"We understand that model of economics, and we don't want any part of it." Greenwich Ent. has revealed an official trailer for Food and Country, a documentary film from filmmaker Laura Gabbert about America's broken food system. This initially premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and is only now getting released. Ruth Reichl—trailblazing NY Times food critic, groundbreaking Gourmet Magazine editor, best-selling memoirist, and for decades one of the most influential figures shaping American food culture—grows concerned about the fate of small farmers, ranchers, and chefs as they wrestle with both immediate & systemic challenges as the pandemic takes hold. Reichl talks to innovators across the country working to repair America's broken food system and build a more sustainable future. Reaching across political & social divides, she meets with small farmers, ranchers, and chefs risking it all. Through Reichl's eyes, we see the humanity and struggle behind the food we eat.
- 8/21/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Mingling retrospectives, themed series, and a handful of new films’ streaming premieres, Mubi’s August 2024 lineup is unveiled. At the top comes “American Outsider: The Films of Kelly Reichardt,” which joins Wendy and Lucy and Meek’s Cutoff with the already-playing Certain Women and River of Grass.
Streaming premieres are being given to four new films we admired: Ernst De Geer’s The Hypnosis, Mikhaël Hers’ The Passengers of the Night, Baloji’s Omen, and Levan Akin’s Crossing, a Mubi release. Meanwhile, Sean Durkin’s The Nest joins “The Art of Deception: Swindlers, Scoundrels and Sharks,” a series including Alain Resnais’ little-seen Stavisky, Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, and Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave.
Check out the lineup below, and get 30 days free here.
August 1st
Wendy & Lucy, directed by Kelly Reichardt | American Outsider: The Films of Kelly Reichardt
Meek’s Cutoff, directed by Kelly Reichardt | American Outsider: The Films of Kelly Reichardt
Omen,...
Streaming premieres are being given to four new films we admired: Ernst De Geer’s The Hypnosis, Mikhaël Hers’ The Passengers of the Night, Baloji’s Omen, and Levan Akin’s Crossing, a Mubi release. Meanwhile, Sean Durkin’s The Nest joins “The Art of Deception: Swindlers, Scoundrels and Sharks,” a series including Alain Resnais’ little-seen Stavisky, Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, and Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave.
Check out the lineup below, and get 30 days free here.
August 1st
Wendy & Lucy, directed by Kelly Reichardt | American Outsider: The Films of Kelly Reichardt
Meek’s Cutoff, directed by Kelly Reichardt | American Outsider: The Films of Kelly Reichardt
Omen,...
- 7/23/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has a full slate of programming set for this year, as the classic movie home celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The 15th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in April will honor film historian Jeanine Basinger with the Robert Osborne Award, and pay tribute to actor Billy Dee Williams and makeup artist Lois Burwell.
Additionally, The Plot Thickens, TCM’s official podcast about movies and the people who make them will debut later in the year following the release of Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast, TCM’s latest podcast in tandem with Max.
Extending beyond the screen, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood will introduce a WB/TCM Classic Movie Tour in April.
“With the 30th year of TCM upon us, we both look back at all that’s been built over the last several decades and look ahead at what is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times in TCM’s history,...
The 15th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in April will honor film historian Jeanine Basinger with the Robert Osborne Award, and pay tribute to actor Billy Dee Williams and makeup artist Lois Burwell.
Additionally, The Plot Thickens, TCM’s official podcast about movies and the people who make them will debut later in the year following the release of Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast, TCM’s latest podcast in tandem with Max.
Extending beyond the screen, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood will introduce a WB/TCM Classic Movie Tour in April.
“With the 30th year of TCM upon us, we both look back at all that’s been built over the last several decades and look ahead at what is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times in TCM’s history,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The folk music documentaries Joan Baez I Am a Noise and Alexandria Bombach’s Indigo Girls documentary It’s Only Life After All are getting international premieres as part of the Hot Docs Festival, which unveiled its 2023 lineup on Tuesday.
Co-directors Miri Navasky, Karen O’Connor and Maeve O’Boyle’s portrait of Baez, the American folk singing legend and civil rights activist, bowed in Berlin. Bombach’s film about Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, who became folk-rock duo Indigo Girls and eventually environmental activists, premiered at Sundance.
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival’s 30th edition will be filled with a host of films about activists, as the festival is set to open with a screening of Twice Colonized, Danish director Lin Alluna’s film about Greenlandic Inuit lawyer and protector of her ancestral lands, Aaju Peter.
The Danish film, which had a world premiere at Sundance, will also launch the Copenhagen documentary film festival Cph:dox.
Co-directors Miri Navasky, Karen O’Connor and Maeve O’Boyle’s portrait of Baez, the American folk singing legend and civil rights activist, bowed in Berlin. Bombach’s film about Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, who became folk-rock duo Indigo Girls and eventually environmental activists, premiered at Sundance.
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival’s 30th edition will be filled with a host of films about activists, as the festival is set to open with a screening of Twice Colonized, Danish director Lin Alluna’s film about Greenlandic Inuit lawyer and protector of her ancestral lands, Aaju Peter.
The Danish film, which had a world premiere at Sundance, will also launch the Copenhagen documentary film festival Cph:dox.
- 3/28/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance 2023: ‘Food and Country’ Directed by Laura Gabbert
Premieres Section
During the lockdown time of Covid, trailblazing food writer Ruth Reichl started to make a documentary to show Covid and the shutdown’s effect on the food system, from farmers to restaurants. But her worries over the fate of small farmers, ranchers, and chefs as they wrestled with both immediate and systemic challenges also exposed the broken food system as political and social, and ended with her forging true relationships on a personal level with the originators, suppliers and consumers in the food chain.
Starting in March 2020 Reichl reached out to those who were innovativing new ways of structuring their businesses. She speaks with Brandon Jew, a San Francisco restauranteer in Chinatown, who notes that people are scared to go to Chinatown because Covid has been politicized as Chinese. Reem Assil, a young Arab woman with a restaurant in Oakland, makes her staff co-owners as a way to share and get through this time. Reichl’s contemporary and close friend in the Bay Area, Alice Waters, the first to use local homegrown produce in her restaurant Chez Panisse discusses how much better it is to deal directly with the farmers rather than middlemen.
She speaks to farmer Bob Jones Jr. of the White Oak Pastures, fourth generation farmer who in the mid 90s gradually moved away from his father’s industrialized farming techniques as it produced waste and did not consider the welfare of its animals who need to express their instinctive behaviors. Over 20 years he changed the soil from a dead mineral medium to a live, organic medium teaming with life. Supplying the food conscious restaurant innovators directly also mandated starting his own meat processing. “Everything is tied to everything else,” he states.
Bob Jones Jr. of the White Oak Pastures
Rancher Steve Stratford discusses the cattle business as a US and international problem and points out there are only four big meat packers, so large that if two don’t operate because of a problem like swine fever, the nation suffers and lots of livestock goes unused. “It is all about how cheaply you can produce and it results in waste that could feed a small country. Other countries do not have the discretionary income of American because they spend on food.” Amercans buy food cheaply, but it is problematic (and inferior) because it is mass produced
Meat producers and consumers must rely on these four meat packing companies. Jbs is 100% Brazilian owned, National Beef is 51% Brazilian and Tyson and Cargill are in the hands of two giant American corporations. The Department of Justice Anti Trust Regulatory should take action and the government should encourage smaller meat plants every 3 to 400 miles supplying 2–3% of the daily slaughter and the meat producers should own the plants. Now, should one of the four go down, 15% of the food supply is impacted.
Since the time of this writing, the N.Y. Times has published an expose on meat packers and food processing plants in general which villainize them even more! Their knowing use of illegal immigrant child labor is chilling and will make readers of this and viewers of the film even more passionate about eating well and avoiding the evil of unhealthy processed and mass produced food. See FoodProcessing.com reflect the N.Y. Times article on Feb. 26's exhaustive investigation that went far beyond the early-February fine against Packers Sanitation Services Inc., which provides mostly nighttime/ third-shift sanitation services to many food & beverage plants. That investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Labor found at least 102 children 13 to 17 years old working for the contract sanitation company in 13 meat-processing facilities in eight states. The list specified underage immigrant workers at Jbs USA's Grand Island, Neb., plant, Cargill plant in Dodge City, Kan., a Jbs facility in Worthington, Minn., Buckhead Meat, George's Inc., Gibbon Packing, Greater Omaha Packing, Maple Leaf Farms, Turkey Valley Farms and Tyson. At least three of the minors reportedly suffered injuries while on the job with Pssi. Read the NY Times expose and weep. You will surely become more conscious of the issues raised in this documentary which never mention the abuse of child labor. Farmers (and ranchers) must take out huge bank loans every year at the beginning of planting, hope for good crops to pay off the loan and in the end, make very little profit whereas the suppliers and food processing firms make millions as they supply supermarkets and chain restaurants. America’s largest corporate restaurant food supplier Sysco has 32 states to supply and is supported by Usda. Even during Covid, Usda bailed them out and shut out the smaller suppliers who then must abide by Sysco’s system which in 2021 made $51 billion in sales.
In the early 1900s there were more Black farmers than White. In the 1920s 19% of farms were Black owned. Today it is 1%. Food Apartheid is explored in the course of Ruth’s discussions. Of the 57,000 farms in NY State, ony 139 are Black. 96% of the land owners of farms are white; government interventions help Whites, not Blacks, with subsidies. This makes the food system structurally racist.
As part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, the minimum wage was established. But black workers, who had been hired as food service workers immediately after slavery, were not included. They were not paid wages at all. They were expected to live off of tips. Tips had just been introduced to the US from Europe. The Blacks, along with immigrants, other racial minorities, women, and the disabled were not included in Roosevelt’s New Deal minimum wages and in fact, only 80 years later did legistration finally grant them a miunum wage of $2.13 per hour. The lowest paid employee is the restaurant worker; next are the farmworkers.
This principal of cheap abundant food started after World War II hand in glove with the arms race when the huge stockpile of ammunition was turned into fertilizer and the government encouraged farms to replace animals with machines thus creating the factory model of food production along with a great debt taken on by the farmers. It was seen as a way to fight Communism to have the cheapest most abundant food on earth. The nutritive value of American food from 1940 to 2000 fell to 40%.
When President Nixon and Khrushchev held the “Kitchen Debates” a point of pride was fast food. The industrialization of food and food processing, and the rise of chain restaurant limited the number of processors and wholesalers to be used by farmers and ranchers. This drove farmers to marginal living as the middlemen’s high costs took most of the farmers’ and cattlemen’s profits.
