A week of exits and bold calls

Creative Arts Emmys; big exits in streaming; a rotting Rotten Tomatoes; fall deadlines

Sep 11, 2025

Jimmy Kimmel, SNL50, Alan Cumming and Love on the Spectrum — Creative Arts Emmys 2025. Credit: THR.

Happy Thursday, friends, and congratulations to all of our members who won Creative Arts Emmys this week. A few show notes coming out of the ceremony:

MY EGOT! This year’s ceremony puts Kendrick Lamar just one Tony-award-winning musical away from not just an EGOT, but a PEGOT (given his Pulitzer).
50 looks good. SNL won big, both for its anniversary special and for the series.
Nice side hustle, Mr. President. Barack Obama scored his third Emmy, for narrating Our Oceans.
Prediction time. At the Primetime Emmys, it looks like Limited Series is coming down to Adolescence and The Penguin, both of which won multiple awards.

Let’s dive in to what else is underway this week.

Roll of Honor

Premieres, Awards, and More. See Portrait members behind this week’s work here.

'The History of Sound' — *The History of Sound*

Complicated Romance

The History of Sound. “As plaintive and lilting as a piano note in minor key, never wallowing in its own misery but still keen to explore the… wreckage of a meaningful connection” (IndieWire).
Chaperone. “It does not shy away from the often uncomfortable ethical terrain its storyline demands it explore, but it is also thoughtful and humane” (AWFJ.org).

See Members Behind This Week's Films

Sunfish and Other Stories of Green Lake — *Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)*

Tributes to People and Places

Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake). “It is one of the most Michigan films I’ve ever seen, capturing the beauty, humor, and resilience of a gorgeous part of the country that everyone should endeavor to see” (RogerEbert.com).
Bang Bang. “Tim Blake Nelson shines in a sentimental tribute to boxers who leave It all in the ring” (IndieWire).
See Members Behind This Week's Films

Portraits of Boundary Breakers

Clemente. “A grounded and emotional documentary tribute to a legendary athlete” (THR).
Naked Ambition. “An entertaining snapshot of a resourceful and endlessly creative woman who was determined to live life on her own terms” (KQED).

See Members Behind This Week's Films

*Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle*

What We’re Reading: Judgments and Exits Edition

When the tomatoes truly are rotten. The industry’s biggest arbiter of quality is “providing the assessment that Hollywood wants rather than the critical feedback that it needs.”
“Abhorrent.” Stephen Colbert reacts to Charlie Kirk shooting & condemns political violence
A judgment just in time for the sequel. Anna Wintour admits The Devil Wears Prada was “a fair shot.”
Anime Rising. Demon Slayer poised for Anime-record debut (though projections are all over the place).
“One Of The Greats.” Bowen Yang pays tribute to Heidi Gardner after SNL exit.
Oh no, another app redesign? Eunice Kim, Netflix‘s chief product officer, is leaving the streaming giant.

Fall Festival Tracker: Who’s Attending What

Keep track of who’s attending by clicking through on the Portrait app. Below are fests with a start date through October 15th. See more on the app. Not a Portrait member? Request an invite here.