Latest news with #Seeds'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Margaret Mead Film Festival Offers New Yorkers a Chance to See Acclaimed Docs Without Distribution
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Given the risk-averse economics of the current documentary business, it has become hard for audiences to find a place to see some of the most acclaimed docs out of film festivals, including Sundance, TIFF, and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Mainstream streaming services' lack of interest in not only political documentaries, but practically all independent doc fare, has made regional film festivals, like the annual Margaret Mead Film Festival, vital to the life of a nonfiction film. This year's edition of the Margaret Mead festival kicks off on May 2 at Manhattan's American Museum of Natural History. The three-day event includes the New York debut of 15 documentaries, many of which do not have U.S. distribution. They include Olivier Sarbil's 'Viktor,' which premiered at TIFF in 2024, Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu's 'Our Land, Our Freedom,' which made its world premiere at IDFA in 2023, and the 2025 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 'Seeds,' directed by Brittany Shyne. More from Variety About the everyday life of Black generational farmers and the legacy of the declining community in the American South, 'Seeds' will screen at the Museum's 924-seat LeFrak Theater. Shot fully in black and white, 'Seeds' weaves together vignettes of farm life for multiple aging farmers and their families, depicting the slow pace and communal beauty of agricultural living, but also the deep economic injustice black farmers have historically faced and continue to today. Director of public programs at the American Museum of Natural History and Mead Festival Director Jacqueline Handy says that 'Seeds' reminds her of 'home.' 'As a Black woman growing up in New York with southern roots, 'Seeds' pulled on my heart strings and pulled me in,' says Handy. 'It's one of the ways that I see myself reflected in the work of this festival. We are trying to have that balance where folks can see themselves reflected in the festival and also discover something new.' Shyne spent nine years making 'Seeds,' which is her doc feature debut. 'It took a long time for a myriad of reasons,' Shyne says. 'It's hard to get financial support for your first feature, and then just networking, and understanding how the industry works, also takes time. For documentary filmmakers, it's a very untenable and unpredictable environment. We are all pulling from the same resources.' After garnering the Sundance U.S. documentary prize in January, Shyne took 'Seeds' to a number of regional U.S. festivals, including Full Frame and RiverRun. However, despite being a favorite with critics and audiences alike, 'Seeds' does not have a distribution deal. Shyne credits regional fests with helping keep 'Seeds' part of the conversation. 'I feel very lucky that the film has been doing so well and has been well received,' she says. 'In terms of distribution, we are still trying to figure things out. We hope to have an impact campaign eventually. There are so many different phases of the film that we hope to do eventually, but I think at this point we're just enjoying where it's at.' Following a world premiere at Maine's Camden International Film Festival, director Max Keegan took his doc 'The Shepherd and The Bear' to IDFA in November 2024. On May 3, the film will make its New York debut at Margaret Mead. Set high in the majestic French Pyrenees, 'The Shepherd and The Bear' explores a conflict provoked by the controversial reintroduction of wild brown bears into a remote shepherding community. The doc follows an aging shepherd who struggles to find a successor as bears prey on his flock, and a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with tracking the bears. 'It just seemed like such a weird conflict because both sides were really right,' says Keegan, who spent two years filming in the French Pyrenees. 'I really felt like I could sympathize with farmers in the area who feel like this is a decision that's been taken by people who live so far away from them and who don't understand their lives. But I also really sympathize with the people who are interested in the bear as a symbol and want to protect these sorts of animals. The idea that these two things could be true at the same time really drew me into the subject. In November, Jour2Fête acquired French distribution rights to 'The Shepherd and The Bear.' The film does not have U.S. distribution. 'The festival run has been really significant,' says Keegan. 'It has been really important and we have been really lucky to have been selected for a variety of festivals that really valued the film.' Oscar-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's most recent film, 'Folktales,' which debuted at Sundance 2025, will close the Margaret Mead Film Festival on May 3. About a trio of teenagers taking a 'gap year' at a Norwegian Folk High School in Pasvik, located 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, 'Folktales' is a universal story, according to Ewing. 'The film is about growing up, and we have all done that,' says Ewing. '(The film) is about being insecure and wanting to learn how to be brave and not knowing how to.' After screening in Park City, Ewing and Grady took 'Folktales' to festivals including Full Frame, Thessaloniki, and San Francisco Intl. Film Festival. In April, Magnolia Pictures acquired North American rights to 'Folktales.' The doc will be released in theaters on July 25. 