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  • Maldives President Featured in The Island President Documentary Outsted In What He Called A Coup

    Mohamed Nasheed featured in the documentary ‘The Island President’ has been ousted from his post as president of the Maldives.

    Nasheed says he expects to be jailed after being ousted from his post earlier in the week in what he said was a coup at gunpoint.

    The Vice president Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik was installed as president.

    Protests against Mr Nasheed’s government started after he ordered the military to arrest the criminal court chief justice.

    The Maldives officially Republic of Maldives also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 700 kilometres (430 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka and 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-west of India.

    The Island President tells the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, a man confronting a problem greater than any other world leader has ever faced–the literal survival of his country and everyone in it.

    After leading a twenty-year pro-democracy movement against the brutal regime of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, surviving repeated imprisonments and torture, Nasheed becomes president at 41, only to encounter a far more implacable adversary than a dictator–the ocean. Considered the lowest lying country in the world, a rise of a mere three meters in sea level would inundate the 1200 islands of the Maldives, rendering the country practically unlivable. Unless dramatic changes are made by the larger countries of the world, the Maldives, like a modern Atlantis, will disappear under the waves.

    The Island President captures Nasheed’s first year of office, a time when he influences the direction of international events in a way that few leaders have ever done, even in countries many times the size of the Maldives. Nasheed’s story culminates in his trip to the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009, where we get a rare insider’s look at the political deal-making that goes on at such a top-level global assembly. Nasheed is unusually candid about revealing his strategies–leveraging the Maldives’ underdog position, harnessing the power of media, and overcoming deadlocks through an appeal to unity with other developing nations. When all hope fades for any kind of written accord to be signed, Nasheed makes a stirring speech which salvages an agreement. While Copenhagen is judged by many as a failure, it marked the first time in history that China, India, and the United States agreed to reduce carbon emissions.

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  • Art Directors Guild Announced the 16th Annual ADG Awards Winners

    [caption id="attachment_2392" align="alignnone"]HUGO[/caption]

    The Art Directors Guild (ADG) last night announced the winners of its 16th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in nine categories of film, television, commercials and music videos during black-tie ceremonies at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

    ADG awards recognition always goes to the Production Designer, Art Director, Assistant Art Director and their team of each nominated and winning project.

    WINNERS FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A FEATURE FILM IN 2011:

    Period Film

    HUGO Production Designer: Dante Ferretti

    Fantasy Film

    HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 Production Designer: Stuart Craig

    Contemporary Film

    THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt

     

    WINNERS FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN IN TELEVISION FOR 2011:

    One-Hour Single Camera Television Series

    BOARDWALK EMPIRE Episode: 21 Production Designer: Bill Groom

    Television Movie or Mini-Series

    MILDRED PIERCE Production Designer: Mark Friedberg

    Episode of a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series

    MODERN FAMILY Episode: Express Christmas Production Designer: Richard Berg

    Episode of a Multi-Camera, Variety, or Unscripted Series

    SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Episode: Host Justin Timberlake, And Musical Guest – Lady Gaga Production Designer: Keith Ian Raywood, Eugene Lee, Leo Yoshimura, N. Joseph De Tullio

    Awards, Music, or Game Shows

    83rd ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS Production Designer: Steve Bass

    WINNERS FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR COMMERCIALS AND MUSIC VIDEOS FOR 2011:

    ACTIVISION: CALL OF DUTY Modern Warfare 3 Production Designer: Neil Spisak

    ADG Awards are open only to productions, when made within the U.S., by producers signatory to the IATSE agreement. Foreign entries are acceptable without restrictions.

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  • Two Documentary Filmmakers Working With Director James Cameron Killed in Helicopter Crash

     

    [caption id="attachment_2389" align="alignnone" width="393"]From left: Mike deGruy, Andrew Wight and James Cameron. Photo: Brook Rushton | National Geographic[/caption]

    Two filmmakers, Mike deGruy, a biologist and conservationist, and Andrew Wight, a pilot and underwater cave diver, working with filmmaker James Cameron and National Geographic on a documentary film, were killed in a helicopter crash in Australia on Saturday.

    Andrew Wight, 52, was the documentary-producing partner of James Cameron and the two recently co-produced Andrew’s first feature film, Sanctum 3D.

    Mike deGruy, 60, spent 30 years producing and directing documentary films about the ocean and was the director of undersea photography for Cameron’s Last Mysteries of the Titanic.

    Reacting to the deaths, Cameron said, “Mike and Andrew were like family to me. They were my deep-sea brothers, and both were true explorers who did extraordinary things and went places no human being has been. They died doing exactly what they loved most, heading out to sea on a new and personally challenging expedition, having fun in the way they defined it for themselves, which was hardship and toil to achieve something never done before. They were passionate storytellers who lived by the explorer’s code of humor, empathy, optimism, and courage. Their deaths are a tremendous loss for the world of underwater exploration, conservation, and filmmaking.”

