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  • AFI Picks it Top Films of 2011

    [caption id="attachment_1987" align="alignnone"]The Tree Of Life[/caption]

    The American Film Institute (AFI) announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2011 – its top 10 films and TV programs of 2011 – that records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film, television and other forms of the moving image arts. Surprisingly no indie films or documentaries made the list, but although foreign films were not eligible, the AFI did specially honor The Artist and The Harry Potter Series with AFI Special Awards.

    AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
    Bridesmaids
    The Descendants
    The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
    The Help
    Hugo
    J. Edgar
    Midnight In Paris
    Moneyball
    The Tree Of Life
    War Horse

    AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
    Breaking Bad
    Boardwalk Empire
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Game Of Thrones
    The Good Wife
    Homeland
    Justified
    Louie
    Modern Family
    Parks And Recreation

    AFI SPECIAL AWARDS
    The Artist
    The Harry Potter Series

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  • San Francisco Film Critics Circle Picks its Top Films of 2011, Gives Special Citation to The Mill and the Cross

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

    The San Francisco Film Critics Circle really went for the “The Tree of Life” naming it the Best Picture of 2011, its director Terrence Malick as Best Director and its lenser Emmanuel Lubezki as Best Cinematographer.

    “Certified Copy,” Abbas Kiarostami’s thought-provoking, emotionally wrenching examination of relationships, art, and existence received the award for Best Foreign Language Film ; with Best Documentary nod given to “Tabloid,” Errol Morris’ unique take on a stranger-than-fiction tale that must be seen to be disbelieved.

    A Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema singled out “The Mill and the Cross”—Lech Majewski’s distinctly original exploration of the inspiration for and creation of a Breugel painting—as an under-the-radar title deserving of attention.

    The full list of winners for the 2011 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:

    Best Picture
    “The Tree of Life”

    Best Director
    Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

    Best Original Screenplay
    J.C. Chandor, “Margin Call”

    Best Adapted Screenplay
    Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

    Best Actor
    Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

    Best Actress
    Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

    Best Supporting Actor
    Albert Brooks, “Drive”

    Best Supporting Actress
    Vanessa Redgrave, “Coriolanus”

    Best Animated Feature
    “Rango”

    Best Foreign Language Film
    “Certified Copy”

    Best Documentary
    “Tabloid”

    Best Cinematography
    Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life”

    Special Citation for underappreciated independent cinema
    The Mill and The Cross

    Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community
    National Film Preservation Foundation—Since 1997, the San Francisco-based nonprofit’s fundraising and grant-giving programs have supported the restoration and preservation of hundreds of rare U.S. films. Led by director Annette Melville and assistant director Jeff Lambert, the NFPF makes this cinematic legacy available to the public through its “Treasures” DVD box sets, including the 2011 release “The West, 1898-1938.”

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  • Bill Morrison’s Spark of Being and George Clooney’s Descendants Win Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

    [caption id="attachment_1996" align="alignnone"]BEST DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM – Cave of Forgotten Dreams – Directed by Werner Herzog[/caption]

    “The Descendants” starring George Clooney as a father in Hawaii trying to take care of his daughters after his wife falls into an accident-induced coma, was named this year’s best film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.  The family drama, The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt was named runner-up best film, and its director Terrence Malick received the award for best director of the year.

    Bill Morrison received the Doublas Edwards Independent/Experimental Award for his experimental film Spark of Being. Spark of Being is a an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s story using distressed and decaying images from old nitrate films, with the score from jazz musician Dave Douglas.

    Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the 3-D documentary film by Werner Herzog, about the Chauvet Cave in southern France, received the prize for best documentary and Clio Barnard’s The Arbor was named runner-up.

    Lu Chaun’s City of Life and Death was picked as best foreign film, and Asghar Farhadi, A Separation was named runner-up best foreign film. A Separation, Iran’s submission for the best foreign-language Oscar, did win for best screenplay.

    2011 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Winners

    BEST PICTURE

    “The Descendants”

    Runner-up: “The Tree of Life”

    BEST DIRECTOR

    Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

    RUNNER-UP Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

    BEST ACTOR

    Michael Fassbender, “A Dangerous Method”, “Jane Eyre”, “Shame”, “X-Men: First Class.”

