Oscar-contending documentary The Disappearance of Shere Hite will be making an appearance in cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland within weeks, courtesy of Dogwoof.
The London-based documentary film company has announced a January 12 launch date in those territories for Nicole Newnham’s film about the famed American sex researcher who rocketed to fame in the 1970s but then faced a tremendous backlash that essentially drove her into exile.
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite remembers the feminist sex researcher, Shere Hite, whose findings rocked the establishment, presaged current conversations about gender and sexuality, and made her a target of the patriarchy,” notes a release from Dogwoof. “1976’s The Hite Report aimed to liberate women and demystify female pleasure and the orgasm by revealing private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents… Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham…...
The London-based documentary film company has announced a January 12 launch date in those territories for Nicole Newnham’s film about the famed American sex researcher who rocketed to fame in the 1970s but then faced a tremendous backlash that essentially drove her into exile.
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite remembers the feminist sex researcher, Shere Hite, whose findings rocked the establishment, presaged current conversations about gender and sexuality, and made her a target of the patriarchy,” notes a release from Dogwoof. “1976’s The Hite Report aimed to liberate women and demystify female pleasure and the orgasm by revealing private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents… Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham…...
- 12/2/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, DC and R.J. Cutler’s production hub This Machine are developing a documentary about the iconic Mad magazine.
Oscar-and Emmy-winning director Jessica Yu will direct the untitled docu about the 71-year-old humor brand.
The feature-length doc will explore the origins of the magazine, as well as its irreverent, independent, and often incisive humor. Yu will also examine how Mad became a staple of American satire for generations and encouraged readers to question authority. Mad magazine, which is owned by DC, has authorized the doc and granted the filmmaking team exclusive access to its archives.
In April Al Jaffee, the cartoonist who gave Mad magazine its iconic back page by creating the publication’s fold-in feature, died at the age of 102. In 1964, Jaffee’s fold-in was featured for the first time in Mad magazine, marking the start of the methodic flip-through that Mad readers would do for decades.
Oscar-and Emmy-winning director Jessica Yu will direct the untitled docu about the 71-year-old humor brand.
The feature-length doc will explore the origins of the magazine, as well as its irreverent, independent, and often incisive humor. Yu will also examine how Mad became a staple of American satire for generations and encouraged readers to question authority. Mad magazine, which is owned by DC, has authorized the doc and granted the filmmaking team exclusive access to its archives.
In April Al Jaffee, the cartoonist who gave Mad magazine its iconic back page by creating the publication’s fold-in feature, died at the age of 102. In 1964, Jaffee’s fold-in was featured for the first time in Mad magazine, marking the start of the methodic flip-through that Mad readers would do for decades.
- 11/15/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: After serving as the distributor for Participant and River Road’s Academy Award-nominated 2008 documentary Food, Inc., Magnolia Pictures has taken U.S. rights to the sequel, with Dogwoof coming aboard to rep international sales. An urgent continuation of the original film’s story, the doc is slated to premiere in the spring.
In the sequel, which world premiered at Telluride, directors Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo reunite with investigative authors Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) to take a fresh look at food in the U.S. The film reveals how corporate consolidation has gone unchecked by our government, leaving us with a highly efficient yet shockingly vulnerable food system dedicated only towards increasing profits. Seeking solutions, it introduces innovative farmers, food producers, workers’ rights activists, and prominent legislators such as U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Jon Tester, who are facing these...
In the sequel, which world premiered at Telluride, directors Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo reunite with investigative authors Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) to take a fresh look at food in the U.S. The film reveals how corporate consolidation has gone unchecked by our government, leaving us with a highly efficient yet shockingly vulnerable food system dedicated only towards increasing profits. Seeking solutions, it introduces innovative farmers, food producers, workers’ rights activists, and prominent legislators such as U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Jon Tester, who are facing these...
- 11/9/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The documentary festival Doc NYC has unveiled the full lineup for its 14th edition. It will be a total of 114 features and 129 short films. The festival runs in-person November 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East by Angelika and continues online through November 26 with films available to viewers across the U.S.
The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival’s programming team considers to be among the year’s strongest contenders for Oscars and other awards. The Winner’s Circle are films already feted at major international film events while Come As You Are section highlights films about people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities.
Short List: Features
20 Days In Mariupol
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden
An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the...
The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival’s programming team considers to be among the year’s strongest contenders for Oscars and other awards. The Winner’s Circle are films already feted at major international film events while Come As You Are section highlights films about people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities.
Short List: Features
20 Days In Mariupol
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden
An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the...
- 10/18/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
PBS’ “20 Days in Mariupol,” IFC’s “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” and MTV’s “The Eternal Memory” are among Doc NYC’s 14th edition featuring 114 features and 129 short films.
The shortlist for Doc NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., was launched in 2012 and has become a key indicator and predictor for the Academy Awards’ best documentary feature category. Ten out of the last 11 winners for documentary feature were screened at the festival. In addition, 12 of the 15 shortlisted docs from 2022 were among its lineup.
Some other notable inclusions are Julie Cohen’s moving “Every Body” about the generation of intersex people living among us, Lisa Cortés’ “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” an intimate look at the queer rock ‘n’ roll legend, and Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony,” an emotional look into the life of singer Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall.
The festival runs from Nov.
The shortlist for Doc NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., was launched in 2012 and has become a key indicator and predictor for the Academy Awards’ best documentary feature category. Ten out of the last 11 winners for documentary feature were screened at the festival. In addition, 12 of the 15 shortlisted docs from 2022 were among its lineup.
Some other notable inclusions are Julie Cohen’s moving “Every Body” about the generation of intersex people living among us, Lisa Cortés’ “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” an intimate look at the queer rock ‘n’ roll legend, and Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony,” an emotional look into the life of singer Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall.
The festival runs from Nov.
- 10/17/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, on Tuesday announced its lineup in the short and feature categories, as well as for its Winner’s Circle category and its new section for 2023 titled Come As You Are.
All shortlisted films will have theatrical screenings at the festival. With Tuesday’s announcement, Doc NYC will present a total of 114 features and 129 short films in its 14th year, including 33 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.
The festival will run this year Nov. 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East Angelika in New York, and will run online through Nov. 26.
The festival’s new Come As You Are section features films about “people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities,” according to the festival. The Doc NYC Short List for documentary features was launched in 2012. For 10 of the last 11 years, the festival has screened doc features...
All shortlisted films will have theatrical screenings at the festival. With Tuesday’s announcement, Doc NYC will present a total of 114 features and 129 short films in its 14th year, including 33 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.
The festival will run this year Nov. 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East Angelika in New York, and will run online through Nov. 26.
The festival’s new Come As You Are section features films about “people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities,” according to the festival. The Doc NYC Short List for documentary features was launched in 2012. For 10 of the last 11 years, the festival has screened doc features...
- 10/17/2023
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’ Trailer: Dakota Johnson Narrates an Elusive Sex Reseacher’s Legacy
After publishing “The Hite Report” in 1976, sex researcher Shere Hite all but vanished from the public eye. Now, thanks to documentarian Nicole Newnham and narrator/executive producer Dakota Johnson, Hite’s legacy is on full display.
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite,” which premiered at Sundance 2023, is written and directed by Oscar-nominated “Crip Cramp” filmmaker Newnham.
The bestselling 1976 book “The Hite Report” liberated the female orgasm by revealing the private experiences of 3,000 anonymous survey respondents. Shere Hite’s findings rocked the establishment, presaged current conversations about gender and sexuality, and made her a target of the patriarchy. Actress Johnson narrates the documentary, which charts Hite’s explosive rise to fame and then mysterious retreat, executive produces through her TeaTime Pictures banner. The film was also just nominated for three Critics Choice Documentary Awards: Best Archival Documentary, Best Biographical Documentary, and Best Narration.
As Hite herself says in the trailer, “Equality isn’t so dangerous to me.
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite,” which premiered at Sundance 2023, is written and directed by Oscar-nominated “Crip Cramp” filmmaker Newnham.
The bestselling 1976 book “The Hite Report” liberated the female orgasm by revealing the private experiences of 3,000 anonymous survey respondents. Shere Hite’s findings rocked the establishment, presaged current conversations about gender and sexuality, and made her a target of the patriarchy. Actress Johnson narrates the documentary, which charts Hite’s explosive rise to fame and then mysterious retreat, executive produces through her TeaTime Pictures banner. The film was also just nominated for three Critics Choice Documentary Awards: Best Archival Documentary, Best Biographical Documentary, and Best Narration.
As Hite herself says in the trailer, “Equality isn’t so dangerous to me.
- 10/17/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The 2023 Doc NYC lineup has officially been announced.
The program for the 14th annual festival includes opening night selection “The Contestant,” a real-life “Truman Show”-esque story of a Japanese comedian who was trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months as part of a reality TV show. The only twist? The comedian had no idea he was being filmed. Clair Titley directs the stranger-than-fiction documentary which premiered at TIFF.
Doc NYC runs from November 8 through 26, featuring 30 world premieres and 26 U.S. premieres with more than 200 films programmed. New films from Wim Wenders, Penny Lane, Dawn Porter, and Jeff Zimbalist are among the lineup for America’s largest documentary festival, with screenings at New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theatre, and Village East by Angelika. In-person screenings take place November 8 through 16, with online selections available through November 26.
The centerpiece screening is the world premiere of D.W. Young’s...
The program for the 14th annual festival includes opening night selection “The Contestant,” a real-life “Truman Show”-esque story of a Japanese comedian who was trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months as part of a reality TV show. The only twist? The comedian had no idea he was being filmed. Clair Titley directs the stranger-than-fiction documentary which premiered at TIFF.
Doc NYC runs from November 8 through 26, featuring 30 world premieres and 26 U.S. premieres with more than 200 films programmed. New films from Wim Wenders, Penny Lane, Dawn Porter, and Jeff Zimbalist are among the lineup for America’s largest documentary festival, with screenings at New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theatre, and Village East by Angelika. In-person screenings take place November 8 through 16, with online selections available through November 26.
The centerpiece screening is the world premiere of D.W. Young’s...
- 10/12/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Seven filmmakers will benefit from one of the most generous grants in the documentary field, as the North Points Institute today announced the recipients of the inaugural Diane Weyermann Fellowships.
The fellowship, named for the late Participant executive and producer who championed the careers of many leading documentary filmmakers and their work, will provide $100,000 and 18 months of mentorship to each of three nonfiction projects and their filmmaking teams.
“The three supported projects were chosen out of 401 submissions from 70 countries, through a 6-month selection process that included the Points North curatorial team and a jury of veteran filmmakers and programmers,” according to a release. “The projects include: The Last Nomads, directed and produced by Biljana Tutorov, co-directed by Petar Glomazić, and co-produced by Quentin Laurent, Rok Bicek and Eva Kuperman. The film is a co-production of Serbia, Montenegro, France, Slovenia, Belgium, and Croatia; The Production of the World, a co-production of Canada and USA,...
The fellowship, named for the late Participant executive and producer who championed the careers of many leading documentary filmmakers and their work, will provide $100,000 and 18 months of mentorship to each of three nonfiction projects and their filmmaking teams.
“The three supported projects were chosen out of 401 submissions from 70 countries, through a 6-month selection process that included the Points North curatorial team and a jury of veteran filmmakers and programmers,” according to a release. “The projects include: The Last Nomads, directed and produced by Biljana Tutorov, co-directed by Petar Glomazić, and co-produced by Quentin Laurent, Rok Bicek and Eva Kuperman. The film is a co-production of Serbia, Montenegro, France, Slovenia, Belgium, and Croatia; The Production of the World, a co-production of Canada and USA,...
- 9/16/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Davis Guggenheim’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” will open the eighth edition of Chicago’s Doc10 documentary film festival on May 4.
About Fox’s life, career and work as a public advocate for Parkinson’s research, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” debuted at Sundance in January. Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “An Inconvenient Truth” will be at Doc10 to participate in a post-screening conversation.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 4-7, features a selection of 10 of this year’s most acclaimed documentaries and a package of prestigious doc shorts. Dedicated to supporting social-impact documentary films, the fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that raises funds for and produces docus including “Crip Camp” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In addition to “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” Doc10 will screen: Penny Lane’s “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” Nicole Newnham’s “The Disappearance of the Shere Hite,...
About Fox’s life, career and work as a public advocate for Parkinson’s research, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” debuted at Sundance in January. Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “An Inconvenient Truth” will be at Doc10 to participate in a post-screening conversation.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 4-7, features a selection of 10 of this year’s most acclaimed documentaries and a package of prestigious doc shorts. Dedicated to supporting social-impact documentary films, the fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that raises funds for and produces docus including “Crip Camp” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In addition to “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” Doc10 will screen: Penny Lane’s “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” Nicole Newnham’s “The Disappearance of the Shere Hite,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Toronto’s Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, has added 12 films to its Special Presentations program. The first tranche of titles was announced March 14. The festival runs April 27 to May 7.
World premieres include Canadian journalist Michelle Shephard’s “The Man Who Stole Einstein’s Brain,” the uncovering of the story behind the pathologist who stole the genius’ brain in 1955; “The Rise of Wagner,” a chilling exposé on the collusion between Wagner Group mercenaries and the Kremlin, which has resulted in secret killings and countless human rights violations; “We Are Guardians,” the story of the Indigenous guardians of the Brazilian Amazon, struggling to protect their territories from the ravages of extractive industries, deforestation, corrupt politicians and profit hungry global corporations; “Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?,” a chronicle of dissident Hong Kong politician and activist Nathan Law’s fight for democracy; and director Barry Avrich’s “Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella,...
World premieres include Canadian journalist Michelle Shephard’s “The Man Who Stole Einstein’s Brain,” the uncovering of the story behind the pathologist who stole the genius’ brain in 1955; “The Rise of Wagner,” a chilling exposé on the collusion between Wagner Group mercenaries and the Kremlin, which has resulted in secret killings and countless human rights violations; “We Are Guardians,” the story of the Indigenous guardians of the Brazilian Amazon, struggling to protect their territories from the ravages of extractive industries, deforestation, corrupt politicians and profit hungry global corporations; “Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?,” a chronicle of dissident Hong Kong politician and activist Nathan Law’s fight for democracy; and director Barry Avrich’s “Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella,...
- 3/21/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Sundance 2023: ‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’ Directed by Nicole Newnham
U.S. Documentary Competition
The Hite Report, a groundbreaking study of female sexuality, remains one of the bestselling books of all time since its publication in 1976. The Hite Report brought the female orgasm out of unspoken shadows into the light of day by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Shere Hite’s findings rocked the American establishment and presaged current conversations about gender and sex.
Drawn from anonymous survey responses, the book challenged restrictive conceptions of sex and opened a dialogue in popular culture around women’s pleasure. Its charismatic author, Shere Hite, a feminist sex researcher and former model, became the public messenger of women’s secret confessions. With each subsequent bestseller, she engaged television titans in unforgettably explicit debates about sexuality while suffering the backlash her controversial findings provoked. But who remembers Shere Hite today? What led to her erasure?
The takeaway of The Hite Report was that female expression of sexuality should not be defined by patriarchal power. This idea deeply offended the male establishment and consequently, the media made as much of their wounded ideas of themselves as of the book itself whose authentic and anonymous findings were treated with intense controversy.
The astonishing beauty of Shere Hite herself lies outside of the cliche perameters of the “scholarly” (i.e., “homely) woman. And so her methodical research was called “unscientific” and was called into question (and answered smartly by her). Her background as a working-class, bisexual, former nude model with photographs appearing in Playboy did not sit well with the offended and offensive men who interviewed her on top TV shows after the book became a runaway success. All of her many identities are displayed in the movie.
Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham transports viewers back to the 70s, a time of great societal transformation around sexuality (See Fairyland, about queer life in San Francisco, also playing here in Sundance,for another take on the 70s and Food and Country about the coming of age of California cuisine in the 70s under the guiding hands of Ruth Reichl and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse). Newnham’s revelatory portrait brings us to reconsider a pioneer who broke the ground for our current conversations about gender, sexuality, and autonomy. Her story also is a timely, cautionary tale of what too often happens to women who dare speak out.
Nicole Newnham is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning documentary director and producer and four-time Sundance alum. She co-directed Crip Camp (2020) with Jim LeBrecht. Crip Camp was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Sundance U.S. Documentary Audience Award. Newnham’s other documentary directing credits include the Emmy-nominated films The Revolutionary Optimists, Sentenced Home, and The Rape of Europa.
U.S. Sales and Distribution: Josh Braun, Submarine Entertainment
There is no international sales agent. Maggie Pisacane at WME is the producers rep along with Josh Braun.
Directed and Produced By: Nicole Newnham (Crip Camp)
Produced By: Molly O’Brien, R.J. Cutler, Elise Pearlstein, Kimberley Ferdinando, Trevor Smith
Co-Produced By: Erica Fink, Eleanor West
Executive Produced By: Elizabeth Fischer, Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim, Andy Berg, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman
116 minutes
Film FestivalsWomenDocumentaryGenderSundance...
U.S. Documentary Competition
The Hite Report, a groundbreaking study of female sexuality, remains one of the bestselling books of all time since its publication in 1976. The Hite Report brought the female orgasm out of unspoken shadows into the light of day by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Shere Hite’s findings rocked the American establishment and presaged current conversations about gender and sex.