    Cameron added, “Andrew was kind and loyal, full of life and a sense of fun, and above all, a careful planner who stressed safety to everyone on his team every single day. It is cruelly ironic that he died flying a helicopter, which was second nature to him, like driving a car would be to most people.”

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  • Minkyu Lee’s Adam and Dog Among Winners of 39th Annie Awards

    [caption id="attachment_2387" align="alignnone" width="549"]Best Animated Short Subject: Adam and Dog – Minkyu Lee[/caption]

    The Oscar-nominated film “Rango,” won the Annie Award for animated feature from the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, on Saturday night. Minkyu Lee’s Adam and Dog won the award for Best Animated Short Subject.

    Patton Oswalt, who was recently nominated by the Chicago, Toronto and Los Angeles Film Critics’ Associations for his performance in the film Young Adult starring opposite Charlize Theron, hosted this year’s 39th Annual Annie Awards on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

    The complete list of winners of the 39th Annual Annie Awards

    PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

    Best Animated Feature
    Rango – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production

    Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production
    Kung Fu Panda – Secrets of the Masters – DreamWorks Animation

    Best Animated Short Subject
    Adam and Dog – Minkyu Lee

    Best Animated Television Commercial
    Twinings “Sea” – Psyop

    Best General Audience Animated TV Production
    The Simpsons – Gracie Films

    Best Animated Television Production – Preschool
    Disney Jake and the Never Land Pirates – Disney Television Animation

    Best Animated Television Production – Children
    The Amazing World of Gumball – Cartoon Network in Association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi

    Best Animated Video Game
    Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet – Shadow Planet Productions, Gagne/Fuelcell


    INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

    Animated Effects in an Animated Production
    Kevin Romond “Tintin” – Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

    Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
    Florent Andorra “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” – Industrial Light & Magic

    Character Animation in a Television Production
    Tony Smeed “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    Character Animation in a Feature Production
    Jeff Gabor “Rio” – Blue Sky Studios

    Character Animation in a Live Action Production
    Eric Reynolds “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” – 20th Century Fox

    Character Design in a Television Production
    Bill Schwab “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    Character Design in a Feature Production
    Mark “Crash” McCreery “Rango” – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production

    Directing in a Television Production
    Matthew Nastuk “The Simpsons” – Gracie Films

    Directing in a Feature Production
    Jennifer Yuh Nelson “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation

    Music in a Television Production
    Grace Potter, Michael Giacchino “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    Music in a Feature Production
    John Williams “Tintin” – Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

    Production Design in a Television Production
    Mark Bodnar, Chris Tsirgiotis, Sue Mondt and Daniel Elson “Secret Mountain Fort Awesome” – Cartoon Network Studios

    Production Design in a Feature Production
    Raymond Zibach “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation

    Storyboarding in a Television Production
    Brian Kesinger “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    Storyboarding in a Feature Production
    Jeremy Spears “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    Voice Acting in a Television Production
    Jeff Bennett as Kowalski “Penguins of Madagascar” – Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation

    Voice Acting in a Feature Production
    Bill Nighy as Grandsanta “Arthur Christmas” – Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations

    Writing in a Television Production
    Carolyn Omine “The Simpsons -Treehouse of Horror XXII” – Gracie Films

    Writing in a Feature Production
    John Logan, Gore Verbinski and James Byrkit “Rango” – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Productions

    Editing in Television Production
    Ted Machold, Jeff Adams, Doug Tiano, Bob Tomlin “Penguins of Madagascar” – Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation

    Editing in a Feature Production
    Craig Wood, A.C.E. “Rango” – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present


    JURIED AWARDS

    Winsor McCay Award —Walt Peregoy, Borge Ring, Ronald Searle

    June Foray — Art Leonardi

    Special Achievement — Depth Analysis


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  • RIP Actor Ben Gazzara Died in NY at 81

    [caption id="attachment_2385" align="alignnone"]Actor Ben Gazzara was awarded the Donostia prize for lifetime achievement at the 2005 San Sebastian Film Festival in San Sebastian.[/caption]

    Actor Ben Gazzara, known for his strong performances on film, television and on Broadway including his role in “The Big Lebowski,” died Friday in Manhattan, New York at the age of 81.

    The cause was pancreatic cancer, his lawyer, Jay Julien, said.

    Gazzara made his movie debut in 1957 in Calder Willingham’s “The Strange One,” and followed that film with “Anatomy of a Murder”

    In addition to the “The Big Lebowski,”other films included Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam” in 1999, where he played a mobster. He also spent time acting in movies in Italy, where he appeared in Marco Ferreri’s 1981 adaptation of Charles Bukowski’s “Tales of Ordinary Madness”; “Il Camorrista” (1986), directed by Giuseppe Tornatore; and Stefano Mignucci’s “Bandits” (1995).

