The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced nominations in the theatrical motion picture category of the 28th Annual ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement.
The nominees for Outstanding Achievement in Feature-Film Cinematography:
Barry Ackroyd (Capt. Phillips)
Sean Bobbitt (12 Yrs a Slave)
Roger Deakins (Prisoners)
Bruno Delbonnel (Inside Llewyn Davis)
Philippe Le Sourd (The Grandmaster)
Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity)
Phedon Papamichael (Nebraska)
The winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony on February 1, at the Hollywood & Highland Ray Dolby Ballroom.
“Our members believe these cinematographers have set the contemporary standard for artful, theatrical motion picture cinematography,” says ASC President Richard Crudo. “They have mastered a complex craft which contributes vitally to the storytelling process, and augments the intentions of everyone involved with the production.”
Traditionally, the organization selects five nominees, but a three-way tie this year boosts that number to seven.
This year’s nomination brings Deakins’ total to 12. He won last year for Skyfall, and previously for The Shawshank Redemption (1995) and The Man Who Wasn’t There (2002). His other nominations were for Fargo (1997), Kundun (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001), No Country for Old Men (2008), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2008), Revolutionary Road (2009), The Reader (2009) and True Grit (2011). He was also the recipient of the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Lubezki has won ASC Awards for The Tree of Life (2012) and Children of Men (2007), and was also nominated in 2000 for Sleepy Hollow.
Delbonnel earned top honors for A Very Long Engagement (2005), as well as a nomination for Amélie (2002).
Ackroyd was previously nominated for The Hurt Locker (2010).
Papamichael earned previous nominations in the television movie and miniseries category for White Dwarf (1996) and Wild Palms (1994), respectively.
This is the first ASC nomination for Bobbitt and Le Sourd.
Contributed by Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue
The sets. The hair and makeup. The cinematography. The story. The sound. All of the work of talented crafts people are pulled together under the very heart of any good movie – the score.
With the Academy Award nominations on Thursday, January 16, looming like the drumline at the head of a marching band, we thought we’d have a look back at some of the finer scores of 2013.
Listen and watch a handful of Hollywood’s leading composers discuss the art of scoring a film in The Hollywood Reporter’s round table discussion. With one hundred fourteen scores from 2013 vying for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Oscars, we suspect some of these names will be announced .
Honorable Mention: INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS from T Bone Burnett.
The soundtrack for INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS transported us to another time and place. The documentary feeling of the film stems from the Coens Brothers decision to shoot and record the music live with no playback and we joined right in the folk-song revival.
For more on the music, read a Q&A with T Bone Burnett HERE.
1. GRAVITY – Steven Price
For Alfonso Cuarón’s thriller, Price created a groundbreaking score, blurring the lines between electronic and organic sounds, incorporating a wide range of elements, from glass harmonicas to string and brass sections. The score captures the on-screen emotion and vacuum of space as another character in the film and left our hearts pounding.
American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Patton, best known as the lead singer of the alternative metal/experimental rock bands Mr. Bungle and Faith No More, has composed a brooding and emotionally charged original score. Patton’s music guides the viewer through this multi-generational drama, linking characters, time periods, and locations with a harmonic convergence of jazz, folk, rock, blues and classical.
Patton’s score features an eclectic selection of music including selections by Arvo Part and Ennio Morricone.
3. ALL IS LOST – Alex Ebert
In a film so devoid of dialogue, this great musical score assumed special importance. Director J.C. Chandor turned to acclaimed singer-songwriter Alex Ebert, leader of the band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, to compose the film’s score—his first such project.
“It was sort of a shocker in some ways,” says Ebert. “It’s amazing that J.C. would have that kind of faith in someone who hadn’t scored a film.”
Ebert says Chandor initially asked him to deliver very subdued materials, drones and low notes that sustained over scenes. He also specifically requested that the instrumentation avoid piano. That was challenging for the composer, who had already written some pieces on piano, but he understood Chandor’s reasoning.
“The piano has this inherent emotion to it,” he says. “We didn’t want anything that was ’emotion in a can’ or ‘tension in a can.’ But eventually I started taking more chances, and after some back and forth with J.C., we landed in this middle spot that I think was perfect.”
“It’s about beauty,” he says. “It’s emotional and everything that comes along with life and death, and nothing less. I think that’s the primary subject of humanity—and it’s something that you might want to stay away from because it would be overdramatic. But this dude’s in the middle of the ocean on a raft. Let the music be emotional because it is emotional. We followed the movie’s lead.”
The very emotional score from Alexandre Desplat’s PHILOMENA broke our hearts. We laughed and cried from beginning to end with Philomena Lee’s heart-wrenching story.
5. OBLIVION – Anthony Gonzalez, M83, Joseph Trapanese
The score was one of the best of 2013 and an intregral part of OBLIVION’s sci-fi landscape.
Jackman displays versatility in capturing both the intense, desperation and terror in the story of Captain Richard Phillips’ hostage situation with Somali pirates as well as the humanity of the circumstances. Hitting the right musical balance of drama and intensity was a challenge in minimalism for Jackman, so as not to manipulate the audience.
7. NEBRASKA – Mark Orton
A member of the bluegrass folk collective Tin Hat, Orton’s vibe for Americana music was sought out by director Alexander Payne. Horns, acoustic strings and organ are some of the primary elemental instruments fueling the musical emotion to this story, capturing both the vast landscape and people of the flyover states. Orton, a graduate of the Sundance Filmmaker Institute, also scored the music to the 2014 Sundance premiere Drunktown’s Finest.
A celebrated musician and former member of the platinum-selling group Simply Red, Pereira sings to the hearts of children through his scores for Despicable Me 2. The sequel, which follows the further adventures of the notorious spy Gru, Pereira created specific themes for the new characters, specifically 1960s romantic comedy tones for his love interest Lucy and Latin-mariachi rhythms for the evil El Macho.
9. SAVING MR. BANKS – Thomas Newman
Newman has composed music for nearly 100 motion pictures and television series and has earned 11 Academy Award® nominations and six Grammy® Awards. His score goes hand-in-hand with the back story of Walt Disney and PJ Travers making of MARY POPPINS and left us looking for tissues by the film’s end.
10. FROZEN – Christophe Beck
The second of Disney’s movies that showed young girls it was okay to be their very own heroes!
11. RUSH – Hans Zimmer
With their collaborations on blockbusters from The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons to more intimate projects such as Frost/Nixon, director Ron Howard and Hans Zimmer, a Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award® winner, once again joined forces for the sounds of RUSH.
Balancing the racers’ simple desires with their frenetic-yet-controlled behavior on the track was a challenge for Howard and Zimmer as they created the soundtrack to the film. The composer captured the spirit of the Formula 1 world.
12. EPIC – Danny Elfman
The rousing score for The Leaf-Men. Enough said.
13. PACIFIC RIM – Ramin Djawadi
Okay, so maybe it didn’t live up to everyone’s expectations, but hot damn if the score to PACIFIC RIM wasn’t one of the coolest of 2013. Made us want to suit up as Jaeger pilots and make a last stand in our ‘Gipsy Danger’.
14. WORLD WAR Z – Marco Beltrami
Animal skulls and teeth combined with percussion add to the tension of utter panic and anxiety in a world being overrun by a Zombie pandemic.
Giving you the sense of dread and desperation, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score for PRISONERS left us with aches and chills over a parent’s worst nightmare.
We couldn’t end our list without a quick mention for composer Alan Silvestri’s music for THE CROODS. While the film score conveyed beautiful themes and resonated on a deeper level than words could ever say, we were fans of how Silvestri combined the Abbey Road Orchestra and the USC Trojan Marching Band… especially the percussion section!
There’s a scene early on in the Coen Brothers’ new film where the main character of Llewyn Davis goes to his manager’s office to retrieve his earnings from his most recent musical recording. If it wasn’t for the fact the manager’s oblivious and uninterested deadpan demeanor is perfectly played for laughs, we would actually be treated to such a depressing state of pleading that it might make the entire stream of events that follow too depressing to swallow. Oscar Isaac’s character Llewyn isn’t asking for money to buy some whiskey or to score some “grass.” He simply wants a winter coat. Why this scene is so important is because it perfectly captures the life of the struggling singer-songwriter. Even though INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS is set amid the folk revival of the 60’s in New York, the idea of a real musician struggling to survive in a world that would rather listen to more accessible musicians (“squares” as they say here) is a theme that still carries on in our world today. The Coen Brothers have a long history of structuring their films around characters on a journey; a journey in both physical and metaphorical terms. Yet what makes their characters stick with audiences long after the credits roll is that they seem to reflect not just a single individual but also that of an entire country. Their most recent examination of America’s identity might be one of the most accomplished films in the Brothers’ career and yet also their most personal.
