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If you have Hulu (or Disney Star in Canada), you might have noticed that Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later is no longer available. Indeed, Disney lost the rights to the independently financed original film, with them now only owning the rights to the Searchlight-financed sequel, 28 Weeks Later. That’s why you can’t find it on streaming sites and why the Blu-ray Disc is out of print. Sony now owns the rights to the film, with it being part of the package they acquired when they bought the rights to finance the upcoming Danny Boyle/ Alex Garland sequel, 28 Years Later. So, presumably, Sony will be reissuing the film in the near future, and there’s a chance that when they do, it’ll look much better than it ever did before. But why?

28 Days Later (2003) was shot with primitive digital tech:

Yesterday, we ran a story...

David Rooney: We’re nearing the middle of one of the most contentious election years in America’s history, with bitter divisions making a mockery of the increasingly obsolete appellation, “United States.” People are Anxious as they weigh a presidential vote destined to fuel the rage of one side or the other, potentially inciting violence.

That climate would seem to make this the ideal time for Alex Garland’s Civil War, which set a house record for A24 with its $25.7 million opening weekend and held strong at No. 1 in its second weekend. You can’t argue with those numbers. But what’s more interesting is the debate the film has ignited as to whether its fuzzy politics are a cop-out.

In probably the most rah-rah American movie of recent years, 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, the foreign enemy with a uranium enrichment plant that needs bombing was identified with vague allusions at best,...

Kobi Libii’s debut feature The American Society of Magical Negroes starts on a promising note. Aren, a spindly and awkward artist (an endearing Justice Smith) loiters near a yarn sculpture in a gallery. He seems lost in the sea of roving patrons and bustling waiters. It takes a second for us to realize that Aren created the meditative wool work and is struggling to sell it to the mostly white collectors attending this group show. They find the abstract piece illegible; they repeatedly ask about the material (“Is it … yarn?”) while maintaining a distance. These brief encounters are a clever jab by Libii at a visual art world historically enamored of Black figurative artists.

Minor drama ensues after Aren is mistaken for a server by a patron and unceremoniously fired by his gallerist. Before he can think straight, the dejected artist finds himself touring the gothic halls of The American Society of Magical Negroes,...

The American Society of Cinematographers has done the right thing.

The group said today that Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will receive its Board of Governors Award next month.

“Spike Lee is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, and the social impact of his work is immeasurable,” ASC President Shelly Johnson said. “This award celebrates his respect for the partnership between director and cinematographer and how two people unite to tell a visual story in a way that can only be recognized as that of collaboration.”

The Brooklyn-raised Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Do the Right Thing, for which he earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. Many more celebrated films would follow, including Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, Clockers, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Girl 6,...

Filmmaker Sam Pollard, one of the most prolific and important forces in contemporary documentary, will be honored by Black Public Media at its upcoming PitchBlack Awards in New York.

Pollard — who directed or co-directed four films and docuseries this year alone, including The League and Bill Russell: Legend — will receive the Bpm Trailblazer Award in a ceremony on April 25. The event is set to take place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, capping the latest edition of Bpm’s PitchBLACK Forum, described as “the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content.”

“A multiple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer-director-editor, Pollard is known for his work on a plethora of important works including: Eyes On The Prize, Maynard, MLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, and Mr. Soul!,” a release noted.

Two Christmas classics — one animated, one live action — and an apocalyptic sci-fi blockbuster are among the films that have been added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry for 2023.

Home Alone, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and The Nightmare Before Christmas are three of the 25 films added to the registry this year. Over 6,800 titles were submitted for consideration this year, with Home Alone and Terminator 2 among the films that drew some of the biggest public support.

The 2023 class features films from as far back as 1921 — the Kodak educational film,...

As cultural institutions crank out their various “Best of 2023” lists, there’s one year-end list that always feels especially poignant. The Library of Congress has announced its 2023 class of additions to the National Film Registry — a collection of titles that the United States National Film Preservation Board has deemed as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” This year, additions include Home Alone (1990), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Love & Basketball (2000), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and more.

“Films are an integral piece of America’s cultural heritage, reflecting stories of our nation for more than 125 years,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “We’re grateful to the film community for collaborating with the Library in our goal to preserve the heritage of cinema.” Among this aforementioned film community, the Library of Congress Blog highlighted Spike Lee’s fifth entry into the registry with his 2000 satire Bamboozled, as well...

