The prestigious Visions du Réel film festival in Nyon, Switzerland wraps up this weekend, after hosting the world premiere of dozens of documentaries.
One of those world premieres, the feature documentary Amany, Behind the Lines, centers on Amany Al-Ali, considered to be the first female cartoonist in Idlib, Syria. Her city became a hotbed of protest against the regime of Bashar al-Assad beginning in 2011 in the midst of the Arab Spring and, despite enormous risk, Al-Ali has used her cartooning skill to critique the chaotic developments in Idlib for a dozen years now.
Alisar Hasan and Alaa Amer directed the 73-minute long feature documentary.
Cartoonist Amany Al-Ali
Amany Al-Ali “draws the life of her town, a bastion of jihadist groups that are attempting to overthrow President Assad since 2011,” the Visions du Réel program notes. “Armed with her pen, she is struggling against Islamist authority and traditional patriarchy. But for how...
One of those world premieres, the feature documentary Amany, Behind the Lines, centers on Amany Al-Ali, considered to be the first female cartoonist in Idlib, Syria. Her city became a hotbed of protest against the regime of Bashar al-Assad beginning in 2011 in the midst of the Arab Spring and, despite enormous risk, Al-Ali has used her cartooning skill to critique the chaotic developments in Idlib for a dozen years now.
Alisar Hasan and Alaa Amer directed the 73-minute long feature documentary.
Cartoonist Amany Al-Ali
Amany Al-Ali “draws the life of her town, a bastion of jihadist groups that are attempting to overthrow President Assad since 2011,” the Visions du Réel program notes. “Armed with her pen, she is struggling against Islamist authority and traditional patriarchy. But for how...
- 4/29/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel has revealed the first titles of its 54th edition, which runs April 21 to 30. The event will open with the world premiere of “Nightwatchers” by Juliette de Marcillac, which was filmed at night in an idyllic Alpine resort a stone’s throw from the French-Italian border. As night falls family ski days give way to a game of chase between the police and the volunteers who help migrants.
Mostly doctors, they roam the mountain slopes at night, watching for the arrival of migrants who have just completed long, life-risking journeys. Police surveillance is permanent and denunciation is commonplace, pushing the exiles ever higher up the mountain.
“Nightwatchers”
“It is a cinematic experience in a breathtaking twilight setting, bringing to light a vital and powerful closely-knit network,” the festival said.
Twelve feature films will compete for the Audience Award in the Grand Angle section, including three world premieres.
Mostly doctors, they roam the mountain slopes at night, watching for the arrival of migrants who have just completed long, life-risking journeys. Police surveillance is permanent and denunciation is commonplace, pushing the exiles ever higher up the mountain.
“Nightwatchers”
“It is a cinematic experience in a breathtaking twilight setting, bringing to light a vital and powerful closely-knit network,” the festival said.
Twelve feature films will compete for the Audience Award in the Grand Angle section, including three world premieres.
- 3/14/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Swiss documentary festival is set to run April 21-30
The Visions du Reel film festival has unveiled the first titles for its 2023 edition, set to run April 21-30.
The documentary festival, based in Nyon, Switzerland, will open with the world premiere of French director Juliette de Marcillac’s feature debut Nightwatchers. Filmed at high-end ski resort Montgenèvre on the French-Italian border, it tells the story of volunteers trying to help migrants, and the authorities trying to catch them.
The film is part of the Grand Angle competition, with 12 titles competing for the audience award worth Chf 10,000.
The section includes...
The Visions du Reel film festival has unveiled the first titles for its 2023 edition, set to run April 21-30.
The documentary festival, based in Nyon, Switzerland, will open with the world premiere of French director Juliette de Marcillac’s feature debut Nightwatchers. Filmed at high-end ski resort Montgenèvre on the French-Italian border, it tells the story of volunteers trying to help migrants, and the authorities trying to catch them.
The film is part of the Grand Angle competition, with 12 titles competing for the audience award worth Chf 10,000.
The section includes...
- 3/14/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The Primetime Emmys take place on September 20 and air live coast-to-coast on ABC. But the majority of awards are handed out at the five Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies that take place in the week leading up to TV’s biggest night. The Creative Arts trophies will be awarded at five events on: September 14 (reality and nonfiction; Sept. 15 (variety); Sept. 16; Sept. 17 and Sept. 19 (mix). The first four of these will stream live on Emmys.com while the last will air on Fxx.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced TV productions, film shoots and entertainment events to shut down all year to slow the spread of the easily transmitted disease, all of this year’s Emmy ceremonies will be held virtually. While Jimmy Kimmel emcees just one show — the Emmys next Sunday — Best Reality Host nominee Nicole Byer (“Nailed It”) has been tapped to preside over all five of the Creative Arts awards.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced TV productions, film shoots and entertainment events to shut down all year to slow the spread of the easily transmitted disease, all of this year’s Emmy ceremonies will be held virtually. While Jimmy Kimmel emcees just one show — the Emmys next Sunday — Best Reality Host nominee Nicole Byer (“Nailed It”) has been tapped to preside over all five of the Creative Arts awards.
