• THE LUNCHBOX Lead Nominations for 56th Asia-Pacific Film Festival

     THE LUNCHBOXTHE LUNCHBOX

    Ritesh Batra’s award-winning film THE LUNCHBOX, lead the nominations for the 56th Asia-Pacific Film Festival with six nods including Best Film and Best Director. In THE LUNCHBOX, a mistaken delivery in Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to a stranger in the dusk of his life. The awards for the Asia-Pacific Film Festival (APFF), an annual event hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific (FPA), will be announced on December 15, 2013, in Macau.

    Best Picture:

    “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

    “Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)

    “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

    “Stray Dogs” (Taipei)

    “Ilo Ilo” (Singapore)

    “In Bloom” (Tbilisi)

    Best Director:

    Tsai Ming-liang, “Stray Dogs” (Taipei)

    Bong Joon-ho, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)

    Ritesh Batra, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

    Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partovi, “Closed Curtain” (Tehran)

    Wong Kar-wai, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

    Hirokazu Kore-eda, “Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)

    Best Actor:

    Irrfan Khan, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

    Nick Cheung, “Unbeatable” (Hong Kong)

    Tony Leung Chiu-wai, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

    Seo Young-ju, “Juvenile Offender” (Seoul)

    Lee Kang-sheng, “Stray Dogs” (Taipei)

    Masaharu Fukuyama, “Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)

    Best Actress:

    Zhang Ziyi, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

    Lee Jung-hyun, “Juvenile Offender” (Seoul)

    Yang Zishan, “So Young” (Beijing)

    Lika Babluani, “In Bloom” (Tbilisi)

    Nimrat Kaur, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

    Angeli Bayani, “Ilo Ilo” (Singapore)

    Best Supporting Actor:

    Nawazuddin Siddiqui, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

    Song Kang-ho, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)

    Lily Franky, “Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)

    Tong Dawei, “American Dreams in China”, (Beijing)

    Joe Odagiri, “The Great Passage” (Tokyo)

    Best Supporting Actress              

    Crystal Lee, “Unbeatable” (Hong Kong)

    Tilda Swinton, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)

    Yeo Yann Yann, “Ilo Ilo” (Singapore)

    Lin Mei-hsiu, “To My Dear Granny” (Taipei)

    Maggie Jiang Shuying, “So Young” (Beijing)

    Best Screenplay              

    Anthony Chen, “Ilo Ilo” (Singapore)

    Ritesh Batra, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

    Jafar Panahi “Closed Curtain” (Tehran)

    Yuri Bykov, “The Major” (Moscow)

    Li Qiang, “So Young” (Beijing)

    Best Cinematography   

    Philippe Le Sourd, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

    Hong Kyung-pyo, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)

    Liao Pen-jung , “Sung Wen-zhong (Stray Dogs)”  (Taipei)

    Norimichi Kasamatsu, “Unforgiven” (Tokyo)

    Rajeev Ravi, “Monsoon Shootout” (Mumbai)

    Best Editing       

    William Chang Suk Ping , Benjamin Courtines , Poon Hung Yiu, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

    Shin Min-kyung, “Cold Eyes” (Seoul)

    Steve M. Choe , “Chang Ju Kim (Snowpiercer)” (Seoul)

    Hirokazu Kore-eda,  “Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)

    Simon Price, Sally Blenheim, Luca Cappelli, “Ruin” (Sydney)

    Best Sound Design         

    Tae Young Choi, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)

    Robert Mackenzie, Traithep Wongpaiboon, “The Grandmaster”   (Hong Kong)

    Phyllis Cheng, “Unbeatable” (Hong Kong)

    Tu Duu-chih , Kuo Li-chi, “Stray Dogs” (Taipei)

    Sion Sono , Keiji Inai , Hidekazu Sakamoto, “Why Don’t You Play In Hell”   (Tokyo)

    Best Music         

    Shigeru Umebayashi , Nathaniel Mechaly, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

    Shane McLean, “Mt. Zion” (Wellington)

    Zeke Khaseli, Yudhi Arfani, “What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love” (Jakarta)

    Jay Chou , Jason Huang, “The Rooftop” (Taipei)

    Taro Iwashiro, “Ask This of Rikyu” (Tokyo)

    Best Art Direction           

    William Chang Suk Ping , Alfred Yau Wai Ming, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

    Ondrej Nekvasil, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)

    Mitsuo Harada, Ryo Sugimoto, “Unforgiven” (Tokyo)

    Hisao Inagaki, “Why Don’t You Play In Hell” (Tokyo)

    Arkkadech Keawkotr, “Pee Mak” (Bangkok)

    [ via dearcinema]

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  • Monsters University and Frozen Lead Nominations for 41st Annie Awards

     A Letter to Momo A Letter to Momo

    Monsters University (Pixar Animation Studios) and Frozen (Walt Disney Animation Studios) lead the nominations for the 41st Annual Annie Awards, each with 10 nods, including Best Animated Feature.  The slate of nominations for Best Animated Features also include: A Letter to Momo (GKIDS), Despicable Me 2 (Universal Pictures), Ernest & Celestine (GKIDS), The Croods (DreamWorks Animations), The Wind Rises (Studio Ghibli and The Walt Disney Studios).

    Three Winsor McCay recipients have been selected by the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors – Katsuhiro Otomo, Steven Spielberg and Phil Tippett for their career contributions to the art of animation; June Foray Award – Alice Davis for her significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation; and Certificate of Merit – “I Know That Voice” (Documentary).

    Winners will be announced at the 41st Annual Annie Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 1, 2014 at UCLA’s Royce Hall, in Los Angeles, CA.  

    2013 ANNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS

    PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

    1 – Best Animated Feature
    A Letter to Momo – 
GKIDS
    Despicable Me 2 – 
Universal Pictures
    Ernest & Celestine
 – GKIDS
    Frozen – 
Walt Disney Animation Studios
    Monsters University – 
Pixar Animation Studios
    The Croods
 – DreamWorks Animation
    The Wind Rises
 – The Walt Disney Studios

    2 – Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production
    Chipotle Scarecrow
 – Moonbot Studios
    Listening Is an Act of Love
 – StoryCorps
    Room on the Broom – 
Magic Light Pictures
    Toy Story OF TERROR!
- Pixar Animation Studios

    3 – Best Animated Short Subject
    Despicable Me 2 – Puppy
 – Universal Pictures
    Get A Horse!
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
    Gloria Victoria
 – National Film Board of Canada
    My Mom is an Airplane
 – Acme Filmworks
    The Numberlys – 
Moonbot Studios

    4 – Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial
    Despicable Me 2 – Cinemark
 – Universal Pictures
    Sound of the Woods – Acme Filmworks
    The Polar Bears Movie
 – CAA Marketing

    5 – Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children
    Bubble Guppies
 – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Disney Sofia the First
 – Disney Television Animation
    Doc McStuffins
 – Disney Television Animation
    Justin Time
 – Guru Studio
    Peter Rabbit – Nickelodeon Animation Studio

    6 – Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children’s Audience
    Adventure Time – 
Cartoon Network Studios
    Beware the Batman
 – Warner Bros. Animation
    Disney Gravity Falls
 – Disney Television Animation
    Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness – 
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Regular Show – 
Cartoon Network Studios
    Scaredy Squirrel – 
Nelvana Ltd.
    Teen Titans Go!
 – Warner Bros. Animation
    The Legend of Korra
 – Nickelodeon Animation Studio

    7 – Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Archer
 – FX Networks
    Bob’s Burgers – 
Bento Box Entertainment
    Disney Tron Uprising
 – Disney Television Animation
    Futurama
 – 20th Century Fox Television
    Motorcity
 – Titmouse Inc.

