61st Berlinale: World Cinema in the Panorama Lineup

61st Berlinale: World Cinema in the Panorama Lineup

24 films have been selected so far, to be presented in the Panorama section of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival scheduled for February 10 – 20, 2011. The selection includes names like José Padilha (who won the Golden Bear in 2009 for Tropa de elite), Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors) and Macedonian director Milcho Manchevski, as well as newcomers like Marie Kreutzer (Austria), Jan Schomburg (Germany) and Michaël R. Roskam (Belgium). Returning to the […]

Swedish actor Per Oscarsson and His Wife Feared Dead in House Fire

Swedish actor Per Oscarsson and His Wife Feared Dead in House Fire

Swedish actor Per Oscarsson and his wife were feared dead after human remains were discovered among the ashes of their burned home. Oscarsson, 83, and his wife, 67, were both believed to have been home when their house near the small town of Skara, Sweden, burned to the ground overnight Thursday. He won Best Actor at the 1966 Cannes film festival for playing the lead role as Pontus in Henning Carlsen’s “Hunger”, and most recently […]

2011 German Film Critics Awards; Feo Aladag’s "When We Leave" with 7 Nominations

2011 German Film Critics Awards; Feo Aladag’s “When We Leave” with 7 Nominations

Feo Aladag’s “When We Leave”received seven nominations from the Germany’s film critics association, basically, winning an award in every category for which the film was eligible.  The film follows a woman and her son as they try to escape her husband’s abuse and finds shelter with a family in Berlin. Nominations for German Film Critics Awards, 2011: Best Film Boxhagener Platz (Director: Matti Geschonneck) The Silence (Director: Baran bo Odar) When We Leave (Director: Feo Aladag!) Three (Director: Tom […]

RIP: Israeli actor Josef Shiloach

RIP: Israeli actor Josef Shiloach

Israeli actor Josef Shiloach died Monday at the age of 69. Shiloach, who starred is such Israeli cult classics as Alex Hole Ahava, Sapiches and Hagiga B’Snuker passed away following a long battle with cancer. Shiloach who also had parts in Rambo 3, the Mummy Lives, alongside Tony Curtis, and Not Without My Daughter received the lifetime achievement award at the 2009 Jerusalem Film Festival. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.  

RIP: Actor Pete Postlethwaite

RIP: Actor Pete Postlethwaite

Oscar nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite, known recently for his role in the film “The Age of Stupid” has died at the age of 64. He reportedly passed away in a British hospital on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. Postlethwaite received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Guiseppe Conlon in the 1993 film In The Name Of The Father.  He was reportedly described by the film director Steven Spielberg as “probably the best […]

2011 Oxford Film Festival Lineup

2011 Oxford Film Festival Lineup

The Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi announced their February 10-13, 2011 festival films, panels, workshops and conversations to play on February 10 at the Lyric Theatere, and February 11-13 at Malco Theater. Opening the festival on Thursday, February 10 will be a special Thacker Mountain Radio show, a partner in presenting the film festival. The evening will continue with a screening of two short films. Les Blank’s “Werner Herzog Eats his Shoe,” and Ray […]

Independent Films and Shorts and Other Films Selected for Preservation in the 2010 National Film Registry

Independent Films and Shorts and Other Films Selected for Preservation in the 2010 National Film Registry

The Librarian of Congress named 25 motion pictures—Hollywood classics, documentaries and innovative shorts reflecting genres from every era of American filmmaking—to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Spanning the period 1891-1996, the films named to the registry included the black independent film “Cry of Jazz,” Luis Valdez’s “I Am Joaquin” and John Huston’s war documentary “Let There Be Light,” which was banned by the War Department for 35 years. This year’s selections […]

2010 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards; The King’s Speech Named Best Film of 2010

2010 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards; The King’s Speech Named Best Film of 2010

The Phoenix Film Critics Society named “The King’s Speech” the Best Picture of 2010 and its star, Colin Firth, Best Actor. Natalie Portman’s performance in “Black Swan” won the Best Actress award. “The Fighter” won both Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale and Best Supporting Actress for Melissa Leo. “Inception” led all winners with 8 awards including Best Director, Christopher Nolan, and Best Original Screenplay. The complete list of winners is below. The Phoenix Film […]

2011 Sundance Film Festival Adds Silent House To Line Up

2011 Sundance Film Festival Adds Silent House To Line Up

Sundance Institute announced that filmmakers Chris Kentis and Laura Lau (Open Water) will return to the Sundance Film Festival with their latest feature, Silent House, which will have its world premiere in the out-of-competition Park City at Midnight section. The Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30, 2011 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival. Following Open Water, which screened at the 2004 Sundance […]

2010 Online Film Critics Society Award Nominees

2010 Online Film Critics Society Award Nominees

The Online Film Critics Society announced its nominees for the 2010 OFCS Awards.  The Online Film Critics Society describes itself as “the largest, most respected organization for critics whose work appears primarily on the Internet.” OFCS members will submit their final votes over the next few days, and winners will be announced Monday, January 3, 2010. Best Picture Black Swan Inception The Social Network Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter’s Bone Best Director Darren Aronofsky, […]

36th Metro Manila Film Festival Winners; Ai Ai, Dolphy Sweeps Major Awards

36th Metro Manila Film Festival Winners; Ai Ai, Dolphy Sweeps Major Awards

The third installment of the comedy franchise “Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ’To” won seven of the 21 awards including Best Picture, in the 36th Metro Manila Film Festival that ends on January 7. The film, which centers on the life of the fictitious former president Ina Montecillo and her 12 kids, also won for Wenn Deramas the Best Director award. Here is the complete list of the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival winners: […]

Michael Douglas To Be Honored at 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards

Michael Douglas To Be Honored at 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards

The 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs runs January 6-17, 2011,  will present Academy Award winner Michael Douglas with the Icon Award.  The Icon Award honors a creative talent who, through the course of his or her career, has created a body of work which symbolizes the highest level of achievement in the motion picture art form. Festival Director Darryl Macdonald said, “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to honor Michael […]