The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs January 5-16, 2012, will present Gary Oldman with the International Star Award. The International Star Award recognizes an actor or actress who has achieved both critical and commercial international recognition throughout their body of work. Oldman is currently starring in Focus Features’ Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, directed by Tomas Alfredson and based on the novel by John le Carré. “Gary Oldman is a performer […]
The Oxford Film Festival announced the selections for its 2012 Festival scheduled to run February 9-12, 2012. The festival will screen 11 feature films (narrative and documentary), and over 50 shorts (narrative, documentary, experimental, animated), including music videos.
Narrative Feature
Butterfly Rising (Mississippi), Dir: Tanya Wright, When her brother dies, singer Lilah Belle sets out to escape her grief and embarks on a road trip, but not before coaxing the new-to-town, most scandalous woman in Artesia– Rose Johnson– to go with her. These two broken souls steal a vintage truck and head out on the open road to a fated encounter with the mythical, magical ‘Lazarus of the Butterflies’. What occurs with the strange Butterfly Man transforms their destinies and binds the women together– forever. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.
Cellmates (formerly White Knight) (California), Dir. Jesse Baget, Leroy Lowe, grand dragon of the Texas Ku Klux Klan confronts everything he’s been taught to hate when he’s sentenced to three years of hard labor on a prison work farm, where Warden Merville, dead set on rehabilitating Leroy, chooses Emilio, a Hispanic field worker, to be his cellmate. REGIONAL Premiere.
Dick Night (California), Dir. Andy Viner, Rachel hasn’t been out of the house since being left at the altar two months ago, but some rebound sex tonight and she’ll be over Mark for good… if she can just deal with these vampires. MISSISSIPPI PREMIERE.
Frontman (UK), Dir. Ben Hyland, When the former frontman of ‘Stanley and the Knives’ suddenly dies his old friends and band mates are forced back together after twenty-five years apart. Cracks soon start to appear in their relationships and it becomes clear why they split up in the first place. Frontman is a musical journey of five strangers, becoming friends for the second time. REGIONAL Premiere.
How to Cheat (California), Dir. Amber Sealey, Mark’s decided to do something bad.. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.
Documentary Feature
Happy (California, non-competition), Dir. Roko Belic. A look at the search for happiness.
Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians (Washington), Dir. Bryan Storkel, Holy Rollers follows the rise of the Churchteam, arguably the largest and most well funded blackjack team in America. In their short existence, they have taken millions from casinos. But since every team member is a Christian and some are pastors, there is a constant battle to answer this question: How can you be Christian and play blackjack for a living? In their first year, the team took $1.6 million from casinos, but slowly the teams success starts to fall apart. They haven’t closed a bankroll in over six months and the team is down $450,000. The investors are getting nervous and something has to change. In addition , questions start being raised as to whether someone from the team might be stealing from the bankroll. Is it possible? Of course. But do they trust the players on the team? Absolutely. Maybe. REGIONAL Premiere.
Patriot Guard Riders, (Washington) Dir. Ellen Frick; Another American Soldier Has Died. Who cares? The suffering of soldiers and their families is largely invisible to most Americans. But not to these Americans. ‘Patriot Guard Riders’ is a documentary about a 200,000 strong motorcycle group who attend military funerals to honor the fallen, and to protect grieving families from the Westboro Baptist Church, who descends on the funerals and harasses them. REGIONAL PREMIERE.
Rhino Resurrected, (California), Dir. Keith Shapiro; Against all odds, a beloved and historic record store is brought back to life for two eventful weeks. Can a vibrant community re-emerge in today’s transformed music world? REGIONAL PREMIERE
Showtime (Mississippi), Dir. Ben Guest; This film follows four friends from rural Mississippi on their quest to win a state championship in basketball. Loss. Struggle. Friendship. Love. WORLD PREMIERE.
