The winners of the 2020 Whistler Film Festival (WFF) were announced at the Awards Celebration on the final day of official programming at the 20th edition.
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Whistler Film Festival Announces 2020 Award Winners, LITTLE ORPHANS Wins Best Canadian Feature
LITTLE ORPHANS directed by Ruth Lawrence
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Deepa Mehta’s FUNNY BOY Rejected as Canada’s Oscar Entry for Best International Feature Film
Funny Boy directed by Deepa Mehta Funny Boy, by cowriter-director Deepa Mehta, originally submitted by Canada as the country’s entry for Best International Feature Film at 2021 Oscars, has been rejected because the film does not meet the Academy’s eligibility requirements for the International Feature Film category due to the amount of English dialogue in the film. The Academy mandates that a film cannot contain more than 50% English to be eligible. The film will now be submitted for consideration in the Best Picture and general entry categories for the 93rd Academy Awards®.
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Russian Film Week 2021 Expands Online, Reveals First Films
THE WHALER BOY by Philip Yuriev The Russian Film Week in New York kicks off the New Year with an online edition that brings the latest in Russian cinema to US audiences from January 23-29, 2021. Last year’s edition expanded the event’s program to audiences in Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, Chicago, Denver and Palo Alto with next year’s online edition opening up fresh Russian films to nationwide viewers.
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New York Film Critics Circle Announces 2020 Winners, Kelly Reichardt’s FIRST COW Wins Best Film
First Cow by Kelly Reichardt The New York Film Critics Circle on Friday announced the annual award winners with Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow receiving the honor of Best Film of 2020. The film is based on the novel “The Half Life” by Jonathan Raymond, and stars John Magaro as a cook who joins a group of fur trappers in the Oregon Territory. The cook befriends a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) and the two collaborate on a successful business, although its longevity is reliant upon the participation of a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow. First Cow also stars Alia Shawkat, Scott Shepherd, Toby Jones, and Ewen Bremner.
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Francis Lee’s “Ammonite” Wins SFFILM Awards 2020 Sloan Science in Cinema Prize
Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Ammonite Ammonite, Francis Lee’s remarkable historical drama starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, is the 2020 recipient of the SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Prize, an award that celebrates the compelling depiction of scientific themes or characters in a narrative feature film. Presented through a partnership between SFFILM and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this annual award carries a $25,000 cash prize and shines a light on special achievement in rendering the worlds of science and technology through the language of film with a screening event and conversation with the film’s creators and experts in the scientific fields being depicted.
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Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival 2020 Winners – Casey Feigh’s BEGINNER’S LUCK Wins Grand Prize
Beginner’s Luck directed by Casey Feigh (via screenshot) Casey Feigh took home the Best Film Grand Prize for his comedic short Beginner’s Luck at the 5th annual Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival. The comedic short stars Lauren Lapkus (The Wrong Missy), Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds), Ego Nwodim (Saturday Night Live), and Mary Holland (Happiest Season). Patrick Norman won Best Feature Script for his screenplay Derby Dolls.
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Dramatic Thriller CRISIS Starring Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer Sets February Release Date
CRISIS Starring Gary Oldman Writer and director Nicholas Jarecki’s (Arbitrage) dramatic thriller “Crisis” stars Academy Award-winner Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour, Mank) and Golden Globe-nominees Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name, The Social Network) and Evangeline Lilly (Antman and The Wasp, The Hurt Locker) alongside an outstanding ensemble cast that includes: Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine), Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious series), Luke Evans (The Girl on the Train), Lily-Rose Depp (The King), Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (“We Are Who We Are”), Duke Nicholson (Us), Veronica Ferres (Salt and Fire), and Martin Donovan (Tenet). Quiver will release the film in theatres nationwide on February 26, 2021 followed by a digital and on-demand release on March 5, 2021.
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Barack Obama Reveals Favorite Movies Of 2020 – CRIP CAMP, NOMADLAND, BOYS STATE
Crip Camp by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Steve Honigsbaum Former President Barack Obama revealed his favorite movies of 2020 which include Nomadland, Bacurau, Boys State, Martin Eden and, Crip Camp, the documentary produced by the Obamas’ company Higher Ground.
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NOMADLAND Leads Chicago Film Critics 2020 Award Nominations, Chadwick Boseman Receives Posthumous Acting Nods
Frances McDormand in the film NOMADLAND. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) announced the nominees for their top film honors of 2020 with Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland leading the field with seven total nominations. Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow and Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things each earned six nominations, while Mank and Promising Young Woman are each recognized with five. Chadwick Boseman posthumously earns dual acting nominations for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Da 5 Bloods.
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A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX Trailer: Magnolia to Release Sundance Bound Sci-fi Documentary in February
A still from A Glitch in the Matrix by Rodney Ascher, an official selection of the Midnight section at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. A Glitch in the Matrix, the mind-bending new sci-fi documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Rodney Ascher (Room 237, The Nightmare) that offers viewers a red or blue pill before entering the funhouse of simulation theory has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures ahead of the world premiere at 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
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Svetlana Cvetko’s Playful Erotic Tale SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT Sets February 2021 Release Date
SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT directed by Svetlana Cvetko Show Me What You Got, the award-winning directorial debut of acclaimed cinematographer Svetlana Cvetko, will open on the Labz Live platform and via theatrical partners on February 12, and continue throughout the Valentine’s week.
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Berlin Film Festival Unveils 2021 ‘Two Stages’ Format
Berlinale – Berlin International Film Festival Due to the current COVID-19 situation, the 71st Berlin International Film Festival has developed a new festival format for 2021. The industry platforms European Film Market, Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and the World Cinema Fund will kick off the 71st Berlinale in March with an online offer. In June, there will be a summer event with numerous film screenings for the public audiences – in cinemas as well as open air.