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

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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.

Final Oscar® Ballots Due Tuesday

Completed ballots to determine the 2009 winners of the Academy Awards®, mailed 10 February, must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. Tuesday, 2 March. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.

Following the tabulation of the votes, the winners’ names will be placed in sealed envelopes to be opened on Oscar Night®. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, 7 March 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; and acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology. 

The Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collect, preserve, restore and provide access to movies and items related to movie history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

HURT LOCKER is BAFTA Orange Winner

SERIES: Hollywood Guild Awards and Oscars®

Kathryn Bigelow's THE HURT LOCKER received six BAFTA awards, including best motion picture, and one to Bigelow for directing.The distributor for the movie is the UK company, Lionsgate.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA®), presented their BAFTA Orange Awards, honoring the best of 2009 in the UK film industry and others, 21 February 2010.

The Los Angeles branch, BAFTA/LA, hosted a buffet brunch which was followed by the live satellite broadcast from London of the BAFTA gala there. You may ask, "What does the British Film and Television Academy (BAFTA) have to do with the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Academy Awards®?" Well, BAFTA is the equivalent of the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS®), and an Orange Award is equivalent to an Oscar®. For more about the BAFTA / Oscar relationship, see the previous post about the BAFTA nominations on this blog.

Actress Vanessa Redgrave received the Academy Fellowship for 2010 from actress Uma Thurman and HRH Prince William, the new President of the Academy, at the Film Awards Gala. The fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film. Previously honored Fellows include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Christie, John Barry, Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench. Last year’s recipient was Terry Gilliam.

These are the next to last industry awards before the Academy Awards, and here are the BAFTA ORANGE FILM Nominees with winners in red:

Best Film:
AVATAR
AN EDUCATION
THE HURT LOCKER
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
UP IN THE AIR

Outstanding British Film:
AN EDUCATION
FISH TANK
IN THE LOOP
MOON
NOWHERE BOY

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer:

Lucy Bailey, Andrew Thompson, Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock, David Pearson, Directors/Producers – MUGABE and the WHITE AFRICAN
Eran Creevy, Writer/Director – SHIFTY
Stuart Hazeldine, Writer/Director – EXAM
Duncan Jones, Director – MOON
Sam Taylor-Wood, Director – NOWHERE BOY

Best Director:
AVATAR - James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 - Neill Blomkamp
AN EDUCATION - Lone Scherfig
THE HURT LOCKER - Kathryn Bigelow
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Quentin Tarantino

Best Original Screenplay:
THE HANGOVER - Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
THE HURT LOCKER - Mark Boal
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Quentin Tarantino
A SERIOUS MAN - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
UP - Bob Peterson, Pete Docter

Best Adapted Screenplay:
DISTRICT 9 - Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
AN EDUCATION - Nick Hornby
IN THE LOOP - Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE - Geoffrey Fletcher
UP IN THE AIR - Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Film Not in the English Language:
BROKEN EMBRACES
COCO BEFORE CHANEL
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
A PROPHET
THE WHITE RIBBON

Animated Film:
CORALINE
FANTASTIC MR FOX
UP

Leading Actor:
Jeff Bridges - CRAZY HEART
George Clooney - UP in the AIR
Colin Firth - A SINGLE MAN
Jeremy Renner - THE HURT LOCKER
Andy Serkis - SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL

Leading Actress:
Carey Mulligan - AN EDUCATION
Saoirse Ronan - THE LOVELY BONES
Gabourey Sidibe - PRECIOUS: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Meryl Streep - JULIE & JULIA
Audrey Tautou - COCO BEFORE CHANEL

Supporting Actor:
ALEC BALDWIN - It’s Complicated
CHRISTIAN McKAY - Me and Orson Welles
ALFRED MOLINA - An Education
STANLEY TUCCI - The Lovely Bones
CHRISTOPH WALTZ -  Inglourious Basterds

Supporting Actress:
ANNE-MARIE DUFF - NOWHERE BOY
VERA FARMIGA - Up IN THE Air
Anna Kendrick - - UP IN THE AIR
Mo'Nique - PRECIOUS: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Kristin Scott Thomas - NOWHERE BOY

