Awards

[caption id="attachment_2221" align="alignnone"] Michael Fassbender – Shame[/caption]

The Irish Film and Television Academy announced the nominees for the 9th Annual Irish Film and Television Awards, which takes place on Saturday 11th February 2012 .

Academy CEO, Aine Moriarty stated that: “The Irish Film & Television Awards is Ireland’s showcase to the world of what our small but outstanding film and television community has to offer: excellent and challenging feature films and dramas; entertaining television and engaging factual content. The Irish industry consistently delivers world-class standards of work that is watched by a global audience. Ireland’s economic struggles have been well documented, but against this pressure it’s heartening to see how Ireland’s hard-working creative community continues to punch above its weight and really deliver.”

The features nominated for Best Film at IFTA 2012 are the period drama Albert Nobbs, Irish psychological thriller Charlie Casanova, black comedy The Guard, and rural drama Stella Days. Screenwriters for all four of the Best Film contenders – John Banville, Glenn Close & Gabriella Prekop , John Michael McDonagh, Terry McMahon and Antoine O’Flaherta – have been nominated for Script Film whilst McDonagh and McMahon join fellow debut director Rebecca Daly (The Other Side of Sleep) and IFTA winner Thaddeus O’Sullivan (Stella Days) in the category for Best Film Director.

In the feature film acting categories, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy star Ciaran Hinds receives an IFTA nomination alongside The Guard actor Brendan Gleeson. Michael Fassbender has been nominated for his performance in Steve McQueen’s drama Shame and Martin Sheen, an Irish citizen, has also been nominated for his role as Irish priest Fr. Daniel Barry in the Irish production Stella Days. Sheen’s Stella Days co-star Marcella Plunkett has also been nominated with Antonia Campbell Hughes (The Other Side of Sleep) included for the first time in the Lead Actress category following her Rising Star nomination in 2011. Newcomer Aoife Duffin is also nominated for her performance in Behold the Lamb. IFTA winning actress Saoirse Ronan has been IFTA nominated for her lead turn in Hanna. Albert Nobbs star Glenn Close and The Guard actor Don Cheadle have both been included in the International categories for their performances in these Irish features.

NOMINEES FOR THE 9TH ANNUAL IRISH FILM & TELEVISION AWARDS

FILM CATEGORIES

BEST FILM

Albert Nobbs- Alan Moloney, Bonnie Curtis, Julie Lynn and Glenn Close (Parallel Film Productions)
Charlie Casanova- Terry McMahon (Source Productions)
Stella Days- Jackie Larkin& Leslie McKimm (Newgrange Pictures)
The Guard- Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Chris Cark, Flora Fernandez Marengo (Element Pictures / Reprisal Films)

DIRECTOR FILM

Rebecca Daly – The Other Side of Sleep (Fastnet Films)
John Michael McDonagh – The Guard (Element Pictures / Reprisal Films)
Terry McMahon – Charlie Casanova (Source Productions)
Thaddeus O’Sullivan – Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

SCRIPT FILM

John Banville, Glenn Close & Gabriella Prekop  – Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)
John Michael McDonagh – The Guard (Element Pictures / Reprisal Films)
Terry McMahon – Charlie Casanova (Source Productions)
Antoine O’Flaherta – Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE IN A FEATURE FILM

Michael Fassbender – Shame (Momentum Pictures)
Brendan Gleeson – The Guard (Element Pictures / Reprisal Films)
Ciarán Hinds – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Focus Features)
Martin Sheen – Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE IN A FEATURE FILM

Aoife Duffin – Behold The Lamb (Dumbworld Productions)
Antonia Campbell Hughes – The Other Side of Sleep (Fastnet Films)
Marcella Plunkett – Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)
Saoirse Ronan -Hanna (Focus Features)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A FEATURE FILM

Liam Cunningham – The Guard (Element Pictures / Reprisal Films)
Brendan Gleeson – Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)
Ciarán Hinds – The Debt (Universal Pictures)
Chris O’Dowd – Bridesmaids (Universal Pictures)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A FEATURE FILM

Maria Doyle Kennedy – Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)
Fionnula Flanagan – The Guard (Element Pictures / Reprisal Films)
Brenda Fricker – Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)
Amy Huberman – Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

