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The documentary War Game films a simulation of a military coup after a disputed presidential election. The 2024 election ended decisively in favor of Donald Trump, who will take office in January. Directors Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber filmed the scenario designed by Vet Voice Foundation CEO Janessa Goldbeck in which a fictional president, not then-candidate Joe Biden, deals with the contested election.

Goldbeck said at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event that even though the 2024 election was not contested like the 2020 election, experts in both political parties remain concerned about future violence.

“Veterans are particularly targeted for recruitment into extermist groups because of our cross-partisan appeal on both sides of the aisle,” Goldbeck said. “The No. 1 threat to safety and security of Americans for the last several years identified by the Department of Homeland Security has been domestic extremists, with an emphasis on right wing Christian nationalism. I think it’s very important that,...

Sony/Eleventh Hour Signs Deal With Hill 5.14

Sony Pictures Television (Spt) and its UK subsidiary, Eleventh Hour Films, have struck a first-look deal with Hill 5.14, a Black female-led scripted TV label led by Tobi Olujinmi. Eleventh Hour will get a first-look option to co-develop and co-produce TV projects from the Hill 5.14 slate, with Spt acting as distributor. Olujinmi launched Hill 5.14 in late 2022, having previously worked as Eleventh Hour, and has gone on to work with writers such as Phoebe Okeowo (The Power), Bella Heesom (Sex Education), Victoria Asare-Archer (Missing You) and Thara Poopla (Sex Education) and on-screen talent such as Weruche Opia (I May Destroy You), Adelayo Adebayo (The Responder) and Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton). “I am beyond thrilled to be working with Sony Pictures and Ehf for the next phase of Hill 5.14’s journey,” said Olujinmi. “It’s the dream team. Their joint expertise, experience and track record of delivering...

The indie/arthouse market is showing some breadth as Kneecap has a great debut, CatVidoFest as well, and holdovers like Didi and Sing Sing are kind of raking it in considering how few screens they’re on. As more wide releases and tentpoles show up and take flight a rising tide may be raising indie boats – maybe not as much or as many as distributors hope, but some.

Theater chain CEOs on quarterly earnings calls last week insisted they need all kinds of movies and that’s what they’re getting, including Indian specialty fare that continues to pop at the box office. Daru Na Peenda Hove, a Punjabi film from Rhythm Boyz Entertainment, is no. 9 this weekend, Comscore says, grossing $616k on 118 screens.

Kneecap from Sony Pictures Classics led new indie openings with $492.4k on 703 screens. The music biopic is playing arthouses and multiplexes, reaching younger demos, and music...

‘Kneecap’, the name of the Irish hip hop group, and the music biopic about — and starring — the groundbreaking trio, opens today on 700+ screens, following up a U.S. tour last fall and leading into another one.

The hybrid documentary, which was a buzzy Sundance title when Sony Pictures Classics nabbed it, recently swept the Galway Film Fleadh and was named Ireland’s Oscar International Feature submission.

Written and directed by Rich Peppiatt, it features group members — Naoise Ó Cairealláin “Móglaí Bap”; Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh “Mo Chara”; and JJ Ó Dochartaigh “Dj Provaí” as themselves, but it’s scripted, and actors, including Michael Fassbender, play their younger selves and family members. With Josie Walker, Fionnuala Flaherty, Jessica Reynolds, Adam Best and Simone Kirby.

The film follows Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed “low-life scum” Naoise and Liam Og. When they come together as three, the needle drops on...

The man standing at the podium has the steady, stentorian voice of an authority figure, someone who issues orders and expects them to be heeded without question, and the look of a zealot in his eyes. “My fellow Americans,” he intones, betraying a slightly Southern lilt gilded by fire and brimstone. “Faith is a gift from God to us. Purpose is the ability to put that power to use.” There are mentions of a stolen election, a coup in progress, an attempt to steal the freedoms of true patriots. He...

Model United Nations programs and other simulations of cooperation and diplomacy were once a foundational part of civics education for teenagers across the United States. Given the riven state of the country, perhaps more nakedly entertaining, conflict-driven models should be indulged, in the name of preventative care for democracy. That...

