Alex Gibney Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Brent Lang Executive Editor Talk about ending with a flourish. Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” a critically acclaimed look at the dramatic life and career of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, will close the 2023 edition of the Hamptons International Festival. “Maestro,” which co-stars Carey Mulligan, will screen on Oct.

Annika Pham In a keynote conversation Tuesday at Copenhagen’s leading international documentary festival CPH:DOX, Academy Award winning filmmaker and producer Alex Gibney (“Taxi to the Dark Side,” “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”) talked honestly about the winding road of making it in the documentary world, the creative process, and the lessons of life, partly learned from singer-songwriter Paul Simon. The inspirational talk at the baroque Kunsthal Charlottenborg exhibition space, with moderator Thom Powers, Toronto Film Festival programmer, was a prelude to the festival’s screening of Gibney’s two-part doc “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon,” which debuted on MGM+ March 17.

Raoul Peck, the filmmaker behind Academy Award-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro, is in production on his next feature doc — an investigation into the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise, tentatively titled, The Hands That Held the Knives.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Filmmakers Alex Gibney, Johan Grimonprez and Laura Huertas Millan, along with industry figures Jessica Harrop from Sandbox and Marie Nelson from Hot Docs will be among the speakers at CPH:CONFERENCE, the discussion program at documentary festival CPH:DOX. The program, which is curated in partnership with the training initiative Documentary Campus, has the theme “rebuilding narratives.” The conference will kick off on March 18 with a collaboration with the DISCO Network – made up of Ambulante, AFLAMUNA, DocsMX, Doc Society, DocSP, Docubox, In-Docs and India Docs – who will present and workshop “Our Declaration of Independence.” This session, led by Jad Abi-Khalil (AFLAMUNA) and Beadie Finzi (Doc Society), is a result of an initiative aiming to “articulate the importance of independent documentaries to culture, society and democracy, and to advocate for the resources and platforms they deserve.” In the mornings of March 19-21, there will be thought-provoking conversations with filmmakers featured in this year’s CPH:DOX program.

MGM+ has announced the acquisition of the two-part docuseries “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, debuting on the streamer on March 17 and March 24 at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT.

MGM+ has acquired Oscar winner Alex Gibney’s two-part documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, an immersive journey into the work of one of greatest singer-songwriters in the history of the recording industry.

Paramount+ has set premiere dates for June, a new feature doc on country singer-songwriter June Carter Cash from Emmy winner Kristen Vaurio, one of the producers behind the acclaimed Alex Gibney pic Going Clear: Scientology & The Prison of Belief. Set to debut in the U.S. and Canada on January 16, the film will debut one day later in territories including the UK, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

EXCLUSIVE: Amidst a recent expansion into docs and scripted series, after just two years as a producer-financier of features, Closer Media has added accomplished producers Joey Marra and Nate Matteson to its leadership team. Former Jigsaw exec Marra will lead the company’s non-fiction division, with former manager Matteson set to oversee scripted television.

Oscar-nominated director Matthew Heineman and late filmmaker Nancy Buirski will be honored at the Hamptons Doc Fest in New York next month.

Wind gusts quivered the tree limbs, rainfall ricocheted off the roads, and in an instant, power cut off at the old Opera House on Elm Street in Camden, Maine, scuttling screenings there at the Camden International Film Festival.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired international rights to Elon Musk documentary “Musk,” directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. It was announced during Cannes earlier this year that HBO Documentary Films had come on board to join the production and will release the film in North America.

EXCLUSIVE: Leonine Studios’ Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion has hired international doc expert Martin Pieper from public network ZDF.

Organizers of the Camden International Film Festival in coastal Maine are moving ahead with regular programming today, as Hurricane Lee – downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone – aims further north towards Nova Scotia.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic The first thing to say about Alex Gibney’s “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon” is that it’s three-and-a-half hours long. Normally I wouldn’t lead with that daunting fact, especially since the film is mostly marvelous: a documentary that every Paul Simon fan on earth should want to see and experience. But will they? I raise the issue only because “In Restless Dreams” has come into the Toronto Film Festival without a distributor, and let’s just be honest: The 209-minute running time, when you hear about it, doesn’t exactly sound…user-friendly.

