Candescent Films is an American film production company that produces and finances documentary and narrative films that explore social issues.
History Candescent Films was founded in 2010 by producer and actress Lilly Hartley.Mike Fleming, Jr., “Candescent Films Launches With Jeff Nichols, Javier Bardem, R.J. Cutler Pics,” Deadline Hollywood, September 21, 2011.Jeremy Kay, “Illmatic inaugural Candescent winner,” Screen International, April 2, 2014.
Productions The Queen of Versailles was Candescent's first supported film.Pamela McClintock, “Tribeca: Nas Documentary ‘Time is Illmatic’ to Receive Inaugural Candescent Award,” The Hollywood Reporter, April 2, 2014. Directed by Lauren Greenfield, it premiered opening day of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.Kenneth Turan, “Sundance: ‘Queen of Versailles’ keenly eyes the rich and struggling,” Los Angeles Times, January 19, 2012.
Sons of the Clouds, a 2012 documentary exploring human rights issues in Western Sahara, was Candescent's second release. Starring Javier Bardem, the film was directed by Alvaro Longoria and produced by Longoria, Hartley and Bardem.Kevin Jagernauth, “Candescent Films Gives A Two-Year Gift To The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program,” Indiewire, November 16, 2011.Christopher Rosen, “Javier Bardem On ‘Sons Of The Clouds’: Documentary Filmmaking As Activism,” Huffington Post, November 5, 2012. It won the 2013 Goya Award for Best Documentary Film.John Hopewell, “Spain’s Longoria Directs ‘Korean Dream’,” Variety, April 17, 2014.
In 2013, Candescent produced Likeness, an eight-minute film about eating disorders and body image. It stars Elle Fanning and was directed by Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto.Nick Haramis, “A Shocking Short Film About Body Image, Starring Elle Fanning,” T: The New York Times Style Magazine, December 12, 2013.Jessica Grose, “New Elle Fanning Film About Body Image Is Hard to Watch – But You Should Do It Anyway,” Elle, December 16, 2013. After being approached by Candescent to write and direct a short film with a social message that was personal to him, Prieto chose the subject of body image, since his daughter had previously struggled with an eating disorder.Melanie Haiken, “Shocking Elle Fanning Video On Eating Disorders Goes Viral,” Forbes, December 16, 2013. After premiering at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, Likeness was released online via T: The New York Times Style Magazine. It was nominated for a 2014 Webby Award under the Drama: Long Form or Series category.Sahil Patel, “And the Nominees for the 18th Annual Webby Awards Are…” Video Ink, April 8, 2014.
Other projects include Who is Dayani Cristal? (produced and narrated by Gael García Bernal), Fed Up (produced and narrated by Katie Couric), and 1971 and Art and Craft, which both premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. 1971 won the ABCNews VideoSource Award at the 2015 International Documentary Association Awards,"30th Annual IDA Awards," documentary.org. Accessed February 16, 2015. and the Spotlight Award at the 2015 Cinema Eye Honors."2015 Cinema Eye Honors Announces Winners," Cinema Eye Honors, January 8, 2015. Art and Craft was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature."15 Documentary Features Advance in 2014 Oscar Race," Oscars.org, December 1, 2014. Cartel Land, 3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets and Racing Extinction all premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Cartel Land won the Sundance Film Festival Directing Award: U.S. Documentary and U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature."Documentary (Feature) Nominee," Oscar.go.com. Accessed February 10, 2017. 3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets won the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact, and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.Erik Pedersen, "Oscars: 15 Documentary Features Make Shortlist," Deadline.com, December 1, 2015.
Candescent's film Trophy, directed by Shaul Schwarz, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by CNN Films and The Orchard.Mia Galuppo, "Sundance: Orchard, CNN Films Partner for Hunting Doc 'Trophy'," The Hollywood Reporter, January 20, 2017. Candescent supported Step, which also premiered at Sundance 2017, where it won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking.Joey Nolfi, "I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore wins top Sundance prize," Entertainment Weekly, January 29, 2017. Candescent helped finance the development and production of The Departure, directed by Lana Wilson. It premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, and was nominated for the 2018 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature. Wilson's first film, After Tiller, received a 2013 Candescent Award.Tatiana Siegel, “Director of Abortion Doc ‘After Tiller’ to Tackle Film About Suicide Epidemic,” The Hollywood Reporter, June 9, 2014.
Candescent Received an "In Association With" credit for Generation Wealth, directed by Lauren Greenfield, which had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, its European premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, and was nominated for a 2018 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay. Candescent supported Charm City, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film, directed by Marilyn Ness, premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, and was distributed by PBS Distribution.
Candescent Award The "Candescent Award" is the name for two different awards, both issued by Candescent Films, one in cooperation with the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program (DFP) and one in cooperation with the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI).
DFP Candescent Award In 2012, Candescent Films created the Candescent Award in partnership with the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program to support the creation and completion of socially conscious documentary films. It began as a two-year gift to the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, and has continued as an annual award given at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
The winner of the inaugural Candescent Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival was Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare. The 2013 winners were Gideon's Army, about public defenders, and After Tiller, about the 2009 assassination of Dr. George Tiller. Both films were nominated for 2013 Spirit Awards. In January 2014, Candescent Films announced the three winners of its 2014 Candescent Award in partnership with the Sundance Institute: Marmato, about a Colombian mining town; Private Violence, about a domestic violence victim's fight to put her husband in prison; and E-Team, about a team of human rights investigators.Pamela McClintock, “Sundance: Candescent Films Announces 2014 Documentary Awards,” The Hollywood Reporter, January 18, 2014. The two winners of the 2015 Candescent Award were How to Change the World, which won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and (T)error, which won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Break Out First Feature at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.Dave McNary, "Sundance: ‘How to Change the World,’ ‘(T)error’ Win Candescent Awards," Variety, January 24, 2015."Award Winners," Sundance Film Festival '15. Accessed February 16, 2015. The winner of the 2017 Candescent Award was City of Ghosts, directed by Matthew Heineman.Dave McNary, "Sundance: Documentary ‘City of Ghosts’ Wins Candescent Award," Variety, January 19, 2017. Amazon bought the worldwide rights in January 2017.Tatiana Siegel, "Sundance: Amazon Closes Deal for ISIS Doc 'City of Ghosts' for More Than $2 Million," The Hollywood Reporter, January 27, 2017.
TFI Candescent Award In April 2014, in partnership with the Tribeca Film Institute, Candescent Films created a grant, also called the Candescent Award, given to films that have been supported by the Tribeca Film Institute. The winners of the inaugural Candescent Award through the Tribeca Film Festival were Nas: Time Is Illmatic, about the creation of rapper Nas' 1994 debut album Illmatic,Steve Dollar, “Tribeca Film Festival: A Cinematic Hat Tip to Everything New York,” The Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2014. and The Yes Men Are Revolting.Jake Folsom, "Exclusive: TFI Awards Candescent Film Award to 'The Yes Men Are Revolting'," Indiewire, October 30, 2014. The 2015 Candescent Award at the Tribeca Film Festival went to The Wolfpack, about six teenage brothers who have spent their lives locked in a Manhattan housing project.Dave McNary, "Tribeca: ‘Wolfpack’ Wins Candescent Award," Variety, April 17, 2015.
SummerDocs Audience Award Candescent sponsors the audience award at the Hamptons International Film Festival SummerDocs Series. The 2014 winner was Keep on Keepin' On, about the mentorship between jazz musician Clark Terry and blind piano prodigy Justin Kaulflin."SummerDocs," Hamptons International Film Festival. Retrieved August 12, 2014.Tatiana Siegel, "Roger Ebert Doc 'Life Itself' to Open Hamptons SummerDocs Series," The Hollywood Reporter, May 21, 2014. The 2015 SummerDocs Audience Award winner was Best of Enemies, about the 1968 televised debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr.Kristin McCracken, "'Best of Enemies' Wins SummerDocs Audience Award," hamptonsfilmfest.org, September 16, 2015. Betting on Zero was the winner of the 2016 SummerDocs Audience Award.Brian Cudzilo, "HIFF’s 126 Films of 2016," Dan's Papers, October 7, 2016. Bathtubs Over Broadway, following comedy writer Steve Young on his quest to learn more about the world of industrial musicals, won the 2018 SummerDocs Audience Award.
List of films