"Apollo 11": NEON and CNN Films / "Amazing Grace": NEON
AWARDS BEAT
The Aretha Franklin documentary “Amazing Grace,” the moon-mission chronicle “Apollo 11” and the first film from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, “American Factory,” have made the short list for the International Documentary Association’s 2019 IDA Documentary Awards, the IDA announced on Thursday.
The announcement narrows the field to 30 feature films and 21 shorts that will move on to a second round of voting.
The IDA’s short list of 30 feature films contains 10 films that were on DOC NYC’s recent 15-film list of the year’s likeliest nonfiction awards contenders: “American Factory,” “The Apollo,” “Apollo 11,” “The Biggest Little Farm,” “The Cave,” “Diego Maradona,” “The Edge of Democracy,” “For Sama,” “Honeyland” and “One Child Nation.”
Additional films on the IDA’s list include “Amazing Grace,” “Aquarela,” “Cunningham,” “Sea of Shadows” and “Hail Satan?”
The films that made the DOC NYC list but did not end up on the IDA’s list are “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Elephant Queen,” “The Great Hack,” “The Kingmaker” and “Knock Down the House.”
Other high-profile documentaries bypassed for the IDA Awards include “Maiden,” “The Black Godfather,” “David Crosby: Remember My Name,” “5B,” “Mike Wallace Is Here” and “Where’s My Roy Cohn?”
The list is global in scope, with 11 films from outside the U.S. and nine that are U.S./international co-productions.
Shortlisted short films include “Lost and Found” from Oscar-winning director Orlando von Einsiedel (“The White Helmets,” “Virunga”) and “Easter Snap” from Oscar-nominated RaMell Ross (“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”). Other shorts on the list include “In the Absence,” “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl),” “The Nightcrawlers” and “St. Louis Superman.”
Last year’s IDA features short list contained 12 of the 15 films that ended up on the Oscars’ short list, and four of the five nominees (missing only “RBG”). The IDA’s short-doc short list contained six of the 10 films shortlisted by the Academy, and three of the five Oscar nominees, not including the winner, “Period. End of Sentence.”
The short lists were compiled from 375 eligible doc features and 153 shorts by screening committees of filmmaking and industry professionals assembled by the IDA. Additional nominating committees will choose up to 10 nominees in each category, and the nominations will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The IDA Documentary Awards will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9 on the Paramount Pictures lot.
The short lists:
Features
“Advocate” (Israel, Canada, Switzerland), Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche
“Amazing Grace” (USA), Alan Elliot, Tirrell D. Whittley, Sabrina V. Owens, Joe Boyd, Rob Johnson, Chiemi Karasawa, Spike Lee, Angie Seegers and Joseph Woolf
“American Factory” (USA), Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
“The Apollo” (USA), Roger Ross Williams
“Apollo 11” (USA), Todd Douglas Miller
“Aquarela” (UK, Germany, Denmark), Victor Kossakovsky
“The Biggest Little Farm” (USA), John Chester
“Black Mother” (USA), Khalik Allah
“The Cave” (USA, Syria, Denmark), Feras Fayyad
“Cunningham” (USA, Germany), Alla Kovgan
“Dark Suns” (Canada) Julien Elie
“Diego Maradona” (UK), Asif Kapadia
“EARTH” (Austria), Nikolaus Geyrhalter
“The Edge of Democracy” (USA, Brazil), Petra Costa
“The Feeling of Being Watched” (USA), Assia Boundaoui
“For Sama” (UK, Syria), Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
“Hail Satan?” (USA, Sweden), Penny Lane
“Honeyland” (Macedonia), Tamara Kotevska
“The Hottest August” (USA, Canada) Brett Story
“Kabul, City in the Wind” (Netherlands, Afghanistan, Germany), Aboozar Amini
“Lemebel” (Chile, Colombia), Joanna Reposi Garibaldi
“Midnight Family” (Mexico), Luke Lorentzen
“Midnight Traveler” (USA, UK, Qatar), Hassan Fazili
“One Child Nation” (USA), Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang
“Our Time Machine” (China), Yang Sun and S. Leo Chiang
“Present. Perfect.” (USA, Hong Kong), Shengze Zhu
“The Proposal” (USA), Jill Magid
“Roll Red Roll” (USA) Nancy Schwartzman
“Sea of Shadows” (USA, Austria), Richard Ladkani
“This Is Not a Movie” (Germany, Canada) Yung Chang
Shorts
“After Maria” (USA), Nadia Hallgren
“All Inclusive” (Switzerland), Corina Schwingruber Ilić
“America” (USA), Garrett Bradley
“Black to Techno” (USA), Jenn Nkiru
“Easter Snap” (USA), RaMell Ross
“In the Absence” (USA, Korea), Yi Seung-Jun.