Paul Simon has revealed that while he hasn’t “accepted” his hearing loss, he is in the process of finding a new solution which will help him return to touring.The Simon and Garfunkel star opened up about his hearing loss in his left ear at a Q&A at the Toronto Film Festival yesterday (September 10) – something which has affected him in recent years and left him struggling to perform live.Here, he said that while he hasn’t yet come to terms with the impairment, he is due to start work with two guitarists, who could potentially fill in some of his musical parts during a live show and help him return to touring.“I haven’t accepted it entirely, but I’m beginning to,” he began (via The Hollywood Reporter). “Usually, when I finished an album I went out and toured with it, and then I have the opportunity to really investigate the piece.

Addie Morfoot Contributor In his latest documentary “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon,” Alex Gibney explores the singer-songwriter’s six-decade career. The Oscar winning director also captures Simon creating his latest album, “Seven Psalms,” which he made while losing hearing in his left ear. Although Gibney is mostly recognized for his rigorously researched investigative exposes (“Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”), he is also skilled in creating portraits of cultural icons like Simon.

Addie Morfoot Contributor When it comes to documentary filmmakers, Alex Gibney, Errol Morris and Raoul Peck are at the top of their game. Along with tremendous talent, each helmer possesses what every successful documentarian needs — business savvy — which in turn has allowed them to experience continued success over many years.

UPDATED with latest: The Toronto Film Festival began September 7 in Ontario with opening-night movie The Boy and the Heron, from Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. It kicks off a lineup for the fest’s 48th edition that includes world premieres of GameStop pic Dumb Money, Netflix’s Pain Hustlers, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, Kristin Scott Thomas’ Scarlett Johansson pic North Star, Chris Pine’s Poolman, Michael Keaton-directed Knox Goes Away, Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils, Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshana, Grant Singer’s Reptile, Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt, Lee Tamahori’s The Convert and Alex Gibney’s doc In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.

Addie Morfoot Contributor The 19th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival, kicking off Sept. 14, will feature a handful of award-contending documentaries fresh off showings at Telluride, Toronto, Sundance, South by Southwest, Berlin and Tribeca film festivals.

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. 

Following a three year shoot, award-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney has just completed production on In Restless Dreams: The Music Of Paul Simon, the documentary about Paul Simon’s legendary Grammy Award-winning career. The film also follows Simon’s journey creating his new album Seven Psalms, which poses questions about faith and mortality, during the pandemic and while dealing with his hearing loss. The film is expected to be part of the fall film festival circuit.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Stacey Offman, Jigsaw Production’s exec VP of development and production, is exiting the company to work as an independent producer, Variety has confirmed. Longtime Jigsaw producer Erin Edeiken to serve as head of production for Alex Gibney’s shingle going forward. Offman, who is exiting on May 19, joined Jigsaw Productions in 2012. In her 11-year tenure at the documentary production company, Offman was part of the team that launched Jigsaw’s television branch as well as the creation of a vertical of non-fiction series and documentaries for an array of studios and broadcast partners. Offman’s recent projects include Jigsaw’s “Dirty Money,” a six-part investigative series which exposed corruption and financial malfeasance in some of the most influential companies and industries. The series began streaming on Netflix in January 2018. In addition, Offman developed “Salt, Fat, Acid Heat,” a 2018 four-part Netflix culinary travel series based on Samin Nosrat’s book by the same name, which won a James Beard Media Award. Offman also spearheaded notable political projects including Showtime’s Emmy winning “Kingdom of Silence” (2019) and Apple TV’s Emmy nominated series “The Line” (2021).

EXCLUSIVE: HBO Documentary Films has pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to Musk, Alex Gibney’s upcoming documentary about lightning rod entrepreneur and businessman Elon Musk.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Paul Simon has announced a new album, “Seven Psalms,” a suite-like conceptual album that he says is meant to be listened to as one 33-minute piece of work, containing seven distinct but interlinked songs, or “movements.” The May 19 release will mark the first all-new collection he’s put out since 2016’s “Stranger to Stranger” and the first studio album of any sort since “In the Blue Light” in 2018, an album of re-recordings of older songs. The release is also due to have a companion documentary, “In Restless Dreams,” directed by Alex Gibney, according to a title card at the end of a trailer Simon has released for the upcoming album. No official announcement of that film has yet been made.

EXCLUSIVE: Neil A. Cohen, who was an agent in the non-scripted television department at UTA, is leaving and joining Paradigm. At Paradigm, he becomes an unscripted agent based out of its New York office.

