Exclusive: The Farewell and Honey Boy producer Kindred Spirit is expanding with the appointment of Sam Intili who joins the company as Head of Creative after departing Animal Kingdom.
Intili will be responsible for “cultivating materials and talent relationships”, with an eye towards strengthening Kindred Spirit’s foothold in the international space. In addition, Caroline Clark has been promoted to Development and Production Executive.
Both roles will report into Kindred Spirit founder Anita Gou as the company gears up on Agnieszka Smoczynska’s English-language debut Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance. The movie is now in post with Focus Features.
At Animal Kingdom, Intili sourced financing and distribution for emerging filmmakers. Exec producer credits include Andrew Cummings’ The Origin and Joaquin del Paso’s The Hole in the Fence. Intili is producing Jane Schoenbrun’s feature I Saw The TV Glow with Fruit Tree, A24, and Sarah Winshall,...
Intili will be responsible for “cultivating materials and talent relationships”, with an eye towards strengthening Kindred Spirit’s foothold in the international space. In addition, Caroline Clark has been promoted to Development and Production Executive.
Both roles will report into Kindred Spirit founder Anita Gou as the company gears up on Agnieszka Smoczynska’s English-language debut Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance. The movie is now in post with Focus Features.
At Animal Kingdom, Intili sourced financing and distribution for emerging filmmakers. Exec producer credits include Andrew Cummings’ The Origin and Joaquin del Paso’s The Hole in the Fence. Intili is producing Jane Schoenbrun’s feature I Saw The TV Glow with Fruit Tree, A24, and Sarah Winshall,...
- 2/2/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Amanda Lipitz’s documentary “Found,” streaming on Netflix, is a personal tale — her niece Chloe features at the heart of the documentary.
“Found” follows three young women, all adopted from China into American families. Through testing, they discover they are blood-related at a time when they are coming of age. Lipitz follows the individual stories as they gradually come together and travel to China for the first time.
Also at the heart of the film is its score by Toby Chu, who Lipitz discovered by accident. Here, the two talk about their journey making “Found” and the music behind it.
Amanda, how did Toby get on your radar as a composer?
Amanda Lipitz: I come from the Broadway world and music is everything to me. Whatever I’m working on, there’s always a soundtrack in my mind that’s helping inform the storytelling and inspiring me daily. I...
“Found” follows three young women, all adopted from China into American families. Through testing, they discover they are blood-related at a time when they are coming of age. Lipitz follows the individual stories as they gradually come together and travel to China for the first time.
Also at the heart of the film is its score by Toby Chu, who Lipitz discovered by accident. Here, the two talk about their journey making “Found” and the music behind it.
Amanda, how did Toby get on your radar as a composer?
Amanda Lipitz: I come from the Broadway world and music is everything to me. Whatever I’m working on, there’s always a soundtrack in my mind that’s helping inform the storytelling and inspiring me daily. I...
- 12/16/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese adoption is explored through the eyes of three teenage girls seeking out their roots — and each other — in “Step” director Amanda Lipitz’s “Found.” Weaving together the stories of Chloe, Sadie, and Lily, the film shows how tracing one’s genealogy as a Chinese adoptee in the U.S. can be a difficult task, but with a little help from 23andme and just a bit of pluck, it’s not impossible.
The three high school-aged girls were all born in China but adopted by parents in the United States, and now live in Tennessee and Oklahoma City. After a mail-in DNA test connects them as blood-related cousins, they use social media to bond and eventually join together to travel to China — a place none of them has any firsthand experience of — to examine their past. The uncertainty surrounding their adoption stems from China’s One Child Policy, in effect...
The three high school-aged girls were all born in China but adopted by parents in the United States, and now live in Tennessee and Oklahoma City. After a mail-in DNA test connects them as blood-related cousins, they use social media to bond and eventually join together to travel to China — a place none of them has any firsthand experience of — to examine their past. The uncertainty surrounding their adoption stems from China’s One Child Policy, in effect...
- 10/21/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
"You need to have a lot of courage to come back." Netflix has revealed a trailer for an indie documentary film titled Found, the latest from director Amanda Lipitz who earned quite a bit of acclaimed with her doc film Step from a few years ago. This just premiered at the 2021 Hamptons Film Festival, and arrives on Netflix in a few weeks. Three American teenage girls, each adopted from China, come across a life-changing discovery after a DNA service informs them they are cousins. The online reunion sparks a burning desire to visit China, in an attempt to understand their past and to come to terms with their lives so far. Their journey marks the cousins' first in-person meeting, and they band together in search of the answers that hold the key to their past. The film "elegantly sheds light on the resilience of teenage girls and the histories that...
- 10/8/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“When you know where you come from, you can find the peace in your heart.”
That’s the thesis behind the upcoming Netflix documentary Found, which follows a trio of three American teenage girls – Chloe, Sadie and Lily – who find each other via the genetic lineage site 23andMe and discover that they are all adopted. With the strength of their newfound bond, they decide to embark on the journey of returning to China – and exploring their origin stories – together.
The film’s director (and Chloe’s aunt), Amanda Lipitz (2017’s Step), reached out to the company ...
That’s the thesis behind the upcoming Netflix documentary Found, which follows a trio of three American teenage girls – Chloe, Sadie and Lily – who find each other via the genetic lineage site 23andMe and discover that they are all adopted. With the strength of their newfound bond, they decide to embark on the journey of returning to China – and exploring their origin stories – together.
The film’s director (and Chloe’s aunt), Amanda Lipitz (2017’s Step), reached out to the company ...
- 10/7/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“When you know where you come from, you can find the peace in your heart.”
That’s the thesis behind the upcoming Netflix documentary Found, which follows a trio of three American teenage girls – Chloe, Sadie and Lily – who find each other via the genetic lineage site 23andMe and discover that they are all adopted. With the strength of their newfound bond, they decide to embark on the journey of returning to China – and exploring their origin stories – together.
The film’s director (and Chloe’s aunt), Amanda Lipitz (2017’s Step), reached out to the company ...
That’s the thesis behind the upcoming Netflix documentary Found, which follows a trio of three American teenage girls – Chloe, Sadie and Lily – who find each other via the genetic lineage site 23andMe and discover that they are all adopted. With the strength of their newfound bond, they decide to embark on the journey of returning to China – and exploring their origin stories – together.
The film’s director (and Chloe’s aunt), Amanda Lipitz (2017’s Step), reached out to the company ...
- 10/7/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Netflix’s awards hopefuls Robert Greene’s “Procession” and Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “A Cop Movie” are heading to Manhattan’s Paris Theater as part of its “New Directions in Documentary” series.
Both hybrid features, which are vying for a spot on this year’s Academy Award doc shortlist, will screen alongside previously celebrated form-bending docus in the upcoming series beginning Oct. 15.
Since 2019 Netflix has operated the 571-seat venue, which the streaming company uses year-round for exclusive theatrical engagements, premieres, special events, retrospectives, and filmmaker appearances.
Curated by Paris Theater programmer David Schwartz, the five-day public event will highlight and celebrate docus that combine elements of fiction and non-fiction into the fabric of their storytelling.
“ ‘Procession’ and ‘A Cop Movie’ are exciting and inventive movies that heighten the documentary form,” says Schwartz. “They find innovative ways to explore truth through deeply personal and dramatic subjects. Their work transcends the formulaic with rigorous fidelity to vision,...
Both hybrid features, which are vying for a spot on this year’s Academy Award doc shortlist, will screen alongside previously celebrated form-bending docus in the upcoming series beginning Oct. 15.
Since 2019 Netflix has operated the 571-seat venue, which the streaming company uses year-round for exclusive theatrical engagements, premieres, special events, retrospectives, and filmmaker appearances.
Curated by Paris Theater programmer David Schwartz, the five-day public event will highlight and celebrate docus that combine elements of fiction and non-fiction into the fabric of their storytelling.
“ ‘Procession’ and ‘A Cop Movie’ are exciting and inventive movies that heighten the documentary form,” says Schwartz. “They find innovative ways to explore truth through deeply personal and dramatic subjects. Their work transcends the formulaic with rigorous fidelity to vision,...
- 10/5/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Presented by the California Film Institute, the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 7-17, 2021. The Mvff is an acclaimed eleven-day cinema event celebrating the best in American independent and world cinema. Located just north of San Francisco, it’s known as a filmmakers’ festival, and the West Coast launch pad for many Academy Award®-winning films, annually showcasing 200+ films from over 50 countries. The Mvff creates a community that celebrates the best in international film as well as Tributes and Spotlights with major film talents. Below, we’ve got the whole roster of their Asian / Asian American film slate.
Features
Anima (Mo Er Dao Ga) A tale of tested fraternal bonds and ecological catastrophe shot on location in Mongolia’s national parklands, writer-director Cao Jinling’s gorgeous, thrilling drama forces viewers to ask themselves: What happens when we disrupt the harmony of our world? And how can we restore the balance?...
Features
Anima (Mo Er Dao Ga) A tale of tested fraternal bonds and ecological catastrophe shot on location in Mongolia’s national parklands, writer-director Cao Jinling’s gorgeous, thrilling drama forces viewers to ask themselves: What happens when we disrupt the harmony of our world? And how can we restore the balance?...
- 9/13/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
“Mothering Sunday,” a steamy British drama starring Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor and Olivia Colman, will have its U.S. premiere as the centerpiece film at the Hamptons International Film Festival.
The annual event, running from Oct. 7 through Oct. 13, will also screen Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Clint Bentley’s “Jockey,” Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G” and Rachel Fleit’s “Introducing, Selma Blair.”
“Every year we work to bring our audiences out east a diverse and thoughtful selection of films that excite and expand perspectives. We look forward to welcoming this year’s films and filmmakers to the 29th edition,” said Anne Chaisson, executive director of HamptonsFilm. “We are overjoyed to once again be bringing our community together in celebration of some of the year’s most incredible films.”
As previously announced, The Hamptons International Film Festival will host Celine Sciamma’s “Petite Maman,” Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s documentary “Julia,...
The annual event, running from Oct. 7 through Oct. 13, will also screen Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Clint Bentley’s “Jockey,” Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G” and Rachel Fleit’s “Introducing, Selma Blair.”
“Every year we work to bring our audiences out east a diverse and thoughtful selection of films that excite and expand perspectives. We look forward to welcoming this year’s films and filmmakers to the 29th edition,” said Anne Chaisson, executive director of HamptonsFilm. “We are overjoyed to once again be bringing our community together in celebration of some of the year’s most incredible films.”
As previously announced, The Hamptons International Film Festival will host Celine Sciamma’s “Petite Maman,” Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s documentary “Julia,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has picked up worldwide rights to filmmaker Amanda Lipitz’s forthcoming feature documentary Found.
The film follows the incredible story of three American teenage girls (Chloe, Sadie and Lily) — each adopted from China — who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history. When they meet for the first time, they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to China in search of answers.
Netflix plans to release the doc over its platform on Oct. 20.
Lipitz’s directorial debut, the feature-length documentary called Step, premiered to ...
The film follows the incredible story of three American teenage girls (Chloe, Sadie and Lily) — each adopted from China — who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history. When they meet for the first time, they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to China in search of answers.
Netflix plans to release the doc over its platform on Oct. 20.
Lipitz’s directorial debut, the feature-length documentary called Step, premiered to ...
- 8/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Netflix has picked up worldwide rights to filmmaker Amanda Lipitz’s forthcoming feature documentary Found.
The film follows the incredible story of three American teenage girls (Chloe, Sadie and Lily) — each adopted from China — who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history. When they meet for the first time, they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to China in search of answers.
Netflix plans to release the doc over its platform on Oct. 20.
Lipitz’s directorial debut, the feature-length documentary called Step, premiered to ...
The film follows the incredible story of three American teenage girls (Chloe, Sadie and Lily) — each adopted from China — who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history. When they meet for the first time, they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to China in search of answers.
Netflix plans to release the doc over its platform on Oct. 20.
Lipitz’s directorial debut, the feature-length documentary called Step, premiered to ...
- 8/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paramount Plus released a trailer for the fifth season of “The Good Fight,” which will premiere on June 24.
In the fifth season, Diane (Christine Baranski) is forced to question whether it’s appropriate for her to help run an African American law firm with Liz (Audra McDonald) after the firm loses two top lawyers. Meanwhile, Marissa (Sarah Steele) and the firm become entangled with Hal Wackner (Mandy Patinkin), a regular Chicagoan who decides to open his own courtroom in the back of a copy shop.
The cast also includes Michael Boatman, Nyambi Nyambi, Zach Grenier and Charmaine Bingwa.
Showrunners Robert and Michelle King co-created the series with Phil Alden Robinson. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Brooke Kennedy, Liz Glotzer, William Finkelstein, Jonathan Tolins and Jacquelyn Reingold also serve as executive producers.
Also in today’s TV news roundup:
Dates
Apple TV Plus announced that the documentary special “Who Are You,...
In the fifth season, Diane (Christine Baranski) is forced to question whether it’s appropriate for her to help run an African American law firm with Liz (Audra McDonald) after the firm loses two top lawyers. Meanwhile, Marissa (Sarah Steele) and the firm become entangled with Hal Wackner (Mandy Patinkin), a regular Chicagoan who decides to open his own courtroom in the back of a copy shop.
The cast also includes Michael Boatman, Nyambi Nyambi, Zach Grenier and Charmaine Bingwa.
Showrunners Robert and Michelle King co-created the series with Phil Alden Robinson. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Brooke Kennedy, Liz Glotzer, William Finkelstein, Jonathan Tolins and Jacquelyn Reingold also serve as executive producers.
Also in today’s TV news roundup:
Dates
Apple TV Plus announced that the documentary special “Who Are You,...
- 6/4/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
For many in the film community, Sundance 2020 was their last live American film festival. A swath of movies and talent debuted before moving on to release on multiple platforms. Some even entered this year’s extended Oscar conversation: “The Father,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Promising Young Woman,” and a long list of stellar documentaries, including “Athlete A,” “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Crip Camp,” “The Painter and the Thief,” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
One year later and, like every other festival, Sundance is virtual. Also like other festivals: It’s subject to the vagaries of Covid. It’s shorter — seven days instead of 11 — and the tighter selection reflects that. There are 71 features, a nearly 40 percent drop from 118 last year. It also lacks big names, with few distributors choosing to use the festival as a launchpad. “We are not programming to quotas,” said new festival director Tabitha Jackson. “We are making sure we...
One year later and, like every other festival, Sundance is virtual. Also like other festivals: It’s subject to the vagaries of Covid. It’s shorter — seven days instead of 11 — and the tighter selection reflects that. There are 71 features, a nearly 40 percent drop from 118 last year. It also lacks big names, with few distributors choosing to use the festival as a launchpad. “We are not programming to quotas,” said new festival director Tabitha Jackson. “We are making sure we...
- 12/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
For many in the film community, Sundance 2020 was their last live American film festival. A swath of movies and talent debuted before moving on to release on multiple platforms. Some even entered this year’s extended Oscar conversation: “The Father,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Promising Young Woman,” and a long list of stellar documentaries, including “Athlete A,” “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Crip Camp,” “The Painter and the Thief,” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
One year later and, like every other festival, Sundance is virtual. Also like other festivals: It’s subject to the vagaries of Covid. It’s shorter — seven days instead of 11 — and the tighter selection reflects that. There are 71 features, a nearly 40 percent drop from 118 last year. It also lacks big names, with few distributors choosing to use the festival as a launchpad. “We are not programming to quotas,” said new festival director Tabitha Jackson. “We are making sure we...
One year later and, like every other festival, Sundance is virtual. Also like other festivals: It’s subject to the vagaries of Covid. It’s shorter — seven days instead of 11 — and the tighter selection reflects that. There are 71 features, a nearly 40 percent drop from 118 last year. It also lacks big names, with few distributors choosing to use the festival as a launchpad. “We are not programming to quotas,” said new festival director Tabitha Jackson. “We are making sure we...
- 12/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The International Documentary Association has named Brenda Robinson as its new President of its Board of Directors. She makes history as the organization’s first Black president.
An entertainment attorney, Robinson joined Ida’s Board of Directors in 2018. She succeeds Kevin Iwashina, whose board term ends in December. Her new role as President begins immediately.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way to the continued growth of this organization and to lead us forward in fulfilling our mission of championing storytellers while creating a culture of inclusion,” said Robinson.
“I could not be more proud of what we accomplished as a Board during both my term and my presidency,” said Iwashina. “I am confident that Brenda’s leadership will be transformational for the Ida. Although my formal relationship with the organization is coming to an end, my enthusiasm for its long-term success does not,...
An entertainment attorney, Robinson joined Ida’s Board of Directors in 2018. She succeeds Kevin Iwashina, whose board term ends in December. Her new role as President begins immediately.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way to the continued growth of this organization and to lead us forward in fulfilling our mission of championing storytellers while creating a culture of inclusion,” said Robinson.
“I could not be more proud of what we accomplished as a Board during both my term and my presidency,” said Iwashina. “I am confident that Brenda’s leadership will be transformational for the Ida. Although my formal relationship with the organization is coming to an end, my enthusiasm for its long-term success does not,...
- 7/16/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
When Carrie Coon signed on to star in the scripted podcast “Motherhacker,” she didn’t know exactly what would happen next. She’d taped podcasts before, but her interests skewed toward nonfiction and political series — now, she was the lead of a Gimlet original series, and while that came with its own challenges, Coon also came down with a nasty case of strep throat right before recording.
“There was very little preparation,” Coon said in an interview with IndieWire. “I had the script. I had the dates. I have a toddler, so I did not have time to prepare — that’s just not part of my life right now, preparation. I was really just thinking, ‘Ok, I’m going to go in the studio for six hours, we’re going to record these scripts straight through, and knock them out in three days.’ It just sounded very straightforward.”
Well, it wasn’t.
“There was very little preparation,” Coon said in an interview with IndieWire. “I had the script. I had the dates. I have a toddler, so I did not have time to prepare — that’s just not part of my life right now, preparation. I was really just thinking, ‘Ok, I’m going to go in the studio for six hours, we’re going to record these scripts straight through, and knock them out in three days.’ It just sounded very straightforward.”
Well, it wasn’t.
- 11/22/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
The fall slate of new and returning fiction podcasts has been released by Gimlet, led by cyber-thriller Motherhacker, in which a single mother (Carrie Coon) journeys through the dark web.
Starting in October, Gimlet will be releasing one fiction series a month through the end of the year, including its first scripted renewals since Homecoming season 2. Streamer Spotify bought Gimlet Media and fellow podcasting company Anchor earlier this year for a reported $340 million. The newly announced slate reflects a ramping up of the production pace.
Besides Motherhacker, Gimlet will also unveil The Horror of Dolores Roach for a second season, wherein listeners can hear the latest from Roach (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and her life underground. Also back is The Two Princes, with an update on Prince Rupert and Prince Amir’s love story and the adventures they find along the way.
Gimlet’s executive producer for scripted fiction is Mimi O’Donnell.
Starting in October, Gimlet will be releasing one fiction series a month through the end of the year, including its first scripted renewals since Homecoming season 2. Streamer Spotify bought Gimlet Media and fellow podcasting company Anchor earlier this year for a reported $340 million. The newly announced slate reflects a ramping up of the production pace.
Besides Motherhacker, Gimlet will also unveil The Horror of Dolores Roach for a second season, wherein listeners can hear the latest from Roach (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and her life underground. Also back is The Two Princes, with an update on Prince Rupert and Prince Amir’s love story and the adventures they find along the way.
Gimlet’s executive producer for scripted fiction is Mimi O’Donnell.
- 9/12/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Fresh from Fox Searchlight’s exuberant Oscar celebration for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” (six wins) and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (two wins), Sean Berney is leaving his post as director of acquisitions to join Netflix’s original films division. He will report to acquisitions head Matthew Brodlie, and will be part of the Netflix contingent in Cannes.
Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”
After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”
After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
- 4/4/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Fresh from Fox Searchlight’s exuberant Oscar celebration for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” (six wins) and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (two wins), Sean Berney is leaving his post as director of acquisitions to join Netflix’s original films division. He will report to acquisitions head Matthew Brodlie, and will be part of the Netflix contingent in Cannes.
Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”
After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”
After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
- 4/4/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
When I spoke to director and filmmaker Amanda Lipitz last year about her documentary Step, we talked about the song, Jump. Written by Raphael Saadiq, Taura Stinson, and Laura Karpman,...
- 1/11/2018
- by Jazz Tangcay
- AwardsDaily.com
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present, and future.
While 2017 was a banner year for female filmmakers — including breakouts like Patty Jenkins, who helmed the second highest-grossing film of the year, and rising stars like Stella Meghie and Amanda Lipitz — next year seems poised to exceed some very high expectations when it comes to both depth of talent and depth of choices.
From new blockbusters from some of our best filmmakers in the business to raucous comedies poised to keep up the reinvention of female-centric comedy, indies from new talents, directing pairs looking to break through, and everything in between, 2018 has a something for every film fan, directed by helmers who just so happen to be women.
Read More:Studios Released Just 7 Films Directed By Women This Summer, and They Might Break the Billion-Dollar Mark
Keep in mind, this list only includes films that have...
While 2017 was a banner year for female filmmakers — including breakouts like Patty Jenkins, who helmed the second highest-grossing film of the year, and rising stars like Stella Meghie and Amanda Lipitz — next year seems poised to exceed some very high expectations when it comes to both depth of talent and depth of choices.
From new blockbusters from some of our best filmmakers in the business to raucous comedies poised to keep up the reinvention of female-centric comedy, indies from new talents, directing pairs looking to break through, and everything in between, 2018 has a something for every film fan, directed by helmers who just so happen to be women.
Read More:Studios Released Just 7 Films Directed By Women This Summer, and They Might Break the Billion-Dollar Mark
Keep in mind, this list only includes films that have...
- 12/22/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Lionsgate is planning an English-language remake of the Spanish-language hit Instructions Not Included. Set to direct is Amanda Lipitz, the Tony-winning producer whose first directing effort, Step, won a prize at the last Sundance Film Festival for Inspirational Filmmaking and sold for $4 million in a bidding battle to Fox Searchlight. Lipitz is producing with Scott Rudin a narrative version of that film for Searchlight. The Eugenio Derbez-directed original was…...
- 12/14/2017
- Deadline
A year ago Amanda Lipitz knew her documentary “Step” would be announced as part of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, but she could only dream the story of three young women from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women would resonate with audiences in Park City. The film became a crowd favorite winning the Audience Award in the U.S. Documentary Category and was acquired by Fox Searchlight for an impressive $4 million.
Continue reading ‘Step’ Director Amanda Lipitz On The Journey Behind Her Acclaimed Sundance Doc [Podcast] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Step’ Director Amanda Lipitz On The Journey Behind Her Acclaimed Sundance Doc [Podcast] at The Playlist.
