About to see Clooney, Gosling, Tomei, etc in “The Ides of March.” #TIFF (Taken with Instagram at Sony Pictures Studios)

About to see Clooney, Gosling, Tomei, etc in “The Ides of March.” #TIFF (Taken with Instagram at Sony Pictures Studios)

Working for AMC today high above Hollywood.

Working for AMC today high above Hollywood.

All this week leading up to the Academy Awards I’ll be interviewing Oscar nominees during the 8PM movie on AMC. This video is a short preview of one of the interviews. I asked Restrepo directors Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington what other documentarians can learn from their deployment in Afghanistan.

I’m a news nerd. I love the news. Newspapers, blogs, tweets, tablets, whatever. Always have. So it’s fitting my favorite documentary at Sundance this year was Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times. See the film if you want a great idea of what the reporters on the Times media desk do and deal with on a daily basis.

Play the video above for my AMC News interview with Times columnist David Carr (who stars in the film) and the film’s director, Andrew Rossi.

At the Sundance Film Festival I caught up with director Morgan Spurlock (my fellow executive producer on the AMC original documentary Committed) at the premiere of his new film, Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.

For more of my Sundance coverage, read my roundup post of the films I covered and be sure to tune into AMC’s Sundance Film Festival 2011 weekend, where my interviews with actors and filmmakers will air during movies on AMC all day, all weekend long, on Sat., Jan. 29, and Sun., Jan. 30..

The Sundance Film Festival starts today in Park City, Utah. I’m here covering the festival for AMC. Click here for my preview post.

The Sundance Film Festival starts today in Park City, Utah. I’m here covering the festival for AMC. Click here for my preview post.

Next week tune into AMC to get an idea of what it’s like to be a filmmaker at one of the world’s top film festivals as Morgan Spurlock and I bring you the documentary Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival. It airs Tuesday night 10/12 at 11PM ET on AMC. Below is the press release from AMC with more details. AMC Premieres Oscar® and Emmy® Nominated Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s Original Documentary “Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival” on October 12 at 11PM/ET NARRATED AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY AMC NEWS CORRESPONDENT JACOB SOBOROFF, ONE-HOUR SPECIAL FOLLOWS FOUR FILMMAKERS AS THEY DEBUT THEIR FILMS AT THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2010 New York, NY – October 8, 2010   AMC will premiere a new one-hour documentary special, Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival, executive produced by Oscar® and Emmy® Nominated filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock.   Narrated by AMC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff and commissioned by AMC, the show highlights the personal journeys of four filmmakers at the world renowned Toronto International Film Festival this past September.  The documentary special will air on October 12, 2010 at 11 PM/ET.   Committed follows four filmmakers who spent 12 days at this prestigious event presenting their works to the most discerning critics, buyers and audiences from across the globe. Each filmmaker hopes that his/her film will be the next big thing.  From first time filmmakers to an Oscar® nominated auteur to an indie director trying to make the leap to commercial success, this eye opening documentary brings you front and center in the middle of the excitement, the anxiety and the joys of being committed to getting your film seen, sold and accepted.     Committed takes you through their ride of a lifetime from their first day at the festival to their last, through the negotiations that may lead to selling their film, as well as the potential devastations and unpredictable glory that may or may not come their way. “I have been wanting to make this show ever since I first attended Sundance with Super Size Me,” says Spurlock. ”It’s such an overwhelming experience for a filmmaker and to get to see the festival experience from their points of view is truly enlightening.” “Selling or premiering a film at a festival is a gut wrenching experience. Morgan and Jacob have done an incredible job of capturing what really goes on leading up to, during, and after this experience,” said Joel Stillerman, Senior Vice President for Original Programming, Production and Digital Content, AMC.  “They got four incredibly diverse film makers to open up their lives and let us in, and the result is really compelling.” “I have covered the Toronto Film Festival three years in a row for AMC News and come face-to-face with scores of filmmakers,” says Soboroff. “As an outsider, it is nearly impossible to understand the full and raw backstory of what committed directors go through as they work to get their films to the next level; this documentary does just that.”   The filmmakers featured in Committed include:  first time docu filmmaker Sarah McCarthy (The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical);  newbie fiction director Shawn Ku (Beautiful Boy); renowned Oscar® nominated John Sayles (Amigo); and indie veteran George Hickenlooper (Casino Jack).  Cameras follow them from press interviews to their world premieres to their private time contemplating their future to meetings with sales reps, buyers, publicists, producers and programmers all adding to the frenzy and excitement of selling their film at TIFF, or not.   Presented by AMC News and Lincoln, Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival is directed by Morgan Spurlock.  The documentary is executive produced by Morgan Spurlock, Jeremy Chilnick and Jacob Soboroff. Warrior Poets serves as the production company.   About AMC AMC reigns as the only cable network in history to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series three years in a row, as well as the Golden Globe® Award for Best Television Series - Drama for three consecutive years.  Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories.  AMC’s original stories include the Emmy® Award-winning dramas Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and entertaining non-scripted programming such as AMC News.  AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with curated movie franchises like AMC Hollywood Icon and AMC Complete Collection.  Available in more than 96 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and Wedding Central.  AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.  AMC: Story Matters HereSM. Photo of Morgan and me by Jeff Vespa for WireImage.

Next week tune into AMC to get an idea of what it’s like to be a filmmaker at one of the world’s top film festivals as Morgan Spurlock and I bring you the documentary Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival. It airs Tuesday night 10/12 at 11PM ET on AMC. Below is the press release from AMC with more details.

AMC Premieres Oscar® and Emmy® Nominated Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s Original Documentary “Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival” on October 12 at 11PM/ET

NARRATED AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY AMC NEWS CORRESPONDENT JACOB SOBOROFF, ONE-HOUR SPECIAL FOLLOWS FOUR FILMMAKERS AS THEY DEBUT THEIR FILMS AT THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2010

New York, NY – October 8, 2010   AMC will premiere a new one-hour documentary special, Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival, executive produced by Oscar® and Emmy® Nominated filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock.   Narrated by AMC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff and commissioned by AMC, the show highlights the personal journeys of four filmmakers at the world renowned Toronto International Film Festival this past September.  The documentary special will air on October 12, 2010 at 11 PM/ET.  

Committed follows four filmmakers who spent 12 days at this prestigious event presenting their works to the most discerning critics, buyers and audiences from across the globe. Each filmmaker hopes that his/her film will be the next big thing.  From first time filmmakers to an Oscar® nominated auteur to an indie director trying to make the leap to commercial success, this eye opening documentary brings you front and center in the middle of the excitement, the anxiety and the joys of being committed to getting your film seen, sold and accepted.    

Committed takes you through their ride of a lifetime from their first day at the festival to their last, through the negotiations that may lead to selling their film, as well as the potential devastations and unpredictable glory that may or may not come their way.

“I have been wanting to make this show ever since I first attended Sundance with Super Size Me,” says Spurlock. ”It’s such an overwhelming experience for a filmmaker and to get to see the festival experience from their points of view is truly enlightening.”

“Selling or premiering a film at a festival is a gut wrenching experience. Morgan and Jacob have done an incredible job of capturing what really goes on leading up to, during, and after this experience,” said Joel Stillerman, Senior Vice President for Original Programming, Production and Digital Content, AMC.  “They got four incredibly diverse film makers to open up their lives and let us in, and the result is really compelling.”

“I have covered the Toronto Film Festival three years in a row for AMC News and come face-to-face with scores of filmmakers,” says Soboroff. “As an outsider, it is nearly impossible to understand the full and raw backstory of what committed directors go through as they work to get their films to the next level; this documentary does just that.”  

The filmmakers featured in Committed include:  first time docu filmmaker Sarah McCarthy (The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical);  newbie fiction director Shawn Ku (Beautiful Boy); renowned Oscar® nominated John Sayles (Amigo); and indie veteran George Hickenlooper (Casino Jack).  Cameras follow them from press interviews to their world premieres to their private time contemplating their future to meetings with sales reps, buyers, publicists, producers and programmers all adding to the frenzy and excitement of selling their film at TIFF, or not.  

Presented by AMC News and Lincoln, Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival is directed by Morgan Spurlock.  The documentary is executive produced by Morgan Spurlock, Jeremy Chilnick and Jacob Soboroff. Warrior Poets serves as the production company.  

About AMC

AMC reigns as the only cable network in history to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series three years in a row, as well as the Golden Globe® Award for Best Television Series - Drama for three consecutive years.  Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories.  AMC’s original stories include the Emmy® Award-winning dramas Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and entertaining non-scripted programming such as AMC News.  AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with curated movie franchises like AMC Hollywood Icon and AMC Complete Collection.  Available in more than 96 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and Wedding Central.  AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.  AMC: Story Matters HereSM.

Photo of Morgan and me by Jeff Vespa for WireImage.

From inside the photo booth at the AMC Emmys after-party last weekend.

Greetings from the AMC Emmy party. Nicole and I are celebrating the Mad Men and Breaking Bad wins tonight. I’m always down to ride Don Draper’s coattails.

Greetings from the AMC Emmy party. Nicole and I are celebrating the Mad Men and Breaking Bad wins tonight. I’m always down to ride Don Draper’s coattails.