• 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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  • First 10 Films Announced for 2012 Miami International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1992" align="alignnone"]Blood of My Blood[/caption]

    The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) announced the line-up of ten Ibero-American premieres  that will compete for $45,000  in jury prizes at its 29th annual event, March 2 – 11, 2012.

    The lineup includes four International/North American premieres and two U.S. premieres, including new films from acclaimed veteran directors Carlos Sorin, David Trueba and Andrés Wood.

    “As of today, only one of the films in the competition has U.S. distribution secured – Strand Releasing will be releasing Bonsai later in 2012,” noted MIFF’s executive director Jaie Laplante.  “It is our hope that U.S. buyers attending the Festival will discover many more riches– and see through our MIFF audiences how U.S. audiences respond to these amazing films.”

    2012 MIFF Knight Ibero-American Competition films:


    The Porcelain Horse (Mejor no hablar de ciertas cosas) (Ecuador, directed by Javier Andrade): In Javier Andrade’s startling debut, two brothers steal a porcelain horse from their parent’s home in order to buy drugs, leading to a fight that will haunt the family for the rest of their lives.  North American Premiere

    I’d Receive the Worst News From Your Beautiful Lips (Eu Receberia As Piores Notícias De Seus Lindos Lábios) (Brazil, directed by Beto Brant and Renato Ciasca): Set against a steamy Amazonian backdrop, a sensual melodrama of a beautiful woman caught in an unstable situation between two men. North American Premiere

    Blood of My Blood (Sangue do Meu Sangue) (Portugal, directed by João Canijo): Two  adult sisters struggle fiercely to hold their family together in the harsh world of a Lisbon slum, but the ticking time bomb of the situation is in grave danger of exploding. East Coast Premiere

    Pescador (Ecuador/Colombia, directed by Sebastián Cordero): After a drug shipment miraculously washes up on a beach, Blanquito (Andrés Crespo) has the opportunity to finally leave his small fishing village and go to the big city, in this major tonal new direction for acclaimed director Cordero. North American Premiere

    Bonsái (Chile/Argentina/Portugal/France, directed by Cristián Jiménez):  Based on the seminal novel by Chilean author Alejandro Zambra. Julio, a struggling writer, pens a book about his first experience with love, in order to keep up a lie he’s told his lover.  Bonsai marks director’s Cristián Jiménez second appearance in MIFF’s Iberoamerican competition. Florida Premiere

    Zoo (Zoológico) (Chile, directed by Rodrigo Marín): Set in an affluent Santiago suburb, a social commentary on today’s youth follows three teens (Alicia Rodríguez, Luis Balmaceda and Santiago de Aguirre) consumed in Americanized customs: malls, the Internet, pornography, skateboarding and angst. North American Premiere

    The Cat Vanishes (El gato desaparece) (Argentina, directed by Carlos Sorin): When Beatriz (Beatriz Spelzini) picks up her husband Luis (Luis Luque) from the sanatorium, she doesn’t quite believe the psychiatrist’s pronouncement that he is cured. But after the family cat vanishes, she questions her sanity as well as her husband’s in Sorin’s unsettling psychological mystery. U.S. Premiere

    Madrid, 1987 (Spain, directed by David Trueba): The balance of power and desire shift during the meeting of an older journalist (José Sacristán) and a young student (María Valverde) in a beautifully-written, dusk-to-dawn meditation on youth, age and the music of the spheres. East Coast Premiere

    Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta se fue a los cielos) (Chile, directed by Andrés Wood): portrait of famed Chilean singer, folklorist and multifaceted artist Violeta Parra (Francisca Gavilán) filled with her musical work, her memories, her loves and her hopes. East Coast Premiere

    The Sleeping Voice (La voz dormida) (Spain, directed by Benito Zambrano): In Benito Zambrano’s portrayal of the dark days following the Spanish Civil War, two sisters (Maria Leon and Inma Cuesta) find themselves caught up in the frightening politics of the divided country. U.S. Premiere

    All 10 directors in MIFF’s Knight Ibero-American Competition are expected to attend the Festival and present their works to Miami audiences in person.

     

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  • Putin’s Kiss to be released in US by Kino Lorber

    “Putin’s Kiss” a film by Lise Birk Pedersen, was acquired by Kino Lorber at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), where it had its world premiere in the IDFA Feature Documentary competition.  It will be released theatrically after its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival (in the World Cinema Documentary competition).



    “Putin’s Kiss” portrays contemporary life in Russia through the coming-of-age story of Masha, a middle-class, 19-year-old Russian girl and a member of Nashi, a political youth organization that is connected with the Kremlin. Extremely ambitious, the young Masha quickly ascends to the top of Nashi, which allows her to become the protégé of the Minister of Youth. She is rewarded for her loyalty with an apartment while attending Moscow State University.

    She begins to question her involvement with Nashi when she learns that a radical faction within the organization is supposedly responsible for attacks against anyone who criticizes Putin. This leads her to question the organization, and she meets a journalist, Oleg Khasin, with whom she becomes close friends despite their strongly opposing views. However, when Oleg is attacked, Masha finds herself at odds with Nashi, and realizes she must take a stand.

