A week of awards and Sundance lineups
Plus: OpenAi's Sora launches; powerful lit adaptations; end of year deadlines
Happy Thursday, friends.
‘Tis the season of nominations, awards, and big announcements.
Sundance’s first big lineup reveal has us dreaming of Park City, and the awards circuit has us making our Oscar pools. Jump on the app and say congrats to all the Portrait members who had a big week:
European Film Awards announced. Portrait members from winning teams.
British Indendepent Film Awards announced. Portrait members from winning teams.
MUAHS Guild Awards Nominations announced. Nominated Portrait members.
Golden Globe Nominations announced. Nominated Portrait film teams.
PGA Documentary Nominees announced. Producers from nominated films.
Let’s dive in to what else is happening this week.
Roll of Honor
Premieres, Awards, and More. Say hello to featured members on the Portrait app.
What to Watch This Weekend
Showmen, Showgirls, and Powerful Profiles
Elton John: Never Too Late. “A robustly satisfying and emotional documentary about the life and career of Elton John, that captures him, in a most revealing way, in his ’70s heyday” (Variety). R.J. Cutler, Director; Trevor Smith, Producer; Jenna Rosher, DP; Alex Takats, Addl. DP; Poppy Das, Editor; Marjon Javadi, VP, Documentary, Disney. In Theaters and Disney+.
The Last Showgirl. Pamela Anderson’s “breathy and high-pitched performance is a daring addition to the Vegas-set movies of yesteryear” (TheWrap). George Rush, EP. In Theaters Friday.
Sugarcane. Chronicling the story of director Julian Brave NoiseCat’s family alongside years of indigenous children’s abuse in Catholic schools, ”this multi-pronged filmmaking approach… is what gives Sugarcane its raw power” (LA Times). Emily Kassie, Director; Maida Lynn, Kellen Quinn, Producers; Christopher Lamarca, DP; Spencer Chumbley, Addl. DP; Elliott Whitton, EP; Katrina Taylor, David Teague, Consulting Editor; Kelsey Koenig, Lauren Haber, Co-EP’s. Hulu and Disney+.
Literary Adaptations
Nickel Boys. “The most formally inventive of its fall-movie-season brethren, a bold swing of a literary adaptation” (Vanity Fair). Timotheus Davis, Asst. Art Director; Natasha Nobre, Sound Post Coordinator; Lianna Mae Smith, Scenic Painter; Christy C. Beshears, Set Dec Coordinator. In Theaters.
Young Werther. “The real lynchpin to this film’s success is Alison Pill… who gives one of the most genuinely likable turns of her career” (RogerEbert.com). Sabrina Lantos, Additional Stills Photographer; Sandy Pereira, Editor; Heather Gardner, Music Supervisor; Jeff Brownell, Associate Producer, 1st AD; Ciara Vernon, Production Designer. In Theaters Friday.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. “The film combines cutting-edge Japanese animation with the audiovisual language established by Peter Jackson’s original trilogy of films” (Slant). Stephen Gallagher, Composer; Alana Janssen, Addl. Programming, Music Editor, Score Editor; Mark Willsher, Music Producer & Mixer. In Theaters.
It Ends With Us. JoJo Whilden, Still Photographer; Armon Mahdavi, Art Dept. Asst; Wilbur DiTullio, 1st Asst. Editor; James Baker, Boom Operator; Angie Rubin, Music Editor; Robert Lugo, Hair Dept. Head; Robert Bevis, Rigging Electrician; Dara Hamidi, Digital Compositor; Boaz Freund, Insert Unit DP. Netflix.
Industry Moves and Acquisitions
Independent Lens’ reveals winter 2025 documentary slate. See films by Portrait members in the app.
Greenwich Entertainment acquires Bonjour Tristesse. Lesley Barber, Music; Alice Searby, Casting Director; Alison Almeida, Associate Producer; Maximilian Pittner, DP; Sebastian Vaskio, ADR Mixer.
Chasing Chasing Amy helmer Sav Rodgers inks with Sandstone for management.
And… New Portrait Member Company Alert: Besolo. CEO Mark Jackson is offering a personal demo to fellow Portrait members of his new company. Besolo handles the worst parts of running a business-of-one while unlocking access to a comprehensive benefits package: taxes, S Corp support, accounting, 401K, healthcare, life, dental, and vision.
As a Portrait perk, receive a free LLC/S Corp and a 15% lifetime discount if you choose to sign up. Get a demo today.
What We’re Reading
Streaming hits another high in November as overall TV use climbs
OpenAI's controversial Sora has launched. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood?
Netflix Launches ‘Fresh Perspectives: Short Film’ Collection. Congrats to the team behind Closing Dynasty. Lloyd Lee Choi, Director, Producer, Screenwriter; Ashley Ingbretson, Editor; Christopher Lew, DP; Jonathan Hsu, Producer; Charles Humenry, Composer.
And… the weekly deeper dive. This is the second week in our series with producer Kathleen Lingo interviewing documentary directors in the run up to the Oscars. This week: New Wave: A personal doc dressed up in rhinestones and teased hair.
The arc of the documentary New Wave is grand. It starts as a look at a musical subculture within the Vietnamese diaspora but it transforms into an epic personal journey.
Read the full story and connect with the team on Portrait: Elizabeth Ai, Director; Rachel Sine, Producer; Diane Quon, Geeta Gandbhir, EPs; So Yun Um, Betty Hang, Co-producers; Samuel Rong, Editor; Quyên Nguyen-Le, Camera Operator.
Portrait Member Benefit
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Window of Opportunity 🔍
Closing Soon: December Deadlines
Have an opportunity to share? Post it on the app or fill out our form.
Tomorrow: Telly Awards 12/13 Early Pricing Deadline
Our partners at the Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens. The Tellys accept documentary, scripted, animation, branded content and more. This season features new categories in Film & Shorts and a new Production Company of the Year honor. Enter before Dec. 13 for early pricing.
ITVS Open Call (12/13 deadline)
Storytellers Initiative - SeriesFest (12/13 deadline)
DocLands DocPitch (12/13 deadline)
To.Get.Her Finishing Fund (12/7 deadline)
NYFA Artist Fellowship (12/17 deadline)
Jewish Story Partners Grants (12/17 deadline)
LEF Moving Image Fund (12/17 deadline)
Seriesfest Women Directing Mentorship (12/18 deadline)
Sundance Cultural Impact Residency (12/20 deadline)
Bitchitra Fellowship (12/30 deadline)
Select Jobs/Gigs Roundup
Have a job to share? Share it on the app or fill out our form.
Apple TV+ Programming & Positioning Director, Apple TV+.
Creative Director, AMC Network.
Director of Fund Development, Women In Film.
VP of Integrated Production, Resourceful Talent Group.
Director, Project Management, Rolling Stone.
Part-Time Instructor, Head of Physical Production, Academy of Art University.
Head of Entertainment, Knott's Berry Farm.
Head of Audience Development, Complex.
End Credits: Portrait Post of the Week.
Until next week, friends. See you on the Portrait app.
Portrait is an invite-only network and professional platform for creative careers. Apply to join or nominate a friend.