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Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter published a sharp piece of cultural analysis titled “Are Music and Other Celebrity Films Killing the Documentary?” Nonfiction filmmakers and programmers interviewed for the feature weighed in on the influence of the major streamers, shifting away from formal invention and probing investigation toward authorized, artist-friendly docs that function primarily as marketing, brand management and fan service. Alison Ellwood’s Boy George & Culture Club is a solid example of this anodyne trend. It’s candid but seldom reveals much that’s fresh, as infectious as one of the Brit new wave band’s earworm hits but about as weighty, too.

Still, anyone with fond memories of Culture Club’s heyday will likely be hooked from the moment the harmonica enters in the opening bars of “Church of the Poison Mind,” still one of the catchiest bops of the 1980s, heard here in a concert performance...

“I’m a goth that accidentally ended up in a pop band. It’s very upsetting.”

Singer-songwriter Boy George is known for wearing many hats. Big hats, even. The largest hats anyone has probably ever seen on a man seeking to entertain millions of people with his God-given talents.

Unfortunately for George, those signature hats might have started the downfall of the band he cultivated throughout the 1980s: Culture Club.

Director Alison Ellwood takes audiences on a journey through flamboyant styles and hard partying in the new documentary, “Boy George & Culture Club,” which features the history and tumultuous tenure of the band that made The Beatles look tame. Inspired and influenced by glam rock idols like David Bowie, Boy George has always fashioned himself a unique individual with the eccentric garbs draped on his body to demonstrate it. However, as George formed the British pop band Culture Club with fellow singers Mikey Craig,...

Over the past few years, documentary filmmaker Alison Ellwood has dove deep into the sagas of the Eagles, the Go-Go’s, the Osbourne family, and Cyndi Lauper. Her newest project, Boy George & Culture Club, explores the messy saga of one of the most iconic musical acts of the Eighties.

“Culture Club, with frontman, gender-bending Boy George, was a cultural phenomenon when they burst onto the scene, shocking and confusing the tabloids,” Ellwood tells Rolling Stone. “But the fans were not confused, the fans loved them – it was Beatlemania! Their music...

Exclusive: Concord Originals has elevated Charles Hopkins to Vice President of Development and Wesley Adams to Vice President of Production and Distribution,

Considered one of the preeminent homes for music- and theatre-to-screen development, the company has also promoted Imogen Lloyd Webber to the new role of Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications (Worldwide) for Concord Originals and Theatricals, the theatre division of Concord.

Previously serving as Director of Development and Production, Hopkins will focus going forward on developing scripted and unscripted projects for film and television across a variety of genres. Among the projects he’s producing is the biopic on Robert Johnson, the King of the Delta Blues, on which Concord Originals is partnering with Jesse Collins Entertainment, as we were recently first to tell you.

Formerly Director of Development and Production, Adams will oversee all aspects of production and distribution for the Concord Originals slate from concept...

Exclusive: Jesse Collins Entertainment and Concord Originals are partnering on a biopic of Robert Johnson, the influential musician nicknamed the King of the Delta Blues.

The project will mark the first authorized narrative feature on Johnson, a figure famous for his culture-defining influence on rock legends like the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin. Ridgeway Wilson (Black Girls Rock!) is set to write the script.

Born in Mississippi in 1911, Johnson pursued his passion for music partly as a way to avoid the sharecropper lifestyle prescribed to him by the American South. He took the tortuous lifestyle that came with being a Black man in that time and place and transformed his personal experience into music of universal relevance and global reach. When he died at 27, allegedly murdered by the jealous boyfriend of a former lover, his few recordings debuted posthumously at Carnegie Hall. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,...

Hidden in the hills of Los Angeles’ bohemian Laurel Canyon neighborhood lies a dark secret, a tale of mystery and corruption that has gone unsolved for over four decades. In the summer of 1981, four people were brutally murdered in a Canyon home, their battered bodies discovered in a scene of horror.

Yet the identity of the killers and their precise motives remained frustratingly obscured despite a lengthy police investigation. Now, crime author and former reporter Michael Connelly is reexamining the case in his new documentary series, The Wonderland Massacre.

Bringing his journalistic skills and true crime expertise, Connelly serves as our host and guide through this shadowy, unsolved case. Joining forces with Alison Ellwood as director, their goal is to finally shed light on the “Wonderland” murders by piecing together new clues and perspectives.

