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		<title>Charli xcx, Natalie Portman and Salman Rushdie lead 2026 Sundance lineup</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/the-guardian-sundance-2026-charli-xcx-natalie-portman-rushdie/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:41:14 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jigsawprods.com/?p=3776</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The festival says goodbye to both founder Robert Redford and its longtime home of Park City, Utah, with a selection of provocative documentaries and starry new films. New films starring Charli xcx, Natalie Portman and Salman Rushdie will all receive their world premieres at next month’s Sundance film festival. The festival will be held for the&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/the-guardian-sundance-2026-charli-xcx-natalie-portman-rushdie/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Charli xcx, Natalie Portman and Salman Rushdie lead 2026 Sundance lineup</span></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/the-guardian-sundance-2026-charli-xcx-natalie-portman-rushdie/">Charli xcx, Natalie Portman and Salman Rushdie lead 2026 Sundance lineup</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>The festival says goodbye to both founder Robert Redford and its longtime home of Park City, Utah, with a selection of provocative documentaries and starry new films.</strong></p>
<p>New films starring Charli xcx, Natalie Portman and Salman Rushdie will all receive their world premieres at next month’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/sundancefilmfestival" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Sundance film festival</a>.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">The festival will be held for the last time in Park City, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/utah" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Utah</a>, before it moves to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027. Over the years, it has been home to the first screenings of films including Get Out, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Blair Witch Project, Past Lives, Napoleon Dynamite, Precious and Little Miss Sunshine.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">Charli xcx will be seen in three films premiering at the 2026 festival, led by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/20/charli-xcx-the-moment-trailer-teaser" data-link-name="in body link">The Moment</a>, a mockumentary where she plays a version of herself. “It’s not a tour documentary or a concert film in any way, but the seed of the idea was conceived from this idea of being pressured to make one,” she has said of the film. It also stars Rachel Sennott, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/alexander-skarsgard" data-link-name="in body link">Alexander Skarsgård</a>, Kate Berlant and Kylie Jenner.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">She will also appear alongside Portman in dark comedy thriller The Gallerist. The film centres on a gallerist trying to sell a dead man at Miami’s Art Basel. It’s co-written and directed by Cathy Yan, whose last film was DC spin-off Birds of Prey. The cast also includes <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/jenna-ortega" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Jenna Ortega</a>, Sterling K Brown, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Zach Galifianakis.</p>
<p>The singer’s third film is I Want Your Sex, an erotic thriller from Mysterious Skin director Gregg Araki, marking his first film since 2014. It stars Cooper Hoffman as a young man who starts working for a provocative artist, played by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/olivia-wilde" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Olivia Wilde</a>, and soon finds himself in “a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder”, according to the synopsis.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">Wilde will also premiere “provocative date night comedy” The Invite, her directorial follow-up to Don’t Worry Darling which follows two couples spilling secrets at a dinner party. She stars with Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/penelopecruz" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Penélope Cruz</a>.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">Rushdie heads up a strong section of documentary premieres with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/03/salman-rushdie-documentary-alex-gibney" data-link-name="in body link">Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie</a>, a new film directed by Alex Gibney that will feature unseen footage captured by the author’s wife as he recovers from the 2022 attack. “The opportunity to make this film about his recovery – in the broadest sense of the term – comes at a critical time,” Gibney said. “It gives me hope.”</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">There will also be documentaries on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/marianne-faithfull" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Marianne Faithfull</a>, Brittney Griner, Courtney Love, Nelson Mandela, Billie Jean King and the Harlem Renaissance as well as the new project from John Wilson, where he learns how to make a Hallmark movie and uses the same template to try to sell a film about concrete. Ta-Nehisi Coates will also collaborate with director Dawn Porter for wrongful conviction documentary When A Witness Recants while Navalny director Daniel Roher returns with a cautionary film about AI.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">Olivia Colman, who has previously premiered The Father and Jimpa at Sundance, will return with offbeat romance Wicker which sees her star as a “smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed” fisher who commissions a basket maker to create a husband, leading to “outrage, jealousy and chaos”. Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage and Elizabeth Debicki star alongside.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">As he gains Oscar buzz for his role in Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/ethan-hawke" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Ethan Hawke</a> will next be seen in The Weight, a 1930s drama about gold smuggling that co-stars Russell Crowe. Chris Pine will star opposite Jenny Slate in Carousel, a film where he plays a doctor whose life unravels. That film will be playing in competition alongside titles including Run Amok, about a teenage girl staging a musical based on a shooting that happened at her high school, and the Channing Tatum-starring Josephine about a young girl who witnesses a crime which causes her to spiral.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">Sundance has become a key destination for new horror films with previous years seeing films including Saw, Hereditary and The Babadook premiering. This year sees the launch of Buddy, about a young girl who has to escape a kids TV show, starring The Penguin’s Cristin Milioti and Keegan Michael-Key. It comes from the same production company behind this year’s smash hit Weapons.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">Relic director Natalie Erika James will also return to the festival with Saccharine about teenagers indulging in a new weight loss craze that sees them eating human ashes.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">Other premieres include the new film from Madeline’s Madeline director Josephine Decker called Chasing Summer starring comedian Iliza Shlesinger, comedy Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass with Zoey Deutch and Jon Hamm, The Shitheads starring Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr as “two unqualified bozos” transporting a rich teen to rehab and In the Blink of an Eye, an ambitious time-spanning sci-fi drama from beloved Pixar director Andrew Stanton.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">In the TV section, Riz Ahmed will premiere his new six-part series Bait, where he plays a struggling actor whose life spirals out of control.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">As well as saying a goodbye to Park City, the festival will also be commemorating founder Robert Redford who died earlier this year. There will be a special screening of his film Downhill Racer and a number of other events.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">Last year’s festival saw the premieres of Twinless, Lurker, The Perfect Neighbor, Train Dreams, The Alabama Solution and Sorry, Baby.</p>
<p class="dcr-130mj7b">The festival will take place between 22 January and 1 February.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/the-guardian-sundance-2026-charli-xcx-natalie-portman-rushdie/">Charli xcx, Natalie Portman and Salman Rushdie lead 2026 Sundance lineup</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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		<title>Natalie Portman, Charli xcx, Chris Pine and Wu-Tang Clan Projects Set for Sundance Film Festival’s Final Edition in Park City</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/variety-announces-sundance-2026-lineup-knife-premiere/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:40:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jigsawprods.com/?p=3772</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>By Matt Donnelly, Peter Debruge Oscar winners, pop stars and hip-hop legends will light up Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival’s last hurrah before moving to Colorado. The Sundance Institute announced 90 feature films and seven episodic projects across multiple sections on Wednesday, featuring buzzy titles from the likes of Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Jon&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/variety-announces-sundance-2026-lineup-knife-premiere/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Natalie Portman, Charli xcx, Chris Pine and Wu-Tang Clan Projects Set for Sundance Film Festival’s Final Edition in Park City</span></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/variety-announces-sundance-2026-lineup-knife-premiere/">Natalie Portman, Charli xcx, Chris Pine and Wu-Tang Clan Projects Set for Sundance Film Festival’s Final Edition in Park City</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Matt Donnelly, Peter Debruge</p>
<p>Oscar winners, pop stars and hip-hop legends will light up Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival’s last hurrah before moving to Colorado.</p>
<p>The Sundance Institute announced 90 feature films and seven episodic projects across multiple sections on Wednesday, featuring buzzy titles from the likes of Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, Charli xcx, Chris Pine and Judd Apatow. The final installment, ahead of the festival’s paradigm-shifting relocation to Boulder, comes as a bittersweet farewell to its founder, Robert Redford, and a chance to honor Tammie Rosen, the festival’s chief communications officer who died last week.</p>
<p>“Each of us has had a very long history with this festival in different ways, and we feel the weight and the significance of that in preparing for this year’s festival — but also in laying the foundation for what Sundance will be in 2027 and beyond,” said Sundance director Eugene Hernandez, who oversees public programming.</p>
<p>“It’s such an important year for this festival, especially now, in the wake of Robert Redford’s passing,” he added. “It’s going to be really memorable. There are some familiar faces that have a history and a connection to Sundance, like John Turturro and Nicole Holofcener. But there are also lots of new faces, such as Charli xcx, that folks will be able to discover and to experience or see in new ways.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m ">Leading the U.S. dramatic competition is Chris Pine’s “Carousel,” about a divorced doctor whose life is upended when his daughter’s aspirations and the unexpected return of a past love force him to confront his own choices and embrace a second chance. Academy Award winner Portman is back with an indie comedy co-starring Jenna Ortega, “The Gallerist,” about an art dealer who conspires to sell a dead body at Miami’s Art Basel conference.</p>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m ">Wilde comes with a double-header starting with the anticipated, sexually charged Gregg Araki thriller “I Want Your Sex,” co-starring Cooper Hoffman. Wilde also slips back into the director’s chair for “The Invite,” a darkly funny portrait of a dinner party from hell between two couples, written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (the duo behind the beloved “Celeste &amp; Jesse Forever”). Wilde also stars opposite Seth Rogen, a pair who invite a neighbor couple (Penelope Cruz and Ed Norton) for a front-row seat to their marital crisis.</p>
<p>“It’s a really interesting year for comedy,” noted Sundance senior programmer John Nein. “There are some films that are just outwardly funny, comedic in every way, like David Wain’s film or Macon Blair’s film, ‘The Shitheads.’ But what’s really interesting is that some of the strongest comedic voices are exploring subject matter that is pretty uneasy and difficult, dark corners — even films that are about loss and grief, but are very funny, like Jay Duplass’ film, ‘See You When I See You,’ about recovering from the death of a sibling, or ‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’ in competition, which is a really creative, formally inventive film about overcoming the loss of a partner.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m ">This year, nearly half (48%) of the features were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as women. In keeping with Redford’s mission for the Sundance Institute, supporting films from underrepresented voices remains a central part of the festival’s ethos.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m ">“So much of it is baked into our process,” explained director of programming Kim Yutani. “We are looking for those voices of the underrepresented, and also we are looking for stories we haven’t heard before. So many of these stories are based on lived experiences, so the two go hand in hand.” Yutani points to Beth de Araujo’s film “Josephine” by way of example: “The film is really incredible in the way it looks at a child who has experienced something in the adult world. She doesn’t know how to process it, and the adults around her are also flailing. It’s a really gutsy film, and her bold approach completely pays off. This is a film that seared into my mind since seeing it.”</p>
<p>The documentary section has top-of-field talent on hot-button issues, including festival vet Rory Kennedy, who will unveil “Queen of Chess,” about the life and times of female chess prodigy Judit Polgár. Director Brydie O’Connor brings “Barbara Forever,” about pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer, and  “Who Killed Alex Odeh?” examines the assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California whose death ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m ">Hernandez acknowledges that budgets are tight for many attendees, but hopes people will stick around for the second half, when special anniversary screenings and panels are planned. Wain and Araki will mark the anniversary of past Sundance successes with screenings of “Wet Hot American Summer” and “Mysterious Skin,” for example.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m ">“The festival will be celebrating a kind of culmination or crescendo in Utah this year, while also honoring its legacy, in which Utah has been such an important component — both the audience and the place,” noted Hernandez. “We’ve got a really cool event planned after the awards on Friday that will be really special.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m ">“If a snowball fight tempts anybody, that’s my goal for the end of the festival,” joked Yutani.</p>
