
Israeli actor Josef Shiloach died Monday at the age of 69. Shiloach, who starred is such Israeli cult classics as Alex Hole Ahava, Sapiches and Hagiga B’Snuker passed away following a long battle with cancer.

Israeli actor Josef Shiloach died Monday at the age of 69. Shiloach, who starred is such Israeli cult classics as Alex Hole Ahava, Sapiches and Hagiga B’Snuker passed away following a long battle with cancer.

Oscar nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite, known recently for his role in the film “The Age of Stupid” has died at the age of 64. He reportedly passed away in a British hospital on Sunday after a long battle with cancer.

The Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi announced their February 10-13, 2011 festival films, panels, workshops and conversations to play on February 10 at the Lyric Theatere, and February 11-13 at Malco Theater.

The Librarian of Congress named 25 motion pictures—Hollywood classics, documentaries and innovative shorts reflecting genres from every era of American filmmaking—to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

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.