- 9/20/2020
- by Paul Sheehan, Marcus James Dixon, Joyce Eng, Daniel Montgomery and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Nat Geo was in seventh heaven last year after its Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo” won all seven Emmys for which it was nominated. The network will look to strike gold again in September with another harrowing doc that also competed at the Oscars.
“The Cave” gave Nat Geo its second straight Best Documentary Oscar nomination earlier this year, losing to Netflix’s “American Factory.” Because the film had a shorter-than-70-day theatrical release, it is also Emmy eligible — starting next year, Oscar-nominated docs are banned from double-dipping at the Emmys — and received four bids: Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, which is a juried award, Best Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program for Feras Fayyad, Best Writing for a Nonfiction Program for Fayyad and co-writer Alisar Hasan, and Best Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program.
“The Cave” spotlights Dr. Amani Ballor, the first female hospital manager in war-torn Syria. The film takes its title from her hospital,...
“The Cave” gave Nat Geo its second straight Best Documentary Oscar nomination earlier this year, losing to Netflix’s “American Factory.” Because the film had a shorter-than-70-day theatrical release, it is also Emmy eligible — starting next year, Oscar-nominated docs are banned from double-dipping at the Emmys — and received four bids: Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, which is a juried award, Best Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program for Feras Fayyad, Best Writing for a Nonfiction Program for Fayyad and co-writer Alisar Hasan, and Best Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program.
“The Cave” spotlights Dr. Amani Ballor, the first female hospital manager in war-torn Syria. The film takes its title from her hospital,...
- 8/17/2020
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Women landed one third of all the Primetime Emmy nominations in the seven directing categories, a record high for the Television Academy.
In total, 16 women were recognized this year out of 48 total directing nominations — a big jump from last year, when nine out of 49 directing nominees (just over 18%) were women. And this year, a woman was nominated in every single directing category, after two straight years of no female directors getting a nod for a reality series and one year without a woman picking up a nom for a variety series.
Before this year, female directors had the highest representation in 2013, when eight of the 33 nominees — or 24% — were women. That was when there were still just six directing categories, as reality series had not been added to the list at that time.
In the writing categories, women landed 33 nominations out of a total of 120 nominees, or 27.5%. That’s a slight...
In total, 16 women were recognized this year out of 48 total directing nominations — a big jump from last year, when nine out of 49 directing nominees (just over 18%) were women. And this year, a woman was nominated in every single directing category, after two straight years of no female directors getting a nod for a reality series and one year without a woman picking up a nom for a variety series.
Before this year, female directors had the highest representation in 2013, when eight of the 33 nominees — or 24% — were women. That was when there were still just six directing categories, as reality series had not been added to the list at that time.
In the writing categories, women landed 33 nominations out of a total of 120 nominees, or 27.5%. That’s a slight...
- 7/28/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Filmmakers Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama” (PBS) took top honors at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at the Paramount Theatre Saturday night. The harrowing and intimate portrait of a young couple who continued to live in Aleppo with their new baby while under intense fire from government troops took home Best Feature. “It’s a dark time in the world,” said British filmmaker Watts, who helped Al-Kateab shape her extraordinary footage into a film. “When I think about documentaries right now I feel hope that things are going to get better.”
A show of enthusiastic Ida support came early in the evening with a rousing standing ovation when Al-Kateab accepted the coveted Courage Under Fire award, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth. The Channel 4 film has already notched documentary wins from the European Film Awards, the British Independent Film Awards,...
A show of enthusiastic Ida support came early in the evening with a rousing standing ovation when Al-Kateab accepted the coveted Courage Under Fire award, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth. The Channel 4 film has already notched documentary wins from the European Film Awards, the British Independent Film Awards,...
- 12/8/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Filmmakers Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama” (PBS) took top honors at the 35th Annual IDA Documentary Awards at the Paramount Theatre Saturday night. The harrowing and intimate portrait of a young couple who continued to live in Aleppo with their new baby while under intense fire from government troops took home Best Feature. a
Al-Kateab also accepted the coveted Courage Under Fire award, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth. The Channel 4 film has already notched documentary wins from the European Film Awards, the British Independent Film Awards, and Cannes, as well as a PGA nomination.