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  • The Artist Leads 18th Chlotrudis Awards Nominations

    [caption id="attachment_1882" align="alignnone"]THE ARTIST[/caption]

    THE ARTIST topped the Nominations for the 18th annual Chlotrudis Awards collecting Best Film, Director, Actor and Actress nods among its 7 nominations.

    Four other films received 4 or more nominations, including fellow Best Movie nominees ANOTHER YEAR, director Mike Leigh’s latest, and the low-budget independent WEEKEND. The other front runner films are Lars von Trier’s dystopian MELANCHOLIA and MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE.

    In the Society’s most prestigious category, the Buried Treasure, the final nominees were THE ARBOR, a unique documentary about the late UK playwright Andrea Dunbar; the micro-budget LITTLEROCK following two Japanese siblings stranded in the US; THESE AMAZING SHADOWS, about The National Film Registry’s critical work to save historic films; the Canadian TRIGGER, an emotional study of two women’s lifelong friendship; and Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s newest, UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES.

    The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film is a Boston-based non-profit group that teaches people to view film actively and experience the world through independent film, and encourages discussion.

    Here is the complete list of the nominations for the 18th Annual Chlotrudis Awards:

    BEST MOVIE
    Another Year
    Artist, The
    Pariah
    Poetry
    Weekend

    BURIED TREASURE
    The Arbor
    Littlerock
    These Amazing Shadows
    Trigger
    Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives


    BEST DIRECTOR
    Takashi Miike – 13 Assassins
    Mike Leigh – Another Year
    Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
    Sean Durkin – Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Lars von Trier – Melancholia
    Asghar Farhadi – A Separation

    BEST ACTRESS
    Berenice Bejo – The Artist
    Elizabeth Olsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia
    Adepero Oduye – Pariah
    Jeong-hie Yun – Poetry
    Tracy Wright – Trigger

    BEST ACTOR

    Jean Dujardin – The Artist
    Javier Bardem – Biutiful
    Stellan Skarsgard – A Somewhat Gentle Man
    Michael Shannon – Take Shelter
    Tom Cullen – Weekend
    Chris New – Weekend

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    Lesley Manville – Another Year
    Shailene Woodley – The Descendants
    Frances Fisher – Janie Jones
    Kristin Scott Thomas – Love Crime
    Kim Wayans – Pariah
    Melissa Leo – Red State

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
    Christopher Plummer – Beginners
    Jean-Pierre Darroussin – Le Havre
    John Hawkes – Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Shahab Hosseini – A Separation
    John C. Reilly – Terri

    BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE CAST
    Another Year
    Artist, The
    Margin Call
    Midnight in Paris
    Separation, A
    Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

    BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

    13 Assassins
    Artist, The
    Illusionist, The
    Last Circus, The
    Melancholia
    Midnight in Paris


    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
    13 Assassins
    Artist, The
    Bellflower
    Cave of Forgotten Dreams
    Melancholia
    Tree of Life
    Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

    BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
    Descendants, The
    Hedgehog, The
    Higher Ground
    Music Never Stopped, The
    Submarine

    BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
    Another Year
    Guard, The
    Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Poetry
    Weekend

    BEST DOCUMENTARY
    Bill Cunningham New York
    Buck
    Into the Abyss
    Pina
    Senna
    Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls

     

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  • Documentary Filmmaker Josh Fox Arrested in Washington DC

    Documentary filmmaker Joshua Fox was arrested on Wednesday as he reportedly tried to film a House Science Committee hearing without proper media credentials.

    According to the NY Times, Josh Fox, whose HBO documentary “Gasland” raised questions about the safety of the natural gas drilling technique known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, was handcuffed and charged with unlawful entry.

    Mr. Fox is preparing a sequel to “Gasland  and brought a crew to film a hearing of the energy and environment subcommittee that was looking into an Environmental Protection Agency finding that fracking was probably responsible for groundwater contamination in Pavillion, Wyo.

    Mr. Fox was released by the Capitol police shortly after 1 p.m. with a misdemeanor citation. A court date is set for Feb. 15.

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  • 2012 Oscar Nominated Short Films in Theatre On February 10

    ShortsHD working with Magnolia Pictures will release The Oscar® Nominated Short Films 2012 in over 200 theatres across the United States and Canada on February 10th, 2012.

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012 Animation, Live Action and Documentary at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue, New York.

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012 Animation and Live Action at Landmark’s The Nuart Theatre, West LA and Regency Theatres’ South Coast Plaza, Santa Ana.

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 17, 2012 Documentary Shorts at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3

    Three theatrical programs will give audiences around the country an opportunity to watch the nominated shorts in the Animation, Live Action and Documentary categories prior to the 84th Academy Awards® ceremony on February 26th.

