• Melancholia But No Lars von Trier Wins at European Film Awards

    [caption id="attachment_1938" align="alignnone" width="550"]Melancholia [/caption]

    Melancholia was awarded the Best Film Prize at the 24th European Film Awards. The film also picked up the Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award and the European Production Designer.  Director Lars von Trier did not attend but his wife Bente Froge accepted the award on his behalf.  He has taken a “vow of silence” after his Nazi remarks controversy at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

    Many of the films from last year’s Oscar continued their winning streak, including Susanne Bier which won Best Foreign film at last  year’s Oscars won best director for “In a Better World,” and “The King’s Speech,” which won the Oscar for Best Film picked up the Best Actor prize for Colin Firth. Tilda Swinton received the Best Actress prize for her performance in“We Need to Talk About Kevin.”

     

    EUROPEAN FILM 2011:
    MELANCHOLIA, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany
    WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Lars von Trier
    PRODUCED BY: Meta Louise Foldager & Louise Vesth

    EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2011:
    Susanne Bier for HÆVNEN (In a Better World)

    EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2011:
    Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

    EUROPEAN ACTOR 2011:
    Colin Firth in THE KING’S SPEECH

    EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2011:
    Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne for LE GAMIN AU VELO (The Kid with a Bike)

    CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2011:
    Manuel Alberto Claro for MELANCHOLIA

    EUROPEAN EDITOR 2011:
    Tariq Anwar for THE KING’S SPEECH

    EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2011:
    Jette Lehmann for MELANCHOLIA

    EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2011:
    Ludovic Bource for THE ARTIST

    EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2011:
    ADEM (Oxygen) by Hans Van Nuffel, Belgium/theNetherlands

    EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2011 – Prix ARTE:
    PINA by Wim Wenders, Germany

    EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2011:
    CHICO & RITA by Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal & Fernando Trueba

    EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM 2011:
    THE WHOLLY FAMILYby Terry Gilliam, Italy

    EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD 2011 – Prix EURIMAGES:
    Mariela Besuievsky, Spain

    EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2011:
    Mads Mikkelsen, Denmark

    EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
    Stephen Frears, UK

    EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SPECIAL HONORARY AWARD:
    Michel Piccoli, France

    THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 2011:
    THE KING’S SPEECH by Tom Hooper, UK

     

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  • Tyrannosaur is The Big Winner at 14th Moët British Independent Film Awards

    [caption id="attachment_1936" align="alignnone"]TYRANNOSAUR starring Peter Mullan won the most awards of the night[/caption]

    The winners of the 14th Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced at the star-studded ceremony, held at Old Billingsgate in London, which was hosted by actor and comedian Chris O’Dowd.

    Best British Independent Film was won by Tyrannosaur with Lynne Ramsay picking up Best Director for We Need to Talk About Kevin, Olivia Colman Best Actress for Tyrannosaur and Michael Fassbender Best Actor for Shame. Vanessa Redgrave won Best Supporting Actress for Coriolanus and Michael Smiley Best Supporting Actor for Kill List

    Tyrannosaur won the most awards on the night, picking up three trophies for Best British Independent Film, Best Actress and Paddy Considine was awarded The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director. Weekend won two awards for Best Achievement in Production and Most Promising Newcomer for Tom Cullen

    The Moët British Independent Film Awards winners for 2011:
    BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
    TYRANNOSAUR

    BEST DIRECTOR
    Lynne Ramsay – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN


    THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
    Paddy Considine – TYRANNOSAUR


    BEST SCREENPLAY
    Richard Ayoade – SUBMARINE


    BEST ACTRESS
    Olivia Colman – TYRANNOSAUR


    BEST ACTOR
    Michael Fassbender – SHAME

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    Vanessa Redgrave – CORIOLANUS


    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
    Michael Smiley – KILL LIST


    MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
    Tom Cullen – WEEKEND


    BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
    WEEKEND


    THE RAINDANCE AWARD
    LEAVING BAGHDAD

    BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
    Maria Djurkovic – Production Design – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

    BEST DOCUMENTARY
    SENNA

    BEST BRITISH SHORT
    CHALK


    BEST FOREIGN INDEPENDENT FILM
    A SEPARATION

    THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)
    Ralph Fiennes


    THE VARIETY AWARD
    Kenneth Branagh


    THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
    Graham Easton

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  • Keyhole Beats Canada Official Entry to Oscar to Take Top Prize at 2011 Whistler Film Festival

    ,

    [caption id="attachment_1932" align="alignnone"]KEYHOLE, directed by Guy Maddin[/caption]

    KEYHOLE, directed by Guy Maddin, beat Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar, Canada’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, to win the $15,000 Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film, at the eleventh annual Whistler Film Festival.

    KEYHOLE, which had its Western Canadian premiere at the festival, stars Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini and Udo Kier.