GEORGE MORRISON FEATURE DOCUMENTARY AWARD

Bernadette; Notes on a Political Journey- Lelia Doolan, (Digital Quilts)
Knuckle- Ian Palmer, (RISE Films)
Men of Arlington- Enda Hughes, (Hotshot Films)
Off The Beaten Track- Dieter Auner, (Ikandi Productions)

SPECIAL IRISH LANGUAGE AWARD

Corp + Anam – Paddy Hayes (Magamedia)
Mobs Cheanada – Dathai Keane (Abú Media)
Ray McAnally – M’Athair – Brian Reddin (Dearg Films)
Seacht – Colin O’Donnell (Stirling Film & Television)

ANIMATION

23 Degrees 5 Minutes – Darragh O’Connell (Brown Bag Films)
The Boy in the Bubble – Kealan O’ Rourke (Igloo Films)
The Last Train – Alex Sherwood (Giant Creative)
Origin – James Stacey (Souljacker)

PHILIPS SHORT FILM AWARD

The Boy In The Bubble- Kealan O’ Rourke (Igloo Films)
Cluck- Michael Lavelle (Tilted Productions)
Downpour- Claire Dix (Zucca Films)
Foxes- Lorcan Finnegan (Lovely Productions)
The Shore- Terry George (All Ashore)

INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES

INTERNATIONAL FILM

Bridesmaids (Universal Pictures)
Drive (Eclipse Pictures)
Senna (Universal Pictures)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Focus Features)

INTERNATIONAL ACTOR

Don Cheadle – The Guard (Element Pictures / Reprisal Films)
Leonardo DiCaprio – J Edgar (Warner Bros Pictures)
Ryan Gosling – Drive (Eclipse Pictures)
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Focus Features)

INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
Kirsten Wiig, Bridesmaids

Read more

[caption id="attachment_2215" align="alignnone"]Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy[/caption]

The authors and screenwriters of A Dangerous Method; The Descendants; Jane Eyre; Moneyball; and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy have been named finalists for the 24th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award.

The 2012 finalists, in alphabetical order by film title, are: screenwriter Christopher Hampton for A Dangerous Method, adapted from the nonfiction book A Most Dangerous Method: The Story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein by John Kerr and the 2002 stage play The Talking Cure by Hampton; screenwriters Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash for The Descendants, adapted from Kaui Hart Hemmings’ novel (itself an expansion of her first published short story, “The Minor Wars”); screenwriter Moira Buffini for Jane Eyre, adapted from the 1847 book by Charlotte Brontë; screenwriters Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin for Moneyball, based on Michael Lewis’ book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game; and screenwriters Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan and author John le Carré for the thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Established by the Friends of the USC Libraries in 1988, Scripter honors the screenwriter(s) of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author(s) of the written work upon which the screenplay is based.

The winning writers and screenwriters will be announced at a black-tie ceremony to be held Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library on the campus of the University of Southern California. Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford return this year as honorary dinner chairs.

Paul Haggis—a 2005 Scripter winner for his screenplay for Million Dollar Baby and the recipient of two Oscars for his film Crash—will be honored with the 2012 USC Scripter Literary Achievement Award.

“I am deeply honored to be receiving this award,” said Haggis of his selection as the Scripter Literary Achievement honoree. “If I have a gift, a big part of it is in choosing great material to adapt, and being fortunate enough to collaborate with truly great filmmakers.”

Read more

[caption id="attachment_1882" align="alignnone"]The Artist[/caption]

Guillaume Schiffman, AFC (The Artist), Jeff Cronenweth, ASC (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Robert Richardson, ASC (Hugo), Hoyte van Hoytema, FSF, NSC (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), and Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (The Tree of Life) have been nominated in the feature film category of the 26th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards. The winner will be announced at the ASC Awards celebration at the Hollywood and Highland Grand Ballroom on February 12.

“These five cinematographers have created works of art that serve the story and director’s vision in unique and engaging ways,” says ASC Awards Committee Chairman Richard Crudo. “Their talent for translating the script and performances to the screen demonstrates the phenomenal power of the visual image.”

This is the second consecutive ASC Award nomination for Cronenweth who was recognized last year for The Social Network.

Richardson earns his 10th nomination. He was previously acknowledged for Inglourious Basterds (2010), The Good Shepherd (2007), The Aviator (2005), Snow Falling on Cedars (2000), The Horse Whisperer (1999), Heaven & Earth (1994), A Few Good Men (1993), JFK (1992), and Born on the Fourth of July (1990).

