Magnolia Pictures Acquires ‘Invisible Beauty’; Doc About Pioneering African American Model Bethann Hardison Features Zendaya, Naomi Campbell

Bella Hadid's recent absence from the modeling world has been noticeable in recent months, with the supermodel not gracing runways or being spotted in public. Transparent in her ongoing fight against Lyme disease, the 26-year-old shared a series of photos to Instagram documenting her arduous battle with the illness that she says has left her with "invisible suffering." Along with pictures of her medical papers detailing Hadid's illnesses are pictures of the American-born model receiving treatment, often hooked up to tubes.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music On the heels of the sale of their award-winning rock documentary “Immediate Family” to Magnolia Pictures, film producer-musicians Greg Richling and Jonathan Sheldon have announced the launch of their production company Pfonetic and are unveiling a slate of music-driven film and television projects. The roster includes a long-in-the-works authorized documentary on the enormously influential but unsung producer Tom Wilson, who produced Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence” and the first Velvet Underground album and recordings by John Coltrane, Frank Zappa, Sun Ra and many more — which is now titled “Like a Rolling Stone,” fittingly enough.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Feature documentary “Golden Legends,” which focuses on the Hungarian men’s water polo team who were crowned Olympic champions three times running between 2000-2008, has broken the record for a theatrical release in Hungary of a local documentary. Tamas S. Zákonyi’s film was released nationwide in Hungarian cinemas by Fórum Hungary at the end of April, and was in the Top 10 for six weeks.

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Netflix’s sports documentary series, “Untold”, is back with a third season, with “Vol. 3” kicking off with a look at one of the most controversial figures in the world of professional boxing, Jake Paul.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to “Immediate Family,” director Denny Tedesco’s follow-up to his acclaimed documentary “The Wrecking Crew.” That earlier film, which Magnolia also released, followed the first wave of studio musicians in the ’60s. “Immediate Family” takes up the story where “The Wrecking Crew” ended, taking a deep dive through some of the most famous and influential session musicians from the 1970s.

Addie Morfoot Contributor A documentary about women who accused Louis C.K. of sexual harassment and the consequences those accusations had on their careers is one of 22 documentaries from 12 countries heading to the 2023 Toronto Intl. Film Festival.

, Da Brat and Queen Latifah as well as many others reflect on the history of hip-hop through a female lens. According to Netflix, the series «recontextualizes the irrepressible women of hip-hop and their role in the genre’s 50 years by reinserting them into the canon where they belong: at the center, from day one to present day.» In addition to iconic emcees, up-and-coming artists, and current chart-toppers — including everyone from Rah Digga to Chika — the episodes will also include interviews with record label execs, stylists and journalists as they all recount the wider social, racial and political landscape of the time.«We have come through a lot.

The Venice Film Festival revealed the lineup for its 80th edition Tuesday morning, and its Official Competition featured works by five women filmmakers, including Ava DuVernay, who makes history as the first African American woman in selection.

What has coal meant to America? Central Appalachia saw the energy source build communities and jobs, all the while creating destructive consequences. Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon explores the area’s difficulties as well as its connections to coal in “King Coal.” The documentary highlights complex subjects through the lives of two young dancers — their journey intensified by Sheldon’s unflinching attention to detail.

Errol Morris’s feature documentary “The Pigeon Tunnel” will make its global premiere on Apple TV+ on Oct. 20. “The Thin Blue Line” documentarian takes audiences into the life of former British spy David Cornwell, known to most as author John le Carré, over the course of six decades from the Cold War to the present day. “The Pigeon Tunnel” stitches together candid interviews, archival footage and excerpts from Cornwell’s own memoir of the same title to craft as full a view of the espionage author’s double life as possible.

What has coal meant to America? Central Appalachia saw the energy source build communities and jobs, all the while creating destructive consequences. Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon explores the area’s difficulties as well as its connections to coal in “King Coal.” The documentary highlights complex subjects through the lives of two young dancers — their journey intensified by Sheldon’s unflinching attention to detail.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent “God Is a Woman,” a doc by Swiss-Panamanian filmmaker Andrés Peyrot about Pierre Dominique Gaisseau’s 1975 journey to Panama to make a film on the island-dwelling Kuna people — whose women play a unique and sacred role — will open the Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week. The section’s out-of-competition opener reconstructs the legend of this film that was passed down from the elders to the new Kuna generation, but never made it to the screen. Gaisseau, a French explorer and filmmaker who won an Oscar in 1961 for the doc “The Sky Above, the Mud Below,” lived with the Kuna people on a Panamanian island for a year and filmed their most intimate ceremonies. He then promised to return with the film, but never did. He ran out of funding and a bank confiscated his reels, which Peyrot unearthed 50 years later.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Oakland natives Ryan Coogler and Peter Nicks met in 2012 when Cooglar was making “Fruitville Station” and needed help securing access to a location. Nicks, who was finishing his first feature documentary, “The Waiting Room, came to the rescue. Nine years later, Cooglar hired Nicks to run the nonfiction arm of his production company Proximity Media, which has a five-year overall exclusive television deal with The Walt Disney Co. The fruits of that partnership have been revealed this summer. Proximity’s first feature documentary, “Anthem,” which Nicks directed, was released in June on Hulu. On July 21, Nicks’ “Stephen Curry: Underrated” will debut on Apple TV +. The doc, which chronicles the NBA star’s life and career, made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

EXCLUSIVE: Anonymous Content has partnered with New Europe Film Sales to handle North American rights for animated feature The Peasants, directed by Oscar-nominated Loving Vincent filmmakers D.K. Welchman and Hugh Welchman. 

On the heels of the completion of the LightReel Film Festival and Black Reel Awards, the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in Film (FAAAF) has announced its new board of directors.

McKinley Franklin editor “Abbott Elementary” and “P-Valley” are among the top winners of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)’s fifth annual TV Honors, which recognizes exceptional achievements in broadcast television and streaming with an emphasis on entertainment representing the Black diaspora.  “Abbott Elementary” took home titles for best TV comedy and best TV writing (awarded to Quinta Brunson) alongside “P-Valley” for best TV drama. Niecy Nash-Betts and Jessica Williams were also awarded best TV acting (female) and breakout star, respectively. They join a slate of awardees including J. Alphonse Nicholson and Nicco Annan for best ensemble and best TV acting (male) and Mary Lou Belli, Debbie Allen, Tasha Smith, Henry Chan and Jordan E. Cooper from “The Ms. Pat Show” for best TV directing.

The BBC’s main primetime news presenter Huw Edwards and his family are receiving advice from former News of the World tabloid editor Andy Coulson, The Guardian reports. 

Former Netflix TV boss Cindy Holland has joined Elisabeth Murdoch and Jane Featherstone’s Sister as Global CEO.

EXCLUSIVE: Magnolia Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Joan Baez I Am A Noise, the feature documentary about the iconic folk singer directed by Miri Navasky, Maeve O’Boyle, and Karen O’Connor.