'I really hope that there is a shift back to the original roots of how Heidi and I started in this industry, which was word of mouth and a theatrical run,' says Grady. 'No one was making a cajillion dollars, but you had a fan base.' The recent theatrical success of documentaries like 'No Other Land' and 'Secret Mall Apartment' is a good sign, according to Grady. 'When I started in this business, there were not very many places to show your documentaries,' says Grady. 'There were no streamers. It was basically HBO and PBS. Everything else was theatrical. So, it's not a return to that, exactly but there is a feeling of more community and getting back to our fans. Our constituents.' The lineup for the 2025 Margaret Mead Film Festival: May 2 Seeds – New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Brittany Shyne (in attendance) 2025 | 125 min | USA May 3 Remaining Native – New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Paige Bethmann (in attendance) 2025| 87 min | USA The Shepherd and the Bear – New York Premiere Director: Max Keegan (in attendance) 2024 | 100 min | France, Spain Favoriten – New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Ruth Beckermann (in attendance) 2024 | 118 min | Austria Our Land, Our Freedom – New York Premiere Presented by Mira Nair, executive producer (in attendance) Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu (in attendance) 2023 | 100 min | Kenya Land with No Rider –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Tamar Lando (in attendance) 2024 | 100 min | USA The Return of the Projectionist – New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Orkhan Agazade (in attendance) 2024 | 77 min | Azerbaijan Night of the Coyotes –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Clara Trischler (in attendance) 2024 | 79 min | Mexico Brink of Dreams –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir 2024 | 101 min | Egypt May 4 How Deep Is Your Love –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Eleanor Mortimer (in attendance) 2025 | 101 min | United Kingdom Folktales –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady (in attendance) 2025 | 106 min | Norway Partition –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Diana Allan (in attendance) 2025 | 61 min | Palestine River of Grass –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Sasha Wortzel (in attendance) 2024 | 83 min | USA Make it Look Real –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Danial Shah (in attendance) 2024 | 67 min | Pakistan Bright Future –U.S. Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Andra MacMasters (in attendance) 2024 | 89 min | North Korea Viktor – New York Premiere Presented by Darren Aronofsky, producer (in attendance) Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Olivier Sarbil (in attendance) 2024 | 91 min | Ukraine Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. 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Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘So much to be excited about': Dayton Black Women's Film Festival returns in May
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — If one thing can be learned from securing the big movie for the third annual Dayton Black Women's Film Festival, it's this: Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know. During a recent interview with festival founder and filmmaker Angelina Mitchell shared how she managed to snag a screening of documentary 'Seeds,' the festival's big name. Directed by Wright State alum Brittany Shyne, 'Seeds' tackles the role of Black farmers in the American South. The movie won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance in February. 'I'm still kind of processing it': Wright State grad talks 'Seeds,' top honor at Sundance Mitchell credits her mentor for the assist in landing the prize-winner. 'I just, I threw it out there as kind of like, 'Man, I really wish I could screen 'Seeds,'' she said. 'He kind of worked everything out for me and made it happen because Brittany is also somebody who's mentored by him. And he reached out to her and he connected everything, and she agreed immediately. 'That's really how it happened. I honestly just asked. And I was like, 'You know what? Why not shoot my shot?' essentially. And now we're able to screen 'Seeds,' which I'm super excited about because it is one of the most visually stunning documentaries I have ever seen.' Mitchell calls Shyne's cinematography — she serves as well as her own DP — 'just beautiful.' 'You figure out things about this country and yourself and, things that you didn't know were happening that are still happening,' she says. 'I just think it's a documentary that everyone needs to see, because it will absolutely change your life.' The movie, which screened at the Yellow Springs Film Festival, will be getting its Dayton premiere as part of the DBWFF's Opening Night at The Neon on Thursday, May 15. The festival lasts through Sunday, May 18. Mitchell laughs that she did 'bite off a lot more than I can chew' in stretching the festival to four days, but she calls it 'really great, really special.' Among the events she is most excited about is the Black Women in Filmmaking Workshop at the Bassani Theater being held in partnership with the Dayton Metro Library. It will feature sessions on screenwriting, led by director Selina Burks-Rentschler, and direction, led by filmmaker Kailah Ware. (The event is free, but registration is required and limited.) On Saturday, May 17, the festival is organizing a free networking brunch at The Neon 'Just come and eat for free, and you get to meet Black women filmmakers and see what they're doing and what they're working on and get connected,' she says. 'We're so supportive of each other because we are all we have in this industry.' Hosting the festival at the Neon is a treat that Mitchell is appreciative of. 'My partnership with the Neon means so much to me, I wouldn't be able to do any of the things that I do or be able to take on a four day festival essentially, if not for Jonathan McNeal. 'Jonathan really is such a mover in the community. He will do anything when it comes to supporting endeavors of artists in any space, but specifically with film, he really has enriched the community and the culture that we have here.' Also on Saturday: The Shorts program at The Neon, which spotlights the work of Black female students currently enrolled at Wright State. Tickets are $15. Organizing this year's shorts program shone its own spotlight on the changing demographics of the Wright State film program for MItchell. 'There are currently five Black women in the Wright State program which is so exciting because I was the only one — and I'm still the only Black person in my entire class, my now going into our senior year class. 'Just to see the shift that's happened in such a short time of being in those spaces and pushing for there to be a difference and a change made…' The festival concludes Sunday at The Neon with an awards presentation as well as a 20th anniversary screening of Burks-Rentschler's 2005 documentary short, 'Saving Jackie.' Tickets are again $15. When: Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18. More: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Sundance's top prizes go to ‘Atropia' and ‘Seeds'
The Sundance Film Festival announced its annual awards during a ceremony in Park City, Utah, on Friday. 'Atropia,' directed by Hailey Gates, won the U.S. dramatic competition's grand jury prize for its darkly comedic take on the intersection of war and performance, while Brittany Shyne's 'Seeds,' an intimate exploration of Black generational farmers in the South, was awarded the U.S. documentary competition's top honor. A biting satire set inside a military role-playing facility, 'Atropia,' which stars Alia Shankar, Callum Turner and Chloë Sevigny, follows an aspiring actor who falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, forcing them both to reckon with the blurred lines between performance and reality. The jury praised Gates' feature debut as 'both hilarious and damning in its portrayal of the theater of war.' 'Seeds' was recognized for its poetic and deeply personal portrait of Black farmers fighting to preserve their land and heritage. In the world cinema categories, the dramatic grand jury prize was awarded to 'Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)', a co-production from India, the U.K. and Canada directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade. The film tells the story of a city dweller returning to his rural hometown for a mourning period and forming an unexpected bond with a local farmer. The documentary grand jury prize went to 'Cutting Through Rocks,' directed by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, which follows a groundbreaking councilwoman in a rural Iranian village as she fights against patriarchal traditions. The NEXT Innovator Award, given to a film in the festival's section that highlights bold and unconventional storytelling, was awarded to Charlie Shackleton's 'Zodiac Killer Project,' a meditation on the true-crime genre told through 16mm footage of locations the filmmaker had to abandon after his option rights for a novel were declined. 'Twinless,' a dramedy about two men who meet in a twin bereavement support group, won the U.S. dramatic audience award, while 'André Is an Idiot,' a darkly comic documentary about a man confronting his own mortality, was honored in the U.S. documentary category. In the world cinema competition, 'DJ Ahmet,' about a North Macedonian teenager navigating family expectations and his love for music, took the audience award for drama, while 'Prime Minister,' a behind-the-scenes portrait of former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern, won for documentary. The NEXT audience award went to 'East of Wall,' a neo-Western about a rebellious horse trainer and a group of wayward teenagers. Among other jury awards, the directing prize in the U.S. dramatic competition went to Rashad Frett for 'Ricky,' about a man struggling with the challenges of life after incarceration, while the U.S. documentary directing award was presented to Geeta Gandbhir for 'The Perfect Neighbor,' an examination of Florida's controversial 'stand your ground' laws. The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award went to Eva Victor for 'Sorry, Baby,' a dark comedy about a young woman processing trauma. Dylan O'Brien received a special jury award for acting in 'Twinless,' while 'Plainclothes,' a drama about an undercover officer assigned to entrap gay men in the 1990s, was honored for ensemble cast. In the documentary category, 'Selena y Los Dinos,' a portrait of the late Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla, was awarded a special jury prize for archival storytelling, and 'Life After' won a special jury award for its thought-provoking investigation of a historic right-to-die case. While this year's festival was relatively quiet on the deal-making front, the honorees hope to follow the trajectory of other recent Sundance prize winners that went on to Oscar glory, including 'CODA,' '20 Days in Mariupol,' 'Summer of Soul' and 'Minari.' The 41st edition of the festival concludes on Sunday.
