Beginning in September, NBC Sports Washington will be no more.
The regional sports network will be getting a complete brand overhaul from its new owners, with the Rsn taking the name Monumental Sports Network. Comcast had sold the Rsn to Monumental (which owns the Washington Wizards NBA team and Washington Capitals NHL team) last year.
In conjunction with the rebrand, Monumental is rolling out a wave of new studio programming and in-game coverage tweaks. That will include an interview show fronted by former ESPN and Turner Sports host Rachel Nichols, as well as enhanced coverage of live games through mic’d up players and coaches, more cameras, more advanced analytics, and personality-driven postgame interviews.
Taking a cue from ESPN’s Manningcast and other national efforts, Monumental will also launch alternate broadcast feeds for Wizards and Capitals games, letting viewers choose which option they prefer.
There will also, of course, be an entirely new visual look,...
The regional sports network will be getting a complete brand overhaul from its new owners, with the Rsn taking the name Monumental Sports Network. Comcast had sold the Rsn to Monumental (which owns the Washington Wizards NBA team and Washington Capitals NHL team) last year.
In conjunction with the rebrand, Monumental is rolling out a wave of new studio programming and in-game coverage tweaks. That will include an interview show fronted by former ESPN and Turner Sports host Rachel Nichols, as well as enhanced coverage of live games through mic’d up players and coaches, more cameras, more advanced analytics, and personality-driven postgame interviews.
Taking a cue from ESPN’s Manningcast and other national efforts, Monumental will also launch alternate broadcast feeds for Wizards and Capitals games, letting viewers choose which option they prefer.
There will also, of course, be an entirely new visual look,...
- 6/23/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals, has acquired full control of regional TV network NBC Sports Washington.
Founded by former AOL exec Ted Leonsis, Monumental has owned 33 of NBC Sports Washington since 2016. It bought the rest from NBCUniversal parent Comcast, which also owns six other RSNs in various U.S. markets. Financial terms were not disclosed.
As part of the transaction, NBCU will continue to help run the network, providing corporate and shared services such as distribution, technical resources and production facilities for up to 18 months. The Washington network, which has exclusive rights to Wizards and Capitals games, is part of the NBC Sports Regional Networks division of NBCUniversal Local.
As streaming has gained traction and the pay-tv bundle has shrunk at an accelerating pace, the traditional Rsn model has come under significant pressure. Born during the go-go cable TV...
Founded by former AOL exec Ted Leonsis, Monumental has owned 33 of NBC Sports Washington since 2016. It bought the rest from NBCUniversal parent Comcast, which also owns six other RSNs in various U.S. markets. Financial terms were not disclosed.
As part of the transaction, NBCU will continue to help run the network, providing corporate and shared services such as distribution, technical resources and production facilities for up to 18 months. The Washington network, which has exclusive rights to Wizards and Capitals games, is part of the NBC Sports Regional Networks division of NBCUniversal Local.
As streaming has gained traction and the pay-tv bundle has shrunk at an accelerating pace, the traditional Rsn model has come under significant pressure. Born during the go-go cable TV...
- 8/23/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Comcast is selling one of its regional sports networks.
The cable giant has a deal to sell NBC Sports Washington to its minority partner in the Rsn, Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
Monumental currently owns 33 percent of the Rsn and will acquire the remaining 67 percent from Comcast. Financial terms were not disclosed, though the companies say the deal is expected to close next month.
NBC Sports Washington has the Rsn rights to Washington Wizards NBA games and Washington Capitals NHL games, among others. Monumental, led by CEO Ted Leonsis, owns the Wizards and Capitals.
The Rsn is available in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, as well as parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware. NBC Sports will continue to provide technical and operational support for the Rsn.
Comcast owns six other RSNs, though a source said that it is not in talks to sell any of its other properties.
Comcast is selling one of its regional sports networks.
The cable giant has a deal to sell NBC Sports Washington to its minority partner in the Rsn, Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
Monumental currently owns 33 percent of the Rsn and will acquire the remaining 67 percent from Comcast. Financial terms were not disclosed, though the companies say the deal is expected to close next month.
NBC Sports Washington has the Rsn rights to Washington Wizards NBA games and Washington Capitals NHL games, among others. Monumental, led by CEO Ted Leonsis, owns the Wizards and Capitals.
The Rsn is available in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, as well as parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware. NBC Sports will continue to provide technical and operational support for the Rsn.
Comcast owns six other RSNs, though a source said that it is not in talks to sell any of its other properties.
- 8/23/2022
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For the last seven years, audiences have flocked to the Middleburg Film Festival. Running October 17th – 21st, and situated in the wine-country hills of historic Middleburg, Virg., the festival usually highlights some of the year’s buzziest titles, and 2019 is no exception.
“We’re a smaller festival with fewer overall screenings than other events, so we really have to think hard about our selections,” says Mff Executive Director Susan Koch. Mff is also a unique festival in that it’s exclusively run by women. “One of our signature events is our Women in Film luncheon,” she says, “which is a terrific networking event and extremely important as a tool for allowing women to have their voices and opinions heard.”
Programming director Connie White was responsible for whittling down a schedule of 34 films the festival should highlight. Mff’s opening night selection is “Marriage Story,” while the closing night will screen “The Irishman” – both from Netflix,...
“We’re a smaller festival with fewer overall screenings than other events, so we really have to think hard about our selections,” says Mff Executive Director Susan Koch. Mff is also a unique festival in that it’s exclusively run by women. “One of our signature events is our Women in Film luncheon,” she says, “which is a terrific networking event and extremely important as a tool for allowing women to have their voices and opinions heard.”
Programming director Connie White was responsible for whittling down a schedule of 34 films the festival should highlight. Mff’s opening night selection is “Marriage Story,” while the closing night will screen “The Irishman” – both from Netflix,...
- 10/17/2019
- by Nick Clement
- Variety Film + TV
The Professional Fighters League (Pfl), the first mixed-martial arts organization to present the sport in a playoffs and championship format, reached a multiyear deal with ESPN making its TV networks and ESPN+ streaming service the exclusive home of the Pfl in the U.S.
Pfl launched its inaugural season in 2018, with an initial TV deal with NBCUniversal’s Nbcsn sports network. Investors in the Pfl include Kevin Hart, self-help guru Tony Robbins, MGM Television chairman Mark Burnett, billionaire tech entrepreneur Ted Leonsis and Riot Games co-founder Brandon Beck.
ESPN has a newfound appetite for Mma: The Disney-owned sports programmer landed a $1.5 billion, five-year deal for the Ufc’s TV rights package, nabbing them from Fox Sports. ESPN and ESPN+ began carrying Ufc bouts last month. Ufc views upstarts like Pfl as complementary — sort of like the minor leagues of Mma — and helping to promote the sport’s overall popularity.
Pfl launched its inaugural season in 2018, with an initial TV deal with NBCUniversal’s Nbcsn sports network. Investors in the Pfl include Kevin Hart, self-help guru Tony Robbins, MGM Television chairman Mark Burnett, billionaire tech entrepreneur Ted Leonsis and Riot Games co-founder Brandon Beck.
ESPN has a newfound appetite for Mma: The Disney-owned sports programmer landed a $1.5 billion, five-year deal for the Ufc’s TV rights package, nabbing them from Fox Sports. ESPN and ESPN+ began carrying Ufc bouts last month. Ufc views upstarts like Pfl as complementary — sort of like the minor leagues of Mma — and helping to promote the sport’s overall popularity.
- 2/25/2019
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The success of recent documentaries about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Fred Rogers proves that people are craving heroes right now. Enter Willie O’Ree, the NHL’s first black player, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.
He is the subject of Willie, an upcoming feature-length docu whose executive producer Bryant McBride says is “10 percent about hockey and 90 percent about life.” Watch a teaser trailer above.
