Roger Ross Williams Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

In a different timeline, you might be talking a lot more about “Cassandro.” And, frankly, you should. Roger Ross Williams‘ feature directorial debut found strong reviews out of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was set for a bit of an awards season burst at Telluride.

—Outstanding Nonfiction Feature 32 SoundsDirected by Sam GreenProduced by Josh Penn and Thomas O. Kriegsmann —Outstanding Direction Maite AlberdiThe Eternal Memory Kaouther Ben HaniaFour Daughters —Outstanding Editing Michael HarteStill: A Michael J. Fox Movie —Outstanding Production Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden and Vasilisa Stepanenko20 Days in Mariupol —Outstanding CinematographyAnts TammikSmoke Sauna Sisterhood —Outstanding Original Score JD Samson32 Sounds —Outstanding Sound DesignMark Mangini32 Sounds —Outstanding Visual DesignThomas Curtis and Sean PierceGoing to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project —Outstanding DebutKokomo CityDirected by D.

Considering the foothold it has in American pop culture, it’s somewhat surprising that there have been so few movies about pro wrestling. In fact, over the last 15 years, the only real notable narrative films on the subject are Darren Aronofsky’s 2008 drama “The Wrestler” and the solid, but already forgotten 2018 dramedy “Fighting With My Family.” The last 12 months have been something of a sea change, comparably, with Roger Ross Williams’ superb “Cassandro” about famed exótico lucha libre wrestler Saúl Armendáriz and now, Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw,” a spotlight on the Von Erichs, one of the most respected and snakebit families in the sport.

The International Documentary Association announced its shortlists of features and shorts in the running for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards, a list as notable for what was left out as for what films made the cut.

Between the Rains and The Echo are among the big winners at the prestigious Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Arkansas.

It’s Cassandro’s time to shine.

Cassandro tells a larger-than-life true story in the most grounded way possible. Gael García Bernal plays Saúl Armendáriz, an amateur wrestler who, struggling to make a breakthrough on the local scene, reinvents himself as an “exótico.” The role of the exótico in 1980s Mexico was to act flamboyant, dress even more so, and to lose to the muscle-bound hulks they stepped into the ring with. Cassandro was different, though.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events.

Netflix on Tuesday unveiled its full fall slate of films, touting the release dates of awards contenders like Pain Hustlers and The Killer, among other titles. 

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The 50th Telluride Film Festival official lineup has been announced, revealing multiple world premieres including Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin,” Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” and Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.” In addition, the festival will pay tribute to Oscar-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos, whose film “Poor Things” will debut Stateside after premiering at the Venice Film Festival.

It’s hard to imagine that back in the late-80s and early-90s, there existed a gay lucha libre star who became a sensation amongst the fans and would eventually go on to be one of the most popular stars of that era. And yet, it happened.

Four years ago this week, the New York Times published its momentous series The 1619 Project, a groundbreaking endeavor that sought to reframe our understanding of the foundational role Black people have played to build this country and perfect its democratic ideals. To say it touched a nerve doesn’t begin to describe the project’s profound impact on our culture and politics.

Thania Garcia Giorgio Moroder and Iconoclast have struck a deal to work on the development and marketing of the “Father of Disco’s” name, image, and likeness rights. Iconoclast acquires the Grammy and Oscar-winning composer’s producer royalties, which span across timeless hits including Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and Blondie’s “Call Me,” among others.

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.

The Super Models” will bring back Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, for an intimate look that will run over the course of four episodes. Tatjana Patitz, iconic supermodel of ‘80s and ‘90s, dies at 56Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell & more react to Tatjana Patitz’ deathNaomi Campbell became a proud mom of two as she welcomed a baby boyApple TV+ promises access to the four models and to take viewers to the 80s in New York City, exploring their individual career beginnings and later on how they formed one of the strongest forces in the fashion industry.

In the 1980s, perhaps no one typified beauty, glamor, and sex appeal more than the big four, “The Super Models” —Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. These runaway models were everywhere, and perhaps nothing epitomized their global allure more than George Michael’s steamy “Freedom” video, which featured all of these women plus Tatjana Patitz and was directed with erotic sweatiness by none other than David Fincher.

Kelly Rowland should be first in line to portray the Queen of Disco. Every so often, social media implodes as users clamor to point out how similar the two singers look. And Rowland isn't shy to bolster the calls for her to nab a starring role in a potential biopic; in 2019, the Destiny's Child alum dressed as the First Lady of Love for Halloween and sent fans into a frenzy. Donning a feathered white coat over a white bodysuit tied at the waist, Rowland shared several photos of her costume paired with photos of Summer in the original outfit.

, an HBO Original documentary offering an intimate glimpse at the artist's life on and off stage.Brooklyn Sudano, one of Summer's three children, teamed up with Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams to direct the documentary exploring the highs and lows of her mother's fame, giving fans a deeply personal portrait of the Queen of Disco before her death on May 17, 2012.«I had just become a mother. I didn't have my mom.

Scroll To See More Images

“Love to Love You, Donna Summer,” premiering Saturday on HBO. “It’s not pain I could have spoken about, but it’s something that I have to always incorporate into my reality.”The childhood trauma left her “feeling guilty” — even as she was feeling love from fans around the world at the peak of her musical powers.

Donna Summer fans might wish for a more comprehensive documentary bio than HBO’s Love to Love You, Donna Summer (★★★★★), but it’s hard to imagine a more intimate portrait of the woman, artist, mother, and hit-making Queen of Disco than this fascinating music-filled odyssey.Co-directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and actress-director Brooklyn Sudano, the middle of Summer’s three daughters, Love to Love You is framed as the family’s attempt to, as Brooklyn puts it, “figure out the many pieces of who Mom really was.”Summer, who succumbed to lung cancer in May 2012, provides the filmmakers key pieces to the puzzle by way of her songs and performances, recorded interviews, and footage she shot herself with her treasured Sony movie camera.At the height of her ’70s fame as pop’s First Lady of Love, Summer bought the camera because she loved making movies — and to entertain herself and the crew while on tour, according to her sister Mary Ellen, who sang backup. The video skits and home movies reveal the singer to be an unapologetic goofball, far from the gyrating diva of so-called Sex Rock that her label Casablanca Records was selling.Sex siren was merely a role she played, Summer explains in an interview voiceover.

Donna Summer and disco are synonymous. She became known as the “Queen of Disco” and had hits like “She Works Hard for The Money,” “Love to Love You, Baby,” and “I Feel Love,” among many others.

Love To Love You, a new documentary film about Donna Summer‘s reign as the “Queen of Disco”, has landed.Love To Love You is described as a “deeply personal portrait” of the late star and her rise to fame with hits including as ‘I Feel Love’, ‘Love To Love You Baby’, ‘MacArthur Park’, ‘Bad Girls’ and ‘Hot Stuff’. It will be released on HBO and HBO Max on May 20.The film, directed by Roger Ross Williams and Summer’s daughter Brooklyn Sudano, goes behind-the-screens with Summer on and off stage, with previously unseen photographs and video footage, much of which was shot by Summer herself.In the trailer, those close to Summer remember an intensely private person who struggled with the attention fame brought.

Queen of Disco in the ’70s, the suicidal singer hit rock bottom.“The most dismal days of my existence were at the height of my career,” says the late legend in the new documentary “Love To Love You, Donna Summer,” which premieres on HBO and HBO Max May 20. In fact, while Summer was riding high from the success of her breakout hit, the orgasmic classic “Love To Love You Baby,” she was enduring an abusive relationship with artist Peter Mühldorfer. One severe beating even left her unconscious, with a black eye and broken ribs.“I hit her, and I never could forgive myself,” says Mühldorfer in the doc.And having grown up in a deeply religious household — her father smacked her for wearing red nail polish because “that’s what whores wore” — Summer was highly conflicted about her image as a sex goddess from hits such as “Love To Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love” and later “Hot Stuff.” In reality, she was more church girl than “Bad Girl.”“You’re looking at me, but what you see is not what I am,” she says in the film, which is co-directed by her daughter Brooklyn Sudano and Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Lifetime and A+E Networks released the first trailer for “TLC Forever,” a two-hour documentary detailing the rise and enduring legacy of the girl group. In the trailer, remaining members Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas — Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes died after a car accident in 2002 — reflect on their meteoric rise to become the bestselling girl group in America at the time. Having sold over 85 million records worldwide, the group soared to success, scored nine top 10 hits and winning over 35 major awards including the video of the year Award for “Waterfalls.” But amid the success came in-group fighting and obstacles that included external attacks, bankruptcy and illness. “How are we meant to fight against the world if we’re fighting internally?” the duo asks in the trailer.

