The Phoenix Film Critics Society named “The King’s Speech” the Best Picture of 2010 and its star, Colin Firth, Best Actor. Natalie Portman’s performance in “Black Swan” won the Best Actress award. “The Fighter” won both Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale and Best Supporting Actress for Melissa Leo.
Sundance Institute announced that filmmakers Chris Kentis and Laura Lau (Open Water) will return to the Sundance Film Festival with their latest feature, Silent House, which will have its world premiere in the out-of-competition Park City at Midnight section.
The Online Film Critics Society announced its nominees for the 2010 OFCS Awards. The Online Film Critics Society describes itself as “the largest, most respected organization for critics whose work appears primarily on the Internet.” OFCS members will submit their final votes over the next few days, and winners will be announced Monday, January 3, 2010.
The third installment of the comedy franchise “Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ’To” won seven of the 21 awards including Best Picture, in the 36th Metro Manila Film Festival that ends on January 7. The film, which centers on the life of the fictitious former president Ina Montecillo and her 12 kids, also won for Wenn Deramas the Best Director award.
The 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs runs January 6-17, 2011, will present Academy Award winner Michael Douglas with the Icon Award. The Icon Award honors a creative talent who, through the course of his or her career, has created a body of work which symbolizes the highest level of achievement in the motion picture art form.
The Berlin International Film Festival in a recent press release sharply condemned the harsh sentences handed down to the renowned Iranian director Jafar Panahi and his directing colleague Mohammed Rasulof.
Massachusetts-based independent film production and marketing firm Pyrate Motion Picture Company, LLC (aka Pyrate Films) has announced plans to develop an epic feature film about the British West Indies island of Anguilla and its sensational, but little known 1967 to 1969 battle for economic, social, and political justice.
Pyrate Films was launched in 2010 following a series of meetings in Anguilla with government ministers, including the Hon. Chief Minister Hubert Hughes, and several living patriots, including Anguilla’s rebel leader and founding father, the Hon. James Ronald Webster, now 85.
Bud Greenspan, the pioneering Olympic documentary filmmaker, died Saturday night. He was 84.
The 22nd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced its Galas, Premieres and Special Presentation programs. The Festival launches on Thursday, January 6 with the French farce Potiche and wraps on Sunday, January 16 with The First Grader. 193 films from 68 countries, including 59 premieres (9 world, 17 North American and 33 U.S.), will unspool at the Festival, running from January 6-17 in Palm Springs, California.
The King’s Speech, directed by Tom Hooper lead the the 2011 London Critics’ Circle Film Awards with seven nominations including lead actor Colin Firth up for both Best Actor and Best British Actor, Best Actress for Bonham Carter, Best Film and Best British Film.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival in its 65th year has hired James Mullighan to produce the ambitious transformation of next year’s Festival, the blueprint of which has been shaped by Mark Cousins, Tilda Swinton and a wider artistic team to be announced.
Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” was the top winner with four awards in the Florida Film Critics Circle’s annual honors, but “The Social Network” received Best Picture award in 2010. The film about the founding of Facebook, won three awards, including Best Director (David Fincher) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin).