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For generations, people have come to Hot Springs, Arkansas to enjoy its thermal springs and elegant bathhouses. But around this time of year, they’re drawn to the historic spa town for another attraction – the longest running documentary film festival in North America.

The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival wraps up its 33rd edition this weekend with a screening of Luther: Never Too Much, Dawn Porter’s film about the late singer-songwriter Luther Vandross.

Over the course of nine days, Hsdff, a program of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute, has screened world premieres, works in progress, Oscar-contending films, and more – a slate from as far away as Bhutan and Ethiopia, and as close as Arkansas itself.

Exclusive: The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival will host the world premiere of American Coup: Wilmington 1898, about a forgotten chapter in American history that saw a white supremacist mob terrorize Black residents of a North Carolina city, overthrowing an elected city government.

The film directed by Yoruba Richen and Brad Lichtenstein is among the highlights of the 33rd edition of Hsdff, the oldest all-documentary film festival in North America. Directors Richen and Lichtenstein and two of the film’s main participants are expected to attend the festival, which runs October 18-26 in the Arkansas resort town. [Scroll for the full lineup]

Hsdff, presented by Oaklawn, will kick off with Space Cowboy, directed by Marah Strauch and Bryce Leavitt, fresh from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film tells the story of Joe Jennings, a man who has pulled off some of the most amazing skydiving stunts in cinema history, some that...

Two films expected to be in the awards hunt as the year progresses will screen in tandem at a special one-night only film festival in Tulsa, Ok.

Sugarcane, directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, and Look Into My Eyes, directed by Lana Wilson, will play back to back on Saturday at the inaugural Tulsa Hot Doks. The film festival is a joint undertaking by the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Arkansas and the Circle Cinema in Tulsa.

Sugarcane, winner of the directing prize for U.S. documentary at Sundance, “explores the investigation of unmarked graves at an Indian residential school in Canada, unearthing secrets above and below the ground and igniting a reckoning in the lives of survivors and their descendants.” Among those descendants is NoiseCat himself.

The critically acclaimed Look Into My Eyes held its U.S. premiere at Sundance and international premiere at Cph:dox in Copenhagen.

The Sudanese drama Goodbye Julia is continuing its impressive awards run, earning the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature over the weekend at the Sonoma International Film Festival in California.

Mohamed Kordofani directed the story set in the context of the secessionist movement that led to the establishment of the independent nation of South Sudan in 2011.

“We commend the festival for its impressive selection of narrative features and unanimously select Goodbye Julia as the best film,” jurors wrote. “An outstanding first feature from Mohamed Kordofani, anchored by two stellar performances from Eiman Yousif and Siran Riak, Goodbye Julia provides a glimpse into a culture and region that’s underrepresented and underexplored in contemporary cinema.”

The jury, comprised of Rosa Bosch (Begin Again Films), Tyler Coates (The Hollywood Reporter), Rebecca Fisher (Magnolia Pictures), Jason Hellerstein (Sideshow), and Julie Huntsinger (Telluride Film Festival), awarded a Special Mention to Hesitation Wound, describing...

The 27th Sonoma International Film Festival (March 20-24), as always, leaned into wine and food with the sold-out opening night U.S. premiere of Thomas Napper’s “Widow Clicquot” (Vertical Entertainment), starring Haley Bennett as the woman who saves the legendary winemaker’s legacy. The wine country film festival drew its highest audience attendance to date with a robust film slate programmed by artistic director Carl Spence (working with Executive Director Ginny Krieger), in his second year, including upcoming specialty fare like Luc Besson’s “DogMan” (Briarcliff Entertainment) starring Caleb Landry Jones in an incendiary performance, and Sony Pictures Classics’ raucous comedy “Wicked Little Letters,” starring Olivia Colman, along with a smattering of yummy wine and food events.

The five-day festival curated by Spence along with senior programmers Amanda Salazar and Ken Jacobson, showcased more than 100 films. Twenty-five countries were represented in this year’s lineup of 43 narrative features, 16 documentary features,...

The champagne may be flowing at the kickoff for the 27th Annual Sonoma International Film Festival – for more reasons than one.

This year’s event in California’s wine country will open with the U.S. premiere of Widow Clicquot, directed by Thomas Napper, a narrative feature about the Grande Dame of Champagne. Actress Haley Bennett stars in the titular role of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, “who against all odds advanced her late husband’s techniques to create the recipe for modern-day champagne.”

Siff, running from March 20-24, will showcase 43 narrative features, 16 documentary features, and 48 short films representing more than 25 countries, according to a release.

Maya Hawke in ‘Wildcat’

The festival’s Centerpiece Film is Wildcat, directed by Ethan Hawke and starring his daughter Maya Hawke as renowned Southern Gothic author Flannery O’Connor. The Closing Night Film is Luc Besson’s crime drama Dogman, starring Caleb Landry Jones. A Closing Night...

