News for May 2014

How Hoop Dreams Changed the Game

May 29, 2014
2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Hoop Dreams. We've already celebrated the landmark with screenings of a beautiful new digital master of the film at Sundance Film Festival and Full Frame Festival, and with a great Oral History of (continued …)

Digital Media Production Funds for The School Project

May 23, 2014
The School Project has been awarded a grant of $10,000 from the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund. The project was one of twelve Chicago projects selected by Voqal Fund and Chicago Filmmakers for grants in amounts ranging from $3,850 to $10,000 (continued …)

Excitement and tears for Life Itself trailer

May 22, 2014
Presenting... the official Life Itself trailer! Released yesterday, the trailer has been spreading across the internet with all the virality of well, a Roger Ebert tweet or blog post. We compiled some of the best fan reactions from the past 24 (continued …)

US and New York Premieres set for The Homestretch

May 21, 2014
AFI Docs 2014 will host the US Premiere of The Homestretch on June 19th. The film's New York City premiere will be the next day, June 20th, at the 2014 Human Rights Watch Film Festival. The Homestretch, which follows three homeless youth in Chicago (continued …)

Life Itself to open Hamptons SummerDocs series

May 21, 2014
Life Itself will open the 2014 SummerDocs series hosted by the Hamptons International Film Festival. Actor and Hamptons Film Festival Honorary Chairman Emeritus Alec Baldwin will lead a conversation with Roger Ebert's widow Chaz Ebert as part of (continued …)

Life Itself triumphs at Cannes

May 19, 2014
Life Itself screened today at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. A packed house was almost left in disaster after a projection booth failure... but we ended with standing ovations! Read all about it: [View the story "Life Itself at Cannes! " on Storify] (continued …)

Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Romania, ahead for Trials of Muhammad Ali

May 16, 2014
The Trials of Muhammad Ali continues to tour the world, adding new festival dates this May in New Zealand, Poland, and Romania. The film will also be broadcast on Danish television on Tuesday May 20th, airing on DR2's Dokumania program, and on (continued …)

Life Itself to be closing night film of AFI Docs

May 15, 2014
The closing night film of AFI Docs 2014 will be our documentary about Roger Ebert, Life Itself, at 7:30pm on June 21st at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. "Roger loved documentaries and, as a critic, had a profound impact on the success (continued …)

New website for Raising Bertie

May 15, 2014
Fresh from debuting footage in public for the first time at the Kartemquin Spring Showcase, Raising Bertie has launched a new website. The film is now formally in rough-cut stage, with director Margaret Byrne and editor Leslie Simmer hard at work (continued …)

New poster for Life Itself

May 12, 2014
"He embraced life. He embraced it when he was an only child growing up in Champaign. He embraced it when he got to the University of Illinois and became the editor of the newspaper. He embraced it when he first moved to Chicago and was living the (continued …)

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