    Runner-up: Michael Shannon (“Take Shelter”)

    BEST ACTRESS

    YUn Jung-hee “Poetry”

    Runner-up: Kirsten Dunst (“Melancholia”)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

    Christopher Plummer,  “Beginners”

    Runner-up: Patton Oswalt (“Young Adult”)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

    Jessica Chastain, “Coriolanus”, “The Debt”, “The Help”, “Take Shelter”, “Texas Killing Fields”, “Tree of Life”

    Runner-up: Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”)

    BEST SCREENPLAY

    Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation”

    Runner-up: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash (“The Descendants”)

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

    Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life”

    Runner-up: Cao Yu (“City of Life and Death”)

    BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN


    Dante Ferretti, “Hugo”

    Runner-up: Maria Djurkovic (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”)

    BEST MUSIC SCORE

    “HANNA” The Chemical Brothers

    Runner-up: “Drive”, Cliff Martinez


    BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

    “City of Life and Death” Directed by Chuan Lu

    Runner-up: “A Separation” Directed by Asghar Farhadi

    BEST DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM

    “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” Directed by Werner Herzog

    Runner-up: “The Arbor” directed by Clio Barnard


    BEST ANIMATION

    “Rango” Directed BY Gore Verbinski

    Runner-up: “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” directed by steven Spielberg

    NEW GENERATION

    Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Josh Mond and Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

    CAREER ACHIEVEMENT

    Doris Day


    THE DOUGLAS EDWARDS EXPERIMENTAL/INDEPENDENT FILM/VIDEO AWARD

    Bill Morrison, “Spark of Being”

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  • Cook County, Impressive Debut Film from Director David Pomes

    Cook County is a new independent film from first time writer/director David Pomes exploring a specific family and community in rural east Texas, reflecting an entire culture and drug world in America. The film presents the narrative through the eyes of Abe (Ryan Donowho), a teenager living with his meth-cooking and smoking uncle, Bump (Anson Mount). Abe goes day to day simply surviving with his dangerous caretaker, and  trying to protect his young cousin Deandra (Makenna Fitzsimmons) from a drug-addicted future. When Abe’s father, Sonny (Xander Berkeley), shows up after a stint in jail, he promises Abe that he’ll make their lives better. What begins as a promising plan to try to expose Bump and his dealers to the police, becomes more complicated, and more dangerous for Abe and Deandra as Bump spirals further out of control, haunted by paranoia and consumed by his addiction.

    David Pomes has made a film exploring a very real problem in much of America, and chose the location of Texas because he heralds from there. The cast and crew filmed in a rural town not far from Houston, and met real people who resembled the characters being portrayed. The film is sparsely made, with just a few main locations and simple yet affective camerawork. The focus is on the characters, and the harsh lives they lead. It is safe to say that Anson Mount steals many scenes (from the stirring opening to the disturbing climax) with his extremely physical and intense performance. As terrifying a person as Bump is, he is also fascinating, and it’s hard to take your eyes off of him.

    The film was shelved for the past two years, unable to find a distributor, and Mount’s rise in stardom, due to his role in the television show “Hell on Wheels,” helped it get the support and funds that was needed. It then won awards at South by Southwest, Dallas International Film Festival, and Nashville Film Festival. From these successes, Cook County is finally seeing distribution, and truly deserves it, as it is an impressive first feature, and a moving, as well as distressing, independent film.

    by Aria Chiodo

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  • 15 Films Considered for Oscar for Visual Effects

    [caption id="attachment_1987" align="alignnone" width="550"]The Tree of Life[/caption]

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films have been selected for consideration for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 84th Academy Awards®.

    The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

    “Captain America: The First Avenger”
    “Cowboys & Aliens”
    “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”
    “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
    “Sucker Punch”
    “Super 8”
    “Thor”
    “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
    “The Tree of Life”
    “X-Men: First Class”

    In early January, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who selected the 15 films, will narrow the list to 10.

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

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  • Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams to Serve as Music Consultants for the 84th Academy Awards

     

    [caption id="attachment_1985" align="alignnone" width="540"]image via neptunes[/caption]

    Oscar® -winning composer Hans Zimmer and Grammy® Award-winning songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams will serve as music consultants for the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today. This will be the first time the composers have worked on the Oscar show.

    “Hans is one of the most accomplished and creative film composers of our time, and Pharrell is a phenomenal songwriter with an amazing list of credits,” said Grazer and Mischer. “This is an exciting and prestigious collaboration that promises to take the audience on a musical journey.”

    “It is a great privilege to serve the Academy in this role and to help celebrate and honor this year’s incredible artistry,” stated Zimmer.

    “I am honored to work with my mentor and teacher, Hans Zimmer and I have wanted to collaborate with Brian Grazer on something for years,” said Williams. “I cannot believe I will be joining them and their teams on the most prestigious show of the year, the Academy Awards.”

    Zimmer won an Oscar in 1994 for Original Score for “The Lion King” and has received eight additional nominations for Original Score. His credits include “Rain Man,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Thelma & Louise,” “The Preacher’s Wife,” “As Good as It Gets,” “The Thin Red Line,” “The Prince of Egypt,” “Gladiator,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Madagascar,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Dark Knight,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Sherlock Holmes” and “Inception.” His most recent credits include “Rango,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Kung Fu Panda 2” and the upcoming “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” Zimmer has earned 10 Grammy nominations and won four.

    Williams is a prolific producer-singer-songwriter who has also written for feature films. He has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards and has won three. Williams’ songs have appeared on the soundtracks of such films as “Any Given Sunday,” “Kiss of the Dragon,” “Rush Hour 2,” “Zoolander,” “Bringing down the House,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” “50 First Dates,” “Hitch,” “The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” “Date Movie” and “Knocked Up.” He wrote the original song score for “Despicable Me.”

    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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  • Rainey Qualley, daughter of actress Andie McDowell, is Miss Golden Globe 2012

    Actress, musician Rainey Qualley, and daughter of actress Andie McDowell, has been chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as Miss Golden Globe 2012.

    “She is a talented and beautiful young woman,” said HFPA president Dr. Aida Takla-O’Reilly at the HFPA/InStyle Young Hollywood Party in West Hollywood. “We’re excited to have her as part of this year’s show.”

    Rainey, 21, recently appeared in the movie Mighty Fine and is writing songs and working on her first album.

    Miss Golden Globe is traditionally the child of a celebrity and assists during the Golden Globes awards ceremony, which will be held on January 15, 2012.

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  • 5 Film Projects Win San Francisco Film Society Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants

    The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation today announced the five winning projects in the sixth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films with social justice themes that will have 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 panelists who reviewed the finalists’ submissions are Jen Chaiken, producer, founder of 72 Productions and member, SFFS board of directors; Jennifer Rainin, president, Kenneth Rainin Foundation; Bingham Ray, SFFS executive director; and Michele Turnure-Salleo, director of filmmaker services, SFFS. The panel noted, “For their unique stories and breadth of social justice issues — which range from religious fanaticism to bullying in the dance world — we are thrilled to award these filmmakers SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The five winners, whether based locally or in New York or Los Angeles, all showed strong connections to the Bay Area and a real capacity to have a significant impact here, professionally and economically.”

    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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  • Go See “Khodorkovsky” in Theaters this weekend

    by Francesca Mccaffery

    Cyril Tuschi’s riveting new documentary “Khodorkovsky” focuses on the 2003 imprisonment of Russian oligarch, the billionaire, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who at the time of his arrest at forty-two years old was the richest man in Russia.

    Brought to “court” on charges clearly trumped up and false (tax embezzlement and fraud), in a case that had the world watching and the proceedings of which even had then President George Bush deem wrongful and misguided, Khodorkovsky remains in prison in Siberia to this day. This documentary is the story rife with the country’s entire key political, economic and industry players, and it is a dense, richly woven web of intrigue, politics and clashing male egos.

    Mikhail Khodorkovsky was a rather mild-mannered science and engineering student with an “aura” about him, as fellow students and friends describe him. An avowed socialist, his attentions and ambition soon turn to capitalism when the Cold War began to melt down the country’s communist infra-structure, the U.S.S.R. was becoming Russia again, and soon became very interested in acting and behaving like a proper Western democracy.

    As Russian state assets were sold off, the then government, trying to keep the land, assets and industry primarily “Russian,” were forced to sell to the lowest Russian bidder, as funds were simply not accessible, impossible to find on any sort of reasonable scale, inside of mother Russia itself. Khodorkovsky and his friends had cleverly started a bank during this time. In 1995, they acquired the main Russian oil company, later to become Yukos, for the paltry sum of $330 million. The government, again, felt obliged to sell, at an auction, it was noted later, which had very little competition. With part of their original company’s manifesto stating, “Let capitalism be our compass,” Khodorkovsky and his team soon became major global players- meeting with heads of state, zipping around in private jets, and Khodorkovsky himself consulting the Russian government itself about how to form its newly democratic judicial system.

    The documentary is really quite fascinating, as it is at once dissecting a current event in Russia’s ever-changing economic-political history, and how it will establish itself in the global economy, as well as examining the will that comes to blows of two very different types of men: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Khodorkovsky himself.

    When the government learns that Yukos may soon be going partially public, could be bought and owned by outside investors, (read- the US! Exxon! Mobile!) Putin and his cabinet are clearly hysterically nervous about this: What would a westernized Russia look like? What would it mean? Most importantly, would they have the same control? As we stare at Putin’s face in the footage and photos, we wonder: Does he care about saving Russia, or simply his place in the world, his career, and place in society?

