Joshua Zeman’s latest feature documentary “Checkpoint Zoo,” an inspiring story that unfolds in a war-torn part of the world, has wrapped principal photography. The film tells the story of the daring rescue of over 5,000 animals that were trapped in a wildlife park behind enemy lines during the early days of the Russian-Ukrainian War.
“Checkpoint Zoo” was produced by Zeman and Zach Mortensen for Ghost Robot, with Ian Davies and Torquil Jones for Noah Media Group, which is also financing the project. UTA Independent Film Group has signed on to lead worldwide sales of the picture.
In the early days of the war, a beloved animal refuge known as Feldman Ecopark, located in Ukraine’s second largest city, was in a precarious position. On one side of the park was the invading Russian army; on the other sat the Ukrainian front line. With thousands of animals trapped with little food and water,...
“Checkpoint Zoo” was produced by Zeman and Zach Mortensen for Ghost Robot, with Ian Davies and Torquil Jones for Noah Media Group, which is also financing the project. UTA Independent Film Group has signed on to lead worldwide sales of the picture.
In the early days of the war, a beloved animal refuge known as Feldman Ecopark, located in Ukraine’s second largest city, was in a precarious position. On one side of the park was the invading Russian army; on the other sat the Ukrainian front line. With thousands of animals trapped with little food and water,...
- 7/18/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: UTA has signed director, producer and writer Joshua Zeman — a leading voice in the true-crime storytelling space — with plans to find him new opportunities in documentary filmmaking, narrative directing, digital content and more.
Zeman is best known for his critically acclaimed debut feature Cropsey, as well as such series as The Killing Season (A+E Networks), Murder Mountain (Netflix) and The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (Netflix).
Co-directed with Barbara Brancaccio, Cropsey watches as the filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances. The Killing Season sees Zeman and Rachel Mills examine unsolved serial killer cases, while Murder Mountain looks at crime surrounding the marijuana industry in Humboldt County, California. And then, there’s The Sons of Sam, which looks at journalist Maury Terry’s conspiratorial thinking surrounding the infamous Son of Sam murders.
Zeman most recently departed from...
Zeman is best known for his critically acclaimed debut feature Cropsey, as well as such series as The Killing Season (A+E Networks), Murder Mountain (Netflix) and The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (Netflix).
Co-directed with Barbara Brancaccio, Cropsey watches as the filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances. The Killing Season sees Zeman and Rachel Mills examine unsolved serial killer cases, while Murder Mountain looks at crime surrounding the marijuana industry in Humboldt County, California. And then, there’s The Sons of Sam, which looks at journalist Maury Terry’s conspiratorial thinking surrounding the infamous Son of Sam murders.
Zeman most recently departed from...
- 3/6/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix’s next documentary will examine one of the nation’s most infamous murderers via the upcoming “The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness” docuseries. The streaming service released the trailer for the four-part series Wednesday.
The docuseries, which consists of four hour-long episodes, will premiere May 5 on Netflix. Here’s Netflix’s synopsis:
The hunt for the “Son of Sam” captivated the world in the late 1970s, but the story behind one of America’s most notorious serial murderers is all but forgotten — until now. While the arrest and conviction of David Berkowitz brought the nightmare to an end for many New Yorkers, for journalist and “Ultimate Evil” author Maury Terry, the real mystery was just beginning. Terry, convinced Berkowitz had not acted alone, would go on to spend decades attempting to prove that the web of darkness behind the murders went deeper than anyone imagined — and his...
The docuseries, which consists of four hour-long episodes, will premiere May 5 on Netflix. Here’s Netflix’s synopsis:
The hunt for the “Son of Sam” captivated the world in the late 1970s, but the story behind one of America’s most notorious serial murderers is all but forgotten — until now. While the arrest and conviction of David Berkowitz brought the nightmare to an end for many New Yorkers, for journalist and “Ultimate Evil” author Maury Terry, the real mystery was just beginning. Terry, convinced Berkowitz had not acted alone, would go on to spend decades attempting to prove that the web of darkness behind the murders went deeper than anyone imagined — and his...
- 4/8/2021
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Bleecker Street has secured North American rights to “The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52,” a new documentary from Joshua Zeman. The film will be released in theaters on July 9.
