Reel Film Biz
Director, Writer, and Producer: Mitchell Stuart
Producers: Trish Hunter Shannon, Elvis Duran, David Katz and John McConnell
Cast: Scott Shannon, Elvis Duran, Jon Bon Jovi, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Taylor Dayne, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo, “Magic” Matthew Alan, “Professor” Jonathan B. Bell, Anita Bonita, Ross Brittain, Pete Cosenza, Michael Ellis, Gavin DeGraw, Cathy Donovan, Gary Fisher, Frank Foti, Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, David Hinckley, Donnie Lenner, Jim Kerr, Steve Kingston, Ken Lane, Kenny Laguna, Jimi Lumia, Tom Poleman, Geraldo Rivera, Trish Hunter Shannon, Patty Steele, Claire Stevens, Mitchell Stuart, John Sykes and Jim Wood
Genre: Feature Documentary
Rating: G
Runtime: 1 hour 4 minutes
Dare to be Different
From Secaucus, New Jersey in 1983 to taking over the media market in the Big Apple, New York, New York and becoming the 1# radio station, director, writer and a producer Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK tells the amazing history of Z100's rise to dominate the biggest and toughest media market in the United States.
Z100 begins its journey with DJ Scott Shannon and his out of the box and crazy format and great music of up-and-coming musical artist to legendary Elvis Duran and other Hall of Fame DJs in between. Z100 would play the music of young artist like Madonna, Jon Bon Jovi, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Niles Rogers and more.
WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK features conversations with music industry legend Clive Davis, as well as Jon Bon Jovi, Debbi Gibson, Tayler Dane and others.
It is hard to imagine that the DJS at Z100There are a couple of things that stand out. The first being the realization of where Howard Stern got his radio formation. As well as the impact Z100 had on so many musical artists' early in their career.
Daring to be different with their Zoo morning show and Shock Jock format enabled Z100 to not only make a space for themselves but also to dominate the New York media market. A huge and unimaginable accomplishment at the time that is story worthy of being told.
WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK is an inspirational story of dedication and hard work against all odds that truly paid off big-time.
Release Date: Streaming February 11, 2022
Production Co: A Penguardia Productions, Elvis Duran Group, Workhouse Media and HQ Creative Production
Run time: 1 hour 4 minutes
Cast: Scott Shannon, Elvis Duran, Jon Bon Jovi, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Taylor Dayne, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo, “Magic” Matthew Alan, “Professor” Jonathan B. Bell, Anita Bonita, Ross Brittain, Pete Cosenza, Michael Ellis, Gavin DeGraw, Cathy Donovan, Gary Fisher, Frank Foti, Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, David Hinckley, Donnie Lenner, Jim Kerr, Steve Kingston, Ken Lane,
Kenny Laguna, Jimi Lumia, Tom Poleman, Geraldo Rivera, Trish Hunter Shannon, Patty Steele, Claire Stevens, Mitchell Stuart, John Sykes and Jim Wood
Director, Writer and Producer: Mitchell Stuart
Cinematography: John Carlo Serrano
Editors: Alex Dolginko, Corey Williams
Music: Martin John Butler, Alex Dolginko, Mitchell Stuart
MITCHELL STUART is a multiple film festival and Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and storyteller of compelling documentaries, groundbreaking digital series and industry-disrupting brand campaigns. Whether following his heart to tell an inspirational, against all odds story about female freedom fighters in Africa, or honoring his lifelong passion for music and filmmaking, Mitchell tells authentic stories that move and engage an audience.
Known for riveting, thought-provoking visuals and for often composing original music for the soundtracks of his films, he has been honored with 15 NY Emmy-Award Nominations for his music and entertainment documentary series, the Emmy-Award Winning Road to MSG, featuring Jay Z, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, Z100’s Jingle Ball concerts with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and more. Dozens of film festivals throughout the world have honored him and his partner, Cheryl Halpern, winning awards for directing, best film, social justice, world peace and humanitarian efforts with their documentaries, Natsanat (Ethiopian for freedom), Fighting to be Free and Remembering Maurits Kiek.
Working closely with the Broadway community, Mitchell spearheaded the documentary-style Tony Award Campaign for Moulin Rouge the Musical resulting in 14 Tony Award nominations. He was also directed a uniquely cinematic short film on the return to Broadway of Phantom of the Opera, and Broadway’s partnership with the MTA, The Only Sure Way to Broadway.
