• 97 Original Scores Eligible to Compete in 2011 Oscar® Race

    Ninety-seven scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

    The eligible scores along with the composer are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:

    • “The Adjustment Bureau,” Thomas Newman, composer
    • “The Adventures of Tintin,” John Williams, composer
    • “African Cats,” Nicholas Hooper, composer
    • “Albert Nobbs,” Brian Byrne, composer
    • “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” Mark Mothersbaugh, composer
    • “Anonymous,” Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser, composers
    • “Another Earth,” Phil Mossman and Will Bates, composers
    • “Answers to Nothing,” Craig Richey, composer
    • “Arthur Christmas,” Harry Gregson-Williams, composer
    • “The Artist,” Ludovic Bource, composer
    • “@urFRENZ,” Lisbeth Scott, composer
    • “Atlas Shrugged Part 1,” Elia Cmiral, composer
    • “Battle: Los Angeles,” Brian Tyler, composer
    • “Beastly,” Marcelo Zarvos, composer
    • “The Big Year,” Theodore Shapiro, composer
    • “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Alan Silvestri, composer
    • “Cars 2,” Michael Giacchino, composer
    • “Cedar Rapids,” Christophe Beck, composer
    • “Conan the Barbarian,” Tyler Bates, composer
    • “The Conspirator,” Mark Isham, composer
    • “Contagion,” Cliff Martinez, composer
    • “Coriolanus,” Ilan Eshkeri, composer
    • “DAM999,” Ousepachan, composer
    • “The Darkest Hour,” Tyler Bates, composer
    • “The Debt,” Thomas Newman, composer
    • “Dolphin Tale,” Mark Isham, composer
    • “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, composers
    • “Dream House,” John Debney, composer
    • “The Eagle,” Atli Orvarsson, composer
    • “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” Alexandre Desplat, composer
    • “Fast Five,” Brian Tyler, composer
    • “The First Grader,” Alex Heffes, composer
    • “The Flowers of War,” Qigang Chen, composer
    • “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, composers
    • “The Greatest Miracle,” Mark McKenzie, composer
    • “Green Lantern,” James Newton Howard, composer
    • “Hanna,” Tom Rowlands, composer
    • “Happy Feet Two,” John Powell, composer
    • “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” Alexandre Desplat, composer
    • “The Help,” Thomas Newman, composer
    • “Hop,” Christopher Lennertz, composer
    • “Hugo,” Howard Shore, composer
    • “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” Aaron Zigman, composer
    • “The Ides of March,” Alexandre Desplat, composer
    • “Immortals,” Trevor Morris, composer
    • “In Search of God,” Rupam Sarmah, composer
    • “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” Gabriel Yared, composer
    • “In Time,” Craig Armstrong, composer
    • “Insidious,” Joseph Bishara, composer
    • “The Iron Lady,” Thomas Newman, composer
    • “J. Edgar,” Clint Eastwood, composer
    • “Jane Eyre,” Dario Marianelli, composer
    • “The Lady,” Eric Serra, composer
    • “Like Crazy,” Dustin O’Halloran, composer
    • “Margaret,” Nico Muhly, composer
    • “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” Michael Giacchino, composer
    • “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” Rolfe Kent, composer
    • “Moneyball,” Mychael Danna, composer
    • “Monte Carlo,” Michael Giacchino, composer
    • “New Year’s Eve,” John Debney, composer
    • “Norman,” Andrew Bird, composer
    • “One Day,” Rachel Portman, composer
    • “Puss in Boots,” Henry Jackman, composer
    • “Rampart,” Dickon Hinchliffe, composer
    • “Real Steel,” Danny Elfman, composer
    • “Rebirth,” Philip Glass, composer
    • “Red Riding Hood,” Alex Heffes and Brian Reitzell, composers
    • “Restless,” Danny Elfman, composer
    • “Rio,” John Powell, composer
    • “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” Patrick Doyle, composer
    • “The Rite,” Alex Heffes, composer
    • “The Rum Diary,” Christopher Young, composer
    • “Sanctum,” David Hirschfelder, composer
    • “Sarah’s Key,” Max Richter, composer
    • “Senna,” Antonio Pinto, composer
    • “Shame,” Harry Escott, composer
    • “The Skin I Live In,” Alberto Iglesias, composer
    • “The Smurfs,” Heitor Pereira, composer
    • “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,” Rachel Portman, composer
    • “Super 8,” Michael Giacchino, composer
    • “Take Shelter,” David Wingo, composer
    • “The Thing,” Marco Beltrami, composer
    • “Thor,” Patrick Doyle, composer
    • “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Alberto Iglesias, composer
    • “Tower Heist,” Christophe Beck, composer
    • “W.E.,” Abel Korzeniowski, composer
    • “War Horse,” John Williams, composer
    • “Warrior,” Mark Isham, composer
    • “Water for Elephants,” James Newton Howard, composer
    • “The Way,” Tyler Bates, composer
    • “We Bought a Zoo,” Jon Thor Birgisson, composer
    • “We Need to Talk about Kevin,” Jonny Greenwood, composer
    • “Win Win,” Lyle Workman, composer
    • “Winnie the Pooh,” Henry Jackman, composer
    • “X-Men: First Class,” Henry Jackman, composer
    • “Young Adult,” Rolfe Kent, composer
    • “Your Highness,” Steve Jablonsky, composer

    A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

    To be eligible, the original score must be a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must be written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer. Scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other preexisting music, diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs, or assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible.

    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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  • Black Film Critics Circle Picks 2011 Films, Dee Rees Best Director for PARIAH

    [caption id="attachment_2100" align="alignnone"]Best Actor – Olivier Litondo for THE FIRST GRADER[/caption]

    The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) voted “THE HELP” Best Film of 2011, Dee Rees Best Director for “PARIAH”, Viola Davis Best Actress for “THE HELP” and Olivier Litondo Best Actor for “THE FIRST GRADER”.

    The complete list of award winners include:

    Best Picture – THE HELP
    Best Director – Dee Rees for PARIAH
    Best Actor – Olivier Litondo for THE FIRST GRADER
    Best Actress – Viola Davis for THE HELP
    Best Supporting Actor – Albert Brooks for DRIVE
    Best Supporting Actress – Octavia Spencer for THE HELP
    Best Independent Film – PARIAH
    Best Original Screenplay – Dee Rees for PARIAH
    Best Adapted Screenplay – Tate Taylor for THE HELP
    Best Documentary – BEING ELMO: A Puppeteer’s Journey
    Best Foreign Film – LIFE, ABOVE ALL
    Best Animated Film – RANGO
    Best Ensemble – THE HELP

    BFCC Signature Awards include:

    PIONEER – HARRY BELAFONTE
    A renaissance artist who brought his unique talent to all areas of entertainment in a career that has spanned nearly 60 years, Belafonte is a multi-Grammy© winning artist, an Emmy© Award winner with the distinct designation as the first African American television producer, a Tony© Award winner, motion picture film actor and producer, Civil Rights Activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. From his music, films, and humanitarian work, Harry Belafonte has continued to embody the very essence of the word Pioneer.

