City So Real
GenreDocumentary
Directed bySteve James
Music by
  • Will Miller
  • Resavoir
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Zak Piper
  • Steve James
Cinematography
  • Jackson James
  • Steve James
Editors
  • David E. Simpson
  • Steve James
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNational Geographic
ReleaseOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)

City So Real is an American documentary miniseries directed by Steve James, revolving around the 2019 mayoral election in Chicago, Illinois, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social upheaval following the murder of George Floyd. It consists of 5 episodes and premiered on October 29, 2020, on National Geographic.[1]

Premise

The series follows the 2019 mayoral election in Chicago, exploring corruption within the city, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and social upheaval following the murder of George Floyd.[2][3]

Episodes

No.Title [4]Directed byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Welcome to Chicago"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A
2"Blood Sport"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A
3"With All Due Respect to the Candidate"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A
4"If You Want to Break the Machine"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A
5"You Gotta Make It or You Gotta Take It"Steve JamesOctober 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)N/A

Release

The series, originally just four episodes, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020.[5][6][7][8][9] In August 2020, National Geographic acquired distribution rights to the series.[10]

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 9.38/10.[11] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 93 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[12]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2021
 Gotham Awards Breakthrough Nonfiction Series City So Real Nominated [13]
IDA Documentary Awards Best Multi-Part Documentary Steve James, Zak Piper, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, and Jolene Pinder Nominated [14]
Independent Spirit Awards Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series City So Real Nominated [15]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Jolene Pinder, Steve James, and Zak Piper Nominated [16][17]
Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Jackson James and Steve James ("Blood Sport") Nominated
TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in News and Information City So Real Nominated [18]
2022
 Cinema Eye Honors Outstanding Nonfiction Series City So Real Won [19][20]
Outstanding Broadcast Editing David E. Simpson and Steve James Nominated
Outstanding Broadcast Cinematography Jackson James and Steve James Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "City So Real". National Geographic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  2. ↑ Petski, Denise (September 24, 2020). "'City So Real' Trailer: First Look At Steve James' Timely Sundance Docuseries Ahead Of Nat Geo Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  3. ↑ Lopez, Kristen (September 24, 2020). "'City So Real' Trailer: Steve James' Documentary Couldn't Be Timelier". IndieWire. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  4. ↑ "City So Real". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  5. ↑ "City So Real". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ Travers, Ben (December 10, 2019). "Sundance 2020 Sets TV and Shorts Lineups with Sarah Polley, Steve James, and Lin-Manuel Miranda". IndieWire. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  7. ↑ Brotheridge, James (9 June 2020). "Hot Docs Review: 'Hoop Dreams' Filmmaker Examines the Nuances of Chicago Life in 'City So Real' Directed by Steve James". exclaim.ca. EXCLAIM!. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Travers, Ben (28 January 2020). "'City So Real' Review: Steve James' Gripping Sundance Doc on Chicago Politics Is a Must-See". IndieWire. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (28 January 2020). "'City So Real': TV Review | Sundance 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  10. ↑ Day-Ramos, Dino (August 3, 2020). "National Geographic Acquires Steve James' Sundance Docuseries 'City So Real' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  11. ↑ "City So Real: Miniseries (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  12. ↑ "City So Real". Metacritic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  13. ↑ Sharf, Zack (October 21, 2021). "Gotham Awards 2021 Nominations: 'Pig,' 'Green Knight,' 'Passing' Compete for Best Feature". IndieWire. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  14. ↑ "IDA Announces 36th Annual IDA Documentary Awards Nominees". International Documentary Association. November 24, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  15. ↑ Lewis, Hilary; Galuppo, Mia (January 26, 2021). "Film Independent Spirit Awards: Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Minari, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Nomadland Top Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  16. ↑ "City So Real". Television Academy. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ Bosselman, Haley; Moreau, Jordan; Shanfeld, Ethan (July 13, 2021). "Emmys 2021: Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  18. ↑ Turchiano, Danielle (July 15, 2021). "'Ted Lasso' Scores the Most 2021 TCA Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  19. ↑ Pond, Steve (March 1, 2022). "Flee Wins Top Prize at Cinema Eye Honors for Documentaries". TheWrap. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  20. ↑ Grobar, Matt (November 10, 2021). "Flee & Summer Of Soul Lead Cinema Eye Honors Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
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