A proud born and bred New Yorker, his natural drive for diving deeper into his research preparation has led to stellar work with a diverse and brilliant who’s who list of musicians and newsmakers including The Who, Rod Stewart, Trevor Noah, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi, Sting and The Foo Fighters in first concert celebrating the return of live music to Madison Square Garden post COVID-19.
Virtual retrospective series to celebrate 30 years of PAFF Feb. 15-28 with ‘Best of PAFF’ Hybrid in-person and virtual festival still set for April in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF), one of the largest Black History Month events in America and the largest Black film festival, will kick off its yearlong 30th celebration in February with the first of several specially curated blocks of the festival’s most fascinating, complex and most liked films over the past three decades. Throughout the festival’s 30-year history, PAFF has celebrated Black filmmakers and actors whose work has pushed the envelope in cinema in the US and abroad in Africa and other parts of the world. The Best of PAFF Retrospective Series kicks off with a Black History Month exhibition featuring nearly two dozen cinematic groundbreaking foreign and domestic films. The inaugural Best of PAFF Retrospective Series will take place virtually Feb. 15-28, 2022. Film listings, tickets, and passes are available at paff.org.
To celebrate PAFF’s 30-year milestone, the festival will continue its retrospective series in March highlighting Black female filmmakers and their films.
In addition, the 30th annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival is slated to place April 19-May 1 after being postponed due to the rise of COVID cases in Los Angeles County. The hybrid festival of in-person and virtual screenings will take place in Los Angeles at its flagship venues the Directors Guild of America, Cinemark Baldwin Hills, and XD and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
The Best of PAFF Retrospective Series is sponsored in part by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson (8th District), Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price (9th District); the 10th Los Angeles City Council District; the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund with the California Community Foundation, and the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.
About the Pan African Film Festival
Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), the Pan African Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression.
PAFF is the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. It is also one of America’s largest Black History Month events.
Find the Pan African Film Festival on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paffnow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paffnow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paffnow
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePanAfricanFilmFestival
The PAFF is generously supported by the City of Los Angeles, the Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Los Angeles Council District 10.
For more information, please contact press@paff.org.
Join us on Tuesday Feb 8th at 4:00 PM PT/ 7:00 PM ET for a very special free virtual Q&A moderated by Rainn Wilson (The Office)
all about the new documentary SALT IN MY SOUL.
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of 3, Mallory Smith turned to a secret diary to record her inner thoughts . Using that treasure trove of writing, and hours of audio and video, the film is a classic coming-of-age story with a twist, and a rare look into the mind of a young woman trying to live fully while dying.
This will be an exciting conversation about how SALT IN MY SOUL got made, what friends and family went through witnessing this journey, and how Mallory's private journals led to a best-selling book and acclaimed documentary film. We'll also hear from experts and leaders about how their expertise intersected with Mallory's story in vital ways and the future of phages as well as the need for more research and resources into compassionate use.
Featuring:
Will Battersby (Director)
Diane Shader Smith (Mallory's mom)
Micah Smith (Mallory's brother)
Maya Humes (Mallory's friend)
Gunnar Esiason (Cystic Fibrosis and rare disease patient leader)
Dr. Ben Chan(Scientific Director of Yale Phage Center)
Steffanie Strathdee, PhD (Co-Director of IPATH & author, The Perfect Predator)
ABOUT THIS EVENT
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
-7:00 PM- 8:00 PM ET
-4:00 PM- 5:00 PM PT
REGISTER TO ATTEND AT:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/salt-in-my-soul-virtual-panel-hosted-by-rainn-wilson-tickets-259568896557?fbclid=IwAR2S23ZYtjcD0Itdjsy9bLz3vg1RRPU6U1jswvRdpdQ_R_stuiiKp4I9SUQ
SPONSORED BY: Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute
RENT THE FILM BEFOREHAND on digital platforms -
More info here: https://saltinmysouldoc.com/#watch
100% of the profits from the film are being donated to research into antimicrobial resistance (superbugs) and phage therapy.
Further information about the film also follows:
GIANT PICTURES PRESENTS
A 3 Arts Entertainment and Reno Productions film
Photo Dec 03_ 4 28 47 PM.jpg
SALT IN MY SOUL
A Feature Documentary Film by Will Battersby
Run time: 96 Minutes (USA- Feature Documentary)
SALT IN MY SOUL is currently available worldwide on all major VOD Platforms.
VOD Platforms in key territories:
US- Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft/Xbox, Vudu
Canada- Apple TV/ITunes, Microsoft/Xbox
UK- Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft/Xbox
Ireland- Apple TV/iTunes, Google Play
Cable Platforms:
US- InDemand TVOD (Comcast, Spectrum, Cox), DirectTV/AT&T and more
Based on the bestselling posthumously published memoir of the same name, SALT IN MY SOUL is a documentary and classic coming of age story about a young woman figuring out how to live while dying. Mallory Smith was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of three. In her twenty five-year battle with the deadly disease, she carved out a life that most of us don’t come close to. Using Mallory’s posthumously published 2500-page secret diaries, hundreds of hours of newly discovered footage, and audio recordings, the film offers Mallory as the narrator of her own extraordinary chronicle.
Following her realization at age nine that she would die young, Mallory secretly began to record her inner thoughts in her diary while throwing herself at life: friendships in elementary school, lovers and sports teams in high school, the little travel her disease would allow. She attended college and explored the wider world, one that was just beyond her grasp. She became a devoted environmentalist, seeing a startling and vivid metaphor for her declining health in the destruction of our world. Her father feverishly researched treatment options, desperate that the death sentence be commuted. Her mother obsessively helped her to live, cooking to maintain her weight and create community, raising money for research, and teaching her to prioritize relationships over all else. Mallory fought. And she wrote; about her fears, her loves, her pain, her depression, her hopes, and gave a voice to the many millions who struggle with invisible or visible illness. In Mallory’s final days, her father uncovered a long-forgotten treatment that is now changing the world of medicine. Heartbreakingly, it came too late to save his daughter.
Mallory was a young woman who lived with illness her whole life, who suffered immeasurably but who always found the will to live happy. Her story is a testament to enduring parental love and determination and the healing power of memoir as medicine, inspiring all of us to live life as fully as possible in the face of the challenges we all face.
Will Battersby (Filmmaker) has been producing documentaries and features for 15 years. His first documentary as producer, Trumbo, won the National Board of Review Freedom of Speech award. The film, about blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films and had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
SALT IN MY SOUL is Will’s second documentary as director. The first, The Canal, will be released by Showtime which is currently adapting it into a limited series. Will is producing alongside Patricia Arquette, who will also direct. The Canal is the first feature documentary about the environmental tragedy in the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls and the extraordinary group of working-class women who fought to save their families.
Will’s narrative feature credits include: SXSW favorite The Spine of Night, a hand-drawn animated fantasy film that RLJE released in October 2021, which stars Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless and Patton Oswalt; Stephen King’s A Good Marriage starring Joan Allen; They Remain starring Will Jackson Harper, and The Bleeding House, the first feature from Emmy Award-winning writer/director Philip Gelatt (Love, Death & Robots). Will served as Head of Development on Alex Gibney’s Oscar-nominated documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, and Stephen Soderbergh’s Bubble.
Follow us at @SaltInMySoulDoc on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
https://twitter.com/SaltInMySoulDoc
http://www.facebook.com/SaltInMySoulDoc
http://www.instagram.com/SaltInMySoulDoc
ABOUT THE BOOK
SALT IN MY SOUL: An Unfinished Life, by Mallory Smith, is a powerful, intimate, and inspiring portrait of a brave young woman living with chronic illness. Mallory understood that patient voices need to be amplified in order to improve healthcare, that the i ntersection of human behavior and nature is critical to environmental sustainability, and that love and friendship give life meaning. As Mallory’s body deteriorated, she sharpened her mind, crystalized her thinking, and honed her writing skills. In her 2500 pages of private journal entries, she created poetry out of prosaic experiences. Beautifully written, provocative, and peppered with insights, SALT IN MY SOUL reminds us to follow Mallory's mantra and "Live Happy."
For more information about the book SALT IN MY SOUL: An Unfinished Life please go to: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/607965/salt-in-my-soul-by-mallory-smith/
GIANT PICTURES
Giant Pictures is a leading digital distributor that is committed to empowering filmmakers to own their distribution. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, we work directly with rights owners to distribute movies and TV shows to VOD and streaming platforms in North America and worldwide. Our content partners range from first-time filmmakers to award-winning independent producers, as well as notable studios Alamo Drafthouse Films, Abramorama Selects, Participant, Tribeca Enterprises, Utopia Distribution, and XYZ Films. A division of Giant Interactive, the award-winning digital media and technology services company, we distribute across 45+ platforms, including AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Peacock.
Learn more at: www.giant.pictures
500 Years Later (PAFF 2005)
Documentary/US/UK/105min/2005
Director: Owen 'Alik Shahadah
An epic documentary, infused with the spirit and music of liberation, explores the collective atrocities that uprooted Africans from their culture and homeland 500 years ago and chronicles the struggle of Black people who continue to fight for freedom. Best Documentary, PAFF 2005; FIPRESCI Prize, Zanzibar International Film Festival 2007
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Documentary/US/114min/2016
Director: Bob Hercules & Rita Coburn Whack
Distinctly referred to as “a redwood tree, with deep roots in American culture,” icon Maya Angelou gave people the freedom to think about their history in a way they never had before. Dr. Angelou’s was a prolific life-- as a singer, dancer, activist, poet, and writer she inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought that pushed boundaries. This unprecedented film celebrates Dr. Angelou by weaving her words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos, which paint hidden moments of her exuberant life during some of America’s most defining moments. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana to her inaugural speech for President Bill Clinton, the film takes us on an incredible journey through the life of a true American icon. The film also features a remarkable series of interviews with friends and family including President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Alfre Woodard, Cicely Tyson, Quincy Jones, Secretary Hillary Clinton, John Singleton, and Dr. Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson. Best Documentary, 2016 Boulder International Film Festival; Best Documentary, 2016 Ft. Myers Film Festival; Audience Award, 2016 AFI Docs Film Festival; Audience Award, 2016 Cinetopia Film Festival; Audience Award & Best International Film, 2016 Encounter
The Milkmaid (PAFF 2021)
Narrative/Nigeria/136min/2020
Director: Desmond Ovbiagele
A Fulani milkmaid confronts religious extremists in rural Sub-Saharan Africa in a quest to locate her missing sister, but efforts to recapture her disrupted past prove complicated. Nigeria’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. Best Film, AMAA 2020; Best Nigerian Film, AMAA 2020; Best Make-up, AMAA 2020; Programmers’ Narrative Feature Award, PAFF 2021
Nasser's Republic: The Making of Modern Egypt (PAFF 2017)
Documentary/Egypt/82min/2016
Director: Michal Goldman
The first film for an American audience about one of the Arab world’s most transformative leaders. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew the Egyptian monarchy and soon became a symbol of Egyptian/Arab progress and dignity. From 1952 to 1970, he challenged Western hegemony abroad, confronted Islamism at home, and faced deep divisions among the Arabs. He also established the region's first military authoritarian regime. A man of enormous charisma and ambition, Nasser had begun a revolution he could not complete. But his ideas, dilemmas, and decisions continue to shape and influence the current world issues. Special Jury Recognition-Documentary Feature, PAFF 2017
41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers (PAFF 2010)
Documentary/US/130min/2010
Director: Gregory Everett
The first of a two-part documentary follows the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party from its glorious Black Power beginnings through to its tragic demise. Despite the Party’s formation of free medical clinics and a successful children’s breakfast program, the L.A. chapter was known as the most violent Black political group in the United States. Through interviews and archival footage, this must-see film explores the Black Panther ethos, its conflict with the L.A.P.D. and the US Organization as well as the events that shaped its complicated and often contradictory legacy. Detailing the history of racism in Los Angeles and the communities response, it includes a historical analysis of the Watt’s uprising from the perspective of the participants, the formation of the Party as told by the original surviving members, and an eyewitness account of the Alprentice “Bunchy” Carter and John Huggins murders at UCLA in 1968. Featuring are interviews with Black Panther Party leaders Geronimo Ji Jagga, Elaine Brown, Ericka Huggins, Roland & Ronald Freeman, Wayne Pharr, Jeffrey Everett, Long John Washington, and Muhammad Mubarak, as well as, former L.A.P.D. Chief Bernard Parks, US Organization member Wesley Kabaila, UCLA Professor Scot Brown, and many others.
Audience Award Documentary Feature Film, PAFF 2010
