Awards – Page 17 – We Are Movie Geeks

EX MACHINA Wins Four Including Best Film, Saoirse Ronan Wins Best Actress And Tom Hardy Wins Best Actor At Moët British Independent Film Awards 2015

Ex Machina was the big winner at the Moët British Independent Film Awards this evening. The film won four awards: Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Alex Garland and Outstanding Achievement in Craft for its Visual Effects, by Andrew Whitehurst.

The film will be screened in 74 cinemas across the country on Sunday 13 December as part of a landmark BIFA screening series supported by the BFI. Tickets can be booked at discover.bifa.film

Performance awards were spread across the board: Saoirse Ronan picked up Best Actress for Brooklyn and Tom Hardy won Best Actor for his dual role as Ronnie and Reggie Kray in Legend.

Olivia Colman won her third BIFA for her Best Supporting Actress performance in The Lobster. Brendan Gleeson made it two years in a row, winning Best Supporting Actor for Suffragette this year after taking away Best Actor for Calvary last year.

Colin Farrell presented the Most Promising Newcomer award to Abigail Hardingham for her breakthrough performance in Nina Forever.

The Special Jury Prize was presented to Chris Collins, the BFI executive who died late last year. Director of the BFI Lottery Film Fund Ben Roberts said, “This is a really wonderful tribute to Chris. He is greatly missed, but his contribution to so many films and filmmakers continues to burn brightly. A heartfelt thanks to the BIFA jury.”

In the closely-fought Best Documentary category, Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance won out over Amy, How to Change the World, Palio and A Syrian Love Story.

Room was named Best International Independent Film and Jacob Tremblay, the young star of the film, collected the award with the team.

The team behind Kajaki: The True Story took home Producer of the Year and Stephen Fingleton was named Best Debut Director for The Survivalist. The award is presented in honour of director Douglas Hickox.

Edmond won Best Short and The Discovery Award went to Orion: The Man Who Would Be King.

The 18th BIFA ceremony, which was hosted by Richard Ayoade, was held at Old Billingsgate in London and live streamed on www.bifa.film.

As previously announced, the Variety Award, which recognises a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK, was presented to Kate Winslet. The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film was presented to Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Photos: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Moet British Independent Film Awards

CAROL Awarded Top Honors By New York Film Critics; Saoirse Ronan And Michael Keaton Garner Acting Awards

The New York Film Critics Circle voted today at the Film Society of Lincoln Center for their 2015 awards winners. The awards will be handed out during their annual ceremony on Monday, January 4th at Tao Downtown.

Carol was awarded Best Picture and Todd Haynes was named Best Director. Saoirse Ronan was selected as Best Actress for her role in Brooklyn, and Michael Keaton was chosen as Best Actor for Spotlight.

Two Special Awards were given, honoring the legacy of William Becker and Janus Films and Ennio Morricone for his extraordinary contribution to the language of cinema. Full list of winners below.

Says 2015 NYFCC Chairman, Star Magazine’s Marshall Fine, “This group is known for inserting films into the awards conversation and this year was no different. I’m particularly pleased at how New York-centric so many of the films are, representing many parts of the city, as well as several different eras.”

The NYFCC also announced that David Edelstein, film critic for New York magazine, will serve as vice chairman this year and become chairman next year.

This year’s ceremony will be dedicated to late Time Magazine film critic and NYFCC member, Richard Corliss.

Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is the oldest and most prestigious in the country. The circle’s membership includes critics from daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and the web’s most respected online publications. Every year the organization meets in New York to vote on awards for the calendar year’s films.

The Circle’s awards are often seen as shaping the Oscar race. The Circle’s awards are also viewed — perhaps more accurately — as a principled alternative to the Oscars, honoring aesthetic merit in a forum that is immune to commercial and political pressures.

