Following the continuing success of its long-running Contenders events during Oscar and Emmy seasons, Deadline is making new additions to the franchise with Contenders Documentary, focusing on the year’s most noteworthy non-fiction films, and Contenders International, with its eye on a great lineup of foreign-language entries. Both of these events, designed to put the spotlight on worthy movies that don’t always get the attention they deserve, will be presented virtually due to the pandemic — as we did for the Emmys — in their inaugural year over the course of one weekend, with International taking place on Saturday, January 9, and Documentary on Sunday, January 10. Both will be starting their livestreams at 8 a.m. PT.
Fifteen studios, streamers and distributors will be participating in the kickoff for Contenders International, with an impressive and varied presentation involving clips and filmmaker/talent Q&As from a total of 23 films from around the world — 20 of them official entries into the Best International Film category at the 93rd Academy Awards. Among the high-profile names involved are Sophia Loren, Edoardo Ponti, Nina Hoss, Andrei Konchalovsky, Phillipee Lacote, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Vinterberg, Javier Camara, Fernando Trueba, Alexander Nanau and many more. Countries represented are Serbia, Greece, Colombia, Belarus, Switzerland, Chile, Hungary, Finland, Poland, Romania, France, Georgia, Russia, Ivory Coast, Italy, Mexico, Denmark, Slovakia, Indonesia, Guatamala and India.
Academy and guild members can register for Contenders International by clicking here.
Twelve studios, streamers and distributors will be participating the next day for Contenders Documentary, with a total of 22 movies including All In: The Fight For Democracy, Time, Boys State, The Dissident, The Way I See It, On The Record, I Am Greta, 76 Days, A Life Too Short, Rebuilding Paradise, Gunda, Notturno, The Painter and the Thief, Totally Under Control, Athlete A, Crip Camp, Dick Johnson Is Dead, The Social Dilemma, Belushi, Kingdom of Silence, My Psychedelic Love Story, The Human Factor, and The Truffle Hunters. Conversations will include such directors as Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortes, Garrett Bradley, Bryan Fogel, Dawn Porter, Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering, Hao Wu, Ron Howard, Gianfranco Rosi, Alex Gibney, Bonni Cohen, Joh Shenk, Kirsten Johnson, R.J. Cutler, Errol Morris and many more, several being past Oscar winners in the category.
Academy and guild members can register for Contenders Documentary by clicking here.
Deadline’s signature Contenders series has served as a one-stop shopping opportunity for key industry awards voters for many years. Expanding it to other aspects of the motion picture world seemed like a natural. As always, Deadline editors and reporters will be conducting the Q&As, beamed in from across the globe, for each event. Sponsors are Eyepetizer, Michter’s, Crop Organic Vodka and Seatopia.
Information will be forthcoming about the 2021 Contenders Film event, highlighting the top movie contenders for Oscars and other awards and taking place over two days on the weekend of January 23 and 24, but it promises to be our biggest ever with over 55 films to date. Stay tuned.
January is Contenders month at Deadline.