Drawn from anonymous survey responses, the book challenged restrictive conceptions of sex and opened a dialogue in popular culture around women’s pleasure. Its charismatic author, Shere Hite, a feminist sex researcher and former model, became the public messenger of women’s secret confessions. With each subsequent bestseller, she engaged television titans in unforgettably explicit debates about sexuality while suffering the backlash her controversial findings provoked. But who remembers Shere Hite today? What led to her erasure?
The takeaway of The Hite Report was that female expression of sexuality should not be defined by patriarchal power. This idea deeply offended the male establishment and consequently, the media made as much of their wounded ideas of themselves as of the book itself whose authentic and anonymous findings were treated with intense controversy.
The astonishing beauty of Shere Hite herself lies outside of the cliche perameters of the “scholarly” (i.e., “homely) woman. And so her methodical research was called “unscientific” and was called into question (and answered smartly by her). Her background as a working-class, bisexual, former nude model with photographs appearing in Playboy did not sit well with the offended and offensive men who interviewed her on top TV shows after the book became a runaway success. All of her many identities are displayed in the movie.
Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham transports viewers back to the 70s, a time of great societal transformation around sexuality (See Fairyland, about queer life in San Francisco, also playing here in Sundance,for another take on the 70s and Food and Country about the coming of age of California cuisine in the 70s under the guiding hands of Ruth Reichl and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse). Newnham’s revelatory portrait brings us to reconsider a pioneer who broke the ground for our current conversations about gender, sexuality, and autonomy. Her story also is a timely, cautionary tale of what too often happens to women who dare speak out.
Nicole Newnham is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning documentary director and producer and four-time Sundance alum. She co-directed Crip Camp (2020) with Jim LeBrecht. Crip Camp was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Sundance U.S. Documentary Audience Award. Newnham’s other documentary directing credits include the Emmy-nominated films The Revolutionary Optimists, Sentenced Home, and The Rape of Europa.
U.S. Sales and Distribution: Josh Braun, Submarine Entertainment
There is no international sales agent. Maggie Pisacane at WME is the producers rep along with Josh Braun.
Directed and Produced By: Nicole Newnham (Crip Camp)
Produced By: Molly O’Brien, R.J. Cutler, Elise Pearlstein, Kimberley Ferdinando, Trevor Smith
Co-Produced By: Erica Fink, Eleanor West
Executive Produced By: Elizabeth Fischer, Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim, Andy Berg, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman
116 minutes
Film FestivalsWomenDocumentaryGenderSundance...
- 2/11/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, content brand company Onyx Collective showcased its slate of programming, which includes two new projects, one from Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media, as well as the highly anticipated sophomore documentary feature from music artist and filmmaker Questlove.
The company has acquired an untitled Sly Stone feature documentary from Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, marking the artist’s second collaboration with the collective.
According to Variety, the documentary promises to examine the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, the groundbreaking band led by the famous Sly Stone.
The documentary aims to explore the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists and, in doing so, tell a human story about the cost of genius.
Questlove will direct and executive produce, alongside Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman for Two One Five Entertainment Inc. Lonnie Rashid Lynn, a.k.a.
The company has acquired an untitled Sly Stone feature documentary from Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, marking the artist’s second collaboration with the collective.
According to Variety, the documentary promises to examine the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, the groundbreaking band led by the famous Sly Stone.
The documentary aims to explore the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists and, in doing so, tell a human story about the cost of genius.
Questlove will direct and executive produce, alongside Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman for Two One Five Entertainment Inc. Lonnie Rashid Lynn, a.k.a.
- 1/22/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
As part of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Onyx Collective unveiled its expanding slate of programming to come in the near future during their Storytellers Showcase – which notably includes two new projects, one from Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media, as well as the highly anticipated sophomore documentary feature from music artist and filmmaker Questlove.
The company has acquired an untitled Sly Stone feature documentary from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, marking the artist’s second collaboration with the collective. Variety has learned the doc promises to examine the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, the groundbreaking band led by the famous Sly Stone. The documentary aims to explore the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists and, in doing so, tell a human story about the cost of genius.
Questlove will direct and executive produce, alongside Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman for Two One Five Entertainment Inc.
The company has acquired an untitled Sly Stone feature documentary from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, marking the artist’s second collaboration with the collective. Variety has learned the doc promises to examine the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, the groundbreaking band led by the famous Sly Stone. The documentary aims to explore the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists and, in doing so, tell a human story about the cost of genius.
Questlove will direct and executive produce, alongside Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman for Two One Five Entertainment Inc.
- 1/21/2023
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Onyx Collective has acquired rights to Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s untitled Sly Stone documentary, which chronicles the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, it was announced Saturday during its Sundance Film Festival panel. The documentary was acquired from MRC. Hulu is the primary domestic destination for all Onyx titles.
Questlove, who won an Oscar last year for “Summer of Soul,” directs what is his sophomore feature, which is from a script by Joseph Patel and Jeff Mao. The film examines “the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists” while telling a “very human story about the cost of genius,” per the official description.
Producers are Derrik Murray for Network Entertainment Inc. and Patel. They’re joined by executive producers Stone, Brian Gersh of Network Entertainment Inc., and Two One Five Entertainment Inc.’s Questlove, Shawn Gee, and Zarah Zohlman. Lonnie Rashid Lynn,...
Questlove, who won an Oscar last year for “Summer of Soul,” directs what is his sophomore feature, which is from a script by Joseph Patel and Jeff Mao. The film examines “the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists” while telling a “very human story about the cost of genius,” per the official description.
Producers are Derrik Murray for Network Entertainment Inc. and Patel. They’re joined by executive producers Stone, Brian Gersh of Network Entertainment Inc., and Two One Five Entertainment Inc.’s Questlove, Shawn Gee, and Zarah Zohlman. Lonnie Rashid Lynn,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Onyx Collective came armed with news during its presentation Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival.
Disney’s Tara Duncan-led quasi studio has put a Queen of Sheba scripted drama series in development. Onyx, which produces content exclusively for Hulu, has also nabbed two documentaries out of the snowy fest: Questlove’s untitled Sly Stone feature and Ryan Coogler’s Anthem.
Sheba, which is also exec produced by Coogler, is co-created by Chantelle Wells (Showtime’s Yellowjackets) and actress-writer-producer Azie Tesfai (Supergirl). The drama explores the rise to power of the first queen on the continent of Africa as she seeks to unite the nation now known as Ethiopia, making it one of the richest, most formidable kingdoms in the world. Inspired by true events, the potential series follows Makeda into a world of danger, deceit and political intrigue as she is forced to step into a role that no one,...
Disney’s Tara Duncan-led quasi studio has put a Queen of Sheba scripted drama series in development. Onyx, which produces content exclusively for Hulu, has also nabbed two documentaries out of the snowy fest: Questlove’s untitled Sly Stone feature and Ryan Coogler’s Anthem.
Sheba, which is also exec produced by Coogler, is co-created by Chantelle Wells (Showtime’s Yellowjackets) and actress-writer-producer Azie Tesfai (Supergirl). The drama explores the rise to power of the first queen on the continent of Africa as she seeks to unite the nation now known as Ethiopia, making it one of the richest, most formidable kingdoms in the world. Inspired by true events, the potential series follows Makeda into a world of danger, deceit and political intrigue as she is forced to step into a role that no one,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Onyx Collective has landed a pair of documentaries including Questlove’s upcoming Sly Stone film.
The brand, which airs on Hulu, will air both Questlove’s Untitled Sly Stone documentary and Anthem, which follows composer Kris Bowers and music producer Dahi as they take on a musical journey across the U.S. experimenting to reimagine the National Anthem.
Separately, the brand has struck an overall deal with Joseph Patel, who produced Oscar-winning doc Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised alongside Questlove.
Questlove will direct the Stone doc about Stone, otherwise known as Sylvester Stewart, who was frontman of Sly and the Family Stone and known for pioneering funk music.
It will examine the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone and tells the story behind the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists and, in doing so,...
The brand, which airs on Hulu, will air both Questlove’s Untitled Sly Stone documentary and Anthem, which follows composer Kris Bowers and music producer Dahi as they take on a musical journey across the U.S. experimenting to reimagine the National Anthem.
Separately, the brand has struck an overall deal with Joseph Patel, who produced Oscar-winning doc Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised alongside Questlove.
Questlove will direct the Stone doc about Stone, otherwise known as Sylvester Stewart, who was frontman of Sly and the Family Stone and known for pioneering funk music.
It will examine the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone and tells the story behind the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists and, in doing so,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Participant has announced that it is producing Food, Inc. 2 — a sequel to its Academy Award-nominated documentary Food, Inc., to be released later this year.
The original film directed by Robert Kenner offered an unflattering look inside America’s corporate controlled food industry — spotlighting the harm this system has inflicted on animals, as well as its consumers and laborers. Robert Kenner directed from a script written with Elise Pearlstein and Kim Roberts. Kenner also produced alongside Pearlstein, with Bill Pohlad, Robin Schorr, Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann serving as exec producers.