    It is a rousing 1930s gangster picture set in a haunted house in which dream and waking life are seamlessly blended to isolate and expose universal feelings. The Jury says “Yahtzee!” and awarded KEYHOLE the Borsos award “for its inventiveness, audacity and humour.”

    The other 2011 Borsos Competition finalists were 388 ARLETTA AVENUE, dir: Randall Cole, (ON – Western Canadian Premiere); CAFÉ DE FLORE,dir: Jean Marc Vallee (QC, Western Canadian Premiere); DOPPELGANGER PAUL, dir: Dylan Akio Smith, Kris Elgstrand (BC, Western Canadian Premiere); MARILYN, dir: Christopher Petry (BC – World Premiere); and MONSIEUR LAZHAR, dir: Philippe Falardeau, (QC, British Columbia Premiere) – Winner of Best Canadian Film At TIFF and Canada’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.

    [caption id="attachment_1933" align="alignnone" width="550"]MACHETE LANGUAGE (dir: Kyzza Terrazas)[/caption]

    MACHETE LANGUAGE (dir: Kyzza Terrazas) was awarded the winner of Whistler’s second annual $10,000 New Voices International Feature Competition. The film, which is from Mexico and had its Canadian premiere at the fest, is about a young couple named Ray and Ramona who are unhappy with the injustices of the society they live in and try to fight for a more just world. Ray, devoted to self-sabotage, fails in his rebellion, dragging Ramona into a downward spiral that culminates in an act of poetic terrorism.

    The other 2011 films in the competition included Edwin Boyd – dir: Nathan Morlando (Canada – Western Canadian Premiere); Hail – dir: Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Australia – North American Premiere); In The Family – dir: Patrick Wang (USA – Canadian Premiere); The Invader – dir: Nicolas Provost (Belgium – Western Canadian Premiere); and Laurentie – dir: Mathieu Denis and Simon Lavoie (Canada – English Canadian Premiere)

    [caption id="attachment_1934" align="alignnone"]KIVALINA V. EXXON (dir: Ben Addelman)[/caption]

    The $2,500 Best Documentary Award was awarded to KIVALINA V. EXXON (dir: Ben Addelman). The jury unanimously recognized KIVALINA V. EXXON for “humanizing global warming and bringing home the fact that global warming is now, not somewhere in the distant future.”

    The $1,000 Best Shortwork Award went to THE PARIS QUINTET IN PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT (dir: Benny Schuetze) “for it’s infectious collaborative spirit, original concept and joyful execution.”

    The $500 Best Student Shortwork Award went to Ryan Flowers and Lisa Phams’ NO WORDS CAME DOWN. The Jury praised the film for “it’s courage and compassion and being a film that surprised and moved us with its mature take on an unlikely encounter.”

    The $1000 Best Mountain Culture Film Award presented by Whistler Blackcomb went to RAINFOREST: THE LIMIT OF SPLENDOR, directed by Richard Boyce. The Jury praised the film for “re-exposing our most critical environmental issue while at the same time pushing the cinematic experience and limits of storytelling, cinematography and editing.”

    MPPIA Short Film Award, presented by MPPIA and British Columbia Film, was won by Mark Ratzlaff for BEAUTY MARK. The award consists of a $10,000 cash award from MPPIA, a $5,000 cash award from British Columbia Film and up to $100,000 in-kind services. The completed project will have its world premiere screening at next year’s 2011 Whistler Film Festival.

    The Jury Special Documentary Mention went to THE VANISHING SPRING LIGHT (dir: Fish Yu) “for its uncompromising aesthetic, and rigorous commitment to the observational form.”

    The other Festival’s Tribute recipients include:

    Actor Patton Oswalt – Supporting Performance of the Year – (Young Adult, Big Fan, The Informant and Ratatouille, as the voice of Remy)
    Actor Michael Shannon – Spotlight Tribute – (Revolutionary Road, Take Shelter, Boardwalk Empire)
    Actor/Writer Jay Baruchel – Whistler’s first Screenwriter to Watch Award – (Goon, Almost Famous, She’s Out of My League, Million Dollar Baby, Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up, The Trotsky and the Oscar-nominated feature How to Train Your Dragon)
    Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson – First ever Trailblazer in Animation Award – (Kung Fu Panda 2)
    Actor/director/author Andy Serkis – Variety’s Tech Pioneer Award – (The Lord of the Rings film trilogy)

     

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  • Bollywood actor Dev Anand Dies In London After Heart Attack

    Legendary Bollywood actor Dev Anand, the ‘Evergreen Romantic Superstar’ of Indian cinema, died after a heart attack in a London hotel on Saturday night. He was 88.

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  • Columbian film Porfirio Wins The Best Film at 2011 International Film Festival of India

    [caption id="attachment_1927" align="alignnone"]Porfirio[/caption]

    The 42nd International Film Festival of India 2011 closed today with the screening of  ‘The Lady’ directed by acclaimed French Director Luc Besson, starring Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis. At the closing ceremony, a one minute silence was observed to pay tribute to the Brazilian Director, Oscar Maron Filho, who passed away during the festival.

