Leon Gast, the Academy Award-winning director behind sport documentary “When We Were Kings,” died on Monday, according to Meira Blaustein, his close friend and the co-founder of Woodstock Film Festival. He was 85.
Blaustein shared the news of Gast’s death in a Facebook post. “He was a giant of a filmmaker, an absolute joy of a human being, and a very dear and beloved friend,” Blaustein wrote. “I am so grateful that I got to visit with him yesterday, tell him how much I loved him, how much he meant to all of us. I only wish I had stayed longer.”
“When We Were Kings,” which won best documentary feature at the 1997 Oscars, explores the iconic boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali that took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974. Featuring historical footage and new interviews, the doc also examines the...
Blaustein shared the news of Gast’s death in a Facebook post. “He was a giant of a filmmaker, an absolute joy of a human being, and a very dear and beloved friend,” Blaustein wrote. “I am so grateful that I got to visit with him yesterday, tell him how much I loved him, how much he meant to all of us. I only wish I had stayed longer.”
“When We Were Kings,” which won best documentary feature at the 1997 Oscars, explores the iconic boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali that took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974. Featuring historical footage and new interviews, the doc also examines the...
- 3/9/2021
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- Variety Film + TV
Leon Gast, the celebrated Oscar-winning documentarian behind When We Were Kings, which chronicled the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, has died. He was 85.
Gast died Monday, according to his friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. No other details of his death were immediately available.
Gast also executive produced Bill Siegel’s 2013 PBS documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, which was awarded a news and documentary Emmy. His final film, Manny (2014), co-directed with Ryan Moore, centered on another champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
When We Were Kings (1996) received special jury recognition at Sundance en route to ...
Gast died Monday, according to his friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. No other details of his death were immediately available.
Gast also executive produced Bill Siegel’s 2013 PBS documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, which was awarded a news and documentary Emmy. His final film, Manny (2014), co-directed with Ryan Moore, centered on another champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
When We Were Kings (1996) received special jury recognition at Sundance en route to ...
Leon Gast, the celebrated Oscar-winning documentarian behind When We Were Kings, which chronicled the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, has died. He was 85.
Gast died Monday, according to his friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. No other details of his death were immediately available.
Gast also executive produced Bill Siegel’s 2013 PBS documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, which was awarded a news and documentary Emmy. His final film, Manny (2014), co-directed with Ryan Moore, centered on another champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
When We Were Kings (1996) received special jury recognition at Sundance en route to ...
Gast died Monday, according to his friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. No other details of his death were immediately available.
Gast also executive produced Bill Siegel’s 2013 PBS documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, which was awarded a news and documentary Emmy. His final film, Manny (2014), co-directed with Ryan Moore, centered on another champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
When We Were Kings (1996) received special jury recognition at Sundance en route to ...
With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.
If those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it, the activists and budding revolutionaries of today would be wise to learn about the Weathermen, who later came to be known as The Weather Underground. Formed in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam War and the tail end of the Civil Rights movement, the group of was comprised of white student radicals whose goal was the violent overthrow of the U.S. government. Closely aligned with the Black Panthers in ideology and organizing, the Weather Underground is an early example of white antir-acism. In Sam Green and Bill Siegel’s Oscar-nominated 2003 documentary, “The Weather Underground,” a combination of archival footage from the 1970s and interviews from 2003 makes for fascinating and surreal...
If those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it, the activists and budding revolutionaries of today would be wise to learn about the Weathermen, who later came to be known as The Weather Underground. Formed in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam War and the tail end of the Civil Rights movement, the group of was comprised of white student radicals whose goal was the violent overthrow of the U.S. government. Closely aligned with the Black Panthers in ideology and organizing, the Weather Underground is an early example of white antir-acism. In Sam Green and Bill Siegel’s Oscar-nominated 2003 documentary, “The Weather Underground,” a combination of archival footage from the 1970s and interviews from 2003 makes for fascinating and surreal...
- 7/15/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
For Sunday’s Oscars 2019 ceremony, producers had a difficult decision of which film industry people would make the cut and who would be left out of the “In Memoriam.” For the segment, Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic performed music by Oscar winner John Williams.
Over 100 Academy members or film industry veterans died in the past 12 months. Visit our own Gold Derby memoriam galleries for the year of 2018 and the newly-started gallery for 2019.
SEEDirector Stanley Donen, dead at 94, was light on his feet and a movie musical heavyweight
Stanley Donen would have certainly been included, but he died on the weekend after the segment had been finalized (look for him on the 2020 show). Here is list of some of the people included in the Memoriam tribute for the ceremony (Academy members are indicated with ** by their names):
Susan Anspach (actor)
Bernardo Bertolucci (director)
Yvonne Blake (costume designer)**
Paul Bloch...