Another Syrian film, “The Cave” (NatGeo) took home Best Writing for Alisar Hasan and Feras Fayyad. Dan Reed’s searing Michael Jackson exposé “Leaving Neverland” scored Best Multi-Part Documentary; HBO did not submit the Sundance premiere for the Oscars.
Other winners include Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert,...
Al-Kateab also accepted the coveted Courage Under Fire award, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary courage in pursuit of the truth. The Channel 4 film has already notched documentary wins from the European Film Awards, the British Independent Film Awards, and Cannes, as well as a PGA nomination.
Another Syrian film, “The Cave” (NatGeo) took home Best Writing for Alisar Hasan and Feras Fayyad. Dan Reed’s searing Michael Jackson exposé “Leaving Neverland” scored Best Multi-Part Documentary; HBO did not submit the Sundance premiere for the Oscars.
Other winners include Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert,...
- 12/8/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Syrian Civil War diary “For Sama” has won the best feature award from the International Documentary Association for Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts.
The award was presented by Frances Fisher on Saturday night at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
The first-time award for Best Director went to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for “American
Factory,” which explores a Chinese company taking over a shuttered General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio. The film was acquired by Netflix in association with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions following its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
“Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé,” directed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Ed Burke, won the Best Music Documentary. The film centers on Beyoncé’s performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Beyoncé also wrote and executive produced the film, which premiered on Netflix on April 17.
HBO’s “Leaving Neverland,...
The award was presented by Frances Fisher on Saturday night at the 35th Annual Ida Documentary Awards at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
The first-time award for Best Director went to Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for “American
Factory,” which explores a Chinese company taking over a shuttered General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio. The film was acquired by Netflix in association with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions following its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
“Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé,” directed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Ed Burke, won the Best Music Documentary. The film centers on Beyoncé’s performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Beyoncé also wrote and executive produced the film, which premiered on Netflix on April 17.
HBO’s “Leaving Neverland,...
- 12/8/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
“For Sama,” Waad al-Kateab’s wrenching story of raising a young daughter in war-torn Syria, has been named the best nonfiction film of 2019 at the International Documentary Association’s 35th annual Ida Documentary Awards, which were handed out on Saturday night on the Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles.
Al-Kateab, who directed “For Sama” with Edward Watts, also received the Ida Awards Courage Under Fire Award at the ceremony. Last week, the film also won the top award at the British Independent Film Awards, a rarity for a documentary.
Steven Bognar and Julie Reichert received the Best Director Award, the first time the Ida has handed out that particular prize, for their look at the culture clash when a Chinese company took over an American auto glass factory in Ohio in “American Factory.”
Also Read: 'For Sama' Film Review: Syrian Documentary Finds Wrenching Personal Take on Conflict
Two...
Al-Kateab, who directed “For Sama” with Edward Watts, also received the Ida Awards Courage Under Fire Award at the ceremony. Last week, the film also won the top award at the British Independent Film Awards, a rarity for a documentary.
Steven Bognar and Julie Reichert received the Best Director Award, the first time the Ida has handed out that particular prize, for their look at the culture clash when a Chinese company took over an American auto glass factory in Ohio in “American Factory.”
Also Read: 'For Sama' Film Review: Syrian Documentary Finds Wrenching Personal Take on Conflict
Two...
- 12/8/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Even with a steady supply of eye-opening documentaries coming out of Syria, we’re just beginning to scratch the surface of the human stories emerging from the country’s ongoing crisis. Two years after his multi-award-winning “Last Men In Aleppo” — co-directed by Steen Johannessen and following a trio from the selfless volunteer rescue collective “The White Helmets” — writer-director Feras Fayyad plunges inside another astonishing account of bravery with the female-driven “The Cave.” Beneath the surface of the besieged Eastern Ghouta, a region where some 400,000 people remain trapped, he takes us through the dimly lit hallways and limited means of a miraculously operational subterranean hospital, the Cave, managed by a patriarchy-defying female pediatrician.
Unsurprisingly, this is both an immensely humanist film, and a tough, heartbreaking watch — “The Cave” doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to graphic images, many of them involving severely wounded children. In one scene, “Please be honest with me,...
Unsurprisingly, this is both an immensely humanist film, and a tough, heartbreaking watch — “The Cave” doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to graphic images, many of them involving severely wounded children. In one scene, “Please be honest with me,...
- 9/6/2019
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
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