Connelly conducts in-depth interviews with the original investigators and personalities linked to the crime. Among them is Scott Thorson,...

The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood opened viewers' eyes about one of the most infamous true crime stories ever. The MGM+ docuseries not only revisited the shocking Los Angeles murders, but it built upon the Audible podcast to create a more immersive experience. Making that possible was director Alison Elwood, who tackled a project unlike anything she'd ever done before.

It was Elwood who had the idea of turning author Michael Connelly, best known for his Bosch novels, into a TV detective as she put him on camera. In an interview with Cbr, she spoke about making that decision and shaping the visual style of the four-episode series to make it distinct from the podcast as well as other true crime shows. Plus, she reveals what she found the most surprising along the way.

Cbr: The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood is such a startling docuseries.

The final episode of MGM+'s docuseries, The Wonderland Massacre & the Secret History of Hollywood, is now available to stream. In it, best-selling crime novelist Michael Connelly (the mind behind Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer) goes back through the 1981 murders on Wonderland Avenue, a case that embodied the sex and drugs era of Hollywood and inspired Boogie Nights. The murders span several corners of history and pop culture, involving famous porn star John Holmes, kingpins such as Pablo Escobar, mafiosos like Eddie Nash, and even Liberace and his boyfriend, Scott Thorson.

Connelly may be best known for his Harry Bosch novels, which have resulted in 10 television seasons worth of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, but he also has a long and storied history as a journalist. He put his investigative skills to excellent use when putting together his Audible Original, The Wonderland Murders & the Secret History of Hollywood, but...

The aptly titled Tulsa King Season 2 premiere finds Dwight “The General” Manfredi back in the saddle, alright.

He’s fighting for his life, giving advice behind bars, and expanding his business, all while navigating new enemies poised to take action to either scuttle or take over his successful Tulsa operation.

Don’t get me wrong; I know he’ll prevail. What’s the point of a show with Sly Stallone behind bars? But still, Dwight’s got a lot on his plate.

(Brian Douglas/Paramount+) Are The Walls Closing in on Dwight?

Thanks to his arrest, it’s the first time anyone has paid attention to Dwight’s Tulsa presence, making things much harder on The General.

Maybe that’s why he constantly toys with the idea of going legit. It’s got to be hard to thrive with that kind of stress. There is always someone out to get him.

There’s a certain magic in the air when you get to talk with Melanie Scrofano and Tim Rozon, the stars of Wynonna Earp: Vengeance.

The chemistry between Wynonna Earp and Doc Holliday on-screen spills over effortlessly in real life.

When we met online to discuss the highly anticipated Tubi special, it was clear that this isn’t just another project for them; it’s a labor of love fueled by a dedicated fandom and deep personal connections.

(Photo by Chris Delmas / Afp) Coming Home to Purgatory

For both Melanie and Tim, stepping back into their characters and returning to Purgatory felt more like a homecoming than just another gig.

“It was a dream come true,” Melanie began with a laugh. “There’s no place like home, and even if your home is really messed up and chaotic, that’s where the heart is for sure.”

Tim echoed her sentiment,...

Three Women premieres September 13 on Starz.

The series highlights some taboo and controversial issues that three distinct women experienced, and it will resonate with audiences.

The issues these three women experienced could have happened to any of us. Their stories needed to be told and heard.

Author and executive producer Lisa Taddeo began this journey by traveling the country for eight years, researching these three women’s stories.

Together, she and the showrunner and executive producer Laura Eason have crafted an in-depth look at female desire through Lina, Maggie, and Sloane’s voices. (Courtesy of Starz)

We talked with them and several of the cast to understand this dramatic series, which we’ve seen almost entirely and can’t say enough fantastic things about.

These women shared some enticing information about the series and what to expect from their characters’ journeys.

We hope you enjoy these interviews and return for...

On July 1, 1981, Hollywood was rocked by one of the most brutal murders in its history — the Wonderland Murders.

With ties to drugs, sex, and infamous names like John Holmes and Eddie Nash, the case has captivated true crime enthusiasts for decades.

Now, best-selling author Michael Connelly and Emmy-winning director Alison Ellwood are bringing this chilling story back to life with The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood, a four-part docuseries premiering on MGM+ on September 8.

(© 2024 MGMPlus Entertainment LLC)

We had the pleasure of speaking with Connelly and Ellwood about their collaboration, our fascination with this crime, and how they’ve turned a notorious Hollywood tale into a compelling visual experience.

