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WAR DANCE, WHICH WAY HOME, ANVIL, ENGLISH SURGEON Among 2010 N&D Emmy Winners

WAR DANCE, nominated for an Oscar in 2008, took two News and Documentary Emmys last night at ceremonies in New York, including Best Documentary and Outstanding Cinematography.  The film, by Sean and Andrea Nix Fine was aired on the Sundance Channel after a theatrical release by the departed THINKFilm.  HBO's WHICH WAY HOME, which garnered Oscar and Spirit Award nominations earlier this year for director Rebecca Cammisa, received the Emmy for Outstanding Informational Programming - Long Form.

Cammisa's film had led all documentary nominees going into the night with four nominations.

As we noted when we posted about the nominees in July, the News and Documentary Emmys often seem like a golden oldies round-up, as films that burst on the festival scene in 2007 (the aforementioned War Dance) compete with more recent films - and with longer, journalistic pieces from venerable PBS programs like Frontline, Nova and Bill Moyers Journal.

Among the other feature/cinematic documentaries honored last night - Sascha Gervasi's ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, which took the Arts and Culture prize, Geoffrey Smith's THE ENGLISH SURGEON, which won the Emmy for Science and Technology program and Jeremy Simmons' THE LAST BEEKEEPER, the winner for Nature Programming.

A full list of winners can be found here.  Winners in categories where feature documentaries were competitive are after the break.

U23D Becomes - In 1st Wknd - the 1st 1M Nonfiction of 2008

U23D, the concert film by Mark Pellington and longtime U2 associate Catherine Owens, was a huge nonfiction hit over the weekend, following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, taking in an average of more than $15K on each of its 61 screens, for a total of $964,000. Add in late night Thursday shows and the film has already become the first nonfiction title of 2008 to gross more than 1 million dollars at the box office. It's also the best opening for a music doc since TUPAC: RESURRECTION, which had an opening weekend of 4.6 million when it opened on over 800 screens.

While we won't be doing our regular box office feature until later in the year, it's worth noting that the two Oscar nominees in release - THINKFilm's TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE and WAR/DANCE - didn't get much of a box office bump from their nominations. TAXI added a theater and averaged $2,142 (down from last week's opening average of $5,465) while WAR/DANCE returned to 6 theaters for an average of $1,408, putting its cume at $66,137. Since TAXI is considered a front runner (with SICKO and NO END IN SIGHT) for the Oscar, it will be interesting to watch what happens as THINK expands the film to other markets.

IN DEPTH: The Nominees for the 2008 Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking

Brazilian corruption, the US misadventure in Iraq, abortion and tales of two very different monasteries are the themes of the five films nominated for the top prize at the inaugural CINEMA EYE HONORS FOR NONFICTION FILMMAKING. With Sunday’s announcement in Park City, the CINEMA EYE HONORS, a new award for nonfiction filmmaking that grew out of debate here over the Academy’s shortlist in November, stands prepared to exist not as a counter-punch to another organization but as a new tradition within the nonfiction community and an important New York-based annual event for documentary excellence.

Together with my co-chair (and the chair of the esteemed nominating committee) Thom Powers (who by day is Documentary Programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival) and filmmaker Margaret Brown (director of this year’s Sundance competition doc THE ORDER OF MYTHS as well as the well-regarded BE HERE TO LOVE ME: A FILM ABOUT TOWNES VAN ZANDT), the nominations were revealed at a press conference in Park City, sponsored by the Wall Street Journal and our presenting sponsor, IndiePix.

Jason Kohn’s MANDA BALA (SEND A BULLET) and Philip Gröning’s INTO GREAT SILENCE led all films with six nominations each. Tony Kaye’s LAKE OF FIRE has five. All three films were nominated in the categories of Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Filmmaking, Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Production and Outstanding Cinematography.

Joining those films in the top category are Pernille Rose Gronkær’s THE MONASTERY – MR VIG AND THE NUN and Charles Ferguson’s NO END IN SIGHT.

2007: The Year in Nonfiction - The Issues

While an exceptional year for film quality, tt would be a mistake to argue that 2007 was a good year for the nonfiction film "industry", such as it is.  Despite the best efforts of many (from filmmakers to writers to distributors to exhibitors), the year featured one bad news story after another - box office down, interest down, distribution options down.  And then, come the end of the year, the bad joke that was the Academy's Documentary Feature Shortlist - long on staidness, short on imagination.

So, grab a stiff drink and revisit the lowlights of a thoroughly depressing year as we recap The Top 5 Issues in Nonfiction 2007:

5. All Michael Moore, All the Time

The unveiling of a new Michael Moore opus is starting to seem like the release of a new Harry Potter book.  In addition to the release itself, there's the nonstop hubbub and hoopla that surrounds it.  With Potter, this means costumed kids standing in line at bookstores.  With Michael Moore, it means an endless series of "fact-checks" from the "serious media", lambastes from conservatives ("it didn't gross 100 million, it's a flop!") and tortured second-guessing from the left ("someone has to say it, I just wish it didn't come with all his baggage").

