CHINO KINO

AACTA International Awards - winners

2012-01-28T00:25:00.000-05:00

The newly formed Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) held their first ever AACTA International Awards ceremony tonight at Soho House in West Hollywood. AACTA President Geoffrey Rush hosted the event and announced the winners.

Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist proved triumphant yet again, in winning Best Film. Hazanavicius also picked up Best Director, while Jean Dujardin claimed his first major win over Best Actor frontrunner George Clooney. The Artist had been tied with several nominees for the lead with four nominations.

Its competitors for Best Film had been The Descendants, Hugo, The Ides of March, Margin Call , Melancholia, Midnight In Paris, Moneyball , The Tree of Life and We Need to Talk About Kevin.

George Clooney did, however, earn an award as one of the screenwriters of The Ides of March. The screenplay award was shared in a tie with Margin Call.

The Best Actress Award went to Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady. Her competition for the AACTA Award included Michelle Williams and Glenn Close but not Viola Davis.

The main portion of the Inaugural Samsung AACTA Awards will take place at the Sydney Opera House on January 31 and be broadcast live on Australian TV.

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Complete winners for the Inaugural AACTA International Awards

BEST FILM
The Artist – Thomas Langmann (The Weinstein Company)

BEST DIRECTION
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Ides of March – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Margin Call - J.C. Chandor

BEST ACTOR
Jean Dujardin – The Artist

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

2012 Kinema Junpo Awards for Japanese Film - winners

2012-01-27T20:52:00.000-05:00

The film magazine Kinema Junpo (or Kinejun) has announced the winners of its 85th Kinema Junpo Awards.

Topping the list of Ten Best Japanese Movies was 一枚のハガキ (Post Card) by 新藤兼人 (Kaneto Shindo). The drama tells the story of a soldier sent to the frontline and receives a postcard from his wife.

The Best Director award went to 園子温 (Sion Sono) for his films 冷たい熱帯魚 (Cold Fish) and 恋の罪 (Guilty of Romance). 冷たい熱帯魚 (Cold Fish) was named the number 3 Japanese movie.

The Top Foreign Film was The Ghost Writer by Roman Polanski. Also making the top ten was the Canadian film Incendies as well as other Oscar-nominated films The Social Network, The King's Speech, Moneyball, True Grit, Hereafter and Another Year.

The top Japanese documentary was 大丈夫。─小児科医・細谷亮太のコトバ─ (Daijoubu.: Shoujikai Hosoya Ryouta no kotoba).

Last year's Kinema Junpo Awards were led by 悪人 (Villain).

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Complete list of winners for the 85th Kinema Junpo Awards

Ten Best Japanese Movies

1. 一枚のハガキ (Post Card)
2. 大鹿村騒動記 (Someday)
3. 冷たい熱帯魚 (Cold Fish)
4. まほろ駅前多田便利軒 (Tada's Do-It-All House)
5. 八日目の蝉 (Rebirth)
6. サウダーヂ (Saudade)
7. 東京公園 (Tokyo Koen)
7. モテキ (Love Strikes!)
9. マイ・バック・ページ (My Back Page)
10. 探偵はBARにいる (Phone Call to the Bar)

*Runner-up 監督失格 (Kantoku Shikkaku)

Individual awards

Best Director: 園子温 (Sion Sono), 冷たい熱帯魚 (Cold Fish), 恋の罪 (Guilty of Romance)
Best Screenplay: 荒井晴彦 (Haruhiko Arai)and 阪本順治 (Junji Sakamoto), 大鹿村騒動記 (Someday)
Best Actress: 永作博美 (Hiromi Nagasaku), 八日目の蝉 (Rebirth)
Best Actor: 原田芳雄 (Yoshio Harada), 大鹿村騒動記 (Someday)
Best Supporting Actress: 小池栄子 (Eiko Koike), 八日目の蝉 (Rebirth) and RAILWAYS 愛を伝えられない大人たちへ (Crossroads)
Best Supporting Actor: でんでん (Denden), 冷たい熱帯魚 (Cold Fish)
Best New Actress: 忽那汐里 (Shiori Kutsuna), 少女たちの羅針盤(Shojotachi no Rashinban) and マイ・バック・ページ (My Back Page)
Best New Actor: 松坂桃李 (Tori Matsuzaka), アントキノイノチ (Life Back Then) and 僕たちは世界を変えることができない。 But, we wanna build a school in Cambodia (We Can't Change The World But, We Wanna Build a School in Cambodia.)
Best Foreign Director: 王兵 (Wang Bing), 夹边沟 (Clip Ditch)

Ten Best Foreign Movies

1. ゴーストライター (The Ghost Writer)
2. ソーシャル・ネットワーク (The Social Network)
3. 英国王のスピーチ (The King's Speech)
4. 無言歌 (Clip Ditch)
5. ブラック・スワン (Black Swan)
6. マネーボール (Moneyball)
7. トゥルー・グリット (True Grit)
8. ヒアアフター (Hereafter)
9. 灼熱の魂 (Incendies)
10. 家族の庭 (Another Year)

*Runner-up ウィンターズ・ボーン (Winter's Bone)

Ten Best Documentaries

1. 大丈夫。─小児科医・細谷亮太のコトバ─ (Daijoubu.: Shoujikai Hosoya Ryouta no kotoba)
2. 色を奏でいのちを紡ぐ染織家志村ふくみ・洋子の世界 (Color of Life - World Of Living National Treasure, Fukumi Shimura and Yoko Shimura)
3. 遙かなるふるさと旅順・大連
4. 沈黙の春を生きて (Living the Silent Spring)
5. ミツバチの羽音と地球の回転 (Ashes to Honey)
6. 里湖八郎潟物語 (Satoumi Story of Hachiro Lake)
7. 医（いや）す者として～映像と証言で綴る農村医療の戦後史～
8. かすかな光へ
9. Hayabusa -Back To The Earth- 帰還バージョン
10. 食卓の肖像 (Family Portrait)

*Runners-up さぁのはらへいこう, 原爆症認定集団訴訟の記録にんげんをかえせ

Golden Eagle Awards for Russian Cinema - winners

2012-01-27T18:21:00.000-05:00

Tonight, the Национальная Академия кинематографических искусств и наук России (National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia) held their 11th annual премия Золотой Орёл (Golden Eagle Awards) at the First Pavilion of Mosfilm in Moscow.

Елена (Elena) by Андрей Звягинцев (Andrei Zvyagintsev) led the field, taking four awards in the categories of Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actress for Елена Лядова (Yelena Lyadova). It had led with ten nominations. Previously, Елена won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes and lead actress Надежда Маркина (Nadezhda Markina) won the Best Actress award at the 5th Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

Мастер и Маргарита (The Master and Margarita) by Юрий Кара (Yuri Kara) also picked up four awards. They were for the more technical areas of Art Direction, Costume Design, Editing and Sound Editing.

Two films were double prize-winners. Два дня (Two Days) nabbed both of the lead acting categories with Best Actress going to Ксения Раппопорт (Kseniya Rappoport) and Федор Бондарчук (Fyodor Bondarchuk) taking Best Actor. Дом (Home) won Best Supporting Actor for Богдан Ступка (Bogdan Stupka) and Best Music.

In the Television section, Достоевский (Dostoyevsky) dominated. It took Best TV Movie or Mini-Series as well as the acting awards for Валентина Талызина (Valentina Talyzina) and Евгений Миронов (Yevgeny Mironov).

The winner for Best Foreign Film was Tom Hooper's The King's Speech, the previous Oscar-winner. It had been up against Lars von Trier's Melancholia and Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan.

An Honourary Award was presented to veteran actor Валентин Гафт (Valentin Gaft) for his contributions to cinema.

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Complete list of winners for the 11th annual премия Золотой Орёл

Best Feature Film
Елена (Elena); Produced by Александр Роднянский (Alexander Rodnyansky), Сергей Мелькумов (Sergey Melkumov); Directed by Андрей Звягинцев (Andrei Zvyagintsev)

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
Достоевский (Dostoyevsky)

Best TV Series
Побег (Prison Break)

Best Documentary Feature
Михаил Ульянов. О времени и о себе (Mikhail Ulyanov. About Time and Me), Галина Евтушенко (Galina Yevtushenko)

Best Animated Film
Три богатыря и Шамаханская царица (How Not to Rescue a Princess), Сергей Глезин (Sergei Glezin)

Best Director
Андрей Звягинцев (Andrei Zvyagintsev), Елена (Elena)

Best Screenplay
Александр Миндадзе (Aleksandr Mindadze), В субботу (Innocent Saturday)

Best Actress in Film
Ксения Раппопорт (Kseniya Rappoport), Два дня (Two Days)

Best Actress in Television
Валентина Талызина (Valentina Talyzina), Достоевский (Dostoyevsky)

Best Actor in Film
Федор Бондарчук (Fyodor Bondarchuk), Два дня (Two Days)

Best Actor in Television
Евгений Миронов (Yevgeny Mironov), Достоевский (Dostoyevsky)

Best Supporting Actress
Елена Лядова (Yelena Lyadova), Елена (Elena)

Best Supporting Actor
Богдан Ступка (Bogdan Stupka), Дом (Home)

Best Cinematography
Михаил Кричман (Mikhail Krichman), Елена (Elena)

Best Art Direction
Юрий Устинов (Yuri Ustinov), Борис Кузовкин (Boris Kuzovkin), Мастер и Маргарита (The Master and Margarita)

Best Costume Design
Людмила Чекулаева (Lyudmila Chekulayeva), Анна Кузнецова (Anya Kusnetsova), Ольга Полянская (Olga Polyanskaya), Нина Коротких (Nina Korotkikh), Мастер и Маргарита (The Master and Margarita)

Best Film Music
Эдуард Артемьев (Eduard Artemiev), Дом (Home)

Best Editing
Алла Мякотина (Alla Myakotina), Мастер и Маргарита (The Master and Margarita)

Best Sound Editing
Владимир Кипа (Vladimir Kipa), Глеб Кравецкий (Gleb Kravetsky), Александр Хасин (Aleksandr Khasin), Мастер и Маргарита (The Master and Margarita)

Best Foreign Film
Король говорит! (The King's Speech)

Honourary Award
Валентин Гафт (Valentin Gaft)

Call for submissions: Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival

2012-01-27T17:30:00.001-05:00

Planet in Focus has put out a call for submissions for their upcoming 13th Annual Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival.

Planet in Focus is Canada's leading environmentally-themed film festival. Its programming includes stories and explorations of urban and rural spaces; wildlife; social, cultural and political environments; farming; First Nations perspectives; public health; climate change; human displacement; war; globalization; water; forests; food security and other creative interpretations of the theme “environment.”

In addition to films, they have an important industry series that features panels, workshops and pitch sessions devoted to the subjects of film production, distribution and funding. They also have a school program for elementary and secondary students focused on environmental education.

This year's spotlight will be Renewable Energy. "To celebrate the UN International Year of Sustainable Energy, Planet in Focus will highlight a number of films that explore innovative ideas on renewable energy and other sustainable activities."

The 13th Annual Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival will take place from October 10-14 in Toronto.

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Submissions for the 13th Annual Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival are now open.

Submit Online through Withoutabox.
Download the Submission Form

Mail submissions to:

Submissions, Planet in Focus
55 Mill Street, Case Goods Warehouse
Building 74, Suite 402
Toronto, ON
M5A 3C4

Early Bird Deadline – April 30
Final Deadline – May 21

General Submissions
Planet in Focus is now accepting submissions for the 13^th Annual Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival taking place October 10-14, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario. Film and video submissions include stories and explorations of urban and rural spaces; wildlife; social, cultural and political environments; farming; Aboriginal perspectives; health and environment; climate change; human displacement; war; globalization; water; farming; forests, food security and more. In addition to our regular public screenings, we have a Film and Television Industry Series with panels, workshops and pitch sessions devoted to the subject of film production, distribution and funding; for three days October 9 – October 11 Planet in Focus hosts a school program for elementary and secondary school students focused on environmental education; and an entertaining and inspiring children and youth program.

2012 Spotlight: Renewable EnergyTo celebrate the UN International Year of Sustainable Energy, Planet in Focus will highlight a number of films that explore innovative ideas on renewable energy and other sustainable activities.

Entry Rules and Regulations
Submission deadlines: Early-bird: April 30, 2012 and Final deadline: May 21, 2012
Notification will be issued by email in late August, 2012.
Only films completed after January 1^st, 2010 will be considered for official selection.
The outside of your shipping package must read: “For Festival Preview Only – No Commercial Value” and have a value of less than $20—Planet in Focus will not pay customs fees on shipments.
Each submission must be accompanied by a separate entry fee and form (entry fees help pay for administration cost associated with submission processing. Planet in Focus is a not-for-profit organization).
All payments must be made to “Planet in Focus.”
All foreign language films must have English subtitles.
All entries are eligible to be added to our Green Film Market (see below for information and permissions) without additional costs to the applicant.
Submissions are not returned. All submissions are added to the Planet in Focus Media Archive (see below for more information).

Festival Submission Check List
Completed festival submission form with a signed declaration.
□ Two (2) preview screeners on DVD (NTSC or Zone 0 or 1, PAL accepted), clearly labeled with film title, year of production, length, director’s name and print contact email.
□ Press kit—Include a film synopsis (250 word limit), full production credits, director’s biography (200 word limit, include education and filmography), PRODUCTION STILLS(300 dpi), TRAILER and print contact information.
□ Entry Fee.
□ Permission for your film to be included in the Planet in Focus Green Film Market.
□ Declaration of ownership of copyright of the film, signed by owner or authorized representative of owner.

Submission Fees

Entry Fees	Canadian Shorts (Under 30 min)	Canadian Mid-Length and Feature	Int’l Shorts (under 30 min)	International Mid-length and Feature
Early Bird: April 30, 2012	$30 US	$40 US	$35 US	$45 US
Regular: May 21, 2012	$40 US	$50 US	$45 US	$55 US
LATE: June 4	$50 US	$60 US	$55 US	$65 US

Particulars
Notification will be issued by email in August 2012.
Only films completed after January 1st, 2010 will be considered for official selection.
The outside of your shipping package must read: “For Festival Preview Only – No Commercial Value”. The shipper must cover any customs fees related to the shipment of their submission to Planet in Focus. Planet in Focus will not pay customs fees on shipments. Your shipment will be refused and returned to you if this occurs.
Each submission must be accompanied by a separate entry fee and form (entry fees help pay for administration cost associated with submission processing).
All payments must be made to “Planet in Focus.”
All foreign language films must have English subtitles or dubbing.
All entries are eligible to be added to our Green Market (see below for information and permissions) without additional costs to the applicant.
Planet in Focus requires TWO (2 x) DVD copies of all submitted films. Preview Format: DVDs (Region 0 or 1 ONLY). Submissions are not returned. All submissions are added to the Planet in Focus Media Archive (see below for more information).
Preview Copies must be clearly labeled with the following information: English Title, Year of Production, Total Running Time (TRT), WAB Tracking Number, Director’s Name.
Press kit must be included: a film synopsis (250 word limit), full production credits, director’s biography (200 word limit, include education and filmography), production stills (1-3 high resolution digital), and print contact information.
Declaration of ownership of copyright of the film, signed by owner or authorized representative of owner must be filled out.
Festival screening copies must arrive at the festival office no later than September 19, 2012.

http://planetinfocus.org/

2012 Österreichischen Filmpreis (Austrian Film Awards) - winners

2012-01-27T16:47:00.000-05:00

The Akademie des Östereichischen Films (Academy of Austrian Film) held their awards ceremony at the Rosenhügelstudios, Vienna for their second annual Österreichischen Filmpreis (Austrian Film Awards).

Karl Markovics's directorial debut Atmen (Breathing) topped the winners with six of the thirteen awards. It had led with six nominations and won each of them, taking Best Picture, Director, Actor (Thomas Schubert), Screenplay, Music and Editing. Markovics is Co-President with Barbara Albert of the Akademie des Östereichischen Films.

Best Documentary went to Michael Glawogger's Whores’ Glory. It also picked up Best Cinematography. Another double winner was Mein bester Feind (My Best Enemy), which took Best Costume Design and Makeup.

The Best Actress winner was Ursula Strauss for Vielleicht in einem anderen Leben (In Another Lifetime).

The winners are chosen by more than 200 members of the Akademie des Östereichischen Films.

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Complete winners for the 2nd annual Österreichischen Filmpreis (Austrian Film Awards)

Best Picture
Atmen (Breathing), Produced by Dieter Pochlatko, Nikolaus Wisiak; Directed by Karl Markovics

Best Documentary
Whores’ Glory, Produced by Erich Lackner, Tommy Pridnig, Peter Wirthensohn; Directed by Michael Glawogger

Best Actress
Ursula Strauss, Vielleicht in einem anderen Leben (In Another Lifetime)

Best Actor
Thomas Schubert, Atmen (Breathing)

Best Director
Karl Markovics, Atmen (Breathing)

Best Screenplay
Karl Markovics, Atmen (Breathing)

Best Cinematography
Wolfgang Thaler, Whores’ Glory

Best Costume Design
Martina List, Mein bester Feind (My Best Enemy)

Best Makeup
Barbara Fröhlich, Michaela Oppl, Mein bester Feind (My Best Enemy)

Best Music
Herbert Tucmandl, Atmen (Breathing)

Best Editing
Alarich Lenz, Atmen (Breathing)

Best Art Direction
Christoph Kanter, Hexe Lilli – Die Reise nach Mandolan (Lilly the Witch: The Journey to Mandolan)

Best Sound
Veronika Hlawatsch, Klaus Kellermann, Bernhard Maisch, Michael

The 8 fest 2012, January 27-29

2012-01-27T14:23:00.001-05:00

The 5th Annual 8 Fest Small Gauge Film Festival begins tonight in Toronto. It is a Film Festival for small film formats: 8mm, Super 8 and 9.5mm, as well as works in installation, loops, and 'proto-cinema devices' like zoetropes.

The festival presents films from Toronto, across Canada and from small-gauge creators and communities around the world. Films and other works are all presented in their original format.

A feature spotlight will take place this year for Berlin filmmaker Milena Gierke. The festival opens tonight with a screening of her works. On Saturday afternoon, she will be presenting an Artist Talk at the Goethe Institut.

They will also be presenting a hands-on workshop in making 8mm films. The class will be led by John Kneller. Pre-registration is required.

The 5th 8 Fest takes place from January 27-29, 2012 at Trash Palace, 89-B Niagara Street (just west of Bathurst).

http://www.the8fest.com/

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the 8 fest schedule
January 27-January 29, 2012

Friday, January 27
7pm Milena Gierke: Depuis que je me souviens / Since I can remember
9pm ZINGER: Volume III (more tales from the Funnel) curated by Milada Kovacova
11pm Bagerooooo, five! Part 1 a survey of recent films

Saturday, January 28
2-5pm Introduction to 8mm Filmmaking - workshop led by John Kneller (preregistration required)
4pm Artist’s Talk by Milena Gierke * at the Goethe Institut, 100 University Avenue, 2nd floor (at King Street West)
7pm FIRST FILMS / even filmmakers start small curated by Milada Kovacova
9pm Notes from Nowhere: Super Winnipeg Super 8 curated by Shawna Dempsey & Lorri Millan (in person!)
11pm Adventures in Animationland new works by filmmakers and visual artists

Sunday, January 29
7pm Bush Films presented by the Home Movie History Project
9pm Bagerooooo, five! Part 2 survey of recent films

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Friday, January 27 2012 7pm
Milena Gierke : Depuis que je me souviens / Since I can remember
Milena Gierke in person! Co-presented with Goethe-Institut Toronto
The 2012 8 fest is proud to present a solo program by Berlin-based filmmaker Milena Gierke. Her appearance is made possible thanks to generous support from the Goethe-Institut Toronto.

Focusing her camera on singular details and objects within landscapes and the lived world around her, Gierke offers impressionistic silent in-camera motion paintings of time and place. Gierke has likened the “fragility” of Super 8 to water colors, noting that “each brushstroke [remains] visible and permanent....I am strongly attracted to the unique visual qualities of everyday existence, and my films are my means of drawing attention to that which fascinates me.” Tonight’s program will be projected on Super 8 by the filmmaker with brief pauses between films.

Friday, January 27 2012 9pm
ZINGER: Volume III (more tales from the Funnel) curated by Milada Kovacova
sponsored by the Art Gallery of York University

ZINGER : Volume III (more tales from the Funnel) continues the unearthing of films from the archives of the Funnel’s Distribution Catalogue. Infamous in the history of the small-gauge film community, The Funnel Experimental Film Theatre cultivated a lot of Super 8 filmmaking in its day, even actively encouraging emerging artists to exhibit publicly on their premises. This was the 80’s, the era of the post punk, new music scene where vim and vigor resonated in Toronto’s Queen Street West Art Scene. ZINGER: Volume III gravitates towards the vibrancy of the Art Scene era and these films were culled predominantly from artists active during the 80’s scene, whose artistic practice enveloped many fronts including but not exclusively filmmaking. Featuring films by John Porter, Bruce LaBruce + Anne MacLean, Edie Steiner, FASTWURMS, Sandra Meigs and Eldon Garnet.

Please click here for an in-depth article on the Funnel by Blaine Allen.

Friday, January 27 2012 11pm

Bagerooooo, five! Part 1 recent small-gauge filmmaking!

sponsored by FADO Performance Art Centre

The 8 fest received enough submissions this year that we again decided to split our yearly Bageroo screening, devoted to this year’s highlights, into two programmes. These films were selected from an international call for recent Super 8 and Regular 8 films. Films by Zoë Heyn-Jones, caleb miller, Albert Trivino Masso, Aubrey Reeves, Leslie Supnet, Jason Halprin, Stephen Broomer and Christopher Boyne. Augmenting the selection of recent work are two commissioned works by Canadian artists Thirza Cuthand and Stefan St. Laurent, as well as a leadoff film-related performance by Halifax-based artist Eleanor King.

Saturday, January 28 2012 2-5pm
Introduction to 8mm Filmmaking - $25

Workshop led by John Kneller (preregistration required)

Interior Design Show Design Docs Festival, January 27-28

2012-01-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

Last night, the 14th Interior Design Show (IDS) kicked off at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Today, the Interior Design Show Design Docs Festival starts at the Convention Centre's North Building.

The films they will be presenting during the festival are Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs; Hella Jongerius: Contemporary Archetypes; Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman; Contemporary Days: The Designs of Lucienne & Robin Day; William Krisel, Architect; Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler; Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight; and EAMES: The Architect & the Painter.

The IDS Design Docs Festival is presented by Esther E. Shipman, Marc Glassman and Design Onscreen. It continues until tomorrow.

http://www.interiordesignshow.com/design-docs

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IDS Design Docs Festival Schedule

Friday January 27, 2012
1PM : Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs & Hella Jongerius: Contemporary Archetypes
3PM : Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman
5:30PM : Contemporary Days: The Designs of Lucienne & Robin Day. Opening remarks by Heather Purcell Leja, Executive Director of Design Onscreen followed by film & Q&A.

Saturday January 28, 2012
11:30AM : William Krisel, Architect
1:30PM : Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler
3:30PM : Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight
5:00PM : EAMES: The Architect & the Painter

Friday January 27, 2012

1 PM - Double Feature
Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs
Canadian Premiere

Desert Utopia traces the origins and growth of midcentury architecture in the modernist mecca of Palm Springs, California. The city boasts many landmark buildings by such modernist pioneers as Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams, Donald Wexler, William Cody and William Krisel. Jake Gorst’s film brings these unique structures alive and features never-before-seen archival footage of the architects and construction that makes Palm Springs a unique gem of design in the desert. (2010, Director Jake Gorst, 58 minutes)

Hella Jongerius: Contemporary Archetypes

Hella Jongerius: Contemporary Archetypes profiles the creative process of one of the most innovative designers working today, including her projects with manufacturers such as Vitra, Maharam and Royal Tichelaar. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius explores new visions for design, craft, art, textiles and technology in her products for everyday life. (2009, Amie Knox, 30 minutes)

3 PM
Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman
Toronto Premiere

Visual Acoustics celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California’s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images. (2008, Director Eric Bricker, 83 minutes)

5:30 PM
Opening Remarks followed by film
Contemporary Days: The Designs of Lucienne & Robin Day
Toronto debut with special reception featuring an introduction by Heather Purcell Leja, Executive Director of Design Onscreen and producer of Contemporary Days.

Robin and Lucienne Day transformed British design after World War II with striking furniture and textiles that signaled a new era of modernist sensibilities for everyday living. The film traces the Days’ personal and professional progression over the course of their careers, spanning more than seventy years—from their days at the Royal College of the Arts in the 1930s, through their long heyday at the forefront of British design, to their recent rediscovery by new generations of design aficionados. (2010, Director Murray Grigor, 77 minutes)

Saturday January 28, 2012

11:30am
William Krisel, Architect
Canadian Premiere

Over the course of his sixty-year career, architect William Krisel has brought modernism to the masses, designing more than 40,000 individual housing units across the U.S. The documentary explores Krisel’s life and work, including his roots in 1930s China, his groundbreaking designs for modern living, and interviews with scholars, his contemporaries and family. “I’m a firm believer that good modern design can make your life happier, more productive and more enjoyable,” says Krisel. (2010, Director Jake Gorst, 85 minutes)

1:30 PM
Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler
Canadian Premiere

During the 1950s and 60s, Donald Wexler pioneered commercial and residential construction using steel. Wexler applied his groundbreaking techniques and unique style to hundreds of structures, including the Palm Springs Airport, the Contemporary Resort at Disneyworld, and projects for clients such as Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra. Today his work provides inspiration for a new generation of architects. This film won the coveted Audience Award in the Art, Architecture and Design Category at the 2010 Newport Beach Film Festival. (2009, Director Jake Gorst, 68 minutes)

3:30 PM
Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight

For many, Milton Glaser is the personification of American graphic design. Best known for co-founding New York Magazine and the enduring I♥NY campaign, the full breadth of Glaser's remarkable artistic output is revealed in this documentary portrait, Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight. From newspapers and magazine designs, to interior spaces, logos, and brand identities, to his celebrated prints, drawings, posters and paintings, the documentary offers audiences a much richer appreciation for one of the great modern renaissance men. Artfully directed by first-time filmmaker Wendy Keys, the film captures his immense warmth, humanity and the boundless depth of his intelligence and creativity. (2008, Director Wendy Keys, 73 minutes)

5:00 PM
EAMES: The Architect and the Painter
Toronto Premiere

Eames: The Architect and the Painter is the first film about Charles and Ray Eames since their deaths and the only film to peer inside their collaboration, their marriage and the “Renaissance studio” they created in a gritty warehouse in Venice, CA. Narrated by James Franco, the film draws from a trove of archival material, primarily the stunning films and photographs produced in mind-boggling volume by Charles, Ray, and their staff during the hyper-creative forty years of the Eames Office. Family members and design historians help guide the story, but it is in interviews with the junior designers swept into the “24-7” world of “The Eamery,” that a fascinatingly complex picture of this husband and wife creative team really emerges. (2011, Directors Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey, 81 minutes)

2012 César du cinéma nominations

2012-01-27T10:25:00.000-05:00

L'Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma in France has announced the nominations for the 37th Annual César du cinéma.