    **Separate admission for each program**


    Animation

    Title:  DIMANCHE /SUNDAY [CANADA]

    [caption id="attachment_2360" align="alignnone"]DIMANCHE /SUNDAY [CANADA][/caption]


    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Animation

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 9 minutes

    Language:  English

    Directors:  Patrick Doyon

    Producer: Marc Bertrand, Michael Fukushima

    Synopsis: Every Sunday, it’s the same old routine! The train clatters through the village and almost shakes the pictures off the wall. In the church, Dad dreams about his toolbox. And of course later Grandma will get a visit and the animals will meet their fate.



    Title:  THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE [USA]

    [caption id="attachment_2361" align="alignnone" width="553"]THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE[/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Animation

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 17 minutes

    Language:  No Dialogue

    Directors:  William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg

    Producer: Lampton Enochs Jr., Trish Farnsworth-Smith, Alissa M. Kantrow

    Synopsis: Inspired, in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation) co-directors William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg present a hybrid style of animation that harkens back to silent films and MGM Technicolor musicals. Morris Lessmore is old fashioned and cutting edge at the same time.



    Title:  LA LUNA [USA]

    [caption id="attachment_2362" align="alignnone"]LA LUNA [/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Animation

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 7 minutes

    Language:  English

    Director:   Enrico Casarosa

    Producer: Kevin Reher , John Lasseter (Executive Producer)

    Synopsis:

    “La Luna” is the timeless fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. Tonight is the very first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. In an old wooden boat they row far out to sea, and with no land in sight, they stop and wait. A big surprise awaits the little boy as he discovers his family’s most unusual line of work. Should he follow the example of his Papa, or his Grandpa? Will he be able to find his own way in the midst of their conflicting opinions and timeworn traditions?


    Title:  A MORNING STROLL [UK]

    [caption id="attachment_2363" align="alignnone"]A MORNING STROLL[/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Animation

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 7 minutes

    Language:  No Dialogue

    Director:   Grant Orchard

    Producer: Sue Goffe

    Synopsis:

    When a New Yorker walks past a chicken on his morning stroll, we are left to wonder which one is the real city slicker.


    Title: WILD LIFE [CANADA]

    [caption id="attachment_1903" align="alignnone"]WILD LIFE[/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Animation

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 14 minutes

    Language:  English

    Directors:   Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby

    Producers: Marcy Page, Bonnie Thompson

    Synopsis:

    Calgary, 1909. An Englishman moves to the Canadian frontier, but is singularly unsuited to it. His letters home are much sunnier than the reality. Intertitles compare his fate to that of a comet.



    Live Action

    Title:  PENTECOST [IRELAND]

    [caption id="attachment_2364" align="alignnone"]PENTECOST [/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Drama

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 11 minutes

    Language:  English

    Writer/Director: Peter McDonald

    Producer: Eimear O’Kane

    Cast:  Andrew Bennett, Scott Graham and Eamonn Hunt

    Synopsis:

    When Damian is forced to serve as an altar boy at an important mass in his local parish he faces a difficult choice: conform to the status quo or serve an extended ban from his passion in life, football.



    Title:  RAJU [GERMANY/INDIA]

    [caption id="attachment_2365" align="alignnone"]RAJU [/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Drama

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 24 minutes

    Language:  English/German

    Writer: Max Zähle, Florian Kuhn

    Director:  Max Zähle

    Producer: Stefan Gieren

    Cast: Wotan Wilke Möhring, Julia Richter, Krish Gupta


    Synopsis:

    A German couple adopts in Kolkata an Indian orphan. Their child suddenly disappears and they realize that they are part of the problem.



    Title:  THE SHORE [NORTHERN IRELAND]

    [caption id="attachment_2366" align="alignnone"]THE SHORE [/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Comedy/Drama

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 30 minutes

    Language:  English

    Writer/Director:  Terry George

    Producer: Oorlagh George

    Cast:  Ciarán Hinds, Kerry Condon, Conleth Hill, Maggie Cronin

    Synopsis: THE SHORE is the uplifting story of two boyhood best friends – Joe (Ciarán Hinds) and Paddy (Conleth Hill) divided for 25 years by the tumult of “The Troubles”. When Joe returns home to Northern Ireland, his daughter Patricia brings the two men together for a reunion, with unexpected results. What happened all those years ago? Can old wounds be healed? The answer is both hilarious and moving. THE SHORE is about one of the small personal reconciliations that coincide with a national reconciliation.


    Title:  TIME FREAK [USA]

    [caption id="attachment_2367" align="alignnone" width="550"]TIME FREAK [/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Comedy

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 11 minutes

    Language:  English

    Writer: Andrew Bowler

    Director: Andrew Bowler

    Producer: Gigi Causey

    Cast:  John Conor Brooke, Michael Nathanson, Emilea Wilson

    Synopsis:

    A neurotic inventor creates a time machine, only to get caught up traveling around yesterday.



