Documentary Spotlight
Celebrity-Focused Docs Fall Short in the Awards Race: “A Giant F***-You to Netflix”
The International Documentary Association (IDA), Cinema Eye Honors and Gotham Awards have delivered their verdicts on the top feature docs of the year. And, for the streamers, it’s a grim result. Absent from the Gothams’ doc feature selections, the Cinema Eye’s top feature and director noms and the IDA’s 17-title shortlist are titles from Netflix, […]
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From Michael J. Fox to an Iconic Sex Researcher: THR Documentary Roundtable on Trust and Truth Telling
Six directors of standout 2023 documentary features gathered at The Hollywood Reporter’s Los Angeles offices in mid-November for THR’s annual Documentary Roundtable. Among them were two revered veterans with Oscars to their name: Davis Guggenheim (2006’s An Inconvenient Truth), who helmed Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a film about the life and struggles of the […]
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Tales of Triumph and Iconic Personas: THR’s Guide to the Oscars’ Top Documentaries
AKA Mr. Chow (HBO Documentary Films) This portrait directed by Nick Hooker follows the life and career of painter turned restaurateur Michael Chow, the owner of the Mr Chow restaurant chain, as he returns to the art world with his first solo show in nearly 60 years. American Symphony (Netflix) Matthew Heineman switches gears from […]
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Director Sam Green, Sound Designer Mark Mangini on the Power of Immersive Doc ‘32 Sounds’
One may think filmmaker Sam Green’s 32 Sounds is aimed at the sound community, but with his immersive exploration of the noises we hear, Green says he hopes to reach general audiences and inspire them to “hear the world in a different way.” Sound designer Mark Mangini feels the same way, pointing to the narrative […]
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Cinema Eye Honors Announces 2024 Nominees in Broadcast Categories, Shorts List
Cinema Eye Honors, an organization that recognizes nonfiction and documentary films and series, on Thursday announced its nominees in five broadcast categories, as well as its annual Shorts List, the films on the Audience Choice Prize Long List and its Unforgettables honorees. Hulu’s The 1619 Project, executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, as well as Showtime’s […]
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Why ‘The Cave’ Director Put Himself in Danger (Again) to Bring Syria’s Bloody Civil War to the Screen
The documentary, earning director Feras Fayyad his second Oscar nomination, underscores his singular commitment to show the conflict, from a female doctor's perspective.
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‘The Edge of Democracy’ Acts as Warning Shot for America, Says Director
Brazilian director Petra Costa, earning her first Oscar nomination for the Netflix documentary explains the doc presents a dark "distorted mirror" of the myriad crises facing the U.S. today.
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‘American Factory,’ ‘For Sama,’ ‘Honeyland’ Filmmakers Share Backstories of Oscar-Nominated Docs
The filmmakers behind each of the movies share the backstories of how they made their films and why they were drawn to their subjects.
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Why ‘Aquarela’ Filmmaker Made a Nearly Wordless Doc About the Beauty and Danger of Water
Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky traveled the world to capture the brute force and beauty of water and the way humanity has been affected by it and affects it: "Water is a massive energy that never dies."
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‘The Apollo’ Director Talks Iconic Venue’s Impact on Black Culture and the Bet Obama Took to Sing Al Green
Roger Ross? Williams reveals his personal connection to the Apollo's amateur night, the scramble to find historical materials lost during the years when the building had to shut its doors and the major barrier the Academy's doc branch just surpassed.
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Music Doc Directors Reveal How to Film Iconic Artists: “I Knew There Was Stuff That Might Piss Him Off”
Six of this year's best doc contenders center on top artists from David?Crosby to Linda Ronstadt and the behind-the-scenes locales that illuminated their stardom like The ?Apollo and Blue Note Records.
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How to Capture the Essence of Toni Morrison on Film
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders speaks to THR about capturing the essence of his late friend, literary icon Toni Morrison.
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