For anyone who’s followed the Wonderland case — or those discovering it for the first time — this series promises to be both an eye-opener and a deep dive into Hollywood’s shadowy past.

(© 2024 MGMPlus Entertainment LLC) “A Visual Story Begging to Be Told”

Connelly,...

A new show hits the air, and you’re hooked, counting down the days until the next season. Then, out of nowhere — Boom! — you find out your favorite show is canceled.

Before the age of streaming, plenty of beloved shows barely made it past one season. The usual culprit? “Low ratings.”

(Fox / Screenshot)

But often, networks were to blame. Maybe they stuck a great show in a terrible time slot or scheduled it against a ratings juggernaut on another network.

Sometimes, the show was too edgy or dark for network bigwigs or too complex for mainstream audiences to embrace right away.

In rare cases, fan campaigns brought a canceled show back for another season, but more often, it was game over.

If streaming had been as big back then as it is now, these shows — and their loyal fans — might have gotten the long run they deserved.

So, what failed...

Fox’s Accused is a cut above the rest.

Anthological series are rare, in large part because it is difficult to tell a series of stories in a constructive manner that the audience can understand.

Thanks to Accused’s formatting, the series has a full beginning, middle, and end to each story.

(Fox)

However, the risk is that an audience could fall off throughout the season because there of zero connective tissue between each installment.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case with Accused’s premiere, which pulled off a near-impossible feat in modern television by bringing in eight million live viewers, a number that continued to accrue in the days following.

With its familiar and laudworthy casting, strong performances, and compelling stories, Accused had a winning formula for registering with the audience.

What Was the Plot of Accused Season 1? (Steve Wilkie/Fox)

The first season saw a series of cases...

Scott Thorson, the former lover of Liberace and a key witness in the trial for the 1981 killings known as the Wonderland Massacre, died in Los Angeles on Aug. 16. He was 65 and was a patient at a Los Angeles healthcare facility. Thorson had been suffering from cancer and a heart condition.

Thorson, who later legally changed his name to Jess Marlow, brought a $113 million palimony lawsuit against Liberace in 1982 that attracted a great deal of media attention. After the suit was filed, Liberace continued to deny he was gay and stated in court depositions that Thorson was never his lover. The case was settled in 1986; Thorson received $75,000 cash, as well as three cars and three pet dogs, valued at $20,000. Liberace died in 1987 of HIV/AIDS-related ailments.

In 1988, Thorson published “Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace,” a memoir about his time with Liberace. It included claims that the entertainer paid for Thorson to get plastic surgery,...

The true crime docuseries The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood is set to premiere on MGM+ starting September 8, 2024, at 10 p.m. Et/Pt. The four-episode series, based on Michael Connelly’s hit Audible podcast, is directed by Alison Ellwood and executive produced by Connelly, Ellwood, Jen Casey, Nick Gilhool, Eli Holzman, Aaron […]

MGM+ Releases Trailer True Crime Docuseries ‘The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood’...

She’s the subject of a new documentary, has just announced her farewell tour, and is about to play Glastonbury. The singer and songwriter discusses Trump, resilience and why she hated being pitted against Madonna

Once you’ve had a feature-length documentary made about you, it’s surely time to accept you’ve reached legendary status? Cyndi Lauper laughs. “My dogs don’t think so,” she says, to the sound of barking. Then, to her dogs: “You gotta stop, guys!”

Lauper is the subject of Let the Canary Sing, a new film by Alison Ellwood. It follows Lauper from her difficult childhood with an abusive stepfather, through the New York music scene and early bands, to the release of feminist anthem Girls Just Want to Have Fun, and beyond. There are clashes with music execs who don’t understand Lauper’s art school sensibility and want her to compete with Madonna,...

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” hitmaker Cyndi Lauper has revealed plans for her farewell concert tour, set to take place across North America this fall.

The Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter will embark on a 23-city trek from October 18 to December 5, her first major tour in over a decade. The two-time Grammy winner’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour” will kick off at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

The tour announcement coincides with the premiere of a new documentary that chronicles Lauper’s rise to fame. Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Alison Ellwood, Let the Canary Sing debuted on Paramount+ this week in the U.S. and Canada. The film explores Lauper’s meteoric ascent, pioneering punk-inspired style and tireless advocacy work.

Lauper, known for classic songs like “True Colors” and “All Through the Night,” will also appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday to discuss...