Lubezki won the ASC Award in 2007 for Children of Men, and was also nominated in 2000 for Sleepy Hollow. 

Schiffman and van Hoytema are both first-time ASC nominees.

“Every year, the nominees in this category have expanded the boundaries of cinematography with their consummate artistry and their mastery of the technological tools required to achieve their vision,” says ASC President Michael Goi. “In an intensely competitive field, these are the best of the best.”

Last year, Wally Pfister, ASC, BSC won the ASC feature film award for Inception, and went on to take home the Oscar as well.

Read more

[caption id="attachment_1882" align="alignnone"]The Artist[/caption]

The silent film “The Artist” won Best Picture, Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius, Best Costume Design and Best Score at the 2012 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. Other award winners included Best Suppporting Actor for Christopher Plummer in the “Beginners,” Best Foreign-Language Film for “A Separation” and Best Documentary Feature for the HBO film “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.”

The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are bestowed annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association to honor the finest in cinematic achievement.

The Awards have closely match the Oscars for the last few years, with voters predicting four of the last five Best Picture winners, and correctly predicting every single acting winner for the last two years.

The 2012 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards winners:

Best Picture: “The Artist”

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius — “The Artist”

Best Actor: George Clooney — “The Descendants”

Best Actress: Viola Davis — “The Help”

Best Suppporting Actor: Christopher Plummer — “Beginners”

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer — “The Help”

Best Young Actor/Actress: Thomas Horn — “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”

Best Acting Ensemble: The cast of “The Help”

Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen — “Midnight in Paris”

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian and Stan Chervin — “Moneyball”

Best Cinematography: (tie) “War Horse” and “The Tree of Life”

Best Animated Feature: “Rango”

Best Action Movie: “Drive”

Best Comedy: “Bridesmaids”

Best Foreign-Language Film: “A Separation”

Best Documentary Feature: “George Harrison: Living in the Material World”

Best Song: “Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”

Best Art Direction: “Hugo”

Read more

Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences must return their completed Oscar nominations ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, January 13; ballots received after that deadline will not be counted.

The 5,783 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences must return their completed Oscar nominations ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, January 13. Ballots received after that deadline will not be counted.

In the majority of the categories, PwC will tabulate the ballots using the preferential voting system.

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.

Read more

[caption id="attachment_2206" align="alignnone"]Jonathan Erland[/caption]

Visual effects technologist Jonathan Erland will receive the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 11, 2012.

Visual effects technologist Jonathan Erland has been voted the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The award – a medallion – will be presented at the Scientific and Technical Awards presentation on Saturday, February 11, at the Beverly Wilshire.

Erland began his professional training in the entertainment industry studying theater at the Central School in England and film at the London Film School. His knowledge of theater technology made him a desirable asset to the team building the audio-animatronic puppet theaters for the I.B.M. Pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

After moving to Los Angeles, Erland maintained dual careers in both the entertainment and the industrial exhibit design fields. He joined the newly created Industrial Light & Magic to work on the visual effects for the 1977 film “Star Wars.” He continued in the burgeoning visual effects field as director of research and development for Apogee Productions, where he received patents for a reverse bluescreen traveling matte process, the Blue-Max flux projector and a method for making front projection screens. The innovations, along with the development of a digital traveling matte system, also earned Academy Scientific and Technical Awards.

In 2007 Erland received an Award of Commendation for “his leadership and efforts toward identifying and solving the problem of High-Speed Emulsion Stress Syndrome in motion picture film stock.”

An Academy member since 1984, Erland was instrumental in establishing Visual Effects as a separate Academy branch in 1995. He has served 11 years on the Academy’s Board of Governors and many years on the Executive Committees of both the Visual Effects Branch and the Scientific and Technical Awards. He also is a founding member of the Academy’s Science and Technology Council.

Named in honor of the late director of special projects at Warner Hollywood Studios, the John A. Bonner Medal is awarded for “outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”

Portions of the Scientific and Technical Awards presentation will be included in the Oscar® ceremony.

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.

Read more

[caption id="attachment_340" align="alignnone"]Bill Cunningham New York[/caption]

The Directors Guild of America announced the nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for the year 2011.

“The remarkable documentaries made by this year’s nominees take audiences on a journey, whether casting light on injustice or exploring the human condition in all of its nuance, cruelty, creativity and triumph,” said Hackford.  “Our nominees represent the best in documentary filmmaking and I congratulate each of them on a job well done.”

The winners will be announced at the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012 in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles.  The DGA Awards will be hosted by director/actor/producer Kelsey Grammer.

The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2011 are (in alphabetical order):

JOE BERLINGER & BRUCE SINOFSKY

[caption id="attachment_1633" align="alignnone"]JOE BERLINGER & BRUCE SINOFSKY – Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory[/caption]

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Radical Media, HBO Documentary Films

This is the third DGA Award nomination for Mr. Berlinger and Mr. Sinofsky and all in this category. They won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for Brother’s Keeper in 1992. They were also nominated for Paradise Lost in 1996.

STEVE JAMES
[caption id="attachment_1595" align="alignnone"]Steve James – The Interrupters[/caption]

The Interrupters
Kartemquin Films, WGBH/Frontline, The Independent Television Services, BBC Storyville, Rise Films

This is Mr. James’ third DGA Award nomination in this category. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary for Hoop Dreams in 1994. He was also nominated (along with Peter Gilbert) for At the Death House Door in 2008.

JAMES MARSH

[caption id="attachment_693" align="alignnone"]JAMES MARSH – Project Nim[/caption]

Project Nim
Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, Roadside Attractions, BBC Films, UK Film Council

This is Mr. Marsh’s second DGA Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category for Man on Wire in 2008.

RICHARD PRESS

Bill Cunningham New York
First Thought Films, Zeitgeist Films

This is Mr. Press’ first DGA Award nomination.

MARTIN SCORSESE

[caption id="attachment_2204" align="alignnone"]MARTIN SCORSESE George Harrison: Living in the Material World[/caption]

George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Sikelia Productions, Spitfire Pictures, Grove Street Pictures

This is Mr. Scorsese’s tenth DGA Award nomination. He is also nominated this year in the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film category for Hugo. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for The Departed, and was previously nominated in that category for Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), and The Aviator (2004). Mr. Scorsese won the DGA Award last year for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Television for Boardwalk Empire. In 1999, Mr. Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala, and he was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

Read more

Its official. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has changed the rules for the documentary and short films category for the 85th Academy Awards.

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved documentary and short films rules for the 85th Academy Awards at its most recent meeting (December 6). The most significant changes expand members’ opportunities to view contending films, enabling more members to participate in the Academy’s voting processes in the Documentary Feature, Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories.

In the Documentary Feature category, the entire Documentary Branch will now receive all eligible titles beginning in the first round of voting. To facilitate this change, filmmakers must submit 200 DVDs, an increase from the 30 that had been required in previous years. In the final round of voting in this category, members must still see all the nominated films, but the viewing of films on digital or DVD screeners will now be an option for satisfying this requirement.

A documentary feature film’s eligibility will continue to depend on completing seven-day qualifying runs in both New York and Los Angeles that are advertised in at least one major newspaper, as specified by Academy rules, in each city. For the 85th Academy Awards, however, a review by a movie critic in The New York Times and/or the Los Angeles Times will also be required.

In the Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories, members will still have to see all the nominated films before casting their final ballots, but viewing the films on screeners will now be an option for satisfying this requirement. Films that are shown during their theatrical run in a non-standard format, such as IMAX, will have to be submitted to the Academy in a standard theatrical aspect ratio and in a format currently accepted for Academy exhibition to remain eligible. Producers may provide additional screenings of their films in non-standard formats, but members’ attendance at such screenings will not be required for voting purposes.

Other rules changes for the documentary and short films categories include normal date changes and minor “housekeeping” changes.

Rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then reviews all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Board of Governors for approval.

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.

Read more

[caption id="attachment_1595" align="alignnone"]The Interrupters[/caption]

Steve James’  The Interrupters, about violence mediators in Chicago, took two top awards at the 5th Annual Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking at the Museum. James took the prize for Outstanding Achievement in Direction, and the film was named as this year’s winner for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking.  It is the first time that a film has received both the Feature Film and the Directing award in the history of Cinema Eye.  “Tonight, I don’t care about the Oscars!” James said.