    8 – Best Animated Video Game
    Diggs Nightcrawler
 – Moonbot Studios
    Tiny Thief
 – 5 ANTS
    The Last of Us – 
Naughty Dog

    9 – Best Student Film
    Chicken or the Egg
 – Ringling College of Art and Design
    Kellerkind – Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg
    Miss Todd
 – Kristina Yee
    Move Mountain
 – Kirsten Lepore
    SEMÕFORO – 
University of Southern California
    The Final Straw
 – Ringling College of Art and Design
    Trusts & Estates
 – CalArts
    Wedding Cake – 
Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg

    INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

    10 – Animated Effects in an Animated Production
    Alen Lai, David Quirus, Diego Garzon Sanchez, Ilan Gabai – Epic
 – Blue Sky Studios
    David Jones – Dragons: Defenders of Berk
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Joshua Jenny, Jason Johnston, Matthew Wong, Eric Froemling, Enrique Vila – Monsters University
 – Pixar Animation Studios
    Jeff Budsberg, Andre Le Blanc, Louis Flores, Jason Mayer – The Croods – 
DreamWorks Animation
    Greg Gladstone, Nikita Pavlov, Allen Ruilova, Matt Titus, Can Yuksel – Turbo
 – DreamWorks Animation

    11 – Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
    Jonathan Paquin, Brian Goodwin, Gray Horsfield, Mathieu Chardonnet, Adrien Toupet – Man Of Steel – 
Weta Digital
    Ben O’Brien, Karin Cooper, Lee Uren, Chris Root – Star Trek: Into Darkness – Industrial Light & Magic
    Dan Pearson, Jay Cooper, Jeff Grebe, Amelia Chenoweth – Star Trek: Into Darkness – 
Industrial Light & Magic
    Michael Balog, Ryan Hopkins, Patrick Conran, Florian Witzel – Pacific Rim
 – Industrial Light & Magic

    12 – Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
    Brad Schaffer – Friendship All-Stars of Friendship: Wrong Number
 – Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
    Eric Urban – Ubermansion
 – Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
    JC Tran Quang Thieu – Toy Story OF TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios
    David DeVan – Toy Story OF TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios Character
    Kureha Yokoo – Toy Story OF TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios Character
    Keith Kellogg – Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lucasfilm Animation

    13 – Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
    Thom Roberts – Epic
 – Blue Sky Studios
    Jonathan Del Val – Despicable Me 2
 – Universal Pictures
    Jakob Jensen – The Croods – 
DreamWorks Animation
    John Chun Chiu Lee – Monsters University
 – Pixar Animation Studios
    Kitaro Kosaka – The Wind Rises – 
The Walt Disney Studios
    Tony Smeed – Frozen
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
    Patrick Imbert – Ernest & Celestine
 – GKIDS

    14 – Character Animation in a Live Action Production
    Jeff Capogreco, Jedrzej Wojtowicz, Kevin Estey, Alessandro Bonora, Gino Acevedo – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Gollum
 – Weta Digital
    Dave Clayton, Simeon Duncombe, Jung Min Chan, Matthew Cioffi, Guillame Francois – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Goblin King
 – Weta Digital
    Hal Hickel, Chris Lentz, Derrick Carlin, Steve Rawlins, Kyle Winkelman – Pacific Rim
 – Industrial Light & Magic

    15 – Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Craig McCracken – Disney Wander Over Yonder
 – Disney Television Animation
    Paul Rudish – Disney Mickey Mouse
 – Disney Television Animation
    Andy Bialk – The Awesomes
 – Bento Box Entertainment
    Ben Adams – Regular Show – Cartoon Network Studios
    Danny Hynes, Howard Colin – Steven Universe
 – Cartoon Network Studios

    16 – Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
    Carter Goodrich, Takao Noguchi, Shane Prigmore – The Croods
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Sylvain Deboissy, Shannon Tindle – Turbo – DreamWorks Animation
    Craig Kellman – Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 – 
Sony Pictures Animation
    Chris Sasaki – Monsters University – 
Pixar Animation Studios
    Christophe Lourdelet – A Monster in Paris
 – Shout! Factory
    Eric Guillon – Despicable Me 2 – 
Universal Pictures
    Bill Schwab – Frozen
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    17 – Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Colin Heck – The Legend of Korra
 – Nickelodeon Animation
    Elaine Bogan – Dragons: Defenders of Berk
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Stephan Franck – The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow
 – Sony Pictures Animation
    John Aoshima – Disney Gravity Falls
 – Disney Television Animation
    Aaron Springer – Disney Mickey Mouse – 
Disney Television Animation
    Angus MacLane – Toy Story OF TERROR!
 – Pixar Animation Studios
    Harold Harris – Justin Time – Guru Studio

    18 – Directing in an Animated Feature Production
    Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco – The Croods
 – DreamWorks Animation
    David Soren – Turbo – 
DreamWorks Animation
    Chris Wedge – Epic
 – Blue Sky Studios
    Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier – Ernest & Celestine
 – GKIDS
    Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – Frozen
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    19 – Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Alan Williams – Estefan – Silverscreen Music
    Guy Moon – T.U.F.F. Puppy – 
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Peter Luyre, Stuart Kollmorgen, Peter Zizzo – Peter Rabbit
 – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Kevin Kliesch, Craig Gerber, John Kavanaugh – Disney Sofia the First
 – Disney Television Animation
    Christopher Willis – Disney Mickey Mouse
 – Disney Television Animation
    Andy Bean – Disney Wander Over Yonder
 – Disney Television Animation

    20 – Music in an Animated Feature Production
    Alan Silvestri – The Croods – 
DreamWorks Animation
    Henry Jackman – Turbo
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Mark Mothersbaugh – Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2
 – Sony Pictures Animation
    Heitor Pereira, Pharrell Williams – Despicable Me 2
 – Universal Pictures
    Danny Elfman – Epic – Blue Sky Studios
    Randy Newman – Monsters University
 – Pixar Animation Studios
    Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Christophe Beck – Frozen
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
    Dominic Lewis – Free Birds – 
Reel FX

    21 – Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Angela Sung, William Niu, Christine Bian, Emily Tetri, Frederic Stewart – The Legend of Korra
 – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Liz Artinian, Ray Feldman, Chris Fisher, George Fort – The Venture Bros.
“What Color is Your Cleansuit?” – Titmouse Inc.
    Steven Sugar, Emily Walus, Sam Bosma, Elle Michalka, Amanda Winterstein – Steven Universe
”Gem Glow” – Cartoon Network Studios
    Lynna Blankenship, Dima Malanitchev, Debbie Peterson, Charles Ragins, Jefferson R. Weekley – The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox TV
    Christophe Vacher – Transformers Prime ‘Beast Hunters’
- Hasbro Studios
    Nick Jenings, Sandra Calleros, Teri Shikasho, Ron Russell – Adventure Time – Cartoon Network Studios

    22 – Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
    Christophe Lautrette, Paul Duncan, Dominique R. Louis – The Croods
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Yarrow Cheney, Eric Guillon – Despicable Me 2
 – Universal Pictures
    Michael Knapp, Greg Couch, William Joyce – Epic
 – Blue Sky Studios
    Zaza, Zyk – Ernest & Celestine – GKIDS
    Ricky Nierva, Robert Kondo, Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi – Monsters University
 – Pixar Animation Studios
    Michael Giaimo, Lisa Keene, David Womersley – Frozen
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    23 – Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Piero Piluso – Monsters vs. Aliens
 – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Douglas Lovelace – Dragons: Riders of Berk
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Adam Ford, Deke Wightman, Kevin Mellon, Justin Wagner, Benji Williams – Archer
 – FX Networks
    Alonso Ramos-Ramirez – Disney Mickey Mouse
 – Disney Television Animation
    Daniel Chong – Toy Story of TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios
    Alonso Ramos-Ramirez – Gravity Falls – 
Disney Television Animation
    Guillermo Del Toro, Guy Davis, Ralph Sosa – The Simpsons — “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” — Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox TV
    Paul Watling – Justin Time – 
Guru Studio

    24 – Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
    Steven MacLeod – The Croods
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Eric Favela – Despicable Me 2 – 
Universal Pictures
    Dean Kelly – Monsters University
 – Pixar Animation Studios
    Jason Hand – Planes
- Disneytoon Studios
    John Ripa – Frozen
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    25 – Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Eric Bauza as the voice of Foop – Fairly Odd Parents
 – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Bill Farmer as the voice of Goofy – Disney Mickey Mouse – 
Disney Television Animation
    Chris Diamantopoulos as the voice of Mickey Mouse – Disney Mickey Mouse – 
Disney Television Animation
    Mark Hamill as the voice of Skips and Walks – Regular Show
 – Cartoon Network Studios
    Tom Kenny as the voice of Ice King – Adventure Time – 
Cartoon Network Studios

