ArgoFilms

Last updated
ArgoFilms
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1990
FounderAllison Argo
Headquarters
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
ProductsWildlife documentaries
Website http://www.argofilms.com/

ArgoFilms is a production company specializing in documentary filmmaking. Established in 1990, ArgoFilms has received six Emmy Awards, a duPont-Columbia Award for Journalism, four Genesis Awards, and over one hundred other awards internationally. [1]

Contents

Allison Argo, who serves as producer, director, writer, editor, and narrator for ArgoFilms, began the company with the goal of "lending a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves." [2] The company focusing especially on endangered species and captive animal issues. [3]

Frogs: The Thin Green Line, Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History, and Crash: A Tale of Two Species are acclaimed documentaries produced in collaboration with National Geographic and PBS. [4] In total, ArgoFilms has created fifteen films for National Geographic and PBS. [5]

In 2012, the company’s first feature film The Story of Dao was in pre-production. [6]

History

Ivan in Tacoma, Washington (1989) Ivan, Tacoma, WA 1989.jpg
Ivan in Tacoma, Washington (1989)
Director Allison Argo and cinematographer Joe Pontecorvo in Northern Thailand, 2011 Director Allison Argo and cinematographer Joe Pontecorvo filming in Thailand.JPG
Director Allison Argo and cinematographer Joe Pontecorvo in Northern Thailand, 2011

In the late 1980s, Allison Argo encountered a captive gorilla named Ivan living inside a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington. For over two decades, Ivan had lived in a concrete enclosure without exposure to natural light or other gorillas. Prompted by this encounter, Argo left her career as an actress to produce films on conservation and captive animal welfare. [6]

The Urban Gorilla , directly inspired by Ivan’s condition, took three years for ArgoFilms to complete as their first production. [6] The team included Allison Argo as writer, director, and producer; Argo’s then-husband, Director of Photography Robert E. Collins, as principal cinematographer; and Glenn Close as narrator. [7] The film, broadcast by National Geographic, was nominated for two national Emmys, [8] and received a 1992 Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award. [9]

After the success of The Urban Gorilla, National Geographic approached Argo to discuss further collaboration. This led to ArgoFilms’ second documentary, Keepers of the Wild, for which Argo won a 1992 National Emmy for Directing. Filming for Keepers of the Wild spanned Kenya, Belize, Canada, and the US, starting ArgoFilms’ international travel. Argo wrote, directed, and produced the film, with Glenn Close once again performing as narrator. [10]

Productions

Since 1990, ArgoFilms has produced 14 documentaries, as well as shorter films to support wildlife and conservation causes. The company frequently collaborates with National Geographic Television, PBS, and Thirteen/WNET. Six of ArgoFilms’ documentaries were produced for the PBS Nature series.

YearFilm TitleInvolvementNotes
1990 The Urban Gorilla producer, director, writer, editorNominated – 1990 Emmy Award
Nominated – 1990 Emmy Award [8]
DuPont-Columbia Award [11]
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival – First recipient of the Best Newcomer award [12]
Christopher Columbus Award
WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival Award
Genesis Award [13]
Narrator – Glenn Close
1992 Keepers of the Wild producer, director, writerWon – 1992 National Emmy Award for directing[ citation needed ]
Christopher Columbus Award
Narrator – Glenn Close
1996 The Last Frog producer, director, writer, narratorWon – 1996 National Emmy Award [14]
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Award [14]
Japan international Wildlife Film Festival Award [14]
Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival Best of Festival [14]
Earthwatch Award
1997 Stolen Treasures producer, director, writer, narrator
King Cobra writerWon - 1997 Emmy Award News and Documentary [15]
Lords of the Everglades writer
Extraordinary Dogs producer, directorFinalist - Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
Snake Invasion producer, director, writer, narrator
1999 Secret Life of Cats producer, director, writer, narratorWon – 1999 National Emmy Award [14]
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival [14]
Japan international Wildlife Film Festival [14]
International Wildlife Film Festival [14]
ITVA Peer Awards
Christopher Columbus Award
Wisdom of the Wild producer, director, writer, narrator
2000 The Urban Elephant producer, director, writer, narratorWon – 2001 Emmy Award for Outstanding Cultural & Informational Documentary – Best Director [16]
The New York Festivals World Medal
Genesis Award [17]
2003 Inca Mummies: Secrets of a Lost World producer, director, writer, narratorITVA Peer Awards
2004 Return to Freedom producer, director, writer, narrator, editorA short film for the American Wild Horse Sanctuary [18]
2006 Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History producer, director, writer, narratorWon - 2007 National Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Research [19]
Genesis Award [17]
Best Editing, Best Television Program $250,000-$500,000 Budget, Merit for Powerful Storytelling, and Merit for Advocacy at the International Wildlife Film Festival [20]
Christopher Columbus Award [21]
Explorer's Club< [22]
2008 Crash: A Tale of Two Species producer, director, writer, editor, narrator31st International Wildlife Film Festival: Sapphire Award-Second Place, Best Conservation & Environmental Issue, Best Script [23]
Nominated - National Emmy Award [24]
2009 Frogs: The Thin Green Line producer, director, writer, editor, narratorSelection for DC Environmental Film Fest [25]
2011 9/11: Where Were You? producer, director, writer, editorThis film is about immediate responses to the attack on the World Trade Center. [26]
2013 Parrot Confidential producer, writer, editor, narratorGenesis Award [27]
Special Jury Award, New York Wild Film Festival [28]

ArgoFilms is in pre-production for The Story of Dao, the company’s first full-length feature film. The film is based on the life of an elephant named Pang Dao, whom Argo first encountered during the filming of The Urban Elephant for PBS Nature and National Geographic. [29]

The Story of Dao began pre-production in 2011. The film’s six-week scout in Southeast Asia was funded by a Kickstarter campaign, [30] which received over $25,000 from over 200 backers. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Burns</span> American documentarian and filmmaker (born 1953)

Kenneth Lauren Burns is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the National Endowment for the Humanities and distributed by PBS.

Frontline is an investigative documentary program distributed by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. Episodes are produced at WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts. The series has covered a variety of domestic and international issues, including terrorism, elections, environmental disasters, and other sociopolitical issues. Since its debut in 1983, Frontline has aired in the U.S. for 42 seasons, and has won critical acclaim and awards in broadcast journalism. In 2024, Frontline won its first Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature, 20 Days in Mariupol, made by a team of AP Ukrainian journalists. Frontline has produced over 800 documentaries from both in-house and independent filmmakers, 200 of which are available online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Levin</span> American film director (born 1951)

Marc Levin is an American independent film producer and director. He is best known for his Brick City TV series, which won the 2010 Peabody award and was nominated for an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking and his dramatic feature film, Slam, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Caméra d'Or at Cannes in 1998. He also has received three Emmy Awards and the 1997 DuPont-Columbia Award.

<i>Bill Moyers Journal</i> American current affairs television series (1972–76; 1979–81; 2007–10)

Bill Moyers Journal was an American television current affairs program that covered an array of current affairs and human issues, including economics, history, literature, religion, philosophy, science, and most frequently politics. Bill Moyers executive produced, wrote and hosted the Journal when it was created. WNET in New York produced it and PBS aired it from 1972 to 1976.

<i>Independent Lens</i> Television documentary film series (began 1999)

Independent Lens is a weekly television series airing on PBS featuring documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens were hosted by Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie Gyllenhaal, America Ferrera, Mary-Louise Parker, and Stanley Tucci, who served two stints as host from 2012-2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Doran</span> Irish-Scottish independent documentary filmmaker

Jamie Doran is an Irish-Scottish independent documentary filmmaker and former BBC producer. He founded the award-winning company Clover Films, based in Windsor, in 2008. He is also president of Datchet Village Football Club, which he founded in 1986. Doran's films have been shown worldwide, and on series such as BBC's Panorama, Channel 4's Dispatches, Channel 4's True Stories, PBS's Frontline, Al Jazeera, ABC's Four Corners, Japan's NHK, Germany's ZDF NDR/ARD and Denmark's DR.