    RISING STAR – ADEPERO ODUYE
    Adepero’s performance in PARIAH is a moving, powerful unforgettable portrayal of a young woman of color coming to terms with herself, her sexuality, and her family. We believe she is truly a Talent to Watch.

    SPECIAL MENTION – ATTACK THE BLOCK:
    Attack is a genre film that defies a number of conventions, not only by having a primarily black cast but portraying each character with a dignity seldom seen on screen and even more rarely in a Science-Fiction film.

    BFCC’S TOP TEN FILMS OF 2011

    1. The Help
    2. The Artist
    3. Pariah
    4. Drive
    5. The Descendants
    6. Attack the Block
    7. Tree of Life
    8. Hugo
    9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
    10. Warrior

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  • 2012 Slamdance Film Festival Announces lineup for the Special Screenings and Short Programs

    The 2012 Slamdance Film Festival taking place January 20 – 26, 2011 in Park City, Utah, announced the lineup for the Special Screenings and Short Programs for the 18th edition.

    The Special Screenings Programs present a variety of acclaimed and visionary films by a diverse group of global filmmakers – from Hollywood iconoclasts to highly anticipated emerging directors.

    The 2012 Shorts Program features 75 shorts, and include Special Screenings, Live Action Competition, Documentary Competition, Animation, $99 Special, Anarchy Shorts, and the world premiere of a special program of new Iranian shorts never seen outside the country, Made In Iran: 7 Short Premieres.

    This year’s Slamdance short film competition slate features 32 live action shorts and 13 documentary shorts programmed both in blocks and in front of features, and 10 animated films programmed in a signature animation block.

    A jury will present awards to short films in competition in the following categories: Narrative, Animation, and Documentary. Competition shorts are also eligible for the Spirit of Slamdance Award.

    Out of competition shorts and programs include: $99 Special Short Harold’s Bad Day, a winner of the 2011 Slamdance Short Screenplay Competition, directed by Slamdance alum Jordan Brady. The $99 Special Program presentation is the culmination of an annual tradition in which filmmakers are challenged to make a short film in 99 days with a budget of $99 dollars.

    Made In Iran: 7 Short Premieres, an out of competition shorts program, is a world premiere collection of recent Iranian shorts never seen outside the country, curated by Iranian-American filmmaker Ehsan Ghoreishi, featuring the work of emerging talents from across Iran.

    Anarchy Shorts is a curated, non-competitive spotlight on unique and provocative filmmakers who have made visionary, experimental, cult, and underground films.

    See the full lineup 

    SPECIAL SCREENINGS – NARRATIVE:

    Holiday Road – Directors/Screenwriters: Todd Berger, Bill Palmer, Bobby Miller, Daron Nefcy, Benny Grinnell, Ian Eastin, Marcy McIlwain, Aaron Arendt, Michael Suter, Dee Robertson, Doug Manley, Helena Wei, Andrew Putschoegl. (USA) World Premiere
    A feature length comedic anthology celebrating the hilarious, poignant, and absurd aspects of America’s twelve most recognized holidays.
    Cast: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jerry Trainor, Thomas Lenk, Blaise Miller, James Carpinello, Jeff Grace, Kent Osborne, Christing Ulloa

    Old Dog – Director/Screenwriter: Pema Tseden. (China) US Premiere
    On the high Tibetan plains, an old shepherd will do anything to prevent his Tibetan Mastiff from being sold to an urban Chinese dealer.
    Cast: Yanbum Gyal, Drolma Kyab, Lochey, Tamdrin Tso

    Unconditional – Director: Bryn Higgins, Screenwriter: Jo Fisher. (UK) World Premiere
    The psycho-love story of two teenage twins who fall under the spell of a charismatic man offering love on one condition: the boy becomes his own sister.
    Cast: Christian Cooke, Melanie Hill, Harry McEntire, Madleine Clark

    SPECIAL SCREENINGS – DOCUMENTARY:

    Neil Young Journeys – Director: Jonathan Demme. (USA) US Premiere
    A personal, retrospective look into the heart and soul of iconoclast Neil Young – as told through intimate performances from Young’s 2011 summer solo shows in Toronto’s iconic Massey Hall, and insightful, wistful stories from his life while driving from his idyllic Canadian hometown.

    No Room for Rockstars – Director: Parris Patton. (USA) World Premiere
    Through the experiences of four musicians on The Vans Warped Tour, No Room For Rockstars takes you on an emotional journey of hope and determination, and documents the extreme highs and lows that occur in the pursuit of success in today’s era of rock and roll.

    Terra Blight – Director: Isaac Brown. (USA) World Premiere
    A global examination of the unseen life cycle of computer consumption, from manufacturing to disposal, that has created one of the largest, most common toxic wastes on our planet.

    Wild in the Streets – Director: Peter Baxter, Screenwriters: Peter Baxter, Jay Nelson.
    (UK/USA) World Premiere
    Every year, thousands of locals from rival sides of a rugged English town brutally compete in an ancient sports game that is the lifeblood of the community – and the origin of soccer, rugby, and football.
    Narrator: Sean Bean

    With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story – Directors: Will Hess, Nikki Frakes, Terry Dougas,
    Screenwriters: Will Hess, Nikki Frakes. (USA)
    The story of maverick pop culture icon Stan Lee – one man’s journey of perseverance, and how by sticking to what he loved, he became an internationally influential and successful artist.
    Cast: Stan Lee, Nicolas Cage, Michael Chiklis, Roger Corman, Kirsten Dunst, Danny Elfman,
    James Franco, Samuel Jackson, Tobey Maguire, Eva Mendes, Frank Miller, Seth Rogen, Bryan
    Singer, Kevin Smith, Ringo Starr

    SPECIAL SCREENINGS – SHORTS:

    Ed Wood’s Lost Film Final Curtain – Director/Screenwriter: Edward D. Wood, Jr. (USA) World Premiere
    In a never before seen Ed Wood television pilot, a weary actor prowling a darkened theater at night searches anxiously for meaning which leads him to a surprising end.
    Cast: James “Duke” Moore, Dudley Manlove, Jenny Stevens