<p><strong>The full lineup of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival:</strong></p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>The U.S. Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at the world premieres of groundbreaking new voices in American independent film. The 10 films in this section are all world premieres. All 10 will be available to stream online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Bedford Park</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Stephanie Ahn, Producers: Gary Foster, Chris S. Lee, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Theresa Kang, Son Sukku) — Haunted by an abusive childhood, Audrey, a Korean American woman in her 30s, faces her emotional past. When her mother’s car accident brings her back to her parents’ home, she meets the man responsible for the accident. Their relationship builds, passions ignite, and they form a loving connection. Cast: Moon Choi, Son Sukku, Won Mi Kyung, Kim Eung Soo, Jefferson White. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Carousel</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Rachel Lambert, Producers: Alex Saks, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr., Ian Gotler, Chris Pine) — A divorced doctor’s carefully constructed life in Cleveland is upended when his daughter’s debate aspirations and the unexpected return of a past love force him to confront his own choices and embrace a second chance. Cast: Chris Pine, Jenny Slate, Abby Ryder Fortson, Sam Waterston, Katey Sagal. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Friend’s House Is Here</strong> (U.S.-Iran – Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei) — In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other. Cast: Mahshad Bahram, Hana Mana, Farzad Karen, Zohreh Pirnia. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Josef Kubota Wladyka, Screenwriter: Nicholas Huynh, Producers: Kimberly Parker Zox, Mao Nagakura) — Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Hot Water</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Ramzi Bashour, Producers: Jesse Hope, Max Walker-Silverman, Josh Peters) — After he’s kicked out of his Indiana high school, an American kid and his Lebanese mom hit the road west. Cast: Lubna Azabal, Daniel Zolghadri. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Josephine</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Beth de Araújo, Producers: David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, Crystine Zhang) –– After 8-year-old Josephine accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety while adults are helpless to console her. Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, Eleanore Pienta. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Musical</strong> (Director: Giselle Bonilla, Screenwriter and Producer: Alexander Heller, Producers: Rob Lowe, Greg Lauritano, Findlay Brown, Jordan Backhus) — When a frustrated playwright and middle school theater teacher finds out his ex-girlfriend has started dating his nemesis, the school’s principal, he decides to ruin the principal’s chances of winning the Blue Ribbon of Academic Excellence. Cast: Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Run Amok</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: NB Mager, Producers: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green) — A teenage girl stages an elaborate musical about the one day her high school wishes it could forget. Cast: Alyssa Marvin, Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho, Sophia Torres, Elizabeth Marvel, Molly Ringwald. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Take Me Home</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Liz Sargent, Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas) — Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another’s needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna’s routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Union County</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Meeks, Producers: Brad Becker-Parton, Stephanie Roush, Sean Weiner, Faye Tsakas, Martha Gregory) — Assigned to a county-mandated drug court program, Cody Parsons embarks on the tenuous journey toward recovery amid the opioid epidemic in rural Ohio. Cast: Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, Elise Kibler, Emily Meade, Annette Deao. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>The U.S. Documentary Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at world premieres of nonfiction American films illuminating the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day. The 10 films in this section are all world premieres. All 10 will be available to stream online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>American Doctor</strong> (U.S.-State of Palestine-Malaysia-Qatar – Director and Producer: Poh Si Teng, Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Reem Haddad) –– When three American doctors — Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian — enter Gaza to save lives, they find themselves caught between medicine and politics, risking everything to expose the truth. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Alvarado, Producers: Lauren DeFilippo, Everett Katigbak, Amanda Pollak) –– Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Barbara Forever</strong> (Director and Producer: Brydie O’Connor, Producer: Elijah Stevens) –– An archive-driven exploration of the life, work, and legacy of iconic, pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Joybubbles</strong> (Director: Rachael J. Morrison, Producer: Sarah Winshall) –– Joybubbles discovers he can manipulate the telephone system by whistling a magic tone. Born blind and yearning for connection, his early obsession unwittingly lays the groundwork for a subculture that shapes the future of hacking and technology. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Lake</strong> (Director and Producer: Abby Ellis, Producer: Fletcher Keyes) –– An environmental nuclear bomb looms in Utah. Two intrepid scientists and a political insider race the clock to save their home from unprecedented catastrophe. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Nuisance Bear</strong> (U.S.-Canada – Directors: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, Producers: Michael Code, Will N. Miller, Teddy Leifer) –– A polar bear is forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as its ancient migration collides with modern life. When a sacred predator is branded a nuisance, it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Public Access</strong> (Director: David Shadrack Smith, Producers: Sara Crow, Anne-Marcelle Ngabirano) –– An unprecedented look inside one of the greatest media experiments to hijack American screens. Rare archives from New York’s underground capture a world of creators who shattered rules, defied censors, and transformed our televisions into a free-speech battleground where anyone could be a star. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Seized</strong> (Director and Producer: Sharon Liese, Producers: Sasha Alpert, Paul Matyasovsky) –– When the small town of Marion, Kansas, is thrust into the international spotlight after a police raid on the Marion County Record and the death of its 98-year-old co-owner, a fierce debate ignites about the abuse of power, journalistic ethics, local journalism, and the United States Constitution. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Soul Patrol</strong> (Director and Producer: J.M. Harper, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender) –– From deep behind enemy lines, a hidden chapter of American military history is uncovered, prompting the question of whether reckoning with the past can bring peace to those who lived it. The Vietnam War’s first Black special operations team reunites to tell their story. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Who Killed Alex Odeh?</strong> (Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, Producer: Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen) –– The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>These narrative feature films from emerging talent around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles. The 10 films in this section are all world premieres. All 10 will be available to stream online.</em></p>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Big Girls Don’t Cry</strong> (New Zealand – Director and Screenwriter: Paloma Schneideman, Producers: Vicky Pope, Thomas Coppell) — Over one transformative summer in rural New Zealand in 2006, 14-year-old Sid Bookman discovers desire, identity, and the internet as she imitates the people she longs to be loved by. Cast: Ani Palmer, Rain Spencer, Noah Taylor. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>How to Divorce During the War</strong> (Lithuania-Luxembourg-Ireland-Czech Republic – Director and Screenwriter: Andrius Blaževičius, Producer: Marija Razgutė) — In Vilnius in 2022, Marija has a revelation that she wants to divorce her husband, Vytas, right before Russia invades Ukraine. Forced to confront their crumbling relationship, they navigate the process of divorce as it collides with the ongoing war. Cast: Marius Repšys, Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, Amelija Adomaitytė, Indrė Patkauskaitė, Gintarė Parulytė. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Extra Geography</strong> (U.K. – Director: Molly Manners, Screenwriter: Miriam Battye, Producer: Sarah Brocklehurst) — In an English girls boarding school, two teenage best friends grapple with the challenges of girlhood — friendship, boys, studies, and growing up — and embark on their school project, falling in love. Cast: Marni Duggan, Galaxie Clear, Alice Englert. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Filipiñana</strong> (Singapore-U.K.-Philippines-France-Netherlands – Director and Screenwriter: Rafael Manuel, Producers: Jeremy Chua, Alex Polunin, Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi) — Tee girl Isabel feels strangely drawn to Dr. Palanca, the president of the country club where she works. However, after piecing together a violent picture of what lies beneath the club’s pristine surface, she realizes that what began as an innocent infatuation is actually rooted in a sinister shared history. Cast: Jorrybell Agoto, Carmen Castellanos, Teroy Guzman, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Isabel Sicat, Nour Houshmand. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Hold Onto Me (Κράτα Με)</strong> (Cyprus-Denmark-Greece – Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Myrsini Aristidou, Producer: Monica Nicolaidou) — 11-year-old Iris learns her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father’s funeral. Determined to know him, Iris tracks him down to a dilapidated shipyard, where he’s been keeping to himself. What begins as a stubborn attempt to reconnect slowly unfolds into a fragile bond. Cast: Christos Passalis, Maria Petrova. <em>Available online.</em></p>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Huntress (La Cazadora)</strong> (Mexico-U.S. – Director and Screenwriter: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Producers: Gabriela Maire, Edher Campos, Mynette Louie) — In the border city of Juárez, Mexico, where violence against women is perpetrated with impunity, an unlikely defender emerges with a desperate call for change. Inspired by true events. Cast: Adriana Paz, Teresa Sánchez, Jennifer Trejo, Eme Malafe, Guillermo Alonso. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Lady</strong> (U.K.-Nigeria – Director and Screenwriter: Olive Nwosu, Producer: Alex Polunin) — In the sprawling African metropolis of Lagos, a fiercely independent young cab driver meets a band of radiantly reckless sex workers whose sisterhood pulls her into danger and joy, setting her on a journey toward her own transformation. Cast: Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Levitating</strong> (Indonesia-Singapore-France – Director and Screenwriter: Wregas Bhanuteja, Screenwriters: Defi Mahendra, Alicia Angelina, Producers: Siera Tamihardja, Iman Usman, Amalia Rusdi) — In a town where pleasure equals being possessed by spiritual beings, Bayu aspires to be the shaman of a trance party so he can fundraise enough money to prevent an impending eviction. Cast: Angga Yunanda, Anggun C Sasmi, Maudy Ayunda, Bryan Domani, Chicco Kurniawan. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Shame and Money</strong> (Germany-Kosovo-Slovenia-Albania-N. Macedonia-Belgium – Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Visar Morina, Screenwriter: Doruntina Basha, Producers: Fabian Altenried, Sophie Ahrens, Kristof Gerega, Pia Hellenthal) — After losing their livelihood in a village, a Kosovar family is forced to move to the capital in pursuit of a place in a hypercapitalist society. Cast: Astrit Kabashi, Flonja Kodheli, Kumrije Hoxha, Fiona Gllavica, Alban Ukaj. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Tell Me Everything</strong> (Israel-France – Director and Screenwriter: Moshe Rosenthal, Producers: Alona Refua, Maya Fischer, Roi Kurland, Ben Giladi, Emilie Georges, Naima Abed) — Amid the late ’80s pop craze and rising HIV epidemic, 12-year-old Boaz uncovers a devastating secret about the father he idolizes that threatens to tear his family apart. Across a yearslong journey, Boaz seeks to heal the wound and reclaim the father-son bond he never stopped yearning for. Cast: Yair Mazor, Ido Tako, Assi Cohen, Keren Tzur, Mor Dimri, Neta Orbach. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>These nonfiction feature films from emerging talent around the world showcase some of the most courageous and extraordinary filmmaking today. The 10 films in this section are all world premieres. All 10 will be available to stream online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>All About the Money</strong> (Ireland – Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sinéad O’Shea, Producers: Claire McCabe, Harry Vaughn, Katie Holly, Sigrid Dyekjær) –– A son of one of America’s wealthiest families creates a communist revolutionary base in rural Massachusetts as a means of disrupting the capitalist system he grew up in but has now come to despise. It’s the starting point of an astonishing journey. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Birds of War</strong> (U.K.-Syrian Arab Republic-Lebanon – Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak, Producer: Sonja Henrici) –– The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman as told through 13 years of personal archives across revolutions, war, and exile. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Closure</strong> (Poland – Director and Producer: Michał Marczak, Producers: Monika Braid, Rémi Grellety, Katarzyna Szczerba, Karolina Marczak) –– After his teenage son goes missing, Daniel scours the depths of the Vistula River, torn between the dread of a fatal leap and the hope that his son may still be alive. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Everybody to Kenmure Street</strong> (U.K. – Director and Producer: Felipe Bustos Sierra, Producer: Ciara Barry) –– In May 2021, a U.K. Home Office dawn raid triggers one of the most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory. In Scotland’s most diverse neighborhood, hundreds of residents rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbors. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Hanging by a Wire</strong> (U.S.-U.K. – Pakistan (Director and Producer: Mohammed Ali Naqvi, Producer: Bilal Sami) –– A routine school commute turns terrifying when a cable car’s wire snaps, leaving eight passengers — including six schoolboys — dangling 900 feet above a ravine in the remote Himalayan foothills. With 10 hours before the remaining cable is expected to fail, a group of rescuers races to save them. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Kikuyu Land</strong> (Kenya – Directors and Producers: Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu, Producers: Moses Bwayo, Mike Morrisroe, Joseph Njenga) –– As a Nairobi journalist probes a land battle entangling the local government and a powerful multinational corporation, covered wounds are revealed and family secrets are exposed. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>One in a Million</strong> (U.K. – Directors: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes, Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer) –– Filmed over 10 years, one girl’s epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Sentient</strong> (Australia – Director and Screenwriter: Tony Jones, Screenwriter: Rachel Grierson-Johns, Producer: Ivan O’Mahoney) –– An investigation into laboratory research on animals exposes a hidden world in which it’s not just the animals getting hurt. The story of Dr. Lisa Jones Engel, a primatologist turned animal welfare advocate, asks whether harming animals and ourselves in science’s name is justified. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Silenced</strong> (Australia – Director: Selina Miles, Producer: Blayke Hoffman) –– After #MeToo broke the cultural silence on gender violence, international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson fights against the weaponization of defamation laws to silence survivors. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>To Hold a Mountain</strong> (Serbia-France-Montenegro-Slovenia-Croatia – Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Producers: Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček) –– In the remote highlands of Montenegro, a shepherd mother and daughter proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of the violence that shattered their family. <em>Available online.</em></p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">NEXT</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape the greater next wave in global cinema. Eight of the nine films in this section are world premieres. All nine will be available to stream online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild]</strong> (U.S.-Denmark – Directors and Producers: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, Producers: Steve Holmgren, Grace Remington, Jacque Clark, Franny Alfano) — Trapped in museum archives, Ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the still-pervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place. (Documentary) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Burn</strong> (Japan – Director and Screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa, Producers: Yasuo Suzuki, Kazunori Seki, Takeyasu Koganezawa) — When runaway teen Ju-Ju is embraced by a tribe of misfit youths in Kabukicho, she finds belonging for the first time — until betrayal and despair twist her haven into a prison, and she’s left with one way to take back control. Cast: Nana Mori. (Fiction) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Ghost in the Machine</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Valerie Veatch) — The untold origins of artificial intelligence lie not in machines but in power, revealing the fantasies behind the hype that got us here and where we go next. (Documentary) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>If I Go Will They Miss Me</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Walter Thompson-Hernández, Producers: Josh Peters, Saba Zerehi, Ben Stillman) — Twelve-year-old Lil Ant struggles to connect with his father when he begins to see surreal, almost spectral visions of boys drifting around his neighborhood. Their presence reveals a link between father and son, laying bare the threads that bind family, legacy, and place. Cast: Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson. (Fiction) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Incomer</strong> (U.K. – Director and Screenwriter: Louis Paxton, Producers: Shirley O’Connor, Emily Gotto) — On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official, arrives to relocate them. Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, John Hannah. (Fiction) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Jaripeo</strong> (Mexico-U.S.-France – Directors: Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig, Producer: Sarah Strunin) — A journey to Michoacán’s hypermasculine rodeos descends into the subconscious of memory, queer desire, and longing, leading to a reckoning with the wounds and beauty of a home left behind. (Documentary) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Night Nurse</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Georgia Bernstein, Producers: Edwin Linker, Liane Cunje, Veronica Barbosa, Lucy Rogers) — As a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, a starry-eyed nurse becomes entangled with her mysterious patient. Cast: Cemre Paksoy, Bruce McKenzie, Eléonore Hendricks, Colleen Rose Trundy, Mimi Rogers. (Fiction) <em>Available online.</em></p>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>TheyDream</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: William David Caballero, Screenwriters and Producers: Erin Ploss-Campoamor, Elaine del Valle, Producer: Brad Jones) — After 20 years of chronicling his Puerto Rican family, a director and his mother face devastating losses. Through tears and laughter, they craft animations that bring their loved ones back to life, discovering that every act of creation is also an act of letting go. (Documentary) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>zi</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Kogonada, Producers: Chung An, Christopher Radcliff, Benjamin Loeb, Haley Lu Richardson, Michelle Mao, Jin Ha) — In Hong Kong, a young woman haunted by visions of her future self meets a stranger who changes the course of her night — and possibly her life. Cast: Michelle Mao, Haley Lu Richardson, Jin Ha. (Fiction) <em>Available online.</em></p>
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<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">PREMIERES</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>This showcase of world premieres presents highly anticipated films on a variety of subjects in both fiction and nonfiction. The 26 films in this section — a mix of fiction and documentary features — are all world premieres. Only two will be available to stream online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist</strong> (Directors: Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell, Producers: Daniel Kwan, Jonathan Wang, Shane Boris, Diane Becker, Ted Tremper) — A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with the AI insanity, exploring the existential dangers and stunning promise of this technology that humanity has created. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Antiheroine</strong> (U.K.-U.S. – Directors: Edward Lovelace, James Hall, Producers: Julia Nottingham, Melanie Archer, Hattie Bridges Webb, Jon Lullo) — Singer, songwriter, and actor Courtney Love has long had an impact on rock and pop culture. Now sober and set to release new music for the first time in over a decade, Courtney is ready to reveal her story, unfiltered and unapologetic. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Brittney Griner Story</strong> (Director and Producer: Alexandria Stapleton, Producers: Stacy Scripter, Funmi Akinyode, Megan Goedewaagen, Carolyn Hepburn) — Explores the circumstances that led to Brittney Griner playing basketball outside the U.S. despite being one of the best players in the sport, including her harrowing detainment, unwavering determination to secure her freedom, and her advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Chasing Summer</strong> (Director: Josephine Decker, Screenwriter and Producer: Iliza Shlesinger, Producers: Rob Guillermo, Ray Maiello, Nihaar Sinha, Houston King, Sam Pressman) — After losing both her job and boyfriend, Jamie retreats to her small Texas hometown, where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down. Cast: Iliza Shlesinger, Garrett Wareing, Lola Tung, Cassidy Freeman, Tom Welling, Megan Mullally. (Fiction) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Disciple</strong> (U.S.-U.K. – Director and Producer: Joanna Natasegara, Producers: Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark, Vanessa Kirby) — An outsider fueled by relentless determination works his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan, where his ambition and creativity converge in the making of an album poised to ignite global controversy. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Frank &amp; Louis</strong> (Switzerland-U.K. – Director and Screenwriter: Petra Biondina Volpe, Screenwriter: Esther Bernstorff, Producers: Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi) — Frank, serving a life sentence, takes a prison job caring for aging inmates with Alzheimer’s and dementia. What begins as a self-interested bid for parole becomes a profound, transformative bond with fellow inmate Louis, offering Frank a glimpse of redemption in an unforgiving place. Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, Indira Varma. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Wain, Screenwriter: Ken Marino, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron, Ken Marino, Crystine Zhang, Charles Zhong) — Midwestern bride-to-be Gail Daughtry has a “free celebrity pass” agreement with her fiancé — who uses it. With her relationship in crisis, Gail sets out on an epic journey through Hollywood to even the scales. Cast: Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Gallerist</strong> (U.S.-France – Director and Screenwriter: Cathy Yan, Screenwriter: James Pedersen, Producers: Ash Sarohia, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Jonathan King, Tom McCarthy, Rae Baron) — A desperate gallerist conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami. Cast: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Give Me the Ball!</strong> (Directors and Producers: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Producers: Dominic Crossley-Holland, Dan Cogan, Chris James, Gentry Kirby) — World champion tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King has had a game-changing impact on culture and sports. Rare archive and candid interviews with Billie Jean and those closest to her reveal how one woman put changing the world ahead of saving herself. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The History of Concrete</strong> (Director: John Wilson, Producers: Clark Filio, Shirel Kozak, Allie Viti) — After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, filmmaker John Wilson tries to use the same formula to sell a documentary about concrete. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>I Want Your Sex</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Gregg Araki, Screenwriter and Producer: Karley Sciortino, Producers: Seth Caplan, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Courtney L. Cunniff) — When fresh-faced Elliot lands a job with artist and provocateur Erika Tracy, his fantasies come true as she taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder. Cast: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Charli xcx. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>In the Blink of an Eye</strong> (Director: Andrew Stanton, Screenwriter: Colby Day, Producer: Jared Ian Goldman) — Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection, and the circle of life. Cast: Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, Tanaya Beatty. (Fiction) <em>2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Invite</strong> (Director: Olivia Wilde, Screenwriters: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Producers: David Permut, Ben Browning, Megan Ellison) — Joe and Angela are on thin ice, and tonight might be when it all falls apart. Unfortunately, their upstairs neighbors are about to arrive for dinner, and everything that can go wrong goes worse. Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Jane Elliott Against the World</strong> (Director and Producer: Judd Ehrlich, Producers: Max Powers, Elena Gaby) — A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out. (Documentary) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie</strong> (Director and Producer: Alex Gibney, Producers: Erin Edeiken, Sruthi Pinnamaneni) — Previously unseen footage captured by Salman Rushdie’s wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, documents his journey. Following not just his physical rehabilitation, but also the restoration of his spirit and optimism. Inspired by Rushdie’s memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Last First: Winter K2</strong> (U.S.-U.K. – Director: Amir Bar-Lev, Producers: John Battsek, Sean Richard, Sarah Thomson, Howard T. Owens, Ben Silverman) — The race to grab the last great prize in mountaineering, K2 in winter, left five dead. It exposed deep fault lines in alpinism today: pressures from commercialization, toxic effects of social media, and long-brewing tensions between those who’ve been marginalized and those who’ve always basked in the sport’s glory. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Moment</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Aidan Zamiri, Screenwriter: Bertie Brandes, Producers: Charli xcx, David Hinojosa) — A rising pop star navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut. Cast: Charli xcx, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Alexander Skarsgård. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Oldest Person in the World</strong> (Director: Sam Green, Producers: Alison Byrne Fields, Josh Penn) — A decade-long global journey chronicles the ever-changing record holders of the title of oldest person alive. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Once Upon a Time in Harlem</strong> (Directors: William Greaves, David Greaves, Producers: Liani Greaves, Anne de Mare) — A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Only Living Pickpocket in New York</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Noah Segan, Producers: Katie McNeill, Leopold Hughes, Ben LeClair) — When a theft goes awry, a veteran pickpocket is sent on a mission through New York to reclaim the stolen goods. Cast: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story</strong> (Directors and Producers: Judd Apatow, Neil Berkeley, Producers: Amanda Rohlke, David Heiman) — Blurring the line between performance and personal crisis, comedian Maria Bamford turns her mental health journey into material that’s riotously funny and ultimately inspiring. What emerges is a portrait of an artist transforming vulnerability into creative strength through honesty. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Queen of Chess</strong> (Director and Producer: Rory Kennedy, Screenwriters and Producers: Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester) — A Hungarian girl dreams of conquering international men’s chess. After a 15-year battle against world champion Garry Kasparov and her domineering father, Judit Polgár revolutionizes the sport’s patriarchal culture to become one of the greatest chess prodigies in history and the greatest woman chess player of all time. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>See You When I See You</strong> (Director and Producer: Jay Duplass, Screenwriter and Producer: Adam Cayton-Holland, Producers: Fred Bernstein, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon) — With the help of his family, a comedy writer battles PTSD after the tragic death of his sister. Cast: Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Kaitlyn Dever, Hope Davis, Lucy Boynton, Ariela Barer. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Shitheads</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Macon Blair, Producers: Alex Orr, Brandon James, Nathan Klingher, Mark Fasano, Josh Harris, Ford Corbett) — When two unqualified bozos are hired to transfer a rich teen to rehab, their straightforward gig quickly spirals into dangerous mayhem. Cast: Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, Peter Dinklage. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Time and Water</strong> (U.S.-Iceland – Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sara Dosa, Screenwriters: Jocelyne Chaput, Erin Casper, Andri Snær Magnason, Producers: Shane Boris, Elijah Stevens, Jameka Autry) — Facing the death of his country’s glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule to hold what is slipping away — family, memory, time, and water. (Documentary) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Troublemaker</strong> (S. Africa-U.S.-U.K. – Director and Producer: Antoine Fuqua, Screenwriter: Michael Toomey Mann, Producers: Mac Maharaj, Arthur Landon, Kevin Mann, Mark Bauch, Thabang Lehobye) — The struggle against apartheid is recounted through Nelson Mandela’s own voice, drawn from recordings he made while writing his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Weight</strong> (Director: Padraic McKinley, Screenwriters: Matthew Booi, Matthew Chapman, Shelby Gaines, Producers: Simon Fields, Nathan Fields, Ryan Hawke, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo) — In Oregon in 1933, Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through deadly wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he’ll go to see his child again. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Sam Hazeldine. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>When a Witness Recants</strong> (Director and Producer: Dawn Porter, Producers: Miriam Weintraub, Jennifer Oko) — In 1983, author Ta-Nehisi Coates learned that a 14-year-old boy was murdered in his Baltimore middle school. Upon revisiting the case, he uncovers the truth: Three innocent teenagers were wrongfully convicted and spent 36 years in prison — creating a lasting impact on the accused, the witnesses, and their community. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Wicker</strong> (Directors and Screenwriters: Eleanor Wilson, Alex Huston Fischer, Producers: Ed Sinclair, Tom Carver, Justin Lothrop, Brad Zimmerman, Ryan Heller, Lia Buman) — A fisherwoman asks a basketmaker to weave her a husband. Cast: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan. (Fiction)</p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">MIDNIGHT</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>From horror flicks and wild comedies to chilling thrillers and works that defy any genre, these films will keep you wide-awake and on the edge of your seat. Six of the seven films in this section are world premieres (all but “The Best Summer”). Two of the films will be available to stream online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Best Summer</strong> (U.S.-Australia-Indonesia-Thailand – Director and Producer: Tamra Davis, Producer: Shelby Meade) — Immersive POV camera footage reveals electric performances, candid interviews, and intimate backstage life with the Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini Kill — an all-access view inside an era-defining moment in music. (Documentary) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Buddy</strong> (Director and Screenwriter: Casper Kelly, Screenwriter: Jamie King, Producers: Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum) — A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids television show. Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Leviticus</strong> (Australia – Director and Screenwriter: Adrian Chiarella, Producers: Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Hannah Ngo) — Two star-crossed teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other. Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Davida McKenzie. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant</strong> (New Zealand – Director and Screenwriter: Thunderlips, Producers: Alix Whittaker, Morgan Leigh Stewart, Ilai Amar — When a messy millennial underachiever accidentally gets alien-pregnant, she must overcome skeptical doctors, a useless baby daddy, and her oversharing mum in order to survive and reclaim her life. Cast: Hannah Lynch, Yvette Parsons, Arlo Green, Jackie van Beek. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Rock Springs</strong> (U.S.-Canada – Director and Screenwriter: Vera Miao, Producers: Stephen Feder, Kiri Hart, Poppy Hanks, Greta Talia Fuentes, Jason Michael Berman, Jordan Moldo) — After the death of her father, a grieving young girl moves to an isolated house in a new town with her mother and grandmother, only to discover there is something monstrous hidden in the town’s history and the woods behind their new home. Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Benedict Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, Aria Kim, Fiona Fu. (Fiction) <em>Available online.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Saccharine</strong> (Australia – Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Natalie Erika James, Producers: Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw) — Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a hungry ghost after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes. Cast: Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden. (Fiction)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Undertone</strong> (Canada – Director and Screenwriter: Ian Tuason, Producers: Dan Slater, Cody Calahan) — The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way. Cast: Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, Jeff Yung. (Fiction)</p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">EPISODIC</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>The Episodic section was created specifically for bold stories told in multiple episodes, with an emphasis on independent perspectives and innovative storytelling.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Bait</strong> (U.K.-U.S. – Executive Producers: Riz Ahmed, Allie Moore, Ben Karlin) — Struggling actor Shah Latif auditions for the role of a lifetime, only to see his life spiral out of control over four frenetic days. Cast: Riz Ahmed, Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Sajid Hasan, Aasiya Sha. (Fiction) Six-episode season, screening first three episodes in person.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Screener</strong> (Directors: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe, Producers: Michael J. McGarry, Thomas Cross) –– An independent film screener leaks from a talent agency. Cast: Shereen Lani Younes, Jon Rudnitsky, B.K. Cannon, Boni Mata, Shaun Brown, Nicolette Doke. (Fiction) Five-episode series, screening first three episodes in person.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Episodic Pilot Showcase:</strong></p>
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<li><strong>Bulldozer</strong> (Writer and Executive Producer: Joanna Leeds, Director and Executive Producer: Andrew Leeds, Executive Producers: Rhett Reese, Caleb Reese) –– An undermedicated, chronically impassioned young woman lurches from crisis to crisis of her own making. Cast: Joanna Leeds, Mary Steenburgen, Nat Faxon, Harvey Guillen, Allen Leech, Kate Burton. (Fiction) <em>Available online.</em></li>
<li><strong>FreeLance</strong> (Directors: The Turner Brothers, Executive Producers: Cynthia Turner, Stephen Love Jr., Spence Moore II, Kevin Fredericks) — A young filmmaker documents his journey toward his first movie as he moves in with a friend group of ambitious creatives, all trying to support one another’s dreams in an oversaturated market. This inexperienced crew of 20-somethings takes on unorthodox jobs to build their brand and pay rent. Cast: Spence Moore II, Lou Young, Lou Ratchett, Bernard “B Nard” Clark, René Vaca, Elijah Cooper. (Fiction)</li>
<li><strong>Soft Boil</strong> (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Alec Goldberg, Producers: Camille Wormser, Hannah Connery, Clay Susick, Vivian Kerr, Don Ohmer) –– Lulu takes a job as a nanny only to discover that her new boss isn’t who she expected. Cast: Camille Wormser, John Gemberling, Madison Shamoun, Vivian Kerr, Patrick Tabari. (Fiction)</li>
<li><strong>Worried</strong> (Director: Nicole Holofcener; Executive Producers: Tim Foley, Michael B. Clark, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins) –– No one is more worried about Jules and Poppy than Jules and Poppy. Cast: Gideon Adlon, Rachel Kaly, Devon Bostick, Cora Kirk. (Fiction)</li>
</ul>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Nonfiction Pilot Showcase:</strong></p>
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<li><strong>Murder 101</strong> (Director: Stacey Lee, Executive Producers: Stephanie Lydecker, Dianne McGunigle, Jon Watts) — A case that haunted Tennessee’s best detectives for decades is cracked wide open by the most unlikely of investigators: a high school sociology class. (Documentary)</li>
<li><strong>The Oligarch and the Art Dealer</strong> (Denmark-France-U.S. – Director: Andreas Dalsgaard, Producers: Christoph Jörg, Miriam Norgaard) — Yves Bouvier brokers masterpieces, from da Vinci to Rothko, into the private collection of Dmitry Rybolovlev until Bouvier is accused of a billion-dollar betrayal. Rising ambitions, frayed relationships, and bruised egos fuel a decade-long all-out war between the Swiss art dealer and the elusive Russian oligarch. (Documentary)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center"><strong>SPOTLIGHT</strong></h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>The Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love, presenting films that have played throughout the world.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Broken English</strong> (U.K. – Directors and Screenwriters: Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth, Screenwriter: Ian Martin, Producer: Beth Earl) — A portrait of the inimitable singer, songwriter, and icon Marianne Faithfull. (Documentary)</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Tuner</strong> (Canada-U.S. – Director and Screenwriter: Daniel Roher, Screenwriter: Robert Ramsey, Producers: JoAnne Sellar, Lila Yacoub, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler) — A gifted piano tuner with a unique auditory condition discovers an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down. Cast: Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, Jean Reno. (Fiction)</p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">FAMILY MATINEE</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>For more than a decade, the Family Matinee section of the Festival (formerly known as KIDS) has been built for audiences of all ages, but especially for our youngest independent film fans.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Cookie Queens</strong> (Director and Producer: Alysa Nahmias, Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Jennifer Sims) — It’s Girl Scout Cookie season, and four tenacious girls strive to be a top-selling “Cookie Queen,” navigating an $800 million business in which childhood and ambition collide. (Documentary) <em>Salt Lake City Celebration Film.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>Fing! </strong>(Australia-U.K. – Director: Jeffrey Walker, Screenwriters: David Walliams, Kevin Cecil, Producers: Jo Sargent, Todd Fellman) — A demanding little girl and her parents, the Meeks, battle an outrageously entitled viscount to protect their rare, furry, one-eyed Fing from those fixated on exploiting this wondrous creature. Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Blake Harrison, David Walliams, Iona Bell, Penelope Wilton, Taika Waititi. (Fiction)</p>
<h3 class="heading larva // lrv-a-font-secondary-l lrv-u-text-align-center">SPECIAL SCREENINGS</h3>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><em>One-of-a-kind moments highlight new independent works that add to the unique Festival experience.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m "><strong>The Story of Documentary Film</strong> (U.K. – Director: Mark Cousins, Producer: John Archer) — Tracing the evolution of documentary film across time, examining landmark works and hidden treasures, while revealing how the form has helped us see and make sense of our world. (Documentary)</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/variety-announces-sundance-2026-lineup-knife-premiere/">Natalie Portman, Charli xcx, Chris Pine and Wu-Tang Clan Projects Set for Sundance Film Festival’s Final Edition in Park City</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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		<title>Hulu Lands Alex Gibney’s Luigi Mangione Documentary</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/hulu-lands-alex-gibneys-luigi-mangione-documentary/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jigsaw Productions]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 17:29:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jigsawprods.com/?p=3746</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>By Peter White EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, who has made films about Enron, Scientology and Russian President Vladmiri Putin, has set his sights on another controversial figure: Luigi Mangione. Gibney, who has been working on the project since the end of last year, has now sold the project to Hulu. The streamer has greenlit the untitled project with&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/hulu-lands-alex-gibneys-luigi-mangione-documentary/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Hulu Lands Alex Gibney’s Luigi Mangione Documentary</span></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/hulu-lands-alex-gibneys-luigi-mangione-documentary/">Hulu Lands Alex Gibney’s Luigi Mangione Documentary</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter White</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     "><strong>EXCLUSIVE</strong>: Oscar-winning filmmaker <a id="auto-tag_alex-gibney" href="https://deadline.com/tag/alex-gibney/" data-tag="alex-gibney">Alex Gibney</a>, who has made films about Enron, Scientology and Russian President Vladmiri Putin, has set his sights on another controversial figure: <a id="auto-tag_luigi-mangione" href="https://deadline.com/tag/luigi-mangione/" data-tag="luigi-mangione">Luigi Mangione</a>.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     ">Gibney, <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/12/documentary-luigi-mangione-alex-gibney-anonymous-content-1236204730/">who has been working on the project since the end of last year</a>, has now sold the project to <a id="auto-tag_hulu" href="https://deadline.com/tag/hulu/" data-tag="hulu">Hulu</a>.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     ">The streamer has greenlit the untitled project with filming underway.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     ">It comes nine months after Mangione allegedly gunned down Brian Thompson, CEO of health insurance company UnitedHealthcare in broad daylight in midtown Manhattan. Mangione was charged with four federal crimes including murder and was formally indicted in April.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     ">Gibney’s untitled film will highlight how the killing of Thompson on a New York City sidewalk transfixed the public. It will explore explores the complicated story beneath the headlines and investigate “how the spectacle of violence can obscure deeper truths”.</p>
<p>Gibney directs and will produce via his Jigsaw Productions company with Anonymous Content also producing. Trevor Davidoski and John Jordan will produce. Gibney, Razan Ghalayini and Richard Perello will exec produce for Jigsaw with Jessica Grimshaw and David Levine exec producing for Anonymous Content.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     ">It is Gibney’s latest project for Hulu; he co-created and directed the first episode of scripted series <em>The</em> <em>Looming Tower</em>, which told the story of the threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and the rivalry between the FBI and CIA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     ">Gibney, who is working on an Elon Musk documentary, recently directed HBO’s<em> The Dark Money Game </em>and <em>Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos</em>, and produced <em>The Bibi Files</em>, an inside look into the corruption charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     ">It joins Hulu’s doc slate, which includes recent projects such as <em>God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty, Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons, Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence, Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told </em>and<em> Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke</em>, which was Hulu’s biggest docuseries premiere to date.</p>
<p>“Following our collaboration on <em>Looming Tower,</em> I am delighted to join forces with Hulu to tell this powerful and important story,” said Gibney. “In the tradition of previous Jigsaw investigations, I think that people who think they know the story will be surprised and moved by the details hiding behind the headlines.”</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/hulu-lands-alex-gibneys-luigi-mangione-documentary/">Hulu Lands Alex Gibney’s Luigi Mangione Documentary</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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		<title>Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary to Be Released Theatrically in the U.S. by Bleecker Street</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/alex-gibney-elon-musk-documentary-bleecker-street-us-release/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jigsaw Productions]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 17:08:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jigsawprods.com/?p=3742</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>By Elsa Keslassy Alex Gibney‘s anticipated Elon Musk documentary will be released theatrically in the U.S. by Bleecker Street. “Musk” is an incisive look behind the legend of Elon Musk. Gibney has been continuously expanding the film’s scope to unveil a rich portrait, even as history unfolds in real-time. Bleecker Street will roll out “Musk” in theaters&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/alex-gibney-elon-musk-documentary-bleecker-street-us-release/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary to Be Released Theatrically in the U.S. by Bleecker Street</span></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/alex-gibney-elon-musk-documentary-bleecker-street-us-release/">Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary to Be Released Theatrically in the U.S. by Bleecker Street</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Elsa Keslassy</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><a id="auto-tag_alex-gibney" href="https://variety.com/t/alex-gibney/" data-tag="alex-gibney">Alex Gibney</a>‘s anticipated <a id="auto-tag_elon-musk" href="https://variety.com/t/elon-musk/" data-tag="elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> documentary will be released theatrically in the U.S. by Bleecker Street.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Musk” is an incisive look behind the legend of Elon Musk. Gibney has been continuously expanding the film’s scope to unveil a rich portrait, even as history unfolds in real-time. Bleecker Street will roll out “Musk” in theaters before its HBO Max debut. HBO Documentary Films pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to the project, while Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired international rights.</p>
<p>“No biographical portrait, outside of obvious political figures, has centered on an individual so at the crossroads of our society as Elon Musk,” said Kent Sanderson, Bleecker Street CEO, in a statement: “But there is also no filmmaker that I could possibly imagine bringing that story to audiences with unmatched clarity, audacity, and urgency more than Alex Gibney,” Sanderson continued.</p>
<p>Gibney previously directed “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” the Oscar-nominated “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” and Oscar-winning “Taxi to the Dark Side.”</p>
<p>“Musk” reteams Gibney with Sanderson, and Bleecker executives Tyler DiNapoli and Myles Bender, who previously worked together on “We Steal Secrets,” the acclaimed Julian Assange documentary released by Focus Features and Universal Pictures International in 2013.</p>
<p>“Musk” is produced by Gibney, Jessie Deeter, and Erin Edeiken from Jigsaw Productions; Zhang Xin and Joey Marra from Closer Media; Nick Shumaker and Jessica Grimshaw from Anonymous Content; and Dana O’Keefe from Double Agent. Executive producers include New Regency’s Yariv Milchan, and Natalie Lehmann; Richard Perello from Jigsaw; William Horberg from Closer Media; David Levine from Anonymous Content; as well as Kent Sanderson and Miranda King for Bleecker Street.</p>
<p>The deal was negotiated by Bleecker Street’s Miranda King and Avy Eschenasy, with Nick Shumaker of Anonymous Content on behalf of the filmmakers. HBO Documentary Films previously pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights and Black Bear is handling international sales for the film, and did the deal with Universal Pictures Content Group.</p>
<p>Bleecker Street recently re-released the 1984 cult classic “This Is Spinal Tap,” created by Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, and is on track to release Rob Reiner’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” on Sept. 12.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/alex-gibney-elon-musk-documentary-bleecker-street-us-release/">Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary to Be Released Theatrically in the U.S. by Bleecker Street</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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		<title>Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Names Robert Kessel Exec VP of Scripted Content (EXCLUSIVE)</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/robert-kessel-evp-scripted-variety-exclusive/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jigsaw Productions]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:41:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jigsawprods.com/?p=3739</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>By Addie Morfoot Robert Kessel has joined Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions as executive vice president of scripted content. Kessel will be responsible for expanding Jigsaw’s film and TV scripted projects. He will also oversee Gibney’s narrative feature debut, “Two Wolves.” The Vietnam thriller tells the story of helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and General Ray Peers, who exposed a massive&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/robert-kessel-evp-scripted-variety-exclusive/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Names Robert Kessel Exec VP of Scripted Content (EXCLUSIVE)</span></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/robert-kessel-evp-scripted-variety-exclusive/">Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Names Robert Kessel Exec VP of Scripted Content (EXCLUSIVE)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">By Addie Morfoot</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Robert Kessel has joined <a id="auto-tag_alex-gibney" href="https://variety.com/t/alex-gibney/" data-tag="alex-gibney">Alex Gibney</a>’s <a id="auto-tag_jigsaw-productions" href="https://variety.com/t/jigsaw-productions/" data-tag="jigsaw-productions">Jigsaw Productions</a> as executive vice president of scripted content.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Kessel will be responsible for expanding Jigsaw’s film and TV scripted projects. He will also oversee Gibney’s narrative feature debut, “Two Wolves.” The Vietnam thriller tells the story of helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and General Ray Peers, who exposed a massive war crime and its cover-up in a way that helped to end the war.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Kessel previously served as Participant’s exec VP of narrative film, where he oversaw the development and production of narrative films, including “Wonder” and”Green Book.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Kessel’s move to Jigsaw reunites him with his former Participant colleague Courtney Sexton, who joined Jigsaw earlier this year as EVP, film and television, and head of west coast operations. Kessel and Sexton are both based in Jigsaw’s Los Angeles office. Gibney is based at Jigsaw’s headquarters in New York City.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“I’ve long admired Jigsaw for its dedication to premium storytelling – stories that entertain, explore important issues, expose truths, and ultimately inspire,” Kessel says. “That’s always been my driving force, and I’m fortunate to have been involved in films that share that vision.”</p>
<p>Earlier this year, Wendy Schmidt, a longtime philanthropist and wife of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, acquired a majority stake in Jigsaw. The production company is currently in production on several projects, including Gibney’s two upcoming projects: HBO doc “Musk,” about Elon Musk, and <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/salman-rushdie-documentary-alex-gibney-knife-1236021567/">“Knife,” </a>inspired by Salman Rushdie’s memoir “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder.” in April. Gibney most recently produced Raoul Peck’s <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/global/raoul-peck-cannes-george-orwell-orwell-doc-threat-dictatorship-1236366913/">“Orwell: 2+2=5,”</a> which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The doc will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Camden International Film Festival in September.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Robert is an extraordinary scripted executive and producer,” Gibney says. “He possesses excellent taste and strong relationships, and crucially, knows how to deliver. He’s fully committed to our stealthy, unconventional operation, working ‘under the radar,’ to create impactful, thought-provoking films in a challenging landscape.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Kessel executive-produced Todd Haynes’ “Dark Waters,” Mark Forster’s “White Bird” and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s “Rob Peace. He produced Disney+’s “Out of Mind,” which was a Peabody and Television Academy honor recipient. Kessel’s “The Wave”, directed by Sebastian Lelio, and “Eleanor The Great” directed by Scarlett Johansson, which Kessel executive produced, are slated to be released later this year.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">At Participant, Kessel oversaw production on the Oscar-winning “Spotlight, “Deepwater Horizon,” which earned two Academy Award nominations, “Beasts Of No Nation” and “A Most Violent Year.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Prior to Participant, Kessel produced films and held senior executive posts at Sony Pictures’ based Matt Tolmach Productions, Overture Films, Hart Sharp Entertainment and Miramax Films. Prior to joining Jigsaw and after the closing of Participant, Kessel consulted for Pepsi Content Studio.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/robert-kessel-evp-scripted-variety-exclusive/">Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Names Robert Kessel Exec VP of Scripted Content (EXCLUSIVE)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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		<title>TIFF Documentary Lineup Includes Films From Laura Poitras, Raoul Peck, Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/tiff-documentary-lineup-includes-films-from-laura-poitras-raoul-peck-jimmy-chin-and-chai-vasarhelyi/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jigsaw Productions]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2025 15:23:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jigsawprods.com/?p=3728</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>By Addie Morfoot Documentaries about journalists Seymour Hersh, Lynsey Addario, and the late Fatma Hassona are heading to the 50th edition of the Toronto Intl. Film Festival. TIFF‘s Docs program gets underway Sept. 4 and will feature 23 feature docs from 18 countries. The program will open with the world premiere of two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/tiff-documentary-lineup-includes-films-from-laura-poitras-raoul-peck-jimmy-chin-and-chai-vasarhelyi/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">TIFF Documentary Lineup Includes Films From Laura Poitras, Raoul Peck, Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi</span></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/tiff-documentary-lineup-includes-films-from-laura-poitras-raoul-peck-jimmy-chin-and-chai-vasarhelyi/">TIFF Documentary Lineup Includes Films From Laura Poitras, Raoul Peck, Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     ">By Addie Morfoot</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Documentaries about journalists Seymour Hersh, Lynsey Addario, and the late Fatma Hassona are heading to the 50th edition of the Toronto Intl. Film Festival.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><a id="auto-tag_tiff" href="https://variety.com/t/tiff/" data-tag="tiff">TIFF</a>‘s Docs program gets underway Sept. 4 and will feature 23 feature docs from 18 countries. The program will open with the world premiere of two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot’s “The Eyes of Ghana,” about 93-year-old Chris Hesse, a cinematographer who served as the personal filmmaker for Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah. Barack and Michelle Obama-led shingle Higher Ground executive produced the doc.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“The film is a love letter to filmmaking and the efforts of Chris Hesse to not only document a chapter of history, but also his work to preserve that footage,” said Thom Powers, lead TIFF documentary programmer.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Oscar-winning filmmaker <a id="auto-tag_laura-poitras" href="https://variety.com/t/laura-poitras/" data-tag="laura-poitras">Laura Poitras</a> and co-director Mark Obenhaus’s “Cover Up,” about investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, will make its Canadian premiere at TIFF after a world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. “Cover Up” chronicles Hersh’s reporting on some of the most damning constitutional wrongdoings and cover-ups, including the My Lai massacre in South Vietnam, the 2003 invasion of Iraq and systematic tortures at Abu Ghraib. Poitras, who won the Oscar for best feature documentary in 2015 for “Citizenfour” and was nominated for an Academy Award for her 2022 doc “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” has been striving to make a film about Hersh for the last two decades.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“He finally, recently, said yes,” said Powers, who has been programming TIFF’s doc section for 20 years.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“One way in which we’ve come full circle since the time I started is that I think there was a spirit of festival going into the 2006 edition where you felt like, ‘I better go to this festival because I might never have a chance to see this film again,&#8217;” said Powers. “Then in the last 10 years, we got a false sense that everything is available, and now I think it’s starting to dawn on people that some of the films that you might see at your local film festival, TIFF included, you might not have a chance to see them again.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">National Geographic is set to distribute Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi’s latest doc “Love+War” about Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario. The Oscar-winning filmmakers, who recently announced their divorce, explore Addario’s two-decade-long career reporting on issues including Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the Libyan crisis, and genocide in Darfur.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Sepideh Farsi’s “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” is another doc in the TIFF lineup about a photojournalist. The film will make its North American premiere at the fest. About 25-year-old Gaza photojournalist Fatma Hassona, “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” is the story of a woman under siege by constant bombing. On April 16, a day after the movie’s Cannes Film Festival debut was announced, Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/put-your-soul-on-your-hand-and-walk-review-1236402772/"><em>Variety </em>film critic Siddhant Adlakha </a>said that Farsi “takes an unusual visual approach to capturing Hassona, but one that eventually pays dividends. Using one smartphone to film another, the Iranian director creates layers of distance between the audience and her subject — or rather, mimics the actual divide between the two women — during their many WhatsApp video chats. Farsi cannot enter Gaza, and Hassona cannot leave, leaving pixelated calls with delayed audio (owing to Hassona’s poor internet connection) as their only way to connect.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Also making its North American debut at TIFF is Raoul Peck’s “Orwell: 2+2=5,” which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. About the author of “1984” and “Animal Farm,” Oscar-nominated Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro)” interweaves historical clips, readings from Orwell’s diary, cinematic references, and modern-day footage to craft “Orwell: 2+2=5.” The film features Damian Lewis as the voice of Orwell.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Other notable titles in this year’s TIFF doc lineup include “John Dower’s The Balloonists,” about adventurers who set out to circle the globe in a balloon; Tasha Van Zandt’s ,”A Life Illuminated,” about marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder; Christopher Nelius’ “Whistle” about champion whistlers; Lorena Luciano’s “Nuns vs. the Vatican” about new allegations of abuse inside the Catholic Church; Billy Corben’s “Canceled: The Paula Deen Story” a film that re-investigates the scandal behind the celebrity chef; and Nicole Bazuin’s “Modern Whore,” which explores the sex industry and is based on the book of the same name by Andrea Werhun and Bazuin.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Despite industry-wide budget cuts and a shortage of doc distributors for nonfiction social issue fare, Powers winnowed the list of 23 docs from over 1,000 submissions.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“It certainly feels jarring, compared to the very prominent conversations that we hear in the documentary community, understandably so, about distribution opportunities shrinking,” said Powers. “My takeaway is that the spirit of making documentaries is undiminished. We need more people to step up on the distribution side.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The 23 doc titles screening in the TIFF doc program join a number of documentaries already announced as part of the gala and platform programs including the world premieres of “John Candy: I Like Me,” “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,”  “Degrassi: Whatever It Takes,” “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” “You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution” and “Palimpsest: the Story of a Name.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>The full list of the TIFF Docs lineup follows:</strong></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">A Life Illuminated | Tasha Van Zandt | USA<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">A Simple Soldier | Juan Camilo Cruz, Artem Ryzhykov | Ukraine<br />
North American Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Aki | Darlene Naponse | Canada<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Below the Clouds | Gianfranco Rosi | Italy<br />
International Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Canceled: The Paula Deen Story | Billy Corben | USA<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Cover-Up | Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus | USA<br />
Canadian Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Flana | Zahraa Ghandour | Iraq/France/Qatar<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Love+War | Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | USA<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Modern Whore | Nicole Bazuin | Canada<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising | Shane Belcourt | Canada<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Nuestra Tierra | Lucrecia Martel | Argentina/USA/Mexico/France/Denmark/Netherlands<br />
North American Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Nuns vs. The Vatican | Lorena Luciano | USA<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Orwell: 2+2=5 | Raoul Peck | USA/France<br />
North American Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Powwow People | Sky Hopinka | USA<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk | Sepideh Farsi | France/Palestine/Iran<br />
North American Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Still Single | Jamal Burger, Jukan Tateisi | Canada<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The Balloonists | John Dower | USA/UK/Austria<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The Eyes of Ghana | Ben Proudfoot | USA<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The Tale of Silyan | Tamara Kotevska | North Macedonia<br />
North American Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">There Are No Words | Min Sook Lee | Canada<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">True North | Michèle Stephenson | USA/Canada<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">While the Green Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts | Peter Mettler | Canada/Switzerland<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Whistle | Christopher Nelius | Australia<br />
World Premiere</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/tiff-documentary-lineup-includes-films-from-laura-poitras-raoul-peck-jimmy-chin-and-chai-vasarhelyi/">TIFF Documentary Lineup Includes Films From Laura Poitras, Raoul Peck, Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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		<title>Albie Awards To Honor Oscar-Contending Documentaries From Raoul Peck, Geeta Gandbhir, and Brittany Shyne</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/albie-awards-to-honor-oscar-contending-documentaries-from-raoul-peck-geeta-gandbhir-and-brittany-shyne/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jigsaw Productions]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2025 14:45:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>By Matthew Carey Harlem’s Maysles Documentary Center is giving recognition to three of this year’s top nonfiction films with Oscar potential – Orwell: 2+2=5 from director Raoul Peck, The Perfect Neighbor directed by Geeta Gandbhir, and Sundance winner Seeds, directed by Britanny Shyne. The center will honor the films at the 6th annual Albie Awards dinner on September 24 at Ginny’s Supper Club @&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/albie-awards-to-honor-oscar-contending-documentaries-from-raoul-peck-geeta-gandbhir-and-brittany-shyne/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Albie Awards To Honor Oscar-Contending Documentaries From Raoul Peck, Geeta Gandbhir, and Brittany Shyne</span></a></p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">By Matthew Carey</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Harlem’s <a id="auto-tag_maysles-documentary-center" href="https://deadline.com/tag/maysles-documentary-center/" data-tag="maysles-documentary-center">Maysles Documentary Center</a> is giving recognition to three of this year’s top nonfiction films with Oscar potential – <em><a id="auto-tag_orwell-225" href="https://deadline.com/tag/orwell-225/" data-tag="orwell-225">Orwell: 2+2=5</a></em> from director Raoul Peck, <em><a id="auto-tag_the-perfect-neighbor" href="https://deadline.com/tag/the-perfect-neighbor/" data-tag="the-perfect-neighbor">The Perfect Neighbor</a></em> directed by Geeta Gandbhir, and Sundance winner <em><a id="auto-tag_seeds" href="https://deadline.com/tag/seeds/" data-tag="seeds">Seeds</a></em>, directed by Britanny Shyne.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">The center will honor the films at the 6<sup>th</sup> annual Albie Awards dinner on September 24 at Ginny’s Supper Club @ Red Rooster in New York City.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">“To date the Albies have been an early predictor of top contenders for the Academy Awards and other significant honors,” notes Kazembe Balagun, executive director of Mayles Documentary Center. “This year, we are excited to honor <em>Raoul Peck’s Orwell: 2+2=5</em>, Geeta Gandbhir’s <em>The Perfect Neighbor</em>, and Brittany Shyne’s <em>Seeds</em>.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Peck’s documentary, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, examines the life and work of author George Orwell, with particular emphasis on the prescient quality of Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, <em>1984</em>, published in 1949.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><em>The Perfect Neighbor</em>, winner of the directing award for U.S. documentary at Sundance, uses police dash cam and bodycam footage to present the shocking case of Ajike Owens, an African American mother of four who was gunned down by her neighbor, a white woman named Susan Lorincz, in Ocala, FL in 2023.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Shyne’s <em>Seeds</em> won the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at Sundance in January, and has gone on to earn honors at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, as well as Provincetown and RiverRun festivals. Using black and white cinematography, the director explores the experience of African American farmers in the South who cultivate land held by their families for generations.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">&#8220;This year, with the chaotic state of security in the world, we focus on the crucial role of the arts celebrating the values that bring us together in community and the forces that divide us,” Balagun explains. “The Albies this year look at a variety of timely topics: generational black farmers and the significance of owning land, how Stand Your Ground laws divide us and incite violence, and how our current times function in a playbook of global totalitarianism.&#8221;</p>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">The Maysles Documentary Center, founded by legendary filmmaker Albert Maysles (1926-2015), “fosters documentary film for a more equitable world.” Maysles’ classic documentary, <em>Grey Gardens</em> — which he directed with his brother David Maysles, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer – is celebrating its 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary this year.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">More on this year’s honorees:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>ORWELL: 2+2=5.</strong> Academy award nominated filmmaker <strong>Raoul Peck</strong>’s <em>Orwell: 2+2=5 </em>details the life of famed author George Orwell and uses Orwell’s writings to draw lessons in our current political climate. The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and is one of the very few political documentaries addressing our current moment that will get a substantial theatrical release this fall.<strong> </strong>Peck’s <em>I Am Not Your Negro</em> screened at the Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem as part of its acclaimed Oscar-nominated run.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><em>Time </em>magazine said “<em>ORWELL: 2+2=5</em> feels like the boldest documentary anyone could make right now” and called the film “exhilarating.” “Poignant and galvanizing” wrote <em>The Hollywood Reporter.</em> With echoes of Orwell’s classic novel, <em>1984</em>, the film illustrates the power of truth-twisting doublethink of media and government in totalitarian regimes.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR.</strong> Winner of the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and coming to Netflix in the fall, <em>The Perfect Neighbor</em> explores the 2023 killing of Ajike Owens, a black woman, by her white neighbor in Florida, after a seemingly minor dispute. Using bodycam footage from dozens of police visits, the film bears witness to a tight-knit community navigating one neighbor’s relentless harassment. But her hostility takes a sinister turn when it escalates into a fatal crime. The film explores the vulnerability and impact of the controversial Stand Your Ground gun laws when individuals feel emboldened by the law to act on their fear and prejudice. Roger Ebert wrote, “I don’t think there was a documentary in the Sundance program this year more buzzed about than <strong>Geeta Gandbhir</strong>’s excellent <em>The Perfect Neighbor.”</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>SEEDS. </strong>Winner of the Grand Jury Award at the<em> </em>2025 Sundance Film Festival, <em>Seeds</em> is director <strong>Brittany Shyne</strong>‘s moving portrait of centennial farmers in the geographical south. Using lyrical black and white imagery, this meditative film examines the decline of generational black farmers and the significance of owning land. Through these inter-generational stories, we see the cycles of inequity and embedded racism that persist to this present day, and the signs of hope and renewal with younger generations of farmers. “A languid, loving portrait of Black farmers in the South, <em>Seeds </em>is a mixture of celebration and lament,” wrote <em>Variety.</em></p>
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		<title>DC/DOX To Showcase A Dozen World Premieres, Oscar Contenders, Films On Barbara Walters, Robert Reich, Deepfaked Sam Altman</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2025 18:34:35 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>By: Matthew Carey EXCLUSIVE: DC/DOX, the prestigious documentary film festival in the nation’s capital, today announced the full slate for its third edition. The cinematic event will include a dozen world premieres including The Last Class, a documentary about former Secretary of Labor – and ardent Trump opponent – Robert Reich; the sex trafficking documentary The Right Track,&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/dc-dox-to-showcase-a-dozen-world-premieres-oscar-contenders-films-on-barbara-walters-robert-reich-deepfaked-sam-altman/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">DC/DOX To Showcase A Dozen World Premieres, Oscar Contenders, Films On Barbara Walters, Robert Reich, Deepfaked Sam Altman</span></a></p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By: Matthew Carey</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>EXCLUSIVE:</strong> <a id="auto-tag_dc-dox" href="https://deadline.com/tag/dc-dox/" data-tag="dc-dox">DC/DOX</a>, the prestigious documentary film festival in the nation’s capital, today announced the full slate for its third edition.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">The cinematic event will include a dozen world premieres including <em><a href="https://deadline.com/2025/04/robert-reich-documentary-abramorama-acquisition-1236370631/">The Last Class</a></em>, a documentary about former Secretary of Labor – and ardent Trump opponent – Robert Reich; the sex trafficking documentary <em>The Right Track</em>, directed by Shareen Anderson; <em>A Savage Art: The Life &amp; Cartoons Of Pat Oliphant</em>, a film about the famed political cartoonist directed by Bill Banowsky, and <em>Immutable</em>, a feature on the Washington Urban Debate League directed by Charlie Sadoff and Gabriel London.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">As previously announced (and <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/05/dc-dox-2025-signature-screenings-1236382076/">reported by Deadline</a>), DC/DOX will kick off with the world premiere of <em>Steal This Story, Please!</em>, a documentary about <em>Democracy Now!</em> host and author Amy Goodman, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">DC/DOX, running June 12-15, boasts a slate of 59 features and 35 shorts from more than two dozen countries. Scroll for the full lineup.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">The festival unfolds in a Washington where President Trump announces head spinning policies on a daily basis, like his new proposal to impose a 100 percent tariff on movies filmed overseas and then imported to the U.S. Ostensibly, that’s meant to fortify Hollywood, but at the same time the administration has slashed funding to organizations that directly support filmmakers and film festivals.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">“This year’s DC/DOX lineup is a powerful reminder of documentary film’s unique ability to illuminate the world around us—its beauty, its heartbreak, and its complexity,” said DC/DOX co-founder and festival director <a id="auto-tag_sky-sitney" href="https://deadline.com/tag/sky-sitney/" data-tag="sky-sitney">Sky Sitney</a>. “At a time when so many forces are working to render certain stories invisible—be it the pressures of a rapidly changing industry or suppression from the highest levels of political power—these films boldly insist on bringing truth into the light. From uncovering overlooked realities to reframing narratives we thought we understood, they exemplify the urgency and artistry of the form. We can’t wait for audiences to experience them.”</p>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Many documentaries in the DC/DOX lineup are sure to factor in the next Oscar race:</p>
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<li><strong><em><a href="https://deadline.com/2025/04/mstyslav-chernov-trump-zelensky-oval-office-showdown-1236356398/">2000 Meters to Andriivka</a></em></strong>, Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov’s follow up to the Oscar-winning <em>20 Days in Mariupol</em>.</li>
<li><strong><em><a href="https://deadline.com/video/the-perfect-neighbor-documentary-sam-pollard-geeta-gandbhir-sundance-studio/">The Perfect Neighbor</a></em></strong>, directed by Geeta Gandhir, winner of the prize for documentary directing at Sundance.</li>
<li><strong><em><a href="https://deadline.com/2024/12/netflix-to-release-apocalypse-in-the-tropics-directed-by-petra-costa-1236195361/">Apocalypse in the Tropics</a></em></strong>, Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa’s follow up to her Oscar-nominated <em>The Edge of Democracy</em>.</li>
<li><strong><em>Predators</em></strong>, David Osit’s expose on the NBC crime show <em>To Catch a Predator</em>.</li>
<li><strong><em><a href="https://deadline.com/2025/04/come-see-me-in-the-good-light-acquired-apple-1236368030/">Come See Me in the Good Light</a></em></strong>, directed by Ryan White, which Apple TV+ recently acquired.</li>
<li><strong><em>River of Grass</em></strong>, director Sasha Wortzel’s “lyrical ode to the Florida Everglades.”</li>
<li><strong><em><a href="https://deadline.com/video/coexistence-my-ass-trailer-sundance-documentary/">Coexistence, My Ass!</a></em></strong>, director Amber Fares’s award-winning documentary about Israeli comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi, who advocates for complete equality between Palestinians and Israelis.</li>
<li><strong><em><a href="https://deadline.com/video/sally-national-geographic-documentary-trailer/">Sally</a></em></strong>, the National Geographic documentary about the late astronaut Sally Ride, directed by Cristina Costantini.</li>