Images of the 2023 National Film Registry selections

Home Alone, Love & Basketball, Apollo 13, 12 Years a Slave, and The Nightmare Before Christmas are among the 25 films chosen to be preserved by the Library of Congress National Film Registry. 2023’s selection also includes Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Lady and the Tramp, Desperately Seeking Susan, and Fame.

“Films are an integral piece of America’s cultural heritage, reflecting stories of our nation for more than 125 years. We are proud to add 25 diverse films to the National Film Registry as we preserve our history through film,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “We’re grateful to the film community for collaborating with the Library of Congress in our goal to preserve the heritage of cinema for generations to come.”

The new additions date back to 1921 and bring the total number of films included in the registry to 875. According to the Library of Congress,...

The National Film Registry just granted immortality to 25 classic films. Every year, the Library of Congress chooses another class to be preserved for posterity, and this year’s group includes some major blockbusters like “Terminator 2,” “Home Alone,” and “Apollo 13.”

To be eligible, a film must be at least 10 years old and carry what the library considers to be “cultural, historic or aesthetic importance,” in consultation with National Film Preservation Board members and other experts.

The list now stands at 875 remarkable films. If you’d like to nominate your favorite film for preservation, just fill out this form.

2023 Inductees into the National Film Registry 20 Feet from Stardom June 14, 2013

Directed by Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, “20 Feet from Stardom” uses archival footage and interviews sharing behind-the-scenes experiences, and shining the spotlight on backup singers, including Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, Jo Lawry, Claudia Lennear,...

A new batch of classic films have made their way into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry this week, including Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas!

This year’s new lineup of films that have been deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” also includes James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day!

The National Film Registry says of The Nightmare Before Christmas, “The king of dark whimsy, Tim Burton won over an even larger (and decidedly younger) crowd with this delightful stop-motion animated offering. Jack Skellington, whose giant pumpkin head rests precariously on top of his rail-thin body, is the king of Halloween Town; one year he dreams of bringing a little Christmas magic to his humble hamlet. Conceived and produced by Burton (with direction by Henry Selick), Nightmare features creative set design to construct an imaginary world, songs by Danny Elfman and the voice talents of Chris Sarandon,...

The Library of Congress National Film Registry has just inducted 25 new films, ranging from beloved fan favorites to esteemed cinematic classics. In a holiday-themed twist, Chris Columbus’ “Home Alone” and Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas” are among the inductees, along with films by Spike Lee, Steve McQueen, Ron Howard, Ang Lee, and James Cameron.

Twenty-five influential films were selected “for their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage,” per the official press release. The 2023 selections date back more than 100 years to a 1921 Kodak educational film titled “A Movie Trip Through Filmland” about how film stock is produced and the impact of movies globally, as well as Oscar-winning films “20 Feet From Stardom” and “12 Years a Slave.”

The public submitted 6,875 titles for consideration this year, with “Home Alone” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” garnering significant support. The total number of films in the registry...

Whenever films reach a certain point of cultural, historical or aesthetic significance, they get added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The movies are preserved for their contribution to the nation’s film heritage. Deadline reveals the 25 films that have been selected this year include Apollo 13, Home Alone and Lady and the Tramp, Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet; James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball, Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, and Steve McQueen’s Best Picture Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave.

Ron Howard commented on his Apollo 13 film’s inclusion, “It’s a very honest, heartfelt reflection of something that was very American, which was the space program in that time and what it meant to the country and to the world… I was very proud of the outcome. The experience remains an absolute highlight. It was...

Since 1989, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress has been accomplishing the important task of preserving films that “represent important cultural, artistic and historic achievements in filmmaking.” From films way back in 1897 all the way up to 2013, they’ve now reached 875 films that celebrate our heritage and encapsulate our film history.

Today they’ve unveiled their 2023 list, which includes Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball, John Sayles’ Matewan, and more.

“The National Film Registry is an essential American enterprise that officially recognizes the rich depth and variety, the eloquence and the real greatness of American cinema and the filmmakers who have created it, film by film,” said Scorsese.

Check out the list of this year’s additions below, the full list here, and...

The Library of Congress has unveiled its annual list of 25 movies to be added to the National Film Registry. The films selected each year are noted for their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.

Among the titles making the cut this year are Ron Howard’s space drama Apollo 13; family classics Home Alone and Lady and the Tramp; Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet; James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day;’ Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball; Spike Lee’s Bamboozled; and Steve McQueen’s Best Picture Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave. (Scroll down for the full list of films.)