On January 6th, 2023 in Washington, DC, the advocacy group Vet Voice stage an elaborate mass role-playing scenario inspired by the attempted insurrection in the Capitol two years before. The loser of a presidential election declares the result illegitimate and encourages the public to rise up, and an extremist militia group with sleepers inside the National Guard does just that. Within the simulation, one side roleplayed the incumbent presidential administration (with former Montana governor Steve Bullock portraying the president), while the other was the terrorist “Red Cell” attempting to stop Congress from certifying the election results. If the Red Cell […]

The post “I Can’t Run a Control Experiment with No Cameras”: Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber on War Game first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

On January 6th, 2023 in Washington, DC, the advocacy group Vet Voice stage an elaborate mass role-playing scenario inspired by the attempted insurrection in the Capitol two years before. The loser of a presidential election declares the result illegitimate and encourages the public to rise up, and an extremist militia group with sleepers inside the National Guard does just that. Within the simulation, one side roleplayed the incumbent presidential administration (with former Montana governor Steve Bullock portraying the president), while the other was the terrorist “Red Cell” attempting to stop Congress from certifying the election results. If the Red Cell […]

The post “I Can’t Run a Control Experiment with No Cameras”: Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber on War Game first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Hearing that Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s documentary concerns a war game conducted to test the country’s readiness for a national security crisis, it was easy to imagine a scenario involving an international threat posed by, say, China or Russia. No such luck. It turns out that War Game chronicles an exercise revolving around a threat from within, namely the sort of insurrection that occurred on Jan. 6, 2021. The film, receiving its U.S. theatrical premiere at NYC’s Film Forum, serves as a bracing reminder that such an event could occur again, and indeed seems even more likely should a certain Republican nominee for president decide to incite more violence.

The filmmakers have experience dealing with such concepts. Moss co-directed the acclaimed Boys State and Girls State, in which groups of young people attempted to form democratic governments; and Gerber and Moss made Full Battle Rattle, about the...

Much of the criticism thrown at Alex Garland’s Civil War centered on it presenting the titular conflict without really explaining its origins. Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss’s documentary War Game goes the other way by showing in very specific ways not how a modern-day American civil war might be fought but how one might start.

Gerber and Moss present essentially a filmed play set largely in a mock Situation Room. The unscripted “war game” that they shot as it happened was produced in 2023 by Vet Voice, a veterans’ advocacy group warning about right-wing fanatics infiltrating the American military. Vet Voice brought together a gaggle of real-life politicians, intelligence officials, and military experts to play fictional versions of themselves trying to solve a future crisis based in history: On January 6, 2025, a losing presidential candidate refuses to concede the election and calls on “patriots,” including the military, to stop the vote certification.

Editor’s note: Running until the final general election results come in this unpredictable race, the Deadline ElectionLine podcast spotlights the 2024 campaign and the blurred lines between politics and entertainment in modern America. Hosted by Deadline’s political editor Ted Johnson and executive editor Dominic Patten, the podcast features commentary and interviews with top lawmakers and entertainment figures. At the same time, you can follow all the news in what is now a Harris vs. Trump battle and more on the ElectionLine hub on Deadline.

“I think he’s gonna be right up there in the top five, maybe at a minimum top 10, but probably in the top five,” says former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones on the Deadline ElectionLine podcast, talking about how history will rank Joe Biden among U.S. presidents.

It’s been another wild two weeks in the most unpredictable election of our lifetimes, so take a...

"Six hours to save democracy." Decal & Submarine Deluxe have unveiled an official trailer for a deeply unsettling, fascinating, unforgettable documentary film titled War Game, from directors Jesse Moss & Tony Gerber. This first premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and caused quite a stir, attracting plenty of attention. The film is a "real-life political thriller" set on January 6, 2025 – War Game imagines a nation-wide insurrection in which some members of the US military defect in support of the losing Presidential candidate, while the winning candidate and his many advisors—played by an all-star roster of senior officials from the last five administrations (who actually know these jobs)—war games the crisis in the White House situation room. They have 6 hours to save democracy as the country teeters on the brink of civil war. In this doc, prestigious US officials simulate a coup after a disputed election. Insurgents take capitals,...

If there is another insurrection, the government is prepared. So is the sentiment behind simulation-documentary “War Game,” which thrusts government officials into an all-too-real scenario.

Documentarians Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber co-direct the feature centering on a group of national-security experts ranging from former senators to CNN pundits as they stage an elaborate war game to anticipate another insurrection.

Moss previously directed “Girls State” with Amanda McBaine, which also centered on a mock-government scenario. The sequel to “Boys State” debuted at Sundance, just like “War Game.”

The “War Game” synopsis reads: A real-life political thriller set on January 6, 2025, “War Game” imagines a nationwide insurrection in which members of the U.S. military defect to support the losing Presidential candidate, while the winning candidate and his advisors — played by an all-star roster of senior officials from the last five administrations — war games the crisis in the White House Situation Room. They...