    Franchi is Back – Director/Screenwriter: Alexandre Franchi. (Canada) World Premiere
    A Filmmaker talks about his bout with cancer in a self-promo film in order to avoid repeating his damn story 1000 times to people because it’s a pain in the ass.
    Cast: Alexandre Franchi

    SPECIAL SCREENING – $99 SPECIAL:
    Filmmakers are challenged to make a short film in 99 days with $99

    Harold’s Bad Day – Director: Jordan Brady, Screenwriter: R.J. Buckley. (USA) World Premiere
    A wry, dark comedy about a well-intentioned teacher with a gambling debt.
    Cast: Doug Benson, Nicholas Sadler, Zack Pearlman, Curtiss Frisle

    SPECIAL SCREENING – MADE IN IRAN: 7 SHORT PREMIERES:

    Dances With The Armchair – Director/Writer: Dariush Nehdaran. (Iran) US Premiere
    As an armchair burns down to the ground, all the faces and memories embedded inside it dance away from its body through the flames.

    Far From Him, Towards Him – Director/Screenwriter: Javad Rezaei Monfared. (Iran) World Premiere
    An atheist with a terminal disease goes on a journey to find and reconnect with his father whom he believes is a servant in a holy shrine.

    Room No. 8 – Director/Screenwriter: Zohreh Keshavarz Motlagh Shirazi. (Iran) World Premiere
    A story about a group of people trapped in various social and psychological confines who yearn to break free.

    Pondering – Director/Screenwriter: Mohammad Hossein Keshavarz Motlagh Shirazi (Iran) World Premiere
    On a crisp night, under the blue moonlight, a man explores his inner child as he strangely interacts with the streetlights hovering above him.

    A Pore As Big As a Knuckle – Director/Screenwriter: Ali Ahmadi. (Iran) World Premiere
    A story about a family that has to face the consequences of a painfully unusual rape incident committed by one of their own.

    The Tree – Director/Screenwriter: Hamed Siami. (Iran) World Premiere
    A studio photographer loses the ability to associate people with their pictures.

    When The Kid Was a Kid – Director/Screenwriter: Anahita Ghazvinizadeh. (Iran) World Premiere
    A ten-year-old girl strives to understand her divorced mother’s world, while preparing for a play in which children imitate their parents.

    SPECIAL SCREENING – ANARCHY SHORTS PROGRAM:

    At The Formal – Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Kavanagh. (Australia). US Premiere
    Modern and ancient rituals collide in this macabre depiction of a high school formal.

    The Dude – Director: Jeff Feuerzeig. (USA) Documentary
    As the inspiration for the beloved central character in the Coen Brothers’ cult-favorite film The Big Lebowski, Jeff Dowd has become a popular figure at Lebowski Fests around the country.

    The Fritzl Effect – Director/Screenwriter: Stefanos Sitaras. (Greece)
    A musician keeps a young woman in his basement for inspiration. As she tries to escape, she only falls deeper into his trap.

    I Saw Your Sister Yesterday – Director: Mina Park. (USA)
    Experimental animation about a woman’s inner pain due to societal restrictions.

    The Magic Man – Director/Screenwriter: DC Kasundra. (USA)
    Hoping to secure fame and fortune, a struggling vaudeville magician turns to the dark arts, but the power unleashed could cost him the one thing he truly loves.

    Mahahula The Giant Rodent of Happiness – Director/Screenwriter: Nomint Motion Design.
    (Greece)
    An animated short film about happiness.

    The Severe Psychosis of a Musicless Man – Director: Ian McClerin, Screenwriter: Matt Gomez. (USA) World Premiere.
    A cartoonish journey into the mundane life of Preston: a middle-aged family man who begins hearing music in his head, fusing with his eccentric family, that plummets him into insanity.

    Stihl – Directors/Screenwriters: James Benning, James Raymond (USA) World Premiere
    Experimental filmmaker James Benning and video artist James Raymond collaborate to create a world founded on modern day fears: darker images of chainsaws, teddy bears, porno and masked men that question whether we are the monsters we envision and perhaps want to be.

    Stokje – Director/Screenwriter: Léonie de Boer. (Netherlands)
    A tale of two boys at the playground, and their descent from child’s play to immorality.

    We’ll Become Oil – Director/Screenwriter: Mihai Grecu. (Romania/Hungary) World Premiere
    The story of oil taking over history.

    LIVE ACTION COMPETITION SHORTS:

    33 Teeth – Director/Screenwriter: Evan Roberts. (USA)
    A 14 year-old boy has a heightened fascination with the comb of his attractive neighbor, Chad.

    The Agony and Sweat of the Human Spirit – Directors/Screenwriters: D. Jesse Damazo, Joe Bookman (USA)
    Two cowboys on a hunt. What are they hunting? Triumph.

    Angelito – Director: Paula Lima, Screenwriter: Vitor Coral. (USA/Brazil)
    Luisa the nanny tries to find peace taking care of a defiant young boy.

    Another Bullet Dodged – Director: Landon Zakheim, Screenwriters: Landon Zakheim, Todd Luoto. (USA)
    A wolf in sheep’s clothing who thinks he is a sheep.

    The Centrifuge Brain Project – Director/Screenwriter: Till Nowak. (Germany)
    Portrait of a group of American scientists who in the 1970s conducted bizarre experiments involving amusement park rides.

    Codes of Honor – Director/Screenwriter: Jon Rafman. (Canada)
    A pro arcade gamer relives his triumphs, defeats and fading legacy.

    Cold Blood – Director/Screenwriters: Martin Thibaudeau. (Canada)
    An exhausted mother brings her terrified son to the hospital.

    Crown – Director/Screenwriter: AG Rojas. (USA) World Premiere
    A middle-aged junkie experiences a surreal high.

    DeafBlind – Director/Screenwriter: Ewan Bailey. (UK) World Premiere
    A deaf and blind woman and a young man share a spiritual and disturbing connection.

    Eat – Director/Screenwriter: Janicza Bravo. (USA)
    After locking herself out of her apartment, a young woman finds herself in the company of a reluctant neighbor.

    Eileen Pratt – Director/Screenwriter: Michael Kratochvil. (Austrailia) World Premiere
    A socially awkward bus driver seeks to return to the only place she feels she belongs.

    February – Director/Screenwriter: Nick Singer. (USA) World Premiere
    A young plumber has a series of abbreviated encounters.

    The Good Person – Director: Yukihiro Katô. (Japan) US Premiere
    A housewife with a missing husband has a bizarre encounter with mysterious visitors.