June will be a month of thrilling TV and awards shows on Paramount+. The month will open with the return of Taylor Sheridan’s prison drama “Mayor of Kingstown.” After Jeremy Renner’s near-fatal accident, the Oscar-nominated actor returns for Season 3 of the series on June 2. Throughout the month, entertainment fans will also be able to cheer on their favorites at the Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, June 7, and the Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16.

Also during the month of June, Paramount+ will be home to a handful of documentaries, highlighted by “Let the Canary Sing” and “How Music Got Free”. The streamer will also play host to exciting sports action, like the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament and games from the [Nwsl] and WNBA.

Paramount+ has two subscription tiers; the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential costs $5.99 per month and Paramount+ With Showtime runs $11.99 monthly. In addition to being ad-free, the latter tier...

Let the Canary Sing, a new documentary about the life of pop icon Cyndi Lauper, has received a release date and trailer. Get the first look below.

The project, which explores the decades-spanning career of the hitmaker, will hit Paramount+ on June 4th. The feature-length effort was directed by Alison Ellwood, whose previous work includes documentaries about The Go-Gos and the music scene of Laurel Canyon in the 1970s.

In the trailer, archival footage from Lauper’s life is intercut with audio from some of her hits, including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Time After Time,” along with interviews with fellow artists like Billy Porter and Patti Labelle.

Speaking about the documentary, Lauper shared, “Over the years I’ve been asked to do a documentary about my life and work, but it never felt like the right time. Until now. When I first met Alison Ellwood, I knew right...

Let the Canary Sing, a new documentary about the life of pop icon Cyndi Lauper, has received a release date and trailer. Get the first look below.

The project, which explores the decades-spanning career of the hitmaker, will hit Paramount+ on June 4th. The feature-length effort was directed by Alison Ellwood, whose previous work includes documentaries about The Go-Gos and the music scene of Laurel Canyon in the 1970s.

In the trailer, archival footage from Lauper’s life is intercut with audio from some of her hits, including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Time After Time,” along with interviews with fellow artists like Billy Porter and Patti Labelle.

Speaking about the documentary, Lauper shared, “Over the years I’ve been asked to do a documentary about my life and work, but it never felt like the right time. Until now. When I first met Alison Ellwood, I knew right...

Exclusive: Paramount+ has acquired the Cyndi Lauper documentary Let the Canary Sing and has set the premiere date for June 4 in the U.S. and Canada; the UK, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria can watch a day later.

Deadline has your first look at the trailer above.

Additionally, a companion album of the same name will be released by Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment. Tracks include many of her songs from her days in Blue Angel to her breakout single “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” to “True Colors” and “I Drove All Night,” to name a few.

Directed by Emmy Award-winning documentarian Alison Ellwood, Let the Canary Sing “chronicles Lauper’s meteoric ascent to stardom and her profound impact on generations through her music, ever-evolving punk style, unwavering feminism and tireless advocacy. The documentary takes the audience on an engaging...

Exclusive: Sky has landed UK broadcast rights to music film My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80thAnniversary Concert.

The deal was announced today by the film executive producers Sophia Dilley from Concord Originals and Imogen Lloyd Webber from Concord Theatricals. Sky will broadcast the film in the UK on Sky Arts in May.

Directed by BAFTA winner Julia Knowles (The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration), the film celebrates the historic partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and features iconic songs from The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Oklahoma! and others.

The film includes a concert captured in London in December 2023 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane – the same venue that premiered the original West End productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Carousel, SouthPacific and The King and I.

It was headlined by the likes of recent Rogers & Hammerstein leading lady Joanna Ampil (Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific); Olivier...

MGM+ has announced the acquisition of the two-part docuseries “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, debuting on the streamer on March 17 and March 24 at 9 p.m. Edt/Pdt. It focuses on the career of musician Paul Simon.

Per the docuseries’ description, “In Restless Dreams” “juxtaposes Simon’s process of making a new album during the Covid-19 pandemic against archival material tracing Simon’s career and creative journey, including revelatory, previously unseen footage from such historic moments as the recording of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Graceland,’ Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable reunion concert in Central Park, and, 10 years later, Simon’s solo concert there, where he performed before 750,000 people.”

Making appearances in the docuseries are “Saturday Night Live” creator and producer Lorne Michaels, Simon’s wife and singer Edie Brickwell and composer Wynton Marsalis.

Alex Gibney (“The Inventor”) directs and produces, with Jigsaw, Closer Media and Anonymous Content jointly producing.

MGM+, a premium linear channel and streaming service, today announced it has greenlit the true-crime docuseries The Wonderland Murders & The Secret History of Hollywood (working title), based on Michael Connelly’s (Bosch; The Lincoln Lawyer) hit Audible podcastof the same name. Directed by Alison Ellwood, the four-episode docuseries will be the definitive examination of the infamous Wonderland murder case in 1980s Los Angeles. The Wonderland Murders & the Secret History of Hollywoodwas released exclusively on Audible as a limited documentary podcast series and audiences have spent 150,000 hours listening to Connelly’s riveting investigation. On July 1, 1981, four people were discovered ... Read more...

We have some bad news for fans of Chapelwaite.

The horror drama will not be returning for a second season.

Co-creator and Executive Producer Jason Filardi took to X to share the sad news.

"I'm afraid Captain Boone's story ends on that beach of weathered, Maine sand," Filardi posted.

"There will be no Season 2. Thank you to all the Chapelwaite fans!"

Chapelwaite launched in August 2021, with the development of a second season being announced shortly after.

But with a lack of updates, fans were left pondering what would become of the series.

Unfortunately, it's likely that no episodes were produced for the planned second season, and Epix becoming MGM+ likely changed the streamer's priorities away from making the new season.

Set in the 1850s, the Chapelwaite follows Captain Charles Boone (Adrien Brody), who relocates his family of three children to his ancestral home in the small, seemingly sleepy town of Preacher's Corners,...

MGM+ has given the green light to true crime docuseries The Wonderland Murders & The Secret History of Hollywood.

The four-episode series is based on Michael Connelly’s podcast of the same name and will explore the infamous Wonderland murder case in 1980s Los Angeles. Connelly is also the author of the Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer series.

Alison Ellwood will direct the limited series.

“I love Alison’s work and look forward to working with her and MGM+,” Connelly said in a statement. “The Wonderland murders left an indelible impact on Hollywood, and exploring it with the original detectives and witnesses is exciting, and is going to help us answer many of the questions that are still out there.”

Here’s more about the case:

On July 1, 1981, four people were discovered severely beaten to death in a suburban home in Laurel Canyon on Wonderland Avenue. The murders’ aftermath spans two...

Sound Unseen, the music documentary festival held in Minneapolis, is returning with a slew of rock docs including Alison Ellwood’s Cyndi Lauper film Let the Canary Sing and the North American premiere of Peter Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin about the Libertines co-founder.

The 24th iteration of the festival runs between November 8-12.

Let The Canary Sing will open the festival on Wednesday November 8 and Katia de Vidas’s Doherty film closes the festival on Sunday November 12.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing some of the best and most buzzed about music documentaries and fiction films of the year to Minneapolis”, said Sound Unseen Festival Director Jim Brunzell. “The entire team has done an incredible job and after the success of last year’s festival, we hope the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota audiences will bring the same energy and excitement to Sound Unseen more than ever.”

Federation...

The Portuguese festival showcases documentaries from around the world.

The 21st edition of DocLisboa will open with Wang Bing’s Man In Black, and will close with Baan from Portuguese director Leonor Teles.

Man In Black premiered at Cannes and Baan made its debut at Locarno earlier this year.

The festival will take place in Lisbon from October 19-29.

Wang Bing, via videoconference, and Telles both participated in the festival press conference on September 28 at which festival director Miguel Ribeiro revealed this year’s programme in full.

Bing explained his film profiles 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important contemporary classical composers,...

The San Francisco music scene was bursting with magic during the Sixties and Seventies, from the rise of radio DJs and eye-catching poster artists to Rolling Stone magazine and a number of iconic acts who emerged from it, including the Grateful Dead, Sly and the Family Stone, Steve Miller, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, and Big Brother & the Holding Company. Directors Alison Ellwood and Anoosh Terzakian sought to bring audiences back to this lightning-in-a-bottle musical moment in San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time, which covers the years 1965 to 1975.

It...

The Bee Gees, The Go-Go’s, David Bowie, the Grateful Dead, Louis Armstrong, the Velvet Underground, and Tina Turner have something more in common than just musical greatness. They’ll all been the subject of recent documentaries, part of an explosion in popularity of the nonfiction genre.

Record companies used to be relatively passive partners in documentary making – licensing songs here and there. But with streaming platforms, theatrical distributors, and cable networks avid for music-driven docs and series, labels are stepping up to deliver nonfiction content themselves. Sony Music’s Premium Content Division has become a leader in the space.

“We have an incredible opportunity to pair up some of the best music artists in the world with some of the best filmmakers in the world and create new art between them,” notes Krista Wegener, EVP Premium Content Development, Sales and Distribution. “That’s a really exciting proposition and something...

From 1965 to 1975, San Francisco saw the rise of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Steve Miller, Santana, Moby Grape and more. A new two-part docuseries, San Francisco Sounds: A Place, examines this decade that propelled Bay Area musicians into the national scene.

The documentary is directed by Alison Ellwood and Anoosh Tertzakian, and comes from the same team behind the three-time Emmy-nominated documentary Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time including Jigsaw Productions, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Amblin Television, and Jeff Pollack.

A total of 24 feature films, including five world premieres, make up this year’s programme.

Edinburgh International Film Festival has unveiled a 24-title programme for 2023, featuring the world premiere of Janis Pugh’s feature debut Chuck Chuck Baby, and international titles spanning Europe, China, India and Japan.

There are five world premieres, plus five retrospective titles, five short films and an outdoor screening weekend of seven features.

Chuck Chuck Baby unfurls in a chicken factory in north Wales, and stars Louise Brealey, Annabel Scholey, Sorcha Cusack, Celyn Jones and Emily Fairn. It’s set in the present day, with a...

The full line-up includes 21 world premieres, six European premieres and 60 Irish premieres.

Ireland’s Galway Film Fleadh (July 11-16) returns for its 35th edition with a line-up including opening night film Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s The Miracle Club, following its world premiere at Tribeca, that stars Laura Linney, Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Agnes O’Casey.

The full line-up includes 21 world premieres, six European premieres and 60 Irish premieres from 43 countries, boasting 95 feature films in total.

Closing the festival will be the Irish premiere of Alison Ellwood-directed Cyndi Lauper documentary Let The Canary Sing, with the US ’Girls Just Want To Have Fun...

When you see a documentary about a game-changing pop star, you assume you’re going to get the story of the music, and also a good look at the life, and that there’ll be enough (on both counts) to go around. I was eager to see “Let the Canary Sing,” a documentary portrait of Cyndi Lauper, because it’s directed by Alison Ellwood, who made “The Go-Go’s” a few years back, and that movie had everything: the drama, the trauma, the saga of a total pop-music reset, as we watched the Go-Go’s bust down doors that had been too tightly shut for too long. Cyndi Lauper was no less revolutionary a figure, arriving in the early ’80s, along with Madonna, to announce that we were in the midst of a seismic new definition of what it meant to be a female pop star. The definition was: a star...

In her professional life, Cyndi Lauper has been a kaleidoscope of personae: ’80s pop hitmaker; New Wave fashion guru; proto-Third-Wave feminist; LGBTQ activist; Broadway composer and lyricist; chameleon powerhouse vocalist; and bubble gum punk Brooklynese comedian.

Alison Ellwood’s 140-minute Lauper rockumentary Let the Canary Sing uncovers yet another side of the iconic musician — master technician. Lauper’s older sister Ellen describes her as such toward the end of the doc, quaintly encapsulating the film’s thesis. You may think of Lauper as one or all of the above identities, but recognizing her precision as a producer seems to be the only true way to understand her artistry. And like any pop diva, her public image is just as engineered as her albums.

Let the Canary Sing is slight but competent, a “Cyndi by Cyndi” opportunity for the singer and a choice group of her family, friends and collaborators to nostalgically recount her biography.

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is one of Cyndi Lauper’s signature songs, but the iconic singer admits when she first recorded the track written by Robert Hazard, she thought: “It was like yawn and boring.”

“It wasn’t right for me. I sang his version. I sucked,” Lauper tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It was written by a guy and he was writing, ‘Hey, we’re lucky. They want to have fun. Here I am.’ And it wasn’t that way for me because I’m a woman. I’m not a man. And that would be a problem.”

But the budding singer did what she does best — takes matters in her own hands and got creative — flipping the song so it fit for her persona. And it became an international hit — one that is still recognizable 40 years after its release.

The story of “Girls” is one of many the Grammy,...

Polygram Entertainment, the film and television division of Universal Music Group, has announced that Daniel Inkeles will become the new senior vice president of film and television development and production.

Prior to his promotion, Inkeles was the vice president of scripted film and television for Umg. In that role he served as executive producer of NBC’s musical comedy “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” During the series’ two-season run, it was nominated for seven Emmys, winning one for Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming. Inkeles was also an executive producer for Alison Ellwood’s Critics Choice-winning documentary “The Go-Go’s,” which centered around the American rock band of the same name, as well as the 2019 film, “Billie,” James Erskine’s documentary about Billie Holiday.

Inkeles is based in Los Angeles and will report to David Blackman, the executive vice president and head of film and television development and production for Umg.

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‘Louis Armstrong...

It is directed by Alison Ellwood and financed by Sony Music Entertainment and Concord Originals.

London-based documentary specialist Dogwoof has picked up international sales, excluding North America, for Alison Ellwood’s Let The Canary Sing – a documentary feature chronicling US musician Cyndi Lauper’s career that has spanned over four decades.

It will world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in June, and be introduced to buyers next week at Cannes.

Let The Canary Sing is a Fine Point Films production, produced by Trevor Birney, Eimhear O’Neill and Andrew Tully. It is executive produced by Lisa Barbaris and Gregory P. Cimino II,...

The top-to-bottom rebrand of Epix into MGM+ under Amazon’s ownership means an increase in not only scripted series but also documentary content.

R.J. Cutler’s “Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA” is the first of five docuseries that will stream on the new platform in 2023.

About Jack Roland Murphy, an infamous jewel thief turned murderer, “Murf the Surf” was commissioned by Epix three years ago after Imagine Documentaries’ president Sara Bernstein and her former co-president Justin Wilkes pitched the story to Michael Wright, former president of Epix and current head of MGM+. (Wilkes was recently promoted to president of Imagine Entertainment.) After reading a New York Times’ article with the headline “How a Band of Surfer Dudes Pulled Off the Biggest Jewel Heist in N.Y. History,” Bernstein and Wilkes were immediately intrigued.

“It read like an “Ocean’s Eleven” story,” Bernstein says. “So, we sought out Jack Murphy,...

Exclusive: Paul McCartney’s incredible creative output in the decade after he left The Beatles will come into focus in Man on the Run (working title), a documentary to be directed by Oscar and Grammy winner Morgan Neville.

Mpl and Polygram Entertainment – the film and television unit of Universal Music Group – announced the project today, a day before the 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The feature film will explore “Paul McCartney’s extraordinary life following the breakup of The Beatles and how the love he shared with Linda McCartney influenced a journey that would lead to the formation of Wings and more of the greatest music ever created.”

Paul and Linda McCartney, circa 1970.

Neville, whose directing credits include 20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, and Roadrunner: An Anthony Bourdain Movie, has been granted access to never-before-seen home videos and photos from the archives...

More changes are afoot within the television industry.

Epix, the premium television network delivering a broad lineup of quality original series and docuseries, the latest movie releases, and classic film franchises, will rebrand as MGM+ on January 15, 2023.

Don't worry; your favorite content and ways to access it will remain fairly static.

Epix made the announcement today, saying the rebranding will exemplify the network's brand promise to provide premium cinematic television and a curated leading theatrical library, delivered by one of the world's most enduring entertainment brands.

The rebranded network will continue to deliver premium content with scripted originals, including the Emmy-winner Godfather of Harlem, the epic romantic adventure Billy the Kid, the contemporary sci-fi horror thriller From, and bold dramas Rogue Heroes and Belgravia.

The new brand will be unveiled in conjunction with The Godfather of Harlem Season 3.

The show's second season was Epix's best performing season of all time,...

There’s another plus in town – Epix is being rebranded as MGM+.

The cable network and streaming service is getting a new name and identity as well as a handful of new titles, as part of a relaunch set for January 2023.

MGM+ joins the likes of Disney+, Discovery+, Paramount+, ESPN+ and BET+ with the use of the symbol.

It comes five years after the vaunted Hollywood studio completed its acquisition of Viacom and Lionsgate’s stake in the business, giving it full control of the network, and five months after Amazon completed its own acquisition of MGM.

As part of the rebrand, the network, which will continue to be available in the U.S. on Prime Video, cable, telco, satellite, has handed out a number of greenlights.

Hotel Cocaine, which comes from Narcos’ Chris Brancato, has been handed an eight-episode order and Julian Fellowes’ British period drama Belgravia has been given a follow-up series.

