Pennebaker Hegedus Films

THE FEELING OF BEING THERE: a filmmaker's memoir

2012-01-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

"I made my first film, aged 14, in 1935 and I have been at it ever since, striving to give my viewers a sense of 'being there.'

"There have been years of frustration on one level and the joys of achievement on another.

"Writing about film has much in common with writing about wine: you can't taste the wine by reading. Well, I think you have a similar problem when you write about films: you can't see the movies on the printed page. So it occurred to me that if I embed excerpts, and often entire films, within the book, then you, the reader, could actually experience what I am talking about." (excerpt from Introduction)

The Feeling of Being There is a riveting autobiographical epic spanning almost the entire history of cinema as seen through the eyes of one of its leading players.

From Canary Bananas, his first movie in 1935, to a musical production in post Soviet Siberia, Richard Leacock's memoir follows history through the eyes of a man who was present at so many key moments of the 20th century, among them, the battle for Burma, the Japanese surrender at Nanking, John F. Kennedy's primary campaign, the Kenyan leap towards independence, and the enrollment of the first African American students at the University of Alabama.

The Feeling of Being There will be both a bound paper book and a Digital Video Book (or DVB) viewable on computer. In the limited special edition, or "Collector's box," the numbered and signed hardcover book comes with an embedded video player containing close to 100 film clips which intertwine richly with the gripping storyline.

Leacock has worked in documentary since its inception. This book, with its many original photos and films, is a cornerstone in the legacy of cinema.

Order the memoir via PayPal or through Amazon.com

CURRENT TV PLACES "THE WAR ROOM" AT #6 ON ITS LIST OF "50 DOCUMENTARIES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE""

2011-08-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

For the past month of August, Current TV has been airing a brand-new series "exploring the most powerful, memorable and moving documentary feature films to have hit our cinema screens in recent years," covering documentary films that have been released between 1988 and 2010.

Tonight, they'll be broadcasting segments on their top ten selections, including The War Room, which was ranked at #6.

Congratulations to all and stay tuned for more exciting news on The War Room!

JACQUY PFEIFFER, DESSERT PROFESSIONAL'S NEWEST HALL OF FAME HONOREE

2011-06-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Dessert Professional magazine, the nation's leading publication of the pastry, ice cream and chocolate industries, named the top toques of tuile, cocoa and sugar at a ceremony on Monday, June 6 at The Institute for Culinary Education in New York, and Jacquy Pfeiffer was this year's Hall Of Fame honoree. Congratulations, Jacquy!

SILVERDOCS TO HONOR CHRIS HEGEDUS AND D A PENNEBAKER

2011-05-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

The AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival will honor the work of Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker at this year’s Charles Guggenheim Symposium, to be held on June 23.

The Symposium, named after four-time Oscar winner Charles Guggenheim, honors filmmakers who are masters of the documentary form.

“With a collective body of work spanning over fifty years, Hegedus and Pennebaker have influenced a generation of filmmakers in direct cinema. Whether it be Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign, the three-day 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, an intimate portrait of Bob Dylan or a behind-the-scenes view of dot com mania, they have captured some of the most important subjects and iconic figures of our time,” said Silverdocs festival director Sky Sitney. “We are thrilled to recognize their vast contribution to cinema in the documentary form.”

Following a screening of excerpts from their work, Hegedus and Pennebaker will be joined by special guests to discuss their filmmaking efforts thus far.

Past Guggenheim honourees include Barbara Kopple, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Spike Lee, Albert Maysles and Frederick Wiseman.

Advance tickets are available from the festival's website.

"DONT LOOK BACK" NOW PLAYING AT FILM FORUM - HELD OVER BY POPULAR DEMAND!

2011-05-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 18 – Thursday, June 2

Showtimes: 1:00, 4:45, 8:30

D A Pennebaker in person on

Tuesday, May 31 at the 8:30 show!

Read A.O. Scott's review in The New York Times:

"Dont Look Back [sic] is so perfect and prescient that Todd Haynes, in some parts of I’m Not There, had only to restage some of what Mr. Pennebaker had captured. Watching the original now, in the wake of I’m Not There, you may be astonished at Bob Dylan’s uncanny ability to impersonate Cate Blanchett.

"Like A Hard Day’s Night — or, for that matter, Jean-Luc Godard’s contemporaneous films — Dont Look Back retains a startling hold on the present tense."