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden made the announcement today saying the selection dates back more than 100 years to a 1921 Kodak educational film titled A Movie Trip Through Filmland about how film stock is produced and the impact of movies globally. In total,...

The Library of Congress announced the 25 features joining the National Film Registry for 2023, with titles including “12 Years a Slave,” “Home Alone,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Selected films must be more than 10 years old and are selected each year for their cultural, historic or aesthetic significance to preserve the film heritage of the U.S.

The Library of Congress is not responsible for the physical preservation of the titles selected — many have already been preserved by copyright holders, filmmakers or other archives. For those that haven’t yet been preserved, the Library’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center works to make sure it will be — through ventures with other archives or studios or through its own preservation program.

The selected films encompass more than 100 years of history, including the earliest title of this year’s additions — the 1921 educational film “A Movie Trip Through Filmland.”

Hollywood studio...

Just in time for the holidays, Chris Columbus’ Home Alone and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas have been unwrapped with 23 other cinematic sparklers for entry into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, it was announced Wednesday.

Among those also voted in: Dinner at Eight (1933), the seventh film from director George Cukor to be selected for preservation; Susan Seidelman’s Desperately Seeking Susan (1985); John Sayles’ Matewan (1987); James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991); Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet (1993); Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 (1995); Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball (2000) and Spike Lee’s Bamboozled (2000).

Then, there are the films with music central to their core: Lady and the Tramp (1955), Cruisin’ J-Town (1975), Passing Through (1977), Fame (1980) and the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom (2013).

This year’s picks span the years 1921 (the Kodak educational film A Movie Trip Through Filmland) to 2013 (20 Feet From Stardom and the lone Oscar...

There are few actors who command the screen like Kate Winslet, and with Ellen Kuras’ Lee, the thespian has one of her sturdiest roles in years. As tenacious, groundbreaking American war photographer Lee Miller, Winslet appears in nearly every scene, dominates nearly every conversation, and says more with an arched eyebrow than many actors can say across pages upon pages of dialogue. Winslet’s work here is every bit as strong as the performances she gave in films like Sense and Sensibility, Revolutionary Road, Little Children, and The Reader. There’s argument to be made that Lee features her finest turn.

What of the film itself? The photography of Lee Miller may have been bold and brilliant, but Ellen Kuras’ Lee isn’t. It’s a fine film, an involving one, and Kuras is best-known as cinematographer for a stellar list of films––Swoon, I Shot Andy Warhol, Summer of Sam,...

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Amazon Studios MGM releases the film in theaters on Friday, December 15 with expansion to follow on Friday, December 22.

In “American Fiction,” the comic and tragic go hand in hand. Each moment is layered with meaning, socially, politically, and emotionally. The film, based on the novel “Erasure” by writer and professor Percival Everett, is part satire, part romantic comedy, all combined with thoughtful family drama. With an all-star cast and talented writer at the helm, “American Fiction” is poised to become an audience favorite.

The film tells the story of Thelonious Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), an English professor and unsuccessful author suffering from writer’s block and explosive bouts of rage that alienate him from other people. After making one of his students cry, he’s forced to take a break from teaching and return to Boston to...

“Sometimes you have to create your own history,” reads a title card at the end of Cheryl Dunye’s debut feature. “The Watermelon Woman is fiction.” And it’s quite the gut punch. The film blends romance, comedy, and documentary elements around the journey of a video store clerk, Cheryl (Dunye), to uncover more information about the eponymous yet anonymous Black actress from the 1930s. Cheryl’s quest quickly proves quixotic given the dearth of information about this figure, which Dunye later reveals as an imagined refraction of her own troubles in identifying her Black lesbian cultural forebears.

Though now recognized as a landmark of New Queer Cinema, The Watermelon Woman, in an unfortunately ironic twist, spent many years languishing in a state of invisibility following its 1996 premiere. Thanks to her own confidence in celebrating the film, as well as the public consciousness catching up with its form and content,...

Spike Lee and the photographs, album covers, movie posters, letters, books, costumes and film memorabilia that have inspired him will be explored through a new immersive exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.

Spike Lee: Creative Sources will offer an in-depth look at the individuals, places and influences that have shaped the Oscar winner’s work. Running Oct. 6, 2023 to Feb. 4, 2024 and organized by Kimberli Gant, a curator of modern and contemporary art, with Indira A. Abiskaroon, curatorial assistant, modern and contemporary art at the Brooklyn Museum, the installation will feature over 300 objects displayed thematically in seven sections, each of which will feature a clip from one of Lee’s films.

“By making Lee’s collection accessible to the public, this showcase celebrates his legacy while honoring his deep connection to Brooklyn, a place that has been an integral part of his storytelling,” Gant said in a statement.

The seven sections of influences span Black history and culture,...

On March 12, 2023, Ruth E. Carter won her second Academy Award for her work on the costumes of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." It was Carter's second Oscar win after 2018's "Black Panther," making her the first costumer in history to win Academy Awards for a movie and its sequel. Her wins are both well-deserved. Extrapolating from the fictional country originally found in the pages of Marvel Comics, "Wakanda Forever" constructed the clothes and uniforms worn by the citizens of a high-tech central African nation that, thanks to their access to a rare miracle metal and an equally rare super-powered flower, allowed them to advance centuries beyond the rest of the world. Carter designed the clothes for Wakandan royalty, the royal guard, and the country's civilians. She also had to evoke Wakandan funerary rights, as the film opens with the funeral of the original Black Panther. Carter has said that Wakandan dress...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSWomen Talking.The 49th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which doesn't reveal its lineup until the four-day festival starts, took place last weekend. Its program included world premieres of Sarah Polley’s Women Talking and Sam Mendes’s Empire of Light, as well as Adam Curtis’s new 420-minute-long Russia [1985-1999] Traumazone, plus a tribute to Cate Blanchett. A.O. Scott, reporting from the festival for the New York Times, remarks that "Every so often, Telluride’s best is as good as movies can be," and singles out Women Talking specifically: "...what Women Talking shares with Moonlight is an absolute concentration on the specifics of story and setting that nonetheless illuminate a vast, underexplored region of contemporary life. A reality that has always been there is seen as if for the first time."Charlbi Dean Kriek—South African model,...

Damon Wayans (Fox’s Lethal Weapon) and Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) have signed on to star alongside Hailey Kilgore, David Iacono and Jeremie Harris in the noir thriller Cinnamon, which will debut exclusively on Fox’s free streaming service, Tubi, later this year.

The film currently in production in Atlanta follows a struggling small-town gas station attendant and aspiring singer, Jodi Jackson (Kilgore), whose life is sent into a tailspin when there’s a robbery at work. As previously announced, Iacono is playing Jodi’s fiercely devoted hustler boyfriend turned music manager, Eddie, with Harris as James Walker, a young gangster in the drug running business.

Grier will play Mama, the undisputed head of her family’s criminal organization, whose son James executes her wishes. Wayans will portray Wally, the owner of the convenience store that gets robbed. He’s a businessman who also owns a used car lot that...

Exclusive: Tommy Davidson, the actor, writer, producer, stand-up comic and author currently reprising his role as patriarch Oscar Proud in Disney+’s Proud Family reboot The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, has signed with APA for representation in all areas.

Davidson starred in Disney Channel’s beloved animated series The Proud Family throughout its run between 2001-2005. His recent credits also include an upcoming guest-starring role in CBS comedy series The Neighborhood; featured roles in the Nick Cannon-directed TV movie Miracles Across 125th Street and Michael J. White’s comedic feature The Outlaw Johnny Black; as well as guest appearances in BET+’s The Ms. Pat Show, the Netflix special Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine, and Showtime’s comedy series I’m Dying Up Here.

The multihyphenate is perhaps best known for starring in the groundbreaking sketch comedy series In Living Color, there becoming a standout with his impressions of Sammy Davis Jr.,...

Spike Lee will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction at this year’s DGA Awards, Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter announced today.

The DGA’s highest honor will be presented to Lee at the 74th annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12. Lee is the first Black director to get the award, which recognizes extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, He joins a roster of just 35 helmers so honored, including Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Miloš Forman and, most recently, Ridley Scott.

In a statement, Glatter said, “Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the craft of directing. From his groundbreaking Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman, and everything in-between – to his signature ‘double dolly’ shot, Spike is an innovator on so many levels.

Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter is partnering with Black and woman-owned, online vintage marketplace Thrilling on a Vintage Studio Services program, aimed at connecting stylists, designers and production companies with vintage and secondhand items for film and TV projects.

Nearly 1,000 shops across the U.S. will be accessible through the initiative, which is looking to help bolster small businesses, while encouraging eco-friendly and sustainable practices within entertainment.