“La Bala de Sandoval” (Ecuador), Jean-Jacques Martinod
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl)” (UK, USA, Afghanistan), Carol Dysinger
“Lost and Found” (USA, Myanmar), Orlando von Einsiedel
“The Love Bugs” (USA), Allison Otto and Maria Clinton
“A Love Song for Latasha” (USA), Sophia Nahli Allison
“Marielle and Monica” (Brazil, UK), Fabio Erdos
“The Nightcrawlers” (USA, Philippines), Alexander Mora.
“Sam and the Plant Next Door” (UK), Omer Sam
“Scenes from a Dry City” (USA), Simon Wood and Francois Verster
“The Separated” (USA), Jeremy Raff
“Show Me the Way” (USA), Kate Kunath
“St. Louis Superman” (USA), Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
“30 for 30 Shorts: Mack Wrestles” (USA), Taylor Hess and Erin Sanger
“The Unconditional” (USA), Dave Adams
“Valley of the Rulers” (Serbia, Israel), Efim Graboy
12 Documentaries to Check Out This Fall, Including Films by Bruce Springsteen and Agnès Varda (Photos)
This fall has documentary releases about rock stars, athletes and even one posthumous release from an auteur: Oscar winner Agnès Varda. Here are 10 with impending releases you need to check out.
Warner Bros./HBO/Janus Films/Magnolia Pictures
"Untouchable" - Streaming Sept. 2 (Hulu)
The Hulu documentary "Untouchable" opens some still fresh wounds about the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement. Ursula Macfarlane's documentary premiered at Sundance and it features some harrowing interviews with accusers such as Rosanna Arquette, Hope d'Amore, Paz de la Huerta, Erika Rosenbaum and others.
Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Barbara Alper/Getty Images
"Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice" - Sept. 6 (Greenwich Entertainment & 1091)
Oscar winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman direct this film about the career of Linda Ronstadt that includes archival footage that spans 50 years. It charts the early days of her career in the 1960s through becoming the highest paid female rock and roll performer in the '70s, all culminating in her retirement in 2011 due to her battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Henry Diltz/CNN Films
"Blink of an Eye" - Sept. 6 (1091)
History isn't often focused on the losers, but "Blink of an Eye" looks at the career of Michael Waltrip, a NASCAR race car driver who held a record losing streak across 462 races. Despite his struggles, he was invited to be a part of Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s racing team and soon earned his first checkered flag. Tragically, that race was the 2001 Daytona 500, the race in which Earnhardt Sr. was killed in a crash on the race's final lap. "Blink of an Eye" examines Waltrip's relationship with the Earnhardt family, and the documentary from director Paul Taublieb will also be adapted into a narrative feature film.
1091 Media
"Liam Gallagher: As It Was" - Sept. 13 (Screen Media)
With Oasis, Liam Gallagher was the frontman of one of the biggest rock bands in the world. But the film "Liam Gallagher: As It Was" looks at how Gallagher had to reset his career and find his voice after splitting from the band as part of his fractured relationship with his brother Noel. (In fact, Noel refused to allow Liam to use any Oasis songs in this documentary, which coincides with the release of Gallagher's second solo album, "Why Me? Why Not.") Directors Gavin Fitzgerald and Charlie Lightening capture the frank and frequently foul-mouthed Gallagher behind the scenes and at home with his mother grousing about Noel.