While thankfully the January 6 insurrection wasn’t successful in the intended coup of the United States government, the threats posed play out to another, far more disastrous conclusion with the new documentary War Game. Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s Sundance premiere, which captures an actual roleplay of top government officials exploring the scenario, will now arrive in theaters on August 2 and the first trailer has arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “War Game sweeps audiences into an elaborate future-set simulation that dramatically escalates the threat posed by the January 6, 2021 insurrection. The film follows a bipartisan group of US defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations as they participate in an unscripted role-play exercise. Portraying a fictional President of the United States and his advisors, they confront a political coup backed by rogue members of the US military in the wake of a contested 2024 presidential election. Like actors in a thriller,...

In Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s documentary “War Game,” the directing duo map out what America’s next coup d’état might look like.

The 94-minute docu takes place on Jan. 6, 2025 – four years after the 2021 Capitol insurrection. Moss and Gerber chronicle an elaborate simulation that dramatically escalates the threat posed by the recent insurrection and re-imagines a nation-wide insurrection in which members of the U.S. military defect to support the losing presidential candidate, while the winning candidate and his advisors war game the crisis in a makeshift White House situation room. The film follows a bipartisan group of U.S. defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations as they participate in a six hour, unscripted role-play exercise meant to save democracy as America teeters on the brink of civil war.

The doc, which premiered at Sundance 2024, was not picked up by a major streamer, which isn...

Exclusive: A terrifying near real-life look at America’s possible political future is coming to the big screen this summer – – and I don’t mean the GOP convention in Milwaukee next month.

Depicting another January 6 attack on democracy and the certification of a presidential election in near real time, the Warren Littlefield executive produced War Game has been acquired by Submarine Deluxe and Decal Releasing, I’ve learned.

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict.distributors Submarine Deluxe plan to screen the Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber film on August 2 at NYC’s Film Forum and then take it wider starting on August 9. Decal Releasing will release War Game on VOD in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election, while Boat Rocker will distribute the film overseas.

“We are thrilled to be working with directors Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber, along with producers and partners Boat Rocker, Matador Content, Anonymous Content and...

As America grapples with the latest in a way-too-long series of Most Important Presidential Election Years in Our Lifetime, democracy and its fundamental building blocks – governance, consensus, civil discourse, the rule of law, the balance of power – face an equally foreboding precarity. Boomers and Gen-Xers ask themselves, How did we get here?, and turn to Millennials and Gen-Zers for hope.

The Girls and Boys State programs have, for nearly 90 years and in all 50 states, been in the business of cultivating and nurturing the next generation of leaders through intensive, week-long immersion programs in government and politics. Directors/producers/life partners Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine were drawn to this idea of twin crucibles – the program itself and adolescence – to explore their confluences of ideological inquiry amid a politically tumultuous time and the coming-of-age dynamic between private values and public personae. The Emmy-winning Boys State, released in 2020 through Apple TV+, gave...

HamptonsFilm’s 16th annual SummerDocs series will feature three Sundance favorites: “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” “War Game,” and “Super/Man:The Christopher Reeve Story.” HamptonsFilm and Hamptons Intl. Film Festival artistic director David Nugent and chairman emeritus Alec Baldwin will lead conversations with attending filmmakers and guests.

The series will kick-off on July 5 with Jeff Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina’s “Skywalkers: A Love Story.” Following a successful Sundance debut, Netflix acquired the worldwide rights to the docu about daredevil couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus from Moscow, as they take their relationship to terrifying new heights in a wild scheme to climb the world’s last great skyscraper and perform a death-defying stunt on its spire. Following the screening, Bukhonina will take part in a Q&a.

Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss’s “War Game” will screen on July 20 followed by Q&a with both filmmakers. The docu, which debuted at Sundance 2024, imagines a nation-wide insurrection,...

It’s that time of year again! The annual Rooftop Films Summer Series is back, with IndieWire exclusively debuting the 2024 lineup.

This year’s Summer Series will run from May 17 through August 23, and will include over 40 events, featuring new independent feature films, short film programs, family screenings, and live performances. Programming highlights include the 20th anniversary of “Napoleon Dynamite,” the NYC premiere of “In a Violent Nature,” and an early screening of “War Game.”

Non-profit Rooftop Films annually celebrates independent films and filmmakers with one of the world’s longest running and largest outdoor festivals for indie film. The screenings take place in outdoor venues across New York City’s five boroughs, with “In a Violent Nature” set to debut on Governors Island.

“The 2024 Summer Series isn’t just a celebration of groundbreaking new cinema,” Rooftop Films’ Executive Director Adnaan Wasey said. “It’s also a catalyst for connecting communities...

