Some Cannes Winners Announced

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

63rd Cannes International Film Festival, 12 - 23 May 2010

This weekend the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival (CIFF) begins the announcement of winners in various competitions. The first award was given Thursday. The Critics Week top award, Grand Prix Semaine de la Critique, went to a documentary from Denmark about the war in Afghanistan. ARMADILLO, directed by Janus Metz is the first documentary to screen in competition since the section became competitive twenty years ago, and the first announced award at the Festival.

Today, in Salle Debussy, nine films and two hours of screening will culminate in the Palme d’or for short films. The Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury, presided over by Atom Egoyan, will announce its Cinéfondation Prixes of 2010 tomorrow, Sunday evening, during the Festival's gala awards ceremony. There is no U.S. short film in this competition, and only one in the feature film competition.

The jury members are film directors Carlos Diegues and Marc Recha, and actresses Emmanuelle Devos and Dinara Droukarova. The films in competition are:

Estaçao (Station), by Portuguese Marcia Faria;
Blokes (Blocks), the short film by Chilean Marialy Rivas;
Chienne d’histoire (Barking Island) directed by Serge Avedikian, an Armenian born in the Soviet Union, now from France;
Micky Bader, the short film by Swedish Frieda Kempff;
Muscles, Australian director Edward Housden;
Maya, Cuban director Pedro Pio Martin Perez;
Ezra Rishona (First Aid) by Israeli director Yarden Karmin;
To Swallow a Toad is a short animated film by Latvian director Jurğis Krāsons; and
Rosa, which is both the title of the short film by Argentinean director Monica Lairana and the name of the main character in her film.
Read more about the films in the short film competition.

Other Cinéfondation prizes to be awarded at the awards ceremony:

First Prize Cinéfondation - TAULUKAUPPIAAT (The Painting Sellers) directed by Juho Kuosmanen;
Second Prize - Cinéfondation - COUCOU-LES-NUAGES (Anywhere out of the world) directed by Vincent Cardona;
Third Prize - Cinéfondation Ex-aequo - HINKERORT ZORASUNE (The Fifth Column) directed by Vatche Boulghourjian;
Mention - JA VEC JESAM SVE ONO ŠTO ŽELIM DA IMAM (I Already Am Everything I want to have) directed by Dane KOMLJEN.

Director Claire Denis is head of the jury for Un Certain Regard section, and joining her are: Patrick FERLA, Journalist - Radio Télévision Suisse; KIM Dong-Ho, Director of Pusan Film Festival; Helena LINDBLAD, Critic - Dagens Nyheter, and Serge TOUBIANA, General Director of the Cinémathèque Française.

Un Certain Regard Prize - Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema - HAHAHA, directed by HONG Sangsoo.
Jury Prize - Un Certain Regard - OCTUBRE (OCTOBER) directed by Daniel VEGA.

All juries. Click title of post to visit the Official Web Site.

Critics Week Winners, and Possible Palm d'or Winners, at Cannes

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

63rd Cannes International Film Festival, 12 - 23 May 2010

A documentary about the Afghanistan war from Denmark won the top Grand Prix Semaine de la Critique, as the Critics Week section came to a close in Cannes. ARMADILLO, directed by Janus Metz, is the first documentary to screen in competition since the section became competitive twenty years ago.

In other Critics Week Awards, both the SACD Prize and ACID/CCAS Support went to BI, DUNG SO! (Bi, Don't be Afraid!), directed by Vietnamese Phan Dang Di (or Dang Di Phan); the Young Critic Award (OFAJ) went to directors Ola Simonsson & Johannes Stjaerne Nilsson for SOUND OF NOISE; the Canal+ Award for Best Short Film went to BERIK, directed by Daniel Joseph Borgman; and Kodak Discovery Award for Best Short Film was awarded to DEEPER THAN YESTERDAY, directed by Ariel Kleiman.

Two films screened in competition last night at the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival. FAIR GAME, the only American film in competition, and Ken Loach's ROUTE IRISH (see previous post).

FAIR GAME (USA), directed by Doug Liman (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM), starring Naomi Watts (Valerie Plame Wilson) and Sean Penn (Joe Wilson) is considered a possible contender for a Palm d'Or. It is based on the saga of illegally "outed" CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson.

No one connected with the Bush White House has been charged with betraying Plame Wilson. However, her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, alleged that unnamed and never charged White House officials were out to discredit him after he wrote a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece saying that the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to justify the invasion of Iraq.

From the Europeans I know, and from what I have read about many there, it's highly unlikely that the voters at Cannes will have any warm and fuzzy feelings for G.W. Bush or Dick Cheney. Therefore, barring this being a terrible film, I'm putting my chip in the win column for it.

Director Ken Loach is working with his regular screenwriter, Paul Laverty in ROUTE IRISH (see previous post for more. The film stars John Bishop, Mark Womack and Geoff Bell. The cinematographer is Chris Menges (THE KILLING FIELDS).The movie examines the difficulties experienced by British men working as contractors.

In light of the success of last year's THE HURT LOCKER, ROUTE IRISH (UK / France), cannot escape some comparison to HURT LOCKER. THE HURT LOCKER simply alluded to the problem of adjustment for returnees from Iraqi combat and Loach digs deeper. Yet, there is no doubt that Bigelow's film will be used for comparison. It is timely and topical but is it a good movie? Critics seem to be split on that.

Romania's "New Wave" at Cannes, Reviews, Plus

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

First, Ken Loach's ROUTE IRISH, a last minute addition to films in competition at the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival (CIFF) brings the number to 19. Loach's THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY won the Palme d'Or in 2006.

The title ROUTE IRISH is from the infamous, dangerous road that links Baghdad’s international ‘Green Zone’ with the city’s airport, and it marks the 73-year-old director’s first attempt to grapple with the Iraq War of the past six years. But ROUTE IRISH doesn’t deal with high politics. Instead, it explores the murky world of British ex-soldiers who work for private contractors in Iraq.

Trailers of all films in the Special Selection Competition.

Reviews from Cannes IFF: ROUTE IRISH / Iñárritu's BIUTIFUL

Now, Romanian films at Cannes. Romania's Cristi Puiu returns to competition at Cannes with what he describes as a "mind-blowing" crime story, AURORA screened Friday night at the Festival. Puiu, winner in 2005 of the Cannes section showcasing new talent, "Un Certain Regard," for THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU, is the leading figure of the tiny country's "New Wave" school, which seemingly came out of nowhere about that time.

It did not take long for the world film community to take notice. Since then, the Romanians have won a number of top world awards. Among them are Corneliu Porumboiu, Catalin Mitulescu, and Cristian Mungiu, who won the 2007 Cannes Palme d'Or for 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS.