    Hope. You Like Crap. – Director/Screenwriter: Shaun Parker. (USA) World Premiere
    Me, looking back and painfully deconstructing my stupid, insipid student film 20 years later.

    I Am John Wayne – Director/Screenwriter: Christina Choe. (USA) World Premiere
    A young black cowboy struggles with the death of his best friend.

    I’m Coming Over – Director/Screenwriter: Sam Handel. (USA)
    In an eccentric mountain town, a borderline neo-luddite struggles to maintain and share a fragile state of enlightenment.
    Cast: Lauren Ambrose

    The Kook – Directors/Screenwriters: Nat Livingston Johnson, Gregory Mitnick. (USA)
    A gentle and unassuming member of an eccentric religious sect in the Catskill Mountains experiences a crisis in faith.

    Lin – Director/Screenwriter: Piers Thompson. (UK/Bulgaria/Turkey)
    A woman appears to be running away from her past.

    Little Horses – Director/Screenwriter: Levi Abrino. (USA)
    A divorced small town postal worker tries to use a pony to win his family back.

    Memory by Design – Director/Screenwriter: Nathan Punwar. (USA)
    The objects that three young women use to mark their past take on memories of their own.

    New Skin – Director/Screenwriter: Vladimir de Fontenay. (USA)
    Helen spends New Year’s Eve working at a gas station, where she meets an intriguing young man just before midnight.

    Park – Director/Screenwriter: Liz Cambron. (USA)
    An unnamed girl living in a trailer park, drifting through life, beginning sexual explorations, and stealing her dad’s Vicodin.

    People Parade – Director: John Wilson, Screenwriters: John Wilson, Chris Maggio. (USA) World Premiere
    After the star of a long-running variety show passes away, his son is obligated to reunite a weathered cast of television performers and host the final episode.

    Reinaldo Arenas – Director/Screenwriter: Lucas Leyva. (USA)
    Told from the point of view of a dying shark, the film captures the last moments in the life of an unintentional immigrant in downtown Miami.

    Rose and Sophia – Director/Screenwriter: Natalie Neal. (USA) World Premiere
    A childhood interest in spying is rekindled among two teenage girls stuck between adolescence and adulthood.

    A Scene at the Sea – Director/Screenwriter: Jaehee Lee. (South Korea)
    A father and son, roles now reversed as one becomes the caretaker of the other, execute a delicate dance at the edge of the sea.

    A Short Film About Ice Fishing – Director/Screenwriter: Jason Shahinfar. (USA)
    In rural South Dakota, two friends go out for an explosive day of ice fishing.

    Silent River – Director/Screenwriter: Anca Miruna Lazarescu. (Germany) US Premiere
    Gregor and Vali want to get away from Romania and the Ceausescu regime in 1986.

    Solipsist – Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Huang. (USA) World Premiere
    A three part psychedelic fantasy film about otherworldly beings whose minds and bodies converge into one entity.

    Soy Tan Feliz – Director/Screenwriter: Vladimir Duran. (Argentina/Colombia) US Premiere
    Fragments of a Saturday winter day with the Vittenzein brothers, who find themselves in a strange intimacy on a stop during a drive to their mother’s house.

    TMI – Director: Jeff Tomsic, Screenwriters: Jordan Klepper, Laura Grey. (USA) World Premiere
    Obnoxiousness begins at conception.

    When Rabbits Fly – Director: Helgi Jóhannsson, Screenwriters: Helgi Jóhannsson, Halldor Ragnar Halldorsson. (Iceland) North American Premiere
    A family of three living with a rabbit in a cardboard box seeks six strangers to get their old life back.

    ANIMATED COMPETITION SHORTS:

    Birdboy – Directors/Screenwriters: Alberto Vázquez, Pedro Rivero. (Spain)
    A terrible industrial accident changes little Dinky’s life forever.

    Follow the Sun! – Director/Screenwriter: MK12. (USA)
    An homage and/or affront to a Great American Tradition: the drive-in intermission snack reel.

    Hietsuki Bushi – Director/Screenwriter: Ryo Hirano. (Japan)
    A seamless mixture of traditional Japanese song, blip music, universe, and agriculture.

    Hollow – Director/Screenwriter: Oliver Anderson. (USA)
    Two young brothers stumble across a disturbing secret in the fleeting light of a Midwestern summer.

    The House – Director/Screenwriter: David Buob. (Germany)
    A family story in a revolving house.

    The Observer – Director/Screenwriter: Abbey Luck. (USA) World Premiere
    A disenchanted citizen learns how to free his village from a tyrant king by observing patterns in nature.

    Peekaboo – Director/Screenwriter: Cecilia Fletcher. (USA)
    A woman must decide between reporting a crime and going on vacation.

    Soil – Director/Screenwriter: Meejin Hong. (USA)
    As imagery transforms between figures and abstraction, the life cycle of an organism and dualities within human nature are explored.

    Thumb Snatchers from the Moon Cocoon – Director/Screenwriter: Bradley Schaffer. (USA)
    A short tempered Texas sheriff uses his cowboy logic to recklessly defeat a race of condescending, cocoon dwelling critters.

    Venus – Director: Tor Fruergaard, Screenwriter: Sissel D. Thomsen. (Denmark)
    An erotic comedy in claymation.

    DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION SHORTS:

    Ben Franklin Blowing Bubbles at a Sword: The Journeys of a Mental Athlete – Director: Jonathan Napolitano. (USA) World Premiere
    Three mental athletes stretch the limits of their minds as they train for and compete in the 2011 USA Memory Championship.

    The Devotion Project: More Than Ever – Director: Antony Osso. (USA)
    The inspiring true story of two men who forged a 54-year love story despite the odds.

    I’m Never Afraid! – Director: Willem Baptist. (The Netherlands)
    Eight-year-old Mack ‘the motor midget’ should be dead but nothing is stopping him.

    Kiss the Paper – Director: Fiona Otway. (USA)
    A poetic documentary contemplating the revival of the nearly obsolete, centuries-old craft of letterpress printing.

    Kudzu Vine – Director: Josh Gibson. (USA)
    This ode to the climbing, trailing, and coiling species Pueraria lobata evokes the agricultural history and mythic textures of the American South.

    The Lookout – Director: Brian Bolster. (USA) World Premiere
    Watching over some of the most fire-prone landscape in North America, a Fire Lookout reflects upon his work.

    Murder Mouth – Director: Madeleine Parry. (Australia)
    Could you kill what you had for dinner? Maddie, a 21 year-old meat eater, decides to take the question into her own hands.

    No Relation – Director: Kieran Dick. (Canada)
    What is real and how do you capture it?

    No Wine Left Behind – Director: Kevin Gordon. (USA)
    An Iraq War hero leads a ragtag group of veterans as they try to conquer the wine industry.

    On Tender Hooks – Director: Kate Shenton. (UK)
    Freak show magician Damien Lloyd-Davies pierces his flesh with meat hooks and performs a “suicide suspension.”

    The Professional- Director: Skylar Nielsen. (USA)
    Metal-fabricator Neil Youngberg never planned on taking over his grandfather’s business and is now faced with passing on his legacy.

    We Win or We Die – Director: Matthew Millan. (Libya, USA) World Premiere
    The inspiring story of one man’s heroic sacrifice that liberated a city from the yoke of oppression.

    You Can’t Win – Director: Jorge Torres-Torres (Puerto Rico/USA) World Premiere
    A typical night at the cockfights in the island of Puerto Rico.

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  • Trailer for Documentary on Fashion Designer Halston

    [caption id="attachment_2096" align="alignnone"]Halston with models from Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston distributed by Tribeca Film. Photo Credit: Roxanne Lowit. [/caption]

    The trailer for the upcoming Tribeca Film release ULTRASUEDE: IN SEARCH OF HALSTON, featuring interviews with an all-star cast including Liza Minnelli, Diane Von Furstenberg, André Leon Talley, Anjelica Huston, Bob Colacello, and Billy Joel, among others has been released.

    ULTRASUEDE: IN SEARCH OF HALSTON releases December 26, 2011 nationally On Demand via cable VOD, iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly and Vudu. It will open theatrically beginning in LA and NY in February 2012.

    No one represented the glamour, style, and excess of the 70’s quite like Halston and, in the documentary, ULTRASUEDE: IN SEARCH OF HALSTON, filmmaker Whitney Sudler-Smith takes us on a fabulous fun-and-fact filled journey through the legendary designer’s life and times. Using a cheekily playful interview style that befits an era in which frivolity was serious business, Sudler-Smith romps through the past Zelig-like, looking like a member of the inner circle, while chatting with a stellar cast of Halston’s close friends, colleagues, and assorted cultural commentators about this iconic figure.

    Halston was America’s first celebrity designer, and his circle of clients included the most talked- about women of the world, including Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, Betty Ford and Lauren Bacall. At the height of his fame in the ‘70s he truly was the emperor, not only of fashion, but of style, putting his name and distinctive aesthetic on everything from sunglasses and shoes to a phenomenally successful line of fragrances. Halston was also emperor of another world–New York City nightlife–and the storied Studio 54 was where he held court. Every night was a party, full of dancing, drinking, and drug taking, but by day he transformed the way American women looked and lived.

    At his pinnacle, Halston sold his business for a fortune, but wealth couldn’t protect him from the loss of control he experienced both professionally and personally. Unable to use the very name he had turned into a global brand, he dropped out of sight, and his death from AIDS a few years later was final evidence that the era he came todefine had ended.

    Starring: Liza Minnelli, Anjelica Huston, André Leon Talley, Bob Colacello, Pat Cleveland, Billy Joel, Ralph Rucci, Naeem Khan, Amy Fine Collins, Cathy Horyn, Harold Koda, Patrick McMullan, Christopher Makos, Stephen Burrows, among others.

    {youtube}oX55Tlyvq7U{/youtube}

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  • International Film Festival Rotterdam opens with 38 Témoins and closes with The Hunter

    The world premiere of Lucas Belvaux’s 38 Témoins (38 Witnesses, France), starring Yvan Attal, Sophie Quinton and Nicole Garcia will open the 41st International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 25, 2012; the festival will close on February 4 with the screening of Daniel Nettheim’s The Hunter (Australia) starring Willem Dafoe, Frances O’Connor and Sam Neill.

    In 38 Témoins, Louise (Sophie Quinton) returns home to discover that while she was away on business in China her street was the scene of a crime. There were no witnesses. Apparently everybody was asleep. Pierre, Louise’s husband (Yvan Attal) was at work. Apparently.

    The Hunter is a powerful psychological drama that tells the story of Martin (Willem Dafoe) a mercenary sent from Europe by a mysterious bio-tech company to the Tasmanian wilderness on a hunt for the last Tasmanian tiger. Next to Willem Dafoe (Spiderman, The English Patient, Platoon), The Hunter stars Frances O’Connor (Blessed, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Mansfield Park) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Piano) in the principal roles. The Hunter is based on the novel of the same name written by Julia Leigh.

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  • A Separation, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Artist Among London Critics’ Circle 2011 Nominees

    [caption id="attachment_1389" align="alignnone" width="552"]WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN[/caption]

    The London Critics’ Circle announced the nominations today for its 32nd annual Film Awards and the nominations were lead by TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and DRIVE, which both receive 6 nominations each

    Asghar Farhadi’s Golden Bear (Berlin) winner A SEPARATION and Lynne Ramsay’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN have received 5 nominations each whilst Michel Hazanavicius’ THE ARTIST and Steve McQueen’s SHAME have received 4 apiece.

    The London Critics’ Circle Film Awards in partnership with Virgin Atlantic will reveal its full list of annual award winners at the glittering ceremony on Thursday 19 January at BFI Southbank.

    Voted for by over 120 UK film critics, broadcasters and writers, the 32nd London Critics’ Circle Film Awards nominations are as follows:

    FILM OF THE YEAR

    The Artist (Entertainment)

    Drive (Icon)

    A Separation (Artificial Eye)

    Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

    The Tree of Life (Fox)

     

    The Attenborough Award:

    BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR

    The Guard (StudioCanal)

    Kill List (StudioCanal)

    Shame (Momentum)

    Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

    We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)

     

    FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

    Mysteries of Lisbon (New Wave)

    Poetry (Arrow)

    Le Quattro Volte (New Wave)

    A Separation (Artificial Eye)

    The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathé)

     

    DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR

    Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Picturehouse)

    Dreams of a Life (Dogwoof)

    Pina (Artificial Eye)

    Project Nim (Icon)

    Senna (Universal)

     

    DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

    Asghar Farhadi – A Separation (Artificial Eye)

    Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (Entertainment)

    Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life (Fox)

    Lynne Ramsay – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)

    Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive (Icon)

     

    SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR

    Asghar Farhadi – A Separation (Artificial Eye)

    Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (Entertainment)

    Kenneth Lonergan – Margaret (Fox)

    Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

    Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash – The Descendants (Fox)

     

    The Virgin Atlantic Award:

    BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER

    Richard Ayoade – Submarine (StudioCanal)