Food, Inc. was released by Magnolia Pictures in 2009 after world premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, going on to claim not only an Academy Award nom for Best Documentary, Features, but a Cinema Eye Honors Award, a Gotham Award, a News & Documentary Emmy Award and numerous other accolades, as well.
Specifics as to Food, Inc. 2‘s focus are under wraps,...
The original film directed by Robert Kenner offered an unflattering look inside America’s corporate controlled food industry — spotlighting the harm this system has inflicted on animals, as well as its consumers and laborers. Robert Kenner directed from a script written with Elise Pearlstein and Kim Roberts. Kenner also produced alongside Pearlstein, with Bill Pohlad, Robin Schorr, Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann serving as exec producers.
Food, Inc. was released by Magnolia Pictures in 2009 after world premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, going on to claim not only an Academy Award nom for Best Documentary, Features, but a Cinema Eye Honors Award, a Gotham Award, a News & Documentary Emmy Award and numerous other accolades, as well.
Specifics as to Food, Inc. 2‘s focus are under wraps,...
- 1/18/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Award-winning actress Dakota Johnson and her producing partner at TeaTime Pictures, Ro Donnelly, have joined The Disappearance of Shere Hite as executive producers ahead of the documentary’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Johnson also is featured as the voice of Hite in the film about the renowned sex researcher and author of The Hite Report, the mega-bestseller published in 1976 that “liberated the female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents.” Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nicole Newnham (Crip Camp) directed the documentary, which premieres Friday, January 20 in U.S. Documentary Competition.
Hite, who died in 2020 at the age of 77, spent the last decades of her life living in Europe, having been subjected to relentless attack by conservatives in the U.S. upset by her work that “challenged restrictive conceptions of sex and opened a dialogue in popular culture around women’s pleasure.”
A description of the film adds,...
Johnson also is featured as the voice of Hite in the film about the renowned sex researcher and author of The Hite Report, the mega-bestseller published in 1976 that “liberated the female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents.” Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nicole Newnham (Crip Camp) directed the documentary, which premieres Friday, January 20 in U.S. Documentary Competition.
Hite, who died in 2020 at the age of 77, spent the last decades of her life living in Europe, having been subjected to relentless attack by conservatives in the U.S. upset by her work that “challenged restrictive conceptions of sex and opened a dialogue in popular culture around women’s pleasure.”
A description of the film adds,...
- 1/14/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
A documentary about the late music star Olivia Newton-John, who died in August 2022, is in development.
The feature-length doc will explore Newton-John’s life and work as an iconic entertainer, best-selling music artist, animal rights and environmental activist and health, wellness and plant medicine advocate.
R.J. Cutler’s production hub This Machine Filmworks has taken the onus of developing the project, reports Variety. This Machine has secured full authorised access to Newton-John’s music and personal archives.
In 1978, Newton-John co-starred with John Travolta in ‘Grease’, which catapulted her into super-stardom. During her career, she garnered four Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and numerous other trophies. Her other feature film credits include ‘Funny Things Happen Down Under’, ‘Toomorrow’, ‘Xanadu’, ‘Two of A Kind’, ‘It’s My Party, Sordid Lives’, ‘Score: A Hockey Musical’, and ‘A Few Best Men’.
According to Variety, Cutler, along with This Machine’s Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith,...
The feature-length doc will explore Newton-John’s life and work as an iconic entertainer, best-selling music artist, animal rights and environmental activist and health, wellness and plant medicine advocate.
R.J. Cutler’s production hub This Machine Filmworks has taken the onus of developing the project, reports Variety. This Machine has secured full authorised access to Newton-John’s music and personal archives.
In 1978, Newton-John co-starred with John Travolta in ‘Grease’, which catapulted her into super-stardom. During her career, she garnered four Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and numerous other trophies. Her other feature film credits include ‘Funny Things Happen Down Under’, ‘Toomorrow’, ‘Xanadu’, ‘Two of A Kind’, ‘It’s My Party, Sordid Lives’, ‘Score: A Hockey Musical’, and ‘A Few Best Men’.
According to Variety, Cutler, along with This Machine’s Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
R.J. Cutler’s production hub This Machine is developing another documentary about a music star — in this case, the late Olivia Newton-John, who died in August 2022.
The feature-length doc will explore Newton-John’s life and work as an iconic entertainer, best-selling music artist, animal rights and environmental activist and health, wellness and plant medicine advocate. This Machine has secured full authorized access to Newton-John’s music and personal archives.
In 1978, Newton-John co-starred with John Travolta in “Grease,” which catapulted her into super-stardom. During her career, she garnered four Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and numerous other trophies. Her other feature film credits include “Funny Things Happen Down Under,” “Toomorrow,” “Xanadu,” “Two of A Kind,” “It’s My Party, Sordid Lives,” “Score: A Hockey Musical,” and “A Few Best Men.”
Cutler, along with This Machine’s Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith, will produce the untitled docu, while John Easterling, Larry Mestel,...
The feature-length doc will explore Newton-John’s life and work as an iconic entertainer, best-selling music artist, animal rights and environmental activist and health, wellness and plant medicine advocate. This Machine has secured full authorized access to Newton-John’s music and personal archives.
In 1978, Newton-John co-starred with John Travolta in “Grease,” which catapulted her into super-stardom. During her career, she garnered four Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and numerous other trophies. Her other feature film credits include “Funny Things Happen Down Under,” “Toomorrow,” “Xanadu,” “Two of A Kind,” “It’s My Party, Sordid Lives,” “Score: A Hockey Musical,” and “A Few Best Men.”
Cutler, along with This Machine’s Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith, will produce the untitled docu, while John Easterling, Larry Mestel,...
- 12/12/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Production is underway on Lee Soo Man: The King of K-Pop, a feature documentary from production company This Machine that will land on Prime Video.
Filmmaker Ting Poo, who earned acclaim with her 2021 Prime Video documentary Val about actor Val Kilmer (co-directed with Leo Scott) is helming Lee Soo Man, a “documentary chronicling the enthralling life of a bold visionary whose work put his country on the map, sparked a global movement, and continues to define an era,” as a release put it. “A futurist and visionary on the scale of Steve Jobs, Lee is more than a music impresario. He is a world-builder and a technologist whose original creation has taken over global entertainment, one K-Pop band at a time.”
Lee Soo Man
No target release date has been announced, but once finished the film will reach audiences through Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide.
“We are...
Filmmaker Ting Poo, who earned acclaim with her 2021 Prime Video documentary Val about actor Val Kilmer (co-directed with Leo Scott) is helming Lee Soo Man, a “documentary chronicling the enthralling life of a bold visionary whose work put his country on the map, sparked a global movement, and continues to define an era,” as a release put it. “A futurist and visionary on the scale of Steve Jobs, Lee is more than a music impresario. He is a world-builder and a technologist whose original creation has taken over global entertainment, one K-Pop band at a time.”
Lee Soo Man
No target release date has been announced, but once finished the film will reach audiences through Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide.
“We are...
- 11/28/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Diane Weyermann’s impact continues to be felt throughout the documentary field, with her presence evident on some of the fall’s most talked about nonfiction films, including Laura Poitras’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and Steve James’s A Compassionate Spy.
Today, the Points North Institute honored the legacy of the late chief content officer of Participant by establishing the Diane Weyermann Fellowship, an artists’ program “aimed at supporting global filmmaking teams in production on feature length documentary films that highlight stories of moral and ethical urgency.”
The announcement took place at the Camden International Film Festival in Maine, itself a program of Points North.
“We are incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to recognize Diane’s tremendous impact on the world of documentary filmmaking through this new Fellowship,” said Ben Fowlie, Points North Executive and Artistic Director and Founder of Ciff. “Diane has been a...
Today, the Points North Institute honored the legacy of the late chief content officer of Participant by establishing the Diane Weyermann Fellowship, an artists’ program “aimed at supporting global filmmaking teams in production on feature length documentary films that highlight stories of moral and ethical urgency.”
The announcement took place at the Camden International Film Festival in Maine, itself a program of Points North.
“We are incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to recognize Diane’s tremendous impact on the world of documentary filmmaking through this new Fellowship,” said Ben Fowlie, Points North Executive and Artistic Director and Founder of Ciff. “Diane has been a...
- 9/16/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
On Friday, during the 18th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival, organizers unveiled a Diane Weyermann Fellowship at Points North Institute.
Weyermann, the former chief content officer at Participant and former director of the Sundance Institute’s documentary film program, died last October of cancer. She was 66. In addition to an apartment in New York City, Weyermann owned a home in coastal Maine.