    It is due to Tuschi’s film, which is five years in the making, that we get the complete picture. As his interviews with young, hip Russians illustrate, the party line in Russia is still that Khodorkovsky stole from his own government, and is, basically, a pretty evil guy. But as Putin’s actions escalate, we can see it truly is not Russia or her people he is worried about. He is pissed off, and it we see it devolving into a strange, globally witnessed “mano-a-mano” confrontation.

    Tuschi actually became pen-pals of sorts with Khodorkovsky, and in voice-over the audience learns what a thoughtful, ambitious, and critical thinker Khodorkovsky is. He also seems steadfast in his views today, and Tuschi even gets the chance to interview him after he stand son trial for another bogus charge of stealing “350 million barrels of oil” from his own company. “You would have to circle the earth three times with a freight train to transport that much oil. Where would we have hidden it?” Khodorkovsky says, exasperated and almost cheerfully. “These charges are absurd.”

    Weaving these moments in with a stark, black and white animation to highlight specific flash-backs, it is absolutely fascinating to ponder his refusal to leave Russia as a genius mastermind chess move by Khodorkovsky. He has the will to not have only become the richest man in the world under forty at one time, certainly. But-by showing Russia itself and the rest of the world how corrupt their current Russian government really is, could he really get out of jail and end up running the country? We see a capitalist who is now a major human rights case, a man who is at first incensed by Putin’s smallness. Then, like the entrepreneur that he surely is, the viewer could also surmise that this man with the iron will to succeed could very well turn his catastrophe into a truly grand political opportunity.

    “It is difficult for a small-minded man to get over a slight.” to paraphrase Khodorkovsky in writing to Tuschi about Putin. This is a truly a wonderful documentary- expansive, glowing, exhausting, heart-rending and informative- and, like an animated political discussion in an your favorite coffee shop with new friends- it completely stays with you. Playing at the Film Forum in NYC until December 13th.

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  • Cinema Eye Honors to Honor Frederick Wiseman’s Documentary 1967 documentary, Titicut Follies

    [caption id="attachment_1968" align="alignnone" width="550"]Titicut Follies[/caption]

    The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking will present the 2012 Legacy Award 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.  Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman will accept the award on behalf of the film at this year’s Cinema Eye ceremony.

    “It’s hard for me to believe that Titicut Follies was shot forty-six years ago,” said Wiseman.  “I’m thrilled to receive the Cinema Eye Legacy Award but it is tough for me to deal with the implications.”

    The award will be presented on January 11, 2012 at the 5th Annual Cinema Eye Honors ceremony to be held at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York.  A Stranger Than Fiction screening of Titicut Follies will be held the following week, on January 17, at the IFC Center, on the eve of the opening of Wiseman’s latest film, Crazy Horse, which debuts at New York’s Film Forum on January 18, before rolling out to theaters nationwide.

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  • IFC Films to Release PEACE, LOVE & MISUNDERSTANDING starring Jane Fonda

    IFC Films will release director Bruce Beresford’s dramatic comedy Peace, Love & Misunderstanding. The film boasts an all-star cast headlined by Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda, two-time Academy Award® nominee Catherine Keener, Kyle MacLachlan, Elizabeth Olsen, Chace Crawford, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Rosanna Arquette and Nat Wolff.

    Fonda makes her return to the screen working with Australian film veteran Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies, Mao’s Last Dancer). Together with a wonderful cast, they deliver a heartfelt and funny comedy about reunion and second chances. Diane is a conservative lawyer (Keener) who, after splitting with her husband, takes her two teenage children, Zoe (Olsen) and Jake (Wolff) to meet their estranged, eccentric grandmother Grace (Fonda), the epitome of the term “free spirit” who lives in Woodstock, NY. Her personality was always so immense Diane felt there was rarely any room for anyone else. The film playfully depicts a string of new beginnings founded in letting go of the past. Diane isn’t sure what she came to Woodstock for, but what she finds is an open offer of motherly solace, the chance to bond with her children and perhaps the opportunity to open her heart to someone new. She meets a carpenter/singer/songwriter named Jude (Morgan). He’s handsome, generous, impulsive, and really corny. He also clearly adores her. But is Diane ready for romance? Meanwhile her daughter also meets a local (Crawford) who she connects with.

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  • Washington DC Critics Pick The Artist as Best Film of 2011

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

    The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) this morning announced their 2011 winners, and the winner of Best Film went to the black-and-white, silent film homage “The Artist.” Splitting Best Film and Best Director, Martin Scorsese won top directing honors for “Hugo.”

    Best Actor and Best Actress went to two former television stars, George Clooney (for his role as a grieving husband in “The Descendants”) and Michelle Williams (for channeling film icon Marilyn Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn”), respectively. Albert Brooks won Best Supporting Actor for his role as a cutthroat mobster in “Drive,” and Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress for her role as an outspoken maid in “The Help.” The Best Acting Ensemble award went to the cast of the ribald comedy, “Bridesmaids.”

    “The Descendants,” about a man who discovers his comatose wife had been cheating on him, also won Best Adapted Screenplay, while “50/50,” about a young man’s challenge to overcome cancer, secured Best Original Screenplay.

    Best Animated Feature went to special effects juggernaut Industrial Light and Magic’s first animated film, “Rango;” Best Documentary went to Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” about the discovery of 30,000-year-old cave paintings in France; and Pedro Almod—var’s “The Skin I Live In” took home Best Foreign Language Film.

    Best Art Direction went to Production Designer icon Dante Ferretti and Set Decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo for “Hugo.” Emmanuel Lubezki won Best Cinematography for his work on Terrence Malick’s contemplative “The Tree of Life.” Ludovic Bource won Best Score for his omnipresent work in “The Artist.”

    The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association is comprised of 43 DC-VA-MD-based film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet. Voting was conducted from December 2-4, 2011.

    THE 2011 WAFCA AWARD WINNERS: 

    Best Film:
    The Artist

    Best Director:
    Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

    Best Actor:
    George Clooney (The Descendants)

    Best Actress:
    Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

    Best Supporting Actor:
    Albert Brooks (Drive)

    Best Supporting Actress:
    Octavia Spencer (The Help)

    Best Acting Ensemble:
    Bridesmaids

    Best Adapted Screenplay:
    Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants)

    Best Original Screenplay:
    Will Reiser (50/50)

    Best Animated Feature:
    Rango

    Best Documentary:
    Cave of Forgotten Dreams

    Best Foreign Language Film:
    The Skin I Live In

    Best Art Direction:
    Dante Ferretti, Production Designer, and Francesca Lo Schiavo, Set Decorator (Hugo)

    Best Cinematography:
    Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)

    Best Score:
    Ludovic Bource (The Artist)


    The 2011 WAFCA AWARD NOMINEES Were:

    Best Film:
    The Artist
    The Descendants
    Drive
    Hugo
    Win Win

    Best Director:
    Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
    Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
    Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
    Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)
    Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

    Best Actor:
    George Clooney (The Descendants)
    Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
    Michael Fassbender (Shame)
    Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
    Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

    Best Actress:
    Viola Davis (The Help)
    Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
    Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
    Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)
    Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

    Best Supporting Actor:
    Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
    Albert Brooks (Drive)
    John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
    Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
    Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

    Best Supporting Actress:
    Bérénice Bejo (The Artist)
    Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
    Carey Mulligan (Shame)
    Octavia Spencer (The Help)
    Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

    Best Acting Ensemble:
    Bridesmaids
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
    The Help
    Hugo
    Margin Call

    Best Adapted Screenplay:
    Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants)
    Tate Taylor (The Help)
    John Logan (Hugo)
    Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball)
    Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

    Best Original Screenplay:
    Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
    Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
    Tom McCarthy (Win Win)
    Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)
    Will Reiser (50/50)

    Best Animated Feature:
    The Adventures of Tintin
    Arthur Christmas
    Puss in Boots
    Rango
    Winnie the Pooh

    Best Documentary:
    Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
    Buck
    Cave of Forgotten Dreams
    Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life
    Project Nim

    Best Foreign Language Film:
    13 Assassins
    Certified Copy
    I Saw the Devil
    Pina
    The Skin I Live In

    Best Art Direction:
    Lawrence Bennett, Production Designer, and Gregory S. Hooper, Art Director (The Artist)
    Stuart Craig, Production Designer, and Stephenie McMillan, Set Decorator (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2)
    Dante Ferretti, Production Designer, and Francesca Lo Schiavo, Set Decorator (Hugo)
    Jack Fisk, Production Designer, and Jeanette Scott, Set Decorator (The Tree of Life)
    Rick Carter, Production Designer, and Lee Sandales, Set Decorator (War Horse)

    Best Cinematography:
    Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist)
    Robert Richardson (Hugo)
    Manuel Alberto Claro (Melancholia)
    Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
    Janusz Kaminski (War Horse)

    Best Score:
    Ludovic Bource (The Artist)
    Cliff Martinez (Drive)
    Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
    Howard Shore (Hugo)
    John Williams (War Horse)

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