Category Archives: Academy Awards

#AFIDOCS, #AFIFEST, Academy Awards, AFIDocs, American Film Institute, Arlington Theater, Documentary, Maltin Award, Opening Night, Oscar, outstanding performer of the year, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, SBIFF Virtuosos, Sundance, Sundance Film Festival, Tribute, World Premiere

2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Wrap

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

The 38th Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) has closed after another successful run from February 8th to February 18th, 2023. In all, SBIFF showcased 52 world premiere films as well as 78 US premieres! Official events included screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, held throughout the city, including at the historic Arlington Theatre.

The Opening Night Film, Wednesday, February 8, featured the WORLD Premiere of MIRANDA’S VICTIM, a biographical crime drama, directed by Michelle Danner and starring Abigail Breslin, Ryan Phillippe, Luke Wilson, Donald Sutherland, Mireille Enos and Andy Garcia.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 09: Angela Bassett speaks onstage at the Montecito Award Ceremony during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at The Arlington Theatre on February 09, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF)

Without missing a beat,the following evening  SBIFF feted Angela Bassett, who incidentally is nominated for Best Supporting Oscar for this year’s performance in Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER directed by Ryan Coogler from Disney Studios. Bassett received the festival’s Montecito Award. The Montecito Award is named after one of the most beautiful and stylish areas in Santa Barbara. Past recipients include Penélope Cruz, Amanda Seyfried, Lupita Nyong’o, Melissa McCarthy, Saoirse Ronan, Isabelle Huppert, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Geoffrey Rush, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts and Javier Bardem.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 10: Honoree Cate Blanchett poses with the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre on February 10, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF)

On Friday, February 10th, the SBIFF Filmmaker Seminars kicked off with  a timely topic of Overcoming Adversity/Fight the Power: Documentary Activism at Work at 11:00 am at Tamsen Gallery at 911 1/2 State Street across from the Fiesta 5 Theatre. The new and improved free film format (daily) screened TÁR, directed by Todd Field and starring Cate Blanchett, at 2:00 pm at the Arlington Theatre. Blanchett’s performance in TAR has a strong chance of landing the actress her third Academy Award. Consequently, SBIFF honored Blanchett with its OUTSTANDING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR AWARD.

The morning of Saturday, February 11th, brought out the Writers Panel featuring The Daniels (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Todd Field (Tár), Kazuo Ishiguro (Living), Rian Johnson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Tony Kushner (The Fabelmans), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin), Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness), Lesley Paterson (All Quiet on the Western Front), Sarah Polley (Women Talking).

The afternoon brought the Women’s Panel with Anne Alvergue – Director (The Martha Mitchell Effect), Ruth E. Carter – Costume Designer (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Hannah Minghella – Producer (The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse), Domee Shi – Director (Turning Red), Gwendolyn Yates Whittle – Sound Editor (Avatar: The Way of Water), Mary Zophres – Costume Designer (Babylon).

 

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 11: Jamie Lee Curtis speaks at the Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at Arlington Theatre on February 11, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF)

In the evening, SBIFF hosted the Maltin Modern Master Award honoring Jamie Lee Curtis. The Modern Master Award was established in 1995 and is the highest accolade presented by SBIFF. Created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry, it was re-named the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 in honor of long-time SBIFF moderator and renowned film critic Leonard Maltin. Past recipients include Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Bill Murray, Brad Pitt, Glenn Close, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Bruce Dern, Ben Affleck, Christopher Plummer, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, Cate Blanchett, Will Smith, George Clooney and Peter Jackson.

Sunday morning, February 12th, brought out the Producers Panel, 11:00am at the Arlington Theatre featuring Gail Berman (Elvis), Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun: Maverick), Todd Field (Tár), Dede Gardner (Women Talking), Malte Grunert (All Quiet on the Western Front), Erik Hemmendorff (Triangle of Sadness), Kristie Macosko Krieger (The Fabelmans), Jon Landau (Avatar: The Way of Water), Jonathan Wang (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

Sunday afternoon highlighted the International Directors Panel, 2:00pm at the Arlington Theatre with Colm Bairéad (The Quiet Girl), Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front), Lukas Dhont (Close), Santiago Mitre (Argentina, 1985), Jerzy Skolimowski (Eo).

On Monday February 13th, the Filmmaker Seminar “Say it Loud: How Under-Represented Voices Get Heard,” featured Maureen Bharoocha, Director (The Prank) Alison Millar, Director (Lyra) Caylee So, Director (The Harvest) Victor Nunez, Director (Rachel Hendrix) Angie Wang, Juror (Director, MDMA (2017)).

The Daily Free Film featured David Crosby: Remember My Name – 2:00pm @ Arlington Theatre. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Director A.J. Eaton.

In the evening the Variety Artisans Award, took place at the Arlington Theatre, recognizing M. M. Keeravaani – Songwriter (RRR), Son Lux – Composer (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Catherine Martin – Costume Designer (Elvis), Florencia Martin – Production Designer (Babylon), Claudio Miranda – Cinematography (Top Gun: Maverick), Adrien Morot – Hairstyling/Make Up (The Whale), Paul Rogers – Editing (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Eric Saindon – VFX (Avatar: The Way of Water), Sound Team (All Quiet on the Western Front).

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 14: Brendan Fraser receives the American Riviera Awardonstage at the American Riviera Award Ceremony during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre on February 14, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF)

On Tuesday, Brendan Fraser was honored with the American Riviera Award and an in-person conversation about his career, leading up to this year’s performance as Charlie in the A24 film THE WHALE, a story from Darren Aranofsky, of a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.