This is What Love in Action Looks Like (Tennessee), Dir. Morgan Jon Fox, ’This is What Love In Action Looks Like’ documents the widely controversial and inspirational story of what The New York Times referred to as ‘A modern day message in a bottle.’ MISSISSIPPI Premiere. {jathumbnail off}
The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association, a group of 29 broadcast, print and online journalists from throughout North Texas, voted the comedy-drama THE DESCENDANTS as the best film of 2011, according to the results of its 18th annual critics’ poll released today. Rounding out the composite list of the top 10 films of the year were THE ARTIST (2), EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (3), MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (4), THE TREE OF LIFE (5), HUGO […]
IFC Midnight will release director Padraig Reynolds’ thriller Rites Of Spring. The film, with a screenplay also by Reynolds, stars A.J. Bowen, Anessa Ramsey, Sonny Marinelli, Katherine Randolf, Marco St. John, Hannah Bryan, Sarah Pachelli, James Bartz, Shanna Forestall, Skylar Burke, and Andrew Breland. No release date has been announced. In Rites Of Spring, a group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school in the middle […]
Sundance Institute has selected 12 projects for its annual January Screenwriters Lab, an immersive, five-day (January 13-18) writers’ workshop at the Sundance Resort in Utah. Participating independent screenwriters – drawn from around the world, including the United States, China, South Africa, and Europe – will have the opportunity to work intensely on their feature film scripts with the support of established writers in an environment that encourages innovation and creative risk-taking. Michelle Satter, Director of […]
Tribeca Film will release Northeast, director Gregory Kohn’s film about a consummate NY playboy, Will (David Call), wrestling with the reality of getting older as he finds himself at an uninvited crossroads. Starring David Call (Gossip Girl, Tiny Furniture), Eleonore Hendricks (The Pleasure of Being Robbed), Megan Tusing, Laura Ford, Lauren Shannon, Jason Selvig and Tate Ellington (Remember Me), Northeast will be available nationwide On Demand beginning December 26, 2011 with select theatrical January 2012. […]
Lula, The Son of Brazil, directed by Oscar nominee Fábio Barreto (Quatrilho) and chosen as Brazil’s entry to the 2011 Academy Awards, will open in New York at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and Quad Cinemas on January 13, 2012. A national release will follow. Based on the book by Denise Paraná, Lula, The Son of Brazil is a richly produced, deeply moving story of the early years of Brazil’s most beloved president, Luis Inacio Lula da […]
Ian Olds and Paul Felten have been selected to receive this year’s $15,000 San Francisco Film Society/Hearst Screenwriting Grant for the continuing development of their script The Western Habit. Additionally, Jason Cortland received an honorable mention commendation for his script Lumberjunkies. “The SFFS/Hearst Screenwriting Grant comes at a crucial moment in the life of our script The Western Habit,” noted cowriter Olds. “The film is at a tipping point and this grant will allow […]
Daughters of the Dust (1991) and Reality Bites (1994) have been selected for the From the Collection screenings at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Both titles are part of The Sundance Collection at UCLA (The Collection), a film preservation program designed to archive work that has been supported by a Sundance Institute program. The Festival takes place January 19 through 29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. Daughters of the Dust […]
Academy Award® nominee Christopher Plummer will receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s highest honor, the Modern Master Award. The Modern Master Award is the highest honor presented by SBIFF. Established in 1995, it was created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through his/her multi-faceted accomplishments in the motion picture industry. Past recipients include Michael Douglas, Jodie Foster, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Diane Keaton, Sean Penn, Jeff Bridges, Peter Jackson, George Clooney, Will […]
The Artist continues to dominate award season, snagging 6 nods when the 69th Golden Globes Awards nominations were announced this morning. Another Weinstein Company release, My Week With Marilyn, received 3 nominations. The Flowers of War, In The Land of Blood and Honey, The Kid With A Bike, A Separation, and The Skin I Live In all received 1 nomination for Best Foreign Film.
The 69th Golden Globes Awards nominations
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMABEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
GLENN CLOSE ALBERT NOBBS
VIOLA DAVIS THE HELP
ROONEY MARA THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
MERYL STREEP THE IRON LADY
TILDA SWINTON WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
GEORGE CLOONEY THE DESCENDANTS
LEONARDO DICAPRIO J. EDGAR
MICHAEL FASSBENDER SHAME
RYAN GOSLING THE IDES OF MARCH
BRAD PITT MONEYBALL
BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
50/50
THE ARTIST
BRIDESMAIDS
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JODIE FOSTER CARNAGE
CHARLIZE THERON YOUNG ADULT
KRISTEN WIIG BRIDESMAIDS
MICHELLE WILLIAMS MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
KATE WINSLET CARNAGE
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JEAN DUJARDIN THE ARTIST
BRENDAN GLEESON THE GUARD
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT 50/50
RYAN GOSLING CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.