Oscar Isaac plays Llewyn Davis – a musician who is only equipped with his trusty guitar. Every day ends with his livelihood dependant on the next person who’s offering their couch for a night of rest. A series of unfortunate events is triggered when his most recent squatting leads to him accidentally letting out the owners of the apartment’s cat – Ulysses. From there the two shuffle about the frigid streets of Greenwich Village running into past affairs (Carey Mulligan) and popular figures in the new music folk scene (Adam Driver and Justin Timberlake). Davis soon decides to take matters into his own hands after his manager’s incompetence takes its final toll on him. And so he sets out on a road trip to impress a record mogul in Chicago.
The Coen Brothers have perfectly captured the mood and feeling of the early 60’s. All of the performances add depth to the script’s witty dialogue and focus on substance over style. Nothing portrays this more than Oscar Isaac’s forlorn posture and weathered appearance. Much like the rest of their filmography, an attention to detail is evident in every shot as Bruno Delbonnel’s cinematography seems to give the entire film a unique blend of sepia toned and black & white film color tones. There’s a natural way to how the story unfolds. At times it feels we have been walking in the same shoes as Lllewyn for years on end. There’s a familiarity to the scenes as the film progresses and this pattern of recurring events is only reiterated by the scenes that bookend the film.
Some may be quick to say that Llewyn’s road trip to Chicago half-way through the film may seem not only as a departure of sorts from the New York centered story but also as a detour from the heart of the matter, but the excursion adds some bitingly funny scenes thanks to a cameo by John Goodman and adds a mysterious layer to the events due to a rather enigmatic sequence where Garret Hedlund’s character recites a poem at a late night restaurant. Perhaps the scenes with Goodman feel a little too obvious given the actor’s reputation of playing bombastic and loud-mouthed characters. However, the hostile rapport between the two actors in these scenes create some of the most memorable scenes in a film that could easily exist as a clip reel of some of the best scenes and dialogue put to film in 2013.
At the heart of the film lies the story of an intrepid artist who pours his heart into his music. Each of the songs performed by Llewyn display the same level of honesty and reverence that the directors’ bestow on the film. The journey of an artist – whether it be a painter, actor, or in this case a musician – can be a lonely road of introspection and hardship. Given the fact that this trip is in the hands of the Coens, an equal amount of humor and drama are infused along the way. Whether it be the repeated sightings of an orange cat named Ulysses – whose name is no coincidence of course – or the cyclical nature of the story, LLEWYN DAVIS’ tale of a poor folk singer in the 60’s shows that sometimes history is doomed to repeat itself. Thankfully this is a film that will be worth repeating for years to come.
Film Independent announced nominations for the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards this morning.
Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at the W Hollywood, with actresses Octavia Spencer and Paula Patton presenting the nominations.
Nominees for Best Feature included 12 Years a Slave, All Is Lost, Frances Ha, Inside Llewyn Davis and Nebraska.
Mudwas selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
In its commitment to recognizing the importance of below the line contributions to the art of filmmaking, Film Independent has now introduced, for the first year, the Best Editing category in the Spirit Awards.
Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, March 1, 2014. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, with the premiere broadcast airing later that evening at 10:00 pm ET/PT exclusively on IFC.
