All these wonderful things

Memo to the LA Times: Al Gore Doesn't Have an Oscar to Take Away

It's truly hard to know who is more full of shit: conservative Academy members Roger L. Simon and Lionel Chetwyn who are demanding AMPAS take away Al Gore's AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH Oscar in light of what may or may not be a scandal in the academic community over climate change OR LA Times blogger Andrew Malcolm and his editors who reported the story:

"No, it wouldn't do anything for the environment.

But two Hollywood conservatives (yes, there are some) have called upon the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to rescind the prestigious, profitable gold Oscar statuette that it gave ex-Vice President Al Gore et al two years ago for the environmental movie AN INCONVENTIENT TRUTH.

Roger L. Simon and Lionel Chetwynd, both Academy members, are among a small, meandering pack of known political conservatives still believed to be on the loose in the liberal bastion of movie-making...

Chetwynd and Simon were prompted to make their hopeless demand this week by the leak two weeks ago of a blizzard of British academic e-mails purporting to show that scientists at the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit systematically falsified data to document the appearance of global warming in recent years.

The university is reportedly investigating the claims, which added dry fuel to the never-ending political debate over whether the Earth really is warming as a result of human activity or if it's just normal natural cycles and the debate is what's heated. The demand to withdraw Gore's award provides yet another opportunity to argue."

Newsflash to Malcolm and the LA Times:  Al Gore doesn't have an Oscar to take away.

Add to the list of things that we have to serially debunk on this blog the fallacy that somewhere in Al Gore's ever-so-green mansion in Nashville sits a little gold man.

The Oscar for Best Documentary went to director Davis Guggenheim, not to Gore.

ANVIL! Walks Off with the IDA's Feature Award for Documentary, Does it Still Have a Shot at Oscar?

Last night at the DGA in Los Angeles, the International Documentary Association presented its Feature Award to Sasha Gervasi's ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, shocking Gervasi, producer Rebecca Yeldham and Anvil's Lips Kudlow and Robb Reiner and delighting the crowd that had possibly expected a win for Robert Kenner's FOOD, INC.

Gervasi, stepping to the podium in disbelief, exclaimed, "Fucking hell...", before turning over the mic to Yeldham, who insisted that they really didn't believe they had a shot for the top prize (they'd won the Music Documentary prize earlier in the night).  Gervasi returned and fought tears when he offered his thanks and said that ANVIL proved "a film doesn't have to be serious to be profound."

The shock for the ANVIL crew was almost spoiled by a publicity snafu - a press release had been sent out without the correct embargo information, leading to indieWIRE and The Wrap posting the winners of the event just as the awards were starting in Los Angeles.

But somehow the news barely made a dent inside the DGA theater (perhaps it was the venue's notoriously bad cell reception), where Ira Glass hosted the fast-paced (at 2 hours, 7 minutes certainly the speediest IDA Awards in memory) show.  Highlights included an well-edited opening montage that summed up the docs of 2009, seemingly mostly featuring films that were not nominated for IDA Awards (BEACHES OF AGNES, BURMA VJ and BRUNO among them) and a tribute to Errol Morris from longtime collaborator Philip Glass.

The Horse Race Chapter One: FOOD, INC.'s Moment of Truth

With all the attention in the coming months focused on the campaigns for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar (and if you don't think its a bit of an obsession in our community then you haven't been paying attention as folks keep blowing tens of thousands of dollars on Oscar qualifying runs), we figured we'd launch a new item where we'd check in on occasion to see what's happening in the Oscar Horse Race...

This week, the story is all about Robert Kenner's FOOD, INC. 

The film, which we believe is the current frontrunner for the Oscar, is poised to have what could amount to a major week that could solidify its position in the race.  By next weekend, the film may have two important wins under its belt: a Gotham Award tonight for Best Documentary and an IDA Award on Friday night in the same category.

Its current, top competition in the Oscar race - THE COVE - isn't nominated for either award.

It may also end the week with a nomination for Best Documentary at the Spirit Awards, when those nods are announced early tomorrow.  That would put FOOD, INC. in the same position as MAN ON WIRE last year - the only film to be nominated for the top prize at the Gothams, IDA, Spirits and Cinema Eye.

In addition to its awards prowess, FOOD, INC. has something else going for it.  Of the fifteen films on the shortlist, it's the box office champ, by far.  The runners-up, EVERY LITTLE STEP and VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR, have less than half of FOOD, INC.'s $4.4 million take.  Oscar tradition in the post-Columbine era says that the films that win Best Documentary are either the highest grossing films on the shortlist (BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, INCONVENIENT TRUTH, MAN ON WIRE) or they are films in the midst of high-profile theatrical releases (FOG OF WAR, BORN INTO BROTHELS, TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE).

The Monday Brief: Sundance! Spirits! IDA! Gothams! Is This the Biggest Week of the Year?

The Monday Brief is back and just in time - as a month full of European mega-fests comes to a close (and VIDEOCRACY takes Sheffield, TRASH HUMPERS shocks Copenhagen and LAST TRAIN HOME conquers Amsterdam) and what may just be the biggest week of the year...

The Gothams kick off the award season in New York tonight as high profile docs FOOD, INC., GOOD HAIR and TYSON take on underdogs MY NEIGHBOR, MY KILLER and PARADISE.  In addition to those, festival favorite OCTOBER COUNTRY is up as the sole nonfiction title in the Films Not Yet Playing at a Theater Near You category. 

Here's a piece of trivia - in the five years that the Gothams have awarded a Best Documentary prize, the winning film has never gone on to win the Oscar, which is pretty good news if you're betting on THE COVE in March.

For the first time, the Gothams will be streaming live here, starting at 8 PM eastern tonight.

Then early tomorrow - probably before some Gotham revelers have gone to bed - Film Independent will announced nominations for its Spirit Awards.  Worth watching - will FOOD, INC. sweep the major doc award nominations prior to the Oscars?  Will the Spirits act (consciously or no) as a corrective on some of Oscar's snubs (I'm looking at you ANVIL, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC and SEPTEMBER ISSUE)? 

Also worth watching are the nominations in the Truer Than Fiction category, which recognize films and filmmakers who have not yet received the attention they deserve.

Then, on Wednesday, the dam will fully break as the Sundance Film Festival announces its competition films for 2010.  Here's what we know already - after what many agreed was a lackluster 2009 festival, next year's Sundance is shaping up (on paper at least) to be a barn-burner for docs.  At least three films from Oscar nominated filmmakers are on tap, along with 2 new films from folks who took Sundance by storm with their previous features, plus a veteran Sundance filmmaker is back as producer on a debut feature.

And that's not even including LAST TRAIN HOME, the IDFA-champ that everyone and their mother expects to show in Park City (along with 2 or 3 or more titles from the just-wrapped European doc circuit).

By the way, if you haven't checked it out yet, gander at the newly re-designed Sundance fest website, which leads off with a retro graphic manifesto:

"REBEL.  This is the renewed rebellion.  This is the re-charged fight against the establishment of the expected.  This is the rebirth of the battle for brave new ideas.  This is Sundance, reminded.  And this is your call to join us."

That's a whole lot of "re" words. 

And what does it say, exactly, that John Cooper's first year at the helm begins with the declaration that Sundance needed a rebirth and a re-charge?  (Although, again, after last year, you won't get much argument from these's parts.)  Slogans aside, the week's first peak at this year's line-up will give our first clues as to whether there's a true revolution (a "re" word they didn't use) afoot.

Oscar Narrows Features to 15: First Thoughts on Snubs and Frontrunners

About an hour ago, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this year's Documentary Feature Shortlist.  The 15 films that made the cut are:

THE BEACHES OF AGNES
Directed by Agnes Varda

BURMA VJ
Directed by Anders Østergaard

THE COVE
Directed by Louie Psihoyos

EVERY LITTLE STEP
Directed by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo

FACING ALI
Directed by Pete McCormack

FOOD, INC.
Directed by Robert Kenner

GARBAGE DREAMS
Directed by Mai Iskander

LIVING IN EMERGENCY: STORIES OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
Directed by Mark N. Hopkins

THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS
Directed by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith

MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN
Directed by Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey

SERGIO
Directed by Greg Barker

SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION
Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman

UNDER OUR SKIN
Directed by Andy Abrahams Wilson

VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR
Directed by Matt Tyrnauer

WHICH WAY HOME
Directed by Rebecca Cammisa

First reactions after the jump...

Previewing the Academy's Documentary Feature Shortlist

Update: The list is out.  Go here for the 15 films that made Oscar's cut and for our reactions.

Rumor has it that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is due to announce its Documentary Feature shortly (perhaps as early as later today).  Given that, there've been a bunch of conversations of late as to what may be on the list of (traditionally) 15 films that will campaign for the next 2 months in hopes of a golden ticket to the Kodak Theatre.

When I was asked this weekend, I suggested that I thought FOOD, INC. was the current frontrunner for the Oscar.  It seems to have the right combination of box office success, good production values and has a political theme that has not been over-recognized previously.

It's also the only film to have scored nominations in the top category at the Cinema Eye Honors, the Gothams and the IDA Documentary Awards.

Others suggested that THE COVE - which led nominees at Cinema Eye but was relegated to the Pare Lorentz Award at the IDAs - was the top pick for Oscar if it were to receive a nomination.

It would be a shock if either film failed to make the Academy's shortlist.

Other favorites in the hunt - BURMA VJ, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE and THE BEACHES OF AGNES.

In a conversation last month with Anne Thompson, I noted MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN and THE WAY WE GET BY as sleepers to watch for the shortlist.  Since then, both were nominated for Cinema Eye Honors and MUGABE led the IDA Documentary nods with three nominations.

I will be interested to see whether the Academy shortlists Ondi Timoner's much talked about WE LIVE IN PUBLIC and whether vet Joe Berlinger finally gets some Academy love for CRUDE.  Also curious to see how many of this year's successful pop culture films (SEPTEMBER, VALENTINO, EVERY LITTLE STEP, ANVIL!, GOOD HAIR, IT MIGHT GET LOUD) are able to make the shortlist (usually its 2-3 maximum).

There's a lot of talk of a nomination for James Toback's TYSON, but its not often that docu branch folks tip their hat to narrative filmmakers who come over to make the occasional nonfiction piece.

And what of Michael Moore?  Would it really be a surprise to see him left off the shortlist?  Or to see him nominated?

Other names that wouldn't surprise: DEFAMATION, BIG RIVER MAN, UNMISTAKEN CHILD, THOSE WHO REMAIN, ROUGH AUNTIES, OF TIME IN THE CITY, SERGIO, RACING DREAMS, OUTRAGE and NO IMPACT MAN, amongst others.

Stay tuned...

The Monday Brief: THIS IS IT and MRS. GOLDBERG Make 2009 Biggest Doc Year Ever

Greetings from London...where we await tomorrow night's Grierson Awards, Wednesday's kickoff of Sheffield Doc/Fest 2009 and Thursday's announcement of this year's Cinema Eye Honors Nominations...

The big doc news worldwide this weekend has been the massive success of MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT.  The behind the scenes look at what was to be Jackson's big comeback tour launched last Wednesday with nearly $7.5M in ticket sales - the seventh best one day take for a nonfiction feature all time (only FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and both JACKASS films had higher grosses).  Friday, the studio estimates that the film made $7.85M, which would be the sixth best day ever.

Further, THIS IS IT became the fourth nonfiction to lead the theatrical box office for the weekend.  Estimates say the film took in more than $21M this weekend (which brings its total cume to $32.5M.  International figures already put the film over $100M in its initial bow.

Strangely, bizarrely, breathtakingly, there has been a campaign by some to declare the film's box office take a huge disappointment.  Nikke Finke seemed to get there first, quoting unnamed studio rivals declaring that Sony had overestimated the film's potential.  (Sony had reportedly paid $50M for the rights.)

David Poland knocks down that nonsense - and hard:

"Anyone still pushing the idea of THIS IS IT as a disappointment should be publicly ridiculed. Aggressively...

And let's not pretend it's innocent. "Projections by the studio were not met" is reporting a fact. "Disappointment" is claiming an emotion that reflects the intent to slap back at the feeling of having been set up for more. Plus, reporting what other studios are saying as though they are impartial observers is another remarkable break in trust with readers."

Look for THIS IS IT to become the highest grossing nonfiction title of the year sometime Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the theatrical box office (and decidedly a more quiet success), Aviva Kempner's YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG passed the $1M theatrical box office mark.  She previously scored at the box office with her 1999 documentary THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANK GREENBERG.

With that, GOLDBERG becomes the 12th nonfiction feature in 2009 to make more than $1M - and that sets a new record for nonfiction features.  Previously, the breakthrough year of 2004 led with 11 films passing the $1M threshold.  