The American Riviera Award was established to recognize actors who have made a significant contribution to American Cinema. Previous recipients include Kristen Stewart, Delroy Lindo, Renée Zellweger, Viggo Mortenson, Sam Rockwell, Jeff Bridges, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Robert Redford, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Annette Bening, Sandra Bullock, Mickey Rourke, Tommy Lee Jones, Forrest Whitaker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane.

Wednesday brought The Virtuosos, moderated by Deadline’s Dave Karger, and featured AUSTIN BUTLER (ELVIS), KERRY CONDON (THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN), DANIELLE DEADWYLER (TILL), NINA HOSS (TÁR), STEPHANIE HSU (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE), JEREMY POPE (THE INSPECTION), KE HUY QUAN (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE), JEREMY STRONG (ARMAGEDDON TIME). The Virtuosos Award is an honor created to recognize a select group of talent whose noteworthy performances in film have elevated them into the national cinematic dialogue.

Thursday, Colin Farrell & Brendan Gleeson, received the Cinema Vanguard Award, presented by Director Martin McDonagh. The Cinema Vanguard Award recognizes actors who have forged their own path, taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film.

Colin Farrell has had a distinguished career of nearly twenty-plus years in film and television. He can be seen in Warner Bros.’ The Batman for director Matt Reeves; in the MGM film Thirteen Lives for director Ron Howard; in the BBC / AMC drama “The North Water”; and After Yang which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and also made its North American debut at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Farrell was most recently seen in Tim Burton’s 2019 live action film Dumbo and Fox’s 2018 ensemble feature Widows, directed by Steve McQueen and co-starring Viola Davis. In 2017, Farrell made his second film with Yorgos Lanthimos, The Killing of the Sacred Deer opposite Nicole Kidman for A24. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival along with Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled in which he also starred with Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Kirsten Dunst. That same year, he appeared opposite Denzel Washington in the Sony film Roman Israel, Esq., written and directed by Dan Gilroy.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 16: Honorees Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson pose with their Cinema Vanguard Awards during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre on February 16, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF)

A former teacher, Dublin-born Brendan Gleeson left the profession to pursue a career in his first love – acting. He joined the Irish theater company Passion Machine and has since starred on the stage, in films, and on television, winning fans and awards worldwide. Other recent films include: The Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs for Netflix; Hampstead, opposite Diane Keaton; Paddington 2 also starring Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins, and Julie Walters; Trespass Against Us opposite Michael Fassbender; Vincent Perez’s Alone in Berlin opposite Emma Thompson; Assassin’s Creed once again with Michael Fassbender; the Warner Bros. Ben Affleck  Live By Night; Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea; and Suffragette opposite Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep, once again winning the BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The next evening, Martin McDonagh (The Banshees Of Inisherin) and Todd Field (Tár) were honored as the Best Directors of the Year. Scott Feinberg, Executive Editor of Awards at the Hollywood Reporter hosted the evening.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 17: (L-R) Todd Field, Martin McDonagh and Scott Feinberg speak onstage at the Outstanding Directors of the Year Award Ceremony during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre on February 17, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF)

After a clip from The Banshees of Inisherin, director Martin McDonagh stated that although he started out with plays, McDonagh noted that he always would’ve preferred to do movies, as those were his great love. In fact, McDonagh never had a great fondness for theater, finding that plays could be somewhat dull. So, when he started writing plays, he tried to take them as far from dullness as he could, attempting to infuse as much cinematic character as possible. When McDonagh made the jump to film, his biggest fear was making films that could be seen as playlike, being overly wordy or limited in scope.

Field, on the other hand, talked about his original interest in music, after a clip from Tar, and how working at a movie theater caused him to fall in love with the medium. Even so, he originally intended to pursue music in school, though he followed a girl into theater. Field stated that he had the character of Lydia Tár running around his head for years.

After ten days, the 38th Santa Barbara International Film Festival came to a close with the U.S Premiere of “I LIKE MOVIES.” 

I Like Movies

In closing, while last year, SBIFF had its triumphant return to in-person screenings, panels, and events with 48 world premier and 95 U.S. premieres, this year’s SBIFF expanded its free screenings and its run back to its more recent fare of ten days of film with 52 world premieres and 78 U.S. premieres.  In addition, with the American Film Institute’s Hollywood AFI FEST and AFI DOCS combining into a very truncated five days of film, SBIFF was able to attract pre-eminnent filmmakers such as Barbara Kopple (an AFI DOCS Board member). Furthermore, with the world famous Sundance Film Festival being laser-focused on first-time filmmakers (over 50% of its 2023 programming was devoted to first-time filmmakers), and underserved filmmakers, SBIFF was also able to attract film wizardry from Gabriela Cowperthwaite and her riveting geopolitical documentary, The Grab, featuring investigative reporter, Nathan Halverson of the non-profit, Center for Investigative Reporting.

SBIFF Q&A with Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (center) and Investigative Reporter  Mathan Halverson (left) following the screening of The Grab, a geopolitical documentary on “the money, influence, and alarming rationale behind covert efforts to control the most vital resource on the planet.” (Photo cr. Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)

SBIFF’s Programming Director Claudia Puig summed it up by saying, “This 38th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival drew filmmakers from as far as Turkey, India, Israel, and Sierra Leone, half of whom were women. We were delighted with the enthusiastic reception to our diverse program of 200 films from 43 countries. Cinema is one of the most powerful vehicles for empathy, providing a window of understanding to all who seek to look through it.  We thank the filmmakers in attendance and our avid Santa Barbara audience for so heartily embracing the festival experience. Several films prompted standing ovations and packed theaters, marking 2023 a full-throttled return to celebrating cinema from around the globe.”

An eclectic jury composed of Angie Wang, Antonio Marziale, Christina Birro, Elizabeth Marighetto, Gwen Deglise, Jean Oppenheimer, Jeff Arch, Lela Meadow Conner, Leslie Ekker, Margy Rochlin, Nicole Noren, Perry Lang, Robert Abele, Steven Raphael, Tim Cogshell, and Tim Matheson, deemed the following films award worthy:

Audience Choice Award sponsored by The Santa Barbara Independent: 26.2 TO LIFE Directed by Christine Yoo

Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema: I LIKE MOVIES Directed by Chandler Levack

Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award – Best International Feature Film: A MAN (ARU OTOKO) Directed by Kei Ishikawa

Best Documentary Award: A BUNCH OF AMATEURS Directed by Kim Hopkins

Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema: MANUELA Directed by Clara Cullen

Best Middle Eastern/Israeli Film Award: THE TASTE OF APPLES IS RED (TA’AM AL TUFAH, AHMAR) Directed by Ehab Tarabieh

Best Nordic Film Award: SUMMERLIGHT AND THEN COMES THE NIGHT (SUMARLJÓS OG SVO KEMUR NÓTTIN) Directed by Elfar Aðalsteins

Social Justice Award for Documentary Film: BLACK MAMBAS Directed by Lena Karbe

ADL Stand Up Award, sponsored by ADL Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties, the Skinner Social Impact Fund, and Steve & Cindy Lyons: THE QUIET GIRL (AN CAILÍN CIÚIN) Directed by Colm Bairéad

Best Documentary Short Film Award: NOWHERE TO GO BUT EVERYWHERE (行き止まりのむこう側) Directed by Masako Tsumura, Erik Shirai

Bruce Corwin Award – Best Live-Action Short Film: THE MOISTURE (RUTUBET) Directed by Turan Haste

*Now eligible for the 2024 Academy Awards

Bruce Corwin Award – Best Animated Short Film: EPICENTER (소문의 진원지) Directed by Heeyoon Hahm

*Now eligible for the 2024 Academy Awards

This years films (and Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies), in my opinion, were the crux of what makes the Santa Barbara Film Festival the massively successful community event that it is. Santa Barbara has historically been a Hollywood film premiere town hearkening back to the silent film era. And, Roger Durling, the Executive Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for two decades now, has been able to tap into this zeitgeist over and over again while making the festival more accessible to Santa Barbarans and more inclusive to all ranks of filmmakers. Until next year, I’ll see you at the movies!

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 18: SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling speaks at the Awards Breakfast during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at El Encanto on February 18, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF)

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 37 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. In 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. After a capital campaign and renovation, the theatre is now SBIFF’s new state-of-the-art, year-round home, showing new international and independent films every day. In 2019, SBIFF opened its own Education Center in downtown Santa Barbara on State Street to serve as a home for its many educational programs and a place for creativity and learning.

Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscar

Winners of the 2022 Oscars – CODA takes Best Picture

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes hosted this year’s Academy Awards –  the first time ever that three women have hosted the show. Another first time ever was Will Smith assaulting (battery) comedian, Chris Rock, a fellow actor and Best Documentary presenter, on live television.

And, the Oscar goes to…..

 

Best Picture

  • “Belfast”
  • “CODA” – WINNER
  • “Don’t Look Up”
  • “Drive My Car”
  • “Dune”
  • “King Richard”
  • “Licorice Pizza”
  • “Nightmare Alley”
  • “The Power of the Dog”
  • “West Side Story”

Best Director

  • Kenneth Branagh – “Belfast”
  • Paul Thomas Anderson – “Licorice Pizza”
  • Jane Campion – “The Power of the Dog” – WINNER
  • Ryûsuke Hamaguchi – “Drive My Car”
  • Steven Spielberg – “West Side Story”

Best Actor

  • Javier Bardem – “Being the Ricardos”
  • Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Power of the Dog”
  • Andrew Garfield – “Tick, Tick… BOOM!”
  • Will Smith – “King Richard” – WINNER
  • Denzel Washington – “The Tragedy of Macbeth”

Best Actress

  • Jessica Chastain – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” – WINNER
  • Olivia Colman – “The Lost Daughter”
  • Penélope Cruz – “Parallel Mothers”
  • Nicole Kidman – “Being the Ricardos”
  • Kristen Stewart – “Spencer”

Best Supporting Actor

  • Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast”
  • Troy Kotsur, “CODA” – WINNER
  • Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”
  • J.K. Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”
  • Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”

Best Supporting Actress

  • Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
  • Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story” – WINNER
  • Judi Dench, “Belfast”
  • Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
  • Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • “CODA” – WINNER
  • “Drive My Car”
  • “Dune”
  • “The Lost Daughter”
  • “The Power of the Dog”

Best Original Screenplay

  • “Belfast” – WINNER
  • “Don’t Look Up”
  • “King Richard”
  • “Licorice Pizza”
  • “The Worst Person in the World”

Best Original Song

  • “Be Alive” (King Richard)
  • “Dos Oruguitas” (Encanto)
  • “Down to Joy” (Belfast)
  • “No Time to Die” (No Time to Die) – WINNER
  • “Somehow You Do” (Four Good Days)

Best Animated Feature Film

  • “Encanto” – WINNER
  • “Flee”
  • “Luca”
  • “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
  • “Raya and the Last Dragon”