2014 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded)
12 Years a Slave
PRODUCERS: Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad
All Is Lost
PRODUCERS: Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb
Frances Ha
PRODUCERS: Noah Baumbach, Scott Rudin, Rodrigo Teixeira, Lila Yacoub
Inside Llewyn Davis
PRODUCERS: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
Nebraska
PRODUCERS: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa
BEST DIRECTOR
Shane Carruth
Upstream Color
J.C. Chandor
All Is Lost
Steve McQueen
12 Years a Slave
Jeff Nichols
Mud
Alexander Payne
Nebraska
BEST SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen
Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater
Before Midnight
Nicole Holofcener
Enough Said
Scott Neustadter &Michael H. Weber
The Spectacular Now
John Ridley
12 Years a Slave
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Blue Caprice
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Alexandre MoorsPRODUCERS: Kim Jackson, Brian O’Carroll, Isen Robbins, Will Rowbotham, Ron Simons, Aimee Schoof, Stephen Tedeschi
Concussion
DIRECTOR: Stacie PassonPRODUCER: Rose Troche
Fruitvale Station
DIRECTOR: Ryan CooglerPRODUCERS: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker
Una Noche
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Lucy MulloyPRODUCERS: Sandy Perez Aguila, Maite Artieda, Daniel Mulloy, Yunior Santiago
Wadjda
DIRECTOR: Haifaa Al MansourPRODUCERS: Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Lake Bell
In A World
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Don Jon
Bob Nelson
Nebraska
Jill Soloway
Afternoon Delight
Michael Starrbury
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
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.
Computer Chess
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Andrew BujalskiPRODUCERS: Houston King & Alex Lipschultz
Crystal Fairy
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Sebastian SilvaPRODUCERS: Juan de Dios Larrain & Pablo Larrain
Museum Hours
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jem CohenPRODUCERS: Paolo Calamita & Gabriele Kranzelbinder
Pit Stop
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Yen TanWRITER: David LoweryPRODUCERS: Jonathan Duffy, James M. Johnston,Eric Steele, Kelly Williams
This is Martin Bonner
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Chad HartiganPRODUCER: Cherie Saulter
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Cate Blanchett
Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy
Before Midnight
Gaby Hoffmann
Crystal Fairy
Brie Larson
Short Term 12
Shailene Woodley
The Spectacular Now
BEST MALE LEAD
Bruce Dern
Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor
12 Years a Slave
Oscar Isaac
Inside Llewyn Davis
Michael B. Jordan
Fruitvale Station
Matthew McConaughey
Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford
All Is Lost
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Melonie Diaz
Fruitvale Station
Sally Hawkins
Blue Jasmine
Lupita Nyong’o
12 Years a Slave
Yolonda Ross
Go For Sisters
June Squibb
Nebraska
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Michael Fassbender
12 Years a Slave
Will Forte
Nebraska
James Gandolfini
Enough Said
Jared Leto
Dallas Buyers Club
Keith Stanfield
Short Term 12
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt
12 Years a Slave
Benoit Debie
Spring Breakers
Bruno Delbonnel
Inside Llewyn Davis
Frank G. DeMarco
All Is Lost
Matthias Grunsky
Computer Chess
BEST EDITING
Shane Carruth & David Lowery
Upstream Color
Jem Cohen & Marc Vives
Museum Hours
Jennifer Lame
Frances Ha
Cindy Lee
Una Noche
Nat Sanders
Short Term 12
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
20 Feet From Stardom
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Morgan NevillePRODUCERS: Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers
After Tiller
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Martha Shane & Lana Wilson
Gideon’s Army
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Dawn PorterPRODUCER: Julie Goldman
The Act of Killing
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Joshua OppenheimerPRODUCERS: Joram Ten Brink, Christine Cynn, Anne Kohncke, Signe Byrge Sorensen,Michael Uwemedimo
The Square
DIRECTOR: Jehane NoujaimPRODUCER: Karim Amer
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
A Touch of Sin(China)
DIRECTOR: Jia Zhang-Ke
Blue is the Warmest Color(France)
DIRECTOR: Abdellatif Kechiche
Gloria(Chile)
DIRECTOR: Sebastian Lelio
The Great Beauty(Italy)
DIRECTOR: Paolo Sorrentino
The Hunt
(Denmark)
DIRECTOR: Thomas Vinterberg
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Mud
Director: Jeff Nichols
Casting Director: Francine Maisler
Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon
17th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 17th 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.
Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston
Jacob Jaffke
Andrea Roa
Frederick Thornton
20th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 20th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
My Sister’s Quinceanera
DIRECTOR: Aaron Douglas Johnston
Newlyweeds
DIRECTOR: Shaka King
The Foxy Merkins
DIRECTOR: Madeline Olnek
19th ANNUAL STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 19th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by Stella Artois, 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.
