Nine films short-listed for Foreign Language Oscar

Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards. Seventy-six films had originally been considered in the category.

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

2013 National Film Registry selections

Cinema with the Right Stuff Marks 2013 National Film Registry
Pulp Fiction, Mary Poppins, Roger & Me Among Registry Additions

Heroes of the space race, a pop cult classic; the age-old battle between the sexes; and a record of Native-American traditions are among a cadre of films being recognized as works of great cultural, historic or aesthetic significance to the nation’s cinematic heritage. The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, announced today the annual selection of 25 motion pictures to join the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. They will be preserved as cinematic treasures for generations to come.

"The National Film Registry stands among the finest summations of more than a century of extraordinary American cinema," said Billington. "This key component of American cultural history, however, is endangered, so we must protect the nation’s matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity."

Toronto Film Critics Association announces winners for the 2013 TFCA Awards

Inside Llewyn Davis, Joel and Ethan Coen’s tale of a folk singer making his way through Greenwich Village, 1961, won two top prizes at the 2013 awards of the Toronto Film Critics Association.

Inside Llewyn Davis was named Best Picture, with Oscar Isaac winning the Best Actor prize. In 2007, the Coens received the TFCA’s Best Director award for their film No Country for Old Men, which also won Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay.

The awards were voted by the TFCA at a meeting Dec. 15. The membership also chose the three finalists for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award: The Dirties, directed by Matt Johnson, Gabrielle, directed by Louise Archambault; and Watermark, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky.

289 feature films in contention for 2013 Best Picture Oscar

Two hundred eighty-nine feature films are eligible for the 2013 Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

To be eligible for 86th Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

75 original songs eligible for 2013 Oscar

Seventy-five songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 86th Oscars®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

Film Comment announces 2013 Best of Year lists

Film Comment’s annual end-of-the-year survey of film critics, journalists, film section editors, and past and present contributors was released today with Joel & Ethan Coen’s INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Steve McQueen’s 12 YEARS A SLAVE and Richard Linklater’s BEFORE MIDNIGHT taking the top spots among films released in 2013. Among films that made appearances at film festivals or special screenings worldwide, but haven’t been picked up for stateside distribution as of yet, Philippe Garrel’s JEALOUSY, Tsai Ming-liang’s STRAY DOGS and Joaquim Pinto’s WHAT NOW? REMIND ME received the top rankings.

2013 Black List of top unproduced screenplays

Franklin Leonard revealed his annual Black List today over Twitter, listing the top unproduced screenplays as voted on by over 250 film executives.

72 scripts were on the list which was topped by Andrew Sodroski’s Holland, Michigan which received mentions from 46 voters. The screenplay tells the story of a woman who suspects her husband is cheating on her.

2013 Critics' Choice Movie Awards – nominations

The Broadcast Film Critics Association has announced the nominations for the 19th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

12 Years a Slave and American Hustle lead the nominees for the 19th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards, with 13 apiece. Each received nominations that included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Actor and Best Screenplay (Adapted and Original respectively). The competing Best Picture nominees were Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, Saving Mr. Banks and The Wolf of Wall Street.

The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are bestowed annually by the BFCA to honour the finest in cinematic achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 280 television, radio and online critics. Eligible films were released in 2013. The accounting firm of CMM, LLP tallied the written ballots.

7 features advance in race for Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 86th Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

114 Original Scores in 2013 Oscar Race

One hundred fourteen scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Oscars®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title:

71st Annual Golden Globe Awards – nominations

The nominees for the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards were officially unveiled during a ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel this morning.

The nominations were led by 12 Years A Slave by Steve McQueen and American Hustle by David O. Russell. Both films received seven nominations including Best Picture (Drama and Comedy/Musical respectively), Best Director and screenplay, as well as several acting mentions each.

Surprisingly, Lee Daniels' The Butler was shut out of the nominations entirely. Also shut out were Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station.

2013 Asia Pacific Screen Awards – winners

The Asia Pacific Screen Academy held their 7th Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony tonight at Brisbane City Hall in Queensland, Australia.

The awards were distributed somewhat evenly as most winners took only a single award. The top prize of Best Feature went to the Palestinian film Omar by Hany Abu-Assad.

The Best Directing awards was presented to Singapore filmmaker Anthony Chen for Ilo Ilo. The Best Screenplay award was given to Ritesh Batra for The Lunchbox. He also picked up a Grand Jury Prize.

The Best Documentary Feature award went to The Act of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn and anonymous Indonesian directors.

Screen Actors Guild announced SAG Awards 2013 nominations

Nominees for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® for outstanding performances in 2013 in five film and eight television categories as well as the SAG Awards honors for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced this morning in Los Angeles at the Pacific Design Center’s SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood.

SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard introduced Sasha Alexander (TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles” and the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Social Media Ambassador) and Clark Gregg (“Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”) who announced the nominees for this year’s Actors®. SAG Awards Committee Vice Chair Daryl Anderson and Committee Member Woody Schultzannounced the stunt ensemble nominees.