    26 – Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
    Paul Giamatti as the voice of Chet – Turbo
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Terry Crews as the voice of Earl – Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2
 – Sony Pictures Animation
    Kristen Wiig as the voice of Lucy – Despicable Me 2
 – Universal Pictures
    Steve Carell as the voice of Gru – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
    Pierre Coffin as the voice of Minions – Despicable Me 2
 – Universal Pictures
    Billy Crystal as the voice of Mike – Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
    Josh Gad as the voice of Olaf – Frozen
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    27 – Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Katie Matila – Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness
 – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Ian Maxtone-Graham, Billy Kimball – The Simpsons
- Trocadero Holdings
    Lewis Morton – Futurama
 – 20th Century Fox Television
    Matt Price, John Infantino, Mike Roth, Michele Cavin, Sean Szeles – Regular Show – 
Cartoon Network Studios
    Michael Price – The Simpsons
- The Simpsons

    28 – Writing in an Animated Feature Production
    Daniel Pennac – Ernest & Celestine
 – GKIDS
    Daniel Gerson, Robert L. Baird, Dan Scanlon – Monsters University – 
Pixar Animation Studios
    Miyazaki Hayao – The Wind Rises
- The Walt Disney Studios
    Jennifer Lee – Frozen
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios

    29 – Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
    Adam Arnold, Hugo Morales, Davrick Waltjen – Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness – 
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Myra Lopez, Ana Adams, Justin Baker – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
    Lynn Hobson – Dragons: Defenders of Berk – 
DreamWorks Animation
    Illya Owens – Disney Mickey Mouse – 
Disney Television Animation
    Axel Geddes, Kathy Graves, Chloe Kloezeman – Toy Story OF TERROR!
 – Pixar Animation Studios
    Paul D. Calder – Futurama
 – 20th Century Fox Television
    Paul Douglas – Adventure Time
 – Cartoon Network Studios
    Jason W.A. Tucker – Star Wars: The Clone Wars – 
Lucasfilm Animation

    30 – Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
    Darren Holmes – The Croods
 – DreamWorks Animation
    James Ryan – Turbo
 – DreamWorks Animation
    Fabienne Alvarez-Giro – Ernest & Celestine – 
GKIDS
    Greg Snyder, Gregory Amundson, Steve Bloom – Monsters University
 – Pixar Animation Studios
    Jeff Draheim – Frozen – 
Walt Disney Animation Studios

    JURIED AWARDS

    Winsor McCay Award – Katsuhiro Otomo, Steven Spielberg &
    Phil Tippett
    June Foray – Alice Davis
    Certificate of Merit – “I Know That Voice” (Documentary)

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  • British Film FILTH Eyeing Spring 2014 U.S. Release | WATCH Trailer

    FILTH 

    Magnolia Pictures is eyeing a U.S. theatrical release in the spring of 2014 for the British film FILTH, described as a pitch black comedy based on the novel by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting). Golden Globe nominee James McAvoy (X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Last King of Scotland) leads a stellar ensemble cast, including Jamie Bell (Nymphomaniac, Snowpiercer), Imogen Poots (A Late Quartet), Eddie Marsan (“Ray Donovan”), Shirley Henderson (Anna Karenina, Trainspotting) and Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent (Cloud Atlas, The Iron Lady). FILTH was written and directed by Jon S. Baird.

    FILTH, which ranks as the year’s second highest-grossing R-rated film in the UK, has garnered British Independent Film Award nominations for James McAvoy (Best Actor), Jon S. Baird (Best Director), Shirley Henderson (Best Supporting Actress), Eddie Marsan (Best Supporting Actor) and a nomination for Best Achievement in Production. 

    McAvoy plays Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, a scheming, manipulative, misanthropic man who spends his time indulging in drugs, alcohol, sexually abusive relationships, and “the games” – cruel plots and systematic bullying of his coworkers and friends. While working on the murder case of a Japanese student, he starts coming unhinged, slowly losing his grip on reality and suffering from a series of increasingly severe hallucinations as he desperately tries to hold his life together.

     http://youtu.be/tymWDB7gtK4

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  • James Franco’s PALO ALTO Sets A Spring 2014 Release Date | WATCH Trailer

    PALO ALTO starring James Franco, directed by Gia Coppola

    Gia Coppola’s directorial debut PALO ALTO, starring Emma Roberts (“American Horror Story,” We’re the Millers), Jack Kilmer (in his acting debut), James Franco (Spring Breakers), Nat Wolff (“The Naked Brothers Band”), Zoe Levin (The Way, Way Back), and Val Kilmer;  and based on Franco’s short story collection of the same name, will be released in Spring 2014 by Tribeca Films. 

    Palo Alto weaves together three stories of teenage lust, boredom, and self-destruction: shy, sensitive April (Emma Roberts), torn between an illicit flirtation with her soccer coach (James Franco) and an unrequited crush on sweet stoner Teddy (Jack Kilmer); Emily (Zoe Levin), who offers sexual favors to any boy to cross her path; and the increasingly dangerous exploits of Teddy and his best friend Fred (Nat Wolff), whose behavior may or may not be sociopathic. One of the strongest American directorial debuts of the past decade, Coppola’s film has a palpable sense of time and place, but her characters – seeking cheap thrills and meaningful connections – could be teenagers from any generation.

     http://youtu.be/_7Q3oeHsIj0

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  • Midwest Independent Film Festival Announces Nominees for 2013 Best of the Midwest Awards

    THE KINGS OF SUMMER, directed by Jordan Vogt Roberts,THE KINGS OF SUMMER, directed by Jordan Vogt Roberts,

    The Midwest Independent Film Festival unveiled their list of nominees for 2013 Best of the Midwest Awards. The Midwest Independent Film Festival in Chicago, describes itself as the nation’s only film festival solely dedicated to the Midwest filmmaker, presenting audiences with regionally produced independent cinema every first Tuesday of the month. Films nominated for Best Film of 2013 include THE KINGS OF SUMMER, directed by Jordan Vogt Roberts, SOLE SURVIVOR, directed by Ky Dickens, BORN IN CHICAGO, directed by John Anderson, QWERTY, directed by Bill Sebastian, BE GOOD, directed by Todd Looby and SHE LOVES ME NOT, directed by Brian Jun and Jack Sanderson. The 2013 Best of the Midwest Awards Gala Presented by the Midwest Independent Film Festival will be held on Tuesday, December 3, 2013.

    Best Music Video
    Rouse Yourself, directed by Billy Bungeroth
    I.L.O.U., directed by Michael Starcevich
    Float Away, directed by Thom Glunt
    Blood Is Blood, directed by Frank Donnangelo
    Waiting for Godot, directed by Caitlin Pashalek
    Dream Bigger Dreams, directed by Sandro

    Best Short Film
    Best If Used By, directed by Aemilia Scott
    Paraiso, directed by Nadav Kurtz
    Eugene, directed by Jason Stanfield and Jordan Olshansky
    ’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card, directed by Todd Sklar
    The Queen of My Dreams, directed by Fawzia Mirza and Ryan Logan
    Sparkle, directed by Julia Reichert and Stephen Bognar
    The Ghosts, directed by Eddie O’Keefe

    Best Editing
    Spencer Sachs and Jordan Olshansky, Eugene
    Nadav Kurtz and Anthony Gannon, Paraiso
    Anna Patel, Sole Survivor
    Jan Maitland, Dream Bigger Dreams
    Bill Sebastian and Clinton Noel Williams, QWERTY

    Best Actress
    Aemilia Scott, Best If Used By
    Megan Mullaly, The Kings of Summer
    Amy Siemetz, Be Good
    Dana Pupkin, QWERTY
    Amy Speckien, Kat and Willy
    Kate Cobb, The Ghosts

    Best Cinematography
    Mike Gibisser, Be Good
    Ross Riege, The Kings of Summer
    Delaney Teichler, The Ghosts
    Ryan Samul, She Loves Me Not
    Christopher Barrett, Best If Used By

