Short Film program announced for 2014 Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The 2014 Short Film program is comprised of 66 short films selected from a record 8,161 submissions (59 more than for the 2013 Festival).

Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The Short Film program for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival features an astonishing array of new stories, viewpoints and filmmaking talent, positioning it at the core of our work to discover and share independent perspectives on our culture and world.”

The Short Film program is presented by YouTube.


U.S. NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS

Sundance announces Premieres And Documentary Premieres for 2014 Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Institute announced today the films selected to screen in the out-of-competition Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival feature new work from many established independent filmmakers who began their careers at our Festival years ago, which allows us to reflect on the impact, legacy and growth of the independent film movement over the past 30 years.”

Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “In many of the films selected for our 2014 Sundance Film Festival, we see fascinating characters and subjects throughout. Whether portrayed by recognized actors taking on more challenging and diverse roles, or in the stranger-than-fiction reality of our documentaries, we look forward to sharing these incredible stories with audiences at our Festival.”

American Film Institute announces AFI Awards 2013 official selections

The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2013 – 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding television programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of the year's most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.

An almanac documenting works of excellence that mark a moment in time, AFI AWARDS is also the only national honor for the community's creative ensembles as a whole, acknowledging the collaborative nature of the art form. Honorees are selected based on works which best advance the art of the moving image, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America's art form, inspire audiences and artists alike, and/or make a mark on American society.

16th Moët British Independent Film Awards – winners

British talent turned out this evening for the 16th Moët British Independent Film Awards. The winners were announced at the star-studded ceremony, held at Old Billingsgate which was hosted by BIFA Winning actor James Nesbitt.

For the first time, the lucky winners took home the brand new iconic award designed by Fredrikson Stallard and created by Swarovski. The awards ceremony was streamed live exclusively online at www.film3sixty.com/moetbifa

Best British Independent Film was won by METRO MANILA with the film’s director Sean Ellis picking up Best Director. Lindsay Duncan won Best Actress for LE WEEK-END and James McAvoy won Best Actor for FILTH. Imogen Poots collected her BIFA for Best Supporting Actress for THE LOOK OF LOVE and Ben Mendelsohn took home Best Supporting Actor for STARRED UP.

METRO MANILA won the most awards on the night, picking up three trophies for Best Achievement in Production and as previously mentioned Best Director award and Best British Independent Film.

26th European Film Awards – winners

The more than 2,900 members of the European Film Academy - filmmakers from across Europe - have voted for this year’s European Film Awards.

The main winner of the night was Paolo Sorrentino's La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty). It won for Best European Film as well as European Director, European Actor (Toni Servillo) and European Editor.

The European Film Awards 2013 are presented by the European Film Academy e.V. and EFA Productions gGmbH. Public supporters: FFA German Federal Film Board, German State Lottery Berlin, German State Minister for Culture and the Media, MEDIA Programme of the EU, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Private partners: 40seconds, Alois Dallmayr Gastro-Service GmbH & Co KG, Aveda, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, GLS, Hôtel Concorde Berlin, M∙A∙C, Mast-Jägermeister SE and ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland GmbH.

At the awards ceremony in Berlin the following awards were presented:

2013 International Documentary Awards – winners

Winners in the 2013 IDA Documentary Awards were announced during last night's program at the Directors Guild of America, giving Jehane Noujaim's The Square top honors with the Best Feature Award. The first major film acquisition by Netflix, The Square follows a group of Egyptian activists as they battle leaders and regimes, and risk their lives to build a new society of conscience.

Also announced in the ceremony was the Best Short Award, which honored Slomo, directed by Josh Izenberg. An inspirational portrait of neurologist turned rollerblader, Dr. John Kitchin, Slomo has been an audience favorite at festivals around the world garnering a number of audience and jury awards.

During the ceremony, which was hosted by comedian and award-winning stage and screen actor, Paul Provenza, two series awards were also presented. The Best Continuing Series Award went to the PBS series Independent Lens. Now in its 12th season, the weekly series features original documentary films made by some of the best independent filmmakers working today. The Best Limited Series Award went to the CNN Original Series Inside Man, hosted by Oscar®-nominated documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

56th Grammy Awards – nominees

JAY Z LEADS NOMINATIONS WITH NINE; KENDRICK LAMAR, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, AND PHARRELL WILLIAMS EACH EARN SEVEN; DRAKE AND BOB LUDWIG EACH GARNER FIVE

SARA BAREILLES, DAFT PUNK, KENDRICK LAMAR, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, AND TAYLOR SWIFT VIE FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR AT THE 56TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS JAN. 26, 2014, LIVE ON CBS

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 06, 2013) — Nominations for the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced tonight by The Recording Academy and reflected one of the most diverse years with the Album Of The Year category alone representing the rap, pop, country and dance/electronica genres, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. Once again, nominations in select categories for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night," a one-hour CBS entertainment special broadcast live from Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. The 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Jan. 26, 2014, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

The Shortest Day Film Celebration – free short films across Canada, Dec 21

Three partner organizations, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), Telefilm Canada and Quebec’s Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), have joined their efforts so that audiences across Canada can take part this year in The Shortest Day Short Film Celebration, an event started by the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image (CNC) in France that has now spread to some 20 other countries. This free event, dedicated to the promotion and screening of short films, is a first for North America and is presented with the support of the CNC. It offers an entertaining way of welcoming the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year—on December 21.