As Thrilling’s first-ever brand ambassador, Carter has pledged to utilize the company and its new program in her upcoming projects for 2022. In celebration of the program’s launch, Thrilling has also unveiled a campaign comprised of styles inspired by Ruth’s work across 40+ film and television projects, which illustrates the role fashion plays in setting the stage for some of cinema’s most memorable scenes.

Naturally, Carter describes her partnership with the marketplace as “thrilling.

“I really want...

Exclusive: Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix Resurrections) has signed on to star in Redd Zone, a new Netflix drama from Emmy-nominated screenwriter Kristin Layne Tucker (A Black Lady Sketch Show), Oscar-winning director Matthew A. Cherry (Hair Love) and Westbrook Studios.

Based on a true story, Redd Zone follows Tia Magee (Smith), a single mother who steps forward to help her sons and their high school football teammates, “The Bros,” heal after the murder of their best friend, Dominic Redd. One by one, The Bros start moving into her house, and soon 17 are living under her roof. Eventually, all The Bros go to college, with four making it to the NFL. The film is dedicated to Redd’s memory, and to the powerful impact he had on his community.

Smith, Miguel Melendez and Westbrook Studios’ Co-President and Head of Motion Pictures Jon Mone will produce, with Emmy nominee Howard Burkons and...

Exclusive: Actor, stand-up comedian and bestselling author Damon Wayans has signed with CAA.

The four-time Emmy nominee starred just last night opposite Kevin Hart in ABC’s live staging of Diff’rent Strokes, as part of its Emmy-winning series, Live in Front of a Studio Audience. He played Willis Jackson, the role originated by Todd Bridges.

Wayans is best known for his work as the co-creator and writer of the Emmy-winning sketch series In Living Color, in which he also starred alongside family members including Keenen Ivory Wayans, Kim Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, as well as assorted comedy legends, including Jim Carrey, David Alan Grier and Jamie Foxx. He most recently starred as Roger Murtaugh in Fox’s Lethal Weapon series, also co-creating, exec producing and starring in the ABC comedy My Wife and Kids.

Wayans has appeared on the film side in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, Nick Castle’s hit comedy Major Payne,...

Back in October 2019, before the pandemic, we brought you news about American Civil War movie Freedom’s Path.

The feature, which charts the friendship between a Union soldier and a runaway slave who is helping facilitate the Underground Railroad, stars Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting), Rj Cyler (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl) and Gerran Howell (Catch 22). Post-production has just wrapped.

As it turned out, the project would mark the final stops on the journey of two veteran actors who died while the movie was in post-production: Thomas Jefferson Byrd, a frequent Spike Lee collaborator, and New Orleans native Carol Sutton, both of whom had supporting roles.

Both actors died in sad circumstances. Tony-nominee Byrd was murdered in Atlanta and Sutton died of complications from Covid.

Today, the production has chosen to release two images of the admired actors in their final film, marking the first official stills from the movie.

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From “Do the Right Thing” to “Da 5 Bloods,” Spike Lee’s film catalog is packed with classics that have shaped Black cinema, and film at large. The Brooklyn-born auteur is known for a unique storytelling style, and of course, his signature double-dolly shot (where the character remains stationary while the background moves), which he’s used in several films including “Mo’ Better Blueseppice” and “Malcolm X.”

Last week, Film at Lincoln Center presented Lee with the Chaplin Award during the 46th Chaplin Award Gala, held at New York City’s Alice Tully Hall. The celebration, which was delayed a year because of the pandemic, included an excerpt from Lee’s HBO documentary...

Yasiin Bey, the musician formerly known as Mos Def, will portray jazz piano legend Thelonious Monk in the biopic “Thelonious,” which is slated to begin production in the summer of 2022. The project is being brought to the screen by Jupiter Rising Film and its co-founders, Alberto Marzan and Peter Lord Moreland.

Moreland will also write the screenplay for the film, which “will center around [Monk’s] struggles for musical success, mental illness and the spiritual love triangle between his wife Nellie and one of the world’s richest women, Nica Rothschild,” according to a statement.

“This role is one that requires great depth and a unique understanding of who and what Thelonious Monk was and how his lasting impact can still be heard throughout the music world today,” said Marzan. “The moment I met Yasiin, I knew we found our Thelonious. It’s an honor to be the first to tell this...

Filmmaker Dee Rees made history on June 29 when her debut feature “Pariah” joined the Criterion Collection, making the Oscar and Emmy nominee the first Black American woman to have her work included. Before Rees, Euzhan Palcy, who is from Martinique, was the lone Black woman to have a film (1989’s “A Dry White Season”) selected.