Chicago – Doc10, the annual Chicago documentary film festival, highlights a cautionary note for its 2024 Closing Night film on Sunday May 5th, at Chicago’s Davis Theater. ‘War Game’ is a look into a consequence exercise with expert participants playing roles, regarding a “what-if” the insurrection that occurred on January 6th, 2021 would escalate into a more coordinated attack … including the use of extremists within the military for the potential coup. Click War Game for information and tickets.

The participants who took roles in the exercise … and all will appear at a Q&a on Doc10’s Closing Night … include former Montana Governor Steve Bullock, former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp, retired Major General Linda Singh and National Security Expert Elizabeth Neumann. Also appearing will be CEO Janessa Goldbeck of the VetVoice Foundation, the organization that expedited the war game, and the filmmakers of the “War Game” documentary, Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber.

Chris Smith’s “Devo” will open the ninth edition of Chicago’s Doc10 documentary film festival on May 2.

The film, which premiered at Sundance 2024, charts the life of the art-movement-turned-band Devo from Akron, Ohio, through archival footage of the band and candid sit-down interviews with band members. Smith follows the band on their journey from Dadaist, Kent State radicals to unlikely icons of 1980s MTV. Currently celebrating their 50 years of De-Evolution Tour, Devo band members will join Doc10 in a live, virtual Q&a moderated by Wxrt’s Marty Lennartz.

Doc10, a four-day fest running May 2-5, features a selection of 10 documentaries making their Chicago premieres along with a package of 10 prestigious documentary shorts. The fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that has generated more than $8.5 million in funding for documentary projects. Cmp has directly supported over 150 films including “Icarus,” “Crip Camp” and most recently “Gaucho, Gaucho,...

The nerve-wracking documentary “War Game” follows a 6-hour Situation Room re-creation of events of Jan. 6, 2021, albeit on a larger, more distressing scale. In the process, the film lays bare numerous weaknesses in America’s political infrastructure, but its most revealing subjects might not be who you think.

Directors Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss strip their opening scenes of context, as they follow two former U.S. soldiers in Washington, D.C. Dressed in tactical gear, they survey the U.S. Capitol and avoid the watchful eyes of police while discussing where they might attack. The conversation is concerning, but it’s soon revealed that these men — Chris Jones of the Marine Corps and Kris Goldsmith of the U.S. Army — are merely tacticians in a roleplaying game. However, once the full scope of their experiment fades into view, “War Game” becomes perturbing all over again.

The seeds for this game — designed...

Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s War Game documents a nifty six-hour exercise in roleplay, commencing on the anniversary of the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Put on by the Vet Voice Foundation in 2023, this bit of roleplay included U.S. officials in both defense and intelligence acting out their response to a fabricated but feasible coup attempt supported by the active military. It’s a stark, scary scenario succinctly laid out by Moss and Gerber, with aide from Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of Vet Voice. The results of the planned practice aren’t very reassuring.

Steve Bullock (former governor of Montana) plays “the President” here, informed by his team of a developing situation wherein a potential organized revolt is activating all across the nation. Each side is represented in the action, with veterans Kristofer Goldsmith and Chris Jones playing leaders of the fictional “Order of Columbus,” an extremist group leading the treasonous mission.

"War Game" isn't what one might consider a typical horror movie, but thanks to its subject matter, it's one of the scariest films you're likely to see in 2024.

Two years after the January 6, 2021 insurrection, a collection of current and former U.S. intelligence agents, Army veterans, defense specialists, senators, and high-ranking advisors meet near the U.S. Capitol to participate in a secret national security exercise overseen by a non-partisan veterans organization called Vet Voice. With concerns running high that the next real-life insurrection could involve members of the active duty military, this unscripted exercise was concocted to see how the federal government might respond to a contested presidential election in 2024, and another attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power on January 6, 2025. This time, the loser of the presidential race openly calls for rebellion by encouraging military members to ignore orders from the President and take up arms against their countrymen.

Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s chilling and engrossing documentary “War Game” begins ominously, moves with urgency, and never lets up. The film begins with two suspicious men surveilling the capitol building in Washington D.C. and the surrounding era, taking photos, recording videos, and gaming out a plan for what sounds like another threatening insurrection plot. An authoritarian figure we vaguely recognize, but not as a politician, delivers a portentous speech about election results, but as the tension coils, we soon realize he’s an actor.

Continue reading ‘War Game’ Review: Role-Playing Insurrection Exercise Plays Like A Riveting Political Thriller [Sundance] at The Playlist.

“Look at where we are right now,” states former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock of the divisions in America and the disinformation war that has reached an even higher pitch three years after the violent assault on the Capital. “About three weeks ago, polling said a fourth of Americans think that the FBI actually incited January 6.” the one-time presidential candidate says incredulously. “We have 171 election deniers in the House, a third of the overall members of Congress.”

To Bullock’s point on this day of the New Hampshire primary, polls also show that a significant swath of Americans are weary of a re-match between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Starring Bullock as a semi-fictional Potus, War Game, a film debuting right now at the Sundance Film Festival, worries about a possible and bloody consequence of a disputed 2024 election that could make January 6, 2021 look like a tame rehearsal.

“This isn’t some like idle.

At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the IndieWire team is endeavoring to take you into the heart of the festival experience, thanks to a series of rolling roundups that aim to synthesize each day, all the action, most of the drama, and the stuff everyone is talking about, in Park City and beyond.

Day Five

We’ll admit it: Day 5 at Sundance started on a bit of a slower note, at least over at IndieWire Editorial Condo No. 2, whose inhabitants were still processing both our (In)Famous Chili Party and/or Aaron Schimberg’s wild “A Different Man.” The first day after the festival’s opening weekend tends to spell a slower vibe, with many leaving after the first flush of premieres and parties, and Park City easing, ever so slowly, back into a more normal pace.

Though I’d already seen Richard Linklater’s sexy action comedy “Hit Man...

The new documentary War Game follows lawmakers and military officials role-playing the response to a political coup

Is the US government prepared to withstand another January 6? That’s the question a new documentary sparking conversation at the Sundance film festival chillingly poses, arguing that US government and military officials must brace for the possibility of a potential political coup in a divided America.

War Game, directed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber, observes a closed-door, unscripted simulation of an armed attack on the Capitol based on the events of 6 January 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters and far-right stormed the building to disrupt lawmakers’ certification of Joe Biden’s election. The six-hour exercise asked a bipartisan group of US defense, intelligence and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations to role-play the administrative response to a political coup backed by rogue members of the US military in the wake of a contested election.

Echoing the work of Adam Curtis, film-maker Sierra Pettengill curates archive footage from riot-torn 60s America to create an unsettling picture of the authorities’ response

As if in a seance or hypnotic trance, Sierra Pettengill conjures the ambient voices of the riot-torn United States in the 1960s, traumatised by the uproar in Watts, Chicago, Newark and Detroit. She curates archive TV discussion show clips and newsreel footage of the times, including some quite extraordinary contemporary reports about the “Riotsville” imitation towns that the US army built to practise anti-riot techniques. These were complete with audience bleachers in which an invited crowd of military brass could approvingly watch a full-scale re-enactment of the Watts riot – a bizarre theatrical fantasy in which the disorder was swiftly and efficiently brought under control. (Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s 2008 film Full Battle Rattle discussed the fake Iraqi town built in the Mojave Desert for very similar reasons.

AC Independent, Anonymous Content’s new sales and finance division, is set to introduce Pippa Ehrlich’s anticipated follow-up to her Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” as well as Walter Salles’ “Sócrates,” to buyers at the Berlin Film Festival.

Ehrlich’s untitled new project and Salles’ “Sócrates” are part of AC Independent’s robust slate of documentary features from celebrated filmmakers.

In her upcoming project, Ehrlich will shed light on the secretive and endangered world of pangolins, a species viewed as mythological creatures. When Stevie, a baby pangolin, is rescued from death at the hands of poachers in Johannesburg, an investment manager pivots his life to become the animal’s caretaker, teaching him to trust the world again and, in doing so, rediscovers his own purpose. Hand-reared until his release back into the wild, Stevie takes Gareth into his dragon world and together they find freedom and healing in the wild.

Anonymous Content and Boat Rocker have partnered to co-finance and co-sell an untitled political thriller feature documentary by Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Jesse Moss (“Boys State”) and Tony Gerber (“The Notorious Mr. Bout”).

Produced by Boat Rocker’s Matador Content, the project was shot over the course of two days last month in Washington, D.C.

While details on the project are being kept under wraps, Moss teased it as a “an utterly unique story that is equal parts political thriller, dystopian science fiction and intimate cinema vérité.”

“It expands the form of non-fiction filmmaking in exciting ways and is of enormous significance to our political future. We can’t wait to share it,” Moss continued.

Moss and Gerber previously co-directed “Full Battle Rattle,” a critically acclaimed film about life inside the U.S. Army’s Iraq simulation in the California desert. Moss’s credits also include “Boys State” which won a...

Emmy nominee Jovan Adepo and Juliana Canfield have signed on to star as abolitionists William and Ellen Craft in the upcoming movie “Everlasting Yea!” Co-written and co-directed by Lynn Nottage and Tony Gerber, the feature follows the “epic and deeply human” love story of the Crafts, as the couple rise to fame in the Abolitionist movement following their bold and perilous escape from slavery.

Set in the “free” North before the Civil War, “Everlasting Yea!” unveils the incredible untold true story as the Crafts “must negotiate their unwanted celebrity, their young marriage, and their safety as the news of their singular escape — with Ellen disguised as a white Southern gentleman, and William in the role of her obedient slave — becomes the most sensational and subversive news story of the day further dividing an already fractured nation.”

“Our film centers the complex reality of free Blacks in the antebellum North, posing the question,...

After making its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, the gripping documentary “Takeover” is set to be adapted into a narrative feature from Sister and Market Road Films.

“Takeover” marks the first Market Road Films project to come out of its first-look deal with Sister, which was co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Stacey Snider and Jane Featherstone.

The short-subject documentary — directed by Emma Francis-Snyder and produced by Market Road Films’ Tony Gerber — chronicles the 12 historic hours in 1970 when 50 members of the Young Lords Party stormed the dilapidated Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx and made their cries for health justice known to the world. The Lincoln Hospital takeover resulted in the Patient Bill of Rights, which marks the 50th anniversary of its adoption next year. And though the Young Lords did not achieve its goal of universal healthcare, the bill is still the basis of care to this day.

Market Road...

Exclusive: Sister, the independent studio founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Stacey Snider and Jane Featherstone, has struck a first-look deal with Chris Goldberg and his Winterlight Pictures to develop and produce television and feature content. Under the pact, Goldberg will be based out of Sister Los Angeles.

“Chris is dynamic and thoughtful and shares our creative sensibility and passion around storytelling,” said Snider, Sister’s Global CEO and Co-Founder. “His ability to discover and nurture material and bring it to life is spot on with our mission, and we are incredibly excited to welcome him to our LA team. His dedication and partnership come at a perfect time as we ramp up activity and production out of the US.”

As part of its mission to invest in visionary storytellers, Sister also recently entered a first-look deal with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and Emmy-winning director Tony Gerber’s Market Road Films for film and television content,...

Sister, the upstart studio from Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacey Snider, has signed esteemed production company Market Road Films to a first-look film and TV deal.

Comprised of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and Emmy-winning director Tony Gerber, Market Road will develop and produce series and feature content in both scripted and unscripted categories.

“Lynn and Tony have enjoyed unparalleled and acclaimed success in every form of storytelling that they’ve endeavored. We’re so excited to tap into their unique creative genius and to support the new and diverse voices that they seek out and nurture,” said Snider.

Nottage added that “Tony and I are beyond thrilled to partner with the team at Sister whose work and mandate are a beacon, a lightning rod for creators compelled to tell smart, character-driven, and culturally engaged stories.”

The company falls in line with Sister’s mission to support and invest in evocative and unusual storytellers.

Soo Hugh, television writer and executive producer of AMC’s “The Terror” and creator of ABC’s “The Whispers,” has inked a multi-year overall deal with Universal Content Productions to develop, write and produce projects for the studio.

In addition, Hugh will launch an incubator program with the goal of helping find new Asian talent to create shows and jumpstart fruitful careers in the entertainment industry.

“From ‘The Terror’ to ‘Pachinko,’ Soo has captured epic stories with intimate, complex characters. She’s the rare talent who has the ability to write across time and space while always making a show feel modern and unexpected. We are thrilled to partner with her to bring that vision and versatility to UCP,” UCP president Beatrice Springborn said in a statement.

Hugh, a Yale University and University of Southern California alumna, is currently working on bringing the award-winning Min Jin Lee novel “Pachinko” to...

Writer-producer Soo Hugh is getting into business with UCP. Hugh has signed a multi-year overall deal to develop, write and produce projects for the studio, a division of Universal Studio Group. As part of the deal, Hugh will launch an incubator program with the mandate of helping new Asian voices create shows and establish careers in the industry.

Hugh is currently adapting Min Jin Lee’s international bestseller Pachinko as a drama series for Apple+. She also serves as showrunner and created the vision for the series, which chronicles the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family. Previously, Hugh was the co-showrunner for the first season of AMC’s The Terror, the critically-acclaimed drama produced by Ridley Scott and starring Jared Harris, Ciaran Hinds and Tobias Menzies.

“From The Terror to Pachinko, Soo has captured epic stories with intimate, complex characters, said UCP President Beatrice Springborn.

On the heels of two momentous performances on Sunday’s American Music Awards and ahead of the arrival of a new Netflix documentary, singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes, along with his longtime manager Andrew Gertler, have announced their entry into original content with Permanent Content, a new film and television production company that will develop scripted and documentary projects “focused on issues that impact or are important to today’s youth.”

Among its first projects is the Netflix Original documentary, “In Wonder,” which chronicles Mendes’ rise to the top strata of pop music. Noted video director Grant Singer directed the feature-length doc which was executive produced by Mendes and Gertler (for Permanent Content) and Ben Winston for Fulwell73.

“I’m so excited for the launch of Permanent Content, with the Netflix documentary as our first project, and so many more exciting things we’re working on,” said Mendes. “Our goal is...

Rohena Gera’s Sir has achieved glory all over the world. Its most recent victory has been in the 19th Annual New York Indian Film Festival held recently. The film has won the award for the Best Film while lead actress Tillotama Shome has bagged the Best Actress award at the festival.

An elated Rohena says, “I am just so delighted! The audience response was fantastic and that means the world. Winning an award in New York feels really special because I had my first film job in Manhattan at Paramount Pictures and then on the sets of Tony Gerber’s 5-Borough Film side streets. So coming back with a film feels like a full circle.”

She adds, “I am particularly pleased about Tillotama’s award because her portrayal of Ratna brought out the complexities of the situation and script, bringing alive an optimistic and intelligent character who has had...

As the gap between great TV and great film narrows, so does the gap between their respective awards organizations. Can a project receive Oscars and Emmys? In some cases, the answer is a resounding “No”: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences changed its rules after Ezra Edelman’s acclaimed ESPN documentary “O.J.: Made in America” won the 2017 Oscar. Never again, said AMPAS, will a multi-part TV “series” cross our stage.

Still, many two-hour documentary films see theatrical debuts before they hit television, which makes them eligible for both Oscars and Emmys. This year’s Oscar winner, “Icarus,” came from Netflix, as did Oscar-nominee “Strong Island.” And they are among the five films in the Documentary Emmy race, along with “Jane” (National Geographic), Matt Heinemann’s “City of Ghosts” (A&E) and “What Haunts Us” (Starz).

“Jane” has a chance at seven Emmys, including Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, Directing,...

As the gap between great TV and great film narrows, so does the gap between their respective awards organizations. Can a project receive Oscars and Emmys? In some cases, the answer is a resounding “No”: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences changed its rules after Ezra Edelman’s acclaimed ESPN documentary “O.J.: Made in America” won the 2017 Oscar. Never again, said AMPAS, will a multi-part TV “series” cross our stage.

Still, many two-hour documentary films see theatrical debuts before they hit television, which makes them eligible for both Oscars and Emmys. This year’s Oscar winner, “Icarus,” came from Netflix, as did Oscar-nominee “Strong Island.” And they are among the five films in the Documentary Emmy race, along with “Jane” (National Geographic), Matt Heinemann’s “City of Ghosts” (A&E) and “What Haunts Us” (Starz).

“Jane” has a chance at seven Emmys, including Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, Directing,...

The Shape of Water and Coco win big at the PGA AwardsThe Shape of Water and Coco win big at the PGA AwardsAdriana Floridia1/22/2018 11:50:00 Am

The Producers Guild of America gave out their top film prizes this weekend. The PGA is often indicative of which movie will win Best Picture on Oscar night.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missourihas been sweeping the awards race so far this year, but it looks like the edge may be given over to The Shape of Water, which won the coveted PGA on Saturday night. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is the film's biggest competition for a Best Picture Oscar at this rate. To no-one's surprise, Coco won in the animated category and it's a surefire lock for the Animated Feature prize at the Oscars.

Check out the full list of winners below!

Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion...

“The Shape of Water” is rapidly becoming the Best Picture Oscar favorite after winning the 29th PGA Awards Saturday night, with producers Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale taking home the top Darryl F. Zanuck prize. That’s two in a row for del Toro’s adult fairy tale of love and inclusion after topping the Critics Choice Awards, with momentum heading into Tuesday’s Oscar nominations.

Del Toro, though, winner of the Golden Globe for Best Director, was unable to attend. He was in Mexico with his ailing father. “The Shape of Water” co-star Richard Jenkins read a note on del Toro’s behalf, dedicating the award to both his parents.

For the first time, thanks to a tie, the PGA had a record 11 nominees, with “The Shape of Water” beating Golden Globe winner, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (both from Fox Searchlight). But “Three Billboards” is the...

Honour keeps fantasy-drama on course for Oscar.