Best International Feature Film

  • “Drive My Car” – WINNER
  • “Flee”
  • “The Hand of God”
  • “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
  • “The Worst Person in the World”

Best Documentary Feature

  • “Ascension”
  • “Attica”
  • “Flee”
  • “Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” – WINNER
  • “Writing with Fire”

Best Cinematography

  • “Dune” – WINNER
  • “Nightmare Alley”
  • “The Power of the Dog”
  • “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
  • “West Side Story”

Best Visual Effects

  • “Dune” – WINNER
  • “Free Guy”
  • “No Time to Die”
  • “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
  • “Spider-Man: No Way Home”

Best Original Score

  • “Don’t Look Up”
  • “Dune” – WINNER
  • “Encanto”
  • “The Power of the Dog”
  • “Parallel Mothers”

Best Sound

  • “Belfast”
  • “Dune” – WINNER
  • “No Time to Die”
  • “The Power of the Dog”
  • “West Side Story”

Best Production Design

  • “Dune” – WINNER
  • “Nightmare Alley”
  • “The Power of the Dog”
  • “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
  • “West Side Story”

Best Film Editing

  • “Don’t Look Up”
  • “Dune” – WINNER
  • “King Richard”
  • “The Power of the Dog”
  • “Tick, Tick… Boom”

Best Costume Design

  • “Cruella” – WINNER
  • “Dune”
  • “Cyrano”
  • “Nightmare Alley”
  • “West Side Story”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

  • “Coming 2 America”
  • “Cruella”
  • “Dune”
  • “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” – WINNER
  • “House of Gucci”

Best Animated Short Film

  • “Affairs of the Art”
  • “Bestia”
  • “Boxballet”
  • “Robin Robin”
  • “The Windshield Wiper” – WINNER

Best Live Action Short Film

  • “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run”
  • “The Dress”
  • “The Long Goodbye” – WINNER
  • “On My Mind”
  • “Please Hold”

Best Documentary Short Subject

  • “Audible”
  • “Lead Me Home”
  • “The Queen of Basketball” – WINNER
  • “Three Songs for Benazir”
  • “When We Were Bullies”

Danny Glover received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May, and Liv Ullmann received honorary Oscars.

Until next year, I’ll see you at the movies.

 

HollywoodGlee celebrating the start of the 2019 AFI FEST presented by Audi. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson)
Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Academy Museum and LAist Studios to Launch The Academy Museum Podcast

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Southern California Public Radio’s
LAist Studios to Launch The Academy Museum Podcast,
a New Podcast Series Exploring the Impact, History, Art, and Artists of Cinema

Hosted by the Academy Museum’s Chief Artistic and Programming Officer, 
Jacqueline Stewart, the First Season, “And The Oscar® Goes To…,” 
Examines 10 Pivotal Academy Awards® Ceremonies

 

Los Angeles, CA, March 17, 2022 —The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is partnering with Southern California Public Radio’s LAist Studios to release The Academy Museum Podcast―a new multi-season audio series that examines the myriad stories of our cinematic history inspired by the museum’s galleries. Jacqueline Stewart, Chief Artistic and Programming Officer of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and a MacArthur Fellow, will host the series.

The inaugural season of this podcast, “And the Oscar® Goes To…,” premieres on Friday, March 25. This 10-episode season goes behind-the-scenes of touchstone Academy Awards® ceremonies, probing key social and cultural moments that impacted film artists as well as film fans over the years. Subsequent episodes will launch weekly.

Episodes include revelatory interviews and in-depth conversations with Oscar® winners, film artists, industry leaders, activists, journalists, and scholars, as well as archival audio and other exclusive content that will only be accessible through the podcast. Guests include Halle Berry, Scott Feinberg, Dave Karger, Gregory Nava, Kimberly Peirce, and Bruce Vilanch, among others. Listeners can find the series on the Academy Museum and KPCC websites, as well as on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.

“The Academy Museum Podcast will significantly expand the reach of the incredible exhibitions and programs that the museum is presenting both on our campus in Los Angeles and via our virtual programming. Our podcast will allow us to take deeper dives into the multitude of stories about how films are made, how the film industry has evolved, and the impact of cinema on our lives,” said Stewart.

“LAist Studios is thrilled to partner with the Academy Museum—the most spectacular new movie museum in the United States—to bring the stories of our hometown industry to our listeners,” said Herb Scannell, CEO and President of Southern California Public Radio. “The Academy Museum Podcast offers unprecedented access to iconic and important movie moments.”

The first episode for this season, “2002: This Door Has Been Opened,” revisits the historic night when Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award® for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Monster’s Ball (2001). Her emotional speech closed out a night that was marked by a celebration of Black excellence: Sidney Poitier received a lifetime achievement award and Denzel Washington won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Training Day (2001). But while the night seemed to signal a historic shift, Berry now calls her historic win “one of my biggest heartbreaks.” Berry reveals to Stewart how the night felt from her perspective and the ways in which the win impacted her career.