This year, the SXSW-premiere of a new, supposedly unbiased anti-Moore film kicked off the debate a full three months early.  The subsequent whining by the film's makers that festivals were blocking their film in deference to the mighty Michael added some questionable last-minute PR to their cause.  Throughout all of it, it became clear that it wasn't enough to debate SICKO, Moore's treatise on the health care crisis, because we were still having an active debate about Moore's first feature, ROGER & ME.

But SICKO provided it's own controversies (including the aforementioned idiocity that it was somehow a flop), with charges of hypocrisy (why is he staying at the Four Seasons if he's such a "man of the people", wondered the very un-serious LA Times) and loose journalism (from the likes of Wolf Blitzer). 

Seems unlikely to stop the kudos to come: Moore's position as "the most important man in nonfiction"™ neatly guarantees loads of critics prizes (especially from groups that barely see more than 5 docs a year) and a probable Oscar nod.  Meanwhile, Moore-haters and liberals who like to seem above it all can bask in the critical drubbing of CAPTAIN MIKE ACROSS AMERICA, his Toronto-premiering tour film.

4. Oscar Qualifying Rules

What started in late 2006 as a bit of anger and much head-scratching over the Academy's charge that films had to play 14 cities in 10 states, ended just as bizarrely this fall with a total reversal - you only have to play in New York and Los Angeles.  In between was months of debate over whether the new rules would make it impossible for films to qualify or would guarantee that the shortlisted films were true theatricals.  The verdict - no and no.

It hit a nadir when IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS producer John Sinno wrote, days after the Oscars, an Open Letter to the Academy, in which he blasted the new rules.  His screed captured the "sky is falling" attitude of some in the doc community and prompted many uninformed film writers to guess that most films would be out of the running under such a system.  The truth was that plenty of films would have been able to qualify in past years and 70 films still found a way to qualify this year, and (as you'll see at issue #2) being a true theatrical release was in no way a mandate.

But beyond the surface reactions, there were serious issues.  The Academy seemed to have no idea what venues actually qualified a true theatrical venue.  They planned to leave such research up to filmmakers and theater owners to determine.  Meanwhile, a cottage industry was born, as filmmakers without distribution (or whose distribution was pending) spent tens of thousands of dollars making sure their films traveled to enough cities.

The Academy seemed to realize that the whole theatrical mandate was a debacle, but their fix is likely even worse.  In a repudiation of the last decade's push for theatrical releases, we're back to a 2-city requirement.  It may not be the bad old days of Saturday morning screenings at 11 AM, but it's not much better - a week in Los Angeles (likely again hidden in the sparsely-attended downtown Laemmle) and a week in New York (hey Anthology Film Archives, your phone is ringing).  You know that the likes of HBO and THINK will be able to secure a week, but will you?

3. Declining Distribution

One of the not-so-quiet secrets of the year has been the struggle of many award-winning films to get distribution.  The storyline usually goes something like this - film premieres at a major festival and wins prizes and plaudits, interest is expressed by one or two of the usual doc-distributing suspects (Magnolia, THINK, IFC, etc.), a deal is discussed and seems to be in the offing.  Then, suddenly, the deal is off and the filmmaker ends up making a deal with a smaller, start-up company that promises grass-roots marketing with fingers crossed that theaters and press will come aboard.

Of the 7 major North American festivals that award prizes for nonfiction - Sundance, SXSW, Full Frame, Hot Docs, Tribeca, Silverdocs & Los Angeles - only one grand jury prize winner, Alex Gibney's TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, ended up with an experienced distributor - THINKFilm.  The others, which include Jason Kohn's MANDA BALA (SEND A BULLET), Jennifer Venditti's BILLY THE KID and Pernille Rose Gronkjær's THE MONASTERY - MR. VIG & THE NUN, all ended up patching together distribution, with MANDA BALA thus far fairing the best.  The Sundance jury winner has made more than $

One would have to go back to 2001's Southern Comfort (about the life of transsexual Robert Eads) to find a grand jury winner at Sundance that didn't wind up with an established distributor on board.  And this was before the two big purchases out of Sundance - IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON and MY KID COULD PAINT THAT - disappointed at the box office.  So what does that bode for 2008?

2. The Oscar Shortlist

After all the maneuvering by the Academy and the posturing about the importance of theatrical distribution (see issue #4), when the Academy released its vaunted Shortlist of 15 films in November, shockwaves reverberated through the nonfiction community.

On its face, the list made a lie of the Academy's so-called theatrical mandate.  Only six films of the fifteen had actually had a traditional theatrical release.  Three of the films had already aired on television.