(The others, in case you're keeping score at home, are EARTH, THIS IS IT, JONAS BROTHERS, CAPITALISM, FOOD, INC., SEPTEMBER ISSUE, GOOD HAIR, WALTZ WITH BASHIR, VALENTINO, EVERY LITTLE STEP and IT MIGHT GET LOUD.)

Remember all that talk of the doc doldrums just - wow, was that all of a year and a half ago?

(Shorter) Monday Brief: 2009 Docs Set New Box Office Mark, IDFA Announces & Links

On location in Indiana today, so no in depth Monday Brief this week.

Meantime, check out indieWIRE's recap of this weekend at the box office.  CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY crosses the $10M mark (it's now estimated at $11.6M), making 2009 the first year ever to have 3 nonfictions grossing more than $10M.

Peter Knegt makes some Gotham predictions (nominations announced this afternoon).

Cinema Eye announced 98 eligible nonfiction features for this year's awards.

IDFA announces its 2009 lineup. 

COOKING HISTORY, RACING DREAMS and SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION take prizes at the Chicago Film Festival, Roger Ebert reports.

Steve Pond at The Wrap looks at this year's Oscar Shorts shortlist and ponders HBO's dominance of the category.  

Amanda Hirsch surveys the cost of documentary film websites.

And finally, the directors of the new anti-Climate Change doc NOT EVIL, JUST WRONG recap their recent confrontation of Al Gore at an environment event in Madison, Wisconsin over claims that INCONVENIENT TRUTH contained factual errors. 

The Monday Brief: GOOD HAIR and CAPITALISM Score a Rare (Unprecedented?) 1-2 Punch and ANVIL Guns for Oscar (Really?)

Yesterday, I was at the Film Independent Filmmaker Forum talking about - dum, Dum, DUM - the state of documentary film with Matt Tyrnauer (director of VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR), Laura Gabbert (NO IMPACT MAN), Scott Hamilton Kennedy (THE GARDEN) and distributor/consultant Richard Abramowitz. 

It was no mistake that Tyrnauer and Abramowitz were there.  VALENTINO and ANVIL, a film that Abramowitz worked with the filmmakers to distribute, are two of the most successful docs of the year.  Neither got the offers that they (or their investors) were looking for upon their festival debuts, so they chose to go it alone (or alone with help). 

While the big box office doc stories of 2009 will probably be written by Disney, Michael Moore and a certain forthcoming Sony concert film, it's the ways in which some filmmakers have successfully forged their own paths that may have the most lasting impact.

But for this weekend, tradition reigns - or at least the traditional success of the star-powered doc.  And what's more star-powered than GOOD HAIR, Chris Rock's look at black women and their relationships with their tresses, which took in a reported $1,117,000 on just 186 screens.  Averaging just over $6K per theater, the Jeff Stilson-helmed doc, drew healthy audiences and at least one ridiculous lawsuit.  

The success of GOOD HAIR made this a very rare weekend - in fact, has it ever happened before? - one in which two different nonfiction titles grossed at least $1 million dollars at the box office.  Michael Moore's CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY continued it rapid push toward the $10 million dollar plateau, taking in an estimated $2.7 million for a total cume of just over $9 million.

IN DEPTH: The 2010 Documentary Short Oscar Shortlist

Late Friday afternoon, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the eight films that have been shortlisted for the Best Documentary Short Oscar.

And once again it was a huge day for HBO Documentary Films.  The network - which traditionally dominates this category - was responsible for at least five of the eight shortlisted titles, including a film that will air on the network this coming week - a profile of children's book author/illustrator Maurice Sendak by WHERE THE WILD THINGS auteur Spike Jonze and his frequent collaborator Lance Bangs.

Also happy?  Us.  Three of our CONVENTION collaborators - Steven Bognar, Daniel Junge and Julia Reichert - were amongst those announce today.  Bogner and Reichert for their HBO Labor Day premiere doc THE LAST TRUCK: CLOSING OF A GM PLANT (above) and Junge for his THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF GOVERNOR BOOTH GARDNER.  Congrats to them and all on this year's shorts shortlist, 3 to 5 of whom will be making the voyage to the Kodak Theatre as Oscar nominees in March.

After the break, the skinny on this year's potential nominees: