Awards

Complete List + Trailers of 15 Documentary Feature Films Advancing in 2015 Oscar Race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards®. One hundred twenty-four films were originally submitted in the category. The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Amy,” On the Corner Films and Universal Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE “Best of Enemies,” Sandbar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzgfQvB2dvA “Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vi9vWdUKEg “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zllYkNu1sl4 “He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ghiYve6k68 “Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v37BnyHefnY “The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBNHGi36nlM “Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZlWjE_NJfI “The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbPN8-juZUI “Meru,” Little Monster Films https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pZ1GzXPEO8 “3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” The Filmmaker Fund, Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, Actual Films, JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha BRITDOC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_USf1UQIAYg “We Come as Friends,” Adelante Films (pictured in main image) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0uso3emlUg “What Happened, Miss Simone?,” RadicalMedia and Moxie Firecracker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moOQXZxriKY “Where to Invade Next,” Dog Eat Dog Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei747zi9iYY “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” Pray for Ukraine Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RibAQHeDia8 The Academy’s Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles. The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Read more
“Spotlight” “Tangerine” “The Look of Silence” Win at 2015 Gotham Independent Film Awards | VIDEOS

Spotlight was the big winner at the 2015 Gotham Independent Film Awards, winning three awards including Best Feature, followed closely by Tangerine with two awards, including Audience Award. The Look of Silence won the award for Best Documentary. The 25th Gotham Independent Film Awards took place on November 30th, 2015 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Best Feature Spotlight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM3Y4cPEe9U Best Actress Bel Powley as Minnie Goetze The Diary of a Teenage Girl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SBSlrZFcN4 Breakthrough Series – Longform Mr. Robot Best Actor Paul Dano as Brian Wilson Love & Mercy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ45LMI26T0 Best Documentary The Look of Silence Director: Joshua Oppenheimer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVHj7LUI-Oc Audience Award Tangerine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETUhZjU82Dg The First Gotham Appreciation Award Ellen Cotter of Angelika Film Center Theaters Special Jury Award – Ensemble Performance Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian d’Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, and Billy Crudup Spotlight Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Jonas Carpigano Mediterranea Breakthrough Series – Short Form Shugs & Fats Best Screenplay Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer Spotlight Breakthrough Actor Mya Taylor Tangerine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okgmHbTe3DA
Read more
“Cemetery of Splendor” Wins Top Prize – Best Feature Film at Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Cemetery of Splendour from Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul won the 2015 Asia Pacific Screen Award (APSA) for Best Feature Film, considered the region’s highest accolade in film. Cemetery of Splendour is set in and around a hospital ward full of comatose soldiers. Attached to glowing dream machines, and tended to by a kindly volunteer (Jenjira Pongpas Widner) and a young clairvoyant (Jarinpattra Rueangram), the men are said to be waging war in their sleep on behalf of long-dead feuding kings, and their mysterious slumber provides the rich central metaphor: sleep as safe haven, as escape mechanism, as ignorance, as bliss.

Read more
Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor to Receive Richard Harris Award at British Independent Film Awards

Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor will be honored with the Richard Harris Award at this year’s Moët British Independent Film Awards on Sunday December 6th, 2015. Chiwetel Ejiofor is being given the award “in recognition of his exceptional service to the film industry, not just here in the UK but internationally as an ambassador for British film.” Jared Harris, son of Richard Harris, commented: “I am so happy this award is going to Chiwetel. Although the recipients of this award have all been embraced by the establishment, they all came from outside it, fought their way in on the strength of their talent, claimed their place and changed the status quo. A journey which describes Chiwetel’s career perfectly. His talent is immense, it has brought him deserved worldwide recognition, and he is in his prime! I hope this award inspires British filmmakers to take advantage of him and build films around his talent.”