Mungiu won best European Director and the film won best European Film at the 2007 European Film Awards. Romania submitted it for Oscar® consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film category for 2007 for the 80th Academy Awards.

To the amazement of many, myself included, the film was not nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Some suggested that the Academy members did not nominate it because it dealt with a woman having an abortion. Others, because they felt the production values were below par. The Austrian film, THE COUNTERFIETERS, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky won the Oscar, which it richly deserved among those nominated. However, Mungiu's film deserved a nomination.

Puiu's THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU is the story of a man who dies, a victim of an uncaring health-care system. His latest, AURORO, is the story of a man who kills. Puiu has explained that the title AURORO, refers to the precise moment when day breaks and nature awakes.

In the movie, 42-year-old Viorel, an engineer, drives around Bucharest determined to put an end to the insecurity that has dominated his life since his divorce. He decides to make justice as he understands it, brutally intervening in other people's destinies. His actions throw him into a new life, a new day.

AURORA is the second installment of a planned "Six Stories from the Outskirts of Bucharest." In this installment, Puiu decided to play the lead character himself. Meanwhile, Cristian Mungiu has no directorial projects in the works at the moment.

Review of AURORO and then some.

Cannes Notes: ROBIN HOOD, no big whoop

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

Cannes has a multilingual Web site in eight languages. Take a look.

Also, have you been wondering who the person is in poster above? Keep reading . . . . .

A last minute addition to films in competition is Ken Loach's ROUTE IRISH, which brings the number to 19. Loach's film THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY won the Palme d'Or in 2006. The film tells the story of two Liverpudlian ex-soldiers who go to Iraq to work as private contractors, and will screen 20 May.

Julie Bertucelli's, THE TREE, with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas and Aden Young, will be presented at the Festival's Closing Ceremony. Her first feature film SINCE OTAR LEFT won the Grand Jury Prize of the Critic's week at Cannes in 2003. She is the daughter of French director Jean-Louis Bertucelli.

ROBIN HOOD, the epic by British director Ridley Scott starring Russell Crowe as Robin Longstride and Cate Blanchett as Marion Loxley, screened out of competition on Opening Night of the 63rd Festival de Cannes, Wednesday, May 12th, 2010. It was the world premiere for the film, which was presented out of competition. It is in release in the U.S. now.

Other notables in the cast are Max Von Sydow, Lea Seydoux and William Hurt. In the movie, King Richard (Danny Huston) and his soldiers pause on their way home from Palestine to attack a French castle. I haven't seen it, but I have heard the French were routed. And, as it turns out, the response to the movie at Cannes was less than stellar. Hmmmm.

I came across three excellent reviews. The first is an audio review by National Public Radio's Kenneth Turan, and he is spot on when he says, sort of, that Scott's movie is about Robin before he was forced to take up residence in Sherwood Forest's hood with his merry men, but there is little that is merry about this movie. Listen.

A. O. Scott's review in The New York Times, 14 May, is more in-depth for those of you who wish to read deeper.

Owen Gleiberman in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly sums up Crowe's Robin Hood and the movie, "[Crowe's] so grimly possessed with purpose that he's a bore, and so is the movie."

The world premiere of Oliver Stone's WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS. was Friday, 14th, screening out of competition. It is a sequel of Stone's WALL STREET ( 1987), starring Michael Douglas, who is back as Gordon Gekko.

Appearing with Douglas is an a-list cast, including Josh Brolin, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Charlie Sheen, Susan Sarandon and Frank Langella. Compared to ROBIN HOOD's lukewarm reception, Stone's new movie can be labeled a critical success at Cannes.

Woody Allen's latest, YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER, will screen out of competition next week. This Allen movie has a large and diverse cast, including Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin (he's been busy this year), Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto and Lucy Punch. It's U.S. release is scheduled for September.

As I reported in a previous post, there is only one U.S. film in competition, FAIR GAME, based on the true story of CIA agent Valerie Plame, starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts (another busy one), and directed by Doug Liman (THE BOURNE IDENTITY).

The person on the poster? It is a photograph of French actress Juliette Binoche (THREE COLORS: BLUE, WHITE, RED) by Brigitte Lacombe, graphic design by Annick Durban. To access the Cannes IFF Official Site click title of this post.

Here Comes Cannes 2!

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

63rd Cannes International Film Festival, 12 - 23 May 2010

Latest news from The Hollywood Reporter is that director Ridley Scott will not attend the Festival and will miss the opening night premiere of ROBIN HOOD. Scott is recovering from knee surgery. However, Universal is flying in a major delegation to support the film, including producer Brian Grazer and virtually the entire cast including Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac and Max Von Sydow.

As mentioned in the previous post, American director Tim Burton is President of the Feature Film Jury this year. Those joining him on the jury, which will award the Best Feature Film Palm d'Or are:

Kate Beckinsale, actress, UK (Whiteout);
Alberto Barbera, Director of the National Museum of Cinema, Italy;
Emmanuel Carrere, (author, screenwriter, director), France;
Benicio Del Toro, Oscar-winning actor, Puerto Rico (Traffic and 21 Grams);
Alexandre Desplat, Oscar-winning composer, France (Julie and Julia, Fantastic Mr. Fox);
Victor Erice, director, Spain (The Spirit of the Beehive);
Shekhar Kapur, (director, actor, producer), India; and
Giovanna Mezzogiorno, actress, Italy.

Feature films are the main emphasis of the Festival. However, there are other sections:

Short Films, featuring nine films running between 15 -20 minutes. A Palm d'Or will be awarded, Sunday May 23rd. None from the U.S.;

Cinéma de la Plage (Cinema on the Beach), begins showing Thursday the 13th, and includes FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, director Fred Zinnemann's 1953 classic;

Cannes Classics, accompanies contemporary films from the Official Selection with a program of restored films and lost films that have been found again, as part of their release on DVD, or re-release in theaters;

Cinéfondation will present 13 films selected from 1600 entries submitted by film schools from all over the world;

And, in addition, Marco Bellocchio will give the Cinema Masterclass, Wednesday the 19th in the Buñuel Theatre.

Download the Official Selection Screening Schedule. Click title of this post for link to the Festival's Official Website.

Here Comes Cannes!

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

63rd Cannes International Film Festival, 12 - 23 May 2010

In May, there is only one major international film festival and that is Cannes. Unfortunately, this year the Festival is literally opening under a cloud.

Travelers to the French Riviera must dodge the volcanic ash still spewing from the Icelandic volcano as the resort hurriedly cleans up the debris from a recent Mediterranean storm. Those are natural crises that pale under the economic cloud of failed economies such as Greece, and possible failures in Spain, Portugal and other European economies. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy tries to toddle back to stability.

Nonetheless, the Festival will open Wednesday with it's usual grandiose flourish, featuring the world premiere of Ridley Scott's ROBIN HOOD, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. Then, for 11 days, both the famous and not-so-famous will walk and watch the red carpet, attend party after party, stand in line to view movies in crowded screening rooms, and distributors will scout the film market for potential blockbusters as well as second-string bargains.

The promoters of the Festival bring in the International glitz and glamour to attract attendees, but they also provide showcases for smaller grittier films which fuel the Cannes marketing machine. In today's weakened world economy, the Cannes film market brings vital financial sustenance not only to the Festival but, also, to various economies around the world.

However, neither ROBIN HOOD, WALL STREET: Money Never Sleeps, in which Michael Douglas reprises his role as ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko, and Woody Allen's latest, YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER, will be among the 18 feature films in competition to be judged by the jury headed by director Tim Burton.

The only U.S. entry for competition is FAIR GAME, based on the true story of CIA agent Valerie Plame, starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, and directed by Doug Liman (THE BOURNE IDENTITY). The Festival's publicity makes a point that the emphasis will not be on glitz but on substance and the films selected support it.

More on this blog about the Cannes Festival will follow during the next two weeks. Please, come back daily to follow the Festival where you should find information not always included in posts elsewhere. Please leave comments, ask questions, or offer information you would like to see in this series. Click the title of this post to access the Festival's Official Site.

Also, you are welcome to share the entire post with Facebook friends and others on social networking sites.

Tribeca Heineken Audience Award

SERIES: Major Film Festivals
 RUSH  Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart 

Just announced. The documentary RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE, directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn is the Heineken Audience Award winner at the NYC Tribeca Film Festival. Rush is a Canadian rock band based in Toronto. They formed in 1968. They are still recording and performing. They will receive a $25,000 prize from Heineken. The award is chosen by attendees at the festival, either in person or those who purchased a Tribeca Film Virtual pass to view films online.

Second Place went to family favorite SNOWMEN, and in Third Place is the New York doc ARIAS with a TWIST: THE DOCUFANTASY. Together, these three films make for a diverse trio. All three will screen tomorrow (Sunday), plus other award winning films. Click title of this post for more on the films.

April Film Festival Awards and Wraps

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

As April comes to a close, only two major film festivals that opened in April are still in progress: (1) Tribeca (TFF), which opened the 21st and will close May 2nd, and (2) San Francisco (SFIFF), which opened April 22nd and will close May 6th.Tribeca announced its film awards last night at W Union Square in New York City.

In the 2010 World Narrative Feature Competition, the Founders Award for Best Film went to WHEN WE LEAVE (Die Fremde, Germany), directed and written by Feo Aladag. Actress Sibel Kekilli won Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film for he role as Umay in the movie. Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film went to Eric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg in GAINSBOURG, I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ME (Je t’Aime… Moi Non Plus, France), directed and written by Joann Sfar.

LOOSE CANNONS (Mine Vaganti, Italy) received a Special Jury Mention. It was directed by Ferzan Ozpetek. It was written by Ozpetek and Ivan Cotroneo. Kim Chapiron of France was named Best New Narrative Filmmaker for DOG POUND. Chapiron wrote the screenplay with Jeremie Delon.

In the Documentary World Competition, MONICA & DAVID, directed by Alexandra Codina, USA, was named Best Documentary Feature, and BUDRUS (USA, Palestine, Israel), directed by Julia Bacha, received a Special Jury Mention. Click the title of this post for all the awards, including New York and Short Film competitions, the monetary prizes, pictures and more. Also, see previous post for more about the Tribeca IFF.

On the West Coast, the San Francisco International Film Festival is also handing out awards. Tonight, Roger Ebert will receive the San Francisco International Film Festival's annual Mel Novikoff Award, and he'll be in attendance for "An Evening with Roger Ebert and Friends." His friends for the celebration include filmmakers Philip Kaufman, Errol Morris, Jason Reitman and Terry Zwigoff. A screening of Ebert's chosen film, Erick Zonca's uncompromising 2008 genre-buster JULIA, starring Festival favorite Tilda Swinton will follow.

The Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting will go to James Schamus, who will be on hand today for a retrospective clip reel and onstage interview with critic and cultural theorist B. Ruby Rich. Schamus' RIDE WITH THE DEVIL (director's cut), directed by his frequent collaborator, Ang Lee, will follow. SFIFF Official Site. Also see previous post for more about the SFIFF.

The regional festivals, covered in the previous post have now wrapped. The Florida Film Festival (FFF) in Orlando reports a successful and fun festival. I am pleased to report that WINTER'S BONE, the first motion picture I picked to do well this year based on the response it received at Sundance, won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature. There is more about this movie, directed by Debra Granik, in the previous post. It is definitely one to follow this year.

Other narrative feature winners were:

Special Jury Award for Narrative Filmmaking, HOMEWRECKER, directed by Brad and Todd Barnes; Nestle® Cranberry Raisinets® Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, DON’T LET ME DROWN, directed by Cruz Angeles; and Nestle® Cranberry Raisinets ® Audience Award for Best International Feature, THE TOPP TWINS: UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS, directed by Leanne Pooley. To see all the award winners, including documentary and short films, go here.

RiverRun in Winston-Salem, NC (RRFF), had a very good film schedule, but gave no awards, and the same for Ebertfest, Champaign, IL. On Location: Memphis, TN (MIFMF), gave awards but, frankly, I never heard of any of the films. Will report later if I lean the festival's picks scored at any other festival. Here is the Memphis list. For more about any of these regional festivals, see the previous post.

Some breaking news from Montreal. Above is the official poster of the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival (MWFF), 26 August - 6 September, unveiled yesterday. The poster was selected by public votes from among three finalists, all students in graphic arts at UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal). Their professor, Philippe Béha, who designed the official MWFF poster in 1986, assigned his students the task of designing a poster for the 2010 Festival. The winner is Hubert Samson. Official Site.

COMING IN MAY: Cannes International Film Festival (CIFF), 12 - 23 May 2010; Mountain Film in Telluride, 28 - 31 May 2010.

Major Film Festivals in April 2010

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

9th Tribeca International Film Festival 21 April - 2 May 2010, New York City. (TIFF)

The Festival, sponsored again by its founding partner American Express, is more highly interactive this year. Their slogan is, "Here comes the neighborhood." Also, the Festival Web site is nominated for a Webby Award (The "Oscar®" of Web Awards).

Since there is so much happening at the Festival this year, here are only some of the highlights - -

Big green news! The premiere of DreamWorks Animation's SHREK FOREVER AFTER is opening night of the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express—the first 3D movie for both Shrek and TIFF!