- 11/29/2017
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
‘Step’ Documentary Competes For Oscar Attention As Director Amanda Lipitz Plans Fictional Adaptation
Get Step director Amanda Lipitz talking about the girls at the heart of her film—exuberant members of the step dance team at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women—and she's liable to tear up. "I cry when I talk about them," she tells Deadline. "The girls give me such hope… Their mothers inspire me as a mother. They’re my family. I don’t know how to put into words how much they mean to me." The bond began forming almost a decade ago when Lipitz, a Tony…...
- 11/16/2017
- Deadline
At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
- 11/6/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
- 11/6/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Cinema Through the Eye of Magnum (Sophie Bassaler)
When one conjures iconic memories from cinema history, they might be of your favorite shot or sequence, but my mind often travels to behind-the-scenes photos featuring director, cast, crew, and beyond. These photographs often have a unifying connection: they come from Magnum Photos. Since 1947, the photographic cooperative — founded by such iconic names as Robert Capa amd Henri Cartier-Bresson — has been responsible...
Cinema Through the Eye of Magnum (Sophie Bassaler)
When one conjures iconic memories from cinema history, they might be of your favorite shot or sequence, but my mind often travels to behind-the-scenes photos featuring director, cast, crew, and beyond. These photographs often have a unifying connection: they come from Magnum Photos. Since 1947, the photographic cooperative — founded by such iconic names as Robert Capa amd Henri Cartier-Bresson — has been responsible...
- 10/20/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
- 10/18/2017
- by Jazz Tangcay
- AwardsDaily.com
When Amanda Lipitz started making her Sundance sensation documentary “Step,” she began speaking with a group of inner-city Baltimore high school students before they entered high school. When the girls, who were forming a step team, were in 10th grade, she began filming interviews. When they entered 11th grade, she began filming them verite-style.
Then Freddie Gray was killed.
“I knew I had to throw out everything I’d shot until that point,” she said after a screening of the Michelle Obama–approved film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series.
Read More:‘Step’ Review: This Dance Documentary Uplifts The Girls, But Is a Better Story About Community — Sundance 2017
Instead of an exploration of the art of step dancing through the eyes of these girls, “Step” became more than that. It became an exploration of how the young women were able to process such a horrific event, how...
Then Freddie Gray was killed.
“I knew I had to throw out everything I’d shot until that point,” she said after a screening of the Michelle Obama–approved film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series.
Read More:‘Step’ Review: This Dance Documentary Uplifts The Girls, But Is a Better Story About Community — Sundance 2017
Instead of an exploration of the art of step dancing through the eyes of these girls, “Step” became more than that. It became an exploration of how the young women were able to process such a horrific event, how...
- 10/17/2017
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has announced its 15-film Short List of Oscar contenders along with its opening-night selection, “The Final Year,” in which Greg Barker follows key members of Barack Obama’s administration during their last year in office. The festival runs November 9-16.
Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.
Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.
Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
- 9/28/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has announced its 15-film Short List of Oscar contenders along with its opening-night selection, “The Final Year,” in which Greg Barker follows key members of Barack Obama’s administration during their last year in office. The festival runs November 9-16.
Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.
Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.
Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
- 9/28/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
MaryAnn’s quick take… Covers ground — the lives of black teen girls — that mostly goes unexamined onscreen. It couldn’t be fresher or more important. It’s also wildly entertaining. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for movies about girls and women
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Forget those silly Step Up movies. Even though they are set in the world of hip-hop street-dance competitions that are primarily an “urban” — read: black — phenomenon, they manage to focus almost entirely on white characters. Instead, here’s Step, which is literally the real thing. Hugely cheering and cheer-worthy, this documentary look at a high-school girls’ step team covers so much ground that unforgivably goes mostly unexamined onscreen: it couldn’t be fresher or more important. It’s also wildly entertaining while simultaneously enormously enlightening.
Movies about at-risk boys are plentiful.
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Forget those silly Step Up movies. Even though they are set in the world of hip-hop street-dance competitions that are primarily an “urban” — read: black — phenomenon, they manage to focus almost entirely on white characters. Instead, here’s Step, which is literally the real thing. Hugely cheering and cheer-worthy, this documentary look at a high-school girls’ step team covers so much ground that unforgivably goes mostly unexamined onscreen: it couldn’t be fresher or more important. It’s also wildly entertaining while simultaneously enormously enlightening.
Movies about at-risk boys are plentiful.
- 8/16/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present, and future.
Thank Patty Jenkins — and then thank all the other wonder women who lit up this summer at the box office. This summer, studios released only seven films directed by women (that’s including speciality arms, and even a co-directed production), but the massive success of Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” is poised to push the total take of female-directed studio films over $1 billion.
Nothing sings quite like “a billion dollars” in Hollywood, but what’s even more heartening is the variety of films in this small group.
“Wonder Woman” is the story of the summer, an $800 million superhero that established Jenkins’ supremacy as director of the highest-grossing live-action movie directed by a woman and reestablished the solvency of the creatively stifled Dceu. It also made plain just how desperate audiences are for female-focused blockbusters. The film stayed in...
Thank Patty Jenkins — and then thank all the other wonder women who lit up this summer at the box office. This summer, studios released only seven films directed by women (that’s including speciality arms, and even a co-directed production), but the massive success of Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” is poised to push the total take of female-directed studio films over $1 billion.
Nothing sings quite like “a billion dollars” in Hollywood, but what’s even more heartening is the variety of films in this small group.
“Wonder Woman” is the story of the summer, an $800 million superhero that established Jenkins’ supremacy as director of the highest-grossing live-action movie directed by a woman and reestablished the solvency of the creatively stifled Dceu. It also made plain just how desperate audiences are for female-focused blockbusters. The film stayed in...