In 1996, Chiwetel caught the attention of Stephen Spielberg who cast him in Amistad opposite Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins. In 2002, he was nominated for his first major awards: the BIFA for Most Promising Newcomer and for Best Actor, which he won, for his performance in Stephen Frears’ thriller Dirty Pretty Things. Chiwetel’s transatlantic career continued with roles in Richard Curtis’ Love Actually, Woody Allen’s Melinda and Melinda and Julian Jarrold’s Kinky Boots, which drew another BIFA nomination. Chiwetel has worked with a spectacular roll-call of directors in the UK and US including Ridley Scott (American Gangster, The Martian), David Mamet (Redbelt), Tom Hooper (Red Dust), Spike Lee (Inside Man), and Alfonso Cuarón in the Oscar nominated Children of Men. 2014 was a memorable year for Chiwetel and saw him star in Steve McQueen’s Oscar winning US-UK co-production Twelve Years a Slave. Chiwetel’s performance as Solomon Northup gained him Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG nominations and won him a Best Actor BAFTA. Later in the year Chiwetel also starred in Half of a Yellow Sun based on the highly acclaimed novel of the same title, the film also starred Thandie Newton and Joseph Mawle. This year Chiwetel was elevated from OBE to CBE for his services to drama and has seen him feature in a raft of acclaimed films and stage performances, including Everyman, Rufus Norris’ inaugural play as Artistic Director of The National Theatre. As well as that astonishing stage performance, 2015 has seen Chiwetel appear in blockbuster The Martian and the soon-to-be-released thriller Secret in Their Eyes with Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman as well as John Hillcoat’s heist crime thriller Triple Nine with Kate Winslet, Casey Affleck and Aaron Paul. He is currently shooting Marvel’s Doctor Strange with Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton.
The Richard Harris Award was introduced in 2002 in honor of Richard Harris and recognizes outstanding contribution to British film by an actor. Previous winners have been John Hurt, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Julie Walters and Emma Thompson in 2014.
Read more
CAROL Leads Nominations for 2016 Spirit Awards

Carol directed by Todd Haynes lead nominations for the 2016 Spirit Awards with 6 nods including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Female Lead for both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, Best Sreenplay and Best Cinematography. The other nominees for Best Feature included Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Spotlight and Tangerine. Spotlight was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts. “Spotlight is a remarkable film that excels on every level, but the Nominating Committee thought it was especially deserving of the Robert Altman Award,” said Welsh. “The film is beautifully cast with every member of the ensemble working together to tell the story of the Boston Globe investigating allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church.” Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 27, 2016. 2016 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.) Anomalisa Producers: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, Dino Stamatopoulos, Rosa Tran Beasts of No Nation Producers: Daniel Crown, Idris Elba, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker Carol Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley Spotlight Producers: Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar Tangerine Producers: Sean Baker, Karrie Cox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou BEST FIRST FEATURE – Award given to the director and producer. The Diary of a Teenage Girl Director: Marielle Heller Producers: Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, Madeline Samit James White Director: Josh Mond Producers: Max Born, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Melody Roscher, Eric Schultz Manos Sucias Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka Producers: Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes Mediterranea Director: Jonas Carpignano Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon, Christoph Daniel, Andrew Kortschak, John Lesher, Ryan Lough, Justin Nappi, Alain Peyrollaz, Gwyn Sannia, Marc Schmidheiny, Victor Shapiro, Ryan Zacarias Songs My Brothers Taught Me Director/Producer: Chloé Zhao Producers: Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, Forest Whitaker JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded. Advantageous Writer/Director/Producer: Jennifer Phang Writer/Producer: Jacqueline Kim Producers: Robert Chang, Ken Jeong, Moon Molson, Theresa Navarro Christmas, Again Writer/Director/Producer: Charles Poekel Heaven Knows What Directors: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie Writers: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie Producers: Oscar Boyson, Sebastian Bear McClard Krisha Writer/Director/Producer: Trey Edward Shults Producers: Justin R. Chan, Chase Joliet, Wilson Smith Out of My Hand Writer/Director: Takeshi Fukunaga Writer/Producer: Donari Braxton Producer: Mike Fox BEST DIRECTOR Sean Baker; Tangerine Cary