Exclusive: Alex Gibney is adapting Michael Pollan’s mind-altering substance book How To Change Your Mind for Netflix.

Gibney is exec producing the four-part docuseries, which is based on The New York Times best-selling author’s book, which looks at what the science of psychedelics teaches people about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression and transcendence.

How To Change Your Mind is presented in four parts, each focused on a different mind-altering substance: LSD, psilocybin, Mdma, and mescaline.

With Pollan as guide, viewers will journey to the frontiers of the new psychedelic renaissance – and look back at almost-forgotten historical context – to explore the potential of these substances to heal and change minds as well as culture.

The docuseries launches on July 12.

The series is directed by Emmy-nominated Alison Ellwood, who has directed films such as Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time, History of the Eagles, and Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search...

In 1980, Cyndi Lauper found herself in court with her fellow Blue Angel bandmates, mixed up in a legal dispute with former manager Steve Massarsky. He sued the group for 80,000 and the singer filed for bankruptcy. When the case was finalized, she recalled to Rolling Stone in 1984, the judge exclaimed: “Let the canary sing!” Now, Lauper is taking that iconic line and lending it to Sony Music Entertainment as the title of her forthcoming definitive, career-spanning documentary.

Now in production via Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division, Let the Canary...

Sony Music Entertainment is officially in production for a Cyndi Lauper documentary titled “Let The Canary Sing,” a feature-length film that promises to explore the singer’s 30-plus year career.

The film, which is being made in partnership with Lauper herself, will be directed by award-winning documentarian Alison Ellwood, who most recently directed the Emmy-nominated two-part documentary, “Laurel Canyon.” Ellwood has also previously collaborated with Fine Point Films on “The Go-Go’s,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Music Film at the Critics’ Choice Awards.

“Like many people, I assumed when Cyndi Lauper burst onto the music scene in the early ’80s, that she was another young star experiencing a meteoric rise to fame and success thanks to MTV,” said Ellwood. “Her music videos were wild and colorful, her songs like ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ were infectious. But as it turns out,...

Epix is continuing to rock with new music documentaries and is throwing some scares into the equation.

The MGM-owned cable network has ordered the four-part series Women Who Rock, exec produced by John Varvatos, who was behind its Punk series.

It is the latest music-focused series for the network, which recently aired Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&m Records and has put a slew of titles into development (see the list below).

It has also ordered docuseries The Making of a Haunting: The Amityville Murders and renewed NFL Icons for a second season.

Women Who Rock will feature interviews with the likes of Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Pat Benatar, Mavis Staples, Sheila E, Macy Gray, Rickie Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, Tina Weymouth and Nona Hendrix. It will pay homage to the legion of female pioneers in music who have stormed...

Exclusive: Polygram Entertainment, the film and television arm of Universal Music Group, is embarking on a feature documentary about iconic singer Donna Summer, with some of the biggest names in nonfiction attached to the project.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams will direct Donna, alongside Summer’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano. Williams is producing with Oscar nominee Julie Goldman, Emmy winners Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements, and Polygram chief David Blackman.

Donna marks the latest in an ambitious slate of films and series from Polygram Entertainment, leveraging the artists and catalogues of Umg. Polygram’s recent documentaries include Oscar contender The Velvet Underground, Emmy-winner The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, and The Apollo, the winner of the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary Special that was directed by Williams and on which Goldman served as an executive producer.

“We had been involved in The Apollo documentary with Roger,...

The Go-Go’s are releasing their documentary of the same name this coming winter, featuring interviews with Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlin. Part of the film focuses on the band’s efforts to write a new song, “Club Zero,” about female empowerment — and they dropped the video for the track Friday.

Directed by Alison Ellwood, the documentary first premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival before airing on Showtime during the summer, when the Covid-19 pandemic made a wide theatrical release out of the question.

“It’s complete bullsh*t…he has no idea what he’s talking about” is a quote from the trailer from Totally Under Control, Alex Gibney’s documentary that chronicles Donald Trump and the White House’s failed response to the coronavirus pandemic. The trailer for the upcoming Neon film caught the eyes of over 6 million viewers in its first 72 hours across all platforms since its Friday release, which pretty much shows that the world is searching for the truth.

The trailer comes in the wake of the Covid soup that has brewed in the White House as President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and numerous members of his administration and the Republican party have tested positive for the coronavirus. The documentary was directed by Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger and was filmed in secrecy over the last four months.

On January 20, 2020 the U.S. and South Korea both...