Thompson on Hollywood

Best Director Oscar Nominee Benh Zeitlin Talks 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' and its New Orleans Roots [Video Interview]

Features

What a year it's been for Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild." The indie has received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Actress and Addapted Screenplay. Watch my interview with Zeitlin below...

By Anne Thompson
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January 10, 2013 12:37 PM
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Jarecki Talks Political Campaign for Sundance Doc Winner 'The House I Live In' - Coming to Digital and VOD Platforms January 15

Features

UPDATE: Eugene Jarecki's incisive and incendiary "The House I Live In" arrives on all digital and VOD platforms on January 15. FilmBuff is handling the release, following its theatrical run last October...

By Anne Thompson
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December 21, 2012 12:26 PM
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New Sleepytime Artwork for Mike Birbiglia's Sundance Winner 'Sleepwalk With Me'

News

Check out the new artwork for Mike Birbiglia's Sundance NEXT winner "Sleepwalk With Me," which translates the comedian's successful 2008 standup routine into a film about a longterm couple who, like a shark, must either keep swimming or die...

By Beth Hanna
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June 27, 2012 2:56 PM
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LAFF: 'Middle of Nowhere' Gets Two Standing Ovations; DuVernay & Cast Talk Black Films Reaching Audiences In A Meaningful Way [New Teaser]

Features

Ava DuVernay's "Middle of Nowhere" played to a full house and two standing ovations at its Gala screening at the LA Film Fest on June 20. The drama is honest and immersive, moving and sexy, funny and unexpected.

By Sophia Savage
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June 22, 2012 3:39 PM
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The Art of the Mystery Doc: Must-Sees 'Searching for Sugar Man' and 'The Imposter'

Features

Festival faves "The Imposter" (Indomina, July 13) and "Searching for Sugar Man" (Sony Pictures Classics, July 27) are two hit Sundance docs that play like features. In other words, their directors manipulate their stories so that we are left in the dark, eagerly following clues, seeking the answer to mysteries that unfold in surprising ways.

By Anne Thompson
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June 21, 2012 5:50 PM
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De Niro vs. Redford: After Sundance London, Tribeca Launches Rival Tribeca Firenze at Tuscan Sun Festival

Festivals

The biggest name-brand film festivals are extending their reach overseas, from Sundance London to Tribeca Firenze. Not to be outshone by Robert Redford's successful --and high profile--London launch, Robert De Niro's rival Tribeca Enterprises is bringing Tribeca Firenze to the Tuscan Sun Festival in Florence, Italy.

By Anne Thompson
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May 7, 2012 10:21 AM
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Sundance London: Paul Simon, Unrepentant After All These Years

Festivals

Paul Simon made a virtually unheralded appearance at Sundance London on its opening day to answer audience questions about the documentary film "Under African Skies," which follows his return to South Africa 25 years after he travelled there to record it with local musicians, thus breaking a UN-sanctioned cultural boycott.

By David Gritten
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April 27, 2012 4:24 PM
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Sundance London: Robert Redford Talks Music and Fighting Tentpole Studios at Launch

Festivals

In Park City, Utah, Sundance founder Robert Redford often prefers to keep a relatively low profile while the festival is in full swing. That certainly wasn’t the case in the UK today, which marked the inaugural Sundance London Film and Music Festival. Redford was a prominent presence throughout the day, in keeping with Sundance’s need to project itself – if only over four days – in a new market.

By David Gritten
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April 27, 2012 8:22 AM
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New Trailer and Early Reviews: Lynn Shelton's 'Your Sister's Sister' Triangle Stars Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, Rosemarie DeWitt

News

Actress-writer-director Lynn Shelton's fourth feature, "Your Sister's Sister" (June 15), showcases an exhilarating trio of actors at the top of their improv game: Mark Duplass ("Humpday"), Rosemarie DeWitt ("Rachel's Getting Married," and Emily Blunt ("Young Victoria"). (See the new official trailer below.)

By Anne Thompson
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April 18, 2012 4:29 PM
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Music Box Will Release Sundance HBO Doc 'Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present'

News

The rule changes for documentaries to qualify for next year's Academy Awards require a multi-city theatrical run and a review in The NY Times. In an interview, HBO Documentary Films czar Sheila Nevins told me that going forward, HBO will now choose a far smaller number of films to qualify for the Oscars. Well, now HBO has picked one.