    Best Screenplay
    Maria Finitzo, Life Lessons
    Juliet McDaniel, QWERTY
    Aemilia Scott, Best If Used By
    Brian Jun and Jack Sanderson, She Loves Me Not
    Todd Looby, Be Good

    Best Actor 
    Thomas J. Madden, Be Good
    Nick Offerman, The Kings of Summer
    Christian Stolte, Graveyard
    Alex Beh, Coffees
    Eric Hailey, QWERTY
    David Pasquesi, Graveyard

    Best Director
    John Anderson, Born In Chicago
    Ky Dickens, Sole Survivor
    Aemilia Scott, Best If Used By
    Jordan Vogt-Roberts, The Kings of Summer
    Todd Looby, Be Good
    Todd Sklar, ’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card

    Best Feature
    The Kings of Summer, directed by Jordan Vogt Roberts
    Sole Survivor, directed by Ky Dickens
    Born In Chicago, directed by John Anderson
    QWERTY, directed by Bill Sebastian
    Be Good, directed by Todd Looby
    She Loves Me Not, directed by Brian Jun and Jack Sanderson

     

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  • 12 YEARS A SLAVE Dominates 18th Satellite Awards Nominations

    12 YEARS A SLAVE 12 YEARS A SLAVE

    12 YEARS A SLAVE continues to dominate the early Awards season garnering 10 nominations for the 18th Annual Satellite Awards, including Best Motion Picture of 2013. AMERICAN HUSTLE and GRAVITY received 8 nominations each, with both also nominated for Best Motion Picture of 2013. Although FRUITVALE STATION was effectively locked out with no nominations, director Ryan Coogler will receive the Honorary Satellite Award and leading actor Michael B. Jordan will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award. NEBRASKA will be honored with the Best Ensemble, Motion Picture.  The 18th Annual Satellite Awards ceremony presented by the International Press Academy (IPA) will be held on March 9, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.

     The categories and nominees for the 18th Annual Satellite Awards™ are as follows:

    MOTION PICTURES

    1. Actress in a Motion Picture

    Name

    Title of Film 

    Amy Adams   

    American Hustle (Sony)        

    Cate Blanchett  

    Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)

    Sandra Bullock 

    Gravity (Warner Bros.)  

    Judi Dench  

    Philomena (The Weinstein Company) 

    Adele Exarchopoulos   

    Blue Is the Warmest Color (Sundance)

    Julia Louis-Dreyfus 

    Enough Said (Fox Searchlight)

    Meryl Streep   

    August: Osage County (The Weinstein Company) 

    Emma Thompson  

    Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)

    2. Actor in a Motion Picture

    Name 

    Title of Film  

    Christian Bale 

    American Hustle (Sony)

    Bruce Dern      

    Nebraska (Paramount)  

    Leonardo DiCaprio 

    The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)

    Chiwetel Ejiofor  

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    Tom Hanks   

    Captain Phillips (Sony)

    Matthew McConaughey 

    Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)

    Robert Redford 

    All Is Lost (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)

    Forest Whitaker 

    Lee Daniels’ The Butler (The Weinstein Company)

    3. Actress in a Supporting Role

    Name 

    Title of Film

    Sally Hawkins  

    Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)

    Jennifer Lawrence 

    American Hustle (Sony)

    Lupita Nyong’o  

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    Julia Roberts    

    August: Osage County (The Weinstein Company)

    Lea Seydoux   

    Blue Is the Warmest Color (Sundance)

    June Squibb 

    Nebraska (Paramount)

    Emily Watson

    The Book Thief (20th Century Fox)     

    Oprah Winfrey  

    Lee Daniels’ The Butler (The Weinstein Company)

    4. Actor in a Supporting Role

    Name     

    Title of Film

    Bradley Cooper  

    American Hustle (Sony)

    Michael Fassbender      

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    Harrison Ford  

    42 (Warner Bros.)

    Ryan Gosling   

    The Place Beyond the Pines (Focus Features)

    Jake Gyllenhaal  

    Prisoners (Warner Bros.)

    Tom Hanks 

    Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)

    Casey Affleck 

    Out of the Furnace (Relativity Media)

    Jared Leto  

    Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)

    5. Motion Picture

    Title of Film    

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    All Is Lost (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)

    American Hustle (Sony)

    Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)

    Captain Phillips (Sony)

    Gravity (Warner Bros.)

    Inside Llewyn Davis (CBS Films)

    Philomena (The Weinstein Company)

    Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)

    The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)

       

    6. Motion Picture, International Film

    Title of Film

    Bethlehem 

    Israel       

    Blue Is the Warmest Color   

    France

    The Broken Circle Breakdown

    Belgium

    Circles  

    Serbia

    Four Corners      

    South Africa

    The Great Beauty    

    Italy    

    The Hunt  

    Denmark

    Metro Manila

    United Kingdom

    The Past      

    Iran

    Wadjda       

    Saudia Arabia

    7. Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media

    Title of Film

    Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Sony)

    The Croods (DreamWorks)

    Epic (20th Century Fox)

    Ernest & Celestine (GKIDS)

    Frozen (Disney)

    Monsters University (Disney-Pixar)

    Turbo (DreamWorks)

    The Wind Rises (Studio Ghibli)

    8. Motion Picture, Documentary

    Title of Documentary

    20 Feet from Stardom (Radius-TWC)

    The Act of Killing (Drafthouse Films)

    After Tiller (Oscilloscope)

    American Promise (Rada Film Group)

    Blackfish (Magnolia Pictures)

    Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie (Ironbound Films)

    Sound City (Roswell Films)

    The Square (City Drive Entertainment Group)

    Stories We Tell (Roadside Attractions)

    Tim’s Vermeer (Sony Pictures Classics)

    9. Director

    Name 

    Title of Film  

    Woody Allen  

    Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)

    Ethan Coen, Joel Coen  

    Inside Llewyn Davis (CBS Films)

    Alfonso Cuaron  

    Gravity (Warner Bros.)

    Paul Greengrass    

    Captain Phillips (Sony)

    Ron Howard   

    Rush (Universal)

    Steve McQueen   

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    David O. Russell   

    American Hustle (Sony)

    Martin Scorsese   

    The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)

    10. Screenplay, Original

    Name 

    Title of Film  

    David O. Russell, Eric Singer     

    American Hustle (Sony)    

    Woody Allen   

    Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)     

    Nicole Holofcener      

    Enough Said (Fox Searchlight)

    Spike Jonze    

    Her (Warner Bros.) 

    Ethan Coen, Joel Coen   

    Inside Llewyn Davis (CBS Films)

    Kelly Mareel, Sue Smith    

    Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)

    11. Screenplay, Adapted

    Name     

    Title of Film  

    John Ridley    

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater    

    Before Midnight (Sony Pictures Classics)

    Billy Ray      

    Captain Phillips (Sony)

    Peter Berg      

    Lone Survivor (Universal)

    Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope    

    Philomena (The Weinstein Company)

    Terence Winter      

    The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)

    12. Original Score

    Composer 

    Title of Film  

    Hans Zimmer  

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    John Williams    

     The Book Thief (20th Century Fox)

    Steven Price    

    Gravity (Warner Bros.)  

    Arcade Fire      

    Her (Warner Bros.)

    Alexandre Desplat  

    Philomena (The Weinstein Company) 

    Theodore Shapiro       

    The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (20th Century Fox)

    13. Original Song

    Title of Song   

    Title of Film  

    Happy   

    Despicable Me 2 (Universal) 

    Let It Go        

    Frozen (Disney)

    Young and Beautiful     

    The Great Gatsby (Warner Bros.)

    I See Fire         

    The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Warner Bros)

    Please Mr. Kennedy        

    Inside Llewyn Davis (CBS Films)

    So You Know What It’s Like

    Short Term 12 (Cinedigm)

    14. Cinematography

    Name     

    Title of Film

    Sean Bobbitt    

    12 Years A Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    Emmanuel Lubezki  

    Gravity (Warner Bros.)

    Bruno Delbonnel    

    Inside Llewyn Davis (CBS Films)

    Roger Deakins       

    Prisoners (Warner Bros.)