Joji Fukunaga; Beasts of No Nation Todd Haynes; Carol Duke Johnson & Charlie Kaufman; Anomalisa; Tom McCarthy Spotlight; David Robert Mitchell It Follows BEST SCREENPLAY Charlie Kaufman; Anomalisa Donald Margulies; The End of the Tour Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer; Spotlight Phyllis Nagy; Carol S. Craig Zahler; Bone Tomahawk BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY Jesse Andrews; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Jonas Carpignano; Mediterranea Emma Donoghue; Room Marielle Heller; The Diary of a Teenage Girl John Magary, Story by Russell Harbaugh and Myna Joseph; The Mend BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Cary Joji Fukunaga; Beasts of No Nation Michael Gioulakis; It Follows Ed Lachman; Carol Reed Morano; Meadowland Joshua James Richards; Songs My Brothers Taught Me BEST EDITING Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie; Heaven Knows What Tom McArdle; Spotlight Nathan Nugent; Room Julio C. Perez IV; It Follows Kristan Sprague; Manos Sucias BEST FEMALE LEAD Cate Blanchett; Carol Brie Larson; Room Rooney Mara; Carol Bel Powley; The Diary of a Teenage Girl Kitana Kiki Rodriguez; Tangerine BEST MALE LEAD Christopher Abbott; James White Abraham Attah; Beasts of No Nation Ben Mendelsohn; Mississippi Grind Jason Segel; The End of the Tour Koudous Seihon; Mediterranea BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE Robin Bartlett; H. Marin Ireland; Glass Chin Jennifer Jason Leigh; Anomalisa Cynthia Nixon; James White Mya Taylor; Tangerine BEST SUPPORTING MALE Kevin Corrigan; Results Paul Dano; Love & Mercy Idris Elba; Beasts of No Nation Richard Jenkins; Bone Tomahawk Michael Shannon; 99 Homes ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. Spotlight Director: Tom McCarthy Casting Directors:Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee Ensemble Cast: Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle, Neal Huff, Brian d’Arcy James, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Jamey Sheridan, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci BEST DOCUMENTARY – Award given to the director and producer. (T)ERROR Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe Producer: Christopher St. John Best of Enemies Directors/Producers: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville Heart of a Dog Director/Producer: Laurie Anderson Producer: Dan Janvey The Look of Silence Director:Joshua Oppenheimer Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen Meru Directors/Producers: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Producer: Shannon Ethridge The Russian Woodpecker Director/Producer: Chad Gracia Producers: Ram Devineni, Mike Lerner BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM – Award given to the director. Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia); Director: Ciro Guerra Girlhood (France); Director: Céline Sciamma Mustang (France, Turkey); Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden); Director: Roy Andersson Son of Saul (Hungary); Director: László Nemes 19th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 19th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget. Darren Dean Mel Eslyn Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith 22nd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 22nd annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851. God Bless the Child; Directors: Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck King Jack; Director: Felix Thompson Songs My Brothers Taught Me; Director: Chloé Zhao 21st TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 21st annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. Among the Believers; Directors: Mohammed Ali Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi Incorruptible; Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi A Woman Like Me; Directors: Elizabeth Giamatti and Alex Sichel
Read more
“Tangerine” “Taxi” “The Tribe” Among 5 Films Nominated for 2016 Cinema Eye Heterodox Award

Five films have been nominated for the 2016 Cinema Eye Heterodox Award. The Heterodox Award honors a narrative fiction film that imaginatively incorporates nonfiction strategies, content and/or modes of production. The five films nominated the 2016 Cinema Eye Heterodox Award are: Arabian Nights: Volume One (The Restless One) directed by Miguel Gomes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yONovEHyvXo God Bless the Child directed by Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXAgEO4rMSw Tangerine directed by Sean Baker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALSwWTb88ZU Taxi directed by Jafar Panahi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM2tblIkL4g The Tribe directed by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeYO_EoHP0k This marks the sixth year for the Heterodox Award at Cinema Eye. Previous winners of the award were Matt Porterfield’s Putty Hill (2011), Mike Mills’ Beginners (2012), Jem Cohen’s Museum Hours (2013), Carlos Reygados’s Post Tenebras Lux (2014) and Richard Linklater’s Boyhood (2015). The Heterodox prize will be presented on Tuesday, January 12th in New York City at the 2nd annual Honors Lunch during Cinema Eye Week.
