Awards

[caption id="attachment_2169" align="alignnone"]Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life[/caption]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the name of the seven films that remain in competition in the Makeup category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

“Albert Nobbs”
“Anonymous”
“The Artist”
“Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
“Hugo”
“The Iron Lady”

On Saturday, January 21, all members of the Academy’s Makeup Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, and the Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

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[caption id="attachment_2167" align="alignnone"]Melancholia [/caption]

“Melancholia”  was chosen as Best Picture of the Year 2011 by the National Society of Film Critics. Kristin Dunst was named best actress for her performance in Lars von Trier’s film, and Brad Pitt was named best actor for his work in “Moneyball” and “The Tree of Life.” Albert Brooks won best supporting actor for his appearance in “Drive,” and Jessica Chastain was named best supporting actress for her work in three films: “The Tree of Life,” “Take Shelter” and “The Help.”

See below for all votes in Best Picture and other categories for outstanding film achievement.

The Society, which is made up of 58 of the country’s most prominent movie critics, held its 46th annual awards voting meeting at Sardi’s Restaurant in New York City, using a weighted ballot system. Scrolls will be sent to the winners.

BEST ACTOR
*1. Brad Pitt – 35 (Moneyball, The Tree of Life)
2. Gary Oldman – 22 (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
3. Jean Dujardin – 19 (The Artist)

BEST ACTRESS
*1. Kirsten Dunst – 39 (Melancholia)
2. Yun Jung-hee – 25 (Poetry)
3. Meryl Streep – 20 (The Iron Lady)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
*1. Albert Brooks – 38 (Drive)
2. Christopher Plummer – 24 (Beginners)
3. Patton Oswalt – 19 (Young Adult)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
*1. Jessica Chastain – 30 (The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Help)
2. Jeannie Berlin – 19 (Margaret)
3. Shailene Woodley – 17 (The Descendants)

BEST PICTURE
*1. Melancholia – 29 (Lars von Trier)
2. The Tree of Life – 28 (Terrence Malick)
3. A Separation – 20 (Asghar Farhadi)

BEST DIRECTOR
*1. Terrence Malick – 31 (The Tree of Life)
2. Martin Scorsese – 29 (Hugo)
3. Lars von Trier – 23 (Melancholia)

BEST NONFICTION
*1. Cave of Forgotten Dreams – 35 (Werner Herzog)
2. The Interrupters – 26 (Steve James)
3. Into the Abyss – 18 (Werner Herzog)

BEST SCREENPLAY
*1. A Separation – 39 (Asghar Farhadi)
2. Moneyball – 22 (Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin)
3. Midnight in Paris – 16 (Woody Allen)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
*1. A Separation – 67 (Asghar Farhadi)
2. Mysteries of Lisbon – 28 (Raoul Ruiz)
3. Le Havre – 22 (Aki Kaurismäki)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
*1. The Tree of Life – 76 (Emanuel Lubezki)
2. Melancholia – 41 (Manuel Alberto Claro)
3. Hugo – 33 (Robert Richardson)

EXPERIMENTAL
Ken Jacobs, for “Seeking the Monkey King.”

FILM HERITAGE
1. BAMcinématek for its complete Vincente Minnelli retrospective with all titles shown on 16 mm. or 35 mm. film.
2. Lobster Films, Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema and the Technicolor Foundation for Cinema for the restoration of the color version of George Méliès’s “A Trip to the Moon.”
3. New York’s Museum of Modern Art for its extensive retrospective of Weimar Cinema.
4. Flicker Alley for their box set “Landmarks of Early Soviet Film.”
5. Criterion Collecton for its 2-disc DVD package “The Complete Jean Vigo.”

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has partnered with Funny Or Die to produce a trailer for the 84th Academy Awards. The trailer features host Billy Crystal and celebrity cameo appearances by Robin Williams, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, William Fichtner and Vinnie Jones.

“We wanted to try something a little bit different this year instead of a traditional, clip-based piece,” said Academy Chief Marketing Officer Christina Kounelias. “The trailer has a fun twist that conveys how excited everyone is to have Billy back.”

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

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[caption id="attachment_2153" align="alignnone"]Starbuck[/caption]

The Artist topped the Vancouver Film Critics Circle nominations, receiving nods for best picture, best actor, best director and best screenplay.

