News

France’s Asacha Media Group has acquired a majority stake in the U.K.-based factual producer Arrow International Media, the maker of the See No Evil and American Monster series for Investigation Discovery.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition of the controlling interest will be financed with equity provided by existing shareholders of Asacha, including Oaktree Capital Management, and debt financing from Tikehau Capital. The deal also gets Asacha beyond its home base France and continental Europe and deeper into producing more English language factual content via a new division making inroads into the U.S. market.

Asacha, since launching in 2020, focused on non-English-language scripted content for linear and on-demand platforms and with a focus on continental Europe. But the company has also looked to produce reality series, kids’ entertainment, factual programming and documentaries.

Recent credits for Arrow International includes Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom...

European consolidator Asacha Media Group has acquired a majority stake in Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom producer Arrow International Media.

This marks the second UK-based factual group to join Asacha’s ranks following a 2021 deal for Wag Entertainment.

We hear Arrow had been on the block for some time and the deal is likely to value the company in the low eight-figure range. Under terms of the agreement, Arrow bosses Tom Brisley and Iain Pelling will remain as co-Managing Directors, while John Smithson will step back.

Brisley and Pelling will retain a minority stake in Arrow, similar to the structure of Asacha’s previous acquisitions. Brisley will become an Asacha shareholder, alongside the business’ founders and other subsidiary bosses. Smithson, who previously co-founded Darlow Smithson Productions, will deliver his current projects and then work independently, with Arrow and Asacha having a first look at his new projects.

The trio...

Asacha Media Group has acquired a majority stake in leading U.K. factual producer Arrow International Media. The company’s recent hits include “See No Evil” and “American Monster” for Investigation Discovery, “Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom” for National Geographic and Disney+ and “Seven Days on Mars” for the BBC.

Arrow, founded in 2011 by Tom Brisley, John Smithson and Iain Pelling, delivers over 100 hours across genres that also include crime, history, nature, adventure, science and more.

Asacha launched in April 2020 with majority stakes in Italian production banners Picomedia and Stand By Me, French production company Mintee Studio. Asacha went on to acquire U.K. factual producer Wag Entertainment, leading UK drama producer Red Planet Pictures, French scripted studios Kabo Family and French producer Srab Films.

Asacha Media’s acquisition of Arrow was financed with a mix of equity provided by the existing shareholders and debt financing provided by Tikehau Capital.

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Jennifer Peedom’s visually stunning documentary River, “a profound cinematic and musical reflection on how rivers have shaped both the planet’s elaborate landscapes and all human existence.”

Greenwich plans to release the film in theaters on April 21, ahead of Earth Day on April 22. River is a sequel to Peedom’s 2017 documentary Mountain – also a Greenwich release – and reunites the director with her creative collaborators on that earlier film, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, narrator Willem Dafoe and writer Robert Macfarlane.

‘River’

“Throughout history, rivers have shaped our landscapes and our civilizations; flowed through our cultures and dreams,” notes a description of the documentary. “River takes the audience through space and time; spanning six continents, drawing on extraordinary cinematography, the film shows rivers on scales and from perspectives never seen before. Its union of image, music and poetic script create a...

Crime has always been part of television’s DNA, but in global marketplaces, true crime is enjoying unprecedented levels of success across the streamers and on more traditional outlets.

Earlier this year, Shonda Rhimes’ “Inventing Anna,” starring Julia Garner as the fake heiress Anna Sorokin (aka Anna Delvey), became one of Netflix’s biggest shows ever.

“Inventing Anna” is the tip of TV’s latest crime wave as producers and commissioners hope to find the horrifying stories that might one day take their place alongside such TV true crime successes as “ The Jinx,” “ The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” “Don’t Fuck With Cats” or “Making a Murderer,” the Netflix series that took true crime to the streamers.

“The fascination with true crime has never been stronger,” says Dan Korn, VP of programming at A+E Networks U.K ., whose channels include Crime + Investigation. “We spend a lot of...

Hallelujah has sold to France, Germany and Austria.

UK documentary specialist Dogwoof has reported sales on Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song and River following this year’s European Film Market (EFM).

Venice premiere Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song has sold to The Jokers for France and Prokino for Germany and Austria. As previously announced, the documentary feature was taken for the world by Sony Picture Classics, excluding the aforementioned territories.

The title takes inspiration from the book The Holy Or The Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley & The Unlikely Ascent Of Hallelujah by Alan Light. It is...

The Willem Dafoe-narrated documentary “River,” from “Sherpa” director Jennifer Peedom, has unveiled its first trailer.

Produced by Stranger Than Fiction and Arrow Pictures, “River” is an exploration of the timeless relationship between humanity and rivers. Billed as an orchestral concert film, the doc is an ode to the natural word and a retelling of the history of both rivers and human civilization.

“When the first rains fell, the Earth awakened,” reads Dafoe in the moving trailer, which features stunning footage of river systems around the world. “Where rivers wandered, life could flourish. They have shaped us as a species and we worship them as gods. Today, there is scarcely a river unspanned, undammed or undiverted. The sheer scale of the human project has begun to overwhelm the world’s rivers.”

With a score composed by Richard Tognetti from the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Dafoe narrates a script from award-winning author...

Willem Dafoe is set to narrate the documentary “River” from “Sherpa” director Jennifer Peedom.

Produced by Stranger Than Fiction and Arrow Pictures, “River” is an exploration of the timeless relationship between humanity and rivers. Billed as an orchestral concert film, the doc is an ode to the natural word and a retelling of the history of both rivers and human civilization. With a score composed by Richard Tognetti from the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Dafoe will narrate a script from award-winning author and fellow of Cambridge University, Robert Macfarlane. The film will also feature additional music from William Barton, Jonny Greenwood and Radiohead.

“I wanted to be conscious of not dumping the words on top of the image or illustrating the music, but having them sonically blend,” said Dafoe, who also narrated Peedom’s 2017 doc “Mountain.”

“Of course there is some underlining but I try to let the words just open channels of thought and emotion,...

PBS is teaming with U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 and Arte France for feature-length documentary “Generation 9/11,” which marks the 20th anniversary of the twin tower attacks by following the children born to fathers who perished in the disaster.

Produced by London-based outfit Arrow Pictures, the 120-minute doc introduces the youth born in the wake of the tragedy. An estimated 108 unborn children lost their fathers in the attacks. The PBS International-distributed film follows this group of teenagers, weaving together various milestones in their lives, such as their first day of school, the first time the absence of their father was felt, and how they learned about how their father died.

John Smithson, executive producer and creative director of Arrow Pictures, said: “We have made a number of films about 9/11, but they have all focused on the day itself. What’s exciting about this project is having the opportunity to examine...

After years of talk about the difficulty of funding premium docs, there’s a sense of buoyancy in the documentary industry.

“Documentary has become part of watercooler conversations,” says Leo Pearlman, managing partner, Fulwell 73, whose credits include Amazon original “All or Nothing: Juventus” and “I Am Bolt.”

Although for years “documentaries were something that strange cinephiles spoke about in corners,” Pearlman says, streamers have played a big role in driving demand, and opening up new financing opportunities for producers beyond traditional theatrical and TV investors. Netflix, for example, has the breakout hit “My Octopus Teacher” and “Crip Camp,” which was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Prods. Apple TV Plus, meanwhile, picked up “Billie Eilish — The World’s a Little Blurry,” while Discovery Plus pushed hard into the premium doc space, unveiling a slew of commissions in February.

(It’s not just the streamers, though: Last year...

Director Jennifer Peedom is set to re-team with her Mountain collaborators, the Australia Chamber Orchestra’s (Aco) Richard Tognetti and writer Robert Macfarlane, on new a theatrical documentary, River.

Co-commissioned by the ABC and BBC Arts, the project is a partnership between Stranger Than Fiction Films and the UK’s Arrow Pictures which will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and explore the relationship between humans and rivers.

Set to span six continents and boast “extraordinary contemporary cinematography”, including satellite filming, the film promises to show rivers on scales and from perspectives never seen before.

“As Mountain drew its audience up to the highest world’s most formidable summits, so River will draw its audiences in to explore the arteries of the planet,” Peedom said.

“This is not a traditional theatrical documentary. The phenomenal global success of Mountain shows that audiences worldwide have a huge appetite for a different kind of experience.

Australia’s Stranger Than Fiction Films and the U.K.’s Arrow Pictures have teamed for theatrical documentary “River,” commissioned by ABC Arts and BBC Arts.

Exploring the relationship between humans and rivers, the documentary spans six continents. It is directed by Jennifer Peedom, co-directed by Joseph Nizeti and produced by Jo-anne McGowan and Peedom from Stranger than Fiction and John Smithson from Arrow.