Future episodes include:

  • “1940: Cinema’s Best Year?” ―This episode will explore the bevy of iconic films released in 1939—Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, The Women, and more—and look at the double-edged experience of Hattie McDaniel on the night she became the first Black Oscar® winner for Gone with the Wind.
  • “1951: It’s Going to be a Bumpy Night” ―This ceremony celebrated two films that captured the complexities of show business and its impact on women: All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard.
  • “1953: Broadcasting the Oscars” ―The episode will look at the history of broadcasting the Oscars®, from radio to television, the rituals fans have created around the broadcast, and a discussion of the future of presenting the Academy Awards in the age of social media.
  • “1954: The Brave One(s)” ―This episode will examine the long history of blacklisting in Hollywood, looking at the treatment of writers including Walter Bernstein and the Academy‘s posthumous recognition of Dalton Trumbo in 1993.
  • “1973: Marlon Brando Cannot Accept This Very Generous Award” ―This episode will revisit the speech actor Sacheen Littlefeather delivered on Marlon Brando’s behalf to explore Native American representation in cinema and controversies about using the Oscars stage as a platform for activism.
  • “1999: For Your Consideration” ―This episode will look at how campaigning changed the Oscars game at the turn of the century and the long history of campaigning dating back to Louis B. Mayer.
  • “2000: Boys Don’t Cry” ―This episode will discuss LGBTQ+ representation in media, the complex issue of straight actors playing trans and gay characters, actors who come out, and actors who change gender identities.
  • “2015: Oscars So White” ―This episode will explore the evolution of this issue, the ways the Academy continues to respond, and what this meant for the show’s producers.
  • “2019: Muchas Gracias, Mexico” ―This episode will look at the success of Mexican film artists at the Oscars―Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo del Toro, and Emmanuel Lubezki and why US Latinx filmmakers and films are far less prevalent in the industry overall.

 

About the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

The Academy Museum is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. The museum advances the understanding, celebration, and preservation of cinema through inclusive and accessible exhibitions, screenings, programs, initiatives, and collections. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the museum’s campus contains the restored and revitalized historic Saban Building—formerly known as the May Company building (1939)—and a soaring spherical addition. Together, these buildings contain 50,000 square feet of exhibition spaces, two state-of-the-art theaters, the Shirley Temple Education Studio, and beautiful public spaces that are free and open to the public. These include: The Walt Disney Company Piazza and the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby, which houses the Spielberg Family Gallery, Academy Museum Store, and Fanny’s restaurant and café. The Academy Museum exhibition galleries are open seven days a week, with hours Sunday through Thursday from 10am to 6pm and Friday and Saturday from 10am to 8pm.

About Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) and LAist Studios

Southern California Public Radio (scpr.org) is a member-supported multi-platform public media organization that has garnered more than 500 journalistic honors since 1999. Recognized as a national leader in public service journalism and civic engagement, SCPR’s flagship radio station, 89.3 KPCC-FM, reaches more than 900,000 listeners every week as the most listened-to public radio news service across Southern California. The network’s five stations (89.3 KPCC-FM, 89.1 KUOR-FM, 90.3 KVLA-FM, 89.9 FM, and 89.5 KJAI-FM) deliver award-winning local news coverage to the diverse communities of the region, including a robust slate of signature programs from NPR, APM, the BBC and PRI. LAist (laist.com) is a digital news site committed to in-depth reporting about life in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Its award-winning work reaches over seven million people per month, and in 2019, the brand grew to include LAist Studios (laiststudios.com), a dedicated podcast development and production studio. Furthering SCPR’s commitment to premium on-demand audio storytelling, podcasts from LAist Studios aim to reflect the ethos of Los Angeles—a forward-looking, minority-majority community built upon unmatched diversity, inclusion, and drive—going beyond geographical borders to connect with listeners around the globe who share the LA state of mind.

(Press release courtesy of Academy Press Office)

#SBIFF, Academy Awards, Film Festival, Oscar, outstanding performer of the year, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, SBIFF Virtuosos, Tribute

Santa Barbara International Film Festival Wraps Its 37th Edition

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

The 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) has officially wrapped.

 

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: A view outside the Arlington Theatre at the Closing Night Film “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” during the 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on March 12, 2022, in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF)

 

The 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival presented by UGG closed with a special screening of DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER, with the iconic singer in attendance. The documentary followed Warwick as she smashed through cultural, racial, and gender barriers to become the soundtrack for generations and a voice fighting for humanitarian causes. Featured interviews with Burt Bachrach, Gladys Knight, Gloria Estefan, Snoop Dogg, Bill Clinton, and many more!

This year was the festival’s first-ever hybrid in-person/virtual format. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the Phase Two Oscar juggernaut from featuring Hollywood’s top talent. Despite herculean efforts to claim the wildly heralded tributes and panels are only window-dressings for the film program, no one actually believed it.

 

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 05: (L-R) Anne Thompson, Zach Baylin, Kenneth Branagh, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sian Heder, Adam McKay, Denis Villeneuve and Eskil Vogt appear onstage at the Writers Panel during the 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at Arlington Theatre on March 5, 2022 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF)

 

For example, the Director’s Panel/Tribute honored all five Oscar-nominated directors: Paul Thomas Anderson (LICORICE PIZZA), Kenneth Branagh (BELFAST), Jane Campion (THE POWER OF THE DOG), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (DRIVE MY CAR), and Steven Spielberg (WEST SIDE STORY).

But it was the American Riviera Award tributing Penelope Cruz that was the most evident example of the festival promoting Oscar talent. Passionate cinephilic SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling led the nearly two-hour-long conversation with Cruz sporting a red cape dress by Chanel. Durling lobbed a few well-placed “soft ball” questions and Cruz swatted them into the stratosphere as the audience was treated to several clips from Cruz’s exceptional filmography.  Undoubtedly, Cruz moved up into the top tier of the Best Actress category, and deservedly so. She is a major talent and her work in Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers is her most seasoned and mature performance to date.