The Vancouver Film Critics Circle which highlights Canadian films, nominated Café de flore, Small Town Murder Songs and Starbuck for best Canadian film, and Daydream Nation, People of a Feather and Sisters& Brothers for best British Columbia film.

The nominees for the 2012 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards:

BEST CANADIAN FILM

Café de flore

Small Town Murder Songs

Starbuck

BEST ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM

Mohamed Fellag, Monsieur Lazhar

Patrick Huard, Starbuck

Peter Stormare, Small Town Murder Songs

BEST ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM

Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method

Vanessa Paradis, Café de flore

Ingrid Veninger, i am a good person/i am a bad person

Rachel Weisz, The Whistleblower

Michelle Williams, Take This Waltz

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM

Vincent Cassel, A Dangerous Method

Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method

Seth Rogen, Take This Waltz

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM

Hélène Florent, Café de flore

Jill Hennessy, Small Town Murder Songs

Hallie Switzer, I am a good person/I am a bad person

BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM

David Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method

Ed Gass-Donnelly, Small Town Murder Songs

Ken Scott, Starbuck

Jean-Marc Vallée, Café de flore

BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM

Daydream Nation

People of a Feather

Sisters&Brothers

BEST FILM

The Artist

The Descendants

The Tree of Life

BEST ACTOR

Michael Fassbender, Shame

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

BEST ACTRESS

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Albert Brooks, Drive

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, The Help, Take Shelter, The Tree of Life

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Terence Malick, The Tree of Life

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

The Interrupters

Nostalgia for the Light

Project Nim

Surviving Progress

BEST SCREENPLAY

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants

Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A Separation

Poetry

The Kid with a Bike

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The 2012 BAFTA Film Awards Fellowship will be presented to Martin Scorsese at the Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony, on 12 February.

Awarded annually by BAFTA, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film. Previously honoured Fellows include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave. Christopher Lee received the Fellowship at the Film Awards last February.

Tim Corrie, Chairman of BAFTA, said: “Martin Scorsese is a legend in his lifetime; a true inspiration to all young directors the world over. We are delighted to honour his contribution to cinema history and look forward to paying tribute to him in London on 12 February.”

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[caption id="attachment_2148" align="alignnone"]The Tree of Life[/caption]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

“Captain America: The First Avenger”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
“Real Steel”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“The Tree of Life”
“X-Men: First Class”

All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Thursday, January 19. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, and the Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26.

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[caption id="attachment_2144" align="alignnone"]Snow on tha Bluff[/caption]

The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking today announced the five nominees for its second annual Cinema Eye Heterodox Award, sponsored by Filmmaker Magazine. The 2012 Heterodox Award will be presented at the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking on January 11 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, New York.

The Cinema Eye Heterodox Award honors a narrative film that imaginatively incorporates nonfiction strategies, content and/or modes of production. These films illuminate the formal possibilities of nonfiction filmmaking while raising provocative questions about on-going documentary orthodoxy and the perceived boundaries between narrative and nonfiction filmmaking. Last year’s inaugural Heterodox Award went to Matt Porterfield’s Putty Hill.

“As more and more nonfiction films integrate artistic fictional devices and narrative structures, and fiction films take on elements seen in documentary storytelling – the importance of artist-led conversation grows,” said Cinema Eye Honors Co-Chair Esther Robinson. “In its second year, the Heterodox Award continues to be an exciting and important home to this discussion, contributing to a rich and important cross-genre dialogue.”

The five films nominated for the second Heterodox Award are: Mike Mills’ BEGINNERS, Ivan Fund and Santiago Loza’s THE LIPS, Lech Majewski’s THE MILL AND THE CROSS, Sergei Loznitsa’s MY JOY, and Damon Russell’s SNOW ON THA BLUFF.

The Cinema Eye Honors nominations committee made its recommendations for nominations based on a list of eligible films that met the general criteria for the Cinema Eye Honors including two extra festivals that program narrative films. Finalists were then selected jointly by the committee and the writers and editors of Filmmaker Magazine.

“In a year when the reality of our social, political and economic situation dawned on 99% percent of us, filmmakers made their own reckoning,” said Filmmaker Magazine Editor-in-Chief Scott Macaulay. “This year’s Heterodox honorees are bracing, lovely, radical and troubling – fiction features for which the purely invented is not enough.”

