This Machine News
 
      
      Martha, Billie, and Anna: Portraits by R.J. Cutler
Join us at the Paris Theater August 12 + 13 for our series MARTHA, BILLIE & ANNA: Portraits by R.J. Cutler, in celebration of MARTHA's two Emmy nominations!
Aug 12, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE screens on 35mm + intro by former Vogue Creative Director Grace Coddington.
Aug 13, MARTHA will be followed by Q&A with R.J. Cutler!
 
      
       
      
      Billie Eilish Speaks Out About Oscar-Contending Film Documenting Her Rise To Fame: “It Was Not Acting… It Was Real Life Footage”
There’s an emotional realness to singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, a disinclination to disguise experience behind euphemism or pretense. It manifests in her music and in Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, the Oscar-contending documentary that follows her on her journey to global stardom. In the film directed by R.J. Cutler Eilish doesn’t censor dark moments from her past, occasional frustrations attendant to fame, and a major romantic disappointment—young love ultimately unrequited.
 
      
      ‘Billie Eilish’ Director R.J. Cutler on How Ted Sarandos Helped Him Predict the Documentary Boom
Before Netflix had grown into a world-conquering streaming giant, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” director R.J. Cutler would routinely bump into the company’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos on the film festival circuit. Netflix was still a DVD-by-mail rental service at the time, and Sarandos confided to him that “The War Room” – Cutler’s Oscar-nominated Bill Clinton campaign doc – was among its most popular rentals.
 
      
      ‘Billie Eilish’ Director R.J. Cutler To Receive Pennebaker Honor At Critics Choice Documentary Awards
Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler will be presented with the Pennebaker Award at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, honoring lifetime achievement, the Critics Choice Association announced Thursday. The presentation will take place Sunday, November 14, as part of the sixth annual edition of the documentary awards show, at BRIC in Brooklyn. During the event the Critics Choice group will hand out a slew of competitive awards, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director and Best First Documentary Feature.
 
      
      Jenna Rosher / ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry’
Billie Eilish had just turned 18 when she swept the board at the 2020 Grammys, winning five awards, including best new artist and album. If not quite an overnight sensation her stratospheric success and remarkable musical maturity was bred in concert with her brother and song writing partner at the family’s modest home in LA.
 
      
      ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry' Nominated For Grierson Award
The Grierson Trust commemorates the pioneering Scottish documentary maker John Grierson: the man widely regarded as the father of the documentary. Each year, The Trust celebrates the best documentary filmmaking from Britain and around the world with the British Documentary Awards - more fondly known as the Griersons.
![Director R.J. Cutler Talks ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry’ & The Beauty Of Cinéma Vérité [The Playlist Podcast]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6060ceed767b907b285bfb6d/1617494959843-1MS5DSWRR32Z16RI7RE7/BIL_Feature_PS_0002R_f.jpg) 
      
      Director R.J. Cutler Talks ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry’ & The Beauty Of Cinéma Vérité [The Playlist Podcast]
Unless you’ve been living under a proverbial rock, you’re probably well aware of the name Billie Eilish. The young singer has become one of the biggest names in the music industry and has a legion of devoted fans around the world. But even if you’re completely unfamiliar with the work of Eilish, you’ll still probably really enjoy the recent documentary, “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry.”
 
      
      ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry’ Director R.J. Cutler On His Intimate Portrait Of Young Artist: “We See The Full Picture”
Singer-songwriter Billie Eilish is not even out of her teens and she has already won awards in the Grammys’ top four categories: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. She’s achieved something else rare for someone her age—having a documentary made about her by a major filmmaker. Emmy winner R.J. Cutler went behind the lens for Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, the Apple TV+ film that’s now in contention for Emmy consideration.
 
      
      Frame & Reference Podcast: ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry’ DP Jenna Rosher
On todays episode of the Frame & Reference Podcast, Kenny talks with Jenna Rosher about DP'ing the new documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry.” In this new Apple TV+ show we get an intimate look at Billie Eilish’s journey as she navigated life on the road, on stage and at home all while creating her debut album. Jenna has shot a number of music documentaries including “Dave Matthews Band: Stand Up” and “Inside Out: Trey and Dave Go To Africa” as well as the documentary “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind.”
 
      
      How Did The Billie Eilish Movie Do?
How did audiences respond to the Apple TV+ premiere of Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, which premiered in over 100 countries and theaters? The streamer would not divulge specific numbers — they never do — but I can report that the film became the biggest hit title for young adult audiences that Apple has had so far across its slate of films and TV series.