But it was the films that didn't make it that brought the most heat.  During a year in which the notion of a nonfiction new wave began to take hold - auteurs (not journalists) taking real risks with craft and filmmaking style, telling true stories with vision and artistry - the Academy ignored so many truly great films that the mind reeled.

A number of impassioned words were written on the topic here and elsewhere, and these brought a strong, mostly supportive, response.  Startlingly, we received a great deal of positive reinforcement from where you might least expect it - from members of the Academy and members of the IDA (which was also criticized).  So if Academy members know that this year's list is - as more than one Academy member told me - "a scandal", then how did it happen?

We'll likely never know, other than oft-repeated tales of out-of-touch members receiving boxes of DVDs and picking films that played well for them on their television screens, which is an impressive way to reinforce a theatrical mandate.

For our part, the entire episode, from the list to the response, has inspired us to tackle something we began discussing with folks earlier in the year.  You'll be hearing about it in the days to come.

1. Dismal Box Office

I'm as big a cheerleader for theatrical nonfiction viability as the next person, but after months of trying to wish it untrue, even I have to admit that it was a terrible year for nonfiction at the box office.

Part of it was our own fault.  Filmmakers and distributors left the first half of 2008 nearly dry of high profile releases.  By October, there were as many notable nonfiction films opening on a weekend as there were in the first five months of 2007.  Not a good idea.

But there was something else too.  A sense that documentaries are medicinal?  That Seinfeld was right - we're incredibly depressing?  Too much bad news in the world anyway and you don't want to pay $10 for it, you'll just wait to put it in your queue? 

Compared to any year since 2002, when BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE changed everything, it was the worst year for docs by far.  Expected hits like IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON were big disappointments.  Folks at Magnolia are still scratching their heads over why mobs didn't show up for CRAZY LOVE.   And after coming up way short on both MY KID COULD PAINT THAT and JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS, how much does Sony Pictures Classics have to make on Errol Morris' upcoming film to ever want to pick up a doc again.

Waves come and go and 2008 could change everything, what with Errol and Spurlock's did-he or didn't-he find bin Laden flick.  But in a year with a lot of bad news, the site of an empty theatre was the worst news of all.

MPAA Rejects Taxi Poster, Gibney Charges Hood Removal "Is The Ultimate Cover-Up"

The MPAA has rejected THINKFilm's initial poster for Alex Gibney's TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, one of the year's most acclaimed films, over a Corbis photograph of a two US soldiers leading away a hooded prisoner.

In an interview yesterday afternoon, Gibney relayed that he'd been told by THINKFilm that the MPAA claimed to be following set standards regarding hoods, stating that they'd refused to approve hoods for other films, including horror films.

"In some ways, (TAXI) is a horror film," Gibney said, "but it also happens to be a documentary."

Last year, the MPAA rejected the poster for Michael Winterbottom's ROAD TO GUANTANAMO, which was a narrative/nonfiction hybrid over similar issues. But Gibney notes an important distinction:

"The ROAD image was a manufactured image. This one is real. It's a real image."

Calls to the MPAA for comment were not returned, although in a statement to Variety's Anne Thompson, they said, "We treat all films the same. Ads will be seen by all audiences, including children. If the advertising is not suitable for all audiences it will not be approved by the advertising administration."

But Gibney doesn't buy the "protecting the children" argument. "There's a lot that my kids see daily on the front page of the NY Times. They're offensive images. But they're real images."

Gibney, who spoke to me as he was putting finishing touches on his Sundance-debuting doc on Hunter S. Thompson said that the hood has become a symbol worldwide of US prisoner abuses, the topic of TAXI, which is a seering look at the Bush administration's torture policies. He likened the MPAA's desire to eliminate the hood to political figures denying that torture or mistreatment occurs in US facilities.

"Removing the hood is the ultimate cover-up. (The U.S.) didn't use to do that sort of thing. Removing the hood sends the same message as the Bush administration with the CIA tapes. It's OK to do it, it's just not OK to show it."

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE opens in theaters next month. It's been nominated for both the Gotham and the IDA Awards and has been shortlisted by the Academy.

IN DEPTH: The Academy's Documentary Shortlist

Nine films dealing with war and five more dealing with social issues ranging from health care to gay rights, abortion to slavery highlight an exceptionally serious and shockingly straight-forward list of documentaries that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has chosen to highlight as the cream of the 2007 crop.  But more than the films that were selected for this year's Oscar Shortlist is the stunning list of films - both in length and in quality - that did not hear the Academy's call.

While we will cover some of the issues raised by the Academy's Shortlist in this report, I will have a special commentary on the choices made by the Academy's screening committee - as well as those made by the International Documentary Association - posted shortly.  (Update: The Commentary is now posted here.)

Here's an in-depth look at this year's films and some of the important facts behind this list of 15.

