Cinema Eye Honors Announces 2013 Heterodox – nominees

The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking today announced the five nominees for its third annual Cinema Eye Heterodox Award, sponsored by Filmmaker Magazine. The Cinema Eye Heterodox Award honors a narrative film that imaginatively incorporates nonfiction strategies, content and/or modes of production.

The five films nominated for the 2013 Heterodox Award are: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s Ceasar Must Die (Cesare deve morire), Craig Zobel’s Compliance, Jem Cohen’s Museum Hours, Pablo Larraín’s No, and Terence Nance’s An Oversimplification of Her Beauty.

These films illuminate the formal possibilities of nonfiction filmmaking while raising provocative questions about ongoing documentary orthodoxy and the perceived boundaries between narrative and nonfiction filmmaking. Previous winners of the award were Matt Porterfield’s Putty Hill (2011) and Mike Mills’ Beginners (2012).

2012 Blue Metropolis Festival, April 18–23

The 14th edition of the literary festival Blue Metropolis starts today in Montreal. This year, they will be centred at Hôtel Opus at 10 Sherbrooke St. W. on the corner of St-Laurent. The festival will host 156 activities from 10 countries and in 5 languages.

Highlights of the festival include Arab Prize Winner, UK/Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif in conversation with CBC's Paul Kennedy; Esi Edugyan on stage with CBC's Shelagh Rogers; Cuban writing with Leonardo Padura, Wendy Guerra and Eduardo Manet; Crime writing with crime writers from Canada, Spain, Cuba, and the US; Two staged events featuring the work of Irving Layton and Saint-Denys Garneau; Writing from Newfoundland with Paul Kennedy; and Face to Face with Colombian writer Juan Gabriel Vasquez.

For the fifth year, Blue Met will also be hosting a parallel Children's Festival at 55 venues (libraries, cultural and community centres) with over 60 free activities for the whole family.

2012 Hugo Awards – nominations

The nominations for the 2012 Hugo Awards for science-fiction and fantasy were announced this weekend.

As it happens the nominees for Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form included the film Hugo by Martin Scorsese. The other Long Form nominations went to Captain America: The First Avenger, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and Source Code, plus the television series Game of Thrones (Season 1).

For Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form, three of the five nominations went to the BBC series Dr. Who. The remaining bids went to Community and the acceptance speech by Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon of The Drink Tank when it won for Best Fanzine at last year's Hugo Awards.

Kids' Choice Awards 2012 - winners

Nickelodeon held Kids' Choice Awards 2012 tonight at a ceremony in Los Angeles hosted by Will Smith.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked took the Favourite Movie prize over Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, The Muppets and The Smurfs. Puss in Boots won for Favourite Animated Movie.

If you can believe it, Adam Sandler won an acting award and it wasn't (yet) a Golden Raspberry. Kristen Stewart won for Movie Actress and Katy Perry won for Voice from an Animated Movie.

Victorious won for TV Show, while Jake Short and Selena Gomez won the TV acting categories. Selena Gomez also picked up a prize for Female Singer, while her boyfriend Canadian singer Justin Bieber won for Male Singer. Bieber was one of many celebs who were "slimed" while onstage.

2012 Festival International du Film sur l’Art – Award winners

30TH FIFA: AN ANNIVERSARY EDITION, A SYMBOL OF REFINEMENT, SURPRISE AND QUALITY!

Montreal, March 26, 2012 – The 30th International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), presented in collaboration with Astral, has demonstrated that after thirty years the public’s devotion to the festival is unwavering, as is the festival’s mission. For the last month, film-lovers, art enthusiasts and tourists joined in the anniversary celebrations. From March 15 to 25, 232 films from 27 countries were presented at nine of Montreal’s finest cultural institutions, representing all artistic disciplines and modes of expressions.

At the awards ceremony held on Saturday, March 24 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the international jury of the 30th FIFA, presided over by singer-actress-director Carole Laure, honoured 12 films from 9 countries. Other jury members included Simon Brault, CEO of the National Theatre School of Canada; filmmaker Jérôme de Missolz; Christopher Jackson, conductor and artistic director of the Studio de musiques anciennes de Montréal; and Spanish art historian and museologist Salvador Nadales.

2012 Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA), Mar 15–25

The 30th anniversary edition of the Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA) or International Festival of Films on Art kicks off tonight with an invitation only screening of Lech Majewski’s The Mill and the Cross. The film stars Michael York, Charlotte Rampling and Rutger Hauer as the painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It tells the story of Bruegel's "The Way to Calvary" through a dozen of its characters come to life.