Maïwenn's Polisse led the field with 13 nominations. Its mentions included Best Film, Director and Original Screenplay for co-writers Maïwenn and Emmanuelle Bercot. With the increase in nominees to seven in some categories, it ties the César nomination record held by Cyrano de Bergerac and A Prophet. Polisse is about a police child protection unit and won the Jury Prize at the last Cannes Film Festival.

Following with 11 nominations was Pierre Schoeller's L'exercice de l'État (The Minister). It was nominated for Best Film, Director, Original Screenplay and Actor (Olivier Gourmet). Next was Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist with nominations included Best Film, Director, Actor (Jean Dujardin), Actress (Bérénice Béjo) and Original Screenplay.

Rounding out the Best Film category were the films, La guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War) by Valérie Donzelli, Le Havre by Aki Kaurismäki, Intouchables by Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache, and Pater by Alain Cavalier.

Canadian director Denis Villeneuve will be competing in the Foreign Film category with his Oscar-nominated Incendies. It most recently won the Foreign Film award at the 17th Prix Lumière. It will be up against Drive, Black Swan, Melancholia, A Separation, The King's Speech and Le gamin au vélo (The Kid with a Bike).

British actress Kate Winslet will be presented with an Honorary César. Her Carnage director Roman Polanski will present her with the award.

The 37th César du cinéma ceremony, hosted by actor Guillaume Canet, and presented by master of ceremonies Antoine de Caunes, will be held on Friday, February 24, 2012 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

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Complete list of nominations for the 37th Annual César du cinéma

Best Film
La guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War) produced by Edouard Weil, directed by Valérie Donzelli
Le Havre produced by Fabienne Vonier, directed by Aki Kaurismäki
The Artist produced by Thomas Langmann, directed by Michel Hazanavicius
Intouchables produced by Denis Freyd, directed by Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache
L'exercice de l'État (The Minister) produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun, directed by Pierre Schoeller
Pater produced by Michel Seydoux, directed by Alain Cavalier
Polisse produced by Alain Attal, directed by Maïwenn

Best Debut
My Little Princess directed by Eva Ionesco
Le cochon de Gaza (When Pigs Have Wings) directed by Sylvain Estibal
17 filles (17 Girls) directed by Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin
Angèle et Tony (Angèle and Tony) directed by Alix Delaporte
La Délicatesse (Delicacy) directed by David Foenkinos, Stéphane Foenkinos

Best Director
Alain Cavalier for Pater
Valerie Donzelli for La guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War)
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Aki Kaurismäki for Le Havre
Maïwenn for Polisse
Pierre Scholler for L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)
Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache for Intouchables

Best Actor
Sami Bouajila in Omar m'a tuer (Omar Killed Me)
François Cluzet in Intouchables
Jean Dujardin in The Artist
Olivier Gourmet in L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)
Denis Podalydes in La conquête (The Conquest)
Omar Sy in Intouchables
Philippe Torreton in Présumé coupable (Guilty)

Best Supporting Actor
Michel Blanc in L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)
Nicolas Duvauchelle in Polisse
Joey Starr in Polisse
Bernard Lecoq in La conquête (The Conquest)
Frédéric Pierrot in Polisse

Most Promising Actor
Nicolas Bridet in Tu seras mon fils (You Will Be My Son)
Grégory Gadebois in Angèle et Tony (Angèle and Tony)
Guillaume Bouix in Jimmy Rivière
Pierre Minet in J'aime regarder les filles (I Love Watching Girls)
Dimitri Storoge in Les Lyonnais

Best Actress
Ariane Asquaride in Les neiges du Kilimanjaro (The Snows of Kilimanjaro)
Bérénice Béjo in The Artist
Leila Bekhti in La Source des femmes (The Source)
Valérie Donzelli in La guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War)
Marina Foïs in Polisse
Marie Gilain in Toutes nos envies (All Our Desires)
Karin Viard in Polisse

Best Supporting Actress
Zabou Breitman in L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)
Anne Le Ny in Intouchables
Noémie Lvovsky in L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close (House of Tolerance)
Carmen Maura in Les femmes du 6e étage
Karole Rocher in Polisse

Most Promising Actress
Neyda Yadri in Polisse
Adele Haenel in L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close (House of Tolerance)
Celine Salette in L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close (House of Tolerance)
Clotilde Hesme in Angèle et Tony (Angèle and Tony)
Christa Theret in La brindille (Twiggy)

Best Foreign Film
Drive directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Black Swan directed by Darren Aronofsky
Incendies directed by Denis Villeneuve
Melancholia directed by Lars von Trier
A Separation directed by Asghar Farhadi
The King's Speech directed by Tom Hooper
Le gamin au vélo (The Kid with a Bike) directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Best Original Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm for La guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War)
Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache for Intouchables
Maïwenn, Emmanuelle Bercot for Polisse
Pierre Schoeller for L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)

Best Adapted Screenplay
David Foenkinos for La Délicatesse (Delicacy)
Vincent Garenq for Présumé coupable (Guilty)
Olivier Gorce, Roschdy Zem, Rachid Bouchareb, Olivier Lorelle for Omar m'a tuer (Omar Killed Me)
Mathieu Kassovitz, Pierre Geller, Benoît Jaubert for L'ordre et la morale (Rebellion)
Yamina Reza, Roman Polanski for Carnage

Best Cinematography
Pierre Aïm for Polisse
Josée Deshaies for L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close (House of Tolerance)
Julien Hirsch for L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)
Guillaume Schiffman for The Artist
Mathieu Vadepied for Intouchables

Best Editing
Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Laurence Briaud for L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)
Pauline Gaillard for La guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War)
Laure Gardette, Yann Dedet for Polisse
Dorian Rigal Ansous for Intouchables

Best Production Design
Laurence Bennett for The Artist
Alain Guffroy for L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close (House of Tolerance)
Pierre-François Limbosch for Les femmes du 6ème (The Women on the 6th Floor)
Jean Marc Tran Tan Ba for L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)
Wouter Zoon for Le Havre

Best Costume Design
Catherine Baba for My Little Princess
Mark Bridges for The Artist
Christian Gasc for Les femmes du 6ème (The Women on the 6th Floor)
Viorica Petrovici for La Source des femmes (The Source)
Anaïs Romand for L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close (House of Tolerance)

Best Music Written for a Film
Alex Beaupain for Les bien-aimés
Bertand Bonello for L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close (House of Tolerance)
-M-, Patrice Renson for Monstre à Paris (A Monster in Paris)
Ludovic Bource for The Artist
Philippe Schoeller for L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)

Best Sound
Pascal Armant, Jean Goudier, Jean-Paul Hurier for Intouchables
Jean-Pierre Duret, Nicolas Moreau, Jean-Pierre Laforce for L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close (House of Tolerance)
Olivier Hespel, Julie Brenta, Jean-Pierre Laforce for L'exercice de l'État (The Minister)
Nicolas Provost, Rym Debbarh-Mounir, Emmanuel Croset for Polisse
André Rigaut, Sébastien Savine, Laurent Gabiot for La guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War)

Best Documentary
Le Bal des menteurs (The Liars' Ball) directed by Daniel Leconte
Crazy Horse directed by Frederick Wiseman
Ici on noie les algériens (Here We Drown Algerians) directed by Yasmina Adi
Tous au Larzac (Leader-Sheep) directed by Michael Radford
Michel Petrucciani directed by Christian Rouaud

Best Short Film
L'accordeur (The Piano Tuner) directed by Olivier Treiner
La France qui se lève tôt (Early Rising France) directed by Hugo Chesnard
J'aurais pu être une pute (I Could've Been a Whore) directed by Baya Kasmi
Je pourrais être votre grand-mère (I Could Be Your Grandmother) directed by Bernard Tanguy
Un monde sans femmes (A World Without Women) directed by Guillaume Brac

Best Animated Feature
Le Tableau (The Painting) directed by Jean-François Laguionie
Le Cirque (The Circus) directed by Nicolas Brault
Le Chat du rabbin (The Rabbi's Cat) directed by Joann Sfar, Antoine Delesvaux
Monstre à Paris (A Monster in Paris) directed by Bibo Bergeron
La Queue de la souris (A Mouse's Tale) directed by Benjamin Renner

Honorary César
Kate Winslet

2012 Apsara Awards - winners

2012-01-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

The Film & Television Producer Guild of India held a ceremony in Mumbai for their 7th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was the night's big winner, taking a total of six awards including Best Film and Best Director for Zoya Akhtar. Her brother Farhan Akhtar won Best Supporting Actor and Zoya also picked up both Best Screenplay and Best Story with her co-writer Reema Kagti. Lastly, it won for Best Choreography.

Ranbir Kapoor won the Best Leading Actor trophy for his performance in Rockstar, his third time winning the award. Rockstar also won Best Lyrics and Best Music for Bollywood legend A.R.Rahman.

RA. One also took three prizes overall. They were, however, for the technical categories of Sound Design, Sound Mixing and Special Effects.

Vidya Balan won Best Leading Actress for The Dirty Picture. It also won for Dialogue.

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Complete list of winners for the 7th Apsara Awards

Best Film
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Director
Zoya Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Actor in a Leading Role - Male
Ranbir Kapoor - Rockstar

Best Actor in a Leading Role - Female
Vidya Balan - The Dirty Picture

Best Performance in a Comic Role
Deepak Dobriyal - Tanu Weds Manu

Best Performance in a Negative Role
Prakash Raj - Singham

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Male
Farhan Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Female
Parineeti Chopra - Ladies vs Ricky Bahl

Best Screenplay
Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Story
Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Dialogue
Rajat Aroraa - The Dirty Picture

Best Choreography
Bosco Caesar - Senorita (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara)

Best Lyrics
Irshad Kamil - Naadaan Parindey (Rockstar)

Best Music
A.R.Rahman - Rockstar

Best Playback Singer - Male
Mohit Chauhan - Saada Haq (Rockstar)

Best Playback Singer - Female
Shreya Ghoshal - Teri Meri (Bodyguard)

Most Promising Debut Female
Parineeti Chopra

Most Promising Debut Male
Rana Duggabatti

Most Promising Director
Abhinay Deo, Delhi Belly

Best Editor
Aarti Bajaj - No One Killed Jessica

Best Cinematography
Ranjan Palit - 7 Khoon Maaf
Chirantan Das - Tanu Weds Manu

Best Art Director
Subrata Chakraborty & Punita Grover - 7 Khoon Maaf

Best Sound Design
Resul Pookutty & Amrit Pritam Dutta - RA. One

Best Special Effects
Keitan Yadav & Haresh Hingorani - Red Chillies VFX - RA. One

Best Costume Design
Payal Saluja - 7 Khoon Maaf

Best Sound Mixing
Anup Dev & Tarun Bhandari - RA. One

Guild Honor for Excellence On TV
Amitab Bachchan (KBC)

Hindustan Times Readers Choice Award for Best Entertainer – Male
Shah Rukh Khan

Hindustan Times Readers Choice Award for Best Entertainer – Female
Priyanka Chopra

TELEVISION AWARD CATEGORIES NOMINEES

Best Non-Fiction Series
Kaun Banega Crorepati

Best Drama Series - Fiction
Bade Achhe Lagte Hai

Best Director - Fiction
Sangieta Rao - Bade Achhe Lagte Hai

Best Actress In Drama Series
Sakshi Tanwar - Bade Achhe Lagte Hai
Ragini Khanna - Sasuraal Genda Phool

Best Actor In Drama Series
Manish Wadhwa - Chandragupta Maurya

Best Writer
Mitali - Uttaran

Best Ensemble Cast
Sasuraal Genda Phool

Best Comedy Series
Lapataganj

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7th Apsara Awards Nominations

Best Screenplay
Shridhar Raghavan - Dum Maaro Dum
Raj Kumar Gupta - No One Killed Jessica
Imtiaz Ali - Rockstar
Megha Ramaswamy & Bejoy Nambiar - Shaitan
Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Story
Kamlesh Pandey - Aarakshan
Madhur Bhandarkar, Neeraj Udhwani & Anil Pandey - Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji
Raj Kumar Gupta - No One Killed Jessica
Sanjay Chouhan & Tigmanshu Dhulia - Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Dialogue
Prakash Jha - Aarakshan
Farhad - Sajid - Singham
Himanshu Sharma - Tanu Weds Manu
Rajat Aroraa - The Dirty Picture
Farhan Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Choreography
Raju Sundaram for 'Doosri Darling' - 7 Khoon Maaf
Bosco - Caesar for 'Desi Boyz' Desi Boyz
Ganesh Acharya for 'Jalebi Bai' Double Dhamaal
Bosco - Caesar for 'Dum Maaro Dum' Dum Maaro Dum
Ganesh Hegde for 'Chammak Challo' RA.One
Bosco - Caesar for 'Senorita' Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Lyrics
Gulzar - 7 Khoon Maaf
Riteish Deshmukh - Housefull
Mishra - Phas Gaye Re Obama
Ahmed & Neelesh Misra - Bodyguard
Irshad Kamil - Rockstar
Sameer & Priya Panchal - Shor In The City
Javed Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Music
Himesh Reshammiya & Pritam -Bodyguard
Pritam - Dum Maaro Dum
Sachin - Jigar - F.A.L.T.U
Sohail Sen - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Pritam - Ready
A.R. Rahman - Rockstar

Best Male Singer
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for 'Teri Meri' - Bodyguard
Mohammad Irfaan for 'Phir Mohabbat' - Murder 2
Akon for 'Chammak Challo' - RA. One
Mohit Chauhan for 'Saada Haq' - Rockstar
Mohit Chauhan for 'Naadaan Parindey' - Rockstar
Tochi Raina for 'Saibo' - Shor In The City

Best Female Singer
Shreya Ghoshal for 'Teri Meri' - Bodyguard
Sunidhi Chauhan for 'Te Amo' - Dum Maaro Dum
Neha Bhasin for 'Dhunki' - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Sunidhi Chauhan for 'Aa Zara' - Murder 2
Harshdeep Kaur for 'Katiya Karun' - Rockstar
Shreya Ghoshal for 'Saibo' - Shor In The City

Best Performance In A Comic Role
Jaaved Jaafrey - Double Dhamaal
Kartik Tiwari - Pyaar Ka Punchnama
Paresh Rawal - Ready
Deepak Dobriyal - Tanu Weds Manu
Bobby Deol - Yamla Pagla Deewana

Best Performance In A Negative Role
Gulshan Devaiah - Dum Maaro Dum
Vidyut Jammwal - Force
Prashant Narayan - Murder 2
Prakash Raj - Singham
Naseruddin Shah - The Dirty Picture

Best Actor In A Supporting Role
Rana Daggubati - Dum Maaro Dum
Randeep Hooda - Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
Gulshan Devaiah - Shaitan
Emraan Hashmi - The Dirty Picture
Naseeruddin Shah - The Dirty Picture
Farhan Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Actress In A Supporting Role
Parineeti Chopra - Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl
Sulagna Panigrahi - Murder 2
Aditi Rao Hyadri - Rockstar
Divya Dutta - Stanley Ka Dabba
Swara Bhaskar - Tanu Weds Manu

Best Actor In A Leading Role
Salman Khan - Bodyguard
Shah Rukh Khan - Don 2
Emraan Hashmi - Murder 2
Ranbir Kapoor - Rockstar
Ajay Devgn -Singham

Best Actress In A Leading Role
Priyanka Chopra - 7 Khoon Maaf
Katrina Kaif - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Rani Mukerji - No One Killed Jessica
Mahie Gill - Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
Kangna Ranaut - Tanu Weds Manu
Vidya Balan - The Dirty Picture

Best Director
Rohan Sippy - Dum Maaro Dum
Raj Kumar Gupta - No One Killed Jessica
Imtiaz Ali - Rockstar
Rohit Shetty - Singham
Milan Luthria - The Dirty Picture
Zoya Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Film
Ronnie Screwvala - UTV Software Communications Pvt. Ltd & Syndication For No One Killed Jessica
Dhillin Mehta - Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. For Rockstar
Reliance Entertainment Singham
Shobha Kapoor & Ektra Kapoor - Alt Entertainment & Balaji Motion Picture Ltd. For The Dirty Picture
Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar - Excel Entertainment For Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Technical Awards Nominations

Best Editor
Aarti Bajaj - No One Killed Jessica
Sanjay Sharma - RA. One
Rahul Srivastava - Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
Deepa Bhatia - Stanley Ka Dabba
Hemal Kothari - Tanu Weds Manu

Best Cinematography
Ranjan Palit - 7 Khoon Maaf
Binod Pradhan - Mausam
Chirantan Das - Mod
Anil Mehta - Rockstar
Chirantan Das - Tanu Weds Manu

Best Art Director
Subrata Chakraborty & Punita Grover - 7 Khoon Maaf
Helen Jones - No One Killed Jessica
Sabu Cyril - RA. One
Wasiq Khan - Tanu Weds Manu
Priya Suhas - The Dirty Picture

Best Sound Design
P. M. Satheesh - 7 Khoon Maaf
Nakul Kamte - Don 2
Sanjay Maurya & Allwyn Rego - No One Killed Jessica
Resul Pookutty & Amrit Pritam Dutta - RA. One
Dileep Subramanian - Rockstar

Best Special Effects
Prasad Sutar - Pixion - Don 2
EFX - Prasad Group - Haunted - 3D
Keitan Yadav & Haresh Hingorani - Red Chillies VFX - RA. One

Best Costume Design
Payal Saluja - 7 Khoon Maaf
Lovleen Bains - Mausam
Tulika Dhulia & Digvijay Singh - Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
Namrata Jani & Reza - Tanu Weds Manu
Niharika Khan - The Dirty Picture

Best Sound Mixing
Debajit Changmai & Nakul Kamte - Don 2
Alok De - No One Killed Jessica
Anup Dev & Tarun Bhandari - RA. One
Alok De & Dileep Subramanian - Rockstar
Anup Dev - Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster

TELEVISION AWARD CATEGORIES NOMINEES

Best Non-Fiction Series
Comedy Circus Ka Naya Daur
Guinness World Records – Ab India Todega
Jhalak Dikhla Ja – Season 4
Just Dance
Kaun Banega Crorepati

Best Drama Series - Fiction
Bade Achhe Lagte Hai
Balika Vadhu
Saas Bina Sasural
Saath Nibhaana Saathiya
Uttaran

Best Director - Fiction
Sangieta Rao - Bade Achhe Lagte Hai
Pradeep Yadav - Balika Vadhu
Sidharth Sengupta - Gulaal
Imtiaz Punjabi - Parvarrish Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi
Pawan Kumar - Saath Nibhaana Saathiya

Best Actress In Drama Series
Sakshi Tanwar - Bade Achhe Lagte Hai
Surekha Sikri - Balika Vadhu
Ragini Khanna - Sasuraal Genda Phool
Rashmi Desai - Uttaran
Hina Khan - Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai

Best Actor In Drama Series
Ram Kapoor - Bade Achhe Lagte Hai
Manish Wadhwa - Chandragupta Maurya
Daya Shankar Pandey - Mahima Shani Dev Ki
Vivek Mushran - Parvarrish Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi
Shoaib Ibrahim -Sasural Simar Ka

Best Writer
Jayesh Patil, Dilip & Archita - Bade Achhe Lagte Hai
Kamlesh Pandey - Kuch Toh Log Kahenge
Ved Raj - Sasural Simar Ka
Mitali - Uttaran
Rohini Ninawe, Sonali Jaffer & Irshad Kamil - Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli

Best Ensemble Cast
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Parvarrish Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi
Sasuraal Genda Phool
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
Uttaran

Best Comedy Series
F.I.R
Lapataganj
Mrs. Tendulkar
R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah

54th Blue Ribbon Awards - winners

2012-01-26T20:18:00.000-05:00

東京映画記者会 (The Association of Tokyo Film Journalists) has announced the winners for their 54th ブルーリボン賞 (Blue Ribbon Awards).

The trophy for Best Film went to 園子温 (Sono Sion) for his surreal feature 冷たい熱帯魚 (Cold Fish). He was surprised by his win, saying "Cold Fish is actually too heterogeneous for a Japanese film. I thought it wouldn’t even be considered for awards such as the Blue Ribbon Award."

Best Director went to 99-year-old 新藤兼人 (Shindo Kaneto) for 一枚のハガキ (Post Card). He has said that this will be his last film. He is the oldest winner of the Blue Ribbon and yet this is his first time winning.

From the oldest to the youngest, 芦田愛菜 (Ashida Mana) won Best New Artist for her acting in うさぎドロップ (Bunny Drop) and 片道15分の奇跡 (Hankyu Railways - A 15-Minute Miracle). She is just seven years old.

永作博美 (Nagasaku Hiromi) was winner of Best New Artist in 2007. This time she claimed Best Leading Actress for starring in 八日目の蝉 (Rebirth).

竹野内豊 (Takenouchi Yutaka) was named Best Actor for 太平洋の奇跡－フォックスと呼ばれた男－ (Oba: The Last Samurai). The Supporting acting awards went to actress 長澤まさみ (Nagasawa Masami) for モテキ (Love Strikes!), and 伊勢谷友介 (Iseya Yusuke) for both カイジ2 (Kaiji 2) and あしたのジョー (Tomorrow's Joe).

Best Foreign Film honours went to Darren Aronofsky' Black Swan. A Special Award will be presented posthumously to actor 原田芳雄 (Harada Yoshio) who recently passed away on July 19, 2011.

The 54th Blue Ribbon Awards will be presented at a ceremony on February 14th.

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Complete list of winners for the 54th ブルーリボン賞 (Blue Ribbon Awards)

Best Film
冷たい熱帯魚 (Cold Fish), 園子温 (Sono Sion)

Best Director
新藤兼人 (Shindo Kaneto), 一枚のハガキ (Post Card)

Best Leading Actor
竹野内豊 (Takenouchi Yutaka), 太平洋の奇跡－フォックスと呼ばれた男－ (Oba: The Last Samurai)

Best Leading Actress
永作博美 (Nagasaku Hiromi), 八日目の蝉 (Rebirth)

Best Supporting Actor
伊勢谷友介 (Iseya Yusuke), カイジ2 (Kaiji 2) and あしたのジョー (Tomorrow's Joe)

Best Supporting Actress
長澤まさみ (Nagasawa Masami), モテキ (Love Strikes!)

Best New Artist
芦田愛菜 (Ashida Mana), うさぎドロップ (Bunny Drop) and 片道15分の奇跡 (Hankyu Railways - A 15-Minute Miracle)

Best Foreign Film
Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky

Special Award
原田芳雄 (Harada Yoshio)

Spike Lee's co-writer & producer on Hollywood's view of race

2012-01-26T18:58:00.000-05:00

Spike Lee created a bit of a stir recently at Sundance when during the Q&A for the premiere of his film Red Hook Summer, he responded to a question by Chris Rock who asked "What would you have done differently if you'd actually gotten a bunch of studio money? What else would have happened? Would you have blown up some shit?"

After explaining how and why they didn't bother going to the studios, he went into a brief rant, saying "I didn’t want to hear no motherfucking notes from the studio telling me … about what a young 13-year-old boy and girl would do in Red Hook. Fuck no. They know nothing about black people. Nothing!" and finishing with "Sorry for that motherfuckiing tirade."

He's gotten some flack for saying what he did, but the thing is – he's right. Hollywood is in fact quite racist, and will only do race-themed movies if, like The Help, they are from the perspective of white people. George Lucas even complained in interviews such as on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the New York Times, that Hollywood was clueless and uninterested in his Red Tails project because of the black content.

Now Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer co-screenwriter and co-producer James McBride has written an essay on Hollywood's attitudes and posted it as an open letter on Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks website. It makes for very interesting reading.

Here is the letter reprinted in full.

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BEING A MAID
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 17:33
By James McBride

Last night, President Obama, our first African American President, delivered his third State of the Union address. On that same day, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated two gifted African American actresses, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, for Oscars for playing maids in The Help. This is 73 years after the first African American to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel, garnered the award for the same role – as a maid, and a slave maid at that, winning the Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category on Feb. 29, 1940.

And here we are, in the year of our Lord, Jan 25, 2012. Maybe I’m getting old, but the irony of this is too much. Or perhaps I’ve heard this song before. In the 1970’s, when I was a freshman at Oberlin College, my white friends and I used to sit up and talk about racism and solving society’s problems all through the night until the sun rose. Not much good came from these talks, the least of which is I hoped to get laid, which rarely happened. But on those cold nights, I was convinced that when I walked out of college, racism would be just about finished. Instead, it smashed me across the face like a bottle when I walked into the real world. Now, 33 years later, I find myself talking about the same thing I talked about when I was a college freshman.

I have no take with Ms. Davis and Ms. Spencer. They’re outstanding actresses. But the nomination of these two women by the Hollywood community 73 years after Hattie McDaniel won for the same role speaks for itself. As co-writer and co-producer of Spike Lee’s newest film “Red Hook Summer,” and his previous feature film “Miracle At St. Anna,” I have a clear eyed view of what the cultural display of African American life means to hearts in Hollywood, a land of feints and double meanings and as tricky to navigate as anything inside the Beltway. I wish someone had told me this when I was a freshman at Oberlin.

America is a super power not because we make the biggest guns. We’re a superpower because our culture has saturated the planet: Levis, Apple, Nike, Disney, Coke, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Jazz, Rhythm n Blues, Rock ‘n Roll, and Hip Hop. Our culture dominates the world far more than any nuclear bomb can. When you can make a person think a certain way, you don’t have to bomb them. Just give them some credit cards, a wide screen 3D TV, some potato chips, and watch what happens. This kind of cultural war, a war of propaganda and words, elements that both Hollywood and Washington know a lot about, makes America powerful beyond measure. The hard metal of this cultural weaponry, much of it, emanates from the soul of Blacks, the African American experience in music, dance, art and literature.