Source: Fox Searchlight

‘The Shape Of Water’

Fox Searchlight’s The Shape Of Water received a big fillip in its Oscar ambitions as it won the Producers Guild Of America’s (PGA) Darryl F. Zanuck for best feature at the 29th annual PGA Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday night (January 20).

The PGA best feature winner has gone on to win the best picture Oscar in 19 out of the last 27 years. That said, in the last two years PGA winners La La Land and The Big Short lost out at the Academy Awards to Moonlight and Spotlight.

Director-producer Guillermo del Toro was absent due to the ill health of his father in Mexico. His fellow producer J. Miles Dale collected the honour and read a message on behalf of del Toro.

Jordan Peele won the Stanley Kramer award for a film that raises awareness of social issues for Universal’s Get Out...

The Producers Guild of America hands out its awards on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. That is the night before the Screen Actors Guild does the same. Unlike, the latter, which will air on TNT and TBS, the PGA ceremony is not televised. However, it is an equally important stop on the road to the Oscars.

The PGA Awards has an enviable track record at presaging the eventual Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards. The guild and the academy have agreed on 19 of the most recent 28 Best Picture champs. Last year, all nine Oscar nominees for Best Picture numbered among the 10 PGA contenders; only “Deadpool” was snubbed by the academy. The PGA prize went to “La La Land” while the Oscar was (eventually) won by “Moonlight.”

Discuss All the Oscar contenders with Hollywood insiders in our notorious forums

Nominees for the 29th annual edition of the PGA awards in the three film...

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First Lady Michelle Obama and Meryl Streep had much to celebrate on Tuesday when they hugged on stage at the White House.

The two were present at the debut screening of Obama’s new CNN documentary We Will Rise, which coincided with the International Day of the Girl.

AP Photo/Molly Riley

The two traveled together over the summer to Liberia and Morocco, alongwith Malia and Sasha Obama.

The screening of the documentary coincided with the International Day of the Girl.

The 67-year-old actress embraced Obama, 52, on stage during the event. The First Lady...

"The Notorious Mr. Bout," the latest doc from co-directors Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle") and Maxim Pozdorovkin ("Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer") delves into the life of a famous Russian arms dealer. Aside from terrific archival footage the film also takes a long look at the way Bout's case was handled and if it was done so fairly. Also whether or not that matters when everyone knows you're a bad, bad man.

You may know the co-directors of The Notorious Mr. Bout for their prior individual projects, the likes include Maxim Pozdorovkin’s co-directed project HBO alongside Mike Lerner, Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, and Tony Gerber’s acclaimed collaboration with Jesse Moss, Full Battle Rattle, but together Pozdorovkin and Gerber have created a surprisingly funny depiction of international crime by profiling famed arms dealer and novice documentarian, Viktor Bout.

Utilizing a treasure trove of footage shot by the Merchant of Death himself, the filmmakers reimagine the glorified public image bestowed upon him by the bloodthirsty mainstream media by deeply investigating his entire mercantile career via interviews with his best friends and biggest enemies. The Notorious Mr. Bout has been picked up for distribution worldwide by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, sadly excluding Us screens, so domestically they still seem to be waiting it out. The film premiered earlier this year in Park...

They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and while Viktor Bout inspired Nicolas Cage's character in "Lord Of War," the real story of the infamous arms dealer beats anything you could put down on paper. Today we have an exclusive clip from the documentary"The Notorious Mr. Bout" Read More: The Films Of Nicolas Cage: A Retrospective Directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin, the movie details the rise and fall of Russian entrepreneur, war profiteer, aviation magnate, arms smuggler and even amateur filmmaker Bout, who was captured in 2008. But as you'll see in the scene below, Bout was either the victim of entrapment or fell prey to a clever sting.  Following a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, "The Notorious Mr. Bout" hits VOD today. Watch below.

Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spoof: Gerber & Pozdorovkin Indulge Bout

You probably know him by his wildly exaggerated media coined title, the ‘Merchant of Death’, or you might even remember Nicolas Cage’s war mongering Hollywood fictionalization of the man in Lord of War, but the real life Viktor Bout, though undeniably complicit in the black market arms trade, may have been more a business savvy buffoon than the master of ballistics he’s thought to be. Collaborating for the first time, directors Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin paint a very different picture of the man than we are used to seeing. Harvesting a wealth of hilarious and humanizing home movies shot by Bout himself and his wife, Alla, the filmmakers reveal a man not obsessed with weaponry nor money, but one whose joy springs from time spent with his adoring network of family and friends, as well as from the simple pleasures of tourism,...