<li><strong><em>Seeds</em></strong>, directed by Brittany Shyne, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at Sundance.</li>
<li><strong><em>Holding Liat</em></strong>, directed by Brandon Kramer, a film about a woman kidnapped in the October 7 Hamas sneak attack on Israel. It won the top prize for documentary at the Berlin Film Festival.</li>
</ul>
<p>DC/DOX will screen <em>Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything</em>, a film about the late pioneering newswoman, directed by Jackie Jesko. The documentary holds its world premiere just before DC/DOX at Tribeca Festival.</p>
<p>Among other intriguing titles are <em>Deepfaking Sam Altman</em>, a film about the OpenAI CEO. Director Adam Bhala Lough, frustrated in his attempts to interview the real Altman, chats with a digital facsimile of the tech mogul instead.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">DC/DOX will host the world premieres of the shorts <em>Coach</em>, <em>Edge Of Daybreak</em>, <em>La Orquesta</em>, <em>To Your Hands</em>, <em>And Vs. Goliath: Appalachia</em>, the international premiere of the short <em>A Color I Named Blue</em>, the North American premiere of <em>Lift Lady</em>, and the U.S. premiere of <em>Into The Dark</em>.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">In a statement, DC/DOX co-founder <a id="auto-tag_jamie-shor" href="https://deadline.com/tag/jamie-shor/" data-tag="jamie-shor">Jamie Shor</a> commented, “As we gather in the nation’s capital for our third edition, DC/DOX kicks off another fantastic year in a city that’s as vital for documentary film as it is for politics, and this year’s slate is a powerful reminder that art and engagement do go hand in hand.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>DC/DOX 2025 PROGRAM</strong></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong><u>Signature Screenings</u></strong><u></u></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>Opening Night Screening: Thursday, June 12</strong></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!: </strong>DIRS Carl Deal and Tia Lessin. PRODS Karen Ranucci, Tia Lessin, and Carl Deal. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Amy Goodman’s personal story, her warm and radical spirit, and her utterly fearless reporting are interwoven with the monumental events she has covered over decades, spotlighting the critical role of journalism in shaping our understanding of truth—and in compelling action at a time when independent journalism is under attack.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">World Premiere.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>Centerpiece Screening: Friday, June 13</strong></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong><a href="https://deadline.com/2025/01/the-alabama-solution-documentary-interview-directors-andrew-jarecki-charlotte-kaufman-1236274879/">THE ALABAMA SOLUTION</a>: </strong>DIRS Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman. PRODS Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in America’s deadliest prison system.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of HBO.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>Closing Night Screening: Saturday, June 14</strong></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>BODYGUARD OF LIES: </strong>DIR Dan Krauss. PRODS Alex Gibney, Brad Hebert, Ahmad Sharifi, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Susan Zirinsky, and Terence Wrong. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Through shocking testimonies from government insiders, confidential documents, and private audio recordings from the highest level of the military, BODYGUARD OF LIES exposes the tangled web of deception fed to the American public by the U.S. government during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of See It Now Studios / Paramount+.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>Spotlight Screening: Sunday, June 15</strong></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>STATE OF FIRSTS: </strong>DIR Chase Joynt. PRODS Jenna Kelly and Justin Lacob. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">A portrait of Sarah McBride’s historic run to become the first trans member of Congress, the backlash that ensues, and her fight for change amidst intensifying political extremism.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong><u>Features</u></strong><u></u></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA: </strong>DIR Mstyslav Chernov. PRODS Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, and Raney Aronson-Rath. Ukraine.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther they advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that this war may never end.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of PBS FRONTLINE, AP.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>ANDY KAUFMAN IS ME: </strong>DIR Clay Tweel. PRODS Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Brian Gewirtz, Ross Dinerstein, and Shannon E. Riggs. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">With never-before-heard audio tapes and unique insights from those within his inner circle, ANDY KAUFMAN IS ME offers a fascinating view inside the mind of enigmatic performer Andy Kaufman.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of Fifth Season.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>ANY PROBLEM IS NO PROBLEM: </strong>DIRS Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink. PRODS Robyn Kopp and Kate McLean. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">In a high-stakes race for the future of the internet, three visionary web3 startups battle for investment at Demo Day, hoping to secure their place in the tech world’s most prestigious incubator.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">East Coast Premiere.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS: </strong>DIR Petra Costa. PRODS Petra Costa and Alessandra Orofino. Brazil.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">When does a democracy end, and a theocracy begin? APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS investigates the increasingly powerful grip that faith leaders hold over politics in Brazil. Weaving past and present, it holds up an uncanny mirror to the rest of the world.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of Netflix.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>ARREST THE MIDWIFE: </strong>DIR Elaine Epstein. PROD Robin Hessman. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">The arrest of trusted midwives ignites an unexpected rebellion, as Amish and Mennonite women break from tradition and emerge as fierce political activists — joining the broader fight for reproductive justice.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of ITVS.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>BABY DOE: </strong>DIR Jessica Earnshaw. PROD Holly Meehl Chapman. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">After new forensic evidence emerges, a churchgoing mother of three in Ohio is arrested for murder decades after abandoning a child she says was stillborn.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>BARBARA WALTERS TELL ME EVERYTHING: </strong>DIR Jackie Jesko. PRODS Marcella Steingart, Jackie Jesko, Sara Bernstein, and Meredith Kaulfers. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">In a career that reshaped American journalism, Barbara Walters’ bold and trailblazing journey is revealed in this raw and intimate documentary, exploring her remarkable legacy through her own words. Courtesy of ABC News.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!: </strong>DIR Amber Fares. PRODS Amber Fares, Rachel Leah Jones, and Valérie Montmartin. USA, France.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Shot over five tumultuous years, COEXISTENCE, MY ASS! follows Israeli activist-comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi as she creates a comedy show of the same name, tracing her personal, professional, and political journey alongside the region’s steady deterioration.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT: </strong>DIR Ryan White. PRODS Jessica Hargrave, Ryan White, Tig Notaro, and Stef Willen. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">In this unexpectedly funny and joyful love story, poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley navigate life and mortality in the face of an incurable diagnosis.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>CREEDE U.S.A.: </strong>DIR Kahane Corn Cooperman. PRODS Innbo Shim and Kahane Corn Cooperman. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Creede, a remote Colorado mining town nestled at 9,000 feet, has no stoplight—yet it’s home to a thriving theater company. With a unique mix of miners, ranchers, and theater people among its 300 residents, Creede offers a striking reflection on the divisions—and surprising connections—shaping America today.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS: </strong>DIRS Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni. PRODS Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni. USA, Qatar, Chile, Germany, Iran, Netherlands, Canada.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">As the first elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi fights to break long-held patriarchal traditions by training teenage girls to ride motorcycles and working to end child marriages.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>DEAR TOMORROW: </strong>DIR Kaspar Astrup Schröder. PRODS Maria Helga Stürup and Katrine A. Sahlstrøm. Denmark, Sweden, Japan.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">In Japan, loneliness has turned into a national crisis, encouraging the government to create a Ministry of Loneliness. With the help of a volunteer chat service, compassionate connections, government initiatives, and even pet owls, they attempt to reclaim their lives from this very contemporary affliction.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>DEEPFAKING SAM ALTMAN: </strong>DIR Adam Bhala Lough. PRODS Kevin Hart, Luke Kelly-Clyne, Bryan Smiley, and Harold Berón III. USA.</p>
<p>Director Adam Bhala Lough sets out to understand the technology and people at the center of AI. His quest sends him on a path towards OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman. When he can’t sit down with Altman, Adam travels to India to create an AI version of him to interview instead. Hartbeat partners with Vox Media Studios and Lough for this documentary based on reporting from New York Magazine.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of Vox Media Studios.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>EVEREST DARK: </strong>DIR Jereme Watt. PRODS Merit Jensen Carr, Michael Bodnarchuk, and Jereme Watt. Canada.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">As the death toll on the world’s highest peak rises, one of Nepal’s most legendary climbers leads an elite team of Sherpas on a life-threatening mission to retrieve fallen climbers from Everest’s Death Zone.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">North American Premiere.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>FACING WAR: </strong>DIR Tommy Gulliksen. PRODS Anne Marte Blindheim and Danielle Turkov Wilson. Norway.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">This epic documentary chronicles Jens Stoltenberg’s pivotal final year as NATO Secretary General during a period of unprecedented global tension. With remarkable behind-the-scenes access, the film captures Stoltenberg navigating the complex diplomatic landscape amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">U.S. Premiere.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>FOLKTALES: </strong>DIRS Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. PRODS Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">On the precipice of adulthood, teenagers converge at a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway. Dropped at the edge of the world, they must rely on only themselves, one another, and a loyal pack of sled dogs as they all grow in unexpected directions.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY: </strong>DIR Sam Feder. PRODS Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, and Paola Mendoza. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Amid the surge in anti-trans legislation that Chase Strangio battles in the courtroom, he must also fight against media bias, exposing how the narratives in the press influence public perception and the fight for transgender rights.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>HOLDING LIAT: </strong>DIR Brandon Kramer. PRODS. Darren Aronofsky, Lance Kramer, Yoni Brook, Ari Handel, and Justin A. Gonçalves. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">After Liat Beinin Atzili is kidnapped on October 7th, her Israeli-American family faces their own conflicting perspectives to fight for her release and the future of the places they call home.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE: </strong>DIR Eleanor Mortimer. PROD Jacob Thomas. United Kingdom.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">With deep-sea mining looming, biologists race to collect and name the undiscovered species of the abyss, the last wilderness on earth.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>I WAS BORN THIS WAY: </strong>DIRS Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard. PRODS Wellington Love, Daniel Junge, and Jed Alan. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">When Archbishop Carl Bean sang the 1977 Motown hit and gay anthem “I Was Born This Way,” it was the start of his mission to change the world. I WAS BORN THIS WAY explores the life and legacy of Bean and his resounding message: “Love is for everyone.”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>IMMUTABLE: </strong>DIRS Charlie Sadoff and Gabriel London. PRODS Keith M. Brown, Charlie Sadoff, and Gabriel London. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">In the shadow of power and privilege, students in the Washington Urban Debate League push themselves to become top-tier debaters, determined to change the course of their lives.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">World Premiere.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Courtesy of PBS WETA. <em>Screening as part of DC/FRAME.</em></p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto "><strong>IN WAVES AND WAR: </strong>DIRS Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen. PRODS Jessica Anthony, Bonni Cohen, and Jon Shenk. USA.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto ">Three Navy SEALs leave their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with treatment-resistant, unrelenting psychological pain. They find themselves at the cutting edge of a different frontline: a lifesaving psychedelic therapy that brings healing to a community in urgent need.</p>
<p><strong>THE INQUISITOR: </strong>DIR Angela Lynn Tucker. PRODS Moira Griffin and Trevite Willis. USA.</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/dc-dox-to-showcase-a-dozen-world-premieres-oscar-contenders-films-on-barbara-walters-robert-reich-deepfaked-sam-altman/">DC/DOX To Showcase A Dozen World Premieres, Oscar Contenders, Films On Barbara Walters, Robert Reich, Deepfaked Sam Altman</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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		<title>A Top Documentary Director Finds a Billionaire Backer</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/a-top-documentary-director-finds-a-billionaire-backer/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jigsaw Productions]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:13:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jigsawprods.com/?p=3671</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>By: Brooks Barnes The Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has sold a majority stake in his Jigsaw Productions to the philanthropist Wendy Schmidt. At a time when the documentary film business is atrophying, one of the world’s leading documentarians, Alex Gibney, has taken on a powerful partner: Wendy Schmidt, a billionaire philanthropist by way of Google. “We’ve been&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/a-top-documentary-director-finds-a-billionaire-backer/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">A Top Documentary Director Finds a Billionaire Backer</span></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/a-top-documentary-director-finds-a-billionaire-backer/">A Top Documentary Director Finds a Billionaire Backer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By: Brooks Barnes</p>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m ">The Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has sold a majority stake in his Jigsaw Productions to the philanthropist Wendy Schmidt.</p>
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<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">At a time when the documentary film business is atrophying, one of the world’s leading documentarians, <a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://archive.nytimes.com/tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/alex-gibney-going-clear/">Alex Gibney</a>, has taken on a powerful partner: <a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/fashion/nantucket-benefits-from-a-google-long-distance-marriage.html">Wendy Schmidt</a>, a billionaire philanthropist by way of Google.</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“We’ve been managing to make films on important social issues for a long time, but finding and getting those stories to audiences has been a challenge, in part because of the consolidation of the entertainment industry,” Mr. Gibney said in a video interview on Wednesday. “By partnering with Wendy, we’re making sure that Jigsaw is around for the long haul,” he added, referring to his company.</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Gibney, 71, said he had sold a majority stake in Jigsaw Productions to Ms. Schmidt, who is married to <a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/12/technology/eric-schmidt-affair.html">Eric Schmidt</a>, the former chief executive of Google. Mr. Gibney will continue to run the company, which has produced more than 80 films since the early 2000s. Those include “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” “Going Clear: Scientology &amp; the Prison of Belief,” “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley” and the Oscar-winning “Taxi to the Dark Side,” about the use of torture by the United States in its “war on terror.”</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Jigsaw, which turns a profit, according to Mr. Gibney, also has a nonfiction TV business (more than 200 episodes produced) and a growing podcast division. Jigsaw is based in New York and currently employs 15 people.</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Financial terms were not disclosed.</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Ms. Schmidt, 69, said in a video interview that Jigsaw would broaden its editorial focus to include more stories on climate change and ocean health, topics that have been central to her family’s philanthropy. She said that her goals for Jigsaw included deepening “impact storytelling and public interest journalism,” along with helping the company find “more innovative distribution options,” which could include virtual reality experiences.</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“This is about trying to assume a mantle, a role that we think is a vital one in the film business,” Ms. Schmidt said. “Documentary film is<strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10"> </strong>such a powerful tool, especially today with the division in our society.”</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Human society, in my view, is at an inflection point,” she continued. “We are existentially threatened by the technology we’ve created as well as by the failure of systems on the planet to support us because they’ve become so compromised.”</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Ms. Schmidt’s investment will allow Jigsaw to hire more staff and expand to Los Angeles. Already, Jigsaw has brought on Courtney Sexton, a former senior executive at <a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/business/media/participant-jeff-skoll.html">Participant Media</a>, which had long been Hollywood’s pre-eminent maker of socially conscious entertainment until shutting down last year. (Ms. Schmidt said that she had made an offer for Participant that would have saved the company, but that the owner rejected it.)</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Documentary companies like Jigsaw rely on studios and streaming services to distribute their content. <a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/tv-writers-struggle-post-writers-strike-peak-tv-era-1235864982/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Such partners have cut back</a> — especially on social justice topics — in the face of continuing weakness at the box office, higher labor costs and increased profit pressure from Wall Street.</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix have started <a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/business/media/netflix-amazon-disney-ads.html">to sell ads</a>, and advertisers prefer easily digestible, apolitical content. Although “<a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/movies/no-other-land-documentary-gaza-west-bank.html">No Other Land</a>,” an independently produced film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is viewed as the front-runner for best documentary at the coming Academy Awards, the documentary has been unable to secure distribution in the United States.</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Over the years, Ms. Schmidt has been an executive producer of various documentaries, including “<a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/26/movies/the-hunting-ground-a-film-about-rape-culture-at-colleges.html">The Hunting Ground</a>,” about rape on college campuses, and “Gather,” about Indigenous people in the United States working to reclaim the food systems of their ancestors. In buying Jigsaw, she is in some ways following another philanthropic heavyweight from Silicon Valley: Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of the Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. In 2020, Ms. Powell Jobs helped the Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) and a partner start Concordia, <a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="https://concordia.studio/about-concordia-studio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a studio for documentaries</a>.</p>
<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“When you tell me a story that captures my imagination and my heart — shows me courage, shows me inspiration, shows me human connection to something bigger than myself — I’m going to listen to you and follow you,” Ms. Schmidt said. “That’s the promise that we see in this arrangement.”</p>
<p>However, she added, “it is a business. And I will treat it as a business.&#8221;</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/a-top-documentary-director-finds-a-billionaire-backer/">A Top Documentary Director Finds a Billionaire Backer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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		<title>Oscars Shortlist Announced in 10 Categories: ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Wicked’ Lead the Charge</title>
		<link>https://www.jigsawprods.com/oscars-shortlist-announced-in-10-categories-emilia-perez-and-wicked-lead-the-charge/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jigsaw Productions]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Dec 2024 19:43:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jigsawprods.com/?p=3664</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>By: Clayton Davis If the Oscars shortlist is the equivalent of mid-term exams for awards contenders, then Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” and Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” just received passing grades. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists in 10 categories for the upcoming 97th Oscars ceremony. The preliminary voting applies to animated short film,&#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/oscars-shortlist-announced-in-10-categories-emilia-perez-and-wicked-lead-the-charge/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Oscars Shortlist Announced in 10 Categories: ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Wicked’ Lead the Charge</span></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/oscars-shortlist-announced-in-10-categories-emilia-perez-and-wicked-lead-the-charge/">Oscars Shortlist Announced in 10 Categories: ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Wicked’ Lead the Charge</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By: Clayton Davis</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">If the <a id="auto-tag_oscars" href="https://variety.com/t/oscars/" data-tag="oscars">Oscars</a> shortlist is the equivalent of mid-term exams for awards contenders, then Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” and Universal Pictures’ “<a id="auto-tag_wicked" href="https://variety.com/t/wicked/" data-tag="wicked">Wicked</a>” just received passing grades.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists in 10 categories for the upcoming 97th Oscars ceremony.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The preliminary voting applies to animated short film, documentary feature, documentary short, international feature, live action short, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, sound and visual effects.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Oscar voting to determine the nominees in all 23 categories opens on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and concludes on Sunday, Jan. 12. Nominations will be announced on Friday, Jan. 17.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM</strong><br />
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred sixty-nine films were eligible in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“The Bibi Files”<br />
“Black Box Diaries”<br />
“Dahomey”<br />
“Daughters”<br />
“Eno”<br />
“Frida”<br />
“Hollywoodgate”<br />
“No Other Land”<br />
“Porcelain War”<br />
“Queendom”<br />
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin”<br />
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”<br />
“Sugarcane”<br />
“Union”<br />
“Will &amp; Harper”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM</strong><br />
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred four films qualified in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Chasing Roo”<br />
“Death by Numbers”<br />
“Eternal Father”<br />
“I Am Ready, Warden”<br />
“Incident”<br />
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”<br />
“Keeper”<br />
“Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World”<br />
“Once upon a Time in Ukraine”<br />
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”<br />
“Planetwalker”<br />
“The Quilters”<br />
“Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr”<br />
“A Swim Lesson”<br />
“Until He’s Back”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM</strong><br />
Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.  Films from 85 countries and regions were eligible in the category.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.</p>
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<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">Brazil, “I’m Still Here”<br />
Canada, “Universal Language”<br />
Czech Republic, “Waves”<br />
Denmark, “The Girl with the Needle”<br />
France, “Emilia Pérez”<br />
Germany, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”<br />
Iceland, “Touch”<br />
Ireland, “Kneecap”<br />
Italy, “Vermiglio”<br />
Latvia, “Flow”<br />
Norway, “Armand”<br />
Palestine, “From Ground Zero”<br />
Senegal, “Dahomey”<br />
Thailand, “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies”<br />
United Kingdom, “Santosh”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING</strong><br />
Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 97th Academy Awards.  All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“The Apprentice”<br />
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”<br />
“A Different Man”<br />
“Dune: Part Two”<br />
“Emilia Pérez”<br />
“Maria”<br />
“Nosferatu”<br />
“The Substance”<br />
“Waltzing with Brando”<br />
“Wicked”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)</strong><br />
Twenty scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 97th Academy Awards.  One hundred forty-five scores were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Alien: Romulus”<br />
“Babygirl”<br />
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”<br />
“Blink Twice”<br />
“Blitz”<br />
“The Brutalist”<br />
“Challengers”<br />
“Conclave”<br />
“Emilia Pérez”<br />
“The Fire Inside”<br />
“Gladiator II”<br />
“Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1”<br />
“Inside Out 2”<br />
“Nosferatu”<br />
“The Room Next Door”<br />
“Sing Sing”<br />
“The Six Triple Eight”<br />
“Wicked”<br />
“The Wild Robot”<br />
“Young Woman and the Sea”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)</strong><br />
Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 97th Academy Awards.  Eighty-nine songs were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Forbidden Road” from “Better Man”<br />
“Winter Coat” from “Blitz”<br />
“Compress/Repress” from “Challengers”<br />
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”<br />
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”<br />
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”<br />
“Sick In The Head” from “Kneecap”<br />
“Beyond” from “Moana 2”<br />
“Tell Me It’s You” from “Mufasa: The Lion King”<br />
“Piece By Piece” from “Piece by Piece”<br />
“Like A Bird” from “Sing Sing”<br />
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”<br />
“Out Of Oklahoma” from “Twisters”<br />
“Kiss The Sky” from “The Wild Robot”<br />
“Harper And Will Go West” from “Will &amp; Harper”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>ANIMATED SHORT FILM</strong><br />
Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.  Eighty-eight films qualified in the category.  Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">In the nominations round, Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Au Revoir Mon Monde”<br />
“A Bear Named Wojtek”<br />
“Beautiful Men”<br />
“Bottle George”<br />
“A Crab in the Pool”<br />
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”<br />
“Magic Candies”<br />
“Maybe Elephants”<br />
“Me”<br />
“Origami”<br />
“Percebes”<br />
“The 21”<br />
“Wander to Wonder”<br />
“The Wild-Tempered Clavier”<br />
“Yuck!”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM</strong><br />
Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.  One hundred eighty films qualified in the category.  Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Anuja”<br />
“Clodagh”<br />
“The Compatriot”<br />
“Crust”<br />
“Dovecote”<br />
“Edge of Space”<br />
“The Ice Cream Man”<br />
“I’m Not a Robot”<br />
“The Last Ranger”<br />
“A Lien”<br />
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”<br />
“The Masterpiece”<br />
“An Orange from Jaffa”<br />
“Paris 70”<br />
“Room Taken”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>SOUND</strong><br />
Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 97th Academy Awards.  All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.  Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Thursday, January 9, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay area, followed by London, Los Angeles and New York on Saturday, January 11, 2025.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Alien: Romulus”<br />
“Blitz”<br />
“A Complete Unknown”<br />
“Deadpool &amp; Wolverine”<br />
“Dune: Part Two”<br />
“Emilia Pérez”<br />
“Gladiator II”<br />
“Joker: Folie à Deux”<br />
“Wicked”<br />
“The Wild Robot”</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   "><strong>VISUAL EFFECTS</strong><br />
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 97th Academy Awards.  The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist.  All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:</p>
<p class="paragraph larva // lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   ">“Alien: Romulus”<br />
“Better Man”<br />
“Civil War”<br />
“Deadpool &amp; Wolverine”<br />
“Dune: Part Two”<br />
“Gladiator II”<br />
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”<br />
“Mufasa: The Lion King”<br />
“Twisters”<br />
“Wicked”</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com/oscars-shortlist-announced-in-10-categories-emilia-perez-and-wicked-lead-the-charge/">Oscars Shortlist Announced in 10 Categories: ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Wicked’ Lead the Charge</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.jigsawprods.com">Jigsaw Productions</a>.</p>
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