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Sundance audiences have cast a bright light on Ryan White’s, Come See Me in the Good Light, by delivering a festival favorite prize on the feature film documentary.

Come See Me in the Good Light follows two poets, Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley, as they “go on an unexpectedly funny and poignant journey through love, life and mortality,” per the official festival description, spurred by the former’s incurable cancer diagnosis. The doc’s high profile roster of producers and executive producers includes such names as Tig Notaro, Brandi Carlile, Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Kevin Nealon and Sara Bareilles, among others.

“Throughout the festival we saw audiences moved by Andrea Gibson’s and Megan Falley’s journeys in Come See Me in the Good Light. Festival goers embraced the humor and heartbreak of this intimate documentary directed by Ryan White, as it speaks to art and love and reminds...

When Ryan White initially asked producer Tig Notaro why documentaries aren’t funnier, he did not expect her to pitch a queer poet’s terminal cancer journey as the antidote.

“Tig called us a couple years ago with this idea,” the director said at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio presented by World of Hyatt. “We said truly what could be a less funny combination of words than poetry and cancer?”

After meeting the soon-to-be subjects of “Come See Me in the Good Light,” White — previously best known for directing docs like “Good Night Oppy” and “Pamlea: A Love Story” — quickly changed his mind. White and Notaro’s unlikely documentary charts poet laureate Andrea Gibson’s journey with ovarian cancer. Following the now 49-year-old writer, who uses they/them pronouns, the film shows them navigating life after the diagnosis and enjoying the time left with partner and fellow poet Megan Falley. It...

To many of those who have gone through end-of-life decisions after a cancer diagnosis, the disease itself tends to be no laughing matter. It has the ability to destroy families, knock down the strongest of humans and alter one’s trajectory permanently. But for the lucky few, like poet laureate Andrea Gibson, cancer can be a struggle but it can also shed light on the true meaning of what it takes to keep a life well-lived going.

Gibson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer several years ago, but that’s not the end of the story. Identifying with they/them pronouns, the now 49-year-old has made their mark on society as a poet who tours the country, spouting frustrations with confident tones. Very fitting, their life after the diagnosis and their relationship with wife and fellow poet Megan Falley is detailed with great humor and humility in director Ryan White’s...

What’s the deal with the film Academy’s documentary branch? This season’s shortlist for the best documentary feature Oscar, released Dec. 17, was missing one of the year’s most acclaimed crowd-pleasers, Warner Bros.’ Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story — which is at 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, won the top Critics Choice documentary award and is nominated for the Producers Guild’s top doc award — and also impressive documentaries about Martha Stewart (Martha), Celine Dion (I Am: Celine Dion), James Carville (Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid) and John Williams (Music by John Williams), among others.

This isn’t to say that the 15 docs that were shortlisted are lacking — to the contrary, most are excellent. But it does reconfirm the doc branch’s weird aversion, over roughly the past decade, to populist titles.

During that period, the branch declined to shortlist Good Night Oppy, a charmer about a Wall-e-like Mars...

“Sugarcane,” “No Other Land,” “Will & Harper,” “Dahomey” and “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” are among the 15 films that made the shortlist in the Oscars’ Best Documentary Feature category, one of 10 shortlists that the Academy announced on Tuesday.

The doc shortlist includes many of the most acclaimed nonfiction films of 2024, including Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie’s “Sugarcane,” which led all nominees at the IDA Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye Honors and Critics Choice Documentary Awards; Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham’s “No Other Land,” which went on to win at the IDA doc awards; and Mati Diop’s “Dahomey,” which also landed a spot on the International Feature Film list, representing Senegal.

As always, there were snubs, including “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” a well-reviewed look at the late actor who famously played the Man of Steel, directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui.

Angela Bassett has been working diligently in the film industry for decades now, but many feel that the actress has not gotten the recognition she really deserves. Known for her diverse discography, and roles both on the big and small screen, in a career first for the actress Bassett won an Emmy Award for her narrating work in National Geographic’s Queens.

Angela Bassett in Black Panther 2 | Credit: Marvel Studios

Winning her first-ever Emmy Award after years of nominations, Angela Bassett nearly turned down the very project that ultimately earned her this long-deserved and awaited recognition.

Angela Bassett Wins Her First Ever Emmy Award after Years of Getting Nominated Hollywood Legend Angela Bassett at the Emmy Awards | Credit: Instagram / @im.angelabassett

Angela Bassett is one of the most iconic actresses of our time, whose career spans decades. Having showed off her impeccable talent in various roles across genres and mediums,...

Angela Bassett is a first-time Emmy Award winner after taking home the award for best narrator at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday. The actress was nominated for her work on National Geographic‘s Queens.

“It feels good; really, really good,” Bassett said in her acceptance speech. “Thank you to National Geographic, Wild Star Film, and all the directors — all women — who brought this incredible story, this incredible docuseries centered on the ferocious and magnificent things in the animal kingdom. I couldn’t be more thrilled and more grateful.”

Bassett first said no to the project, telling The Hollywood Reporter in a previous interview, “It was summertime. It was hiatus [for 9-1-1]. It had been a long season. I was looking forward to going on vacation, spending time with the family, and downtime from work because it’s a continuous roller coaster. But they came back around and sent me the sizzle reel and I said,...

"I saw the fire and I walked right in it - and that transformed me." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for the documentary film titled Into The Fire: The Lost Daughter, from acclaimed doc director Ryan White. This is set for a streaming debut on September 12th this fall. A mother finds herself drawn into a labyrinth of unanswered questions when she discovers that the daughter she gave up for adoption many years ago has disappeared. "We want people to see people like Cathy and realize that when you take action and fight for what you believe is right, the truth can and will come out, and more often than not there’s people that will want to help bring that truth to light." The film is produced by Jessica Hargrave, Matt Maher, and Charlize Theron - stating: "Cathy was resilient and followed her intuition all the way to...

Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, and scripted by John Orloff, “Masters of the Air” follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air. Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of “Masters of the Air.” Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.

The series received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Or Anthology Series, Movie Or Special, Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Or Anthology Series...

Amazon Prime Video offers a diverse range of documentaries, from space to sports, catering to various interests and preferences. The documentaries on Prime cover award-winning releases, true-crime stories, inspirational sports tales, and even dark truths behind reality TV. The platform showcases powerful and emotional documentaries like 'Good Night Oppy' and 'I Am: Celine Dion,' sharing personal and impactful stories.

A film genre that has particularly thrived with the popularity of streaming is documentaries, and the best documentaries available on Amazon Prime Video offer unique looks at a multitude of subjects. From space and the universe's origins to sports biographies, Amazon Prime Video has something to offer in almost every documentary category. Whether subscribers want an in-depth look at the cultural problems impacting society today or the shocking behind-the-scenes stories of reality TV shows, Amazon's streaming platform is almost guaranteed to have a documentary available on the subject.

In September 2021, Olivia Colman bagged her first career Emmy for “The Crown” despite having failed on her Oscar bid for “The Father” five months earlier. This made her the 16th performer to triumph at the Emmys after going home empty-handed at the same year’s Oscars and the fourth to do so during the 21st century. The release of the 2024 Emmy nominations ballots confirmed that nine of the 16 actors who lost at the latest Oscars ceremony are capable of joining Colman on said list.

Gold Derby’s current Emmy odds indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Ryan Gosling and Jodie Foster, who just earned their respective third and fifth Academy Award notices for their supporting turns in “Barbie” and “Nyad.” They are now generally expected to share in the experience of being first-time acting Emmy nominees thanks to his...

Angela Bassett’s career took off in the 1990s with films including What’s Love Got to Do with It – which earned the actress her first Oscar nomination — Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

But her success in just the past half-dozen years has managed to surpass the Yale Drama School graduate’s initial rise to fame.

In the latest example of a surge that began with 2018’s Black Panther, Bassett’s powerful, mellifluous voice provides the narration for a groundbreaking Emmy-contending National Geographic wildlife documentary series, Queens, which chronicles the natural world and its distaff leaders through a uniquely female lens.

A lioness shows aggression towards the pride male.

Bassett’s voice illuminates stories of species as diverse as elephants, hyenas, whales, lions and bears and how they are led by females with a range of leadership styles. It’s another breaking of the mold of traditional natural history filmmaking,...

Morgan Freeman might have some fierce competition as former President Barack Obama beat him to the Emmy award for outstanding narrator.

The 44th U.S. president won the award for his voicework in Working: What We Do All Day. In addition to Freeman in Our Universe, Obama was up against Mahershala Ali in Chimp Empire, Angela Bassett in Good Night Oppy and Pedro Pascal in Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World.

Working: What We Do All Day is a docu-series that follows the lives of 12 people working in the home care, tech and hospitality industries. It was inspired by Studs Terkel’s nonfiction book called Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.

Last year, Obama won an Emmy for Outstanding Narrator for his voiceover in Our Great National Parks. The last former president to win an Emmy was Dwight D. Eisenhower,...

Gersh has tapped longtime PR executive Matt Andrée Wiltens for the role of senior vp and head of global corporate communications, the agency announced Thursday.

The strategic hire comes as the agency begins a global expansion plan following an equity investment by Crestview Partners in 2023.

Andrée Wiltens was previously the vp of marketing and communications at Amblin Partners, the multi-faceted prestige production banner run by Steven Spielberg, Jeff Small and Kristie Macosko Krieger. During his five years with Amblin, he served as a publicist for company’s film and television divisions as well as for the legendary filmmaker, along with the company’s senior execs.

Andrée Wiltens was also key in the marketing and publicity campaigns for awards players such as war drama 1917, family drama The Fabelmans, musical West Side Story, Oscar best picture winner Green Book, and documentary Good Night Oppy as well as shows such as The Americans...

Former Amblin and Paramount Pictures vet Matt Andrée Wiltens is joining Gersh as their new SVP and Head of Global Corporate Communications.

Most recently, Andrée Wiltens was the VP of Marketing and Communications at Amblin Partners. During his five years with Amblin, he served as a publicist for company’s film and television divisions as well as for 3x Oscar winner Steven Spielberg, 4x Oscar nominee Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Amblin’s senior executives.

Andrée Wiltens was also a driving force behind the marketing and publicity campaigns for 1917, The Fabelmans, West Side Story, Green Book, The Americans, Good Night Oppy, and The Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor, among other notable productions.

Prior to his time at Amblin, Andrée Wiltens spent over a decade at Paramount Pictures. He rose through the ranks of its New Zealand office and the Digital department of its international head office before being appointed VP of Global Brand Strategy.

The Oscars shortlist voting period has closed as of 5:00 p.m. Pt.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the finalists in 10 categories — documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (15), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (15), live action short film (15), and visual effects (10) — on Thursday, Dec. 21.

We expect to see multiple best picture contenders in various races, including Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s historical biopic “Oppenheimer.” When it comes to “Barbie,” we are forecasting six mentions for the movie, including three of its songs — “Dance the Night,” “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For,” which feels like it sealed the deal with Billie Eilish’s moving musical performance on this week’s “Saturday Night Live.”

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

Varying mediums and genres could find representation throughout the lists.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences branches began voting today to determine the shortlists in 10 categories for the upcoming 96th Academy Awards. These categories, along with the number of films to be named, are: documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (15), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (15), live action short film (15), and visual effects (10).

The shortlist voting period runs from Dec. 14-18, with the finalists announced on Dec. 21. Nominations voting will occur from Jan. 11-16, and the official nominees in all categories will be revealed on Jan. 23.

The Academy comprises nearly 10,000 eligible voting members, each belonging to one of 18 branches. Each branch nominates for its respective category. However, four branches (as of now) don’t represent specific awards categories: casting directors, executives, marketing/public relations and the recently created production and technology.

Of note is that each branch member casts a ballot for best picture,...

Amblin TV has built its reputation over the past three decades as one of the industry’s busiest boutiques, producing scripted series across all major platforms that range from popcorn to prestige.

But in recent years, there’s been a new storytelling target for Amblin TV chiefs Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, who have headed Steven Spielberg’s TV production banner (previously DreamWorks TV) for more than 20 years. Amblin TV has moved aggressively into documentary feature and docu-series arena. It’s a development motivated by business necessity but also the desire to add more colors and canvases to the overall Amblin TV palette.

This year, the company fielded a surprise hit with a nature documentary for Netflix, “Life on Our Planet,” which topped the streamers’ domestic viewing charts for multiple weeks after its release in late October. Amblin also delivered the well-received feature “Good Night Oppy,” from director Ryan White...

It’s a sweep! The Critics Choice Association revealed the winners for its 8th annual documentary awards on Sunday, November 12, 2023, and one film claimed all five of the awards it was nominated for. Though it trailed “American Symphony” in bids going into the night, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” prevailed as the night’s biggest winner, taking home prizes in all five of its categories, including Best Documentary. The film’s other wins went to Davis Guggenheim in Best Director, Michael Harte in Best Editing, and in Best Narration and Best Biographical Documentary.

“American Symphony,” the nomination leader with six, took home two prizes: Jon Batiste won Best Score and the film was named Best Music Documentary. The other two-time winners were “20 Days in Mariupol,” Best First Documentary Feature and Best Political Documentary, and “The Deepest Breath,” Best Cinematography and Best Sports Documentary.

If, like us, you’re...

Davis Guggenheim’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” which chronicled the actor’s life, career and battle with Parkinson’s disease, was named the best nonfiction film of 2023 at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which took place on Sunday night in New York City.