    Anthony Dod Mantle

    Rush (Universal)

    Stuart Dryburgh       

    The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (20th Century Fox)

    15. Visual Effects

    Name

    Title of Film  

    Robert Munroe, Colin Davies, Brendon O’Dell

    All Is Lost (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)

    Markus Manninen, Matt Baer 

    The Croods (DreamWorks)

    Tim Webber, Charles Howell, Chris Lawrence 

    Gravity (Warner Bros.)

    Scott Stokdyk, Troy Saliba, James Schwalm

    Oz the Great and Powerful (Disney)

    Jody Johnson, Mark Hodgkins, Antoine Moulineau

    Rush (Universal)     

    Scott Farrar, Andrew R. Jones, Jessica Norman, and Matt Johnson  

    World War Z (Paramount)

    16. Film Editing

    Name  

    Title of Film  

    Joe Walker     

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers

    American Hustle

    Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Sanger

    Gravity (Warner Bros)

    Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach     

    Prisoners (Warner Bros.) 

    Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill         

    Rush (Universal)

    Thelma Schoonmaker    

    The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)

    17. Sound (Editing and Mixing)

    Name  

    Title of Film

    Steve Boeddeker, Richard Hymns, Brandon Proctor    

    All Is Lost (Lionsgate)

    Oliver Tarney, Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor               

    Captain Phillips (Sony)

    Craig Berkey, Dave Whitehead, David Husby, and Christopher Scarabosio  

    Elysium (Sony)

    Glenn Freemantle, Niv Adiri, Skip Lievsay          

    Gravity (Warner Bros)

    Skip Lievsay, Paul Urmson, Igor Nikolic 

    Inside Llewyn Davis (CBS Films)

    Danny Hambrook, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler        

    Rush (Universal)

    18. Art Direction & Production Design

    Name      

    Title of Film  

    Catherine Martin, Beverly Dunn   

    The Great Gatsby (Warner Bros.)

    Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald   

    The Invisible Woman (Sony Pictures Classics)

    Tim Galvin, Diane Lederman   

     Lee Daniels’ The Butler (The Weinstein Company)

    Robert Stromberg, Nancy Haigh   

    Oz the Great and Powerful (Disney)

    Mark Digby, Patrick Rolfe  

    Rush (Universal)

    Michael Corenblith, Lauren E. Polizzi  

    Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)   

                                                                                          

    19. Costume Design

    Name   

    Title of Film  

    Patricia Norris    

    12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

    Catherine Martin  

    The Great Gatsby (Warner Bros.)

    Michael O’Connor     

    The Invisible Woman (Sony Pictures Classics)

    Gary Jones     

    Oz the Great and Powerful (Disney)

    Julian Day     

    Rush (Universal)     

    Daniel Orlandi    

    Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)

    TELEVISION

    20. Miniseries/ Motion Picture Made for Television

    Behind the Candelabra (HBO)

    The Big C: Hereafter (Showtime)

    Burton and Taylor (BBC America)

    Dancing on the Edge (Starz)

    Generation War (ZDF, teamWorx Television, Film GmbH)

    Mob City (TNT)

    Parade’s End (HBO)

    Phil Spector (HBO)

    Top of the Lake (Sundance Channel)

    The White Queen (Starz)      

    21. Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television

    Name 

    Title of Series

    Helena Bonham Carter  

    Burton and Taylor (BBC America)

    Holliday Grainger     

    Bonnie & Clyde (Lifetime)

    Rebecca Hall    

    Parade’s End (HBO)

    Jessica Lange       

    American Horror Story: Coven (FX)

    Laura Linney     

    The Big C: Hereafter (Showtime)

    Helen Mirren     

    Phil Spector (HBO)

    Elisabeth Moss     

    Top of the Lake (Sundance Channel)

    Melissa Leo      

    Call Me Crazy: A Five Film (Lifetime)

    22. Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television

    Name  

    Title of Series

    Benedict Cumberbatch  

    Parade’s End (HBO)

    Matt Damon     

    Behind the Candelabra (HBO)

    Michael Douglas    

    Behind the Candelabra (HBO)

    Chiwetel Ejiofor  

    Dancing on the Edge (Starz)

    Matthew Goode   

    Dancing on the Edge (Starz)

    Peter Mullan         

    Top of the Lake (Sundance Channel)

    Al Pacino     

    Phil Spector (HBO)

    Dominic West  

    Burton and Taylor (BBC America)

    23. Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

    Name         

    Title of Series

    Uzo Aduba  

    Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

    Kathy Bates      

    American Horror Story: Coven (FX)

    Emilia Clarke      

    Game of Thrones (HBO)

    Anna Gunn       

    Breaking Bad (AMC)    

    Margo Martindale     

    The Americans (FX)

    Judy Parfitt        

    Call the Midwife (BBC/PBS)

    Laura Prepon        

    Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

    Merritt Wever     

    Nurse Jackie (Showtime)  

    24. Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

    Name  

    Title of Series

    Nikolaj Coster-Waldau 

    Game of Thrones (HBO)

    William Hurt     

    Bonnie & Clyde (Lifetime)

    Aaron Paul        

    Breaking Bad (AMC)

    Peter Sarsgaard          

    The Killing (AMC)

    Jimmy Smits    

    Sons of Anarchy (FX)

    Corey Stoll    

    House of Cards (Netflix)

    Jon Voight     

    Ray Donovan (Showtime)

    James Wolk     

    Mad Men (AMC)

    25. Television Series, Drama

    The Americans (FX)

    Breaking Bad (AMC)

    Downton Abbey (PBS)

    The Good Wife (CBS)

    Homeland (Showtime)

    House of Cards (Netflix)

    Last Tango in Halifax (BBC/PBS)

    Mad Men (AMC)

    Masters of Sex (Showtime)

    Rectify (Sundance Channel)

    26. Television series or Miniseries, Genre

    American Horror Story: Coven (FX)

    Arrow (CW)

    Game of Thrones (HBO)

    Grimm (NBC)

    Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)

    Once Upon a Time (ABC)

    Orphan Black (BBC America)

    The Returned (Sundance Channel)

    Supernatural (CW)

    The Walking Dead (AMC)

    27. Actress in a Series, Drama

    Name     

    Title of Series

    Lizzy Caplan  

    Masters of Sex (Showtime)

    Olivia Colman     

    Broadchurch (BBC America)

    Vera Farmiga    

    Bates Motel (A&E)

    Tatiana Maslany   

    Orphan Black (BBC America)

    Anne Reid   

    Last Tango in Halifax (BBC/PBS)

    Keri Russell   

    The Americans (FX)

    Abigail Spencer  

    Rectify (Sundance Channel)

    Robin Wright  

    House of Cards (Netflix)

    28. Actor in a Series, Drama

    Name        

    Title of Series

    Bryan Cranston   

    Breaking Bad (AMC)

    Jeff Daniels      

    The Newsroom (HBO)

    Jon Hamm     

    Mad Men (AMC)

    Freddie Highmore   

    Bates Motel (A&E)

    Derek Jacobi         

    The Last Tango in Halifax (BBC/PBS)

    Michael Sheen        

    Masters of Sex (Showtime)

    Kevin Spacey       

    House of Cards (Netflix)

    Aden Young          

    Rectify (Sundance Channel)

    29. Television Series, Comedy or Musical

    Title of Series

    Alpha House (Amazon Studios)

    The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

    Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)

    Enlightened (HBO)

    Louie (FX)

    Modern Family (ABC)

    Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

    Veep (HBO)

    The Wrong Mans (BBC/Hulu)

    A Young Doctor’s Notebook (Ovation TV)

    30. Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical

    Name       

    Title of Series

    Laura Dern      

    Enlightened (HBO)

    Zooey Deschanel      

    New Girl (FOX)

    Lena Dunham        

    Girls (HBO)

    Edie Falco         

    Nurse Jackie (Showtime)

    Julia Louis-Dreyfus       

    Veep (HBO)

    Amy Poehler      

    Parks and Recreation (NBC)

    Taylor Schilling         

    Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

    Jessica Walter    

    Arrested Development (Netflix)

    31. Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical

    Name    

    Title of Series

    Mathew Baynton  

    The Wrong Mans (BBC/Hulu)

    Andre Braugher     

    Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)

    Louis C.K.      