Cinema Eye presented an award for Nonfiction Short Filmmaking, going to the late Tim Hetherington’s Diary (accepted by his parents),  as well as the Heterodox Award for Narrative Filmmaking, going to Mike Mills’ Beginners.

This year’s Legacy Award was presented to the landmark 1967 documentary, Titicut Follies, a stark and graphic portrayal of the conditions that existed at the State Prison for the Criminally Insane at Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

Cinema Eye also awarded its first-ever Hell Yeah Prize, given to filmmakers who have created works of incredible craft and artistry that also have significant, real-world impact, to Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky for their HBO Documentary Films trilogy Paradise Lost, which played a critical role in securing the release from prison of the wrongly prosecuted and convicted West Memphis Three. Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky and Jason Baldwin, one of the West Memphis Three, accepted the award.

“The Hell Yeah Award, right! It’s always been no, no, no,” said Baldwin. “Since August, my life has begun.”

“It’s been a dream come true for us,” said Berlinger. “You can make a difference when you make these films. We’ve had this amazing journey the past 20 years. We’re really appreciative of HBO.”

The following is a complete list of Cinema Eye Honors winners for 2012:

Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
The Interrupters
Directed by Steve James
Produced by Alex Kotlowitz and Steve James
Presented by Michael Moore

Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Steve James
The Interrupters
Presented by Alex Gibney

Audience Choice Prize
Buck
Directed by Cindy Meehl
Presented by Robert Krulwich

Outstanding Achievement in Production
Gian-Piero Ringel and Wim Wenders
Pina
Presented by Peter Davis and Andrea Meditch

Outstanding Achievement in Editing
Gregers Sall and Chris King
Senna
Presented by Peter Davis and Andrea Meditch

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Danfung Dennis
Hell and Back Again
Presented by Kirsten Johnson and Darius Marder

Spotlight Award
The Tiniest Place
Directed by Tatiana Huezo Sánchez
Presented by Kirsten Johnson and Darius Marder

Heterodox Award
Beginners
Directed by Mike Mills
Presented by Kimberly Reed and Alrick Brown

Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking
Diary
Directed by Tim Hetherington
Presented by Nanette Burstein and Josh Fox

Outstanding Achievement in an Original Music Score
John Kusiak
Tabloid
Presented by Nanette Burstein and Josh Fox

Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design and Animation
Rob Feng and Jeremy Landman
Tabloid
Presented by Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen

Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film
Clio Barnard
The Arbor
Presented by Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen

Hell Yeah Prize
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
The Paradise Lost Trilogy
Presented by Jason Baldwin

Legacy Award
Titicut Follies
Directed by Frederick Wiseman
Presented by Steve James

 

Read more

[caption id="attachment_2176" align="alignnone"]Best First Film – J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call [/caption]

The Artist continues to dominate Awards season, taking home the Best Picture and Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. Cave of Forgotten Dreams took home the award for Best Documentary, A Separation received the award for Best Foreign Film and J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call was honored with Best First Film award.

The 2011 New York Film Critics Circle Awards

Best Picture
The Artist

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist

Best Screenplay
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
Moneyball

Best Actress
Meryl Streep
The Iron Lady

Best Actor
Brad Pitt
Moneyball, The Tree of Life

Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain
The Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks
Drive

Best Cinematographer
Emmanuel Lubezki
The Tree of Life

Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Best Foreign Film
A Separation

Best First Film
J.C. Chandor
Margin Call

Special Award
Raoul Ruiz

Read more

[caption id="attachment_2174" align="alignnone"]MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS – The Artist-[/caption]

The Directors Guild of America announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2011.

“The directors nominated this year for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Award have each demonstrated an inspired command of the medium.  The fact that their prodigious talents have been recognized by their peers is the highest honor a director can achieve,” said DGA President Taylor Hackford.  “I offer my most sincere congratulations to each of the nominees.”

