Nine films short-listed for Foreign Language Oscar

Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards. Seventy-six films had originally been considered in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

2013 National Film Registry selections

Cinema with the Right Stuff Marks 2013 National Film Registry
Pulp Fiction, Mary Poppins, Roger & Me Among Registry Additions

Heroes of the space race, a pop cult classic; the age-old battle between the sexes; and a record of Native-American traditions are among a cadre of films being recognized as works of great cultural, historic or aesthetic significance to the nation’s cinematic heritage. The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, announced today the annual selection of 25 motion pictures to join the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. They will be preserved as cinematic treasures for generations to come.

"The National Film Registry stands among the finest summations of more than a century of extraordinary American cinema," said Billington. "This key component of American cultural history, however, is endangered, so we must protect the nation’s matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity."

Toronto Film Critics Association announces winners for the 2013 TFCA Awards

Inside Llewyn Davis, Joel and Ethan Coen’s tale of a folk singer making his way through Greenwich Village, 1961, won two top prizes at the 2013 awards of the Toronto Film Critics Association.

Inside Llewyn Davis was named Best Picture, with Oscar Isaac winning the Best Actor prize. In 2007, the Coens received the TFCA’s Best Director award for their film No Country for Old Men, which also won Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay.

The awards were voted by the TFCA at a meeting Dec. 15. The membership also chose the three finalists for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award: The Dirties, directed by Matt Johnson, Gabrielle, directed by Louise Archambault; and Watermark, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky.

289 feature films in contention for 2013 Best Picture Oscar

Two hundred eighty-nine feature films are eligible for the 2013 Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

To be eligible for 86th Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

75 original songs eligible for 2013 Oscar

Seventy-five songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 86th Oscars®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

Film Comment announces 2013 Best of Year lists

Film Comment’s annual end-of-the-year survey of film critics, journalists, film section editors, and past and present contributors was released today with Joel & Ethan Coen’s INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Steve McQueen’s 12 YEARS A SLAVE and Richard Linklater’s BEFORE MIDNIGHT taking the top spots among films released in 2013. Among films that made appearances at film festivals or special screenings worldwide, but haven’t been picked up for stateside distribution as of yet, Philippe Garrel’s JEALOUSY, Tsai Ming-liang’s STRAY DOGS and Joaquim Pinto’s WHAT NOW? REMIND ME received the top rankings.

2013 Black List of top unproduced screenplays

Franklin Leonard revealed his annual Black List today over Twitter, listing the top unproduced screenplays as voted on by over 250 film executives.

72 scripts were on the list which was topped by Andrew Sodroski’s Holland, Michigan which received mentions from 46 voters. The screenplay tells the story of a woman who suspects her husband is cheating on her.

2013 Critics' Choice Movie Awards – nominations

The Broadcast Film Critics Association has announced the nominations for the 19th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

12 Years a Slave and American Hustle lead the nominees for the 19th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards, with 13 apiece. Each received nominations that included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Actor and Best Screenplay (Adapted and Original respectively). The competing Best Picture nominees were Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, Saving Mr. Banks and The Wolf of Wall Street.

The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are bestowed annually by the BFCA to honour the finest in cinematic achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 280 television, radio and online critics. Eligible films were released in 2013. The accounting firm of CMM, LLP tallied the written ballots.

7 features advance in race for Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 86th Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

114 Original Scores in 2013 Oscar Race

One hundred fourteen scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Oscars®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title:

71st Annual Golden Globe Awards – nominations

The nominees for the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards were officially unveiled during a ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel this morning.

The nominations were led by 12 Years A Slave by Steve McQueen and American Hustle by David O. Russell. Both films received seven nominations including Best Picture (Drama and Comedy/Musical respectively), Best Director and screenplay, as well as several acting mentions each.

Surprisingly, Lee Daniels' The Butler was shut out of the nominations entirely. Also shut out were Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station.

2013 Asia Pacific Screen Awards – winners

The Asia Pacific Screen Academy held their 7th Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony tonight at Brisbane City Hall in Queensland, Australia.

The awards were distributed somewhat evenly as most winners took only a single award. The top prize of Best Feature went to the Palestinian film Omar by Hany Abu-Assad.

The Best Directing awards was presented to Singapore filmmaker Anthony Chen for Ilo Ilo. The Best Screenplay award was given to Ritesh Batra for The Lunchbox. He also picked up a Grand Jury Prize.

The Best Documentary Feature award went to The Act of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn and anonymous Indonesian directors.

Screen Actors Guild announced SAG Awards 2013 nominations

Nominees for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® for outstanding performances in 2013 in five film and eight television categories as well as the SAG Awards honors for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced this morning in Los Angeles at the Pacific Design Center’s SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood.

SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard introduced Sasha Alexander (TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles” and the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Social Media Ambassador) and Clark Gregg (“Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”) who announced the nominees for this year’s Actors®. SAG Awards Committee Vice Chair Daryl Anderson and Committee Member Woody Schultzannounced the stunt ensemble nominees.

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.”