The Shortest Day Short Film Celebration will feature screenings of more than 30 Canadian shorts organized into four thematic programs: Kids, Family, Comedy/Dark Humour and Festival Films. These films reflect the diversity of this very contemporary art form, a genre that is becoming more and more popular in this era of Facebook, YouTube and smartphones.

10 Contenders Remain in VFX Oscar Race

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 86th Oscars®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

Sundance 2014 announces Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, ‘Sundance Kids’, and New Frontier programs

Sundance Institute Announces Films in Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New ‘Sundance Kids’ Section for 2014 Sundance Film Festival


30th Anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival

Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today the films selected to screen in the 2014 Sundance Film Festival out-of-competition sections Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and new ‘Sundance Kids’ section of films for younger audiences. The Festival takes place January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The films in the sections announced today round out our 2014 Sundance Film Festival program and further reflect the depth and diversity of modern independent filmmaking that will satisfy everyone from festival fledglings to fanatics.”

Sundance Institute Announces Films in U.S. and World Competitions, NEXT <=> for 2014 Sundance Film Festival

30th Anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival will Feature 118 Feature-Length Films

Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition NEXT <=> section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute said, “That the Festival has evolved and grown as it has over the past 30 years is a credit to both our audiences and our artists, who continue to find ways to take risks and open our minds to the power of story. This year's films and artists promise to do the same.”

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “We are energized by the rich diversity of voices, characters and places represented in the films selected for our 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Independent filmmakers continue to engage us with stories from worlds both intimately familiar and unknown.”

TIFF reveals Canada's Top Ten Films of 2013

Star-studded festival includes film screenings, filmmaker Q&As and special onstage conversations with Denis Villeneuve, Jake Gyllenhaal and John Greyson

TORONTO – Tonight TIFF kicked off its celebration of the best in Canadian film with the announcement of the feature and short film selections for the 13th annual Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival. The 10-day festival runs January 3 to 12, 2014 at TIFF Bell Lightbox and features public screenings of the selected films, accompanied by introductions and Q&A sessions with filmmakers. On January 5, the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival welcomes Academy Award-nominees Denis Villeneuve and Jake Gyllenhaal to TIFF Bell Lightbox to discuss their recent collaborations. The festival will conclude on January 12 with an onstage conversation between Canadian filmmaker John Greyson and Toronto International Film Festival Artistic Director Cameron Bailey. These announcements were made at an industry event in Toronto hosted by Steve Patterson (CBC’s The Debaters). Established in 2001, the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival celebrates excellence in Canadian cinema and raises global awareness of Canadian achievements in film.

15 Feature Documentaries advance in 2013 Oscar Race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 86th Oscars® . One hundred forty-seven films had originally qualified in the category.

The Act of Killing, The Square and Stories We Tell are among the 15 films that have made the Oscar shortlist for documentary features, the Academy announced on Monday.

2013 Annie Awards – nominations

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 41st Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year's best in the field of animation. The Annie Awards cover 30 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short and Outstanding Individual Achievements.

The slate of nominations for Best Animated Features this year include: A Letter to Momo (GKIDS), Despicable Me 2 (Universal Pictures), Ernest & Celestine (GKIDS), Frozen (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Monsters University (Pixar Animation Studios), The Croods (DreamWorks Animations), and The Wind Rises (Studio Ghibli and The Walt Disney Studios).

"I am very excited about this year's slate of nominees!" remarked ASIFA-Hollywood president,Frank Gladstone. "We had more submissions to choose from this year running the gamut from big studio features to indie films, television series to internet shows, games, shorts and student films, as well as a wonderful group of juried award recipients, all showcasing the huge variety of venues, creativity, technical innovation and story-telling that our art form has to offer."

2013 IPA Satellite Awards – nominations

The International Press Academy has announces its slate of nominations for the 18th annual IPA Satellite Awards.

Leading the field with 10 nominations was Steve McQueen’s historical drama 12 Years a Slave. It was followed by Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity and David O. Russell’s American Hustle, each with eight nominations apiece. All three were nominated for Best Motion Picture.

The other Best Motion Picture nominees were Inside Llewyn Davis by the Coen brothers, Philomena by Stephen Frears, The Wolf of Wall Street by Martin Scorsese, Saving Mr. Banks by John Lee Hancock, All Is Lost by J.C. Chandor, and Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine.