The Union

Director Cameron Crowe Talks WE BOUGHT A ZOO, His Upcoming Documentary THE UNION, His Next Movie, and More

by Christina Radish    Posted: December 21st, 2011 at 1:31 pm

Acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s latest film, We Bought A Zoo, is based on the inspiring true story of Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), an adventure-seeking journalist and single dad, who is looking to give his family a much-needed fresh start and ends up moving to a home situated in the middle of a zoo. While he and his two children attempt to bring the zoo back to its once glorious state, the Mee family, the eccentric team of zoo employees – including head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) – and dozens of exotic animals, bond in ways they never could have imagined.

During this exclusive phone interview, the undeniably charming and easy to talk to filmmaker explained why he identified with this particular story, what made Matt Damon his perfect leading man, building a zoo from scratch and working with 70 exotic animals, why Jónsi (of the band Sigur Rós) was the right musician to do the score, finding the poetic moments of a story, and the importance of taking great risks, in your own life. He also talked about how strange it is to hear his dialogue often quoted, his upcoming documentary The Union (due out in January 2012), showcasing the musical collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell, and that his next film will be an as-yet-untitled comedy, that he hopes to start shooting in the Spring. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Producers Guild of America Announces Best Documentary Nominees

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 2nd, 2011 at 9:43 am

The Producers Guild of America has announced their nominees for Best Documentary of 2011. When it comes to feature film, the PGA and the Oscars almost always coincide, but the Academy overlooked some critically acclaimed film when it came to making their 15-film shortlist.  Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest and Senna didn’t make the Academy’s shortlist, but the PGA has shown a little more sense and nominated these films for Best Documenatry.  They’ve also shown love to Bill Cunningham New York, Project Nim, and The Union. Right now I’m rooting for Project Nim, but keep in mind that the only other film I’ve seen on this list is Senna (which is also awards-worthy).

Hit the jump for the full press release.  Television series nominations for the 2012 Producers Guild Awards will be announced December 7, 2011.  All other nominations for the 2012 Producers Guild Award categories will be announced January 3, 2012, along with the individual producers.  The winners will be announced on January 21, 2012.

Cameron Crowe Talks Music Documentaries THE UNION and PEARL JAM TWENTY

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 25th, 2011 at 7:59 am

After having not released a new film in six years, Cameron Crowe is having a very busy year. If all goes according to plan, the writer/director will release not one, but three new movies this year. He’s been working simultaneously on his adaptation of We Bought a Zoo starring Matt Damon (filming just wrapped), the Elton John/Leon Russell documentary The Union (which just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival), and the Pearl Jam documentary Pearl Jam Twenty (set for release this fall).

The director recently discussed working on the three projects and the differences and similarities between his two music documentaries. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

2011 Tribeca Film Festival to Premiere Cameron Crowe’s Elton John/Leon Russell Documentary THE UNION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 2nd, 2011 at 4:07 pm

Today the Tribeca Film Festival announced that they will be hosting the world premiere of Cameron Crowe’s documentary The Union, which chronicles the collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell. The premiere will be followed by a live performance from John himself. Ever the music aficionado, Crowe intimately documented John’s composing process, capturing the entire writing and recording process of John and Russell’s collaboration album “The Union”. Speaking about Tribeca’s selection of the film, Crowe had this to say:

“As a longtime fan of both artists, it was a pleasure to spend a year filming their collaboration. We can’t wait to show it to one of the greatest audiences in the world, the Tribeca Film Festival.”

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival takes place from April 20^th-May 1^st. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

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