The Critics Are Calling It: Best Shows of 2023
NEW Talent Lists; Coming-of-Age Premieres; Weekend Long Reads; Last Chance for November Deadlines
Happy Thursday, friends.
It’s not (quite) December, but Year-In-Review Season is officially here, starting with 2023’s Best TV Shows.
See lists out now from The New York Times, IndieWire, and Paste Magazine. Congrats to members with featured shows, including Beef (Taylor Rowley), The Bear (Tiffany Brown), Poker Face (Christine Ng), and Somebody Somewhere (Shana Hagan). Did we miss your show? Share it on Portrait. We all know the lists are going to keep coming.
Speaking of lists…
You can now see the interactive list of everyone featured in the newsletter each week (be sure to open on a mobile device to see in app).
Let’s dive in.
Roll of Honor
Premieres, Press, Awards, and Standout Member Work This Week. Say hello to featured Portrait members on the app!
What We’re Watching: Coming-of-Age Stories
On the Reservation: Frybread Face and Me. “Billy Luther's coming-of-age tale follows a pair of very different Navajo cousins as they spend one life-changing summer together” (IndieWire). Billy Luther, Director, Writer; Elliott Whitton, Executive Producer; Brian Newman, Consultant; Stacey Rice, Casting Director; Peter Simonite, Director of Photography. Netflix.
In the Spotlight: Sly. “The 95-minute doc exposes a relatable, vulnerable man [Sylvester Stallone] who is often thought to be the movie characters he made iconic” (Variety). Annie Salsich, Editor. Netflix.
Through the Generations: All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt. “A multigenerational saga on an intimate scale.” Don’t miss the last chance to see this critically acclaimed film in theaters! Pamela Shepard, Costume Designer; Juliana Barreto, Production Designer.
Short Quotes from Long Reads
DP Peter Simonite, ASC, CSC, on his process for shooting Day of the Fight:
We looked at a lot of street photography and the goal was to make it feel like a photographic print and less like a creamy image.
DP Jo Jo Lam in British Cinematographer on her work for Playland:
Essentially, we wanted the camera to feel like it was floating – like it was drifting through crevices of these spaces.
Journalist Jason Motlagh in his Rolling Stone Special Report on Haiti gang violence:
In the vacuum of a broken state, the name Barbecue inspires both dread and praise — depending on where one happens to live.
Streaming Now: Political Awakenings
South to Black Power. “The film follows [Journalist Charles Blow] as he speaks to historians, activists and local politicos… some finding success in community organizing and others still fighting within a broken system” (The Guardian). RJ Cutler, Kelly Thomson, Producers; Trevor Smith, Executive Producer.
Who We Become. “A self-documented time capsule for turbulent times, capturing the unbreakable bond between Filipino family and community” (Deadline). Join the team for a telewatch party when the film premieres Friday. RSVP at whowebecomedoc@gmail.com — see Portrait post for details. PJ Raval, Director, Writer; Katrina De Vera, Editor, Writer; Baby Ruth Villarama, Post Production; Cecilia R. Mejia, Samantha Skinner, Erwin Falcon, Producers; Theresa Navarro, Katwo Puertollano, Executive Producers; Timo Chen, Composer.
The ABCs of Book Banning. Listen to the NPR piece with Sheila Nevins as she discussed chronicling the impact of book bans in Florida public schools. Trish Adlesic, Director, Producer; Naz Habtezghi, Director; Gladys Mae Murphy, Editor. Paramount+.
In The News: Bending Reality
Doc Producers Call for Generative AI Guardrails in Open Letter (THR).
Hulu Buys ‘The Contestant,’ Documentary About Unwitting Japanese Reality TV Star (Variety). Clair Titley, Director, Producer; Rachel Meyrick, Editor; Megumi Inman, Producer; Belisa Balaban, Distribution.
Window of Opportunity
aka The Discover Tab 🔍
Check out the Discover Tab on Portrait for more grants, programs, jobs, events, festivals, and festival deadlines.
Closing Soon: Programs + Grants
Have an opportunity to share? Post it on the app or fill out our form.
Big Sky Pitch (11/30 deadline)
4th World Media Lab (11/30 deadline)
CAAM Fellowship (11/30 deadline)
Uptilt Film Festival Submissions (12/1 late deadline)
Wavelength Grants (12/1 deadline)
AFF Documentary Pitch Program (12/1 extended deadline)
STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers' Intensive (12/4 deadline)
Solutions Storytelling Project: Latin America (12/8 deadline)
DOCPITCH Call for Entries (12/11 deadline)
NYFA Artist Fellowship (12/13 deadline)
Trailblazer Grant (12/18 deadline)
Women Directing Mentorship (12/19 deadline)
The Sriyanka Ray Grant (12/23 deadline)
WIF Fellowships (1/8 deadline)
Documentary Labs - Film Independent (1/15 deadline)
SagIndie Film Music Connect (rolling deadline)
Elevate Collective (rolling deadline)
Ford Foundation JustFilms Grants (rolling deadline)
Awesome Foundation Grants (rolling deadline)
Jobs/Gigs Roundup
Have a job to share? Share it on the app or fill out our form.
Producer/Videographer/Editor, NexGen Sports Group, INC.
Associate Manager, Post Production - Documentary Series, Netflix.
Production Managers, Boulder International Film Festival.
Comedy Central - Associate Producer - Social Media, Paramount Global.
Production Manager, REVOLT.
Digital Producer, Arts & Culture, Chicago Public Media.
People & Culture Advisor, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Assistant/Associate Professor, Cinematography, University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Coordinating Producer , Climate Unit- ABC News, The Walt Disney Company.
Content Producer, NBCUniversal.
Sr. Manager, Publicity - ABC News Studio/Digital, Nightline, The Walt Disney Company.
Live Action Producer - Freelance, The Mill.
Video Producer Editor, Yale University.
Video Journalist, NYT Cooking, The New York Times.
UTS - Temporary Video Editor at UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University.
Video Shooter/Editor, Pratt Institute.
Video Shooter/Editor/ Producer - XXL, Townsquare Media.
Motion Graphics and Video Editor, WHOOP.
DreamWorks TV - Production Supervisor, Dreamworks.
Senior Producer - Esports, Esports.
Senior Video Production Specialist (Regular Part-time), The City of Beverly Hills.
Production Lead, The Economist Group.
Senior Video Editor & Videographer, Lovevery.
Video Editor, Content Creation, Front Row.
Story Producer, Golden Hippo.
Photo Producer, Frank & Eileen.
Coordinating Producer, CNN Newsource, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Sr. Unscripted Physical Production Executive, Prime Video Sports, Prime Video & Amazon Studios.
Senior Videographer (INDG), Bloomberg.
Operations Producer, Podcast ABC News, The Walt Disney Company.
Executive Producer, Dayside, NBC Los Angeles, NBCUniversal.
Senior Video Editor, R+C.
End Credits: Portrait Post of the Week
Until next week friends. See you on Portrait — and don’t forget to check out this week’s talent list on the app to see and save contacts.