The man’s story is as improbable as it is impressive. O’Ree’s great-grandfather escaped slavery in 1778, and the family still has the original parchment document of his sale.
A native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, O’Ree shattered the NHL’s color barrier with the Boston Bruins in 1958, amid the birth of the Civil Rights movement and the struggle to end Jim Crow. Although he had to deal with racist taunts by fans and some opponents, he was welcomed by teammates and management.
He is the subject of Willie, an upcoming feature-length docu whose executive producer Bryant McBride says is “10 percent about hockey and 90 percent about life.” Watch a teaser trailer above.
The man’s story is as improbable as it is impressive. O’Ree’s great-grandfather escaped slavery in 1778, and the family still has the original parchment document of his sale.
A native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, O’Ree shattered the NHL’s color barrier with the Boston Bruins in 1958, amid the birth of the Civil Rights movement and the struggle to end Jim Crow. Although he had to deal with racist taunts by fans and some opponents, he was welcomed by teammates and management.
- 11/13/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Jordan has teamed up with Magic Johnson -- buying an ownership stake in aXiomatic ... the company that operates the prestigious eSports franchise, Team Liquid. Jordan was part of a new $26 million funding round -- joining other prestigious co-owners including Golden State Warriors co-owner Peter Gruber, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. Team Liquid is a Force in eSports -- with teams competing in games like League of Legends,...
- 10/25/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Never one to shy away from a bold proclamation, Ufc president Dana White boasted last month that the $1.5 billion pact he struck in May with ESPN to make his mixed-martial arts outfit its new TV home has contributed to boosting the company’s valuation to $7 billion. That’s nearly double the $4 billion price tag that Endeavor (then Wme-img) and its investment partners ponied up in 2016 to buy Ufc.
But White’s calculations may not factor in indicators that Ufc’s popularity has been cooling off in recent years. While he has hyped the Oct. 6 Ufc 229 event featuring the return of Mma star Conor McGregor as its biggest yet — predicting over 2 million pay-per-view buys — PPV numbers for 2018 have lagged well behind the buy rate the Ufc enjoyed in 2016.
Two years ago, then-reigning stars like McGregor and Ronda Rousey routinely topped lineups that attracted 1 million per event. But Rousey jumped to WWE...
But White’s calculations may not factor in indicators that Ufc’s popularity has been cooling off in recent years. While he has hyped the Oct. 6 Ufc 229 event featuring the return of Mma star Conor McGregor as its biggest yet — predicting over 2 million pay-per-view buys — PPV numbers for 2018 have lagged well behind the buy rate the Ufc enjoyed in 2016.
Two years ago, then-reigning stars like McGregor and Ronda Rousey routinely topped lineups that attracted 1 million per event. But Rousey jumped to WWE...
- 9/28/2018
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
Mma startup Professional Fighters League has received a $28 million equity investment from a group that includes MGM Television chief Mark Burnett, actor-entrepreneur Kevin Hart, and self-help guru Tony Robbins.
The Washington, D.C.-based Professional Fighters League (Pfl) is in its first year of operations. It aims to be a competitor against Ufc amid the growing public interest in Mma bouts. The Pfl aims to bring a March Madness-style competition structure to the Mma world. Other investors in this round of financing include tech titan Ted Leonsis and Riot Games co-founder Brandon Beck.
The Pfl at present has a one-year deal with NBC Sports Network for carriage of its fights. Burnett, the renowned reality TV producers, aims to develop a range of programming around Pfl, starting with a “Challengers Series” that would be an elimination-style competition among aspiring Mma pugilists for the chance to join the league. MGM is also an investor in Pfl.
The Washington, D.C.-based Professional Fighters League (Pfl) is in its first year of operations. It aims to be a competitor against Ufc amid the growing public interest in Mma bouts. The Pfl aims to bring a March Madness-style competition structure to the Mma world. Other investors in this round of financing include tech titan Ted Leonsis and Riot Games co-founder Brandon Beck.
The Pfl at present has a one-year deal with NBC Sports Network for carriage of its fights. Burnett, the renowned reality TV producers, aims to develop a range of programming around Pfl, starting with a “Challengers Series” that would be an elimination-style competition among aspiring Mma pugilists for the chance to join the league. MGM is also an investor in Pfl.
- 8/8/2018
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Shanghai-based investment firm launches film company, invests in Us production and distribution venture.
Shanghai-based investment firm Puji Capital has launched a film company, Puji Films, which is backing Mandalay Endurance Media Ventures (Memv), a joint venture headed by Peter Guber (pictured) and Steve Richards.
Memv is described as a film production, financing and international distribution platform with a focus on producing and distributing star-driven action, thriller and comedy films for a global audience.
The company’s shareholders also include Jeff Vinik, owner of the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning; Paul Schaeffer, vice chairman and COO of Mandalay Entertainment Group; and Peter Strauss, former chairman of Lionsgate Entertainment.
Guber was formerly chairman and CEO of Columbia Pictures Entertainment; chairman of Dick Clark Productions; and owner or co-owner of sports teams including the 2017 NBA Champions and Los Angeles Dodgers.
“We are at an interesting inflection with China’s film industry – we have China becoming the most important market globally coupled...
Shanghai-based investment firm Puji Capital has launched a film company, Puji Films, which is backing Mandalay Endurance Media Ventures (Memv), a joint venture headed by Peter Guber (pictured) and Steve Richards.
Memv is described as a film production, financing and international distribution platform with a focus on producing and distributing star-driven action, thriller and comedy films for a global audience.
The company’s shareholders also include Jeff Vinik, owner of the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning; Paul Schaeffer, vice chairman and COO of Mandalay Entertainment Group; and Peter Strauss, former chairman of Lionsgate Entertainment.
Guber was formerly chairman and CEO of Columbia Pictures Entertainment; chairman of Dick Clark Productions; and owner or co-owner of sports teams including the 2017 NBA Champions and Los Angeles Dodgers.
“We are at an interesting inflection with China’s film industry – we have China becoming the most important market globally coupled...
- 8/18/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Industry veterans Peter Guber and Steve Richards have partnered to launch Mandalay Endurance Media Ventures, a new film production, financing, and distribution platform with a focus on star-driven projects for the worldwide market.
Boutique Shanghai-based investment firm Puji Capital has come on board as an investor in the venture, while other major shareholders are said to include Jeff Vinik, owner of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning; Peter Strauss, former chairman of Lionsgate Entertainment; and Paul Schaeffer, vice chairman of Guber's Mandalay Entertainment Group.
Late last year, Puji Capital made a strategic investment in Guber and Ted Leonsis' eSports ownership and...
Boutique Shanghai-based investment firm Puji Capital has come on board as an investor in the venture, while other major shareholders are said to include Jeff Vinik, owner of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning; Peter Strauss, former chairman of Lionsgate Entertainment; and Paul Schaeffer, vice chairman of Guber's Mandalay Entertainment Group.
Late last year, Puji Capital made a strategic investment in Guber and Ted Leonsis' eSports ownership and...
- 8/18/2017
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On July 15, 1996, IndieWire launched as an e-mail newsletter providing “the daily news service for independent film.” (See the first newsletter here.) The original iteration of the site was the brainchild of Cheri Barner, Eugene Hernandez and Mark Rabinowitz, three recent college students obsessed with the movies. In the ensuing years, IndieWire grew and changed hands many times over. Barner now works as a talent manager in Los Angeles, Hernandez is the deputy director of the Film Society Lincoln Center, and Rabinowitz is a freelance publicist, consultant and programmer.
But they have remained a part of our close-knit community. As IndieWire arrives at its 20th anniversary, the trio gathered together for their first joint interview to recall the early days of IndieWire — as well as the thriving American independent film scene that inspired the publication.
Eugene Hernandez: IndieWire was an outgrowth of something that Mark, Cheri and I had started in 1995. At the time,...
