“Inception” and “The Social Network” were the big winners with the Broadcast Film Critics Association, with ‘Inception’ picking up six trophies and “Network” grabbing four wins, including Best Director for filmmaker David Fincher. Unfortunately while “Black Swan” broke a Critics Choice Movies Award record for the most-nominated movie ever with 12 nods, Natalie Portman walked away with with the only award, the award for Best Actress.
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has announced the official selections for their eighth annual event to be held in Missoula, Montana February 11-20, at the Historic Wilma Theatre. The 140 film program, culled from nearly 1000 entries from all over the world will feature a live performance by indy rock band Yo La Tengo, a free opening night screening of Peter D. Richardsons How To Die In Oregon (sponsored by HBO Documentary Films), a retrospective of films by venerable filmmaker Chuck Workman, and more than twenty-five World, North American and US premiers of new non-fiction films.
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has announced their Thematic Program, 2011 Career Award and the first US Premiere of the 2011 festival. Rick Prelinger will curate a series around archival footage for the Festival’s 2011 thematic program. The 2011 Career Award will be presented to Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, who will present the US Premiere of their most recent film “Burma Soldier” at the 14th annual event.
Cinema Guild announced that they will release Putty Hill, a film by Matt Porterfield. An official selection of the Berlin International Film Festival and SXSW, among many others, and nominated for the Cinema Eye Heterodox Award (a new award category created to honor a narrative film that imaginatively incorporates nonfiction strategies), Putty Hill will open in New York at Cinema Village on February 18. A national release will follow.
In national voting completed on Friday, members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild voted overwhelmingly to approve a new, three-year contract covering theatrical and television production under the Producer-Screen Actors Guild Basic Agreement and Television Agreement, Exhibit A to the AFTRA Network Television Code and the CW Supplement, which applies to both unions.
AFTRA, SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a tentative agreement in November on the deal that provides increases in base rates, contributions to the unions’ benefits plans, expanded employment opportunities and other improvements for working performers.
The Milwaukee Film Festival made two big announcements this week. First Baseball Commission Allan H. (Bud) Selig and wife Suzanne L. Selig renewed their support of the festival for another three years, totaling $400,000, including $100,000 in 2011 and increasing to $150,000 in both 2012 and 2013. The Selig family was one of the first major supporters of the festival in 2008, committing $100,000 for each of the 2009 and 2010 festivals.
The USA Network made its first ever independent film acquisition by snagging ‘The Space Between’, a drama starring Melissa Leo. Written and directed by Travis Fine, the movie premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.
Directors Guild of America announced the nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for the year 2010. The winners will be announced at the 63rd Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 29, 2011 in Los Angeles.
Sundance Institute announced the details for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival’s presentation of films by Native filmmakers and the annual Native Forum. In all, 11 Native communities will be represented: Tsilhqot’in, Métis, Ngāti Rangi, Atihaunui a Paparangi, Navajo Nation, Hopi, Laguna Pueblo, Iñupiaq, Taranaki/Ngati Tama Ngati Mutunga, Native Hawaiian and Māori. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
The Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) announced yesterday that Oliver Stone, Academy Award-winning film director, producer and screenwriter, will be honored with a “Master of Cinema Award” on Closing Night of the 2011 festival on Sunday, Feb. 20, at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colo.
Akunin (Villain) directed by Lee Sang-il was awarded the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Japanese Film in 2010, and the Korean film Breathless by Yang Ik-Joon, received the award for Best Foreign Film.
Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” triumphed over “Splice”, directed by Vincenzo Natali, and “Trigger”, directed by Bruce McDonald to win the 2010 Toronto Film Critics Association’s Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. “Incendies” is described as the epic adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad’s complex stage play about Quebec siblings who uncover their immigrant mother’s tortured history.