Peedom’s previous film “Mountain” (2017) is the highest-grossing Australian documentary in box office history, and completed an 11-week run in U.K. and U.S. cinemas. An earlier collaboration, “Sherpa” (2015), was BAFTA-nominated and won best documentary at the London Film Festival. It also won at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, Australian Film Critics Association Awards and Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, among numerous other accolades.

“Mountain” was written by Robert Macfarlane with music by artistic director Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra...

Vice TV has picked up I, Sniper, a documentary series that examines the infamous Washington, D.C. sniper case with rare access to one of the shooters. The network will launch the eight-part series, which is produced by British producer Arrow Pictures, on June 2 at 10 Pm.

It tells the story of how, in the fall of 2002, 17-year-old Lee Malvo and Gulf War veteran John Muhammad terrorized the D.C. region with a series of random shootings from inside the trunk of a blue Chevy Caprice, killing 10 people and injuring three.

Malvo, a juvenile at the time of the crimes, opens up in a series of phone calls from his supermax cell at Red Onion State Prison in Virginia.

I, Sniper also features never-before-heard interviews with survivors, victims’ families and investigators, including the lesser-known stories of those impacted by the killers prior to their arrival in Washington, D.C.

Produced by Arrow Pictures,...

“Powerfully polemic and jaw-gapingly spectacular” — The Hollywood Reporter

Witness the amazing true story of one of the most devastating disasters in recent history when Sherpa arrives on DVD (plus Digital) October 11 from Lionsgate. Told through the eyes of those who survived the harrowing Mount Everest avalanche on April 18, 2014, this film touchingly demonstrates how vital and integral Sherpas are to Everest’s history and continued legacy. Produced by Academy Award®nominee John Smithson (127 Hours) and nominated for Best Documentary by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), uncover the mysterious lives of Sherpas through this “exquisitely crafted” film (Los Angeles Times). The Sherpa DVD includes a featurette (“The Making of Sherpa”) and deleted scenes, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Official Synopsis

Every year, Western mountain climbers make news ascending Mount Everest. But the compelling stories of the Sherpas, the Nepalese guides who risk their...

John Smithson.

Producer John Smithson has worked with some of the best documentary filmmakers around, from Kevin Macdonald to James Marsh and now Australia's own Jennifer Peedom.

When Peedom approached Smithson to help produce Sherpa alongside Australian producer Bridget Ikin, the London-based producer remembered her previous feature, Solo, "which I really liked"..

"And she was very persuasive", Smithson tells If, "so I said yes in 2013. I liked the story, and then the story got better because there was a fight on the mountains between climbers and Sherpas in April 2013. I thought - that really helps us, because it makes it much more vivid."

Smithson enlisted the support of Universal in the UK, and from then on envisaged a somewhat detached role as a "light-touch creative producer".

"Bridget [Ikin] ran all the production, the logistics. She's a very accomplished producer."

Things changed when sixteen Sherpas died during an avalanche while Peedom and her crew were at base-camp.

24 Hours in A&E.

Factual powerhouse Magnus Temple is looking forward to the Australian International Documentary Conference, kicking off in Melbourne this Sunday.

"I'm interested in the Catfish session, but I'm not sure I'm going to get there in time", Temple told If on the line from London.

"I met up with those guys [Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier] in Denmark at the Copenhagen TV Festival in the summer, so it's good to see them on the program. And I'm looking forward to seeing Sherpa, which is co-produced by my friend John Smithson".

Temple will be in town to conduct a.masterclass.- "the story of some of the keys things I've been involved in".

They include the BAFTA-nominated The Family, the BAFTA-winning One Born Every Minute, 24 Hours in A&E and Keeping Britain Alive: One Day in the NHS.

Temple will talk about "how the shows came about, and whether there's a thread...

The Australian International Documentary Conference has confirmed that John Smithson - producer of Touching the Void, 127 Hours and Sherpa - will attend Aidc 2016.

Smithson will participate in a Feature Documentary Masterclass before a screening of Sherpa, which he will attend alongside director Jennifer Peedom and producer Bridget Ikin.

He will also co-present Keynote in Conversation: The Rise of the Superdoc with Phil Craig (Head of ABC Factual, 2012-2015).

Smithson is the co-founder of the UK production company Arrow Media and has produced Deep Water, The Falling Man, The Beckoning Silence and Thrilla in Manila among numerous other projects.

Aidc 2016 takes place at Acmi in Melbourne from February 28-March 2.

The Australian International Documentary Conference (Aidc) has announced its 2016 screening program..

Cult documentary Catfish will be screened with a live audio commentary by Zac Stuart-Pontier, the film's editor, and Marc Smerling, its producer.

The duo most recently worked together on HBO's The Jinx..

Also screening is The Hunting Ground, Kirby Dick's indictment of rape culture on American campuses, and The Memory of Justice, Marcel Ophüls' exploration of justice in the twentieth century, from the Nuremberg Trials to Algeria and Vietnam..

Aidc will also showcase Op-Docs, The New York Times' short documentary department, screening the banner's best docs, introduced by Op-Docs Commissioning Editor Lindsay Crouse..

The conference will also host an exclusive screening of Sherpa, followed by a Q&A with the film's director, writer and co-producer Jennifer Peedom and producers Bridget Ikin and John Smithson..

Also screening exclusively for delegates will be Black As, a new series following...

Arrow Media, maker of Investigation Discovery’s See No Evil, has named Howard Swartz as Evp of development and production. The former Discovery Channel exec will work with Arrow co-founders and joint Creative Directors, Tom Brisley and John Smithson, to drive the U.S. development slate and production output. The UK-based indie specializes in adventure, science and technology, and nature and history programming for the UK, U.S. and international markets. Swartz most…...

Leave it to the Brits! The BAFTA nominations were announced and they gave us a slightly different look at the awards season! For instance, Tom McCarthy's "Spotlight," the leading Oscar contender in the U.S. just received 3 noms including Best Film, Supporting Actor for Mark Ruffalo and Original Screenplay. No Director nomination for McCarthy.

Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies," a handsomely-produced period piece led the pack along with Todd Haynes' "Carol," another handsomely-produced period piece. Both films garnered nine nominations each including Best Picture. "Bridge of Spies" and "Carol" will duke it out with "Spotlight," Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's "The Revenant" (eight nominations), and Adam McKay's "The Big Short" (five nominations) for the Best Picture trophy.

So where's "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" you ask? They're relegated to the technical categories. Apparently, sequels, no matter how great they are, can't compete with originals.

On Friday the nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards in 2016 were revealed. The BAFTAs will be announced on Sunday, February 14 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Stephen Fry and broadcast exclusively on BBC One and BBC One HD, with the ceremony being rebroadcast on BBC America.

Bridge of Spies and Carol each receive nine nominations. The Revenant is nominated in eight categories. Mad Max: Fury Road has seven nominations. Brooklyn and The Martian are each nominated six times. The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina receive five nominations. Star Wars: The Force Awakens receives four nominations.

Bridge of Spies is nominated in the following categories: Best Film, Director for Steven Spielberg, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design and Sound. Mark Rylance is nominated for Supporting Actor.

Carol is nominated for Best Film, Director for Todd Haynes,...

Nominations for the 69th annual British Academy Film Awards arrived early this morning and in welcome news, the proceedings were topped by Todd Haynes’ Carol and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies (both of which made our top 50 of the year), with 9 nominations each. Not far behind was The Revenant, which was nominated in eight categories. while Mad Max: Fury Road has seven nominations.

Following that, Brooklyn and The Martian are each nominated six times. The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina received five nominations with Alicia Vikander picking up two acting nominations. A little film called Star Wars: The Force Awakens also managed to rack up four nominations.

Check out the full list below ahead of a ceremony on February 14th.

2015 Nominations

(presented in 2016)

Best Film

The Big Short Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt

Bridge Of Spies Kristie Macosko Krieger, Marc Platt, Steven Spielberg

Carol Elizabeth Karlsen,...

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has just announced there nominations and there’s quite a lot to process, so let’s start from the top. Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama Bridge of Spies and Todd Haynes’ gorgeous relationship drama Carol have tied for the lead with nine nominations apiece, with both films receiving nominations for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay (in their respective categories). Not far behind is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s revenge epic The Revenant with eight nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Editing.

What may come as a surprise to some is that Adam McKay’s comedy-drama about the 2008 financial crisis did rather well. It may have only received five nominations, but they were all major nods: Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale), and Best Editing. Meanwhile, the film that has...

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Carol, The Revenant, Bridge Of Spies, Spotlight and more lead the charge at the 2016 BAFTAs...

The annual BAFTA film awards roll around again on February 14th, with Stephen Fry once again hosting. And it was Fry and Gugu Mbatha-Raw who read out the nominations for this year's gongs nice and early in London today.

Without further ado, here's what's up for said prizes in a few weeks' time.

Best Film

The Big Short Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt

Bridge Of Spies Kristie Macosko Krieger, Marc Platt, Steven Spielberg

Carol Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley

The Revenant Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Arnon Milchan, Mary Parent, Keith Redmon

Spotlight Steve Golin, Blye Pagon Faust, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar

Outstanding British Film

45 Years Andrew Haigh, Tristan Goligher

Amy Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees

Brooklyn John Crowley, Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey, Nick Hornby

The Danish Girl Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan,...

Jen Peedom.s Sherpa has won the prize for best documentary at the 59th BFI London Film Festival.

Martin Butler and Bentley Dean.s Tanna received a jury commendation and Cate Blanchett was presented with the BFI Fellowship by her friend and co-star of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films Sir Ian McKellen.

In bestowing the Grierson Award for the best documentary on Sherpa, the jury said, .We are taken into the lives, homes and families of the Sherpas, who have for too long been overlooked and exploited, dependent for their livelihoods on an increasing number of tourists who sometimes regard them as little more than owned slaves.

.We.re left with an appreciation of the sacrifices the Sherpa community have made for over 6 decades. We applaud this impressive film for giving voice to a previously voiceless community, and we hope it reaches the wide, general audience that it deserves.

Jennifer Peedom.s Sherpa and Gillian Armstrong.s Women He.s Undressed will screen at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival next month.

They are among 26 titles selected for the Tiff Docs section of the fest, which runs from September 10 to 20, enhancing Australia.s profile at the event where Jocelyn Moorhouse.s The Dressmaker will have its world premiere in Gala Presentations and Simon Stone.s The Daughter will have its North American premiere in Special Presentations.

Produced by Bridget Ikin and John Smithson, Peedom.s film chronicles how Sherpas united in grief and anger to reclaim Mount Everest after an icefall killed 15 of their members on Mount Everest.. It will open in Australia in February, co-distributed by John Maynard's Footprint Films and Transmission.

It will be the international premiere of Armstrong.s doc which profiles Australian costume designer Orry-Kelly, who won three Academy Awards.

Among the world premieres...

This is a golden era for Australian feature documentaries as typified by the five critically-acclaimed titles in contention for the best feature doc prize at the fifth Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards.

Maya Newell.s Gayby Baby, Michael Ware and Bill Guttentag.s Only the Dead, Jen Peedom.s Sherpa, Damon Gameau.s That Sugar Film and Gillian Armstrong.s Women He.s Undressed are the nominees.

The Aacta Awards will be presented in Sydney in December, with the Seven Network telecasting the major awards on December 9.

Also revealed today were the nominees for best short animation and best short fiction film. In the running for the former are Adam Elliot.s Ernie Biscuit, Joe Brumm.s The Meek, Mikey Hill.s The Orchestra and Janette Goodey and John Lewis. The Story of Percival Pilts.

The nominees for best short fiction are Matt Holcomb.s Flat Daddy,...

A division of Universal Pictures will distribute Sherpa, Jen Peedom.s feature documentary which chronicles how Sherpas united in grief and anger to reclaim Mount Everest after an avalanche killed 16 of their members. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group will release the film worldwide, excluding Australia and New Zealand. The doc had its world premiere in official competition at the Sydney Film Festival at a full house at the State Theatre on Sunday, sparking a chorus of admiration on social media. Fox International Channels MD Jacqui Feeney posted on Facebook, .Well done Jen - film was magnificent. Great story well told..

Producer Rosemary Blight: "Sherpa is a wonderful film, a must see, courageous film making."

Abigail Sheppard: "Incredible film: at once tragic and inspiring. And beautifully made." James Bradley:. .Congrats Jen, it.s a very powerful and moving film - raises very deep questions about the Everest industry.

'127 Hours' movie with James Franco '127 Hours' Review: James Franco stars in harrowing real life-based story 127 Hours. When I initially heard that Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar-winning team behind Slumdog Millionaire, were adapting the real life story of Aron Ralston for the big screen, I got excited. A movie seemed an inevitability when the story broke in the news – and Ralston wrote a book about it – but I couldn't have imagined such a great filmmaking team actually working on it. When James Franco was cast as Ralston, my hopes hit a high. Franco is an underrated and remarkably talented actor unfortunately snubbed by most for his wonderful work in 2008's Milk and Pineapple Express. Danny Boyle also happens to be a very skilled director, one whose style tends to be hyperkinetic. Though it worked beautifully in Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, Boyle's touch actually hinders, rather than enhances,...

Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.

The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.

Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.

Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.

As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...

Christopher Nolan and wife Emma Thomas on the Oscars' Red Carpet Christopher Nolan and wife Emma Thomas at the Academy Awards A very blasé-looking Christopher Nolan, shortlisted as one of the producers of Best Picture Oscar nominee Inception and as the writer of the film's original screenplay, arrives with his wife and fellow Inception producer Emma Thomas at the 2011 Academy Awards held on Feb. 27 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Of course, Christopher Nolan also directed Inception, but he was not included in the Academy's Best Director shortlist. Instead, nominated were: David Fincher for The Social Network. Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan. Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit. David O. Russell for The Fighter. Tom Hooper, the eventual winner, for The King's Speech. In case the incredibly successful British filmmaker was disappointed, angered, or downright outraged at being bypassed one more time by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts...

Writer-director Jennifer Peedom was in her tent at the base camp at Mount Everest when the avalanche struck last month, killing 16 Nepali guides. An experienced climber, she was about 2km from the devastation but heard the noise. The Sherpas who had been hired for the Everest expedition she had planned to film were in the ice fall when the avalanche happened above the base camp. Fortunately none was killed or injured, but Peedom quickly realised the subject and tone of the feature documentary she was shooting had changed dramatically. With the working title Sherpa: In the Shadow of the Mountain, the film had intended to follow an Everest expedition from the viewpoints of the Sherpas and their sometimes uneasy relationships with foreign climbers. Subsequently the climbing season was cancelled as the Sherpas made demands on the government for compensation and insurance. .We knew this was the story we had to cover,...

The team on site..

.

A team of Sherpas working with an Australian documentary crew was just metres away when the devastating avalanche struck Mount Everest last week, killing at least 13 Nepali guides.

Fortunately none was injured and the crew is remaining on the mountain to continue work on Sherpa: In the Shadow of the Mountain. Co-produced by Bridget Ikin and John Maynard.s Felix Media and John Smithson of London-based Arrow Media, the feature-length film will follow an Everest expedition from the viewpoints of the Sherpas and their sometimes uneasy relationships with foreign climbers. .We will continue to cover whatever happens, as we are covering the Sherpa point of view,. writer/director Jennifer Peedom told If from the base camp on Monday.

Peedom is an experienced climber who worked at high altitudes as the director of the Discovery series Everest Beyond the Limit and is licensed to go as high as the second base camp.

Producer Bridget Ikin sets off for Nepal next week to shoot a feature documentary knowing she has already scaled one mountain: a Us studio has bought worldwide rights to Sherpa: In the Shadow of the Mountain.

Co-produced by Ikin and John Maynard.s Felix Media and John Smithson of London-based Arrow Media, the film will follow an Everest expedition from the viewpoints of the Sherpas and their sometimes uneasy relationships with foreign climbers.

Writer/director Jennifer Peedom approached Smithson, who produced Touching the Void and 127 Hours. He agreed to serve as co-producer and introduced Ikin and Peedom to the Us studio.

That studio has yet to announce the deal but it guarantees worldwide cinema release excluding Australia and New Zealand, where Maynard and Rob Connolly.s Footprint Films retains the rights.

Peedom had been thinking about a docu on the Sherpas given the unrest among their ranks and the idea...

Anton Corbijn’s Life also set to get direct government investment from Screen Australia.

Many Australian filmgoers were today thrilled to hear that director Clayton Jacobson and his brother, the actor Shane Jacobson, the two brains behind the good-natured local box office hit Kenny [pictured], are finally going to be making a followup.

The family movie Oddball is one of two features to get direct government investment from Screen Australia, it was announced today. In the other, the official co-production Life, starring Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame, Australia and Germany are minority partners alongside Canada.

“Oddball has the perfect mix to really carry across to an international audience,” Clayton Jacobson told Screendaily. “It is your classic four quadrant film. Both Shane and I were invited on board for the ride… We are thrilled to be able to work together again. It’s not every day someone pays you to hang out with family.”

Kenny was made...

Screen Australia board.s first meeting since Graeme Mason was hired as CEO was eventful as the agency approved $11 million investment in four feature films, four adult dramas and one children.s series.

All told, that will trigger $70 million in production. The features include family film Oddball from the team who made Kenny, starring Shane Jacobson and directed by his brother Clayton; and See-Saw Films. Life, which stars Dane DeHaan and Robert Pattinson.

Two theatrical documentaries were funded: Only the Dead, which explores the career of Australian war correspondent Michael Ware; and Sherpa: In the Shadow of the Mountain, which looks at the drama of a high altitude Everest expedition from the point of view of the Sherpas.

.This is a strong line-up of character-driven feature projects coming from an incredibly talented mix of filmmakers,. said Mason.

Scripted by Peter Ivan, Oddball centres on an eccentric chicken farmer who saves...

The 127 Hours Blu-ray Contest has come to an end and the winner have been selected. The winner of the 127 Hours Blu-ray is Lacrecia Bonham, who has been contacted of her win. More contests will follow in the future. Be informed of them instantly by following us on Twitter or becoming a fan on Facebook.

127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003.

The film, based on Ralston’s autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place, was written by Boyle and Simon Beaufoy and produced by Christian Colson and John Smithson (both Beaufoy and Colson had previously worked with Boyle on Slumdog Millionaire). The music was scored by A. R. Rahman who had also previously worked with Boyle on Slumdog Millionaire.

Did the Oscars surprise anyone? Sci-Fi fans, we are of course still sore over Christopher Nolan’s snub for Best Director, but Inception still was recognized with four Oscars. Genre highlights from the 83rd Academy Awards also include Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland sweeping away the two coveted design awards in Art Direction and Costume Design and The Wolfman won for Best Makeup. Pixar‘s Toy Story 3 took home Best Animated Film and Best Song.

This Sunday’s broadcast of the 83rd Academy Awards on ABC attempted to reach out to a “younger crowd” with its choice of hosts, Anne Hathaway and James Franco, but the live broadcast dropped 9% in overall ratings compared to last year’s broadcast and down 12% in the 18-49 adult demographic. Still, the show entertained 37.6 million viewers with a show full of exposition to educate new viewers about the history of past Oscar winners.

Check...

The King’S Speech was king of all he surveyed on Sunday evening at the 83rd Academy Awards. James Franco, Oscar®-nominee for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, and Anne Hathaway hosted the Oscars® broadcast by the ABC Television Network from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

Going in to the evening with 12 nominations, The King’S Speech came away with four Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Original Screenplay (Michael Seidler). Inception also collected four Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects. The Facebook drama, The Social Network, won 3 Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Sorkin), Best Score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and Best Editing.

Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem in .Biutiful. Jeff Bridges in .True Grit. Jesse Eisenberg in .The Social Network. Colin Firth in .The King’s Speech...

If you missed the broadcast of the 83rd Academy Awards, or you can't remember who won what, here is a list of all the winners in their categories. The King's Speech and Inception both tied for the most Oscars won, which was four statues each. However, whereas Inception took home awards for technical categories (Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound and Best Cinematography), The King's Speech won three of the top four categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay).

Best Picture:

Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures), Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers The Fighter (Paramount Pictures), David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers Inception (Warner Bros. Pictures), Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features), Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company), Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin,...

Hollywood's biggest night of the year has come and gone, and it seems many could care less. Last night's 83rd Annual Academy Awards show wasn't as dreadful as many critics have charged, but it wasn't lustrous, either — not the way it has been in decades past — leading many to wonder if the ceremony is: a) losing its relevance; b) compromised by the down economy; c) an indicator of the changing state of both the film and broadcast industry.

The turn of the 21st century has seen the celebrated awards show take a hit. Changes over the past decade seem to have aversely affected the program, including shifting the broadcast from Monday at 9pm to Sunday at 8:30pm in 1999. During the TV writers strike in 2008, just over 32M viewers watched the Oscars, the least viewed ever.

This year the Academy Awards show fell to an 11.7 adults 18-49 rating, down 12% vs.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem in "Biutiful" (Roadside Attractions) Jeff Bridges in "True Grit" (Paramount) Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Colin Firth in "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company) James Franco in "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight) Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Christian Bale in "The Fighter" (Paramount) John Hawkes in "Winter’s Bone" (Roadside Attractions) Jeremy Renner in "The Town" (Warner Bros.) Mark Ruffalo in "The Kids Are All Right" (Focus Features) Geoffrey Rush in "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company) Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right" (Focus Features) Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole" (Lionsgate) Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter’s Bone" (Roadside Attractions) Natalie Portman in "Black Swan" (Fox Searchlight) Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine" (The Weinstein Company) Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Amy Adams...

Here's our Live Oscar Blog for what was a fairly predictable and uneventful night that will go down in the books as the failed "Franco and Hathaway" experiment. ABC might want to start planning the format for the 84th sometime next week. 10:37: Spielberg makes a great point about the "losing films". Coin this the day that Harvey became king....again. Best Picture “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers* “The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen,...

Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" lorded over the festivities at the 83rd annual Academy Awards. The film, nominated for 12 Oscars, won 4 including Best Picture, Director for Tom Hooper, Actor for King Colin Firth, and Original Screenplay for David Seidler.

David Fincher's "The Social Network" took home 3 awards including Best Film Editing, Original Score for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin.

(For my minute-by-minute look at the 2011 Oscars, please click here, trust me, it's fun!)

As expected, Natalie Portman took home Oscar gold for her performance as a delusional ballerina in "Black Swan." "The Fighter" yielded the Best Supporting performances of the year with Christian Bale winning Best Supporting Actor and Melissa Leo taking home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Christopher Nolan's "Inception" took home most of the technical categories including Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Cinematography for Wally Pfister.

It’s Oscar time as the 83rd Academy Awards are about to start in Los Angeles and though the whispers on the wind blowing through Hollywood are telling us that these are the most easily predicted Oscars in years I’m still holding out for one or two surprises.

Our man Ian Gilchrist offered his views on the big awards and whatever happens in the event the world and his dog will be liveblogging and twitter is almost certain to groan worryingly under the weight of the #oscar discussion, we’ll be doing our bit and updating this page with the winners as they are announced, but why not join in the fun and head on out to Twittersville and follow along with @heyuguysblog. Seriously, those cool kids? It’s where they are.

So, while the red carpet is cleansed of paparazzi and our attention is drawn inside, keep your...

It's hard to predict the winners of this year's Oscars because there is no clear-cut favorite. Last year, Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" started strong during awards season and maintained its dominance all the way to its Oscar best picture victory. This year, David Fincher's "The Social Network" triumphed in the beginning but the Oscar buzz surrounding the movie is slowly fading away.

But I still have my favorites and I will attempt to handicap the Oscars. Here are my predictions of who should take home Oscar gold at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

Best Picture

.Black Swan. Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers

.The Fighter. David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers

.Inception. Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers

.The Kids Are All Right. Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers

.The King's Speech. Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers

.127 Hours. Christian Colson,...

With all the "Black Swan" hoopla, am I the only one who thinks that the film, while well-made, is not deserving of all these hyper-crazed adulations? Portman was good, but I prefer Annette Bening's understated performance in "The Kids Are All Right." Or heck, Jennifer Lawrence's "Winter's Bone" performance could easily outdance Portman's delusional ballerina portrayal any day.

And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)

And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...

It’s that time of year once again, the crème de la crème of Hollywood are pressing their gowns and tuxedos as we speak in preperation for the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony! We’ll be reporting on the event live right here, updating this post as the night develops. We’ll also be tweeting live too so be sure to follow @FilmShaft on Twitter to be kept up to date with tonight’s festivites!

Below the live update section is the full nomination list for The Oscars 2011, as they are announced they will be highlighted Red and I’ll be providing my feedback in the live update section. So put the wine in the fridge, get the corn popping and get ready for another night of glitz and glamour!

Live Updates

01:22Pm – After frequent attempts to get my wireless up to speed (quite literally) the stream is no longer...

Tune in to IFC tonight at 10:00 p.m. Et/Pt to catch all the action at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards, with actor and comedian Joel McHale hosting.

Highlights include: Joel getting caught in a 127 Hours situation with only Dale Dickey, “Banksy” and John Waters to help him out; See how this year’s best feature nominees stack up against porn and the big studios; Catch the Spirit Awards’ version of a dead people montage; and more! The show was produced by Film Independent in association with Dick Clark productions, Inc.

The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 26 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality.

The following is a complete list of the winners:

Winners List

Best Feature: 'Black Swan'

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky,...

Natalie Portman in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan (top); James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours (middle); Dale Dickey in Debra Granik's Winter's Bone (bottom) Winter's Bone Leads Spirit Award Nominations; The Kids Are All Right Is Runner-Up Best Feature (Award given to the producer) * Executive Producers are not listed. 127 Hours Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, John Smithson * Black Swan Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver Greenberg Producers: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Rudin The Kids Are All Right Producers: Gary Gilbert, Philippe Hellmann, Jordan Horowitz, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg Winter’S Bone Producers: Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Anne Rosellini Best Director * Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan Danny Boyle – 127 Hours Lisa Cholodenko – The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik – Winter’s Bone John Cameron Mitchell – Rabbit Hole Best Female Lead Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right [...]...