Theatrical?  What Theatrical?

Despite all the endless debate over making sure the Oscar nominees were theatrical documentaries and not television docs in disguise, the Academy's screening committee selected just 6 films which have pursued a true national theatrical release, with an additional two more set to do so in the coming months.  In part because of all of the mumblings made by the Academy, I had naively predicted that the Shortlist would include a minimum of 8 (and maximum of 12 films) that had already pursued such a release.  In fact, while presumably all 15 films have played the required 14 cities in 10 states, nearly 2/3 of the films that made the Shortlist have yet to make themselves available for review by critics nor have they reported their box office receipts.  Three of the films have already aired on television in the US.

Whattya Know? Seinfeld Was Right!

There was a bit of grumbling last year when Jerry Seinfeld described the Oscar field as "incredibly depressing".  But apparently that wasn't a concern for the screening committee, which went full throttle for films about war and social issues.  Even the more crowd pleasing films in the bunch are built around very serious subjects like autism and genocide.

THINKing Big

THINKFilm went into this year's Oscar race with a strong line-up, including four films that screened as part of the IDA's DocuWeek series.  Of the other longtime documentary distributors, only Magnolia, First Run and Weinstein/Lionsgate could manage a single film on the list.  For comparison, last year no distributor had more than one film on the Shortlist.

The four films also happen to be some of the only films on the list that took significant steps regarding style, craft and sometimes pushed the boundaries of the form.  Surprisingly - particularly considering the competition - THINK's most conventional doc, IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, was one of the biggest snubs.

But There's Plenty of Snubs to Go Around

The truly big story is the long list of acclaimed films that didn't make the list.  It starts with IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON and THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK, and it extends embarrassingly for at least another dozen.  In fact, 7 of the top 10 critically acclaimed theatrical docs of 2007 (according to our list published last week) were left off the Academy's Shortlist.  8 of the next 20 were also missing.  While two years ago everyone was shocked that GRIZZLY MAN was excluded, this year the list of missing films is so lengthy that no one exclusion stands out as most egregious.

The IDA/Academy Mind Meld

The International Documentary Association matched its tally from 2006 by helping to qualify five of the Shortlisters through its DocuWeek program, including three films from THINK.  In addition, five of the IDA's ten shortlisted films are also on the Academy's Shortlist, including three finalists: OPERATION HOMECOMING, SICKO and TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE.

Sundance Maintains Dominance

Also matching its tally from last year, five of this year's films debuted in Park City.  Among the rest, Toronto came in second with three films (one from 2006 & two from 2007), Tribeca was third with two titles.  Cannes, SXSW, Adelaide and Boston Jewish each had one.

The Boys Are Back

In 2006, 2/3 of the film's nominated were directed solely by women or all-female directorial teams.  This year, just a single film - Tricia Regan's AUTISM: THE MUSICAL - fits that description.  Further, only three other films have a woman working as a co-director.

The 2007 Shortlist

Here now, in alphabetical order, are the 15 films on this year's Oscar Shortlist:

AUTISM: THE MUSICAL
Directed by Tricia Regan

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Tribeca

Other Major Festivals:
Mill Valley, Newport, Vancouver

Festival Laurels:
Audience Award - Newport

Distribution:
Acquired by HBO

Qualified:
Underground theatrical release

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Sample review:
"Eloquently attesting to the transformative power of theater, "Autism: The Musical," an upbeat docu about putting on a musical for, with and by autistic children, proves as riveting as it is revelatory." - Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Notes:
One of only a few uplifting films in this year's crop, it is also the one that seems most made-for-basic-cable-reality-television.  Produced by the production company that brought you The Real World and Road Rules, the film mixes interviews of parents with footage of their autistic kids preparing to stage a musical on LA's affluent westside (home to many Academy members).  Apparently resonates with parents concerned about the growing issue of autism.  One of the few films this year to somewhat successfully utilize the trappings of the competition doc.

BODY OF WAR
Directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro

Vital Statistics:
IMDb Page

Festival Premiere:
Toronto 2007

Other Major Festivals:
Hamptons, AFI

Festival Laurels:
Audience Award - Hamptons

Distribution:
Pending

Qualified:
Underground theatrical release

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Sample review:
"By documenting the difficult life of their paraplegic subject, helmers Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue succeed in personalizing some of the war's grim statistics, but the purview of their portrait feels too limited for the pic to play widely." - Alissa Simon, Variety

Notes:
Often referred to as "the Donahue movie", a distinction that ignores veteran doc helmer Ellen Spiro, BODY OF WAR is one of the only films by a high-profile maker to advance to the short list.  One of four films dealing with the Iraq war, it has galvanized audience reaction through its short festival run.  Still looking for distribution (although this may help, even in a climate that supposedly steers clear of Iraq films), it also has the benefit of a high profile musical contributor - Eddie Vedder - who could be this year's Melissa Etheridge (a rocker nominated for Best Original Song for documentary work).

FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO
Directed by Daniel Karslake

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Sundance

Other Major Festivals:
Full Frame, Seattle, Outfest, Vancouver, Denver

Festival Laurels:
Human Rights Award - Full Frame
Audience Award - Seattle
Audience Award - Outfest

Distribution:
First Run

Box Office:
$229,716 as of 11/19/07

Qualified:
Theatrical release with underground qualifying run.

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Rotten Tomatoes page:
94% (32 out of 34)
100 percent cream

Metacritic score:
72

Sample review:
"A brisk, entertaining and even moving exploration of the sometimes frayed intersection where Christianity meets homosexuality... (I)t's never strident or chest-thumping, and its methodology is superbly thought out." - Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Notes:
One of only 6 actual theatrical releases on the list, and one of the few that had both a successful festival and theatrical run.  An emotionally important and timely film about the still-looming issue of gay rights and religion.  It's a somewhat conventional mix of interviews and archival material (the film's one major bout of style - an animated sequence - is the one thing that many don't like), but it's powerful, gripping and critically acclaimed.  And one year after the double nods for JESUS CAMP and DELIVER US FROM EVIL, it could be the religious-issue film that hits with Academy members.

LAKE OF FIRE
Directed by Tony Kaye

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Toronto 2006

Other Major Festivals:
Full Frame, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, Seattle, Denver

Distribution:
THINKFilm

Box Office:
$25,317 as of 11/19/07

Qualified:
Theatrical release with underground qualifying run.

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Rotten Tomatoes page:
95% (37 out of 39)
100% cream

Metacritic score:
83

Sample review:
"This is a brave, unflinching, sometimes virtually unwatchable documentary that makes such an effective case for both pro-choice and pro-life that it is impossible to determine which side the filmmaker, Tony Kaye, stands on.." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Notes:
Beloved by critics, somewhat less so by audiences (in part due to its 2 1/2 hour running time), LAKE OF FIRE was the sole THINKFilm title not to be chosen for DocuWeek this summer.  With all the talk and praise the film has received, some have been shocked by the film's poor performance at the box office.  Surprisingly not mentioned in discussion of the film is the fact that the vast majority of the action takes place during the abortion clinic bombings of the 1990s.  Like FOR THE BIBLE, the film taps into a religious examination that seemed to resonate with the Academy last year.  Just wondering, do they know Tony Kaye's reputation for controversy?

NANKING
Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Sundance

Other Major Festivals:
Tribeca, Vancouver, Denver

Festival Laurels:
Best Editing - Sundance

Distribution:
THINKFilm

Qualified:
DocuWeek premiere and multi-city rollout.  DocuWeek Director Q&A can be found here.

IDA Nominee?:
Yes.  Feature Documentary Shortlist and ABCNews VideoSource Award Nominee.

Sample review:
"Hard-hitting if somewhat over-produced docu reps a vital addition to the small body of reportage on a tragedy whose repercussions continue to be a source of pain and controversy." - Justin Chang, Variety

Notes:
One of the most successful documentaries of the year at the box office - the Chinese box office that is.  The film opens in the US next month.  Produced by AOL bigwig Ted Leonsis and co-directed by 5-time Oscar nominee and 2-time winner Guttentag, NANKING looks at the westerners who helped protect Chinese citizens from the Japanese army during the infamous 1937 massacre there.  Some wondered if the extensive use of actors portraying historical figures might negatively affect the film's chances with the sometimes strict Academy.

   
NO END IN SIGHT
Directed by Charles Ferguson

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Sundance

Festival Laurels:
Special Jury Prize - Sundance Film Festival

Distribution:
Magnolia

Box Office:
$1,433,319 as of 11/19/07

Qualified:
Theatrical release.

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Rotten Tomatoes page:
95% (75 out of 79)
96% cream

Metacritic score:
89

Sample review:
"As lucid as it is level-headed, the film has a clear thematic focus -- what went wrong in Iraq -- and it identifies the catastrophic turning points with steely precision and a wealth of context. The result, narrated in a grave monotone by Campbell Scott, is a catalog of horrors so absurd and relentless it verges on farce, or Greek tragedy." - Dennis Lim, Los Angeles Times

Notes:
The second highest grossing doc (in the US) on the list and the one with the best reviews, NO END IN SIGHT may be the front runner as well.  A comprehensive journalistic summation of the Iraq decable, executive produced by Oscar nominee (and fellow shortlister) Alex Gibney, the film is also admired for director Ferguson's back story - an internet millionaire and MIT scholar who made the film looking for answers rather than a muckraking expose.  The only potential drawback is the film's conventional style, although looking at the Academy's Shortlist, that may be just thing to give them the Iraq film they've looking for.

