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Thania Garcia Following CAA’s $750 million acquisition of ICM Partners last July, APA has been tactically making changes to its own leadership teams. The music industry’s rapid growth in touring has led the agency to readjust focus — upping fresh agents in top positions and encouraging seasoned execs with illustrious rosters to take up roles as mentors to lead their live entertainment division to new heights. “As APA grows, so do the needs of our clients,” says Becca Wilson, one of the six new promotees in APA’s touring division. “The entrepreneurial spirit at APA has fostered an environment that gives young talent the opportunity to blossom and further their careers. I can confidently say this is not a place where agents get lost in the shuffle,” Wilson tells Variety.

Naman Ramachandran U.K.-based MetFilm Sales has acquired worldwide sales rights, excluding the U.S., Germany and France, to Thomas von Steinaecker’s feature documentary “Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer” and is representing the project at Berlin’s European Film Market. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access into the legendary German film director’s everyday life, rare archive material and in-depth interviews with Herzog and his collaborators — including Christian Bale, Nicole Kidman and his wife Lena Herzog — the film provides a glimpse into his work process and his personal life.  The documentary is presented by Emmy-winning film studio Wavelength, produced by Spring Films and 3B-Produktion in association with Hot Docs Partners. It is produced by Andre Singer, Bernhard Von Hulsen and Maria Willer. Executive producers include Jenifer Westphal and Joe Plummer for Wavelength, Figs Jackman and Chris Smith for Spring Films and Vijay Vaidyanathan.

Best Documentary Feature front runners All That Breathes, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Fire of Love, and The Territory are safely through to the next round after the Academy’s Documentary Branch whittled the list of remaining contenders to a shortlist of 15 films.

Deadline on Wednesday launched its streaming site for Contenders Film: Documentary, the award-season showcase that took place Sunday with creatives from 20 of the year’s buzziest non-fiction movies.

EXCLUSIVE: After festival premieres in Telluride, AFI and New York, the Chris Smith-directed documentary Sr. just began its run on Netflix. What began as a docu about Robert Downey Sr, the ’60s counterculture director of avant garde films like Putney Swope and Greaser’s Palace, Sr. evolved into much more as the process stretched over three years due to the pandemic and the decline of the subject’s health. Robert Downey Jr., who spurned Smith’s offer to make a docu about his life and career, became more of a central figure onscreen, along with producing with wife and Team Downey partner Susan Downey. On full display is all the mad wit that informed Downey Sr’s films (Paul Thomas Anderson considered Downey Sr. a formative influence and put him in Boogie Nights and Magnolia). Sr. became something you don’t see often: candor from two generations of a film family that got chewed up but managed to come out the other side intact, bonding and healing before Downey Sr. succumbed to Parkinson’s in July 2021 at age 85. Here, his Jr. describes what the journey means to him.

It took a long, long time for Richard Branson to achieve his goal of blasting off into space, but it finally occurred last year after more than a billion dollars invested through his company Virgin Galactic. 

EXCLUSIVE: XTR, the non-fiction studio behind Apple’s They Call Me Magic and Oscar-nominated feature doc Ascension, has hired Shane Riley as Head of Sales and Distribution Strategy. 

EXCLUSIVE: Billy McFarland, the founder of the notorious Fyre Festival, is out of prison and starting his latest venture – returning to the Bahamas for a treasure hunt.

Clayton Davis The Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced its nominees where Sara Dosa’s lava-fueled love story “Fire of Love” led the field with seven nominations including best documentary feature and director. Co-distributed by National Geographic and Neon, the film’s Ryan White’s “Good Night Oppy,” the moving reflection on the Mars rovers, received a hearty six-nom tally including editing and score. “This year’s nominees prove that documentaries of all lengths and formats are advancing nonfiction media like never before,” said Christopher Campbell, Co-President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Mike Schank, guitarist, actor, friend and beloved subject of the 1999 documentary “American Movie,” died on Thursday morning, according to the Milwaukee Record. He was 56. The exceedingly gifted screamer was a highlight from the cult classic directed by Chris Smith. The film followed Wisconsin director Mark Borchardt as he attempted to film his fraught horror movie “Coven.” With a crew made up of friends and family members, just about every part of the production process fell apart, except for Schank, who was always there for his friend. Schank appeared as an extra, assistant, edit bay buddy and epic storyteller.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Guitarist, actor, friend and beloved subject from the 1999 documentary “American Movie” Mike Schank has died. According to the Milwaukee Record, Schank passed away early this morning, he was 56. The exceedingly gifted screamer was a highlight from the cult-loved documentary directed by Chris Smith. The film followed Wisconsin director Mark Borchardt as he attempted to film his fraught horror movie “Coven.” With a crew made up of friends and family members, just about every part of the production process fell apart, except for Schank who was always there for his friend. Schank appeared as an extra, assistant, edit bay buddy and epic storyteller.

Blot clots are clumps of blood that have formed into a gel-like state. While they are necessary to help prevent excessive bleeding when you get a cut, some that don't dissolve naturally can be dangerous. If they travel to organs such as the lungs or heart, for example, this is cause for serious concern.

died in July 2021 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. “We’re grateful to have Netflix partner with us on this highly personal project. They’re the ideal home for our unconventional, oft absurd, brutally in-depth homage,” producers Robert Downey Jr.

When September rolls around, it means one thing for many of the top filmmakers in the world – time to hit the road. Venice, Telluride and Toronto come in rapid succession, to the point of overlapping. But for documentary filmmakers eager to showcase their work, there’s another important stop to make in September: the Camden International Film Festival in mid-coast Maine.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Just how polished does a career-spanning documentary about the anarchic underground filmmaker behind “Greaser’s Palace” and “Putney Swope” need to be? If you’ve seen any of Robert Downey’s films, the answer is obviously: not very. You might even say, the scrappier the better. So goes the thinking behind “Sr.,” a loose seemingly seat-of-your-pants portrait of the antiestablishment director (perhaps best known for siring “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr.) that sneaks up on ya, emotionally speaking, seeing as how it doubles as a kind of farewell exercise between the two generations (plus grandson Exton) in the months before Downey succumbed to Parkinson’s Disease.

Addie Morfoot Contributor The Telluride Film Festival’s emphasis on documentary has not wavered in recent years. But the prominence of nonfiction fare at the 49th edition has arguably made this year’s Telluride the autumn Sundance, where some of the biggest buzz is for docs. The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.) The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.

ARMAGEDDON TIME (d. James Gray, U.S., 2022) BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS (d. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico-U.S., 2022) BOBI WINE, GHETTO PRESIDENT (d.

It’s one thing to have the moves like Jagger — it’s another to wow Mick Jagger so much he starts dancing in the studio. However, such pinch-me moments have become common for “Sugar” singer Francesco Yates, whose musical rise has also seen him make his mark with Drake, tour with Justin Timberlake, and get memorable advice from Sir Paul McCartney.

Addie Morfoot ContributorThe 18th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival, kicking off Sept. 15, will feature a handful of award-contending documentaries fresh off showings at Telluride and the Toronto film festivals.

EXCLUSIVE: WME has signed the Emmy-winning husband-and-wife filmmaking team of Bryan Storkel and Amy Bandlien Storkel, as well as their non-scripted production company, Sidestilt Films.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“She Said,” a drama about the sexual harassment investigation that took down Harvey Weinstein and sparked the #MeToo movement, will have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival.The Universal Pictures movie is screening as part of the festival’s spotlight section. Other movies that will be highlighted include Chinonye Chukwu’s historical drama “Till,” Elvis Mitchell’s documentary “Is That Black Enough for You?!?,” James Ivory and Giles Gardner’s non-fiction film “A Cooler Climate,” and Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s New York Dolls documentary “Personality Crisis: One Night Only.”Additional spotlight entries include “Bones and All,” directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet; Marco Bellocchio’s “Exterior Night,” a six-part series about the kidnapping and eventual murder of the Italy’s influential statesman and former prime minister Aldo Moro; director Lars von Trier’s “The Kingdom Exodus,” a third season of his television series The Kingdom; Chris Smith’s “Sr.”, a look at the life and career of Robert Downey Jr.’s late father, Robert Downey, Sr.; “The Super 8 Years,” a story about writer-director Annie Ernaux’s family’s memory; and Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” a screen adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel about women from a remote religious community dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault.

EXCLUSIVE: Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to the 2022 SXSW award winner The Pez Outlaw, from directors Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel, with plans for a day-and-date release on October 21.

EXCLUSIVE: Katie Kolben has joined APA as an agent in the Alternative and Factual Programming department. She will be based in APA’s New York office and will report to Kyle Loftus, Head of Content Development and Hayden Meyer head of Alternative and Factual Programming.

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Smith, a 21-year ICM veteran, including the last 10 as a partner, has joined APA as SVP, Global Concerts & Talent.

Love Island newcomer Jack Keating has revealed his incredible body transformation thanks to the help of a personal trainer prior to entering the villa. The 23 year old star, who happens to be the son of pop sensation Ronan Keating, showed off the fruits of his labour as he entered Casa Amor last week.

Almost nine months to the day after the surprise Deadline scoop that CAA was acquiring ICM Partners, the deal is finally going through after getting government approval to create a mega agency in the biggest linkup in the space since the WMA-Endeavor merger. Sources close to the situation said the Department of Justice finally approved the deal late last night or this morning, and it closed. It is valued around $750 million, and the combined value of assets is around $5 billion.

“The Black Phone” take full advantage of the movie’s basic setup: a suburban teen gets abducted and then struggles to escape his captor’s sound-proof basement. That scenario, co-adapted from a Joe Hill (“NOS4A2”) short story by director Scott Derrickson (“Doctor Strange”) and co-writer C.

Naman Ramachandran White Horse Pictures, the production company behind recent documentaries about the Beatles, Lucille Ball and the Bee Gees, is producing another look at a legendary entertainer: Gene Wilder. Library Films’ Chris Smith, the filmmaker behind projects such as “Bad Vegan” and “100 Foot Wave,” is directing the documentary about the star of “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and “Young Frankenstein,” which will be told through the perspective of Jordan Walker-Pearlman, the late actor’s nephew and a filmmaker in his own right.The documentary is produced in association with Sobey Road Entertainment and Harlem Hollywood.