Ciff, run by Points North and concluding Sept. 18, is presenting several films Weyermann recently executive produced, including Laura Poitras’ Golden Lion-winning “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Margaret Brown’s Sundance-winning “Descendant,” Steve James’ “My Compassionate Spy,” which recently premiered at Venice and TIFF, and Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard’s “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power.”
“It’s so meaningful to be in Camden screening the film we made with Diane,” Brown told Variety during a special reception held in Camden in honor of the new fellowship.
Weyermann, the former chief content officer at Participant and former director of the Sundance Institute’s documentary film program, died last October of cancer. She was 66. In addition to an apartment in New York City, Weyermann owned a home in coastal Maine.
Ciff, run by Points North and concluding Sept. 18, is presenting several films Weyermann recently executive produced, including Laura Poitras’ Golden Lion-winning “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Margaret Brown’s Sundance-winning “Descendant,” Steve James’ “My Compassionate Spy,” which recently premiered at Venice and TIFF, and Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard’s “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power.”
“It’s so meaningful to be in Camden screening the film we made with Diane,” Brown told Variety during a special reception held in Camden in honor of the new fellowship.
- 9/16/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Production is underway on a feature documentary from HBO Documentary Films and This Machine inspired by New York Times columnist Charles Blow’s book The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam Pollard and Llewellyn Smith are directing the as-yet-untitled documentary. Blow’s book, published last year, “calls for a reverse ‘great migration’ of African Americans from the North back to the South to reclaim the land, political representation, and culture that they left behind,” according to a release from HBO, “and in so doing, forever transform the power structure in America.”
Between 1916 and 1970 roughly six million African Americans migrated from the rural South to other parts of the country, to seek better economic opportunities and to escape Jim Crow segregation. Blow writes in his book, “Black people fled the horrors of the racist South for so-called liberal cities of the North and West, trading the...
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam Pollard and Llewellyn Smith are directing the as-yet-untitled documentary. Blow’s book, published last year, “calls for a reverse ‘great migration’ of African Americans from the North back to the South to reclaim the land, political representation, and culture that they left behind,” according to a release from HBO, “and in so doing, forever transform the power structure in America.”
Between 1916 and 1970 roughly six million African Americans migrated from the rural South to other parts of the country, to seek better economic opportunities and to escape Jim Crow segregation. Blow writes in his book, “Black people fled the horrors of the racist South for so-called liberal cities of the North and West, trading the...
- 8/10/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
R J Cutler will direct the career-spanning film with John’s partner David Furnish.
R J Cutler and David Furnish are to direct a documentary about Elton John for Disney Original Documentary and Disney+, with the studio planning festival exposure and a limited theatrical release before the project’s streaming debut.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and The Years That Made His Legend will make use of unseen footage of the singer-songwriter in concert over the past 50 years as well as hand-written journals and present-day footage of John (Furnish’s partner) and his family.
The film...
R J Cutler and David Furnish are to direct a documentary about Elton John for Disney Original Documentary and Disney+, with the studio planning festival exposure and a limited theatrical release before the project’s streaming debut.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and The Years That Made His Legend will make use of unseen footage of the singer-songwriter in concert over the past 50 years as well as hand-written journals and present-day footage of John (Furnish’s partner) and his family.
The film...
- 5/19/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ announced today the feature documentary “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and The Years That Made His Legend.” From Academy Award-nominee R.J. Cutler and filmmaker David Furnish, the documentary will serve as the official feature on Elton John, comprised of unseen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family. Following a robust festival run and limited theatrical release, the film will be available exclusively on Disney+.
Rooted in Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,” the feature documentary film will capture Elton John’s final months on the road, culminating in what promises to be one of the greatest send-offs in rock-and-roll history when John performs his final North American show at Dodger Stadium this upcoming November. The film will also look back at the extraordinary first five years of John’s career when,...
Rooted in Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,” the feature documentary film will capture Elton John’s final months on the road, culminating in what promises to be one of the greatest send-offs in rock-and-roll history when John performs his final North American show at Dodger Stadium this upcoming November. The film will also look back at the extraordinary first five years of John’s career when,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ have landed the Elton John documentary “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and The Years That Made His Legend,” a project intended as a capstone for the rockstar’s five-decade career.
David Furnish, Elton John’s longtime partner, will direct the documentary alongside R.J. Cutler, who directed the Billie Eilish documentary “The World’s a Little Blurry” for Apple TV+ last year, which earned four Emmy nominations. The film will be centered around John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, featuring exclusive interviews and footage from the musician’s final concerts, along with never-before-seen footage and photos from throughout his career.
Also Read:
XFL Reaches Global Multi-Year Deal with Walt Disney Company, ESPN
“There are no superlatives left to describe Elton John and his impact on music and culture — he’s simply unrivaled,” said Disney CEO Bob Chapek. “Like a good Disney story,...
David Furnish, Elton John’s longtime partner, will direct the documentary alongside R.J. Cutler, who directed the Billie Eilish documentary “The World’s a Little Blurry” for Apple TV+ last year, which earned four Emmy nominations. The film will be centered around John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, featuring exclusive interviews and footage from the musician’s final concerts, along with never-before-seen footage and photos from throughout his career.
Also Read:
XFL Reaches Global Multi-Year Deal with Walt Disney Company, ESPN
“There are no superlatives left to describe Elton John and his impact on music and culture — he’s simply unrivaled,” said Disney CEO Bob Chapek. “Like a good Disney story,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ have won the rights to a big feature documentary package, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances And the Years That Made His Legend. No one would comment, but we hear the docu, from Academy Award-nominee R.J. Cutler as well as filmmaker (and longtime Elton John partner) David Furnish, sold for about 30 million.
Designed to serve as the official feature on Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is comprised of unseen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family. The plan for the project is to get a festival run and limited theatrical release and be made available exclusively on Disney+.
At the heart of the documentary is Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” as the film will capture Elton John’s final months on the road, culminating in his...
Designed to serve as the official feature on Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is comprised of unseen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family. The plan for the project is to get a festival run and limited theatrical release and be made available exclusively on Disney+.
At the heart of the documentary is Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” as the film will capture Elton John’s final months on the road, culminating in his...
- 5/18/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva and Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
This Machine, the production company founded by veteran documentary director and producer R.J. Cutler, has bolstered its development and production team with four new hires.
Cutler, the Emmy Award-winning director behind docus including “The September Issue,” “Belushi” and most recently with “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” launched This Machine in 2020 with an investment from Los Angeles-based Industrial Media.
Cutler has named Sally Rosen Phillips as vice president, creative; Qadriyyah Shamsid-Deen as director, creative; Jim Czarnecki, senior vice president, production, and Ian Egos, vice president. The four new hires bring This Machine’s employee headcount to 20. Rosen Phillips, Shamsid-Deen, Czarnecki and Egos join senior executives Elise Pearlstein, Trevor Smith, Margaret Yen and Katie Doering.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Sally, Qadriyyah, Jim and Ian — four truly creative and passionate individuals — to our rapidly growing team at This Machine,” says Cutler, who served as a producer on Chris Hegedus and...
Cutler, the Emmy Award-winning director behind docus including “The September Issue,” “Belushi” and most recently with “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” launched This Machine in 2020 with an investment from Los Angeles-based Industrial Media.
Cutler has named Sally Rosen Phillips as vice president, creative; Qadriyyah Shamsid-Deen as director, creative; Jim Czarnecki, senior vice president, production, and Ian Egos, vice president. The four new hires bring This Machine’s employee headcount to 20. Rosen Phillips, Shamsid-Deen, Czarnecki and Egos join senior executives Elise Pearlstein, Trevor Smith, Margaret Yen and Katie Doering.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Sally, Qadriyyah, Jim and Ian — four truly creative and passionate individuals — to our rapidly growing team at This Machine,” says Cutler, who served as a producer on Chris Hegedus and...
- 4/18/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Memorial services will be announced at later date.
Updated With Academy Statement: Diane Weyermann, Participant chief content officer and a longtime champion of documentaries who was a driving force behind An Inconvenient Truth and American Factory, has died. She was 66.
Weyermann passed away from cancer on Thursday (October 14) in New York. Participant said she had “long been the engine behind the company’s documentary film and television slate”, adding that her work “defined the company” since it was founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll.
“In the very earliest days of Participant, I was incredibly lucky to have Diane agree to run our newfound documentary department,...
Updated With Academy Statement: Diane Weyermann, Participant chief content officer and a longtime champion of documentaries who was a driving force behind An Inconvenient Truth and American Factory, has died. She was 66.
Weyermann passed away from cancer on Thursday (October 14) in New York. Participant said she had “long been the engine behind the company’s documentary film and television slate”, adding that her work “defined the company” since it was founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll.
“In the very earliest days of Participant, I was incredibly lucky to have Diane agree to run our newfound documentary department,...
- 10/15/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Margaret Yen has joined This Machine as Senior Vice President of Music.