Among those serving on one of the six juries are: Jessica Alba, Justin Bartha, Selma Blair, Marshall Curry, Hope Davis, Aaron Eckhart, Aidan Quinn, America Ferrera, Whoopi Goldberg and Brooke Shield.

Tribeca Film Festival Virtual will kick off its opening night on April 23 with NICE GUY JOHNNY, the latest NY story from Edward Burns. How can YOU see it, even if you are not in NYC?

With a TIFF Virtual Premium Pass, some of the movies screened at the Festival will be available online. This brand new pass, available for $45.00 to a limited number of U.S. residents, 18 years or older, will allow fans to participate fully in Tribeca Film Festival Virtual. Want it? Better get it now

The closing night gala will be the documentary FREAKONOMICS, based on the book by journalist Stephen Dubner and economist Steven Levitt. The doc, directed by Alex Gibney with a host of other doc-making luminaries, is less about economics than about the strange connections between seemingly disparate topics—for instance, how drug dealing is like working at McDonald’s or why good parenting methods don’t really matter in the long run. It has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures.

Gibney, who received an Oscar for Best Documentary Film with his TAXIE TO THE DARK SIDE is also bringing his latest, MY TRIP TO AL-QAEDA, which HBO has bought, as well as a work-in-progress, ELIOT SPITZER.

Go to the Official Web site for much more by clicking the title of this blog post, and don't forget to vote for the Webby Award.

19th Annual Florida Film Festival, 9 - 18 April 2010, Enzian Theater, Orlando, Florida. (FFF)

Watch video about Florida FF on YouTube (too wide to embed in this blog).

The Florida Film Festival is currently underway in Orlando screening 162 films from 25 countries. In competition, there are 20 feature films, 10 narrative and 10 documentary. Among them, three East Coast premieres were selected, with 11 filmmakers making their feature directorial debuts, including eight female directors.

One feature film among them is the female director Debra Granik’s WINTER'S BONE, co-written with Anne Rosellini, and based on the novel by Missouri-based author Daniel Woodrell. In this movie, "An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact." It will have its U.S. East Coast premiere in Orlando.

BONE made it first festival appearance, and had its U.S. West Coast Premiere, at the Sundance IFF this January where it won the two top awards, Grand Jury Prize and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. The next month in Berlin it won the prestigious C.I.C.A.E. (Confédération Internationnale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai), and the Festival's Der Tagesspiegel Award (The Daily Mirror), sponsored by the Berlin-based newspaper of the same name.

Michael Paul Stephenson’s documentary BEST WORST MOVIE won a Crystal Bear at Berlin this year and has won a number of awards at various other film festivals. It will screen along with Marshall Curry’s RACING DREAMS, which won Best Documentary at the 2009 Tribecca Film Festival.

All 20 films will be eligible for various awards such as the Grand Jury award for best film, a Special Jury award, given at the jury’s discretion for exceptional achievements, and an audience choice award.

In addition there is a fabulous retro section. The opening party theme, "No Grits, No Glory."

Another film festival currently underway is the 12th annual RiverRun International Film Festival (RRIF) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 15 - 25 April 2010.

RiverRun is one of the outstanding film festivals in the Southeastern U.S. North Carolina ranks third in movie and television production in U.S., only behind Los Angeles and New York City, respectively. The festival gets its name from the French Broad River near Brevard, NC, where the festival was originally held. In 2003, Dale Pollock, a former film producer and then-Dean of the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, moved RiverRun to Winston-Salem, where it resides today as an independent arts organization dedicated to showcasing the best new films from independent, international and student filmmakers.

This festival screens only independent films. RiverRun is an eco-friendly festival, and has an Environmental Sidebar. Read about it. The opening night film is THE EXTRA MAN, directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.

The Festival also has a side-bar showing films from a foreign country, mostly films that have critical credibility. This year, the side-bar is Mexico and they made excellent choices with Louis Buñuel's classic LOS OLVIDADOS (The Forgotten Ones), Alfonso Curaon's Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Amores Perros (Amorous Dogs), and Alfonso Alrau's LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, plus two others.

Filmmaker David Gordon Green will attend the screenings of two of his films, GEORGE WASHINGTON and PINAPPLE EXPRESS, and - - gasp - - Peter Bogdanovich will be there for PAPER MOON. Bogdonovich will receive the Festival's Master of Cinema award, a real crystal ball. For children under 12 there is a Saturday morning cartoon show.

In keeping with the Festival's Environmental Film Focus and Eco-Initiative, their partner, Whole Foods Market, for a party on the eve (21st) of Earth Day Thursday, 22nd. party on Thursday, 22nd. This party will feature all-natural beverages and hors d’oeuvres provided by Whole Foods Market Winston-Salem, while the music and visuals will be created by students from UNCSA. The festivities will begin immediately following the screening of Disney's documentary OCEANS. There will also be a cash bar for beer and wine.

As the Festival winds down, they are spicing things up with a Mad Hot Mambo party at the Millennium Center, featuring live Salsa music by the renowned band, West End Mambo. The festivities will begin immediately following the Saturday Night screening of Werner Herzog's MY SON, MY SON WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? at the Steven’s Center. There are two other parties. After all, it isn't a true film festival without the parties.

12th Roger Ebert's Film Festival, 21 - 25 April 2010, Virginia Theater, Champaign, Illinois. (Ebertfest, REFF)

All films are selected from those Mr. Ebert sees during his normal viewing and reviewing. The festival stressed, "Do not send films."

The Illinois Champaign County Anti-Stigma Alliance, is pleased to announce that they will have a special showing of THE SOLOIST immediately following the close of Ebertfest (April 25). The Alliance was formed to challenge disability discrimination and promote education and awareness. This screening will be at the Virginia Theatre at 4:30 pm, and it will free to the public. The screening will be followed by a panel of guest speakers.

Contact: Mary Susan Britt , 217-244-0552.

11th On Location: Memphis International Film and Music Festival, 22 - 25 April 2010, Malco's Ridgeway Four, Memphis, Tennessee. (MIFMF)

Formerly known as the Memphis Film Festival the festival has now added music to the program to increase its influence in the region, but its emphasis is still on film, especially that of regional filmmakers. It has morphed into a full-grown film organization that is active year-round.

The Festival is also now more "family friendly." Last year, they added a Kids First Film Festival, and it will take place Saturday, April 24th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm, featuring a compilation of short films to entertain and educate. It's free. Here's the information and films that will be shown.

The festivities begin at 1:00 pm on Thursday, 22nd, and will run until late Saturday night. The opening film is HOMETOWN GLORY, written, directed and produced by Hollywood entertainment manager/publicist Ray Costa. As a teenager, Costa was among the ranks of Germantown, TN, teenage volunteers who risked their lives to protect their town fighting fires in the 1970's.

The screening is the official premiere of HOMETOWN GLORY, 7:30 pm, at the Malco Ridgeway Four. Attending the event will be Ray Costa, composer George S. Clinton and the firefighters chronicled in the film. Tickets are $10 and will go on sale April 18. The Festival After Party will follow at the Blues City Café Bandbox.

The closing party follows at Ernestine and Hazel's.

There are two documentaries screening on Saturday afternoon that should not be missed. The first at 1:30 pm is THE COVE. It is about the dolphin slaughter in Japan and what drives it, and it won the Academy Award® this year for Best Documentary Film of 2009. The other one is TIBET IN SONG, which follows THE COVE at 4:00 pm.

This Festival still has a public relations handicap due to its amateurish Web site and always being late getting out the publicity.

53rd San Francisco International Film Festival, 22 April - 6 May 2010, Castro Theatre and other venues, San Francisco, California. (SFIFF)

Opening Night is Thursday, 22 April, and the opening film is MICMACS (Micmacs à tire-larigot), by French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie), which screens at the Castro Theatre, 7:00 pm, followed by a party at The Regency Center, 9:30 pm.

Saturday, May 1, the Centerpiece Film will screen at he Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, 6:30 pm. HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE is the debut film for Ohio native Josh Radnor, who also wrote the screenplay. This being San Francisco, it will be followed by a party at Manor West.

The gala awards night is Thursday, 29 April in the Westin St. Francis Hotel, Grand Ballroom, beginning with a VIP cocktail reception with celebrity guests. This star-studded occasion honors this year’s directing, acting and screenwriting award recipients with a glamorous black-tie evening featuring onstage celebrity appearances and gourmet dining.

Here are only two of a number of special awards to be given to celebrity guests at the festival this year, and each guest will have a special day which includes a screening of an associated film:

Robert Duvall will be the recipient of the Peter J. Owens Award to be presented at the 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival. The onstage tribute to Duvall at the Castro Theatre will feature a clip reel of career highlights, an onstage interview and a screening of his most recent film GET LOW.

This year's Novikoff Award for an individual or institution whose work has enhanced the filmgoing public’s knowledge and appreciation of world cinema goes to film critic Roger Ebert. A screening will follow of Erick Zonca's JULIA.

Closing Night is Thursday, 6 May and the film is JOAN RIVERS -- A PIECE OF WORK, screen at the Castro Theatre, 7:00 pm. The party follows at Folsom.

COMING IN MAY: Cannes International Film Festival, 12 - 23 May 2010; Mountain Film in Telluride, 28 - 31 May 2010.

Sid Ganis Will Oversee Academy's Highest Honors

Sid Ganis with 80th Anniversary Poster

Producer Sid Ganis, junior past president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®, will produce the 2nd annual Governors Awards for the Academy. Ganis currently represents the public relations branch on the Board of Governors. His producer credits include AKEELAH AND THE BEE, BIG DADDY and MR. DEEDS

The honorary awards are no longer presented as a segment during the Oscar® Gala Broadcast when the elected awards are presented. One or more of the Academy’s highest honors – the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Honorary Award – will be presented at the Governors' Ball, set for Saturday, November 13, 2010. These awards are not voted upon by the Academy membership, nor are they mandated annual awards, but are presented when the Academy's Board of Governors deems a member of the Academy worthy of a certain award.

The 2010 honorees will be selected at a specially convened meeting of the Academy’s Board in late August. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Honorary Award are Oscar statuettes. The Irving G. Thalberg Award is a bust of its namesake.

The most recent recipients of Honorary Awards are Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman and Gordon Willis. John Calley is the most recent recipient of the Thalberg Award.

Dates for Next Academy Awards® Announced

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® has already released key dates scheduled for the 83rd Academy Awards® to be presented Sunday, February 27, 2011. The ceremony will again take place at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, California, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.

Key dates currently scheduled are:

* Saturday, November 13, 2010: Governors Awards presentation.
* Wednesday, December 1, 2010: Official Screen Credits forms due.
* Monday, December 27, 2010: Nominations ballots mailed.
* Official Screen Credits forms due.
* Monday, December 27, 2010: Nominations ballots mailed.
* Friday, January 14, 2011: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PT.
* Tuesday, January 25, 2011: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
* Wednesday, February 2, 2011: Final ballots mailed.
* Monday, February 7, 2011: Nominees Luncheon.
* Saturday, February 12, 2011: Scientific and Technical Awards presentation.
* Tuesday, February 22, 2011: Final polls close 5 p.m. PT.
* Sunday, February 27, 2011: 83rd Annual Academy Awards presentation.

Some dates to be announced later:

Deadline for Documentary short subjects and Feature Documentaries submissions.
Deadline for entry forms with documentation and prints or digital copies, for Best Foreign Language Film, live action and animated feature shorts.
Deadline to qualify for the Best Animated Feature Category.
Deadline for prints in the Best Animated Feature category to arrive at the Academy.

The schedule for the 83rd Academy Awards is posted on the right sidebar. It will be added to as dates are announced, and will remain until after February 2011.

March Film Festival Winners

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

First, a special award announcement.

The 24th American Cinematheque Award was presented to actor Matt Damon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA, Saturday, 27 March. He was not only honored for his acting and humanitarian efforts, he was roasted by some of his friends.

There were no awards at the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C., as the festival is mainly for education. If you would like to know more, go here.

The most prominent film festival this month was 17th SXSW (South by Southwest), which included a music festival and an interactive conference, held in Austin, Texas. The festivities began 12 March and ran through the 21st.

There was the film conference and festival, the music conference and festival, and the interactive media conference. Here, we only follow the film festival.

As I write every year, the film awards have been presented at SWSW, not that you may hear about any of the winners this year. In case you really want to see, click the title of this post for the list.

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, 5-14 March 2010, Miami, Florida

On awards night, Saturday, 13 March, at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, the festival was forced to turn away more than 250 film lovers clamoring for tickets to the sold-out, post-awards-ceremony screening of surprise Oscar® winner THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (El secreto de sus ojos, Argentina). You can read about that night and view the complete list of winners on the "Daily Wrap" blog by clicking here.

Some of the major awards were:

WORLD COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize:
LOLA, directed by Brillante Mendoza (France/Philippines, 2009)
(A $25,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation)

Special Jury Mention 1:
MEDAL OF HONOR (Medalia de Onoare), directed by Calin Peter Netzer (Germany/Romania, 2009)

Special Jury Mention 2, and Audience Award:
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS (Kasi az gorbehaye irani khabar nadareh), directed by Bahman Ghobadi (Iran, 2009)

IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize:
TO THE SEA (Alamar), directed by Pedro González-Rubio (Mexico, 2009)
(A $25,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation)

Audience Award:
UNDERTOW (Contracorriente) by Javier Fuentes-León (Peru/ Colombia/ France/ Germany, 2009)

THE CINEUROPA PRIZE FOR BEST EUROPEAN FILM

ORDINARY PEOPLE, directed by Vladimir Perisic (France/ Switzerland/ Serbia/ Netherlands, 2009)

Special Mention:
MEDAL OF HONOR (Medalia de Onoare), directed by Calin Peter Netzer (Germany/Romania, 2009)

25th Guadalajara International Film Festival, 12-19 March 2010, Guadalajara, Mexico

The festival folks had taken down the English portion of the Website even before I could get there. Therefore, you can access the Spanish-only site here and use Google Translate (comes ready-to-use with the Mozilla Firefox Browser).

All prizes were awarded during the closing ceremony held at the Auditorio Telmex (Telmex Auditorium). The Colombian film PORTRAITS OF A SEA OF LIES, directed by Carlos Gaviria, and the Mexican film PERPETUUM MOBILE, directed by Nicolas Pereda, received the award for Best Feature Latin American Fiction Film and Best Fiction Feature Film, respectively.

The Rigobeto Mora Award for Best Mexican Documentary Animation went to MOON (Luna), directed by Raul and Rafael Cardenas. This was the first year for the award.

Also, the Latinofusión Prize for Distribution was given for the first time this year. The prizewinners were, PORTRAITS OF A SEA OF LIES in the Latin American category, and in the Mexican category, GOOD HERBS, directed by Maria Novaro.

Four of the Major Film Festivals in April are: Florida FF, Orlando, FL; Tribeca FF, NYC; On Location Memphis IFF, TN, and the San Francisco Film Festival. There will be information on Cannes in this series and in stand-alone posts beginning soon. Cannes opens 12 May and runs through the 23rd.

Mimi Wraps the Oscars® 2010

[Order Poster]

The ratings for the 82nd Academy Awards® telecast, 7 March 2010, went up this year by 14 percent, totaling nearly 41 million viewers in the U.S. for the entire event, the highest in five years. Seems as though other award shows are also up this year.

Last month’s Super Bowl delivered the largest audience for any program on record (106.5 million), the Grammy Awards hit a six-year high (25.9 million), the American Music Awards drew its largest audience in seven years (14.2 million), while the CMAs and Golden Globes were up as well.

There have been various speculations as to why the Oscars® broadcast was so improved: 1. The Avatar effect; 2. Adding five more best-film nominations, which allowed for more variety in nominations; 3. This year's hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin (good choice); 4. The awards were slightly later than last year, giving the public more of a chance to see the nominated movies; and 5. The economy is bad and people have been staying home watching TV and DVDs, or going to the local movie theater for a night out. What better free entertainment than watching this Hollywood night of nights?

How it went:

The show was about three and one-half hours long. About 30 minutes of that overage was due to presenters and recipients making their way onstage. The females were especially slow in hitting their marks. No wonder, most were walking in spike heels, wearing constricting dresses with those fluffy trains, making the long walk from the wings to the front of the stage to hit their mark very time consuming.

It could go much faster with strategic placements in the sets, and spotlighting the presenter(s). Then, they could make that long walk forward while the honoree is winding through the crowd, the cameras cutting between the presenters and the honorees. This is television, so put the stage, lighting and cameras to better use, please!

Continuity in past shows of having the previous year's winner present an award was broken as "buddies" presented various awards. I think this was a detriment. I don't know about others, but I enjoy seeing the previous winners again. Besides, they received the Oscar, and they have earned the right to present to the following year's winners.

There was one exception I, and others liked. That was Barbra Streisand's grand moment presenting the award to the first female to win best director, Kathryn Bigelow. That was a special history-making moment and Babs was denied the much-deserved Oscar as director of YENTL (1983), so the exception was a nice surprise and added to the pleasures of the evening.

The other presenters did not add much. Enough with the "palsywalsy" presenter thingy, already! It was amazing how little the supposed friends enlightened us about that friend.

The Memorial video presentation was only three and half minutes long, and the images flipped too fast. It had a false start and Patrick Swayze almost got cut out. These people gave their lives to the film industry and they got less than five seconds each?

The list included David Carradine, Howard Zieff, Dom DeLuise, Army Archerd, Ron Silver, Brittany Murphy, Lou Jacobi, Simon Channing-Williams, Betsy Blair, Joseph Wiseman, Kathryn Grayson, Arthur Canton, Nat Boxer (sound) Roy E. Disney (brother of Walt), Horton Foote (writer) Budd Schulberg (writer) Michael Jackson, Natasha Richardson, and Patrick Swayze.

Critic Roger Ebert was the first to note on Twitter that actress Farrah Fawcett was omitted. Shortly, it came to life that so was Bea Arthur and Ed McMahon. Someone mentioned to me that my late friend Ricardo Montalban was missing. No. He died on 14 January last year and was included in last year's memorial. The dates run from telecast to telecast.

I found this quote on E! (Entertainment News) as to why Fawcett was omitted: Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger told E! News: "No matter how carefully and how conscientiously people address who is included, there are people who just simply can't be."

Asked by E! News why Fawcett was skipped, but Michael Jackson, known mainly for his music, was included, Unger replied: "In any given year there will always be some people that other people think should have been included and that there's more justification for one person versus another. ... It is impossible to include everybody."

Unger didn't help matters with her allusive answer that made it sound as though Fawcett was not worthy of the honors. Why did she not simply say, "Farrah Fawcett's acting was mainly in television, not in movies."

Fawcett was by all accounts a lovely lady and very popular with television audiences, where she did most of her work. She was nominated for many awards, but never won a major one. Almost all of McMahon's and Arthur's work was in television, too. So, anyone disgruntled about these three being overlooked, please take it up with the other academy. You know, the one for television arts and sciences.

I do have four points that I wish to point out:

1. As there has been an uproar over who was remembered in the Memorial and who was not, if there are certain qualification for appearing in the segment, why doesn't the Academy set forth clear guidelines and explain them to the audience?

2. What the heck was that Oscar tribute to John Hughes, anyway? Why was he singled out to get such a memorial salute, and I believe it was the first I have ever seen. Was it an excuse to put Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick on camera as an attraction for the "Pretty in Pink" generation?

3. What was with those fluffy, messy debilitating trains so many of the women were wearing? Ladies, the Academy Awards is not your wedding, or the coronation of a queen.

4. What was with most of the ladies wearing their hair in buns stacked somewhere on their heads? Were they auditioning for Jersey Shore 2?

In all fairness to first-time producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman, it was above average for a first attempt. If they stick around, they might want to evaluate the writers, and hire some new ones. I thought the writing over-all, except for the hosts, was weak. Play no favorites, put more snap in the monologues and in the production techniques, and cut out those awkward "group" lineups. Whalah. Next year's show might possibly be marvelous!

Mimi's Hits and Misses for Oscar® 2010

  And Mimi's hits and misses were:

There is a link on the right sidebar of this blog to the winners of the Oscar for the best of 2009, awarded at the 82nd Academy Awards television gala, 7 March 2010. It will remain there until the 83rd awards next year. Also, see the two previous posts below.

Here are the misses in my choices of 82nd Academy Award winners. I promised my readers that I would explain about the choices I made to win, and why I think I missed. I am doing this not to justify my choices, but to possibly help others who like to play the game, "Who Will Win?"

Thus, here goes. I abstained from choosing winners in any short-film categories because short films are not readily shown in theaters or issued on DVD. Obviously, I did not see any of them. That left 17 categories. Out of the 17, I missed 4, that is the best I have ever done.

However, two of those missed were awards that I hardly ever miss, Best Actress and Best Foreign Language Film. I was unable to see any of the nominated foreign language films because they were not shown in any near-by theaters and not yet released on DVD. Does anyone know a theater that is not in a big city and shows foreign language movies? I don't think so.

Regarding the Best Actress category. I was unable to see THE BLIND SIDE although Bullock won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Best Actress award, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' members usually vote the way SAG members vote. SAG members are the biggest voting block in the Academy.

I know all that, but I simply couldn't see Bullock over Streep. Since they never release vote tallies with any of these awards, I rationalized it may have been a close-win fluke. I forgot that real-live Academy members have remarked to me that they were going to vote for so-and-so for a certain award but a their guild chose another so-and-so; therefore, they were going to vote for the guild's choice. I'll remember that next time.

I have only seen two movies that Sandra Bullock is in, CRASH and MISS CONGENIALITY. I really liked CRASH and, like the best film winner this year, I was saying CRASH will win the best film Oscar, and everyone was asking, "What?" As far as Bullock being in CRASH, I never noticed, only discovering she is in it when I looked her up on the IMDb. I do remember seeing MISS CONGENIALITY. The movie is cute and funny. In it, Bullock is amusing to watch but her performance is no big whoop. I saw snippets of SPEED. Few acting chops there, either.

Sandra Bullock is popular with the current age group now the majority in the Academy. So, the award may have simply been because those voters like THE BLIND SIDE, and they like Sandra Bullock the lady. It would not be the first time this was the case. From all accounts she is extremely popular in the film community and a very likable person. I intend to see THE BLIND SIDE when I can get the DVD, and I promise to keep an open mind when I evaluate Sandra Bullock's performance against Meryl Streep's in JULIE & JULIA, which I have seen.

I also missed Art Direction because I really liked the art direction in SHERLOCK HOLMES. However, since that was the only nomination the movie received, I should have known better and gone for AVATAR. The art direction for AVATAR was very artistic and pleasing to the eyes. So, that miss goes down as an absolute strikeout.

Then, there was the win that came like a bolt out of the blue, Best Adapted Screenplay: PRECIOUS: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire by Geoffrey Fletcher. The Writer's Guild gave that one to Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, and I always vote the way the Writer's Guild goes. It works 99 percent of the time, but not this year.

You can scroll down to the previous posts to see the list of winners and my picks. If you would like to read a transcript of winners' acceptance speeches, as well as see the winners with all nominees, click the title of this post.

82nd Academy Award Winners 2010 for the Best of 2009

And the winners are:

The Oscar® statuettes were presented to the "best of 2009" at the 82nd Academy Awards® gala on Sunday, 7 March 2010, in the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood & Highland Center®, Hollywood, California. They were and televised live around the world by the ABC Television Network.

BEST PICTURE:THE HURT LOCKER, directed by Kathryn Bigelow;

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: Jeff Bridges, CRAZY HEART;

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Christoph Waltz, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS;

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: Sandra Bullock, THE BLIND SIDE;

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Mo'Nique, PRECIOUS: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire;

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: UP, Pete Docter;

ART DIRECTION: AVATAR;

CINEMATOGRAPHY: AVATAR;

DIRECTING: THE HURT LOCKER, Kathryn Bigelow;

DOCUMENTARY (Feature): THE COVE;

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) Argentina, directed by Juan José Campanella;

MUSIC (Original Score):
UP, Michael Giacchino

MUSIC (Original Song):"The Weary Kind" from CRAZY HEART - Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett;

COSTUME DESIGN: THE YOUNG VICTORIA;

MAKEUP: STAR TREK;

FILM EDITING: THE HURT LOCKER;

SOUND EDITING: THE HURT LOCKER;

SOUND MIXING: THE HURT LOCKER;

VISUAL EFFECTS: AVATAR;

WRITING (Adapted Screenplay): PRECIOUS, Geoffrey Fletcher;

WRITING (Original Screenplay): THE HURT LOCKER, Mike Boal.

For the Academy Official Site and list of all nominees, winners, and to read acceptance speeches, click title of this post.

Mimi's Picks for the Oscars®

AVATAR and THE HURT LOCKER lead with the most nominations for tonight's Academy Awards® TV gala with nine each. UP received five, including Best Animated Film and Best Motion Picture. The surprise nominations were THE BLIND SIDE for best picture and Sandra Bullock for best actress.

By now you probably know what to expect, who the hosts are for tonight, and have your voting list in hand [CLICK HERE], etc. Perhaps, you are waiting for the limousine that will take you to the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. If you are watching at home you will either be thoroughly engaged and rooting for your favorites, or you will watch without any expectations, simply enjoying the multi-million dollar spectacle unfolding on your television set, provided you have it tuned to ABC-TV.

Have you picked your favorites? I have picked mine, but not because I like the actor or actress better than anyone else, or I really liked a certain movie. Being raised in a movie theater, having about 55 college graduate hours in film history and criticism, and having seen hundreds of films of all types and from many countries, I'm analytical about my choices, but I am not going to write about that now.

First of all, I do not evaluate short films because they are not readily shown in theaters or issued on DVD. Here are my choices for the 82nd Academy Awards honoring the best Hollywood offered in 2009, minus short films:

BEST PICTURE:
THE HURT LOCKER

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Jeff Bridges, CRAZY HEART

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Christoph Waltz, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Meryl Streep, JULIE & JULIA

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Mo'Nique, PRECIOUS: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
UP, Pete Docter

ART DIRECTION:
AVATAR

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
AVATAR

DIRECTING:
Kathryn Bigelow, THE HURT LOCKER

DOCUMENTARY (Feature):
THE COVE

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
THE WHITE RIBBON, Germany [Second choice, AJAMI, Israel]

MUSIC (Original Score):
UP, Michael Giacchino

MUSIC (Original Song):
"The Weary Kind" from 'Crazy Heart' - Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

COSTUME DESIGN: [Abstaining because I saw none of these, but my heart goes with THE YOUNG VICTORIA.]

MAKEUP:
STAR TREK [MY favorite in this category didn't get a nomination, DISTRICT 9.]

FILM EDITING:
THE HURT LOCKER

SOUND EDITING:
THE HURT LOCKER

SOUND MIXING:
THE HURT LOCKER

VISUAL EFFECTS:
AVATAR

WRITING (Adapted Screenplay):
UP IN THE AIR by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

WRITING (Original Screenplay):
THE HURT LOCKER by Mike Boal

Golden Razzie® "Winners" 2010

30th Annual Golden Raspberry "Winners"

Last night, Oscar® eve, the "Berry Bad Movies of 2009" were dis-honored during a gala at Hollywood's Barnsdall Gallery Theatre sponsored by The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. The chosen ones received a gold-spray-painted "Razzie®" statuette designating them as being among last year's Worst Achievements in Film.

Sandra Bullock won two Razzie® awards. The first in the worst actress of 2009 category for her role in ALL ABOUT STEVE. The second with actor Bradley Cooper for the worst screen couple for ALL ABOUT STEVE, which also garnered a Worst Picture of 2009 nomination, but lost the Razzie to TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN. The TRANSFORMERS' screenplay was dis-honored as was its director Michael Bay.

Bullocks competition for worst actress were: Miley Cyrus (HANNAH MONTANNA: THE MOVIE), and Megan Fox (JENNIFER'S BODY, REVENGE OF THE FALLEN), Beyonce Knowles for OBSESSED and Sarah Jessica Parker for DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?

The worst actor was a three-way tie of the Jonas brothers for JONAS BROTHERS: THE 3-D CONCERT EXPERIENCE. The worst supporting actress and actor statuettes went to Sienna Miller (G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA) and Billy Ray Cyrus (HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE), respectively.

Because 2009 marked the turn of a decade, the Foundation awarded three special awards: The worst picture, actress and actor of the decade. They went to the following, in order: BATTLEFIELD EARTH (won by a landslide), Paris Hilton (THE HOTTIE & THE NOTTIE, HOUSE OF WAX and REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA) and Eddie Murphy (ADVENTURES of PLUTO NASH, I SPY, IMAGINE THAT, MEET DAVE, NORBIT and SHOWTIME).

To see all the nominees click the tag "Razzie" at the bottom of this post for a previous post. To access the Foundations' official Website, click title of this post.

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Major Film Festivals in March

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
(Presented by Miami Film Society and Miami Dade College)
5 - 14 March 2010.
Miami, Florida

This festival showcases foreign film, especially Latin American, and other Spanish-language films. It also tips its hat to local and independent filmmakers.

Opening Film, LOOKING FOR ERIC, directed by Ken Loach, Guzman Center, 7:00 p.m., followed by Opening Night Party at Miami Dade College's Freedom Tower.

I apologize for the scant information, but their Website is not fully operational, and I had to re-activate my e-mail contacts. Tickets are available now at the Regal Cinema, South Beach. More information will be posted on the blog as I receive it.

18th Annual Environmental Film Festival

Special Launch Party 10 March
Festival: March 16-28, 2010
Washington, D.C

This year, the D.C. festival has 56 venues, showing 155 films and expects 25,000+ filmgoers. The number of Environmental Film Festivals are growing as well as documentaries being made about the subject and feature films incorporating environmental issues into their storylines.

For general inquiries, please e-mail: info@envirofilmfest.org, or visit the Official Web Site by clicking the title of this festival.

SXSW

17th South by Southwest Film Festival
SXSW Week 2010: March 12-21
Interactive Media Conference: March 12-16
Film Conference and Festival: March 12-20
Music Conference and Festival: March 17-21
Austin Convention Center, Austin, Texas

Aaron Johnson in KICK-ASS

This festival started as a regional to showcase independent films, but has morphed into a well-attended festival that the world press also covers. Its reputation and attendance is almost in the same class as "the big boys" now.

Austin has chosen to pair the film festival with the annual music festival, and various other attractive venues, including interactive media. Founded in 1993 by alternative weekly Austin Chronicle editor Louis Black, publisher Nick Barbaro and music promoter Roland Swenson, who also created the gigantic annual March SXSW Music Conference in 1987, the SXSW Festival has developed its own identity by luring quality independent films and filmmakers.

Opening Night film is the World Premiere of KICK-ASS at the Paramount Theater, 7:00 p.m., followed by the opening night party at Buffalo Billiards at 10:00. The movie was directed by Matthew Vaughn, UK, and the cast includes Nicholas Cage.

Closing Night film is the North American premiere of directors Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas' AMERICAN: The Bill Hicks Story, screening 20 March at the Paramount Theater, North American premiere, 9:30 p.m. The true life story of the outlaw comic who tried to save the world. Three years in the making, using a stunning new animation technique, the movie brings the amazing tale of one of modern culture’s most iconic heroes to the big screen.

WINTER'S BONE the winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting awards at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival will be showcased. WINTER'S BONE, directed by Debra Granik, is based on the novel by Missouri-based author, Daniel Woodrell. The movie, set in Southwest Missouri, also will be in competition at the Florida Film Festival, Orlando, 9 - 18 April.

And these three films aren't 1/4th of the new movies that will be making the circuit this year, many of them will be major award winners. See the full film lineup by clicking title of this post.

SXSW's YouTube site showcases films and musical performers.

25th Guadalajara International Film Festival
12 - 19 March 2010, Guadalajara, Mexico

This year, the Festival's guest country is France. Agnès Varda, French filmmaker, photographer, editor, composer, occasional actress and producer will receive a homage and be awarded the Silver Mayahuel. She plans to attend the festival.

Varda studied at the Sorbonne and the Louvre School. The first motion picture she directed was the 1954, LA POINTE COURTE. Her late husband was the French filmmaker Jacques Demy.


Of course, the main emphasis of the Festival is to showcase Mexican and other Spanish-language films. It will showcase over 250 films as part of its program in sections in and out of competition. The official sections in competition include feature fiction films and documentaries as well as short films. All the competition is reserved for films produced in Mexico and other Hispanic countries.

If you are looking for the Puerto Vallarta Festival, usually held at this time, it has moved to mid December to attract more "snowbirds."

Three of the Film Festivals in April: Florida FF, Orlando, FL; Tribeca FF, NYC; On Location Memphis IFF, TN. Use your American Express and you can order advance passes and tickets for Tribeca beginning 8 March.