The winner will be named at the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order):

WOODY ALLEN

Midnight in Paris
(Sony Pictures Classics)
Mr. Allen’s Directorial Team:

Unit Production Managers:  Matthieu Rubin, Helen Robin
First Assistant Director:  Gil Kenny
Second Assistant Director:  Delphine Bertrand

This is Mr. Allen’s fifth DGA Feature Film Award nomination.  He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Annie Hall (1977), and was previously nominated in that category for Manhattan (1979), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989).  Mr. Allen was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

DAVID FINCHER

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
(Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

Mr. Fincher’s Directorial Team:

Unit Production Manager:  Daniel M. Stillman
First Assistant Director:  Bob Wagner
Second Assistant Director:  Allen Kupetsky
Production Manager (Sweden Unit): Karolina Heimburg
Second Assistant Directors (Sweden Unit): Hanna Nilsson, Pontus Klänge
2nd Second Assistant Director (Sweden Unit): Niklas Sjöström
2nd Second Assistant Director (U.S. Unit):  Maileen Williams
Unit Production Manager (Zurich Unit): Christos Dervenis
Unit Production Manager (U.K. Unit): Lara Baldwin
Second Assistant Director (U.K. Unit): Paul Taylor

This is Mr. Fincher’s third DGA Feature Film Award nomination.  He was previously nominated in this category last year for The Social Network and for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2008.  He previously won the DGA Commercial Award for Speed Chain (Nike), Gamebreakers (Nikegridiron.com), and Beauty for Sale (Xelibri Phones) in 2003 and was nominated in that category again in 2008.

MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS

The Artist
(The Weinstein Company)

Mr. Hazanavicius’ Directorial Team:

Unit Production Manager:  Antoine De Cazotte
Production Manager (FR): Ségoléne Fleury
First Assistant Director (FR): James Canal
First Assistant Director (US):  David Cluck
Second Assistant Director:  Dave Paige
Second Second Assistant Directors: Karla Strum, Ricky Robinson 

This is Mr. Hazanavicius’ first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

ALEXANDER PAYNE

The Descendants
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Mr. Payne’s Directorial Team:

Unit Production Manager:  George Parra
First Assistant Director:  Richard L. Fox
Second Assistant Director:  Scott August
Second Second Assistant Director:  Amy Wilkins Bronson

This is Mr. Payne’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination.  He was previously nominated in that category for Sideways in 2004.

MARTIN SCORSESE

Hugo
(Paramount Pictures)

Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:

Unit Production Managers:  Charles Newirth, Georgia Kacandes, Angus More Gordon
First Assistant Director:  Chris Surgent
Second Assistant Director:  Richard Graysmark
Second Assistant Directors:  Tom Brewster, Fraser Fennell-Ball
Production Managers (Paris Unit): Michael Sharp, Gilles Castera
First Assistant Director (Paris Unit): Ali Cherkaoui

This is Mr. Scorsese’s ninth DGA Award nomination.  He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for The Departed, and was previously nominated in that category for Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), and The Aviator (2004). Mr. Scorsese also won the DGA Award last year for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Television for Boardwalk Empire.  In 1999, Mr. Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala, and he was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

The DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally been one of the industry’s most accurate barometers for who will win the Best Director Academy Award.

Only six times since the DGA Awards began in 1948 has the Feature Film winner not gone on to win the corresponding Academy Award.

The six exceptions are as follows:

1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar® for Oliver!
1972: Francis Ford Coppola received the DGA’s nod for The Godfather while the Academy selected Bob Fosse for Cabaret.
1985: Steven Spielberg received his first DGA Award for The Color Purple while the Oscar® went to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa.
1995: Ron Howard was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Apollo 13 while Academy voters selected Mel Gibson for Braveheart.
2000: Ang Lee won the DGA Award for his direction of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon while Steven Soderbergh won the Academy Award for Traffic.
2002: Rob Marshall won the DGA Award for Chicago while Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for The Pianist.

 

Read more

 

[caption id="attachment_2171" align="alignnone"]Jennifer Lawrence[/caption]

Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence will join Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak to announce the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards® on Tuesday, January 24.

Sherak and Lawrence will unveil the nominations in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:30 a.m. PT news conference at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be gathered. Nominations information for all categories will be distributed simultaneously to news media in attendance and via the Internet on the official Academy Awards website, www.oscar.com.

Last year, for the 83rd Academy Awards, Lawrence received a nomination for her lead performance in “Winter’s Bone.” She will be seen next in “The Hunger Games” and recently completed work on “The Silver Linings Playbook.” Lawrence’s other film credits include “The Burning Plain,” “Like Crazy,” “The Beaver” and “X-Men: First Class.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, 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 200 countries worldwide.

Read more