At the production company founded by Emmy-winning documentarian R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry), she’ll work alongside senior execs Trevor Smith and Elise Pearlstein, overseeing and growing Cutler’s slate of music-driven projects.
This Machine (an Industrial Media Company) launched in October of last year. In the time since, it has put together a diverse slate of projects, including Big Vape and an Untitled Martha Stewart Documentary for Netflix, and Murf the Surf for Epix.
Yen’s hiring at This Machine comes on the heels of her collaborations with Cutler on a number of documentary films and series, including 30 Days and Sundance Award winner The September Issue, among others.
“We could not be more excited to welcome Margaret to This Machine,” said Cutler. “She’s a brilliant producer and a great executive, and her taste,...
At the production company founded by Emmy-winning documentarian R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry), she’ll work alongside senior execs Trevor Smith and Elise Pearlstein, overseeing and growing Cutler’s slate of music-driven projects.
This Machine (an Industrial Media Company) launched in October of last year. In the time since, it has put together a diverse slate of projects, including Big Vape and an Untitled Martha Stewart Documentary for Netflix, and Murf the Surf for Epix.
Yen’s hiring at This Machine comes on the heels of her collaborations with Cutler on a number of documentary films and series, including 30 Days and Sundance Award winner The September Issue, among others.
“We could not be more excited to welcome Margaret to This Machine,” said Cutler. “She’s a brilliant producer and a great executive, and her taste,...
- 8/10/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
R.J. Cutler, the director behind Apple TV+’s acclaimed “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” documentary, is setting his sights on Juul for his next project.
Deadline recently reported that Netflix has ordered a documentary series from Cutler based on the “Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul” book by Time Magazine correspondent Jamie Ducharme. Cutler will direct and executive produce the series, while Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will executive produce for Amblin Television. Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith will executive produce for THis Machine and Ian Orefice and Rebecca Teitel will executive produce for Time Studios.
Per Deadline, the series will chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72 percent of the market. An episode count and release date are under wraps.
Amazon’s synopsis Ducharme’s book reads:
It began with a smoke break.
Deadline recently reported that Netflix has ordered a documentary series from Cutler based on the “Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul” book by Time Magazine correspondent Jamie Ducharme. Cutler will direct and executive produce the series, while Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will executive produce for Amblin Television. Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith will executive produce for THis Machine and Ian Orefice and Rebecca Teitel will executive produce for Time Studios.
Per Deadline, the series will chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72 percent of the market. An episode count and release date are under wraps.
Amazon’s synopsis Ducharme’s book reads:
It began with a smoke break.
- 6/20/2021
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Netflix has ordered a documentary series based on Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul, the new Henry Holt book by Time Magazine correspondent Jamie Ducharme. Series will be directed and executive produced by R.J. Cutler, who’s coming off the Showtime docu Belushi and Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry for Apple TV+ and Neon.
Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will be exec producers for Amblin Television, alongside Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith for This Machine, and Ian Orefice and Rebecca Teitel for Time Studios.
Amblin optioned the book last year and Cutler came aboard in February. Series will chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72% of the market. This will be no puff piece: Juul’s rise, and the high nicotine concentration and flavored products, helped spark what top health authorities labeled an epidemic of youth addiction.
Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will be exec producers for Amblin Television, alongside Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith for This Machine, and Ian Orefice and Rebecca Teitel for Time Studios.
Amblin optioned the book last year and Cutler came aboard in February. Series will chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72% of the market. This will be no puff piece: Juul’s rise, and the high nicotine concentration and flavored products, helped spark what top health authorities labeled an epidemic of youth addiction.
- 6/17/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Epix has landed Murf the Surf, the four-part docuseries from Imagine Documentaries and R.J. Cutler’s This Machine, about the famed jewel thief Jack Roland Murphy. Cutler, the two-time Emmy winner who’s coming off the docus Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry and Belushi, wrote and directed the series.
Epix has greenlit the true crime saga, which gets up and close and personal with America’s most infamous jewel thief. Cutler’s producing with his longtime producing partner Trevor Smith along with Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Justin Wilkes and Sara Bernstein for Imagine and Elise Pearlstein for This Machine, which is an Industrial Media Company.
Murphy has the exploits to fit four episodes. His most infamous credit was an epic jewel heist of the Museum of Natural History, the biggest in New York history. It was masterminded by a band of suave “surfer dudes” from...
Epix has greenlit the true crime saga, which gets up and close and personal with America’s most infamous jewel thief. Cutler’s producing with his longtime producing partner Trevor Smith along with Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Justin Wilkes and Sara Bernstein for Imagine and Elise Pearlstein for This Machine, which is an Industrial Media Company.
Murphy has the exploits to fit four episodes. His most infamous credit was an epic jewel heist of the Museum of Natural History, the biggest in New York history. It was masterminded by a band of suave “surfer dudes” from...
- 6/9/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
A documentary is in the works on the life of Martha Stewart, with Netflix having won the rights to the film after it had been shopped to buyers, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.
R.J. Cutler, the director most recently behind “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” and “Belushi” as well as the film “The September Issue,” is directing the film and will also produce.
As of now. the film is untitled and is only described as being about “the life and times of Martha Stewart.” But the film is likely to tell Stewart’s story beginning as a babysitter for the children of New York Yankees baseball greats Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra up through her early modeling career and into her run as one of the most recognizable culinary personalities, TV hosts and entrepreneurs of the day. It’s unclear if it will also focus on the...
R.J. Cutler, the director most recently behind “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” and “Belushi” as well as the film “The September Issue,” is directing the film and will also produce.
As of now. the film is untitled and is only described as being about “the life and times of Martha Stewart.” But the film is likely to tell Stewart’s story beginning as a babysitter for the children of New York Yankees baseball greats Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra up through her early modeling career and into her run as one of the most recognizable culinary personalities, TV hosts and entrepreneurs of the day. It’s unclear if it will also focus on the...
- 5/24/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Netflix has emerged the winner of a bake-off for a documentary about the life and times of media mogul Martha Stewart.
Oscar-nominated director R.J. Cutler had been shopping a sizzle reel of the all-access look at the history of America’s preeminent hostess in recent weeks. Netflix closed the deal late last week, according to insiders.
While specifics are still unknown, the film will foreseeably follow Stewart’s early life in Jersey City as a babysitter to famed New York Yankees players Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra (legend has it some of her first ever party-planning gigs were for their kids), to teen model and eventual media titan. The massive growth of her Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia empire and 2004 prison stint for insider trading will also presumably be on the table.
Cutler will also serve as producer, alongside Trevor Smith, Jane Cha Cutler and Alina Cho. Industrial Media’s This...
Oscar-nominated director R.J. Cutler had been shopping a sizzle reel of the all-access look at the history of America’s preeminent hostess in recent weeks. Netflix closed the deal late last week, according to insiders.
While specifics are still unknown, the film will foreseeably follow Stewart’s early life in Jersey City as a babysitter to famed New York Yankees players Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra (legend has it some of her first ever party-planning gigs were for their kids), to teen model and eventual media titan. The massive growth of her Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia empire and 2004 prison stint for insider trading will also presumably be on the table.
Cutler will also serve as producer, alongside Trevor Smith, Jane Cha Cutler and Alina Cho. Industrial Media’s This...
- 5/24/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Betsy West, Julie Cohen (Rbg) directed film about Civil Rights activist, priest and memoirist.
Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to the recent Sundance documentary premiere My Name is Pauli Murray from Participant, Drexler Films and Storyville Films production.
Betsy West and Julie Cohen (Rbg) directed the film about the Civil Rights activist, priest and memoirist whose work shaped landmark litigation and awareness around race and gender equity.
Talleah Bridges McMahon produced, and Participant’s Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann and Elise Pearlstein served as executive producers alongside Peggy Drexler.
Amazon Studios negotiated the deal with Participant and Cinetic on behalf of the filmmakers.
Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to the recent Sundance documentary premiere My Name is Pauli Murray from Participant, Drexler Films and Storyville Films production.
Betsy West and Julie Cohen (Rbg) directed the film about the Civil Rights activist, priest and memoirist whose work shaped landmark litigation and awareness around race and gender equity.
Talleah Bridges McMahon produced, and Participant’s Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann and Elise Pearlstein served as executive producers alongside Peggy Drexler.
Amazon Studios negotiated the deal with Participant and Cinetic on behalf of the filmmakers.
- 2/26/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to My Name Is Pauli Murray, the Participant, Drexler and Storyville Films documentary which made its world premiere at Sundance.
Fifteen years before Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat, a full decade before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned separate-but-equal legislation, attorney and priest Pauli Murray was already knee-deep fighting for social justice. Murray shaped landmark litigation—and consciousness—around race and gender equity. As an African American youth raised in the segregated South—who was also wrestling with broader notions of gender identity—Murray understood, intrinsically, what it was to exist beyond previously accepted categories and cultural norms.