OWEN WILSON MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS
CARS 2
PUSS IN BOOTS
RANGO
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE FLOWERS OF WAR (CHINA)
(Jing Ling Shi San Chai)
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY (USA)
GK Films; FilmDistrict
THE KID WITH A BIKE (BELGIUM)
(Le Gamin au Velo)
A SEPARATION (IRAN)
(Jodaeiye Nader az Simin)
THE SKIN I LIVE IN (SPAIN)
(La piel que habito)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
BERENICE BEJO THE ARTIST
JESSICA CHASTAIN THE HELP
JANET MCTEER ALBERT NOBBS
OCTAVIA SPENCER THE HELP
SHAILENE WOODLEY THE DESCENDANTS
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
KENNETH BRANAGH MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
ALBERT BROOKS DRIVE
JONAH HILL MONEYBALL
VIGGO MORTENSEN A DANGEROUS METHOD
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER BEGINNERS
BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
WOODY ALLEN MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
GEORGE CLOONEY THE IDES OF MARCH
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS THE ARTIST
ALEXANDER PAYNE THE DESCENDANTS
MARTIN SCORSESE HUGO
BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
WOODY ALLEN MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
GEORGE CLOONEY, HESLOV, BEAU WILLIMON THE IDES OF MARCH
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS THE ARTIST
ALEXANDER PAYNE, NAT FAXON, JIM RASH THE DESCENDANTS
STEVEN ZAILLIAN, AARON SORKIN MONEYBALL
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
LUDOVIC BOURCE THE ARTIST
ABEL KORZENIOWSKI W.E.
TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HOWARD SHORE HUGO
JOHN WILLIAMS WAR HORSE
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“HELLO HELLO” — GNOMEO & JULIET
Music by: Elton John; Lyrics by: Bernie Taupin
“THE KEEPER” — MACHINE GUN PREACHER
Music & Lyrics by: Chris Cornell
“LAY YOUR HEAD DOWN” — ALBERT NOBBS
Music by: Brian Byrne; Lyrics by: Glenn Close
“THE LIVING PROOF” — THE HELP
Music by: Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason, Jr.; Lyrics by: Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas
“MASTERPIECE” — W.E.
Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry {jathumbnail off}
This is early, but fourteen films have been selected for the international program in the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival to be held February 9 thru 19, 2012. Generation Kplus: Kauwboy (Netherlands, by Boudewijn Koole) – A young jackdaw falls out of its nest straight into Jojo’s hands. The 10-year-old feels great empathy for the baby bird, which has no mother and is looking for a loving […]
The 2011 Toronto Film Critics Association’s 2011 awards were announced today and The Tree of Life and Take Shelter were the biggest winners. Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” won Best Picture, and Malick was named Best Director; and also honored with two TFCA awards was “Take Shelter”: Michael Shannon won Best Actor, and Jessica Chastain was named Best Supporting Actress. The TFCA honored two films by Chilean directors: “Mysteries of Lisbon” was named Best […]
The Phoenix Film Critics Society announced the nominees for the 2011 Annual Awards. The winner in each category will be announced on Tuesday, December 27, 2011. The Artist, My Week With Marilyn had multiple nominations including Best Film. Incendies, Point Blank and The Skin I Live In were each nominated for Best Foreign Film; and African Cats, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Page One: Inside the New York Times, and Project Nim were nominated for […]
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present two-time Academy Award® nominee Brad Pitt with the Desert Palm Achievement Actor Award for his lead role in Moneyball and his supporting role in The Tree of Life. “Brad Pitt consistently mesmerizes audiences with the depth and versatility of his performances. He has the rare ability to interpret and capture the most complicated facets of human nature, infusing his roles with strength and emotion,” […]
“Habibi,” a story of forbidden love, and the first fiction feature set in Gaza in over 15 years was the big winner at the 2011 Dubai International Film Festival. Habibi received the awards for Muhr Arab Feature – Best Film :Susan Youssef (Director), Muhr Arab Feature – Best Actress :Maisa Abd Elhadi (Actor / Actress), Muhr Arab Feature – Best Editor :Susan Youssef (Editor, FIPRESCI Arab Feature :Susan Youssef (Director), and Muhr Arab Feature – […]
Nominees for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® were announced this morning in Los Angeles and the Help led with four nominations. My Week with Marilyn and The Artist received multiple nominations including a nomination for best motion picture ensemble for The Artist.
The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be simulcast live nationally on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012.