- 8/11/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Tayla Solomon and the “Lethal Ladies of Blysw”. Photo by Jay L. Clendenin. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved
The inspirational documentary Step follows a girls’ step dance team at a Baltimore charter high school, both in their quest to win a big step dance competition and to get into college.
The story takes place in 2015, the shadow of the unrest and protests that gripped Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, and the documentary has echoes of Ferguson and Black Lives Matter as well. All of the girls in this documentary are African-American and low-income, but they are lucky in one way: their high school, which has a staff devoted to their success, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women was founded in 2009 as a small girls-only high school with the mission to get every one of its low-income students into college.
Director...
The inspirational documentary Step follows a girls’ step dance team at a Baltimore charter high school, both in their quest to win a big step dance competition and to get into college.
The story takes place in 2015, the shadow of the unrest and protests that gripped Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, and the documentary has echoes of Ferguson and Black Lives Matter as well. All of the girls in this documentary are African-American and low-income, but they are lucky in one way: their high school, which has a staff devoted to their success, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women was founded in 2009 as a small girls-only high school with the mission to get every one of its low-income students into college.
Director...
- 8/11/2017
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Author: Linda Marric
Chronicling the senior year of an all-girl high school’s Step Dance team, Amanda Lipitz’s Step is without a doubt one of the most genuinely moving, inspirational and thoroughly entertaining films of the year. This thrilling debut documentary manages to carry an important socio-political message without ever being preachy, moralising or unnecessarily provocative. Set against a background of turmoil and the severe poverty of an inner-city Baltimore neighbourhood, the film shines a light on the struggles faced by a group of girls on the cusp of womanhood, hoping to be the first generation in their respective families to be accepted into college and hopefully go on to to fulfil their full potential.
Founded in 2009, The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women aims to first and foremost help young underprivileged girls from African-American backgrounds prepare for college. With attentive tutoring and daily encouragement from their passionate teachers,...
Chronicling the senior year of an all-girl high school’s Step Dance team, Amanda Lipitz’s Step is without a doubt one of the most genuinely moving, inspirational and thoroughly entertaining films of the year. This thrilling debut documentary manages to carry an important socio-political message without ever being preachy, moralising or unnecessarily provocative. Set against a background of turmoil and the severe poverty of an inner-city Baltimore neighbourhood, the film shines a light on the struggles faced by a group of girls on the cusp of womanhood, hoping to be the first generation in their respective families to be accepted into college and hopefully go on to to fulfil their full potential.
Founded in 2009, The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women aims to first and foremost help young underprivileged girls from African-American backgrounds prepare for college. With attentive tutoring and daily encouragement from their passionate teachers,...
- 8/8/2017
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Amanda Lipitz's Step made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival in January when the documentary was being picked up for $4 million by Fox Searchlight, which also nabbed remake rights. Now the film opens this weekend at the specialty box office, which is pared down from last week's onslaught of platform heavy-hitters including An Inconvenient Sequel, Detroit and a surprising box office showing from Menashe. Also bowing this weekend is The Weinstein Company’s Wind…...
- 8/5/2017
- Deadline
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present, and future.
Like any filmmaker, Amanda Lipitz is eager for audiences to turn out for her latest project, the Sundance award-winning documentary “Step.” But Lipitz isn’t eyeing big box office bucks or pushing to topple a rival feature; she just wants the inspirational film to get in front of the people who will be most moved by it, even if they can’t afford the price of admission.
Bolstered by similar campaigns — including a popular push for last year’s “Hidden Figures” — Lipitz and her team think they’ve figured out a way to do just that.
The film, Lipitz’s first, centers on a girls-only step team from inner city Baltimore, and chronicles their senior year as they attempt to win one last big competition, prepare for their future, and face personal hurdles. Even in January,...
Like any filmmaker, Amanda Lipitz is eager for audiences to turn out for her latest project, the Sundance award-winning documentary “Step.” But Lipitz isn’t eyeing big box office bucks or pushing to topple a rival feature; she just wants the inspirational film to get in front of the people who will be most moved by it, even if they can’t afford the price of admission.
Bolstered by similar campaigns — including a popular push for last year’s “Hidden Figures” — Lipitz and her team think they’ve figured out a way to do just that.
The film, Lipitz’s first, centers on a girls-only step team from inner city Baltimore, and chronicles their senior year as they attempt to win one last big competition, prepare for their future, and face personal hurdles. Even in January,...
- 8/4/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The documentary Step profiles three members of a step dance team at the Baltimore Leadership School For Young Women, a small girls’ college-prep charter institution, as they go through their last year of school and prepare for a big annual step competition at Bowie State. There’s Tayla, the everyteen whose mom, a corrections officer, lives vicariously through her; Cori, the valedictorian of the senior class, who has her mind set on a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins; Blessin, the team’s founder and resident diva, who was kicked off the team last year because of her dismal Gpa. As for their teammates, we don’t as much as learn their names; Step’s first-time director, Amanda Lipitz, keeps the film as slick, flattering, and sound-bite-driven as a well-made fundraising video. Over and over, it pitches us reasons to care about these young women—an all-too-perfect example of a documentary...
- 8/2/2017
- by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
- avclub.com
“Step” looks like a dance film, but it’s really a rollercoaster ride about expectations, drive, and achievement. The weight in each rhythmic stomp produced by the young women featured in this movie isn’t just to produce a sound in glorious sync, but to signal a togetherness in an often-brutal world. Amanda Lipitz’s inspiring, Sundance award-winning documentary follows three African American teenage girls in Baltimore as they wend their way through a senior year in which they’re not just contenders for a statewide step dance crown, but also the first graduating class at an all-girls charter school designed with the express.
- 8/1/2017
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
The end of the summer movie season is upon us, which normally means a dry spell for studio releases, and while that indeed looks to be the case, this is one of the best months of the year if one digs a little deeper. From European getaways to redneck heists to dramas about riots and terrorism, there’s an abundance of appealing choices at the cinema this August. See our picks below and let us know what you’re most looking forward to.