Advance tickets may be purchased online

D A PENNEBAKER'S "DONT LOOK BACK" - NOW AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY

2011-04-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

D A Pennebaker's classic film, Dont Look Back, is now available in a new high-definition transfer on Blu-Ray with lossless DTS-HD audio.

"The image is reasonably well defined and in the outdoor and brightly lit sequences, it looks rather good, considering its 16mm source elements and its age...Much better is the excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix. What's great about this lossless track is its excellent fidelity in reproducing some wonderful early Dylan performances. There's a rather surprising lack of hiss and tinniness in any of these performances...Dylan's guitar rings out loud and clear and his voice also sounds clear and well defined...it's a really well done lossless reproduction of a vintage track that is most likely going to delight most Dylan fans...4 1/2 out of 5 stars." - Jeffrey Kauffman, Blu-Ray.com

Dont Look Back has "gotten better as a home-video experience, compliments of its new high-def format...4 out of 4 stars." - Mike Scott, The Times-Picayune

"Dont Look Back is beautiful because of its unpolished feel. Blu-ray is exceptionally good at making film look like film, and it definitely does here...The 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio is just as raw, immediate, and impressive." - DVD Verdict

"Seminal. Not only cemented the musician's status as an icon of sixties cool; it's also a crash course in the breathtaking immediacy of vérité filmmaking." – New York magazine

"If the art of being cool could be learned from a film, then the only one you'd ever need to study would be Dont Look Back." – Angela Ashman, The Village Voice

“Evokes the 60s like few other documents; Dylan’s relentless heaping of scorn on the mainstream press, before the coercive tentacles of ‘creative management’ made such things virtually impossible, is especially telling... Memorable for its goofy, syncopated opening sequence alone.” – Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

"An unforgettable all-access pass behind the scenes of Bob Dylan's '65 British tour, D.A. Pennebaker's landmark 1967 rock doc all but invented the form while presaging the music video… The concert footage of the young Dylan in his punky prime is electrifying, but the most fun comes from the privileged glimpses of his sadistic wit." - Jim Ridley, The Village Voice

Now available from Amazon.com

RICHARD LEACOCK 1921 - 2011

2011-04-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Read Brian Winston's tribute at Visible Evidence.

More tributes can be found at MUBI.

"KINGS OF PASTRY" IS COMING TO DVD!

2011-02-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

Available now - order it today!

Long before "The Social Network," there was "Startup.com"...

2011-02-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

Startup.com follows the adventures of two friends as they create an award winning website that facilitates interaction between local government, citizens and businesses.

They wrestle with growing pains, tackle technical difficulties and charter the unpredictable venture capital waters, but none of these challenges prepare these young entrepreneurs for their own conflict over the management of their company, a conflict that will not only endanger their careers but irrevocably endanger their friendship. Sound familiar?

"Remarkable...Startup.com may be to our time what Wall Street was to the ‘80s. Grade A"
- Entertainment Weekly

"As an inside view of the bursting of the internet bubble, Startup.com is definitive."
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"One of the most involving pieces of eavesdropping you're likely to experience."
- The New York Times

Buy the DVD from Amazon or rent it from Amazon Video on Demand or the iTunes Store.

CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR AL

2008-12-31T07:18:00.000-08:00

As we prepare to welcome in 2009, our thoughts and wishes go out to our good friend AL FRANKEN, who has pulled ahead of Norm Coleman in the vote recount for the Minnesota Senate seat. We're with you, Al!

Click HERE to find out more.

See you all in 2009!

IN THE SPIRIT

2008-12-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays, everyone!

'THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM' IS EVERYWHERE

2008-10-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

SCREENING @ THE 92ND STREET Y - TRIBECA (NY, NY)
The Return of The War Room will be screening at the 92nd Street Y - Tribeca on Fri, Oct 24, 2008, at 7:30pm. Click HERE to purchase tickets, for more information about the screening, or to learn about the 92nd Street Y's new downtown location.

SCREENING @ THE SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST (SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND)
The Return of The War Room will have TWO screenings at the Sheffield Film Fest in "England's Greenest City" in November. The screenings will be held on Nov. 7 at 7:50PM, and Nov. 9 at 3:50PM.

Go HERE to find out about ticket purchasing options.

Go HERE to read more about the screenings.

Filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker will also be on hand to give a Masterclass, hosted by Nick Fraser, on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1:45PM. Read more about that HERE.

EXCLUSIVE SUNDANCE CHANNEL WEBISODES
Can't get enough of James, George, Paul, or Dee Dee? Then you've gotta check out Sundance Channel's EXCLUSIVE The Return of The War Room Webisodes! There are 5 in all. Check 'em out HERE.

And, lastly, if you can't make it to the 92nd Street Y or Sheffield Doc/Fest screenings, you can still catch The Return of The War Room on The Sundance Channel. Check out their website for some exclusive Return of the War Room Webisodes, too (link above).

Go HERE to see when The Return of The War Room will air next and have Sundance email you a reminder so you don't miss the film.

'THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM' @ THE HAMPTONS FILM FEST

2008-10-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

Tickets are on sale now for The Return of The War Room at the 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival in East Hampton, NY. The movie will have two screenings:

Fri, Oct 17th 8:30pm
United Artists Cinema 5

Sat, Oct 18th 7:00pm
United Artists Cinema 5

Click here to purchase tickets.

'THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM' PREMIERE TONIGHT

2008-10-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Pennebaker Hegedus Films' and McEttinger Films' newest release, The RETURN of THE WAR ROOM, premieres TONIGHT at the PALEY CENTER for MEDIA, at 7pm. Click here for directions, tickets, and more info.

Hope to see you there!

The RETURN of THE WAR ROOM will also be airing on the Sundance Channel on Monday, October 13th, at 9PM EST.

16 years after making THE WAR ROOM, Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker's 1992 Oscar-nominated documentary following Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign, the filmmakers reunite with James Carville, George Stephanopoulos, Mary Matalin, Paul Begala, Bob Boorstin, Dee Dee Myers, and others to reflect on the changes in American politics and political campaigns over the last 16 years, and to look back on the election that launched them all into the national political spotlight. The RETURN of THE WAR ROOM is a highly entertaining and in-depth look at the evolution of American politics, including commentary and insight on the current presidential campaigns.

TWO NEW FILMS

2008-10-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Last week, Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker presented their new film, THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM to students at Flashpoint Academy in Chicago. 16 years after they made THE WAR ROOM, Hegedus and Pennebaker's 1992 Oscar-nominated documentary following Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign, the filmmakers reunited with James Carville, George Stephanopoulos, Mary Matalin, Paul Begala, Bob Boorstin, Dee Dee Myers, and others to reflect on the changes in American politics and political campaigns over the last 16 years.

Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker presenting THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM

THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM will premiere on Sundance Channel on October 13th at 9PM, followed by THE WAR ROOM.

Read more about THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM here and here.

Pennebaker and Hegedus also premiered the trailer for their other new film, THE COLLAR. THE COLLAR follows some of France’s best pastry chefs as they prepare for the oldest and most prestigious pastry competition in France, the “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” (Best Pastry Chefs in France). Pennebaker and Hegedus were the first people to ever be allowed to film the intense three-day competition, held only once every four years and resulting in a medal ceremony presented by the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. Hegedus and Pennebaker followed French-born pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer of the French Pastry School in Chicago as he returned to France to train and compete for the MOF.

Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer building a sugar sculpture.

The completed sculpture.

DEPECHE MODE: 101 20TH ANNIVERSARY

2008-06-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that today marks the 20th anniversary of Depeche Mode's concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. That show was the culmination of not one, but two wild bus tour across America - one convoy with the band, and one with a group of teenagers who'd won a dance contest to see their favorite band play their final show on the US tour. It was an amazing journey for everyone, and one of the greatest music experiences we've ever had both as fans and as filmmakers.

Watch some concert footage from the June 18, 1988 Pasadena show:

CONGRATULATIONS, AL FRANKEN

2008-06-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

We would like to extend our congratulations to Al Franken on receiving the Democratic Party's endorsement. Franken is now the Democratic nominee for the US Senate race in Minnesota.

Click HERE to see an interview with Franken from NPR/Twin Cities Public Television.

NPR also has a cool, interactive map HERE that covers all of the 2008 US Elections. See how your candidate's doing in every state.

And, of course, check out the official AL FRANKEN FOR SENATE website.

REMEMBERING BO DIDDLEY

2008-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

Like all of you, we were very sad to receive news of Bo Diddley's passing on Monday. Bo continually took the concept of being a "self-made man" one step further - as the New York Times put it, he "invented his own name, his own guitars, his own beat and, with a handful of other musical pioneers, rock ’n’ roll itself."