Exclusive: In search of compelling content for its 32nd edition, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Arkansas went as far afield as Afghanistan, and as close as Little Rock.

As part of Tuesday’s Filmmaker Forum — an inaugural program at the festival supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — Hsdff presented a panel called “Making History: The Little Rock Nine, Eyes on the Prize, and a National Historic Site.” Panelists included civil rights activist Elizabeth Eckford, who as a teenager in 1957 was one of nine African American students who desegregated all-white Little Rock High School.

Hot Springs, the longest running all-documentary film festival in North America, kicked off October 6 and runs through Saturday. The film program, featuring several world premieres, boasts documentaries from the U.S., the U.K., Estonia, Scandinavia, Kenya, Bolivia, and Tunisia, among other countries. Hollywoodgate, about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan post-departure of U.S.

Exclusive: The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival announced the lineup for the 32nd edition of North America’s longest-running all doc festival, a slate that includes several world premieres and a slew of Academy Award-contending films. In addition, Hot Springs announced Oscar-winning actress Mary Steenburgen, an Arkansas native, will serve as honorary chair of the event in the resort town located in the scenic Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas.

Filmmaker, artist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Sky Hopinka will receive the Hsdff Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award at this year’s festival; Diane Becker and Shane Boris, two of the Oscar-winning producers of Navalny, will earn the Impact Award. The festival runs from Oct. 6-14.

Musician Kishi Bashi, aka Kaoru Ishibashi

Among the world premieres happening at Hsdff are A Song Film by Kishi Bashi: Omoiyari, directed by Justin Taylor Smith...

Launching with the opening night world premiere of Marc Turtletaub’s “Jules,” a crowdpleaser sales title starring Ben Kingsley, the 26th annual Sonoma International Film Festival (March 22-26) drew its highest audience attendance to date. The wine country film festival combined a robust film slate programmed by newly appointed artistic director Carl Spence (working with Executive Director Ginny Krieger), from upcoming specialty fare like Paul Schrader’s “The Master Gardener,” starring Joel Edgerton and Sigourney Weaver, and Searchlight’s period biopic “Chevalier,” starring Kelvin Harrison Jr., with a smattering of yummy wine and food events with top chefs, from Martin Yan’s Shaking Beef with Three Onions to Joanne Weir’s herb-covered goat cheese tarte.

The five-day festival curated by Spence along with senior programmers Amanda Salazar and Ken Jacobson, showcased 110 films, including seven films making their US premieres as well as films acclaimed on the festival circuit. Thirty-two countries...

Exclusive: Multimedia mogul Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God” Mckelvey has boarded the documentary short In the Bubble with Jaime as an executive producer, ahead of its weekend premiere at the Montclair Film Festival.

In the Bubble examines Jaime Harrison’s 2020 Senate run against Lindsey Graham. Harrison, an African American Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina, raised more money during his campaign than any Senate candidate ever has. And in doing so, he has attracted a nationwide audience to the South Carolina race. Pic features never-before-seen footage of Harrison and his campaign team during the crux of the race and explores the challenges that Harrison had to navigate while running for office, including the Covid pandemic and the legacy of racism in the American South.

Emily Harrold directed the short and produced it with Seth Gadsden. Charlamagne Tha God is joined as an EP by Jedd Canty, Dara Canty and Karen Kinney.

“Jaime...

Updated with Audience Award winners: The 31st annual Palm Springs Film Festival has named the Bhutan drama Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom the winner of its Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Gay Chorus Deep South its Audience Award for Best Documentary.

The news Sunday comes after the fest yesterday revealed its juried award winners at a luncheon at the Hilton Palm Springs. There, Russian pic Beanpole took the Fipresci prize, while Bong Joon-Ho’s Oscar favorite Parasite copped the Fipresci Screenplay prize.

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, from director Pawo Choyning Dorji, was filmed on location at more than 16,000 feet in one of the most remote villages in Bhutan. The pic centers on a young displaced teacher who is taught his own life lessons from the happy and kind locals.

David Charles Rodrigues’ U.S. docu Gay Chorus Deep South follows the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus...

The Palm Springs International Film Festival, which began just after the New Year and wraps January 13, screened 188 films; 51 of them were submitted for the Best International Feature Film Academy Award. The Palm Springs Film Festival prize winners announced Saturday over brunch at the Hilton included a handful of these films. See the full list of winners below. Audience awards will be announced on Sunday.

Fipresci Prize for Best International Feature Film: “Beanpole” (Russia), Director Kantemir Balagov.

Fipresci Prize for Best Actor in a International Feature Film: Bartosz Bielenia from “Corpus Christi” (Poland).