Matinees: It’s Not Yet Dark (8/4), This Time Tomorrow (8/4), Icarus (8/4), Machines (8/9), After Love (8/9), In This Corner of the World (8/11), The Nile Hilton Incident (8/11), The Wound (8/16), Sidemen: Long Road to Glory (8/18), What Happened to Monday (8/18), Crown Heights (8/25), Death Note (8/25), The Villainess (8/25), and The Teacher (8/30)
15. Lemon (Janicza Bravo; Aug. 18)
Synopsis: A man watches his life unravel after he is left by his girlfriend of 10 years.
Trailer
Why You Should...
Matinees: It’s Not Yet Dark (8/4), This Time Tomorrow (8/4), Icarus (8/4), Machines (8/9), After Love (8/9), In This Corner of the World (8/11), The Nile Hilton Incident (8/11), The Wound (8/16), Sidemen: Long Road to Glory (8/18), What Happened to Monday (8/18), Crown Heights (8/25), Death Note (8/25), The Villainess (8/25), and The Teacher (8/30)
15. Lemon (Janicza Bravo; Aug. 18)
Synopsis: A man watches his life unravel after he is left by his girlfriend of 10 years.
Trailer
Why You Should...
- 8/1/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Getting out early can be an advantage in the documentary race, which is often front loaded at January’s Sundance Film Festival. While a raft of movies made their mark, the question is which ones can sustain support through the end of the year.
Among that festival’s breakouts were three Syria documentaries. Daring and timely “City of Ghosts” (July 14, A & E/Amazon Studios), which is Matthew Heineman’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated border drug war thriller “Cartel Land,” will get a major push. Any footage from Syria came from the fearless Raqqa journalists he tracked through Turkey and Germany, where they discover that they are not necessarily safe — anywhere.
It remains to be seen if there will be room for more than one Syrian documentary. HBO Documentary Films is forgoing Emmy consideration for “Winter on Fire” nominee Evgeny Afineevsky’s harrowing “Cries From Syria” (March 10, HBO), planning an Oscar push this fall.
Among that festival’s breakouts were three Syria documentaries. Daring and timely “City of Ghosts” (July 14, A & E/Amazon Studios), which is Matthew Heineman’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated border drug war thriller “Cartel Land,” will get a major push. Any footage from Syria came from the fearless Raqqa journalists he tracked through Turkey and Germany, where they discover that they are not necessarily safe — anywhere.
It remains to be seen if there will be room for more than one Syrian documentary. HBO Documentary Films is forgoing Emmy consideration for “Winter on Fire” nominee Evgeny Afineevsky’s harrowing “Cries From Syria” (March 10, HBO), planning an Oscar push this fall.
- 7/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
One of the most inspirational films at Sundance this year — so much so it won a specific Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking in its U.S. Documentary section — was Amanda Lipitz‘s Step. Following an inner-city, all-girls step dance team in Baltimore as they challenge themselves both on stage and off, they are empowered by their community and bond through the art of dance. Ahead of a release this August from Fox Searchlight, we’re pleased to debut a set of new stills showing the group in action.
“Step, like many documentaries, uses a sport as an entry point to a larger discussion about race, the struggles of those on the lower end of the income spectrum, and the challenges of being a single parent and inner-city life,” we said our review. “It’s a film that is as inspiring as its subjects and may very well encourage those that see it to visit their guidance counselor for advice on their options even if, like Blessing, they may not have the grades nor the family support.”
Check out the exclusive stills above and below, as well as a new featurette, and see the trailer here.
Step is the true-life story of a girls’ high-school step team set against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college.
This all female school is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate from college, many of whom will be the first in their family to do so. Deeply insightful and emotionally inspiring, Step embodies the true meaning of sisterhood through a story of courageous young women worth cheering for.
Step opens on August 4.
“Step, like many documentaries, uses a sport as an entry point to a larger discussion about race, the struggles of those on the lower end of the income spectrum, and the challenges of being a single parent and inner-city life,” we said our review. “It’s a film that is as inspiring as its subjects and may very well encourage those that see it to visit their guidance counselor for advice on their options even if, like Blessing, they may not have the grades nor the family support.”
Check out the exclusive stills above and below, as well as a new featurette, and see the trailer here.
Step is the true-life story of a girls’ high-school step team set against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college.
This all female school is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate from college, many of whom will be the first in their family to do so. Deeply insightful and emotionally inspiring, Step embodies the true meaning of sisterhood through a story of courageous young women worth cheering for.
Step opens on August 4.
- 6/21/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
15th Edition of AFI Docs presents audience awards.
Amanda Lipitz’s Step has won the AFI Docs Audience Award for Best Feature.
The selection premiered at Sundance and follows the Lethal Ladies step dance team from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women in their bid to win the city’s dance competition and become the first women in their families to attend college.
Fox Searchlight paid in the region of $4m for worldwide rights following the world premiere in Park City in January and will release the crowd-pleasing documentary (pictured) later this year.
The award for best short went to Charlie Lyne’s Fish Story, which investigates a mysterious gathering rumoured to have taken place in 1980s Wales when an unlikely group of people with one thing in common came together.
The festival ran from June 14-18 and presented 112 films from 28 countries on subjects ranging from the environment and sports to politics and art.
Six films with...
Amanda Lipitz’s Step has won the AFI Docs Audience Award for Best Feature.
The selection premiered at Sundance and follows the Lethal Ladies step dance team from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women in their bid to win the city’s dance competition and become the first women in their families to attend college.
Fox Searchlight paid in the region of $4m for worldwide rights following the world premiere in Park City in January and will release the crowd-pleasing documentary (pictured) later this year.
The award for best short went to Charlie Lyne’s Fish Story, which investigates a mysterious gathering rumoured to have taken place in 1980s Wales when an unlikely group of people with one thing in common came together.