Over 100 Academy members or film industry veterans died in the past 12 months. Visit our own Gold Derby memoriam galleries for the year of 2018 and the newly-started gallery for 2019.
SEEDirector Stanley Donen, dead at 94, was light on his feet and a movie musical heavyweight
Stanley Donen would have certainly been included, but he died on the weekend after the segment had been finalized (look for him on the 2020 show). Here is list of some of the people included in the Memoriam tribute for the ceremony (Academy members are indicated with ** by their names):
Susan Anspach (actor)
Bernardo Bertolucci (director)
Yvonne Blake (costume designer)**
Paul Bloch...
- 2/25/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
While Academy Awards producers have strived for a much shorter ceremony this year, the annual “In Memoriam” segment will definitely remain. In fact this moment on Sunday’s 2019 event should be extra classy since Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic will be performing as part of the tribute.
Over 100 Academy members or film industry veterans died in the past 12 months. But which ones will be featured in the short segment? There are generally outcries each year from family members upset about people being left out. Visit our own Gold Derby memoriam galleries for the year of 2018 and the newly-started gallery for 2019.
Virtually certain to be part of the montage are Oscar-winning directors Bernardo Bertolucci and Milos Forman, Oscar-nominated actors Carol Channing, Albert Finney and Burt Reynolds, director and actress Penny Marshall, executive producer and entertainment icon Stan Lee and many more.
SEEDana Carvey, Mike Myers, Queen Latifah, Barbra Streisand...
Over 100 Academy members or film industry veterans died in the past 12 months. But which ones will be featured in the short segment? There are generally outcries each year from family members upset about people being left out. Visit our own Gold Derby memoriam galleries for the year of 2018 and the newly-started gallery for 2019.
Virtually certain to be part of the montage are Oscar-winning directors Bernardo Bertolucci and Milos Forman, Oscar-nominated actors Carol Channing, Albert Finney and Burt Reynolds, director and actress Penny Marshall, executive producer and entertainment icon Stan Lee and many more.
SEEDana Carvey, Mike Myers, Queen Latifah, Barbra Streisand...
- 2/22/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Sondra Locke, Oscar-nominated actress and former partner of Clint Eastwood, died last month at the age of 74, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Locke earned her Oscar nomination in 1968 for her supporting role in the adaptation of Carson McCullers’ “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter,” starring alongside Alan Arkin. It was Locke’s first acting role, which led to star turns in films like “Willard” and “The Second Coming of Suzanne,” the latter being her first title role.
Her career then took a big turn in 1975 when she starred alongside Clint Eastwood in “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” She played the love interest of Eastwood’s character and began dating him soon after. During their 14 year relationship, Locke and Eastwood made six films together, including the highest grossing installment of the “Dirty Harry” franchise, “Sudden Impact,” in 1983. Their relationship ended with a palimony suit in 1989 after Eastwood...
Locke earned her Oscar nomination in 1968 for her supporting role in the adaptation of Carson McCullers’ “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter,” starring alongside Alan Arkin. It was Locke’s first acting role, which led to star turns in films like “Willard” and “The Second Coming of Suzanne,” the latter being her first title role.
Her career then took a big turn in 1975 when she starred alongside Clint Eastwood in “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” She played the love interest of Eastwood’s character and began dating him soon after. During their 14 year relationship, Locke and Eastwood made six films together, including the highest grossing installment of the “Dirty Harry” franchise, “Sudden Impact,” in 1983. Their relationship ended with a palimony suit in 1989 after Eastwood...
- 12/14/2018
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Praised documentary filmmaker Bill Siegel, known for The Trials Of Muhammad Ali and The Weather Underground among others, has died. He was 55.
Chicago-based Kartemquin Films announced Siegel’s death on its website Tuesday. “Bill was an erudite, passionate and intelligent activist and independent thinker as well as being a gifted filmmaker and cherished friend,” the statement read. “He has been a valued member of the Kartemquin community since he first worked as a researcher on Hoop Dreams (1994). We will miss him greatly.” The cause of death is not immediately known.
Siegel won an Emmy for his 2013 documentary, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, and he shared an Oscar nomination in the best documentary category for The Weather Underground.
The Trials of Muhammad Ali documented the heyday of boxer Muhammad Ali’s career, with special focus on his conversion to Islam and his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. In addition to the Emmy win,...
Chicago-based Kartemquin Films announced Siegel’s death on its website Tuesday. “Bill was an erudite, passionate and intelligent activist and independent thinker as well as being a gifted filmmaker and cherished friend,” the statement read. “He has been a valued member of the Kartemquin community since he first worked as a researcher on Hoop Dreams (1994). We will miss him greatly.” The cause of death is not immediately known.