Kalyanee Mam
A River Changes Course
Jason Osder
Let the Fire Burn
Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez
Manakamana
TOTALS PER FILM
FILM TITLE
CATEGORIES
# OF NOMINATIONS
12 Years a Slave
Best CinematographyBest DirectorBest FeatureBest Male Lead
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Female
Best Supporting Male
7
20 Feet From Stardom
Best Documentary
1
A River Changes Course
Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award
1
A Touch of Sin
Best International Film
1
After Tiller
Best Documentary
1
Afternoon Delight
Best First Screenplay
1
All Is Lost
Best CinematographyBest DirectorBest FeatureBest Male Lead
4
Before Midnight
Best Female LeadBest Screenplay
2
Blue Caprice
Best First Feature
1
Blue is the Warmest Color
Best International Film
1
Blue Jasmine
Best Female LeadBest ScreenplayBest Supporting Female
3
Computer Chess
Best CinematographyJohn Cassavetes Award
2
Concussion
Best First Feature
1
Crystal Fairy
Best Female LeadJohn Cassavetes Award
2
Dallas Buyers Club
Best Male LeadBest Supporting Male
2
Don Jon
Best First Screenplay
1
Enough Said
Best ScreenplayBest Supporting Male
2
Frances Ha
Best EditingBest Feature
2
Fruitvale Station
Best First FeatureBest Male LeadBest Supporting Female
3
Gideon’s Army
Best Documentary
1
Gloria
Best International Film
1
Go For Sisters
Best Supporting Female
1
In A World
Best First Screenplay
1
Inside Llewyn Davis
Best CinematographyBest FeatureBest Male Lead
3
Let the Fire Burn
Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award
1
Manakamana
Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award
1
Mud
Best DirectorRobert Altman Award
2
Museum Hours
Best EditingJohn Cassavetes Award
2
My Sister’s Quinceanera
Someone to Watch Award
1
Nebraska
Best DirectorBest FeatureBest First ScreenplayBest Male Lead
In her review this past May, Sasha Stone (Awards Daily) wrote,
“Inside Llewyn Davis comes like a breath of fresh air at the Cannes Film Fest, an accomplished, breathtaking work, a portrait of a specific time and place before everything changed. Like Dylan himself, the Coens keep evolving, never settling on one style for very long.”
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, written and directed by Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), will be the Closing Night Gala at the AFI Fest 2013 on Thursday, November 14. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and Justin Timberlake and follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. The film had its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival in September.
Here’s the brand new trailer for INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS.
LLEWYN DAVIS (Oscar Isaac) is at a crossroads. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles—some of them of his own making. Living at the mercy of both friends and strangers, scaring up what work he can find, Llewyn’s misadventures take him from the baskethouses of the Village to an empty Chicago club—on an odyssey to audition for a music mogul —and back again.
Brimming with music performed by Isaac, Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan (as Llewyn’s married Village friends), as well as Marcus Mumford and Punch Brothers, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS—in the tradition of O Brother, Where Art Thou?—is infused with the transportive sound of another time and place.
An epic on an intimate scale, it represents the Coen Brothers’ fourth collaboration with multiple-Grammy and Academy Award-winning music producer T Bone Burnett. Marcus Mumford is associate music producer.
From CBS Films, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS will be in theaters on December 6, 2013.
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today early details of its AFI FEST 2013 presented by Audi. The programming unveiled epitomizes the vision of the festival – a celebration of Hollywood today where icons and emerging artists bring audiences together to experience global cinema in the movie capital of the world.
The North American Premiere Gala of Disney’s SAVING MR. BANKS will open the festival on Thursday, November 7.
The World Premiere Opening Weekend Gala of Sony Picture Classics’ FOXCATCHER on Friday, November 8 will launch a slate of independent and auteur films that will unspool over the course of the festival. Agnès Varda, considered “the mother of French New Wave cinema,” will serve as Guest Artistic Director.
“The American Film Institute honors the past, the present and the future of the motion picture arts. Now in its 27th year, AFI FEST remains the place to experience Hollywood now – a place that lives in the mythology of the movies, but also home to the dynamic global stories of today,” said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale.