    Louie (FX)

    Don Cheadle       

    House of Lies (Showtime)

    James Corden    

    The Wrong Mans (BBC/Hulu)

    John Goodman    

    Alpha House (Amazon Studios)

    Jake Johnson       

    New Girl (FOX)

    Jim Parsons       

    The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

    32. Original Short-Format Program

    Ask A Slave (AzieDee Productions)

    Blue (Wigsco)

    Burning Love (Yahoo!, Red Hour Films, Abominable Pictures, Paramount Insurge)

    EastSiders (Logo TV)

    Ghost Ghirls (Yahoo!, Shine America, Electric Dynamite)

    High Maintenance (Jankyclown Productions)

    #JustSaying, #SamoKazem (Tuna Fish Studio)

    Little Horribles (Barnacle Studios)

    BLU-RAY DVD

    33. Best Overall

    Argo (Warner Bros.)

    Breaking Bad: The Complete Series (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

    JFK 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Warner Bros.)

    Les Miserables (Universal)

    Love Actually 10th Anniversary Edition (Universal)

     Star Trek Into Darkness (Paramount)

    The Talented Mr. Ripley (Miramax)

    To Be or Not To Be (United Artists)

     Waiting for Lightning (First Run Features)

    The Wizard of Oz: 75th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (MGM)

    34. Youth

    The Croods (20th Century Fox)

    Monsters University Collector’s Edition (Disney)

    The Muppet Movie (Henson Associates)       

    Planes (Disney)

    Rise of the Guardians (DreamWorks)               

    The Smurfs 2 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

    VIDEO GAMES

    35. Outstanding Action / Adventure

    Battlefield 4 (EA Digital Illusions CE)   

    Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream)

    BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games)

    Crysis 3 (Crytek Frankfurt / UK)

    Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North)

    36. Outstanding Mobile Game

    Badland (Frogmind)

    Ridiculous Fishing (Vlambeer)

    The Room (Fireproof Games Studios)

    Warhammer Quest (Rodeo Games)

    XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS (Firaxis Games, Feral Interactive)

    37. Outstanding Role Playing Game

    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)

    Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Square Enix Product)

    Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Level 5 / Studio Ghibli)

    Sacred 3 (Keen Games)

    Tales of Xillia (Namco Tales Studio)

    38. Outstanding Sports / Racing Game

    FIFA 14 (Electronic Arts)

    Forza Motorsport 5 (Turn 10 Studios)

    Grid 2 (Codemasters Southam)                                                      

    NBA 2K14 (Visual Concepts)

    Need for Speed Rivals (Ghost Games / Electronic Arts)

    SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

    Honorary Satellite Award

    Ryan Coogler 
    Fruitvale Station

    Breakthrough Performance Award 

    Michael B. Jordan
    Fruitvale Station

    Sophie Nelisse
    The Book Thief

    Best Ensemble, Motion Picture

    Nebraska

    Best Ensemble, Television

    Orange is the New Black

     

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  • SONG FROM THE FOREST Wins Best Documentary at 2013 IDFA

    SONG FROM THE FOREST by Michael Obert SONG FROM THE FOREST by Michael Obert

    SONG FROM THE FOREST by Michael Obert won the top prize, VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary at the 26th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam which took place November 29 to December 1, 2013.  The film focuses on American Louis Sarno, who has lived for 25 years with a tribe of Pygmies in the jungle of Central Africa and decides to take his son to America for the first time. Other top winners include TWIN SISTERS by Mona Friis Bertheussen snagging the BankGiro Loterij IDFA Audience Award. Twin Sisters is the remarkable story of Chinese twins adopted in two completely different parts of world, but who are united by fate. The next IDFA will take place November 19 to 30, 2014.

    VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary

    In addition, to Michael Obert winning the VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary for SONG FROM THE FOREST, the jury presented a Special Jury Award to A LETTER TO NELSON MANDELA by Khalo Matabane (South Africa / Germany), in which the filmmaker takes a critical look at Nelson Mandela, his status and role in the reforms that took place in South Africa in the 1990s.

    NTR IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary

    The Russian collective Gogol’s Wives Productions won the NTR IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary for PUSSY VERSUS PUTIN (Russia) – a grim record of the struggle by the wild, anarchistic female band Pussy Riot against president Putin, from their first disruptive performances to images shot in police cells.

    IDFA Award for First Appearance

    The IDFA Award for First Appearance was presented to Farida Pacha for MY NAME IS SALT (Switzerland / India), a painstaking observation of the labour-intensive process of salt extraction in an Indian desert, where the repetitive actions and events take on a ritual character.

    The jury also presented an extra award in memory of Peter Wintonick: the Peter Wintonick Special Jury Award for First Appearance to Linda Västrik for FOREST OF THE DANCING SPIRITS, a portrait of a tribe of pygmies in Central Africa. 

    Dioraphte IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary

    The Dioraphte IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary, went to AWAKE IN A BAD DREAM by Petra Lataster-Czisch and Peter Lataster. The film revolves around three women dealing with the physical and emotional suffering caused by breast cancer.

    BankGiro Loterij IDFA Audience Award

    The BankGiro Loterij IDFA Audience Award went to TWIN SISTERS by Mona Friis Bertheussen (Norway). Twin Sisters is the remarkable story of Chinese twins adopted in two completely different parts of world, but who are united by fate.

    IDFA Award for Student Competition

    The IDFA Award for Student Competition went to Ricardas Marcinkus for FINAL DESTINATION (Lithuania). The film deals with a Lithuanian prisoner released after 28 years. Unfortunately, the man rapidly sinks back into a life of drug abuse on the streets.

    IDFA Melkweg Music Documentary Audience Award

    Morgan Neville received the IDFA Melkweg Music Documentary Audience Award for TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM (USA, 2013), in which the backing singers of superstars reveal what it is like to live in the shadow of fame, and talk about their love of music.

    IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling

    The firestarters IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling went to I LOVE YOUR WORK (USA) by Jonathan Harris. In this web documentary, nine women in the lesbian porn industry reveal not only their bodies, but their thoughts to the camera.

    IDFA DOC U Award

    The IDFA DOC U Award presented by a jury of young people, went to Joe Piscatella for #chicagoGirl – THE SOCIAL NETWORK TAKES ON A DICTATOR (USA / Syria). From a suburb of Chicago, a nineteen-year-old American female student has been coordinating the Syrian revolution since 2011, armed with every imaginable social network.

    Mediafonds Kids & Docs Award 2013

    Finally, the Mediafonds Kids & Docs Award 2013 was presented to A HOME FOR LYDIA by Eline Helena Schellekens. The film tells the story of Lydia, who was born in the Netherlands but has no residence permit. A special children’s jury voted A Home for Lydia the best Dutch youth documentary of the past year. Eline Helena Schellekens received €15,000 towards making a new youth documentary. 

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  • BFI Sight & Sound Magazine Picks Top 10 Films of 2013

    THE ACT OF KILLING THE ACT OF KILLING

    The International Film Magazine Sight & Sound, published by the British Film Institute polled their contributors, international critics, curators and academics to come up with one of the first Top 10 Best Films of 2013 lists. The award-winning documentary, THE ACT OF KILLING directed by Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine Cynn, snagged the number one spot on the list. THE ACT OF KILLING, revisits Indonesia’s horrific past by enlisting former unrepentant members of Indonesian paramilitary death squads, including Indonesian paramilitary leader Anwar Congo, to re-enact their past lives and killings in the style of the films they love.

    1. THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark / UK / Norway / Germany / Finland / Sweden / Netherlands / Poland

    2. GRAVITY Alfonso Cuáron
, Mexico / USA

    3. BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (La Vie d’Adèle Chapitres 1 et 2) Abdellatif Kechiche, Belgium / Spain / France

    4. THE GREAT BEAUTY (La grande bellezza ) Paolo Sorrentino , France / Italy

    5. FRANCES HA Noah Baumbach , Brazil / USA

    6. A TOUCH OF SIN (Tian zhu ding) Jia Zhangke, China

    7. UPSTREAM COLOR Shane Carruth, USA

    8. THE SELFISH GIANT Clio Barnard, UK

    9. NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY (Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan) Lav Diaz, Phillipines

    (tie)

    9. STRANGER BY THE LAKE (L’Inconnu du lac) Alain Guiraudie, France

    Read more

  • Film Review: GARIFUNA IN PERIL-The Movie

    garifuna in peril

    GARIFUNA IN PERIL, written, produced and directed by Ali Allie and Ruben Reyes, is a film that chronicles the history of a people.  It explores the culture, language, and history, surrounding an indigenous group of people called the Garifuna.  Who are the Garifuna?