OPERATION HOMECOMING - WRITING THE WAR TIME EXPERIENCE
Directed by Richard Robbins

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Theatrical Premiere:
February 9, 2007

Major Festivals:
True/False, Full Frame, IDFA 2007

Festival Laurels:
Special Jury Prize - Florida Film Festival

Distribution:
The Documentary Group

Box Office:
Unreported

Qualified:
Theatrical release.

IDA Nominee?:
Yes - Best Documentary Feature Finalist and Pare Lorentz Award Nominee.

Rotten Tomatoes page:
87% (13 out of 15)
71% cream

Metacritic score:
71

Sample review:
"Robbins' visual overlay sometimes synchs perfectly with the narration and other times roughly approximates it, deliberately granting primacy to the word. Even the sometimes uneven quality of the imagery serves to highlight the shattering honesty of these barings of the soul." - Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Notes:
In terms of theatrical release, the oldest film on the list, and the only film to premiere in theatres before playing a single film festival.  Aired on PBS in the spring.  Like last year's shortlister THE WAR TAPES, allows audiences to hear directly from Iraq war soldiers.  Produced by members of Peter Jennings' team from ABC News.  Surprising choice to open the upcoming edition of IDFA (considering that fest's often strict premiere guidelines).  One of three films to also be nominated for the IDA's top prize.

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME
Directed by Weijun Chen

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Adelaide

Other Major Festivals:
AFI Silverdocs, Toronto, Hamptons

Festival Laurels:
Grand Jury Prize - AFI Silverdocs

Distribution:
Acquired by PBS for Independent Lens.

Qualified:
Underground theatrical release prior to foreign TV broadcast.

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Sample review:
"Thought-provoking and achingly hilarious...  At a time when the exportation of democracy serves as a rationale for war, "Please Vote for Me" attains must-see status.." - Variety 

Notes:
Both funny and thought-provoking and a surprise victor at AFI Silverdocs in June., the second Silverdocs grand jury prize winner in two years to advance.  The last - JESUS CAMP - was also nominated.  One of two "Why Democracy?" films (TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE is the other) on the Shortlist.  Like OPERATION HOMECOMING, has already aired on television.

THE PRICE OF SUGAR
Directed by Bill Haney

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
SXSW

Other Major Festivals:
AFI Silverdocs

Festival Laurels:
Audience Award, Emerging Visions - SXSW

Distribution:
Uncommon

Qualified:
DocuWeek followed by theatrical release.  DocuWeek Director Q&A can be found here.

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Rotten Tomatoes page:
76% (13 out of 17)
86% cream

Metacritic score:
73

Sample review:
"While the political implications of the film are provocative, "Sugar" also happens to be an impressive cinematic achievement. This picture has a visual sweep that many docu films lack; the plantations and nearby towns are vividly evoked." - Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter

Notes:
Represents what is quickly becoming a documentary staple, the "that food you eat is killing someone" strand, but does so with strong cinematography and narration from liberal saint Paul Newman.  The only doc from SXSW's exceptionally strong line-up to make the Shortlist.  Like NANKING and the non-shortlisted DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK, has received some criticism for its "white man to the rescue" storyline.  Has also received support when the film came under attack by Washington lawyers representing the abusive Dominican sugar corporations.

A PROMISE TO THE DEAD: THE EXILE JOURNEY OF ARIEL DORFMAN
Directed by Peter Raymont

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Toronto 2007

Distribution:
Pending

Qualified:
DocuWeek premiere and multi-city rollout.  DocuWeek Director Q&A can be found here.

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Sample review:
"The decision by Canadian documaker Peter Raymont ("Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire") to show Dorfman returning to his beloved adopted home of Chile after years of political exile, and also have the writer function as an on-camera host, makes for a stilted if sincere political and emotional tour." - Robert Koehler, Variety

Notes:
A very straight-forward travelogue of the Chilean author Ariel Dorfman's return home after exile following the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende by Augusto Pinochet.  Had a sneak preview earlier in the year at Full Frame, where Dorfman was one of the ten curators asked to select a film to present.

THE RAPE OF EUROPA
Directed by Bruce Berge, Bonni Cohen and Nicole Nernham

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Boston Jewish Film Featival 2006

Other Major Festivals:
Denver, Palm Springs, Sarasota

Distribution:
Self-distributed

Box Office:
Unreported

Qualified:
Underground theatrical release.

IDA Nominee?:
No.