Read more
BIFA Winner Richard Ayoade to Host 2015 Moët British Independent Film Awards

BIFA-winning writer, director, presenter and actor Richard Ayoade will host the 2015 Moët British Independent Film Awards. Richard was nominated for two BIFAs and a BAFTA for his debut film Submarine and won the BIFA for Best Screenplay. He starred in The Watch with Jonah Hill and co-wrote and directed The Double, starring Jesse Eisenberg. He won a BAFTA for playing Moss in The IT Crowd and featured in Nathan Barley, Time Trumpet and The Mighty Boosh, as well as Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place, which he also co-wrote and directed. His first book, Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey, was published by Faber & Faber in 2014. Richard said: “I have come to accept that I am now contracted to host this year’s Moët British Independent Film Awards, following in the esteemed footsteps of whoever dropped out. I’ve been told it’s been an outstanding year for British film, but I remember people saying very similar things last year. Let’s celebrate regardless.” BIFA said: “We are very excited that Richard will be hosting the Awards. He is funny, clever and a brilliant filmmaker. He also knows a spectacular amount about film. He’s the perfect host for the Awards and we’re really looking forward to the ceremony with him in charge.” The Moët British Independent Film Awards will take place on Sunday December 6, 2015, at Old Billingsgate.
Read more
10 Live Action Short Films Advance in 2015 Oscar Race | TRAILERS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards®. One hundred forty-four pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Ave Maria,” Basil Khalil, director, and Eric Dupont, producer (Incognito Films) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC7B8q6J9s4 “Bad Hunter,” Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Dries Phlypo, producer (A Private View) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEwVhi_iSl4 “Bis Gleich (Till Then),” Philippe Brenninkmeyer, producer, and Tara Lynn Orr, writer (avenueROAD Films) (pictured in main image above) “Contrapelo (Against the Grain),” Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director, and Pin-Chun Liu, producer (Ochenta y Cinco Films) “Day One,” Henry Hughes, director (American Film Institute) “Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut),” Patrick Vollrath, director (Filmakademie Wien) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPrRmiJXTVY “The Free Man (Zi You Ren),” Quah Boon-Lip, director (Taipei National University of the Arts) “Shok,” Jamie Donoughue, director (Eagle Eye Films) “Stutterer,” Benjamin Cleary, director (Bare Golly Films) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnlBGQUn0tM “Winter Light,” Julian Higgins, director, and Josh Pence, producer (Innerlight Films and Prelude Pictures) Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting. Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December. The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Read more
10 Animated Short Films Advance in 2015 Oscar Race | TRAILERS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards®. Sixty pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Bear Story (Historia De Un Oso),” Gabriel Osorio, director, and Pato Escala, producer (Punkrobot Animation Studio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sUYg7WZSqc “Carface (Autos Portraits),” Claude Cloutier, director (National Film Board of Canada)(pictured in main image above) “If I Was God…,” Cordell Barker, director (National Film Board of Canada) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAEQIK4pDvw “Love in the Time of March Madness,” Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano, directors (High Hip Productions and KAPWA Studioworks) https://vimeo.com/89993508 “My Home,” Phuong Mai Nguyen, director (Papy3D Productions) https://vimeo.com/110398088 “An Object at Rest,” Seth Boyden, director (California Institute of the Arts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmfk1Sz0gS4 “Prologue,” Richard Williams, director, and Imogen Sutton, producer (Animation Masterclass) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G78qA9oreNE “Sanjay’s Super Team,” Sanjay Patel, director, and Nicole Grindle, producer (Pixar Animation Studios) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bJKwsTKFrY “We Can’t Live without Cosmos,” Konstantin Bronzit, director (Melnitsa Animation Studio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KQKYzgusFI “World of Tomorrow,” Don Hertzfeldt, director (Bitter Films) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdV1uFwtCpo Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting. Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December. The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Read more
Jessica Chastain is Named Honorary Chair of 2016 Spirit Awards

Actress Jessica Chastain (The Martian, A Most Violent Year, Interstellar, Tree of Life) has been named Honorary Chair for the 2016 Spirit Awards. Chastain was nominated for a Spirit Award for her work in Take Shelter (2012) and A Most Violent Year (2015). Past Chairs include Kerry Washington, Tom Cruise, Benecio Del Toro, Angela Bassett, Jeremy Renner, Salma Hayek, Halle Berry, Robert Duvall, Jodie Foster, Danny Glover, Harvey Keitel, Nicole Kidman, Ang Lee, Julianne Moore, Martin Scorsese and John Travolta. Also announced, actors John Boyega (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Attack the Block, The Circle, Imperial Dreams) and Elizabeth Olsen (I Saw the Light, Old Boy, Silent House, Martha Marcy May Marlene) will present the 2016 nominees in a press conference at 10:00 am PT on Tuesday, November 24 at The W Hollywood. The 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards will be broadcast exclusively on IFC on February 27, 2016, LIVE at 2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET. “We’re so honored to have Jessica as our Honorary Chair at this year’s Spirit Awards,” said Welsh. “As a past Spirit Award nominee and someone whose work as an actor and producer embodies the qualities we celebrate at Film Independent, I can’t think of a more suitable Honorary Chair for this exciting celebration of artist-driven filmmaking. Our press conference hosts are also great friends of Film Independent. John Boyega’s Attack the Block had a Gala presentation at the LA Film Festival in 2011 and Olsen is a past Spirit Award nominee for Martha Marcy May Marlene (2012).”