Inspired by their subjects — which include people, countrysides, and even a painting — the filmmakers selected for this year’s Heterodox Award let these subjects’ realities bleed into their films, creating fascinating dramas in which the world outside is given a voice and documentary tactics are skillfully deployed in the pursuit of dramatic truth.

The jury selecting the winner of the 2012 Heterodox Award consists of: Natalia Almada (Director: EL VELADOR – 2011 Cannes Film Festival; EL GENERAL – 2009 Sundance Film Festival Documentary Directing Award), Sandi Dubowski (Director /Producer: TREMBLING BEFORE G-D – 2001 Teddy Award for Best Documentary at Berlin Film Festival; JIHAD FOR LOVE), Shannon Kennedy (Editor, The Trials of Darryl Hunt; A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory – 2007 Teddy Award for Best Documentary at Berlin Film Festival), Alrick Brown (Director/Writer: Kinyarwanda – 2011 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award Winner), and Kimberly Reed (Director: PRODIGAL SONS – Winner, FIPRESCI Prize at Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival).

The Five Nominees:

[caption id="attachment_785" align="alignnone"]Beginners[/caption]

Beginners: Drawing from autobiographical elements, including his relationship to his dying father, Mike Mills has made a sensitive, insightful, and whimsically funny ode to romance and reinvention. Starring Ewen McGregor, Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer, Beginners mixes drama with not only humor but also brief documentary essays that examine everything from art to the history of California gay culture.

[caption id="attachment_2145" align="alignnone"]The Lips[/caption]

The Lips: Ivan Fund and Santiago Loza’s Argentine picture, “The Lips” (“Los Labios”), a subtle and challenging mix of documentary and narrative filmmaking, follows three women who deeply inhabit their cinematic roles as social workers interacting with members of an impoverished rural Argentine community. Facing desperate poverty that threatens to overwhelm even the greatest reserves of calm, humor, and empathy, the trio moves into makeshift living quarters and records data on the needs of the community, while still taking time for an occasional night out.

[caption id="attachment_1998" align="alignnone"]The Mill and the Cross[/caption]

The Mill and the Cross: Lech Majewski’s The Mill and the Cross is an epic restaging of and journey into Pieter Bruegel’s celebrated 1564 painting, “Way to Calvary.” Rutger Hauer stars as Bruegel, Michael York is his art collector friend, and Charlotte Rampling is the inspiration for his Virgin Mary. Majewski explores not only the rich iconography of this work but, using digital technology to make his picture a dialogue with not only the past but the nature of creativity itself.

[caption id="attachment_2146" align="alignnone"]My Joy[/caption]

My Joy: Ukranian documentary director Sergei Loznitsa made his debut drama with My Joy, a harshly riveting journey through the countryside of contemporary Russia. Following a truck driver as he makes his various deliveries, Loznitsa draws upon his own experience shooting and traveling through the Russian provinces in this bold and terrifying film.

Snow on tha Bluff: As authentic a document of the life of a young, black, crack-dealing single parent as you will ever see, Damon Russell’s “Snow on tha Bluff” audaciously mixes footage from the camcorder of the film’s real-life inspiration with dramatic scenes to create a sometimes indecipherable mixture of real life and fiction, documentary authenticity and cultural mythmaking.

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[caption id="attachment_795" align="alignnone"]MIDNIGHT IN PARIS[/caption]

The Artist, The Descendant, and Midnight In Paris were among the nominees for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards announced today by the Producers Guild of America (PGA).

All 2012 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 21, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Producers Guild will also award special honors to Leslie Moonves (Milestone Award), Steven Spielberg (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), Don Mischer (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Stan Lee (Vanguard Award), and IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY (The Stanley Kramer Award). The 2012 Producers Guild Awards co-chairs are Paula Wagner and Michael Manheim.

The theatrical motion picture nominees are:

Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

THE ARTIST
Producer: Thomas Langmann

BRIDESMAIDS
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend

THE DESCENDANTS
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin

THE HELP
Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green

HUGO
Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese

THE IDES OF MARCH
Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum

MONEYBALL
Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt

WAR HORSE
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

The Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

CARS 2
Producer: Denise Ream

KUNG FU PANDA 2
Producer: Melissa Cobb

PUSS IN BOOTS
Producers: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou

RANGO
Producers: John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski 

The television nominees are:

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:


“Cinema Verite” (HBO)

Producers: Zanne Devine, Karyn McCarthy

“Downton Abbey” (Masterpiece) (PBS)
Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame

“The Kennedys” (ReelzChannel) Producers: Jon Cassar, Jonathan Koch, Stephen Kronish, Steve Michaels, Michael Prupas, Jamie Paul Rock, Joel Surnow

“Mildred Pierce” (HBO)
Producers: Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Ilene S. Landress, Christine Vachon

“Too Big To Fail” (HBO)
Producers: Carol Fenelon, Jeffrey Levine, Paula Weinstein

*The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series.