Before Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, there was Boris Becker. Affectionately known as “Boom Boom” for his fast and accurate serve and volleying technique, the West Germany-born Becker was one of the best tennis players of his generation.

MindGeek, the parent of Pornhub, the world’s biggest porn site, and other adult entertainment platforms was acquired by a Canadian private equity firm called Ethical Capital Partners, or ECP, for an undisclosed amount.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Pornography, as a visual medium, has long followed the lead of technology. First it was drawn by hand. Then it was photographed. Then it was shown in back rooms on 8mm one-reelers. Then it was shown in movie theaters. Then it moved to video cassettes and DVD. Then it arrived on the Internet. Then, in the age of Pornhub, it exploded on the Internet. That’s when porn-on-the-computer innovation became the all-porn-all-the-time revolution. “Money Shot: The Pornhub Story,” a documentary that drops March 15 on Netflix, is not a movie about the cultural prominence or significance of porn in our time. Someone should really make that documentary. It’s a story that, like so much else about pornography, is totally out there yet hidden in the shadows. “Money Shot,” directed by Suzanne Hillinger and produced by Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, does touch on key aspects of how porn today is manufactured and consumed — notably how technology has helped to blur, if not obliterate, the distinction between the porn professional and the elevated “amateur.” But the movie explores this mostly in the service of telling the story of how Pornhub, the largest porn site in the world, became a lightning rod of controversy when it was accused of being a place that abetted sex trafficking and the sexual abuse of children.

NEON has acquired the North American rights to Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning director, Raoul Peck’s (I Am Not Your Negro) documentary Orwell, the definitive feature-length documentary on visionary author George Orwell, with the exclusive cooperation of the Orwell Estate.

Elon Musk has said an upcoming documentary about him is a “hit piece”.On Monday (March 6), Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney announced that he was working on the new project, which will be titled Musk. He described it as a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of the multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.Replying to a tweet about the news on Tuesday, Musk wrote simply: “It’s a hit piece.”Gibney said in a statement: “I have been working on this film, off and on, for some time and am hugely excited about it.

Alex Gibney, the Emmy- and Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker behind “Taxi to the Dark Side,” “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” will next set his sights on Elon Musk with “Musk,” described in the official announcement as “a definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.”“I have been working on this film, off and on, for some time and am hugely excited about it,” said Gibney in an official statement. “I am delighted by this extraordinary group who are working with me.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Elon Musk will be the center of a new documentary from the unflinching Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning director of “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.” Already months into production, Gibney announced the project on Monday saying he was “hugely excited” about tackling Musk on film. It is described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.” Tech mogul Musk reached peak saturation in late 2022 when he completed a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, promising to upend the platform’s user experience as well as restore “balance” to its user body (including the elimination of bot accounts, which Musk has previously said ran rampant on the site).

Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has his next doc as he is currently months into the making of Musk, a definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter. 

K.J. Yossman “Boom! Boom: The World vs. Boris Becker,” the upcoming Apple TV+ documentary that premiered in Berlin last month, has confirmed a release date. The full two-part doc, about disgraced tennis champ Boris Becker, will drop on the streamer on April. 7. The documentary, which was directed by Alex Gibney (“Enron”) and produced by John Battsek (“Searching for Sugar Man”), promises to explore “every aspect of the man who became a tennis sensation after winning The Wimbledon Championships at the age of just 17, going on to win 49 career titles, including six Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal, as well as his high-profile, sometimes tumultuous personal life,” according to the logline.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Emmy nominee Razan Ghalayini has joined Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions as vice president of non-fiction development. The executive will be responsible for managing Jigsaw’s non-fiction slate of projects and will drive sales efforts alongside scripted and audio divisions. “I am thrilled to welcome Razan to Jigsaw. I have long been an admirer of her work. And I am in awe of her infectious enthusiasm and her ability to find, develop and produce stories that are powerful, vitally relevant to our present moment and hugely entertaining,” said Gibney, president of Jigsaw.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz will be this year’s recipient of the WGA West’s Paul Selvin Award in recognition of her adapted screenplay for She Said, the Universal film about the New York Times reporters who broke the story that exposed disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. The guild said Thursday that she will be honored at the WGA Awards’ Los Angeles ceremony March 5 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.