The documentary centers on the “52 Hertz Whale,” which scientists believe has spent its entire life in solitude calling out at a frequency that is different from any other whale.
“The team of scientists and filmmakers take the audience on a wild search for this mysterious creature,” said Andrew Karpen, CEO of Bleecker Street. “They follow in the steps of the great intrepid explorers searching for nature’s wonders, but also a greater understanding of man’s place in the world and what we must do to ensure its survival.”
Bleecker Street recently released the “The World to Come,” a historical romance with Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, as well as the Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci drama “Supernova” and the Julia Garner drama “The Assistant.
The documentary centers on the “52 Hertz Whale,” which scientists believe has spent its entire life in solitude calling out at a frequency that is different from any other whale.
“The team of scientists and filmmakers take the audience on a wild search for this mysterious creature,” said Andrew Karpen, CEO of Bleecker Street. “They follow in the steps of the great intrepid explorers searching for nature’s wonders, but also a greater understanding of man’s place in the world and what we must do to ensure its survival.”
Bleecker Street recently released the “The World to Come,” a historical romance with Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, as well as the Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci drama “Supernova” and the Julia Garner drama “The Assistant.
- 3/16/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Founded by Oscar-winning “Man on Wire” producer Simon Chinn and Emmy winner Jonathan Chinn, high-end documentary producer Lightbox is navigating the next phase of its evolution, and exiting one of the key initiatives that helped the transatlantic company set up shop.
Variety can reveal that the London- and Los Angeles-based outfit is buying back its shares and leaving U.K. broadcaster Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund (Igf), which invests in British production companies by taking minority stakes to help them grow. Lightbox is now fully independent, and plans to remain so “for the short term” before considering a sale in the future.
Since accepting the Channel 4 investment in 2014, the “Whitney” producer has more than tripled in size, growing from a £4-million to £13-million turnover company, and establishing itself as a bona fide U.S.-U.K. player specializing in high-end documentaries for streaming services and premium cablers.
“It’s...
Variety can reveal that the London- and Los Angeles-based outfit is buying back its shares and leaving U.K. broadcaster Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund (Igf), which invests in British production companies by taking minority stakes to help them grow. Lightbox is now fully independent, and plans to remain so “for the short term” before considering a sale in the future.
Since accepting the Channel 4 investment in 2014, the “Whitney” producer has more than tripled in size, growing from a £4-million to £13-million turnover company, and establishing itself as a bona fide U.S.-U.K. player specializing in high-end documentaries for streaming services and premium cablers.
“It’s...
- 2/4/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Fremantle has taken a 25% stake in The Immigrant, the production outfit set up by “El Chapo” producer Camila Jimenez and creator Silvana Aguirre. Bron, whose recent projects include “Joker” and “The Addams Family,” has also taken a smaller stake in the L.A.-based company, which was launched earlier this year and has outposts in Mexico and Spain.
The Immigrant will work with other talent in Fremantle’s worldwide stable of production outfits. A collaboration with “My Brilliant Friend” producer Wildside was already underway before Fremantle’s investment in the firm. Details of that joint project are closely guarded, but it will be a period piece based on real events, with Lucia Puenzo (“La Jauria”) as showrunner.
Fremantle has an option to up its 25% stake in The Immigrant to a majority holding. Fremantle has pushed heavily into scripted in recent years, and The Immigrant deal is its first major investment in the Latinx-focused content space.
The Immigrant will work with other talent in Fremantle’s worldwide stable of production outfits. A collaboration with “My Brilliant Friend” producer Wildside was already underway before Fremantle’s investment in the firm. Details of that joint project are closely guarded, but it will be a period piece based on real events, with Lucia Puenzo (“La Jauria”) as showrunner.
Fremantle has an option to up its 25% stake in The Immigrant to a majority holding. Fremantle has pushed heavily into scripted in recent years, and The Immigrant deal is its first major investment in the Latinx-focused content space.
- 10/31/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Former Story House Entertainment CEO Camila Jiménez-Villa and Silvana Aguirre, creator and showrunner of “El Chapo,” have joined forces to launch a production company dubbed the Immigrant.
Based in Los Angeles and Miami, Immigrant will develop and produce premium content in the U.S., Latin America and Spain. The shingle will focus on multicultural stories and talent in the United States, while sourcing stories with international appeal from Latin America and Spain.