The Apple TV+ film won five awards overall, also including best director for Guggenheim, best narration for Fox, best biographical documentary and best editing.

Journalist Mstyslav Chernov Chernov won the award for Best First Documentary for “20 Days in Mariupol.”

Other winners included “Being Mary Tyler Moore” (Best Archival Documentary), “The Deepest Breath” (Best Sports Documentary), “20 Days in Mariupol” (Best Political Documentary), “American Symphony” (Best Music Documentary), “Secrets of the Elephants” (Best Science/Nature Documentary) and “JFK: One Day in America” (Best Historical Documentary).

Jon Batiste won for the music in “American Symphony,” and Tim Cragg won for the cinematography of “The Deepest Breath.

The Critics Choice Association just unveiled the nominees for its 8th annual documentary awards. Topping the list is “American Symphony” with six bids, including Best Documentary, Best Director for Matthew Heineman, and notices in Cinematography, Editing, and Music Documentary. Heineman is the Oscar nominated director of “Cartel Land” from 2015. The sixth nomination for “American Symphony” is for Best Score thanks to 2022’s Grammy Award recipient for Album of the Year, Jon Batiste. You may recognize another Aoty winner in the Ccda’s lineup — Taylor Swift‘s record breaking concert movie “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is also nominated for Music Documentary.

Just behind “American Symphony” are three films that received five nominations each: “20 Days in Mariupol” from Mstyslav Chernov, “Kokomo City” from D. Smith, and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” from Davis Guggenheim, who is also nominated for Director. The other directors that were heralded for their films...

Continuing its leadership in natural history storytelling, National Geographic announced today the superstar-studded lineup of narrators for three blue-chip natural history shows. These champions of storytellers include Awkwafina (“The Little Mermaid,” “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens”) as narrator for the National Geographic Disney+ Original A Real Bug’S Life; Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “The Flood,” “Good Night Oppy”) as executive producer and narrator for Queens; and Jeremy Renner(“Avengers,” “Rennervations”) for Incredible Animal Journeys. “The narrator’s voice is such a crucial part of what makes a Natural History series successful. Angela, Awkwafina and Jeremy, each in their own way, bring such an enormous amount of charisma, personality and passion ... Read more...

National Geographic announced a star-studded lineup of storytellers Monday set to narrate three upcoming blue-chip natural history shows.

Awkwafina will narrate the National Geographic Disney+ Original “A Real Bug’s Life.” Angela Bassett will executive produce and narrate “Queens.” Jeremy Renner will narrate “Incredible Animal Journeys.”

“The narrator’s voice is such a crucial part of what makes a Natural History series successful.

Angela, Awkwafina and Jeremy, each in their own way, bring such an enormous amount of

charisma, personality and passion to these distinctive projects,” said Tom McDonald, executive

vice president of Global Factual and Unscripted Content at National Geographic. “From Awkwafina’s wit to Jeremy’s warmth and Angela’s Shakespearean sense of drama, we feel both very excited and very proud to have such powerful storytellers guiding our audiences on these epic wildlife journeys.”

“Incredible Animal Journeys” hails from Pilmsoll Productions and follows various species in their migration paths whether they fly,...

Steve McQueen earns directing nod for A24’s Occupied City.

Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony exploring a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste led the Critics Choice Documentary Awards with six nominations on Monday (October 16).

Heineman also gets a nod for best director, Tony Hardmon, Heineman, and Thorsten Thielow for best cinematography, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Heineman, and Fernando Villegas for best editing, Jon Batiste for best score, and best music documentary.

Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol, D. Smth’s Kokomo City, and Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each received five nominations...

Netflix’s “American Symphony,” which follows Grammy and Oscar winner Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall, leads the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations with six, including best documentary feature and directing for Matthew Heineman. PBS’ “20 Days in Mariupol,” Magnolia Pictures’ “Kokomo City” and Apple Original Films’ “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” are tied for second with five nominations apiece. Each were also were nominated in the top category.

Other nominees for documentary feature include Roadside Attraction’s “Beyond Utopia,” MTV Documentary Films’ “The Eternal Memory,” Amazon’s “Judy Blume Forever,” National Geographic’s “The Mission” and Netflix’s “The Deepest Breath” and “Stamped from the Beginning.”

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

Now in its eighth year, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards have previously given the top prize to Oscar winners “O.J.: Made in America” (2016) and...