In December 2011, the Producers Guild of America announced the Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture, Television Series and Non-Fiction Television Nominations; the following list includes complete producer credits.

The Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:

BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
Producers: Michael Rapaport, Edward Parks (*additional producers eligibility pending arbitration completion)

BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
Producer: Philip Gefter

PROJECT NIM
Producer: Simon Chinn

SENNA
Producer: James Gay-Rees

THE UNION
Producers: Cameron Crowe, Michelle Panek

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:

“30 Rock” (NBC)
Producers: Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Marci Klein, Jerry Kupfer, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Jeff Richmond, John Riggi, Don Scardino

“The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
Producers: Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro, Faye Oshima, Bill Prady

“Glee” (FOX)
Producers: Ian Brennan, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, Kenneth Silverstein

“Modern Family” (ABC)
Producers: Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Jeffrey Richman, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker

“Parks and Recreation” (NBC)
Producers: Greg Daniels, Dan Goor, Howard Klein, Amy Poehler, Morgan Sackett, Michael Schur

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:

“Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
Producers: Eugene Kelly, Howard Korder, Stephen Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Rudd Simmons, Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter

“Dexter” (Showtime)
Producers: Sara Colleton, John Goldwyn, Chip Johannessen, Robert Lloyd Lewis

“Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Producers: David Benioff, Frank Doelger, Mark Huffam, Carolyn Strauss, D.B. Weiss

“The Good Wife” (CBS)
Producers: Brooke Kennedy, Michelle King, Robert King, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, David W. Zucker

“Mad Men” (AMC)
Producers: Jonathan Abrahams, Scott Hornbacher, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Blake McCormick, Dwayne Shattuck, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner

The Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:

“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen T. Colbert, Richard Dahm, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart (*additional producers eligibility pending arbitration completion)

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (Syndicated)
Producers: Mary Connelly, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Geiger Schrift, Ed Glavin, Andy Lassner, Kevin A. Leman II, Jonathan Norman, Derek Westervelt

“Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO)
Producers: Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin

“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Producers: Ken Aymong, Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney

“The 64th Annual Tony Awards” (CBS)
Producers: Ricky Kirshner, Glenn Weiss

The Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television:

“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo

“American Idol” (FOX)
Producers: Charles Boyd, Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Simon Fuller, Patrick Lynn, Nigel Lythgoe, Megan Michaels, Ken Warwick

“Dancing with the Stars” (ABC)
Producers: Ashley Edens Shaffer, Conrad Green, Joe Sungkur, Rob Wade

“Project Runway” (Lifetime)
Producers: Jane Cha Cutler, Desiree Gruber, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Jonathan Murray, Sara Rea, Colleen Sands

“Top Chef” (Bravo)
Producers: Daniel Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Murphy, Nan Strait

The Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:

“30 for 30” (ESPN)
Producers: John Dahl, Connor Schell, Bill Simmons

“American Masters” (PBS)
Producers: Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks

“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” (Travel Channel)
Producers: Christopher Collins, Julie Lei, Lydia Tenaglia, Tom Vitale

“Deadliest Catch” (Discovery Channel)
Producers: Thom Beers, Jeff Conroy, John Gray, Sheila McCormack, Ethan Prochnik, Bill Pruitt, Matt Renner

“Undercover Boss” (CBS)
Producers: Chris Carlson, Susan Hoenig, Eli Holzman, Sandi Johnson, Stephen Lambert, Allison Schermerhorn

**Below are new categories for the 2012 Producers Guild Awards; three television categories and one web category. As such, these programs were not vetted for producer eligibility this year but winners in these categories will be announced at the official ceremony on January 21st:

News Programs:

“Anderson Cooper 360” (CNN)

“BBC World News America” (BBC)

“NBC News with Brian Williams” (NBC)

“The Rachel Maddow Show” (MSNBC)

“60 Minutes” (CBS)

Sports Programs: (*There was a tie, which is why there are six nominees.)