Fipresci Prize for the Best Actress in a International Feature Film: Helena Zengel from “System Crasher” (Germany).

Fipresci Prize for International Screenplay: “Parasite” (South Korea), Screenwriters Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin-Won.

Fipresci Prize for International Screenplay Special Mention: “Antigone” (Canada), Screenwrier Sophie Deraspe.

The Fipresci jury members were film critics Pamela Biénzobas, Alferov Gavrylyshyn, and Tina Hassannia.

A Celebration of Life service has been scheduled for veteran talent manager Ken Jacobson, who died March 19 at the age of 60.

The public service will be held at 3 Pm, Thursday, April 18 at Mt. Sinai, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068. According to the family “requested attire is irreverently casual, jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, colorful as Ken would have wanted it.”

Jacobson was a founding partner of management firm James/Levy/Jacobson, where he, alongside his partners, was involved in launching the careers of such actors as James and Dave Franco, Jennie Garth, Jaimie Alexander, Michelle Williams, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mena Suvari and Erika Christensen.

After two decades at the company, in 2006, Jacobson left to launch his own company, Ken Jacobson Management.

Some of Jacobson’s longtime clients at the time of his death include Logan Browning (Netflix’s Dear White People), Summer Bishil (SyFy’s The Magicians) and Efren Ramirez (Napoleon Dynamite...

Ken Jacobson, one of the pioneers of talent management, died unexpectedly on Tuesday after more than three decades as a manager. I hear he was found unresponsive in his home. The cause of death is still being determined.

For 20 years, Jacobson was a founding partner of management firm James/Levy/Jacobson. Working alongside his partners, Jacobson was involved in launching the careers of such actors as James and Dave Franco, Jennie Garth, Jaimie Alexander, Michelle Williams, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mena Suvari and Erika Christensen. He signed Hilary Swank when she was 15, represented her for 10 years and helped her get Boys Don’t Cry, which earned her an Oscar. He also signed Ben Foster at the age of 12 and repped him for 20 years.

Jacobson’s career started in 1975 as an actor. For 10 years he appeared in theater in New York, including playing the role of David in the 1983 Tony Award-winning play Torch Song Trilogy.

Exclusive: Ben Foster is negotiating to join Rachel Weisz and Anthony Hopkins in 360, the Peter Morgan-scripted drama that will be directed by Fernando Meirelles. The indie drama has been building steam since last year when Weisz agreed to re-team with Meirelles after he directed to a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in The Constant Gardener. Hopkins joined shortly after. 360 is a series of intersecting storylines that deal with love and infidelity.  The film is inspired by Arthur Schnitzler's Reigen, the play most famously turned into the 1950s film La Ronde. Andrew Eaton is producing, and David Linde is exec producer. Linde and Eaton worked with UTA to square funding through a combination of sources including Austrian financiers and BBC Films. There is no distributor yet. Foster most recently starred with Jason Statham in the CBS Films remake The Mechanic, reprising the protege role that Jan-Michael Vincent played in the 1972 Charles Bronson thriller.

Exclusive: Ben Foster will star alongside Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale for Universal Pictures in Contraband, the English language remake of the 2008 Icelandic film Reykjavic-Rotterdam. The film is being directed by Baltasar Kormakur, who starred in, produced and co-wrote the original. Working Title partners Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are producing with Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Kormakur. Aaron Guzikowski wrote the script, and Wahlberg plays a former smuggler trying to go straight as a night guard. When his wife’s brother (who got him the job) botches a smuggling run, his life threatened and the night guard is dragged in for one more job. Foster plays the night guard's best friend and right hand man, who helps him take on the dangerous job. Foster next stars opposite Jason Statham in the CBS Films remake The Mechanic, and he's just now shooting the Oren Moverman-directed police corruption drama Rampart in Los Angeles.

Melinda McGraw has landed the female lead opposite Kelsey Grammer in his ABC comedy pilot, Alfre Woodard has joined Fox's "Maggie Hill," "Worst Week" star Kyle Bornheimer is set to play a lead on ABC's untitled Ricky Blitt comedy pilot, Reiko Aylesworth has joined ABC's untitled Jerry Bruckheimer drama, Jon Foster is set to star opposite Jenna Elfman in ABC's comedy "Accidentally on Purpose," and Arielle Kebbel has landed a lead on ABC's comedy "No Heroics."

Additionally, Katherine Moennig and Daniel Henney have been tapped to star in CBS' transplant surgery pilot "Three Rivers"; Elisabeth Harnois has been picked to star in another CBS medical drama pilot, "Miami Trauma"; Db Woodside has been cast in CBS' drama pilot "Back"; and Gail O'Grady has joined ABC's "Empire State."

In other pilot news, CBS' comedy "Good Girls" has been pushed because of difficulties casting the leads.

Wbtv/Werner TV's untitled Grammer project...