realized her dream, some 35 years after she first tried to, at the age of 64. But I suspect that most will not know, going in, just how many personal and professional obstacles Nyad had to overcome in order to do so.
As with, say, Argo, Sully or, well, The Rescue, I suspect that most people will know, going in to Nyad, how it ends. Spoiler alert: Nyad realized her dream, some 35 years after she first tried to, at the age of 64. But I suspect that most will not know, going in, just how many personal and professional obstacles Nyad had to overcome in order to do so.
- 9/2/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
National Geographic documentary films specialize in telling stories of adventurers whose journeys put themselves at great risk, but few are more unbelievable than “The Mission.” NatGeo has released the official trailer for the upcoming documentary, set for theatrical release October 13.
The documentary focuses on the story of John Chau, an American evangelical Christian missionary. In 2018 and at the age of 26, Chau traveled to the extremely remote Andaman Islands, claimed by India but closer to Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal, on an unsanctioned missionary trip. There, he repeatedly visited North Sentinel Island, which is restricted by the Indian government to outside visitors because of the indigenous Sentinelese, a voluntarily “uncontacted people,” who live there. They’re considered so vulnerable to contamination from outside influences that the Indian government has armed marine patrols around the island to prevent landings. Chau somehow made it ashore, nonetheless. It did not go well.
The film,...
The documentary focuses on the story of John Chau, an American evangelical Christian missionary. In 2018 and at the age of 26, Chau traveled to the extremely remote Andaman Islands, claimed by India but closer to Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal, on an unsanctioned missionary trip. There, he repeatedly visited North Sentinel Island, which is restricted by the Indian government to outside visitors because of the indigenous Sentinelese, a voluntarily “uncontacted people,” who live there. They’re considered so vulnerable to contamination from outside influences that the Indian government has armed marine patrols around the island to prevent landings. Chau somehow made it ashore, nonetheless. It did not go well.
The film,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “Nyad” will be the opening night film of the Hamptons International Film Festival. The event will take place on Oct. 5, according to HamptonsFilm, which runs the festival.
It is the East Coast premiere of the Netflix release, which is shaping up to be one of the streaming service’s major awards season hopefuls. It has a cast of heavyweights, including Oscar-nominee Annette Bening, Oscar-winner Jodie Foster and Rhys Ifans. Julia Cox wrote the script.
The film details the quest by American marathon swimmer Diana Nyad (Bening) to complete a 53-hour, 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida, through open ocean, without a shark cage. Vasarhelyi is scheduled to attend the festival and will participate in a post-screening conversation on the film. The premiere is sponsored by Audi.
“Nyad” is the narrative feature directorial debut for Vasarhelyi and Chin, who have won an Academy Award,...
It is the East Coast premiere of the Netflix release, which is shaping up to be one of the streaming service’s major awards season hopefuls. It has a cast of heavyweights, including Oscar-nominee Annette Bening, Oscar-winner Jodie Foster and Rhys Ifans. Julia Cox wrote the script.
The film details the quest by American marathon swimmer Diana Nyad (Bening) to complete a 53-hour, 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida, through open ocean, without a shark cage. Vasarhelyi is scheduled to attend the festival and will participate in a post-screening conversation on the film. The premiere is sponsored by Audi.
“Nyad” is the narrative feature directorial debut for Vasarhelyi and Chin, who have won an Academy Award,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Writers and actors aren’t the only people in Hollywood grappling with the impact generative artificial intelligence will have on the entertainment industry. Documentarians are also concerned about AI and what it means for the ethical standards and practices of nonfiction filmmaking.
Many have used AI to transcribe interviews in the past few years and in recent months generative-ai models including ChatGPT and Midjourney have helped docu assistant editors create spreadsheets and visual placeholders as well as extract and catalogue metadata. But recent advancements in AI, such as the ability to generate fake photographs and only needing three seconds of someone’s voice to create synthesized audio of that person saying anything, have filmmakers like Dawn Porter (“The ‘Lady Bird Diaries”) worried.
“We are supposed to be the truth, and it might be the truth as we see it, but we are also supposed to be transparent,” says Porter. “I...
Many have used AI to transcribe interviews in the past few years and in recent months generative-ai models including ChatGPT and Midjourney have helped docu assistant editors create spreadsheets and visual placeholders as well as extract and catalogue metadata. But recent advancements in AI, such as the ability to generate fake photographs and only needing three seconds of someone’s voice to create synthesized audio of that person saying anything, have filmmakers like Dawn Porter (“The ‘Lady Bird Diaries”) worried.
“We are supposed to be the truth, and it might be the truth as we see it, but we are also supposed to be transparent,” says Porter. “I...
- 8/1/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
La BêteCOMPETITIONComandante (Edoardo De Angelis)The Promised Land (Nikolaj Arcel)Dogman (Luc Besson) La Bête (Bertrand Bonello) Hors-Saison (Stéphane Brizé) Enea (Pietro Castellitto) Maestro (Bradley Cooper)Priscilla (Sofia Coppola)Finalmente L’Alba (Saverio Costanzo)Lubo (Giorgio Diritti) Origin (Ava DuVernay) The Killer (David Fincher)Memory (Michel Franco)Io capitano (Matteo Garrone)Evil Does Not Exist (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)The Green Border (Agnieszka Holland)The Theory of Everything (Timm Kröger)Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos)El conde (Pablo Larrain)Ferrari (Michael Mann)Adagio (Stefano Sollima)Woman OfHolly (Fien Troch)Out Of COMPETITIONFictionSociety of the Snow (J.A. Bayona)Coup de Chance (Woody Allen)The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Wes Anderson)The Penitent (Luca Barbareschi)L’Ordine Del Tempo (Liliana Cavani)Vivants (Alix Delaporte)Welcome to Paradise (Leonardo di Constanzo)Daaaaaali! (Quentin Dupieux)The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (William Friedkin)Making of (Cedric Kahn)Aggro Dr1ft (Harmony Korine)Hitman (Richard Linklater)The Palace (Roman Polanski...
- 7/29/2023
- MUBI
On the heels of yesterday’s TIFF announcement, the first major fall festival of the season––Venice International Film Festival––is unveiling its lineup. Taking place August 30-September 9, the competition jury this year is chaired by Damien Chazelle.
Highlights include new films from David Fincher, Michael Mann, Wes Anderson, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Sofia Coppola, Bradley Cooper, Bertrand Bonello, Frederick Wiseman, Roman Polanski, William Friedkin, Ava DuVernay, Harmony Korine, Richard Linklater, Woody Allen, and more.
Competition
Adagio; dir. Stefano Sollima
The Beast; dir. Bertrand Bonello
Io Capitano; dir. Matteo Garrone
Comandante; dir. Edoardo de Angelis
El Conde; dir. Pablo Larraín
Die Theorie von Allem; dir. Timm Kröger
Dogman; dir. Luc Besson
Enea; dir. Pietro Castellitto
Evil Does Not Exist; dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Ferrari; dir. Michael Mann
Finalmente L’Alba; dir. Saverio Costanzo
Green Border; dir. Agnieszka Holland
Holly; dir. Fien Troch
Hors-Saison; dir. Stéphane Brizé
The Killer; dir. David Fincher
Lubo; dir. Giorgio Diritti
The Promised Land; dir.
Highlights include new films from David Fincher, Michael Mann, Wes Anderson, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Sofia Coppola, Bradley Cooper, Bertrand Bonello, Frederick Wiseman, Roman Polanski, William Friedkin, Ava DuVernay, Harmony Korine, Richard Linklater, Woody Allen, and more.
Competition
Adagio; dir. Stefano Sollima
The Beast; dir. Bertrand Bonello
Io Capitano; dir. Matteo Garrone
Comandante; dir. Edoardo de Angelis
El Conde; dir. Pablo Larraín
Die Theorie von Allem; dir. Timm Kröger
Dogman; dir. Luc Besson
Enea; dir. Pietro Castellitto
Evil Does Not Exist; dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Ferrari; dir. Michael Mann
Finalmente L’Alba; dir. Saverio Costanzo
Green Border; dir. Agnieszka Holland
Holly; dir. Fien Troch
Hors-Saison; dir. Stéphane Brizé
The Killer; dir. David Fincher
Lubo; dir. Giorgio Diritti
The Promised Land; dir.
- 7/25/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Includes films from David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Venice Film Festival announced the programme for its 80th edition, including a 23-strong Competition with new films from David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Scroll down for full line-up
The selection was announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera. The SAG-AFTRA strike in the US has had a “quite modest” impact on the selection according to Barbera, who was forced to pull Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers as the opening film over the weekend due to the strike.
Venice Film Festival announced the programme for its 80th edition, including a 23-strong Competition with new films from David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Scroll down for full line-up
The selection was announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera. The SAG-AFTRA strike in the US has had a “quite modest” impact on the selection according to Barbera, who was forced to pull Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers as the opening film over the weekend due to the strike.
- 7/25/2023
- by Ben Dalton¬Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
This year’s selection will be announced at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by Roberto Cicutto and Alberto Barbera.
The line-up for the 80th Venice International Film Festival (August 30-September 9) will be revealed this morning at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera
The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.
Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers was originally set to open the festival but was pulled by MGM amid the actors’ strike. It was replaced by Edoardo De Angelis’ Comandante.
The closing film...
The line-up for the 80th Venice International Film Festival (August 30-September 9) will be revealed this morning at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera
The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.
Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers was originally set to open the festival but was pulled by MGM amid the actors’ strike. It was replaced by Edoardo De Angelis’ Comandante.
The closing film...
- 7/25/2023
- by Ben Dalton¬Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
**Spoiler alert: There’s no way to really discuss this documentary without spoilers, at least for me, so be forewarned, and if you don’t want to be spoiled, please watch “The Deepest Breath” doc first.**
Thanks in part to filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin— the directors behind the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo” and daring extreme adventuring and peril docs like “Meru,” “The Rescue,” “Wild Life”— plus the recent thriving docu-drama engagement boon on streaming, athletes pushing themselves to the limits and beyond have seemingly entered a new golden age.
Continue reading ‘The Deepest Breath’ Review: An Unintentional Cautionary Tale About The “Freedom” In Chasing Perilous Obsessions & Dreams at The Playlist.
Thanks in part to filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin— the directors behind the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo” and daring extreme adventuring and peril docs like “Meru,” “The Rescue,” “Wild Life”— plus the recent thriving docu-drama engagement boon on streaming, athletes pushing themselves to the limits and beyond have seemingly entered a new golden age.
Continue reading ‘The Deepest Breath’ Review: An Unintentional Cautionary Tale About The “Freedom” In Chasing Perilous Obsessions & Dreams at The Playlist.
- 7/19/2023
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
With “Wild Life,” the filmmaking team of Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi prove yet again — after “Meru,” Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” and “The Rescue” — that they are nonpareils at delivering consistently stunning visuals and provocative non-fiction content. Unlike most documentary filmmakers these days, they had a juicy NatGeo budget to film in the wildest areas of Chile and Argentina and the opportunity to screen their movie theatrically via Picturehouse before winding up on Disney+ May 26.
The directing duo choose their subjects carefully. In this case, at the center of this dramatic decades-spanning story is Kristine McDivitt Tompkins who, having risen to CEO of Patagonia after 23 years at the company, abruptly left to marry billionaire eco-philanthropist Doug Tompkins and join his mission to save millions of acres of wildlands in Chile and Argentina. In 2015, after he died in a kayak accident, she took on his mission and in 2018 donated 10 million acres as national parkland.
The directing duo choose their subjects carefully. In this case, at the center of this dramatic decades-spanning story is Kristine McDivitt Tompkins who, having risen to CEO of Patagonia after 23 years at the company, abruptly left to marry billionaire eco-philanthropist Doug Tompkins and join his mission to save millions of acres of wildlands in Chile and Argentina. In 2015, after he died in a kayak accident, she took on his mission and in 2018 donated 10 million acres as national parkland.
- 5/27/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
While Pedro Pascal will now and forever be associated with "The Mandalorian," as he has helped bring the title character of the beloved "Star Wars" show to life, the actor is only owed partial credit these days. Pascal has confirmed that he is mostly just providing the voice for Mando these days, with the rest of the team doing the heavy lifting on set. So for those who may have been wondering how much time Pascal spends on set, the answer seems to be close to none at all.
Pascal recently participated in a roundtable with several other actors for The Hollywood Reporter, including Kieran Culkin ("Succession") and Jeff Bridges ("The Old Man"). During the conversation, was asked how he balanced being in both "The Last of Us" and "The Mandalorian." The actor was asked if his work in "Star Wars" can just be voiceover, and Pascal said, "For a lot of it,...
Pascal recently participated in a roundtable with several other actors for The Hollywood Reporter, including Kieran Culkin ("Succession") and Jeff Bridges ("The Old Man"). During the conversation, was asked how he balanced being in both "The Last of Us" and "The Mandalorian." The actor was asked if his work in "Star Wars" can just be voiceover, and Pascal said, "For a lot of it,...
- 5/24/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
The filmmaking couple Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have earned a reputation for making documentaries about people who accomplish the unthinkable – the no-ropes climber Alex Honnold in the Oscar-winning Free Solo, or the divers of The Rescue who, against all odds, saved a group of Thai kids stranded in a flooded cave.
As it happens, the heroes of their best-known films have been men, but in their latest documentary, Wild Life, the focus shifts in large part to a woman, the conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kris Tompkins.
L-r Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Kris Tompkins, Jimmy Chin
“It was really nice to make a film where there’s a woman at the center,” Vasarhelyi remarked at Cph:dox in Copenhagen, where the film screened last month. Wild Life, from National Geographic and Picturehouse, just expanded to theaters in Southern California, including Los Angeles, as well as the San Francisco Bay area...
As it happens, the heroes of their best-known films have been men, but in their latest documentary, Wild Life, the focus shifts in large part to a woman, the conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kris Tompkins.
L-r Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Kris Tompkins, Jimmy Chin
“It was really nice to make a film where there’s a woman at the center,” Vasarhelyi remarked at Cph:dox in Copenhagen, where the film screened last month. Wild Life, from National Geographic and Picturehouse, just expanded to theaters in Southern California, including Los Angeles, as well as the San Francisco Bay area...
- 4/22/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
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