    [caption id="attachment_1928" align="alignnone" width="550"]Adaminte Makan Abu [/caption]

    The Colombian film ‘Porfirio’ directed by Alejandro Landes and produced by Franciso Aljure won the coveted Golden Peacock Award for the Best Film, while the Silver Peacock Award for the Best Director went to Asghar Farhadi for his film ‘Nader and Simin-A Seperation’. The Indian film ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’ won the Special Jury Award.

    The Best Actor award  went to the Israeli actor Sasson Gabay for his role in the film ‘Restoration’ whereas the Best Actress Award was won by Nadezhda Markina for her role in ‘Elena’.


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  • Nostalgia for the Light and Poster Girl Win at 2011 International Documentary Association Documentary Awards

    [caption id="attachment_1924" align="alignnone"]Nostalgia for the Light [/caption]

    Nostalgia for the Light was awarded the Best Feature and Poster Girl won the Best Short at the 27th annual International Documentary Association Documentary Awards.

    In Nostalgia for the Light, Chilean director Patricio Guzman travels 10,000 feet above sea level to the driest desert on earth. Here, the sky is described as being so translucent that it allows astronomers to see the boundaries of our universe. Yet the Atacama Desert climate also keeps human remains intact: pre-Columbian mummies; explorers and miners; and the remains of disappeared political prisoners.

    [caption id="attachment_1925" align="alignnone"]Poster Girl[/caption]

    In Poster Girl directed by Sara Nesson and Mitchell W. Block, former cheerleader and Army Magazine cover subject Robynn Murray deals with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder following her return from Iraq.

    2011 IDA Documentary Awards



    BEST FEATURE AWARD

    NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT (Winner)
    Director/Writer: Patricio Guzmán
    Producer: Renate Sachse
    Atacama Productions (France), Blinker Filmproduction GmbH and WDR (Germany), and Cronomedia Ltda. (Chile), Icarus Films


    BETTER THIS WORLD
    Directors/Producers/Writers: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega
    Producer: Mike Nicholson
    Executive Producers: Julie Goldman, John Battsek, Nicole Stott, Chana Ben-Dov, Sally Jo Fifer (ITVS), Simon Kilmurry (American Documentary|POV)
    Loteria Films, Bullfrog Films, Cat & Docs

    HOW TO DIE IN OREGON
    Director/Producer: Peter D. Richardson
    Executive Producers: Melody Korenbrot, Sheila Nevins (HBO)
    Supervising Producer: Jacqueline Glover (HBO)
    Associate Producers: Sophie Harris, Jordan Curnes
    Clearcut Productions in association with HBO Documentary Films

    THE REDEMPTION OF GENERAL BUTT NAKED
    Directors/Producers: Eric Strauss & Daniele Anastasion
    Executive Producers: Gregory Henry, David Shadrack Smith
    Part2 Pictures

    THE TINIEST PLACE (EL LUGAR MÁS PEQUEÑO)
    Director: Tatiana Huezo
    Executive Producer: Liliana Pardo, Henner Hoffman
    Producer: Nicolás Celis
    Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica/Foprocine

    BEST SHORT AWARD

    POSTER GIRL (Winner)
    Director/Producer: Sara Nesson
    Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins (HBO)
    Producer: Mitchell Block
    Supervising Producer: Sara Bernstein (HBO)
    Consulting Producer: Ross Kauffman
    Portrayal Films, Inc. in association with HBO Documentary Films

    BROKEN DOORS
    Director/Producer: Goro Toshima

    MAYA DEREN’S SINK
    Director/Producer/Writer: Barbara Hammer
    Barbara Hammer Productions

    MINKA
    Director/Producer: Davina Pardo
    Producer: Andrew Blum
    Birdling Films

    THE WARRIORS OF QIUGANG
    Director/Producer: Ruby Yang
    Executive Producer: Walter & Shirley Wang
    Producer: Thomas Lennon
    Thomas Lennon Films, Smiley Film Distribution & World Sales, Cinema Guild

    BEST LIMITED SERIES AWARD

    BOOMTOWN (Winner)
    Executive Producer/Director: Rachel Libert
    Executive Producers: Josh Braun, Ken Druckerman, Susannah Ludwig, Banks Tarver
    Co-Executive Producer: Matthew Galkin
    Producer: Kevin Vargas
    Left/Right Inc., Discovery Channel- Planet Green


    IF GOD IS WILLING AND DA CREEK DON’T RISE
    Director/Producer: Spike Lee
    Executive Producer: Shelia Nevins (HBO)
    Producer: Sam Pollard
    Supervising Producer: Jacqueline Glover (HBO)
    Line Producer: Butch Robinson
    40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks for HBO Documentary Films