But they have remained a part of our close-knit community. As IndieWire arrives at its 20th anniversary, the trio gathered together for their first joint interview to recall the early days of IndieWire — as well as the thriving American independent film scene that inspired the publication.
Eugene Hernandez: IndieWire was an outgrowth of something that Mark, Cheri and I had started in 1995. At the time,...
- 7/14/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
A community is powerfully uniting, as corporate greed is breaking up a massive family grocery store empire, in Shockya’s exclusive clip from the new documentary, ‘We The People: The Market Basket Effect.’ The clip follows business people and New England residents, including Lowell, Massachusetts native, Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Washington Wizards and Capitals, as they chronicle how so-called financial experts and relatives don’t always know how to best serve their neighborhood. The movie, which was honored with the Audience Award at last year’s Boston Film Festival, is currently playing in New England theaters. FilmBuff is also set to distribute the documentary into screens in New York last Friday, [ Read More ]
The post We The People: The Market Basket Effect’s Exclusive Clip Shows Customers Becoming the Boss appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post We The People: The Market Basket Effect’s Exclusive Clip Shows Customers Becoming the Boss appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/27/2016
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
Here's some good news: Indiewire will continue to grow and become the best version of itself with nurturing and investment from new owner Penske Media (Variety, Deadline, Women's Wear Daily), which has acquired the 19-year-old site from Ted Leonsis' SnagFilms. I am proud of my affiliation with Indiewire, from July, 2009 when co-founder Eugene Hernandez and SnagFilms CEO Rick Allen brought me in, to working with current Iw editor-in-chief Dana Harris, publisher James Israel, Deputy Editor and Film Critic Eric Kohn (my Screen Talk podcast partner) and many others along the way. Here's Harris's story. I have enjoyed a fabulous six and a half years as editor-at-large at the always changing, evolving and maturing Indiewire, which provides a home for Thompson on Hollywood. We both have expanded with success over the years. For the time being, all will stay the same as we find out what is in store. I'm...
- 1/19/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Penske Media Corporation (Pmc) has acquired Indiewire.com — which covers independent film and television — from the Ted Leonsis and Rick Allen-led SnagFilms, Inc. “Indiewire has a rich history as one of the early innovators in digital media — and I’ve long admired the company and its team’s dedication to informing and breaking the most essential news in independent film,” said Pmc Chairman and CEO Jay Penske. “Bringing Indiewire into the Pmc organization is an exciting opportunity to further ignite a pioneering brand while advancing its coverage of the TV industry, digital, and emerging Ott platforms.” “We are honored to have been.
- 1/19/2016
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Read More: How to Take a Regional Story and Give it Mainstream Appeal Tommy Reid's documentary "We The People: The Market Basket Effect" focuses on the relationship of the Demoulas family over control of their $4 billion supermarket chain, Market Basket. In the summer of 2014, 25,000 non-union employees and nearly two million devoted customers organized a boycott of the Lowell, Massachusetts-based Market Basket supermarket chain in order to regain control of their company and reinstate their beloved CEO Arthur T. Demoulas. The chain of events leading up to and including the boycott held the livelihoods of 25,000 employees hanging in the balance and effectively resolved a family feud in a way that courts never could. The film is produced by Ted Leonsis (founder of Indiewire parent company SnagFilms), Nick Buzzell and Robert "Bobby" Friedman and executive produced by Mike Buzzell (Nbtv Studios) and Todd Hoffman (Bungalow Media + Entertainment)....
- 10/26/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Nbtv Studios & Bungalow Media + Entertainment in association with Dundee Entertainment and Hammer Productions are filming a documentary about the organised boycott of the Market Basket supermarket chain in summer 2014.
We The People: The Market Basket Effect (working title) will recount how 25,000 non-union employees and nearly two million customers boycott the chain in order to regain control of the company and reinstate CEO Arthur T Demoulas.
Tommy Reid directs and Michael Chiklis narrates the project.
New Hampshire natives Nick Buzzell and Mike Buzzell of Nbtv serve as executive producers alongside Robert “Bobby” Friedman and Todd Hoffman of Bungalow.
Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer and SnagFilms founder and chairman Ted Leonsis produces.
We The People: The Market Basket Effect (working title) will recount how 25,000 non-union employees and nearly two million customers boycott the chain in order to regain control of the company and reinstate CEO Arthur T Demoulas.
Tommy Reid directs and Michael Chiklis narrates the project.
New Hampshire natives Nick Buzzell and Mike Buzzell of Nbtv serve as executive producers alongside Robert “Bobby” Friedman and Todd Hoffman of Bungalow.
Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer and SnagFilms founder and chairman Ted Leonsis produces.
- 3/6/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Indiewire's parent company, SnagFilms, has announced the launch of ViewLift, a new B2B venture that will facilitate the creation of video applications that will help brands connect with viewers. ViewLift's streaming platform is compatible with 21 digital platforms, more than any other company on the market. This widespread compatibility reduces the burden of managing distribution as the brand no longer has to deal with cable companies and streaming platforms on an individual, case-by-case basis. "With the possible exception of Netflix, nobody's built apps for that vast market," said SnagFilms and ViewLift Chief Executive Officer Rick Allen. "And obviously, Netflix isn't doing it for third parties, so you've got a pressing need from the B2B client to reach their audience and no connection present." Founded in 2008 by former AOL executive Ted Leonsis, SnagFilms is an ad-supported streaming service that provides consumers with access to over 5,000 independent and...
- 2/12/2015
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
On The Eve Of This Year’S Sundance Film Festival, Past Grand Jury Prize Nominee, Holy Rollers, Starring Nominee Jesse Eisenberg, Makes Its Free VOD Debut Exclusively On Snagfilms Available Beginning January 20th, this Ripped-from-the-Headlines Crime Drama, Directed by Award-Winning Filmmaker Kevin Asch (Affluenza), Co-Stars Justin Bartha (The Hangover), Ari Graynor (TV’s “Bad Teacher”), Danny A. Abeckaser (The Wolf of Wall Street), Q-Tip and Hallie Kate Eisenberg (Paulie); it Will Be Available to View Online at SnagFilms.com, and All Supported Devices, Including Their Multi-Platform App
New York, NY (January Xx, 2015) – Inspired by actual events in the late ‘90s in which Hasidic Jews were recruited as drug mules, Holy Rollers was a Gotham Award winner and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee in 2010. On the eve of Sundance 2015, the crime drama, starring Oscar® nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Now You See Me...
On The Eve Of This Year’S Sundance Film Festival, Past Grand Jury Prize Nominee, Holy Rollers, Starring Nominee Jesse Eisenberg, Makes Its Free VOD Debut Exclusively On Snagfilms Available Beginning January 20th, this Ripped-from-the-Headlines Crime Drama, Directed by Award-Winning Filmmaker Kevin Asch (Affluenza), Co-Stars Justin Bartha (The Hangover), Ari Graynor (TV’s “Bad Teacher”), Danny A. Abeckaser (The Wolf of Wall Street), Q-Tip and Hallie Kate Eisenberg (Paulie); it Will Be Available to View Online at SnagFilms.com, and All Supported Devices, Including Their Multi-Platform App
New York, NY (January Xx, 2015) – Inspired by actual events in the late ‘90s in which Hasidic Jews were recruited as drug mules, Holy Rollers was a Gotham Award winner and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee in 2010. On the eve of Sundance 2015, the crime drama, starring Oscar® nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Now You See Me...
- 1/16/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Before documentaries made news headlines and set out to change the world, nonfiction filmmakers found funding through big foundation grants, public television, and friends and family. And while those sources still provide a steady source of doc financing, there's a new game in town: "filmanthropists." In the last several years, an increasing number of high net-worth, often progressive-minded individuals have gotten organized, gathering together around the idea that documentaries can make a difference. As SnagFilms founder, multimillionaire (and Indiewire owner) Ted Leonsis told Indiewire in 2008, "Filmanthropy is finding these films that shine a light on a tough subject and activate discussion and charitable giving and volunteerism around a cause." Read More: Back and Forth with Ted Leonsis and Eugene Hernandez And judging from the documentaries selected at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, filmanthropists are having a huge influence on what docs are getting made...
