City So Real

City So Real is an American documentary miniseries directed by Steve James, revolving around the 2019 mayoral election in Chicago, Illinois, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social upheaval following the murder of George Floyd. It consists of 5 episodes and premiered on October 29, 2020, on National Geographic.[1]

City So Real
GenreDocumentary
Directed bySteve James
Music by
  • Will Miller
  • Resavoir
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Zak Piper
  • Steve James
Cinematography
  • Jackson James
  • Steve James
Editors
  • David E. Simpson
  • Steve James
Production companies
Release
Original networkNational Geographic
Original releaseOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)

Premise

The series follows the 2019 mayoral election in Chicago, exploring corruption within the city, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and social upheaval following the murder of George Floyd.[2][3]

Episodes
No.Title [4]Directed byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Welcome to Chicago"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A
2"Blood Sport"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A
3"With All Due Respect to the Candidate"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A
4"If You Want to Break the Machine"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A
5"You Gotta Make It or You Gotta Take It"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A

Release

The series, originally just four episodes, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020.[5][6][7][8][9] In August 2020, National Geographic acquired distribution rights to the series.[10]

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 9.38/10.[11] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 93 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[12]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2021
 Gotham Awards Breakthrough Nonfiction Series City So Real Nominated [13]
IDA Documentary Awards Best Multi-Part Documentary Steve James, Zak Piper, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, and Jolene Pinder Nominated [14]
Independent Spirit Awards Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series City So Real Nominated [15]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Jolene Pinder, Steve James, and Zak Piper Nominated [16][17]
Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Jackson James and Steve James ("Blood Sport") Nominated
TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in News and Information City So Real Nominated [18]
2022
 Cinema Eye Honors Outstanding Nonfiction Series City So Real Won [19][20]
Outstanding Broadcast Editing David E. Simpson and Steve James Nominated
Outstanding Broadcast Cinematography Jackson James and Steve James Nominated

References
  1. "City So Real". National Geographic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  2. Petski, Denise (September 24, 2020). "'City So Real' Trailer: First Look At Steve James' Timely Sundance Docuseries Ahead Of Nat Geo Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  3. Lopez, Kristen (September 24, 2020). "'City So Real' Trailer: Steve James' Documentary Couldn't Be Timelier". IndieWire. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  4. "City So Real". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  5. "City So Real". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  6. Travers, Ben (December 10, 2019). "Sundance 2020 Sets TV and Shorts Lineups with Sarah Polley, Steve James, and Lin-Manuel Miranda". IndieWire. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  7. Brotheridge, James (9 June 2020). "Hot Docs Review: 'Hoop Dreams' Filmmaker Examines the Nuances of Chicago Life in 'City So Real' Directed by Steve James". exclaim.ca. EXCLAIM!. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  8. Travers, Ben (28 January 2020). "'City So Real' Review: Steve James' Gripping Sundance Doc on Chicago Politics Is a Must-See". IndieWire. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  9. Fienberg, Daniel (28 January 2020). "'City So Real': TV Review | Sundance 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  10. Day-Ramos, Dino (August 3, 2020). "National Geographic Acquires Steve James' Sundance Docuseries 'City So Real' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  11. "City So Real: Miniseries (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  12. "City So Real". Metacritic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  13. Sharf, Zack (October 21, 2021). "Gotham Awards 2021 Nominations: 'Pig,' 'Green Knight,' 'Passing' Compete for Best Feature". IndieWire. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  14. "IDA Announces 36th Annual IDA Documentary Awards Nominees". International Documentary Association. November 24, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  15. Lewis, Hilary; Galuppo, Mia (January 26, 2021). "Film Independent Spirit Awards: Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Minari, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Nomadland Top Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  16. "City So Real". Television Academy. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  17. Bosselman, Haley; Moreau, Jordan; Shanfeld, Ethan (July 13, 2021). "Emmys 2021: Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  18. Turchiano, Danielle (July 15, 2021). "'Ted Lasso' Scores the Most 2021 TCA Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  19. Pond, Steve (March 1, 2022). "Flee Wins Top Prize at Cinema Eye Honors for Documentaries". TheWrap. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  20. Grobar, Matt (November 10, 2021). "Flee & Summer Of Soul Lead Cinema Eye Honors Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
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