Podcasts about indie episodic

As the Country Prepares for the Looming Presidential Election and Continues to Fight an Ongoing Pandemic, Take a Deep, Multifaceted Look Into the Soul of a Quintessentially American City. City So Real Ric Speaks with Oscar-Nominated Documentarian Steve James About His Critically Acclaimed Docu-Series on National Geographic. The One-Night, Five-Hour, Commercial-Free event, airs October 29th at 7pm ET/PT on National Geographic, Available Next Day on Hulu. City So Real was an official Indie Episodic selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival where it had its world premiere. In the five-part documentary series City So Real, documentarian Steve James (“America to Me,” “Hoop Dreams”) delivers a fascinating and complex portrait of Chicago, America’s third-largest metropolis and his longtime hometown. The series begins in the haze of mid-summer 2018 as Mayor Rahm Emanuel, embroiled in accusations of a cover-up related to the police shooting of an African American teenager, Laquan McDonald, shocks the city by announcing he won’t seek reelection. An unprecedented 21 candidates emerge in a diverse and crowded field as they engage in a no-holds-barred battle for a chance to shape the city’s uncertain future. The final episode of the series picks up a year after the mayoral election in 2020, as the city simultaneously grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread social upheaval following the death of George Floyd. An already fractured city is further divided by the economic, political and social fallout, which plays out on the city streets as police clash with protesters, bringing rise to a generational moment that promises to change the city forever. In candid interviews with residents throughout the city, the series captures Chicago’s indomitable spirit as well as its seemingly insurmountable challenges. City So Real is a gritty and loving depiction of a quintessentially American city that is at once fiercely unique and a microcosm of the nation ⎯ and our world ⎯ as a whole. Director, producer, cinematographer and editor Steve James is a two-time Academy Award nominee who has earned four Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award nominations, winning for 1994’s Hoop Dreams. That film marked his first Oscar nomination (Best Film Editing), as well as an Independent Spirit Award win, and James received his second Oscar nod (Best Documentary Feature) for 2016’s Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. The latter film was named one of the National Board of Review’s “Top 5 Documentaries of the Year” and won Best Political Documentary at the Critics’ Choice Awards. James’ other notable credits include Stevie, an Independent Spirit Award nominee and Sundance prize winner; The Interrupters, which won an Emmy, Independent Spirit Award and the duPont-Columbia Journalism Award; and the Roger Ebert biography Life Itself, named best documentary by the National Board of Review and the Producers Guild of America (PGA), as well as winning an Emmy winner for Best Editing. The director’s Starz docuseries America to Me premiered at Sundance and was one of the most acclaimed TV shows of 2018. www.citysoreal.film http://www.bluefunkbroadcasting.com/root/twia/citysoreal.mp3

On this week's episode, Ben, Libby, and Leo talk about Sundance (where Leo was in attendance heading up IndieWire's Sundance Studio, where 87 interviews were recorded over the course of four days) and what potential value it can bring to projects included in its Indie Episodic program. Additionally, Libby discusses her trip to the DGAs, Ben delves into what this week's Nic Pizzolatto/HBO split means for the future of 'True Detective,' and everyone makes their Super Bowl picks.

Sundance's Indie Episodic Program presents filmmakers and creators with a new platform that reflects the exciting content we're seeing today. Sundance Programmer Charlie Sextro breaks down all things Indie Episodic for us. He offers insights into its creation, the selection process, and the purpose behind it.

Emmy Winner Kyra Sedgwick talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks about “Girls Weekend” that premiered at Sundance Film Festival in the Indie Episodic section. Sedgwick along with creator Ali Liebegott, producers Valerie Stadler and Meredith Bagby and DP Michelle Lawler were in attendance at Sundance from January 25th - January 31st. “Girls Weekend” tells the story about when a queer daughter (Liebegott) returns home to Las Vegas for a “girls weekend” with her estranged homophobic sister and people-pleasing mother. Her gun-toting dad lets it slip that her mother’s cancer is back with a vengeance forcing her to decide whether or not she can rejoin her family. “Girls Weekend” explores the responsibility family members have to each other. It’s set in a suburban Las Vegas neighborhood and explores themes of LGBTQ acceptance, family, health, class and sacrifice. The cast includes Ali Liebegott, Linda Lavin, Amy Landecker and Ken Jenkins. “Girls Weekend” was produced by Big Swing Productions that was created by Sedgwick, Meredith Bagby and Valerie Stadler in 2017. Big Swing Productions is committed to telling stories that amplify bold new voices including our LGBTQ community in an attempt to bring our divided country together. They believe that when stories with heart and purpose meet talent and opportunity, magic happens. We talked to Kyra about what she hopes to accomplish with “Girls Weekend”, how the “Me Too” and “Times Up” movements have impacted Hollywood, her disappointment that the upcoming Oscars neglected to include a woman in the Best Director category and her spin on our LGBTQ issues. Director and Executive Producer Kyra Sedgwick is best known for her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama “The Closer”. In 2018 Sedgwick received a DGA nomination for her directorial debut with the feature “Story Of A Girl” that premiered last summer at the LA Film Festival and Edinburgh Film Festival followed by its TV premiere on Lifetime. Sedgwick is a fierce LGBTQ ally and has served on the board of GLSEN. Currently she is a director on the Netflix comedy hit “Grace and Frankie” starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as well as numerous projects with Big Swing Productions. Ali Liebegott creator and star of “Girls Weekend” is a three-time WGA Award Nominee for her work as Co-Executive Producer on “Transparent”. She currently serves as Co-Executive Producer and Actor on “The Conners” for ABC and is developing a half-hour project for Amazon with Jill Soloway and Michelle Tea. Ali is also an out queer comedian and author who has also earned two Lambda Literary Awards and her next book “The Summer of Dead Birds” is slated to be published by Feminist Press in 2019. For More Info: sundance.org Hear 450+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES

Nash Edgerton, Tonya Glanz, and Cesar Mazariegos are three creators of shows that were featured in the new Indie Episodic section at Sundance 2018. They Join No Film School’s Liz Nord to discuss how the got their series off the ground, stretched production dollars across multiple episodes, and how much freedom they felt working in this burgeoning medium, unrestricted by duration, platform and traditional production rules.