The docu was directed by Oscar-nominated Rbg filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen and produced by Talleah Bridges McMahon. Rbg about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was nominated for two Oscars: Best Documentary Feature and Diane Warren’s song “I’ll Fight...
Fifteen years before Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat, a full decade before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned separate-but-equal legislation, attorney and priest Pauli Murray was already knee-deep fighting for social justice. Murray shaped landmark litigation—and consciousness—around race and gender equity. As an African American youth raised in the segregated South—who was also wrestling with broader notions of gender identity—Murray understood, intrinsically, what it was to exist beyond previously accepted categories and cultural norms.
The docu was directed by Oscar-nominated Rbg filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen and produced by Talleah Bridges McMahon. Rbg about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was nominated for two Oscars: Best Documentary Feature and Diane Warren’s song “I’ll Fight...
- 2/25/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
“My Name Is Pauli Murray,” the documentary about the non-binary Black activist, lawyer and poet, has sold out of Sundance to Amazon Studios. The film is directed by “Rbg’s” Julie Cohen and Betsy West.
The documentary tells the life story of Pauli Murray and how they influenced everyone from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Thurgood Marshall. It includes Murray’s writings as well as newly discovered photographs, video footage and audio interviews, chronicling how Murray spent their life grappling with gender norms and identifying as non-binary.
Murray is known for their 1950 book “States’ Laws on Race and Color,” which Marshall and others considered to be a key document in the fight against racial segregation. Murray was also the first Black person to receive a doctorate from Yale Law School, and was named a co-author in Ginsburg’s brief for her landmark Reed v. Reed victory at the Supreme Court that...
The documentary tells the life story of Pauli Murray and how they influenced everyone from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Thurgood Marshall. It includes Murray’s writings as well as newly discovered photographs, video footage and audio interviews, chronicling how Murray spent their life grappling with gender norms and identifying as non-binary.
Murray is known for their 1950 book “States’ Laws on Race and Color,” which Marshall and others considered to be a key document in the fight against racial segregation. Murray was also the first Black person to receive a doctorate from Yale Law School, and was named a co-author in Ginsburg’s brief for her landmark Reed v. Reed victory at the Supreme Court that...
- 2/25/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film “My Name Is Pauli Murray,” about the trailblazing LGBTQ and civil rights activist, which premiered this year at Sundance.
Participant, Drexler Films and Storyville Films produced the doc, directed by Oscar nominees Betsy West and Julie Cohen (“Rbg”).
The film follows the overlooked history of Murray, a gender-nonconforming scholar and ordained minister who championed the rights of people of color, women and the queer community. West and Cohen were introduced to Murray by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg while making “Rbg,” which was nominated for the best documentary feature Academy Award in 2019.
“We’re incredibly honored to bring Pauli Murray’s inspiring story to light at such a timely point in American history,” said Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke. “As a pioneer for race and gender equity, Pauli’s extraordinary achievements will surely strike a chord amongst our global audiences.
Participant, Drexler Films and Storyville Films produced the doc, directed by Oscar nominees Betsy West and Julie Cohen (“Rbg”).
The film follows the overlooked history of Murray, a gender-nonconforming scholar and ordained minister who championed the rights of people of color, women and the queer community. West and Cohen were introduced to Murray by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg while making “Rbg,” which was nominated for the best documentary feature Academy Award in 2019.
“We’re incredibly honored to bring Pauli Murray’s inspiring story to light at such a timely point in American history,” said Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke. “As a pioneer for race and gender equity, Pauli’s extraordinary achievements will surely strike a chord amongst our global audiences.
- 2/25/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: R.J. Cutler will direct and produce the documentary series Big Vape, an adaptation of Jamie Ducharme’s upcoming nonfiction book about the rise of the controversial e-cigarette company Juul. Cutler just directed the Showtime docu Belushi and has upcoming Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry which will be released February 26 on Apple TV+.
Cutler’s This Machine is teamed on the series with Amblin Television and Time Studios to chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72% of the market. This will be no puff piece: Juul’s rise, and the high nicotine concentration and flavored products, helped spark what top health authorities labeled an epidemic of youth addiction.
Amblin optioned the book last year. Executive producing with Cutler are Amblin Partners’ co-presidents of television Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (The Americans), This Machine’s Trevor...
Cutler’s This Machine is teamed on the series with Amblin Television and Time Studios to chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72% of the market. This will be no puff piece: Juul’s rise, and the high nicotine concentration and flavored products, helped spark what top health authorities labeled an epidemic of youth addiction.
Amblin optioned the book last year. Executive producing with Cutler are Amblin Partners’ co-presidents of television Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (The Americans), This Machine’s Trevor...
- 2/18/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: As his superb Showtime documentary Belushi premieres next month and with Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry upcoming from Apple TV+, R.J. Cutler has launched the production company This Machine, with an investment from Industrial Media. Cutler sealed the deal with Industrial Media’s CEO Eli Holzman and President Aaron Saidman.
In the new company, Industrial Media will have an ownership stake. Producer Elise Pearlstein will join Cutler’s This Machine as EVP of Documentaries, and Devon Hammonds — who had been Industrial Media SVP of Development & Current Programming – East Coast — will now serve in a dual role as EVP of Non-Fiction TV for This Machine. Hammonds’ focus will be returning series development for the new company. Trevor Smith, Cutler’s longtime producing partner, will serve as producer for the company’s original content.
In in its first talent deal, 14-time Emmy Award-nominee Jane Cha Cutler has...
In the new company, Industrial Media will have an ownership stake. Producer Elise Pearlstein will join Cutler’s This Machine as EVP of Documentaries, and Devon Hammonds — who had been Industrial Media SVP of Development & Current Programming – East Coast — will now serve in a dual role as EVP of Non-Fiction TV for This Machine. Hammonds’ focus will be returning series development for the new company. Trevor Smith, Cutler’s longtime producing partner, will serve as producer for the company’s original content.
In in its first talent deal, 14-time Emmy Award-nominee Jane Cha Cutler has...
- 10/19/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The PGA Foundation has rounded out its lineup for next month Produced By: New York conference, with teams behind awards-season films Dark Waters and Honey Boy joining the event’s masterclass agenda and Dan Lin, Elaine Frontain Bryant, Lori McCreary and Banks Tarver toplining the closing keynote panel entitled “The Future of Producing.”
The event, now sold out, is November 9 at Florence Gould Hall in New York City. The all-day confab kicks off with a keynote from Netflix film boss Scott Stuber, in conversation with Ron Howard, launching into eight masterclass sessions.
Added on Wednesday to that latter list is Mark Ruffalo, Pam Koffler, Christine Vachon and the production team of Todd Haynes’ Dark Waters, the Focus Features film that hits theaters November 22; and Alma Har’el and Daniela Taplin Lundberg in attendance to discuss Shia Labeouf’s Honey Boy, which hits theaters that weekend.
Joining existing masterclasses are editor...
The event, now sold out, is November 9 at Florence Gould Hall in New York City. The all-day confab kicks off with a keynote from Netflix film boss Scott Stuber, in conversation with Ron Howard, launching into eight masterclass sessions.
Added on Wednesday to that latter list is Mark Ruffalo, Pam Koffler, Christine Vachon and the production team of Todd Haynes’ Dark Waters, the Focus Features film that hits theaters November 22; and Alma Har’el and Daniela Taplin Lundberg in attendance to discuss Shia Labeouf’s Honey Boy, which hits theaters that weekend.
Joining existing masterclasses are editor...
- 10/23/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Animal Planet has acquired worldwide television rights to Participant and Terra Mater Factual Studios’ documentary film Watson. The film chronicles Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson, who has spent his life sailing the globe to keep the oceans and their inhabitants safe.
The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, where it was runner-up for the Documentary Audience Award. Additional screenings this year will include the Zurich Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, and Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, among others. It will also premiere on Animal Planet later this year, and in select theaters this fall.
Captain Watson and his crews have confronted whaling vessels from Europe to the Southern Ocean, seal hunters in Canada, and shark finners in Central America. Watson blends interviews with Captain Watson, archival clips of Sea Shepherd’s encounters, and underwater nature footage.
Documentarian Lesley Chilcott paints a portrait of a man willing to put his own life at risk in a relentless quest to protect the oceans and the marine life within.
Animal Planet was the home to Emmy-nominated series Whale Wars (2008-2015), which followed Captain Watson and members of his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. It is still available to Us audiences via the Animal Planet Go app. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized Whale Wars in 2009 for exploring issues of concern to our society by bestowing the series with a Television Academy Honor, which identifies it as “television with a conscience.”
“I am incredibly proud of this wonderful film by Lesley Chilcott, and I hope that it inspires people to be passionate about caring for and fighting to save our home — the planet Ocean,” said Paul Watson.