    The Garifuna are descendants of Carib, Arawak, and West African people. The British colonizers referred to the Garifunas as Black Caribs.  At first the Garifunas called the island of St.Vincent home, but disease, horrific treatment by their captors and the trip across the seas, claimed the lives of many of the Garifuna people.  Today, an estimated 600,000 Garifuna populate a number of areas; Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. 

    It was a day like any other day, when the Indians piled onto a boat.  They were filled with hope. They traveled from their homeland to new lands. What luck! They had hit the jackpot. They found lush and fertile land, which they inhabited for approximately 1,400 years.  For 1,400 years the Indians inhabited the mountainous and fertile islands of the Caribbean.  They had sailed the seas and finally settled in the Greater Antilles. Both the Arawak and Carib Indians migrated from South America. The Arawaks were a peaceful people, while the Caribs were rebellious and aggressive. As a result of the differences in temperaments, the Caribs easily overcame and conquered the Arawaks.   Soon, the colonizers arrived bearing gifts and diseases. Life as the Indians knew it changed.

    Eventually, the ships transporting slaves from the African continent arrived. Intermarriage occurred between the slaves and the local Carib-Arawaks.  The Garifuna people were born.

    The film, GARIFUNA IN PERIL, has the tone of a reality show.  So, I kept asking myself: Is this a reality show? A good reality show.

    garifuna in peril-2

    GARIFUNA IN PERIL, follows Garifuna teacher, Ricardo, who is diligently trying to teach the dying Garifuna language, and culture to old and young alike. The elder Garifuna people, residing in Honduras, speak the Garifuna language.  However, the young people are less familiar with the language and the culture. The question posed by the youth: “Why do I have to speak the language?” “How will it help me in today’s world?”

    Will this Garifuna man succeed in his noble mission to preserve a language and culture?

    garifuna in peril-1

    Ricardo is also working with his brother to raise funds to build a school for his people in his hometown.   Unfortunately, the project hits a roadblock, due to his brother’s greed and selfishness.  Soon, Ricardo finds himself face to face with the local council members; his brother is accused of selling the Garifuna land to developers.

    The filmmakers, Ali Allie and Ruben Reyes, use a technique which gives the movie a realistic feel. It is effectively paced, and skillfully examines the differences in ideologies of the older versus the younger Garifuna generation. The film transitions from the historical tale relayed on stage by young people to present day occurrences, and draws parallels: tourism vs. the locals or indigenous people in Honduras; communal land vs. individually owned land; drab buildings vs. plush landscapes and oceanic views. Ali Allie and Ruben Reyes effectively weave a tapestry that transcends the tale and deals with land ownership, economics, and numerous issues that are relevant to us today.

    A must see…

    http://youtu.be/NQs5m9haasM

    —

    garifuna in peril-poster

    GARIFUNA IN PERIL
    Written, Produced and Directed by
    Alí Allié and Ruben Reyes

    Year of Production: 2012
    Countries of Production: USA/Honduras
    Running Time: 99 minutes
    Languages: 55% Garífuna, 30% English, 15% Spanish
    Subtitled in: English (Spanish subtitled version available)
    Additional Writing: William Flores
    Associate Producers: Dudley Augustine, Ben Flores, Jorge Garifuna
    Actors: Ruben Reyes, Julian Castillo, Gloria Garnett, Jessica Alvarez, E.J. Mejia, Jr., Luis Martinez, Aubrey Wakeling, Arleny Escobar
    Cinematographer: Alí Allié
    Editors: Alí Allié, Ruben Reyes, Milton Guity, Katherine Cumpa, Marya Murphy
    Music: Emilio Nuñez & Labaña Maraza, Aziatic, Punta Cartel, Ala Suazo, Rene Crisanto y La Runi Hati, Bodoma, Isabel Flores, Garifuna Records, Bootsy Rankin, Julito Timbalito, Bill Cayetano, Georgette Lambey, Glen Garcia, Nuru, Luisito Martinez, Yanyman, Ruben Reyes

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  • Documentary 5 BROKEN CAMERAS Wins International Emmy

    5 BROKEN CAMERAS, Emad Burnat5 BROKEN CAMERAS, Emad Burnat

    The documentary 5 BROKEN CAMERAS snagged the International Emmy for Best Documentary at the 41st International Emmy Awards held in New York.  5 BROKEN CAMERAS, co-directed by Israeli Guy Davidi and Palestinian Emad Burnat, is a personal, firsthand account of life and nonviolent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village surrounded by Israeli settlements. The film was shot by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, Gibreel. The film is structured in chapters around the destruction of each one of Burnat’s cameras, and follows the Burnat family’s evolution over five years of village upheaval. 

    http://youtu.be/1CKJDYuFqDs

    2013 INTERNATIONAL EMMY® AWARD WINNERS: 

    ARTS PROGRAMMING-TIE 
    Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender 
    EMP / Mercury Songs for Eagle Rock Entertainment 
    United Kingdom 
    Freddie Mercury was one of the most charismatic, complex, and fascinating characters in British rock music. The story of Queen is much told, but this documentary focuses on Freddie and the solo projects he worked on outside of the band. Using extensive archive footage of interviews with Freddie as well as concerts, video shoots, and personal material, a portrait of Freddie Mercury emerges which is very different from his flamboyant stage persona.

    Hello?! Orchestra 
    Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation(MBC) / CEN MEDIA 
    South Korea 
    Violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill conducts an orchestra of 24 children from multicultural families. Raised in a multicultural family himself, Richard understands the discrimination these children face, and he attempts to unite and heal them through music. BEST

    PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR 
    Sean Bean 
    In Accused 
    RSJ Films 
    United Kingdom 
    Simon is a shy, lonely, English literature teacher with a secret. He has a transvestite alter-ego, Tracie. Tracie goes out to clubs at night. She is flamboyant, funny, and loud, and in search of love. 

    BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS 
    Fernanda Montenegro 
    In Sweet Mother 
    TV Globo / Casa de Cinema do Porto Alegre 
    Brazil 
    Dona Picucha is 85 and wishes to live independently in spite of her age and the concern of her children. She feels ready to try new experiences, like dancing. 

    COMEDY 
    Moone Boy 
    Baby Cow Productions Ltd / Hot Cod Productions / Grand Pictures / Sprout Pictures 
    United Kingdom 
    Set in a small Irish town in 1989, ‘Moone Boy’ follows the adventures of the youngest member of the Moone family, 11-year-old Martin. In order to survive life with his chaotic family Martin relies on his friend, Sean Murphy for company. Sean is no ordinary pal, he’s imaginary: a grown man with a beard, whose middle name, Caution, gives him something of an edge. Together, Martin and Sean negotiate various obstacles, from his sisters’ pranks to the pressures of being an altar boy. 

    DOCUMENTARY 
    5 Broken Cameras 
    Alegria Productions / Burnat Films Palestine / Guy DVD Films / France Télévisions 
    France 
    5 Broken Cameras is a personal, firsthand account of life and nonviolent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village surrounded by Israeli settlements. The film was shot by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, Gibreel. The film is structured in chapters around the destruction of each one of Burnat’s cameras, and follows the Burnat family’s evolution over five years of village upheaval. 

    DRAMA SERIES 
    Les Revenants (The Returned) 
    Haut et Court TV / Canal+ 
    France 
    A small mountain community is rocked to its core when several local people who are presumed dead suddenly reappear at their homes. Despite having passed away some years earlier, these ghostly characters appear in human form, they have not aged, and they are completely u naware of their own fatality. Determined to reclaim their lives and start over, they slowly come to realize that they are not the only ones to have been brought back from the dead. 