 

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 08: Penélope Cruz and SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling speak onstage at the Montecito Award Ceremony during the 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at Arlington Theatre on March 8, 2022 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF)

 

Following Cruz’s conversation with Durling, she was treated to a surprise personal message from Sophia Loren. While presenting the award Loren told Cruz, “The day I met you on the set of Nine more than twelve years ago, I knew that you would be part of my life forever. I knew I found a sister, a daughter, a colleague, and a great, great friend.”

 

 

In juxtaposition to the Durling-led conversation, The Hollywood Reporter Awards Columnist, the affable Scott Feinberg, poked and prodded the boisterous and energetic Will Smith and the reserved and talented Aunjanue Ellis during the festival Outstanding Performers of the Year Tribute for their work in the Richard Williams biopic King Richard. Richard Williams is the father of tennis greats, Serena and Venus Williams. Smith is considered a front-runner for Best Actor as is Ellis for Best Supporting Actress.

 

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 06: (L-R) Aunjanue Ellis, Will Smith, and Scott Feinberg speak onstage at the Outstanding Performers of the Year Award tribute during the 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at Arlington Theatre on March 6, 2022, in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF)

Smith is seeing the competition heat up though with The Power of the Dog lead, the cerebral Benedict Cumberbatch, making a splash, and who, coincidentally, was at the festival receiving the SBIFF Cinema Vanguard Award presented by The Power of the Dog’s Oscar-nominated writer/director, Jane Campion! Campion lavishes high praise on Cumberbatch (see clip).

 

 

The Variety Artisan Awards, honoring those nominated for an Academy Award in below-the-line categories, the various panels, and the Virtuosos round out the festival’s Oscar-laden focus.

 

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: (L-R) Madelyn Hammond , Lynn Harris, Jessica Kingdom, Elizabeth Mirzaei, Diane Warren, and Amber Richards attend the women’s panel during the 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on March 12, 2022, in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF)

 

Not to take anything away from this year’s films put together by The Los Angeles Critic Association’s, Claudia Puig. Puig was determined to showcase more films representative of the greater Santa Barbara community.

 

A Place in the Field

 

Luckily, I had the good fortune to bend Puig’s ear on the sidewalk outside the Fiesta Five screening venue singing the praise of the directing debut of Nicole Mejia,  A Place In the Field, while thanking her for programming such a film directed by a woman,  produced primarily by a woman, and shot by a woman depicting a veteran dealing with unresolved war-time conflicts. Unabashedly, Puig communicated an Uber was arriving in two minutes and confided that there were a few last-minute additions worth checking out.

 

Nitram

 

Little did I know in that very moment, that one of the last films screening on Friday night in a slot up against the festival’s biggest and most prestigious award, the Maltin Modern Master Award honoring the Aaron Sorkin-penned, I Love Lucy leads, Nicole Kidman, and Javier Bardem would be the blistering backstory of the Australian Port Arthur Massacre on Tasmania, Nitram, featuring a monumental, “one for the ages” performance by Caleb Landry Jones as the lead Nitram (Martin spelled backward) for which he received Best Actor in Film from the illustrious Cannes Film Festival. Fortunately, a second screening occurred on Saturday afternoon. I did attend the second screening as I had watched virtually Leonard Maltin’s truncated performance on Friday evening with Kidman and Bardem.

 

Big Crow

 

Another film Puig brought forth was a Native film, Big Crow, a narrative documentary on the legend Cheryl Big Crow, a 1980’s standout basketball player and visionary of the Lakota people. Like many films this year, Big Crow did not feature a sold-out audience. Due to COVID and by design, fewer passes and diminished capacities were the norms with masks required along with proof of vaccination or negative test within the previous 72 hours to have a seat for any of the festival’s offerings.

A short-form documentary with vivid colors and a female subject matter, Fresh to Frightening: The Shannon Green Story, on Santa Barbara’s, world-renowned Yacht Racing photographer epitomized Puig’s determination to show more films representative of Santa Barbara. Fresh to Frightening s is “a kinetic and gorgeously shot documentary which captures the beauty and energy of sailing and yacht racing while it also introduces us to a dynamic woman and the art of her photography.” Indeed.

I can honestly say, I did not see a bad film. In reality, there were only two kinds of films this year – good and better!

Here are the award-winning films for the 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival:

Audience Choice Award sponsored by The Santa Barbara Independent: Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy’s Róise and Frank (Mo ghrá buan)

Best Documentary Short Film Award: Jordan Matthew Horowitz’s LALITO 10

Bruce Corwin Award – Best Live-Action Short Film: Marilyn Cooke’s NO GHOST IN THE MORGUE (PAS DE FANTÔME À LA MORGUE)

Bruce Corwin Award – Best Animated Short Film: Zacharias Kunuk’s THE SHAMAN’S APPRENTICE

Best Documentary Award: Jon-Sesrie Goff’s AFTER SHERMAN

Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award – Best International Feature Film: Shawkat Amin Korki’s THE EXAM (EZMÛN)

Best Middle Eastern/Israeli Film Award: Dina Amer’s YOU RESEMBLE ME (TU ME RESSEMBLES)

Best Nordic/Dutch Film Award: Marianne Blicher’s MISS VIBORG

Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema: Martín Barrenechea and Nicolás Branca’s 9

Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema: Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson’s SCARBOROUGH

Social Justice Award for Documentary Film: Emma Macey-Storch’s GEETA

ADL Stand Up Award, sponsored by ADL Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties, the Skinner Social Impact Fund, and Steve & Cindy Lyons: Jordan W. Barrow and Matt Edwards’s OUR WORDS COLLIDE.

The films were chosen by jury members Carlos Aguilar, Justine Bateman, Dupe Bosu, Julie Carmen, Annlee Ellingson, Tim Grierson, Beandrea July, Elizabeth Lo, Scott Mantz, Jose Novoa, Gil Robertson, Charles Solomon, Angie Wang, Steve Zahn, and Anthony & Annette Zerbe.

SBIFF’s Programming Director Claudia Puig.

“We are so thrilled to have had our slate of 200 films from 54 countries so well-received by festivalgoers. A few films even elicited standing ovations. We are very proud that filmmakers came from as far as Nepal, Iran, and Uganda–and many countries in between– to attend with their films. We thank all the wonderful filmmakers and our enthusiastic Santa Barbara audience for making this such a joyful return to theaters, and a celebration of terrific world cinema.” commented SBIFF’s Programming Director Claudia Puig.

In addition, the festival offered several free screenings and a few with Q&A’s  including:

The Power of the Dog and Q&A with Jane Campion

Licorice Pizza and Q&A with Paul Thomas Anderson and Alana Haim

Belfast

King Richard and a Q&A with Reinaldo Marcus Green and Aunjanue Ellis

Selena

Silver Linings Playbook and a Q&A with David O. Russell and editor Jay Cassidy

Until next year, I’ll see you at the movies!

 

 

Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscar

@TheAcademy adds more presenters for 94th Oscars

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

94TH OSCARS® ADDS MORE TALENT TO PRESENT:
HALLE BAILEY, SEAN “DIDDY” COMBS, JAMIE LEE CURTIS, 
WOODY HARRELSON, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, SHAWN MENDES, 
TYLER PERRY AND TRACEE ELLIS ROSS

THE OSCARS SET TO AIR LIVE, MARCH 27, ON ABC

 

 

LOS ANGELES, CA – Show producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan today announced additional presenters for the 94th Oscars®.  The star lineup includes Halle Bailey, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Shawn Mendes, Tyler Perry, and Tracee Ellis Ross.  The Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.

Previously announced Oscars presenters include Ruth E. Carter, Kevin Costner, Anthony Hopkins, Lily James, Daniel Kaluuya, Zoë Kravitz, Mila Kunis, Lady Gaga, John Leguizamo, Simu Liu, Rami Malek, Lupita Nyong’o, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Naomi Scott, Wesley Snipes, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, and Yuh-Jung Youn.  The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the coming weeks.

The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby® Theatre at Hollywood & Highland® in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

 

 

ABOUT THE ACADEMY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers, and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hollywood, Oscar

Big news out of Hollywood with the announcement of the 94th Oscar nominations

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Big news out of Hollywood with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcement of the 94th Oscar nominations this morning. Jane Campion’s, Power of The Dog, garnered 12 Oscar nominations, the most of any film this year, with the Denis Villeneuve directed Dune receiving ten nominations while Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story each received seven.

Here is the list of nominees for Oscars this year:

Best Picture: “Belfast”; “CODA”; “Don’t Look Up”; “Drive My Car”; “Dune”; “King Richard”; “Licorice Pizza”; “Nightmare Alley”; “The Power of the Dog”; “West Side Story.”

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”; Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”; Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”; Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”; Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car.”

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”; Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”; Penélope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”; Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”; Kristen Stewart, “Spencer.”

Best Actor: Will Smith, “King Richard”; Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”; Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”; Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”; Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Boom!”

Best Supporting Actress: Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”; Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”; Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”; Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”; Judi Dench, “Belfast.”

Best Supporting Actor: Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast”; Troy Kotsur, “CODA”; Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”; Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”; J.K. Simmons, “Being the Ricardos.”

Cinematography: “Dune”; “Nightmare Alley”; “The Power of the Dog”; “The Tragedy of Macbeth”; “West Side Story.”

Editing: “Don’t Look Up”; “Dune”; “King Richard”; “tick, tick … BOOM!”; “The Power of the Dog.”

Original Screenplay: “Licorice Pizza”; “Belfast”; “Don’t Look Up”; “King Richard”; “The Worst Person in the World.”

Adapted Screenplay: “The Power of the Dog”; “The Lost Daughter”; “CODA”; “Dune”; “Drive My Car.”

Costume Design: “Cruella”; “Cyrano”; “Dune”; “Nightmare Alley”; “West Side Story.”

Makeup and Hairstyling: “Coming 2 America”; “Cruella”; “Dune”; “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”; “House of Gucci.”

Best International Film: “Drive My Car,” Japan; “Flee,” Denmark; “The Hand of God,” Italy; “The Worst Person in the World,” Norway; “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom,” Bhutan.

Best Documentary: “Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”; “Flee”; “Attica”; “Ascension”; “Writing With Fire.”

Production Design: “Dune”; “Nightmare Alley”; “The Power of the Dog”; “The Tragedy of Macbeth”; “West Side Story.”

Best Original Song: “Be Alive” from “King Richard,” music and lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter; “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto,” music and lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda; “Down to Joy” from “Belfast,” music and lyric by Van Morrison; “No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die,” music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell ; “Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days,” music and lyrics by Diane Warren.

Original Musical Score: “Don’t Look Up”; “Dune”; “Encanto”; “Parallel Mothers”; “The Power of the Dog.”

Best Sound Design: “Belfast”; “Dune”; “No Time to Die”; “The Power of the Dog”; “West Side Story.”

Best Visual Effects: “Dune”; “Free Guy”; “No Time to Die”; “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”; “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Best Animated Feature: “Encanto”; “Flee”; “Luca”; “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”; “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

Best Animated Short Film: “Affairs of the Art”; “Bestia”; “Boxballet”; “Robin Robin”; “The Windshield Wiper.”

