White Horse Pictures

Last updated
White Horse Pictures
Industry
  • Documentary
  • Film
  • Television
Founded2014;11 years ago (2014)
Headquarters
Key people
  • Nigel Sinclair (Non-Executive chairman)
  • Nicholas Ferrall (Chairman & CEO)
  • Jeanne Elfant Festa (Co-President)
  • Cassidy Hartmann (Co-President)
Website www.whitehorsepics.com

White Horse Pictures is an American film, documentary and television production company founded in 2014.

Contents

The company is run by four partners and producers, Nigel Sinclair, Nicholas Ferrall, Jeanne Elfant Festa and Cassidy Hartmann.

History

White Horse Pictures was founded in 2014 by Nigel Sinclair alongside longtime business partner Guy East with partners Nicholas Ferrall, Jeanne Elfant Festa and Cassidy Hartmann. [1] Sinclair's previous documentaries had included Martin Scorsese’s, George Harrison: Living in the Material World which won two Emmy Awards and was nominated for a BAFTA, the Grammy Award-winning No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, the Academy Award-winning Undefeated and the Grammy Award-winning Foo Fighters: Back and Forth . [2]

White Horse Pictures' first documentary, A Faster Horse , directed by David Gelb, was released in 2015. [3]

In 2016, the team produced and sold worldwide The Beatles: Eight Days a Week , directed by Ron Howard and written by Mark Monroe, which won a Grammy for Best Music Film and multiple Emmy Awards. The film was Hulu's first documentary acquisition. [4] [5]

White Horse Pictures subsequently produced The Apollo directed by Roger Ross Williams – which opened the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2019 to overwhelming critical acclaim – where upon release on HBO the film was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary. [6] The Apollo won Outstanding Documentary at the 72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. [7]

Also in 2019 was Pavarotti , directed by Ron Howard and written by Mark Monroe, which was sold to CBS Films and grossed $8,083,942, becoming one of the top 20 highest-grossing (domestic) concert films of all time. [8] [9] [10]

In 2020, White Horse Pictures produced The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart on HBO, directed by Frank Marshall and written by Mark Monroe where it received critical acclaim and nominations for six Emmy Awards including Outstanding Documentary, winning one. [11]

White Horse Pictures produced Lucy and Desi , directed and produced by Amy Poehler in her documentary directorial debut and written by Mark Monroe, on Amazon Prime Video where it received critical acclaim and was nominated for six Emmy Awards, winning two. [12] The 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony represented the third year in a row White Horse Pictures produced a documentary nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary. [13]

In 2024, White Horse Pictures produced the authorized documentary The Beach Boys , directed and produced by Frank Marshall, written by Mark Monroe and distributed by Disney. [14] That same year, White Horse Pictures also released the docuseries Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A. directed and produced by Jamila Wignot about the rise and fall of Stax Records. [15] Both received positive reviews and nominations at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, with The Beach Boys winning for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera). [16]

Recently, White Horse Pictures has produced an upcoming documentary about the ventriloquist and children's entertainer Shari Lewis and her famous puppet, Lamb Chop, Shari & Lamb Chop, directed Lisa D'Apolito, which debuted at Doc NYC 2023; a documentary on keyboardist, singer and songwriter Billy Preston, Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It directed by Paris Barclay which debuted at SXSW 2024; and an upcoming documentary on beloved actor Gene Wilder directed by Chris Smith. [17] [18] [19] White Horse Pictures is in co-production on a documentary about the Lilith Fair festival directed by Ally Pankiw and produced by Dan Levy. [20]

On 19 November 2024, it was announced that White Horse Pictures is producing, alongside The Kennedy/Marshall Company, an upcoming authorized Apple TV+ documentary on Fleetwood Mac, directed and produced by Frank Marshall and written by Mark Monroe. [21]

Filmography

Documentary

YearFilmDirectorDistributor
2015 A Faster Horse David Gelb FilmRise
2016 The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years Ron Howard Hulu
2019 The Apollo Roger Ross Williams HBO
Pavarotti Ron Howard CBS Films
2020 The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart Frank Marshall HBO
2022 Lucy and Desi Amy Poehler Amazon Prime Video
2024 The Beach Boys Frank Marshall Disney+

Television

YearProgramDirectorDistributor
2024 Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. Jamila Wignot HBO

Awards

Emmy Awards

Programs produced by White Horse Pictures partners have won eight Emmy Awards from 21 nominations. Below is a list of selected Emmy nominations by White Horse Pictures original programming. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]

(Wins Bolded)

CategoryNominations
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program
Outstanding Sound Editing for Non-Fiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera)
Outstanding Sound Mixing for Non-Fiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera)
Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score)

Academy Awards

YearCeremonyCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2021 92nd Academy Awards Documentary Feature The Apollo Shortlist [27]
Live Action ShortRefugeeShortlist

Grammy Awards

YearCeremonyCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2017 59th Grammy Awards Best Music Film The Beatles: Eight Days a Week Won [22]

Additional Awards

YearCeremonyCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2016 1st Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Best Music Documentary The Beatles: Eight Days a Week Won [22]
2019 4th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Best Archival Documentary Pavarotti Nominated [28]
Best Music DocumentaryNominated
Best Biographical DocumentaryNominated
Two Riversides Film and Art FestivalAudience Award, First PlaceWon [29]
2022 Peabody Award Documentary Lucy and Desi Nominated [23]
2nd Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Streaming Documentary Television MovieWon [30]
2024 South by Southwest (SXSW) TV Premiere Audience Award STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A. Won [24]
40th IDA Documentary AwardsBest Limited SeriesNominated [31]
Oak Park Black Film FestivalBest DocumentaryBilly Preston: That's The Way God Planned ItWon [32]
2025 36th Palm Springs International Film Festival Best of FestSelected [33]

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References

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