    Title:  TUBA ATLANTIC [NORWAY]

    [caption id="attachment_2368" align="alignnone"]TUBA ATLANTIC[/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Drama

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 25 minutes

    Language:  Norwegian

    Writer: Linn-Jeanethe Kyed

    Director:  Hallvar Witzø

    Producer:  Gudrun Austli

    Cast:  Edvard Hægstad, Terje Ranes, Ingrid Viken

    Synopsis:

    When seventy-year-old Oskar is told that he has only six days left to live, he wants to put things right with his brother who lives in New Jersey. Inger, a public “death angel” is sent out to help Oscar through his remaining days. A huge horn stands at the edge of the sea, built by the brothers when they were kids. Will its sound cross the Atlantic?


    Documentary

    Title:  THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM [JAPAN/USA]

    [caption id="attachment_2369" align="alignnone"]THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM[/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 17, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Documentary

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 39 minutes

    Language:  Japanese (with English subtitles)

    Director: Lucy Walker

    Producers: Kira Karstensen, Charleen Manca

    Synopsis:

    Survivors in the areas hardest hit by Japan’s recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild as cherry blossom season begins.



    Title:  INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD [USA]

    [caption id="attachment_2370" align="alignnone" width="550"]INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD[/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 17, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Documentary

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 25 minutes

    Language:   English

    Writer: James Spione

    Director: James Spione

    Producers: James Spione, Mike Altmann

    Synopsis:

    One of the most notorious incidents of the Iraq War – the July 2007 slayings of two Reuters journalists and a number of other unarmed civilians by US attack helicopters – is recounted in the powerful testimony of an American infantryman whose life was profoundly changed by his experiences on the scene. US Army Specialist Ethan McCord bore witness to the devastating carnage, found and rescued two children caught in the crossfire, and soon turned against the war that he had enthusiastically joined only months before. Denied psychological treatment in Iraq for his PTSD, McCord returned home, struggling for years with anger, confusion, and guilt over the war. When WikiLeaks released the stunning cockpit video of the incident, McCord was finally spurred into action, and began traveling the country, speaking out for the rights of PTSD sufferers against the American wars in the Middle East.



    Title:  SAVING FACE [PAKISTAN/USA]

    [caption id="attachment_2371" align="alignnone"]SAVING FACE[/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 17, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Documentary

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 40 minutes

    Language:   Urdu (with English subtitles)

    Director: Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

    Producers: Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Alison Greenberg, Davis Coombe, Sabiha Sumar

    Synopsis:

    Every year hundreds of people — mostly women — are attacked with acid in Pakistan. The HBO Documentary SAVING FACE, which premiers March 8 at 8:30 PM PT, follows several of these survivors, their fight for justice, and a Pakistani plastic surgeon who has returned to his homeland to help them restore their faces and their lives.


    Title:  THE BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM: FOOT SOLDIER OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT [USA]

    [caption id="attachment_1728" align="alignnone" width="550"]THE BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM: FOOT SOLDIER OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT[/caption]

    Los Angeles Release Date:  February 17, 2012

    New York Release Date:  February 10, 2012

    Genre:  Documentary

    Rating: Unrated

    Running Time: 25 minutes

    Language:   English

    Director: Gail Dolgin, Robin Fryday

    Producers: Gail Dolgin, Robin Fryday, Judith Helfand

    Synopsis:

    Mr. James Armstrong is a barber, a “foot soldier” and a dreamer whose barbershop in Birmingham, Alabama has been a hub for haircuts and civil rights since 1955. “The dream” of a promised land, where dignity and the right to vote belongs to everyone is documented in photos, headlines and clippings that cram every inch of wall space (and between the mirrors). 85-years-young, jauntily wearing a bowtie and suspenders, Mr. Armstrong will cut your hair while recounting his experiences as a “foot soldier”, citing the pictures on his wall as he does. In March 1965, civil rights activists began a march from Selma to Montgomery calling for voting rights. Mr. Armstrong, an Army Veteran, was the proud bearer of the American flag in that march, and it’s said that even as state troopers tear-gassed the crowd and beat marchers with billy clubs, he held the flag high. On the annual commemoration of Bloody Sunday he carries that flag. He used his barber chair to educate: “If you want a voice, you have to vote; you can’t complain about nothing if you don’t vote.” Despite threats to his life and home, his two sons were the first to integrate an all white elementary school. “Dying isn’t the worst thing a man can do. The worst thing a man can do is nothing.” No one can accuse Mr. Armstrong of doing nothing; and on the eve of the election of the first African-American president, THE BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM sees his unimaginable dream come true.