    Paddy Considine – Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal)

    Joe Cornish – Attack the Block (StudioCanal)

    Andrew Haigh – Weekend (Peccadillo)

    John Michael McDonagh – The Guard (StudioCanal)

     

    ACTOR OF THE YEAR

    George Clooney – The Descendants (Fox)

    Jean Dujardin – The Artist (Entertainment)

    Michael Fassbender – Shame (Momentum)

    Ryan Gosling – Drive (Icon)

    Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

     

    ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

    Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia (Artificial Eye)

    Anna Paquin – Margaret (Fox)

    Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé)

    Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)

    Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)

     

    SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR

    Simon Russell Beale – The Deep Blue Sea (Artificial Eye)

    Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)

    Albert Brooks – Drive (Icon)

    Christopher Plummer – Beginners (Universal)

    Michael Smiley – Kill List (StudioCanal)

     

    SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

    Sareh Bayat – A Separation (Artificial Eye)

    Jessica Chastain – The Help (Disney)

    Vanessa Redgrave – Coriolanus (Lionsgate)

    Octavia Spencer – The Help (Disney)

    Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom (StudioCanal)

     

    BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR

    Tom Cullen – Weekend (Peccadillo)

    Michael Fassbender – A Dangerous Method (Lionsgate), Shame (Momentum)

    Brendan Gleeson – The Guard (StudioCanal)

    Peter Mullan – Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal), War Horse (Disney)

    Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

     

    The Moët & Chandon Award:

    BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

    Olivia Colman – The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé), Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal)

    Carey Mulligan – Drive (Icon), Shame (Momentum)

    Vanessa Redgrave – Anonymous (Sony), Coriolanus (Lionsgate)

    Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)

    Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea (Artificial Eye)

     

    YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

    John Boyega – Attack the Block (StudioCanal)

    Jeremy Irvine – War Horse (Disney)

    Yasmin Paige – Submarine (StudioCanal)

    Craig Roberts – Submarine (StudioCanal)

    Saoirse Ronan – Hanna (Universal)

     

    The Sky 3D Award:

    TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

    Manuel Alberto Claro, cinematography – Melancholia (Artificial Eye)

    Paul Davies, sound design – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)

    Maria Djurkovic, production design – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

    Dante Ferretti, production design – Hugo (Entertainment)

    Alberto Iglesias, original score – The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathé)

    Chris King & Gregers Sall, editing – Senna (Universal)

    Joe Letteri, visual effects – Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Fox)

    Cliff Martinez, original score – Drive (Icon)

    Robert Richardson, cinematography – Hugo (Entertainment)

    Robbie Ryan, cinematography – Wuthering Heights (Artificial Eye)

     

    The Dilys Powell Award:

    EXCELLENCE IN FILM

    Nicolas Roeg

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  • 39 Original Songs Eligible to compete for Oscar for Original Song

    [caption id="attachment_2092" align="alignnone" width="550"]POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold[/caption]

    Thirty-nine songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 84th Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

    The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film and song title:

    “The World I Knew” from “African Cats”
    “Lay Your Head Down” from “Albert Nobbs”
    “Star Spangled Man” from “Captain America: The First Avenger”
    “Collision of Worlds” from “Cars 2”
    “Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu” from “DAM999”
    “DAM999 Theme Song” from “DAM999”
    “Mujhe Chod Ke” from “DAM999”
    “Rainbird” from “Dirty Girl”
    “Keep On Walking” from “The First Grader”
    “Where the River Goes” from “Footloose”
    “Hello Hello” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”
    “Love Builds a Garden” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”
    “Bridge of Light” from “Happy Feet Two”
    “The Mighty Sven” from “Happy Feet Two”
    “Never Be Daunted” from “happythankyoumoreplease”
    “Hell and Back” from “Hell and Back Again”
    “The Living Proof” from “The Help”
    “Coeur Volant” from “Hugo”
    “It’s How We Play” from “I Don’t Know How She Does It”
    “When the Heart Dies” from “In the Land of Blood and Honey”
    “Ja Nao Estar” from “José and Pilar”
    “The Keeper” from “Machine Gun Preacher”
    “Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”
    “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
    “Pictures in My Head” from “The Muppets”
    “Summer Song” from “The Music Never Stopped”
    “Imaginary Friends” from “Olive”
    “Sparkling Day” from “One Day”
    “Taking You with Me” from “Our Idiot Brother”
    “The Greatest Song I Ever Heard” from “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”
    “Hot Wings” from “Rio”
    “Let Me Take You to Rio” from “Rio”
    “Real in Rio” from “Rio”
    “Shelter” from “Take Shelter”
    “Gathering Stories” from “We Bought a Zoo”
    “Pop” from “White Irish Drinkers”
    “Think You Can Wait” from “Win Win”
    “The Backson Song” from “Winnie the Pooh”
    “So Long” from “Winnie the Pooh”

    On Thursday, January 5, the Academy will screen clips featuring each song, in random order, for voting members of the Music Branch in Los Angeles.  Following the screenings, members will determine the nominees by an averaged point system of voting.  If no song receives an average score of 8.25 or more, there will be no nominees in the category.  If only one song achieves that score, it and the song receiving the next highest score shall be the two nominees.

    If two or more songs (up to five) achieve that score, they shall be the nominees.  A DVD copy of the song clips will be made available to those branch members who are unable to attend the screening and who request it for home viewing.  A mail-in ballot will be provided.

    Under Academy rules, a maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.  If more than two songs from a film achieve a score of 8.25 or more, the two songs with the highest scores will be the nominees.

    To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film.  A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

    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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  • Le Havre Awarded France’s Louis Delluc Prize

    [caption id="attachment_2090" align="alignnone" width="550"]Le Havre[/caption]

    Aki Kaurismaki’s Le Havre, starring Andre Wilms, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Kati Outinen was awarded one of France’s top film honors, the winner of the 69th annual Louis Delluc Prize. Le Havre, Finland’s submission to the Academy for consideration for the Best Foreign Language Film, beat out a strong field of contenders that included The Artist, House of Tolerance, Hors Satan, Declaration of War, The Snows of Kilimandjaro, Tomboy and The Minister.

    In this warmhearted portrait of the French harbor city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) into the path of Marcel Marx (Andre Wilms), a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoeshiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation. A political fairy tale that mixes the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carne with wry Kaurismaekian comedy, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight.

    Djinn Carrenard’s Donoma was awarded the the Louis Delluc prize for Best First Film. The film was reportedly made for only $200.