Read more
CARTEL LAND, MERU Leads Nominations for 9th Cinema Eye Honors awards for Nonfiction Filmmaking

Cartel Land, Matthew Heineman’s gripping account of violence and vigilantes on both sides of the US-Mexico border, led the nominations for 9th Cinema Eye Honors awards for Nonfiction Filmmaking, with five nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature. It is joined in the top category by Asif Kapadia’s Amy, Camilla Neilsson’s Democrats, Stevan Riley’s Listen to Me Marlon, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence. The latter, which received four nominations, and Cartel Land were the only films nominated for Outstanding Feature, Direction, Production and Cinematography. Other films that received multiple nominations include the mountain climbing thriller Meru (4 nominations); Amy, Heart of a Dog, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck and The Wolfpack (3 nominations); Best of Enemies, Democrats, Listen to Me Marlon, The Nightmare, Uncertain and Western (2 nominations). Winners of the 9th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced Wednesday, January 13, 2016 in New York at the Museum of the Moving Image. The complete list of nominations for 9th Cinema Eye Honors Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking “Amy” Directed by Asif Kapadia Produced by James Gay-Rees “Cartel Land” Directed by Matthew Heineman Produced by Tom Yellin “Democrats” Directed by Camilla Nielsson Produced by Henrik Veileborg “Listen to Me Marlon” Directed by Stevan Riley Produced by John Battsek, George Chignell and R.J. Cutler “The Look of Silence” Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer Produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen “The Wolfpack” Directed by Crystal Moselle Produced by Crystal Moselle and Izabella Tzenkova Outstanding Achievement in Direction Matthew Heineman, “Cartel Land” Kim Longinotto, “Dreamcatcher” Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog” Frederick Wiseman, “In Jackson Heights” Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, David Usui & Ben Wu, “In Transit” Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence” Outstanding Achievement in Editing Chris King, “Amy” Aaron Wickenden and Eileen Meyer, “Best of Enemies” James Scott, “How to Change the World”Brett Morgen and Joe Neshenkovsky, “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” Stevan Riley, “Listen to Me Marlon” Outstanding Achievement in Production Tom Yellin, “Cartel Land” Henrik Veileborg, “Democrats” Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright and Kristen Vaurio, “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”Signe Byrge Sørensen, “The Look of Silence” Jimmy Chin, Chai Vasarhelyi and Shannon Etheridge, “Meru” Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll, “Cartel Land” Lars Skree, “The Look of Silence” Renan Ozturk, “Meru” Ewan McNicol, “Uncertain” Bill Ross and Turner Ross, “Western” Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Films Made for Television “Deep Web” Directed by Alex Winter Produced by Marc Schiller, Alex Winter and Glen Zipper For EPIX: Executive Producers Jill Burkhart and Ross Bernard “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” Directed by Alex Gibney Produced by Alex Gibney, Kristen Vaurio and Lawrence Wright For HBO Documentary Films: Supervising Producer Sara Bernstein and Executive Producer Sheila Nevins “Outbreak” Directed by Dan Edge Produced by Dan Edge and Sasha Joelle Achilli For Frontline/PBS: Coordinating Producer Carla Borras and Executive Producers Raney Aronson-Rath and David Fanning “Private Violence” Directed and Produced by Cynthia Hill For HBO Documentary Films: Senior Producer Nancy Abraham and Executive Producer Sheila Nevins “Whitey: The United States of America vs. James J. Bulger” Directed by Joe Berlinger Produced by Joe Berlinger and Caroline Suh For CNN Films: Supervising Producer Courtney Sexton and Executive Producers Vinnie Malhotra and Amy Entelis Audience Choice Prize “Amy” Directed by Asif Kapadia “Best of Enemies” Directed by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” Directed by Alex Gibney “The Hunting Ground” Directed by Kirby Dick “Iris” Directed by Albert Maysles “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” Directed by Brett Morgen “Meru” Directed by Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Directed by Liz Garbus “Where to Invade Next” Directed by Michael Moore “The Wolfpack” Directed by Crystal Moselle Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film “Kings of Nowhere” Directed by Betzabé Garcia “Peace Officer” Directed by Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson “Pervert Park” Directed by Frida Barkfors and Lasse Barkfors “The Russian Woodpecker” Directed by Chad Gracia “Uncertain” Directed by Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands “The Wolfpack” Directed by Crystal Moselle Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score Jackson Greenberg and Scott Salinas, “Cartel Land” Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog” J. Ralph, “Meru” Jonathan Snipes, “The Nightmare” Casey McAllister, “Western” Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation Nominees TBD, “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon” Laurie Anderson, “Heart of a Dog” Stefan Nadelman and Hisko Hulsin, “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” Syd Garon, “The Nightmare” Ryan Green and Josh Larson, “Thank You for Playing” Spotlight Award “Almost There” Directed by Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden “Barge” Directed by Ben Powell “Field Niggas” Directed by Khalik Allah “Frame by Frame” Directed by Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli “(T)error” Directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe “Toto and His Sisters” Directed by Alexandre Nanău Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking “The Breath” Directed by Fabian Kaiser “Buffalo Juggalos” Directed by Scott Cummings “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah” Directed by Adam Benzine “The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul” Directed by Kitty Green “Hotel 22” Directed by Elizabeth Lo
Read more
YOUTH, THE LOBSTER Leads Nominations for 28th European Film Awards

Youth directed by Paolo Sorrentino, lead the nominations for the 28th European Film Awards with 6 nominations, including Best European Film 2015, European Director for Paolo Sorrentino , European Actress for Rachel Weisz, European Actor for Michael Caine, European Screenwriter for Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Academy Award winner Michael Caine as Fred and Academy Award nominee Harvey Keitel as Mick, Paolo Sorrentino’s YOUTH explores the lifelong bond between two friends vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena (Academy Award Winner Rachel Weisz), Mick is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda (Academy Award winner Jane Fonda). And where will inspiration lead their younger friend Jimmy (Paul Dano), an actor grasping to make sense of his next performance? Set against a sprawling landscape of unforgettable sights and intoxicating music, YOUTH asks if our most important and life-changing experiences can come at any time – even late — in life. Fox Searchlight will release the film on December 4, 2015. Other films with multiple nominations, include The Lobster directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, with 4 nods, including Best European Film 2015, European Director for Yorgos Lanthimos, European Actor for Colin Farrell and European Screenwriter for Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou. In the very near future, society demands that we live as couples. Single people are rounded up and sent to a seaside compound—part resort and part minimum-security prison—where they are given a finite number of days to find a match. If they don’t succeed, they will be “altered” and turned into an animal. The recently divorced David (Colin Farrell) arrives at The Hotel with his brother, now a dog; in the event of failure, David has chosen to become a lobster… because they live so long. When David falls in love, he’s up against a new set of rules established by another, rebellious order: for romantics, there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Welcome to the latest dark, dark comedy from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth), creator of absurdist societies not so very different from our own. With Léa Seydoux as the leader of the Loners, Rachel Weisz as David’s true love, John C. Reilly, and Ben Whishaw. An Alchemy release. EUROPEAN FILM 2015 A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE EN DUVA SATT PÅ EN GREN OCH FUNDERADE PÅ TILLVARON Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, 96 min. WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Roy Andersson PRODUCED BY: Pernilla Sandström https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk MUSTANG France, Germany, Turkey, 100 min. DIRECTED BY: Deniz Gamze Ergüven WRITTEN BY: Deniz Gamze Ergüven & Alice Winocour PRODUCED BY: Charles Gillibert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU9JAN8LtIk RAMS HRÚTAR Iceland, Denmark, 93 min. WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Grímur Hákonarson PRODUCED BY: Grímar Jónsson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw THE LOBSTER UK, Ireland, Greece, France, Netherlands, 118 min. DIRECTED BY: Yorgos Lanthimos WRITTEN BY: Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou PRODUCED BY: Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey & Yorgos Lanthimos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z069ldsumxA VICTORIA Germany, 138 min. WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Sebastian Schipper PRODUCED BY: Jan Dressler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp8wcV3GjW0 YOUTH YOUTH – LA GIOVINEZZA Italy, France, UK, Switzerland, 118 min. WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Paolo Sorrentino PRODUCED BY: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima & Carlotta Calori https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJNxQ8Wzr2I EUROPEAN COMEDY 2015 A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE EN DUVA SATT PÅ EN GREN OCH FUNDERADE PÅ TILLVARON Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, 96 min. WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Roy Andersson PRODUCED BY: Pernilla Sandström THE BÉLIER FAMILY LA FAMILLE BELIER France, 106 min. DIRECTED BY: Eric Lartigau WRITTEN BY: Eric Lartigau, Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carre de Malberg & Thomas Bidegain PRODUCED BY: Eric Jehelmann, Philippe Rousselet & Stéphane Celerier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9p0qnj4OC4 THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT LE TOUT NOUVEAU TESTAMENT Belgium, France, Luxembourg, 114 min. DIRECTED BY: Jaco Van Dormael WRITTEN BY: Jaco Van Dormael & Thomas Gunzig PRODUCED BY: Jaco Van Dormael, Olivier Rausin & Daniel Marquet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9jEA8uzHwQ EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY 2015 A SYRIAN LOVE STORY UK, 76 min. DIRECTED BY: Sean McAllister PRODUCED BY: Elhum Shakerifar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30JqnWtLvlU AMY UK, 127 min. DIRECTED BY: Asif Kapadia PRODUCED BY: James Gay-Rees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE DANCING WITH MARIA Italy, Argentina, Slovenia, 75 min. WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Ivan Gergolet PRODUCED BY: Igor Princic, David Rubio & Miha Cernec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHW5kOLRVP4 THE LOOK OF SILENCE Denmark, Norway, Indonesia, 99 min. DIRECTED BY: Joshua Oppenheimer PRODUCED BY: Signe Byrge Sørensen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp1xT302VcY TOTO AND HIS SISTERS TOTO SI SURORILE LUI Romania, Hungary, 93 min. WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Alexander Nanau PRODUCED BY: Valeriu Nicolae, Hanka Kastelicova, Alexander Nanau, Catalin Mitulescu & Marcian Lazar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXtjJbB1Oh4 EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2015 Roy Andersson for A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE Yorgos Lanthimos for THE LOBSTER Nanni Moretti for MY MOTHER Sebastian Schipper for VICTORIA Paolo Sorrentino for YOUTH Małgorzata Szumowska for BODY EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2015 Margherita Buy in MY MOTHER Laia Costa in VICTORIA Charlotte Rampling in 45 YEARS Alicia Vikander in EX MACHINA Rachel Weisz in YOUTH EUROPEAN ACTOR 2015 Michael Caine in YOUTH Tom Courtenay in 45 YEARS Colin Farrell in THE LOBSTER Christian Friedel in 13 MINUTES Vincent Lindon in THE MEASURE OF A MAN EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2015 Roy Andersson for A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE Alex Garland for EX MACHINA Andrew Haigh for 45 YEARS Radu Jude & Florin Lazarescu for AFERIM! Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou for THE LOBSTER Paolo Sorrentino for YOUTH
Read more