Music:
AVATAR - James Horner
CRAZY HEART - T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton
FANTASTIC MR FOX - Alexandre Desplat
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL - Chaz Jankel
UP - Michael Giacchino

Cinematography:
AVATAR - Mauro Fiore
DISTRICT 9 - Trent Opaloch
THE HURT LOCKER - Barry Ackroyd
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Robert Richardson
THE ROAD - Javier Aguirresarobe

Editing:
AVATAR - Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 - Julian Clarke
THE HURT LOCKER - Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Sally Menke
UP IN THE AIR - Dana E. Glauberman

Production Design:
AVATAR - Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
DISTRICT 9 - Philip Ivey, Guy Poltgieter
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS - Dave Warren, Anastasia Masaro, Caroline Smith
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco

Costume Design:
BRIGHT STAR - Janet Patterson
COCO BEFORE CHANEL - Catherine Leterrier
AN EDUCATION - Odile Dicks-Mireaux
A SINGLE MAN - Arianne Phillips
THE YOUNG VICTORIA - Sandy Powell

Sound:
AVATAR
DISTRICT 9
THE HURT LOCKER
STAR TREK
UP

Special Visual Effects:
AVATAR
DISTRICT 9
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
THE HURT LOCKER
STAR TREK

Make Up and Hair:
COCO BEFORE CHANEL
AN EDUCATION
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
NINE
THE YOUNG VICTORIA

For more about BAFTA and/or the Orange Awards, click the title of this post.

Berlin Film Festival Winners 2010

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

60th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) awards their Bears at annual gala.

The second major international film festival of 2010, the 60th Anniversary edition of the Berlin International Film Festival (BIFF) closed last night with the presentation of their Gold and Silver Bears, and other awards. The Berlinale, as it is known in Europe, begins the annual official 2010 award season for Europe, as did last month's Sundance (SFF) in the U.S.

Berlin, held in what was known as West Germany, was originally known for screening films that otherwise would not have been shown anywhere outside of the former West and East Germany, the USSR, Yugoslavia, etc. They hold to their basic tradition today in the united Germany, primarily showing German film, but also showing films from Russia and other Eastern Europe countries.

Honorary Golden Bears for lifetime achievement in cinema went to actress Hanna Schygulla and the screenwriter and director Wolfgang Kohlhaase. Schygulla’s name is inseparably connected with the late West German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s films. Wolfgang Kohlhaase adopted a course that was new for DEFA (the publicly-owned film studio in the German Democratic Republic, the former East Germany). Motion pictures in which Schygulla or Kohlhaase had a part were shown in separate programs during the festival. For German cinema, finally a meeting of West and East.

I have had the privilege of seeing many of the films from DEFA and UFA made before unification. For anyone interested in German films made at DEFA, the DEFA Film Library is now at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It is the only archive and study center outside Europe devoted to the study of a broad spectrum of films by East German filmmakers or related to East Germany from 1946 to the present. Here's the UMASS link.

But, you came here to see the winners. Roman Polanski won the Silver Bear for Best Director for his latest film, THE GHOST WRITER. He did not attend. The major movie winners are, HONEY; IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE; HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER; and APART TOGETHER. Here are the major winners by award, name of film, and director (where appropriate):

GOLDEN BEAR FOR THE BEST FILM - HONEY (Bal, Turkey) directed by Semih Kaplanoglu;

JURY GRAND PRIX SILVER BEAR - IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE (Eu cand vreau sa fluier, fluier, Romania) by Florin Serban;

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR - Roman Polanski for THE GHOST WRITER (France, Germany, UK), based on the novel The Ghost by Robert Harris, who adapted the screenplay;

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTRESS Shinobu Terajima in CATEPILLAR (Kyatapirâ, Japan) by Koji Wakamatsu;

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTOR - Sergei Puskepalis for HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER (Kak ya provel etim letom, Russia) by Alexei Popogrebsky;

SILVER BEAR FOR AN OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT IN THE CATEGORY CAMERA - Pavel Kostomarov for the camera in HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER by Alexei Popogrebsky;

SILVER BEAR FOR THE BEST SCRIPT - Wang Quan'an and Na Jin for APART TOGETHER (Tuan Yuan, China) by Wang Quan'an;

ALFRED BAUER PRIZE, awarded in memory of the Festival founder, for a work of particular innovation - IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE by Florin Serban.