Getty Images
"Diego Maradona" - Sept. 20 in theaters; October on HBO (HBO)
Asif Kapadia's gift as a filmmaker is weaving a narrative entirely through archival footage. Just as with "Senna" and "Amy," Kapadia combs through over 500 hours of the legendary Argentinian soccer star's personal archive. The film starts with his arrival in Europe in July 1984 and follows how he was treated as though he were a God in the subsequent years, both on and off the field. But it also examines how that extreme level of fame led to darker days and strained relationships.
Alfredo Capozzi
"Where's My Roy Cohn?" - Sept. 20 (Sony Pictures Classics)
Filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer told TheWrap at Sundance that he chose to make his film about the political mastermind Roy Cohn -- best known as Sen. Joseph McCarthy's chief counsel during the hearings about Communists in government -- the day Donald Trump was elected. His ruthless influence has since been felt far and wide, not just on politics but on the culture at large, serving as a mentor for Roger Stone, Ronald Reagan and Trump alike. The film takes a blunt approach in describing just how deeply this one man has shaped American democracy and society.
Altimeter Films/Sundance Film Festival
"Midnight Traveler" - Sept. 18 (Oscilloscope)
Afghan filmmaker Hassan Fazili got intimate access to the story of a family fleeing their home after being targeted by the Taliban. That's because it was his own family who was on the run. Fazili shot his film "Midnight Traveler" across several years on three iPhones, capturing daring moments as they crossed borders and more intimate home movie moments of his family as refugees. The doc won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for No Borders at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Oscilloscope Pictures
"Western Stars" - October (Warner Bros.)
Bruce Springsteen knew he wasn't going to tour promoting his latest album "Western Stars," so he and collaborator Thom Zimny co-directed a documentary that features live performances of all 13 of the album's tracks. Springsteen parked under a 100-year-old barn to perform the more acoustic, melancholy sounds of "Western Stars," and the film is laced with The Boss's narration and archival footage as he reflects on his past.
Courtesy of TIFF/Warner Bros.
"The Cave" - Mid-October (Nat Geo)
Not to be confused with the narrative feature about the Thai soccer team rescue mission, "The Cave" is the latest film from "Last Man in Aleppo" director Feras Fayyad as he gets inside a secret, hidden, underground hospital in Syria. The hospital is led by a team of female medical professionals and civilians and provides under the radar care for the besieged refugees and locals in the region. Fayyad specifically profiles the work of Dr. Amani, a 30-year-old pediatrician who works tirelessly to restore health and hope to Syrian youth.
Nat Geo
"The Kingmaker" - Late October (Greenwich Entertainment/Showtime)
Lauren Greenfield has made a name for herself directing documentary profiles on those who live opulently and lavishly, specifically with her films "The Queen of Versailles" and "Generation Wealth." But her latest combines that lavish lifestyle with politics, obtaining unprecedented access to the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. "The Kingmaker" explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicles Imelda's present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice presidency. Greenfield's film takes on the form of a "dark fairy tale" as Marcos tries to rewrite her family's corrupt history and prove she's a matriarch who deeply loves her country.
Greenwich Entertainment/Showtime
"Scandalous" - Nov. 15 (Magnolia/CNN Films)
Mark Landsman's "Scandalous" looks at the life of Generoso Pope Jr., the media magnate who turned the National Enquirer from a simple racing and sporting magazine to a household name for gossip and one that frequently finds itself at the center of political scandal. The film's history dates back to the 1950s but includes interviews with former staffers and other media experts who examine how the paper has thrived on its diet of scandal, gossip, medical oddities, conspiracy theories and paparazzi photos.
Magnolia Pictures
"Varda by Agnès" - Nov. 22 (Janus Films)
The final film of the late French auteur Agnès Varda is a playful and profound retrospective on her career as examined by Varda herself. She reflects in a autobiography of sorts on filmmaking, feminism, aging and even on lighter topics like cats, colors, beaches and heart-shaped potatoes. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, shortly before her death in March at age 90.
Janus Films
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Films about Harvey Weinstein, Liam Gallagher, Linda Ronstadt and Diego Maradona also hitting theaters and streaming
This fall has documentary releases about rock stars, athletes and even one posthumous release from an auteur: Oscar winner Agnès Varda. Here are 10 with impending releases you need to check out.