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20 Feet From Stardom

Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.

Critic reviews

‘20 Feet from Stardom, this year's Oscar-winner for Best Documentary, is both rousing, upbeat fare… and a film steeped in a strange sense of yearning and regret.’Independent (UK)

‘Such a great idea for a documentary, and such a surprise to realise that it has never been done before.’ Guardian

‘The parade of incredible women, the stream of songs you won't believe they sang on, and those irresistible voices belting out keep the rhythm going through the schmaltz, even if the conductor seems to have dropped his hymn book.’ CineVue

Awards

Academy Awards, USA 2014 Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary, Features.

Australian Film Critics Association Awards 2018 Winner of the AFCA Award for Best International Film (English Language)

American Cinema Editors, USA 2014 Winner of the Eddie for Best Edited Documentary - Feature.

Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival 2013 Winner of the Music Documentary Audience Award for Morgan Neville.

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A Prayer Before Dawn

The true story of an English boxer incarcerated in one of Thailand's most notorious prisons as he fights in Muay Thai tournaments to earn his freedom. A Prayer Before Dawn is a 2017 drama biopic directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, written by Jonathan Hirschbein and Nick Saltrese and starring Joe Cole. It is based on the book A Prayer Before Dawn: My Nightmare in Thailand's Prisons by Billy Moore. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2017. It was released in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2018, by Altitude Film Distribution, and in the United States on 10 August 2018, by A24.

Critic Reviews

‘Midnight Express' meets 'Ong-Bak,' and that's a good thing.’ Hollywood Reporter ‘Once the audience adjusts to its rhythms, it exerts a powerful fascination.’ New York Magazine ‘Presented with an agitated camera and a bare minimum of subtitles, "A Prayer Before Dawn" adheres to neither the familiar beats of the boxing movie nor the claustrophobic machinations of the typical prison drama.’ New York Times

Awards

British Independent Film Awards 2018 Winner British Independent Film Award for Best Actor
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A Private War

One of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontline of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless. A Private War is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Matthew Heineman, and starring Rosamund Pike as journalist Marie Colvin. The film is based on the 2012 article "Marie Colvin’s Private War" in Vanity Fair by Marie Brenner. The film premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and was released to positive reviews from critics, who praised Pike's performance. At the 76th Golden Globe Awards, the film earned nominations for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (Pike) and Best Original Song ("Requiem for A Private War"), while director Matthew Heineman received a nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First Time Feature Film Director from the Directors Guild of America.

Critic Reviews

‘At a time when pressured media budgets are conspiring, with the general preference for escapism over reality, to threaten war reporting's very existence, A Private War unflinchingly reminds us of its value.’ London Evening Standard ‘Transfixing, uncompromisingly visceral and tonally raw, Heineman's A Private War is a powerfully traumatic memoir.’ Flavourmag It's one of the year's best roles, performances, and it's contained in a film that undoubtedly matters. Now, more than ever.’ Creative Screenwriting

Awards

Golden Globes, USA 2019 Nominee Golden Globe for Best Original Song - Motion Picture - Annie Lennox Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Rosamund Pike
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All This Mayhem

Making its’ world premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival, and winner of the best direction in a documentary at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards, All This Mayhem is a searing account of what happens when raw talent and extreme personalities collide. In this unflinching, never-before-seen account of drugs and the dark side of professional skateboarding, brothers Tas and Ben Pappas' intense bond and charisma take them from the pinnacle of their sport into a spiraling world of self-destruction.

Critic Reviews

‘A sad, involving story.’ The Guardian ‘Martin has bestowed cinematic order on mayhem-fuelled lives.’ Little White Lies ‘All This Mayhem captivates not only in its energetic style of storytelling, but also thanks to the charisma that exudes from the mouth of Tas as he honesty tells his side of this doomed Shakespearean tale.’ CineVue ‘Candid and clear-eyed, this doc will wow boarding fans but has something to offer to the unconverted too.’ Empire Magazine

Awards

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards, winner of the best direction in a documentary, best editing in a documentary, best original music score in a documentary.
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Art of the Prank

Art of the Prank is an emotional and humorous journey following the evolution of Joey Skaggs, Godfather of the media hoax, as he tries to pull off the most challenging prank of his career. This is interwoven with amazing archive footage of his earlier escapades-all reported as fact by prestigious journalists. The resulting twists and turns provide unprecedented insight into Joey's work as an artist, activist and social satirist. Award-winning documentary about New York artist Joey Skaggs, the godfather of the media hoax, as he tries to pull off the most challenging prank of his career.

Awards

Lower East Side Film Festival 2016, winner of best of fest San Francisco Docfest 2016, winner of the Jury Prize Slamdance Film Festival 2016, winner of best documentary feature The Alhambra Theatre Film Festival 2016, winner of best documentary  
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Drew – The Man Behind the Poster

A documentary on legendary movie-poster artist Drew Struzan. Drew: The Man Behind the Poster is a 2013 American documentary film about the career of film poster artist Drew Struzan. It is directed by Erik Sharkey and premiered on July 19, 2013 at the San Diego Comic-Con International.

Critic Reviews

‘The Norman Rockwell of movie advertising steps in front of the camera for a long-overdue celebration sure to delight fans and heighten awareness of his legacy.’ Variety ‘Drew makes a valid case for the artist as not simply an all-time great, but as a casualty of a business that prizes bottom-line cost management above unique creativity.’ AV Club

Awards

Dragon*Con Independent Film Festival 2014 - Winner of Best Feature Film Ridgewood Guild Film Festival, US 2014 - Winner of the Festival Prize for Best Documentary
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Eden

Paul, a teenager in the underground scene of early-nineties Paris, forms a DJ collective with his friends and together they plunge into the nightlife of sex, drugs, and endless music.

Eden uses 1990s club culture as the appropriately intoxicating backdrop for a sensitive, low-key look at aging and the price of pursuing one's dreams.

Eden is a 2014 French drama film directed by Mia Hansen-Løve and co-written with Sven Hansen-Løve. The film stars Félix de Givry and Pauline Etienne. The film premiered in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. It was also screened in the 52nd edition of the New York Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival.

The film is an affecting trip into the electronic dance movement in Paris whose rhythms echo its textures and feeling. Based on the experiences of Hansen-Løve's brother Sven, the film follows Paul, a teenager in the underground scene of early-nineties Paris. Rave parties dominate that culture, but he's drawn to the more soulful rhythms of Chicago's garage house. He forms a DJ collective named Cheers, and together he and his friends plunge into the ephemeral nightlife of sex, drugs, and endless music.

Critic Reviews

'Rambling, talky and luxuriantly wistful, the film gives a perceptive survey of the self-importance and decadence of a youth movement.' Times UK

'A remarkable film which drums to its own beat.' Little White Lies

'Partly the story of a music scene, but mostly the story of a man who realises that living the dream isn't always the best thing for your life. Vivid, immersive and blessed with a perfectly nostalgic soundtrack.' Empire Magazine

'Eden, in its loose and free-form way, is as personal a statement as this 34-year-old director has yet made: it's telling that Paul is that age by the end of it.' Daily Telegraph UK

'Absorbing and very moving.' The Guardian

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Fruitvale Station

The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. Fruitvale Station is a 2013 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. The film is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man who was killed in 2009 by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle at the Fruitvale district station of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in Oakland. Fruitvale Station debuted under its original title Fruitvale at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best First Film. Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a compelling debut" and "a powerful dramatic feature film". He also praised the lead performances stating, "As Oscar, Jordan at moments gives off vibes of a very young Denzel Washington in the way he combines gentleness and toughness; he effortlessly draws the viewer in toward him. Diaz is vibrant as his patient and loyal girlfriend, while Spencer brings her gravitas to the proceedings as his stalwart mother."

Critic Reviews

‘Brilliantly observed and very moving.’ Independent (UK) ‘Coogler's realistic debut recreates Grant's final day with affection, refusing to cast him as either saint or sinner.’ Times (UK) ‘There is something almost spiritual in the eerie importance that all the ordinary, banal facts of a life achieve under scrutiny, as time is running out.’ Guardian

Awards

Acapulco Black Film Festival 2014 Winner of the Hollywood Award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year AFI Awards, USA 2014 Winner of the AFI Award for Movie of the Year African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) 2013 Winner of the AAFCA Award for Top 10 Films and Best Independent Film Austin Film Critics Association 2013 Winner of the AFCA Award for Best First Film Boston Online Film Critics Association 2013 Winner of the BOFCA Award for Ten Best Films of the Year Cannes Film Festival 2013 Winner Un Certain Regard - Avenir Prize - Ryan Coogler Film Independent Spirit Awards 2014 Winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature Hollywood Film Awards 2013 Winner of the Spotlight Award National Board of Review, USA 2013 Winner of the NBR Award for Best Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer Winner of Breakthrough Performance by an Actor - Michael B. Jordan Winner of Best Directorial Debut - Ryan Coogler New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2013 Winner of the NYFCC Award for Best First Film Satellite Awards 2013 Winner of the Breakthrough Performance Award        
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Dealt

Sixty-two year old Richard Turner is renowned as one of the world's greatest card magicians, yet he is completely blind. This is an in-depth look at a complex character who is one of magic's greatest hidden treasures. Dealt is a 2017 American documentary film directed by Luke Korem. The film is about the life and career of Richard Turner - who is renowned as one of the world's greatest card magicians, yet he is completely blind. Dealt debuted at the 2017 South By Southwest Film Festival in competition where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. Dealt then went on to win four more audience awards and screened at festivals around the world including China and New Zealand. One of the most renowned card magicians of all time, Richard Turner astounds audiences around the world with his legendary sleight of hand. What they may not even realize--and what makes his achievements all the more amazing--is that he is completely blind. Charting Turner's colorful life from his tumultuous childhood to the present, Dealt reveals how through determination and force of will, he overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to rise to the top of his profession.

Critic Reviews

‘This is a movie that has lots of magic, in more ways than one.’ San Fransisco Chronicle

'What he does with cards, a magician can't do," says [Turner's] son and stage manager Asa Spades Turner. Director Luke Korem's documentary proves the lad's point.’ San Diego Reader

'Dealt" achieves the neat trick of giving its main subject a rewarding character arc.’ Los Angeles Times

‘The card magician Richard Turner reveals that he has more than just a few tricks up his sleeve in Luke Korem's captivating documentary “Dealt.”' New York Times

‘A polished portrait that should play very well to those with eye disease and to those who support them.’ Hollywood Reporter

Awards

Dallas International Film Festival 2017, winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary

DeadCenter Film Festival 2017, winner of Best Documentary

Independent Film Festival of Boston 2017, winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary

SXSW Film Festival 2017, winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
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Gore Vidal – The United States of Amnesia

In Gore Vidal's America, the political coup has already happened. In this film Gore Vidal's acerbic, opinionated and informed approach rips away at the facade of the new America. The film dramatises Gore's political views and his concern at the present state of American democracy using interviews and historical footage of his famous appearances on television and talk shows over the last fifty years. In the recently filmed interviews Gore examines the course of American history and policy making and draws dramatic conclusions on the fate of the nation in the modern age. Winner of the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the United Nations Association Film Festival 2013, Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia is a 2013 documentary film about the life and career of author Gore Vidal. It premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2013. No twentieth-century figure has had a more profound effect on the worlds of literature, film, politics, historical debate, and the culture wars than Gore Vidal. Anchored by intimate one-on-one interviews with the man himself, Nicholas Wrathall's new documentary is a fascinating and wholly entertaining portrait of the last lion of the age of American liberalism. Commentary by those who knew him best-including filmmaker/nephew Burr Steers and the late Christopher Hitchens-blends with footage from Vidal's legendary on-air career to remind us why he will forever stand as one of the most brilliant and fearless critics of our time. </P

Critic Reviews

‘Vidal was our last great Roman senator, mourning the republic as he gazed at a corrupt empire. "Whenever I want to know what the United States is up to," he said, "I look into my own black heart.”’ Boston Globe ‘We watch before our eyes as Vidal goes from an impossibly handsome young man to a broken-down old one, and age does nothing for his mood.’ San Fransisco Chronicle ‘Vidal proves a great one for carving up sacred cows - the Founders, Lincoln, Kennedy, The New York Times, and on occasion, the most holy bovine of the self.’ San Diego Reader

Awards

Aspen Filmfest 2013, Audience Special Recognition - Documentary Palm Springs International Film Festival 2014, winner of best documentary feature Traverse City Film Festival 2013, winner of the founders prize - special award United Nations Association Film Festival 2013, winner of the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary
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Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me

As he struggles with Alzheimer's disease, country-music legend Glen Campbell embarks on his farewell tour in the U.S., Australia, and Europe. Oscar nominated, and Grammy Award winning, Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me is a 2014 American documentary film about country music singer Glen Campbell. Campbell and close friend Julian Raymond (the film's executive producer) won a Grammy Award and were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for writing the film's theme "I'm Not Gonna Miss You”. The heartrendingly honest Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me offers a window into Alzheimer's that should prove powerful viewing for Campbell fans and novices alike. In 2011, music legend Glen Campbell set out on an unprecedented tour across America. They thought it would last 5 weeks instead it went for 151 spectacular sold out shows over a triumphant year and a half across America. What made this tour extraordinary was that Glen had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He was told to hang up his guitar and prepare for the inevitable. Instead, Glen and his wife went public with his diagnosis and announced that he and his family would set out on a "Goodbye Tour."

Critic Reviews

‘Life is the collection of memories, and Campbell is losing them. But there is solace in the reality that you will not miss what you cannot recall.’ Globe and Mail ‘It's a rare, intensely personal look at Alzheimer's that will be tragically familiar to those who have lived with it and sobering and sad for those who have not.’ Toronto Star ‘Emotional and intimate.’ Toronto Sun ' This is a portrait of a star gaining luster even as his mortality becomes more evident.’ Seattle Times

Awards

Edmonton International Film Festival 2014 Winner of most outstanding biography Grammy Awards 2016 Winner of the best compilation soundtrack Nashville Film Festival 2014 Winner of the Grand Jury Prize Vancouver International Film Festival 2014 Winner of the award for most popular documentary feature film
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La Vie En Rose
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La Vie En Rose

Biopic of the iconic French singer Édith Piaf. Raised by her grandmother in a brothel, she was discovered while singing on a street corner at the age of 19. Despite her success, Piaf's life was filled with tragedy.

La Vie en Rose is a 2007 French biographical musical film about the life of French singer Édith Piaf. The film was co-written and directed by Olivier Dahan, and starred Marion Cotillard as Piaf.

Cotillard's performance earned her several accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actress — marking the first time an Oscar had been given for a French-language role — the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the César Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, the BAFTA Award for Best Makeup, Costume Design, Film Music, four additional César Awards and grossed $86.3 million worldwide.


Critic Reviews

‘Despite its story of suffering that comes in unceasing waves, La Vie en Rose may be the most hopeful film yet made about the grueling rigor of living.’ Charleston City Paper

‘In La Vie En Rose,we get to witness a rare and beautiful thing - an artist baring her soul and creating a performance for the ages.’ The Dispatch

‘In La Vie en Rose, Marion Cotillard has the role of a lifetime. And she relishes it.’ Fayette Weekly

Awards

Academy Awards, USA 2008 Winner Oscar Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Marion Cotillard

Best Achievement in Makeup Didier Lavergne, Jan Archibald

Golden Globes, USA 2008 Winner Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical

Winner Anthony Asquith Award for Film MusicChristopher Gunning

Winner BAFTA Film Award Best Leading Actress Marion Cotillard

Best Costume Design Marit Allen

Best Make Up & Hair

César Awards, France 2008 Winner César Best Actress (Meilleure actrice) Marion Cotillard

Best Cinematography (Meilleure photographie) Tetsuo Nagata

Best Production Design (Meilleurs décors) Olivier Raoux

Best Costume Design (Meilleurs costumes) Marit Allen

Best Sound (Meilleur son) Laurent Zeilig

Hollywood Film Awards 2007 Winner Hollywood Film Award Actress of the Year

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Loving Vincent

In a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh (Robert Gulaczyk) to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there. Loving Vincent is a 2017 experimental animated biographical drama film about the life of the painter Vincent van Gogh, and, in particular, about the circumstances of his death. It is the first fully painted animated feature film. The film, written and directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, is a Polish-UK co-production, funded by the Polish Film Institute, and partially through a Kickstarter campaign. Each of the film's 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, created using the same techniques as Van Gogh by a team of 125 artists drawn from around the globe. The film premiered at the 2017 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. It won Best Animated Feature Film Award at the 30th European Film Awards in Berlin and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 90th Academy Awards.

Critic Reviews

‘It's impossible not to be swept up by the artistic achievements on show. Van Gogh's distinct brush strokes, lovingly recreated frame by frame, bring this animation vividly alive.’ South China Morning Post ‘There is so much going on in every frame that it's hard to stop thinking long enough to become emotionally involved. But it hardly matters. This time it really is a case of art for art's sake.’ Sydney Morning Herald ‘There's a lot here to love.’ London Evening Herald

Awards

Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2018 Winner of the EDA Award for Best Animated Feature Film Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2017 Winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature European Film Awards 2017 Winner of the European Film Award for Best European Animated Feature Film Golden Trailer Awards 2017 Winner of the Golden Trailer for Best Foreign Animation/Family Trailer National Board of Review, USA 2017 Winner of the NBR Award for Top Ten Independent Films Online Film & Television Association 2018 Winner of the OFTA Film Award for Best Animated Picture Palm Springs International Animation Festival and Expo 2017 Winner of the Jury Award for Best Animated Feature
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Whitney

Whitney is a 2018 documentary film about the American singer and actress Whitney Houston. The film was directed by Kevin Macdonald and produced by Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn and Lisa Erspamer. Whitney was screened out of competition at the world premiere as part of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2018 with a cinema release on 6 July 2018. Terri White for Empire gave it 4/5, calling it: "A sobering, haunting but completely fresh look at Whitney's life and death that will reframe everything you think you know about the singer." Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote: "In Whitney, Macdonald lays out Houston's story—the light and the darkness—in a classically etched, kinetically edited way. He makes superb use of archival footage, tickles us with montages of her heyday (not just Houston but the whole era—the way her songs, in hindsight, tapped into a certain free-floating ’80s jubilance), and interviews her family members and associates. The film captures the quality that made Whitney Houston magical, but more than that it puts together the warring sides of her soul."

Critic Reviews

‘Macdonald makes artful use of jarring, subversive cuts to highlight the contradictions in Houston's career.’ New Yorker ‘Kevin Macdonald's "Whitney" is a documentary chronicle of Whitney Houston's life; it's tough-minded, unsparing and far superior to the biopic and the nonfiction film that preceded it.’ Wall Street Journal ‘Kevin Macdonald's electrifying and empathetic doc on Whitney Houston drops a shocking revelation about abuse- but if his look at how she fell apart shortchanges the range of her talent it is anything but sensationalistic,’ Rolling Stone

Awards

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2018 Winner of Best Documentary Feature Film
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