Bad Bunny is opening up about his first onscreen kiss with actor Gael García Bernal, calling it «badass.»In an interview for the April double issue of  magazine, the 29-year-old superstar shared why it was fun to film the 2023 biopic, the Roger Ross Williams-directed drama in which BB plays Bernal's character's lover.«It was cabrón (badass). My first kiss for a movie and it was with a man,» the Puerto Rican rapper told the magazine. «That's the penalty I get for being with so many women during my life.»Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, also offered a glimpse as to why he said yes when producers asked him about kissing a man in the film.«If you’re acting, you’re being someone you’re not,» he explained.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Sometimes, when a documentary has a great subject, it can explore that subject with an intimacy that’s arresting, only to treat other aspects of the story with a kind of cavalier casualness. “Love to Love You Donna Summer” is that kind of documentary. Co-directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano (who is Summer’s daughter), it’s full of home movies and photographs and archival footage of Donna Summer, and it creates an eye-opening portrait of the ambitious yet deeply disconsolate woman she was. We see her when she was growing up in Boston, where she sang gospel in church and felt a gift passing through her, knowing that she was going to be famous, or when she moved to Munich in 1968, at 19, to be in the German production of “Hair” (there’s a startling clip of her onstage, in long dark pigtails, singing “Aquarius” in German), or later on, after she’d become a pop star, at home with her daughters, lost in the empty mirror of fame.

Lifetime announced several projects during A+E Networks’ 2023-24 upfront presentation Wednesday, including a follow-up docu to Janet Jackson, its two-part documentary that scored record ratings for the network, as well as TLC Forever, a simulcast with A+E celebrating the story of the iconic top-selling female group. Additionally, the network has greenlighted a Keyshia Cole biopic, starring Cole as herselfand is in development on Merry Liddle Christmas Vacation starring Kelly Rowland, in the next installment of the Liddles for It’s a Wonderful Lifetime.

Donna Summer could hit notes more thrillingly beautiful than any other pop singer of her time, or since. I’m not sure even Whitney Houston, as great as she was, quite reached the glistening heights that culminate “Last Dance” (though she comes very close in “I Will Always Love You”). Mariah Carey (no relation to me) performs impressive vocal acrobatics, yet to my ear she can’t match the bell-like shimmer of Donna in the higher registers. And Donna in the lower registers – well, the voice thrums with visceral resonance.

Berlinale Adds Disney Tribute Film, Donna Summer Docs To Line-UpThe Berlinale has added Love to Love You, Donna Summer and 100 Years of Disney Animation – A Shorts Celebration to its 73rd edition line-up running February 16-26. Both titles will screen in the Berlinale Special sidebar. Co-directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano’s the Donna Summer film tells the story of the disco star through unpublished film extracts, home video, photographs, artwork, writings, personal audio and other recording. Academy Award winner and Walt Disney Animation Studios President Clark Spencer fronts the Disney film, sharing his favorite shorts from the studios’ 100 years of filmmaking. In other news, the festival has announced it will pay tribute to French cinematographer Caroline Champetier with its Berlinale Camera 2023 award. She has chosen Anne Fontaine’s The Innocents, on which she did the cinematography, for a screening as part of Berlinale Special program.

Selome Hailu Karis Jagger and Fabienne Toback have entered a first look deal with Lionsgate Television. Under the deal, they will develop and produce unscripted and documentary programming under their production banner Hey Sistah Productions. Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group, which focuses on unscripted programming, will provide development support and serve as production services entity for sold projects.     Jagger and Toback are best known for producing “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” a Netflix documentary series based on Dr. Jessica Harris’ book of the same name. The series follows food writer Stephen Satterfield on a culinary journey alongside chefs, historians and activists that celebrates the courage, artistry and resourcefulness of the African American people.

Clayton Gutzmore Civil rights attorney Ben Crump commanded the attention of the audience inside the New World Center Performance Hall in Miami Beach for the kickoff to the 2022 American Black Film Festival on Wed. June 15, where he took the stage to introduce “Civil,” the upcoming Netflix documentary about his life and work.“I keep getting asked, ‘Why did I do this?’ Crump recounted.

La La Land, instead of its intended recipient, Barry Jenkins’s queer coming-of-age tale Moonlight. What followed were among the most excruciating scenes ever broadcast on live TV, as florid speeches gave way to the realisation that there had been a colossal mistake.

EXCLUSIVE: Matthew Carnahan (House of Lies), Emmy nominee Nadia Hallgren (Becoming), and Ben Crump are developing the legal series Stokes, based on Crump’s life and work as a civil rights attorney. The series will also follow Crump and his team as they travel the country fighting to change the problems within the justice system.

EXCLUSIVE: Roberta Colindrez will star opposite Gael Garcia Bernal in his Amazon movie about “The Liberace of Lucha Libre”, Cassandro. 

Hulu has landed the rights to the docuseries The 1619 Project, based on materials from Nikole Hannah-Jones' acclaimed special issue of The New York Times Magazine which examines the impact of slavery on American history.