Chilcott added, “Watson begins and ends with the heroic and fierce commitment of Captain Paul Watson, a man who I have long admired and whose deeds to better the Earth affect us all. I am excited to partner with Animal Planet, which given their connection to Paul and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is the very best home for this film in helping educate and inspire audiences to join them in the fight to save our oceans.”
“Animal Planet has partnered with Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd for many years to shine a light on their incredibly important work on behalf of our oceans. We are therefore all the more delighted to share this beautifully made film chronicling his remarkable, courageous life with our global audiences,” said Susanna Dinnage, Global President of Animal Planet.
The deal was negotiated by Josh Braun of Submarine on behalf of Participant and Terra Mater Factual Studios, as well as Danice Woodley, Svp of Business and Legal Affairs for Participant, and Krista Wegener, Participant’s Evp of Sales and Distribution.
Watson is an Animal Planet, Participant Media and Terra Mater Factual Studios presentation of an Invented by Girls Production. The film is directed by Chilcott, produced by Louise Runge, Chilcott, Wolfgang Knöpfler, with Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Elise Pearlstein, Walter Köhler and Dinah Czezik-Müller serving as executive producers. Cinematographer is Logan Schneider and composer is Christophe Beck. For Animal Planet, the production is overseen by Erin Wanner, Svp, Production.
The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, where it was runner-up for the Documentary Audience Award. Additional screenings this year will include the Zurich Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, and Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, among others. It will also premiere on Animal Planet later this year, and in select theaters this fall.
Captain Watson and his crews have confronted whaling vessels from Europe to the Southern Ocean, seal hunters in Canada, and shark finners in Central America. Watson blends interviews with Captain Watson, archival clips of Sea Shepherd’s encounters, and underwater nature footage.
Documentarian Lesley Chilcott paints a portrait of a man willing to put his own life at risk in a relentless quest to protect the oceans and the marine life within.
Animal Planet was the home to Emmy-nominated series Whale Wars (2008-2015), which followed Captain Watson and members of his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. It is still available to Us audiences via the Animal Planet Go app. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized Whale Wars in 2009 for exploring issues of concern to our society by bestowing the series with a Television Academy Honor, which identifies it as “television with a conscience.”
“I am incredibly proud of this wonderful film by Lesley Chilcott, and I hope that it inspires people to be passionate about caring for and fighting to save our home — the planet Ocean,” said Paul Watson.
Chilcott added, “Watson begins and ends with the heroic and fierce commitment of Captain Paul Watson, a man who I have long admired and whose deeds to better the Earth affect us all. I am excited to partner with Animal Planet, which given their connection to Paul and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is the very best home for this film in helping educate and inspire audiences to join them in the fight to save our oceans.”
“Animal Planet has partnered with Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd for many years to shine a light on their incredibly important work on behalf of our oceans. We are therefore all the more delighted to share this beautifully made film chronicling his remarkable, courageous life with our global audiences,” said Susanna Dinnage, Global President of Animal Planet.
The deal was negotiated by Josh Braun of Submarine on behalf of Participant and Terra Mater Factual Studios, as well as Danice Woodley, Svp of Business and Legal Affairs for Participant, and Krista Wegener, Participant’s Evp of Sales and Distribution.
Watson is an Animal Planet, Participant Media and Terra Mater Factual Studios presentation of an Invented by Girls Production. The film is directed by Chilcott, produced by Louise Runge, Chilcott, Wolfgang Knöpfler, with Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Elise Pearlstein, Walter Köhler and Dinah Czezik-Müller serving as executive producers. Cinematographer is Logan Schneider and composer is Christophe Beck. For Animal Planet, the production is overseen by Erin Wanner, Svp, Production.
- 9/20/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Participant Media has promoted longtime executive Diane Weyermann to the newly created post of chief content officer.
In her new role, Weyermann will focus on documentary film and TV, alongside department senior VPs Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while working with CEO David Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content. She will continue reporting to Linde.
Weyerman joined Participant in 2005 and has been responsible for the company’s documentary feature film and television slate. She was promoted to president, handling film and TV documentaries, in 2017.
“Since 2005, I’ve been proud to call Participant my home and have had the great fortune to collaborate with seminal storytellers, whose powerful films have inspired audiences around the world,” Weyerman said in a statement.
“Diane has uniquely helped fulfill Participant’s mission over the last 15 years,” Participant founder Jeff Skoll said in a statement.
In her new role, Weyermann will focus on documentary film and TV, alongside department senior VPs Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while working with CEO David Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content. She will continue reporting to Linde.
Weyerman joined Participant in 2005 and has been responsible for the company’s documentary feature film and television slate. She was promoted to president, handling film and TV documentaries, in 2017.
“Since 2005, I’ve been proud to call Participant my home and have had the great fortune to collaborate with seminal storytellers, whose powerful films have inspired audiences around the world,” Weyerman said in a statement.
“Diane has uniquely helped fulfill Participant’s mission over the last 15 years,” Participant founder Jeff Skoll said in a statement.
- 9/5/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Participant Media, the socially conscious production company behind hits such as “Green Book” and “Rbg,” has a new chief content officer. Longtime company executive Diane Weyermann was promoted to the role Thursday and will work closely with CEO David Linde to shape the company’s content slate.
Weyermann, who began working at the company shortly after it was founded by Jeff Skoll in 2004, previously served as the company’s president of documentary film and television. In her new role, Weyermann will continue to focus on documentary film and television alongside department senior vice presidents Elise Pearlstein and Miura Kite, while collaborating with Linde and the company’s new heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
“The only thing that surpasses Diane’s unassailable integrity is her extraordinary judgement on stories that matter,” Skoll said in a statement. “Her creative partnership, her unparalleled work ethic,...
Weyermann, who began working at the company shortly after it was founded by Jeff Skoll in 2004, previously served as the company’s president of documentary film and television. In her new role, Weyermann will continue to focus on documentary film and television alongside department senior vice presidents Elise Pearlstein and Miura Kite, while collaborating with Linde and the company’s new heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
“The only thing that surpasses Diane’s unassailable integrity is her extraordinary judgement on stories that matter,” Skoll said in a statement. “Her creative partnership, her unparalleled work ethic,...
- 9/5/2019
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Executive joined company in 2005.
Diane Weyermann has been promoted to chief content officer at Participant Media as the company restructures its top tier following the departure of former president of narrative film and television Jonathan King.
In the newly created position, Weyermann, who joined in 2005 and previously served as president of documentary film and television, will develop Participant’s slate of film and television in close partnership with CEO David Linde.
She will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice-presidents Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s...
Diane Weyermann has been promoted to chief content officer at Participant Media as the company restructures its top tier following the departure of former president of narrative film and television Jonathan King.
In the newly created position, Weyermann, who joined in 2005 and previously served as president of documentary film and television, will develop Participant’s slate of film and television in close partnership with CEO David Linde.
She will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice-presidents Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s...
- 9/5/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Diane Weyermann, a 14-year veteran at Participant Media, has been promoted to the role of chief content officer, the company’s CEO David Linde announced Thursday at the kickoff of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Weyermann, who previously oversaw Participant’s documentary film and television slate, including executive producing films such as “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Citizenfour,” will work closely with Linde in shaping Participant’s film and TV content in the newly created position.
Weyermann will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice presidents, Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
Also Read: Participant Media's Jonathan King Will Step Down to Segue Into Independent Production
The news comes as part of a restructuring after the departure of Jonathan King, the company...
Weyermann, who previously oversaw Participant’s documentary film and television slate, including executive producing films such as “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Citizenfour,” will work closely with Linde in shaping Participant’s film and TV content in the newly created position.
Weyermann will continue to focus on documentary film and television, alongside department senior vice presidents, Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while collaborating with Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
Also Read: Participant Media's Jonathan King Will Step Down to Segue Into Independent Production
The news comes as part of a restructuring after the departure of Jonathan King, the company...
- 9/5/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Participant Media has promoted Diane Weyermann to the role of chief content officer.
Weyerman will continue reporting to CEO David Linde, who announced the promotion Thursday at the Toronto Film Festival, where Participant has been on a roll with Oscars for Roma and Green Book.
In her new role, Weyermann will focus on documentary film and TV, alongside department senior vp Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while working with Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
The promotion follows a restructuring of Participant’s creative department ...
Weyerman will continue reporting to CEO David Linde, who announced the promotion Thursday at the Toronto Film Festival, where Participant has been on a roll with Oscars for Roma and Green Book.
In her new role, Weyermann will focus on documentary film and TV, alongside department senior vp Elise Pearlstein (film) and Miura Kite (TV), while working with Linde and the company’s newly announced heads of narrative film, Robert Kessel and Anikah McLaren, on future narrative content.
The promotion follows a restructuring of Participant’s creative department ...
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