    NON-SCRIPTED ENTERTAINMENT 
    Go Back To Where You Came From – Series 2 
    SBS / Cordell Jigsaw Productions 
    Australia 
    With the asylum-seeker issue still dominating national debate in Australia, the series ‘Go Back To Where You Came From’ returns for the next stage of its social experiment: to challenge the strongly held beliefs of six Australians on a journey to see the world through the eyes of refugees. This time, the stakes have been raised. The participants are going to the most desperate and dangerous corners of the world, and they are all high-profile Australians who represent different – often opposing – sides of the asylum-seeker debate. 

    TELENOVELA 
    Side by Side 
    TV Globo 
    Brazil 
    Laura and Isabel are two women from different social classes. One’s parents are former aristocrats, while the other’s are former slaves. The two families developed a solid friendship. Laura and Isabel fall in love with two young idealists, Edgar and Zé Maria. Amid the early Republic comes the emergence of samba, the arrival of soccer in Brazil, the end of the tenements, and the beginning of the slums (favelas) in Rio. 

    TV MOVIE/MINI-SERIES 
    A Day for a Miracle (Das Wunder von Kärnten) 
    Rowboat Film and TV Production GmbH / ZDF / Graf Filmproduction GmbH / ORF 
    Germany 
    In 1998, a young cardiovascular surgeon and ultra marathon runner from Vienna named Markus Höchstmann started his first job in rural Austria. Over two long days that same year he saved a life no one thought could be saved. With his superiors away, a drowned four-year-old girl was brought into the emergency room. Cold and lifeless after having spent 30 minutes under water, she was considered clinically dead. Even though a similar resuscitation had never been accomplished, Markus risked everything to save the girl’s life and made medical history.

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  • GIMME SHELTER Starring Vanessa Hudgens Sets Release Date | WATCH Trailer

    GIMME SHELTER

    GIMME SHELTER, the indie film starring Vanessa Hudgens will be released in theaters in the U.S. on January 24, 2014. In obviously an effort to distance herself from her Disney roots, Vanessa with shorter hair, tom boy clothes and multiple piercings including a lip ring, plays a pregnant teenager who flees her abusing mother.  GIMME SHELTER is written, directed and produced by Ron Krauss, and also stars Brendan Fraser, Rosario Dawson and James Earl Jones. 

    Based on a true story centering on 16-year-old Agnes “Apple” Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens), GIMME SHELTER uncovers the struggle for survival and the hope of redemption through the harsh realities of life on the streets. As a pregnant teenager, Apple’s journey plummets her into a perilous struggle until finding salvation in a suburban shelter for homeless teens. With provisions of unprecedented comfort, a collective sisterhood connection and female empowerment, the shelter inspires Apple to break the shackles of her past and inspires her to embrace the future with clarity, maturity and hope not only for herself but her unborn child.

    To prepare for the role, Hudgens reportedly lived for weeks in pregnancy shelters, interacting with the young, homeless mothers who also appear in the film, completely altering her appearance unrecognizable.

    The film is inspired by a David and Goliath true story of Kathy DiFiore’s longstanding Several Sources Shelters. Kathy is played in the film by Ann Dowd. Kathy worked hand-in-hand with Mother Teresa in an effort to change the shelter laws in New Jersey.

     http://youtu.be/MrNdGUFZ6RY

     

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  • 5 Films Nominated for 25th Producers Guild of America Documentary Motion Picture Awards

    A PLACE AT THE TABLE, FAR OUT ISN’T FAR ENOUGH: THE TOMI UNGERER STORY, LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM, WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS, and WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON

    The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the Documentary Motion Picture nominees for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards. The nominated films, are: A PLACE AT THE TABLE, FAR OUT ISN’T FAR ENOUGH: THE TOMI UNGERER STORY, LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM, WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS, and WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON. The 2014 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 19, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. 

    A PLACE AT THE TABLE
    Director: Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush

    A PLACE AT THE TABLE Director: Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush

    Around 49 million Americans struggle with the problem of not knowing where their next meal is going to come from. The stories of three people from Colorado, Pennsylvania and Mississippi shed light on the underlying causes of this huge problem. Rosie is so hungry that she can’t concentrate on schoolwork. Young Tremonica is severely overweight and suffering from asthma because of the cheap high-calorie food she gets at home – but it’s the only food her mother can afford. And Barbie, a single mother of two, struggles to get nourishing food for her young ones. Fresh products are very expensive – especially if you’re trying to survive on minimum wage or food stamps – but in some areas of the United States, they’re not even available if you have the money to pay for them. Take Barbie, for example: she has to travel a full hour to buy fruits and vegetables. Politicians have been condemning hunger since the 1970s, but the figures have kept rising all the while. As we watch the detrimental impact of malnutrition on the physical and mental development of Rosie, Tremonica and Barbie’s children, the film highlights various social, economic and cultural causes. They range from the subsidy system for food production (84 percent goes to soya beans, corn, cotton, cereals and rice, while only one percent goes to fruits and vegetables) to the emphasis on individual responsibility and private assistance.  [via IDFA]

    FAR OUT ISN’T FAR ENOUGH: THE TOMI UNGERER STORY
    Director/producer/writer: Brad Bernstein 

    FAR OUT ISN’T FAR ENOUGH: THE TOMI UNGERER STORY Director/producer/writer: Brad Bernstein

    Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story depicts one man’s wild, lifelong adventure of testing societal boundaries through his use of subversive art. This 98-minute film combines traditional documentary storytelling with original animation from over 70 years worth of art from the renegade children’s book author and illustrator. Using a historical palette of 20th century events to paint an artist’s epic yet controversial life story, this HD documentary film offers a feature-length retrospective of Ungerer’s life and art, pondering the complexities and contradictions of a man who, armed with an acerbic wit, an accusing finger and a razor sharp pencil, gave visual representation to the revolutionary voices during one of the most tantalizing and dramatic periods in American history. [via Official Film Site]

    LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM
    Directors: Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

    LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM Directors: Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

    What is aging in Sam Berns, is aging in all of us. But in Sam’s body, the process is rapidly accelerated. When Sam was diagnosed with progeria at age two, his parents, Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns refused to accept that they would lose their son by age 13, the average age of death of a child with this disease. Eleven years later, Sam is 13 and his parents’ incredible race to save their son, has led to testing the first experimental drug that might prolong the lives of Sam and 28 other children from around the world that share this disease. Their discoveries may one day shed light on unlocking the aging process in us all. Life According to Sam is an inspiring film about the power of family and how we make the most of our lives in the time we are given. [via Official Film Site]

    WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS
    Director: Alex Gibney

    WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS Director: Alex Gibney

     

    Julian Assange. Bradley Manning. Collateral murder. Cablegate. WikiLeaks. These people and terms have exploded into public consciousness by fundamentally changing the way democratic societies deal with privacy, secrecy, and the right to information, perhaps for generations to come. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is an extensive examination of all things related to WikiLeaks and the larger global debate over access to information.

    Having exposed institutions like Enron, the U.S. Army, and Congress, Academy Award winner Alex Gibney now tells the gripping story of what happens when an incredibly small group of people decide to break open the intelligence vaults of the most powerful nation on the planet. Eschewing the simplicity of heroes and villains, Gibney unearths a tangled web of incredible bravery, high ideals, questionable ethics, and stunning hypocrisy. Through it all, We Steal Secrets proves the power of individuals to shape our world. [ via S.S./Sundance Film Festival]

    WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON 
    Director: Sebastian Junger 

    WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON

     

    Photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Hetherington was always searching for the humanity within wartime conflict, as evidenced in his award-winning body of work. When he and Sebastian Junger spent a year filming a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in their Academy Award–nominated and Sundance Grand Jury Prizewinning film Restrepo, they weren’t simply looking for action; instead, they chose to focus on the many small moments that make war real. Hetherington’s footage of time he spent with the rebel army during Liberia’s civil war and in Libya prior to his untimely death from a mortar blast in 2011 conveys a rare sense of intimacy in sharp contrast to the violence surrounding him. Although he spent most of his time traveling to the epicenter of war zones, he was seeking the truth, rather than adventure. That is Hetherington’s enduring gift.

    Director Sebastian Junger gracefully weaves together footage of Hetherington at work and moving interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues to capture his compatriot and friend’s unique perspective, compassion, and intense curiosity about the human spirit. [ via L.V./Sundance Film Festival]

     

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