Ross Williams News

The Woodstock Film Festival announced today the return of its 3rd annual Summer Youth Film Lab in a new online format.

Six projects and artist teams have been selected for the 2020 Sundance Institute New Frontier Story Lab, which supports independent artists working at the cutting-edge convergence of film, art, media, live performance, and technology. 

Netflix has released the trailer for The Innocence Files, a 9-episode documentary limited series premiering April 15.

Birmingham Royal Ballet is launching Home From Home, a new series of online content which will give an exclusive insight into the company's daily routine and specially curated performances as they stay fit and creative whilst in isolation at their homes across the globe.

Whether you like tales of social justice, natural history, close-ups of heroes who were ahead of their time, true crime, or something that's #strangerthanfiction - our upcoming slate will give our members amazing stories they can't find anywhere else. Over 147 million households have chosen to watch at least one documentary on Netflix in the last year, and we're expecting our coming lineup to give members more to talk about with their friends.

Twelve screenwriters have been selected to participate in Sundance Institute's eighth annual Screenwriters Intensive in Los Angeles, to take place March 4-5, 2020. The Intensive, a two-day workshop for select emerging writers and writer/directors from underrepresented communities, focuses on the development of first fiction features. Fellows at the Intensive will advance the art and craft of their work under the guidance of experienced filmmakers and the Institute's Feature Film Program, led by that Program's Founding Director Michelle Satter and Deputy Director Ilyse McKimmie.

​​​​​​​ The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the program for the inaugural AFI Summit that will take place at AFI FEST 2019 presented by Audi. The lineup includes a conversation with producer, director, actress and activist Eva Longoria and founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Dr. Stacy Smithto discuss the latest findings from the Initiative about the alarming lack of representation of Latinx individuals in film; an in-depth and wide-ranging conversation between Susan Ruskin, Dean of the AFI Conservatory and Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix; The Hollywood Reporter's Indie Contenders Roundtable moderated by Scott Feinberg; the Los Angeles Times' Doc Roundtable moderated by Amy Kaufman; a panel led by Brickson Diamond, Chairman of Blackhouse, with three pairs of entertainment executives of color discussing diversifying the film industry; and Shoot the Book where film rights managers pitch their projects.

THE APOLLO, directed by Oscar® and Emmy® winner Roger Ross Williams, chronicles the legacy of New York City's landmark Apollo Theater, covering the rich history of the storied performance space over its 85 years. What began as a refuge for marginalized artists emerged as a hallowed hall of black excellence and empowerment. In the film, Williams reflects on the struggle of black lives in America, the role that art plays in that struggle, and the part the Apollo Theater continues to play in the cultural conversation.

 DOC NYC, America's largest documentary festival, announced the full lineup for its expanded tenth anniversary edition, running November 6-15 at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea's SVA Theatre and Cinépolis Chelsea. The 2019 festival includes 136 feature-length documentaries among over 300 films and events overall, making this landmark year DOC NYC's biggest edition yet. Included are 28 world premieres 27 US or North American premieres and 59 NYC premieres, with more than 500 doc makers and special guests expected in person to present their films or participate on panels. 

The 20th Anniversary Woodstock Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday with the Closing Night film Marriage Story, directed by Noah Baumbach. Audience ballots from more than 100 films were counted late Sunday night to determine the winners of the Audience Awards. Over the past week, thousands of film goers, industry and filmmakers from around the world attended screenings, panels, and special events in Woodstock, Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Kingston and Saugerties.

New York Shakespeare Exchange announces a world premiere staged reading of a new theatrical experiment, The Card Play co-written by NYSX's Resident Dramaturg Shane Breaux and Resident Playwright Kevin Brewer,on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 from 7-9pm (doors open to audience at 6:30pm) at the 53rd Street Library Theater (18 W. 53rd Street, NYC). This event is free.

New York Shakespeare Exchange announces a world premiere staged reading of a new theatrical experiment, The Card Play co-written by NYSX's Resident Dramaturg Shane Breaux and Resident Playwright Kevin Brewer,on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 from 7-9pm (doors open to audience at 6:30pm) at the 53rd Street Library Theater (18 W. 53rd Street, NYC). This event is free.

The Apollo Theater announced today it will present a free screening of the HBO Documentary Film The Apollo on Friday October 4th at 7:00 p.m., in advance of its HBO premiere. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with members of the creative team. Tickets will be available today on the Apollo website.

The Woodstock Film Festival today announced the full lineup for its landmark 20th Anniversary, taking place from October 2-6 in the historic Hudson Valley towns of Woodstock, Rhinebeck, Kingston, Saugerties, and Rosendale. Widely acknowledged for showcasing passionate, creative and thought-provoking work by some of today's most promising and accomplished independent filmmakers, this year's festival will showcase more than 50 features from around the world, as well as many short films, and will include panels, live performances, and other special events.

The Woodstock Film Festival is thrilled to announce the world premiere screening of PARKLAND RISING, executive produced by Katie Couric and will.i.am, at the upcoming 20th anniversary film festival, taking place October 2-6, 2019. This timely and vital documentary, directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Cheryl Horner McDonough, follows the high-school students and families who became fierce leaders of the national movement for gun reform after the February 2018 shooting of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida.

In short, THE LITTLE MERMAID taps into the magic of Disney and brings it to Central Texas. It offers family-friendly summer fun that is accessible to all.

HBO has confirmed their slate of thought-provoking documentaries for the second half of 2019, including: Roger Ross Williams' THE APOLLO, an insider's look at the history and legacy of the legendary Apollo Theater; Susan Lacy's VERY RALPH, the intimate story of fashion icon Ralph Lauren; Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato and Diane von Furstenberg's LIBERTY: MOTHER OF EXILES, a revealing, up-close look at one of the most beloved icons in the world; and McMILLIONS, from executive producer Mark Wahlberg and directors James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, a documentary series chronicling the stranger-than-fiction story of how an ex-cop rigged McDonald's Monopoly game promotion for over a decade and stole millions.

The Apollo Theater today announced details of its 2019 fall season, featuring myriad music, dance, and theater performances and film screenings that expand the nonprofit theater's role as a partner, commissioner, and co-producer of programming that articulates African American narratives.

New York Shakespeare Exchange announces the next Freestyle Lab, ARMOR AS STRONG: Trans Warriors through a Shakespearean Lens, on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 from 7-9pm (doors open to audience at 6:30pm) at the 53rd Street Library Theater (18 W. 53rd Street, NYC). This event is free.

This Island's Mine was originally written in 1988 for Gay Sweatshop in response to Section 28. Yet it doesn't feel like a museum piece, and in some ways it's still sadly resonant to a London in 2019.