The eighth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations are often an early bellwether for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar race, mainly because they signal to Oscar voters many of the key films they should not miss. Last year’s winner, “Good Night Oppy,” did not make it to the documentary Oscar shortlist, but the year before, “Summer of Soul” went on to win the Oscar.

This year’s nominations were led by fall festival favorite “American Symphony,” Matthew Heineman’s moving portrait of musician Jon Batiste as he juggles work demands and his wife’s recurring leukemia, with six nods. It was followed by Mstyslav Chernov’s Ukraine international Oscar submission “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s black-and-white portrait of Black trans sex workers “Kokomo City,” and Davis Guggenheim’s editing feat “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” with five each.

The gala to honor the winners, hosted by comedian Wyatt Cenac,...

HBO Max’s The Janes was among the top winners at the 44th annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards on Wednesday, with the film — centered on a pre-Roe v. Wade abortion network in Chicago — taking home best documentary as well as best social issue documentary.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) presented the Documentary category winners during a live ceremony at the Palladium Times Square in New York City and streamed live on NATAS’ viewing platform powered by Vimeo, the second of a two-night celebration. The News category winners were announced in a ceremony held at the Palladium on Wednesday.

Scheduled presenters at the Thursday night Docs ceremony included HBO Documentary & Family Programming’s Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, reporter Jelani Cobb, Nothing Compares director Kathryn Ferguson, NPR host and Is That Black Enough for You?!? writer-director Elvis Mitchell, Doc NYC co-founder Thom Powers and National Geographic correspondent Mariana van Zeller.

The 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards completed the second of two nights of awards with its doc prizes — awarding the outstanding documentary Emmy to HBO Max’s “The Janes.” The film also received the award for outstanding documentary direction and social issue documentary, among other categories.

Amazon Prime Video’s “Good Night Oppy” won for outstanding documentary writing. And Nat Geo’s “Retrograde” won several Emmys, including for cinematography, editing and current affairs documentary.

The kudos kicked off the first of two nights on Wednesday in New York, with CNN, Vice and the New York Times as among the big winners. CNN led the news portion of the Emmys, with ten wins — followed closely by Vice, with nine, and then the Nyt with five.

Vice’s wins were bittersweet: Eight of them were for the now-canceled groundbreaking program “Vice News Tonight.”

CBS’ “Sunday Morning” won for recorded news program,...

Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams has much to celebrate this weekend. His first narrative/fiction film, Cassandro, opens theatrically today. And he has just been named the recipient of the Critics Choice Impact Award from the Critics Choice Association.

The Critics Choice group also announced documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee will receive the Pennebaker Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in the nonfiction film arena. The honors for McElwee and Williams will be presented as part of the 8th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards gala in New York on Sunday, Nov. 12.

‘Stamped From the Beginning’

Williams is fresh from the world premiere at TIFF of his latest documentary, Stamped From the Beginning, which will premiere on Netflix later this year. In the film, “leading female scholars share a journey through history to understand how racist ideas were developed, disseminated and enshrined in American society,” according to a release from the Critics Choice Association.

Five documentary filmmakers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2023 Emmy Awards nominees. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Thursday, August 10, at 6:00 p.m. Pt; 9:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Charles Bright and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

Judy Blume Forever (Amazon Prime)

Synopsis: Judy Blume and the generations of readers who have sparked to her work. It will examine her impact on pop culture and the occasional controversies over her frankness about puberty and sex.

Bio: Leah Wolchok is an Emmy nominee for “Judy Blume Forever.” Her...

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced its nominees for the 44th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, which will be presented at two individual ceremonies: news on Sept. 27 and documentary on Sept. 28.

The News and Documentary Emmys will be handed out at the Palladium Times Square in New York City and will be streamed live on NATAS’ viewing platform, powered by Vimeo. The livestream will be available at watch.theemmys.tv and via The Emmys apps for iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV and Roku.

“The News & Documentary Emmy Awards honor the work of dedicated professionals working at the highest level of the broadcast journalism and documentary filmmaking professions,” said Adam Sharp, president and CEO, NATAS, in a statement. “They pay tribute to the journalists who bring us up-to-the-minute reporting on the critical stories of our time and the documentary storytellers who explore important social, cultural and political issues in great depth.

The nominations are out for the 44th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, and CNN leads the way with a commanding 45 noms ahead of Vice (30) and ABC and PBS (26 each). See the list of nominees in all 62 categories below or click here.

Vice’s Vice News Tonight — which wrapped its eight-season run in May — scored a dominant 28 noms, more than doubling its closest program rival, CBS stalwart 60 Minutes, which landed 11. ABC’s Nightline, PBS’ Frontline and National Geographic’s Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller are next with nine apiece, followed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and PBS’ Pov with seven apiece.