Siegel won an Emmy for his 2013 documentary, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, and he shared an Oscar nomination in the best documentary category for The Weather Underground.
The Trials of Muhammad Ali documented the heyday of boxer Muhammad Ali’s career, with special focus on his conversion to Islam and his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. In addition to the Emmy win,...
- 12/11/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Bill Siegel, producer of the Emmy-winning documentary “The Trials of Muhammad Ali,” has died at the age of 55.
“Bill was an erudite, passionate and intelligent activist and independent thinker as well as being a gifted filmmaker and cherished friend,” read a statement from Kartemquin Films, which announced his death on Tuesday.
Also Read: Pete Shelley, Buzzcocks Lead Singer, Dies at 63
“He has been a valued member of the Kartemquin community since he first worked as a researcher on ‘Hoop Dreams.’ We will miss him greatly,” the statement added.
Siegel’s career in documentaries spans more than 20 years and was highlighted by “Trials of Muhammad Ali,” which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and aired on PBS’ “Independent Lens.” The series followed the late boxer’s struggles outside the ring as he converted to Islam, changed his name and fought to overturn the prison sentence he received for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War.
“Bill was an erudite, passionate and intelligent activist and independent thinker as well as being a gifted filmmaker and cherished friend,” read a statement from Kartemquin Films, which announced his death on Tuesday.
Also Read: Pete Shelley, Buzzcocks Lead Singer, Dies at 63
“He has been a valued member of the Kartemquin community since he first worked as a researcher on ‘Hoop Dreams.’ We will miss him greatly,” the statement added.
Siegel’s career in documentaries spans more than 20 years and was highlighted by “Trials of Muhammad Ali,” which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and aired on PBS’ “Independent Lens.” The series followed the late boxer’s struggles outside the ring as he converted to Islam, changed his name and fought to overturn the prison sentence he received for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War.
- 12/11/2018
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Chicago documentary producer and director Bill Siegel, who earned an Emmy for The Trials of Muhammad Ali, died on Dec. 9. He was 55.
"With great sadness and shock, we share the news that Kartemquin associate Bill Siegel, director of the Academy Award-nominated The Weather Underground (2003) and Emmy Award-winning The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), has passed away," Kartemquin Films announced Tuesday on its website.
No cause of death was immediately available. Siegel, who was born Dec. 24, 1962, in Orlando, Florida, graduated from The Blake Schools before earning a degree in history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Siegel ...
"With great sadness and shock, we share the news that Kartemquin associate Bill Siegel, director of the Academy Award-nominated The Weather Underground (2003) and Emmy Award-winning The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), has passed away," Kartemquin Films announced Tuesday on its website.
No cause of death was immediately available. Siegel, who was born Dec. 24, 1962, in Orlando, Florida, graduated from The Blake Schools before earning a degree in history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Siegel ...
- 12/11/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Chicago documentary producer and director Bill Siegel, who earned an Emmy for The Trials of Muhammad Ali, died on Dec. 9. He was 55.
"With great sadness and shock, we share the news that Kartemquin associate Bill Siegel, director of the Academy Award-nominated The Weather Underground (2003) and Emmy Award-winning The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), has passed away," Kartemquin Films announced Tuesday on its website.
No cause of death was immediately available. Siegel, who was born Dec. 24, 1962, in Orlando, Florida, graduated from The Blake Schools before earning a degree in history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Siegel ...
"With great sadness and shock, we share the news that Kartemquin associate Bill Siegel, director of the Academy Award-nominated The Weather Underground (2003) and Emmy Award-winning The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), has passed away," Kartemquin Films announced Tuesday on its website.
No cause of death was immediately available. Siegel, who was born Dec. 24, 1962, in Orlando, Florida, graduated from The Blake Schools before earning a degree in history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Siegel ...
- 12/11/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber will release, on DVD, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, a documentary from Kartemquin Films (the producers of Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters and more) and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground), on April 22nd. Ahead of that home video release, the acclaimed documentary will air on PBS tonight, April 14, starting at 10pm (check your local listings). The powerful documentary examines the life of Muhammad Ali beyond the boxing ring to offer a personal perspective on the American sporting legend. Investigating Ali's spiritual transformation - including his conversion to Islam, his resistance to the Vietnam War draft, and his...
- 4/14/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Kino Lorber has announced the DVD release of The Trials of Muhammad Ali, a documentary from Kartemquin Films (the producers of Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters and more) and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground). The powerful documentary examines the life of Muhammad Ali beyond the boxing ring to offer a personal perspective on the American sporting legend. Investigating Ali's spiritual transformation - including his conversion to Islam, his resistance to the Vietnam War draft, and his humanitarian work - the film connects Ali's transcendent life story to America's struggles with race, religion, and war in the twentieth...