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  • Jean Dujardin of The Artist and Christopher Plummer of Beginners Amond 18th SAG Award Winners

    [caption id="attachment_2352" align="alignnone"]Christopher Plummer as Hal in Beginners[/caption]

    Screen Actors Guild presented its coveted Actor® statuette for the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2011 and honored with individual awards were Viola Davis, Jean Dujardin, Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer for performances in motion pictures

    Dick Van Dyke presented Mary Tyler Moore with Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the 48th Annual Life Achievement Award, following a filmed tribute. Jessica Chastain introduced a film salute to SAG’s regional branches, spotlighting memorable moments created by actors who live and work across the nation. Meryl Streep introduced a filmed “In Memoriam” tribute to the actors we have lost in the past year.

    The complete list of recipients of the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® follows.

    18th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® RECIPIENTS

    THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    JEAN DUJARDIN / George – “THE ARTIST” (The Weinstein Company)

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
    VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
    CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal – “BEGINNERS” (Focus Features)

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
    OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

    Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
    JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
    VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
    BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
    ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
    CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
    AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
    SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
    OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
    MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
    EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
    CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
    MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote

    PRIMETIME TELEVISION

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
    PAUL GIAMATTI / Ben Bernanke – “TOO BIG TO FAIL” (HBO)

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
    KATE WINSLET / Mildred Pierce – “MILDRED PIERCE” (HBO)

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
    STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson – “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
    JESSICA LANGE / Constance – “AMERICAN HORROR STORY” (FX)

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
    ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 ROCK” (NBC)

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
    BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky – “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)

    Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
    BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
    STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson
    DOMINIC CHIANESE / Leander Cephas Whitlock
    ROBERT CLOHESSY / Ward Boss Jim Neary
    DABNEY COLEMAN / Commodore Louis Kaestner
    CHARLIE COX / Owen Sleater
    JOSIE & LUCY GALLINA / Emily Schroeder
    STEPHEN GRAHAM / Al Capone
    JACK HUSTON / Richard Harrow
    ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
    HEATHER LIND / Katy
    KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Schroeder
    RORY & DECLAN McTIGUE / Teddy Schroeder
    GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
    BRADY & CONNOR NOON/ Tommy Darmody
    KEVIN O’ROURKE / Mayor Edward Bader
    ALEKSA PALLADINO / Angela Darmody
    JACQUELINE PENNEWILL / Lilian
    VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
    MICHAEL PITT / Jimmy Darmody
    MICHAEL SHANNON / Agent Nelson Van Alden
    PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
    MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein
    PETER VAN WAGNER / Isaac “Icky” Ginsburg
    SHEA WHIGHAM / Sheriff Elias Thompson
    MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS / Chalky White
    ANATOL YUSEF / Meyer Lansky

    Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
    MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
    AUBREY ANDERSON-EMMONS / Lily
    JULIE BOWEN / Claire
    TY BURRELL / Phil
    JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell
    NOLAN GOULD / Luke
    SARAH HYLAND / Haley
    ED O’NEILL / Jay
    RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny
    ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron
    SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria
    ARIEL WINTER / Alex

    SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

    Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
    HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (WARNER BROS. PICTURES)

    Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
    GAME OF THRONES (HBO)

    LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

    Screen Actors Guild Awards 48th Annual Life Achievement Award
    MARY TYLER MOORE

     

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  • Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist and Ames Marsh for Project Nim Win Directors Guild Of America Awards

    [caption id="attachment_2260" align="alignnone"]The Artist[/caption]

    The winners of the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards for 2011, and the recipients of the Guild’s 2012 Career Achievement Awards were announced on Saturday night during the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles. Michel Hazanavicius won the DGA’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The Artist.

    The DGA’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally served as a near-perfect barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only six times since the DGA Award’s inception in 1948 has the winner not gone on to receive the Academy Award for Best Director.

    Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
    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 Directo (US):  Dave Paige
    Second Second Assistant Directors: Karla Strum, Ricky Robinson 

    [caption id="attachment_2344" align="alignnone"]Project Nim[/caption]

    Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
    AMES MARSH
    Project Nim
    Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, Roadside Attractions, BBC Films, UK Film Council

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

    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.






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  • Boyz n The Hood producer Stephanie Allain is New LA Film Festival Director

     

    Film producer Stephanie Allain (John Singleton’s Boyz n The Hood, Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan) is the new Los Angeles Film Festival Director, replacing Rebecca Yeldham, who recently decided to step down for personal reasons.

    Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Spirit Awards, announced the selection of accomplished film producer Stephanie Allain as its new Los Angeles Film Festival Director, starting immediately.  She succeeds Rebecca Yeldham, who recently elected to step down for personal reasons.  Stephanie will be working closely with Festival Managing Director Gloria Campbell and Festival Artistic Director David Ansen, as well as Associate Director of Programming Doug Jones, Senior Programmer Maggie Mackay and Programming Coordinator Jenn Wilson.