- 1/8/2015
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Indiewire
Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen just joined a growing number of white NBA execs finally blasting Donald Sterling -- calling his racist rant unacceptable in pro sports.The Microsoft co-founder (and multi-billionaire) said, "The kind of statements attributed to Clippers owner Donald Sterling, if true, are abhorrent, and not acceptable for the owner of an NBA franchise."Allen added, "We at the Trail Blazers reject any and all such sentiments."Earlier today ... Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said,...
- 4/28/2014
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
A debate over the role of the traditional film industry in an increasingly democratized medium unfolded at the inaugural Middleburg Film Festival in northern Virginia. In the festival's Oct. 26 keynote address, Ted Leonsis, film producer and founding chair of Indiewire parent company SnagFilms, decried what he saw as the "high priest" model of production and distribution, which he says prevents new creative voices from being heard. "The high priests – the studios of the world, the newspapers of the world – are fundamentally failing a large generation of the next creative-class individuals," Leonsis said. "Because in a world where everyone is a filmmaker, everyone has a story to tell, and now has the tools to do it … still, the distribution system is analog." Speaking without notes, Leonsis framed his talk in the context of his own experiences producing independent features. In 2007, his production "Nanking" came off a debut at the Sundance Film...
- 10/28/2013
- by Andrew Lapin
- Indiewire
SnagFilms has raised funding in the form of a new $6 million Series C financing round from not only the entire existing investment group, but new shareholder Cnf Investments, LLC, an affiliate of Clark Enterprises, Inc. With this new funding, SnagFilms (which owns Indiewire) will be able to accelerate its growth; last year it launched apps on iPad, iPhone, Windows 8, and Xbox Live, while it also had four theatrical releases nationwide. SnagFilms' film library is expected to reach 5000 by mid-2013. This round of funding will go towards improving SnagFilms' platform and product functionality, continuing its platform expansion across devices and third party partners, and to increase its investment in content and marketing. SnagFilms founder Ted Leonsis states: “With this new infusion, the company will accelerate into a record 2013, bringing more great films to a broader audience, everywhere they want to watch. We appreciate the continued support of our...
- 1/18/2013
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
SnagFilms has secured $6 million in new financing, the company announced. The low budget film and documentary distributor and the owner of independent film blog IndieWIRE was launched in 2008 by former National Geographic Films chief Rick Allen and former AOL executives Steve Case and Ted Leonsis, with the goal of using social networking to attract audiences for films that are often edgier and less commercial than most major studio projects. "There's a tremendous amount of great content produced each year," Allen, who serves as SnagFilms' chief executive officer, told TheWrap. "This...
- 1/18/2013
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
“Released to Life” has been named by The D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development and SnagFilms as the inaugural winner of Washington’s Best Film. The short documentary, which follows various prison inmates as they make their way back into society, was produced by filmmakers at The Documentary Center of George Washington University. Participants in the competition were required to residents of the Washington D.C. area or have D.C.-centered production companies. On hand to award this top prize at a ceremony held earlier this week were D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and SnagFilms CEO Ted Leonsis. Here's the 16-minute-long “Released to Life." SnagFilms is the parent company of Indiewire. The full release is reproduced below: Washington D.C. – January 30, 2012 – SnagFilms and the D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development announced the winner of...
- 2/2/2012
- Indiewire
This is a first-person piece from Ted Leonsis, founder and chairman of SnagFilms (and parent company of Indiewire). He asked if he could have the floor to lay out why he believes digital distribution platforms define the future for indie films. And while as a principal of SnagFilms he clearly has a horse in this race, his perspective echoes points that others have made on our site (including this week's very popular piece written by Greenburg Traurig partner Steven Beer.) How does all of this square with your thoughts on indie distribution? Tell us in the comments. -- The Editors Sunday marked the end of the Sundance Film Festival, the traditional launching point for a new year of independent films. I didn’t go to Park City this year, as I had when my films "Nanking" and "Kicking It" were in the festival, but I read the extensive coverage from Indiewire and others with interest.
- 2/1/2012
- Indiewire
Burgeoning digital distributor SnagFilms (which owns Indiewire) has been making a lot of changes of late. Most recent news is that the digital indie distributor has closed a new, seven-figure financing round, has added ex-Yahoo and Warner Bros. chief Terry Semel to its board, and is plunging full steam ahead into distribution of narrative as well as documentary features. SnagFilms has closed the financing round with participation from all current investors, including SnagFilms founder and chairman Ted Leonsis, Steve and Jean Case’s Case Foundation Ventures LLC., the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, New Enterprise Associates (Nea) and Comcast Interactive Capital (Cic),...
- 1/31/2012
- Thompson on Hollywood
SnagFilms has closed a new, seven-figure financing round and arranged its first debt facility, for total available equity and debt financing of $7 million. All current investors participated, including SnagFilms founder and chairman Ted Leonsis, Steve and Jean Case’s Case Foundation Ventures, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, New Enterprise Associates and Comcast Interactive Capital, along with two new investors: veteran media and internet executive Terry Semel (who also joins the company’s board) and David Fialkow, co-founder and managing director of General Catalyst Partners. The new funding will be used by SnagFilms for acquisitions, marketing and technology development to provide its library of 3,000-plus independent films across all digital platforms and devices. SnagFilms is the parent company of Indiewire. SnagFilms is now available on over 100 devices in addition to its website and digital network of affiliated sites and blogs. The...
- 1/30/2012
- Indiewire
Washington, DC – January 30, 2012 – SnagFilms announced today that it has closed a new, seven-figure financing round to accelerate the growth the company achieved in 2011. All current investors participated, including SnagFilms founder and chairman Ted Leonsis, Steve and Jean Case’s Case Foundation Ventures LLC., the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, New Enterprise Associates (Nea) and Comcast Interactive Capital (Cic), along with two new investors: veteran media and internet executive Terry Semel (who also joins the Company’s Board) and David Fialkow, co-founder and managing director of General Catalyst Partners. In addition to new equity, the company has arranged its first debt facility with Silicon Valley Bank. Total available equity and debt financing is $7Mm. The new funding will be used by SnagFilms to extend a library of high-quality independent films that now numbers more than 3000 titles and includes fictional films in addition to documentaries; continue its technology development to...
- 1/30/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
AOL co-founder Steve Case and two AOL colleagues, Ted Leonsis and Donn Davis, announced Thursday that they have raised $450 million for a new venture capital fund, the Revolution growth fund. They exceeded their initial goal of raising $400 million. The fund will focus on East Coast investments and will look for "innovative, high-growth companies that have the potential to disrupt existing business models." The fund plans to make just ten to 12 investments ovr a five-year period so that Case, Leonsis and Davis can be closely involved with the companies they...
- 12/1/2011
- by Tim Molloy
- The Wrap
SnagFilms, founded two years ago by filmanthropist Ted Leonsis, has raised $10 million from New Enterprise Associates and Comcast Interactive Capital. SnagFilms has a library of more than 2000 documentaries that it releases on the internet; it shares revenues from short ads with filmmakers. Now the web distributor, led by CEO Rick Allen, will add fiction features to its roster, both English-language and foreign. Allen has brought in indie kingpin Bingham Ray (United Artists, Kimmel Entertainment), who will enter the Sundance fray with a mandate to look for pick-ups for the service. Just last week SnagFilms added an iPad app for streaming video, and will continue to expand across more mobile devices. "SnagFilms plus Bingham Ray is a great combination," said Tom Bernard, co-president and ...
