This Machine News

Prime Video, This Machine Launch Documentary About Lee Soo Man, The King Of K-Pop And “Modern-Day Willy Wonka”
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Prime Video, This Machine Launch Documentary About Lee Soo Man, The King Of K-Pop And “Modern-Day Willy Wonka”

Production is underway on Lee Soo Man: The King of K-Pop, a feature documentary from production company This Machine that will land on Prime Video. Filmmaker Ting Poo, who earned acclaim with her 2021 Prime Video documentary Val about actor Val Kilmer (co-directed with Leo Scott) is helming Lee Soo Man, a “documentary chronicling the enthralling life of a bold visionary whose work put his country on the map, sparked a global movement, and continues to define an era,” as a release put it.

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DOC NYC: 40 Under 40
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DOC NYC: 40 Under 40

Congratulations to honoree, Trevor Smith. 40 Under 40 celebrates emerging talent in the documentary world, including directors, producers, cinematographers, and editors. This program is co-presented by HBO Documentary Films.

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Elton John Documentary ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ Lands At Disney In Mega Deal For Hybrid Release
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Elton John Documentary ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ Lands At Disney In Mega Deal For Hybrid Release

Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ have won the rights to a big feature documentary package, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances And the Years That Made His Legend. No one would comment, but we hear the docu, from Academy Award-nominee R.J. Cutler as well as filmmaker (and longtime Elton John partner) David Furnish, sold for about $30 million.

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Elton John to Get the Official Documentary Treatment With ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’
Rolling Stone Trevor Smith Rolling Stone Trevor Smith

Elton John to Get the Official Documentary Treatment With ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’

After getting his own blockbuster biopic, Elton John will be fêted with an official documentary, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend.

Co-directed by R.J. Cutler and filmmaker — and John’s husband — David Furnish, the movie will be centered around John’s farewell tour, while also looking back at 1970 to 1975, the monumental period when John released 10 albums and scored some of his biggest hits. The doc will also include an array of unseen concert footage from the past 50 years, as well as John’s handwritten journals and present-day footage of the musician and his family.

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‘Dear…’ Team On How Series Profiles Icons And The People Who Send Them Heartfelt Letters
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‘Dear…’ Team On How Series Profiles Icons And The People Who Send Them Heartfelt Letters

The world has come to recognize the supreme talent of Viola Davis, the Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress. But she had to overcome huge obstacles to achieve her success, growing up poor in Central Falls, Rhode Island.

The enormity of those obstacles becomes strikingly clear in an episode of the Apple TV+ documentary series Dear… that’s devoted to Davis. Now in its second season, the show profiles a different entertainer, activist or athlete in each installment, built around letters written to the trailblazers by members of the public inspired by their example.

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Documentary Director R.J. Cutler Expands His Development and Production Team
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Documentary Director R.J. Cutler Expands His Development and Production Team

This Machine, the production company founded by veteran documentary director and producer R.J. Cutler, has bolstered its development and production team with four new hires. Cutler, the Emmy Award-winning director behind docus including “The September Issue,” “Belushi” and most recently with “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” launched This Machine in 2020 with an investment from Los Angeles-based Industrial Media.

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Oscars: Academy Unveils Shortlists in 10 Categories - BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY
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Oscars: Academy Unveils Shortlists in 10 Categories - BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday unveiled its shortlists for the 2022 Oscars in 10 categories, including documentary and international features. It also includes documentary short subject, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, animated short, live-action short, visual effects, and — returning this year — sound.

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Doc Crew Behind ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry’ on Capturing a Star’s Metamorphosis in Real-Time
Variety Trevor Smith Variety Trevor Smith

Doc Crew Behind ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry’ on Capturing a Star’s Metamorphosis in Real-Time

Filmmaker R.J. Cutler’s interest in documenting Billie Eilish dates back to 2018, when he contacted director of photography Jenna Rosher about a rising star he saw interviewed in Vanity Fair. “I watched those and was completely fascinated and blown away by her from the get-go,” Rosher says of the magazine’s series, which checks in on Eilish yearly.

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