As for the marquee categories, vying for Outstanding Live News Program are ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (ABC), Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN), CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell (CBS), CBS Mornings (CBS) and Nightly News with Lester Holt (NBC). Up for Best Documentary are Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain...

Last year’s Best Narrator Emmy contest was a real clash of the titans as three-time champion David Attenborough (“The Mating Game”) attempted to fend off famously charismatic first-timer Barack Obama (“Our Great National Parks”). Now that the former U.S. president has one victory under his belt, he is immediately seeking a second for another Netflix series, “Working: What We Do All Day.” This time, he faces an entirely different slate of challengers who could very well make this outing even more difficult.

Those competing against Obama for the 2023 narration prize are returning nominees Angela Bassett (“Good Night Oppy”) and Morgan Freeman (“Our Universe”) and category newcomers Mahershala Ali (“Chimp Empire”) and Pedro Pascal (“Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World”). Collectively, the professional actors have previously vied for 14 Emmys across 10 categories.

In order to determine if anyone has what it takes to defeat the ex-commander in chief,...

The former First Couple are back in Emmy contention.

Ex-President Obama earned a nomination this morning as Outstanding Narrator for his work on the Netflix documentary series Working: What We Do All Day. The 44th president is the defending champion in that category, after winning in 2022 for narrating the Netflix series Our Great National Parks.

Michelle Obama scored an Emmy nomination of her own as executive producer of The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey. Recognition for that Netflix project comes in the category Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special. Oprah is nominated for hosting the show. Helping to keep the peace in the Obama household, the former president and first lady won’t be going head to head for Emmys.

The Obamas are no stranger to entertainment industry awards. Michelle Obama has won two Childrens and Family Emmy Awards. And she previously won a Grammy for narrating...

Some of the biggest stars in Hollywood can call themselves Emmy nominees this year, including Oscar winner Jessica Chastain, three-time 2023 nominee Pedro Pascal, next-generation talents like Jenna Ortega and Ayo Edebiri, and many, many others – particularly those actors fortunate enough to star on “Succession,” “The Last of Us,” and “The White Lotus.”

But a deep dive into the entire list of 2023 Emmy Award nominees reveals some surprising names, some of whom are first-time nominees after long and successful careers. Ahead, some stars you didn’t know were Emmy nominees this year.

Al Yankovic, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”

Angela Bassett, “Good Night Oppy” (Narrator)

Barack Obama, “Working: What We Do All Day” (Narrator)

Ben Schwartz, “Die Hart 2” (Outstanding Actor In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series)

Colleen Atwood, “Wednesday” (Outstanding Contemporary Costumes For A Series)

Ed Sheeran, “Ted Lasso” (Original Music and Lyrics)

Hans Zimmer, “Prehistoric Planet” (Outstanding...

Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood, prosthetic makeup artist Barrie Gower, and composers Hans Zimmer, Nicholas Britell and Danny Elfman were among the industry heavyweights who landed Creative Arts Emmy nominations on Wednesday morning.

Four-time Oscar winner Atwood landed her second Emmy nomination in the outstanding contemporary costumes for Tim Burton’s “Wednesday.” Speaking about her work on the show and about recreating the icon Morticia Addams’ costumes, Atwood said, “We reinvented look with this silver fabric on the side, which was bonded to the black, twisted and sewn over. The dress had a more contemporary shape to it. I think we honored the previous versions of Morticia that had come before.

Britell, who won an Emmy in 2019 for outstanding original main title theme music for “Succession” landed three nominations. The composer was recognized for his main title music and original dramatic score work on Disney+’s “Andor.” He also landed a nomination for “Succession.

In the fall of 2021, Olivia Colman scored her first career Emmy for “The Crown” despite not having succeeded on her Oscar bid for “The Father” that spring. This made her the 16th performer to prevail at the Emmys directly after going home empty-handed at the Oscars and the fourth to do so during the 21st century. Now that the 2023 Emmy nominations ballots have been released, eight of the 16 actors who lost Oscars at the most recent ceremony officially have shots at joining Colman on this list.

Gold Derby’s Emmy odds currently indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Brian Tyree Henry and Hong Chau, who just received their first career Academy Award nominations for their respective supporting turns in “Causeway” and “The Whale.” Henry is seeking his second comedy supporting Emmy notice for “Atlanta,” while Chau could pull double...

Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks and Carol Littleton will receive honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors Awards, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition, the Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards. The four statuettes will be presented at the 14th annual ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Los Angeles.