BOOKLYN. Photo by Kerry Brown. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

Best Picture: “Carol”
Best Director: Todd Haynes, “Carol”
Best Screenplay: “Carol”
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, “Brooklyn”
Best Actor: Michael Keaton, “Spotlight”
Best Supporting Actress: Kristen Stewart, “Clouds of Sils Maria”
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”
Best Foreign Language Film: “Timbuktu”
Best Cinematography: Edward Lachman, “Carol”
Best Nonfiction Film: “In Jackson Heights”
Best First Film: “Son of Saul”
Best Animated Film: “Inside Out”
Special Award: Posthumous Award honoring the legacy of William Becker and Janus Films
Special Award: Ennio Morricone, composer

SPOTLIGHT

A full list of voting members is below:

Melissa Anderson
ARTFORUM

John Anderson
FREELANCE

Michael Atkinson
VILLAGE VOICE

Richard Brody
THE NEW YORKER

Dwight Brown
NNPA SYNDICATION/BlackPressUSA.com

Karen Durbin
ELLE

Bilge Ebiri
NEW YORK MAGAZINE

David Edelstein
NEW YORK MAGAZINE

Marshall Fine
STAR MAGAZINE

Graham Fuller
ARTINFO.COM

Owen Gleiberman
BBC.com

Ed Gonzalez
SLANTMAGAZINE.COM

Rafer Guzman
NEWSDAY

Jordan Hoffman
THE GUARDIAN

Stuart Klawans
THE NATION

Eric Kohn
INDIEWIRE

Lou Lumenick
NEW YORK POST

Joe Morgenstern
WALL STREET JOURNAL

Farran Smith Nehme
NEW YORK POST

Joe Neumaier
NY DAILY NEWS / FREELANCE

Andrew O’Hehir
SALON.COM

Nick Pinkerton
FREELANCE

Peter Rainer
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

Rex Reed
NEW YORK OBSERVER

Joshua Rothkopf
TIME OUT NEW YORK

Richard Schickel
TRUTHDIG.COM

Kyle Smith
NEW YORK POST

Dana Stevens
SLATE.COM

Sara Stewart
NEW YORK POST

Amy Taubin
ARTFORUM

Peter Travers
ROLLING STONE

Keith Uhlich
FREELANCE

Stephen Whitty
THE STAR-LEDGER/NJ.COM

Alison Willmore
BUZZFEED

Stephanie Zacharek
TIME

SHAUN THE SHEEP THE MOVIE, INSIDE OUT Among 43rd Annie Award Nominations

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 43rd Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation.

The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent (new this year), Special Productions, Commercials, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as the honorary Juried Awards.

This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Anomalisa (Paramount Pictures), Inside Out (Pixar Animation Studios), Shaun the Sheep The Movie (Aardman Animations), The Good Dinosaur (Pixar Animation Studios), and The Peanuts Movie (Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation).

“This year we introduced an important new category – Best Feature-Independent,” says ASIFA-Hollywood President, Jerry Beck. “We will now recognize not only features in wide release, but also the independent animators, international studios, anime and special productions that might not otherwise get the attention they deserve. Adds Frank Gladstone, ASIFA-Hollywood’s Executive Director, “With the growing capability worldwide to produce a wider range of animated features, we are certain that this award will expand in significance and influence going forward.”

The inaugural Best Animated Feature-Independent nominations include: Boy And the World (Filme de Papel), Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (Ventanarosa), The Boy and The Beast (Studio Chizu), and When Marnie Was There (Studio Ghibli).

The Juried Awards honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation will also be presented. Three Winsor McCay recipients have been selected by the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors – Joe Ranft, Phil Roman and Isao Takahata for their career contributions to the art of animation; and the June Foray recipient – Don Hahn for his significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation.

Created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray, the Annie Awards have grown in scope and stature for the past four decades.

The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. A pre-reception and press line begins at 5:00 pm with the awards ceremony following at 7:00 pm. A post-show celebration immediately follows the ceremony. All events will be held at Royce Hall.

For a complete list of nominations, visit www.annieawards.org.

National Board of Review Names MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Best Film Of 2015

The National Board of Review has named MAD MAX: FURY ROAD the 2015 Best Film of the Year.

Below is the complete list of awards:

Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: Ridley Scott – The Martian
Best Actor: Matt Damon – The Martian
Best Actress: Brie Larson – Room
Best Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone – Creed
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino – The Hateful Eight
Best Adapted Screenplay: Drew Goddard – The Martian
Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
Breakthrough Performance: Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation & Jacob Tremblay – Room
Best Directorial Debut: Jonas Carpignano – Mediterranea
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul
Best Documentary: Amy
William K. Everson Film History Award: Cecilia De Mille Presley
Best Ensemble: The Big Short
Spotlight Award: Sicario for Outstanding Collaborative Vision
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Beasts of No Nation & Mustang

Top Films
Bridge of Spies
Creed
The Hateful Eight
Inside Out
The Martian
Room
Sicario
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
Goodnight Mommy
Mediterranea
Phoenix
The Second Mother
The Tribe

Top 5 Documentaries
Best of Enemies
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
The Diplomat
Listen to Me Marlon
The Look of Silence

Top 10 Independent Films
‘71
45 Years
Cop Car
Ex Machina
Grandma
It Follows
James White
Mississippi Grind
Welcome to Me
While We’re Young

NBR President Annie Schulhof said, “2015 has been a banner year for popular cinema. We are thrilled to be awarding George Miller and Ridley Scott, two iconic filmmakers at the top of their game, while also celebrating the next generation of talent.”

The 2015 William K. Everson Film History Award recipient is Cecilia De Mille Presley, the granddaughter of legendary director, Cecil B. DeMille. As Vice Chair of the National Film Preservation Foundation, she has devoted her life to film preservation. In honor of her grandfather’s legacy she has co-authored the book CECIL B. DEMILLE: THE ART OF THE HOLLYWOOD EPIC.

For 106 years, the National Board of Review has dedicated its efforts to the support of domestic and foreign cinema as both art and entertainment. This year, over 250 films (studio, independent, foreign-language, animated, and documentary) were viewed by this select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals, academics, and students. These screenings were frequently followed by in-depth discussions with directors, actors, producers, and screenwriters. Voting ballots were tabulated by the accounting firm of Lutz and Carr, LLP.

The National Board of Review honors diverse members of the film community at their annual Awards Gala, which also acts as a fundraiser for student grant philanthropy. Hosted by Willie Geist, co-host of NBC’s TODAY and MSNBC’s Morning Joe, this year’s gala will take place on January 5, 2016 at Cipriani 42^nd Street in New York City.

BEASTS OF NO NATION, CAROL, SPOTLIGHT Among 31st Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the LA Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced nominations for the 2016 Spirit Awards this morning. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at W Hollywood, with actors John Boyega and Elizabeth Olsen presenting the nominations.

Nominees for Best Feature included Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Carol, Spotlight and Tangerine.

“This year’s nominees are a testament to the strength, vitality and diversity of independent, artist-driven filmmaking,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “It’s an astonishingly strong group of films and performances this year and we look forward to celebrating them all at the Spirit Awards.”

Spotlight was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts.

“Spotlight is a remarkable film that excels on every level, but the Nominating Committee thought it was especially deserving of the Robert Altman Award,” said Welsh. “The film is beautifully cast with every member of the ensemble working together to tell the story of the Boston Globe investigating allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church.”

Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 27, 2016. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, in a new location this year just north of the Santa Monica Pier. The show will broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 2:00 pm PT/ 5:00 pm ET.

Winners of the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants will be highlighted during the awards ceremony and announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants and Nominee Brunch on Saturday, January 9, 2016, at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 362 submissions this year and applied the following guidelines in determining the nominations: uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost and individual compensation) and percentage of financing from independent sources. The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees are comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working film professionals.

2016 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)

	Anomalisa
	Producers: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, Dino Stamatopoulos, Rosa Tran

	Beasts of No Nation
	Producers: Daniel Crown, Idris Elba, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker

	Carol
	Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley

	Spotlight
	Producers: Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar

	Tangerine
	Producers: Sean Baker, Karrie Cox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou

BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)

	The Diary of a Teenage Girl
	Director: Marielle Heller
	Producers: Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, Madeline Samit

	James White
	Director: Josh Mond
	Producers: Max Born, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Melody Roscher, Eric Schultz

	Manos Sucias
	Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
	Producers: Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes

	Mediterranea
	Director: Jonas Carpignano
	Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon, Christoph Daniel, Andrew Kortschak, John Lesher, Ryan Lough, Justin Nappi, Alain Peyrollaz, Gwyn Sannia, Marc Schmidheiny, Victor Shapiro, Ryan Zacarias

	Songs My Brothers Taught Me
	Director/Producer: Chloé Zhao
	Producers: Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, Forest Whitaker

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.

	Advantageous
	Writer/Director/Producer: Jennifer Phang
	Writer/Producer: Jacqueline Kim
	Producers: Robert Chang, Ken Jeong, Moon Molson, Theresa Navarro

	Christmas, Again
	Writer/Director/Producer: Charles Poekel

	Heaven Knows What
	Directors: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
	Writers: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
	Producers: Oscar Boyson, Sebastian Bear McClard

	Krisha
	Writer/Director/Producer: Trey Edward Shults
	Producers: Justin R. Chan, Chase Joliet, Wilson Smith

	Out of My Hand
	Writer/Director: Takeshi Fukunaga
	Writer/Producer: Donari Braxton
	Producer: Mike Fox

BEST DIRECTOR

	Sean Baker
	Tangerine

	Cary Joji Fukunaga
	Beasts of No Nation

	Todd Haynes
	Carol

	Duke Johnson & Charlie Kaufman
	Anomalisa

	Tom McCarthy
	Spotlight

	David Robert Mitchell
	It Follows

BEST SCREENPLAY

	Charlie Kaufman
	Anomalisa

	Donald Margulies
	The End of the Tour

	Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer
	Spotlight

	Phyllis Nagy
	Carol

	S. Craig Zahler
	Bone Tomahawk

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

	Jesse Andrews
	Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

	Jonas Carpignano
	Mediterranea

	Emma Donoghue
	Room

	Marielle Heller
	The Diary of a Teenage Girl

	John Magary
	Story by Russell Harbaugh and Myna Joseph
	The Mend

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

	Cary Joji Fukunaga
	Beasts of No Nation

	Michael Gioulakis
	It Follows

	Ed Lachman
	Carol

	Reed Morano
	Meadowland

	Joshua James Richards
	Songs My Brothers Taught Me

BEST EDITING

	Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie
	Heaven Knows What

	Tom McArdle
	Spotlight

	Nathan Nugent
	Room

	Julio C. Perez IV
	It Follows

	Kristan Sprague
	Manos Sucias

BEST FEMALE LEAD

	Cate Blanchett
	Carol

	Brie Larson
	Room

	Rooney Mara
	Carol

	Bel Powley
	The Diary of a Teenage Girl

	Kitana Kiki Rodriguez
	Tangerine

BEST MALE LEAD

	Christopher Abbott
	James White

	Abraham Attah
	Beasts of No Nation

	Ben Mendelsohn
	Mississippi Grind

	Jason Segel
	The End of the Tour

	Koudous Seihon
	Mediterranea

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

	Robin Bartlett
	H.

	Marin Ireland
	Glass Chin

	Jennifer Jason Leigh
	Anomalisa

	Cynthia Nixon
	James White

	Mya Taylor
	Tangerine

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

	Kevin Corrigan
	Results

	Paul Dano
	Love & Mercy

	Idris Elba
	Beasts of No Nation

	Richard Jenkins
	Bone Tomahawk

	Michael Shannon
	99 Homes

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)

	Spotlight
	Director: Tom McCarthy
	Casting Directors: Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee
	Ensemble Cast: Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle, Neal Huff, Brian d’Arcy James, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Jamey Sheridan, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

	(T)ERROR
	Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe
	Producer: Christopher St. John

	Best of Enemies
	Directors/Producers: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville

	Heart of a Dog
	Director/Producer: Laurie Anderson
	Producer: Dan Janvey

	The Look of Silence
	Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
	Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen

	Meru
	Directors/Producers: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
	Producer: Shannon Ethridge

	The Russian Woodpecker
	Director/Producer: Chad Gracia
	Producers: Ram Devineni, Mike Lerner

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)

	Embrace of the Serpent
	(Colombia)
	Director: Ciro Guerra

	Girlhood
	(France)
	Director: Céline Sciamma

	Mustang
	(France, Turkey)
	Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven

	A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
	(Sweden)
	Director: Roy Andersson

	Son of Saul
	(Hungary)
	Director: László Nemes

19^th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 19^th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.

	Darren Dean
	Mel Eslyn
	Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith

22^nd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 22^nd annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.

	God Bless the Child
	Directors: Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck

	King Jack
	Director: Felix Thompson

	Songs My Brothers Taught Me
	Director: Chloé Zhao

	21^st TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 21^st annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

	Among the Believers
	Directors: Mohammed Ali Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi

	Incorruptible
	Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

	A Woman Like Me
	Directors: Elizabeth Giamatti and Alex Sichel

10 Live Action Shorts And 10 Animated Short Films Advance In 88th Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards. One hundred forty-four pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Ave Maria,” Basil Khalil, director, and Eric Dupont, producer (Incognito Films)

“Bad Hunter,” Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Dries Phlypo, producer (A Private View)

“Bis Gleich (Till Then),” Philippe Brenninkmeyer, producer, and Tara Lynn Orr, writer (avenueROAD Films)

“Contrapelo (Against the Grain),” Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director, and Pin-Chun Liu, producer (Ochenta y Cinco Films)

“Day One,” Henry Hughes, director (American Film Institute)

“Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut),” Patrick Vollrath, director (Filmakademie Wien)

“The Free Man (Zi You Ren),” Quah Boon-Lip, director (Taipei National University of the Arts)

“Shok,” Jamie Donoughue, director (Eagle Eye Films)

“Stutterer,” Benjamin Cleary, director (Bare Golly Films)

“Winter Light,” Julian Higgins, director, and Josh Pence, producer (Innerlight Films and Prelude Pictures)

Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting.

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.

The Academy also announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards. Sixty pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Bear Story (Historia De Un Oso),” Gabriel Osorio, director, and Pato Escala, producer (Punkrobot Animation Studio)

“Carface (Autos Portraits),” Claude Cloutier, director (National Film Board of Canada)

“If I Was God…,” Cordell Barker, director (National Film Board of Canada)

“Love in the Time of March Madness,” Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano, directors (High Hip Productions and KAPWA Studioworks)

“My Home,” Phuong Mai Nguyen, director (Papy3D Productions)

“An Object at Rest,” Seth Boyden, director (California Institute of the Arts)

“Prologue,” Richard Williams, director, and Imogen Sutton, producer (Animation Masterclass)

“Sanjay’s Super Team,” Sanjay Patel, director, and Nicole Grindle, producer (Pixar Animation Studios)

“We Can’t Live without Cosmos,” Konstantin Bronzit, director (Melnitsa Animation Studio)

“World of Tomorrow,” Don Hertzfeldt, director (Bitter Films)

Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting.

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist.

Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY

www.oscars.org

The Academy Celebrates Spike Lee, Gena Rowlands And Debbie Reynolds At 2015 Governors Awards

Filmmakers, Actors and Actresses and Hollywood’s A-listers turned out for the first Oscar awards show of the season – the 7th annual Governors Awards.

The star-studded evening was held in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday. (Nov 14, 2015)

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award went to Debbie Reynolds, and Honorary Awards were presented to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center.

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.” The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs opened the 2015 Governors Awards with a tribute to the Paris tragedy and spoke about The Academy’s response to diversity in the film industry (17 of the 51 Governors are women) and their new initiative, A2020.

Wesley Snipes, Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson and Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington spoke as part of the award presentation to Honorary Award recipient Spike Lee.

Gena Rowlands received her Oscar from son Nick Cassavetes.

Zooey Deschanel performed the song “Tammy” to Debbie Reynolds who was unable to attend. Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda paid tribute and Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep presented the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Billie Lourd on behalf of Ms. Reynolds.

Producers Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis produced the 7th Annual Governors Awards for the Academy.

See the rest of The Academy’s videos here: www.youtube.com/user/Oscars/videos

Lee, a champion of independent film and an inspiration to young filmmakers, made an auspicious debut with his NYU thesis film, “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads,” which won a Student Academy Award in 1983. He proceeded to blaze a distinctive trail with such features as “She’s Gotta Have It,” “School Daze” and “Do the Right Thing,” which earned him a 1989 Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay. His work as a director ranges from the Oscar-nominated documentary feature “4 Little Girls” to such mainstream successes as “Malcolm X” and “Inside Man.” Lee’s other feature credits include “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Jungle Fever,” “Crooklyn,” “He Got Game,” “25th Hour,” “Miracle at St. Anna” and “Red Hook Summer.” He currently serves as the artistic director of the graduate film program at NYU.

Rowlands, an original talent whose devotion to her craft has earned her worldwide recognition as an independent film icon, received Academy Award nominations for her lead performances in “A Woman under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980), both directed by her husband and frequent collaborator, John Cassavetes. She got her start on the New York stage and in live television in the 1950s and has appeared in 40 feature films to date, from “The High Cost of Loving” in 1958 to “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks,” which she starred in earlier this year. Her other notable films include “Lonely Are the Brave,” “Faces,” “Minnie and Moskowitz,” “Opening Night,” “Another Woman,” “Unhook the Stars,” “Hope Floats,” “Playing by Heart,” “The Notebook” and “Broken English.”

Reynolds, a Hollywood icon since she won hearts with her buoyant performance in “Singin’ in the Rain,” embarked on the role of a lifetime as a founding member of the Thalians, a charitable organization conceived and sustained by entertainers to promote awareness and treatment of mental health issues. She served as the group’s president almost continuously from 1957 to 2011, adding numerous terms as board chair and frequently presiding over its annual fundraising gala. Her tireless efforts have enabled the Thalians to contribute millions to the Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai and to UCLA’s Operation Mend, which helps military veterans recover from the physical and psychological wounds of war. Reynolds has appeared in more than 40 feature films, including “The Tender Trap,” “A Catered Affair” and “Mother,” and received a 1964 Oscar nomination for her lead performance in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

Honorary Award recipients Gena Rowlands and Spike Lee

Billie Lourd accepts the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for Debbie Reynolds from Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep.

Zooey Deschanel performs a tribute for Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient Debbie Reynolds.

Honorary Award recipient Spike Lee (left center), actor Will Smith (left), actor Samuel L. Jackson (right center) and actor Wesley Snipes.

Nick Cassavetes (left) presents the Oscar to Honorary Award recipient Gena Rowlands.

Watch Governors Awards Recipients Spike Lee And Gena Rowlands Discuss The Power Of Movies In New Academy Originals

On Saturday evening The Academy is handing out the first Oscars of the season.

AMPAS is hosting its annual Governors Awards where they are honoring film icons Spike Lee, Gena Rowlands and Debbie Reynolds.

Today The Academy released two special “Academy Originals” episodes featuring director Spike Lee and actress Gena Rowlands.

On August 25th, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to present Honorary Awards to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Debbie Reynolds.

All three awards will be presented at the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 14, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center. Producers Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis will produce the 7th Annual Governors Awards for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

“The Board is proud to recognize our honorees’ remarkable contributions at this year’s Governors Awards,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “We’ll be celebrating their achievements with the knowledge that the work they have accomplished – with passion, dedication and a desire to make a positive difference – will also enrich future generations.”

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

Visit The Academy’s site here: http://www.oscars.org/governors

SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE, MINIONS Among 16 Films In Contention For Best Animated Feature At 88th Oscars

Sixteen features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 88th Academy Awards.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

“Anomalisa”
“The Boy and the Beast”
“Boy and the World”
“The Good Dinosaur”
“Home”
“Hotel Transylvania 2”
“Inside Out”
“Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet”
“The Laws of the Universe – Part 0”
“Minions”
“Moomins on the Riviera”
“The Peanuts Movie”
“Regular Show: The Movie”
“Shaun the Sheep Movie”
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water”
“When Marnie Was There”

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated. In any year in which 16 or more animated feature films are eligible, a maximum of five motion pictures may be nominated.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC.

Documentary Short Subject Contenders For 88th Academy Awards Announced

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 88th Academy Awards has been narrowed to 10 films, of which five will earn Oscar nominations.

Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 74 eligible entries and submitted their ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers for tabulation.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Body Team 12,” RYOT Films and Vulcan Productions
“Chau, beyond the Lines,” Cynasty Films
“Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah,” Jet Black Iris America
“50 Feet from Syria,” Spin Film
“A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness,” SOC Films
“Last Day of Freedom,” Living Condition
“Minerita,” Kanaki Films
“My Enemy, My Brother,” Fathom Film Group
“Starting Point,” Munk Studio – Polish Filmmakers Association
“The Testimony,” Atria Film in association with Escape Artists

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

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