- 1/17/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Serious about starting a tech company? It used to be that Silicon Valley was the only place to go. But emerging entrepreneurial hubs around the country are giving startup aspirants options. In this series, we talk to leading figures in those communities about what makes them tick.
When one thinks of Washington D.C.’s tech prowess, it conjures up images of “War Room”-style military centers buried deep underground. Internet companies do not automatically spring to mind.
But it’s a government-style telecom beast, Mae East to be specific, that laid the foundation for a thriving Internet community. This Internet exchange point, one of two launched by McI in 1992, provided a good location for telecom providers, and thus McI and AOL made D.C. their home. This Internet exchange point, launched in 1992, provided a good location for telecom providers, and thus McI and AOL made D.C. their home.
When one thinks of Washington D.C.’s tech prowess, it conjures up images of “War Room”-style military centers buried deep underground. Internet companies do not automatically spring to mind.
But it’s a government-style telecom beast, Mae East to be specific, that laid the foundation for a thriving Internet community. This Internet exchange point, one of two launched by McI in 1992, provided a good location for telecom providers, and thus McI and AOL made D.C. their home. This Internet exchange point, launched in 1992, provided a good location for telecom providers, and thus McI and AOL made D.C. their home.
- 10/11/2010
- Fast Company
The indie film distribution scene continues to strike out in new directions.
On Monday, Web-based SnagFilms announced deals to make its library of documentary films available as VOD offerings on Comcast and FiOS, for purchase on iTunes, for rental on YouTube and for free and for purchase on the iPad.
Separately, Tribeca Film said that New Video is becoming its exclusive DVD distributor.
Founded two years ago by chairman Ted Leonsis and CEO Rick Allen to make docs available online, SnagFilms has assembled a library of 1,500 films, which it offers free though ad-supported streaming on its own site as well as on AOL, Hulu, Fancast and nonprofit sites.
It now is branching out to other platforms with VOD offerings on Comcast and FiOS, with titles added on a monthly basis; selections for purchase on iTunes and rental on YouTube; distribution through mobile phone carriers via the A3 Media Network; and with availability through Internet-connected TVs,...
On Monday, Web-based SnagFilms announced deals to make its library of documentary films available as VOD offerings on Comcast and FiOS, for purchase on iTunes, for rental on YouTube and for free and for purchase on the iPad.
Separately, Tribeca Film said that New Video is becoming its exclusive DVD distributor.
Founded two years ago by chairman Ted Leonsis and CEO Rick Allen to make docs available online, SnagFilms has assembled a library of 1,500 films, which it offers free though ad-supported streaming on its own site as well as on AOL, Hulu, Fancast and nonprofit sites.
It now is branching out to other platforms with VOD offerings on Comcast and FiOS, with titles added on a monthly basis; selections for purchase on iTunes and rental on YouTube; distribution through mobile phone carriers via the A3 Media Network; and with availability through Internet-connected TVs,...
- 7/19/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SnagFilms on Monday announced an expansion in its distribution of nonfiction films. This includes the creation of VOD offerings with Comcast and with Verizon FiOS TV, the converged communications platform. Additionally, SnagFilms' wholly-owned indieWIRE unveiled a new blog to be written by director Peter Bogdanovich.
Founded by AOL Vice-Chair Emeritus Ted Leonsis, SnagFilms has become the web's largest and most broadly-distributed home for non-fiction films, with more than 1,500 documentaries streamed free to consumers on 90,000 websites and web pages.
Founded by AOL Vice-Chair Emeritus Ted Leonsis, SnagFilms has become the web's largest and most broadly-distributed home for non-fiction films, with more than 1,500 documentaries streamed free to consumers on 90,000 websites and web pages.
- 7/19/2010
- Moving Pictures Magazine
SnagFilms, the advertising-supported site for documentaries online, announced today, on its second anniversary, a major expansion of its distribution infrastructure, bringing its library of 1,500 titles to a suite of new platforms. Among the new ventures: the creation of VOD offerings with Comcast, the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products; and with Verizon FiOS TV, the converged communications platform.
Founded by AOL Vice-Chair Emeritus and award-winning documentary producer Ted Leonsis (Nanking; Kicking It), SnagFilms has become the Web's largest and most broadly-distributed home for nonfiction films, with its library ...
Founded by AOL Vice-Chair Emeritus and award-winning documentary producer Ted Leonsis (Nanking; Kicking It), SnagFilms has become the Web's largest and most broadly-distributed home for nonfiction films, with its library ...
- 7/19/2010
- by twhite
- International Documentary Association
Jason Calacanis, one of the longest-lasting web entrepreneurs, has made an interesting proposal to Newser, among others. He wants Newser, or the New York Times, or the Huffington Post, or Gawker, or the Wall Street Journal to buy one of his blog posts for $1,000—or actually, for the rights to the post, he wants a donation of $1,000 to a charity that he supports (the Bay Ridge Prep Scholarship fund in Brooklyn). His new idea is to take Internet content that is now not monetized and give it a charitable value. He cites as potent examples of this new kind of currency the blog posts of Mark Cuban, the technology entrepreneur (and billionaire) and owner of the Dallas Mavericks; Ted Leonsis, another tech entrepreneur (and billionaire and sports team owner); Kanye West, and Britney Spears, all of whom now appear on their own websites as loss leaders, instead of money makers.
- 12/14/2009
- Vanity Fair
The summer of 1937 brought the invasion of China by Japan. "By December 13th, they had defeated the Chinese army and invaded the nation's then-capital, Nanking," wrote Kim Voynar in January 2007, by way of introducing her review of the documentary Nanking, which played at Sundance that year. The film is now available for free online viewing, thanks to our friends at SnagFilms.
As you might expect, directors Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman use archival footage and interviews with survivors to flesh out the film, but they also include "staged reading of excerpts from journals and letters by a group of actors including Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Rosalind Chao and Jurgen Prochnow," as described by Voynar. She observed: "The scripted reading actually works more effectively than mere voiceover would have, bringing to life the people who were a part of the events that happened in Nanking during that time. War and violence are never pretty,...
As you might expect, directors Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman use archival footage and interviews with survivors to flesh out the film, but they also include "staged reading of excerpts from journals and letters by a group of actors including Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Rosalind Chao and Jurgen Prochnow," as described by Voynar. She observed: "The scripted reading actually works more effectively than mere voiceover would have, bringing to life the people who were a part of the events that happened in Nanking during that time. War and violence are never pretty,...
- 5/19/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
ABC's "Lost," AMC's "Breaking Bad," Nickelodeon's "Avatar" and -- in a nod to the influence of the Web -- YouTube are among the winners of 2008 Peabody Awards unveiled Wednesday.
Others among the 36 television and radio programs or media institutions that garnered accolades for their excellence were NPR's radio reports from China on the earthquake in Chengdu, the Metropolitan Opera's performances in high-definition, CNN's presidential primary and debates coverage and "Saturday Night Live's" political satire.
For the first time, several Web-related entities received nods, including the New York Times' Web site and the Onion's news network as well as the recognition to YouTube for its impact on the media landscape. The latter was lauded for being "an ever-expanding archive-cum-bulletin board that both embodies and promotes democracy."
Although there were numerous radio and TV entries devoted to the financial meltdown of the past year, only one -- NPR's hourlong analysis in...
Others among the 36 television and radio programs or media institutions that garnered accolades for their excellence were NPR's radio reports from China on the earthquake in Chengdu, the Metropolitan Opera's performances in high-definition, CNN's presidential primary and debates coverage and "Saturday Night Live's" political satire.
For the first time, several Web-related entities received nods, including the New York Times' Web site and the Onion's news network as well as the recognition to YouTube for its impact on the media landscape. The latter was lauded for being "an ever-expanding archive-cum-bulletin board that both embodies and promotes democracy."
Although there were numerous radio and TV entries devoted to the financial meltdown of the past year, only one -- NPR's hourlong analysis in...
PARK CITY -- Indie distributor Liberation Entertainment and Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment picked up rights to the Sundance soccer docu "Kicking It".
In the low-to-mid six figure deal, Netflix will stream the film to its subscribers simultaneously with ESPN's airing after Liberation's theatrical release. Liberation will be handle North American and Central American theatrical, DVD and ancillary rights to the film, while Red Envelope will have domestic home video rights for Netflix.
Susan Koch's feature, produced by AOL vice chairman emeritus Ted Leonsis (last year's Sundance winner "Nanking"), follows seven homeless players from around the world who compete in the fourth annual Homeless World Cup.
ESPN picked up worldwide TV and digital distribution rights earlier this week. Leonsis and exec producer Rick Allen repped the earlier network deal.
CAA and Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment repped the Liberation and Red Envelope deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
In the low-to-mid six figure deal, Netflix will stream the film to its subscribers simultaneously with ESPN's airing after Liberation's theatrical release. Liberation will be handle North American and Central American theatrical, DVD and ancillary rights to the film, while Red Envelope will have domestic home video rights for Netflix.
Susan Koch's feature, produced by AOL vice chairman emeritus Ted Leonsis (last year's Sundance winner "Nanking"), follows seven homeless players from around the world who compete in the fourth annual Homeless World Cup.
ESPN picked up worldwide TV and digital distribution rights earlier this week. Leonsis and exec producer Rick Allen repped the earlier network deal.
CAA and Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment repped the Liberation and Red Envelope deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
- 1/27/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Complete Sundance coverage
PARK CITY -- ESPN has scored the Sundance soccer docu "Kicking It", with plans for worldwide TV and digital distribution and an aim to secure outside theatrical and DVD distribution.
Susan Koch's feature, produced by AOL Vice Chairman Emeritus Ted Leonsis (last year's Sundance winner "Nanking"), follows seven players in the fourth annual Homeless World Cup. The men arrive for the soccer championship tournament after living on the streets of impoverished and war-torn countries around the world.
ESPN plans an online, on-air and charitable awareness campaign to the film tied in with Leonsis' other charitable efforts.
The ESPN deal was negotiated by Leonsis and executive producer Rick Allen, with future theatrical and anciliary distribution repped by CAA and Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment.
PARK CITY -- ESPN has scored the Sundance soccer docu "Kicking It", with plans for worldwide TV and digital distribution and an aim to secure outside theatrical and DVD distribution.
Susan Koch's feature, produced by AOL Vice Chairman Emeritus Ted Leonsis (last year's Sundance winner "Nanking"), follows seven players in the fourth annual Homeless World Cup. The men arrive for the soccer championship tournament after living on the streets of impoverished and war-torn countries around the world.
ESPN plans an online, on-air and charitable awareness campaign to the film tied in with Leonsis' other charitable efforts.
The ESPN deal was negotiated by Leonsis and executive producer Rick Allen, with future theatrical and anciliary distribution repped by CAA and Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment.
- 1/20/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
BEIJING -- Nanking, AOL vice chairman-turned-producer Ted Leonsis' documentary about the Japanese army's 1937 massacre of civilians in China's pre-war capital, will premiere Tuesday in Beijing.
Back in China's capital for the first time since AOL set up a research and development office here in April, Leonsis said Monday that he made the film with no profit motive and as a part of the "filmanthropy" mission he set out for himself when he stepped down from active duty at AOL in the fall.
Leonsis said he observes three Chinas: the poor agricultural interior of China that few in the West know about; the "formal" and governmental China represented by China Central Television and the Shanghai Media Group; and the new "rock 'n' roll China" of the Internet and Web 2.0, that is "more capitalistic than America now."
My intentions are pure, he said. "What China can do for me is make sure that one million people see this film by any means necessary. Free on the Internet, even on pirated disc."
Nanking, which was bought for distribution by ThinkFilm and Fortissimo at Sundance, was made with more than $2 million of Leonsis' own fortune.
Back in China's capital for the first time since AOL set up a research and development office here in April, Leonsis said Monday that he made the film with no profit motive and as a part of the "filmanthropy" mission he set out for himself when he stepped down from active duty at AOL in the fall.
Leonsis said he observes three Chinas: the poor agricultural interior of China that few in the West know about; the "formal" and governmental China represented by China Central Television and the Shanghai Media Group; and the new "rock 'n' roll China" of the Internet and Web 2.0, that is "more capitalistic than America now."
My intentions are pure, he said. "What China can do for me is make sure that one million people see this film by any means necessary. Free on the Internet, even on pirated disc."
Nanking, which was bought for distribution by ThinkFilm and Fortissimo at Sundance, was made with more than $2 million of Leonsis' own fortune.
This review was written for the festival screening of "Nanking".PARK CITY -- Barely remembered in the West, the rape of Nanking -- then the capital of China -- by the Japanese imperial forces in 1937 stands as a gruesome testimonial to man's inhumanity to man. Conceptualized by AOL co-chairman Ted Leonsis and directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, "Nanking" is a vivid account of those terrible events. The beautifully crafted film could generate some interest in theaters before finding its natural home on a high-profile cable outlet.
Having already annexed Manchuria, Japan started its full-scale attack on the Chinese mainland in summer 1937 with extensive air raids on Shanghai and Nanking. Chinese citizens who had money and most foreigners had fled Nanking before the ground troops arrived that December. All that was left behind were the poor and a group of 22 European and American clergy, businessmen, doctors and teachers. In an attempt to save as many lives as possible, the foreign contingent set up a safety zone for the Chinese.
Guttentag and Sturman give the events great immediacy by staging a reading of the diaries, letters and other accounts of the invasion written by the expats. Recited by actors including Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson and Stephen Dorff on a soundstage, the material serves as the narration for much of the film.
It's not a pretty picture as the army rolls into the once vibrant and now almost deserted city. As one of the diaries explains and the images confirm, "Each day is worse than the one before," and another says, "I can see little sign of God". Particularly fascinating is the account of a German businessman, John Rabe -- movingly read by Jurgen Prochnow -- who was a Nazi sympathizer but nonetheless does the right thing.
Survivors of the event, both Chinese and Japanese, also are interviewed on-camera and offer stories almost too horrific to be believed. Gasoline was thrown on men who were then set on fire. Chinese men were forced to have sex with dead women while the soldiers watched.
One elderly Chinese man who was there breaks down sobbing when he recalls his mother being slaughtered with a bayonet as she breast-fed his baby brother. A woman cries as she recounts how her young daughter was taken away from her, then raped and killed. A Japanese soldier recalls, "In the dark of night, we shot them in the back with machine guns."
In all, 200,000 Chinese were killed and an estimated 20,000 women ages 12-60 were raped. But 250,000 were saved by the bravery of the foreigners in the safety zone.
Indelible footage of looting, rapes and mass killing has been collected from archives in Europe, America and Asia and stitched together seamlessly by editors Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan and Michael Schweitzer, who won the docu editing award Sunday at Sundance. Some of the most chilling images come from home movies shot by a minister and smuggled out of the country in the coat lining of another safety zone foreigner. Philip Marshall has composed an understated Chinese-sounding score evocatively played by the Kronos Quartet.
Not only is the film a powerful historical record and a warning for future generations, it is an essential reminder to people, including many in Japan today, who might deny that this massacre ever occurred. As such, "Nanking" honors the highest calling of documentary filmmaking.
NANKING
Fortissimo Films
A Ted Leonsis production
Credits:
Directors: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Screenwriters: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman, Elizabeth Bentley
Producers: Ted Leonsis, Bill Guttentag, Michael Jacobs
Director of photography: Buddy Squires
Music: Philip Marshall
Editors: Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan, Michael Schweitzer
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating:R...