Short Film program announced for 2014 Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The 2014 Short Film program is comprised of 66 short films selected from a record 8,161 submissions (59 more than for the 2013 Festival).

Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The Short Film program for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival features an astonishing array of new stories, viewpoints and filmmaking talent, positioning it at the core of our work to discover and share independent perspectives on our culture and world.”

The Short Film program is presented by YouTube.


U.S. NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS

Sundance announces Premieres And Documentary Premieres for 2014 Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Institute announced today the films selected to screen in the out-of-competition Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival feature new work from many established independent filmmakers who began their careers at our Festival years ago, which allows us to reflect on the impact, legacy and growth of the independent film movement over the past 30 years.”

Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “In many of the films selected for our 2014 Sundance Film Festival, we see fascinating characters and subjects throughout. Whether portrayed by recognized actors taking on more challenging and diverse roles, or in the stranger-than-fiction reality of our documentaries, we look forward to sharing these incredible stories with audiences at our Festival.”

American Film Institute announces AFI Awards 2013 official selections

The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2013 – 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding television programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of the year's most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.

An almanac documenting works of excellence that mark a moment in time, AFI AWARDS is also the only national honor for the community's creative ensembles as a whole, acknowledging the collaborative nature of the art form. Honorees are selected based on works which best advance the art of the moving image, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America's art form, inspire audiences and artists alike, and/or make a mark on American society.

16th Moët British Independent Film Awards – winners

British talent turned out this evening for the 16th Moët British Independent Film Awards. The winners were announced at the star-studded ceremony, held at Old Billingsgate which was hosted by BIFA Winning actor James Nesbitt.

For the first time, the lucky winners took home the brand new iconic award designed by Fredrikson Stallard and created by Swarovski. The awards ceremony was streamed live exclusively online at www.film3sixty.com/moetbifa

Best British Independent Film was won by METRO MANILA with the film’s director Sean Ellis picking up Best Director. Lindsay Duncan won Best Actress for LE WEEK-END and James McAvoy won Best Actor for FILTH. Imogen Poots collected her BIFA for Best Supporting Actress for THE LOOK OF LOVE and Ben Mendelsohn took home Best Supporting Actor for STARRED UP.

METRO MANILA won the most awards on the night, picking up three trophies for Best Achievement in Production and as previously mentioned Best Director award and Best British Independent Film.

26th European Film Awards – winners

The more than 2,900 members of the European Film Academy - filmmakers from across Europe - have voted for this year’s European Film Awards.

The main winner of the night was Paolo Sorrentino's La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty). It won for Best European Film as well as European Director, European Actor (Toni Servillo) and European Editor.

The European Film Awards 2013 are presented by the European Film Academy e.V. and EFA Productions gGmbH. Public supporters: FFA German Federal Film Board, German State Lottery Berlin, German State Minister for Culture and the Media, MEDIA Programme of the EU, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Private partners: 40seconds, Alois Dallmayr Gastro-Service GmbH & Co KG, Aveda, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, GLS, Hôtel Concorde Berlin, M∙A∙C, Mast-Jägermeister SE and ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland GmbH.

At the awards ceremony in Berlin the following awards were presented:

2013 International Documentary Awards – winners

Winners in the 2013 IDA Documentary Awards were announced during last night's program at the Directors Guild of America, giving Jehane Noujaim's The Square top honors with the Best Feature Award. The first major film acquisition by Netflix, The Square follows a group of Egyptian activists as they battle leaders and regimes, and risk their lives to build a new society of conscience.

Also announced in the ceremony was the Best Short Award, which honored Slomo, directed by Josh Izenberg. An inspirational portrait of neurologist turned rollerblader, Dr. John Kitchin, Slomo has been an audience favorite at festivals around the world garnering a number of audience and jury awards.

During the ceremony, which was hosted by comedian and award-winning stage and screen actor, Paul Provenza, two series awards were also presented. The Best Continuing Series Award went to the PBS series Independent Lens. Now in its 12th season, the weekly series features original documentary films made by some of the best independent filmmakers working today. The Best Limited Series Award went to the CNN Original Series Inside Man, hosted by Oscar®-nominated documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

56th Grammy Awards – nominees

JAY Z LEADS NOMINATIONS WITH NINE; KENDRICK LAMAR, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, AND PHARRELL WILLIAMS EACH EARN SEVEN; DRAKE AND BOB LUDWIG EACH GARNER FIVE

SARA BAREILLES, DAFT PUNK, KENDRICK LAMAR, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, AND TAYLOR SWIFT VIE FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR AT THE 56TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS JAN. 26, 2014, LIVE ON CBS

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 06, 2013) — Nominations for the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced tonight by The Recording Academy and reflected one of the most diverse years with the Album Of The Year category alone representing the rap, pop, country and dance/electronica genres, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. Once again, nominations in select categories for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night," a one-hour CBS entertainment special broadcast live from Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. The 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Jan. 26, 2014, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

The Shortest Day Film Celebration – free short films across Canada, Dec 21

Three partner organizations, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), Telefilm Canada and Quebec’s Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), have joined their efforts so that audiences across Canada can take part this year in The Shortest Day Short Film Celebration, an event started by the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image (CNC) in France that has now spread to some 20 other countries. This free event, dedicated to the promotion and screening of short films, is a first for North America and is presented with the support of the CNC. It offers an entertaining way of welcoming the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year—on December 21.

The Shortest Day Short Film Celebration will feature screenings of more than 30 Canadian shorts organized into four thematic programs: Kids, Family, Comedy/Dark Humour and Festival Films. These films reflect the diversity of this very contemporary art form, a genre that is becoming more and more popular in this era of Facebook, YouTube and smartphones.

10 Contenders Remain in VFX Oscar Race

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 86th Oscars®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

Sundance 2014 announces Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, ‘Sundance Kids’, and New Frontier programs

Sundance Institute Announces Films in Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New ‘Sundance Kids’ Section for 2014 Sundance Film Festival


30th Anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival

Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today the films selected to screen in the 2014 Sundance Film Festival out-of-competition sections Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and new ‘Sundance Kids’ section of films for younger audiences. The Festival takes place January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The films in the sections announced today round out our 2014 Sundance Film Festival program and further reflect the depth and diversity of modern independent filmmaking that will satisfy everyone from festival fledglings to fanatics.”

Sundance Institute Announces Films in U.S. and World Competitions, NEXT <=> for 2014 Sundance Film Festival

30th Anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival will Feature 118 Feature-Length Films

Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition NEXT <=> section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute said, “That the Festival has evolved and grown as it has over the past 30 years is a credit to both our audiences and our artists, who continue to find ways to take risks and open our minds to the power of story. This year's films and artists promise to do the same.”

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “We are energized by the rich diversity of voices, characters and places represented in the films selected for our 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Independent filmmakers continue to engage us with stories from worlds both intimately familiar and unknown.”

TIFF reveals Canada's Top Ten Films of 2013

Star-studded festival includes film screenings, filmmaker Q&As and special onstage conversations with Denis Villeneuve, Jake Gyllenhaal and John Greyson

TORONTO – Tonight TIFF kicked off its celebration of the best in Canadian film with the announcement of the feature and short film selections for the 13th annual Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival. The 10-day festival runs January 3 to 12, 2014 at TIFF Bell Lightbox and features public screenings of the selected films, accompanied by introductions and Q&A sessions with filmmakers. On January 5, the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival welcomes Academy Award-nominees Denis Villeneuve and Jake Gyllenhaal to TIFF Bell Lightbox to discuss their recent collaborations. The festival will conclude on January 12 with an onstage conversation between Canadian filmmaker John Greyson and Toronto International Film Festival Artistic Director Cameron Bailey. These announcements were made at an industry event in Toronto hosted by Steve Patterson (CBC’s The Debaters). Established in 2001, the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival celebrates excellence in Canadian cinema and raises global awareness of Canadian achievements in film.

15 Feature Documentaries advance in 2013 Oscar Race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 86th Oscars® . One hundred forty-seven films had originally qualified in the category.

The Act of Killing, The Square and Stories We Tell are among the 15 films that have made the Oscar shortlist for documentary features, the Academy announced on Monday.

2013 Annie Awards – nominations

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 41st Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year's best in the field of animation. The Annie Awards cover 30 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short and Outstanding Individual Achievements.

The slate of nominations for Best Animated Features this year include: A Letter to Momo (GKIDS), Despicable Me 2 (Universal Pictures), Ernest & Celestine (GKIDS), Frozen (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Monsters University (Pixar Animation Studios), The Croods (DreamWorks Animations), and The Wind Rises (Studio Ghibli and The Walt Disney Studios).

"I am very excited about this year's slate of nominees!" remarked ASIFA-Hollywood president,Frank Gladstone. "We had more submissions to choose from this year running the gamut from big studio features to indie films, television series to internet shows, games, shorts and student films, as well as a wonderful group of juried award recipients, all showcasing the huge variety of venues, creativity, technical innovation and story-telling that our art form has to offer."

2013 IPA Satellite Awards – nominations

The International Press Academy has announces its slate of nominations for the 18th annual IPA Satellite Awards.

Leading the field with 10 nominations was Steve McQueen’s historical drama 12 Years a Slave. It was followed by Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity and David O. Russell’s American Hustle, each with eight nominations apiece. All three were nominated for Best Motion Picture.

The other Best Motion Picture nominees were Inside Llewyn Davis by the Coen brothers, Philomena by Stephen Frears, The Wolf of Wall Street by Martin Scorsese, Saving Mr. Banks by John Lee Hancock, All Is Lost by J.C. Chandor, and Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine.