White Horse Pictures

American film and television production company

White Horse PicturesIndustry|

* Documentary
* Film
* Television

|

Founded| 2014; 10 years ago (2014)
Headquarters|

Beverly Hills, California

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.

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

## History

[edit]

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

[edit]

Documentary

Year  | Film  | Director  | Distributor

|
|
|

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

Year  | Program  | Director  | Distributor

|
|
|

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

## Awards

[edit]

### Emmy Awards

[edit]

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)

Category  | Nominations

|

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special |

* 2017: The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
* 2020: The Apollo
* 2021: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
* 2022: Lucy and Desi

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series |

* 2024: STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A.

Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program |

* 2021: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
* 2022: Lucy and Desi

Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program |

* 2017: The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
* 2021: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
* 2022: Lucy and Desi

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program |

* 2017: The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
* 2021: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
* 2022: Lucy and Desi

Outstanding Sound Editing for Non-Fiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera) |

* 2017: The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
* 2021: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
* 2022: Lucy and Desi

Outstanding Sound Mixing for Non-Fiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera) |

* 2017: The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
* 2021: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
* 2024: The Beach Boys
* 2024: STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A.

Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score) |

* 2022: Lucy and Desi

### Academy Awards

[edit]

Year  | Ceremony  | Category  | Nominee  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2021  | 92nd Academy Awards | Documentary Feature  | The Apollo | Shortlist  | [27]
Live Action Short  | Refugee | Shortlist

### Grammy Awards

[edit]

Year  | Ceremony  | Category  | Nominee  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

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

### Additional Awards

[edit]

Year  | Ceremony  | Category  | Nominee  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

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 Documentary  | Nominated
Best Biographical Documentary  | Nominated
Two Riversides Film and Art Festival  | Audience Award, First Place  | Won  | [29]
2022  | Peabody Award | Documentary  | Lucy and Desi | Nominated  | [23]
2nd Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Streaming Documentary Television Movie  | Won  | [30]
2024  | South by Southwest (SXSW) | TV Premiere Audience Award  | STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A. | Won  | [24]
Oak Park Black Film Festival  | Best Documentary  | Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It | Won  | [31]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Complex, Valerie (2022-12-13). "White Horse Pictures Reorganizes Leadership Structure; Nicholas Ferrall Named Chairman & CEO". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
2. ^ "Ron Howard To Direct New Beatles Film About The Touring Years | The Beatles". www.thebeatles.com. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
3. ^ Kay2015-03-05T20:47:00+00:00, Jeremy. "White Horse boards A Faster Horse". Screen. Retrieved 2024-05-30.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (2016-05-04). "Hulu is getting into documentaries, starting with Ron Howard's Beatles film". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
5. ^ The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (2016) – Awards – IMDb. Retrieved 2024-06-27 - via www.imdb.com.
6. ^ Staff, T. H. R. (2019-12-16). "Academy Unveils 2020 Oscar Shortlists". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
7. ^ Grein, Paul (2020-09-15). "'The Apollo' (About the Legendary Theater) and 'Apollo 11' Win Big on Night 1 of Primetime Emmy Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2019-01-08). "CBS Films Acquiring Ron Howard-Directed Luciano Pavarotti Documentary". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
9. ^ Lang, Robert (2023-12-03). "The Highest-Grossing Concert Movies Of All Time At The U.S. Box Office – Photo Gallery". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
10. ^ "Pavarotti". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
11. ^ "2021 Creative Arts Emmys: See the full list of winners". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
12. ^ ""Lucy and Desi" Takes Home Two Awards at 2022 Emmys - sundance.org". 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
13. ^ Carey, Matthew (2022-08-15). "White Horse Pictures' Nigel Sinclair And Jeanne Elfant Festa On Their Emmy Contender 'Lucy And Desi': "The Best Team Led By The Best Director"". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
14. ^ Shafer, Ellise (2024-05-24). "Beach Boys Documentary Is Now Streaming On Disney+". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
15. ^ Thatcher, John (2024-05-16). "HBO Original Documentary Series STAX: SOULSVILLE U.S.A. Debuts May 20". Stax Museum. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
16. ^ Hipes, Lynette Rice,Patrick; Rice, Lynette; Hipes, Patrick (2024-07-17). "Emmy Nominations 2024: The Complete List". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-07-18.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
17. ^ "Paris Barclay's doc Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It makes debut at 2024 SXSW". BlackFilmandTV.com. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
18. ^ "SHARI & LAMB CHOP". DOC NYC. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
19. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2022-04-28). "Gene Wilder Doc Set at White Horse Pictures, Library Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
20. ^ Vlessing, Etan (2024-07-09). "Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu Headline 'Lilith Fair' Documentary (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
21. ^ Grobar, Matt (2024-11-19). "Frank Marshall Directing Authorized Fleetwood Mac Documentary For Apple". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
22. ^ a b c The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016) - Awards - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-07-29 - via www.imdb.com.
23. ^ a b Lucy and Desi (2022) - Awards - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-07-29 - via www.imdb.com.
24. ^ a b "Critically Acclaimed HBO Docuseries 'STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A.' Nominated for Two Emmy® Awards - Stax Records". Retrieved 2024-07-29.
25. ^ Cite error: The named reference `:1` was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
26. ^ "The Beach Boys - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
27. ^ Cite error: The named reference `:0` was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
28. ^ Schaffstall, Katherine (2019-10-14). "Critics' Choice Doc Awards: 'Biggest Little Farm,' AOC Film 'Knock Down the House,' Obama-Backed 'American Factory' Among Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
29. ^ "Two Riversides Film and Art Festival (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
30. ^ Tinoco, Armando (2022-08-15). "HCA TV Awards: 'Severance' Tops Streaming Winners In Night 2, Joining 'The White Lotus', 'Abbott Elementary', 'Better Call Saul'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
31. ^ Church, Madelaine (2024-10-24). "Oak Park Black Film Festival celebrates Black cinema". The Sacramento Observer. Retrieved 2024-11-20.

*[Ref.]: References