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  • Directors Guild of America Award Announces Nominees for Best Documentary Director of 20122

    [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.

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  • Academy Rules Change Official for Documentary and Short Films Category

    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.

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  • Interview with Cyril Tuschi, Director of the fascinating new documentary “Khordorkovsky”

    [caption id="attachment_2198" align="alignnone"]Cyril Tuschi, director of Khodorkovsky[/caption]

    Written by Francesca McCaffery

    Cyril Tuschi’s new documentary film, Khordorkovsky, tells the story of oligarch Mikhail Khordorkovsky, then the wealthiest man in Russia before his arrest by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in 2003.

    Tuschi has directed short films and music videos, and his feature was Slight Changes in Temperature and Mind in 2004. A former night club owner, theater worker, and philosophy student, Tuschi has  the open mind, gentle humor and rigorous intellect needed to become a truly outstanding documentary director. The film is fascinating, and we had the pleasure of speaking with Cyril about his his process, his interest in his subject and the role of politics in movies.

    VIMOOOZ: The film, Cyril, really blew us away. I think it’s so interesting for Americans especially, to see both sides: You could see Putin-is he really trying to hang on to Mother Russia, and moments later you realize, whoa, no, he’s really not- he’s absolutely terrified! The way you displayed that for us was so riveting. Can you tell us how you received access to  court proceedings? Was that very difficult?

    We had tried for years to get access. I think it was a mistake of the judge, actually. I saw the Minister talking to Khordorkovsky through the “cage” in the courtroom (the cell he was held in during the court proceedings) , and after that day in court we asked the judge if we could do the same. I told him we were filmmakers. He told us to fill out a special overnight application, and come back tomorrow. I did so, without even the cameraman, because I didn’t think it was going to work. But then a lawyer came and said, “Okay, you have ten minutes!” I really had to turn on the camera myself. I think the judge was just not briefed correctly.

    How many times did you actually go back and forth to Russia?

    Countless. We had 180 hours of interviews. I stayed three months in Moscow.

    Amazing. Do you see the film as a portrait of the two men in a way? Their egos, a sort of battle of wills? Or a portrait of Old Russia v. New Russia, or both?

    Definitely both. It’s definitely a portrait of Khordorkovsky, but he is also a symbol for the changing Russia. He was a real believer of Soviet Russia in the beginning- he had posters of Lenin in his bedroom. Then he became very strong, new Liberal populist defender, and now he is something like a mystified-hero, social democrat tiger – and this kind of a change in direction, and in ambivalent character, for me as a director, was very fascinating. And of course, we have this open fight of these two men, which was very interesting to me. I also imagine that if Khordorkovsky was a woman, and Putin was a woman, this conflict never would have happened.

    That’s probably very true! Do you think that Khordorkovsky played the game of his rise as a brilliant chess move- in order to eventually secure the Presidency by becoming this political and social martyr? Does he have that kind of will, do you think?

    It’s a daring theory- one that the Swiss former advisor from Geneva expressed in the film. It could be. It could be that he is such a mastermind as to be calculating his prison time- he goes in an oligarch, and comes out to just take over. This could be Putin’s fear too- the Count of Monte Cristo. Of course, this question is unanswerable until he gets out.


    What do you think will happen when he gets out?

    Well, maybe that, but I don’t think so. Maybe he will do a Monte Cristo-type of revenge. But I think that he has so much neglected his family, maybe he will go into therapy, I don’t know- that sounds too modern! But, maybe he will…He will take care of his children. He has to, and he will, get all of his (other associates) out of prison. I think he also wants to start a university. That’s part of his utopian side. He wanted to focus on the Open Russia educational area. But then he got arrested, so he couldn’t achieve any of that.

    I loved the crisp and vibrant black and white animation. Can you tell us how you decided to incorporate it?

    Well, the animation was all we had in the beginning- because I never thought we would meet Khordorkovsky We had to have an image the audience could go on from with. We had a very good German artist. The animation was the largest part of the budget- 20,000 euros.

    Do you have any hopes that releasing the film in the United States will reignite a human rights campaign for Khordorkovsky? What were your hopes on that end?

    I’m not a propagandist, and I don’t start projects like Michael Moore does. I’m not a lawyer, or a proper journalist. He always has the idea of what he wants to convey- and then he executes it. He uses propaganda for the poor, instead of the mighty. That kind of propaganda- I really do like. But I didn’t start like that. For me, it was something new- it developed as we went.

    Your personal belief is that Khordorkovsky is innocent?

    I mean, what is innocent? What does it mean? He is guilty of leaving his family, of acting like a capitalist who buys a company and kicks out thousands of employees to save the company.

    Putin was also terrified that American oil was going to come into Russia.

    Exactly. And you want top say that Putin was right, he wanted to protect Russia from Imperialist America!

    It’s a very valid point! You can a little bit see both sides of that, for sure.

    One thing I’ve learned through making this film, is that it is possible for people to change. It doesn’t matter how little, or how late. Change is possible. I really believe that.

    What’s next?

    I’m trying to get a fiction project going about Julian Assange (of WikiLeaks.) If I could bring it to Hollywood, I would ask Ryan Gosling to do it! That would be really cool. I would also like to go to a great cable network, and make a great dramatic series out of “Khordorkovsky.”

    That all sounds awesome. Good luck, Cyril. You should have absolutely no problem! Thank you for speaking with us.

     

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  • The Interrupters Win Two Top Awards at 5th Cinema Eye Honors

    [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

     

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  • Indie filmmaker Jonathan Parisen Charged in NY Train Incident

    [caption id="attachment_2182" align="alignnone"]Jonathan M. Parisen[/caption]

    Indie filmmaker Jonathan M. Parisen, 40, of East Orange, NJ, who wrote, produced and directed “Stairwell: Trapped in the World Trade Center” was charged Monday with trespassing and endangerment in New York City.

    According to published reports, an intoxicated Parisen jumped onto the Staten Island Railway tracks early Sunday to retrieve a lost shoe. When he struggled to get back up, good Samaritan Steven Santiago jumped on the tracks to help and was struck in the head by a train.

    Parisen and Santiago are both being treated at Staten Island University Medical Center.

     

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  • Cave of Forgotten Dreams and A Separation Among Winners of NY Film Critics Circle Awards

    [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

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  • Directors Guild of America Announces 5 Nominees for 2011 DGA Award

    [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.

     

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  • SFFS Announces Call for Applications for Spring 2012 KRF Filmmaking Grants

    [caption id="attachment_48" align="alignnone"]The interior of the San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema[/caption]

    The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation announce the January 10 opening of the application period for the Spring 2012 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The grants are given twice a year to filmmakers for narrative feature films that through plot, character, theme or setting significantly explore human and civil rights, discrimination, gender and sexual identity and other urgent social justice issues of our time. The grants also support films that have a significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community. Between 2009 and 2013 the SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants will award nearly $2.5 million, including more than $1 million awarded in the first six grant rounds. The letter of inquiry period for the seventh round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking grants — totaling up to $300,000 for screenwriting, development, preproduction, production and postproduction — opens January 10; the early deadline is February 1 and the late deadline is February 8.

    Winners of the Spring 2012 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking grants will be announced in early April. 

    For additional information, including guidelines and application, visit sffs.org/Filmmaker-Services/Grants.

    SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants are made possible by the vision and generosity of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. The grants support work by local filmmakers as well as attract projects of the highest quality to the Bay Area, providing tangible encouragement and support to meaningful projects and benefiting the local economy. In addition to a cash grant, recipients will receive various benefits through the Film Society’s comprehensive and dynamic filmmaker services programs.

    Five filmmaking teams working in various stages of production were awarded funds in the most recent round of SFFS/KRF grants:

    Lance Edmands, Kyle Martin: Bluebird
    $97,000 for production
    In the frozen woods of an isolated Maine logging town, one woman’s tragic mistake shatters the community balance, resulting in profound and unexpected consequences.

    Eric Escobar: One Good Thing
    $15,000 for screenwriting
    A jaded and bitter locksmith spends his days locking families out of their foreclosed homes. When a morning lockout turns up the abandoned child of a long-lost friend, his cynicism is put in check as he races to find the missing parents. For more information visit kontentfilms.com.

    Ian Hendrie, Jyson McLean: Mercy Road
    $35,000 for screenwriting
    Based on true events, Mercy Road traces the political and spiritual odyssey of a small-town Christian housewife as she slowly turns from a peaceful pro-life activist to an underground militant willing to commit violence and murder in the name of God.

    Chris Mason Johnson: Test
    $60,000 for production
    The year is 1985. The youngest, skinniest and most mocked member of San Francisco’s new contemporary ballet company begins a friendship with a brilliant dancer with a bad boy reputation in the same troupe. As lurid headlines threaten a gay quarantine, the two friends navigate a world full of risk that is also full of promise. For more information visit thenewtwentymovie.com.

    Oden Roberts, Azura Skye: Rosie Got Her Gun
    $100,000 for production
    Following a series of arrests, a troubled young woman struggling to avoid prison time is visited by an opportunistic Army recruiter. For more information visit odenroberts.com.

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  • Jennifer Lawrence to JoinAcademy President Tom Sherak to Announce Oscar® Nominations

     

    [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.

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  • 7 Films Remain in Competition in Makeup Category for 84th Academy 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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  • Melancholia Voted Best Film of the Year by National Society of Film Critics

    [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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  • Russian hit film Hipsters Coming to New York

    The hit Russian film, Hipsters, (Stilyagi) directed by Valery Todorovsky will open at Cinema Village in New York on February 24, 2012. Hipsters won four Nikas (Russian Oscar) for best film, production design, costumes and sound. The film has played in numerous North American film festivals including Toronto, Seattle, Chicago-winning Best Art Direction, and Washington D.C.


    Hipsters is a lavish, candy-colored musical set in Cold War Russia circa 1955. It tells the story of a communist party youth, Mels (named after Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin), whose life is changed when he encounters Moscow’s vibrant underground, American influenced jazz scene and the non-conformist kids, Hipsters, who inhabit it.

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