For all awards, download the .pdf file here. Click the title of this post to link to the Official Festival Site. To find out more about individual films at a glance, visit the IMDb.

Writers Guild Motion Picture Winners

SERIES: Hollywood Guild Awards and Oscars®

Writers Guild of America (WGA), East (WGAE) and West (WGAW) Mortion Picture Screen Awards

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and West (WGAW) announced the winners of the 2009 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for screen, television, radio, news, promotional, and videogames, in simultaneous ceremonies at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City and the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles last night, 20 February. Here are the motion picture screenwriting nominees with winners in red.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER, Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber;
AVATAR, Written by James Cameron;
THE HANGOVER, Written by Scott Moore;
THE HURT LOCKER, Written by Mark Boal;
A SERIOUS MAN, Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
CRAZY HEART, screenplay by Scott Cooper. based on the novel by Thomas Cobb;
JULIE & JULIA, screenplay by Nora Ephron, based on the books Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme;
PECIOUS: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher, based on the novel Push by Sapphire;
STAR TREK, written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, based upon TV show Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry;
UP in the AIR, screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, based on the novel by Walter Kirn.

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY:
AGAINST the TIDE, screenplay by Richard Trank, based on original material written by Richard Trank and Rabbi Marvin Hier;
CAPITALISM: A Love Story, written by Michael Moore;
THE COVE, written by Mark Monroe;
EARTH DAYS, written by Robert Stone;
GOOD HAIR, written by Chris Rock, Jeff Stilson, Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar;
SOUNDTRAK for a REVOLUTION, written by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman.

For all nominees and winners, in all the categories, click the title of this post.

ACE Eddie Awards' Nominees and Winners

SERIES: Hollywood Guild Awards and Oscars®.

American Cinema Editors' Awards

The 60th Annual American Cinema Editors Awards, known as the ACE Eddie Awards, were presented at a ceremony 14 February 2010. That night at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA, Rob Reiner was honored with an ACE Golden Eddie Award as filmmaker of the year. Paul LaMastra, A.C.E., and Neil Travis, A.C.E., received Career Achievement Awards.

The Film Nominees, with winners in red, for 60th Annual ACE Eddie Awards.

Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Star Trek
Up in the Air

Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy or Musical):
500 Days of Summer
The Hangover
Julie & Julia
A Serious Man
It's Complicated

Best Edited Animated Feature Film:
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
UP

Best Edited Documentary Film:
The Cove
Food, Inc.
This Is It

For all nominees and winners, including the editors honored, plus the television awards, click the title of this post. Official Website Home.

The next guild awards, before final Oscar® ballots must be at the tabulators 2 March, by 5 p.m., PT, will be awarded tomorrow, Saturday, 20 February, by the Writers Guild of America, East and West.

BAFTA Orange Nominees Announced

SERIES: Hollywood Guild Awards and Oscars®

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA®), announced the nominations for their BAFTA Orange Awards recently, honoring the best of 2009 in the UK film industry. Yes, BAFTA is their equivalent of the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS®), and an Orange Award is equivalent to an Oscar®.

The Los Angeles branch, BAFTA/LA, will host an annual Awards Brunch on Sunday, 21 February 2010. The Buffet Brunch will be followed by the live satellite broadcast from London of the BAFTA gala. You may ask, "What does the British Film and Television Academy (BAFTA) have to do with the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Academy Awards®?"

The answer to the best of my ability is as follows: 1. Unless you have been living under a box for the last 70 years, or so, you know that the UK is the same as Britain or British, but it is more politically and geographically correct to refer to the area now as the United Kingdom of Great Britian, "UK" for short, combining all countries in the area, including Wales and Ireland. However, the Academy was named long before the area became known as the UK.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA®), announced the nominations for their BAFTA Orange Awards recently, honoring the best of 2009 in the UK film industry. Yes, BAFTA is their equivalent of the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS®), and an Orange Award is equivalent to an Oscar®.