The festival continues over the next week-and-a-half with films about all the arts. It includes films about  painting, sculpture, animation, photography, design, architecture, fashion, film, literature, dance, theatre, opera, music and more.

After last year's successful launch, the Marché International du film sur l'Art (International Market of Films on Art, or MIFA) returns with representatives from countries including France, United States and Spain. MIFA takes place from Wednesday, March 21 to Saturday, March 24. Activities include training, pitch sessions, master classes, roundtables and conferences.

Call for submissions: Quebec Writing Competition 2012

CBC Radio One and the Quebec Writers' Federation have put out a call for submissions for the 2012 Quebec Writing Competition. It is the 13th edition of the competition for short stories or creative non-fiction in English by Quebec writers.

Three winners will be chosen and receive $1,500 for First Prize, $1,000 for Second Prize, and $300 for a "Reader's Choice" prize (as determined by the public). The winners will be broadcast on CBC Radio's Cinq à Six and will be honoured at the Quebec Writers' Federation's annual Literary Awards Gala, held in November 2012. The First Prize winner will be published in Maisonneuve magazine, and the texts of the other two prizewinners will be published on the Maisonneuve magazine website. All three winning texts, as well as the other finalists, will be published in an anthology from Véhicule Press and on the Canada Writes website.

They do not accept free verse, poetry, screenwriting or playwriting. Submissions must be original and unpublished work of 1,200 words or less and it should fall into one of the following categories: Travel Writing; Life Stories; Short Fiction; Family Narratives; Humour; or Personal Essays.

2012 Scripter Award goes to The Descendants

THE DESCENDANTS ASCEND WITH SCRIPTER WIN

Authors and screenwriters of the family drama take the 2012 USC Libraries Scripter Award.

Author Kaui Hart Hemmings and screenwriters Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash won the 24th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for their creative contributions to The Descendants. Selection committee co-chair Naomi Foner announced the winners at the black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 18.

“This is such a wonderful honor and to be part of something that celebrates and puts books on a pedestal and none of this would have been possible without Kaui’s wonderful book,” said Rash. “It was such a wonderful journey for us to fall in love with the book and have the opportunity to turn it into the film.”

Hemmings noted that the collaboration has been a positive experience for her.

NAACP Image Awards - winners

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) held their 43rd annual NAACP Image Awards tonight at the Shrine Auditorium. Sanaa Lathan and actor Anthony Mackie hosted the event.

The Help led the Motion Picture field with wins for Outstanding Motion Picture and acting awards for Actress Viola Davis and Supporting Actress Octavia Spencer. The Help had led the nominations with eight along with Pariah.

Salim Akil's Jumping the Broom tied the three wins by The Help with its own trio of prizes. It claimed Best Director and the both Actor and Supporting Actor for Laz Alonso and Mike Epps respectively.

The only win for Pariah was for Independent Motion Picture. The winner for Foreign Motion Picture was In the Land of Blood and Honey. The award for Writing in a Motion Picture went to Ann Peacock for The First Grader

Kids' Choice Awards 2012 - nominees

Nickelodeon has unveiled the nominees for their Kids' Choice Awards 2012.

Animation featured prominently in the Movie nominees which were Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, The Muppets and The Smurfs. The actual Animated Movie nominations went to Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and Rio.

Johnny Depp picked up two nominations. He was nominated for Movie Actor where he competes against Jim Carrey, Daniel Radcliffe and Adam Sandler, and for Voice From An Animated Movie where he is up against Antonio Banderas, Jack Black and Katy Perry. Katy Perry, however, had a total of three nominations with her music nominations for Female Singer an Song (Firework).

For Movie Actress, the nominees were Amy Adams, Kristen Stewart, Sofia Vergara and Emma Watson.

NAACP Image Awards - nominees

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.

2012 USC Libraries Scripter Award - finalists

The Friends of the USC Libraries have announced their finalists for the 24th Annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. The Scripter Award is given for writers of film adaptations to both the screenwriter(s) and originating author(s).

This year's finalists are A Dangerous Method, The Descendants, Jane Eyre, Moneyball and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Aaron Sorkin is nominated as co-screenwriter of Moneyball. He was the winner of last year with author Ben Mezrich for The Social Network. His Moneyball co-writer Steve Zaillian is a past winner for Awakenings, while nominees Alexander Payne, Christopher Hampton, and John le Carré are previous finalists.

Canadian-born screenwriter, producer and director Paul Haggis has been announced as the recipient of the 2012 Scripter Literary Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the art of film adaptation. He is the only screenwriter to ever write screenplays for two consecutive Best Picture Oscar-winners (Crash and Million Dollar Baby) and was in the running for a third consecutive year with Letters From Iwo Jima.

From Page to Stage: Michael Ondaatje live discussion on adaptation

From Page to Stage - Adapting Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero

Please join us as David Young interviews  Michael Ondaatje and Daniel Brooks (Necessary Angel Theatre) on the adaptation of Ondaatje's "Divisadero" (the novel) into "Divisadero: A Performance" (the play).

This special fusion evening of Canadian literature and theatre is free and will take place on Monday January 9, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Atrium at the Toronto Reference Library.  Necessary Angel is giving everyone who attends the event at Toronto Reference Library a $5 discount coupon on tickets.

Michael Ondaatje - author of the novel Divisadero (Governor General's Literary Award, 2007) - set partly in the gambling parlours of California and Nevada, and partly in a village in south-central France.

TIFF launches Food, Science and Books on Film series

TIFF LAUNCHES 2012 SUBSCRIPTION SERIES:
FOOD ON FILM, SCIENCE ON FILM AND BOOKS ON FILM
TIFF offers one-stop holiday shopping for all the foodies, bookworms, popular science lovers and film fans on your list

Toronto – TIFF presents three exciting subscription series launching in February 2012 that pair screenings with fascinating conversations. Food on Film, Books on Film, and Science on Film each feature six screenings with guests who use the films as a launch pad for engaging discussions and take questions from the audience. Subscriptions are on sale Monday for TIFF members and are available for non-members to purchase beginning December 8.

Food on Film

For people who love great food and entertainment, TIFF partners with Oliver and Bonacini and Food Network Canada for TIFF Bell Lightbox’s newest subscription series. Chefs, food experts and film lovers come together to enjoy the best of culinary cinema and conversation. For each installment, host Jason Bangerter, Executive Chef of Luma and O&B Canteen restaurants, welcomes guest chefs from Food Network and other experts from the culinary world to examine the intersections of great food and great films. A unique dish will be created and served at Luma before and after each event (additional charge applies) and all Food on Film subscribers will receive a recipe card for each of the dishes.

2011 Hugo Awards - winners

The 2011 Hugo Awards for science fiction were handed out on Saturday evening, August 20, at the Peppermill Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nevada. Jay Lake and Ken Scholes hosted the event along with additional presenters such as Renovation Guests of Honor Tim Powers, Boris Vallejo and Ellen Asher, as well as genre writers George R.R. Martin and Robert Silverberg.

The winner for Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form) was Christopher Nolan's Inception, handily beating runner-up How to Train Your Dragon and the other nominees Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Toy Story 3. The Short Form Presentation winner was Doctor Who: “The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang”.

The unique 2011 Hugo trophy base design was revealed at the ceremony by designer and Hugo base design contest winner Marina Gelineau.

13th Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival, April 27 - May 1

Today is the opening of the 13e Festival littéraire international de Montréal Metropolis bleu (13th Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival). It brings together writers and artists from around the world and includes readings, workshops and talks. The program features over 170 activities and more than 200 writers and artists.

As part of the festival, they are holding their 4e Festival des enfants Metropolis bleu  (4th Blue Metropolis Children's Festival) at the same time. The program for the children's section can be viewed online here.

This year the festival takes place at the Holiday Inn Select Montreal Downtown Hotel, located at 99 Viger Avenue West, H2Z 1E9 (corner of St. Urbain) 514 878-9888. It runs until May 1.

http://bluemetropolis.org/Festival

Call for submissions: Quebec Writing Competition 2011

CBC Radio One and the Quebec Writers' Federation have put out a call for submissions for the 2011 Quebec Writing Competition. It is the 12th edition of the competition for short stories or creative non-fiction in English by Quebec writers.

Three winners will receive a $1000 prize, broadcast on CBC Radio's Cinq à Six, and publication in an anthology by Véhicule Press. The Grand Prize winner will be published in Maisonneuve Magazine, while the other two prize winners will be made available on the Maisonneuve Magazine website. In addition, the competition will choose 10 honourable mentions.

They do not accept free verse, poetry, screenwriting or playwriting. Submissions must be original and unpublished work of 1,200 words or less and it should fall into one of the following categories: Travel Writing; Life Stories; Short Fiction; Family Narratives; Humour; or Personal Essays.

Last year's winner was Taqralik Partridge for her short story "Igloolik." The Second Prize Winners were Michele Ann Jenkins for "Mothers' Little Helper" and Joshua Levy for "Speed Dating."