18th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONSOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
DEMIÁN BICHIR / Carlos Galindo – “A BETTER LIFE” (Summit Entertainment)
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King – “THE DESCENDANTS” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / J. Edgar Hoover – “J. EDGAR” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JEAN DUJARDIN / George – “THE ARTIST” (The Weinstein Company)
BRAD PITT / Billy Beane – “MONEYBALL” (Columbia Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
GLENN CLOSE / Albert Nobbs – “ALBERT NOBBS” (Roadside Attractions)
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MERYL STREEP / Margaret Thatcher – “THE IRON LADY” (The Weinstein Company)
TILDA SWINTON / Eva – “WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Marilyn Monroe – “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN” (The Weinstein Company)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
KENNETH BRANAGH / Sir Laurence Olivier – “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN” (The Weinstein Company)
ARMIE HAMMER / Clyde Tolson – “J. EDGAR” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JONAH HILL / Peter Brand – “MONEYBALL” (Columbia Pictures)
NICK NOLTE / Paddy Conlon – “WARRIOR” (Lionsgate)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal – “BEGINNERS” (Focus Features)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy – “THE ARTIST” (The Weinstein Company)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan – “BRIDESMAIDS” (Universal Pictures)
JANET McTEER / Hubert Page – “ALBERT NOBBS” (Roadside Attractions)
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE ARTIST (The Weinstein Company)
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy
JAMES CROMWELL / Clifton
JEAN DUJARDIN / George
JOHN GOODMAN / Al Zimmer
PENELOPE ANN MILLER / Doris
BRIDESMAIDS (Universal Pictures)
ROSE BYRNE / Helen
JILL CLAYBURGH / Annie’s Mom
ELLIE KEMPER / Becca
MATT LUCAS / Gil
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan
WENDI McLENDON-COVEY / Rita
CHRIS O’DOWD / Rhodes
MAYA RUDOLPH / Lillian
KRISTEN WIIG / Annie
THE DESCENDANTS (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
BEAU BRIDGES / Cousin Hugh
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King
ROBERT FORSTER / Scott Thorson
JUDY GREER / Julie Speer
MATTHEW LILLARD / Brian Speer
SHAILENE WOODLEY / Alexandra King
THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Sony Pictures Classics)
KATHY BATES / Gertrude Stein
ADRIEN BRODY / Salvador Dali
CARLA BRUNI / Museum Guide
MARION COTILLARD / Adriana
RACHEL McADAMS / Inez
MICHAEL SHEEN / Paul
OWEN WILSON / Gil {jathumbnail off}
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 84th Academy Awards®. One hundred seven pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: “Je Pourrais Être Votre Grand-Mère (I Could Be Your Grandmother),” Bernard Tanguy, director-producer (Rézina Productions)“Love at First Sight,” Michael Davies, director and Sandra […]
Seth Rogen will serve as host for the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The 27th annual awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 25, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on IFC. “Seth is one of the smartest and funniest actors today and we look forward to him making this one of the funniest […]
The 2012 Slamdance Film Festival that runs concurrently with the 2012 Sundance Film Festival from January 20 to 26, in Park City, Utah, announced its lineup. The festival oft billed as “by filmmakers, for filmmakers” lineup includes 18 feature-length competition films, ten narratives and eight documentaries, most of them World Premieres. The complete Slamdance Feature Film Competition lineup: NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION PROGRAM, PRESENTED BY KODAK:BINDLESTIFFS – Director: Andrew Edison, Screenwriters: Andrew Edison, Luke Loftin. […]
The African-American Film Critics Awards were announced yesterday and The Tree of Life won the top award, best film of 2011. The Black Power Mixtape received the award for best documentary, Kinyarwanda won the award for best foreign film, and Pariah snagged the award for best independent film. Best Picture “The Tree of Life” Best DirectorSteve McQueen, “Shame” Lead ActorWoody Harrelson, “Rampart” Lead ActressViola Davis, “The Help” Best Supporting ActressOctavia Spencer, “The Help” Best Supporting […]
The Artist continues to dominate award season, this time taking the top wins at the Las Vegas Film Critics Society’s Sierra Awards. The Artist snagged many of the top awards include Best Picture, Best Actor. Project Nim took the prize for Best Documentary, and 13 Assassins received the award for Best Foreign Film. 2011 Sierra Award winners Best Picture“The Artist” Best ActorJean Dujardin, “The Artist” Best ActressMichelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn” Best Supporting ActorAlbert […]
“Hugo” and “The Artist” lead the 17th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards with each receiving an impressive 11 nominations, one short of the record 12 nominations for “Black Swan” last year. In addition to the 11 nominations for his film “Hugo,” Martin Scorsese also directed the Best Documentary Feature nominee “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.”
“The Help” and “Drive” earned 8 nominations each, and “The Descendants” and “War Horse” both garnered 7 nominations. ” “The Tree of Life,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” and “My Week With Marilyn” also scored multiple nominations.
The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are bestowed annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA)to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 250 television, radio and online critics.
The winners will be announced at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 12, 2012.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE 17th ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS {jathumbnail off}
The film Young Adult will be honored with the Vanguard Award, for its outstanding creative ensemble, at the 23rd Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). Cast members from the film including Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt, director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody will attend to accept the award. The Festival runs January 5-16. This is the second Vanguard Award for Cody and Reitman, who first received the honor in 2008 for Juno. Reitman recently […]