“Monday Night Football” (ESPN)

“Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (HBO)

“Sports Center” (ESPN)

“30 for 30” (ESPN)

“2010 FIFA World Cup” (ABC / ESPN / ESPN2)

“U.S. Open Tennis Championship” (CBS / ESPN2 / Tennis Channel)

Children’s Programs:

“Dora the Explorer” (Nickelodeon)

“iCarly” (Nickelodeon)

“Phineas and Ferb” (Disney Channel)

“Sesame Street” (PBS)

“SpongeBob Squarepants” (Nickelodeon)

Web Series:

“Ask a Ninja” (blip.tv)

“The Guild” (WatchTheGuild.com)

“Parks and Recreation Presents: ‘April & Andy’s Road Trip’” (NBC.com)

“30 Rock Presents Jack Donaghy, Executive Superhero” (NBC.com)

“Web Therapy” (LStudio.com)

 

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Nomination ballots for the 84th Academy Awards® were mailed today to the 5,783 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. PT on Friday, January 13, 2012. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.

Nomination and final Awards ballots are tabulated by PricewaterhouseCoopers to ensure that all aspects of the balloting process are conducted with fairness and accuracy.

Prior to mailing, the PricewaterhouseCoopers staff administers a thorough verification process to ensure that there are no duplicate ballots and that none are missing. In addition to being counted and sorted, the ballots are numbered to guarantee that each one is addressed to the appropriate Academy voter.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 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, 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 225 countries worldwide.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the poster for the 84th Academy Awards®. The art features the iconic Oscar statuette alongside memorable images from eight films spanning eight decades: “Gone with the Wind” (1939), “Casablanca” (1943), “Giant” (1956), “The Sound of Music” (1965), “The Godfather” (1972), “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989), “Forrest Gump” (1994) and “Gladiator” (2000). All the films featured on the poster won the Academy Award® for Best Picture, except “Giant,” for which George Stevens won the Oscar for Directing.

Supported by the tagline “Celebrate the movies in all of us,” the design is meant to evoke the emotional connections we all have with the movies. “Whether it’s a first date or a holiday gathering with friends or family, movies are a big part of our memory,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “The Academy Awards not only honor the excellence of these movies, but also celebrate what they mean to us as a culture and to each of us individually.”

The artwork was created by award-winning graphic designer Anthony Goldschmidt, and Mark and Karen Crawford of the design firm Blood&Chocolate.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, and the Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

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[caption id="attachment_2125" align="alignnone" width="550"]Best Foreign Language Film: I Saw the Devil, South Korea[/caption]

The Austin Film Critics Association announced its 2011 awards, with Martin Scorsese’s HUGO, winning Best Film. and the hyper-stylized crime thriller DRIVE taking home three awards, including Best Director for  Nicolas Winding Refn, Best Adapted Screenplay for  writer Hossein Amini, and Best Supporting Actor for Albert Brooks. It was also named the second best film of the year in the AFCA’s overall Top 10 List.

Michael Shannon was named Best Actor, while Jessica Chastain received Best Supporting Actress for their performances in TAKE SHELTER. Austinite Jeff Nichols was also awarded Best Austin Film for his direction and conception of the film, hailed at film festivals this year from Sundance to Cannes to Toronto .

Tilda Swinton was named Best Actress for her portrayal as a mother struggling with her first-born child’s madness and murder in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, while Woody Allen was awarded Best Original Screenplay for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and Emmanuel Lubezki won his 2nd AFCA Award for Best Cinematography, this time for the Austin-made THE TREE OF LIFE.

The British film ATTACK THE BLOCK, which premiered at Austin’s own South by Southwest Film Festival, was awarded two prizes. Joe Cornish, who wrote and directed the alien invasion sci-fi/comedy, won Best First Film while composer Steven Price received Best Original Score.

Jee-woon Kim’s South Korean revenge thriller I SAW THE DEVIL (Akmareul boatda) won Best Foreign Language Film, while the Formula One Racing biography SENNA took home Best Documentary. RANGO, which features the voice-work of Johnny Depp and was directed by Gore Verbinski in a non-live action debut, was named Best Animated Film.

For her incredibly diverse and complex work in 2011, the AFCA also awarded Jessica Chastain its Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award. Ms. Chastain appeared in six films in 2011, including TAKE SHELTER, THE TREE OF LIFE, THE HELP, THE DEBT, CORIOLANUS and TEXAS KILLING FIELDS. The award is now named after Bobby McCurdy, a founding and much-loved member of the AFCA who passed away suddenly during voting last year; McCurdy’s enthusiasm for film made the Breakthrough Artist Award his favorite award to discuss and forecast as part of the AFCA voting process.

Best Film:
Hugo

Best Director:
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Best Actor:
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Best Actress:
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actor:
Albert Brooks, Drive

Best Supporting Actress:
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter

Best Original Screenplay:
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Drive, Hossein Amini

Best Cinematography:
The Tree of Life, Emmanuel Lubezki

Best Original Score:
Attack the Block, Steven Price

Best Foreign Language Film:
I Saw the Devil, South Korea [dir: Jee-woon Kim]

Best Documentary:
Senna [dir: Asif Kapadia]

Best Animated Feature:
Rango [dir: Gore Verbinski]

Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award:
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter/The Tree of Life/The Help/The Debt/Coriolanus/Texas Killing Fields

Best First Film:
Attack the Block [dir: Joe Cornish]

Austin Film Award:
Take Shelter [dir: Jeff Nichols]

Top 10 Films:
1. Hugo
2. Drive
3. Take Shelter
4. Midnight in Paris
5. Attack the Block
6. The Artist
7. Martha Marcy May Marlene
8. I Saw the Devil
9. 13 Assassins
10. Melancholia

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[caption id="attachment_2116" align="alignnone"]Bertrand Bonello’s House of Tolerance[/caption]

The nominations for the 17th Lumière Awards, aka the French Golden Globes, were announced, and Bertrand Bonello’s House of Tolerance lead the field with six nominations including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and a surprising three for Best Female Newcomer for actresses Alice Barnole, Adèle Haenel and Céline Sallette.

House of Tolerance is described as Bertrand Bonello’s highly stylized look at the final days of a fin-de-siècle brothel in Paris.

Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist was right behind with five nominations including Best Film, Best Director, amd Best Screenplay. Other films with multiple nominations include Pierre Schoeller’s The Minister with four nominations and Aki Kaurismäki’s Le Havre with three nominations.

List of nominees:

Best Film
House of Tolerance – Bertrand Bonello
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
The Minister – Pierre Schoeller
Le Havre – Aki Kaurismäki
Untouchable – Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache

Best Director
Bertrand Bonello – House of Tolerance
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Maïwenn – Poliss
Aki Kaurismäki – Le Havre
Pierre Schoeller – The Minister

Best Screenplay
Bertrand Bonello – House of Tolerance
Robert Guédiguian and Jean-Louis Milesi – The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Maïwenn and Emmanuelle Bercot – Poliss
Pierre Schoeller – The Minister

Best Actress
Bérénice Béjo – The Artist
Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni – The Beloved by Christophe Honoré
Valérie Donzelli – Declaration of War by Valérie Donzelli
Marina Fois and Karin Viard – Poliss
Clotilde Hesme – Angèle and Tony by Alix Delaporte

Best Actor
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Olivier Gourmet – The Minister
Joey Starr – Poliss
Omar Sy – Untouchable
André Wilms – Le Havre

Best Female Newcomer
Alice Barnole – House of Tolerance
Adèle Haenel – House of Tolerance
Zoé Héran – Tomboy by Céline Sciamma
Céline Sallette – House of Tolerance
Anamaria Valtoromei – Little Princess [trailer] by Eva Ionesco

Best Male Newcomer
Grégory Gadebois – Angèle and Tony
Guillaume Gouix – Jimmy Rivière [trailer] by Teddy Lussi-Modeste
Raphaël Ferret – Guilty [trailer] by Vincent Garenq
Denis Ménochet – The Adopted [trailer] by Mélanie Laurent
Mahmoud Shalaby – Free Men [trailer] by Ismaël Ferroukhi

Best French-Language Film (from outside France)
Curling – Denis Côté (Canada)
Where Do We Go Now? [trailer] – Nadine Labaki (France/Lebanon/Italy)
Scorched – Denis Villeneuve (Canada)
The Kid With a Bike [trailer, film focus] – Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium/France/Italy)
The Giants [trailer, film focus] – Bouli Lanners (Belgium/Luxembourg/France)

A very special mention for the dog-actor in The Artist

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