The Los Angeles branch, BAFTA/LA, will host an annual Awards Brunch on Sunday, 21 February 2010. The Buffet Brunch will be followed by the live satellite broadcast from London of the BAFTA gala. You may ask, "What does the British Film and Television Academy (BAFTA) have to do with the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Academy Awards®?"

Answer to the best of my ability is as follows: 1. Unless you have been living under a box for the last 70 years, or so, you know that the UK is the same as Britain or British, but it is more politically and geographically correct to refer to the area now as the United Kingdom of Great Britian, "UK" for short, combining all countries in the area, including Wales and Ireland. However, the Academy was named long before the area became known as the UK.

2. Citizens in the UK countries working in the movie industry are most likely to be dual citizens in the USA, and working in the industry in the U.S. Not only that, they are probably voting members of AMPAS, or some Hollywood guild, as well as BAFTA.

3. There is now a Los Angeles Chapter of the BAFTA (BAFTA/LA), and they vote for the BAFTA Awards held in London. Therefore, the bestowal of a BAFTA award, as with a Hollywood guild award, gives us an indication of how the members of those guilds and academies will vote in the Oscar® race. I keep repeating the importance of these guild awards. Are you getting it yet?


BAFTA ORANGE FILM NOMINEES:

Feature Film:
AVATAR
AN EDUCATION
THE HURT LOCKER
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
UP IN THE AIR

Outstanding British Film:
AN EDUCATION
FISH TANK
IN THE LOOP
MOON
NOWHERE BOY

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer:
Lucy Bailey, Andrew Thompson, Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock, David Pearson, Directors/Producers – MUGABE and the WHITE AFRICAN
Eran Creevy, Writer/Director – SHIFTY
Stuart Hazeldine, Writer/Director – EXAM
Duncan Jones, Director – Moon
Sam Taylor-Wood, Director – Nowhere Boy

Director:
AVATAR - James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 - Neill Blomkamp
AN EDUCATION - Lone Scherfig
THE HURT LOCKER - Kathryn Bigelow
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Quentin Tarantino

Original Screenplay:
THE HANGOVER - Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
THE HURT LOCKER - Mark Boal
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Quentin Tarantino
A SERIOUS MAN - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
UP - Bob Peterson, Pete Docter

Adapted Screenplay:
DISTRICT 9 - Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
AN EDUCATION - Nick Hornby
IN THE LOOP - Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE - Geoffrey Fletcher
UP IN THE AIR - Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Film Not in the English Language:
BROKEN EMBRACES - Agust'n Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar
COCO BEFORE CHANEL - Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, Philippe Carcassonne, Anne Fontaine
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN - Carl Molinder, John Nordling, Tomas Alfredson
A PROPHET - Pascale Caucheteux, Marco Chergui, Alix Raynaud, Jacques Audiard
THE WHITE RIBBON - Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Margaret Menegoz, Michael Haneke

Animated Film:
CORALINE - Henry Selick
FANTASTIC MR FOX - Wes Anderson
UP - Pete Docter

Leading Actor:
Jeff Bridges - CRAZY HEART
George Clooney - UP in the AIR
Colin Firth - A SINGLE MAN
Jeremy Renner - THE HURT LOCKER
Andy Serkis - SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL

Leading Actress:
Carey Mulligan - AN EDUCATION
Saoirse Ronan - THE LOVELY BONES
Gabourey Sidibe - PRECIOUS: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Meryl Streep - JULIE & JULIA
Audrey Tautou - COCO BEFORE CHANEL

Supporting Actor:
ALEC BALDWIN It’s Complicated
CHRISTIAN McKAY Me and Orson Welles
ALFRED MOLINA An Education
STANLEY TUCCI The Lovely Bones
CHRISTOPH WALTZ Inglourious Basterds

Supporting Actress:
ANNE-MARIE DUFF Nowhere Boy
VERA FARMIGA Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - UP IN THE AIR
Mo'Nique - PRECIOUS: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Kristin Scott Thomas - Nowhere Boy

Music:
AVATAR - James Horner
CRAZY HEART - T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton
FANTASTIC MR FOX - Alexandre Desplat
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL - Chaz Jankel
UP - Michael Giacchino

Cinematography:
AVATAR - Mauro Fiore
DISTRICT 9 - Trent Opaloch
THE HURT LOCKER - Barry Ackroyd
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Robert Richardson
THE ROAD - Javier Aguirresarobe

Editing:
AVATAR - Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 - Julian Clarke
THE HURT LOCKER - Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Sally Menke
UP IN THE AIR - Dana E. Glauberman

Production Design:
AVATAR - Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
DISTRICT 9 - Philip Ivey, Guy Poltgieter
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS - Nominees TBC
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco

Costume Design:
BRIGHT STAR - Janet Patterson
COCO BEFORE CHANEL - Catherine Leterrier
AN EDUCATION - Odile Dicks-Mireaux
A SINGLE MAN - Arianne Phillips
THE YOUNG VICTORIA - Sandy Powell

Sound:
AVATAR
DISTRICT 9
THE HURT LOCKER
STAR TREK
UP

Special Visual Effects:
AVATAR
DISTRICT 9
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
THE HURT LOCKER
STAR TREK

Make Up & Hair:
COCO BEFORE CHANEL
AN EDUCATION
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
NINE
THE YOUNG VICTORIA

For more on BAFTA and/or the Orange Awards, click the title of this post.

Santa Barbara Film Festival Winners

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE wins Best Documentary Film and another major award.

The winners of the 25th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) were announced yesterday. The festival, which celebrated its Silver Anniversary beginning 4 February, announced the winners of the 2010 festival competition at a Press Conference and Sunday morning brunch at the famed Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort, Sunday, 14 February.

The winning films are as follows:


The Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema, given to a unique independent feature that has been made outside mainstream Hollywood, went to EXAM (US Premiere), directed by Stuart Hazeldine, and starring Luke Mably, Nathalie Cox.

The Best International Film Award went to LETTERS to FATHER JACOB (Postia pappi Jaakobille) from Finland, and directed by Klaus Härö. [Submitted for Oscar® consideration for Best Foreign Language Film (BFLF), but not nominated. It is, however, receiving praises for cinematography such as, "If you want to see cinematographic art at its finest, see this movie."]

The Nueva [New] Vision Award for the best Spanish/Latin American film was awarded to THE WIND JOURNEYS (Los viajes del viento, Columbia, US Premiere), directed by Ciro Guerra and starring Marciano Martínez, Yull Núñez. [Submitted for Oscar consideration for BFLF, but not nominated.]

Best East Meets West Cinema Award went to South Korea’s MOTHER (Madeo), directed by Joon-ho Bong, about a mother who desperately searches for the killer that framed her son for a horrific murder. [Submitted for Oscar consideration for BFLF, but not nominated.]

Best Eastern Bloc Award went to KATALIN VARGA (Romania/UK, US Premiere), directed by Peter Strickland.

Best Documentary Film Award went to ENEMIES of the PEOPLE from UK/Cambodia and directed by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath. The film is about the Khmer Rouge slaughter of nearly two million people in the late 1970s, yet the killing fields of Cambodia remain unexplained.

Bruce Corwin Award for Best Live Action Short Film Under 30 Minutes went to ANA'S PLAYGROUND, directed by Eric D. Howell. Film depicts just another day for children surrounded by armed conflict.

Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animation Short Film went to UTS, directed by Moritz Mayerhofer.

The Fund for Santa Barbara Social Justice Award Sponsored by The Fund for Santa Barbara for a documentary film that addresses social justice issues also went to ENEMIES of the PEOPLE, the Best Documentary winner.

The festival closed tonight with the World Premiere of MIDDLE MEN,” directed by George Gallo. Starrin Giovanni Ribisi, Luke Wilson, James Caan, Kelsey Grammer and Kevin Pollack, the film chronicles Jack Harris, one of the pioneers of internet commerce, as he wrestles with his morals and struggles not to drown in a sea of conmen, mobsters, drug addicts, and pornstars.

Read more about the winners by clicking this title of this post. For honorary awards at the SBIFF, scroll down to previous post under the title, " Major Film Festivals in February 2010".

82nd Academy Awards Poster

82nd Academy Awards® co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have landed on the shoulders of the Oscar in the official poster for this year's telecast. The poster is now available for purchase. It celebrates the best films of 2009.

The 27x40-inch color poster is printed on premium quality, Forest Stewardship Certified paper. LA-based creative-shop Omelet is responsible for the concept and execution of the design, which features tuxedo-clad Martin and Baldwin on the shoulders of a giant Oscar statuette. “You’ve Never Seen Oscar Like This” is the year’s slogan.

The poster is $25, plus shipping and handling. This is the only 82nd Academy Awards commemorative item available for sale to the public. Thousands of posters also will be distributed to a variety of venues worldwide.







The Academy is offering a poster special this year. The "80 Years of Best Picture Winners" poster, a special-issue poster celebrating 80 years of Best Picture Oscar winners from 1928, was issued in conjunction with the 2007's 80th Academy Awards presentation, and is available as part of a set, provided you order this year's 82nd Annual Academy Awards poster.

This special 80th poster is the same fine quality as this year's poster. The set is available for $40, plus shipping and handling. These posters are available for purchase on the Academy’s Web site by clicking the title of this post, or by calling 1-877-335-8936.

The Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, 7 March, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET, and broadcast live on the ABC Television Network.

Major Film Festivals in February 2010

SERIES: Major Film Festivals

1. 60th Berlin IFF Opens Today - - 2. 25th Santa Barbara IFF Ready for Awards.

2. 60th BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Berlinale), Berlin, Germany 11 - 21 February 2010.

APART TOGETHER (Tuan Yuan)

The Berlinale (BIFF) is the first major European film festival on the calendar each year, as Sundance is the first major U.S. Festival. The BIFF is considered second only to Cannes as a prestigious film showcase in world cinema along with Venice, the oldest film festival. The first BIFF I attended was in July, and many events were held outside under the stars or in tents. Now, it takes place in February. Brrrrr!

The International Jury, presided over by Werner Herzog, will decide who will take home the Golden Bear and the Silver Bears, as well as the Alfred Bauer Prize in the Competition Section of the Berlinale 2010. Texas-born Oscar-winning actress Renée Zellweger will join President Herzog and other members of the Jury.

The Jury for the Best First Feature Award will be headed by Michael Verhoeven, one of the formative personalities in what is known as New German Film. He presented his feature film debut, THE DANCE OF DEATH, at the 1967 Festival. Debut feature films from the sections Competition, Panorama, Generation Kplus and 14plus as well as debut films from the Forum will compete for the award. The winners will be announced at the official award ceremony in the Berlinale Palast on 30 February.

American actor Ben Foster (X-MEN: The Last Stand, 3:10 TO YUMA and ALPHA DOG) will join Verhoeven and other Jury members. He was a guest at the 2009 Berlinale Competition with his lead role in the acclaimed drama THE MESSENGER.

The winner of the Golden Bear 2009, MILK OF SORROW (La Teta Asustada) by Claudia Llosa from Peru, and AJAMI by Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti (Israel) were both funded by the Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund, and they are both nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category for 2009.

Opening Movie: The World Premiere of APART TOGETHER (Tuan Yuan, People's Republic of China, 2009) director, Wang Quan'an, in Shanghainese and Mandarin. Section: Competition. Cast: Lisa Lu, Ling Feng, Xu Caigen, Monica Mo, Ma Xiaoqing. Wang's TUYA'S MARRIAGE won the Golden Bear in 2007.

Closing Movie: The Festival's award winning feature film will be screened 20 February in the Zoo Palast 1, at 3:00 p.m., with the awards gala beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the CinemaxX 3.

The Festival is a sponsor of the second edition of the Talent Campus Guadalajara for up-and-coming filmmakers and professionals from Central America and the Caribbean, which will take place from 11-15 March 2010. New this year in Guadalajara: a brand new hands-on training program for film critics, the Talent Press. Sorry, the applications have closed./b>

Also, the full screening schedule for Berlin is available for download, but only in German. For more information, click the title of this post to access the Festival's Official Website

1. 25th SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Santa Barbara, California. Thursday, 4 February - Sunday, 14 February 2010.

Santa Barbara's festival has all the glitz and glam of Palm Springs while, at the same time, offering a roster of films worthy of following Sundance. This year is SBIFF's silver anniversary, and they deserve hearty congratulations for offering an exhilarating festival year after year. I know because I have attended a number of them.

The 25th edition features 200 films including 18 World Premieres, 28 U.S. Premieres and a vast selection of films representing 45 countries. The motto this year is "11 Amazing Days, 10 Starry Nights".

The Festival opened with a gala screening at the downtown historic Arlington Theatre featuring the world premiere screening of FLYING LESSONS, directed by Derek Magyar, in his directorial debut. The movie stars Christine Lahti, Maggie Grace, Jonathan Tucker, Cary Elwes, Joanna Cassidy and Hal Holbrook. The gala evening concluded with a party at Paseo Nuevo in downtown Santa Barbara.

Closing Night will feature the world premiere screening of MIDDLE MEN, directed by George Gallo and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Luke Wilson, James Caan, Kelsey Grammar and Kevin Pollack. The director and cast will attend. Closing Night festivities also take place at the Arlington Theatre.

Actress Emily Blunt received the Chopin Virtuoso Award - in recognition of this years emerging film talent - Sunday, 7 February. Also, receiving the Chopin Virtuosos 2010 Award were Carey Mulligan (AN EDUCATION), Saoirse Ronan (THE LOVELY BONES) and Michael Stuhlbarg (A SERIOUS MAN).

Actress Sandra Bullok received The American Riviera Award, 5 February, and director James Cameron received the esteemed Lucky Brand™ Modern Master Award 6 February.

Continuing the annual tradition of highlighting a guest director, SBIFF selected Kathryn Bigelow as the Outstanding Director of the Year. Monday, 8 February the Festival began the day with a retrospective of Bigelow’s films: NEAR DARK, POINT BREAK, and STRANGE DAYS. Following a conversation with the director, there was a special screening of her latest movie, the Oscar nominated, THE HURT LOCKER, and Bigelow is nominated for an Oscar for directing the movie.

David Attenborough Award for Excellence in Nature Filmmaking will be awarded to THE COVE, Wednesday, 10 February, at the Lobero Theatre. The award-winning documentary is one of he favorites in the Oscar's Best Documentary Feature of 2009 category.

Actor Colin Firth will receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award for his role as 'George' in A SINGLE MAN, Thursday, 11 February at the Arlington Theatre. Also, Actress Julianne Moore will receive the Montecito Award. The evening will be moderated by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.

Friday, 12 February, at the Lobero Theatre, Durling will moderate the evening when the Cinema Vanguard Awards will be presented to Vera Farmiga (UP IN THE AIR), Peter Sarsgaard (AN EDUCATION), Stanley Tucci (THE LOVELY BONES) and Christoph Waltz (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS) in recognition of artists who have forged their own path by taking artistic risks.Also, actress Gabourey Sidibe, (PRECIOUS) will receive the Chopin Virtuoso Award.

Santa Barbara celebrates one of their own with Jeff Bridges Day. Sunday, 14 February, will start early with screenings of Bridges’ Oscar-nominated films: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, THUNDERBOLT and LIGHTFOOT, STARMAN, and THE CONTENDER. Bridges will appear for a Conversation, followed by a screening of CRAZY HEART. Bridges is nominated for best actor in the leading role for his role in the movie as Bad Blake, a broken-down hard-living former country singer.

Link for the Festival's Official Website.

Coming up first in March is the Miami International Film Festival, presented by the Miami Film Society and Miami Dade College, followed by SXSW, and the 25th Guadalajara International Film Festival, 12 - 19 March. More on those and others later.

This week, I received information from the Venice IFF and the San Sebastián IFF. Neither will open until much later this year, but I will be adding newsflashes to the bottom of these posts to incorporate the latest from the best film festivals when I receive information that I think is "hot".