In 1969, D A Pennebaker went to Toronto to film the Sweet Toronto Peace Festival, which featured the 'fearsome four' of rock'n'roll: Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard - and a surprise performance by John Lennon's brand-new Plastic Ono Band. The resulting film became known as Sweet Toronto (Keep On Rockin'). Bo's electrified performance at the start of the film, getting the crowd moving and shaking. Getting them rocking. To us, that's what Bo was all about: spreading the pure joy of rock'n'roll.

Go here to read the full NY Times obituary for Bo Diddley.

1PM and 2 AMERICAN AUDIENCES @ HARVARD

2008-05-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

1 PM

If you're in the Boston area this week, the Harvard Film Archive will screen two films made by D A Pennebaker, Richard Leacock, and Jean-Luc Godard: 1 PM and 2 AMERICAN AUDIENCES. These rare films capture a unique view of New York in 1968, a highly politicized time. We hope you'll take advantage of this great opportunity to see them at the Harvard Film Archive's new series, "Godard, Gorin, Garrel and the Grin Without a Cat."

MORE INFO, TICKETS, AND DIRECTIONS FOR: "Godard, Gorin, Garrel and the Grin Without a Cat."

PRESS RELEASE

2008-05-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2008
We would like to respond to some erroneous statements made today about our film, THE WAR ROOM. These statements alleged certain remarks to Mickey Kantor that simply are not true. The transcript of the scene in question confirms this.
-Chris Hegedus & D A Pennebaker

"THE WAR ROOM" TRANSCRIPT:

GEORGE AND CARVILLE
Indiana, we're ahead.

JACQUELINE
Indiana!

GEORGE
Kentucky.

CARVILLE
Kentucky is five. Michigan is eleven, New York's done.

GEORGE
Holy shit, we're pulling away in Ohio.

CARVILLE
Oklahoma we're up.

GEORGE
Tied in Texas.

CARVILLE
Tied in Texas. It looks good. Now let's just say that. I like the text here.

GEORGE
Can you beep Wendy please? Looks pretty good. Looks pretty good.

MICKEY
Look at Indiana. Wait, wait. Look at Indiana. Forty-two, forty. It doesn't matter if we win. Those people are shitting (oh, excuse me) in the White House. How would you like to be... Look at Texas, go down to Texas.

CARVILLE
Even.

MICKEY
Yeah. Thirty-nine, thirty-nine.

CARVILLE
Perot's kind of holding, isn't he?

GEORGE
He held.

MICKEY
Yeah, he held. His numbers held. I'm sort of surprised, frankly.

FOND FAREWELLS & HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS

2008-04-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

We're very sad to announce the passing of our close friend and collaborator, Nina Schulman, last week to metastatic breast cancer. An Emmy-award winning film editor, Nina was our editor on MONTEREY POP. Here is her obituary in the New York Times.

___________________________________________________

Norman Mailer

On April 9th, we joined celebrities, close friends, family members and fans for a tribute to Norman Mailer's life and work. The memorial was held at Carnegie Hall and it was a beautiful and moving celebration of one of America's liveliest, most intelligent, and fascinating personalities. Norman was a great friend and a rare talent. You can read more about the touching tribute here.

__________________________________________________

Bob Dylan

In happier news, we'd like to congratulate Bob Dylan on winning a Pulitzer! Dylan received a Special Citation for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." He is the first rock'n'roll musician to be honored with a Pulitzer. For more information on this award, please visit thePulitzer Board or Forbes Magazine.

______________________________________________

Richard Leacock

And last but certainly not least, our longtime friend, collaborator and partner Richard Leacock will be honored at the 2008 Hot Docs Festival. Hot Docs will be honoring Leacock with an Outstanding Achievement Award Retrospective. The Festival, now in its 15th year, is held in Toronto and is North America's largest documentary film festival. For more info on the 2008 festival, an online schedule, and online ticket sales, please visit the official 2008 Hot Docs Festival website.

MOF

2008-03-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Flora Lazar, Chris Hegedus & D A Pennebaker in front of the Palais de l'Elysee

In January, Chris Hegedus, D A Pennebaker and Flora Lazar filmed French President Nicolas Sarkozy present the awards for the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, a competition held every four years to determine the best chefs in France. Last fall the trio followed various chefs as they trained and competed for the MOF. The film is currently in post-production. Check back for more information on the MOF film over the next few months.

In the meantime, you can learn more about the MOF Competition and MOF chef Sebastien Cannone, who is featured in the new film, by listening to this Chicago Public Radio podcast.

NORMAN MAILER: AT FIRST LIGHT

2007-11-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

Norman Mailer, 1923-2007

The first time I met Norman Mailer - really met and talked with him - was in the mid-60s in a bar just across from the Theater de Lys, where a dramatized version of his DEER PARK was in rehearsals. With him at the bar were two fierce-looking fellows; one had a familiar sort of face, and the other looked like a bodyguard. The three of them were inventing or rehearsing some kind of a dramatic exchange which I thought might be part of Norman's book-turned-play. But, having read the book, I quickly realized it was not that. The three were yelling and threatening one another like hoodlums in a street brawl, with only myself and a deserted morning bar for an audience.

I had gotten a call to meet Mailer here, but had not been told why. My partner, Ricky Leacock, had been a classmate of Norman's at Harvard and we'd run into Mailer at film showings but I don't think I'd ever been introduced before. Why Norman would call me was a mystery; I didn't think he even knew my name. And the fracas taking place at the bar before me was even more of a mystery. Was he casting something?

Suddenly, Mailer stopped shouting and turned to look at me. I waited for him to speak, since I was a little confused and not exactly sure what I was doing here.

"You're Pennebaker," Mailer said in a completely matter-of-fact voice.

"Yes."

He introduced me to his two companions, Mickey Knox (an actor) and Buzz Farber, who was almost always at Mailer's side.

Then Norman asked if I wanted a drink. It was still early, but I said, "Yeah. A beer."

Well, Norman, Mickey and Buzz all appeared to be completely normal, with no hint of the wild tumult I'd walked in on just moments before. So I was handed a beer and Norman lounged back on his stool and spoke.

"We've been doing this thing you just saw a lot recently. We go into bars and do fights or wild conversations and let whatever happens, happen. You can see it's brutal but when we get it right it's going someplace. We're the Gallo Brothers now. We've been hiding out."

The real Gallo Brothers had been in the news a lot recently. I recalled them being involved in the Colombo crime family struggles. The thing that was strange about Norman, Buzz, and Mickey's rendition was that they had not been talking in any particular accent or style. They didn't try to sound like members of an Italian crime family. They weren't enacting characters,they were just putting themselves into a made-up fantasy situation and running with it.

Norman leaned towards me.

"What I want to do is film it. I want to make a movie about it and I don't need a script, just a mic to catch what we say and a camera to see what happens. But there's no director, just a camera. And me." He paused. "I hear you and Ricky make films like that, about things that happen. You have cameras and tape recorders and you just film things. Is that right?"

We had, and I said we did.

"I hear one of your films is playing in a theater, yes?"

I nodded but didn't mention that it was playing in a porn house in San Francisco.

"Well, what do you think?" He got off his stool and began moving around, like a prizefighter walking around a ring. "We're going to be these three guys hiding out in Brooklyn and what we do all day is ride each other and maybe drink some. I don't know about drinking; we'll have to figure that out. But we need some kind of room, or maybe a loft, to do it in. Can you get that?"

This was actually an idea Ricky and I had been thinking about for awhile. A narrative (fiction) film but shot the way we were shooting documentaries: no tripods, no lights, just handheld cameras, and no directors - or at least, no one directing the camera except the cameraman, and he would be filming whatever interested him, not necessarily sure how the action was going or the story was playing out.

So I said I could, and we did.

That was how the whole film thing with Norman began. Three guys playing they were the Gallo Brothers in one of our empty office on 45th Street, with Bobby Neuwirth taking sound (which, in that echoey, empty room, was not too hot) and me watching Norman and his two friends for hours while they played at being ex-members of the Colombo family - who, had they known what was going on might easily have either joined in the party or maybe blown us out of the water. Who knew or cared about the Colombo crime family? We were inventing movies.

When exhaustion determined the film's ending, Norman came over to the camera and did something which I will never forget, something that bonded us as long as we knew each other. It remains my most vivid memory o f him. He faced up to the front of the camera and began turning around so that to keep him in the finder I had to go around with him. And as he turned he began reciting a poem, not a poem I knew but a poem he was making up as he went 'round, a poem made up like the movie we'd just shot. It was the first time I had ever filmed someone making up a poem in front of me. It was an amazing place to be with a camera and it's how I will always remember Norman.