“Our line-up of programming, from opening to closing, reflects what Hollywood is today: a broad spectrum of stories from studio and independent filmmakers, and having Agnès Varda as Guest Artistic Director was a conscious decision to recognize the global influence of an icon of the French New Wave,” said Festival Director Jacqueline Lyanga. “The blending of studio, independent, foreign andauteur films and the artists who made them is the embodiment of AFI FEST.”
SAVING MR. BANKS, starring Academy Award-winning actress Emma Thompson and AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks, will have its North American Premiere on Thursday, November 7 as the Opening Night Gala. Inspired by true events, SAVING MR. BANKS is the extraordinary, untold story of how Walt Disney’s classic MARY POPPINS made it to the screen – and the testy relationship between the legendary Walt Disney and author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it. John Lee Hancock (THE BLIND SIDE) is the director, and Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith wrote the screenplay.
B.J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford and Emma Thompson in SAVING MR. BANKS
SAVING MR. BANKS also stars Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Annie Rose Buckley, Ruth Wilson, B.J. Novak, Rachel Griffiths, Kathy Baker and Colin Farrell.
MARY POPPINS premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in 1964 with both Walt Disney and P.L. Travers in attendance. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and garnered 12 more Oscar nominations. Out of the 13 nominations, MARY POPPINS won five, including Best Actress for its star, Julie Andrews. The song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest movie songs of all time. MARY POPPINS is ranked among the top 10 of AFI’s Greatest Movie Musicals. Bridging the present and the past, AFI FEST celebrates SAVING MR. BANKS and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Disney classic with a screening of MARY POPPINS during the festival’s opening weekend at the renowned movie palace where it first debuted to the world.
FOXCATCHER, a psychological drama directed by Academy Award nominee Bennett Miller (MONEYBALL) and starring Golden Globe winner Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo, Academy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave and Sienna Miller, will have its World Premiere on Friday, November 8 as the Opening Weekend Gala.
The film was written by E. Max Frye and Academy Award nominee Dan Futterman. FOXCATCHER tells the story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum), who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave (Ruffalo) and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell) to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Desperate to gain the respect of his disapproving mother, du Pont begins “coaching” a world-class athletic team and, in the process, lures Mark into dangerous habits, breaks his confidence and drives him into a self-destructive spiral.
Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo in FOXCATCHER
Based on actual events, FOXCATCHER is a gripping and profoundly American story of fragile men who pinned their hopes for love and redemption on a desperate obsession for greatness that was to end in tragedy.
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, written and directed by Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), was produced by Scott Rudin and Joel and Ethan Coen and will be the Closing Night Gala on Thursday, November 14.
The film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and Justin Timberlake and follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Llewyn Davis (Isaac) is at a crossroads. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, some of them of his own making. Brimming with music performed by Isaac, Timberlake and Mulligan (as Llewyn’s married Village friends), as well as Marcus Mumford and Punch Brothers, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS – in the tradition of O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? – is infused with the transportive sound of another time and place.
An epic on an intimate scale, it represents the Coen Brothers’ fourth collaboration with multiple-Grammy and Academy Award-winning music producer T Bone Burnett. Marcus Mumford is the Associate Music Producer. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS recently won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival. The film will be distributed by CBS Films in the U.S.
As AFI FEST Guest Artistic Director, Agnès Varda, often called the mother of the French New Wave movement, will present a program of films that have inspired her work. Details will be announced later this month.
Festival passes are on sale now at AFI.com/AFIFEST. For the fifth consecutive year, AFI FEST will continue its unprecedented offer of free tickets to all screenings, but only the Star Patron Package and Marquee Patron Package will provide reserved seating at today’s three announced galas – Opening Night, Opening Weekend and Closing Night. These and other AFI FEST Patron Packages and Passes – which can include access to sold-out galas and other high-demand films and events – are available now.
Free individual tickets to AFI FEST screenings and galas will be available to AFI members on Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29 in a 48-hour advance window before they become available to the general public on Wednesday, October 30 and Thursday, October 31. In addition, AFI members at the Two-Star level and above receive a 10% discount on all AFI FEST Patron Packages and Passes. Information about AFI Membership is available at AFI.com/membership.
For the 10th year, Audi returns as the festival’s presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include American Airlines, the official airline of AFI; The American Film Market (AFM); AT&T; Coca-Cola; The Egyptian Theatre; Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; Stella Artois; and TCL Chinese Theatre, among many others.
