Six Supported Films at Verzió Film Festival!
We are thrilled to announce that six Chicken & Egg-supported films and one AlumNest film were included in this year’s lineup for the Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival! The festival took place between Wednesday, November 22 to Wednesday, November 29, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary.
Against the Tide
dir. & prod. Sarvnik Kaur
prods. Koval Bhatia, Quentin Laurent
Against the Tide is a 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee that had its Hungarian Premiere in the Anthropocene section.
Cine Guerrillas: Scenes From the Labudović Reels
dir. & prod. Mila Turajlić
prod. Carine Chichkowsky
Cine-Guerrillas: Scenes From the Labudović Reels was supported through Mila Turajlić’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award and had its Hungarian Premiere in the Viewfinder section.
Is There Anybody Out There?
dir. Ella Glendining
prod. Janine Marmot
2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Is There Anybody Out There? had its Hungarian Premiere in the Student Verzió section.
The Mind Game
dirs. & impact prods. Eefje Blankevoort, Els van Driel, Sajid “SK” Khan Nasiri
prod. Laura Verduijn
Project: Hatched 2023 participant The Mind Game had its Hungarian Premiere in the Student Verzió section.
The Golden Thread
dir. Nishtha Jain
prod. Irena Taskovski
The Golden Thread was supported through Nishtha Jain’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award that had its Hungarian Premiere in the Work/Dream/Work section.
Songs of Earth
dir. & prod. Margreth Olin
prod. Lena Faye-Lund Sandvik
Songs of Earth was supported through Margreth Olin’s 2022 Chicken & Egg Award and had its Hungarian Premiere in the Anthropocene section.
From the AlumNest
- We Will Not Fade Away
dir. Alisa Kovalenko
prods. Valery Kalmykov, Oleksiy Kobelev
Post written by Communications Intern Tess Caldwell
9 Chicken & Egg Supported Films at DOC NYC 2023!
We are thrilled to see nine Chicken & Egg supported films and 17 AlumNest films on the lineup for this years’ DOC NYC Festival! We also have six supported filmmakers and our very own Program Director Kiyoko McCrae participating in the DOC NYC PRO programming. The festival will take place between Wednesday, November 8, to Thursday, November 16. We hope to see you there!
Bad Press
dirs. Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler
prods. Conrad Beilharz, Garrett F. Baker, Tyler Graim
Bad Press is a participant of Project: Hatched 2023 having its NYC Premiere in the Winners Circle Section.
Get your tickets here.
Eat Bitter
dirs. Ningyi Sun, Pascale Appora-Gnekindy
prod. Mathieu Faure
Eat Bitter is a 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab finalist having its New York Premiere in the Investigations section.
Get your tickets here.
How To Have An American Baby
dir. & prod. Leslie Tai
prods. Jillian Schultz, Chocho Tang, Elivia Shaw, Yan Cong, Xinyi “Leila” Lin
How to Have an American Baby participated in the former 2017 Diversity Fellows Initiative and is having its New York Premiere in the Investigations section.
Get your tickets here.
Is There Anybody Out There?
dir. Ella Glendining
prod. Janine Marmot
Is There Anybody Out There? is a 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee and is having its NYC Premiere in the Fight The Power section.
Get your tickets here.
MnM
dir. Twiggy Pucci Garçon
prod. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney
MnM was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES (2022) series and is having its NYC Premiere in the “Shorts: Family Matters” program.
Get your tickets here.
Songs of Earth
dir. & prod. Margreth Olin
prod. Lena Faye-Lund Sandvik
Songs of Earth was supported through Margreth Olin’s 2022 Chicken & Egg Award and is participating in the Winners Circle section.
Get your tickets here.
Suddenly TV
dir. & prod. Roopa Gogineni
prods. Reem Haddad, Trevor Snapp, Fiona Lawson-Baker
Suddenly TV is a participant of Project: Hatched 2023, and is participating in the “Shorts: The People vs” program.
Get your tickets here.
The Eternal Memory
dir. & prod. Maite Alberdi
prod. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue
The Eternal Memory was supported through Maite Alberdi’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award and is participating in the Short List: Features section.
Get your tickets here.
Total Trust
dir. Jialing Zhang
prod. Knut Jäger
Total Trust is supported through Jialing Zhang’s 2021 Chicken & Egg Award and is having its US Premiere in the International Competition section.
Get your tickets here.
DOC NYC PRO
DOC NYC PRO FALL 2023 will take place from Thursday, November 9 through Thursday, November 16. The activities are comprised of several panels and pitches designed to empower filmmakers at different stages of their careers.
CINEMATOGRAPHY DAY
Saturday, November 11
DOCUMENTARY ETHICS AND THE LAW
Featuring Jess Devaney, director of Chicken & Egg-supported film Love the Sinner and producer of The Script, MnM, How to Carry Water, and It’s Only Life After All.
EDITING DAY
Sunday, November 12
CASE STUDY: GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT
Featuring 2016 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Michèle Stephenson
JOURNALISM AND DOCUMENTARY DAY
Monday, November 13
WHEN JOURNALISTS BECOME DOCUMENTARY VISIONARIES
Featuring Becca Landsberry-Baker, director and producer of Project: Hatched 2023 participant Bad Press.
CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION DAY
Thursday, November 16
HOPE
Featuring 2017 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Dawn Porter.
THE POWER OF EDUCATIONAL DISTRIBUTION
Featuring Chithra Jeyaram, director and producer of 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab participant Our Daughters (working title).
WHERE WILL YOUR FILM BE IN 20 YEARS?
Featuring our Board member Susan Margolin.
From the AlumNest
- Between Life & Death | New York Premiere
dir. Nick Capote
prod. Kimberley Ferdinando, Melissa Leardi, Amanda Spain
- Black Girls Play: The Story Of Hand Games
dirs. & prods. Michéle Stephenson, Joe Brewster
- Candace Parker: Unapologetic | World Premiere
dir. Joie Jacoby
prod. Carolyn Hepburn, Giselle Rodriguez, Julie Lilleby, Paige Bethmann
- Confessions of a Good Samaritan | NYC Premiere
dir. Penny Lane
prod. Gabriel Sedgwick
- Dalton’s Dream | North American Premiere
dirs. Kim Longinotto, Franky Murray Brown
prod. Lorine Plagnol
- Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
dirs. & prods. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster
- How We Get Free | NYC Premiere
dirs. Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles
prods. Kathleen Lingo, Sweta Vohra, Jess Devaney
- Obsessed With Light | North American Premiere
dirs. Sabine Krayenbühl, Zeva Oelbaum
prods. Zeva Oelbaum, Sabine Krayenbühl, Christian Popp, Susan Margolin
- The Cost of Inheritance | World Premiere
dir. Yoruba Richen
prods. Mehret Mandefro, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, Iris Samson
- The Dads
dir. & prod. Luchina Fisher
co-prods. Eric Miclette, Shan Shan Tam
- The Lady Bird Diaries
dir. Dawn Porter
prod. Kim Reynolds
- The Minister of Defense | World Premiere
dir. Ken Rodgers, Courtland Bragg
prods. Carolyn Hepburn, Courtland Bragg, Nick Mascolo, Ken Rodgers, Chip Swain, Kobi Theiler
- Time Bomb Y2K | NYC Premiere
dirs. Brian Becker, Marley McDonald
prods. Penny Lane, Brian Becker, Peter Nauffts, Shelby Fintak
- Unseen | NYC Premiere
dir. & prod. Set Hernandez
prods. Félix Endara, Day Al-Mohamed, Diane Quon, Dorian Gomez Pestaña, Josaen Ronquillo, Cheryl Green, Thomas Reid, Qudsiya Naqui, Conchita Hernandez
- We Are Fire (Draw For Change) | World Premiere
dir. Karen Vázquez Guadarrama
prods. Hanne Phlypo, Estelle Robin You, Marion Guth, François Le Gall, Heino Deckert, Femke Wolting, Bruno Felix, Julie Goldman
- Who I Am Not | New York Premiere
dir. Tunde Skovran
prods. Andrei Zinca, Danielle Turkov, Paul Cadieux, Patrick Hamm, Amy Shepherd, Edith Weil, Daniel Szandtner, Janos Kovacs
A Special Congratulations
- I Told You So
dirs. & prods. Malak AlSayyad, Amaan Stewartprods. Judith Helfand (Founder and Consultant), Loren Townsley
Meet Our Team at DOC NYC
Since the festival is on our home turf, we are excited for many of our team members to have opportunities to attend screenings and events for our filmmakers. We are also incredibly excited to announce that our very own Program Director, Kiyoko McCrae, was honored by the Documentary New Leaders program. Learn more about this honor here. Come say hi!
We are delighted to provide you with a discount code on tickets (capacity permitting) for our supported films.
Just enter the code at checkout: DOCNYC_PTNR_23
This code will unlock the following discounts:
Opening Night / Centerpiece / Closing Screenings: $25 (Regular price: $30)
Regular Screenings: $17 (Regular price: $20)
DOC NYC U, Short List, Weekday Matinees (M-F before 12pm): $11 (Regular Price: $13)
Online screenings: $13 (Regular Price: $10)
Post written by Communications Intern Tess Caldwell
DOC NYC Honors 6 Supported Filmmakers And Program Director Kiyoko McCrae
Chicken & Egg Pictures is proud to see six supported filmmakers and Program Director Kiyoko McCrae honored in DOC NYC’s initiatives that recognize the people and projects that are making an impact on the field of documentary: 40 Under 40 and Documentary New Leaders.
DOCUMENTARY NEW LEADERS
DOC NYC’s 2023 Documentary New Leaders program honors figures in the American documentary industry whose work to date and potential for leadership brings greater inclusion and equity to the field. We are deeply proud to see our Program Director Kiyoko McCrae receive this honor. Kiyoko works closely with the CEO and Program staff to strategize, plan, and oversee the implementation of all Chicken & Egg programs.
Kiyoko is among 14 honorees selected for their broad range of experiences, including roles in distribution, education, community engagement, funding, social impact, organizing, and journalism. On the list is also our former staff member and friend Jaad Asante.
Over the next year, the Documentary New Leaders will meet periodically to embark on discussions that address the issues most pivotal to their roles in the field.
40 UNDER 40
We are delighted to see six Chicken & Egg supported filmmakers selected in the 40 Under 40 list: Sierra Urich, Jillian Schlesinger, Joe Peeler, Jonna McKone, Rachael Dyer, and Jude Chehab. This initiative celebrates emerging talent in the documentary world, including directors, producers, cinematographers, and editors. Honorees will be celebrated at the 2023 DOC NYC festival on the festival’s website and social media channels, and feted in an exclusive cocktail reception.
Huge congratulations to the class of 2023!
2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Sierra Urich (Joonam):
Project: Hatched 2022 finalist Jillian Schlesinger (Hummingbirds):
Project: Hatched 2023 participant Joe Peeler (Bad Press):
Project: Hatched 2023 participant Rachael Dyer (PAY OR DIE):
Jonna McKone, producer of 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Our Daughters:
2020 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Jude Chehab (Q):
Congratulations to Jessica Kingdon on her two Tribeca Film Festival Awards!
The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival awards were announced last Thursday, June 17, and Chicken & Egg Pictures is proud to celebrate 2019 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Jessica Kingdon’s two Awards! Her film Ascension received the Award for Best Documentary Feature, and Jessica received the 2021 Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director. Congratulations Jessica!
Ascension
Dir. Jessica Kingdon
Prod. Kira Simon-Kennedy, Jessica Kingdon, Nathan Truesdell
Ascension examines the contemporary “Chinese Dream” through staggering observations of labor, consumerism and wealth. In cinematically exploring the aspiration that drives today’s People’s Republic of China, the film plunges into universal paradoxes of economic progress.
Post by 2021 Summer Communications Intern Mariana Sanson.
We’re Back to the Cinemas at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival!
The Tribeca Film Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a return to the cinemas in 2021. The festival runs from Wednesday, June 9 to Sunday, June 20 with programming that can be accessed in person and virtually.
At Chicken & Egg Pictures, we are looking forward to the shared experience of film, as New Yorkers head back to the movies again. Viewers within the US can access Tribeca’s virtual programming through $15 online stream tickets.
We are also thrilled to let you know that films slated to premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, but postponed due to COVID-19, will also screen at this year’s edition. Granted films featured in the festival include four (Egg)celerator Lab grantees from 2018 and 2019, one Project: Hatched grantee, one Chicken & Egg Award recipient film, three films from the AlumNest, and one VR project. Learn more about the films below, and get your tickets here.
Ascension, dir. Jessica Kingdon
Ascension examines the contemporary “Chinese Dream” through staggering observations of labor, consumerism and wealth. In cinematically exploring the aspiration that drives today’s People’s Republic of China, the film plunges into universal paradoxes of economic progress.
World Premiere │ Tribeca Documentary Competition │ 2019 (Egg)celerator Lab
Enemies of the State, dir. Sonia Kennebeck
An American family becomes entangled in a bizarre web of secrets and lies when their hacker son is targeted by the U.S. government, making them all Enemies of the State.
US Premiere │ 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab
Pray Away, dir. Kristine Stolakis
Former leaders of the “pray away the gay” movement contend with the aftermath unleashed by their actions, while a survivor seeks healing and acceptance from more than a decade of trauma.
World Premiere │ 2019 (Egg)celerator Lab
Through the Night, dir. Loira Limbal
To make ends meet, Americans are working longer hours across multiple jobs. This modern reality of nonstop work has resulted in an unexpected phenomenon: the flourishing of 24-hour daycare centers. Through the Night is a verité documentary that explores the personal cost of our modern economy through the stories of two working mothers and a child care provider, whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center in New Rochelle, NY.
New York Premiere │ 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab
Landfall, dir. Cecilia Aldarondo
Through shard-like glimpses of everyday life in post-Hurricane María Puerto Rico, Landfall examines a ruined world at the brink of transformation, spinning a cautionary tale for our times.
Project: Hatched 2020
Stateless, dir. Michèle Stephenson
Through the grassroots campaign of electoral hopeful Rosa Iris, director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary reveals the depths of racial hatred and institutionalized oppression that divide Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
2016 Chicken & Egg Award
Simple as Water, dir. Megan Mylan
A look at war and displacement through the lens of parenthood from Megan Mylan, Academy-Award winning director of Lost Boys of Sudan and Smile Pinki. This feature documentary unfolds as a sequence of cinematic short stories revolving around Syrian families living in Turkey, Greece, the US, Germany, and Syria. Each chapter is an intimate portrait of parents—often mothers alone—as they work to rebuild their children’s lost sense of security and possibility. It is a story that is both urgent and timeless.
World Premiere │ 2018 Grant
VR Experience
The Changing Same: Episode 1, dirs. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster & Yasmin Elayat
AlumNest Films
The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show, dir. Yoruba Richen (2016 Chicken & Egg Award recipient)
Selected for the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival
Women In Blue, dir. Deirdre Fishel (AlumNest for Care)
Selected for the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival
Untitled Dave Chappelle Documentary, dirs. Julia Reichert (2016 Chicken & Egg Award recipient) and Steve Bognar
Egg-citing news! This world premiere will be Tribeca’s closing night film.
See you at the cinema! Post by 2021 Summer Communications Intern Mariana Sanson.
A Half Dozen Nest-supported Films at Hot Docs This Year!
Hot Docs Film Festival, the largest doc festival in North America, is on now until May 9. Get your tickets here, and watch the following Chicken & Egg Pictures-supported films at the virtual festival:
- Apart, dir. Jennifer Redfearn | International Premiere
- Bangla Surf Girls, dir. Elizabeth D. Costa | World Premiere
- Between Fire and Water, dirs. Viviana Gómez Echeverry and Anton Wenzel | North American Premiere
- Through the Night, dir. Loira Limbal
- Writing with Fire, dirs. Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
- Users, dir. Natalia Almada
AlumNest films:
- In the Same Breath, dir. Nanfu Wang | International Premiere
- Until Further Notice, dir. Tiffany Hsiung
(Egg)celerator Lab granted films participating in the Hot Docs Forum:
- Against the Tide, dir. Sarvnik Kaur
- Black Mothers, dir. Débora Souza Silva
- The Last Nomads, dir. Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić
7 Supported Films to Stream at the Cleveland International Film Festival
There’s plenty to stream at the 2021 Cleveland International Film Festival, which runs virtually from Wednesday, April 7 to Tuesday, April 20 on their website.
Granted films featured in the online festival include four 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab grantees: A Cops and Robbers Story, Apart, Through the Night, and Writing With Fire, as well as three additional Nest-supported films. The (Egg)celerator Lab supports first- and second-time filmmakers who are working on a feature length documentary, with a special focus on underrepresented voices. Learn more about the films below, and get your tickets here. Online stream tickets are just $10!
Apart, dir. Jennifer Redfearn
The number of women in U.S. prisons has grown by 800% over the past 40 years. And the vast majority are mothers. In a Midwestern state caught between the opioid epidemic, drug sentencing, and rising incarceration for women, three unforgettable mothers—Tomika, Lydia, and Amanda— return home from prison and rebuild their lives after being separated from their children for years.
Apart participated in the 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab.
A Cops and Robbers Story, dir. Ilinca Calugareanu
Corey Pegues, one of the highest ranking black executives in the NYPD, reveals a few months after retirement that before joining the NYPD he worked the streets dealing crack cocaine for one of the most notorious drug gangs in the US, the Supreme Team. To many he is either a perp in cop costume or a criminal turned hero. But who is the real Corey Pegues?
A Cops and Robbers Story participated in the 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab.
The Dilemma of Desire, dir. Maria Finitzo
An exploration of “cliteracy,” and the clash between the gender politics and the imperatives of female sexual desire.
The Dilemma of Desire participated in Project: Hatched 2020.
Down A Dark Stairwell, dir. Ursula Liang
A nuanced look at how two communities of color navigate an uneven criminal justice system, anchored by one polarizing New York City case.
Landfall, dir. Cecilia Aldarondo
Through shard-like glimpses of everyday life in post-Hurricane María Puerto Rico, Landfall examines a ruined world at the brink of transformation, spinning a cautionary tale for our times.
Landfall participated in Project: Hatched 2020.
Through the Night, dir. Loira Limbal
To make ends meet, Americans are working longer hours across multiple jobs. This modern reality of nonstop work has resulted in an unexpected phenomenon: the flourishing of 24-hour daycare centers. Through the Night is a verité documentary that explores the personal cost of our modern economy through the stories of two working mothers and a child care provider, whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center in New Rochelle, NY.
Through the Night participated in the 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab. Director Loira Limbal is supported through the 2021 Chicken & Egg Award.
Writing with Fire, dirs. Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women. Armed with smartphones, Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, be it on the frontlines of India’s biggest issues or within the confines of their homes, redefining what it means to be powerful.
Writing With Fire participated in the 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab.
In the Same Breath, dir. Nanfu Wang is also screening at the festival. Chicken & Egg Pictures supported Nanfu’s previous film, as well as supported Nanfu through the 2018 Chicken & Egg Award.