The Apollo (2019 film)

The Apollo is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Roger Ross Williams. The film looks at the unique history and contemporary legacy of the iconic Apollo Theater while following the Apollo's inaugural staging of Ta-Nehisi Coates' acclaimed "Between the World and Me."[1]

The Apollo
Directed by
Written by
  • Roger Ross Williams
  • Cassidy Hartmann
  • Jean Tsien
Produced by
  • Roger Ross Williams
  • Lisa Cortés
  • Jeanne Elfant Festa
  • Cassidy Hartmann
Cinematography
  • Michael Dwyer
Edited by
  • Jean Tsien
  • John S. Fisher
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • April 24, 2019 (2019-04-24)
Running time
102 minutes
Country
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

The Apollo had its world premiere on April 24, 2019, at the Tribeca Film Festival. It received positive reviews and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special in 2020 while also being shortlisted for nomination of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.[2][3]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 22 critics and assessed 21 as positive and 1 as negative for a 95% rating. Metacritic determined an average rating of 7.7/10.

Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly scored The Apollo an A-, writing "Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams stacks his story accordingly, drawing warm testimonials from some of the biggest names to ever grace its stage, including Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Jamie Foxx, and Pharrell Williams. But the [film] also works beautifully as a mosaic, unfurling its rich history without failing to acknowledge that it takes more than nostalgia to keep a cultural institution alive. In that sense, The Apollo feels like both a necessary lesson and a gift."[4]

Accolades

The Apollo won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.[2]

The Apollo was additionally one of fifteen documentaries shortlisted for nomination of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.[3]

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2019 72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special Roger Ross Williams, Lisa Cortés, Jeanne Elfant Festa and Cassidy Hartmann, producers; Dan Cogan, Nicholas Ferrall and Julie Goldman, executive producers Won [2]
24th Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture – Documentary Roger Ross Williams Nominated [5]
IDA Awards Best Music Documentary Roger Ross Williams, Lisa Cortés, Jeanne Elfant Festa and Cassidy Hartmann Nominated [6]
2020 20th Annual Black Reel Awards Outstanding Documentary Roger Ross Williams Nominated [7]
Outstanding Original Song - "Don't Turn Back" Robert Glasper and Ledisi Nominated
51st NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Documentary (Film) HBO Nominated [8]

References
  1. Carey, Matthew (2020-08-24). "Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams On His Emmy-Nominated 'The Apollo' And Upcoming Special With Oprah, Ta-Nehisi Coates". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  2. Hersko, Tyler (2020-09-15). "'The Apollo' Wins Emmy for Outstanding Documentary". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  3. "92nd OSCARS SHORTLISTS | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  4. Greenblatt, Leah; May 07, Chris Nashawaty; EDT, 2019 at 12:28 PM. "Muhammad Ali, Parkland, and 'The Apollo' docs shine at the Tribeca Film Festival: EW review". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  5. "Nominees for the 24th Annual Satellite Awards, celebrating achievements in Film, Television". www.filmfestivals.com. 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  6. Lewis, Hilary (2019-10-23). "IDA Documentary Awards: 'Honeyland,' 'American Factory,' 'Apollo 11' Lead Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  7. Neglia, Matt (2019-12-11). "The 2019 Black Reel Awards (BRAs) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  8. "Nominees Announced for 51st NAACP Image Awards | NAACP". naacp.org. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2023-07-25.


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