As you can see, I learned a great deal from this film and found it fascinating as future viewers will as well. America’s decades-old policy of producing cheap food at all costs hobbles farmers and ranchers who are striving to stay independent. Ruth Reichl, a fascinating woman in her own right, coming of age on a commune founded by her then husband in Berkeley in the 60s and writing little vignettes about food for marginal publications, she became a renowned food writer for the New York and Los Angeles Times. As Reichl witnesses and follows intrepid characters puzzling through intractable circumstances, she takes stock of the path she hersef has traveled and the ideals she left behind. Through her eyes, we learn to understand the humanity and struggle behind the food we eat.
Food is elemental; without it we die, but with it, we can either become healthier or ill, depending upon its provenance and processing. Cheaper is not better. Food and Country, along Sundance’s other film Against the Tide, and the 2018 Telluride/ Toronto premiering film The Biggest Little Farmshould be seen in economic classes, culinary arts schools and ecological studies.
Filmmaker Laura Gabbert (City of Gold, 2015 Sundance Film Festival) with Reichl gives the expansive history behind an ever-more consolidating food industry. The film covers a rich cultural spectrum, from fine dining rooms to farmlands, discovering passionate, inspirational changemakers along the way. Laura Gabbert’s City of Gold (Sundance, SXSW 2015), was released theatrically in 50+ markets by IFC and included in Vogue magazine’s “78 best documentaries of all time.” Gabbert also directed the feature documentaries Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles (Tribeca 2020, IFC/Hulu), No Impact Man (Sundance 2009, Oscilloscope), and Sunset Story (Tribeca 2005, Independent Lens).
Producer Caroline Libresco was a programmer for Sundance for twenty years before leaving to produce. She is known for Disclosure (2020), American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (2013) and Sunset Story (2003).
Producer Paula P. Manzanedo is known for Memory, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) and Dive (2022).
Directed and Produced By: Laura Gabbert (City of Gold)
Produced By: Ruth Reichl, Paula P. Manzanedo, Caroline Libresco
Executive Produced By: Jamie Wolf, Nathalie Seaver, Sigrid Dyekjær, Melony Lewis, Adam Lewis, Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, Janet Tittiger, Peter Tittiger, Jenn Lee Smith, Andrea van Beuren
Jessica Lacy and Oliver Wheeler of Range Media Partners, a subsidary of Anton Films is representing the film which to date seems to have no U.S. or international distribution set.
99 minutes
Sundance Film FestivalFilm FestivalsDocumentaryWomenFood...
Premieres Section
During the lockdown time of Covid, trailblazing food writer Ruth Reichl started to make a documentary to show Covid and the shutdown’s effect on the food system, from farmers to restaurants. But her worries over the fate of small farmers, ranchers, and chefs as they wrestled with both immediate and systemic challenges also exposed the broken food system as political and social, and ended with her forging true relationships on a personal level with the originators, suppliers and consumers in the food chain.
Starting in March 2020 Reichl reached out to those who were innovativing new ways of structuring their businesses. She speaks with Brandon Jew, a San Francisco restauranteer in Chinatown, who notes that people are scared to go to Chinatown because Covid has been politicized as Chinese. Reem Assil, a young Arab woman with a restaurant in Oakland, makes her staff co-owners as a way to share and get through this time. Reichl’s contemporary and close friend in the Bay Area, Alice Waters, the first to use local homegrown produce in her restaurant Chez Panisse discusses how much better it is to deal directly with the farmers rather than middlemen.
She speaks to farmer Bob Jones Jr. of the White Oak Pastures, fourth generation farmer who in the mid 90s gradually moved away from his father’s industrialized farming techniques as it produced waste and did not consider the welfare of its animals who need to express their instinctive behaviors. Over 20 years he changed the soil from a dead mineral medium to a live, organic medium teaming with life. Supplying the food conscious restaurant innovators directly also mandated starting his own meat processing. “Everything is tied to everything else,” he states.
Bob Jones Jr. of the White Oak Pastures
Rancher Steve Stratford discusses the cattle business as a US and international problem and points out there are only four big meat packers, so large that if two don’t operate because of a problem like swine fever, the nation suffers and lots of livestock goes unused. “It is all about how cheaply you can produce and it results in waste that could feed a small country. Other countries do not have the discretionary income of American because they spend on food.” Amercans buy food cheaply, but it is problematic (and inferior) because it is mass produced
Meat producers and consumers must rely on these four meat packing companies. Jbs is 100% Brazilian owned, National Beef is 51% Brazilian and Tyson and Cargill are in the hands of two giant American corporations. The Department of Justice Anti Trust Regulatory should take action and the government should encourage smaller meat plants every 3 to 400 miles supplying 2–3% of the daily slaughter and the meat producers should own the plants. Now, should one of the four go down, 15% of the food supply is impacted.
Since the time of this writing, the N.Y. Times has published an expose on meat packers and food processing plants in general which villainize them even more! Their knowing use of illegal immigrant child labor is chilling and will make readers of this and viewers of the film even more passionate about eating well and avoiding the evil of unhealthy processed and mass produced food. See FoodProcessing.com reflect the N.Y. Times article on Feb. 26's exhaustive investigation that went far beyond the early-February fine against Packers Sanitation Services Inc., which provides mostly nighttime/ third-shift sanitation services to many food & beverage plants. That investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Labor found at least 102 children 13 to 17 years old working for the contract sanitation company in 13 meat-processing facilities in eight states. The list specified underage immigrant workers at Jbs USA's Grand Island, Neb., plant, Cargill plant in Dodge City, Kan., a Jbs facility in Worthington, Minn., Buckhead Meat, George's Inc., Gibbon Packing, Greater Omaha Packing, Maple Leaf Farms, Turkey Valley Farms and Tyson. At least three of the minors reportedly suffered injuries while on the job with Pssi. Read the NY Times expose and weep. You will surely become more conscious of the issues raised in this documentary which never mention the abuse of child labor. Farmers (and ranchers) must take out huge bank loans every year at the beginning of planting, hope for good crops to pay off the loan and in the end, make very little profit whereas the suppliers and food processing firms make millions as they supply supermarkets and chain restaurants. America’s largest corporate restaurant food supplier Sysco has 32 states to supply and is supported by Usda. Even during Covid, Usda bailed them out and shut out the smaller suppliers who then must abide by Sysco’s system which in 2021 made $51 billion in sales.
In the early 1900s there were more Black farmers than White. In the 1920s 19% of farms were Black owned. Today it is 1%. Food Apartheid is explored in the course of Ruth’s discussions. Of the 57,000 farms in NY State, ony 139 are Black. 96% of the land owners of farms are white; government interventions help Whites, not Blacks, with subsidies. This makes the food system structurally racist.
As part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, the minimum wage was established. But black workers, who had been hired as food service workers immediately after slavery, were not included. They were not paid wages at all. They were expected to live off of tips. Tips had just been introduced to the US from Europe. The Blacks, along with immigrants, other racial minorities, women, and the disabled were not included in Roosevelt’s New Deal minimum wages and in fact, only 80 years later did legistration finally grant them a miunum wage of $2.13 per hour. The lowest paid employee is the restaurant worker; next are the farmworkers.
This principal of cheap abundant food started after World War II hand in glove with the arms race when the huge stockpile of ammunition was turned into fertilizer and the government encouraged farms to replace animals with machines thus creating the factory model of food production along with a great debt taken on by the farmers. It was seen as a way to fight Communism to have the cheapest most abundant food on earth. The nutritive value of American food from 1940 to 2000 fell to 40%.
When President Nixon and Khrushchev held the “Kitchen Debates” a point of pride was fast food. The industrialization of food and food processing, and the rise of chain restaurant limited the number of processors and wholesalers to be used by farmers and ranchers. This drove farmers to marginal living as the middlemen’s high costs took most of the farmers’ and cattlemen’s profits.
As you can see, I learned a great deal from this film and found it fascinating as future viewers will as well. America’s decades-old policy of producing cheap food at all costs hobbles farmers and ranchers who are striving to stay independent. Ruth Reichl, a fascinating woman in her own right, coming of age on a commune founded by her then husband in Berkeley in the 60s and writing little vignettes about food for marginal publications, she became a renowned food writer for the New York and Los Angeles Times. As Reichl witnesses and follows intrepid characters puzzling through intractable circumstances, she takes stock of the path she hersef has traveled and the ideals she left behind. Through her eyes, we learn to understand the humanity and struggle behind the food we eat.
Food is elemental; without it we die, but with it, we can either become healthier or ill, depending upon its provenance and processing. Cheaper is not better. Food and Country, along Sundance’s other film Against the Tide, and the 2018 Telluride/ Toronto premiering film The Biggest Little Farmshould be seen in economic classes, culinary arts schools and ecological studies.
Filmmaker Laura Gabbert (City of Gold, 2015 Sundance Film Festival) with Reichl gives the expansive history behind an ever-more consolidating food industry. The film covers a rich cultural spectrum, from fine dining rooms to farmlands, discovering passionate, inspirational changemakers along the way. Laura Gabbert’s City of Gold (Sundance, SXSW 2015), was released theatrically in 50+ markets by IFC and included in Vogue magazine’s “78 best documentaries of all time.” Gabbert also directed the feature documentaries Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles (Tribeca 2020, IFC/Hulu), No Impact Man (Sundance 2009, Oscilloscope), and Sunset Story (Tribeca 2005, Independent Lens).
Producer Caroline Libresco was a programmer for Sundance for twenty years before leaving to produce. She is known for Disclosure (2020), American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (2013) and Sunset Story (2003).
Producer Paula P. Manzanedo is known for Memory, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) and Dive (2022).
Directed and Produced By: Laura Gabbert (City of Gold)
Produced By: Ruth Reichl, Paula P. Manzanedo, Caroline Libresco
Executive Produced By: Jamie Wolf, Nathalie Seaver, Sigrid Dyekjær, Melony Lewis, Adam Lewis, Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, Janet Tittiger, Peter Tittiger, Jenn Lee Smith, Andrea van Beuren
Jessica Lacy and Oliver Wheeler of Range Media Partners, a subsidary of Anton Films is representing the film which to date seems to have no U.S. or international distribution set.
99 minutes
Sundance Film FestivalFilm FestivalsDocumentaryWomenFood...
- 3/7/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
For their documentary “Food and Country,” director Laura Gabbert and renowned food writer Ruth Reichl gathered a thoughtful and strikingly personable cast of characters from across the U.S. to tell their stories in the shadow of the pandemic. Some are chefs, bakers, restaurateurs. Others are independent farmers, ranchers, even a kelp harvester. Some work in big cities, like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and New York. Others make their increasingly fragile living working fields or rearing herds in Kansas, Nebraska, Georgia and Ohio. Their collective insights tell us a great deal about our food system and serve as a warning. Yet their devotion to the work — and often their employees — is heartening, even humbling.
Before joining forces, the director and her chief protagonist had each embarked on separate projects about the duress those in the independent food industry were experiencing because of the 2020 pandemic lockdown. Gabbert, whose 2015 film “City of Gold...
Before joining forces, the director and her chief protagonist had each embarked on separate projects about the duress those in the independent food industry were experiencing because of the 2020 pandemic lockdown. Gabbert, whose 2015 film “City of Gold...
- 2/8/2023
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety Film + TV
Festival runs in Austin, Texas, from March 10-19.
Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby follow-up Bottoms and Jon S. Baird’s Tetris starring Taron Egerton are among the second wave of SXSW unveiled on Wednesday.
Festival organisers announced all selections in Visions, Global presented by Mubi, 24 Beats, and Festival Favorites as well as additions to Headliners, TV Premieres, Narrative and Documentary Spotlight.
New to Headliners are world premieres of Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby follow-up Bottoms which follows two unpopular queer high school students who start a fight club to have sex before graduation; and Jon S. Baird’s Tetris starring...
Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby follow-up Bottoms and Jon S. Baird’s Tetris starring Taron Egerton are among the second wave of SXSW unveiled on Wednesday.
Festival organisers announced all selections in Visions, Global presented by Mubi, 24 Beats, and Festival Favorites as well as additions to Headliners, TV Premieres, Narrative and Documentary Spotlight.
New to Headliners are world premieres of Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby follow-up Bottoms which follows two unpopular queer high school students who start a fight club to have sex before graduation; and Jon S. Baird’s Tetris starring...
- 2/1/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? As Covid took hold in March 2020, we knew we had to capture Ruth Reichl’s journey chronicling the food security story unfolding in real time. But, unable to travel, how would we solve the problem of distance: the miles and miles lying between her and her subjects, and the continent between her, in upstate New York, and our crew, in […]
The post “We Began To See the Zoom Calls as a Kind of ‘Virtual Vérité'” | Laura Gabbert, Food and Country first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Began To See the Zoom Calls as a Kind of ‘Virtual Vérité'” | Laura Gabbert, Food and Country first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/25/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? As Covid took hold in March 2020, we knew we had to capture Ruth Reichl’s journey chronicling the food security story unfolding in real time. But, unable to travel, how would we solve the problem of distance: the miles and miles lying between her and her subjects, and the continent between her, in upstate New York, and our crew, in […]
The post “We Began To See the Zoom Calls as a Kind of ‘Virtual Vérité'” | Laura Gabbert, Food and Country first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Began To See the Zoom Calls as a Kind of ‘Virtual Vérité'” | Laura Gabbert, Food and Country first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/25/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Leveraging a modest start as a restaurant reviewer for New West magazine in the 1970s, renowned food writer and chef Ruth Reichl rose to the pinnacle of professional achievement as the restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. She then moved on to become Gourmet magazine’s editor-in-chief for a decade, prior to the venerable publication’s unfortunate demise. Along the way there have been high-profile stints in broadcasting and no fewer than six James Beard Foundation awards.
So when the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic shuts down thousands of restaurants nationwide, what’s a food reporter to write about? Fortunately, Reichl’s interests have always been much broader than just fine dining, touching also on history, sustainability and social justice. Laura Gabbert, director of 2015 culinary adventure City of Gold and eco-doc No Impact Man (2009), catches up with Reichl in early 2020 as they begin a collaboration...
So when the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic shuts down thousands of restaurants nationwide, what’s a food reporter to write about? Fortunately, Reichl’s interests have always been much broader than just fine dining, touching also on history, sustainability and social justice. Laura Gabbert, director of 2015 culinary adventure City of Gold and eco-doc No Impact Man (2009), catches up with Reichl in early 2020 as they begin a collaboration...
- 1/24/2023
- by Justin Lowe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ruth Reichl has so much to tell us about food. She’s been a chef, a restaurant owner, and a critic. She’s edited Gourmet magazine, written bestselling memoirs and cookbooks, and hosted a show on gastronomy. And now, she wants to teach us about the failings of the American food system itself.
“Food and Country” begins in March 2020; Reichl’s impetus is the pandemic onset that ruthlessly exposes the shaky foundations beneath most restaurants. Serving as producer behind the scenes and on-camera interviewer, Reichl Zooms with chefs, restaurateurs, farmers and ranchers across the country, beginning with her longtime friend and farm-to-table pioneer Alice Waters.
But her ambitions are far greater, which is both the movie’s boldest asset and eventual undoing. Director Laura Gabbert (“City of Gold”) tries to cover all of Reichl’s interests, which leaves her with (at least) five movies’ worth of material. We touch on,...
“Food and Country” begins in March 2020; Reichl’s impetus is the pandemic onset that ruthlessly exposes the shaky foundations beneath most restaurants. Serving as producer behind the scenes and on-camera interviewer, Reichl Zooms with chefs, restaurateurs, farmers and ranchers across the country, beginning with her longtime friend and farm-to-table pioneer Alice Waters.
But her ambitions are far greater, which is both the movie’s boldest asset and eventual undoing. Director Laura Gabbert (“City of Gold”) tries to cover all of Reichl’s interests, which leaves her with (at least) five movies’ worth of material. We touch on,...
- 1/24/2023
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Documentary+, the nascent streaming service from Xtr, is bolstering its rank with the hire of Sundance’s Charlie Sextro.
Sextro is working with the company as its editor-in-chief of the service, overseeing the curation of films for the nonfiction platform. He will also remain a Senior Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival.
The streaming platform features a film library that ranges from Academy Award-winners to festival darlings.
“There are few people on the planet as passionate about documentaries as Charlie Sextro,” said Bryn Mooser, co-founder of Documentary+ and CEO of Xtr. “His work the past decade with Sundance has shaped the modern documentary industry as we know it and it’s an honor for us to have him on our team. We can’t wait to share what we’re working on together.”
Sextro’s possesses over a decade of experience at the Sundance Film Festival, where he helped shape the festival,...
Sextro is working with the company as its editor-in-chief of the service, overseeing the curation of films for the nonfiction platform. He will also remain a Senior Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival.
The streaming platform features a film library that ranges from Academy Award-winners to festival darlings.
“There are few people on the planet as passionate about documentaries as Charlie Sextro,” said Bryn Mooser, co-founder of Documentary+ and CEO of Xtr. “His work the past decade with Sundance has shaped the modern documentary industry as we know it and it’s an honor for us to have him on our team. We can’t wait to share what we’re working on together.”
Sextro’s possesses over a decade of experience at the Sundance Film Festival, where he helped shape the festival,...
- 3/25/2021
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Another new streaming service has launched, this one a niche platform called Documentary+ dedicated solely to nonfiction films.
The free, ad-supported streaming platform is available on Thursday and was launched as a joint venture between the nonfiction studio Xtr and the late former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.
Documentary+ currently has a library of over 200 feature-length and short documentary films, including classics, cult favorites, true crime stories, sports films and rock docs. Some of the films in the initial catalog include “The Imposter,” “Life, Animated,” “Born Into Brothels,” “Cartel Land” and more. The service also features docs by filmmakers such as Spike Jonze, Kathryn Bigelow, Terrence Malick, Brett Morgen, Roger Ross Williams, Davis Guggenheim and Werner Herzog, including his “My Best Fiend” and “Little Dieter Learns to Fly.”
Other up-and-coming filmmakers with movies on the platform include Lana Wilson, Ramona S. Diaz, Nanfu Wang, Clay Tweel, Kareem Tabsch and Laura Gabbert.
The free, ad-supported streaming platform is available on Thursday and was launched as a joint venture between the nonfiction studio Xtr and the late former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.
Documentary+ currently has a library of over 200 feature-length and short documentary films, including classics, cult favorites, true crime stories, sports films and rock docs. Some of the films in the initial catalog include “The Imposter,” “Life, Animated,” “Born Into Brothels,” “Cartel Land” and more. The service also features docs by filmmakers such as Spike Jonze, Kathryn Bigelow, Terrence Malick, Brett Morgen, Roger Ross Williams, Davis Guggenheim and Werner Herzog, including his “My Best Fiend” and “Little Dieter Learns to Fly.”
Other up-and-coming filmmakers with movies on the platform include Lana Wilson, Ramona S. Diaz, Nanfu Wang, Clay Tweel, Kareem Tabsch and Laura Gabbert.
- 1/28/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Appropriately for a film about cake, Laura Gabbert's documentary brings a raft of different flavours to her documentary, which follows chef Yotam Ottolenghi as plans and brings to fruition a dessert-based celebration of the opulent court of Versailles at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2018. The trouble with flavours is, however, that if you use too many at once, it can spoil the whole batch. And Gabbert throws practically an entire spice rack at this. Part of the film concerning itself with the mechanics of the exhibition itself - who is involved, along with those chefs' backstories - alongside Ottolenghi espousing his own background and influences while also offering a historic grounding, through his interviews with expert Deborah Krohn, in the French court from 1682 to 1789.
It's a lot to fit into 75 minutes and while there's plenty here that is interesting, it's a shame Gabbert didn't distil things down.
It's a lot to fit into 75 minutes and while there's plenty here that is interesting, it's a shame Gabbert didn't distil things down.
- 12/22/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
If 2020 has taught us anything that we didn’t already know, it’s that everything is cake. This roll of toilet paper? Cake. This pit bull? Cake. This human butt? Definitely cake. The realization that all matter in our universe is actually cake raises a handful of questions, some practical (is this review a cake?), and some existential (am I a cake?), and some historical — if everything in the present is cake, does that mean we can eat history with a fork?
As is so often the case, however, Yotam Ottolenghi got there first. The revered Israeli-born chef, restaurateur, and food writer has become one of the most influential cookbook authors in the world not just on the strength of his recipes, but also because he thinks of them as a link to the past — as an experiential way to reanimate faded eras through taste, smell, and any other sensations that books,...
As is so often the case, however, Yotam Ottolenghi got there first. The revered Israeli-born chef, restaurateur, and food writer has become one of the most influential cookbook authors in the world not just on the strength of his recipes, but also because he thinks of them as a link to the past — as an experiential way to reanimate faded eras through taste, smell, and any other sensations that books,...
- 9/25/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Sundance vet Laura Gabbert is no stranger to the foodie world, having directed 2015’s City of Gold, which follows the Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold on his culinary excursions throughout LA. Now, with Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, Gabbert turns her lens to the other coast and across the pond, globetrotting through time and space with seven-time NY Times bestselling cookbook author and renowned restauranteur Yotam Ottolenghi. Though the Israeli Jew (whose business partner is a Jerusalem-born Muslim) is based in London, he’s invited by the Met to curate an edible, cake-centric exhibition […]...
- 9/25/2020
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sundance vet Laura Gabbert is no stranger to the foodie world, having directed 2015’s City of Gold, which follows the Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold on his culinary excursions throughout LA. Now, with Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, Gabbert turns her lens to the other coast and across the pond, globetrotting through time and space with seven-time NY Times bestselling cookbook author and renowned restauranteur Yotam Ottolenghi. Though the Israeli Jew (whose business partner is a Jerusalem-born Muslim) is based in London, he’s invited by the Met to curate an edible, cake-centric exhibition […]...
- 9/25/2020
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
If you’re one of those people who’ve been using the pandemic to start working on your sourdough bread starter, “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” might make you feel like something of a slacker. Or maybe it’ll send you to your local bakery for a to-go order. Or maybe you’ll just sit there watching it and drooling.
Whatever reaction it inspires, the IFC documentary from Laura Gabbert that opens in select theaters and on-demand on Sept. 25 will involve your taste buds more than a usual movie. Awash in impossibly elaborate desserts inspired by the French court of Versailles, it shows us a series of pastries or jellies that look too good to eat but too delicious not to. To watch it at home where you have to make do with whatever’s in the fridge, or in a theater where you have to wear a mask...
Whatever reaction it inspires, the IFC documentary from Laura Gabbert that opens in select theaters and on-demand on Sept. 25 will involve your taste buds more than a usual movie. Awash in impossibly elaborate desserts inspired by the French court of Versailles, it shows us a series of pastries or jellies that look too good to eat but too delicious not to. To watch it at home where you have to make do with whatever’s in the fridge, or in a theater where you have to wear a mask...
- 9/22/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
"You tell a story through a cake." IFC Films has unveiled the first official trailer for a G-rated pastry chef documentary titled Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, which first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. Documenting the collaboration between world renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this feature film follows five visionary pastry makers as they endeavor to construct an extravagant food gala based on the art exhibit "Visitors to Versailles." Exploring the relationship between modern-day social media and the open court of the French Monarchy, the film studies the alarmingly cyclical intersection between food, culture, and history. From acclaimed filmmaker Laura Gabbert, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles perfectly captures the heights of human achievement and the frailty of decadence, adding taste as one more sense with which to experience the Met. This looks fun, but most of all,...
- 8/20/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
If you can’t eat dessert, the next best thing might be to watch a dessert-themed gala. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” brings the dessert right to your living room. The documentary follows celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi as he recruits A-list pastry chefs to put on a Versailles-themed gala of food at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” features chefs such as the James Beard Award-winning baker Dominique Ansel, “sensory magicians” Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, Janice Wong, a two-time winner of Asia’s Best Pastry Chef, and more.
Continue reading ‘Ottolenghi & The Cakes Of Versailles’ Trailer: Laura Gabbert’s Doc Will Make Your Mouth Water at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Ottolenghi & The Cakes Of Versailles’ Trailer: Laura Gabbert’s Doc Will Make Your Mouth Water at The Playlist.
- 8/20/2020
- by Brynne Ramella
- The Playlist
During quarantine, perhaps you’ve tried your hand at baking some bread or pastries. A new documentary is now arriving that will offer some major inspiration to strive towards for your next culinary confection. Renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi was asked by Metropolitan Museum of Art to collaborate on an exhibition entitled Visitors to Versailles (1682-1789) in which he would represent the famous château in cake form. The process was captured in Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, a new documentary by City of Gold director Laura Gabbert. The Tribeca and Hot Docs selection will now arrive next month from IFC Films, and today brings the first trailer.
Jared Mobarak said in our review, “Laura Gabbert’s companion film Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles arrives to document the event and its myriad moving pieces while also allowing the general public a look at the splendor of what those lucky few enjoyed that June.
Jared Mobarak said in our review, “Laura Gabbert’s companion film Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles arrives to document the event and its myriad moving pieces while also allowing the general public a look at the splendor of what those lucky few enjoyed that June.
- 8/20/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
IFC Films has scooped U.S. rights to David Bowie glam-rock origin film “Stardust,” starring actor and musician Johnny Flynn (“Emma”) as the music icon.
Directed by Gabriel Range and co-written with Christopher Bell, “Stardust” is set in 1971, when a 24-year-old Bowie embarks on his first trip to America, only to be met with a world not yet ready for him. The film reveals the inspirations and life events that gave birth to Bowie’s alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, charting the transformation of one of the world’s greatest cultural icons.
Flynn stars in the film opposite Marc Maron (“Glow”) and Jena Malone (“Antebellum”) as Bowie’s wife Angie.
“Stardust” was an official selection at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and will world premiere at Rome Film Festival in October.
IFC Films plans to release the film during this year’s last quarter. “‘Stardust’ isn’t the traditional film we are...
Directed by Gabriel Range and co-written with Christopher Bell, “Stardust” is set in 1971, when a 24-year-old Bowie embarks on his first trip to America, only to be met with a world not yet ready for him. The film reveals the inspirations and life events that gave birth to Bowie’s alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, charting the transformation of one of the world’s greatest cultural icons.
Flynn stars in the film opposite Marc Maron (“Glow”) and Jena Malone (“Antebellum”) as Bowie’s wife Angie.
“Stardust” was an official selection at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and will world premiere at Rome Film Festival in October.
IFC Films plans to release the film during this year’s last quarter. “‘Stardust’ isn’t the traditional film we are...
- 8/19/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
IFC Films has acquired the U.S. rights to “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles,” the latest documentary film from “City of Gold” Laura Gabbert.
“Cakes of Versailles” follows the London-based Israeli chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi as he preps to organize a food gala for the Met exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation, he travels to the actual Palace of Versailles and is possessed by a child-like curiosity as he gets a glimpse of the French monarchy’s decadence.
IFC Films plans to release “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” in September 2020.
Also Read: The New Look of Documentary Film in a Coronavirus World
The documentary was produced by Steve Robillard and Mohamed AlRafi and executive produced by Paula Manzanedo-Schmit and Original Productions’ Jeff Hasler, Ernie Avila, and Brian Lovett.
Also appearing in the documentary is the mastermind of the “cronut” Dominique Ansel, and together he and Ottolenghi...
“Cakes of Versailles” follows the London-based Israeli chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi as he preps to organize a food gala for the Met exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation, he travels to the actual Palace of Versailles and is possessed by a child-like curiosity as he gets a glimpse of the French monarchy’s decadence.
IFC Films plans to release “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” in September 2020.
Also Read: The New Look of Documentary Film in a Coronavirus World
The documentary was produced by Steve Robillard and Mohamed AlRafi and executive produced by Paula Manzanedo-Schmit and Original Productions’ Jeff Hasler, Ernie Avila, and Brian Lovett.
Also appearing in the documentary is the mastermind of the “cronut” Dominique Ansel, and together he and Ottolenghi...
- 6/26/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles,” a documentary about one Isreali chef’s attempts to recreate some of the French Monarchy’s most delicious desserts.
The film is the latest work from Laura Gabbert, who previously teamed with IFC Films on “City of Gold,” a look at the late food critic Jonathan Gold and his connection to the culinary scene of Los Angeles. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” will be released in September 2020.
The film follows Yotam Ottolenghi, the London-based Isreali chef and celebrated author of the cookbooks “Jerusalem” and “Plenty,” as he is enlisted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to organize a food gala inspired by the museum’s exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation for the event, Ottolenghi travels to the Palace of Versailles to conduct his research. He teams with famous pastry chefs such as...
The film is the latest work from Laura Gabbert, who previously teamed with IFC Films on “City of Gold,” a look at the late food critic Jonathan Gold and his connection to the culinary scene of Los Angeles. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” will be released in September 2020.
The film follows Yotam Ottolenghi, the London-based Isreali chef and celebrated author of the cookbooks “Jerusalem” and “Plenty,” as he is enlisted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to organize a food gala inspired by the museum’s exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation for the event, Ottolenghi travels to the Palace of Versailles to conduct his research. He teams with famous pastry chefs such as...
- 6/26/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to the Sam Feder-directed documentary Disclosure. The feature-length docu is set to debut on the streaming platform on June 19 — a perfect release date considering June is Pride Month.
Disclosure made its premiere at Sundance earlier this year and puts a spotlight on transgender representation in TV and film while showing how it has impacted how Americans feel about members of the trans community and how it has taught trans people to feel about themselves.
Feder not only puts members of the trans community front and center but he also made sure that they were represented behind the camera as well. This way, it was a film about trans people made by trans people, marking a genuine effort of authenticity.
“Disclosure came to life so beautifully because trans people were at the center of production — over 150 trans people were involved, from early research through distribution,...
Disclosure made its premiere at Sundance earlier this year and puts a spotlight on transgender representation in TV and film while showing how it has impacted how Americans feel about members of the trans community and how it has taught trans people to feel about themselves.
Feder not only puts members of the trans community front and center but he also made sure that they were represented behind the camera as well. This way, it was a film about trans people made by trans people, marking a genuine effort of authenticity.
“Disclosure came to life so beautifully because trans people were at the center of production — over 150 trans people were involved, from early research through distribution,...
- 5/29/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The Los Angeles Times said today it is planning a public tribute for restaurant critic Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning and longtime fixture of L.A.’s diverse food scene, who died July 21 at age 57. The events set for August 26 include the debut of unseen footage from Laura Gabbert’s documentary City of Gold, which bowed in 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically by IFC Films.
The event will be held on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall downtown beginning at 5:30 Pm and will include food trucks, and remembrances from friends and family including plenty of chefs and Times staffers. Gabbert will be there for the screening, the paper said, as will Evan Kleinman, host of Kcrw’s “Good Food.”
The city paid tribute to Gold by lighting up City Hall, the Santa Monica Pier’s ferris wheel and other landmarks in gold July 28 after his death from pancreatic cancer,...
The event will be held on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall downtown beginning at 5:30 Pm and will include food trucks, and remembrances from friends and family including plenty of chefs and Times staffers. Gabbert will be there for the screening, the paper said, as will Evan Kleinman, host of Kcrw’s “Good Food.”
The city paid tribute to Gold by lighting up City Hall, the Santa Monica Pier’s ferris wheel and other landmarks in gold July 28 after his death from pancreatic cancer,...
- 8/17/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Jonathan Gold, the first restaurant critic to win a Pulitzer Prize, has died at age 57 of pancreatic cancer. The Los Angeles Times said he died Saturday at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Gold was the subject of Laura Gabbert’s 2015 documentary “City of Gold,” that showed the Los Angeles food scene through the eyes of the L.A. native.
He is survived by his wife, a Los Angeles Times editor Laurie Ochoa, and two children.
Gold was the subject of Laura Gabbert’s 2015 documentary “City of Gold,” that showed the Los Angeles food scene through the eyes of the L.A. native.
He is survived by his wife, a Los Angeles Times editor Laurie Ochoa, and two children.
- 7/22/2018
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Every year, IndieWire looks beyond the countless top 10 lists written by critics to widen the field. We turn to friends and colleagues in the independent film community — programmers, distributors, publicists and others — to give them the opportunity to share their favorite films and other media from the past 12 months. We also invited them to share their resolutions and anticipated events for 2017.
The Best of 2016: IndieWire’s Year in Review Bible
Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, Toronto International Film Festival
I’m limiting my list to films that had Us and Canadian theatrical releases in 2016. I saw far more than 10 this year that I liked, but if I have to be brutal, I’ll limit it to the films that lifted me.
1. “Moonlight”
2. “Julieta”
3. “Toni Erdmann”
4. “Cemetery of Splendor”
5. “Arrival”
6. “Fences”
7. “13th”
8. “American Honey”
9. “Things to Come”
10. “Moana”
Michael Barker, Co-President, Sony Pictures Classics
“Now is the winter of our discontent.
The Best of 2016: IndieWire’s Year in Review Bible
Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, Toronto International Film Festival
I’m limiting my list to films that had Us and Canadian theatrical releases in 2016. I saw far more than 10 this year that I liked, but if I have to be brutal, I’ll limit it to the films that lifted me.
1. “Moonlight”
2. “Julieta”
3. “Toni Erdmann”
4. “Cemetery of Splendor”
5. “Arrival”
6. “Fences”
7. “13th”
8. “American Honey”
9. “Things to Come”
10. “Moana”
Michael Barker, Co-President, Sony Pictures Classics
“Now is the winter of our discontent.
- 12/30/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In director Laura Gabbert’s delightful documentary City Of Gold, Jonathan Gold, the first food critic to win a Pulitzer Prize, drives around his hometown of Los Angeles, in search of great food in unexpected places, talks about writing, the links between food, nations, neighborhoods and identity. It is a road trip you do not want to miss.
A native of Los Angeles, Gold knows his city and it willing to go to unlikely places in his search for culinary adventure. As the Los Angeles Times restaurant critic, he does not seek out the fancy, trendy, high priced dining spots of the rich and famous to review. Instead, he prowls his beloved city seeking small family restaurants, food trucks and little entrepreneur chef-owned spots offering delicious, affordable food, often that honors a certain country or heritage, or serving innovative fusion cuisines reflecting real neighborhoods. As one commentator notes, Gold is...
A native of Los Angeles, Gold knows his city and it willing to go to unlikely places in his search for culinary adventure. As the Los Angeles Times restaurant critic, he does not seek out the fancy, trendy, high priced dining spots of the rich and famous to review. Instead, he prowls his beloved city seeking small family restaurants, food trucks and little entrepreneur chef-owned spots offering delicious, affordable food, often that honors a certain country or heritage, or serving innovative fusion cuisines reflecting real neighborhoods. As one commentator notes, Gold is...
- 3/25/2016
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Do you still live in the city where you grew up? I was born and raised in Los Angeles, spending most of my time in the suburban communities of the San Fernando Valley before moving away in 1984. When I returned in 2002, I was afloat. The city and the culture had changed dramatically. Increasingly, I turned to the pages of Los Angeles Weekly as a road map and fell in love with certain writers, including Jonathan Gold. My circumstances didn't allow me to travel widely throughout the metropolitan area to eat at the restaurants he recommended, but his insights into the cultural and culinary worlds were always fascinating to read. A fair degree of that fascination is captured in Laura Gabbert's City of Gold,...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/24/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Chicago – Although Jonathan Gold is not a household name, his food writing and criticisms have influenced Los Angeles palates for a generation. He is the only food critic to have ever received the Pulitzer Prize, and he is profiled in a new documentary by director Laura Gabbert entitled “City of Gold.”
Gold is basically an explorer, through the foods and diversity of the Los Angeles melting pot. His eclectic style has appeared in the La Weekly, Gourmet magazine, and currently the Los Angeles Times, and he also was an influential music critic for a time. Director Gabbert provides a fascinating backdrop for Gold’s life adventures, and creates a succulent overview of food, culture and atmosphere for the always creative City of Angels.
Food Critic Jonathan Gold is Profiled in ‘City of Gold’
Photo credit: Sundance Selects
Last week, Jonathan Gold and Laura Gabbert came to Chicago to promote the documentary,...
Gold is basically an explorer, through the foods and diversity of the Los Angeles melting pot. His eclectic style has appeared in the La Weekly, Gourmet magazine, and currently the Los Angeles Times, and he also was an influential music critic for a time. Director Gabbert provides a fascinating backdrop for Gold’s life adventures, and creates a succulent overview of food, culture and atmosphere for the always creative City of Angels.
Food Critic Jonathan Gold is Profiled in ‘City of Gold’
Photo credit: Sundance Selects
Last week, Jonathan Gold and Laura Gabbert came to Chicago to promote the documentary,...
- 3/23/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Criticism can be a lot of things. Cheerleading, examination, storytelling, pathfinding. But the heart of it all is opening a dialogue, no matter the intention. This goes for food, movies, literature, and especially their intersection in City of Gold, a documentary about Jonathan Gold, the Los Angeles Times‘ food critic.
Following Gold, an unassuming culinary troubadour in a pick-up, on his trek from the forgotten strip malls of Los Angeles to the offices of the Times, Laura Gabbert’s documentary brings us inside the world of food writing. It’s really a film about an intimately personal philosophy, although it has every opportunity to settle for being basic food porn. But rather than just tantalize us like one of the hundreds of sterile Food Network grocery catalogs posing as television, there’s a lot of meat to dig into here.
City of Gold is simultaneously a vibrant, colorful love letter...
Following Gold, an unassuming culinary troubadour in a pick-up, on his trek from the forgotten strip malls of Los Angeles to the offices of the Times, Laura Gabbert’s documentary brings us inside the world of food writing. It’s really a film about an intimately personal philosophy, although it has every opportunity to settle for being basic food porn. But rather than just tantalize us like one of the hundreds of sterile Food Network grocery catalogs posing as television, there’s a lot of meat to dig into here.
City of Gold is simultaneously a vibrant, colorful love letter...
- 3/9/2016
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
This post originally appeared on Film Independent's blog and appears here with their permission. It's a great time for documentary films. Films as varied as "Blackfish" and "Amy" have found a home in the mainstream market, gaining distribution and having successful theatrical runs. 7 Hilarious (and Borderline Crazy) Tips for Marketing Your Documentary: At last month's Film Independent Forum, Simon Kilmurry, Executive Director of the International Documentary Association (Ida) sat down with Josh Braun, Co-President of Submarine Entertainment, and talked about the elements successful docs have in common. Documentary filmmaker Laura Gabbert ("City of Gold") moderated the evening. Here are six takeaways from their conversation. Premiering strong Everyone wants their film to debut at the top festivals to increase its chances of being acquired and distributed. "The reality is that most documentaries don't premiere at Sundance or...
- 11/9/2015
- by Daniel Larios
- Indiewire
Read More: 37th Aspen Film Festival Announces Brie Larson Oscar Contender 'Room' as Opening Night Film Aspen Film has released the full schedule for the 37th Aspen Filmfest, which runs September 25-30 at Paepcke Auditorium and the Isis Theater in Aspen and the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale. The six-day event is a "celebration of independent and big-screen cinema for locals and visitors," and this year Aspen Filmfest has gotten its hands on some of the biggest titles from Cannes and Sundance, as well as films that are set to dominate the fall festival circuit. Check out of all the titles playing the festival below. Synopses provided by Aspen Filmfest. Special Presentations: City Of Gold (dir. Laura Gabbert, USA, 2014, 96 min.)Opening Night Documentary, Friday, Sept. 25, 5:30 p.m., Paepcke AuditoriumQ+A with filmmaker Laura Gabbert Room (dir. Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland/Canada, 2015, 113 min.)Opening Night Feature, Friday, Sept. 25, 8:15 p.
- 9/1/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in TrainwreckPhoto: Universal Pictures With Sundance just wrapping up and Berlin starting up in a few days, we are now immersed in the year-long barrage of film festivals. One such festival in South By Southwest. A few weeks back they announced the first seven films of their program, including the opening night film Brand: A Second Coming. Today, they have revealed the rest of the features to be shown in March (except for the midnight program), and some of it has me very excited. The bigger titles announced do not do much for me. Paul Feig's Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, and the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart starrer Get Hard leave a lot to be desired in terms of anticipation, as does a work in progress cut of Judd Apatow's latest film Trainwreck. I'm guessing an Apatow work in progress is probably around three and a half hours.
- 2/3/2015
- by Mike Shutt
- Rope of Silicon
South by Southwest, the multi-faceted film, music and technology festival held annually in Austin, TX will feature such upcoming films as Paul Feig’s Spy, David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, Alex Gibney’s documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, and Ondi Timoner’s Russell Brand profile Brand: A Second Coming as headliners in this year’s film festival lineup.
SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.
Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.
On the small screen,...
SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.
Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.
On the small screen,...
- 2/3/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
"Criticism is criticism," says Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold in "City of Gold," adding, "An aria is like a well-cooked potato." The documentary on his career include many such evocative statements. With a full figure and long gray hair hanging from the back of his largely bald head, Gold seems like a wise elder statesman in the world of food criticism, wielding an invaluable influence with his words that have helped shape the democratization of Los Angeles food culture for the past 25 years. Laura Gabbert's portrait is not so much a love letter to her subject as it is a window into what Gold himself loves. He loves art, spices, music, and the process of discovering new gems among the cultural depths of L.A.'s rich cultural neighborhoods. Regularly bringing specific worlds of obscure cuisine to the attention of a discerning public, Gold has found massive career...
- 2/3/2015
- by Ibad Shah
- Indiewire
Laura Gabbert's deep love for the City of Los Angeles is the inspiration for her newest documentary, "City of Gold." It chronicles the journey of food critic Jonathan Gold, and identifies how his experiences expose a booming cultural movement. In Gabbert's eyes, the food writing and city touring so intrinsic to the story evoke something much more universal: her film is an ode to exploration, and an impassioned call to curiosity and open-mindedness. What's your film about in 140 characters or less? Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles. Now what's it Really about? The film is a love letter to Los Angeles. Tell us briefly about yourself. I was born and raised in Minneapolis, but I've lived in Los Angeles since 1995 when...
- 1/31/2015
- by David Canfield
- Indiewire
Fox Searchlight has confirmed its deal for the Us and multiple territories to Sundance hit Brooklyn, while Magnolia has swooped on Best Of Enemies and Sundance Selects buys City Of Gold.
John Crowley directed Brooklyn and the highly regarded romance stars Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters in the story of a young Irish immigrant in 1950s New York.
Nick Hornby adapted the screenplay from Colm Toibin’s acclaimed novel. Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey produced.
Fox Searchlight negotiated the deal with HanWay Films and CAA and plans a release this year for the potential awards contender.
Magnolia Pictures and Participant Media have acquired world rights to the documentary Best Of Enemies, chronicling the intellectual rivalry between Gore Vidal and William F Buckley. Wme Global and Submarine represented the film-makers.Sundance Selects has moved on North American rights to Laura Gabbert’s Us Documentary Competition selection City Of Gold. The film follows...
John Crowley directed Brooklyn and the highly regarded romance stars Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters in the story of a young Irish immigrant in 1950s New York.
Nick Hornby adapted the screenplay from Colm Toibin’s acclaimed novel. Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey produced.
Fox Searchlight negotiated the deal with HanWay Films and CAA and plans a release this year for the potential awards contender.
Magnolia Pictures and Participant Media have acquired world rights to the documentary Best Of Enemies, chronicling the intellectual rivalry between Gore Vidal and William F Buckley. Wme Global and Submarine represented the film-makers.Sundance Selects has moved on North American rights to Laura Gabbert’s Us Documentary Competition selection City Of Gold. The film follows...
- 1/28/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Sundance Selects has picked up North American distribution rights to documentary “City of Gold,” the company announced Wednesday.
Laura Gabbert directed the film, which made its world premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition section at the Sundance Film Festival this week.
Also Read: Sundance Party Report in Pictures: Ryan Reynolds, Lena Dunham, Ezra Miller, Johnny Knoxville, ‘Transparent’ (Photos)
Story follows restaurant critic Jonathan Gold as he tours the growing ethnic food scene across Los Angeles.
“Laura’s film is an amazing portrait of today’s diverse culture as told through the eyes of inimitable food critic Jonathan Gold,” President...
Laura Gabbert directed the film, which made its world premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition section at the Sundance Film Festival this week.
Also Read: Sundance Party Report in Pictures: Ryan Reynolds, Lena Dunham, Ezra Miller, Johnny Knoxville, ‘Transparent’ (Photos)
Story follows restaurant critic Jonathan Gold as he tours the growing ethnic food scene across Los Angeles.
“Laura’s film is an amazing portrait of today’s diverse culture as told through the eyes of inimitable food critic Jonathan Gold,” President...
- 1/28/2015
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
Eating One’s Way To Enlightenment: Gabbert Follows Gold Down A Rabbit-Hole Of Crucial Cultural Cuisine
Everyone in Los Angeles knows that Jonathan Gold is the man you look to for advice on where to score the tastiest tacos, slurp down the most flavorful pho or best bet to brave the culinary possibilities of the notoriously gelatinous hagfish. The man knows his way around the various indigenous subsets blooming from the borders of a city known to most by its obnoxious sprawl and Hollywood gleam, and with genuine regard for the melting pot of immigrant communities cultivating their native dishes throughout his hometown, he connects paying customers to those fine inborn cooks who woefully deserve their patronage. Paying tribute to the beloved L.A. Times’ food critic, Laura Gabbert’s unadorned documentary portrait, City of Gold, explores Jonathan’s unequaled ethos as a cultural writer with a decidedly reserved aesthetic...
Everyone in Los Angeles knows that Jonathan Gold is the man you look to for advice on where to score the tastiest tacos, slurp down the most flavorful pho or best bet to brave the culinary possibilities of the notoriously gelatinous hagfish. The man knows his way around the various indigenous subsets blooming from the borders of a city known to most by its obnoxious sprawl and Hollywood gleam, and with genuine regard for the melting pot of immigrant communities cultivating their native dishes throughout his hometown, he connects paying customers to those fine inborn cooks who woefully deserve their patronage. Paying tribute to the beloved L.A. Times’ food critic, Laura Gabbert’s unadorned documentary portrait, City of Gold, explores Jonathan’s unequaled ethos as a cultural writer with a decidedly reserved aesthetic...
- 1/28/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Halfway through Laura Gabbert's documentary City of Gold, a salute to Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize–winning food critic's brother Mark reveals a dark family secret: Gold grew up devouring iceberg lettuce and orange Jell-o. Every day, we eat. It's a must. And those meals tell a story: The peanut sauce Grandma invented, the Korean tacos that signify L.A.'s mash-up culture, and even that Jell-o, a shorthand for a childhood in South Central, where Gold's father, a probation officer who dreamed of being an English professor, cared more about filling his sons' heads with high culture than he did filling their bellies with fancy food. He fed them right. Gold doesn't just judge a black mole — he compares it to sculpture. In his reviews, the...
- 1/28/2015
- Village Voice
With its warm climes, diverse mix of cultures, and a healthy population eager to discover the next trend, Los Angeles has become one of the country's most important food destinations. No one knows that better than Pulitzer Prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold, and he's at the center of a new documentary, "City Of Gold," premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Laura Gabbert, the film delves into the diverse ethnic neighborhoods of Los Angeles, as Gold seeks out his next food find. Featuring celebrity chefs Roy Choi, David Chang and Ludo Lefebvre, as well as visits with the owners of some of Gold's most treasured establishments, "City Of Gold" is a feast for foodies —as far as Gold is concerned, It doesn't matter where the food is served as long as it's good. In this exclusive clip, he checks out the Guerrilla Tacos food truck, and it'll definitely leave you hungry.
- 1/23/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Representing Latin American, U.S. Latino, and non-Latino artists who explore multicultural relationships from singular perspectives, the films at this year's Sundance Film Festival include an array of stories that showcase the diverse creative voices that exist within the Latino filmmaking community.
This list includes both films that have been created fully or partially by Latin American or U.S. Latino filmmakers, as well as those that deal with themes and ideas relevant to the Latino experience in or outside the Unites States, even if these were not created by Latino artists. The increasing interest in these stories testifies to how rapidly Latinos are becoming constant and strong voices in all areas of the film industry.
In order to highlight as many of these talented creators and films as possible, we’ve created a list that includes all the films at the festival that are helmed by or that incorporate Latino talent and those that focus on a specific aspect pertinent to the Latino community. Some are obvious standouts like Argentina's acclaimed dark comedy "Wild Tales" or Colombia's "Liveforever" from Carlos Moreno.
Then there are those who at first sight might not fit the parameters of what one could think is a Latino film. This is the case of films like Eli Roth's "Knock Knock," which is an English-language horror film whose co-writers, producers, and part of the cast are originally from Chile. There is also " Aloft," a drama in the Spotlight section, which is set between Canada and Minnesota and stars Jennifer Connelly. It was written and directed by Academy Award nominated Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa.
The third case includes those films that deal with subjects that have Latino elements or that explore diversity in the U.S in some way. Examples of these are "The Strongest Man" from Kenny Riches, a film narrated in Spanish by its protagonist "Beef," a charming, yet lost Cuban-American man in Miami; or "Cartel Land" by Matthew Heineman, which focuses on the violence shared between Mexico and U.S due to the drug-fueled chaos that afflicts the region. On a lighter note, there are films like “City of Gold” by Laura Gabbert, in which Los Angeles is seen through its ethnic food and local idiosyncrasies.
In an effort to give exposure to those films in the program that don’t get as much attention, the list below starts with the Shorts Programs and ends with the Dramatic Premieres. Each title is linked to its page on the Sundance website where screening times and locations can be found. Regardless of what films you watch at the festival, it is likely that your eyes will be expose to the work of some amazingly talented Latino filmmaker, writer or actor, or those who appreciate our stories as much as we do.
Shorts
"Spring" (Primavera) - Shorts Program 2
Latino Talent: Dir. Tania Claudia Castillo
Latino Theme: The short was created theough Mexico's renowned Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (Ccc), and it focuses on
Elba, an introverted, lonely 14-year-old, who wants to bond with her sister Fernanda before she leaves home.
"Papa Machete" - Shorts Program 3
Latino Theme: Two hundred years ago, Haitian slaves defeated Napoleon's armies with the same tool used to work the land: the machete. "Papa Machete" explores a martial art evolved from this victory through the practice of one of its few remaining masters.
"Making it in America" - Shorts Program 4
Latino Theme: A Salvadoran immigrant who fled to the United States as a teenager is now a single mother striving to build a future for her family in Los Angeles.
"Stop" - Shorts Program 5
Latino Talent: Dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green, Producer Rashaad Ernesto Green, Cinematographer Federico Cesca, Actors J.W. Cortes and Joshua Rivera.
Latino Theme: A young man's livelihood is put to the test when he is stopped by the police on his way home. Although not specific the Latino experience, the subject matter speaks to recent events involving minority groups and the use of excessive force by police
"Palm Rot" - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Dir. Ryan Gillis Lizama
Latino Theme: An old Florida fumigator discovers a mysterious crate in the Everglades that ruins his day.
"The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal" (El Sol Como un Gran Animal Oscuro) - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Directors Ronnie Rivera and Christina Felisgrau, Screenwriter Bernardo Britto, Producer Lucas Leyva
Latino Theme: This is Spanish-language short about a computer and a woman fall in love, only to be torn apart because of their inappropriate feelings for each other.
"{The And} Marcela & Rock" - Documentary Shorts Program 1
Latino Talent: Dir. Topaz Adizes, Assistant Directors Armando Croda and Sebastian Diaz
Latino Theme: Exploring the intimate spaces of modern-day relationships, this is the best couples therapy session you'll ever witness.
Special Events
Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge
Latino Talent: Directors Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Marialy Rivas
Latino Theme: Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge presents five winning narrative and documentary short films selected from 1,387 submissions representing 69 different countries.The project was designed to use the transformative power of storytelling to generate discussion, shift perceptions around extreme hunger and poverty, and harness the power of independent film to create a global conversation about these issues.
Sundance Kids
"The Game Maker" (El Inventor de Juegos)
Latino Talent: Dir. Juan Pablo Buscarini
New Frontier
"Liveforever" (Que Viva la Musica)
Latino Talent: Dir. Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters Alberto Ferreras and Alonso Torres, alongside the crew and cast.
Latino Theme: Hovering over the river that segregates Cali, Colombia, into haves and have-nots, a haunting presence identifies a perilous willingness among the populace to do anything that is asked of it. A blonde teenage girl, knowing she must change her life, leaves her well-appointed house and flagrantly gives herself over to this tolerant city, saying "yes" to everything provocative it offers her. Only the music tethers her body and spirit together, even as she reaches for redemption through a bold, delicious, and resplendent self-destruction. Inspired by the 1977 best-selling cult novel by Andres Caicedo.
Park City Midnight
"Knock Knock"
Latino Talent: Screenwriters Guillermo Amoedo & Nicolás López, Producers Miguel Asensio and Nicolás López, Cinematographer Antonio Quercia, Actresses Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
"Reversal"
Latino Talent: Dir. José Manuel Cravioto, Producers Alex Garcia, Rodolfo Marquez and Daniel Posada, Editor Jorge Macaya, Actress Bianca Malinowski
Spotlight
"Aloft"
Latino Talent: Dir. Claudia Llosa
"Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
Latino Talent: Dir. Damián Szifrón, as well as most of the cast and crew.
Latino Theme: Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award, this Argentine marvel is conformed of 6 stories about people giving in to their most savage instincts. Forgiveness is out o the question because revenge has never been so deranged and insanely comedic.
Next <=>
"H."
Latino Talent: Dir. Daniel Garcia
"Nasty Baby"
Latino Talent: Dir. Sebastián Silva, Producers David Hinojosa, Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín
Latino Theme: Brooklyn artist Freddy (Sebastian Silva) is baby obsessed. His new project centers around newborns, and he and his boyfriend, Mo, have recruited their best friend, Polly (Kristen Wiig), to help them have a baby. On top of dealing with the stress of opening an art installation and the complications of conceiving a child via artificial insemination, the three begin to be harassed by The Bishop, a mentally ill neighborhood man. An escalating series of incidents threaten to derail the comfortable lives these people have built for themselves.
"Tangerine"
Latino Talent: Actress Kiki Kitana Rodriguez
Latino Theme: It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown, and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.
"The Strongest Man"
Latino Talent: Actor Robert Lorie
Latino Theme: Beef is a beefy Cuban man who believes that he is The Strongest Man in the World. He doesn’t want children, but he wants to tell his grandchildren about his life as The Strongest Man in the World. His best friend is a slight Korean man named Conan. Conan makes him think about things he normally doesn’t think, like the fact that Beef thinks in Spanish, rather than English. Illy, the adopted daughter of a rich art collector, brings out an anxious side in Beef. But it is when his prized possession—a solid gold BMX bicycle—is stolen from him that Beef finds and loses so much more than he thought he could.
World Dramatic Competition
"The Second Mother"
Latino Talent: Dir. Anna Muylaert and her cast and crew
Latino Theme: Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid's uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she's raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place until one day, Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she's willing to sacrifice.
U.S. Documentary Competition
"Cartel Land"
Latino Theme: In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.
"City of Gold"
Latino Theme: As the unabashed cradle of Hollywood superficiality and smoggy urban sprawl, Los Angeles has long been condemned as a cultural wasteland. In the richly penetrating documentary odyssey City of Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us another Los Angeles, where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.
"Western"
Latino Theme: In his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens famously wrote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." That line sums up the story ofWestern, the latest film from Bill and Turner Ross, a documentary destined to become a classic itself. Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico, two towns on opposite sides of the border have shared a harmonious history until the specter of cartel violence threatens to divide them.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Latino Talent: Dir. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
"Dope"
Latino Talent: Actors Tony Revolori, Michael Flores, Allen Maldonado, Lidia Porto, and Sergio Garcia
Latino Theme: Malcolm is a high school geek with a high-top fade, carefully navigating life in The Bottoms, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California. He and his fellow outcasts share a voracious appreciation for all things '90s hip-hop, opting to sport Cross-Colours and Z. Cavariccis at the risk of being clowned at school. He dreams of attending Harvard, but first he has to make it home every day. When a drug dealer takes a shine to Malcolm and invites him to his birthday party, Malcolm’s crew is swirled into a hilarious blender of offbeat characters and bad choices where redemption can only be found in Bitcoin.
"The Stanford Prison Experiment"
Latino Talent: Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Actors Moises Arias and Armand Vasquez
Documentary Premieres
"Fresh Dressed"
Latino Theme: With funky, fat-laced Adidas, Kangol hats, and Cazal shades, a totally original look was born—Fresh—and it came from the black and brown side of town where another cultural force was revving up in the streets to take the world by storm. Hip-hop, and its aspirational relationship to fashion, would become such a force on the market that Tommy Hilfiger, in an effort to associate their brand with the cultural swell, would drive through the streets and hand out free clothing to kids on the corner.
Dramatic Premieres
"Experimenter"
Latino Talent: Dir. Michael Almereyda and Actor John Leguizamo
"Last Days in the Desert"
Latino Talent: Dir. Rodrigo García and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki
"Lila & Eve"
Latino Talent: Producers Tanya Lopez and Priscilla Porianda, Actors Jennifer Lopez, Andre Royo, Marisela Zumbado and Rey Hernandez
Latino Theme: When teenage Stephon is killed in a drive-by shooting, his mother, Lila, slips into a paralyzing grief. She joins a support group for women who have lost children to crime and meets Eve, a woman whose little girl was killed the same night as Stephon. Lila and Eve form a friendship, and Lila begins to crawl out of her depression. She develops a burning desire to find justice for her son, and she presses the authorities for answers, but they are slow-moving and ineffective. It’s Eve who has the idea first—join together, find the drug dealers who shot Stephon dead, and bring them to justice themselves.
This list includes both films that have been created fully or partially by Latin American or U.S. Latino filmmakers, as well as those that deal with themes and ideas relevant to the Latino experience in or outside the Unites States, even if these were not created by Latino artists. The increasing interest in these stories testifies to how rapidly Latinos are becoming constant and strong voices in all areas of the film industry.
In order to highlight as many of these talented creators and films as possible, we’ve created a list that includes all the films at the festival that are helmed by or that incorporate Latino talent and those that focus on a specific aspect pertinent to the Latino community. Some are obvious standouts like Argentina's acclaimed dark comedy "Wild Tales" or Colombia's "Liveforever" from Carlos Moreno.
Then there are those who at first sight might not fit the parameters of what one could think is a Latino film. This is the case of films like Eli Roth's "Knock Knock," which is an English-language horror film whose co-writers, producers, and part of the cast are originally from Chile. There is also " Aloft," a drama in the Spotlight section, which is set between Canada and Minnesota and stars Jennifer Connelly. It was written and directed by Academy Award nominated Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa.
The third case includes those films that deal with subjects that have Latino elements or that explore diversity in the U.S in some way. Examples of these are "The Strongest Man" from Kenny Riches, a film narrated in Spanish by its protagonist "Beef," a charming, yet lost Cuban-American man in Miami; or "Cartel Land" by Matthew Heineman, which focuses on the violence shared between Mexico and U.S due to the drug-fueled chaos that afflicts the region. On a lighter note, there are films like “City of Gold” by Laura Gabbert, in which Los Angeles is seen through its ethnic food and local idiosyncrasies.
In an effort to give exposure to those films in the program that don’t get as much attention, the list below starts with the Shorts Programs and ends with the Dramatic Premieres. Each title is linked to its page on the Sundance website where screening times and locations can be found. Regardless of what films you watch at the festival, it is likely that your eyes will be expose to the work of some amazingly talented Latino filmmaker, writer or actor, or those who appreciate our stories as much as we do.
Shorts
"Spring" (Primavera) - Shorts Program 2
Latino Talent: Dir. Tania Claudia Castillo
Latino Theme: The short was created theough Mexico's renowned Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (Ccc), and it focuses on
Elba, an introverted, lonely 14-year-old, who wants to bond with her sister Fernanda before she leaves home.
"Papa Machete" - Shorts Program 3
Latino Theme: Two hundred years ago, Haitian slaves defeated Napoleon's armies with the same tool used to work the land: the machete. "Papa Machete" explores a martial art evolved from this victory through the practice of one of its few remaining masters.
"Making it in America" - Shorts Program 4
Latino Theme: A Salvadoran immigrant who fled to the United States as a teenager is now a single mother striving to build a future for her family in Los Angeles.
"Stop" - Shorts Program 5
Latino Talent: Dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green, Producer Rashaad Ernesto Green, Cinematographer Federico Cesca, Actors J.W. Cortes and Joshua Rivera.
Latino Theme: A young man's livelihood is put to the test when he is stopped by the police on his way home. Although not specific the Latino experience, the subject matter speaks to recent events involving minority groups and the use of excessive force by police
"Palm Rot" - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Dir. Ryan Gillis Lizama
Latino Theme: An old Florida fumigator discovers a mysterious crate in the Everglades that ruins his day.
"The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal" (El Sol Como un Gran Animal Oscuro) - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Directors Ronnie Rivera and Christina Felisgrau, Screenwriter Bernardo Britto, Producer Lucas Leyva
Latino Theme: This is Spanish-language short about a computer and a woman fall in love, only to be torn apart because of their inappropriate feelings for each other.
"{The And} Marcela & Rock" - Documentary Shorts Program 1
Latino Talent: Dir. Topaz Adizes, Assistant Directors Armando Croda and Sebastian Diaz
Latino Theme: Exploring the intimate spaces of modern-day relationships, this is the best couples therapy session you'll ever witness.
Special Events
Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge
Latino Talent: Directors Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Marialy Rivas
Latino Theme: Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge presents five winning narrative and documentary short films selected from 1,387 submissions representing 69 different countries.The project was designed to use the transformative power of storytelling to generate discussion, shift perceptions around extreme hunger and poverty, and harness the power of independent film to create a global conversation about these issues.
Sundance Kids
"The Game Maker" (El Inventor de Juegos)
Latino Talent: Dir. Juan Pablo Buscarini
New Frontier
"Liveforever" (Que Viva la Musica)
Latino Talent: Dir. Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters Alberto Ferreras and Alonso Torres, alongside the crew and cast.
Latino Theme: Hovering over the river that segregates Cali, Colombia, into haves and have-nots, a haunting presence identifies a perilous willingness among the populace to do anything that is asked of it. A blonde teenage girl, knowing she must change her life, leaves her well-appointed house and flagrantly gives herself over to this tolerant city, saying "yes" to everything provocative it offers her. Only the music tethers her body and spirit together, even as she reaches for redemption through a bold, delicious, and resplendent self-destruction. Inspired by the 1977 best-selling cult novel by Andres Caicedo.
Park City Midnight
"Knock Knock"
Latino Talent: Screenwriters Guillermo Amoedo & Nicolás López, Producers Miguel Asensio and Nicolás López, Cinematographer Antonio Quercia, Actresses Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
"Reversal"
Latino Talent: Dir. José Manuel Cravioto, Producers Alex Garcia, Rodolfo Marquez and Daniel Posada, Editor Jorge Macaya, Actress Bianca Malinowski
Spotlight
"Aloft"
Latino Talent: Dir. Claudia Llosa
"Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
Latino Talent: Dir. Damián Szifrón, as well as most of the cast and crew.
Latino Theme: Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award, this Argentine marvel is conformed of 6 stories about people giving in to their most savage instincts. Forgiveness is out o the question because revenge has never been so deranged and insanely comedic.
Next <=>
"H."
Latino Talent: Dir. Daniel Garcia
"Nasty Baby"
Latino Talent: Dir. Sebastián Silva, Producers David Hinojosa, Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín
Latino Theme: Brooklyn artist Freddy (Sebastian Silva) is baby obsessed. His new project centers around newborns, and he and his boyfriend, Mo, have recruited their best friend, Polly (Kristen Wiig), to help them have a baby. On top of dealing with the stress of opening an art installation and the complications of conceiving a child via artificial insemination, the three begin to be harassed by The Bishop, a mentally ill neighborhood man. An escalating series of incidents threaten to derail the comfortable lives these people have built for themselves.
"Tangerine"
Latino Talent: Actress Kiki Kitana Rodriguez
Latino Theme: It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown, and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.
"The Strongest Man"
Latino Talent: Actor Robert Lorie
Latino Theme: Beef is a beefy Cuban man who believes that he is The Strongest Man in the World. He doesn’t want children, but he wants to tell his grandchildren about his life as The Strongest Man in the World. His best friend is a slight Korean man named Conan. Conan makes him think about things he normally doesn’t think, like the fact that Beef thinks in Spanish, rather than English. Illy, the adopted daughter of a rich art collector, brings out an anxious side in Beef. But it is when his prized possession—a solid gold BMX bicycle—is stolen from him that Beef finds and loses so much more than he thought he could.
World Dramatic Competition
"The Second Mother"
Latino Talent: Dir. Anna Muylaert and her cast and crew
Latino Theme: Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid's uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she's raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place until one day, Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she's willing to sacrifice.
U.S. Documentary Competition
"Cartel Land"
Latino Theme: In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.
"City of Gold"
Latino Theme: As the unabashed cradle of Hollywood superficiality and smoggy urban sprawl, Los Angeles has long been condemned as a cultural wasteland. In the richly penetrating documentary odyssey City of Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us another Los Angeles, where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.
"Western"
Latino Theme: In his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens famously wrote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." That line sums up the story ofWestern, the latest film from Bill and Turner Ross, a documentary destined to become a classic itself. Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico, two towns on opposite sides of the border have shared a harmonious history until the specter of cartel violence threatens to divide them.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Latino Talent: Dir. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
"Dope"
Latino Talent: Actors Tony Revolori, Michael Flores, Allen Maldonado, Lidia Porto, and Sergio Garcia
Latino Theme: Malcolm is a high school geek with a high-top fade, carefully navigating life in The Bottoms, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California. He and his fellow outcasts share a voracious appreciation for all things '90s hip-hop, opting to sport Cross-Colours and Z. Cavariccis at the risk of being clowned at school. He dreams of attending Harvard, but first he has to make it home every day. When a drug dealer takes a shine to Malcolm and invites him to his birthday party, Malcolm’s crew is swirled into a hilarious blender of offbeat characters and bad choices where redemption can only be found in Bitcoin.
"The Stanford Prison Experiment"
Latino Talent: Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Actors Moises Arias and Armand Vasquez
Documentary Premieres
"Fresh Dressed"
Latino Theme: With funky, fat-laced Adidas, Kangol hats, and Cazal shades, a totally original look was born—Fresh—and it came from the black and brown side of town where another cultural force was revving up in the streets to take the world by storm. Hip-hop, and its aspirational relationship to fashion, would become such a force on the market that Tommy Hilfiger, in an effort to associate their brand with the cultural swell, would drive through the streets and hand out free clothing to kids on the corner.
Dramatic Premieres
"Experimenter"
Latino Talent: Dir. Michael Almereyda and Actor John Leguizamo
"Last Days in the Desert"
Latino Talent: Dir. Rodrigo García and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki
"Lila & Eve"
Latino Talent: Producers Tanya Lopez and Priscilla Porianda, Actors Jennifer Lopez, Andre Royo, Marisela Zumbado and Rey Hernandez
Latino Theme: When teenage Stephon is killed in a drive-by shooting, his mother, Lila, slips into a paralyzing grief. She joins a support group for women who have lost children to crime and meets Eve, a woman whose little girl was killed the same night as Stephon. Lila and Eve form a friendship, and Lila begins to crawl out of her depression. She develops a burning desire to find justice for her son, and she presses the authorities for answers, but they are slow-moving and ineffective. It’s Eve who has the idea first—join together, find the drug dealers who shot Stephon dead, and bring them to justice themselves.
- 1/21/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Announcements for the lineup for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, taking place between January 22nd and February 1st, are starting to roll out. Watch this page for updates as more films and sections are revealed.
Premieres
Brooklyn (John Crowley, UK)
Digging for Fire (Joe Swanberg, USA)
Don Verdean (Jared Hess, USA)
End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt, USA)
Experimenter (Michael Almereyda, USA)
Grandma (Paul Weitz, USA)
I Am Michael (Justin Kelly, USA)
I'll See You In My Dreams (Brett Haley, USA)
Last Days in the Desert (Rodrigo Garcia, USA)
Lila & Eve (Charles Stone III, USA)
Mississipi Grind (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA)
Mistress America (Noah Baumbach, USA)
Seoul Searching (Benson Lee, USA/Korea)
Sleeping with Other People (Leslye Headland, USA)
Ten Thousand Saints (Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, USA)
True Story (Rupert Goold, USA)
A Walk in the Woods (Ken Kwapis, USA)
Zipper (Mora Stephens, USA)
Documentary Premieres
Beaver Trilogy Part IV (Brad Besser,...
Premieres
Brooklyn (John Crowley, UK)
Digging for Fire (Joe Swanberg, USA)
Don Verdean (Jared Hess, USA)
End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt, USA)
Experimenter (Michael Almereyda, USA)
Grandma (Paul Weitz, USA)
I Am Michael (Justin Kelly, USA)
I'll See You In My Dreams (Brett Haley, USA)
Last Days in the Desert (Rodrigo Garcia, USA)
Lila & Eve (Charles Stone III, USA)
Mississipi Grind (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA)
Mistress America (Noah Baumbach, USA)
Seoul Searching (Benson Lee, USA/Korea)
Sleeping with Other People (Leslye Headland, USA)
Ten Thousand Saints (Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, USA)
True Story (Rupert Goold, USA)
A Walk in the Woods (Ken Kwapis, USA)
Zipper (Mora Stephens, USA)
Documentary Premieres
Beaver Trilogy Part IV (Brad Besser,...
- 12/16/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Among the many things that Los Angeles-based Film Independent does, besides the high-profile Independent Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, is provide crucial support to independent filmmakers. Every year a select few get chosen to participate in their Documentary Lab, which is designed to help them during the post-production phase on a film. In the past, participants have gone on to complete excellent work, among them Andrew Droz Palermo & Tracy Droz Tragos, whose "Rich Hill" won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, as well as Pj Raval ("Before You Know It"), Hilla Medalia’s ("Dancing in Jaffa"), Nicholas Wrathall ("Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia"), Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali Worrall ("Call Me Kuchu"), Laura Nix and Julia Meltzer ("The Light In Her Eyes") and Nicole Karsin ("We Women Warriors"). Among this year's mentors are editor Doug Blush ("20 Feet from Stardom"), Laura Gabbert...
- 3/17/2014
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The seven-week 2014 Documentary Lab is designed to help filmmakers who are in post-production.
This year’s Lab Fellows are Esteban Arguello and Xuan Jiang, Jamie Sisley and Mayuran Tiruchelvam, Suzanne Joe Kai, Robyn Symon, Nick Spark, Andrew James, Jonathan Matthews, and Jen Heck.
“We are delighted to kick off the fourth year of our Documentary Lab with such an talented group of filmmakers and esteemed mentors,” said Kelly Thomas, producer-in-residence and interim director of artist development.
Documentary filmmakers Doug Blush, Laura Gabbert, Caroline Libresco, Linda Goldstein-Knowlton, Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen are this year’s Documentary Lab mentors.
This year’s Lab Fellows are Esteban Arguello and Xuan Jiang, Jamie Sisley and Mayuran Tiruchelvam, Suzanne Joe Kai, Robyn Symon, Nick Spark, Andrew James, Jonathan Matthews, and Jen Heck.
“We are delighted to kick off the fourth year of our Documentary Lab with such an talented group of filmmakers and esteemed mentors,” said Kelly Thomas, producer-in-residence and interim director of artist development.
Documentary filmmakers Doug Blush, Laura Gabbert, Caroline Libresco, Linda Goldstein-Knowlton, Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen are this year’s Documentary Lab mentors.
- 3/17/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Film Independent has announced its chosen filmmakers for the 2013 Documentary Lab, an eight-week program designed to assist burgeoning directors currently in post-production.This year’s Lab Mentors include documentary filmmakers Doug Blush (editor, “The Invisible War”), Laura Gabbert (“No Impact Man”) and Jeff Malmberg (“Marwencol"). “There is so much great work being done by documentary filmmakers right now, and it’s exciting to see the projects coming out of our Lab being celebrated at festivals and beyond,” stated Jennifer Kushner, Film Independent’s Director of Artist Development. “We’re thrilled to welcome the new group of filmmakers, and look forward to seeing their films develop in the program.”Previous Documentary Lab projects include: Hila Medalia’s “Dancing in Jaffa,” Nicholas Wrathall’s “Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia” and Nicole Karsin’s “We Women Warriors,” among others. The chosen fellows and their films are: Title:...
- 3/20/2013
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
For years, current Los Angeles Times dining critic Jonathan Gold -- nationally acclaimed for pioneering an ebulliently egalitarian, ethnic-oriented style of reviewing beginning in the early 1990s -- had refused offers to appear on-screen. But more recently, his professional anonymity had been compromised by photographs published online. And after getting to know documentarian Laura Gabbert (No Impact Man) over a meal at Ludovic Lefebvre’s roving L.A. pop-up LudoBites -- she’d won a dinner with Gold which he had donated to a charity auction for a school that their children both attend -- he became intrigued by her movie pitch for
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- 12/8/2012
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Independent, the organization which produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Independent Spirit Awards, has announced the ten filmmakers chosen for this year's Documentary Lab program. The Documentary Lab is a seven-week program in which up-and-coming documentary filmmakers with works-in-progress are advised and given feedback by established documentary filmmakers and producers. This year's Lab Mentors include "No Impact Man" director Laura Gabbert, "The Invisible War" producer Doug Blush, "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" prodcuer Eddie Schmidt, and Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer Caroline Libresco. The ten filmmakers and their projects chosen for this year's lab are: "American Revolutionary," Grace Lee A 96-year-old revolutionary philosopher in Detroit offers a voice of hope and a program of action for transforming her city, the United States and the world. "Billy Mize...
- 3/15/2012
- by Aaron Bogert
- Indiewire
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