Fred Topel

Unidentified flying objects and Area 51 are conspiracy theories no more. Director Dan Farah interviewed 34 government officials who validate the existence of visitors from space in The Age of Disclosure. He told Deadline's Matt Carey at Contenders Documentary event that it no longer is just…

Abraham Joffe has documented wildlife in the ocean and the Arctic in films including Ghosts of the Arctic, Our Oceans and Big Cat Tales. While on an Arctic trip in 2013, he learned about the polar bear trade and set out to investigate it. The result is Trade Secret, and Joffe told Deadline's Matt…

The documentary short The Hemingway captures co-director Patrick Sean O'Brien's life with ALS. O'Brien reached out to longtime collaborator Evan Mathis with a script asking for help bringing it to fruition. The pair spoke with Deadline's Matt Carey at Contenders Documentary about their short, and…

Dog Warriors is about South Korean markets that sell dog meat. It explores the dog farms that slaughter the animals in inhumane ways. And yet, director Andrew Abrahams assures viewers the film is not as traumatizing as the description makes it sound. At Deadline's Contenders Documentary event…

Ai Weiwei mounted a production of Puccini's Turandot at the Rome Opera House amid the Covid pandemic recovery and the war in Ukraine. It also was Weiwei's first opera. Maxim Derevianko, director of the documentary Ai Weiwei's Turandot, said the very nature of art with a message was what he wanted to…

Maciej Drygas' documentary Trains uses archival footage to depict the history of the locomotive industry in the 20th century. Using private archives, some never-before-seen footage and even educational films, the film takes viewers on a metaphorical as well as historical journey. Drygas spoke with…

Complicated follows several children with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and their parents trying to get care. Not only are doctors unable to diagnose EDS, but they accuse the parents of child abuse when they are unable to come up with a diagnosis. Director Andrew Abrahams said this complicated scenario…

The founders of Led Zeppelin have been reluctant to speak about their work throughout their careers. So the two-hour documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin is a landmark of material, especially because it was made with the participation of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Director Bernard MacMahon…

Ninety-six-year-old June Squibb had to Zoom into Deadline's Contenders Film: Los Angeles panel because she is performing Marjorie Prime on Broadway. The stage role comes after leading roles in Thelma and Eleanor the Great. Squibb is happy to see more roles available for women her age, but she…

After the Hunt dramatizes a lot of the questions that have been asked in the last 10 years. Julia Roberts plays a Yale professor torn between her colleague and a student who accuses him of sexual assault. Luca Guadagnino's film began with a script from Nora Garrett. Producer Allan Mandelbaum told…

No Other Choice is the second film adaptation of Donald Westlake's novel The Ax. Director Park Chan-wook actually intended it to be an American film but could not find investors for it. Now that the Korean version is already acclaimed ahead of its Christmas release, Park says he is glad he didn't…

Christy tells the story of how Christy Martin paved the way for female boxing. It also depicts her abusive marriage to manager Jim Martin. Christy Martin, now going by Salters, was involved with the film, but the filmmakers understood they were dealing with her true trauma. Sydney Sweeney plays…