An excellent remembrance of Penny on his 95th birthday, we miss him dearly.
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Cracked Up Theatrical Premiere
“Unlocking the Cage” Awarded Catapult Film Fund Grant
We are very excited to announce that “Unlocking the Cage” has received a development grant from the Catapult Film Fund. Catapult provides development funding to “documentary filmmakers who have a compelling story to tell, have secured access to their story and are ready to shoot and edit a piece for production fundraising purposes.” They support stories that touch on a wide range of issues and perspectives, and range from individual portraits to stories with global implications.
“The film projects receiving grants this round are incredibly diverse but they all have great story and narrative in common,” said Catapult Film Fund co-founder Bonni Cohen. ”We are excited to see both seasoned filmmakers, like Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, amongst the grantees along with emerging filmmakers like Alex Jablonski and Kahlil Hudson who already have an excellent track record.”
To learn more about the Catapult Film Fund and their Spring 2014 grantees, visit their website.
Alec Baldwin Joins Campaign for “Unlocking the Cage”
This week we met with Alec Baldwin, a big supporter of documentary films and animal rights, and he generously offered to do a video testimonial in support of our new film, “Unlocking the Cage,” and its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. We had a fantastic time with him, and he shared many kind words about Chris and Penny’s work. Thank you again, Alec!
RICHARD LEACOCK 1921 – 2011
“KINGS OF PASTRY” IS COMING TO DVD!
Long before “The Social Network,” there was “Startup.com”…
Startup.com follows the adventures of two friends as they create an award winning website that facilitates interaction between local government, citizens and businesses.
They wrestle with growing pains, tackle technical difficulties and charter the unpredictable venture capital waters, but none of these challenges prepare these young entrepreneurs for their own conflict over the management of their company, a conflict that will not only endanger their careers but irrevocably endanger their friendship. Sound familiar?
“Remarkable…Startup.com may be to our time what Wall Street was to the ‘80s. Grade A”
– Entertainment Weekly
“As an inside view of the bursting of the internet bubble, Startup.com is definitive.”
– Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“One of the most involving pieces of eavesdropping you’re likely to experience.”
– The New York Times
Buy the DVD from Amazon or rent it from Amazon Video on Demand or the iTunes Store.
‘THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM’ IS EVERYWHERE
SCREENING @
THE 92ND STREET Y – TRIBECA (NY, NY)
The Return of The War Room will be screening at the 92nd Street Y – Tribeca on Fri, Oct 24, 2008, at 7:30pm. Click HERE to purchase tickets, for more information about the screening, or to learn about the 92nd Street Y’s new downtown location.
SCREENING @
THE SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST (SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND)
The Return of The War Room will have TWO screenings at the Sheffield Film Fest in “England’s Greenest City” in November. The screenings will be held on Nov. 7 at 7:50PM, and Nov. 9 at 3:50PM.
Go HERE to find out about ticket purchasing options.
Go HERE to read more about the screenings.
Filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker will also be on hand to give a Masterclass, hosted by Nick Fraser, on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1:45PM. Read more about that HERE.
EXCLUSIVE SUNDANCE CHANNEL WEBISODES
Can’t get enough of James, George, Paul, or Dee Dee? Then you’ve gotta check out Sundance Channel’s EXCLUSIVE The Return of The War Room Webisodes! There are 5 in all. Check ’em out HERE.
And, lastly, if you can’t make it to the 92nd Street Y or Sheffield Doc/Fest screenings, you can still catch The Return of The War Room on The Sundance Channel. Check out their website for some exclusive Return of the War Room Webisodes, too (link above).
Go HERE to see when The Return of The War Room will air next and have Sundance email you a reminder so you don’t miss the film.
PRESS RELEASE
May 2, 2008
We would like to respond to some erroneous statements made today about our film, THE WAR ROOM. These statements alleged certain remarks to Mickey Kantor that simply are not true. The transcript of the scene in question confirms this.
-Chris Hegedus & D A Pennebaker
FOND FAREWELLS & HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS
We’re very sad to announce the passing of our close friend and collaborator, Nina Schulman, last week to metastatic breast cancer. An Emmy-award winning film editor, Nina was our editor on MONTEREY POP. Here is her obituary in the New York Times.
On April 9th, we joined celebrities, close friends, family members and fans for a tribute to Norman Mailer‘s life and work. The memorial was held at Carnegie Hall and it was a beautiful and moving celebration of one of America’s liveliest, most intelligent, and fascinating personalities. Norman was a great friend and a rare talent. You can read more about the touching tribute here.
In happier news, we’d like to congratulate Bob Dylan on winning a Pulitzer! Dylan received a Special Citation for “his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” He is the first rock’n’roll musician to be honored with a Pulitzer. For more information on this award, please visit the Pulitzer Board or Forbes Magazine.
And last but certainly not least, our longtime friend, collaborator and partner Richard Leacock will be honored at the 2008 Hot Docs Festival. Hot Docs will be honoring Leacock with an Outstanding Achievement Award Retrospective. The Festival, now in its 15th year, is held in Toronto and is North America’s largest documentary film festival. For more info on the 2008 festival, an online schedule, and online ticket sales, please visit the official 2008 Hot Docs Festival website.
MOF
Flora Lazar, Chris Hegedus & D A Pennebaker in front of the Palais de l’Elysee
In January, Chris Hegedus, D A Pennebaker and Flora Lazar filmed French President Nicolas Sarkozy present the awards for the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, a competition held every four years to determine the best chefs in France. Last fall the trio followed various chefs as they trained and competed for the MOF. The film is currently in post-production. Check back for more information on the MOF film over the next few months.
In the meantime, you can learn more about the MOF Competition and MOF chef Sebastien Cannone, who is featured in the new film, by listening to this Chicago Public Radio Podcast.