    MICHAEL FEINSTEIN’S AMERICAN SONGBOOK
    Director/Producer/Writer: Amber Edwards
    Executive Producer: Ken Bloom
    Co-Producer: Dave Davidson
    Hudson West Productions, PBS

    THE NATIONAL PARKS PROJECT
    Directors: Brenda Kovrig, Mike Downie, David New, Sarah Goodman, Jeff Thrasher, Sean Michael Turrell, Ryan J. Noth, Geoff Morrison
    Executive Producer: Michael McMahon
    Producers: Joel McConvey, Kristina McLaughlin, Kevin McMahon, Michael McMahon, Geoff Morrison, Ryan J. Noth
    Writer: Joel McConvey
    Primitive Entertainment Inc., FilmCAN, FilmOption International Inc.

    ON SERIES
    Directors: Tom Barbor-Might, Jon Brooks, Neil Edson
    Executive Producers: James DuBern, James Baker
    Producers: Tom Barbor-Might, Toby Lichtig
    Current TV

    BEST CONTINUING SERIES AWARD

    POV (Winner)
    Executive Producer: Simon Kilmurry
    Co-Executive Producer: Cynthia López
    VP of Programming and Production: Chris White
    Series Producer: Yance Ford
    Coordinating Producer: Andrew Catauro
    American Documentary | POV


    30 FOR 30
    Executive Producers: Keith Clinkscales, John Dahl, Joan Lynch, Connor Schell, Bill Simmons, John Skipper, John Walsh
    ESPN Films

    AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
    Executive Producer: Mark Samels
    Senior Producer: Sharon Grimberg
    PBS

    THE PASSIONATE EYE
    Executive Producer: Catherine Olsen
    Producers: Andrew Johnson, Carissa Neekon, Rosa Kim, Julia Nunes
    CBC News Network

    VANGUARD
    Executive Producers: Jim Fraenkel, Adam Yamaguchi
    Producers: Christof Putzel, Adam Yamaguchi, Mariana van Zeller, Darren Foster, Cerissa Tanner, Jeff Plunkett, Alex Simmons, Joanne Shen, Noreen Moustafa, Yasu Tsuji
    Current TV

    DAVID L. WOLPER STUDENT DOCUMENTARY AWARD
    This award recognizes exceptional achievement in non-fiction film and video production at the university level and brings greater public and industry awareness to the work of students in the documentary field.

    GUAÑAPE SUR (Winner)
    Director/Executive Producer/Writer: János Richter
    Executive Producers: Heidi Gronauer, Lorenzo Paccagnella
    Producer: Georg Zeller
    ZeLIG- School for Documentary, Andanafilms, Icarus Films


    HEART-QUAKE
    Director/Writer: Mark Olexa
    Executive Producers: Heidi Gronauer, Lorenzo Paccagnella
    Producers: Georg Zeller, Nadia Caruso
    ZeLIG – School for Documentary

    RIVER OF VICTORY
    Director/Producer: Trevor Wright
    Executive Producer: Jack Emery
    Producers: A. Todd Smith, Jordan Augustine
    Full Mountain Pictures, Brigham Young University

    SMOKE SONGS
    Director/Producer/Writer: Briar March
    On the Level Productions, Standford University

    TRANSIT
    Director/Writer: Regina Tan
    Producers: Haley Quartarone, Juvia Chua, Emily Manheim
    Writer: Eysham Md Ali
    Chapman University Singapore, Chapman University

    HUMANITAS DOCUMENTARY AWARD
    The HUMANITAS Documentary Award is given to a documentarian whose film strives to unify the human family by exploring the stories of human beings who are different in culture, race, lifestyle, political loyalties and religious beliefs.

    POSITION AMONG THE STARS (STAND VAN DE STERREN) (Winner)
    Director/Writer: Leonard Retel Helmrich
    Producer/Writer: Hetty Naaijkens – Retel Helmrich
    Scarabee Films and HUMAN Broadcasting in association with HBO Documentary Films


    THE CARRIER
    Director/Producer/Writer: Maggie Betts
    Executive Producer: Roland Betts
    Producers: Ben Selkow, Joedan Okun, Benjamin Prager
    Tent Full of Birds Productions

    HOW TO DIE IN OREGON
    Director/Producer: Peter D. Richardson
    Executive Producers: Melody Korenbrot, Sheila Nevins (HBO)
    Supervising Producer: Jacqueline Glover (HBO)
    Associate Producers: Sophie Harris, Jordan Curnes
    Clearcut Productions in association with HBO Documentary Films

    THE LEARNING
    Director/Producer/Writer: Ramona S. Diaz
    Executive Producers: Tony Gloria for Unitel, Sally Jo Fifer (ITVS), Simon Kilmurry (American Documentary|POV)
    CineDiaz, POV, Women Make Movies

    THE TINIEST PLACE (EL LUGAR MÁS PEQUEÑO)
    Director: Tatiana Huezo
    Executive Producer: Liliana Pardo, Henner Hoffman
    Producer: Nicolás Celis
    Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica/Foprocine

    ABCNEWS VIDEOSOURCE AWARD
    This award is given each year for the best use of news footage as an integral component in a documentary.

    THE PRUITT-IGOE MYTH (Winner)
    Director/Producer/Writer: Chad Freidrichs
    Producers: Jaime Freidrichs, Paul Fehler, Brian Woodman
    Unicorn Stencil Documentary Films

    THE GREEN WAVE
    Director/Writer: Ali Samadi Ahadi
    Producers: Jan Krueger, Oliver Stoltz
    Dreamer Joint Venture Filmproduktion, Red Flag Releasing

    MICHAEL FEINSTEIN’S AMERICAN SONGBOOK- EP. 2 “BEST BAND IN THE LAND”
    Director/Producer/Writer: Amber Edwards
    Executive Producer: Ken Bloom
    Producer: Dave Davidson
    Hudson West Productions, PBS

    POV- “THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS”
    Directors/Producers/Writers: Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
    Executive Producer: Jodie Evans, Sally Jo Fifer (ITVS) Simon Kilmurry (POV)
    Co-Executive Producer: Cynthia López (POV)
    VP of Programming and Production: Chris White (POV)
    Series Producer: Yance Ford (POV)
    Coordinating Producer: Andrew Catauro (POV)
    ITVS, American Documentary | POV

    REAGAN
    Director/Producer/Writer: Eugene Jarecki
    Executive Producers: Nick Fraser, Sheila Nevins (HBO)
    Co-Executive Producer: Roy Ackerman
    Senior Producer: Lisa Heller
    Producer: Kathleen Fournier
    Co-Producers: Melinda Shopsin, Christopher St. John
    Associate Producers: Daniel DiMauro, Shirel Kozak
    Consulting Producer: Alexander Johnes
    Charlotte Street Films in association with HBO Documentary Films

    PARE LORENTZ AWARD
    The Pare Lorentz Award recognizes films that demonstrates exemplary filmmaking while focusing on the appropriate use of the natural environment, justive for all and the illumination of pressing social problems.

    THE LAST MOUNTAIN (Winner)
    Director/Producer/Writer: Bill Haney
    Executive Producers: Tim Disney, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Tim Rockwood
    Producers: Clara Bingham, Eric Grunebaum
    Writer: Peter Rhodes
    Uncommon Productions, Dada Films, New Video


    Creative Recognition Awards

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
    IL CASTELLO (Winner)
    Cinematography: Massimo D’Anolfi
    Directors: Massimo D’Anolfi & Martina Parenti

    BEST EDITING
    SENNA (Winner)
    Editors: Chris King & Gregers Sall
    Director: Asif Kapadia

    BEST MUSIC
    BETTER THIS WORLD (Winner)
    Composer: Paul Brill
    Directors: Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega

     

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  • Peruvian film Octubre Wins Best Film of the Year at 2nd Cinema Tropical Awards

    [caption id="attachment_1922" align="alignnone" width="551"]Best Feature Film – OCTUBRE [/caption]

    The Peruvian film Octubre / October by Daniel and Diego Vega was the winner of the award for Best Feature Film of the Year, whilst Chilean film Nostalgia de la luz / Nostalgia for the Light by Patricio Guzmán was named Best Documentary Film at the 2nd Cinema Tropical Awards, which celebrates the best of the Latin American film production.

    October, the Vega brother’s debut feature film was the Jury Prize winner at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival 2010, and has been selected to represent Peru in the upcoming Academy Awards in the Foreign Language Film category. The film tells the story of a shabby pawnbroker whose life drastically changes when an infant is abandoned in his bed.

    Mexican film El lugar más pequeño / The Tiniest Place by Tatiana Huezo won two awards for Best First Film and Best Director, Documentary Film; and Michael Rowe, also from Mexico, was awarded as Best Director, Feature Film for Año bisiesto / Leap Year.

    Best Feature Film:
    OCTUBRE / OCTOBER (Daniel and Diego Vega, Peru)

    Best Documentary Film:
    NOSTALGIA DE LA LUZ / NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT (Patricio Guzmán, Chile)

    Best Director, Feature Film:
    Michael Rowe, AÑO BISIESTO / LEAP YEAR (Mexico)

    Best Director, Documentary Film:
    Tatiana Huezo, EL LUGAR MÁS PEQUEÑO / THE TINIEST PLACE (Mexico)

    Best First Film:
    EL LUGAR MÁS PEQUEÑO / THE TINIEST PLACE (Tatiana Huezo, Mexico)


     

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  • War Horse and Drive Lead Satellite Awards nominations

    [caption id="attachment_1920" align="alignnone"]Ryan Gosling in Nicolas Winding Refn’s [/caption]

    Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” and Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” led the Satellite Awards nominations with seven nods each, including Best Picture and Best Director.