Having already annexed Manchuria, Japan started its full-scale attack on the Chinese mainland in summer 1937 with extensive air raids on Shanghai and Nanking. Chinese citizens who had money and most foreigners had fled Nanking before the ground troops arrived that December. All that was left behind were the poor and a group of 22 European and American clergy, businessmen, doctors and teachers. In an attempt to save as many lives as possible, the foreign contingent set up a safety zone for the Chinese.
Guttentag and Sturman give the events great immediacy by staging a reading of the diaries, letters and other accounts of the invasion written by the expats. Recited by actors including Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson and Stephen Dorff on a soundstage, the material serves as the narration for much of the film.
It's not a pretty picture as the army rolls into the once vibrant and now almost deserted city. As one of the diaries explains and the images confirm, "Each day is worse than the one before," and another says, "I can see little sign of God". Particularly fascinating is the account of a German businessman, John Rabe -- movingly read by Jurgen Prochnow -- who was a Nazi sympathizer but nonetheless does the right thing.
Survivors of the event, both Chinese and Japanese, also are interviewed on-camera and offer stories almost too horrific to be believed. Gasoline was thrown on men who were then set on fire. Chinese men were forced to have sex with dead women while the soldiers watched.
One elderly Chinese man who was there breaks down sobbing when he recalls his mother being slaughtered with a bayonet as she breast-fed his baby brother. A woman cries as she recounts how her young daughter was taken away from her, then raped and killed. A Japanese soldier recalls, "In the dark of night, we shot them in the back with machine guns."
In all, 200,000 Chinese were killed and an estimated 20,000 women ages 12-60 were raped. But 250,000 were saved by the bravery of the foreigners in the safety zone.
Indelible footage of looting, rapes and mass killing has been collected from archives in Europe, America and Asia and stitched together seamlessly by editors Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan and Michael Schweitzer, who won the docu editing award Sunday at Sundance. Some of the most chilling images come from home movies shot by a minister and smuggled out of the country in the coat lining of another safety zone foreigner. Philip Marshall has composed an understated Chinese-sounding score evocatively played by the Kronos Quartet.
Not only is the film a powerful historical record and a warning for future generations, it is an essential reminder to people, including many in Japan today, who might deny that this massacre ever occurred. As such, "Nanking" honors the highest calling of documentary filmmaking.
NANKING
Fortissimo Films
A Ted Leonsis production
Credits:
Directors: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Screenwriters: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman, Elizabeth Bentley
Producers: Ted Leonsis, Bill Guttentag, Michael Jacobs
Director of photography: Buddy Squires
Music: Philip Marshall
Editors: Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan, Michael Schweitzer
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating:R...
- 1/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the festival screening of "Nanking".PARK CITY -- Barely remembered in the West, the rape of Nanking -- then the capital of China -- by the Japanese imperial forces in 1937 stands as a gruesome testimonial to man's inhumanity to man. Conceptualized by AOL co-chairman Ted Leonsis and directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, "Nanking" is a vivid account of those terrible events. The beautifully crafted film could generate some interest in theaters before finding its natural home on a high-profile cable outlet.
Having already annexed Manchuria, Japan started its full-scale attack on the Chinese mainland in summer 1937 with extensive air raids on Shanghai and Nanking. Chinese citizens who had money and most foreigners had fled Nanking before the ground troops arrived that December. All that was left behind were the poor and a group of 22 European and American clergy, businessmen, doctors and teachers. In an attempt to save as many lives as possible, the foreign contingent set up a safety zone for the Chinese.
Guttentag and Sturman give the events great immediacy by staging a reading of the diaries, letters and other accounts of the invasion written by the expats. Recited by actors including Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson and Stephen Dorff on a soundstage, the material serves as the narration for much of the film.
It's not a pretty picture as the army rolls into the once vibrant and now almost deserted city. As one of the diaries explains and the images confirm, "Each day is worse than the one before," and another says, "I can see little sign of God". Particularly fascinating is the account of a German businessman, John Rabe -- movingly read by Jurgen Prochnow -- who was a Nazi sympathizer but nonetheless does the right thing.
Survivors of the event, both Chinese and Japanese, also are interviewed on-camera and offer stories almost too horrific to be believed. Gasoline was thrown on men who were then set on fire. Chinese men were forced to have sex with dead women while the soldiers watched.
One elderly Chinese man who was there breaks down sobbing when he recalls his mother being slaughtered with a bayonet as she breast-fed his baby brother. A woman cries as she recounts how her young daughter was taken away from her, then raped and killed. A Japanese soldier recalls, "In the dark of night, we shot them in the back with machine guns."
In all, 200,000 Chinese were killed and an estimated 20,000 women ages 12-60 were raped. But 250,000 were saved by the bravery of the foreigners in the safety zone.
Indelible footage of looting, rapes and mass killing has been collected from archives in Europe, America and Asia and stitched together seamlessly by editors Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan and Michael Schweitzer, who won the docu editing award Sunday at Sundance. Some of the most chilling images come from home movies shot by a minister and smuggled out of the country in the coat lining of another safety zone foreigner. Philip Marshall has composed an understated Chinese-sounding score evocatively played by the Kronos Quartet.
Not only is the film a powerful historical record and a warning for future generations, it is an essential reminder to people, including many in Japan today, who might deny that this massacre ever occurred. As such, "Nanking" honors the highest calling of documentary filmmaking.
NANKING
Fortissimo Films
A Ted Leonsis production
Credits:
Directors: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Screenwriters: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman, Elizabeth Bentley
Producers: Ted Leonsis, Bill Guttentag, Michael Jacobs
Director of photography: Buddy Squires
Music: Philip Marshall
Editors: Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan, Michael Schweitzer
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating:R...
Having already annexed Manchuria, Japan started its full-scale attack on the Chinese mainland in summer 1937 with extensive air raids on Shanghai and Nanking. Chinese citizens who had money and most foreigners had fled Nanking before the ground troops arrived that December. All that was left behind were the poor and a group of 22 European and American clergy, businessmen, doctors and teachers. In an attempt to save as many lives as possible, the foreign contingent set up a safety zone for the Chinese.
Guttentag and Sturman give the events great immediacy by staging a reading of the diaries, letters and other accounts of the invasion written by the expats. Recited by actors including Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson and Stephen Dorff on a soundstage, the material serves as the narration for much of the film.
It's not a pretty picture as the army rolls into the once vibrant and now almost deserted city. As one of the diaries explains and the images confirm, "Each day is worse than the one before," and another says, "I can see little sign of God". Particularly fascinating is the account of a German businessman, John Rabe -- movingly read by Jurgen Prochnow -- who was a Nazi sympathizer but nonetheless does the right thing.
Survivors of the event, both Chinese and Japanese, also are interviewed on-camera and offer stories almost too horrific to be believed. Gasoline was thrown on men who were then set on fire. Chinese men were forced to have sex with dead women while the soldiers watched.
One elderly Chinese man who was there breaks down sobbing when he recalls his mother being slaughtered with a bayonet as she breast-fed his baby brother. A woman cries as she recounts how her young daughter was taken away from her, then raped and killed. A Japanese soldier recalls, "In the dark of night, we shot them in the back with machine guns."
In all, 200,000 Chinese were killed and an estimated 20,000 women ages 12-60 were raped. But 250,000 were saved by the bravery of the foreigners in the safety zone.
Indelible footage of looting, rapes and mass killing has been collected from archives in Europe, America and Asia and stitched together seamlessly by editors Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan and Michael Schweitzer, who won the docu editing award Sunday at Sundance. Some of the most chilling images come from home movies shot by a minister and smuggled out of the country in the coat lining of another safety zone foreigner. Philip Marshall has composed an understated Chinese-sounding score evocatively played by the Kronos Quartet.
Not only is the film a powerful historical record and a warning for future generations, it is an essential reminder to people, including many in Japan today, who might deny that this massacre ever occurred. As such, "Nanking" honors the highest calling of documentary filmmaking.
