“The Armstrong Lie” will be released by Sony Pictures Classics
Jigsaw’s new film, following both Lance Armstrong’s return to the Tour de France in 2009 and his 2013 admission to doping, will be released by Sony Pictures Classics. “The Armstrong Lie” was directed and produced by Alex Gibney, and features a multi-year account of Armstrong’s life in cycling. Read more here.
Jigsaw’s films nominated for 7 Emmys
A day after being named a finalist for the Humanitas Prize, “Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God,” received 5 Emmy nominations. Another 2013 Jigsaw film, the two-part music documentary “History of the Eagles,” received 2 nominations. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special (Original Dramatic Score) History of the Eagles: Parts I & II Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera) Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming Read the Emmy press release here.
Mea Maxima Culpa named a finalist for Humanitas Prize
Jigsaw’s 2012 film “Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God” was named a finalist for the Humanitas Prize! Winners will be announced in September. The film documents the first known public protest against clerical sex abuse in the U.S. These four deaf young men set out to expose the priest who had abused them and so many others. Their investigation helped to uncover documents from the secret Vatican Archives that shows the Pope – who must operate within the mysterious rules of the roman Curia – as both responsible and helpless in the face of evil. For a full list of finalists, see Deadline.
LA Times on Eliot Spitzer’s candidacy
The Los Angeles Times interviewed director Alex Gibney in 2010 when “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer” first came out. Reporter Steven Zeitchik asked Gibney if he thought Spitzer would get back into politics, and which office he would run for. “Yes. Comptroller,” Gibney answered without hesitation. “It’s a position where he can have a lot of influence, but it’s not so prominent that he’d face the kind of scrutiny that he would if he were to try to run for governor or national office,” Gibney said. I may be consulting Gibney the next time I head to Vegas. The director turned out to be prescient when, a few days ago, Spitzer did just that, tossing his hat in the ring for the job of comptroller of the city of New York. Read the whole blog post here.
Update: Cardinal sought to protect church from sex abuse claims
An article by Laurie Goldstein, New York Times reporter, showed that Cardinal Timothy F. Dolan sought to protect church assets from victims of sex abuse by moving $57 million into a cemetery trust fund. Cardinal Dolan has previously expressed outrage against the abuse of children. The revelation came as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee released a number of documents detailing the sex abuse cases. The release of more than 6,000 pages of documents on Monday was hailed by victims and their advocates as a vindication and a historic step toward transparency and accountability. They were well aware that the archives would bring unusually intense scrutiny to the country’s most high-profile prelate, Cardinal Dolan, who as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the archbishop of New York has sought to help the church turn the corner on the era of scandal. Cardinal Dolan has been regarded by many Catholics as part of the solution. In public appearances, he has expressed personal outrage at the harm done to children, apologized profusely and pledged to help the church and the victims heal. In Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Alex Gibney’s in-depth portrait of sex abuse within the Catholic church, Goldstein provided key details in the case of Father Murphy’s sex abuse allegations in Wisconsin.