Thomas Furneaux Lennon is a documentary filmmaker. He was born in Washington, D.C., graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1968 and Yale University in 1973.

William Franklin Baker is an American broadcaster, author, academic scholar, and explorer.

Who Killed Vincent Chin? is a 1987 American documentary film produced and directed by Christine Choy and Renee Tajima-Peña that recounts the murder of Vincent Chin. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was later broadcast as part of the PBS series POV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Kirk</span> Documentary filmmaker

Michael Kirk is a documentary filmmaker and partial creator of the PBS show Frontline, where he worked as senior producer until 1987. Kirk founded and currently owns the production company, the Kirk Documentary Group, in Brookline, Massachusetts, which has produced dozens of award-winning documentaries, both for Frontline and through his company, that focus on political, social and cultural issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solly Granatstein</span> American television producer

Solly Granatstein is an American television producer and director, formerly with CBS 60 Minutes, NBC News and ABC News. He is co-creator, along with Lucian Read and Richard Rowley, of "America Divided", a documentary series about inequality, and was co-executive producer of Years of Living Dangerously Season 1. He is the winner of twelve Emmys, a Peabody, a duPont, two Polks, four Investigative Reporters and Editors awards, including the IRE medal, and virtually every other major award in broadcast journalism. He is also the screenwriter, with Vince Beiser, of The Great Antonio, an upcoming film, developed by Steven Soderbergh and Warner Brothers.

Chris Morgan is a British-born ecologist, conservationist, TV host, filmmaker, podcaster, and author. His ecology and conservation work focuses on bears and other large carnivores worldwide. Over the last 25 years Morgan has worked as a wildlife researcher, wilderness guide, and environmental educator on every continent where bears exist.

Marion "Muffie" Meyer is an American director, whose productions include documentaries, theatrical features, television series and children’s films. Films that she directed are the recipients of two Emmy Awards, CINE Golden Eagles, the Japan Prize, Christopher Awards, the Freddie Award, the Columbia-DuPont, and the Peabody Awards. Her work has been selected for festivals in Japan, Greece, London, Edinburgh, Cannes, Toronto, Chicago and New York, and she has been twice nominated by the Directors Guild of America.

America ReFramed is a weekly independent documentary series broadcast on World Channel. Since 2012, America ReFramed has broadcast over 120 films by independent filmmakers. The series is co-produced by American Documentary, Inc. and the WORLD Channel. America ReFramed films feature personal stories that have a strong social-issue focus.

Richard Rowley is a documentary filmmaker. His films and TV shows have received three Emmy awards, an Oscar nomination, and other awards and nominations, as well as recognition at film festivals around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Shapiro (director)</span> American film director (born 1959)

Benjamin Shapiro is an American documentary director, cinematographer, and independent public radio producer.

<i>The Urban Gorilla</i>

The Urban Gorilla is a 1991 documentary television film from National Geographic Explorer and ArgoFilms. The film explores the lives of gorillas in an urban environment. The Urban Gorilla was narrated by Glenn Close and shot by Robert Collins. The film was directed, produced, and written by Allison Argo. This was the first film that Argo produced. The film was directly inspired by a gorilla named Ivan, who is featured in the documentary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allison Argo</span> American film director

Allison Argo is an American film producer, director, writer, editor, and narrator. She is best known for her documentaries that focus on endangered wildlife and conservation. Her films have received awards including six National Emmy Awards. and the duPont-Columbia Award for journalism.

John Simeon Block is an American documentary filmmaker.

Miki Meek is an American radio producer and journalist best known as a producer for the radio program This American Life. She was an intern and then freelanced for the show before joining the staff in December 2012. She has worked as an online producer and editor at National Geographic and The New York Times. Meek has won two Emmy Awards for documentary programming.

References

  1. ↑ "Frogs: The Thin Green Line: Ask the Filmmaker," Nature, April 2009, Aug. 2012, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/frogs-the-thin-green-line/ask-the-filmmaker/4872/.
  2. ↑ "About ArgoFilms," ArgoFilms, 2011, Aug. 2012, http://www.argofilms.com/films.
  3. ↑ Bates, Mary (January 28, 2013). ""Allison Argo: Filmmaker, Conservationist," Izilwane: Voices for Biodiversity". Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ Nature, 2012, Aug. 2012, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/
  5. ↑ “ArgoFilms,” Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Aug. 2012, https://www.imdb.com/company/co0249843/.
  6. 1 2 3 Bates. ""Allison Argo: Filmmaker, Conservationist," Izilwane: Voices for Biodiversity". Archived from the original on 2014-07-27.
  7. ↑ “Robert E. Collins,” IMDb, Aug. 2012, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002300/, “Glenn Close,” IMDb, Aug. 2012, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000335/, and Allison Argo, interviewed by “The American Dog Reports,” “Inspire: Documentary Filmmaker Allison Argo,” The American Dog Magazine, Winter 2011, 56-57, http://issuu.com/americandogmag/docs/www.theamericandogmag.com/search?q=Argo.
  8. 1 2 K. Connor, Mark (30 September 2011). ""Portrait of an Artist," East Side Monthly". Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "All duPont-Columbia Award Winners". Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Archived from the original on 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2012-10-19. SILVER BATON WTBS-TV, National Geographic Society, Explorer: The Urban Gorilla
  10. ↑ Scheiderer, David (February 17, 1993). ""TV Reviews: 'Keepers': Affecting and Thoughtful," Los Angeles Times" . Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  11. ↑ ""All duPont-Columbia Award Winners" Columbia Journalism School". Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  12. ↑ ""2013 Speakers," Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival". 2013. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  13. ↑ Eldred, Rich (25 April 2014). "Humane Society Honors Cape Filmmaker," Wicked Local" . Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ""2013 Speakers," Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival". Archived from the original on 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
  15. ↑ ""News and Documentary Emmy Awards," IMDb". 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  16. ↑ ""The 22nd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards," Emmy Online" (PDF). 2001. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  17. 1 2 Eldred. "Humane Society Honors Cape Filmmaker," Wicked Local".
  18. ↑ ""Video Gallery," American Wild Horse Sanctuary". 2014. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  19. ↑ “OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: RESEARCH” Archived November 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine NATIONAL TELEVISION ACADEMY 28TH ANNUAL NEWS AND DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARDS - WINNERS p15
  20. ↑ ""International Wildlife Film Festival," FFW". 2008. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  21. ↑ ""The 58th Annual Christopher Award Winners," The Christphers, Inc". 2007. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  22. ↑ ""Weekend Picks: Bubbles, Comic Books, and Documentaries," About.com". 2007. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Crash: A Tale of Two Species". Agro Films. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  24. ↑ ""The 30th Annual Emmy® Awards for News & Documentary The Nominations," The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences" (PDF). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  25. ↑ ""Frogs: The Thin Green Line," DC Environmental Film Fest". 2014. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  26. ↑ ""Episode: 9/11: Where Were You?" National Geographic". 2014. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  27. ↑ ""Genesis Awards," Humane Society of the United States". 2014. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  28. ↑ ""Parrot Confidential Celebrates 'Special Jury' Award at the NY Wild Film Festival," Foster Parrots". 2014. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  29. ↑ Ali Berman, “Elephants in Captivity Awareness Film Hits Fundraising Goal,” Ecorazzi, May 2011, August 2012, http://www.ecorazzi.com/2011/05/06/elephants-in-captivity-awareness-film-hits-its-goal-on-kickstarter/.
  30. ↑ Bates, Mary (28 January 2013). ""Allison Argo: Filmmaker, Conservationist," Izilwane: Voices for Biodiversity,". Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  31. ↑ "The Story of Dao — raise awareness for elephants thru film". Kickstarter. May 12, 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.