“It feels like a formal acknowledgment of the film’s impact to the canon and being a part of the culture,” Rees tells Variety of having her movie chosen. “Even though artists have to try to find your validation from inside, it’s nice to be seen.”

And as a Black filmmaker in particular, Rees adds, “it’s important to be included for future generations of filmmakers, if [Criterion] is the thing that’s being taught in schools.”

“When they’re absent, then the assumption is there’s none in existence,” she explains. “There’s no Black filmmakers here,...

Exclusive: Peabody on Thursday said that documentary producer-director and film and TV editor Sam Pollard has been awarded the Peabody Career Achievement Award, while longtime PBS and CNN anchor Judy Woodruff has won the Peabody Award for Journalistic Integrity.

The honors come after the organization earlier this week gave Ava DuVernay’s Array its Institutional Award. The 30 winners of the 81st annual Peabody Awards will be unveiled later this month during a multi-day virtual presentation.

Pollard’s honor, given to individuals “whose work and commitment to broadcasting and digital media have left an indelible mark on the field and in American culture,” rewards a career of chronicling the Black experience via credits that include the landmark docus Eyes on the Prize II, Slavery By Another Name, August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand and Two Trains Runnin’. His director credits include Sammy Davis Jr., I’ve Gotta Be Me,...

Paul Mooney, the comedian, writer and actor known for his close collaborations with Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle, has died at the age of 79. Mooney died Wednesday at 5:30 a.m. at his home in Oakland, California, his representative confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter. No cause of death was provided.

Mooney’s official Twitter wrote to fans following news of the comedian’s death, “Thank you all from the bottom of all of our hearts …you’re all are the best!…… Mooney World .. The Godfather of Comedy – One Moon Many Stars!

Paul Mooney, the comedian, actor and writer for Richard Pryor, died on Wednesday morning, his representative Cassandra Williams confirmed to Variety. He was 79.

He died at his home in Oakland, Calif., after suffering a heart attack.

Mooney’s Twitter account also shared the news on Wednesday morning, posting “Thank you all from the bottom of all of our hearts…To all in love with this great man.”

Thank you all from the bottom of all of our hearts …you’re all are the best!…… Mooney World .. The Godfather of Comedy – One Moon Many Stars! .. To all in love with this great man.. many thanks...

Paul Mooney, a towering figure in the world of comedy and social criticism who brought a sharp eye and sharper humor to the subject of race relations, never better than in his collaborations with Richard Pryor, died today after suffering a heart attack. He was 79.

His death was announced by his cousin Rudy Ealy to CNN contributor Roland Martin, who said Mooney died at his home in Oakland.

As an actor, Mooney portrayed singer Sam Cooke in 1978’s The Buddy Holly Story, played Junebug in Spike Lee’s 2000 Bamboozled, made numerous guest appearances on such TV series and specials as The Richard Pryor Show, The Larry Sanders Show, and, more recently, Chappelle’s Show, Real Husbands of Hollywood, and, in 2004, his own comedy series Judge Mooney.

Mooney’s greatest influence, though, was as a writer, at first for sitcoms such as Sanford and Son and Good Times, but more significantly with and for Pryor.

In a compelling new HBO documentary, film-maker Sam Pollard speaks to prominent creatives to tell the struggle and success of African American art

“I get up at 7.30 in the morning and then I’m at my computer working, thinking about new ideas, pushing along the projects that I’m involved in,” 70-year-old Sam Pollard explains. The documentary film-maker, as an editor, frequently collaborated with Spike Lee on films such as Mo’ Better Blues, 4 Little Girls and Bamboozled. His storied directing career features the seminal civil rights docuseries Eyes on the Prize, the electrifying blues documentary Two Trains Runnin’, and the Academy Award-shortlisted MLK/FBI.

Related: Black on both sides: the African diaspora around the world – in pictures...

After unveiling the discs that will be arriving in April, including Bong Joon Ho’s Memories of Murder, Olivier Assayas’ Irma Vep, and more, Criterion has now announced what will be coming to their streaming channel next month.

Highlights include retrospectives dedicated to Guy Maddin, Ruby Dee, Lana Turner, and Gordon Parks, plus selections from Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg’s stellar box set. They will also present the exclusive streaming premieres of Bill Duke’s The Killing Floor, William Greaves’s Nationtime, Kevin Jerome Everson’s Park Lanes, and more.

Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, which recently arrived on the collection, will be landing on the channel as well, along with a special “Lovers on the Run” series including film noir (They Live by Night) to New Hollywood (Badlands) to the French New Wave (Pierrot le fou) to Blaxploitation (Thomasine & Bushrod) and beyond. Also...

Park City, Ut — 22 celebrated voices across film, art and culture will bestow this year’s awards on feature-length and short films at the Sundance Film Festival, at a digital ceremony taking place February 2nd. This year’s Festival is fully available online at Festival.Sundance.org; Awards Night will be live-streamed. Award-winning films will be available for special extended-run viewing the day after the ceremony.

The awards, which recognize standout artistic and cinematic achievement, are decided on by 6 section juries. As in years past, Festival audiences have a role in deciding the 2021 Audience Awards, open to films in the U.S. Competition, World Competition and Next categories.

“Our jurors have reached a high level of achievement in their individual fields, and can bring their unique perspective to the process of analyzing and evaluating films,” said Kim Yutani, the Festival’s Director of Programming. “We’re pleased to bring this accomplished,...

With less than two months to go before Genius: Aretha finally hits the small screen, the Oscar nominee who is portraying the Queen of Soul is hitting this year’s Sundance Film Festival as one of the shindigs’ jurors.

Cynthia Ervio will be joining the likes of Sff alum Raúl Castillo as one of the 22 jurors at this year’s semi-virtual cinema gathering (see the full list of jurors below)

Watching films and conferring from home via the likes of Zoom, the jurors’ decisions in the six selection categories will be unveiled on February 2 at a now digital ceremony. Well, except for

the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize which has already been awarded to Son of Monarchs.

“Our jurors have reached a high level of achievement in their individual fields, and can bring their unique perspective to the process of analyzing and evaluating films,” Festival’s Director of Programming Kim Yutani said Friday.

Usually the annual American Cinematheque tribute puts a bunch of Hollywood folks in black tie in a hotel ballroom to ingest rubber chicken and champagne. This year’s Spike Lee award show was a streamlined virtual affair hosted by “Inside Man” star Jodie Foster, who conducted a charming interview with Lee over the course of an evening interspersed by films clips and memories from such collaborators as actors Delroy Lindo and Angela Bassett, cinematographers Ernest Dickerson and Ellen Kuras, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, and production designer Wynn Thomas.

Brooklyn-based Lee, who is 63, has directed 25 features and documentaries plus countless commercials, collecting Emmys, BAFTAs, Cannes and critics awards along the way, including last year’s Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “BlacKkKlansman.”

“If you love what you are doing you can delay father time,” Lee said. “I’ve got some more joints to make. This award is not just for me but...

Usually the annual American Cinematheque tribute puts a bunch of Hollywood folks in black tie in a hotel ballroom to ingest rubber chicken and champagne. This year’s Spike Lee award show was a streamlined virtual affair hosted by “Inside Man” star Jodie Foster, who conducted a charming interview with Lee over the course of an evening interspersed by films clips and memories from such collaborators as actors Delroy Lindo and Angela Bassett, cinematographers Ernest Dickerson and Ellen Kuras, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, and production designer Wynn Thomas.

Brooklyn-based Lee, who is 63, has directed 25 features and documentaries plus countless commercials, collecting Emmys, BAFTAs, Cannes and critics awards along the way, including last year’s Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “BlacKkKlansman.”

“If you love what you are doing you can delay father time,” Lee said. “I’ve got some more joints to make. This award is not just for me but...

Storied filmmaker Spike Lee is the latest in a long line of auteurs to be awarded honors by the American Cinematheque.

The ceremony celebrating Lee’s more than three decade-career was presented virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. A collage of images from some of his most iconic “joints”, as well as a few personal photos of Lee with his wife Tonya, and children Satchel and Jackson and at a basketball game (presumably the filmmaker’s beloved Knicks) with Denzel Washington, served as the backdrop for the 34th annual event.

Past American Cinematheque honors recipient Jodie Foster hosted the broadcast, asking her “Inside Man” director, “It’s gotta be crazy to be honored for lifetime achievement. Does it seem like it’s been that long? Do you feel like you’re 100 years old?”

“If you love what you’re doing, you can delay Father Time,” Lee replied, “So I’ve...

Spike Lee was honored by his peers and associates Thursday as he became the 34th recipient of the American Cinematheque Award, given to a filmmaker or star who has achieved, and continues to achieve, great success in their career.

The honor, usually presented during a glitzy tribute dinner, had to go virtual this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but that didn’t stop Lee’s wide swath of admirers and colleagues from participating via Zoom and other means in the slickly produced and nicely assembled show that went off without a hitch this evening. Hosted by Jodie Foster, who previously co-starred with Denzel Washington in 2006’s Inside Man — Lee tonight recalled it as one of his personal favorites — the tribute included an innovative feature showing virtual conversations between pairs of various past artists from all fields who have worked with Lee, focusing on a specific film on which they participated.

Spike Lee is being honored with the American Cinematheque Award, and it undoubtedly encapsulates the director’s nearly five decades of artistic achievement. The award will be presented Jan. 14 in a virtual ceremony. “It’s a recognition of the body of work, and I’ve been putting in the work since the fall of 1979,” says Lee.

Previous American Cinematheque Award honorees include Amy Adams (2017), Bradley Cooper (2018) and Charlize Theron (2019).

After graduating from Morehouse College, Lee attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the graduate film program. He has been a tenured professor and the artistic director since 2002. Lee also eyes the next generation of filmmakers and considers himself a “proud parent” when looking at all of his students, including directors Shaka King (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) and Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”).

“I’ve always felt that teachers that teach well are also learning from their students,...

Other winners with the documentary group include Time director Garrett Bradley.

The International Documentary Association (Ida) has named the winners of its annual honourary awards, with veteran documentarian Sam Pollard getting the career achievement nod.

Documentary producer/director and feature and TV editor Pollard most recently made MLK/FBI, which premiered at the this year’s Toronto festival. Over his career, Pollard has edited a number of Spike Lee’s films including Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever and Bamboozled. His other documentaries include the Oscar-nominated Four Little Girls and Emmy-winner When The Levees Broke.

The Ida’s Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award goes to Garrett Bradley,...

Three-time Emmy winner Sam Pollard has been selected for the career achievement award by the International Documentary Association.

He will be honored at the 36th annual Ida Documentary Awards’ digital ceremony in January. The nominees for all categories will be revealed on Nov. 24.

Pollard won two Emmys for “When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts” and another for “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama.” He received an Oscar nomination in the documentary category for “4 Little Girls.” His most recent film “MLK/FBI” premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Pollard has also edited Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Jungle Fever” and “Bamboozled.”

His credits include “Slavery by Another Name,” “August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand,” “Two Trains Runnin,’” and “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me.” Pollard co-directed the six-part series “Why We Hate” and 2020 HBO series “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children.

The International Documentary Association on Tuesday unveiled the recipients of its 2020 honorary awards.

Sam Pollard, the Oscar-nominated director-producer whose credits include Four Little Girls and When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, has been tapped for the career achievement award. His most recent film, MLK/FBI, premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.

Pollard also is a film and TV editor who worked with Spike Lee on several movies, including Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever and Bamboozled. The duo also co-produced a number of documentary productions, including the Oscar-nominated Four Little Girls and the Emmy-winning When the Levees Broke.

His ...

The International Documentary Association on Tuesday unveiled the recipients of its 2020 honorary awards.

Sam Pollard, the Oscar-nominated director-producer whose credits include Four Little Girls and When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, has been tapped for the career achievement award. His most recent film, MLK/FBI, premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.

Pollard also is a film and TV editor who worked with Spike Lee on several movies, including Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever and Bamboozled. The duo also co-produced a number of documentary productions, including the Oscar-nominated Four Little Girls and the Emmy-winning When the Levees Broke.

His ...

Spike Lee will receive the American Cinematheque Award and will be honored during a virtual tribute on Jan. 14, 2021.

American Cinematheque chair Rick Nicita said the legendary director always keeps his finger on the pulse of society.

“As a cultural arts organization that celebrates the importance of film in our society, Spike Lee is the perfect choice for the Cinematheque’s annual award,” Nicita said. “Spike’s ability to perceive and depict the tone of contemporary society is shown in his movies, ranging from ‘Do the Right Thing,’ ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ ‘Malcolm X’ and ‘BlacKkKlansman’ to name only a few. He continues his outstanding output with this year’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’ and ‘American Utopia.’ We look forward with great anticipation to where he will next shine his light.”

“BlacKkKlansman,” which Lee co-wrote and directed, won the Academy Award for adapted screenplay. He was also nominated for an Oscar for directing and producing “BlacKkKlansman.