“The Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to honor four trailblazers who have transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and movie fans,” said Academy President Janet Yang. “Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting. Mel Brooks lights up our hearts with his humor, and his legacy has made a lasting impact on every facet of entertainment. Carol Littleton’s career in film editing serves as a model for those who come after her. A pillar of the independent film community,...

Being Mary Tyler Moore (HBO/Max)

James Adolphus’ doc out of SXSW could become the latest about a TV legend to land a nomination in this category, following Lucy and Desi in 2022, Love, Gilda in 2019 and The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling and Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like in 2018.

Judy Blume Forever (Amazon)

Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s doc celebrates the titular author of children’s books, with narration by her and testimonials from her fans. It’s a sweet tribute to someone many grew up on — not unlike the two docs about Fred Rogers that were nominated in this category.

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu)

Lana Wilson’s two-parter, unveiled at Sundance, pairs old film clips and footage with new interviews to explore how the subject’s beauty has long brought her rewards and objectification. Particularly interesting: her relationships with her mother and her kids.

If These Walls Could Sing...

Space - the final frontier... This adorable animated short film called Cassini is a must watch - coming in just under 4 minutes. We missed this when it first launched back in 2021, made during the early days of the pandemic while in lockdown. "This is a four minute animated film based on the Cassini-Huygens space probe mission. The impetus for the short began in 2017 when I was weirdly touched by the news that the probe had run out of time after 20 years in space and was programmed to commit suicide by dive-bombing into Saturn's rings." It's a parable about loneliness, exploration, and perseverance. And reminds me of the wonderful doc Good Night Oppy. Director Nate Milton states: "Even though it's based on true events, it's really more of a spiritual film about the Cassini." Hope everyone is as moved by this space probe as he was. // Continue Reading ›...

Six TV documentarians will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2023 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, May 16, at 6:00 p.m. Pt; 9:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Denton Davidson and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following Emmy contenders:

Dear Mama (FX)

Synopsis: It follows the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur and his mother, the Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur.

Bio: Allen Hughes is an Emmy nominee for “The Defiant Ones.” His career has included “Menace II Society,...

The words “Pamela Anderson” and “sex tape” might remain synonymous forever. But one of the revelations of the Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story, is that Anderson herself has long since moved past the scandal that erupted in the mid-1990s after a home video leaked of her having sex with her then-husband, Mötley Crüe rocker Tommy Lee.

“She’s a very live-in-the-moment, present-tense type of person,” director Ryan White said during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event. “Of course, I was having all of these conversations with her, asking her to reflect on the past — which she was willing to do. But she doesn’t spend a lot of her life giving a ton of thought to what could have been or what happened to her, what her career could have been without these things. It’s just not really how the Pamela Anderson brain works.

Exclusive: Endeavor is putting its money into non-scripted television. The company, which owns WME, Img and UFC, has made a strategic investment in Asylum Entertainment Group, the unscripted production company led by Steve Michaels, with plans to “supercharge” its footprint with a major M&a drive.

Deadline understands that through its investment, Endeavor planning to invest millions into the company in order to give it the financing and resources to buy up a number of non-scripted production companies and build it into a major non-fiction group.

We’ve heard that Michaels has already been scouting out potential acquisitions and is in talks for a nine-figure deal.

It becomes the latest major Hollywood player plotting to roll up non-scripted producers in order to give it size and scale; Sony has been on a drive since it acquired Industrial Media, the company behind American Idol and 90 Day Fiancé, in a $350M deal last...

Over the years, the Oscar for best documentary feature has provided the Academy Awards with some of the ceremony’s most contentious and divisive moments: In 1975, when the Vietnam War doc Hearts and Minds claimed the prize, producer Bert Schneider read a letter of thanks from the Viet Cong, so incensing hosts Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra that they took it upon themselves later in the broadcast to apologize “for any political references.” In 2003, while accepting his Oscar for the anti-gun doc Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore was greeted with both cheers and boos when he cried “Shame on you, Mr. Bush” for launching the war in Iraq.

In the past couple of years, as Academy membership has grown larger and more diverse, the feature documentary results have been a lot more mellow, with crowd-pleasing choices — like the 2021 concert film Summer of Soul and the 2020 nature doc My Octopus Teacher — prevailing.

“Top Gun: Maverick” got a big boost in its bid for Best Editing at the Oscars with a win at the Ace Golden Eddie Awards on March 5. It prevailed in the drama race at these awards bestowed by American Cinema Editors over two of its Oscar rivals –“Elvis” and “Tár ” — as well as “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Woman King.”

Another of the Oscar nominees, “Everything Everywhere All at Once ” won the comedy/musical category over the fifth Oscar contender, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” plus “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, “The Menu” and “Triangle of Sadness.”

Since 1990, the film that came up with one of the ACEs went on to win the top prize at the Academy Awards 18 times, including the 2020 winner for best drama editing, “Parasite.” And in 10 of the 14 years when the Ace barometer was wrong, at least one of the Eddie champs was a contender for Best Picture.

American Cinema Editors announced winners in 14 categories March 5 during the 73rd annual Ace Eddie Awards. And all five Oscar nominees were included among the nominations — though spread out between two categories.

Historically, the Eddie winner for theatrical drama has also won the Academy Award 13 of 22 times‚ but not in the last three years. Whether or not that streak will hold remains murky since Oscar nominees “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” both took home trophies.

“The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood received the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, while film editors Lynne Willingham and Don Zimmerman received Career Achievement Awards.

Other winners included awards season faves “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Fire of Love,” and “The Bear.” See the complete list of winners, marked in bold, below.

Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Sven Budelmann, Bfs

“Elvis” – Matt Villa, Ace Ase,...

American Cinema Editors handed out its 73rd Eddie Awards on Sunday, with Top Gun: Maverick editor Eddie Hamilton and Everything Everywhere All at Once editor Paul Rogers collecting trophies for best edited dramatic feature and comedy feature, respectively.

Everything Everywhere – which won the BAFTA in film editing – and Top Gun: Maverick, along with Eddie nominees Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa for Elvis, Monika Willi for Tár and Mikkel E.G. Nielsen for The Banshees of Inisherin are nominated for the Oscar in film editing.

Everything Everywhere’s Rogers thanked mentors, friends and family, including the Daniels, remembering cutting the movie during lockdown. He also urged diversity, saying, “We can choose what stories we get to tell.” Hamilton wasn’t in attendance and colleagues accepted, reading thanks to those including Tom Cruise and Chris McQuarrie.

Also on Sunday at UCLA’s Royce Hall, Ken Schretzmann and Holly Klein collected the animated feature prize,...

The Cinema Audio Society Awards gave a boost to the Oscar hopes of “Top Gun: Maverick” on Saturday. The film took top honors at these precursor prizes that honor sound mixing over all of its Oscar rivals for Best Sound: “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Elvis” and “The Batman.”

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won sound mixing in an animated feature over “Lightyear,” “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and “Turning Red.”

And “Moonage Daydream” claimed the documentary feature prize over: “Good Night Oppy,” “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song,” “Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues,” and “The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari.”

The upcoming Oscars mark the third year for the Best Sound category, which combines Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. The Cas honors the latter while the Motion Picture Sound Editors salute achievements in the former.

The winners of the 59th Cinema Audio Society Awards were announced March 4 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. Oscar nominees “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Batman,” “Elvis,” and “Top Gun: Maverick” were all nominated here as well, with “Top Gun: Maverick” proving the victor.

Other winners included “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Better Call Saul,” and “Only Murders in the Building.”

Hosted by comedian Ben Gleib, the evening also included previously announced honorary awards. Alejandro González Iñárritu accepted Cas’ Filmmaker of the Year honor, while five-time Oscar nominee Peter J. Devlin accepted the Career Achievement Award.

See the full list of winners, marked in bold, below.

Motion Pictures: Live Action

Winner “Top Gun: Maverick”

Production Mixer: Mark Weingarten

Re-Recording Mixer: Chris Burdon

Re-Recording Mixer: Mark Taylor

Scoring Mixer: Al Clay

Scoring Mixer: Stephen Lipson

Foley Mixer: Blake Collins Cas

“All Quiet on the Western Front...

After months of speculation, Amazon Studios has made it official with seasoned movie executive Courtenay Valenti. While many expected her to take the top film job at MGM, acquired by Amazon for $8.5 billion last year, Valenti has hammered out a hulked-up role that will give her considerable influence in feature programming.

Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke told staff on Tuesday that Valenti has been named head of film, streaming and theatrical at both Amazon Studios and MGM. She will report directly to Salke, and be responsible for delivering “a well-rounded selection of tentpoles, prestige films and genre fare,” according to a memo.

This includes a “robust theatrical plan,” Salke added, which was teased last November when Bloomberg reported that Amazon will invest $1 billion in films made specifically for theaters this year (a divergent strategy from their bread-and-butter of bolstering subscriptions for Amazon Prime Video).

As part of the installation of Valenti,...