“THE EMPTY CHAIR” from “JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY”
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting
Directed by: Brian Oakes
Written by: Chris Chuang, Heather MacDonald, and Brian Oakes
Cinematography by: Rachel Beth Anderson, James Foley, Clair Popkin, and Matthew VanDyke
Music by: Osei Essed, Saul Simon MacWilliams, and Dan Romer
Distributed by: HBO Documentary Films
Release Date: February 6, 2016
FILM SYNOPSIS: American photographer James Foley specialized in conflict journalism, documenting war-torn areas such as Libya and Syria. A restless, driven man who was nonetheless devoted to his family, and a compassionate professional dedicated to his work, Jim was captured by ISIS in 2012 and held in captivity for almost two years before being beheaded by the terrorist organization.
Who’s his competition? Despite a handful of nominations between J. Ralph and Sting over the years, “The Empty Chair,” although heartfelt and wonderfully written, is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the nominees this year. “La La Land” is the front-runner, which sort of goes without saying seeing as it has two dogs in the race. I also feel like “Trolls” is a close 2nd, as it was the catchiest song of the year, by far. But “City Of Stars” is the anthem to the Best Picture front-runner, so look for that to get picked. “Jim: The James Foley Story” seems to be a surprise for even getting a nomination, but one film tends to show up like this in the Original Song category every year. The documentary was very solid and it’s surprising it was not considered for the Best Documentary category, following the life and death of conflict journalist James Foley as he traveled to Libya and Syria and eventually losing his life.
Previous nominations? This is the third Academy Award nomination for J. Ralph. He was previously nominated for:
- RACING EXTINCTION (2015)
Nominee, Music (Original Song) - CHASING ICE (2012)
Nominee, Music (Original Song)
This is the fourth Academy Award nomination for Sting. He was previously nominated for:
- COLD MOUNTAIN (2003)
Nominee, Music (Original Song) - KATE & LEOPOLD (2001)
Nominee, Music (Original Song) - THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE (2000)
Nominee, Music (Original Song)
// Produced by George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt, and Eva Lipman //
// Directed by Brian Oakes //
// Dated Viewed: Saturday, February 11th, 2017 // HBO GO // 32 films – 16 days //
