Sundance Film Festival announced the 16 jurors granting awards along with the five jury members who present the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the upcoming festival.
Citizenfour
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Sundance Film Festival Unveils Jury – Celine Song, Daniel Kaluuya, Elijah Wood, Steven Bognar
Top Row L–R: Kaniehtiio Horn, Vinnie Malhotra, Celine Song, Sam and Andy Zuchero, Kevin Macdonald, Wanuri Kahiu Second Row L–R: Nicholas Ma, Arian Moayed, Daniel Kaluuya, Elijah Wood, Nia Imara, Michael Almereyda Third Row L–R: Dr. Monica Lopez, Maggie Mackay, Marcia Smith, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Daniela Alatorre, Ava Cahen Bottom Row L–R: Steven Bognar, Kibwe Tavares, Laura Kim (courtesy Sundance Institute)
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International Documentary Film Festival 2021 Reveals First Films and Premiere of Artavazd Pelechian’ Nature
Nature directed by Artavazd Pelechian International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) announced the first films selected for its 34th edition: the Top 10 program curated by Guest of Honor Hito Steyerl, and a four-title program with the films of Artavazd Pelechian. Both directors will be in attendance at IDFA 2021, which runs November 17 to 28 in Amsterdam.
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ROMA and GREEN BOOK Producer, Participant Media to Receive TIFF Impact Award at TIFF Tribute Gala
Roma The TIFF Tribute Gala, an annual awards fundraiser will take place Monday, September 9 at the Fairmont Royal York during the 44th Toronto International Film Festival and will introduce the new TIFF Impact Award. Participant Media will receive the inaugural award, which will be accepted by Founder and Chairman Jeff Skoll and CEO David Linde, marking an incredible 15 years of social action through storytelling.
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Josh Braun to Receive 2015 Advocate Award at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Josh Braun, co-president of Submarine Entertainment will be presented with the 2015 Advocate Award at the upcoming Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Full Frame’s Director, Deirdre Haj, presents the Full Frame Advocate Award in recognition of individuals who have supported the documentary medium and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Braun will receive this honor at the festival’s Awards Barbecue on Sunday, April 12.
Previous recipients of the Advocate Award are Jim Goodmon and Michael Goodmon, Triangle, philanthropists and developers; Molly Thompson, President of A&E IndieFilms; and longtime Full Frame advisor Wyndham Robertson.
Braun is the co-president of Submarine, a hybrid sales and production company which he and his twin brother, Dan, formed in 2001. Recent films sold by Submarine include the Oscar®-winning documentariesCitizenfour, 20 Feet from Stardom, Searching for Sugar Man, and Man on Wire. Other titles includeSunshine Superman, The Wolfpack, Dior and I, Best of Enemies, 3 ½ Minutes, Battered Bastards of Baseball, The Unknown Known, Finding Vivian Maier, Blackfish, Dirty Wars, Queen of Versailles, Tabloid,Page One: Inside the New York Times, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Bill Cunningham New York, Food, Inc.,Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Valentino: The Last Emperor, and many others. Braun has executive produced numerous documentaries including The Unknown Known, Patrolman P, Seamless, Gramercy Park Hotel, Cat Dancers, Billionaire, Easy Riders Raging Bulls, Kill Your Idols, Page One: Inside the New York Times, and Ivory Tower.
“When one thinks of an advocate for documentary film, many professionals come to mind, but the tireless sales agent rarely comes first,” said Full Frame Director Deirdre Haj. “Josh is a genius at promoting documentaries that have become household names, award winners and game changers. He is in many ways responsible for the popularity the genre enjoys. For this we honor him with this year’s Advocate Award.”
Braun is committed to finding films that instill in him a passionate response. He states, “I tell the younger guys in our office, the starting point is that you love it, and it excites you. If that is true then it is likely that other people will feel the same way. Some films are obvious, you know they will play well, but others…you have to go with your instincts.”
Laura Poitras, director of Citizenfour, said, “I am deeply grateful to Josh and his work on Citizenfour. He was able to navigate our complex distribution plans and keep everything under the radar. We asked him to break many rules, which he did gracefully. He is a great advocate for cinema and filmmakers.”
“Braun is an expert advisor of documentary filmmakers, advocating for their work and fairly representing them so they enjoy commercial success,” said Haj.
“Some of these films anyone could have sold,” Braun added. “It is the films where how we intervened mattered, that is where I derive the most satisfaction.”
The 18th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival will be held April 9-12, 2015, in Durham, N.C., with Duke University as the presenting sponsor.
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BIRDMAN, CITIZENFOUR, IDA Among Winners of 87th Oscars
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is the big winner of the 87th Oscars winning four awards, including the top prizes for Best Picture and Best Director.
The Grand Budapest Hotel also walked away with four awards, all in the technical categories. CitizenFour won for Best Documentary and Ida won for Best Foreign Language Film.
The complete list of winners:
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, ProducersPERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Julianne Moore in Still AlicePERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of EverythingACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Imitation Game
Written by Graham MooreORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando BoACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre DesplatACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Glory” from Selma
Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie LynnBEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
CitizenFour
Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk WilutzkyACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
Whiplash
Tom CrossACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Emmanuel LubezkiACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna PinnockBEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
Big Hero 6
Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy ConliBEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Feast
Patrick Osborne and Kristina ReedACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Interstellar
Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott FisherPERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Patricia Arquette in BoyhoodACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
American Sniper
Alan Robert Murray and Bub AsmanACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Whiplash
Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas CurleyBEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana PerryBEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
The Phone Call
Mat Kirkby and James LucasBEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Ida (Poland)ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Frances Hannon and Mark CoulierACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Milena CanoneroPERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
J.K. Simmons in Whiplash
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2015 Spirit Awards Winners – BIRDMAN Wins Best Film
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is the big winner of 30th Film Independent Spirit Awards winning the awards for Best Feature, Best Male Lead and Best Cinematography.
Other winners include Boyhood which won Best Director and Best Supporting Female; Nightcrawler which won Best First Feature and Best Screenplay; Whiplash which won Best Supporting Male and Best Editing; Still Alice, which won Best Female Lead; Dear White People, which won Best First Screenplay; Land Ho!, which won the John Cassavetes Award; Ida, which won Best International Film and CITIZENFOUR, which won Best Documentary.
The 8th annual Robert Altman Award was given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice received this award, along with casting director Cassandra Kulukundis and ensemble cast members Josh Brolin, Hong Chau, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Sasha Pieterse, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon and Michael Kenneth Williams.
The Special Distinction Award, given to a film for its uniqueness of vision, honesty of direction and screenwriting, superb acting and overall filmmaking achievement, was given to Foxcatcher. The award was given to director/producer Bennett Miller, producers Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik, writers E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman, actors Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum.
The 2015 Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation Fellowship which includes a cash grant of $10,000 was awarded to Christina Choe. This annual award is given to a filmmaker currently participating in a Film Independent Artist Development program with the mission of diversity in mind. Choe, a participant in the 2015 Directing Lab, is currently in active pre-production on her first narrative feature film, Nancy.
The following is a complete list of the winners:
Best Feature: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. SkotchdopoleBest Director: Richard Linklater (IFC Films)
Best Screenplay: Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Best First Feature: Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Director: Dan Gilroy, Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel LitvakBest First Screenplay: Justin Simien, Dear White People (Roadside Attractions/ Lionsgate)
John Cassavetes Award (For best feature made under $500,000): Land Ho! (Sony Pictures Classics)
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens, Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara MurphyBest Supporting Female: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood (IFC Films)
Best Supporting Male: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best Female Lead: Julianne Moore, Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best Male Lead: Michael Keaton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Robert Altman Award: Inherent Vice (Warner Bros.)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis, Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Hong Chau, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Sasha Pieterse, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Kenneth WilliamsBest Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Best Editing:Tom Cross, Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best International Film: Ida (Poland – Music Box Films)
Director: Pawel PawlikowskiBest Documentary: CITIZENFOUR (RADiUS-TWC / HBO Documentary Films / Participant Media)
Director: Laura Poitras; Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk WilutzkySpecial Distinction Award: Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics)
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik, Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman, Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum
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Boyhood is Big Winner at London Critics’ Circle Film Awards
BoyhoodThe UK’s top film critics named Boyhood as Film of the Year; in addition, Boyhood also won Director for Richard Linklater and Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette.
The evening’s other big winner was Under the Skin, for which Jonathan Glazer was on hand to collect the Attenborough Award for British Film of the Year. Recently Oscar-nominated producers Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky were present to receive Documentary of the Year for Citizenfour. Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev accepted his Foreign-language Film award for Levathan by video.
35th LONDON CRITICS’ CIRCLE FILM AWARDS WINNERS
FILM OF THE YEAR
Boyhood (Universal)FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Leviathan (Curzon Artificial Eye)BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
Under the Skin (StudioCanal)DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Citizenfour (Curzon Artificial Eye)ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Keaton – Birdman (Fox)ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Julianne Moore – Still Alice (Curzon Artificial Eye)SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
JK Simmons – Whiplash (Sony)SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood (Universal)BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Timothy Spall – Mr Turner (eOne)BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl (Fox) & What We Did on Our Holiday (Lionsgate)YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Alex Lawther – The Imitation Game (StudioCanal)DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Richard Linklater – Boyhood (Universal)SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox)BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILMMAKER
Yann Demange – ’71 (StudioCanal)TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Under the Skin – Mica Levi, score (StudioCanal)DILYS POWELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Miranda RichardsonTOP 10 FILMS of 2014
1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. Under the Skin
4. Whiplash
5. Mr Turner
6. Leviathan
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel
8. Ida
9. Nightcrawler
10. The Theory of Everything
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Directors Guild of America Reveals 2014 Documentary Nominees
VirungaDirectors Guild of America announced the DGA’s nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2014.
“The spectrum of directorial excellence across today’s nine television and documentary categories is revelatory for the breadth and depth in what each of these women and men have directed – from 30-second commercials to multi-hour miniseries,” said Directors Guild of America President, Paris Barclay. “As fellow filmmakers, we’re inspired by the quality, imagination and creativity demonstrated by these impressive nominees; as audience members, we’re incredibly fortunate to enjoy the fruits of their labors. Our congratulations to all of the nominees.”
The winners will be announced at the 67th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The DGA Awards will be hosted by actor Jane Lynch.
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2014 are (in alphabetical order):
Dan Krauss
The Kill TeamThis is Mr. Krauss ‘s first DGA Award nomination.
John Maloof
Charlie Siskel
Finding Vivian MaierThis is Mr. Maloof’s first DGA Award nomination.
This is Mr. Siskel’s first DGA Award nomination.Jesse Moss
The OvernightersThis is Mr. Moss’s first DGA Award nomination.
Laura Poitras
CitizenfourThis is Ms. Poitras’s first DGA Award nomination.
Orlando von Einsiedel
VirungaThis is Mr. von Einsiedel’s first DGA Award nomination.