The festival ran from June 14-18 and presented 112 films from 28 countries on subjects ranging from the environment and sports to politics and art.
Six films with...
- 6/19/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
"Strong women together are unstoppable." Fox Searchlight has released a new featurette for the fantastic documentary Step, profiling a step dance group at a school in Baltimore. This doc premiered at Sundance to rave reviews, and was one of the audience's favorites. It's one of the most energetic, inspiring, exciting documentaries I've seen this year and I highly recommend it. This featurette is more of an introduction to "step" and what it is, and where it came from, and why it's so important to these women. If you haven't seen the official trailer, you can check it out here after watching this promo below. Here's to hoping Searchlight can build up buzz and turn this doc into a big hit in theaters. It definitely has my support! Check this out. Here's the new "Step is Life" featurette for Amanda Lipitz's documentary Step, direct from YouTube: You can also still...
- 6/16/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
This week, IndieWire will be rolling out our annual Summer Preview, including offerings that span genres, a look at the various trends driving the box office, and special attention to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed summer movie-going season. Check back throughout the week for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up.
Today — a selection of features directed (or co-directed) by female filmmakers to get excited about seeing, including works from rising stars, indie favorites and one of Hollywood’s most lauded directors.
Read More: IndieWire’s Complete 2017 Summer Preview
“Wonder Woman,” June 2
It’s a big year for the darkness-loving (and scenery-chewing) DC Universe, but before we plunge back into what terrible delights Zack Snyder and co. have cooked up for their “Justice League,” we’ve got to go back,...
Today — a selection of features directed (or co-directed) by female filmmakers to get excited about seeing, including works from rising stars, indie favorites and one of Hollywood’s most lauded directors.
Read More: IndieWire’s Complete 2017 Summer Preview
“Wonder Woman,” June 2
It’s a big year for the darkness-loving (and scenery-chewing) DC Universe, but before we plunge back into what terrible delights Zack Snyder and co. have cooked up for their “Justice League,” we’ve got to go back,...
- 4/27/2017
- by Chris O'Falt, David Ehrlich, Graham Winfrey, Jude Dry and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
A rhythmic and rousing first trailer has arrived for Step, the Sundance documentary that follows an inner-city, all-girls step dance team in Baltimore. As they challenge themselves both on stage and off, they are empowered by their community and bond through the art of dance. Through their energetic moves and a undying strength off stage, Amanda Lipitz‘s Step tells the story of a group of powerful women overcoming the obstacles of life, and kicking some ass on the dance floor.
We said in our review, “Step, like many documentaries, uses a sport as an entry point to a larger discussion about race, the struggles of those on the lower end of the income spectrum, and the challenges of being a single parent and intercity life. It’s a film that is as inspiring as its subjects and may very well encourage those that see it to visit their guidance...
We said in our review, “Step, like many documentaries, uses a sport as an entry point to a larger discussion about race, the struggles of those on the lower end of the income spectrum, and the challenges of being a single parent and intercity life. It’s a film that is as inspiring as its subjects and may very well encourage those that see it to visit their guidance...
- 4/15/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
“Making music with our bodies” is how one of the high-school step dancers describes her group in this trailer for Fox Searchlight’s Step, and that’s as good a summary as any. Amanda Lipitz’s documentary, acquired by Fox Searchlight at the Sundance Film Festival, chronicles the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore. Each girl tries to become the first in her family to attend college. Produced by Lipitz and Steven…...
- 4/13/2017
- Deadline
Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” which won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking at Sundance 2017, follows a group of young women determined to be the first in their families to go to college. Set in Baltimore, these young women use their high school step team, Lethal Ladies, as an expressive outlet to cope with the hardships of home life and pressures of school work.
‘Read More: ‘Step’ Review: This Dance Documentary Uplifts The Girls, But Is a Better Story About Community — Sundance 2017
“Step” illustrates the determination of these young women. After seeing the film at Sundance, Fox Searchlight acquired “Step” for roughly $4 million. The film is scheduled for release on August 4, and Searchlight plans a feature adaptation.
To catch a glimpse of these young women, check out the trailer for “Step” below:
Stay on top of the latest TV news! Sign up for our TV email newsletter here.
‘Read More: ‘Step’ Review: This Dance Documentary Uplifts The Girls, But Is a Better Story About Community — Sundance 2017
“Step” illustrates the determination of these young women. After seeing the film at Sundance, Fox Searchlight acquired “Step” for roughly $4 million. The film is scheduled for release on August 4, and Searchlight plans a feature adaptation.
To catch a glimpse of these young women, check out the trailer for “Step” below:
Stay on top of the latest TV news! Sign up for our TV email newsletter here.
- 4/13/2017
- by Kerry Levielle
- Indiewire
Making its world premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition section at the Sundance Film Festival this year, Fox Searchlight paid a reported $4 million for the crowd-pleasing documentary “Step,” from director Amanda Lipitz. The film chronicles the senior year of a… Continue Reading →...
- 4/13/2017
- by shadowandact
- ShadowAndAct
While there has been no shortage of movies that sell the notion that dance is transformative, sometimes you need a documentary that takes you into the lives of performers to really feel that connection. And at the Sundance Film Festival this year, “Step” communicated with Special Jury Prize winning results how movements of the body could also move the heart.
Directed by Amanda Lipitz, making her debut, the film takes viewers to Baltimore, into the senior year of a high-school dance team.
Continue reading Feel The Rhythm In First Trailer For Sundance Documentary Winner ‘Step’ at The Playlist.
Directed by Amanda Lipitz, making her debut, the film takes viewers to Baltimore, into the senior year of a high-school dance team.
Continue reading Feel The Rhythm In First Trailer For Sundance Documentary Winner ‘Step’ at The Playlist.
- 4/13/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
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