    “Stephanie has served on the Film Independent Board of Directors since 2007 and been involved in many aspects of the organization. She’s chaired the Spirit Awards Nominating Committee and been a huge supporter of Project Involve, as well as our year-round educational programs,” said Co-President Sean Mc Manus. “Stephanie has a clear vision for the Festival, a stellar track record as a producer and a deep commitment to the Festival’s filmmaker-centric focus.”

    “We so appreciate all that Rebecca has done to grow the Los Angeles Film Festival into what it is today, and usher it into its new, vibrant home downtown.  Rebecca’s creativity, taste, and warmth attracted top-notch filmmakers to the Festival, and she departs with a world-class curatorial team in place,” said Co-President Josh Welsh. “To have Stephanie carry on Rebecca’s great work and build upon it is a dream come true.”

    “My passion for Film Independent has only grown over the years, and I couldn’t be happier to become even more involved in an organization that puts filmmakers first and supports them in specific and tangible ways,” said Stephanie. “The Los Angeles Film Festival is a unique celebration of cinema and a hub for filmmakers and film lovers, especially for those of us who live and work in the film industry. I can’t wait to dive in and develop creative ways in which we can expand the Festival and its programs.”

    Stephanie Allain is a film producer and former studio executive who has been an advocate for visionary filmmakers for more than two decades.  As a Columbia Pictures executive, she was instrumental in the making of John Singleton’s Boyz n The Hood, which garnered him two Academy Award® nominations and set the bar for contemporary urban dramas. She spent a decade at the studio launching the careers of first-time filmmakers including Singleton, Robert Rodriguez and Darnell Martin.  Several of the films she supervised, including El Mariachi and I Like It Like That, garnered awards at the Cannes, Telluride and Sundance film festivals. During her tenure at Columbia Pictures, she rose through the ranks to become Senior Vice President of Production–the highest creative production position for an African-American for over a decade.

    From 1996-2000, Allain served as President of Jim Henson Pictures, where she produced Muppets From Space, Elmo In Grouchland and Caroline Thompson’s Buddy. In 2000, she headed production at 3 Arts Entertainment, producing Biker Boyz and Good Boy!  In 2004, she formed her own production company, Homegrown Pictures, and produced Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow, which won the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, an Academy Award® for Best Original Song and earned a Film Independent Spirit Award and Academy Award® Best Actor nomination for Terrence Howard.

    In 2005, she produced Sanaa Hamri’s directorial debut, Something New, for Focus Features, with the film earning two nominations for the NAACP Awards.  She also produced Brewer’s Black Snake Moan, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci.  In 2008, Allain traveled to her native New Orleans to produce Hurricane Season, starring Forest Whitaker and Taraji P. Henson, for The Weinstein Company.  Most recently, she produced Tina Gordon Chism’s directorial debut, We The Peeples, starring Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington, which will be released by Lionsgate in 2013.

    Allain is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America.  She recently sat on the Board of Film Independent and currently serves on the Board of Women In Film. She has chaired the Spirit Awards Nominating Committee, juried numerous festivals and has taught at USC’s Peter Stark Program and the Entertainment Studies Division of UCLA. She lives in Los Angeles with her composer husband, Stephen Bray, and their fast emptying nest.

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  • The Artist and A Separation Among Nominations for 84th Academy Awards

    [caption id="attachment_2298" align="alignnone"]The Artist[/caption]

    Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards were announced today and Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist” was one of the top films with 10 nominations. Other films receiving nominations include The Descendants for Best Picture and The Iranian film A Separation for Best Foreign Film.

    Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012 and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET.

    Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards

    Performance by an actor in a leading role
    Demián Bichir in “A Better Life” (Summit Entertainment)
    George Clooney in “The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight)
    Jean Dujardin in “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)
    Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features)
    Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

    Performance by an actor in a supporting role
    Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn” (The Weinstein Company)
    Jonah Hill in “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
    Nick Nolte in “Warrior” (Lionsgate)
    Christopher Plummer in “Beginners” (Focus Features)
    Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Warner Bros.)

    Performance by an actress in a leading role
    Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions)
    Viola Davis in “The Help” (Touchstone)
    Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
    Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady” (The Weinstein Company)
    Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn” (The Weinstein Company)

    Performance by an actress in a supporting role
    Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)
    Jessica Chastain in “The Help” (Touchstone)
    Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids” (Universal)
    Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions)
    Octavia Spencer in “The Help” (Touchstone)

    Best animated feature film of the year
    “A Cat in Paris” (GKIDS) Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
    “Chico & Rita” (GKIDS) Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
    “Kung Fu Panda 2” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) Jennifer Yuh Nelson
    “Puss in Boots” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) Chris Miller
    “Rango” (Paramount) Gore Verbinski