    “‘Putin’s Kiss’ exposes a ruling elite that places no value on a free press or free elections. Masha’s story is universal, she is intelligent, ambitious and proud of her country and does not want to see the dark side of Russia’s leadership, which has ostensibly brought security to a country wracked by political, economic and social upheaval.

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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

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    [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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  • IFFR unearths São Paulo’s ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s low-budget film culture

    [caption id="attachment_2399" align="alignnone"]OH! REBUCETEIO (Claudio Cunha, 1984)[/caption]

    In the Signals section’s theme programme ‘The Mouth of Garbage: Sub Culture and Sex in São Paulo’, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will present a vast panorama of features and shorts from São Paulo’s so-called ‘Boca do Lixo’ (Mouth of Garbage), the nickname for the working class neighborhood in the center of the Brazilian metropolis. These quick and dirty productions frequently highlighted the sleazy underbelly of Brazilian society using established genres such as noir, horror, the western, and pornography.

    In the Boca do Lixo district a constellation of entrepreneurial producers and up-and-coming filmmakers came together to create low-budget films in the mid 1960s, remaining active for nearly thirty years. An accessible option to burgeoning directors who felt excluded from high-end studio filmmaking and elite artistic movements such as Cinema Novo, the Boca do Lixo yielded some of Brazilian filmmaking’s chief talents, among them: Rogério Sganzerla, Carlos Reichenbach, José Mojica Marins (Coffin Joe), Ozualdo Candeias, and others.

    Despite the fact that several of the Boca films were hugely successful with national audiences, producers at the time found themselves fighting constantly against government censors and the constraints of a distribution landscape saturated with Hollywood product. Some films managed to cleverly elude government control and market limitations even as they presented a fiercely critical outlook; others were banned or phased-out of the commercial distribution circuit outright. As a result, large portions of the films associated with the Boca have remained elusive.

    The International Film Festival Rotterdam presents about eighteen films in tribute to the Boca do Lixo, including rare works by João S. Trevisan, Claudio Cunha, Ody Fraga, and Jean Garret, many of them presented in new transfers made from the films’ original 35mm negatives.

    ‘The Mouth of Garbage: Sub Culture and Sex in São Paulo’, curated by film scholar Gabe Klinger and IFFR programmer Gerwin Tamsma, is supported by The Netherlands Film Fund as part of the Central de Cultura program. The Central de Cultura program aims to intensify and extend cultural exchange and cultural cooperation between Brazil and The Netherlands. The IFFR also thanks the Cinemateca Brasileira in São Paulo for its generous collaboration.

    The lineup of ‘The Mouth of Garbage: Sub Culture and Sex in São Paulo’, to be announced shortly, includes:

    THE MARGIN (Ozualdo Candeias, 1967) – Truck driver-turned-director Candeias fled the commercial filmmaking scene to be able to tell this neo-realistic story of São Paulo’s underprivileged citizens living near the Tietê river.

    THE PORNOGRAPHER (João Callegaro, 1970) – A pop art portrait of the trials and tribulations of a young man hired to edit a porno rag run by a shady madame.

    ORGY OR: THE MAN WHO GAVE BIRTH (João S. Trevisan, 1970) – Celebrated novelist Trevisan’s sole feature is a radical, plotless re-envisioning/critique of Cinema Novo, loosely recounting the journey of a deranged youth who has killed his father. Summarily banned by the military, IFFR will present the world premiere of the director’s cut of the film made from a new 35mm transfer especially for the occasion of the retrospective.

    THE VAMPIRE OF THE CINEMATHEQUE and THE INSIGNI FICANT (Jairo Ferreira, 1976 and 1980) – Free-flowing essay/diary works in Super 8 featuring many of the Boca’s luminaries in candid moments compiled by the critic and scholar Ferreira.

    SNUFF – THE VICTIMS OF PLEASURE (Claudio Cunha, 1977) – One of the biggest box-office successes of its era, Cunha’s William Castle-like production deals with two American filmmakers who come to Brazil and attempt to make a snuff film in a remote barn.

    THE EMPIRE OF DESIRE/SENSUAL ANARCHY (Carlos Reichenbach, 1981) – Though unfairly maligned by critics of its day, this wild road trip sex romp has recently been hailed as one of the great Brazilian films by a few noted scholars. Long unavailable, IFFR presents Reichenbach’s masterpiece in a new 35mm transfer.

    OH! REBUCETEIO (Claudio Cunha, 1984) – A hard-core porn Chorus Line parody featuring an egomaniacal theater director who inspires his actors to perform lurid, freeform sexual acts on stage.

    SIT ON MINE AND I’LL ENTER YOURS (Ody Fraga, 1985) – A witty diptych about a talking vagina and a man with a strange penile outgrowth on his head, Fraga’s surreal farce is full of zingers and has a lighthearted sensibility reminiscent of Russ Meyer and Radley Metzger’s classics.

    FUK FUK BRAZILIAN STYLE (Jean Garret, 1986) – A class conflict satire featuring little person actor Chumbinho as a domestic-cum-slave who escapes the home of his wealthy employers to go on dream-like journey through a subterranean universe of repressed sexual yearning.

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

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    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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  • Octavia Spencer to be honored at Palm Springs International Film Festival

    The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Octavia Spencer with the Breakthrough Performance Award.  Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 7, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.  Hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius and Michelle Williams.  The Festival runs January 5-16.

    “Octavia Spencer is a consummate actress who seamlessly blends her dramatic and comedic talents, creating performances of uncommon depth,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner.  “As the irascible Minny in The Help, she captures the essence of awoman who deals with life head on, relishing confrontation and serving as a source of courage and humor for those whom she loves. To Octavia Spencer, it is therefore a great honor for the Palm Springs International Film Festival to present the 2011 Breakthrough Performance Award.”

    Spencer has most recently been seen starring in Tate Taylor’s The Help. Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s, The Help chronicles the relationship between three different and extraordinary women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.   Screenplay by Tate Taylor and Kathryn Stockett, based on the critically acclaimed No. 1 New York Times best-selling debut novel by Kathryn Stockett.  The DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media film is directed by Tate Taylor and also stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard.

    Spencer’s acting career began with her big screen debut in 1995 in Joel Schumacher’s A Time to Kill, opposite Sandra Bullock.  Spencer’s extensive feature film credits include Peep World, Dinner for Schmucks, Small Town Saturday Night, Herpes Boy, Halloween II, The Soloist, Drag Me to Hell, Seven Pounds, Pretty Ugly People, Coach Carter, Charm School, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, Bad Santa, Spiderman, Big Momma’s House, Being John Malkovich and Never Been Kissed.  She was recently lauded by Entertainment Weekly online for her comedic timing when she was named to their esteemed list of the “25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood.”  Spencer also won Best Supporting Actress from the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association.

    Past recipients of the Breakthrough Performance Award include Carey Mulligan, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey, Felicity Huffman and Freida Pinto.

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  • Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo to be honored at Santa Barbara International Film Festival for their performance in The Artist

    The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, will honor Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo with the Cinema Vanguard Award for their performances in the silent film The Artist at the 27th edition of the Festival which runs January 26 – February 5, 2012.

    The Cinema Vanguard Award was created in recognition of an actor who has forged his/her own path – taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. The award has previously been presented to Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Vera Farmiga, Stanley Tucci, Peter Sarsgaard, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ryan Gosling.

    Dujardin and Bejo are currently receiving wide praise for their lead performances in The Artist, directed by Michel Hazanavicius. In late 1920’s Hollywood, many actors witnessed the decline of their careers with the rise of the talking picture. This is just the case for silent film superstar George Valentin (Dujardin), who crosses paths with rising starlet Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). Resistant to the conversion, Valentin is faced with the demise of his career while Miller embraces it and emerges a star. Through his performance, Dujardin offers a striking portrayal of the silent era male superstar, packed with the conviction and suave on par with the likes of Rudolph Valentino. No sooner does Peppy Miller enchant fictional audiences, than does Bejo with the real, through her pure charm and genuine charisma. Together Dujardin and Bejo’s masterful talent, make for one of the most compelling stories in film.

    Born in Rueil-Malmaison, France, Jean Dujardin got his break on the talent show Graines de Star in 1996 as part of the comedy group Nous C Nous. Following he went on to star as Jean ‘Loulou’ in the comedy television series Un Gars, Une Fille from 1999 to 2003. Continuing in the realm of comedy, Dujardin broke onto the big screen as aspiring surfer Brice Agostini in The Brice Man (2005). 2006 marked Dujardin’s first collaboration with Bejo through his role as Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath in the espionage film OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. Dujardin reprised the role in 2009 for OSS 117: Lost in Rio.

    Bérénice Bejo was born in Buenos Aires and moved to France at the age of 3. Bejo got her start working in an assortment of French television shows. She landed her first recurring role as Sophie on the comedy series Un Et Un Font Six (1997-1999). American audiences were introduced to her when she appeared in 2001’s A Knight Tale as Christina. Bejo returned to French films acting in a number of films including her role as Larmina in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) alongside Jean Dujardin.

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  • No Staten Island Film Festival in 2012, Future Uncertain

    Blaming the economy – dwindling contributions and attendance, SI Live is reporting that unless someone steps and takes the rein from the current organizer, Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, the Staten Island Film Festival will not return next year.

    “The board made a decision…based on the shrinking funding for film festival, and the fact that we weren’t seeing the economic impact that other film festivals have on their areas, we thought it might be best not to host the festival,” said Cesar Claro, president of the SIEDC. “I think, what you’re going to see, if there is a need for it, and if people really want it, you will see smaller film festival type things popping up and it’s our hope that a group of committed young artists maybe can get something going. My advice out of the gate, knowing what I know about the lack of money that’s out there, would be start slow, start small.”

    In 2006, the festival raised $400,000 in corporate and private sponsorships, however, last year, in large part due to the economy, sponsorships were down to about $170,000. Organizers also mentioned that even though the films were free at last year’s festival, only about 5,000 people attended, down from more than 7,000 in previous years. Additionally, local businesses near the festival venues showing the films never got the economic boost that organizers expected.

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