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American Factory

Yellow Springs Filmmakers Nominated for Academy Award!

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The announcement was made this morning, American Factory, the documentary about the Chinese company Fuyao, was nominated for Best Documentary.  This is the fourth nomination for Julia Reichert and the second nomination for Steve Bognar.

The film follows the opening of the Fuyao plant, which makes glass for automobiles, that reopened a former plant in Moraine. Led by its self-made billionaire owner, Chairman Cao Dewang, Fuyao brings along 200 experienced Chinese employees to oversee production and hires over 1000 locals.  Working with 1,200 hours of footage — heroically edited by Lindsay Utz — Steve & Julia  have amazing access to a complex economic reality that is touchingly hard on workers.  Wages are low, work expectations high and there is certainly a culture clash between workers from the two nations.

Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar

Netflix acquired the  non-fiction feature out of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary.

According to a Indie wire, “The Participant Media production focuses on the dramatic culture clash when a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Following its Sundance premiere, the film impressed Barack and Michelle Obama, who launched their Netflix-partnered Higher Ground Productions last spring “to harness the power of storytelling,” as the former U.S. president described it at the time. This marks the first title from Higher Ground to premiere on the streaming service.”

“We are honored and thrilled that Netflix and Higher Ground are teaming up to bring ‘American Factory’ to the world,” said Reichert and Bognar in a statement. “Their energy and enthusiasm is infectious. We’re excited about the national and global conversations we believe this film can spark.”

My Favorite Films of 2019

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Hello Dayton MostMetro!

When asked to write a “Best of ” list about movies, it’s hard to decide what to write.  First off, it’s so subjective…do people really want to read about my personal tastes or should I look at films scholastically and determine what is the “best” in regards to craft?  In addition, what should I include – only films that got picked up for distribution? only films that screened in this market?  only films that got a release this year?

Here’s what I’ve decided.  The following list is a collection of films that I saw and loved this year.  (Though some films didn’t play until 2019 in Dayton, movies like CAPERNAUM and IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK and THE FAVOURITE are not on the list because I saw them in 2018.)  And contrary to popular belief, not all the films on the list screened at THE NEON!

I should make it known that I have not seen every film that got a release this year…once in a while, a film even plays at THE NEON that I can’t fit into my schedule.  I tend to shy away from science fiction (though not always), most horror movies and films with gratuitous violence and/or machismo-driven male plot lines (a la Tarantino).  (I have not yet seen THE IRISHMAN – as I intend to see it on our big screen on NYE.)

Here they are. 15 Favorite Films of 2019 (in alphabetical order):

AMERICAN FACTORY – Julia Reichert & Steve Bognar’s masterful documentary is stunningly heartfelt and equally scary.  It’s a call to action from and regarding America’s workforce (which also happens to be filmed in our own backyard).  I’m so happy for Julia & Steve’s success with this film!

BELLE EPOQUE – This little French gem with Daniel Auteuil and Fanny Ardant has not yet found a distributor in the US, but its existential ETERNAL SUNSHINE vibe is so much fun…I hope it makes its way to the States soon.  Here’s a trailer:

THE BLONDE ONE – I love a good, slow-paced, foreign film that’s beautifully shot and fraught with honest sexual tension…especially when I can empathize on some level.  This film is a slow burn, and I love it.  (It played at The Dayton LGBT Film Festival.)

BOOKSMART – This generation’s CLUELESS is smart, fresh and so endearing…the best teen comedy in years!  I watched this film on a flight to Germany…and again on the flight back. Beanie is a treasure! (trailer is for mature audiences)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhd3lo_IWJc

CIRCUS OF BOOKS – This endearing doc about a straight Jewish couple who ran one of the most famous gay adult bookstores in the US while raising three children is poignant, personal and a great history lesson.  (This film screened as part of The Dayton LGBT Film Festival – there is no trailer yet.)


THE FAREWELL – This runaway hit is billed as a comedy, but it’s so much more.

JOJO RABBIT – My feelings about this film ebb and flow…today it happened to make the list. The child performances are extraordinary, and the production design is flawless.  This film has a lot to say about how our children are often taught to hate – and how easy it is to spread misinformation.

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO – This poetic film isn’t getting much year-end discussion, but I absolutely loved it – from the performances to the score to the cinematography.

LITTLE WOMEN – Thoughtful and exquisite! I complain about movie runtimes a lot.  (I wish MARRIAGE STORY and WAVES were both 15-20 minutes shorter.)  But this film seemed rushed at times…I think it would be stronger with a slightly slower pace and perhaps a runtime of 20 minutes more. Regardless, this is a gorgeous film with a beautiful structure.

PAIN & GLORY – Almodovar’s best film in over a decade…and that’s quite a feat (JULIETA and THE SKIN I LIVE IN are also quite strong from the last several years). This quiet film is full of rich performances, inventive storytelling and fantastic production design.

PARASITE – Must be seen.  This film changes genres on a dime and has so much to say about class.  Full of surprises and beautiful to look at – even when dark and disturbing.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE – This film will get a release in early 2020, and it is sublime.  I can’t wait to see it again.

ROCKS – This film has not yet been picked up for distribution.  It’s a gorgeous and heartbreaking story about a young girl trying to take care of her younger brother and herself after her mother has disappeared (again). There is sadly no trailer for this – just a clip.

THE TWO POPES – This film isn’t just a chamber piece – though simple moments between these two brilliant actors are certainly worth studying.

UNSETTLED – Winner of this year’s Audience Award at The Dayton LGBT Film Festival, this story about LGBT refugees in America is touching, timely, thought-provoking and powerful.

Don’t get me wrong.  There are many more solid films from this year.  There are movies with standout performances (like HARRIET) or incredible cinematography (like HONEYLAND) or great messages (like BIGGEST LITTLE FARM) or fascinating central subjects (like SOUND OF MY VOICE or PAVAROTTI) – but it’s the “Top 15” that really spoke to me in their entirety.  That said, these other films are certainly worth mentioning (also in alphabetical order): A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BOMBSHELL, CLEMENCY, DARK WATERS, GLORIA BELL, HONEY BOY, HOPE GAP, HOW TO BUILD A GIRL (here’s Beanie again!!),  THE KINGMAKER, MARRIAGE STORY (sometimes I want to switch this with JOJO RABBIT), STRAIGHT UP, VARDA BY AGNES, and WAVES.

For the sake of trivia, here are the top 3 highest grossing films of 2019 at THE NEON:

#1 – JOJO RABBIT.  #2 – DOWNTON ABBEY.  #3 – HARRIET.   (LITTLE WOMEN could possibly join the list, but it will be split between 2019 and 2020.)

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year.

See you at the movies,

Jonathan

Dayton Filmmakers Score with 2020 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations

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Film Independent

Spirit Awards

Nominees Announced

 Recognizing the best (and budget-friendliest) in independent cinema this year marks the awards’ 35th anniversary. First begun as a casual industry luncheon tucked into the dining room of a small West Hollywood eatery, the Spirit Awards have steadily ascended in prominence and prestige, growing to its current state—to a much nicer lunch inside a tent a few miles West, in Santa Monica.
Nominated:

Clemency – Best Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Female Lead

Bernadine Williams, a Death Row prison warden whose job has taken a psychological toll on her, must confront her demons when she has to execute another inmate.

Datyon Connection: Chinonye Chukwu- former FilmDayton Board Member , former Professor at Tom Hanks Motion Picture Center at WSU

Give Me Liberty- Best Male Lead, Best Supporting Female, Best Editing and the John Cassavettes Award- given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director and producer.

In this freewheeling comedy, medical transport driver Vic risks his job to shuttle a group of rowdy seniors and a Russian boxer to a funeral, dragging clients like Tracy, a young woman with ALS, along for the ride.

Datyon Connection: Karri O’Reilly Line Producer FilmDayton Advisor

American Factory – Best Documentary- Award given to the director and producer

End 2008, GM closes a plant in Ohio. A Chinese billionaire/Fuyao Glass buys the plant 2014 and invests in auto glass production. There are 2000 jobs there by late 2016. USA meets PRChina.

  • Director/Producers: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
  • Producers: Julia Parker Benello, Jeff Reichert
Datyon Connection: Steve was a FilmDayton Board Member and Steve & Julia are both FilmDayton members

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – now in its 25th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

América is a story of brothers confronting the chasm between adolescent yearning and adult realities when brought together to care for their ailing ninety-three year old grandmother.
AMÉRICA – Directors: Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside
Datyon Connection: WSU Filmmakers, former FilmDayton Members
For a complete list of nominees, click here
The 2020 Film Independent Spirit Award nominees were announced this morning, November 21, at The LINE LA in Los Angeles—presented by Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Joker) and Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black, Russian Doll) and recognizing yet another tremendous group of independent storytellers.
“At a time when the film business is undergoing such change and challenges, it’s important to loudly celebrate the work itself–the films!–and to recognize 2019 as a year of bold, audacious and accomplished filmmaking,” said President of Film Independent Josh Welsh. “That’s what the Spirit Awards are all about.”
Spirit Award winners are voted on exclusively by FilmIndependent Members. Join by Dec 5 to receive awards screeners and full Spirit Award Member benefits. The 2020 Film Independent Sprit Awards will be held Sat, February 8 on the beach in Santa Monica, broadcast live EXCLUSIVELY on IFC at 5:00 pm ET.
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How To See Yellow Springs Filmmakers American Factory Documentary

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American Factory, the documentary from Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions and Participant Media, will premiere on Netflix on August 21. The streaming service had acquired the pic from co-directors Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Documentary directing award.

This becomes the first title from the Higher Ground slate to land a spot on the service after the Obamas inked their multi-year agreement in May 2018 to produce films and series for Netflix.

The documentary focuses on post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring 2,000 blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

The filmmakers capture every key moment in this high-stakes intercultural chess game, revealing how American and Chinese workers view themselves within systems of authority.

For FREE General Admission tickets (while they last) to the Dayton Premiere of AMERICAN FACTORY, go to:

 

http://www.gofobo.com/AmericanFactoryGA

We recommend you “Sign up as Guest” – it’s a little faster.

You can choose to select 1 or 2 free tickets. You can print your passes (tickets) at home, or show up to the Will Call area at the Victoria and your name will be on the list.

The film will be screened at both  The NEON  and the Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs Aug 21-27. It will also begin streaming on Netflix on August 21st.

Netflix Acquiring Julia Reichert & Steve Bognar’s ‘American Factory’ Documentary

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Word is leaking out from Deadline.com that  Netflix is negotiating a deal to acquire the world rights to the documentary that premiered last Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah.

Directed by Yellow Springs residents Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, the documentary can be considered a follow up to their 2009 film The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, which followed the final days of the GM factory — the same space that now houses Fuyao. In 2009, that film received  an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary (Short Subject).

“American Factory” follows a Chinese billionaire opened a Fuyao factory in a shuttered General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio. For thousands of locals, the arrival of this multinational car-glass manufacturer meant regaining their jobs—and dignity—after the recession left them high and dry. American Factory takes us inside the facility to observe what happens when workers from profoundly different cultures collide.

At first, the culture clash is humorous. Transplanted Chinese workers attend trainings on dealing with their peculiarly casual and “chatty” American counterparts. But tensions mount. Slack safety standards and meager wages ignite serious doubts among the American rank and file. Low productivity and talk of unionization trigger a cascade of controls from Chinese management. Meanwhile, something ominous—the specter of job loss from automation—looms.

With precision and astonishing access, directors Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar capture every key moment in this high-stakes intercultural chess game, revealing how American and Chinese workers view themselves within systems of authority. What results is an epic masterwork about the future of American labor and Chinese economic dominance, all within the confines of a factory in Ohio.

The film was financed by Participant Media and is produced by Bognar, Reichert, Jeff Reichert and Julie Parker Benello. The co-producers are Mijie Li and Yiqian Zhang, with Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann the exec producers.

 

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Yellow Springs Filmmakers To Debut Latest Documentary At Sundance

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In 2009 Yellow Spring filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar made a film based on the closure of the Moraine Assembly plant, a General Motors automobile factory on December 23, 2008.  Reichert and Bognar spoke to several hundred of the nearly 3,000 workers at the plant who were to lose their jobs as a result of the closure. Lacking access to film inside the plant itself, the filmmakers supplied some of the workers with flip cameras to smuggle into the factory, allowing them to acquire footage of some of the final vehicles being assembled there. The film, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant was picked up by HBO and  was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 2009.

 

They just found out today their latest film, American Factory will debut this January at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition.  The category will showcase sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people and events that shape the present day.

 American Factory / U.S.A. (Directors: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, Producers: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert, Julie Parker Benello) — In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America. World Premiere

When Steve Bognar called to share the news of the films acceptance into the festival he shared that the film is not yet finished.  They submitted a rough cut for judging and crossed their fingers.  They now have a pretty great reason to get the film finished, but he says there is still a lot of work to be done.  And they’ll be taking some time out to go to California in December where Julia will be awarded the  International Documentary Association’s Career Achievement Award for 2018 in Los Angeles.

American Factory  was selected out of a record-breaking 14,259 submissions from 152 countries.  Bognar  said that the film was untitled until just two days ago.  American Factory refers to what the Chinese call this venture and also to the inside look the film has of the business.

2019 is already shaping up to be a pretty major year for the filmmaking team as , the Museum of Modern Art and the Wexner Center for the Arts will team up to present a traveling retrospective of Julia Reichert’s films later in the year.