But this kind of cultural war puts minority storytellers – Blacks, Asians, Latinos and people of color – at a distinct disadvantage. My friend Spike Lee is a clear example. Three days ago, at the premiere of Red Hook Summer at The Sundance Film Festival, Spike, usually a cool and widely accepting soul whose professional life is as racially diverse as any American I know– lost his cool for 30 seconds. When prompted by a question from Chris Rock who was seated in the audience, he blurted out a small, clear truth: He said one reason we did Red Hook Summer independently was because he could not get Hollywood to green light the follow-up to “Inside Man” – which cost only $45 million to make and grossed a whopping $184,376,240 million domestically and worldwide – plus another $37 million domestically on DVD sales. Within minutes, the internet lit up with burning personal criticism of him stitched into negative reviews of “Red Hook Summer” by so-called film critics and tweeters. I don’t mind negative reviews. That’s life in the big leagues. But it’s the same old double standard. The recent success of “Red Tails” which depicts the story of the all black Tuskegee Airmen, is a clear example. Our last film, “Miracle At St. Anna,” which paid homage to the all-black 92nd Division, which fought on the ground in Italy, was blasted before it even got out the gate. Maybe it’s a terrible film. Maybe it deserved to bomb. The difference is this: When George Lucas complained publicly about the fact that he had to finance his own film because Hollywood executives told him they didn’t know how to market a black film, no one called him a fanatic. But when Spike Lee says it, he’s a racist militant and a malcontent. Spike’s been saying the same thing for 25 years. And he had to go to Italy to raise money for a film that honors American soldiers, because unlike Lucas, he’s not a billionaire. He couldn’t reach in his pocket to create, produce, market, and promote his film like Lucas did with “Red Tails.”

But there’s a deeper, even more critical element here , because it’s the same old story: Nothing in this world happens unless white folks says it happens. And therein lies the problem of being a professional black storyteller– writer, musician, filmmaker. Being black is like serving as Hoke, the driver in “Driving Miss Daisy,” except it’s a kind of TV series lasts the rest of your life: You get to drive the well-meaning boss to and fro, you love that boss, your lives are stitched together, but only when the boss decides your story intersects with his or her life is your story valid. Because you’re a kind of cultural maid. You serve up the music, the life, the pain, the spirituality. You clean house. Take the kids to school. You serve the eggs and pour the coffee. And for your efforts the white folks thank you. They pay you a little. They ask about your kids. Then they jump into the swimming pool and you go home to your life on the outside, whatever it is. And if lucky you get to be the wise old black sage that drops pearls of wisdom, the wise old poet or bluesman who says ‘I been buked and scorned,’ and you heal the white folks, when in fact you can’t heal anybody. In fact, you’re actually as dumb as they are, dumber maybe, because you played into the whole business. Robbing a character of their full dimension, be it in fiction or non fiction, hurts everyone the world over. Need proof? Ask any Native American, Asian, Latino, Gay American, or so called white “hillbilly.” As if hillbillies don’t read books, and Asians don’t rap, and Muslims don’t argue about the cost of a brake job.

There’s nothing wrong with being white. I’m half white myself and proud of it. There isn’t a day passes that I don’t think about my late white Jewish mother and the lessons she taught me about humanity. But bearing witness to this kind of cultural war over the course of a lifetime will grind a man or woman down in horrible ways, and that’s my fear. I remember as a young saxophonist, just out of Oberlin, standing at a tiny jazz club in West Philadelphia watching the great jazz tenorman Hank Mobley in his last days, sick, broke. It was a jam session, and he strode onstage to reach for the magic one more time, to conjure up the power of his younger years when his mighty tenor powered Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis when those guys were the toast of Europe. Drink destroyed him. He was helped onstage by the kind musicians around him, and he stood there swaying, barely able to hold up his horn in that rancid little joint. When he put his mouth to his horn to play, it broke my heart. I felt like I was being strangled. His ability to play had vanished, and I saw my future.

It was terrible lesson for a young man fresh out of college and I did my best to forget it. But I understand it then and I understand it now: This is what happens when you walk through a supermarket and hear muzak playing ninth chords borrowed from your history; when you see instructions books made from the very harmonic innovations you created, and in my case, when you spend a lifetime watching films that spoof your community. Your entire culture is boiled down to greasy gut bucket jokester films, pornographic bling-rap, or poverty porn.

I used to think that if only there were a peaceful way, we could make Hollywood listen to the sound of America’s true drumbeat: the voices of working class poor, blacks, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and the so-called rednecks of this country; the people that walk the land, work in the K-Marts, run the fast food joints, drive the trucks, stand in line at 4 a.m. for the i-phones, go to church for redemption, and sell the knockoff s on ebay. But the new breed of Republicans have taken that high ground. They’ve gotten rich off it. That leaves me with nothing but the notion that Washington and Hollywood may be just alike. They’re engaged in a cultural war. They take your gun and use it on you, and it makes you sorry you drew your gun in the first place. It makes you wish you were a maid.

Call for submissions: directors wanted for InspiraTO Festival

2012-01-26T13:33:00.001-05:00

Alumnae Theatre's InspiraTO Festival has put out a call for submissions for directors interested in taking the reins with one of their 18 ten-minute plays that will be performed.

They have posted the pdf files for all 18 short plays on their website. They've included the synopses and the number of actors/actresses each will require. Of the eighteen plays, six are comedies, five are dramas and seven are absurd/fantasy scripts.

You may request up to four plays, but can only be selected for one. The deadline for submissions is February 15.

The 7th Annual InspiraTO Festival will take place from June 1-10, 2012 at the Alumnae Theatre, Mainstage.

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18 directors wanted

Request to direct a ten-minute play (submit your request by Feb. 15)

Step 1.   Read a play (click on the play title).
Step 2.   Decide which play(s) you'd like to direct. You can request to direct up to four plays (if selected you will direct only one).
Step 3.  Email inspirato@ca.inter.net with your name and phone number. In the subject line write: Direct A Play. Answer these four questions for each play you wish to direct:

a)      What you found interesting about the play
b)      What your general approach would be in directing the play
c)      Your experience/training in directing/performing arts
d)      Your availability. (We will be holding auditions in March.

Rehearsals will be held in April/May. Tech runs are in late May/early June)

Please keep it concise: no more than two paragraphs for each play.

This is a non-paying, non-equity event.

If you wish to audition for a part (41 roles) we will post the audition schedule here in late February. Auditions will be in March; rehearsals in April/May; performances in early June.

The plays are posted for the purpose of selecting directors and actors. Click on the title of the play to read the script. Any use of a play, either in whole or in part, must have the expressed permission of the playwright.

To read the plays, go here.

2012 Schweizer Filmpreis ‎(Swiss Film Awards) - nominations

2012-01-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

The Bundesamt für Kultur (Swiss Federal Office of Culture) and Schweizer Filmakademie (Swiss Film Academy) announced the nominations for their 15th Annual Schweizer Filmpreis ‎(Swiss Film Prizes), known as the "Quartz". 33 nominations were made in nine categories, and each nomination comes with a cash prize of CHF 5,000 to 25,000 (Swiss Francs). A total of CHF 390,000 prize money was awarded.

The films Der Verdingbub (The Foster Boy) by Markus Imboden and Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari (Someone like me – Dällebach Kari) by Xavier Koller lead the pack with six nominations each. Both were nominated foe Best Fiction Film as well as Best Actor and Best Actress.

They'll be competing with Milagros Mumenthaler's Abrir puertas y ventanas (Back to Stay), Tim Fehlbaum's Hell and Rolando Colla's Summer Games for Best Fiction Film honours.

Recommendations for the nominations from 97 eligible films (down from last year's 120) were made by approximately 240 members and then selected in a final decision by the committee comprised of Academy members and appointed by the Federal Department of Home Affairs. The members of the nomination committee include: Louis Crelier, composer; Beat Glur, journalist; Myriam Flury, film editor; Stéphane Kuthy, cinematographer; Pierre Monnard, director; Chris Niemeyer, director and producer; Nina Scheu, journalist; Xavier Ruiz, director and producer; and Andrea Zogg, actor.

The winners of the Swiss Film Prize «Quartz 2012» will be selected by the members of the Schweizer Filmakademie in February 2012. The Schweizer Filmakademie also awards the Special Prize of the Academy which honours outstanding technical and artistic achievements.

The award ceremony of the Schweizer Filmpreis Quartz 2012 will be held in the KKL Luzern (Culture and Convention Centre) on March 17.

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Nominations for the Swiss Film Prize «Quartz 2012»

Best Fiction Film – each nomination CHF 25,000
Abrir puertas y ventanas (Back to Stay), Milagros Mumenthaler, Alina film
Der Verdingbub (The Foster Boy), Markus Imboden, C-Films
Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari (Someone like me – Dällebach Kari), Xavier Koller, Catpics
Hell, Tim Fehlbaum, Vega Film
Summer Games, Rolando Colla, Peacock Film

Best Documentary Film – each nomination CHF 25,000
Balkan Melodie (Balkan Melody), Stefan Schwietert, maximage
Day is Done, Thomas Imbach, Okofilm Productions
Messies, ein schönes Chaos (A Glorious Mess), Ulrich Grossenbacher, Fair & Ugly filmproduktion
The Substance, Martin Witz, ventura film
Vol Spécial (Special Flight), Fernand Melgar, Climage

Best Short Film – each nomination CHF 10,000
Baggern, Corina Schwingruber Ilic, Minerva
Chasse à l'âne (In Search Of A Donkey), Maria Nicollier, REC Production
Du&Ich (You and I), Esen Isik, maximage
Emile de 1 à 5 (Emile from 1 to 5), Lionel Baier, Rita Productions
L'Ambassadeur & moi (The Ambassador & Me), Jan Czarlewski, ECAL École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne

Best Screenplay – each nomination CHF 5,000
Der Verdingbub (The Foster Boy), Plinio Bachmann
Hell, Tim Fehlbaum
Summer Games, Rolando Colla, Pilar Anguita-McKay

Best Actress – each nomination CHF 5,000
Lisa Brand (Berteli), Der Verdingbub (The Foster Boy)
Stephanie Glaser (Marguerite), Motel
Carla Juri (Annemarie Geiser), Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari (Someone like me – Dällebach Kari)

Best Actor – each nomination CHF 5,000
Nils Althaus (Kari Dällebach), Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari (Someone like me – Dällebach Kari)
Saladin Dellers (Sascha), Silberwald (Silver Forest)
Max Hubacher (Max), Der Verdingbub (The Foster Boy)

Best Performance in a Supporting Role – each nomination CHF 5,000
Stefan Kurt (Bösiger), Der Verdingbub (The Foster Boy)
Hanspeter Müller-Drossaart (Kari Dällebach), Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari (Someone like me – Dällebach Kari)
Marcus Signer (Mischa), Mary & Johnny

Best Film Score – each nomination CHF 5,000
Peter Bräker, Balz Bachmann, Day is Done
Ben Jeger, Der Verdingbub (The Foster Boy)
Balz Bachmann, Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari (Someone like me – Dällebach Kari)

Best Cinematography – each nomination CHF 5,000
Felix von Muralt, Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari (Someone like me – Dällebach Kari)
Ramòn Giger, Off Beat
Lorenz Merz, Summer Games

Watch my short film The Audience

2012-01-25T15:01:00.000-05:00

A short film that I made a few years ago has now been uploaded online for all to watch.

The Audience is a modest little film I wrote and directed, and stars the delightful actors Patrick McKenna and Sandy Kellerman (who also co-produced it with me). It was made with support from Bravo!FACT, a terrific resource that Canadian filmmakers have to make short films. Bravo!FACT has now added it to their Youtube channel.

Unfortunately, The Audience didn't break out on the festival circuit, even though many people have told me that it is ideal for festivals and I had expected that it would be as well. However, it didn't get picked up by nearly as many as I would have hoped even though we submitted it very widely. I think festivals get so many hundreds or even thousands of submissions now that something simple like this piece is easily lost. It's a shame really because whenever it has played, the response has been terrific, it gets lots of laughs, and people are very generous with their praise. I have found that very gratifying.

I think you'll get a kick out of it, especially if you watch it with some company. You'll understand soon enough why it works best when you watch it with others.

Feel free to let me know what you think, in the comments below or on the Youtube page.

http://www.bravofact.com/2012/01/25/the-audience-2008/

Kevin McDonald’s Comedy Writing Workshop

2012-01-25T13:42:00.000-05:00

Théâtre Sainte Catherine presents a comedy writing workshop next week featuring Kevin McDonald from the landmark sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. The workshop will be two full days of hands-on instruction from Kevin McDonald in honing your writing, acting and improvisation technique.

Kevin McDonald is a Montreal-born comedian, whose family moved to Los Angeles before ending up in Toronto where he and fellow comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson formed The Kids in the Hall in 1984. Their CBC television show ran from 1988 to 1994.

Since then, he has appeared in films such as Lilo & Stitch and Epic Movie, and television shows such as That '70s Show, Seinfeld, Arrested Development and Corner Gas. McDonald hosted the CBC special Sketch with Kevin McDonald, winner of a Canadian Comedy Award.

The workshop takes place next week on February 1 and 2 at Théâtre Sainte Catherine, 264 Sainte Catherine Street East.

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Kevin McDonald’s Comedy Writing Workshop

Join Kevin McDonald of the Kids in the Hall for a two day, 14 hour workshop to improve your acting and writing skills. In a group of twenty to thirty actors you will learn how to write comedy through performance, and use improv as a writing tool.

The workshop will warm up with improv games to help sharpen storytelling skills, and evolve until students are doing their own improvised scenes in small groups. Kevin will go from group to group, helping and guiding with the “writing” of each scene. Each group will then have the opportunity to present their sketch.

After getting notes, revising and presenting the scenes again, the workshop will end with the groups going away and actually finalizing their scenes. The now fully written scenes will be performed one last time for everyone.

This workshop will improve your acting and writing skills, and will teach you how both skills work in unison to create great scenes and hilarious comedy.

February 1st & 2nd
10AM to 5PM
Price: $315
Register:

TELEPHONE: (514) 284-3939

Call for submissions: Golden Quill Award

2012-01-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Screenwriting Conference has partnered with Telefilm Canada to present the Golden Quill Award. Twelve awards will be presented to emerging screenwriters across the country. Half of those awards will be presented to diverse screenwriters. Those who are selected to receive and award will be given a complimentary registration to the Conference, a value of up to $369 + HST.

To apply, you need to have written a couple of short films of which one has been produced. You also need to have written longer work that hasn't yet been produced – either a feature-length screenplay or else a television treatment or pilot. The deadline for applications for the Golden Quill Award is Monday, February 6.

The 3rd Annual Toronto Screenwriting Conference takes place on the weekend of March 31 and April 1 at Ryerson University's Ted Rogers School of Management in downtown Toronto. Registration is open now with an early bird rate until February 19.

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TELEFILM CANADA Golden Quill Award

The TELEFILM CANADA Golden Quill is awarded to twelve emerging screenwriters across Canada. The award provides complimentary registration to the Toronto Screenwriting Conference 2012. Six of the twelve registrations will be awarded to diverse screenwriters.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Canadian citizen or Landed Immigrant

Must have written 2 short films of which 1 has been produced

Must have written 1 feature length screenplay or TV series treatment/pilot

Must NOT have a produced feature or TV series/ pilot

Emerging screenwriters should complete the application below and be sure to explain how the Golden Quill will assist in their professional development.

Please email your completed application by MONDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2012 to: goldenquill@torontoscreenwritingconference.com

Click here to download the application form

84th Academy Awards nominations announced

2012-01-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the complete nominations for their 84th Annual Academy Awards.

Somewhat surprisingly, Martin Scorsese's Hugo topped the list with eleven nominations. It is one of nine films to receive a Best Picture nomination in this the first year of having a variable number of nominees for Best Picture. Hugo also received nods for Best Director and Adapted Screenplay. It received no acting nominations, however, and its remaining mentions were in the technical and craft categories.

It's close rival and spiritual relative The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius followed with a total of ten nods, including Best Picture, Director, Actor (Jean Dujardin) and Original Screenplay. It is vying to become the first silent film to win Best Picture since Wings won Most Outstanding Production at the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929.

Rounding out the Best Picture field were The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life and War Horse.

Canada is represented by Christopher Plummer (Beginners) in the Best Supporting Actor category, Toronto-born Howard Shore for Original Score with Hugo, and in the Foreign Language Film category with Monsieur Lazhar by Quebecker Philippe Falardeau. Monsieur Lazhar will compete against Bullhead, Footnote, In Darkness and A Separation. In Darkness is a Polish co-production with Canada and Germany, and is from a screenplay by Torontonian David Shamoon.

The Animated Short Film nominee Dimanche/Sunday is by Quebec filmmaker Patrick Doyon. Both it and co-nominee Wild Life by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby are National Film Board of Canada (NFB) productions.

War Horse producers Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg each now have seven Best Picture nominations and have passed Stanley Kramer for the record. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) extends his record for most screenwriting nominations with his fifteenth (he has won twice), and sets the record with most dual director/screenwriting nominations with seven. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) extends her record for most nominations by an actor or actress with seventeen. However, she has has only won twice and not since 1982's Sophie's Choice three decades ago.

A very pleasant surprise nomination is the appearance of Demián Bichir (A Better Life) for Best Actor. Surprise omissions included Albert Brooks, Tilda Swinton and Michael Fassbender in the Acting categories. The Adventures of Tintin and Cars 2 did not make the Animated Feature category.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. After many years, Billy Crystal returns as host.

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Complete nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards

Best Picture
The Artist – Thomas Langmann, Producer
The Descendants – Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close – Scott Rudin, Producer
The Help – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
Hugo – Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
Midnight in Paris – Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
Moneyball – Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
The Tree of Life – Nominees to be determined
War Horse – Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir in A Better Life
George Clooney in The Descendants
Jean Dujardin in The Artist
Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt in Moneyball

Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill in Moneyball
Nick Nolte in Warrior
Christopher Plummer in Beginners
Max von Sydow in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis in The Help
Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in The Artist
Jessica Chastain in The Help
Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer in The Help

Animated Feature Film
A Cat in Paris – Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
Chico & Rita – Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
Kung Fu Panda 2 – Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Puss in Boots – Chris Miller
Rango – Gore Verbinski

Art Direction
The Artist – Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
Hugo – Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
Midnight in Paris – Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
War Horse – Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography
The Artist – Guillaume Schiffman
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Jeff Cronenweth
Hugo – Robert Richardson
The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse – Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design
Anonymous – Lisy Christl
The Artist – Mark Bridges
Hugo – Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre – Michael O'Connor
W.E. – Arianne Phillips

Directing
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants – Alexander Payne
Hugo – Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
The Tree of Life – Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)
Hell and Back Again – Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front – Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory – Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
Pina – Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
Undefeated – TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement – Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
God Is the Bigger Elvis – Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
Incident in New Baghdad – James Spione
Saving Face – Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom – Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing
The Artist – Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants – Kevin Tent
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker
Moneyball – Christopher Tellefsen

Foreign Language Film
Bullhead – Belgium
Footnote – Israel
In Darkness – Poland
Monsieur Lazhar – Canada
A Separation – Iran

Makeup
Albert Nobbs – Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
The Iron Lady – Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)
The Adventures of Tintin – John Williams
The Artist – Ludovic Bource
Hugo – Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Alberto Iglesias
War Horse – John Williams

Music (Original Song)
"Man or Muppet" from The Muppets – Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio" from Rio – Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Short Film (Animated)
Dimanche/Sunday Patrick Doyon
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore – William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
La Luna – Enrico Casarosa
A Morning Stroll – Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
Wild Life – Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)
Pentecost – Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
Raju – Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
The Shore – Terry George and Oorlagh George
Time Freak – Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
Tuba Atlantic – Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing
Drive – Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Ren Klyce
Hugo – Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
War Horse – Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
Hugo – Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
Moneyball – Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
War Horse – Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
Hugo – Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
Real Steel – Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Descendants – Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Hugo – Screenplay by John Logan
The Ides of March – Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
Moneyball – Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Artist – Written by Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids – Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
Margin Call – Written by J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris – Written by Woody Allen
A Separation – Written by Asghar Farhadi

CFC celebrates Black History Month with Pam Grier [UPDATE]

2012-01-24T08:36:00.001-05:00

The Canadian Film Centre is celebrating Black History Month with another in its series of talks with prominent members of the black film community. Last year's talk was with Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing) and before that, they featured Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire).

This year, they'll be bringing in iconic black actress Pam Grier. Her career started with Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and continued through the '70s with classic blaxploitation flicks such as Foxy Brown. She has worked steadily since then, and was especially given a boost by Quentin Tarantino with the starring role in his blaxploitation tribute film Jackie Brown.

[UPDATE] Ms. Grier had been scheduled to be joined by Jennifer Beals (Flashdance, The Book of Eli) who had her breakthrough in the '80s and recently co-starred with Grier on the television series The L Word. Due to unforeseen circumstances, however, Jennifer Beals is no longer able to attend.

The event will take place starting at 7pm on Thursday, February 2 at the Varsity Theatre in Toronto in the Manulife Centre at Bay and Bloor. It will be hosted and moderated by Toronto director Clement Virgo (Lie With Me).

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An Evening With Pam Grier

Thursday, February 2, 2012 | 7PM
Cineplex Odeon Varsity and VIP Cinemas

For more than 40 years, starting out as cinema’s ‘first female action star’, Grier has been a trailblazer for strong women on-screen. From her early starring roles in hit blaxploitation films FOXY BROWN and COFFY, to Quentin Tarantino’s JACKIE BROWN, and the acclaimed Showtime series “The L Word”, she has captivated and engaged audiences with her character portrayals. The evening will explore her inspirations for entering the film business, the choices she has made as an actor, and the challenges she has faced along the way. Grier will also draw on her personal experiences to discuss the impact of being a role model both on and off the screen.

This event is part of TD's Then and Now series, an inspiring and entertaining cultural showcase of one of Canada's prominent communities. The lineup of events includes films, concerts, exhibitions, and performances by a host of Canadian and international artists.

Visit www.td.com/thenandnow for more information.

International Cinephile Society's ICS Awards - nominees

2012-01-23T17:53:00.002-05:00

The International Cinephile Society has announced the nominees for their 9th ICS Awards.

Asghar Farhadi's A Separation leads with ten nominations including Best Picture, Director, Film Not in the English Language, Actor (Peyman Moaadi), Actress (Sareh Bayat) and Original Screenplay.

Mysteries of Lisbon by Raoul Ruiz was next with nine nominations including Best Picture, Director and Film Not in the English Language. Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life and Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive each picked up seven nominations including Best Picture.

Rounding out the Best Picture field were Certified Copy, Hugo, Margaret, Meek's Cutoff, Melancholia and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

Formed in 2003, the International Cinephile Society is an online group made up of approximately 80 accredited journalists, film scholars, historians and other industry professionals who cover film festivals and events on five continents. Each year the ICS honors the finest in American and international cinema.

Winners of the 9th ICS Awards will be announced on February 21, 2012.

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Complete list of nominees for the 2012 ICS Awards

PICTURE
Certified Copy
Drive
Hugo
Margaret
Meek's Cutoff
Melancholia
Mysteries of Lisbon
A Separation
The Tree of Life
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Weekend

DIRECTOR
Asghar Farhadi - A Separation
Abbas Kiarostami - Certified Copy
Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life
Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive
Raoul Ruiz - Mysteries of Lisbon

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Certified Copy
House of Pleasures
Le Havre
Le Quattro Volte
Mysteries of Lisbon
Of Gods and Men
Poetry
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

ACTOR
Tom Cullen - Weekend
Michael Fassbender - Shame
Peyman Moaadi - A Separation
Chris New - Weekend
Michael Shannon - Take Shelter

ACTRESS
Sareh Bayat - A Separation
Juliette Binoche - Certified Copy
Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene
Anna Paquin - Margaret
Yun Jung-hee - Poetry

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Albert Brooks - Drive
Shahab Hosseini - A Separation
Michael Lonsdale - Of Gods and Men
Brad Pitt - The Tree of Life
Christopher Plummer - Beginners

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain - Take Shelter
Jessica Chastain - The Tree of Life
Leila Hatami - A Separation
Carey Mulligan - Shame
J. Smith-Cameron - Margaret

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Certified Copy - Abbas Kiarostami
Margaret - Kenneth Lonergan
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
A Separation - Asghar Farhadi
Weekend - Andrew Haigh

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Drive - Hossein Amini
Moneyball - Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
Mysteries of Lisbon - Carlos Saboga
The Skin I Live In - Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Drive - Newton Thomas Sigel
Melancholia - Manuel Alberto Claro
The Mill and the Cross - Lech Majewski, Adam Sikora
Mysteries of Lisbon - André Szankowski
The Tree of Life - Emmanuel Lubezki

EDITING
Drive - Matthew Newman
Martha Marcy May Marlene - Zachary Stuart-Pontier
Mysteries of Lisbon - Carlos Madaleno, Valeria Sarmiento
A Separation - Hayedeh Safiyari
The Tree of Life - Hank Corwin, Jay Rabinowitz, Daniel Rezende, Billy Weber, Mark Yoshikawa

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Hugo - Dante Ferretti
The Mill and the Cross - Marcel Slawinski, Katarzyna Sobanska-Strzalkowska
Mysteries of Lisbon - Isabel Branco
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Maria Djurkovic
The Tree of Life - Jack Fisk

ORIGINAL SCORE
Drive - Cliff Martinez
Hanna - Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons (as The Chemical Brothers)
Mysteries of Lisbon - Jorge Arriagada
The Skin I Live In - Alberto Iglesias
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Alberto Iglesias

ENSEMBLE
Bridesmaids
Margaret
Midnight in Paris
Mysteries of Lisbon
A Separation
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

ANIMATED FILM
The Adventures of Tintin
Rango
Winnie the Pooh

DOCUMENTARY
The Arbor
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu
Nostalgia for the Light
Pina
Senna

BEST PICTURE NOT RELEASED IN 2011
Alps
Century of Birthing
Declaration of War
The Deep Blue Sea
Elena
Faust
The Kid with a Bike
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
This Is Not a Film
The Turin Horse

2012 Guldbaggen, the Guldbagge Awards for Swedish Film - winners

2012-01-23T16:26:00.000-05:00

Today at Cirkus in Stockholm, the Swedish Film Institute held the ceremony for their 47th Annual Guldbaggen (Guldbagge or "Golden Beetle" Awards). The gala was hosted by Swedish comedian and television host Petra Mede.

The awards were fairly evenly distributed. Lisa Aschan's Apflickorna (She Monkeys) led the winners with three prizes and capturing the all-important Best Picture award as well as prizes for Screenplay and Sound. Kronjuvelerna (The Crown Jewels) also took three awards, for Costume, Set Design and Visual Effects.

Several other films nabbed two awards. They were Play which won for Best Director (Ruben Östlund) and Cinematography; Simon och ekarna (Simon and the Oaks) which took the supporting acting awards for Cecilia Nilsson and Jan Josef Liefers; and The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 which won for Editing and Music. Simon och ekarna had led with 13 nominations.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 did not, however, capture the Best Documentary category. Instead, Michel Wenzer's At Night I Fly took that award.

Best Actress was presented to Ann Petrén for Happy End and Best Actor went to Sven-Bertil Taube for En enkel till Antibes (A One-way to Antibes).

The Best Foreign Film was Asghar Farhadi's Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (A Separation).

An Honourary Guldbagge Award was presented to actress Inga Landgré, who appeared in a number of Ingmar Bergman's films such as The Seventh Seal and Brink of Life. Most recently, she appeared as Isabella in David Fincher's version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Ylva-Li and Lennart Gustafsson were named recipients of the Guldspiran (Golden Sceptre) for outstanding contribution to Children's Film.

Winners were decided by a jury led by Chairman Jannike Åhlund and included Farnaz Arbabi, Matti Bye, Anna Carlson, Anna Croneman, Bengt Forslund, Klaus Härö, Sofia Lindgren and Mikael Marcimain.

Sweden's submission to the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film is Svinalängorna (Beyond) by Pernilla August. It won three awards at last year's Guldbagge Awards.

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Complete list of winners for the 47th Annual Guldbaggen

Best Picture
Apflickorna (She Monkeys), Producer: Helene Lindholm

Best Director
Ruben Östlund for Play

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Ann Petrén for Happy End

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Sven-Bertil Taube for En enkel till Antibes (A One-way to Antibes)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Cecilia Nilsson for Simon och ekarna (Simon and the Oaks)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jan Josef Liefers for Simon och ekarna (Simon and the Oaks)

Best Screenplay
Josefine Adolfsson and Lisa Aschan for Apflickorna (She Monkeys)

Best Documentary
At Night I Fly by Michel Wenzer

Best Cinematography
Marius Dybwad Brandrud for Play

Best Editing
Göran Olsson and Hanna Lejonqvist for The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

Best Costume
Moali Lemhagen for Kronjuvelerna (The Crown Jewels)

Best Sound
Andreas Franck for Apflickorna (She Monkeys)

Best Make-up
Anna-Lena Melin for Gränsen (Beyond the Border)

Best Music
Ahmir-Khalib Thompson and Om'Mas Keith for The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

Best Set Design
Roger Rosenberg for Kronjuvelerna (The Crown Jewels)

Best Visual Effects
Håkan Blomdahl and Torbjörn Olsson for Kronjuvelerna (The Crown Jewels)

Best Short Film
Las Palmas by Johannes Nyholm

Best Foreign Language Film
جدایی نادر از سیمین (A Separation) by اصغر فرهادی (Asghar Farhadi)

Guldspiran (Golden Sceptre)
Ylva-Li and Lennart Gustafsson

Honourary Guldbagge
Inga Landgré

Free screening of Ingrid Veninger's Modra

2012-01-23T08:51:00.000-05:00

Today at York University in Toronto, a free screening will take place of filmmaker Ingrid Veninger's Modra.

Ingrid Veninger is the recent winner of the Jay Scott prize for emerging artists. She is a multi-talented director who also writes, acts and produces. She also teaches at York University where the screening is to take place.

Like all of her films, Modra is a modest yet beautifully accomplished film. Using members of her own family, it tells the story of a touching relationship between two youngsters who travel to Modra, Slovakia to meets her relatives. It is fulled with humour, subtle emotions and keenly observed moments.

Also, try to catch her other films Only and i am a good person/i am a bad person. Only is currently available to view on iTunes.

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Screening: Ingrid Veninger's Modra

Jan 23, 2012, 2:30pm-4pm
004 Accolade East Building, York University

Ingrid Veninger, a contract faculty member in York's Department of Film, presents her critically-acclaimed feature film, Modra (2010).

Modra tells the story of two teenagers who discover themselves - and one another - on a week-long summer visit to Slovakia.

Veninger wrote, produced and directed the production, which stars her daughter Hallie Switzer.

Modra premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, which hailed it as one of the ten best Canadian films of that year. It was also an Official Selection at the 2010 Atlantic Film Festival and Sao Paulo International Film Festival, and won the People's Choice Award at the Bratislava Internation Film Festival and Best Actor at the Vancouver International Film Festival, 2010. Released theatrically across Canada in May 2011, the film continues to screen at festivals and is slated for international theatrical release.

What the critics said:

"...an entrancing character study that showcases [Veninger's] remarkable talent" -
- Agata Smoluch Del Sorbo, TIFF

"... a beautiful film with sincere performances that will make you want to rush out and book a flight to Slovakia." - Brian McKechnie, CityNews.ca

"Lovingly filmed ...what unfolds isn't quite a romance and is much more interesting for that." - Adam Nayman, EYE Weekly

"... a prime example of heartfelt DIY filmmaking that really works... " - Alissa Simon, VARIETY

"A real gem... I can't recommend MODRA enough." - Tom Hall, IndieWIRE

Admission to this screening is free. Please note: seating is limited.

2012 AVN Awards - winners

2012-01-22T17:20:00.000-05:00

The 29th Annual AVN Awards took place at The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas in a ceremony hosted by Bree Olson, Sunny Leone and comedian Dave Attell. The AVN Awards are considered the Oscars of the adult entertainment industry.

Wicked Pictures' The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody was the night's big winner. It picket up nine trophies including Best Parody - Comedy, Best Director - Parody for Brad Armstrong, and Best Screenplay - Parody, which Armstrong co-wrote. It led with 18 nominations.

Another big winner was Asa Akira Is Insatiable 2, which took seven awards. Asa scored another trophy for Best Solo Sex Scene in Superstar Showdown 2: Asa Akira vs. Kristina Rose.

But the big prizes went to Elegant Angel's Portrait of a Call Girl. It won AVN's first ever Movie of the Year Award, as well as Best Feature, Best Director – Feature (Graham Travis) and Best Actress (Jessie Andrews).

Axel Braun won Director of the Year for his body of work and shared Best Cinematography for Spiderman XXX: A Porn Parody.

Bobbi Starr and Manuel Ferrara were named Performers of the Year, India Summer was MILF/Cougar Performer of the Year, and Bailey Jay won Transsexual Performer of the Year.

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Complete list of nominations for the AVN Awards 2012

Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene
Missy Martinez, Zoey Holloway, Diamond Foxxx & Brooklyn Lee, Cherry 2, Jewelbox/Digital Playground

Best All-Girl Series
Women Seeking Women, Girlfriends Films

Best All-Sex/Vignette Series
The Bombshells, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Amateur Release
Dare Dorm 4, RK Netmedia/Jules Jordan

Best Amateur Series
The Dancing Bear, Morally Corrupt/Jules Jordan

Best Anal Series
Evil Anal, Manuel Ferrara/Evil Angel

Best Animated Release
Alice in Wonderland: A XXX Animation Parody, Adult Source Media

Best Art Direction
The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best BDSM Release
Disciplined, Anastasia Pierce/Pulse

Best Big Bust Release
Big Wet Tits 10, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Big Bust Series
Big Tits in Uniform, Brazzers

Best Big Butt Release
Kelly Divine Is Buttwoman, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Big Butt Series
Phat Bottom Girls, Manuel Ferrara/Evil Angel

Best Cinematography
Axel Braun & Eli Cross, Spiderman XXX: A Porn Parody, Vivid Entertainment Group

Best Director – Feature
Graham Travis, Portrait of a Call Girl, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Director – Non Feature
Mason, Asa Akira Is Insatiable 2, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Director – Parody
Brad Armstrong, The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best Double-Penetration Scene
Asa Akira, Mick Blue & Toni Ribas, Asa Akira Is Insatiable 2, Elegant Angel Productions

Best DVD Extras
The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best Editing
Scott Allen, The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best Educational Release
Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex: Fellatio, Wicked Pictures

Best Ethnic-Theamed Release – Asian
Asian Booty 2, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Ethnic-Themed Release – Black
Big Wet Black Tits 3, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Ethnic-Themed Release – Latin
Escaladies, Digital Playground

Best Ethnic-Themed Series
Big Ass Brazilian Butts, Reality Kings/Pulse

Best Fem-Dom Strap-On Release
Beggin’ for a Peggin’, Reality Blue/Vouyer

Best Foot/Leg Fetish Release
Nylons 8, Third Degree Films

Best Foreign All-Sex Release
Ink, Daring Media Group

Best Foreign All-Sex Series
Young Harlots, Harmony Films

Best Gonzo Series
Raw, Manuel Ferrera/Evil Angel

Best Group Sex Scene
Asa Akira, Erik Everhard, Toni Ribas, Danny Mountain, Jon Jon, Broc Adams, Ramon Nomar & John Strong, Asa Akira Is Insatiable 2, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Internal Release
Internal Damnation 4, Jules Jordan Video

Best Interracial Series
Lex the Impaler, Jules Jordan Video

Best Makeup
Shelby Stevens & Melissa Makeup, The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best MILF Release
Seasoned Players 16, Tom Byron/Evolution

Best MILF Series
Seasoned Players, Tom Byron/Evolution

Best Music Soundtrack
Elvis XXX: A Porn Parody, Axel Braun/Vivid

Best New Line
Extreme Comixxx, Exquisite Multimedia

Best New Series
The Bombshells, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Non-Sex Performance
James Bartholet, The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best Older Woman/Younger Girl Release
Mother-Daughter Exchange Club 17, Girlfriends Films

Best Oral Release
American Cocksucking Sluts, Mike Adriano/Evil Angel

Best Oral Series
Face Fucking Inc., Joey Silvera/Evil Angel

Best Orgy/Gangbang Release
Gangbanged, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Original Song
“Stuck in Your Crack,” Elvis XXX: A Porn Parody, Axel Braun/Vivid

Best Overall Marketing Campaign – Company Image
Digital Playground

Best Overall Marketing Campaign – Individual Project
The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best Packaging – Video
This Ain't Ghostbusters XXX 3D, Hustler Video

Best POV Release
Double Vision 3, Erik Everhard/Jules Jordan

Best POV Series
POV Pervert, Mike John/Jules Jordan

Best POV Sex Scene
Andy San Dimas, Bobbi Starr & Erik Everhard, Double Vision 3, Erik Everhard/Jules Jordan

Best Pro-Am Release
Breakin' 'Em In 14, Vince Vouyer Unleashed/Jules Jordan

Best Pro-Am Series
Brand New Faces, Vivid Entertainment Group

Best Screenplay
Jacky St. James, Dear Abby, New Sensations Romance

Best Screenplay – Parody
Brad Armstrong & Hank Shenanigan, The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best Solo Release
All Natural: Glamour Solos, Girlfriends Films

Best Solo Sex Scene
Asa Akira, Superstar Showdown 2: Asa Akira vs. Kristina Rose, Reality Blue/Vouyer

Best Special Effects
Horizon, Wicked Pictures

Best Specialty Release – Other Genre
Bush, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Specialty Series
Buttman's Stretch Class, John Stagliano/Buttman/Evil Angel

Best Squirting Release
Lesbian Bukkake 17, JM Productions

Best Tease Performance
Asa Akira, Asa Akira Is Insatiable 2, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Three-Way Sex Scene, Boy/Boy/Girl
Asa Akira, Mick Blue & Toni Ribas, Asa Akira Is Insatiable 2, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Transsexual Release
The Next She-Male Idol 3, Joey Silvera/Evil Angel

Best Transsexual Series
America's Next Top Tranny, Goodfellas/Devil's Film

Best Young Girl Release
Cuties 2, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Young Girl Series
She's So Cute, Digital Sin

Clever Title of the Year
Beggin' for a Peggin', Reality Blue/Vouyer

Female Foreign Performer of the Year
Aleska Diamond

Male Foreign Performer of the Year
Rocco Siffredi

MILF/Cougar Performer of the Year
India Summer

Most Outrageous Sex Scene
Brooklyn Lee & Juelz Ventura in “Suck My Sack With a Straw,” American Cocksucking Sluts, Mike Adriano/Evil Angel

Transsexual Performer of the Year
Bailey Jay

Best 3D Release
This Ain’t Ghostbusters XXX 3D, Hustler Video

Best All-Sex Release, Mixed Format
Bobbi’s World, Bobbi Starr/Evil Angel

Best All-Girl Release
Cherry 2, Jewelbox/Digital Playground

Best Anal Release
Ass Worship 13, Jules Jordan Video

Best Celebrity Sex Tape
Backdoor to Chyna, Vivid Celeb

Best Comedy
Grindhouse XXX, Adam & Eve Pictures

Best Interracial Release
Lex the Impaler 6, Jules Jordan Video

Best Male Newcomer
Xander Corvus

Best Porn Star Website
Bobbi Starr, BobbiStarr.com

Best Supporting Actor
Xander Corvus, Star Trek: The Next Generation - A XXX Parody, Revolution X/Digital Sin

Best Supporting Actress
Jesse Jane, Fighters, Digital Playground

Best Vignette Release
Prison Girls, Elegant Angel Productions

Crossover Star of the Year
Ron Jeremy

Unsung Male Performer of the Year
Johnny Castle

Unsung Starlet of the Year
Bridgette B.

Best Oral Sex Scene
American Cocksucking Sluts, Mike Adriano/Evil Angel; Brooklyn Lee & Juelz Ventura

Best Three-Way Sex Scene, G/G/B
Ass Worship 13, Jules Jordan Video; Kristina Rose, Jada Stevens & Nacho Vidal

Best Boy/Girl Scene
The Bombshells 3, Elegant Angel Productions; Lexi Belle & Manuel Ferrara

Best Actress
Jessie Andrews, Portrait of a Call Girl, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Anal Sex Scene
Asa Akira Is Insatiable 2, Elegant Angel Productions; Asa Akira & Nacho Vidal

Best Girl/Girl Sex Scene
Belladonna: Sexual Explorer, Belladonna/Evil Angel; Dana DeArmond & Belladonna

Best Gonzo Release
Dangerous Curves, Jules Jordan Video

Best Actor
Dale DaBone, Elvis XXX: A Porn Parody, Axel Braun/Vivid Entertainment Group

Best Sex Scene in a Foreign-Shot Production
Mission Asspossible, Magik View/Private/Pure Play; Brooklyn Lee & Ian Scott

Best New Starlet
Brooklyn Lee

Male Performer of the Year
Manuel Ferrara

Best All-Sex Release
Asa Akira Is Insatiable 2, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Parody - Comedy
The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, Wicked Pictures

Best Parody - Drama
Spider-Man XXX: A Porn Parody, Vivid Entertainment Group

Best Director - Foreign Release
Mission Asspossible, Magik View/Private/Pure Play; Ettore Buchi

Best Foreign Feature
Mission Asspossible, Magik View/Private/Pure Play

Female Performer of the Year
Bobbi Starr

Director of the Year (Body of Work)
Axel Braun

Best Feature
Portrait of a Call Girl, Elegant Angel Productions

Movie of the Year
Portrait of a Call Girl, Elegant Angel Productions

Best Boutique
Good Vibrations, San Francisco

Best Retail Chain
Hustler Hollywood

Best Adult Distributor
IVD/East Coast News

Best Fetish Product
Crystal Minx Plug With Tail, Crystal Delights

Best Lingerie or Apparel Company
Baci Lingerie

Best Overall Sex Toy Line
Bedroom Kandi, OhMiBod

Best Packaging – Pleasure Products
Big Teaze Toys

Best Party, Game or Gag Product
Adult Trading Cards, Adult Trading Card Company

Best Sex Accessory
Eyelash Collection, Baci Lingerie

Best Sex Toy Company – Large
Fleshlight

Best Sex Toy Company – Small
Big Teaze Toys

Best Sex Toy for Couples
We-Vibe II, Standard Innovation

Best Sex Toy for Men
Blade, Fleshlight

Best Sex Toy for Women
Intensity, Jopen

Best Affiliate Program
FameDollars

Best Alternative Website
Clips4Sale.com, Clips 4 Sale

Best Dating Website
Fling.com

Best Live Chat Website
IMLive.com

Best Membership Website
Brazzers.com

Best Photography Website
EarlMiller.com

Best Retail Website
AdultDVDEmpire.com

Best Solo Girl Website
Ariel Rebel, ArielRebel.com

Best Studio Website
Evil Angel, EvilAngelVideo.com

Best Web Premiere
Pictures at an Exxxhibition, EarlMiller.com

2012 Zee Cine Awards - winners

2012-01-22T12:00:00.001-05:00

The 13th Zee Cine Awards took place yesterday at the CotaiArena in Macau, in a ceremony hosted by Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra. The main winners were Rockstar, The Dirty Picture and RA.One. Each claimed five awards.

The Dirty Picture was named Best Film. It also took both the popular and the jury Best Actress Award for its star Vidya Balan, who plays the real-life '80s erotic actress Silk Smitha. It also won for Choreography and Song.

The haul for Rockstar consisted of Best Actor (Ranbir Kapoor), Best Director (Imtiaz Ali), Lyrics, Singer and Editing.

RA.One was named Best Action Film. It also won for Use of Media, Song, Marketing and Sound Design.

The Zee Cine Awards are given to honour those in the Hindi language film industry.

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Complete list of winners for the Zee Cine Awards 2012

Best Actor (Popular)
Ranbir Kapoor, Rockstar

Best Actress (Popular)
Vidya Balan, The Dirty Picture

Best Director
Imtiaz Ali, Rockstar

Best Actor (Jury)
Shah Rukh Khan, Don 2

Best Actress (Jury)
Vidya Balan, The Dirty Picture

Best Film (Jury)
The Dirty Picture

Best Action Film
RA.One

Best Debut Female
Parineeti Chopra, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl

Best Debut Male
Rana Daggubati, Dum Maaro Dum

Best Story
Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Debut Director
Siddique, Bodyguard

Best use of Media
RA.One

Song of the Year
Chammak Challo, RA.One

Lifetime Achievement Award
Jeetendra

Best Choreography
Ooh La La, The Dirty Picture

Best Lyrics
Irshad Kamil, Rockstar

Best Song
Ishq Sufiana, The Dirty Picture

Best Singer (Female)
Shreya Ghoshal, "Saibo" from Shor In The City

Best Singer (Male)
Mohit Chauhan, "Jo bhi main" from Rockstar

International Icon Female
Katrina Kaif

International Icon Male
Farhan Akthar

Best Music
AR Rahman

Best Marketed Film
RA.One

Best Supporting Actor
Farhan Akhtar, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Supporting Actress
Swara Bhaskar, Tanu Weds Manu

Best Sound Design
Resul Pookutty, RA.One

Best Actor in a Negative Role
Prakash Raj, Singham

Best Cinematography
Carlos Catalan, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Editing
Aarti Bajaj, Rockstar

2012 Producers Guild Awards winners

2012-01-22T02:08:00.000-05:00

The 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards took place Friday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

Yet again, The Artist was triumphant. It captured the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures, edging out its fellow nominees Bridesmaids, The Descendants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball and War Horse. The award was presented to the film's producer Thomas Langmann.

The other feature film winners on the night were The Adventures of Tintin for Animated Film and Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest in the Documentary category.

The producers for In The Land of Blood and Honey including director Angelina Jolie were presented with the honourary Stanley Kramer Award. The Stanley Kramer Award is given to a motion picture, producer or other individual, whose achievement or contribution illuminates provocative social issues in an accessible and elevating fashion.

Television winners included Downton Abbey, Modern Family, Boardwalk Empire and The Colbert Report.

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Complete list of winners for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURE

Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures
The Artist, Producer: Thomas Langmann

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
The Adventures of Tintin, Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, Producers: Michael Rapaport, Edward Parks, Frank Mele, Debra Koffler

TELEVISION

The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television
Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS) Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy
Modern Family (ABC), Producers: Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Jeffrey Richman, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
Boardwalk Empire (HBO), Producers: Eugene Kelly, Howard Korder, Stephen Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Rudd Simmons, Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central), Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen T. Colbert, Richard Dahm, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart, Paul Dinello, Barry Julien, Emily Lazar

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television
The Amazing Race (CBS), Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television
American Masters (PBS), Producers: Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks

News Programs
60 Minutes (CBS)

Sports Programs
30 for 30 (ESPN)

Children’s Programs
Sesame Street (PBS)

Web Series
30 Rock Presents Jack Donaghy, Executive Superhero (NBC.com)

HONORARY AWARDS

Stanley Kramer Award
In The Land of Blood and Honey, Producers: Tim Headington, Angelina Jolie, Graham King, Tim Moore

Milestone Award
Leslie Moonves

David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures
Steven Spielberg

Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television
Don Mischer

Vanguard Award
Stan Lee

Call for submissions: Banff World Media Festival's Writers Apprentice Program

2012-01-21T14:48:00.000-05:00

The Banff World Media Festival has put out a call for submissions for their Global Writers Apprentice Program

The apprenticeship is an opportunity for emerging Canadian writers to attend the Banff World Media Festival with a full access pass, which includes sessions, meetings and networking. They'll even cover your flight and accommodation. Then you'll have the opportunity to intern in a story department of a prime-time series.

The program is open to all Canadians, either individually or as established writing teams. To apply, you will need a spec script of an existing television program and a pitch document of an original series idea, as well as the usual documents such as a resumé and reference letters.

The deadline for application is March 9th, 2012. The 2012 Banff World Media Festival takes place from June 10th to 13th in Banff, Alberta.

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Global Writers Apprentice Program

The Banff World Media Festival, with Shaw Media, has launched the 2012 edition of the Global Writers Apprentice Program, offering emerging Canadian writers the opportunity to gain significant experience, with access to the Banff World Media Festival, June 10-13, as well as the opportunity to complete an internship in the story department of a prime-time series. The program is open to individual writers as well as to established writing teams who have a track record together.

The successful applicants will:

Be invited to attend the Banff World Media Festival on a full access pass, including flights and accommodation.

Have the opportunity to gain significant experience by completing a four-week internship in the story department of a prime-time series.

Enjoy networking, pitching, and business building opportunities at various Banff sessions.

Have the chance to meet with showrunners, agents, broadcasters, and funders.

Qualifications:

Applicant Requirements

Applicants should be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants

Applicants must be able to demonstrate an expertise in dramatic screenwriting.

Preference will be given to those individuals who have at least a half hour of produced drama.

Successful applicants must be able to demonstrate an expertise in dramatic screenwriting.

Submissions Requirements

A complete application form

A cover letter that outlines why they should be considered for this position

A spec script of an existing series (hour or half-hour, drama or comedy)

A series pitch (hour or half-hour, drama or comedy) that will form the basis of their pitching at the BANFF Festival.

A resume and two letters of recommendation from Canadian film and television industry professionals. References should be familiar with the candidate's work and be able to comment on the candidate's ability to become a writer for series television.

Application Form

For more information, please contact:
Emma Norton
Associate Producer, Awards & Market Access Programs
enorton@achillesmedia.com

Star Wars Uncut, crowd-sourced fanfilm complete online

2012-01-20T19:06:00.002-05:00

George Lucas has certainly been in the news a lot lately.

He's been doing the circuit promoting this weekend's release of Anthony Hemingway's Red Tails on which he was a producer. The film tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen who were black pilots during World War II. Reviews haven't been too good so far but I applaud him for getting behind the project and exposing the racism in Hollywood in interviews such as on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He points out that no one in Hollywood would support the project because it was a black movie.

He also caused a minor ripple this week when he mused about retirement or at least abandoning blockbuster filmmaking to make smaller films as his friend Francis Ford Coppola has done. He's quoted as saying “I’m retiring. I’m moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff.”

So wouldn't you know it, he pops up yet again with sudden news that the ongoing project Star War Uncut has just finished the first Star Wars film which was changed (as everything Lucas touches usually does) to Episode IV: A New Hope.

Star Wars Uncut was a project whereby the original film was divided into 15-second segments and fans could sign up to remake that 15-second portion however they wished. Many of the recreations are very clever and imaginative. Some did it in full costume, others used toys or props, while many relied on the various forms of animation. It is fascinating viewing from many perspectives.

The film in its entirety is presented below.

2012 Bayerischer Filmpreis (Bavarian Film Awards) - winners

2012-01-20T18:05:00.001-05:00

Today, the Bavarian State Government held the ceremony for their 33rd Annual Bayerischer Filmpreis (Bavarian Film Awards) at the Prinzregententheater (Prince Regent Theatre) in Munich. Winners receive cash prizes of €10,000 except for the Producers who receive a larger sum and the Audience and Honourary Awards which do not receive any cash prize. They also receive porcelain statuettes known as the "Pierrots" named after the Commedia dell'arte character.

The cancer drama Halt auf freier Strecke (Stopped on Track) was the main winner of the night. It took the top prize for Best Producer and awards for actors Steffi Kühnert and Milan Peschel. It shared the €200,000 with the producers of Hotel Lux. It was, however, the only award for Hotel Lux.

The only other film to win multiple awards was Kriegerin (Combat Girls). David Wnendt was named Best Young Director and Jella Haase was named Best Young Actor for her role in both Kriegerin and Lollipop Monster.

The Best Director Prize went to Doris Dörrie for Glück (Bliss). Bettina Mittendorfer was named Best Actress for her starring turn in Eine ganz heiße Nummer (A Really Hot Number).

The Audience Award went to Simon Verhoeven for his sequel to the comedy Männerherzen (Men in the City) called Männerherzen ... und die ganz ganz große Liebe (Men in the City 2) (literally: Men's Hearts ... and the Very Very Great Love).

Director Wim Wenders was recognized with a prize for Lifetime Achievement, the Ehrenpreis des bayerischen Ministerpräsidenten (Honourary Prize of the Bavarian Prime Minister).

The Bayerischer Filmpreis are decided by an eleven-member jury of industry professionals. They are supported by the Bavarian State Chancellery and appointed to three-year terms. The current jury consists of actress Isolde Barth, Bettina Reitz (Degeto Film), Susanne Petz (producer), Benedict Neuenfels (cinematographer), Manfred Heid (producer), Steffen Kuchenreuther (president of Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft), Adrian Prechtel (journalist), Wolfgang Limmer (writer, director), Klaus Schaefer (FilmFernsehFonds Bayern), Hans Steinbichler (director) and Carolin Kerschbaumer (Film officer of Bayerische Staatskanzlei).

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Complete list of winners for the 33rd Annual Bayerischer Filmpreis

Best Producer (TIE) €100.000 each
Günter Rohrbach, Corinna Eich, Jan S. Kaiser, Hotel Lux
Peter Rommel, Halt auf freier Strecke (Stopped on Track)

Best Actor €10.000 each
Steffi Kühnert and Milan Peschel, Halt auf freier Strecke (Stopped on Track)

Best Actress €10.000
Bettina Mittendorfer, Eine ganz heiße Nummer (A Really Hot Number)

Best Young Actor €10.000
Jella Haase, Kriegerin (Combat Girls) and Lollipop Monster

Best Director €10.000
Doris Dörrie, Glück (Bliss)

Best Young Director €10.000
David Wnendt, Kriegerin (Combat Girls)

VGF New Producer Award €60.000
Boris Jendreyko and Thomas Klimmer, Die Farbe des Ozeans (Color of the Ocean)

Best Screenplay €10.000
Christian Zübert, Dreiviertelmond (Three Quarter Moon)

Best Editing €10.000
Andreas Menn, Hell

Best Cinematography €10.000
Hannes Hubach, Lollipop Monster

Best Documentary Film €10.000
Arnon Goldfinger, Die Wohnung (The Apartment)

Best Young People's Film €10.000
Wickie auf großer Fahrt (Vicky and the Treasure of the Gods), Christian Ditter

Audience Award
Männerherzen ... und die ganz ganz große Liebe (Men in the City 2), Simon Verhoeven

Lifetime Achievement Award
Wim Wenders, Pina

Sundance short films available to watch online

2012-01-20T15:07:00.001-05:00

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival has partnered with a sponsor Yahoo! to put nine selections from the short film program online to compete for the Yahoo! Audience Award.

The nine films are '92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card, Aquadettes, The Arm, The Debutante Hunters, Dol (First Birthday), Henley, Una Hora por Favora, Long Distance Information and Odysseus' Gambit. Most of the films feature unknowns and emerging talent, but Long Distance Information stars Peter Mullan and Una Hora por Favora stars Wilmer Valderrama from That '70s Show.

The winner(s) of the Yahoo! Audience Award will receive a $5,000 prize. The contest continues until January 27 and the winner will be announced in January 28.

Watch all nine films below. They are also viewable at http://screen.yahoo.com/sundance/ where you can vote.

The Sundance Festival continues in Park City, Utah until January 29.

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The Debutante Hunters
In the lowcountry of South Carolina, some true southern belles reveal their more rugged side, providing a glimpse into what drives them to hunt in the wild.
DIRECTOR Maria White
CAST Kristy Olson Cuthbert, Beverly Mebane Helms, Sara Frampton, Susan Frampton, Kacey Bates Patrick

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Aquadettes
A meditation on life, death, and synchronized swimming.
DIRECTOR Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari
CAST Margo Bouer

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'92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card
Jim and Dave, two brothers who don't like each other, are forced to come together when their dad dies. Dave is sure he has an Alonzo Mourning Skybox Series rookie card, but Jim has other ideas.
DIRECTOR Todd Sklar SCREENWRITER Todd Sklar, Alex Rennie
CAST Alex Rennie, James Pumphrey, Hari Liegh, Cheryl Black, Brent Prentiss, Hunter Boyd

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The Arm
To keep up with social pressure in a technological world, Chance starts a texting relationship with Genevieve. But tragedy forces Chance to realize that he was never in a relationship at all.
DIRECTOR Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis SCREENWRITER Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis
CAST Miles Heizer, Jessica Hecht , Allie Grant, Logan Miller, John Ennis

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Dol (First Birthday)
A gay Korean American man yearns for a family life that is just out of reach.
DIRECTOR Andrew Ahn SCREENWRITER Andrew Ahn
CAST Joshua Kwak, Martin Lee, James S.W. Lee, Chris Yejin, Muki Grossberg

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Henley
Meet nine-year-old Ted Henley, budding motel manager and roadkill entrepreneur.
DIRECTOR Craig Macneill SCREENWRITER Craig Macneill, Clay McLeod Chapman
CAST Hale Lytle, James Vidos, Susan Misner, Jimmy Matthew Ryan

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Long Distance Information
Father always told us, “Never talk to strangers,” . . . But surely we have to phone home sometimes?
DIRECTOR Douglas Hart SCREENWRITER Douglas Hart
CAST Peter Mullan, Alan Tripney, Caroline Peterson

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Odysseus' Gambit
During his lifetime, each man plays cosmic chess against the devil.
DIRECTOR Àlex Lora Cercos SCREENWRITER Àlex Lora Cercos
CAST Saravuth Inn

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Una Hora por Favora
A woman hires a day laborer for an hour and gets more than she bargained for.
DIRECTOR Jill Soloway SCREENWRITER Jill Soloway
CAST Wilmer Valderrama, Michaela Watkins

Watch nine of the Sundance short films, share them with friends, and vote for your favorite one. The movie with the top votes will win the Yahoo! Audience Award and the filmmaker will receive $5,000 to continue their creative journey as storytellers.

To vote, go to http://screen.yahoo.com/sundance/

Call for submissions: TSV themed commissions - CENTRE

2012-01-20T12:10:00.001-05:00

As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, Trinity Square Video has put out a call for submissions for CENTRE, the final stage of their commissioned trilogy LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER [sic].

Each of the previous commissions has had a political angle and this continues that approach. However, this time they've introduced a requirement to use material from the Archives of Ontario to be the basis of the submitted projects.

Applicants do not have to be from Toronto, but must be able to attend the relevant events at their own expense. Successful applicants will receive a prize package that includes $750 in production equipment rentals, 40 hours of editing time, a TSV membership and a $500 honorarium. The finished work will also be included in a fall public exhibition and a published catalogue.

The deadline for submissions is March 5, 2012.

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Trinity Square Video's Themed Commissions
Call for Submission: CENTRE
Deadline: March 5, 2012

Trinity Square Video announces a call for submissions to CENTRE, the third and final act of the TSV Commission trilogy, LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER. This commission asks artists to use lens-based material from the Archives of Ontario (134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard) as subject or reference for the production of a 10-minute video or video-based installation* that examines contemporary politics.

Continuing TSV's celebration of its 40th anniversary as a centre for the production of art, we are looking for three successful proposals to CENTRE. Although selected artists' projects will be developed through five months of research, development, and production with the Archives and TSV, the initial proposal should display a strong understanding of kind of material that will be used for the final project. Applicants will need to explore the Archives online collection databases and exhibitions: www.archives.gov.on.ca

In mid-February, TSV will host an in-house presentation by the Archives of Ontario. Open to all, this general introduction to the Archives is an excellent opportunity for artists to gain an understanding of what this incredible resource can offer them. Please contact TSV or check out our website for more information and the date and time.

For CENTRE, we are seeking proposals for the creation of work that investigates "centre" in various ways: the median or the moderate; a fixed point where things pivot; the idea of the institution–centres like the Archives or TSV–as public resources; the privileging of the eye, the power of its vision, and the social or historical weight of its perspective; a nucleus or a beginning.

This is a commission for the production of video art. TSV is seeking submissions that propose to explore pertinent issues related, but not limited, to representation, identity, geography and space, economics, justice, divisions of labour and power, science, history, and philosophy. These works can be critical, humorously self-effacing, discursively political, or experimental in their analysis and construction.

Proposed artworks can employ video through a variety of strategies, including narrative or documentary form, formalist or materialist practices, animation or compositing, non-lens-based video production and motion graphics, and through video installation*.

Selected artists receive:
- $750 in production equipment rentals;
- 40 hours of editing time;
- 2 TSV workshops;
- Support from TSV's technical and artistic Staff;
- TSV membership or renewal;
- $500 honorarium;
- A public screening/exhibition (October 2012–expected);
- Inclusion in the LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER catalogue (published at the completion of the trilogy)

While each project is created separately, the artists participate in group-critiques of works-in-progress, where they can receive peer-support and feedback.

Submissions will be reviewed by the TSV Programming Committee who will make selections based on the proposed project's exploration of the theme, CENTRE, as well as its intended examination, experimentation and expansion of video as an art medium.

All Toronto-based emerging, mid-career and established visual artists, video artists, media artists, and filmmakers are welcome to submit proposals to CENTRE. Proposals from those living outside Toronto and surrounding area must ensure that the artist will attend all CENTRE related activities at their own expense.

*Video installations can be proposed as part of CENTRE, although artists are also required to create single-channel versions appropriate for the public screening. Selected artists working in single-channel video or video installation will receive the same resources from TSV, as outlined above.

Proposals must include an application form available at www.trinitysquarevideo.com

Trinity Square Video (TSV) is a not-for-profit artist-run centre for the production, presentation, education and dissemination of video by artists and community organizations. Since 1971, TSV has made access to the means of representation its priority, providing a diverse community of video practitioners media-arts related development through workshops, seminars and classes, as well as offering a space for the creation and exhibition of video art. Through its public programming, TSV has advanced the understanding and appreciation of video produced by various community-based groups and numerous internationally recognized artists.

TSV gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.

401 Richmond Street West, Suite 376
Toronto ON M5V 3A8
416-593-1332
www.trinitysquarevideo.com
TSV Production Centre hours: Monday to Friday 10am – 6pm
TSV Gallery hours: Monday to Friday 12 – 6pm

MPSE Golden Reel Awards - nominees

2012-01-20T09:40:00.002-05:00

The Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) have announced the nominees for their 59th Annual Golden Reel Awards.

Super 8 came out at the top with three nominations. The film was nominated in sound editing categories for Music in a Feature Film; Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film; and Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film.

Films picking up two nominations were Drive, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and War Horse.

The 2012 MPSE Filmmaker Award will be presented to Gale Anne Hurd. The 2012 MPSE Career Achievement Award will be presented to George Watters II.

The 59th Golden Reel Awards will be held February 19, 2012 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel &Suites in Los Angeles.

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Complete nominations for the 59th MPSE Golden Reel Awards

FEATURE FILMS CATEGORY

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS, FOLEY, DIALOGUE, AND ADR IN AN ANIMATION FEATURE FILM
The Adventures of Tintin
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango
Rio
The Smurfs

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS, FOLEY, DIALOGUE, ADR AND MUSIC IN A FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Cave of the Forgotten Dreams
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Lemmy
Pearl Jam Twenty

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS, FOLEY, DIALOGUE AND ADR IN A FEATURE FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
1920. The World’s Most Important Battle
Circumstance
Tropa de Elite 2 (Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within)
The Flowers of War
In the Land of Blood and Honey
Sarah’s Key
The Skin I Live In

BEST SOUND EDITING: MUSIC IN A FEATURE FILM
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hop
Hugo
Priest
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Tree of Life

BEST SOUND EDITING: MUSIC IN A MUSICAL FEATURE FILM
Footloose
The Muppets
Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Pina

BEST SOUND EDITING: DIALOGUE AND ADR IN A FEATURE FILM
Abduction
The Help
Moneyball
Quarantine II: Terminal
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
War Horse
The Way

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS AND FOLEY IN A FEATURE FILM
Drive
Fast Five
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

MPSE FILMMAKER AWARD
Gale Anne Hurd

MPSE CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
George Watters II

TELEVISION CATEGORY

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS, FOLEY, DIALOGUE, AND ADR ANIMATION IN TELEVISION
Fanboy and Chum Chum "A Very Brrr-y Icemas #217"
Futurama "Law & Oracle"
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil "Truth or Daredevil"
Kung Fu Panda: The Legends of Awesomeness "Sight for Sore Eyes - #108"
Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace
The Penguins of Madagascar "The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole"
Phineas and Ferb "Across the 2nd Dimension"

BEST SOUND EDITING: LONG FORM DOCUMENTARY
Gettysburg
Harlistas: An American Journey
Koran By Heart

BEST SOUND EDITING: LONG FORM MUSIC IN TELEVISION
The 12 Dates of Christmas
Alphas "Pilot"
Avalon High
Magic Beyond Words - The JK Rowling Story
Terra Nova "Occupation/Resistance - #12 & #13"

BEST SOUND EDITING: LONG FORM DIALOGUE AND ADR IN TELEVISION
Big Love "Where Men and Mountains Meet"
Cinema Verite
Homeland "Marine One"
Terra Nova "Occupation/Resistance - #12 & #13"
The Walking Dead "What Lies Ahead"

BEST SOUND EDITING: LONG FORM SOUND EFFECTS AND FOLEY IN TELEVISION
Cinema Verite
Homeland "Marine One"
Red Faction: Origins
Terra Nova "Occupation/Resistance - #12 & #13"
The Walking Dead "What Lies Ahead"

BEST SOUND EDITING: SHORT FORM DOCUMENTARY
Above The Ashes "Above the Ashes"
Man Made “Bugatti Super Car”
Tim Tebow: Everything In Between

BEST SOUND EDITING: SHORT FORM MUSIC IN TELEVISION
Camelot "110 - Reckoning"
CSI: Miami "Crowned"
Damages "Failure is Lonely"
Fringe "The Day We Died"
Justified "Brother's Keeper"
Raising Hope "Prodigy"
Revenge "Pilot"

BEST SOUND EDITING: SHORT FORM MUSICAL IN TELEVISION
Glee “The First Time”
Grey’s Anatomy “The Song Beneath the Song”
The Playboy Club “Pilot”

BEST SOUND EDITING: SHORT FORM DIALOGUE AND ADR IN TELEVISION
The Big C "A Little Death"
Game of Thrones "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things"
Hell on Wheels "Bread and Circuses - #105"
Leverage "The Van Gogh Job"
Person of Interest "#107 - Witness"
Smallville "Dominion"
Sons of Anarchy "To Be, Part 2"
The Walking Dead "Save the Last One"

OTHERS CATEGORY

BEST SOUND EDITING: COMPUTER EPISODIC ENTERTAINMENT
Aim High
Dagedar
Polly Pocket
Warehouse 13 “Of Monsters & Men”
When You Find Me

BEST SOUND EDITING: COMPUTER INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Diablo III Cinematics - Black SoulStone "Doom" and Intro "End of Days"
Gears of War 3
Need for Speed “The Run”
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Cinematics

BEST SOUND EDITING: DIRECT TO VIDEO – ANIMATION
Dragon: Gift of the Night Fury
Kung Fu Panda 2: Secrets of the Masters
Megamind: The Button of Doom
Quest for Zhu
The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol

BEST SOUND EDITING: DIRECT TO VIDEO - LIVE ACTION
Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure
Love
Street Kings 2: Motor City

BEST SOUND EDITING: SPECIAL VENUE
Rocky Mountain Express
Tornado Alley
Wildest Weather in the Solar System

VERNA FIELDS AWARD IN SOUND EDITING FOR STUDENT FILMMAKERS
Alma
Inferno
The Maiden and the Princess
The Pride of Wade Ellison
The Secret Numbers

AARP Movies for Grownups Awards - winners

2012-01-19T21:47:00.000-05:00

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and AARP The Magazine announced the winners for their 11th Annual Movies for Grownups Awards.

The top prize of Best Movie for Grownups went to The Descendants. However, The Artist picked up Best Comedy. There were no multiple award-winners though and everything was spread very evenly.

The Names of Love was named The Best Foreign Language Film. Best Documentary went to Bill Cunningham New York, while the Readers’ Choice Award was won by The Help.

The lead acting prizes went to Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs and Oliver Litondo for The First Grader, while the supporting awards went to Christopher Plummer for Beginners and Vanessa Redgrave for Coriolanus.

Actress Sharon Stone was named the AARP's 2012 recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Complete list of winners for the 11th Annual Movies for Grownups Awards

Best Movie For Grownups
The Descendants
We Also Loved: The Artist, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Midnight in Paris, War Horse and Win Win.

Best Actress
Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs
We Also Loved: Ellen Barkin, Another Happy Day; Helen Mirren, The Debt; Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady; and Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Best Actor
Oliver Litondo for The First Grader
We Also Loved: George Clooney, The Descendants; Mel Gibson, The Beaver; Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; and Kevin Spacey, Margin Call.

Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer for Beginners
We Also Loved: Jeremy Irons, Margin Call; Ben Kingsley, Hugo; Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; and Christoph Waltz, Water for Elephants.

Best Supporting Actress
Vanessa Redgrave for Coriolanus
We Also Loved: Ellen Burstyn, Another Happy Day; Judi Dench, J. Edgar; Allison Janney, The Help; Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs.

Best Director
Stephen Daldry for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
We Also Loved: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; George Clooney, The Ides of March; Cameron Crowe, We Bought a Zoo; Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life; and Martin Scorsese, Hugo.

Best Writer
Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
We Also Loved: Alexander Payne, The Descendants; Eric Roth, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; Roger Simon, A Better Life; and Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball.

Best Movie for Grownups who refuse to grow up
The Muppets
We Also Loved: Dolphin Tale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and Hugo.

Best Intergenerational Movie
Win Win
We Also Loved: The First Grader, Hugo, and The Music Never Stopped.

Best Musical Achievement
Alexandre Desplat for The Tree of Life
We Also Loved: John Williams, War Horse. His majestic score bears his trademark swelling strings and fanfares, this time infused with cleverly applied folk tunes.

Best Comedy
The Artist
We Also Loved: 50/50, Bridesmaids, Midnight in Paris, and Tower Heist.

Best Time Capsule
J. Edgar
We Also Loved: The Help, The Iron Lady and Midnight in Paris.

Best Foreign Language Film
The Names of Love (France)
We Also Loved: 80 Days, In Darkness, Queen to Play and The Skin I Live In.

Best Documentary
Bill Cunningham New York
We Also Loved: Hot Coffee, The Interrupters, Project Nim and Undefeated.

Best Breakthrough Achievement
Martin Scorsese for Hugo

Best Grownup Love Story
Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent for The Iron Lady
We Also Loved: Emily Watson and Peter Mullan, War Horse; Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson, The Beaver; and Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer, J. Edgar.

Readers’ Choice Award 2012
The Help

Lifetime Achievement Award
Sharon Stone

London Critics' Circle Film Awards - winners

2012-01-19T17:36:00.002-05:00

The London Critics’ Circle has presented the winners for the 32nd London Critics’ Circle Film Awards in a ceremony at BFI Southbank.

Yet again, Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist has proven to be the most acclaimed film. It was awarded Film of the Year as well as Director of the Year and Actor of the Year for Jean Dujardin.

A Separation was another triple prize-winner. It claimed Foreign Language Film, Screenwriter of the Year and Supporting Actress for Sareh Bayat. The Iron Lady was the only other multiple award winner with prizes for Actress (Meryl Streep) and British Actress (Olivia Colman). Streep's award, however, was a tie with Anna Paquin for her work in Margaret, while Colman's award was also for her work on Tyrannosaur.

Michael Fassbender was named British Actor of the Year for both A Dangerous Method and Shame, while fellow Brit Kenneth Branagh was given the prize for Supporting Actor for My Week With Marilyn.

Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin was declared British Film of the Year.

Drive  and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy  had led with six nominations each, but although they finished 3rd and 4th respectively on the top ten list, Drive  went away empty-handed while Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy  managed a single win in Technical Achievement for Maria Djurkovic's production design.

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Complete list of winners for the 32nd London Critics' Circle Film Awards

FILM OF THE YEAR
The Artist (Entertainment)

THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD: BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
A Separation (Artificial Eye)

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Senna (Universal)

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist (Entertainment)

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Asghar Farhadi - A Separation (Artificial Eye)

THE VIRGIN ATLANTIC AWARD: BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER
Andrew Haigh - Weekend (Peccadillo)

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Jean Dujardin - The Artist (Entertainment)

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (Tie)
Anna Paquin - Margaret (Fox)
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé)

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Sareh Bayat - A Separation (Artificial Eye)

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Fassbender - A Dangerous Method (Lionsgate), Shame (Momentum)

THE MOËT & CHANDON AWARD: BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Olivia Colman - The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé), Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal)

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Craig Roberts - Submarine (StudioCanal)

THE SKY 3D AWARD: TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Maria Djurkovic, production design - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

THE DILYS POWELL AWARD: EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Nicolas Roeg

CRITICS' CIRCLE TOP 10 FILMS of 2011 
1. The Artist
2. A Separation 
3. Drive 
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 
5. The Tree of Life 
6. We Need to Talk About Kevin
7. Melancholia 
8. Shame
9. Margaret 
10. The Descendants

NAACP Image Awards - nominees

2012-01-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

This morning at a live news conference at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) unveiled their nominees for the 43rd annual NAACP Image Awards.

The Help and Pariah lead the film nominees with a total of eight each. Both films were nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture and Writing. The Help cannot win more than four, however, since it picked up two Best Actress nominations (Emma Stone, Viola Davis) and three Supporting Actress nominations (Bryce Dallas Howard, Cicely Tyson, Octavia Spencer).

Rounding out the Outstanding Motion Picture category were Jumping the Broom, The First Grader and Tower Heist.

The 43rd annual NAACP Image Awards will be presented on Friday, February 17 and broadcast live on NBC.

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Complete list of nominees for the 43rd annual NAACP Image Awards

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Motion Picture
Jumping the Broom (TriStar Pictures)
Pariah (Focus Features)
The First Grader (National Geographic Entertainment)
The Help (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)
Tower Heist (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Eddie Murphy - Tower Heist (Universal Pictures)
Laurence Fishburne - Contagion (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Laz Alonso - Jumping the Broom (TriStar Pictures)
Oliver Litondo - The First Grader (National Geographic Entertainment)
Vin Diesel - Fast Five (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Adepero Oduye - Pariah (Focus Features)
Emma Stone - The Help (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)
Paula Patton - Jumping the Broom (TriStar Pictures)
Viola Davis - The Help (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)
Zoë Saldana - Colombiana (TriStar Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Anthony Mackie - The Adjustment Bureau (Universal Pictures)
Charles Parnell - Pariah (Focus Features)
Don Cheadle - The Guard (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jeffrey Wright - The Ides of March (Columbia Pictures)
Mike Epps - Jumping the Broom (TriStar Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Bryce Dallas Howard - The Help (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)
Cicely Tyson - The Help (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)
Kim Wayans - Pariah (Focus Features)
Maya Rudolph - Bridesmaids (Universal Pictures)
Octavia Spencer - The Help (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
I Will Follow (AFFRM)
Kinyarwanda (AFFRM)
MOOZ-lum (AFFRM)
Pariah (Focus Features)
The First Grader (National Geographic Entertainment)

Outstanding Foreign Motion Picture
A Separation (Sony Pictures Classics)
Attack the Block (Screen Gems)
In the Land of Blood and Honey (FilmDistrict)
Le Havre (Janus Films)
Life, Above All (Sony Pictures Classics)

DOCUMENTARY

Outstanding Documentary - (Theatrical or Television)
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (Sony Pictures Classics)
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (Submarine Deluxe)
Sing Your Song (HBO Documentary Films)
The Rescuers (Michael King Productions)
Thunder Soul (Roadside Attractions)

WRITING

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Arthur Harris - Reed Between the Lines - Let's Talk About Ms. Helen's Son Part 1 (BET)
Prentice Penny - Happy Endings - The Girl with the David Tattoo (ABC)
Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil - The Game - Parachutes....Beach Chairs (BET)
Vali Chandrasekaran - 30 Rock - It's Never Too Late For Now (NBC)
Vince Cheung, Ben Montanio - Wizards of Waverly Place - Wizards vs. Angels (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series
Cheo Hodari Coker - SouthLAnd - Punching Water (TNT)
Janine Sherman Barrois - Criminal Minds - The Bittersweet Science (CBS)
Lolis Eric Elie - Treme - Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get the Blues? (HBO)
Pam Veasey - Ringer - Oh Gawd, There's Two of Them? (The CW)
Zoanne Clack - Grey's Anatomy - I Will Survive (ABC)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture - (Theatrical or Television)
Alrick Brown - Kinyarwanda (AFFRM)
Ann Peacock - The First Grader (National Geographic Entertainment)
Dee Rees - Pariah (Focus Features)
Elizabeth Hunter, Arlene Gibbs - Jumping the Broom (TriStar Pictures)
Tate Taylor - The Help (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

DIRECTING

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Jay Chandrasekhar - Happy Endings - The Girl with the David Tattoo (ABC)
Kevin Hooks - Drop Dead Diva - Mother's Day (Lifetime)
Leonard R. Garner Jr. - Rules of Engagement - The Set Up (CBS)
Miguel Arteta - How to Make It in America - Mofongo (HBO)
Salim Akil - The Game - Parachutes/Beach Chairs (BET)

Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series
Ernest Dickerson - Treme - Do Watcha Wanna (HBO)
Ken Whittingham - Parenthood - Opening Night (NBC)
Kevin Sullivan - NCIS - Tell-All (CBS)
Paris Barclay - Sons of Anarchy - Out (FX Network)
Seith Mann - Dexter - Get Gellar (Showtime)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture - (Theatrical or Television)
Alrick Brown - Kinyarwanda (AFFRM)
Angelina Jolie - In the Land of Blood and Honey (FilmDistrict)
Dee Rees - Pariah (Focus Features)

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Outstanding Comedy Series
Love That Girl! (TV One)
Modern Family (ABC)
Reed Between the Lines (BET)
The Game (BET)
Tyler Perry's House of Payne (TBS)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Dulé Hill - Psych (USA Network)
Malcolm-Jamal Warner - Reed Between the Lines (BET)
Phil Morris - Love That Girl! (TV One)
Pooch Hall - The Game (BET)
Terry Crews - Are We There Yet? (TBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Tatyana Ali - Love That Girl! (TV One)
Tia Mowry-Hardrict - The Game (BET)
Tracee Ellis Ross - Reed Between the Lines (BET)
Vanessa Williams - Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Wendy Raquel Robinson - The Game (BET)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Craig Robinson - The Office (NBC)
Damon Wayans, Jr. - Happy Endings (ABC)
J.B. Smoove - Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Nick Cannon - Up All Night (NBC)
Tracy Morgan - 30 Rock (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Amber Riley - Glee (FOX)
Gabourey Sidibe - The Big C (Showtime)
Keshia Knight Pulliam - Tyler Perry's House of Payne (TBS)
Maya Rudolph - Up All Night (NBC)
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family (ABC)

Outstanding Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Treme (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Andre Braugher - Men of A Certain Age (TNT)
Hill Harper - CSI: NY (CBS)
L.L. Cool J - NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
Taye Diggs - Private Practice (ABC)
Wendell Pierce - Treme (HBO)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Khandi Alexander - Treme (HBO)
Regina King - SouthLAnd (TNT)
Sandra Oh - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Taraji P. Henson - Person of Interest (CBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Corey Reynolds - The Closer (TNT)
Ice T - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
James Pickens, Jr. - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Nelsan Ellis - True Blood (HBO)
Omar Epps - House M.D. (FOX)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Alfre Woodard - Memphis Beat (TNT)
Anika Noni Rose - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
Archie Panjabi - The Good Wife (CBS)
Diahann Carroll - White Collar (USA Network)
Loretta Devine - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Five (Lifetime Movie Network)
Hallmark Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith (ABC)
Luther (BBC America)
The Least Among You (Showtime)
Thurgood (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Esai Morales - We Have Your Husband (Lifetime)
Idris Elba - Luther (BBC America)
Laurence Fishburne - Thurgood (HBO)
Louis Gossett, Jr. - The Least Among You (Showtime)
Samuel L. Jackson - The Sunset Limited (HBO)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Anika Noni Rose - Hallmark Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith (ABC)
Jenifer Lewis - Five (Lifetime Movie Network)
Rosario Dawson - Five (Lifetime Movie Network)
Taraji P. Henson - Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story (Lifetime)
Tracee Ellis Ross - Five (Lifetime Movie Network)

Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Aaron D. Spears - The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)
Bryton James - The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Emerson Brooks - All My Children (ABC)
James Reynolds - Days of Our Lives (NBC)
Texas Battle - The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Christel Khalil - The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Julia Pace Mitchell - The Young & the Restless (CBS)
Tatyana Ali - The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Tonya Lee Williams - The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Yvette Freeman - The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)

Outstanding News/ Information - (Series or Special)
BET News Exclusive: The President Answers Black America (BET)
Judge Mathis (Syndicated)
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
Unsung (TV One)
Washington Watch with Roland Martin (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series
Anderson (Syndicated)
Oprah's Lifeclass (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
The Doctors (Syndicated)
The View (ABC)
The Wendy Williams Show (Syndicated)

Outstanding Reality Series
All-American Muslim (TLC)
American Idol (FOX)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Sunday Best (BET)
Tia & Tamera (Style Network)

Outstanding Variety Series or Special
2011 BET Awards (BET)
Black Girls Rock! (BET)
Oprah Presents: Master Class (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Prince! Behind the Symbol (The Africa Channel)
UNCF An Evening of Stars Tribute to Chaka Khan (BET)

Outstanding Children’s Program
A.N.T. Farm (Disney Channel)
Dora The Explorer (Nickelodeon)
Go, Diego! Go! (Nickelodeon)
I Can Be President: A Kid’s-Eye View (HBO)
My Family Tree (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Performance in a Youth/ Children’s Program - (Series or Special)
China Anne McClain - A.N.T. Farm (Disney Channel)
Keke Palmer - True Jackson, VP (Nickelodeon)
Lance Robertson - Yo Gabba Gabba (Nickelodeon)
Leon Thomas III - Victorious (Nickelodeon)
Zendaya Coleman - Shake It Up (Disney Channel)

RECORDING CATEGORIES

Outstanding New Artist
Committed (Epic)
Diggy Simmons (Atlantic Records)
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. (Columbia Records)
Mindless Behavior (Streamline/Conjunction/Interscope Records)
Wynter Gordon (Big Beat/Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Male Artist
Anthony Hamilton (RCA Records)
Bruno Mars (Elektra Records)
Cee Lo Green (Elektra Records)
Chris Brown (Jive Records)
Common (Warner Bros. Records)

Outstanding Female Artist
Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)
Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
Ledisi (Verve Forecast)
Mary J. Blige (Geffen)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration
Boyz II Men (Benchmark Entertainment/MSM Music Group)
Cee Lo Green feat. Melanie Fiona (Elektra Records)
Mary J. Blige feat. Drake (Geffen)
Sounds of Blackness (Malaco Music Group)
The Roots (Island Def Jam Music Group)

Outstanding Jazz Album
Chano y Dizzy - Terence Blanchard and Poncho Sanchez (Concord Music Group Inc.)
Friends - Stanley Jordan (Mack Avenue Records)
Guitar Man - George Benson (Concord Jazz)
Legacy - Gerald Wilson (Mack Avenue Records)
Road Show Vol. 2 - Sonny Rollins (Emarcy)

Outstanding Gospel Album - (Traditional or Contemporary)
Becoming - Yolanda Adams (N House Music Group)
Church on the Moon - Deitrick Haddon (Verity Gospel Music Group)
Hello Fear - Kirk Franklin (Verity Gospel Music Group)
Something Big - Mary Mary (Columbia Records)
The Journey - Andraé Crouch (RiverPhlo Entertainment)

Outstanding World Music Album
Afrodiaspora - Susana Baca (Luaka Bop)
Carnival Fever - Brother B (King Chero Records)
Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - Boukman Eksperyans (MunckMix, Inc.)
Sounds of Blackness - Sounds of Blackness (Malaco Music Group)
The First Grader - Alex Heffes (Varese Sarabande)

Outstanding Music Video
25/8 - Mary J. Blige (Geffen)
Hear My Call - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
I Was Here - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
Someone Like You - Adele (Columbia Records)
Where You At - Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)

Outstanding Song
Best Thing I Never Had - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
Fool for You feat. Melanie Fiona - Cee Lo Green (Elektra Records)
I Smile - Kirk Franklin (Verity Gospel Music Group)
So In Love feat. Anthony Hamilton - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
Someone Like You - Adele (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Album
4 - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
F.A.M.E - Chris Brown (Jive Records)
I Remember Me - Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)
Lasers - Lupe Fiasco (1st & 15th/Atlantic Records)
The Light of the Sun - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)

LITERATURE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction
"A Silken Thread" - Brenda Jackson (Harlequin Kimani Press)
"Boundaries" - Elizabeth Nunez (Akashic Books)
"Say Amen, Again" - Reshonda Tate Billingsley (Gallery Books)
"Silver Sparrow" - Tayari Jones (Algonquin Books)
"The Plot Against Hip Hop: A Novel" - Nelson George (Akashic Books)

Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction
"Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America" - Melissa Harris-Perry (Yale University Press)
"Super Rich" - Russell Simmons (Gotham Books)
"The Cosmopolitan Canopy" - Elijah Anderson (W. W. Norton & Company)
"The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place" - Hill Harper (Gotham Books)
"Who's Afraid of Post- Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now" - Toure (Free Press)

Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author
"2Grieve 2Gether: A Journal from the Heart Helping Survivors & Supporters Navigate the Healing Process" - Denise Hall Brown (2Lift 1Up Publishing)
"A Defining Moment" - Patricia Duncan (IJABA Publishing Inc.)
"The Loom" - Shella Gillus (Guideposts Books)
"The Strawberry Letter" - Lyah Le Flore (Ballantine/Random House)
"We the Animals" - Justin Torres (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/Auto-Biography
"A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother" - Janny Scott (Riverhead Books)
"Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention" - Manning Marable (Penguin Group (USA)-Viking)
"My Song" - Harry Belafonte (Knopf)
"No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington" - Condoleezza Rice (Crown Publishers)
"The John Carlos Story" - John Carlos, Dave Zirin (Haymarket Books)

Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional
"A Year to Wellness and Other Weight Loss Secrets" - Bertice Berry (Freeman House Publishing)
"Living My Dream: An Artistic Approach to Marketing" - Synthia Saint James (Create Space)
"Our Difficult Sunlight: A Guide to Poetry, Literacy, & Social Justice in Classroom & Community" - Quraysh Ali Lansana (Teachers & Writers Collaborative)
"The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible: Life Lessons on Relationships from the Inspired Word of God " - T.D. Jakes (Atria Books)
"Too Important to Fail: Saving America's Boys" - Tavis Smiley (Author), Juan Roberts, (Illustrator) (SmileyBooks)

Outstanding Literary Work - Poetry
"Afro Clouds & Nappy Rain: The Curtis Brown Poems" - James Golden (iUniverse)
"Head Off & Split" - Nikky Finney (TriQuarterly Books / Northwestern University Press)
"Honoring Genius: The Narrative of Craft, Art, Kindness and Justice" - Haki Madhubuti (Third World Press)
"Intimate Thoughts" - Darrin Henson (Author), Anna Saunders (Illustrator) (Godzchild Publishing)
"Last Seen" - Jacqueline Jones Lamon (University of Wisconsin Press)

Outstanding Literary Work - Children
"Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band" - Kwame Alexander (Author), Tim Bowers (Illustrator) (Sleeping Bear Press)
"Before There Was Mozart" - Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), James Ransome (Illustrator) (Schwartz & Wade Books / Random House Children's Books)
"Heart and Soul" - Kadir Nelson (Author/Illustrator) (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books)
"White Water" - Michael S. Bandy (Author), Shadra Strickland (Illustrator) (Candlewick Press)
"You Can Be A Friend" - Tony Dungy (Author), Ron Mazellan (Illustrator) (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing - Little Simon)

Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens
"Camo Girl" - Kekla Magoon (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing - Aladdin)
"Eliza's Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary" - Jerdine Nolan (Author), Sadra Strickland (Illustrator) (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing - Paula Wiseman Books)
"Jesse Owens: "I Always Loved Running"" - Jeff Burlingame (Enslow Publishers, Inc.)
"Kick" - Walter Dean (HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books)
"Planet Middle School" - Nikki Grimes (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards - nominees

2012-01-19T11:31:00.001-05:00

This morning, the Costume Designers Guild unveiled the nominees for their 14th Annual CDG Awards.

As with the Art Directors Guild nominations, the Costume Designers nominate films and television shows in separate categories for Contemporary, Period and Fantasy productions.

Nominees that have been turning up on many other awards lists include The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo and Bridesmaids. Other than perhaps Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the Fantasy Film nominees have not shown up on many awards lists as Fantasy is aften aimed at a very young audience and not taken as seriously.

Hugo's Sandy Powell is a three-time Academy Award winner and won the CDG award two years ago for her work on The Young Victoria when she also received the CDG Career Achievement Award.

The Costume Designers Guild Event will be held on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The host will be actress Jane Lynch.

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Complete list of nominees for the 14th Annual CDG Awards

Excellence in Contemporary Film
Bridesmaids, Leesa Evans & Christine Wada
The Descendants, Wendy Chuck
Drive, Erin Benach
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Trish Summerville
Melancholia, Manon Rasmussen

Excellence in Period Film
The Artist, Mark Bridges
Jane Eyre, Michael O'Connor
The Help, Sharen Davis
Hugo, Sandy Powell
W.E., Arianne Phillips

Excellence in Fantasy Film
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Jany Temime
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Penny Rose
Red Riding Hood, Cindy Evans
Thor, Alexandra Byrne
X-Men: First Class, Sammy Sheldon

Outstanding Contemporary TV Series
Glee, Loy Eyrich & Jennifer Eve
Modern Family, Alix Friedberg
Revenge, Jill Ohanneson
Saturday Night Live, Tom Broecker & Eric Justian
Sons of Anarchy, Kelli Jones

Outstanding Period/Fantasy TV Series
Boardwalk Empire, John A. Dunn, Lisa Padovani
The Borgias, Gabriella Pescucci
Game of Thrones, Michele Clapton
Once Upon a Time, Eduardo Castro
Pan Am, Ane Crabtree

Outstanding Made-for-TV Movie or Miniseries
Downton Abbey, Susannah Buxton
The Kennedys, Christopher Hargadon
Mildred Pierce, Ann Roth

Excellence in Commercial Costume Design
Carl's Jr., "Miss Turkey", Francine Lecoultre
Dos Equis, "The Most Interesting Man in the World", Julie Vogel
Swiffer, "Country Dirt Girl", Roseanne Fiedler

Attack the Bloc: Cold War Science Fiction from Behind the Iron Curtain

2012-01-19T11:20:00.000-05:00

A screening series called Attack the Bloc: Cold War Science Fiction from Behind the Iron Curtain kicks off tonight at TIFF Bell Lightbox. It showcases early Russian and East European science-fiction films.

The series has been put together by Todd Brown, founder of the excellent website Twitch Film which specializes in genre and foreign. Included in the series are well-known classics such as Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris and Stalker, but also more obscure works such as Marek Piestrak's Test Pilot Pirxa, Herrmann Zschoche's Eolomea, and goofier, campy films like Richard Viktorov's To the Stars by Hard Ways, Gottfried Kolditz' In the Dust of the Stars, and Václav Vorlícek's Who Wants to Kill Jessie?.

Attack the Bloc: Cold War Science Fiction from Behind the Iron Curtain continues until April 6 at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiffbelllightbox/2012/4400000438

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Discover the wild worlds of Soviet sci-fi in this mixture of acknowledged classics, exotic esoterica and outright pulp from the former Eastern bloc. Bearded ladies, post-apocalyptic wastelands, robot companions, vampire cars and outbursts of random dancing await. Join us, comrades!

The Cold War was the unquestioned Golden Age of science fiction, as the utopian hopes and apocalyptic fears of the post-Hiroshima age, and the rising tensions of a world dominated by two great superpowers, seeped into all avenues of popular culture. Yet while we are well-acquainted with the forms these futuristic fantasies took in the United States — from the energetic exploitation fare of Roger Corman to the philosophical speculation of Stanley Kubrick to the pop-culture mythmaking of George Lucas — and such other Western-aligned nations as the UK (Doctor Who, the Quatermass series) and Japan (Godzilla and his rubber-suited kin, the sunny Astro Boy and the dystopian Akira), we are considerably less familiar with the science-fiction offerings from the other side of the Iron Curtain.

The science-fiction tradition in the one-time Eastern Bloc was as rich and varied as anywhere in the Western world, and the region's film output is every bit as diverse as our own, ranging from art-house fare to populist comedies, hilariously cheesy space operas and grand adventures. And while there are some instances of open propaganda, there are also strains of sly satire — as well as evidence that the camp and excess of the swinging sixties didn't completely pass the Soviet world by. We present here a broad range of Soviet-era science fiction, a mix of acknowledged classics and outright pulp from Russia, the former Czechoslovakia, Poland and Estonia. Bearded ladies, post-apocalyptic wastelands, robot companions, vampire cars and outbursts of random dancing all wait within. Join us, comrades! — Todd Brown

Thanks to Daniele Terzoli, Trieste Science + Fiction Festival.

Events in Attack the Bloc: Cold War Science Fiction from Behind the Iron Curtain

Solaris
Andrei Tarkovsky
A scientist investigating mysterious happenings at a derelict space station discovers that the planet below can transform memories into physical form — and bring the dead back to life. Andrei Tarkovsky’s philosophical sci-fi masterpiece was the Russian answer to Kubrick’s 2001.
Thursday January 19, 09:30 PM
Sunday January 29, 02:30 PM
Thursday February 2, 08:45 PM

I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen
Oldrich Lipsky
After a nuclear explosion renders all the world’s women infertile (and bearded!), a bold band of scientists determines to travel back in time to 1911 and assassinate Albert Einstein before he can concoct the theories that helped create the Bomb. This wild, cheerfully lowbrow Czech sci-fi comedy plays like Sleeper/Bananas-era Woody Allen.
Friday January 20, 09:00 PM

Stalker
Andrei Tarkovsky
In a treacherous post-apocalyptic wasteland known only as "The Zone," a mystically gifted "stalker" guides two intellectuals to a mysterious room that it is rumoured can make wishes come true. The great Andrei Tarkovsky’s second sci-fi outing after the classic Solaris is an enigmatic and strikingly stylized odyssey into a world at once alien and disturbingly familiar.
Saturday January 21, 03:00 PM
Sunday January 29, 08:30 PM
Saturday February 11, 03:00 PM

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel
Grigori Kromanov
A hard-boiled cop investigates supernatural occurrences at an isolated mountain inn in this sly sci-fi take on the traditional film noir.
Sunday January 22, 07:15 PM

Test Pilot Pirxa
Marek Piestrak
A steely space pilot defies corporate interests that want to replace human space crews with lifelike robots in this gripping space adventure that intriguingly anticipates Blade Runner.
Tuesday January 24, 09:15 PM

Moscow-Cassiopeia / Adolescents in the Universe
A valiant band of teenaged intergalactic explorers blasts off to otherworldly adventure in this two-part "Kids in Space" epic.
Thursday January 26, 09:00 PM

Ferat Vampire
Juraj Herz
A doctor discovers that an auto company’s new race car prototype is fuelled by the blood of its drivers in this bizarre sci-fi horror thriller laced with anti-corporate satire and devilish black humour.
Friday January 27, 09:30 PM

The Great Space Voyage
Valentin Selivanov
Three schoolchildren are forced to take command of a space flight when their adult commander is quarantined in this inspirational sci-fi adventure.
Tuesday January 31, 08:15 PM

Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
Václav Vorlícek
A gorgeous comic-strip heroine is catapulted into the real world — along with the dastardly cartoon villains out to get her — in this hilarious, visually inventive postmodern comedy.
Friday February 3, 09:00 PM

In the Dust of the Stars
Gottfried Kolditz
Space travel is swingin’ in this campy, psychedelic sci-fi head-trip from East Germany, as a starship crew is seduced by the far-out music (and T&A) at a decadent space tyrant’s intergalactic pad.
Friday February 10, 09:00 PM

Eolomea
Herrmann Zschoche
An unidentified signal emanating from a far-distant star system embroils a scientist and an embittered cosmonaut in a high-stakes conspiracy in this engrossing sci-fi mystery.
Friday February 17, 09:00 PM

The Silent Star
Kurt Maetzig
A multinational crew discovers remnants from an ancient civilization on Venus, and evidence of a terrible catastrophe that could portend doom for the Earth, in this pioneering communist sci-fi saga from East Germany.
Thursday February 23, 09:00 PM

To the Stars by Hard Ways
Richard Viktorov
A beautiful female cyborg seeks the help of earthlings to rescue her home planet in this deliciously campy space opera filled with cosmic mercenaries, midget dictators and space-age leisure-wear outfits.
Friday March 16, 09:00 PM

Planet of Storms
Pavel Klushantsev
A starship crew explores the treacherous terrain of Venus — which features volcanoes, carnivorous plants, dinosaurs and lizard men, among other attractions — in this prototpyical Soviet space opera, brimming with impressive special effects.
Friday March 23, 09:00 PM

Ikarie XB-1
Jindrich Polák
The crew of a starship on a year-long exploratory mission in the Alpha Centauri system discovers that the greatest dangers lie within in this engrossing adventure, arguably the high point of the space-opera tradition in Czech science fiction.
Friday March 30, 09:30 PM

Golem
Piotr Szulkin
A manufactured man searches for his origins in a grim post-apocalyptic world in this futuristic, strikingly surreal re-imagining of the classic monster tale.
Friday April 6, 09:00 PM

http://tiff.net/

2012 GLAAD Media Awards - nominees

2012-01-19T10:17:00.000-05:00

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has announced its nominees for their 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

The nominees for Outstanding Film (Wide Release) were Rodrigo García's Albert Nobbs, Mike Mills' Beginners and Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar. For Limited Release films, the nominees were Circumstance, Gun Hill Road, Pariah, Tomboy and Weekend.

The documentary nominations went to Becoming Chaz, The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, The World's Worst Place to be Gay?, Two Spirits and We Were Here. We Were Here is on the Academy's shortlist for Documentary Features.

The GLAAD Media Awards are given in recognition of outstanding images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in film, television, music, theatre, journalism, and other media.

The winners will be presented over three ceremonies in different cities this spring. The first will take place in New York on March 24, the second in Los Angeles on April 21 and the last in San Francisco on June 2nd.

http://www.glaad.org/

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23RD ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARD NOMINEES

Outstanding Film - Wide Release
Albert Nobbs, Roadside Attractions
Beginners, Focus Features
J. Edgar, Warner Bros. Pictures

Outstanding Film - Limited Release
Circumstance, Roadside Attractions
Gun Hill Road, Motion Film Group
Pariah, Focus Features
Tomboy, Rocket Releasing
Weekend, Sundance Selects

Outstanding Drama Series
Degrassi, TeenNick
Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family
Shameless, Showtime
Torchwood: Miracle Day, Starz

Outstanding Comedy Series
Exes and Ohs, Logo
Glee, Fox
Happy Endings, ABC
Modern Family, ABC
The Big C, Showtime

Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character)
"Acceptance" Man Up!, ABC
"Beards" Hot in Cleveland, TV Land
"Prom" Drop Dead Diva, Lifetime
"Recruited" NCIS, CBS
"The Boy Has Style" Are We There Yet?, TBS

Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series
Cinema Verite, HBO

Outstanding Documentary
Becoming Chaz, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, HBO
The World's Worst Place to be Gay?, Logo
Two Spirits, PBS
We Were Here, Red Flag Releasing

Outstanding Reality Program
Dancing with the Stars, ABC
Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys, Sundance Channel
The Glee Project, Oxygen
The Real L Word, Showtime
The Voice, NBC

Outstanding Talk Show Episode
"Chaz Bono" Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
"Children & Teens Caught in the Wrong Bodies" Anderson, syndicated
"Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests" The Oprah Winfrey Show, syndicated
"The Wedding of Scott Cronick & David Gorshein" Conan, TBS
"Zach Wahls" The Ellen DeGeneres Show, syndicated

Outstanding Daily Drama
All My Children, ABC
Days of Our Lives, NBC

Outstanding TV Journalism - News Magazine
"Day One" The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC
"Finding Home" In the Life, PBS
"GLBT in Texas" Spotlight DFW, KXAS TV-5 [Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas]
"The 'Sissy Boy' Experiments" Anderson Cooper 360, CNN
"They Call it Corrective Rape" World's Untold Stories, CNN

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment
"Battle Against Bullying" ABC World News With Diane Sawyer, ABC
"Children of LGBT Parents" MSNBC News Live, MSNBC
"Gay Dads Adopt 12 Kids" Good Morning America, ABC
"Kye Allums" Outside the Lines, ESPN
"Split by Potential Deportation" CNN Newsroom, CNN

Outstanding Newspaper Article
"AIDS @ 30" (series), Windy City Times [Chicago, Ill.]
"Coming Out to America", by Melanie Asmar, Westword [Denver, Colo.]
"Even on Religious Campuses, Students Fight for Gay Identity", by Erik Eckholm, The New York Times
"Led by the Child Who Simply Knew", by Bella English, The Boston Globe
"Local Lesbian Couple Navigates Life’s Daily Challenges as Parents", by Najla Amundson, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead [Fargo, N.D.]

Outstanding Newspaper Columnist
Alfred Doblin, The Record [Bergen, N.J.]
Craig Wilson, USA Today
Frank Bruni, The New York Times
Maureen Dowd, The New York Times
Peg McEntee, The Salt Lake Tribune

Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage
Pioneer Press [St. Paul, Minn.]
The Boston Globe
The New York Times
The Oregonian [Portland, Ore.]
The Salt Lake Tribune

Outstanding Magazine Article
"15th Anniversary of the Passage of the Defense of Marriage Act" (series), by Chris Geidner, Metro Weekly
"Black & Gay in Corporate America", by Carolyn M. Brown, Black Enterprise
"Making It Work", by Rod McCullom, Ebony
"The Secret I Don't Want to Keep Anymore", by Janet Mock as told to Kierna Mayo, Marie Claire
"Transitions", by Eliza Gray, The New Republic

Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage
Entertainment Weekly
People
The Advocate/Out
Time
US Weekly

Outstanding Digital Journalism Article
"Adam and Pete: Love in a Time of War", by Max J. Rosenthal, HuffingtonPost.com
"Black and Transgender: A Double Burden", by Kellee Terrell, TheRoot.com
"Soldier Leaves Legacy Much Larger Than 'He Was Gay'", by Wayne Drash, CNN.com
"The Rainbow Struggle" (series), GlobalPost.com
"What are Little Boys Made Of", by Jim Burroway, BoxTurtleBulletin.com

Outstanding Digital Journalism - Multimedia
"Breaking Boundaries", by Eliza Gray and Margy Slattery, TheNewRepublic.com
"Coming Out", by Sarah Kramer, NYTimes.com
"Glamorous Gay Dance Scene a 'Family Affair'", by Brooke Sopelsa and Drew Katchen, MSNBC.com
"Injustice at Every Turn", ITLMedia.org
"Transgender: A Special Report" (series), TimesUnion.com [Albany, N.Y.]

Outstanding Blog
Bilerico Project
Mombian
New Civil Rights Movement
Rod 2.0
Towleroad

Outstanding Music Artist
Beverly McClellan, Fear Nothing, Oarfin Records
Girl in a Coma, Exits & All the Rest, Blackheart Records
Hunx and His Punx, Too Young to Be in Love, Hardly Art
Lady Gaga, Born This Way, Interscope Records
MEN, Talk About Body, IAMSOUND Records

Outstanding Comic Book
Avengers: The Children's Crusade, by Allan Heinberg, Marvel
Batwoman, by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman, DC Comics
Secret Six, by Gail Simone, DC Comics
Vonica Presents: Kevin Keller, by Dan Parent, Archie Comics
X-Factor, by Peter David, Marvel Comics

Outstanding Los Angeles Theater
Bonded, by Donald Jolly
House of the Rising Son, by Tom Jacobson
Killer Queen: The Story of Paco the Pink Pounder, by Peter Griggs
No Word in Guyanese for Me, by Wendy Graf
Who's Your Daddy?, by Johnny O'Callaghan

Outstanding New York Theater: Broadway and Off-Broadway
Maple & Vine, by Jordan Harrison
Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical, by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott
Sons of the Prophet, by Stephen Karam
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, by Tony Kushner
Unnatural Acts: Harvard's Secret Court of 1920, conceived by Tony Speciale

Outstanding New York Theater: Off-Off Broadway
She Kills Monsters, by Qui Nguyen
Southern Comfort, book and lyrics by Dan Collins, music by Julianne Wick Davis
The Dog and Pony Show (Bring Your Own Pony), by Holly Hughes
The Escape Artist, book by John Kelly, songs by John Kelly & Carol Lipnik
The Momentum, by Boo Killebrew, Geoffrey Decas O'Donnell & Jordan Seavey

SPANISH LANGUAGE NOMINEES

Outstanding Novela
El Último Matrimonio Feliz, Telefutura
Las Aparicio, Mun2
Los Exitosos Gome$, Telemundo

Outstanding Daytime Talk Show Episode (Spanish Language)
"Lesbianas celebran 10 años" Caso Cerrado, Telemundo
"Por la novia de mi hija" Casos de Familia, Univision
"Quiero su perdón antes de morir" ¿Quién Tiene la Razón?, Telefutura

Outstanding Talk Show Interview (Spanish Language)
"Brasil legaliza uniones civiles" Panorama Mundial, CNN En Español
"Entrevista con Raquel Gómez y Mony Ruiz Velasco" Al Punto, Univision
"Entrevista con Ricky Martin" Don Francisco Presenta, Univision
"Entrevista con Ricky Martin" Noticiero con Paola Rojas, Galavisión
"¿Asunto civil o religioso?" Conclusiones, CNN En Español

Outstanding TV Journalism - News Magazine (Spanish Language)
"Asesino" Primer Impacto, Univision
"Conmovidos por la muerte de Jamey Rodemeyer" Paparazzi Magazine, Mega TV
"Imperio Samy" Aquí y Ahora, Univision
"Lo que los jóvenes callan" Despierta América, Univision
"Peña Blaugrana de Gays y Lesbianas" SportsCenter: Reportaje Especial, ESPN Deportes

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment (Spanish Language)
"Ángeles del cambio" Noticiero 34, KMEX TV-34 [Los Angeles, Calif.]
"Luchan por igualdad" Noticiero Telemundo, Telemundo
"Primer día" Noticiero Univision, Univision
"Salir del clóset" Noticiero con Paola Rojas, Galavisión
"Víctima de crimen de odio enfrenta deportación" Al Rojo Vivo, Telemundo

Outstanding Newspaper Article (Spanish Language)
"'Cómplices del silencio' los gays en política electoral", by Israel Rodríguez, El Nuevo Día
"Casamiento e hijos biológicos para pareja gay hispana de EEUU", by Claudia Torrens, Associated Press
"Contentos con el derecho para casarse", by Catalina Jaramillo, El Diario la Prensa
"Madre hay una sola, no necesariamente", by Virginia Gaglianone, La Opinión
"Tensión migratoria de las parejas gay", by Fabiola Pomareda, La Raza

Outstanding Magazine Article (Spanish Language)
"Nueva York ♥ la igualdad", by Michelle Oyola, People en Español
"Perez Hilton el bloguero más popular en Hollywood", by Alejandra Chaparro, TV y Notas

Outstanding Digital Journalism Article (Spanish Language)
"Las 7 señales de un niño transgénero", by Paula Andalo, Univision.com
"Matrimonio gay es la pareja más atractiva de México", peopleenespanol.com
"Pareja gay en lucha migratoria de vida o muerte", Univision14.com
"Ricky Martin: salir del clóset le trajo éxito", peopleenespanol.com

Outstanding Music Artist (Spanish Language)
Ricky Martin, Música + Alma + Sexo, Sony Music Latin
Rita Indiana & Los Misterios, El Juidero, Premium Latin Music

Special Recognition (Spanish Language)
El Diario la Prensa

2011 Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Awards - nominees

2012-01-19T09:26:00.001-05:00

The Cinema Audio Society has announced the nominees for the 48th Annual CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing.

The films competing for the CAS Award are Hanna, Hugo, Moneyball, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Super 8. Of these films, only Hugo and Moneyball have featured prominently at awards shows thus far.

For television movies or mini-series, the nominated programs are American Experience – Triangle Fire, Bobby Fischer Against the World, Deadliest Catch: New Blood, Great Performances At The Met: Nixon in China, and Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour.

Recording Mixer Scott Millan will be presented with the Cinema Audio Society’s highest honour, the CAS Career Achievement Award. Oscar-winning director Rob Marshall will receive the Cinema Audio Society Filmmaker Award.

Like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Cinema Audio Society honours sound mixing for both Production and Post-Production categories. This is somewhat unusual in that they are very different types of work.

The 48th CAS Awards will be presented at the on February 18th, 2012 at the Crystal Ballroom of the Millennium-Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles. KTLA Entertainment Reporter Sam Rubin will again take up duties as the Master of Ceremonies.

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Complete list of nominees for the Cinema Audio Society Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for 2011

Motion Pictures
Hanna; Production Mixer: Roland Winke; Re-recording Mixers: Christopher Scarabosio, Craig Berkey (CAS); Scoring Mixer: Andrew Dudman
Hugo; Production Mixer: John Midgley; Re-recording Mixer: Tom Fleischman (CAS); Scoring Mixer: Simon Rhodes
Moneyball; Production Mixer: Ed Novick Re-recording Mixers: Deb Adair (CAS), Ron Bochar (CAS), David Giammarco; Scoring Mixer: Brad Haenel
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; Production Mixer: Lee Orloff (CAS); Re-recording Mixers: Paul Massey (CAS), Chris Boyes; Scoring Mixer: Alan Meyerson
Super 8; Production Mixer: Mark Ulano (CAS); Re-recording Mixers: Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer; Scoring Mixer: Dan Wallin

Television Movies and Mini-Series
Cinema Verite; Production Mixer: Petur Hliddal; Re-recording Mixers: Lora Hirschberg, Scott Lewis; Douglas Murray; Scoring Mixer: Greg Townley
Innocent; Production Mixer: Shane Connelly Re-recording Mixers: Mark Hensley, Tamara Johnson (CAS)
The Kennedys: Hour 7; Production Mixer: Henry Embry (CAS), Re-recording Mixer: Frank Morrone (CAS), Stephen Traub, Scoring Mixer: Larold Rebhun
Mildred Pierce : Part 5; Production Mixer: Drew Kunin; Re-recording Mixer: Leslie Shatz; Scoring Mixer: Todd Whitelock
Too Big to Fail; Production Mixer: James J. Sabat (CAS); Re-recording Mixers: Chris Jenkins, Robert J. Beemer (CAS); Scoring Mixer: Chris Fogel

Television Series
Boardwalk Empire – To The Lost; Production Mixer: Franklin D. Stettner (CAS); Re-recording Mixers: Tom Fleischman (CAS)
Breaking Bad – Face Off; Production Mixer: Darryl L. Frank (CAS); Re-recording Mixers: Jeffery Perkins, Eric Justen
Dexter – Just Let Go; Production Mixer: Greg Agalsoff; Re-recording Mixers: Pete Elia (CAS), Kevin Roache (CAS)
Game of Thrones – Baelor, Production Mixer: Ronan Hill; Re-recording Mixers: Mark Taylor, Doug Andham (CAS)
The Walking Dead – What Lies Ahead; Production Mixer: Bartek Swiatek (CAS); Re-recording Mixers: Gary D. Rogers(CAS), Daniel J. Hiland (CAS)

Television – Non-Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials
American Experience – Triangle Fire; Production Mixer: G. John Garrett (CAS), Rick Angelella, Everett Wong; Re-recording Mixer: Coll Anderson
Bobby Fischer Against the World; Production Sound: Mark Maloof; Re-recording Mixer: Bill Marino
Deadliest Catch: New Blood; Re-recording Mixer: Bob Bronow (CAS)
Great Performances At The Met: Nixon in China, Re-recording Mixer: Ken Hahn (CAS); Music Mixer: Jay Saks
Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour; Production Mixer: John Harris; Re-recording Mixer: Brian Riordan (CAS)

The Nominees for the Cinema Audio Society Technical Awards for 2011 are:

PRODUCTION
Calrec Apollo Broadcast Mixing Console (software release 1.6 and later)
Movie Slate Sound Dept. Plugin by Pureblend Software
Remote Audio Meon LiFe
Yamaha 01V96i Digital Mixer
Zaxcom Nomad Production Sound System

POST PRODUCTION
Avid Pro Tools 10
Avid Eucon Protocol Version 2.6.2
Dolby Media Meter 2
Izotope Ozone 5 Advanced
Meyer Sound Acheron Designer Screen Channel Loudspeaker

Oscar's Foreign Language Film shortlist of 9 films

2012-01-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Film category. The list whittled the list of 63 submissions down to nine. It will be reduced further to five nominees to be announced with all the other nominations.

Canada's Monsieur Lazhar by Philippe Falardeau made the list. It has won numerous awards so far and has a good chance to make the list of five nominees. Last year, Incendies made the nominees list but did not win. Canada's only win for Best Foreign Language Film was Denys Arcand's Les Invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions).

Wim Wenders's superb dance film Pina from Germany also made the list. It is also on the shortlist of films in the Best Documentary category. It could become the first film to be nominated in both categories. It is one of the greatest films ever made on another art form and has some of the best use of 3-D ever - not flashy but discreet, giving a sense of presence, intimacy and space without drawing attention to itself.

The clear favourite in this category though has to be A Separation by Asghar Farhadi. It was named top film of the year by Roger Ebert and I wholeheartedly agree with him. It is an exceptional accomplishment and frankly should compete for Best Picture.

Sadly, only one Asian film film made the cut. Wei Te-sheng's sprawling 4-and-a-half hour epic Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale is a nice surprise to see here. It's a kind of Braveheart story that portrays an uprising by the Taiwan aboriginal population against the colonial Japanese.

Many had expected the Mainland Chinese epic Flowers of War instead. It stars Christian Bale and depicts the historical incident known as "the Rape of Nanking," again by the Japanese.

Also among the omissions are Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? (winner of TIFF's Audience Award), Aki Kaurismaki’s Le Havre, Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Karl Markovics Atmen (Breathing), Agusti Villaronga's Pa negre (Black Bread), and Gerardo Naranjo's Miss Bala.

The nominations for the 84th Academy Awards will be announced Tuesday, January 24, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

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9 Foreign Language Films Vie for Oscar®

Beverly Hills, CA (January 18, 2012) – Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards®. Sixty-three films had originally qualified in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Belgium, Bullhead, Michael R. Roskam, director

Canada, Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau, director

Denmark, Superclásico, Ole Christian Madsen, director

Germany, Pina, Wim Wenders, director

Iran, A Separation, Asghar Farhadi, director

Israel, Footnote, Joseph Cedar, director

Morocco, Omar Killed Me, Roschdy Zem, director

Poland, In Darkness, Agnieszka Holland, director

Taiwan, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, Wei Te-sheng, director

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2011 are again being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 63 eligible films between mid-October and January 13. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 20, through Sunday, January 22, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

50 Years of Discoveries at TIFF Bell Lightbox

2012-01-18T13:28:00.000-05:00

For the next week, TIFF Bell Lightbox will be hosting a series of screenings to celebrate the 50 years of the Semaine de la critique (International Critics Week) at the Festival international du film de Cannes. The Semaine de la critique is a sidebar at Cannes organized by the (French Syndicate of Cinema Critics). Its mandate is to discover new talents and they showcase first or second feature films by international directors.

Starting tonight, Lightbox will screen a selection of films that have played at Cannes' Semaine de la critique over these five decades. Each screening will be hosted by a film critic or media personality.

The series begins tonight with Peter Howell of The Toronto Star presenting the Spanish film The Spirit of the Beehive by Victor Erice. It will be followed by a presentation by George Stroumboulopoulos of CBC of Kevin Smith's Clerks.

As part of the 50 Years of Discoveries program, there will be a free panel discussion on Film Criticism Today. Critics participating include Fabien Gaffez, Peter Howell, Liam Lacey and Jonathan Rosenbaum and they'll discuss their work over the years. This should make for a very lively discussion as their work comes under increasing pressure from the economy and media downsizing, the proliferation of bloggers, and studio interference.

I've posted before about how critics can get things very wrong, especially last year. Yet they do provide a valuable service and this year they flexed their muscles in order to do some good in raising awareness about the film Margaret. The film was mired in legal problems with the director fighting the studio and the studio trying to bury it. But the insistent praise from critics pushed Fox Searchlight to give it a better release and something of an Oscar campaign.

50 Years of Discoveries continues until January 22 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King Street West, Toronto.

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50 Years of Discoveries: Cannes Critics Week
January 18 — January 22, 2012
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Toronto

Launched in 1962 as a parallel section to the Cannes Film Festival by the French Union of Film Critics, and presided over by critics to this day, the mission of Semaine de la Critique (Critics Week) has been to provide an international showcase for the works of first- and second-time directors. In the fifty years since its inception, the Critics Week sidebar has helped introduce the world to some of the most prominent artists in international cinema: Bernardo Bertolucci, Chris Marker, Ken Loach, Wong Kar-wai, John Sayles, Leos Carax, Arnaud Desplechin, Denys Arcand, Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe, and many more.

In honour of the 50th anniversary of Critics Week, TIFF Cinematheque presents a weekend series featuring a selection of films chosen by eight local and international critics and opinion-makers that were discovered at the festival. The diversity of the selections testifies to the festival’s remarkable breadth and eclecticism and its key role in discovering new generations of filmmaking talent. The eight films in the series are: Jean Eustache‘s Santa Claus Has Blue Eyes (1966) and The Virgin of Pessac (1968), presented by Fabien Gaffez, film critic for Positif and a member of the feature film selection committee for Semaine de la Critique; Anna Karina’s Living Together (1973), presented by former film critic for the Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum; Kevin Smith’s Clerks (1994), presented by George Stroumboulopoulos, host and executive producer of CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and The Strombo Show; Victor Erice‘s The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), presented by Peter Howell, film critic for The Toronto Star; Jerzy Skolimowski’s Walkover (1965), presented by Liam Lacey, film critic for The Globe and Mail; Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel and Benoit Poelvoorde’s Man Bites Dog (1991), presented by Norm Wilner, film critic for NOW Magazine; Tony Scott’s Loving Memory (1969), presented by Chris Knight, film critic for the National Post; and Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Orphanage (2007), presented by Liz Braun, film critic for the Toronto Sun.

The series is organized by Brad Deane, Manager of Film Programmes at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Higher Learning - Cannes Critics Week Panel: Film Criticism Today
On January 20 (11:00am to 1:00pm), Fabien Gaffez, Peter Howell, Liam Lacey and Jonathan Rosenbaum will discuss their experiences working across various media, and how their engagement with film criticism has changed over the years. The panel is free and open to the public.

50 Years of Discoveries: Cannes Critics Week
The Spirit of the Beehive (El espiritu de la colmena)
dir. Victor Erice | Spain 1973 | 97 min. | PG
Peter Howell: “The Spirit of the Beehive transcends language in its virtuoso weaving of the Frankenstein myth, family tensions and the harsh realities of Franco’s fascist Spain. Victor Erice has a painter’s eye and a poet’s soul.”

In a small Spanish village shortly after the 1940 victory of Franco’s fascists in the civil war, a screening of Frankenstein captures the imagination of six-year-old Ana (Ana Torrent), who lives on a large estate with her parents and older sister Isabel. While her aging father tends to the apiaries on the estate and her much younger mother writes letters to a distant lover, Ana ventures out into the countryside and forest searching for the monster that Isabel teasingly tells her lives there—but the horrors she finds are revealed to be all too tragically human. “The consummate masterpiece of Spanish cinema” (Paul Julian mith), Victor Erice’s poetic mood piece has frequently been read as a commentary on Franco’s Spain, but to reduce it to a strictly allegorical level does a grave injustice to its entrancing, mysterious power; at the very least, its mesmerizing depiction of the relationship between Ana and Isabel—which combines kindness and affection with startling cruelty—marks it as one of the greatest and most insightful films ever made about children.

Clerks
dir. Kevin Smith | USA 1994 | 92 min. | R
George Stroumboulopoulos: “When Kevin Smith made Clerks and it got on the big screen, you felt like our voice was winning.”

Along with Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Kevin Smith’s chatty, micro-budgeted comedy helped set the tone for much of the American independent cinema to follow over the next two decades (for better or worse). Set almost entirely inside a New Jersey convenience store, Clerks focuses on depressed counter jockey Dante (Brian O’Halloran), who whiles away the workday hours discussing relationships, Star Wars ephemera, unusual sexual acrobatics and various and sundry other topics with his buddy Randal (Jeff Anderson) and the parade of acquaintances, customers, girlfriends past and present and assorted hangers-on—including, of course, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith)—who troop through the store over the course of the day. Scrappy, witty, and often hilariously vulgar, Clerks spawned a host of extra-cinematic spin-offs (and a decade-later sequel), defined a generation too disaffected to bother to define itself, and became the foundation stone for the View Askew mini-empire.

Walkover (Walkower)
dir. Jerzy Skolimowski | Poland 1965 | 78 min.
Liam Lacey: “Roman Polanski’s contemporary and collaborator on the screenplay for Knife in the Water, Jerzy Skolimowski was a jazzloving boxer, writer and actor. In his 1965 second feature, he stars as Andrzej Leszezyc, a cynical non-conformist, itinerant boxing hustler and poet, who soliloquizes in voiceover ‘with my hand on my neck, I want to fix everything [. . .] but only fix my tie.’ Taking its title from a mismatch, or uncontested fight, Walkover is famous for a dazzling one-take sequence, where an opponent on a motorcyle convinces Andrzej to jump off a train to return for a fight.”

Polish enfant terrible Skolimowski’s sophomore effort picks up the autobiographical thread of his debut feature Identification Marks: None, with the ex-boxer writer director-star playing Andrzej, an amateur prizefighter who is drifting across the country after finishing his military service, picking up fights where he can. When he meets Teresa (Aleksandra Zawieruszanka), a government engineer in a bleak industrial town, he decides to take off with her rather than turning up for his bout against a much stronger opponent the next day—but in a stultifying Communist society still very much enslaved to the dictates of machismo, even the beck and call of a “man’s duty” is subordinated to the overwhelming ennui of everyday alienation and aimlessness. Echoing the French nouvelle vague in its air of youthful disaffection and intriguing use of formalist devices (Skolimowski’s own poetry is frequently read over top of the action), Walkover heralded a shift towards a more eccentric, individual-oriented cinema within the Soviet bloc during the short-lived period of official leniency in the mid-to-late 1960s.
Special thanks to Filmoteka Narodawa.

Santa Claus Has Blue Eyes (Le Pere Noel a les yeux bleus)
dir. Jean Eustache | France 1966 | 47 min. | 14A
Fabien Gaffez: “The work of Jean Eustache, dark heir of the nouvelle vague, is one of the greatest Semaine de la Critique has ever discovered. Eustache would film with his heart, whether it was a fiction with autobiographical hints (Santa Claus Has Blue Eyes) or a documentary set in the landscapes of his childhood (The Virgin of Pessac). Talking about his films is talking about the origin of cinema: giving the world and its inhabitants a voice, and an image.”

Nouvelle vague icon Jean-Pierre Leaud gives one of his best performances in Jean Eustache’s funny, pungent tale of poverty, longing, and seduction during the Christmas season. Desperate to buy a duffle coat, then a fashion imperative for young French men, the impoverished Leaud takes a job as Santa Claus, discovering that the disguise allows him to do many things he previously only dreamed of. In typical nouvelle vague fashion, Eustache packs the films with in-jokes: he himself has a cameo as a boxer, and he ends the film with an homage to Jean Vigo.
Followed by
The Virgin of Pessac (La Rosiere de Pessac)
dir. Jean Eustache | France 1968 | 65 min. | 14A
Eustache’s first documentary is a fiercely funny portrait of small-town life and politics. Just before the events of May 1968, Eustache returned to his hometown of Pessac to film the traditional election of the rosière, the town’s most virtuous young woman. Eustache captures “the hypocrisies, incongruities and general ridiculousness that dominate such campaigns” (Luc Moullet) with utter objectivity, leaving the young mayor and his cohorts to bumble, blunder, and make fools of themselves. “A devastating look at pomposity, naivete, and human foibles” (Variety); “a triumph of unprompted deadpan humour” (Moullet).
N. B. As this rare film has never been subtitled, The Virgin of Pessac will be screening without English subtitles.

Living Together (Vivre ensemble)
dir. Anna Karina | France 1973 | 92 min. | 14A
Jonathan Rosenbaum: “I saw Living Together when it was first screened at Cannes in 1973, and will never forget the brutality with which this gentle first feature was received. One prominent English critic, the late Alexander Walker, asked Anna Karina after whether she realized that her film was only being shown because she was once married to a famous film director; she sweetly asked in return whether she should have therefore rejected the Critics Week’s invitation. Everyday observation, lack of pretension, and a woman’s viewpoint were all especially rare qualities in art movies of this period, and almost four decades later, I can still recall how gracefully this love story handles its Paris and New York locations.”

Anna Karina, former wife and muse of Jean-Luc Godard, established her own auteurial credentials with her debut as writer and director; she also stars and sings on the soundtrack. Stuffy professor Alain (Michel Lancelot) lives his life according to a rigorously regimented routine until he meets the vivacious Julie (Karina). Loosening up as he slips into her liberated, bohemian world, he soon finds himself sliding down the slippery slope of decadence. Rarely screened since its chilly reception at its Cannes debut, Living Together is one of the true buried treasures of our Critics Week series.

Man Bites Dog (C’est arrive pres de chez vous)
dirs. Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel & Benoit Poelvoorde | Belgium 1991 | 95 min. | 18A
Norm Wilner: “Almost twenty years on, Man Bites Dog has lost none of its teeth: it’s second only to Albert Brooks’ brilliant Real Life in its prophetic satire of the ethical blindness of our media culture. It’s hysterically funny, but when it reveals its ingenious endgame— indicting the real audience along with the fictional characters—the laughter dies in the throat.”

Slyly satirical and strikingly violent, the notorious Man Bites Dog is a prescient mockumentary that brilliantly predicts the participatory culture of reality television that would arise at the end of the decade. A documentary film crew finds their new subject in the charismatic Ben (co-director Benoit Poelvoorde), a spiffily-dressed and briskly professional serial killer who is happy to give the filmmakers an insight on his work in both theory and practice. As the crew follows Ben on his daily rounds of body-dumping, choreographed strangulations and Manson-like rape-and-murder sessions, their veneer of liberal concern strips away and they become giddily enthusiastic participants in their subject’s orgies of slaughter. A provocative parable about the seductions of spectatorship, Man Bites Dog “doesn’t simply condemn the desire to watch; it first provides its own audience with enough distance to enjoy a seductive spectacle. . . . By the time Man Bites Dog ends, you may wish you’d stopped watching. But you didn’t” (Matt Zoller Seitz).

Loving Memory
dir. Tony Scott | UK 1969 | 52 min. | 14A
Chris Knight: “Tony Scott has never exactly been known for his sense of nuance and subtlety, but before such blockbusters as Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Crimson Tide, Man on Fire and Unstoppable, he wrote and directed this hour-long black-and-white film set in rural Yorkshire. What does young Tony’s first feature reveal of the adrenaline-junkie filmmaker to come?”

An atypical (to say the least) entry in l’oeuvre Tony, Scott the Younger’s intriguing first feature (and the first production for his and brother Ridley’s still extant production company, Scott Free Films) is a curiously low-keyed mixture of the Gothic and grotesque. When an aged brother and sister who live together on an isolated farm accidentally kill a teenage delivery boy with their car, they nonchalantly take him back to their homestead for a secret burial. As brother Ambrose prepares the makeshift grave and coffin, sister Jessica tends to the corpse in the bedroom of their dearly departed elder brother James—and as she dresses the body in James’ old clothes and brings it numerous cups of tea that inevitably go untouched, there are indications that she is not at all prepared to lose her “brother” a second time. Beautifully shot in black and white by renowned cinematographer Chris Menges, Loving Memory is a revelation for those who only know Master Tony as the crown prince of cinema bombast.

The Orphanage (El Orfanato)
dir. Juan Antonio Bayona | Spain/Mexico 2007 | 105 min. | 14A
Liz Braun: “A visually stunning horror film and an auspicious directorial debut for Juan Antonio Bayona, The Orphanage engages the imagination in a terrifying fashion. No cheap thrills or manipulative shock tactics: what we have here is a scary story for grown-ups.”

Guillermo del Toro served as executive producer on director Juan Antonio Bayona’s debut feature, a chilling ghost story that echoes many of del Toro’s own fascinations: the dream life of children, strong female characters, and a distinctly modern twist on classic Gothic horror. Laura (Belen Rueda) returns to the dilapidated orphanage in which she grew up with her husband and adopted seven-year-old son Simon in tow, intending to reopen the institution as a facility for disabled children. When Simon claims that he has found a new playmate in the abandoned building—a boy named Tomas who wears a sack mask over his head—Laura is led to discover a dreadful secret about her upbringing, and the restless spirits that attest to a horrible, long ago crime. Rapturously received at its Cannes premiere and a smash hit worldwide, The Orphanage is a prime example of the intriguing overlap between arthouse and genre cinema that has brought such directors as Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and, of course, del Toro, to international prominence.

PUBLIC SCREENINGS

The Spirit of the Beehive (El espiritu de la colmena) dir. Victor Erice | Spain 1973 | 97 min. | PG
Wednesday, January 18, 6:30 pm
Peter Howell in person!

Clerks dir. Kevin Smith | USA 1994 | 92 min. | R
Wednesday, January 18, 9:00 pm
George Stroumboulopoulos in person!

Walkover (Walkower) dir. Jerzy Skolimowski | Poland 1965 | 78 min.
Thursday, January 19, 6:30 pm
Liam Lacey in person!

Santa Claus Has Blue Eyes (Le Pere Noel a les yeux bleus) dir. Jean Eustache | France 1966 | 47 min. | 14A
Followed by
The Virgin of Pessac (La Rosiere de Pessac) dir. Jean Eustache | France 1968 | 65 min. | 14A
Friday, January 20, 6:30 pm
Fabien Gaffez in person!

Living Together (Vivre ensemble) dir. Anna Karina | France 1973 | 92 min. | 14A
Saturday, January 21, 7:00 pm
Jonathan Rosenbaum in person!

Man Bites Dog (C’est arrive pres de chez vous) dirs. Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel & Benoit Poelvoorde | Belgium 1991 | 95 min. | 18A
Saturday, January 21, 10:00 pm
Norm Wilner in person!

Loving Memory dir. Tony Scott | UK 1969 | 52 min. | 14A
Sunday, January 22, 1:00 pm
Chris Knight in person!

The Orphanage (El Orfanato) dir. Juan Antonio Bayona | Spain/Mexico 2007 | 105 min. | 14A
Sunday, January 22, 4:00 pm
Liz Braun in person!

Asian Film Awards - nominations

2012-01-17T18:26:00.000-05:00

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society announced the nominations today for the 6th Annual Asian Film Awards. Tsui Hark's 3-D Martial Arts extravaganza 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) picked up seven nominations to lead the field. It's nods include Best Film, Director, Actor (Chen Kun) and Supporting Actress (Gwei Lun-mei).

The Christian Bale vehicle 金陵十三釵 (The Flowers of War) and Taiwanese historical epic 賽德克·巴萊 (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale) each picked up six nominations. Each was also nominated for Best Film and Director.

The gripping Iranian drama Nader and Simin, A Separation by Asghar Farhadi picked up five nominations. It too was nominated for Best Film and Director as well as Actress (Leila Hatami). Japan's Postcard and India's You Don’t Get Life a Second Time round out the Best Film category.

The AFAs will also present several special awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award (to be presented to Hong Kong director Ann Hui On-wah), the Edward Yang New Talent Award and the Award for 2011's Top-Grossing Asian Film. They will also present People's Choice Awards for Best Actor and Actress.

This year's jury president will be Eric Khoo from Singapore. This is the first time the Jury President is not part of the Hong Kong film industry. Previous Jury Presidents include actress Michelle Yeoh, actor Tony Leung Ka-fai and director Yonfan.

The 6th Annual Asian Film Awards presentation ceremony will be held at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Grand Hall on 19 March 2012.

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Complete list of nominations for the 6th Asian Film Awards

Best Film
Nader and Simin, A Separation, (Iran)
Postcard, (Japan)
金陵十三釵 (The Flowers of War), (Mainland China)
龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate), (Hong Kong/Mainland China)
賽德克·巴萊 (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale), (Taiwan)
You Don’t Get Life a Second Time, (India)

Best Director
Asghar Farhadi, Nader and Simin, A Separation
Teddy Soeriaatmadja, Lovely Man
園子溫 (Sono Sion), 戀之罪 (Guilty of Romance)
徐克 (Tsui Hark), 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate)
魏德聖 (Wei Te-sheng), 賽德克·巴萊 (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale)
張藝謀 (Zhang Yimou), 金陵十三釵 (The Flowers of War)

Best Actor
陳坤 (Chen Kun), 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate)
Donny Damara, Lovely Man
劉德華 (Andy Lau), 桃姐 (A Simple Life)
Park Hae Il, War of the Arrows
役所廣司 (Yakusho Koji), Chronicle of My Mother

Best Actress
Vidya Balan, The Dirty Picture
陳妍希 (Michelle Chen), 那些年，我們一起追的女孩 (You Are the Apple of My Eye)
Eugene Domingo, The Woman in the Septic Tank
Leila Hatami, Nader and Simin, A Separation
葉德嫻 (Deanie Ip), 桃姐 (A Simple Life)

Best Newcomer
柯震東 (Ko Chen-tung), 那些年，我們一起追的女孩 (You Are the Apple of My Eye)
林暉閔 (Eric Lin Hui-min), 星空 (Starry Starry Night)
前田旺志郎 (Maeda Ohshiro), 奇跡 (I Wish)
倪妮 (Ni Ni), 金陵十三釵 (The Flowers of War)
Gita Novalista, 鏡子不說謊 (The Mirror Never Lies)

Best Supporting Actor
馬志翔 (Umin Boya), 賽德克·巴萊 (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale)
柯宇綸 (Lawrence Ko), 翻滾吧！阿信 (Jump! Ashin)
Lee Je-hoon, 高地戰 (The Front Line)
Mario Maurer, The Outrage

Best Supporting Actress
Shamaine Buencamino, Niño
桂綸鎂 (Gwei Lun-mei), 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate)
Cris Horwang, Headshot
滿島光 (Mitsushima Hikari), 一命 (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai)
閆妮 (Yan Ni), 我十一 (11 Flowers)

Best Screenwriter
Asghar Farhadi, Nader and Simin, A Separation
新藤兼人 (Shindô Kaneto), Postcard
劉恆 (Liu Heng), 嚴歌苓 (Yan Geling), 金陵十三釵 (The Flowers of War)
麥兆輝 (Alan Mak), 莊文強 (Felix Chong), 竊聽風雲2 Overheard 2)
Chris Martinez, The Woman in the Septic Tank

Best Cinematographer
秦鼎昌 (Chin Ting-chang), 賽德克·巴萊 (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale)
Vishvajith Karunarathna, Flying Fish
Kim Woo-hyung, 高地戰 (The Front Line)
Jake Pollock, 黎耀輝 (Lai Yiu-fai) (HKSC), 武俠 (Wu Xia)
Rahmat Syaiful, 鏡子不說謊 (The Mirror Never Lies)

Best Production Designer
Suzanne Caplan Merwanji, You Don’t Get Life a Second Time
Ryu Seong-hee, 高地戰 (The Front Line)
種田陽平 (Taneda Yohei), 賽德克·巴萊 (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale)
奚仲文 (Yee Chung-man), 劉敏雄 (Ben Lau), 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate)
奚仲文 (Yee Chung-man), 孫立 (Sun Li), 武俠 (Wu Xia)

Best Composer
陳光榮 (Chan Kwong-wing), 金培達 (Peter Kam), Chatchai Pongprapaphan, 武俠 (Wu Xia)
陳其鋼 (Chen Qigang), 金陵十三釵 (The Flowers of War)
何國杰 (Ricky Ho), 賽德克·巴萊 (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale)
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, A.R. Rahman, Neeraj Shridhar, Rockstar
坂本龍一 (Sakamoto Ryuichi), 一命 (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai)

Best Editor
彭正熙 (Curran Pang), 竊聽風雲2 Overheard 2)
Nelly Quettier, 我十一 (11 Flowers)
Hayedeh Safiyari, Nader and Simin, A Separation
Anand Subaya, You Don’t Get Life a Second Time
鄧文滔 (Tang Man-to), 鴻門宴 (White Vengeance)

Best Visual Effects
Ritesh Aggarwal, Ra. One
Kamiya Makoto, 殺戮都市 (Gantz)
Wook Kim, Josh Cole, 鍾智行 (Frankie Chung), 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate)
肖洋 (Xiao Yang), 常松 (Chang Song), 老A (A Law), 李明雄 (Li Ming-hsung), 李金輝 (Li Jin-hui), 星空 (Starry Starry Night)
翁國賢 (Yung Kwok-yin), 姜鍾翊 (Andy Kang), 武俠 (Wu Xia)

Best Costume Designer
Amano Kyoko, Emura Kouichi, 愛瘋三次元 (Milocrorze: A Love Story)
張叔平 (William Chang Suk-ping), 金陵十三釵 (The Flowers of War)
莫均傑 (Mok Kwan-kit), 黃明霞 (Wong Ming-ha), 鴻門宴 (White Vengeance)
Noppadol Techo, The Outrage
奚仲文 (Yee Chung-man), 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate)

SİYAD Turkish Film Critics Awards - winners

2012-01-17T17:45:00.001-05:00

Last night, the Sinema Yazarları Derneği (Turkish Film Critics Association) or SİYAD presented their 44th annual SİYAD Türk Sineması ödülleri (SİYAD Turkish Film Awards) at the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul, Turkey.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia) scooped the most awards on the night with six, including Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Editing for Ceylan (Screenplay and Editing awards were shared). aIt had led with eleven nominations in 8 categories. It had been up against Derviş Zaim’s Gölgeler ve Suretler (Shadows and Faces), Özcan Alper’s Gelecek Uzun Sürer (Future Lasts Forever), Sedat Yılmaz' Press and Tayfun Pirselimoğlu's Saç (Hair) for Best Film. Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da is Turkey's submission to the Academy for the Best Foreign Language Film Award.

Saç (Hair) picked up two awards both for its lead actors. Nazan Kesal won for Best Actress while Ayberk Pekcan was named Best Actor.

SİYAD's Foreign Language Film Award went to Asghar Farhadi's A Separation. The Documentary winner was İmre Azem's Ekumenopolis: Ucu Olmayan Şehir.

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Complete list of winners for the 44th annual SİYAD Türk Sineması ödülleri

Best Film
Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia), Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Best Director
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)

Cahide Sonku Award for Best Actress
Nazan Kesal, Saç (Hair)

Best Actor
Ayberk Pekcan, Saç (Hair)

Mahmut Tali Award for Best Screenplay
Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ercan Kesal, Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)

Best Supporting Actress
Asiye Dinçsoy, Press

Best Supporting Actor
Ercan Kesal, Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)

Best Music
Mircan Kaya, Kar Beyaz (White as Snow)

Best Cinematogropher
Gökhan Tiryaki, Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)

Best Art Director
Haluk Ünlü, Dedemin İnsanları (My Grandfather's People)

Best Editor
Bora Gökşingöl, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)

Ahmet Ulucay Most Promising Actor Award
Zeynep Oral, Atlıkarınca (Carousel)

Best Foreign Film
Bir Ayrılık / A Separation, Ashgar Faradi (Iran)

Best Documentary Film
Ekumenopolis: Ucu Olmayan Şehir by İmre Azem

Best Short Film
Birgünbirgünbir...Evedegelmişkimseyok by Berrak Çolak

Honorary Awards
Erden Kıral (filmmaker)
Osman Şahin (screenwriter)
Perihan Savaş (actress)

London Evening Standard British Film Awards - nominations

2012-01-17T16:47:00.000-05:00

The British newspaper Evening Standard has announced the contenders for its 39th London Evening Standard British Film Awards.

Two films tied for the lead with four nominations. Steve McQueen's Shame was nominated for Best Film Actor (Michael Fassbender), Actress (Carey Mulligan) and Technical Achievement for cinematographer Sean Bobbitt. Fassbender's nomination was shared with his role in Jane Eyre. Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur picked up nominations for Best Film, Actor (Peter Mullan), Actress (Olivia Colman) and Screenplay.

The other films scoring a Best Film nod were Archipelago, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and We Need to Talk About Kevin. Each picked up three nominations, as did The Guard.

The awards are selected by a panel of film critics comprised of The Evening Standard’s Derek Malcolm, Charlotte O’Sullivan and David Sexton, The Daily Telegraph’s Tim Robey, The Times’ Kate Muir and The Independent’s Anthony Quinn – along with Evening Standard Editor Geordie Greig with Arts Editor Fiona Hughes acting as chair.

Organizers have introduced a new People’s Choice Award for Blockbuster of the Year this year. The winner will be decided by public online vote.

The ceremony for the 39th London Evening Standard British Film Awards will take place on Feb 6 at the London Film Museum on London’s Southbank. Green Wing star Stephen Mangan returns as host.

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Complete list of nominations for the 39th London Evening Standard British Film Awards

BEST FILM
Archipelago (directed by Joanna Hogg)
Shame (directed by Steve McQueen)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (directed by Tomas Alfredson)
Tyrannosaur (directed by Paddy Considine)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (directed by Lynne Ramsay)

BEST ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh (My Week With Marilyn)
Michael Fassbender (Shame & Jane Eyre)
Brendan Gleeson (The Guard)
Tom Hiddleston (Archipelago)
Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur)
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

BEST ACTRESS
Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur)
Samantha Morton (The Messenger)
Carey Mulligan (Shame)
Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Richard Ayoade (for his directorial debut, Submarine)
John Boyega (for his performance in Attack the Block)
Jessica Brown Findlay (for her performance in Albatross)
Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe (for their writing and directing debut, Black Pond)

PETER SELLERS AWARD FOR COMEDY
Black Pond (written and directed by Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe)
The Inbetweeners Movie (directed by Ben Palmer)
The Guard (written and directed by John Michael McDonagh)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dreams of a Life (Carol Morley)
Fire in Babylon (Stevan Riley)
Life in a Day (Kevin Macdonald)
Project Nim (James Marsh)
Senna (Asif Kapadia)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Paddy Considine (Tyrannosaur)
Andrew Haigh (Weekend)
Joanna Hogg (Archipelago)
John Michael McDonagh (The Guard)
Ben Wheatley & Amy Jump (Kill List)

LONDON FILM MUSEUM AWARD FOR TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Sean Bobbitt (cinematographer, Shame)
Paul Davies (sound designer, We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Maria Djurkovic (production designer, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Michael O’Connor (costume designer, Jane Eyre)
Robbie Ryan (cinematographer, Wuthering Heights)

BLOCKBUSTER OF THE YEAR – PEOPLE’S CHOICE (Decided by online readers’ vote)
Bridesmaids
Fast & Furious 5
The Hangover Part II
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (3D)
The Inbetweeners Movie
Johnny English Reborn
Kung Fu Panda 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (3D)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Smurfs (3D)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1

2012 Maple Blues Awards - winners

2012-01-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Blues Society held a gala ceremony for their Fifteenth Annual Maple Blues Awards at Koerner Hall in Toronto last night. The evening was Canada's national annual celebration of homegrown blues talent and featured performances by the Maple Blues Band, comprised entirely of Maple Blues Awards winners and nominees.

New Brunswick bluesman Matt Andersen captured in three trophies for Entertainer of the Year, Acoustic Act of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.

Ottawa's MonkeyJunk also claimed three awards. It won for Electric Act of the Year, Recording of the Year (To Behold), and Drummer of the Year for Matt Sobb.

Suzie Vinnick from Saskatoon was another multiple winner. She won for Female Vocalist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.

The BB King International Artist Of The Year went to Gregg Allman, while Paul James was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Complete winners for the Fifteenth Annual Maple Blues Awards

Entertainer Of The Year
Matt Andersen

Electric Act Of The Year
MonkeyJunk

Acoustic Act Of The Year
Matt Andersen

Male Vocalist Of The Year
Matt Andersen

Female Vocalist Of The Year
Suzie Vinnick

New Artist/Group Of The Year
Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce

BB King International Artist Of The Year
Greg Allman

Recording Of The Year
To Behold (Stony Plain) Artist: MonkeyJunk, Producers: Steve Marriner & Ken Friesen

Blues With A Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Paul James

Guitar Player Of The Year
Steve Strongman

Harmonica Player Of The Year
Carlos del Junco

Piano/Keyboard Player Of The Year
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne

Horn Player Of The Year
Chris Whiteley

Drummer Of The Year
Matt Sobb (MonkeyJunk)

Bassist Of The Year
Alec Fraser (Fraser Daley)

Songwriter Of The Year
Suzie Vinnick

Blues Booster of the Year
Liz Sykes (President of the Ottawa Blues Society)

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Fifteenth Annual Maple Blues Awards: Nominees
The nominees listed below were selected by the Maple Blues Awards Nominations Panel for their outstanding achievements in blues music in Canada over the past year.

Entertainer Of The Year
Jim Byrnes
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne
Matt Andersen
MonkeyJunk
Shakura S'Aida

Electric Act Of The Year
Bill Johnson
David Gogo
Keith Hallett & Garrett Mason
MonkeyJunk
Rita Chiarelli

Acoustic Act Of The Year
Harrison Kennedy
Harry Manx
Matt Andersen
Suzie Vinnick
Tim Williams

Male Vocalist Of The Year
Harrison Kennedy
Jim Byrnes
John Mays (Fathead)
Matt Andersen
Steve Marriner (MonkeyJunk)

Female Vocalist Of The Year
Rita Chiarelli
Robin Bank$
Shakura S'Aida
Suzie Vinnick
Treasa Levasseur

New Artist/Group Of The Year
24th Street Wailers
Douglas Watson R&B Revue
Kat Danser
Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce
Tim Vaughn

BB King International Artist Of The Year
Bettye LaVette
Duke Robillard
Greg Allman
JJ Grey & Mofro
Tedeschi Trucks Band

Recording Of The Year
Me 'n' Mabel (SV) Artist: Suzie Vinnick; Producer: Danny Greenspoon
Music From The Big House (Mad Iris) Artist: Rita Chiarelli, Producer: Rita Chiarelli
Still Blue (BJ)Artist: Bill Johnson, Producers: Jody Baker & Bill Johnson
Strictly Whatever (Stony Plain) Artists: Harry Manx & Kevin Breit, Producers: Harry Manx & Kevin Breit
To Behold (Stony Plain)Artist: MonkeyJunk, Producers: Steve Marriner & Ken Friesen

Blues With A Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Alec Fraser
Danny Brooks
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe Murphy
Ken Whiteley
Michael Fonfara
Paul James
Stephen Barry
Tom Lavin

Guitar Player Of The Year
David Gogo
Garrett Mason
Jack de Keyzer
Kevin Breit
Steve Strongman

Harmonica Player Of The Year
Carlos del Junco
David "Hurricane" Hoerl (Twisters)
David Rotundo
Roly Platt
Steve Marriner (MonkeyJunk)

Piano/Keyboard Player Of The Year
Curley Bridges
David Vest
John Lee Sanders
Julian Fauth
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne

Horn Player Of The Year
Al Lerman (Fathead)
Chris Murphy
Chris Whiteley
Pat Carey (Downchild)
Neil Braithwaite (Blackburn)

Drummer Of The Year
Al Cross (Jerome Godboo)
Bucky Berger (Fathead)
Geoff Arsenault (Morgan Davis)
Matt Sobb (MonkeyJunk)
Vince Maccarone (Johnny Max)

Bassist Of The Year
Alan Duffy (Jack de Keyzer)
Alec Fraser (Fraser Daley)
Gary Kendall (Downchild)
Keith Picot (Twisters)
Omar Tunnoch (Fathead)

Songwriter Of The Year
Bill Johnson
Diteodoro/Marriner/Sobb (MonkeyJunk)
Harrison Kennedy
Harry Manx
Suzie Vinnick

2012 Genie Awards - nominations

2012-01-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

This morning, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced the nominees for the 32nd Annual Genie Awards at The Rosewater Supper Club in Toronto and simultaneously in Montreal.

The nominations were led by Jean-Marc Vallée's lyrical film Café de Flore with thirteen nominations. It was followed by David Cronenberg's period drama A Dangerous Method which took eleven. Philippe Falardeau's Monsieur Lazhar was next with nine nominations. Monsieur Lazhar is Canada's submission to the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film.

All three are nominated for Best Motion Picture as well as Best Director. Rounding out the Best Motion Picture field were Starbuck and The Whistleblower.

Alongside local talent such as Scott Speedman and Patrick Huard, the acting nominations include many international stars such as Michael Fassbender, Michelle Williams, Viggo Mortensen, Vanessa Paradis and Rachel Weisz.

The nominees were selected by Nominating Committee Members consisting of Academy Members, filmmakers, critics, and other industry professionals. The main Nominating Committee consisted of Gary Burns, Denis Seguin, Érik Canuel, Michael Melski, Nicole Robert, Wayne Clarkson and Isabelle Miquelon. The Craft Nominating Committee consisted of Linda Dowds, Steven Wright, Stéphanie Weber Biron, Dominique Desrochers, Paul Jutras, Steve Gravestock, John Hazen, John McCarthy and Bob Munroe.

The ceremony for the 32nd Annual Genie Awards will take place on March 8 in Toronto at the Westin Harbour Castle hotel and will be broadcast live on CBC.

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Complete list of nominations for the 32nd Annual Genie Awards

BEST MOTION PICTURE
A Dangerous Method - Martin Katz, Marco Mehlitz, Jeremy Thomas
Café de Flore - Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin, Jean-Marc Vallée
Monsieur Lazhar - Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Starbuck - André Rouleau
The Whistleblower - Christina Piovesan, Celine Rattray

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
Jean Bécotte - Funkytown
Aidan Leroux, Rob Hepburn - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
James McAteer - A Dangerous Method
Patrice Vermette - Café de Flore
Emelia Weavind - The Bang Bang Club

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Miroslaw Baszak, C.S.C. - The Bang Bang Club
Pierre Cottereau - Café de Flore
Jon Joffin - Daydream Nation
Jean-François Lord - Snow & Ashes
Ronald Plante - Monsieur Lazhar

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Denise Cronenberg - A Dangerous Method
Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh - Afghan Luke
Ginette Magny, Emmanuelle Youchnovski - Café de Flore
Heather Neale - Keyhole
Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt - Funkytown

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
David Cronenberg - A Dangerous Method
Steven Silver - The Bang Bang Club
Jean-Marc Vallée - Café de Flore
Philippe Falardeau - Monsieur Lazhar
Larysa Kondracki - The Whistleblower

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Jean-François Bergeron - The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom
Michael Czarnecki - In Darkness
Patrick Demers - Jaloux
Stéphane Lafleur - Monsieur Lazhar
Ronald Sanders, C.C.E. A.C.E. - A Dangerous Method

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-UP
Christiane Fattori, Frédéric Marin - Café de Flore
Amber Makar - Amazon Falls
Virginie Paré - BumRush
Tammy Lou Pate - Snow & Ashes
Leslie Ann Sebert, David R. Beecroft - Take This Waltz

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE
Ramachandra Borcar - Jaloux
Mychael Danna - The Whistleblower
Martin Léon - Monsieur Lazhar
Philip Miller - The Bang Bang Club
Howard Shore - A Dangerous Method

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG
Jay Brannan - Cloudburst - "My Love My Love"
Carole Facal - Starbuck - "Quelque part"
Malajube - Good Neighbours - "Oeil pour Oeil"
Steven Page - French Immersion - "A Different Sort of Solitude"
Jean Robitaille, Steve Galluccio - Funkytown - "Waiting for your Touch"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Fellag - Monsieur Lazhar
Garret Dillahunt - Oliver Sherman
Michael Fassbender - A Dangerous Method
Patrick Huard - Starbuck
Scott Speedman - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Antoine Bertrand - Starbuck
Kevin Durand - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
Marin Gerrier - Café de Flore
Taylor Kitsch - The Bang Bang Club
Viggo Mortensen - A Dangerous Method

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Catherine de Léan - Nuit #1
Pascale Montpetit - The Girl in the White Coat
Vanessa Paradis - Café de Flore
Rachel Weisz - The Whistleblower
Michelle Williams - Take This Waltz

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Roxana Condurache - The Whistleblower
Hélène Florent, - Café de Flore
Julie Lebreton - Starbuck
Sophie Nélisse - Monsieur Lazhar
Charlotte Sullivan - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND
Stéphane Bergeron, Yann Cleary, Lise Wedlock - Marécages / Wetlands
Pierre Bertrand, Shaun Nocholas Gallagher, Bernard Gariépy Strobl - Monsieur Lazhar
Jean Minondo, Jocelyn Caron, Gavin Fernandex, Louis Gignac - Café de Flore
Lou Solakofski, Stephan Carrier, Kirk Lynds - The Bang Bang Club
Orest Sushko, Christian Cooke - A Dangerous Method

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Fred Brennan, James Bastable, Gabe Knox, John Sievert - You Are Here
Claude Beaugrand, Olivier Calvert, Natalie Fleurant, Francine Poirier - Marécages / Wetlands
Wayne Griffin, Rob Bertola, Tony Currie, Andy Malcolm, Michael O'Farrell - A Dangerous Method
Martin Pinsonnault, Blaise BlanchierR, Simon Meilleur, Mireille Morin, Luc Raymond - Café de Flore
Jeremy MacLaverty, Daniel Pellerin, Geoff Raffan, JanN Rudy, John Sievert, James Mark Stewart - In Darkness

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anne Émond - Nuit #1
Eilis Kirwan, Larysa Kondracki - The Whistleblower
Ken Scott, Martin Petit - Starbuck
Jean-Marc Vallée - Café de Flore
Ryan Ward, Matthew Heiti - Son of the Sunshine

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Philippe Falardeau - Monsieur Lazhar
Ryan Redford - Oliver Sherman
David Shamoon - In Darkness
Steven Silver - The Bang Bang Club

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Dennis Berardi, Mathew Bornett, Mike Borrett, Wilson Cameron, Ovi Cinazin, Jason Edwardh, Oliver Hearsey, Jim Price, Milan Schere, Wolciech Zielinski - A Dangerous Method
Éve Brunet, Jacques Lévesque, Philippe Roberge - Snow & Ashes
Marc Côté, Stéphanie Broussaud, Gary Chuntz, Vincent Dudouet, Cynthia Mourou, Eric Normandin, Martin Pensa, Luc Sanfaçon, Sylvain Théroux, Nathalie Tremblay - Café de Flore
Geoffroy Lauzon – BumRush
Tom Turnbull, Ian Britton, Robert Crowther, Tony Cybulski - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY
Beauty Day - Jay Cheel, Kristina McLaughlin, Kevin McMahon, Roman Pizzacalla
Family Portrait in Black and White - Julia Ivanova, Boris Ivanov
The Guantanamo Trap - Thomas Wallner, Amit Breuer, Patrick Crowe
La nuit, elles dansent / At Night, They Dance - Isabelle Lavigne, Stéphane Thibault, Lucie Lambert
Wiebo's War - David York, Nick Hector, C.C.E., Bryn Hughes, Bonnie Thompson

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
75 Watts - John Cullen
Derailments - Chelsea McMullan
Sirmilik - Zacharias Kunuk, Joel McConvey, Kristina McLaughlin, Kevin McMahon, Michael McMahon, Geoff Morrison, Ryan J. Noth

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA
Doubles with Slight Pepper - Ian Harnarine
Hope - Pedro Pires, Phoebe Greenberg, Penny Mancuso
Ora - René Chénier, Philippe Baylaucq
La Ronde - Élaine Hébert, Sophie Goyette

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Choke - Michelle Latimer
La cité entre les murs / Inner City - Alain Fournier
Muybridge's Strings - Koji Yamamura, Michael Fukushima, Shuzo John Shiota, Keisuke Tsuchihashi
Romance - Georges Schwizgebel, René Chénier, Marc Bertrand
Wild Life - Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby, Marcy Page, Bonnie Thompson

CHINO KINO

AACTA International Awards - winners

2012 Kinema Junpo Awards for Japanese Film - winners

Golden Eagle Awards for Russian Cinema - winners

Call for submissions: Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival

Submissions for the 13th Annual Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival are now open.

2012 Österreichischen Filmpreis (Austrian Film Awards) - winners

The 8 fest 2012, January 27-29

Interior Design Show Design Docs Festival, January 27-28

2012 César du cinéma nominations

2012 Apsara Awards - winners

54th Blue Ribbon Awards - winners

Spike Lee's co-writer & producer on Hollywood's view of race

Call for submissions: directors wanted for InspiraTO Festival

2012 Schweizer Filmpreis ‎(Swiss Film Awards) - nominations

Watch my short film The Audience

Kevin McDonald’s Comedy Writing Workshop

Kevin McDonald’s Comedy Writing Workshop

Call for submissions: Golden Quill Award

84th Academy Awards nominations announced

CFC celebrates Black History Month with Pam Grier [UPDATE]

International Cinephile Society's ICS Awards - nominees

2012 Guldbaggen, the Guldbagge Awards for Swedish Film - winners

Free screening of Ingrid Veninger's Modra

2012 AVN Awards - winners

2012 Zee Cine Awards - winners

2012 Producers Guild Awards winners

Call for submissions: Banff World Media Festival's Writers Apprentice Program

Star Wars Uncut, crowd-sourced fanfilm complete online

2012 Bayerischer Filmpreis (Bavarian Film Awards) - winners

Sundance short films available to watch online

Watch nine of the Sundance short films, share them with friends, and vote for your favorite one. The movie with the top votes will win the Yahoo! Audience Award and the filmmaker will receive $5,000 to continue their creative journey as storytellers.To vote, go to http://screen.yahoo.com/sundance/

Call for submissions: TSV themed commissions - CENTRE

MPSE Golden Reel Awards - nominees

AARP Movies for Grownups Awards - winners

London Critics' Circle Film Awards - winners

NAACP Image Awards - nominees

Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards - nominees

Attack the Bloc: Cold War Science Fiction from Behind the Iron Curtain

2012 GLAAD Media Awards - nominees

2011 Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Awards - nominees

Oscar's Foreign Language Film shortlist of 9 films

50 Years of Discoveries at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Asian Film Awards - nominations

SİYAD Turkish Film Critics Awards - winners

London Evening Standard British Film Awards - nominations

2012 Maple Blues Awards - winners

2012 Genie Awards - nominations