    The nominations included many small budget and independent studio releases, accounting for 6 of the 10 Best Picture nominations.

    Actress in a Motion Picture
    Vera Farmiga     Higher Ground     Sony Pictures Classics
    Michelle WIlliams     My Week with Marilyn     The Weinstein Company
    Emily Watson     Oranges and Sunshine     Cohen Media Group
    Charlize Theron     Young Adult     Paramount Pictures
    Glenn Close     Albert Nobbs     Roadside Attractions
    Viola Davis     The Help     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Olivia Colman     Tyrannosaur     Strand Releasing
    Michelle Yeoh     The Lady     Cohen Media Group
    Elizabeth Olsen     Martha Marcy May Marlene     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Meryl Streep     The Iron Lady     The Weinstein Company

    Actor in a Motion Picture
    Leonardo DiCaprio     J. Edgar     Warner Bros.
    Ryan Gosling     Drive     Filmdistrict
    Michael Fassbender     Shame     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    George Clooney     The Descendants     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Brendan Gleeson     The Guard     Sony Pictures Classics
    Michael Shannon     Take Shelter     Sony Pictures Classics
    Tom Hardy     Warrior     Lionsgate
    Woody Harrelson     Rampart     Millennium Entertainment
    Gary Oldman     Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy     Focus Features
    Brad Pitt     Moneyball     Columbia

    Actress in a Supporting Role
    Janet McTeer     Albert Nobbs     Roadside Attractions
    Octavia Spencer     The Help     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Jessica Chastain     The Tree of Life     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Vanessa Redgrave     Coriolanus     The Weinstein Company
    Rachel McAdams     Midnight in Paris     Sony Pictures Classics
    Carey Mulligan     Shame     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Lisa Feret     Mozart’s Sister     Music Box Films
    Judy Greer     The Descendants     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Kate Winslet     Carnage     Sony Pictures Classics
    Elle Fanning     Super 8     Amblin, Paramount Pictures

    Actor in a Supporting Role
    Albert Brooks     Drive     Filmdistrict
    Viggo Mortensen     A Dangerous Method     Sony Pictures Classics
    Hugo Weaving     Oranges and Sunshine     Cohen Media Group
    Kenneth Branagh     My Week with Marilyn     The Weinstein Company
    Colin Farrell     Horrible Bosses     New Line Cinema, Warner Bros.
    Andy Serkis     Rise of the Planet of the Apes     20th Century Fox
    Nick Nolte     Warrior     Lionsgate
    Jonah Hill     Moneyball     Columbia
    Christopher Plummer     Beginners     Sony Pictures Classics
    Christoph Waltz     Carnage     Sony Pictures Classics

    Foreign Film
    Mexico     Miss Bala     Fox International
    Iran     A Separation     Sony Pictures Classics
    Belgium     The Kid with a Bike     Sundance Selects
    Hungary     The Turin Horse     Cinema Guild
    Argentina     Las Acacias     
    Japan     13 Assassins     Magnet Releasing
    France     Mozart’s Sister     Music Box Films
    Portugal     Mysteries of Lisbon     Music Box Films
    Finland     Le Havre     Janus Films
    Russia     Faust

    Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
    Kung Fu Panda 2     Dreamworks, Paramount Pictures
    The Muppets     Jim Henson Studios, Walt Disney Pictures
    Puss in Boots     Dreamworks, Paramount Pictures
    Rango     ILM Animation, Paramount Pictures
    Rio     20th Century Fox
    The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn     Amblin, Columbia, Paramount Pictures

    Motion Picture, Documentary
    Project Nim     Roadside Attractions
    The Interrupters     Cinema Guild
    Senna     Universal
    American: The Bill Hicks Story     Variance Films
    My Perestroika     International Film Circuit
    Cave of Forgotten Dreams     IFC Films
    Under Fire: Journalists in Combat     Mercury Media
    One Lucky Elephant     Own Documentaries
    Pina     Sundance Selects
    Tabloid     IFC Films

    Director
    Tate Taylor     The Help     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Alexander Payne     The Descendants     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Nicolas Winding Refn     Drive     Filmdistrict
    Steven Spielberg     War Horse     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Michel Hazanavicius     The Artist     The Weinstein Company
    Martin Scorsese     Hugo     Paramount Pictures
    John Michael McDonagh     The Guard     Sony Pictures Classics
    Tomas Alfredson     Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy     Focus Features
    Woody Allen     Midnight in Paris     Sony Pictures Classics
    Steve McQueen     Shame     Fox Searchlight Pictures

    Screenplay: Original
    Terrence Malick     The Tree of Life     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    John Michael McDonagh     The Guard     Sony Pictures Classics
    Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen     Shame     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Rene Feret     Mozart’s Sister     Music Box Films
    Paddy Considine     Tyrannosaur     Strand Releasing
    Michel Hazanavicius     The Artist     The Weinstein Company