- 3/27/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Above: Bill Siegel and Khalilah Camacho-Ali
Unlike other films about the controversial boxer, the recent documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali makes no pretense of telling Ali’s whole story. It presumes that most of us in the audience already know it and those of us who don’t can easily fill in the gaps with the wealth of other movies, books, and TV specials devoted to his legend. Produced by Chicago-based documentary company Kartemquin Films, Trials focuses on Ali’s conversion to the Nation of Islam and the controversies associated with his religious and political convictions. These subjects are addressed in Michael Mann’s Ali (2001) and referenced in other documentaries about him, but Trials examines them in greater depth, generally neglecting his athletic achievements to better focus on his radicalism.
We took some time to speak with the film’s director, Bill Siegel, whose first film was Kartemquin-produced The Weather Underground...
Unlike other films about the controversial boxer, the recent documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali makes no pretense of telling Ali’s whole story. It presumes that most of us in the audience already know it and those of us who don’t can easily fill in the gaps with the wealth of other movies, books, and TV specials devoted to his legend. Produced by Chicago-based documentary company Kartemquin Films, Trials focuses on Ali’s conversion to the Nation of Islam and the controversies associated with his religious and political convictions. These subjects are addressed in Michael Mann’s Ali (2001) and referenced in other documentaries about him, but Trials examines them in greater depth, generally neglecting his athletic achievements to better focus on his radicalism.
We took some time to speak with the film’s director, Bill Siegel, whose first film was Kartemquin-produced The Weather Underground...
- 12/17/2013
- by Ben and Kathleen Sachs
- MUBI
PBS documentary series "Independent Lens" announced its Winter/Spring 2014 lineup today, presenting a varied selection of independent docs from both first-time filmmakers and familiar names like Frederick Wiseman and Bill Siegel. The season's premiere include "Spies of Mississippi," a look at a little-known chapter of civil rights history, "Las Marthas," a peek at Laredo's unique debutante tradition, and "Muscle Shoals," a tribute to the powerful sound of the titular Alabama musical mecca. "What strikes me most about our winter and spring line-up is the sheer range these award-winning films cover," said "Independent Lens" senior series producer Lois Vossen. "We're eager to share these provocative films that move you with people's stories, with music, with our complex living history." Here's the lineup: "At Berkeley" by Frederick Wiseman Monday, January 13, 2014, 10:00 Pm-2:00Am, Et Legendary documentarian Frederick Wiseman goes back to school for this intimate and...
- 12/16/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Jehane Noujaim's "The Square" edged out Joshua Oppenheimer's "The Act of Killing" to emerge as the big winner of the 2013 Ida Documentary Awards! The documentary about the 2011 Egyptian Revolution also beat Jason Osder's "Let the Fire Burn," Gabriela Cowperthwaite's "Blackfish," and Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell" for the prize.
Here's a full list of winners of the 2013 Ida Documentary Awards:
Best Feature Award
The Square
Director: Jehane Noujaim
Producer: Karim Amer; Executive Producers: Geralyn Dreyfous, Mike Lerner, Sarah Johnson, Jodie Evans, Lekha Singh, Gavin Dougan, Dan Catullo III, Lisa Nishimura, Adam Del Deo, Khalil Noujaim, Alexandra Johnes, Jeff Skol; Noujaim Films, Netflix Originals
Best Short Award
Slomo
Director: Josh Izenberg; Producer: Amanda Micheli; Executive Producer: Neil Izenberg; Big Young Films, Runaway Films
Best Limited Series Award
Inside Man
Producers: Kristen Vaurio, Lisa Kalikow, Shannon Gibson, Suzanne Hillinger, Lara Benario; Writers: Jeremy Chilnick, Morgan Spurlock; Executive Producers: Jeremy Chilnick,...
Here's a full list of winners of the 2013 Ida Documentary Awards:
Best Feature Award
The Square
Director: Jehane Noujaim
Producer: Karim Amer; Executive Producers: Geralyn Dreyfous, Mike Lerner, Sarah Johnson, Jodie Evans, Lekha Singh, Gavin Dougan, Dan Catullo III, Lisa Nishimura, Adam Del Deo, Khalil Noujaim, Alexandra Johnes, Jeff Skol; Noujaim Films, Netflix Originals
Best Short Award
Slomo
Director: Josh Izenberg; Producer: Amanda Micheli; Executive Producer: Neil Izenberg; Big Young Films, Runaway Films
Best Limited Series Award
Inside Man
Producers: Kristen Vaurio, Lisa Kalikow, Shannon Gibson, Suzanne Hillinger, Lara Benario; Writers: Jeremy Chilnick, Morgan Spurlock; Executive Producers: Jeremy Chilnick,...
- 12/8/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
This is a tough awards season! Lots of great movies to see, so little time! I'm catching up like crazy before we vote for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for the Broadcast Film Critics Association. So I apologize if I haven't updated you with the latest on the awards season 2013-2014! And there were many award-giving bodies announcing nominations.
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
- 12/2/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The awards winners for the 26th Idfa were announced in Amsterdam on Friday night.
Song from the Forest by Germany’s Michael Obert won the main prize at Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) tonight (Nov 29).
The film won the Vpro Idfa Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary, worth €12,500.
The film tells the story of American Louis Sarno, who has lived for 25 years with a tribe of Pygmies in the jungle of Central Africa and decides to take his son to the Us for the first time.
The Special Jury Award went to A Letter to Nelson Mandela by Khalo Matabane (South Africa / Germany), in which the filmmaker takes a critical look at Nelson Mandela, his status and role in the reforms that took place in South Africa in the 1990s.
Twin Sisters by Mona Friis Bertheussen won the BankGiro Loterij Idfa Audience Award.
The Russian collective Gogol’s Wives Productions won the Ntr Idfa Award for Best Mid-Length...
Song from the Forest by Germany’s Michael Obert won the main prize at Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) tonight (Nov 29).
The film won the Vpro Idfa Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary, worth €12,500.
The film tells the story of American Louis Sarno, who has lived for 25 years with a tribe of Pygmies in the jungle of Central Africa and decides to take his son to the Us for the first time.
The Special Jury Award went to A Letter to Nelson Mandela by Khalo Matabane (South Africa / Germany), in which the filmmaker takes a critical look at Nelson Mandela, his status and role in the reforms that took place in South Africa in the 1990s.
Twin Sisters by Mona Friis Bertheussen won the BankGiro Loterij Idfa Audience Award.
The Russian collective Gogol’s Wives Productions won the Ntr Idfa Award for Best Mid-Length...
- 11/29/2013
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Rating: 4.0/5.0
“No matter what you think of Muhammad Ali’s religion, you certainly have to admire his courage.” – Martin Luther King
Chicago – We’ve come to expect so little of our athletes. When stories like the nonsense going down in the Miami Dolphins locker room or the drug scandals with A-Rod break, they’re starting to be greeted with a shrug.
There was a time when there was an athlete who was the opposite, someone who was So important to the history of religious freedom and human expression that his story is one that should be taught in every school. Yes, Muhammad Ali was that important. We learn about King, Malcolm X, and other leaders of the fight for human rights in classrooms. We should learn about Ali. And “The Trials of Muhammad Ali,” opening at the Music Box this weekend, would be a great place to start.
With so...
“No matter what you think of Muhammad Ali’s religion, you certainly have to admire his courage.” – Martin Luther King
Chicago – We’ve come to expect so little of our athletes. When stories like the nonsense going down in the Miami Dolphins locker room or the drug scandals with A-Rod break, they’re starting to be greeted with a shrug.
There was a time when there was an athlete who was the opposite, someone who was So important to the history of religious freedom and human expression that his story is one that should be taught in every school. Yes, Muhammad Ali was that important. We learn about King, Malcolm X, and other leaders of the fight for human rights in classrooms. We should learn about Ali. And “The Trials of Muhammad Ali,” opening at the Music Box this weekend, would be a great place to start.
With so...
- 11/6/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Kartemquin Films’ The Trials of Muhammad Ali will be screening in Chicago from November 8th to November 14th, with special appearances by Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the former wife of Muhammad Ali, who also appears in the film, and director Bill Siegel. The film covers the important, life changing period in Ali’s life when the former Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, his conversion to Islam and refusal to serve during the Vietnam War which resulted in him being banned from boxing, and facing a five-year prison sentence. According to director Siegel, he wanted to make the film because “no Ali film has deeply explored his exile years, his spiritual transformation and his impact on...
- 11/5/2013
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
New Release
Afternoon Delight
R, 1 Hr., 35 Mins.
Bored with her life, Rachel (Kathryn Hahn), an L.A. wife and mother, invites a hooker (Juno Temple) to crash in her home. The inevitable culture clash starts off as sitcom cutesy-poo, but it deepens, plausibly, into a look at everything “normal” parents feel like they’re repressing. As the sweetly amoral tattooed-goddess-for-hire, Temple does her wiliest acting yet. B —Owen Gleiberman
Cutie and the Boxer
R, 1 Hr., 22 Mins.
Zachary Heinzerling’s intimate documentary about the lives of two artists is one of the most tender films about marriage I’ve seen. A...
Afternoon Delight
R, 1 Hr., 35 Mins.
Bored with her life, Rachel (Kathryn Hahn), an L.A. wife and mother, invites a hooker (Juno Temple) to crash in her home. The inevitable culture clash starts off as sitcom cutesy-poo, but it deepens, plausibly, into a look at everything “normal” parents feel like they’re repressing. As the sweetly amoral tattooed-goddess-for-hire, Temple does her wiliest acting yet. B —Owen Gleiberman
Cutie and the Boxer
R, 1 Hr., 22 Mins.
Zachary Heinzerling’s intimate documentary about the lives of two artists is one of the most tender films about marriage I’ve seen. A...
- 8/28/2013
- by EW staff
- EW - Inside Movies
Bill Siegel's documentary "The Trials of Muhammad Ali," currently in theaters, covers the legendary boxer's Supreme Court battle over his refusal to be conscripted to fight in the Vietnam War. HBO will be offering a scripted take on the same subject when it premieres "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight" on Saturday, October 5th at 8pm. Directed by Stephen Frears and written by Shawn Slovo, the film stars Christopher Plummer, Frank Langella, Danny Glover, Ed Begley Jr. and others as the legal figures involved in the case, though Ali appears only on archival footage. The film premiered as a special screening at Cannes earlier this year.
- 8/27/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Pound For Pound: Siegel’s Critical Bio-bit Middleweight
Pop culture commentator Chuck Klosterman recently reminded in his study of cultural villains, I Wear The Black Hat, that although Muhammad Ali may have been and might always be remembered as the greatest boxer the world has ever known, most people tend to overlook the fact that in the sixties he endlessly stirred controversy with his consciously outspoken, radically controversial beliefs on race and religion. Though he was an immensely influential icon himself, Ali, was in fact under heavy influence from the Nation of Islam, a group who, domestically at the time, was considered little more than a cultist collective whose main cultural concern was to uphold segregation in the midst of the civil rights movement, maintaining racial purity – an appalling agenda looking back. Under their advisement, Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, who ultimately became their biggest mouthpiece to the world. Almost in sync,...
Pop culture commentator Chuck Klosterman recently reminded in his study of cultural villains, I Wear The Black Hat, that although Muhammad Ali may have been and might always be remembered as the greatest boxer the world has ever known, most people tend to overlook the fact that in the sixties he endlessly stirred controversy with his consciously outspoken, radically controversial beliefs on race and religion. Though he was an immensely influential icon himself, Ali, was in fact under heavy influence from the Nation of Islam, a group who, domestically at the time, was considered little more than a cultist collective whose main cultural concern was to uphold segregation in the midst of the civil rights movement, maintaining racial purity – an appalling agenda looking back. Under their advisement, Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, who ultimately became their biggest mouthpiece to the world. Almost in sync,...
- 8/23/2013
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Two new films opening this weekend to add to your to-see list - if you live in New York or Miami anyway: First, Kino Lorber opens The Trials of Muhammad Ali, the feature documentary from Kartemquin Films, at IFCCenter, in NYC. Directed by Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground) and executive produced by Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) for Kartemquin Films, the film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. As a recap... here's a summary: As befitting its extraordinary and often complex subject, the film examines Ali's life outside the boxing ring, beginning with the announcement of his deeply held Islamic...
- 8/23/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
"In the '60s and '70s, he was the most recognizable face in the world. We created a symbol. Muhammad Ali has long since been supplanted by what we believe he is. There's so many ways of looking at him that have only to do with us, and have nothing to do with him," New York Times writer Robert Lipsyte sagely observes in "The Trials Of Muhammad Ali." Far more than a boxer, Olympian, Muslim and father, it wouldn't be a stretch to call him the eighth wonder of the world, a distinction that his daughter Hana Ali half-jokingly admits would love to see bestowed on him. There have been countless films and documentaries about the man who was born Cassius Clay, but Bill Siegel's "The Trials Of Muhammad Ali" is a wholly illuminating look at Muhammad Ali in all his complexity, providing a surprisingly fresh and vivid...
- 8/22/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
The Trials of Muhammad Ali opens with two contrasting bits of archival footage: a 1968 television appearance by the eponymous boxer in which David Susskind calls him "[in]tolerable," and a later clip of the Parkinson's-riddled legend about to receive the Presidential Medal of Honor from George W. Bush. With its subject now canonized and rendered safe for white America, Bill Siegel's breezy doc takes us back to the days when the media—and much of the country—didn't know what to do with the outspoken champion. Evincing little interest in Ali's in-the-ring feats, the film focuses instead on his involvement with the Nation of Islam, his political activism, and his legal troubles, reminding us that athletes once stood for something larger than their ability to overcome pe...
- 8/21/2013
- Village Voice
Kino Lorber has announced that it will open The Trials of Muhammad Ali, the feature documentary from Kartemquin Films, on August 23 at IFCCenter, in NYC. And along with that news, we have our first look at the film's trailer embedded below. Directed by Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground) and executive produced by Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) for Kartemquin Films, the film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. As a recap... According to the press release announcement, the documentary is not a conventional sports documentary. As befitting its extraordinary and often complex subject, the...
- 7/31/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Kino Lorber executives announced on Wednesday [24] the acquisition of North American rights to Kartemquin Films’ documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali.
The film premiered at Tribeca earlier this year and will open at the IFC Center in NYC on Aug 23 followed by nationwide roll-out.
The Trials Of Muhammad Ali documents Ali’s life outside boxing, including his relationship with Islam and his stance on Vietnam.
The film includes archive footage of Ali and interviews with figures such as Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad.
Bill Siegel directed and Rachel Pikelny produced. Leon Gast, Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan and Kat White served as executive producers.
Richard Lorber and Elizabeth Sheldon brokered the deal with Cinetic Media.
The film premiered at Tribeca earlier this year and will open at the IFC Center in NYC on Aug 23 followed by nationwide roll-out.
The Trials Of Muhammad Ali documents Ali’s life outside boxing, including his relationship with Islam and his stance on Vietnam.
The film includes archive footage of Ali and interviews with figures such as Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad.
Bill Siegel directed and Rachel Pikelny produced. Leon Gast, Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan and Kat White served as executive producers.
Richard Lorber and Elizabeth Sheldon brokered the deal with Cinetic Media.
- 7/24/2013
- ScreenDaily
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to The Trials of Muhammad Ali, the feature documentary from Kartemquin Films (the company behind a few documentaries we've covered here, like The Interrupters and the Bill T Jones profile A Good Man). Directed by Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground) and executive produced by Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) for Kartemquin Films, the film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. As a recap... According to the press release announcement, the documentary is not a conventional sports documentary. As befitting its...
- 7/24/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Although not making any major waves in the sea of Ali films, this history lesson is one we should remember. Screened at the 39th Seattle International Film Festival, .The Trials of Muhammad Ali. will make you laugh, cry, cringe in embarrassment and cheer at the end. The latest in a series of (too) many Ali films, Bill Siegel.s peon to the puncher also walks the thin line between exploitation and exhilaration. In the end, exhilaration wins out. The centerpiece of the movie is Ali.s political maturation, his association with the Black Muslim movement and his trial for draft evasion which went all the way to the Supreme Court. There are a few shots of his fights and his political story...
- 6/14/2013
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
Muhammad Ali, aka Cassius Clay, is one of the most famous boxers in history, and one of the more recognizable names in all of sports. His legendary strength, speed, power, and his incredible brashness and pride set him apart from his peers. He has long since been immortalized in the American (and global) lexicon, but that didn't stop Hollywood from latching onto his story (Michael Mann's Ali hit in 2001). Bill Siegel's The Trials of Muhammad Ali examines a significant, though often uninspected portion of the boxer's career, or lack thereof. As the civil rights movement of the 1960s swelled, the man who was born as Cassius Clay became more and more outspoken and vitriolic in his criticisms of an America torn apart by racial...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/7/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Tribeca’s 12th annual festival, running from April 17-28, recently announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight and Midnight sections. According to Tribeca’s website, “The Spotlight section features 33 films — 21 narratives and 12 documentaries — that blur the lines of independent and mainstream filmmaking. Twenty-three films in the selection will have their world premieres at the Festival, a record number for the section.” See below for the official press release of this year’s lineup in all four categories.
2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Selections
For Spotlight, Midnight And New Storyscapes Sections, And Special Screenings
First-ever Storyscapes Section Showcases Innovative New Media Projects with Cross-platform Approaches to Storytelling
The Tribeca Film Festival (Tff) announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight and Midnight sections, projects in the new Storyscapes section and Special Screenings. The 12th edition of the Festival will take place from April 17 to April 28 in New York City.
The Spotlight...
2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Selections
For Spotlight, Midnight And New Storyscapes Sections, And Special Screenings
First-ever Storyscapes Section Showcases Innovative New Media Projects with Cross-platform Approaches to Storytelling
The Tribeca Film Festival (Tff) announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight and Midnight sections, projects in the new Storyscapes section and Special Screenings. The 12th edition of the Festival will take place from April 17 to April 28 in New York City.
The Spotlight...
- 3/28/2013
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
Tribeca’s 12th annual festival, running from April 17-28, recently announced the lineup for the 7th annual Espn Sports Film Festival. “Founded to broaden the audience for independent film through stories about sports and competition,” all of this year’s Espn Sports Film Festival films will screen at Tribeca Cinemas on Saturday, April 27. The films also screen prior to April 27 throughout the Festival, starting from Friday, April 19th with the gala premiere of Kevin Connolly’s Big Shot. Big Shot “chronicles John Spano’s fraudulent purchase of the New York Islanders. In 1997, Spano bought the New York Islanders for a staggering $165 million. The scheme behind Spano’s acquisition of the team is revealed as Big Shot takes viewers behind the scenes of the biggest fraud in hockey history.” See below for the official press release.
2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces The 2013 Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival Lineup
World Premiere of Kevin Connolly...
2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces The 2013 Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival Lineup
World Premiere of Kevin Connolly...
- 3/20/2013
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
The Tribeca Film Festival already has a slate of interesting independent and documentary films lined up this year, to which it can now add another group — the slate for this year’s Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival, which runs concurrent with the Tribeca. The program will kick-off with Kevin Connolly’s Big Shot, which will serve as the program’s gala premiere. The program will also include four installments from Espn’s “Nine for IX” series, designed to commemorate the anniversary of Title IX and women in sports.
“We produce our films with the intention of capturing both the glory...
“We produce our films with the intention of capturing both the glory...
- 3/12/2013
- by Adam Carlson
- EW - Inside Movies
The Tribeca Film Festival announces the films playing in their Spotlight, Midnight and Special Screenings programs, as well as the lineup for their new Storyscapes transmedia section. Spotlight includes 33 films (among them 23 world premieres), including Richard Linklater's "Before Midnight," Phil Morrison's "Almost Christmas," Neil Jordan's "Byzantium," Craig Zisk's "The English Teacher," Daniel Algrant's "Greetings from Tim Buckley," David Gordon Green's "Prince Avalanche," and Whoopi Goldberg's "I Got Somethin' to Tell You." Midnight Screenings include "V/H/S/2," "Fresh Meat" and "Raze," while Special screenings include Eric Rochant's "Möbius," Charles Lane's "Sidewalk Stories," and Bill Siegel's "The Trials of Muhammad Ali." Among the Storyscapes projects are "Star Wars Uncut," "Robots in Residence" and "This Exquisite Forest." Here's the complete lineup of newly announced titles. Tribeca runs April 17-28. Our interview with Geoff Gilmore and the programmers is here along with...
- 3/6/2013
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Tribeca Film Festival announced the second half of its movie slate today with a lineup that includes Emma Roberts in Adult World, Zac Efron in racing-cum-farming drama At Any Price, and Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight. The releases are in the following categories, which make up the second half of the festival’s feature list: Spotlight, Midnight, Special Screenings, and Storyscapes, a new category this year to recognize work in transmedia — films the incorporate web-based and cross-platform elements.
The Spotlight selection — 33 films: 21 narratives and 12 documentaries — stands out for its range of titles, including premieres from indie darlings (Junebug director Phil Morrison,...
The Spotlight selection — 33 films: 21 narratives and 12 documentaries — stands out for its range of titles, including premieres from indie darlings (Junebug director Phil Morrison,...
- 3/6/2013
- by Adam Carlson
- EW - Inside Movies
Striking while the "Bill Ayers is an unrepentant terrorist" iron is hot, Aj Schnack has published a post on his blog by Sam Green, the co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary The Weather Underground. Green, who says Ayers has "become a good friend" of he and his co-director Bill Siegel, talks about the frustrations of watching his subject become a Republican talking point. As Green points out, the McCain/Palin argument connecting Obama to Ayers compltely omits any explanation for how a "terrorist" can become a "Distinguished Professor" thanks to thirty years of cultural evolution. "To have all of his work, and what he's about, so publicly misrepres ...
- 10/14/2008
- by Karina Longworth
- Spout
Oscar nom 'Underground' surfaces with higher profile
CHICAGO -- The five feature-length documentaries nominated for an Oscar this year grapple with such topics as a terrifying family unease (Capturing the Friedmans, My Architect), a dominating historical personality (The Fog of War) and a profound social disruption (Balseros). But the fifth work, Sam Green and Bill Siegel's The Weather Underground, arguably suggests an interlocking of all those subjects. The film encompasses family discord, engaging personalities and historical tumult. Made over a five-year period, the low-budget film documents the revolutionary anarchist group of the 1970s whose members plotted the violent overthrow of the American government. The Weather Underground premiered in competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and was released in the summer by small Maine-based distributor Shadow Distribution. It has played in 150 markets and generated boxoffice receipts of more than $521,000, Shadow executive Ken Eisen said. Its Oscar nomination has revived the movie's theatrical prospects, leading to return engagements in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
- 2/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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