New company has up to seven English-language and Spanish-language scripted projects in development, including a co-production with Italian production house Wildside to be helmed by Argentine award-winning writer-director Lucia Puenzo (“The German Doctor”). Aguirre’s new series, of which details are still under wraps, will enter production in late 2019 in Mexico.
Immigrant will primarily focus on developing scripted and unscripted content for television, but will also produce a few select film projects in the U.S.
Company joins...
Based in Los Angeles and Miami, Immigrant will develop and produce premium content in the U.S., Latin America and Spain. The shingle will focus on multicultural stories and talent in the United States, while sourcing stories with international appeal from Latin America and Spain.
New company has up to seven English-language and Spanish-language scripted projects in development, including a co-production with Italian production house Wildside to be helmed by Argentine award-winning writer-director Lucia Puenzo (“The German Doctor”). Aguirre’s new series, of which details are still under wraps, will enter production in late 2019 in Mexico.
Immigrant will primarily focus on developing scripted and unscripted content for television, but will also produce a few select film projects in the U.S.
Company joins...
- 1/23/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is wasting no time fulfilling all of our true crime bingeing needs this year. Already, the first true crime series of 2019 has launched, with six 45-minute episodes that take viewers into Humboldt County, where 60 percent of the marijuana grown in the Us is produced. Specifically, Netflix's Murder Mountain (which originally aired on the Fusion network back in September) focuses on a man named Garrett Rodriguez who, among several others, has gone missing from this giant weed-producing community.
From 30-year-old open cases to much more recent disappearances, this Netflix series works to demonstrate what an issue this area has become, as well as all of the potential causes for the shocking number of missing persons. From labor and sex trafficking situations to murder, Netflix explores the possibilities, all revolving around the disappearance of Garrett Rodriguez. Read on to find out the true story behind this Humboldt County mystery.
Related: 18 Gifts...
From 30-year-old open cases to much more recent disappearances, this Netflix series works to demonstrate what an issue this area has become, as well as all of the potential causes for the shocking number of missing persons. From labor and sex trafficking situations to murder, Netflix explores the possibilities, all revolving around the disappearance of Garrett Rodriguez. Read on to find out the true story behind this Humboldt County mystery.
Related: 18 Gifts...
- 1/20/2019
- by Corinne Sullivan
- Popsugar.com
If you've watched Netflix's latest binge-worthy true crime series, Murder Mountain, then you're probably wondering where exactly the Emerald Triangle is - the area in which the events in the documentary take place.
The series largely focuses on Humboldt County, where a man named Garrett Rodriguez - among several others - went missing from Rancho Sequoia, an area that became popular for marijuana farming in the late '70s. However, Humboldt is only one county in the area that encompasses the Emerald Triangle, a region that earned its name because it produces 60 percent of the marijuana grown in the Us, making it the largest cannabis-producing region in the country.
Related: Bekah Martinez's Mom Reported Her Missing, Then Saw Her on The Bachelor
The Emerald Triangle, located in Northern California, spans over 10,000 square miles and is composed of three counties: Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity. The area used to be...
The series largely focuses on Humboldt County, where a man named Garrett Rodriguez - among several others - went missing from Rancho Sequoia, an area that became popular for marijuana farming in the late '70s. However, Humboldt is only one county in the area that encompasses the Emerald Triangle, a region that earned its name because it produces 60 percent of the marijuana grown in the Us, making it the largest cannabis-producing region in the country.
Related: Bekah Martinez's Mom Reported Her Missing, Then Saw Her on The Bachelor
The Emerald Triangle, located in Northern California, spans over 10,000 square miles and is composed of three counties: Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity. The area used to be...
- 1/19/2019
- by Corinne Sullivan
- Popsugar.com
Nestled among thick Redwood trees nearly 300 miles north of San Francisco is one of the most prolific cannabis producing regions in the United States: Humboldt County. Long known for its cultivation of the plant, Humboldt is one-third of the famed “Emerald Triangle” of Northern California (Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity Counties), which together comprise the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. For decades, the thick cover of trees and seemingly endless rural terrain has made Humboldt an ideal place to covertly grow marijuana. The same conditions make the county an ideal place to disappear.
- 1/9/2019
- by Katie MacBride
- Rollingstone.com
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