    Screenplay: Adapted
    From The Novel By Kathryn Stockett, Tate Taylor     The Help     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    From The Book By Michael Morpurgo, Lee Hall, Richard Curtis     War Horse     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Based On The Story By George Moore, Glenn Close, John Banville, The Play By Gabriella Prekop     Albert Nobbs     Roadside Attractions
    Adapted From The Work Of Herge, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Steven Moffat     The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn     Amblin, Columbia, Paramount Pictures
    Alexander Payne, Based On The Novel By Kaui Hart Hemmings, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon     The Descendants     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, Story By Stan Chervin     Moneyball     Columbia

    Original Score
    Michael Giacchino     Super 8     Amblin, Paramount Pictures
    Cliff Martinez     Drive     Filmdistrict
    Alexandre Desplat     Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2     Warner Bros.
    John Williams     War Horse     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    James Newton Howard     Water For Elephants     20th Century Fox
    Marco Beltrami     Soul Surfer     Tristar Pictures

    Original Song
    Lay Your Head Down     Albert Nobbs     
    Man Or Muppet     The Muppets     
    Gathering Stories     We Bought A Zoo     
    Hello Hello     Gnomeo & Juliet     
    Life Is A Happy Song     The Muppets     
    Bridge Of Light     Happy Feet 2

    Cinematography
    Bruno Delbonnel     Faust     
    Janusz Kaminski     War Horse     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Emmanuel Lubezki     The Tree of Life     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Newton Thomas Sigel     Drive     Filmdistrict
    Guillaume Schiffman     The Artist     The Weinstein Company
    Robert Richardson     Hugo     Paramount Pictures

    Visual Effects
    Robert Legato     Hugo     Paramount Pictures
    John Frazier, Matthew Butler, Scott Benza, Scott Farrar     Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon     Dreamworks, Paramount Pictures
    Dennis Muren, Kim Libreri, Paul Kavanagh, Russell Earl     Super 8     Amblin, Paramount Pictures
    David Vickery, Greg Butler, John Richardson, Tim Burke     Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2     Warner Bros.
    Ben Morris     War Horse     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Jeff Capogreco, Joe Letteri, R. Christopher White     Rise of the Planet of the Apes     20th Century Fox

    Film Editing
    Michael Kahn     War Horse     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Mat Newman     Drive     Filmdistrict
    Joe Walker     Shame     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Kevin Tent     The Descendants     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Aaron Marshall, John Gilroy, Matt Chesse, Sean Albertson     Warrior     Lionsgate
    Chris Gill     The Guard     Sony Pictures Classics

    Sound (Editing & Mixing)
    Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Ben Burtt, Mark Ulano, Matthew Wood, Tom Johnson     Super 8     Amblin, Paramount Pictures
    Christopher Scarabosio, Craig Berkey, Erik Aadahl, Jeremy Peirson, John Pritchett, Kirk Francis     The Tree of Life     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, Richard Hymns, Stuart Wilson, Tom Johnson     War Horse     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van Der Ryn, Gary Summers, Greg P. Russell, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Peter J. Devlin     Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon     Dreamworks, Paramount Pictures
    Dave Patterson, Lon Bender, Robert Fernandez, Victor Ray Ennis     Drive     Filmdistrict
    Dave Patterson, Lon Bender, Robert Fernandez, Victor Ray Ennis     Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2     Warner Bros.

    Art Direction and Production Design
    Jack Fisk     Water For Elephants     20th Century Fox
    Sebastian T. Krawinkel, Stephan O. Gessler     Anonymous     Sony Pictures Classics
    Gregory S. Hooper, Laurence Bennett     The Artist     The Weinstein Company
    Isabel Branco     Mysteries of Lisbon     Music Box Films
    Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo     Hugo     Paramount Pictures
    Jiri Trier, Yelena Zhukova     Faust

    Costume Design
    Lisy Christl     Anonymous     Sony Pictures Classics
    Isabel Branco     Mysteries of Lisbon     Music Box Films
    Michael O’Connor     Jane Eyre     Focus Features
    Mark Bridges     The Artist     The Weinstein Company
    Lidiya Kryukova     Faust     
    Jacqueline West     Water For Elephants     20th Century Fox

    Motion Picture
    Moneyball     Columbia
    The Descendants     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Drive     Filmdistrict
    The Artist     The Weinstein Company
    Shame     Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy     Focus Features
    Hugo     Paramount Pictures
    War Horse     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    The Help     Dreamworks, Touchstone Pictures
    Midnight in Paris     Sony Pictures Classics

    Mary Pickford Award
    For Outstanding Artistic Contribution To The Entertainment Industry
    Mitzi Gaynor

    Nikola Tesla Award
    In Recognition Of Visionary Achievement In Filmmaking Technology
    Douglas Trumbull

    Auteur Award
    Peter Bogdanovich

    Humanitarian Award
    Tim Hetherington (1970-2011)

    Best Ensemble, Motion Picture
    The Help Dreamworks/Touchstone

    Best First Feature
    Paddy Considine, Tyrannosaur Strand Releasing

     

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  • Kinyarwanda, Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Audience Award Winner, In Theaters Today

    Kinyarwanda, winner of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Audience Award opens in theaters today.