    Achievement in art direction
    “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Production Design: Laurence Bennett, Set Decoration: Robert Gould
    “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
    “Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) Production Design: Anne Seibel, Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
    “War Horse” (Touchstone) Production Design: Rick Carter, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

    Achievement in cinematography
    “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Guillaume Schiffman
    “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jeff Cronenweth
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Robert Richardson
    “The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight) Emmanuel Lubezki
    “War Horse” (Touchstone) Janusz Kaminski

    Achievement in costume design
    “Anonymous” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Lisy Christl
    “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Mark Bridges
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Sandy Powell
    “Jane Eyre” (Focus Features) Michael O’Connor
    “W.E.” (The Weinstein Company) Arianne Phillips

    Achievement in directing
    “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Michel Hazanavicius
    “The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Alexander Payne
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Martin Scorsese
    “Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) Woody Allen
    “The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight) Terrence Malick

    Best documentary feature
    “Hell and Back Again” (Docurama Films) A Roast Beef Limited Production, Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
    “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” (Oscilloscope Laboratories) A Marshall Curry Production, Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
    “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” An @radical.media Production, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
    “Pina” (Sundance Selects) A Neue Road Movies Production, Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
    “Undefeated” (The Weinstein Company) A Spitfire Pictures Production, TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

    Best documentary short subject
    “The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” A Purposeful Production, Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
    “God Is the Bigger Elvis” A Documentress Films Production, Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
    “Incident in New Baghdad” A Morninglight Films Production, James Spione
    “Saving Face” A Milkhaus/Jungefilm Production, Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
    “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” A Supply & Demand Integrated Production, Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

    Achievement in film editing
    “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
    “The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Kevin Tent
    “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Thelma Schoonmaker
    “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Christopher Tellefsen

    Best foreign language film of the year
    “Bullhead” A Savage Film Production, Belgium
    “Footnote” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Footnote Limited Partnership Production, Israel
    “In Darkness” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Studio Filmowe Zebra Production, Poland
    “Monsieur Lazhar” (Music Box Films) A micro_scope Production, Canada
    “A Separation” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Dreamlab Films Production, Iran

    Achievement in makeup
    “Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions) Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
    “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” (Warner Bros.) Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
    “The Iron Lady” (The Weinstein Company) Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

    Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
    “The Adventures of Tintin” (Paramount) John Williams
    “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Ludovic Bource
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Howard Shore
    “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features) Alberto Iglesias
    “War Horse” (Touchstone) John Williams

    Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
    “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
    “Real in Rio” from “Rio” (20th Century Fox) Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

    Best motion picture of the year
    “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) A La Petite Reine/Studio 37/La Classe Américaine/JD Prod/France3 Cinéma/Jouror Productions/uFilm Production, Thomas Langmann, Producer
    “The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) An Ad Hominem Enterprises Production, Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
    “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Warner Bros.) A Warner Bros. Pictures Production, Scott Rudin, Producer
    “The Help” (Touchstone) A DreamWorks Pictures Production, Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and    Michael Barnathan, Producers
    “Hugo” (Paramount) A Paramount Pictures and GK Films Production, Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
    “Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Pontchartrain Production, Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
    “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) A Columbia Pictures Production, Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
    “The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight) A River Road Entertainment Production, Nominees to be determined
    “War Horse” (Touchstone) A DreamWorks Pictures Production, Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

    Best animated short film
    “Dimanche/Sunday” (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production, Patrick Doyon
    “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” A Moonbot Studios LA Production, William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
    “La Luna” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Enrico Casarosa
    “A Morning Stroll” (Studio AKA) A Studio AKA Production, Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
    “Wild Life” (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production, Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

    Best live action short film
    “Pentecost” (Network Ireland Television) An EMU Production, Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
    “Raju” A Hamburg Media School/Filmwerkstatt Production, Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
    “The Shore” An All Ashore Production, Terry George and Oorlagh George
    “Time Freak” A Team Toad Production, Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
    “Tuba Atlantic” (Norsk Filminstitutt) A Norwegian Film School/Den Norske Filmskolen Production, Hallvar Witzø

    Achievement in sound editing
    “Drive” (FilmDistrict) Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
    “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ren Klyce
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
    “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount) Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
    “War Horse” (Touchstone) Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

    Achievement in sound mixing
    “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing) David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
    “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
    “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount) Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
    “War Horse” (Touchstone) Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

    Achievement in visual effects
    “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” (Warner Bros.) Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and  Alex Henning
    “Real Steel” (Touchstone) Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
    “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
    “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount) Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

    Adapted screenplay
    “The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
    “Hugo” (Paramount) Screenplay by John Logan
    “The Ides of March” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
    “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin
    “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features) Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

    Original screenplay
    “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Written by Michel Hazanavicius
    “Bridesmaids” (Universal) Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
    “Margin Call” (Roadside Attractions) Written by J.C. Chandor
    “Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Woody Allen
    “A Separation” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Asghar Farhadi

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