Sample review:
" Impressive in scope if unremarkable in style, The Rape of Europa provides a chronology of World War II as it was experienced by "David," "Mona Lisa," and other artistic treasures the Nazis plundered. Though dryly executed and narrated by a staid Joan Allen, the doc is an excellent survey of the techniques employed by the Third Reich to not just demoralize but de-historicize the countries they invaded." - Michelle Orange, Village Voice

Notes:
While many expected two-time Oscar winner Rabbi Marvin Hier's film on SIMON WIESENTHAL to take the World War II slot on the Shortlist, it went instead to RAPE OF EUROPA, a public broadcasting and grant-funded look at the theft of art treasures by the Nazis.  Has played more than 20 Jewish film festivals this year alone.  Inspired by a 1995 book by the same name by Lynn Nicholas.

SICKO
Directed by Michael Moore

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Cannes

Distribution:
Weinstein Company/Lionsgate

Box Office:
$24,540,079 as of 11/19/07

Qualified:
Theatrical release.

IDA Nominee?:
Yes - Best Documentary Feature Finalist.  Moore to receive Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rotten Tomatoes page:
93% (163 out of 176)
87% cream

Metacritic score:
74

Sample review:
" It's a different Michael Moore in "Sicko." He still wears the baseball cap, but he's onscreen less, not so cocky, not going for so many laughs. He simply tells one story after another about Americans who are sick, dying or dead because we have an undemocratic, profit-gouging health care system." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Notes:
For any other director, it would be the front runner going away.  But there's a big question as to whether the documentary branch wants to hand Michael Moore another Oscar, both out of professional jealousy, questions regarding his style & tactics, as well as the circus that resulted when he won for BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE.  It seems hard to believe that he won't get a nomination, because - and don't let them fool you for a moment - docmakers know that if Moore is nominated, all eyes will be on the Doc Feature category, even if the award goes to Gibney or Ferguson.

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
Directed by Alex Gibney
 
Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Tribeca

Other Major Festivals:
Full Frame (preview), AFI Silverdocs, Newport, Vancouver, Hamptons, Denver, St Louis

Festival Laurels:
Best Documentary - Tribeca
Best Documentary - Newport
Best Documentary - Chicago
Nominated - Best Documentary, Gotham Awards

Distribution:
THINKFilm.  Opens in the US in January.

Qualified:
DocuWeek followed by underground theatrical release.  DocuWeek Director Q&A can be found here.

IDA Nominee?:
Yes - Best Documentary Feature Finalist.

Sample review:
"Gibney makes movies. It would be discordant on various levels to call "Taxi to the Dark Side" an entertainment, but it's certainly an artful construction of many different visual and sonic elements, which moves from a personal, intimate focus to a more global and historical view and then back again." - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.

(Editor's Note - A previous edition of this report mistakenly had the above review of NO END IN SIGHT in this spot. That oversite has now been corrected.)

Notes:
Along with WAR/DANCE, the closest thing we have this year to a festival favorite.  A likely nominee and a possible winner.  Gibney, nominated a couple years ago for his well-liked ENRON film, could also be in the mix with NO END IN SIGHT, which he executive produced.  The Academy might want to give him the Oscar to reward both efforts, each of which is a clear-eyed and detailed investigations of Bush administration abuses surrounding the war in Iraq.  And unlike many of the nominees, Gibney's journalism is matched with exceptional filmmaking craft.  Imagine that.  One caveat, since the Academy started changing the rules favoring theatrical in 2002, there has not been a repeat nominee in this category (that goes for you, too, Michael Moore & Bill Guttentag).

WAR/DANCE
Directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix/Fine

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Sundance

Other Major Festivals:
True/False, Full Frame, Sarasota, Hot Docs, AFI Silverdocs, Los Angeles, Woodstock

Festival Laurels:
Best Direction - Sundance
Audience Award - Full Frame

Distribution:
THINKFilm

Box Office:
$29,241 as of 11/19/07

Qualified:
DocuWeek followed by theatrical release.  DocuWeek Director Q&A can be found here.

IDA Nominee?:
Yes. Was on the Feature Shortlist and is nominated for the Alan Ett Music Award.

Rotten Tomatoes page:
77% (17 out of 22)
82% cream

Metacritic score:
66

Sample review:
"They tell their horrific stories of mutilation and murder directly to the camera, while the reliance on picturesque backdrops, high-energy performances, and countdown-to-the-big-show narrative gambits begs you not to watch something easier on the conscience." - Jim Ridley , Village Voice

Notes:
A festival favorite and the only film on the list to play all four of North America's top documentary festivals (in calendar order - True/False, Full Frame, Hot Docs and Silverdocs).  Has had a somewhat surprisingly mixed critical reaction (with the lowest Metacritic score on the Shortlist), as some reviewers are not going for the more constructed or controlled elements of the film where, despite its made-for-the-Academy themes, the film actually takes some chances.  Was often pitted against the other African kids doc, WE ARE TOGETHER, which is surprisingly not on the Shortlist and is well liked by many.  Strong craft level, particularly in the cinematography.  The film's ultimately optimistic tone may help it burst through in a year filled with seriousness.

WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN
Directed by Steven Okazaki

Vital Statistics:
IMDb page

Festival Premiere:
Sundance

Other Major Festivals:
Full Frame, Seattle

Distribution:
Made by HBO and broadcast by them in August. Already available on DVD.

Qualified:
Underground theatrical screenings.

IDA Nominee?:
Yes. ABCNews Video Source and Pare Lorentz nominee.

Sample review:
"The final third of the film is almost unwatchable as Mr. Okazaki turns to clips of survivors (including some of those in his present-day interviews) from the weeks after the bombings. Their burns and other injuries are simply ghastly." - Neil Genzlinger, Television Critic, NY Times

Notes:
Proof that the rules mandating a theatrical release only hurt the little guys, this HBO production bought and paid for its qualifying dates with no intention of an actual theatrical release.  The director covered this same ground two years ago with the Oscar nominated short THE MUSHROOM CLUB.  A shockingly straight-forward, interview-based documentary.

Manda Bala, Hear and Now Take Top Doc Prizes at Sundance, Jury Spreads the Wealth

Jason Kohn, a former Errol Morris protege, took the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival with his film Manda Bala, while Hear and Now, Irene Taylor Brodsky's personal doc about her deaf parents, won this year's Audience Award.

And while last year's jury gave three awards to James Longley's (now Oscar nominated) Iraq in Fragments, this year the nonfiction jury split the prizes between 4 films.  Manda Bala also picked up the Cinematography prize for DP Heloisa Passos.  Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine won the Directing prize for War/Dance.  Hibah Sherif Frisina, Charlton McMillian and Michael Schweitzer took the Editing award for Nanking.  And a special jury prize was awarded to Charles Ferguson's No End in Sight.

Meanwhile in the World Documentary category, the Jury Prize went to Enemies of Happiness (Vores Lykkes Fjender), directed by Eva Mulvad and Anja Al Erhayem, while the Audience Award was won by David Sington's In the Shadow of the Moon.

ThinkFilm had a great night at the awards with two of their recent acquisitions, War/Dance and In the Shadow of the Moon, taking doc prizes.

On the narrative side, major awards went to Christopher Zalla's Padre Nuestro (Grand Jury Prize) and James C. Strouse's Grace is Gone (Audience Award), while former Oscar doc nominee Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound) took the Directing prize for his fiction debut - Rocket Science.  Chris Smith, another nonfiction veteran working in narrative, picked up a Special Jury Prize for Singularity of Vision for his new film, The Pool.

A full list of winners is available at Indiewire along with links to their whole week of excellent coverage of this year's fest.

THINKFilm Grabs 2 Sundance Docs: War/Dance and the Man-Horse Sex Flick Zoo

Indiewire is reporting that THINKFilm has obtained the rights to 2 films that are screening in competition at this month's Sundance Film Festival - Sean Fine & Andrea Nix Fine's War/Dance and Robinson Devor's Zoo, which was already garnering headlines for it's investigation of the strange suburban Seattle story of a man who died after having sex with a horse.

THINK's Mark Urman believes that War/Dance is sure to be a factor in the 2007 Oscar race:

"The emotional power of 'War/Dance' is more than matched by the beauty of its imagery and the eloquence of its storytelling. Though we are still in the midst of this year's awards season, I am already confident that 'War/Dance' will figure prominently in next year's race."

This year's Sundance seems to be cementing a new trend of documentaries screening for distributors prior to their festival premieres, rather than waiting for distribs to show up en masse for the first screenings.  At least one other competition title is close to being picked up, with an announcement coming any day.

THINKFilm to Release Darryl Hunt, Parity Reigns in Shortlist Land

Annie Sundberg & Ricki Stern's film festival favorite The Trials of Darryl Hunt, will come it to theaters next year via THINKFilm, following a possibly Oscar campaign and television premiere on HBO.  The film was named to the Oscar shortlist last week and Monday picked up another Audience Award, this time at the Denver Film Festival.  Cinematical has more details.

The move by THINKFilm, which had been in the works for months, continues to spread the wealth amongst distributors re: this year's Oscar contenders.  As of this writing, no distributor has more than one film in contention (although HBO had a hand in Darryl Hunt's completion and has subsequently picked up James Longley's Iraq in Fragments).  For a full breakdown on this year's shortlist, go here.

Stood Up!

Writing on Thursday I wondered what would happen to the new documentary/reality film My Date With Drew, which was debuting on 58 screens (it is/was due to expand further next weekend). Now, the results are in, with the film averaging $1,420 per screen (for comparison, Murderball's "disappointing" opening weekend averaged more than $7,000 per screen) for a total of $82,400.

Speaking of Murderball, it continues to move toward $1 million at the box office (currently at $871,083 and the 55th biggest documentary of all time. It will certainly make it to the land of Dogtown and Metallica, which can't (or shouldn't) be considered a let down.