    During the Rwandan genocide, when neighbors killed neighbors and friends betrayed friends, some crossed lines of hatred to protect each other.

    At the time of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the Mufti of Rwanda, the most respected Muslim leader in the country, issued a fatwa forbidding Muslims from participating in the killing of the Tutsi. As the country became a slaughterhouse, mosques became places of refuge where Muslims and Christians, Hutus and Tutsis came together to protect each other. Kinyarwanda is based on true accounts from survivors who took refuge at the Grand Mosque of Kigali and the madrassa of Nyanza. It recounts how the Imams opened the doors of the mosques to give refuge to the Tutsi and those Hutu who refused to participate in the killing.

    Directed by Alrick Brown, Kinyarwanda interweaves six different tales that together form one grand narrative that provides the most complex and real depiction yet presented of human resilience and life during the genocide. With an amalgamation of characters, we pay homage to many, using the voices of a few.

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  • Five Documentaries to Compete for Producers Guild of America Award

    [caption id="attachment_1915" align="alignnone"]BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST [/caption]

    The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture nominees that will advance in the voting process for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards.

    The nominated films, listed below in alphabetical order, are:

    BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

    [caption id="attachment_340" align="alignnone"]BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK [/caption]

    [caption id="attachment_693" align="alignnone"]PROJECT NIM [/caption]

    [caption id="attachment_1916" align="alignnone"]SENNA[/caption]


    [caption id="attachment_902" align="alignnone"]THE UNION[/caption]

     

    Television series nominations for the 2012 Producers Guild Awards will be announced December 7, 2011. All other nominations for the 2012 Producers Guild Award categories will be announced January 3, 2012, along with the individual producers.

    All 2012 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 21, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also award special honors to Steven Spielberg, Leslie Moonves, Don Mischer, and Stan Lee, among others. The 2012 Producers Guild Awards co-chairs are Michael Manheim and Paula Wagner.

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  • Happy-Go-Lucky Director Mike Leigh to be Jury President of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival

    British film director Mike Leigh of Happy-Go-Lucky fame will be the Jury President of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.

    Leigh who has directed more than 20 films, made his directorial debut in 1972 with Bleak Moments, which went on to win the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. In Cannes he won the Best Director Award in 1993 for Naked, and the Palme d’Or in 1996 for Secrets and Lies, which in itself received a total of five Oscar nominations. In 2004, Vera Drake, his highly regarded study of society whose characters display an extraordinary depth, was awarded the Golden Lion in Venice.

    Mike Leigh has been invited to the Berlin International Film Festival to present Meantime (Forum 1984), the short film The Short and Curlies (Panorama 1988) and Life is sweet (Panorama 1991). His latest contribution was to the Competition in 2008: his social comedy Happy-Go-Lucky featured Sally Hawkins, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. Another Year is Leigh’s most recent movie. It screened in competition at Cannes in 2010 and went on to be nominated for an Oscar.

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  • Drafthouse Films to release documentary on The Wild Untold Stories of Cannon Films

    [caption id="attachment_1911" align="alignnone"]CANNON FILMS release Enter the Ninja (1981)[/caption]

    Drafthouse Films will release Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story Of Cannon Films in the U.S. From acclaimed cult film documentarian Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood, Machete Maidens Unleashed), the film centers on the story of two Israeli-born, movie-obsessed cousins, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who in pursuit of the “American dream” launched an indie studio that would produce over 120 exploitation films from 1979-1989 turning a renegade outfit into the proclaimed “seventh Hollywood major.” The film is currently in pre-production in Australia. A theatrical release is being planned for late 2012 to coincide with a traveling roadshow retrospective of Cannon’s seminal films.

    While best known for their explosive ’80s action fare (Missing In Action, Death Wish sequels, Academy Award® Nominated Runaway Train), Cannon Films’ diverse and ambitious production output also included body-count slashers (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), musicals and comedies (The Apple, Breakin’), science fiction and fantasy epics (Masters of The Universe, LifeForce), martial arts classics (American Ninja series, Kickboxer), neo-noir crime thrillers (52 Pick-Up, 10 To Midnight), art-house dramas (Barfly, John Cassavetes’ Love Streams, Jean-Luc Godard’s King Lear), in addition to launching the careers of many future genre superstars like Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. “No other production organization in the world today,” proclaimed Roger Ebert in 1987, “has taken more chances with serious, marginal films than Cannon.”

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