NANKING
Fortissimo Films
A Ted Leonsis production
Credits:
Directors: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Screenwriters: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman, Elizabeth Bentley
Producers: Ted Leonsis, Bill Guttentag, Michael Jacobs
Director of photography: Buddy Squires
Music: Philip Marshall
Editors: Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan, Michael Schweitzer
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating:R...
- 1/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY -- Barely remembered in the West, the rape of Nanking -- then the capital of China -- by the Japanese imperial forces in 1937 stands as a gruesome testimonial to man's inhumanity to man. Conceptualized by AOL co-chairman Ted Leonsis and directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, "Nanking" is a vivid account of those terrible events. The beautifully crafted film could generate some interest in theaters before finding its natural home on a high-profile cable outlet.
Having already annexed Manchuria, Japan started its full-scale attack on the Chinese mainland in summer 1937 with extensive air raids on Shanghai and Nanking. Chinese citizens who had money and most foreigners had fled Nanking before the ground troops arrived that December. All that was left behind were the poor and a group of 22 European and American clergy, businessmen, doctors and teachers. In an attempt to save as many lives as possible, the foreign contingent set up a safety zone for the Chinese.
Guttentag and Sturman give the events great immediacy by staging a reading of the diaries, letters and other accounts of the invasion written by the expats. Recited by actors including Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson and Stephen Dorff on a soundstage, the material serves as the narration for much of the film.
It's not a pretty picture as the army rolls into the once vibrant and now almost deserted city. As one of the diaries explains and the images confirm, "Each day is worse than the one before," and another says, "I can see little sign of God". Particularly fascinating is the account of a German businessman, John Rabe -- movingly read by Jurgen Prochnow -- who was a Nazi sympathizer but nonetheless does the right thing.
Survivors of the event, both Chinese and Japanese, also are interviewed on-camera and offer stories almost too horrific to be believed. Gasoline was thrown on men who were then set on fire. Chinese men were forced to have sex with dead women while the soldiers watched.
One elderly Chinese man who was there breaks down sobbing when he recalls his mother being slaughtered with a bayonet as she breast-fed his baby brother. A woman cries as she recounts how her young daughter was taken away from her, then raped and killed. A Japanese soldier recalls, "In the dark of night, we shot them in the back with machine guns."
In all, 200,000 Chinese were killed and an estimated 20,000 women ages 12-60 were raped. But 250,000 were saved by the bravery of the foreigners in the safety zone.
Indelible footage of looting, rapes and mass killing has been collected from archives in Europe, America and Asia and stitched together seamlessly by editors Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan and Michael Schweitzer, who won the docu editing award Sunday at Sundance. Some of the most chilling images come from home movies shot by a minister and smuggled out of the country in the coat lining of another safety zone foreigner. Philip Marshall has composed an understated Chinese-sounding score evocatively played by the Kronos Quartet.
Not only is the film a powerful historical record and a warning for future generations, it is an essential reminder to people, including many in Japan today, who might deny that this massacre ever occurred. As such, "Nanking" honors the highest calling of documentary filmmaking.
NANKING
Fortissimo Films
A Ted Leonsis production
Credits:
Directors: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Screenwriters: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman, Elizabeth Bentley
Producers: Ted Leonsis, Bill Guttentag, Michael Jacobs
Director of photography: Buddy Squires
Music: Philip Marshall
Editors: Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan, Michael Schweitzer
Running time -- 91 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Having already annexed Manchuria, Japan started its full-scale attack on the Chinese mainland in summer 1937 with extensive air raids on Shanghai and Nanking. Chinese citizens who had money and most foreigners had fled Nanking before the ground troops arrived that December. All that was left behind were the poor and a group of 22 European and American clergy, businessmen, doctors and teachers. In an attempt to save as many lives as possible, the foreign contingent set up a safety zone for the Chinese.
Guttentag and Sturman give the events great immediacy by staging a reading of the diaries, letters and other accounts of the invasion written by the expats. Recited by actors including Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson and Stephen Dorff on a soundstage, the material serves as the narration for much of the film.
It's not a pretty picture as the army rolls into the once vibrant and now almost deserted city. As one of the diaries explains and the images confirm, "Each day is worse than the one before," and another says, "I can see little sign of God". Particularly fascinating is the account of a German businessman, John Rabe -- movingly read by Jurgen Prochnow -- who was a Nazi sympathizer but nonetheless does the right thing.
Survivors of the event, both Chinese and Japanese, also are interviewed on-camera and offer stories almost too horrific to be believed. Gasoline was thrown on men who were then set on fire. Chinese men were forced to have sex with dead women while the soldiers watched.
One elderly Chinese man who was there breaks down sobbing when he recalls his mother being slaughtered with a bayonet as she breast-fed his baby brother. A woman cries as she recounts how her young daughter was taken away from her, then raped and killed. A Japanese soldier recalls, "In the dark of night, we shot them in the back with machine guns."
In all, 200,000 Chinese were killed and an estimated 20,000 women ages 12-60 were raped. But 250,000 were saved by the bravery of the foreigners in the safety zone.
Indelible footage of looting, rapes and mass killing has been collected from archives in Europe, America and Asia and stitched together seamlessly by editors Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan and Michael Schweitzer, who won the docu editing award Sunday at Sundance. Some of the most chilling images come from home movies shot by a minister and smuggled out of the country in the coat lining of another safety zone foreigner. Philip Marshall has composed an understated Chinese-sounding score evocatively played by the Kronos Quartet.
Not only is the film a powerful historical record and a warning for future generations, it is an essential reminder to people, including many in Japan today, who might deny that this massacre ever occurred. As such, "Nanking" honors the highest calling of documentary filmmaking.
NANKING
Fortissimo Films
A Ted Leonsis production
Credits:
Directors: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Screenwriters: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman, Elizabeth Bentley
Producers: Ted Leonsis, Bill Guttentag, Michael Jacobs
Director of photography: Buddy Squires
Music: Philip Marshall
Editors: Hibah Frisina, Charlton McMillan, Michael Schweitzer
Running time -- 91 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In its first significant organizational change in two years, AOL will restructure its business, losing some units as it creates different ones in order to better focus its resources on delivering free content supported by online advertising. According to an internal memo to employees sent Wednesday from AOL CEO Jon Miller, the company will eliminate its access, audience, digital services and AOL Europe business units in favor of "smaller, nimbler product groups with more authority and greater accountability." Time Warner said last month that its AOL unit is shifting away from the dial-up Internet access business that made it famous in order to give away most of its service while earning money selling ads. It also said that vice chairman Ted Leonsis was stepping back from day-to-day executive duties.
- 9/20/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- AOL vice chairman Ted Leonsis, a veteran of Time Warner's online unit, will leave behind his active management roles as of 2007 but retain his title and continue as an adviser and visionary, the company said. Friday's news came as AOL prepares to announce a new organizational and management structure tailored to its new free strategy in the coming days, according to a source. Leonsis said in a telephone interview Friday that will step down from his role of president of the advertising-focused AOL audience business to "find a better balance between my different interests." But he will remain vice chairman, reporting to AOL chairman and CEO Jonathan Miller. He joined AOL in 1993.
- 9/15/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
AOL's Maureen Govern, the technology chief, has resigned from the company, effective immediately. The move follows an incident this month in which personal search data was made public in violation of the company's policies. Her duties will be handled by AOL Digital Services president John McKinley until a permanent replacement is found, according to an internal memo from AOL CEO Jonathan Miller. McKinley previously held the technology post at AOL from 2003-05. In a separate memo also obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Miller outlined AOL's plans for preventing similar lapses. These efforts include a task force led by AOL vice chairman Ted Leonsis and AOL general counsel Randy Boe that will undertake a comprehensive review of the company's data collection and retention policies with input from corporate communications, integrity assurance, product and marketing. Education and awareness programs also will be instituted.
- 8/22/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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