Addie Morfoot Contributor DOC NYC is known for its 15-feature film shortlist and for its annual Visionaries Tribute luncheon, which attracts the who’s who of the docu community from both coasts. But, while the festival, which begins on Nov.
19.10.2023 - 19:51 / variety.com
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Ava DuVernay‘s latest drama “Origin” has added an original song to its Oscar prospects. New Zealand Māori artist Stan Walker performed the new song, “I Am,” at a private film screening at the Edition Hotel in West Hollywood on Wednesday. He also co-wrote the track with Michael Fatkin, Vince Harder and Te Kanapu Anasta.
The song enters a competitive race of Oscar hopefuls from movies such as “Barbie” and “Trolls Band Together.” Walker would make history as the second Indigenous person, and the first Indigenous man, nominated for original song. Buffy Sainte-Marie became the first Indigenous person ever to win an Academy Award in 1982 for the song “Up Where We Belong” from “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Aside from Sainte-Marie, the only Indigenous Oscar winner in 95 years is Taika Waititi, who took home the adapted screenplay prize for “Jojo Rabbit” (2019). Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
At the screening, DuVernay participated in an intimate conversation and acknowledged her artisans team in attendance, which included producer Paul Garnes, cinematographer Matthew J. Lloyd, composer Kris Bowers and audio engineer Willie D. Burton, one of only four Black people to have won multiple Oscars.
The room was full of industry voters including Oscar winner Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), nominee Lakeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) and Academy President Janet Yang. Other notable attendees included Rae Dawn Chong, Jurnee Smollett and Saniyya Sidney. Distributor Neon is doing a full awards push for the film, where DuVernay can make history as the first Black woman nominated for directing and adapted screenplay.
Addie Morfoot Contributor DOC NYC is known for its 15-feature film shortlist and for its annual Visionaries Tribute luncheon, which attracts the who’s who of the docu community from both coasts. But, while the festival, which begins on Nov.
Sevdaliza and Grimes have collaborated on a new song called “Nothing Lasts Forever.” The song is the first time the two artists have worked together. Check it out below.
Grimes has teamed up with Iranian Dutch artist and producer Sevdaliza, and shared the new track ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’. Check it out below.The single marks the first time that the two artists have come together for a collaboration, and the final result is an introspective rave-inspired hit.“Love me then let me go/ Acid rays through my bones/ Angels in a ravers heart/ Love me then let me go/ Tomorrow I’ll open my eyes/ I don’t wanna waste my youth,” Grimes sings in the opening chorus of the track before Sevdaliza joins for the verse.‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ also marks Sevdaliza’s second single of 2023, following her track, ‘Ride or Die’, which arrived back in June and featured an appearance from Villano Antillano.“Admiration and adoration turn into weapons when women challenge expectations,” the artist and producer said of the track (via Our Culture).
Ava DuVernay‘s TV follow-up to her film “Origin” isn’t happening anymore. Deadline reports that the director’s romantic drama series for Starz with Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff will fold as DuVernay’s overall deal with Warner Bros.
Ava DuVernay‘s romantic drama series, which landed a three-year script-to-series commitment in May 2022, is not moving forward at Starz, Deadline has confirmed.
Chinese spy balloon that was shot down after it had floated clear across America’s airspace — eight days and more than 4,000 miles after it first breached the US border.“Every year there is a new story that we are all fixating on,” Kaufman explained. “This year is what this one: the Chinese spy balloon? At first, no one knew what it was [or] why it was there — a floating balloon flying across the U.S.
Tristan Thompson’s first baby momma wants him to pay up!
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Ava DuVernay‘s moving drama “Origin,” which tells the story of author Isabel Wilkerson’s journey to write her famous nonfiction novel “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent,” is the latest film to be making the switch from an adapted screenplay run, to original. Deemed an original screenplay by the Writers Guild of America, the announcement comes after Variety reported “Barbie” from Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach and “The Bikeriders” by Jeff Nichols, were also deemed original by the WGA.
River Island fans are scrambling to buy the high-street brands 'perfect' for winter trench coat that could easily be mistaken for a £1890 Burberry version. River Island's Brown Double Breasted Trench Coat costs £110 - £1790 less than the Burberry version, but looks every bit as timeless and as elegant
An Iranian American woman navigating culture clash, an Argentine bank heist and an animated ghost story voiced by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie debut this weekend with a handful of docs and some notable expansion, vying with Apple wide release Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Avanti West Coast is to cut the number of services it operates in December because of staff shortages, reducing weekend train frequency on one of Britain’s main intercity lines before Christmas.
Oprah Winfrey is a media mogul but before achieving all of that she starred in The Color Purple back in 1985. Her performance as Sofia in the Steven Spielberg-directed film went on to earn her a nomination at the Oscars.
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor PBS’ “20 Days in Mariupol,” IFC’s “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” and MTV’s “The Eternal Memory” are among DOC NYC‘s 14th edition featuring 114 features and 129 short films. The shortlist for DOC NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., was launched in 2012 and has become a key indicator and predictor for the Academy Awards’ best documentary feature category. Ten out of the last 11 winners for documentary feature were screened at the festival.
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Oscars have announced Raj Kapoor as executive producer and showrunner, Katy Mullan as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton as the director of the 96th Oscars. It will be Hamilton’s fourth time directing the ceremony, while Kapoor has worked on the show for the past seven years and most recently served as producer for the 95th Oscars.
Brent Lang Executive Editor Samuel Goldwyn Films has signed a worldwide catalog deal with Concord Originals for rights to three Rodgers & Hammerstein films. The distribution pact involves two classic Hollywood films, 1958’s “South Pacific” and 1955’s “Oklahoma.” It also includes a filmed Royal National Theatre production of “Oklahoma!” that was staged in 1998 and starred a pre-Wolverine Hugh Jackman.
Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music As if there wasn’t already enough drama and confusion around AI and the music industry, the shadowy musician Ghostwriter’s song “Heart on My Sleeve” — which used generative AI to create fake verses that sound uncannily like Drake and the Weeknd — has spawned no small amount of confusion regarding the Grammys. First, it seemed that the song wouldn’t qualify (and was removed from streaming services shortly after its release in April), then it apparently did, then it didn’t, then it finally did — but only after the artist had removed the fake Drake and Weeknd verses.
John Carney loves music. And he loves music in his movies.
Jada Pinkett Smith has more to say about the aftermath of the infamous Oscars slap.
Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “The Fall of the House of Usher” is Netflix‘s buzziest new release this month, so it makes sense that the Edgar Allan Poe short story it’s based off of is also having a moment.
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Matthew Heineman’s moving documentary feature “American Symphony” was recently acquired by Netflix after its debut at the Telluride Film Festival, cementing itself as one of the early frontrunners for the Oscars. Its main subject, “Soul” Oscar winner Jon Batiste, will now be in the race for best original song with the track “It Never Went Away.” Batiste sings the emotional number, which he co-wrote with Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Dan Wilson. Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.