Best Live Action Short: “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run”; “The Dress”; “The Long Goodbye”; “On My Mind”; “Please Hold.”

Best Short Documentary: “Audible”; “Lead Me Home”; “The Queen of Basketball”; “Three Songs for Benazir”; “When We Were Bullies.”

Stay tuned for more as the winners will be announced on March 27th!

 (Sourced from AP News)

 

Academy Awards, Ojai Film Festival, Oscar

A Night to Remember – An Evening with Chloé Zhao

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Ojai resident Chloé Zhao wrote and directed Nomadland, recipients of Best Picture and Best Director Oscars at the 2020  Academy Awards. Zhao makes a special appearance at the 2021 Ojai Film Festival on Saturday, November 13 at 7 pm. A screening of her 2017 film The Rider precedes a Q&A with Director Zhao, followed by a reception, all at the Ojai Art Center.

Growing up in Beijing Zhao felt drawn to influences from Western pop culture. She attended a boarding school in London before moving to Los Angeles to finish high school. She worked odd jobs as a party promoter, in real estate, and bartending before studying film production at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

In 2010, Zhao’s short film, Daughters, premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and won Best Student Live Action Short at the 2010 Palm Springs International ShortFest and Special Jury Prize at the 2010 Cinequest Film Festival.

Zhao directed her first feature film in 2015, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, which premiered as part of the US Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival. It later played at Cannes Film Festival as part of the Director’s Fortnight selection.

Next Zhao wrote, produced, and directed The Rider, an American contemporary western drama shot in the Badlands of South Dakota. The film won the Art Cinema Award at the Cannes Film Festival and received Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Film and Best Director. Rotten Tomatoes wrote: “[The film’s] hard-hitting drama is only made more effective through writer-director Chloé Zhao’s use of untrained actors to tell the movie’s fact-based tale.”

The Rider follows a young cowboy’s journey of self-discovery after a near-fatal accident ends his professional bronc riding career. Zhao engaged a cast of non-actors who lived on the ranch where she shot the film. Her inspiration came from a cowboy she befriended on the reservation where she filmed Songs My Brothers Taught Me.

Seating is limited for this special screening of The Rider with Academy Award-winning writer, director Chloé Zhao in attendance. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased here!

(Source: Ojai Film Fest News)

Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscar

9 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS ADVANCE IN OSCAR® RACE

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

December 14, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 90th Academy Awards ®. Ninety-two films had originally been considered in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Chile, “A Fantastic Woman,” Sebastián Lelio, director;

Germany, “In the Fade,” Fatih Akin, director;

Hungary, “On Body and Soul,” Ildikó Enyedi, director;

Israel, “Foxtrot,” Samuel Maoz, director;

Lebanon, “The Insult,” Ziad Doueiri, director;

Russia, “Loveless,” Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;

Senegal, “Félicité,” Alain Gomis, director;

South Africa, “The Wound,” John Trengove, director;

Sweden, “The Square,” Ruben Östlund, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2017 are determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 11. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

Academy members eligible to participate in the Nominations round of voting in New York, London, Los Angeles and, for the first time, the San Francisco Bay Area, will screen the nine shortlisted films in theaters over a three-day period from Friday, January 12, through Sunday, January 14, with three films screening each day. Additionally, international members (who live outside of the U.K.) will be invited to opt-in to stream the nine shortlisted films on the Academy’s member site. Members must see all nine films before casting their ballots.

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards® will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

The 90th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Screen Shot 2017-12-05 at 6.49.45 PM

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 8,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is under construction in Los Angeles.

 

 

 

Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscar

10 DOC SHORTS ON 2017 OSCARS SHORTLIST

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 90th Academy Awards has been narrowed to 10 films, of which 5 will earn Oscar nominations.

Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 77 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:

“Alone,” The New York Times
“Edith+Eddie,” Heart is Red and Kartemquin Films
“Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Stiefel & Co.
“Heroin(e),” A Netflix Original Documentary in association with The Center for Investigative Reporting, A Requisite Media Production
“Kayayo – The Living Shopping Baskets,” Integral Film
“Knife Skills,” TFL Films
“116 Cameras,” Birdling Films
“Ram Dass, Going Home,” Further Pictures
“Ten Meter Tower,” Plattform Produktion
“Traffic Stop,” Q-Ball Productions

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

The 90th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

the-oscars-e1381262416749

(Source: oscars.org press release)

Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscar, Venice International Film Festival

Moonlight nabs Best Picture Oscar

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Posted by Larry Gleeson.

Barry Jenkins’ epic, coming-of-age drama about a young boy growing up in Miami took home the Best Picture Oscar for 2017. Moonlight had been nominated for eight Oscars receiving two other Oscars for Best Supporting Actor by Mahershala Ali and Best Adapted Screenplay.

In what seemed to be one of the biggest gaffes in Oscar history, Warren Beatty opened the $200 red envelope, slowly scanned it and then handed it over to Faye Dunaway to read. After mumbling about Mr. Beatty being impossible, Dunaway blurted out “La La Land.” The La La Land troupe hugged making their way onstage while the film’s producers took turns thanking their wives for their inspiration and support with a minor onstage commotion taking place surrounding the red envelope. Quickly, La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz announced Moonlight was the winner. And that it was no joke.

Not wasting a moment, Barry Jenkins took the microphone and started in on how unreal the moment seemed as the La La Land team made its way offstage clearing the way for Moonlight to shine.

Here’s a complete list of the night’s winners from the Los Angeles Times.

Until next year, I’ll see you at the Cinema!