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  • 265 Feature Films Eligible to Compete for 2011 Best Picture Oscar

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced yesterday that two hundred sixty-five feature films are eligible for the 2011 Academy Awards®.

    To be eligible for 84th Academy Awards® consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

    Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.

    Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category.

    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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  • Jake Gyllenhaal, Mike Leigh Among International Jury at 2012 Berlin International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2086" align="alignnone"]Jake Gyllenhaal in Love and Other Drugs[/caption]

    Anton Corbijn, Asghar Farhadi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jake Gyllenhaal, François Ozon, Boualem Sansal and Barbara Sukowa will join already announced Jury President Mike Leigh as the International Jury who will decide who will receive the Golden Bear and Silver Bears as well as the Alfred Bauer Prize of the 2012 Berlinale Competition.

    Mike Leigh (Jury President)
    Mike Leigh has made a name for himself as one of the most outstanding filmmakers of auteur cinema and protagonists of New British Cinema. Leigh portrays British society in a bluntly realistic but humorous manner. His films have received countless international awards and Oscar nominations.
    Trained as an actor, dramatist and screenwriter, he has directed more than 20 films, including Bleak Moments (1972, Golden Leopard in Locarno), Naked (1993, Award for Best Director in Cannes), Secrets and Lies (1996, Palme d’Or in Cannes) and Vera Drake (2004, Golden Lion in Venice).
    Nominated for several Oscars, director Mike Leigh has been invited several times to different sections of the Berlin International Film Festival: Meantime screened in the Forum in 1984; the short film The Short and Curlies, in the Panorama in 1988; as did Life Is Sweet in 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.

    Dutch photographer, designer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn won international fame with his photos of musicians: the Rolling Stones, U2, Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Tom Waits and others. For bands such as U2 or Depeche Mode, he became like a fifth member and shot and/or designed eight album covers for each of them. Since 1993 he has also designed the stage sets for Depeche Mode`s tours. He started directing music videos in the early 1980s, later also for artists such as Herbert Grönemeyer, Johnny Cash, Coldplay and Nirvana. He made his directorial debut with the film Control about lead singer Ian Curtis of the British post-punk band Joy Division. The film opened Cannes’ Quinzaine section in 2007. It was followed in 2010 by his film The American, a thriller with George Clooney in the lead. Most recently Corbijn has collaborated with Berend Strik on the charitable project “Mandela Landscape”. As a major source of inspiration for the popular culture of his generation, Corbijn was awarded the most important cultural award of the Netherlands in November 2011: the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prijs. His next cinema project will be a screen adaptation of John LeCarré’s A Most Wanted Man which will be shot in Germany.

    Iranian director and screenwriter Asghar Farhadi shot his first 8-mm and 16-mm films as a teenager, and had already made five short films by the time he went to Tehran University and got his Bachelor and Master degree in theatre directing. He also worked for radio and television. In 2003, he won the Special Jury Prize for his feature film debut Raghs dar ghobar (Dancing in the Dust) at the Moscow International Film Festival. His second feature film Shahr-e ziba (A Beautiful City, 2004) was awarded the Grand Prix as best film in Warsaw. In 2009, he won the Silver Bear for Best Director with his Berlinale Competition film Darbareh-ye Elly (About Elly). About Elly also won at the Tribeca Film Festival and went on to receive another ten awards. His latest work, Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Nader and Simin. A Separation) took home the Golden Bear and two Silver Bears for the performances of the ensemble at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011. It was an international success, and after winning the Berlinale it won awards at 22 international festivals. Iran has selected the film as its official entry for the Academy Awards. In summer 2011, Asghar Farhadi was invited to participate in Berlin’s Artist-in-Residence programme of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

    French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, daughter of French artist Serge Gainsbourg and British actress and singer Jane Birkin, made her motion picture debut as a teenager in Parole et Musique (Love Songs, 1985; directed by Élie Chouraqui). She then worked with many different filmmakers, such as Agnès Varda, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Jacques Doillon, Eric Rochant, Bertrand Blier and Andrew Birkin. In 1986 she won a César as Most Promising Young Actress for L’éffrontée (Charlotte and Lulu, 1985; directed by Claude Miller). In 1998, she gave a breakthrough performance in La petite voleuse (Little Thief, directed by Claude Miller). In 2001, she starred in Yvan Attal’s Ma femme est une actrice (My Wife Is an Actress) and played the lead in Félix et Lola (Felix and Lola, directed by Patrice Leconte), which also screened in the Berlinale Competition. She has made many other films for the screen, including 21 Grams (2003, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu), Prête-moi ta main (I Do, 2006, directed by Eric Lartigau), Michel Gondry’s La science des rêves (The Science of Sleep, Berlinale Competition 2006), Golden Door (2007, directed by Emmanuele Crialese, Golden Lion in Venice) and Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There (2007). In 2009, she played in Patrice Chereau’s Persécution (2009) and won the Best Actress award in Cannes for her role in Lars von Trier’s Antichrist. Most recently she starred in L’Arbre (The Tree, 2010, directed by Julie Bertucelli) and in Melancholia (directed by Lars von Trier), which won the 2011 European Film Prize for Best Film. Charlotte Gainsbourg also performs as a vocal artist and has just released her fourth album “Stage Whisper”.

    Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal won BAFTA and National Board of Review awards for his poignant performance as Jack Twist in Ang Lee’s timeless classic Brokeback Mountain (2005, Golden Lion in Venice).
    He was last seen starring in Duncan Jones’ critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Source Code (2011, R: Duncan Jones) and Ed Zwick’s Love And Other Drugs (2010), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.” Gyllenhaal recently wrapped production on David Ayer’s End of Watch, a gritty drama shot on the streets of South Central Los Angeles. The film is expected for release in 2012. Working with some of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers, Gyllenhaal has also starred in Richard Kelly’s cult hit Donnie Darko (2001), Jim Sheridan’s Brothers (2009), David Fincher’s Zodiac (2007), Sam Mendes’ Jarhead (2005), John Madden’s Proof (2005), Miguel Arteta’s The Good Girl (2002), Brad Silberling’s Moonlight Mile (2002), Nicole Holofcener’s Lovely And Amazing (2001), and Joe Johnston’s October Sky (1999). Gyllenhaal made his stage debut starring in Kenneth Lonergan’s revival of “This is Our Youth” on London’s West End. For his performance he won an Evening Standard Theatre Award for “Outstanding Newcomer”.

    After making several highly regarded short films (Summer dress, 1996; See the Sea, 1997), French director and screenwriter François Ozon’s first feature film was Sitcom (1998). He celebrated his international breakthrough with the musical comedy 8 Femmes (8 Women) in 2002. A star-studded ensemble with Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Ludivine Sagnier, Emmanuelle Béart, Firmine Richard, Danielle Darieux, Fanny Ardant and Virginie Ledoyen who sing and dance throughout the film, won a Silver Bear for their performances. Ozon had already participated in the Berlinale Competition in 2000 with Gouttes d’èau sur pierres brulantes (Water Drops on Burning Rocks) which took home the Festival’s queer prize, the Teddy Award for Best Feature. Further great hits by Ozon followed, including Sous le sable (Under the Sand, 2000) and Swimming Pool (2003) with Charlotte Rampling, as well as his drama about death Le temps qui reste (Time to Leave), which premiered at Cannes in 2005. He presented Angel in the Berlinale Competition in 2007 and Ricky in 2009. In 2010, Potiche (Trophy Wife), his satirical and rather biting comedy about emancipation, screened at the festival in Venice; the film went on to top the French movie charts.

    Algerian writer Boualem Sansal received his doctorate in economics and worked for the Ministry of Industry, as well as authored a number of technical books, before publishing his prize-winning debut novel “Le serment des barbares” in Paris in 1999. Four novels have followed, all of which have been translated into German. After publishing “Journal intime et politique, Algérie 40 ans après”, a critical political diary about the situation in Algeria 40 years after independence, he was forced to quit his job in the ministry. Ever since he has worked exclusively as a writer and focused increasingly on historical subjects. His most recent publications include the 2008 novel “Le village de l’allemand ou le journal des frères Schiller”. This work is the first of his novels to be translated into English; it was published in the US as “The German Mujahid” and in the UK as “An Unfinished Business”. In 2011, Sansal was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

    Barbara Sukowa is a prize-winning German film and theatre actress, as well as a singer. She was first discovered for the screen by Rainer Werner Fassbinder who after casting her in Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) gave her the title role in Lola (1981), one of his most successful films. Barbara Sukowa became known internationally for starring in Die bleierne Zeit (Marianne and Juliane, 1981; Award for Best Actress in Venice) and Rosa Luxemburg (1986, Award for Best Actress in Cannes), both by Margarethe von Trotta. She made The Sicilian (1987) with Michael Cimino and starred in Lars von Trier’s dark thriller Europa (1991). Her most recent German films include Hierankl (2003, directed by Hans Steinbichler); the screen adaptation of the novel, Die Entdeckung der Currywurst (The Invention of the Curried Sausage, 2008; directed by Ulla Wagner, Award for Best Actress in Montreal); and Vision – Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen (Vision, 2009; directed by Margarethe von Trotta). Sukowa, who lives in New York, started her singing career in the late 1980s. She has won an Echo and been nominated for a Grammy.

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  • First Films for the Competition and Berlinale Special of 2012 Berlin Film Fest

    [caption id="attachment_2084" align="alignnone"]Werner Herzog’s documentary series Death Row from the USA[/caption]

    The first five films for the Competition of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival and the Berlinale Special have been announced. The films for the Berlinale Special include the Indian-German co-production Don – The King Is Back, the documentary Marley by Kevin Macdonald from Great Britain and the USA, the Spanish film La chispa de la vida by Álex de la Iglesia, Guy Maddin’s Keyhole from Canada, as well as Werner Herzog’s documentary series Death Row from the USA.

    Competition

    Captive
    France/Philippines/Germany/Great Britain
    By Brillante Mendoza (Serbis, Kinatay, Lola)
    With Isabelle Huppert, Katherine Mulville, Marc Zanetta
    World premiere

    Dictado (Childish Games)
    Spain
    By Antonio Chavarrías (Susanna, Volverás, Las vidas de Celia)
    With Juan Diego Botto, Barbara Lennie, Mágica Pérez
    World premiere

    Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close
    USA
    By Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader)
    With Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow, Thomas Horn
    International premiere / Out of Competition

    Jin líng Shí San Chai (The Flowers Of War)
    People’s Republic of China
    By Zhang Yimou (The Red Lantern, Hero, A Woman, A Gun And A Noodle Shop)
    With Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Atsuro Watabe
    International premiere / Out of Competition

    Kebun binatang (Postcards From The Zoo)
    Indonesia/Germany/Hongkong, China
    By Edwin (Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon, The Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly)
    With Ladya Cheryl, Nicholas Saputra
    World premiere


    Berlinale Special

    Death Row – Documentary series in four parts
    USA
    By Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo, Cave Of Forgotten Dreams)
    World premiere

    Don – The King Is Back
    India/Germany
    By Farhan Akhtar (Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Don)
    With Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Om Puri, Florian Lukas
    German premiere

    Keyhole
    Canada
    By Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg, The Saddest Music In The World, Brand Upon The Brain)
    With Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini, Udo Kier, Brooke Palsson
    International premiere

    La chispa de la vida
    Spain
    By Álex de la Iglesia (El día de la bestia, Perdita Durango, The Last Circus)
    With Salma Hayek, José Mota, Fernando Tejero, Blanca Portillo, Juan Luis Galiardo
    International premiere

    Marley – Documentary
    Great Britain/USA
    By Kevin Macdonald (The Last King Of Scotland, Life In A Day, Touching The Void)
    World premiere

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  • Jury of 7 Young Filmmakers Selected for Dialogue en perspective Award at 2012 Berlinale

    [caption id="attachment_2082" align="alignnone" width="550"]2011 Dialogue en perspective Award Winner – Die Ausbildung (The Education) by Dirk Lütter[/caption]

    The Berlin International Film Festival (February 9 to 19, 2012) and the French-German Youth Office, is once again giving young film-lovers a chance to help decide who receives the “Dialogue en perspective” Award. For the second time, a jury member from a third country – Slovakia – is taking part.

    The seven jurors are:

    • Deniz Sertkol, 26, European mediastudies, Berlin
    • Franziska Hessberger, 25, freelance at Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Münster
    • Philipp Wolf, 24, studies literature, culture and media, Siegen Weidenau
    • Sandra Jumel, 22, European and intercultural studies, Sautron (Nantes)
    • Gustave Shaïmi, 20, European and film studies, Montélimar
    • Baptiste Cogitore, 25, studies German-French journalism, Strasbourg
    • Matus Krajnak, 23, studies filmdirection, Presov (Bratislava), Slovakia

    This year, the jury will be chaired by director, actor and screenwriter Jan Henrik Stahlberg.

    The aim of the film award for the DFJW is to promote dialogue between young German and French people and to bring them closer to current German cinema. At the Berlinale 2011 the film Die Ausbildung (The Education) by Dirk Lütter received the prize.

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